25

W ith my arm around Claire’s shoulders, we sit together under a blanket on one of the wide cushioned seats in the open-air cockpit of the Water’s Edge . We rest with our heads tipped back to gaze heavenward. The night sky is in full splendor with not a cloud anywhere, and the moon is only just waxing so does not yet overwhelm the light of the stars. The slow, rolling movement of the sailboat is soothing, and only the slightest breeze brings the scent of the nearby open sea across the gentler harbor. I hear Claire sigh. “Everything okay?” I ask softly.

“It’s so okay.” She snuggles in closer to me. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“All of it. But maybe especially this.”

I have to agree. Tonight has been paradise. Simple. Tender. Exactly what we needed after the craziness of Chicago and before whatever might happen tomorrow. Rather than reply with words, I take her chin in my hand and kiss her. There is instant heat between us, and I am reminded of the first time when I waited for her in the parking lot of the diner. Our kisses then were so intense I was dizzy from it, yet even now, after so many kisses since, her mouth still makes me weak. When she parts her lips welcoming me in, I tease her gently with my tongue. I try to convince myself I am in no hurry, that I want to move slow and make tonight last. Yet, when I feel the tip of her tongue touch mine, my hunger for her blooms hot. Unable to help myself, I take her mouth with enough passion to make her moan in response.

By the time she puts her arms around my neck to pull me in closer and deepen our kisses, I know it is either undress her here on this bench or lure her inside to take her to bed. The image of her laying naked across the quilts in my cabin helps me decide. “Come inside with me,” I murmur against her lips, and she nods. We stand, and I follow her down the three steps to the salon only to pause on the last one. My expectation is for her to sleep in my cabin and let me make love to her, yet for the first time, I hesitate. There are two small cabins aboard, and perhaps I should not presume anything. The strangest sensation of consideration for her comes over me. Our chemistry has proven to make us inseparable when we are around each other, yet I can't be sure she always wants what I want.

Clearly feeling me hesitate, Claire turns back. “What is it?” she asks, and I clear my throat.

“There’s two cabins,” I offer. “You know, in case you want some privacy tonight.” She blinks as if I have said something incomprehensible. Then a slow blush colors her cheeks.

“Do you want privacy?”

“God, no,” I assure her, realizing the message I am inadvertently sending. “I want you with me. All the time. I only, well…” I look away from her face. “I didn’t bring you here just to sleep with you. It’s important you know that.”

Suddenly, her hands are on my face lifting my gaze back to her and our eyes hold. “I know,” she says. “And yes, I do want privacy, but only for a few minutes.” A sultry smile crosses her beautiful face, and she leans in until her lips are less than an inch from my ear. “Then, I want you to take me like only you can.”

My heart skips a beat at her words, and I suck in a breath. “I can do that, I assure you.”

“Point me to my cabin,” she says picking up her overnight bag from the luggage she brought from Chicago. The rest of her things have been taken to my mansion, yet she was adamant this one stay with her. I was intrigued then and now am more so. Luckily, I have everything I need onboard for impromptu visits. Although Claire is not the first woman I have brought aboard, in my heart, I feel she might very well be the last. All others pale by comparison, and I wonder what that will mean for our future. It's too much to wrap my head around right now. Instead, I bow.

“Right this way,” I say and move across the small space to open a door with a flourish.

She pecks me on the lips as she passes by to go inside. “And your cabin? So I can find you?”

I wave to another door only a few inches from hers. “I’ll be right inside. Waiting,” I smile. “Probably naked.” She laughs.

“Just the way I like you,” she teases back and then closes the door. I don't hesitate to keep my promise, and when she knocks on my cabin, I am nearly naked under the sheet. But not quite. Tonight, I have something special in mind and only hope she will want it too.

“Come in,” I say, and the door opens enough to reveal Claire in an ice-blue lace babydoll chemise and nothing else. The sight takes my breath away, and I lick my lips, knowing she dressed this way to please me.

Seeing my look, she tilts her head. “Is this okay?” she asks, her tone sexy and teasing.

“You look incredible,” I whisper. “Come here.” The room is tiny, and the bed takes up almost all of it, so she is forced to crawl across the mattress to reach me. The sight of her on hands and knees sends an ache straight through me, and a throbbing starts between my legs. There are so many ways I want her, and I have a feeling I will never get enough.

As she reaches me and slips under the sheet to lie back, I barely contain myself. Only the desire to appreciate the sight of her holds me back for a moment before running my hands up and down her body. Under my gaze, her nipples tighten and her eyes half close with arousal, driving me past any restraint. I want her, and it takes all my reserve not to hurry.

I move closer and kiss her. All my pent-up need is behind it, and she rolls toward me putting her arms around my neck. I could so easily move on top of her, but patience is essential right now. Yet, when she presses her body against mine, I see her eyes widen. Rather than try to explain, I guide her hand to the shaft of my strap-on, and while her hand explores it, I watch her face. There is a hint of surprise, but it is quickly replaced with desire, and I know I guessed correctly. A sly smile crosses her face, and she arches her back while she still holds me in her hand. “Are you going to fuck me with this?” she whispers, and I could not ask for more in a partner. Nothing is beyond what Claire will do for me. Nothing.

I nod. “I am,” I answer as I slide my hands along her legs to widen them before moving between her thighs. The reality that I am poised to enter Claire makes me tremble. Never have I wanted this more, yet I force myself to move slowly. For now. “Talk to me. Tell me what feels good.”

As Claire runs her hands down my back dragging her fingertips lightly across my skin, I shiver with anticipation. “You on top of me feels good,” she murmurs lifting her hips a little to show me she means it.

“Jesus,” I growl. Normally, I can control myself, but she draws out the hunger in me, and I push up on my hands to look down on her. The sight is breathtaking, seeing her under me, with her hair fanned out on the pillow and desire making her eyes darker. As I watch, she bites her lip waiting for me, and my answer is to shift my hips to enter her only the slightest.

Her eyes widen with excitement. “Oh God,” she gasps. “You feel so good.” She lifts her hips to help take me in, and I reward her with a slow thrust. Her hands clench my back as she throws her head on the pillows while a small cry of pleasure escapes her. I pause, remembering how tight she is, letting her grow used to me before moving again. I run my mouth over her neck, and she moans at the mixture of sensations.

“Kiss me,” I demand, and she does, her lips open and ready for me to ravish her with my tongue. As I take her with a deep kiss, I thrust again, harder and she bucks under me while moaning into my mouth. Starting a slow rhythm, I feel her spreading open for me, and she breaks the kiss to throw back her head again as her pleasure mounts. Under me, her body matches my movements, lifting her hips to allow me to slide deeper every time. Her hands grab at my skin, and she wraps her legs around me, pulling me to her whenever I rock back before each new thrust.

Her breathing is ragged, and I feel her body starting to shake under me. Increasing the speed of my movements, knowing she is close, I shift my body forward until the pressure of the strap-on presses back against my clit and tortures me perfectly. Every time I slide in, my own pleasure mounts, making my breaths come quicker, and my heart pound. “Don't come until I allow it,” I order her moving even faster, pounding against her body relentlessly.

“Oh God,” she cries. “Please let me come.” I love the sound of her voice begging me, and I nearly come myself but not yet.

“Wait.”

We move even faster, her hips rising and falling in perfect harmony with my own push. “Please—”

“Wait,” I insist leaving no room for argument. I want her to explode. A whimpering comes from her throat, and her head whips back and forth on the pillow in her need for release. The sight of her wanting me so badly is too much, and I feel the onrush of my climax. A growl rises from me and waiting is soon not going to be an option.

“Wait, Claire.”

“Oh God, please… please.”

Then it is too much, and I can't hold back. “Come to me,” I say, and now I’m doing the begging. This time her cry is a scream of release, and as my body throbs with my own orgasm, I keep up my rhythm, riding through each wave of pleasure for us both. Not until her shaking starts to subside do I slow and then stop to let her feel me inside her as the last pulses of her body fade away. “I want more of that,” she smiles when we are spent, and as I slide out of her, she arches her back while sheer bliss shines on her face. “A lot more.”

I laugh softly as I lower myself to her side, resting my head on her shoulder. She strokes my hair and sighs. Words are not necessary as we lay in each other’s embrace. I feel her in my soul and somehow know she feels the same. We have something magical between us, and I will never let it go.