Chapter 23

Matt drew back a little, desire at a flash point now, almost out of control. The way she was built? What a crock.

“You’re a virgin?”

“Sorta.”

Man, oh, man, what had he gotten himself into? This was no way to have a first experience. Gritting his teeth, determined to hold back and make this good for her, Matt struggled to control his body.

All day he’d driven himself half crazy anticipating this moment. He’d imagined hot sex, some of it X-rated and bordering on kinky. Never in his wildest dreams had he considered Shelly might be a virgin.

When she’d stripped and turned to him, wearing nothing but a seductive smile, his pulse had gone berserk. Not to mention what it had done to the rest of him. Her behavior had been a bit odd, he’d thought at the time. Probably because she had forced herself to take off her clothes.

“Don’t stop,” she pleaded.

He realized his eyes were squeezed shut. Letting out his breath, he opened them. Moonlight flickered over her hair, gleaming softly on her moist lips and dancing in her eyes.

“I’m not stopping. I’m just trying to figure this out.”

“You’ve never had sex before?” she teased.

“Not with a virgin. They’re a dying breed. We don’t get many in these parts.”

What he wanted to say was that this was a big responsibility. Was he up to the challenge? He eased forward with little rocking movements, allowing her body time to stretch to accommodate him.

“I liked it better when you didn’t know I was a virgin.”

“You’re probably a backseat driver too.”

He gave her what she wanted. Thrusting forward, he tested the barrier. He pushed harder and harder. Nothing. Cocking his hips, he pulled back a little, then drove into her. He felt her body give.

She gasped.

“Does it hurt?”

“A little, but I don’t mind.”

He kissed her forehead as he burrowed his way inside her. “You’re so tight.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You’re perfect.” He meant it; her body was slick and ready, fitting him like a glove that was a size too small. He’d never been this aroused in his whole damn life. It was a miracle his heart was withstanding the adrenaline rush.

“You feel … wonderful. So big.”

He wasn’t that big, but she was incredibly small and inexperienced. He lifted her hips to deepen the angle of his thrusts. She gave a soft moaning sound that shot right through him.

“Now I know what I’ve been missing,” she whispered.

“A talker. I had to get a talker and virgin yet.” He tried to joke, hoping to distract himself. The last thing he wanted was to come before she did.

His movements were easier now. He drew back, then came forward with renewed momentum. She clung to him, her nails biting into the skin on his back, then raking downward.

“Great! A virgin and a talker and a scratcher.”

“Sorry, I can’t help myself. You feel so good.”

“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

She began moving beneath him, arching her hips to meet his thrusts.

“That’s it, darlin’. You’re getting the hang of it.”

“I wa-watched a naughty movie in a hotel once.” Her voice was a soft rasp in his ear, her breath coming in warm little pants.

“Don’t let anybody find out. You could get arrested.”

Talking helped, he found. He’d had sex too many times to count, none of them memorable. But he was never going to forget this.

It wasn’t just that Shelly was a virgin. He’d been resisting her for so long that he seemed to have driven himself to the brink of frustration. Just by wedging his way inside her, he had nearly lost it like some horny kid in the backseat of an old Chevy.

With each movement now he buried himself to the hilt, her hot, tight body compressing around his penis. He couldn’t help groaning with pleasure.

“Are you all right?”

No, he wanted to yell. He was so close to ejaculating that he couldn’t talk any longer. Her lips were parted and her eyes brimming with passion, but she showed no signs of being close to an orgasm.

He adjusted his position so his hand could touch the soft folds of skin between her thighs. Spreading them apart. He made certain his shaft was up against her tight bud. Then he began to pump, slowly at first.

She rewarded his efforts with a sweet moan. “Oh, God.”

He increased the tempo, hammering into her. “No, not God. He’s busy. I’m Matt, remember?”

She moaned again, louder than before. “This is heaven.”

Together they found the right cadence and moved together like dancers, hearing a silent tune. He permitted himself the luxury of losing himself in her, in this unique experience. All that existed was this moment, this special woman.

For now, at least, he could ignore the future.

His thrusts became heavier as he pounded furiously toward release. Beneath him, she was on fire, moving upward to meet him each time he lunged into her. She shuddered violently, then gave a gasping cry of pure delight.

He pummeled, faster and faster, on the brink himself. The coil of tension, wound so tight, exploded in a white-hot rush of pleasure. A guttural groan rumbled out of his throat as he flung his head back.

The orgasm lanced through him like a bolt of lightning, leaving him suddenly weak. He pitched forward, catching the brunt of his weight with his forearms on either side of her head and gasping for air.

She looked up at him, her eyes wide with wonder. “Did I do okay for a first-timer?”

He couldn’t seem to get his breath, but he managed to nod. He gathered her in his arms and rolled onto his side, afraid he’d collapse on her. “If you get any better, you’ll kill me.”

She snuggled against him and planted a little kiss on his shoulder. He was still inside her, and he didn’t want to let her go. What had happened just now was powerful, all-consuming. He’d had sex before, but it had never been this intense.

This satisfying.

“It was much better than I ever dreamed,” she whispered to him. “No wonder people like sex so much.”

Matt chuckled.

“Hel-lo! Anybody home?”

Shelly jerked upright. “It’s Bubbles. She’s in the kitchen.”

“Head for the water.” He pulled out of her, yanked off the condom and tossed it onto his cutoffs.

When he reached the shore, Shelly was bobbing in water so deep, it covered her breasts. He dove in and surfaced beside her. “Come here, honey.”

She glided into his arms as if she knew she belonged there. The gentle surge of the sea swayed them back and forth.

“Shelly. Matt.” Bubbles and some guy were standing on the grass near the spot where they had just made love. “What are you doing?”

“Swimming.”

“Let’s hope they don’t decide to join us,” Shelly whispered to him.

“Why not? This is Key West. Anything goes. We might try group sex,” he said, but he wasn’t serious. No way in hell was he sharing her.

She tried to hold on to the elusive dream, not remembering what it was exactly, but knowing it had been pleasant. A smell had brought her out of the dream. Without opening her eyes and not wanting to wake up just yet, she sniffed. Coffee. She cracked one eyelid, then the other.

“It’s about time you woke up, sleepyhead.”

Matt was sitting beside the bed, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt and drinking a cup of coffee. Last night. Oh, my God.

After Bubbles and her friend left, Matt had carried her to his room. How many times had they made love? She didn’t want to count, and she certainly didn’t need to remember how wantonly she’d behaved.

Over the rim of his cup, he smiled at her. “You’re blushing.”

He was grinning at her now, a proud, masculine grin. She realized she was sprawled across his bed without a stitch of clothing on. She reached for the sheet.

“Aw, Shelly. I’ve seen every inch of your body. Hell, I’ve had my tongue on every inch.” He put down his cup, then sat beside her on the bed. He grabbed her foot and planted a kiss on the bottom of it. “I missed that spot.”

The imprint of his lips on her sole tickled and reminded her of all the other places his lips had been. He was right, of course. He had explored every inch of her body. Being modest was for The Beast—not for her.

“Thanks for last night,” she said as she sat up.

His arm slipped around her bare shoulders with a casual intimacy. “No, angel, I should thank you.”

“We’re quite a team, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, we are.” The devilish glint in his eye told her he was up to something. “Tell me, have you ever been to France?”

She shook her head.

“So much for the skinny-dipping French.” He chuckled. “You know, I never use the word cute, but that was just about the cutest thing that ever happened to me. You started babbling, then you took off your clothes at warp speed.”

She gave him a playful punch on his thigh. “What did you expect?”

He kissed the tip of her nose, his expression serious now. “You keep surprising me. It blew me away to find out you were a virgin. In New York—”

“Matt, please. Forget that woman. Let’s start over.”

“Okay, sure. It’s just that—”

“I should hop in the shower.” She jumped up, then winced, discovering she was a little sore. “What time is it anyway?”

“It’s almost noon.”

He had a strange look on his face, and she wondered if he realized she was deliberately trying to distract him. She couldn’t afford to talk too much about Rochelle Ralston. She trotted into the bathroom and glanced at the mirror. Before she could stop herself, a small cry escaped her lips.

Matt was standing beside her in a second. “What’s wrong?”

She pointed at her reflection. “I could haunt a house and charge by the room.”

“Bedroom hair is sexy as hell. A few dozen love bites.” He pulled up the back of his T-shirt. “Check this.”

Angry red scratch marks, some long, others short, covered his back.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

He pulled down the shirt. “Don’t be. It was the hottest, best sex I’ve ever had. If you don’t get in the shower, I’m going to drag you back to bed.”

“I should go to my room. I don’t have anything to put on after I shower.”

“Your bra washed up on the beach this morning. Bingo and Jiggs were playing with it when I was getting coffee. It’s a goner.”

She shook her head, imagining everyone having breakfast as Bingo and Jiggs dragged her bra up from the beach.

“I have a great idea,” Matt said. “We should take one of Trevor’s Wave Runners and go find a deserted key.”

“Let’s have a picnic,” she said.

“Okay, but I was thinking we should see if the French have anything with this au naturel stuff.”