Simply Irresistible (Crescent Cove Book 2)

by Marlie May

  Her gray eyes darkened, and my breath ground to a halt like I’d taken a blade in the chest. Because I knew I was done for.

  “After what happened,” I said. “You have every reason to hate me.”

  Her breath caught. “What?”

  “Yeah, hate me. For what I took from you.” I winced. “I had no right. I stole what was never mine; what should’ve been Jason’s. I apologized, but I should’ve—”

  “Wait a second. You took nothing from me I wasn’t willing to give.”

  “Willing?” My head flinched back. “When Jason found me, told me what I’d done to you, I wanted to pound my fist into a wall.” I scrubbed my face with both hands.

  Tears pooled in Cara’s eyes. Shit, now I’d made her cry. I never should’ve brought this up. Leave it to me to hurt her all over again.

  “Jason,” she whispered. “What did you do?” Pain filled her words. “As he lay dying, he said, I’m sorry.”

  I shook my head, needing her to understand. “What I did to a friend—no, to someone I loved—was unforgivable. Can’t blame you for running, never looking back. He told me to leave you alone, so I did.”

  “This is wrong.” Her voice shook, and she crossed her arms on her chest. Her shoulders slumped forward, curving inward as if she needed protection from a lethal blow. “It can’t be happening. You rejected me.” Her voice rose shrilly. “What did Jason say to you?”

  “I ruined your life.”

  “Roan.” She cupped my face, lifting it so I couldn’t look anywhere but at her. “Tell me what Jason said.”

  “That you’d had too much to drink. That when I took you back to my room, you only wanted to talk. You weren’t sure, but the alcohol made you slow. What we did was a mistake. I pushed you to…Shit, Cara, for a while, I was convinced I made you have sex with me.”

  “No.” She dragged her fingers down her face and stared at the sky. “Jason, you God damn prick.”

  Shock poured through me. This wasn’t something a mourning widow would say about her beloved husband. “What?”

  “Please don’t ever think you hurt me. I never said that.” She clenched her teeth, then whispered, “Jason…no.” Tears swam in her eyes. Leaning into me, she stroked my face. Anger and pain filled her words. “Jason lied. About all of it. I trusted him. Married him. Gave him a child. When all that time, he was lying.”

  I couldn’t believe what she was saying. He’d been our friend. “Tell me.”

  “That morning, I went to shower and finish packing. When I returned to your room, I found Lainie there, dressed only in a sheet.”

  He reeled back. “Lainie?”

  “She said you two were back together. She wore only a sheet. I thought…”

  “I was looking for you. I didn’t see her.”

  “I was stupid. I ran, bumping into Jason, who told me he’d have it out with you for me. But he lied.”

  Just like that, I knew. He’d lied to us both. “He told me I’d hurt you, that you only wanted him. He asked me to respect your wishes and let you go. I loved you, Cara, so I did as he asked.”

  “You told me it was a mistake.”

  “You’ve never been a mistake. You mean everything to me.”

  “Jason told me the same lies when he found me in the hall. That you’d had too much to drink. That you wanted to get back with Lainie. That, if I truly cared for you, I’d leave you alone.” Her sigh deflated her chest. “That you didn’t want me.”

  “I think I’ve wanted you forever, Cara. Deep inside, you were always the one.”

  “And I loved…no, I still love you.”

  The most beautiful words in the world.

  Lifting her off her feet, I spun her around until she giggled. Still holding her close, I tipped my head back and laughed, the sound filling the air with my happiness. I let her slide down my body until her toes touched the ground. Grinning, I stared down at her. “You love me?”

  She nodded through her tears. “I love you so much.”

  “I can’t believe it,” I said. “All these years I thought—”

  “I’m so happy.” She hugged me, resting her face on my chest. “I love you. Don’t ever forget it.”

  “Hmm.” What an awesome thought. “I can’t believe it.” Tipping my head back again, I shouted to the clouds, the birds, the freakin’ bugs if they wanted to hear. “She loves me.” My voice deepened when I gazed down at her. “I’m going to show you how much I love you for the rest of my days.”

  Cara

  Stroking my face with his knuckles, he wiped the tears from my eyes.

  He took my hands and backed us into the water. A grin riding his face, he glanced around before honing his gaze in on me. The heat emitting from in his eyes made me tingle. “I can’t help but notice that we’re alone here, honey. In a tropical paradise.”

  His words turned my tingles into delicious shivers.

  “Like Adam and Eve.” I waded up to him and stroked his arms. His chest. “Any idea what we should do with this alone time?” Frankly, if he couldn’t come up with anything, I’d be glad to give him suggestions.

  Cool water swirled around us, a liquid caress.

  One side of his mouth quirked up. “I have lots of ideas.”

  “Show me.”

  “Glad to.” Wrapping his arms around me, he pulled me against his chest and lowered his mouth onto mine. Our tongues played. Fire built between us, centering low in my belly.

  While we focused on our kiss, the current shifted us into water over our heads. Treading to hold in place, we clung to each other. We drifted across the pool, our wet limbs rubbing, tangling together.

  Roan’s hands on my waist trailed fire, a sharp contrast to the cool water. The friction he generated sent a blaze zipping up my spine. Only his legs thrusting beneath us kept us from sliding under. I’d melted from his touch. Clutching him, my legs wrapped around his waist, I couldn’t concentrate on more than his mouth, his hands, the warmth of his body urgent against mine.

  I wasn’t sure how he did it. But like my own personal Superman, he not only saved us from drowning, he maintained enough coordination to stroke his hand across my belly to my bikini top. He cupped my breast, massaging the nipple through the nylon fabric. It was a toss-up whether I wanted to arch my back to give him easier access or keep on kissing him. Because arching meant leaving his lips, which might kill me. But if he kept doing that thumb and finger thing on my nipple that sent shock waves to my groin, I was going to combust.

  I moaned. I mean, who wouldn’t? The guy I loved, who’d always been beyond my reach, was giving himself to me. It made me soft. Pliable. Eager to be with him. I covered his face with kisses. Damn, but I adored him.

  Reaching under my top, he fondled. His every stroke showed me how much I meant to him. Nothing was more arousing than having someone you love return the feeling ten-fold.

  “Roan.” I sighed his name. I could barely think, let alone speak. But I could remember. That one night, we’d been college students groping in the dark. I wanted him more now than I had back then. “You’ve got to make love to me.” We’d wasted too much time hiding behind sorrow, fear, and regret.

  We’d build a new future, starting with this moment.

  No laughter in his eyes. They studied me intently. So filled with love, it made me want to cry. “I don’t have protection.”

  And I couldn’t remember where I was in my cycle.

  “I haven’t been with anyone in over a year,” he said. “And I’ve been tested.”

  “Me, too.”

  “We’re married, but I wouldn’t want to take things in directions we haven’t discussed.”

  “The divorce is off, right?”

  “Hell, yeah.”

  I smiled. “Then let’s take our chances.” This was Roan, and all of my emotions were wrapped up in him. He brought out the part of me I’d buried deep inside. I couldn’t believe he was finally mine. “I want to be with you.”

  I gave my hands free-rein. I
ruffled his hair, loving how the silky strands slipped through my fingers. Only together could I show him how much I cared, how grateful I was not just for the return of our friendship, but for this bond of love we’d created.

  “Let’s go back to our room,” he said. “Where I can touch and kiss every inch of your body.”

  Need shivered through me. I wanted to do the same.

  “Why wait?” Bold on my part, but we were alone. Making love in a rain forest had to be on everyone’s erotic bucket list. We hadn’t met a single soul during our glide downstream. No one would see but the bugs and the birds.

  I was becoming bold in my old age. No, I’d finally found my courage.

  He blinked. “We’re out in the open.”

  Hard to believe I’d become the daring one in this part of our relationship.

  “I’m all for giving you whatever you want later, but the room’s awfully far from here.” Letting my impish side rule, I slid my hand along the waistband of his swim shorts. His quick inhalation encouraged me, lending me boldness. I tucked my hand beneath the elastic. Raw steel surged against my palm. I slid my fingers down his length then back to the top. He twitched when I stroked the tip with my thumb.

  He closed his eyes and bowed his head back. My reward was his groan.

  “Six years is long enough,” I said. “One second more is going to do me in.”

  He arched his spine. “Damn. That feels good.” Leaning forward, he kissed me. He pinched my nipples and nuzzled my neck, raking his teeth across my sensitive skin.

  Enough foreplay. We needed out of the water. Level ground. Him inside me.

  Holding hands, we splashed to the edge of the pool. Thick vegetation surrounded us. As he teased my backside and kissed my shoulder, my frustration grew. “Roan.”

  He pulled me around and cupped my face. Then drowned me in his kiss. “I think I know what you want.”

  “You. Now.”

  “I love how you make demands.” He led me to the ledge under a series of falls, where the rocks had been worn smooth. Tiered cliffs rose behind me. The water’s flow created a thick, rushing shower. I leaned back and the current traveled over my shoulders, down my back. Cold. Sensual. My nipples peaked.

  Roan braced his palms on either side of me and kissed along my jawline. “Tell me what you want me to do.”

  “Touch me.”

  He slid one hand around to my back, pulling my lower body against his. His other hand stroked my shoulder, down my arm, across to my chest. He smoothed his mouth across mine, pulling the heat from deep inside me.

  My limbs purred.

  Leaving my lips, he trailed his mouth to my neck. Nibbled. Licked. “You taste sweeter than life.”

  “I love what you’re doing.” I tipped my head back, letting the water flow down my body. “I’m going to explode.”

  “Not yet. But soon.”

  I quivered.

  With a soft chuckle, he undid my top and dropped it to the wet stones by our feet. Bending forward, he mouthed one of my nipples, swirling his tongue across the tip.

  Oh. Rolling my head back, I moaned. “Roan, I’ll give you an eternity to stop.”

  “You like this?” He tilted his head back, staring up at me. “Mmm.” The sound rumbled in his chest. “What about when I do this?” He kissed my shoulder, bit down gently.

  “Yes.” Heaviness sped through my body. My legs sagged.

  “And this?” His palm rubbed me through my swimsuit bottoms. He tugged them down, and they joined my top. “Open your legs for me, honey.”

  Who needed brain cell function? Thighs splayed wide, all I wanted to do was feel.

  He tickled and stroked.

  I throbbed in response.

  His palm cupped me, shifting, moving, while his fingers explored. “How about when I do this?” One fingertip slid inside me.

  “Ahh.” I arched my head back while savoring his touch. “Don’t stop.”

  “Don’t plan to.”

  He must be able to tell. I was hot. Ready for him already. Had been for what seemed like forever. Thrusting my hips forward, I wiggled, seeking. My legs spasmed like jello. “Roan.”

  “I live to please you. You like this?” His thumb circled, pressed down.

  I panted. He wanted speech? How could I think? My throat was tight. My lungs shook. Between my legs…

  He lowered himself to his knees in front of me. Oh, my word, he was putting his mouth there. Using his tongue.

  I moaned, the sound growing louder, building to a crescendo.

  He leaned back and looked up at me. “You’re so beautiful.”

  “I want you.”

  “I want you. But we’re in no rush, are we?”

  What was he talking about? I wanted to rush him inside me. “No. Yes.” I shook my head. Leaning into the wall, I pressed my hips forward. “Ahhh.” Deep inside me, something coiled tight. Tension built with every stroke of his tongue.

  Slipping a finger inside, he created a rhythm that brought me to the edge. I was going to shatter. Fall apart in his arms. Just a bit more rubbing…

  “I can’t wait.” His deep, guttural tone made me tug on his arms, drag him to his feet.

  I stared into his eyes. “Do not wait one second more.”

  His swim shorts joined my bathing suit on the ground.

  With a chuckle, he lifted me, and I hooked my legs around his waist. He pressed me back against the stone wall. Water flowed around us, a cold embrace. “Tell me how this feels, then.” Poised outside me, he watched my face while slowly sliding himself in all the way to the hilt.

  Smoother than rich velvet. Harder than steel.

  And there went my restraint. “That’s…that’s…”

  “Okay?”

  “A thousand times more than okay.”

  He pulled out and pushed back inside. “And that?”

  I moaned. “Again. More.”

  He was taking this too slow. Did he worry I’d break? Teasing at my entrance. Gliding inside. Back out. A fever took hold of me, and I shifted my hips to pull him deeper. His easy pace was going to drive me out of my mind.

  His kisses muffled my shrieks.

  Around us, the jungle went silent.

  Until our cries sent a flock of birds into flight.

  Roan

  We floated in our own private oasis.

  But when the sun had sunk low on the horizon and mosquitos pestered our ears, we had to leave. We walked back upstream, stopping every other step to kiss.

  “Love you.” I couldn’t stop saying the words. And I couldn’t stop touching her. Squeezing her hand, tickling her backside, stroking her hair. I felt ready to go all dragon shifter and drag her back to my lair.

  She clung to my shoulders. “Love you more.” She rose up onto her toes. “When we get back to the room, I’ve got a few things I want to show you.”

  “Show and tell? Can I play? Because I’ve got a few things I’d like to show you.”

  “Etchings?”

  I shifted my shorts. “And then some.”

  “Poor baby. Maybe we should…” She peeked around my shoulder, and her face fell. “Tourist alert. A guy and two kids are wading in this direction. Damn civilization for interrupting our paradise.”

  I snorted. We’d taken a big risk at the lower falls, but I’d do it all over again. I couldn’t believe how uninhibited our lovemaking had been.

  “Let’s go to the hotel,” I said.

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  “How are you with a few demands?”

  She winked. “I’m okay with demands.”

  Holding hands, we continued to the base of the falls, toweled off, and dressed. We crossed the bridge and stopped, staring up the endless cliff of stairs that awaited us.

  “My legs are screaming already,” Cara said. “Where’s an elevator when you need one?”

  Shifting my pack off my back, I handed it to her. “Hop on. I’ll give you a piggy back ride.”

  She tapped her
chin and studied me, her face filled with speculation. “Your legs will be dead before we reach the top.” Striding around me, she took the first flight of stairs at a near-run, calling over her shoulder, “I want you in good shape for later.”

  Catching up, I tapped her backside. “Oh, you do, do you?”

  “Hell, yeah.” She grinned.

  We made short work of the stairs. At the top, we took a cab back to the hotel and strolled inside. Late day, the sun had disappeared from the sky.

  She paused on the bridge. “Dinner, or…?”

  I rubbed my stomach. “You’re trying to starve me to death.”

  Turning, she leaned her back against the rail. “What? Can’t survive on love?”

  I braced my palms on either side of her and nuzzled her neck. “I guess we could hunt something up later.”

  “Pick,” she said. “Room or dinner or spa?”

  “All of the above?”

  She took my hand and tugged me toward the restaurant. “Let’s stock your tank, and we can seek out a quiet pool in the spa.” She waved to the swim-up pool. “They’re open all night.”

  “I love how you think.” I had a few ideas I’d like to explore in the pools with Cara.

  “Let me call Arie before she goes to sleep,” Cara said when we went up to the room. Sitting on the bed, she called home. I lounged beside her, chin propped on my palm.

  Ken answered and they chatted for a few minutes before he handed the phone to Arie.

  “Mommy!”

  “Arie, sweetie.” Her eyes swam with tears, and she discretely brushed them away. I squeezed her hand. “How are you?”

  “It snowed today. Lots and lots and lots. Gramps let me shovel the front steps.”

  Cara’s trembling lips rose. “He’s putting you to work, is he?”

  “I love shoveling snow.”

  It seemed surreal to think of cold weather, gloves, and boots when I lounged in a tropical location.

  Arie told Cara about school, her friends, and how nice her teacher was.