She groaned at the image and ran down to the water, gasping as the cold water met her heated flesh.
As she swam away from the shore, thoughts swirled round her mind. They were taking things slowly, trying to get to know each other better. Why was her body so on fire now for Marco, even more than it had been before?
Why did she want him so much now?
6
“You’re going to burn if you’re not careful.”
Phoebe opened an eye and turned towards Marco. “How can I burn when I’m lying under this amazing canopy?”
She’d walked out of the ocean after her swim and got a shock when she saw that Marco had put up a canopy to protect them from the hot sun. Their towels were laid out and he had put the ice chest in the corner to make sure it stayed cool.
“It’s not a fool proof deterrent against the sun.”
“What are you suggesting? You want to rub sunscreen on me?”
Marco had pushed his sunglasses on top of his head and Phoebe saw the flare of desire light up in their dark depths. “Do you want me to rub sunscreen on you?”
Yes.
She wanted to blurt it out but she didn’t want to come across as too desperate to feel his hands on her body.
“That would be great—I always struggle trying make sure my back’s covered.” Phoebe delved into her bag and pulled out the sunscreen, handing it to Marco, making sure her fingers touched his, lingering for a few seconds before relinquishing her hold on the bottle.
She flicked her hair to the side to expose all of her back and she was sure she heard a muffled groan coming from Marco. She smiled. She knew she was shamelessly flirting with him.
They hadn’t actually talked much since they’d arrived. The whole purpose of the date was to get to know one another, but she’d felt so comfortable and relaxed in his presence that she hadn’t wanted to ask questions and start discussions that could lead to creating tension between them.
“Why don’t you lie down?”
Phoebe was so lost in her thoughts; she jumped when Marco murmured the words in her ear. Sexual tension swirled around them, closeted away in their own private little oasis in a secluded cove where not even a boat had drifted past while they’d been there.
Pressure from a hand on the middle of her back encouraged her to lie back down on her towel. She complied with a sigh. The next instant she felt the coolness from the sunscreen being poured onto her back. She couldn’t hold back the involuntary shiver that undulated through her when Marco’s hands started to lightly rub the sunscreen in.
His circular movements were mesmerizing. He slipped his hands under the strap of her bikini before spreading his fingers wide and brushing the side of her breasts. She tried not to squirm as heat pulsed through her and moisture built between her legs. He moved his hands down her back before sweeping up again, this time sliding deeper down her sides so that his fingers more than just brushed her breasts, they almost cupped them.
She bit her lip to stop herself from asking him for more, for his hands to undo the ties of her bikini top. His hands started the upward motion again and she waited, anticipating the moment when he would touch her aching breasts. She sighed deeply when his fingers caressed her firm flesh before moving down once again.
In a blur of movement Phoebe found herself flipped over and pressed up against Marco’s naked chest.
“I swore I wasn’t going to do this. I swore I was going to be the consummate gentleman. But I can’t keep my hands off you,” he muttered before he fused his lips to hers. She didn’t need any encouragement—she wrapped her arms around him, wanting this kiss as much as he did.
She opened her mouth more to give him better access and to deepen the kiss. She ran her hands down his back, feeling his muscles jump with her every touch. She wiggled her hips closer to his, bringing his erection closer to her feminine core. Only a thin layer of material separated them.
Marco trailed his lips down her neck and Phoebe let her head drop to allow him better access. She lay down on her towel, Marco following her. She welcomed the weight of him and in that moment she knew she’d missed being intimate with him more than she’d let herself acknowledge.
He pulled his lips away from her neck and she moaned in distress. He laid his forehead against hers and placed his lips gently against hers. She didn’t want gentle, she wanted what he was giving her before—unadulterated passion. She didn’t want to think, she only wanted to feel.
“Why did you stop?” She asked, tightening her grip on him when he went to pull away.
“I want you so much, but this isn’t what I had planned when we came here.” His honesty touched something deep in her soul. She knew he didn’t have an ulterior motive. He wasn’t that sort of person.
“I know that, but I want this as much as you do. Please Marco,” she whispered. “Don’t stop. Make love to me. Here and now.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. She didn’t care if it wasn’t wise or sensible. She wanted to feel Marco deep inside of her.
“I can’t say no to you.” He closed the distance once again and Phoebe gave herself up to just feeling.
* * *
Marco lost himself in the sensations of holding Phoebe again. She fit perfectly in his arms and he wanted to make this moment last.
He’d missed her.
Missed her in his arms.
Missed her in his bed.
Missed her more than he’d thought he ever would miss anyone.
They’d only been apart for a week at most, but it may as well have been a year with the way his body craved hers.
He knew they should talk. Knew he shouldn’t be making love to her before he shared the hurt he’d suffered at the hands of Veronika. Sharing that part of his past would expose old wounds, and he didn’t know how Phoebe would react to it. Would she laugh at his ability to get sucked in by someone who had been playing him the whole time they’d been together? Would she call him all types of fool for not seeing through Veronika’s charade? Could he let himself be open and vulnerable?
No, he couldn’t do it yet. Holding Phoebe made everything bad that had happened to him in the past fade away. She was what he wanted to concentrate on now. He wanted to lose himself in her where everything was good and right.
He pushed the thoughts away and shifted them back to the woman in his arms. The woman he wouldn’t let go of.
Marco trailed his fingers down her body again, lingering at the top of her bikini bottoms. The freedom to be able to touch her again consumed him. He’d been aware he was playing with fire by taking her up on her offer to apply sunscreen. But he couldn’t be happier with how things had turned out, lying with her in his arms on this secluded beach.
He slipped his fingers beneath the bottoms of her bathing suit, moving his hand to curve around her ass to pull her closer to him. He wanted nothing more than to bury himself deep into her body, but he wanted to savor this moment. Savor Phoebe and show her just how much she meant to him.
He moved his lips down her throat, nipping and kissing as he made his way to her breasts. They seemed to swell against his mouth. He removed his hands from her bottom and went to the ties holding her top together. With quick movements he had them undone and cupped her full breasts in his hands. Marco massaged the flesh softly, his body hardening further with each little moan escaping her.
“Take me, Marco. I need you.”
“Soon, sweetheart, soon.” He peppered his words with kisses down her belly until he reached the top of her bikini bottoms again. He traced the edge with his tongue. The combination of salt from the seawater and her unique scent filled his senses to overflowing. He pushed her bottoms down so that she was bared to him. He lowered his head and kissed the inside of her thighs, before making his way to her core. He placed his mouth over her glistening flesh and groaned as her taste burst on his tongue. He feasted on her, swirling his tongue around her sensitized nub. As she writhed beneath his onslaught, his body hardened until he
thought he was going to do something he hadn’t done since he was a teenager. He brought her to the brink and her hands gripped the sides of his head to stop him from moving away. With one last swipe of his tongue she burst apart, her cries bringing a sense of satisfaction over him.
While her body still shook from her climax he trailed his lips back up her body, stopping to place kisses on each of her breasts, causing a more violent shudder to ripple through her.
“That was unexpected,” she murmured. “Why?”
“Because I didn’t expect this to happen. But I’m not saying I regret it.”
Marco lifted himself off her and stood. He pulled down his board shorts, reaching into the inside pocket to remove the protection he’d put there out of habit. Glad that he had.
He rolled the protection on and lay over Phoebe again.
“Good, because I’m just starting,” he whispered in her ear as he thrust into her. She arched her body against his and he groaned at the sensation of being deep inside of her.
He stayed still for a moment, enjoying the awareness of being connected to her so intimately again. Phoebe lifted her hips, encouraging him to start moving again. He slid out before thrusting back in, increasing the momentum with each thrust until she was
crying out her completion again. With a couple more quick thrusts he joined her over the edge, calling out her name as he let his climax flow through him and into her. telling her they were meant to be together. That this was right and not wrong.
* * *
Phoebe welcome the weight of Marco on top of her. The minute he’d entered her she acknowledged how much she’d missed being this close to him. She couldn’t deny that in bed they were totally compatible. They always had been. She pulled him a little closer as he went to move away. She didn’t want to break the connection.
“I’m too heavy for you.”
She sighed and closed her eyes. “I don’t care.”
I don’t want to let you go. She let the words whisper through her mind. She couldn’t say them out loud.
Marco rolled over and took her with him. She let her head lay gently on his chest. The rhythmic thump thump of his heart soothed and comforted her. Her eyes drifted shut. She could lie like this forever.
“As much as I’m enjoying this, I need to move.” Marco’s words broke the spell of contentment that had surrounded her.
Phoebe kissed him over his heart and lifted herself off him. She picked up her discarded bikini and pulled it on before reaching into her bag and pulling out her over shirt.
“You ready to eat now?” she asked, feeling a little awkward which, considering what they’d just shared, seemed totally out of place.
As if sensing her discomfort Marco walked over to her and pulled her close. His hands moved up and down her back, providing the comfort she so desperately needed.
“I said it before, but I want you to know I didn’t set out to seduce you today. That wasn’t my intention.”
Phoebe reached up and touched his face. “I know. I’m not regretting it. It’s just that anyone could’ve come along.”
“I don’t think so,” Marco replied as he kissed the top of her head. “The locals might know about it, but I’m sure the walk down to the beach is enough to put anyone off.”
He tugged at her hand and pulled her towards the blanket he’d laid down while she was getting back into her swimsuit.
“Let’s eat and then we can take another swim.”
“And talk?” she asked. After all, that was what today was supposed to have been about.
He seemed to stiffen up momentarily, as if he the idea of talking was worse than getting teeth pulled. She wondered why he was being so secretive. What was it that he didn’t want to share with her?
She pulled away, hurt to think that he still didn’t trust her enough to unburden his past on her. What had happened to him?
“Or not talk, if that’s what you want. But then you may as well leave. Wasn’t the whole staying-at-the-house-with-me thing a chance for us to get to know each other better?”
She sat down on the blanket and started to fill her plate with the chicken and salad fixings that Marco had laid out, trying not to let him know how much he’d hurt her.
He sat down next to her, his heat reached out to her, as if to provide the comfort he couldn’t give with words.
Everything in her wanted to get up and walk away. What did she have to do to become important to someone so they would share their past and future wants and needs with her?
Marco sat and ate in silence, and the more he put the food in his mouth, the more the anger built up inside of her. She had to get out of there before she did something stupid like throw her remaining food at him to try and get some sort of response. It was like she’d dreamed they’d made love for all the attention he was giving her now.
Phoebe set her plate down, wishing she could slam it down and make some noise. Anything to break the uncomfortable silence that had taken up residence under their shelter.
“I’m going for a walk,” she blurted out and tried her best to stomp out, which was hard to achieve when walking on soft sand.
She all but ran down to the shore, fighting the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. Talk about feeling cheap and used. She gave her body to him so freely only to have him all but reject her when she mentioned talking.
Why hadn’t she’d learned from their previous relationship? She’d once again let her sexual attraction to Marco overpower her sensibilities and her reasoning for breaking off their engagement.
She reached the water’s edge and stood on the firm sand, enjoying the feel of the cool water as the waves washed over her, tamping out the heat of her anger.
She willed the tears away that were welling behind her eyes. A warm hand on her arm startled her and she let out a muffled scream.
“I’m sorry.” Before she had time to comprehend what was happening she was whipped around and wrapped up in strong arms. She tried to pull away but he only tightened his hold on her.
“Sorry isn’t going to cut it anymore, Marco. You asked me to start over. To get to know each other and within a couple of hours . . . ” She trailed off and waved towards the shelter. “That happens.”
“I didn’t plan for that to happen.” He ground the words out. “So tell me, what was on your mind for today?”
“A picnic on the beach.” He held up his hands in mock surrender. “I swear that’s all I had in mind.”
“Nothing else?”
Phoebe didn’t need to say anything else; she knew Marco was aware of exactly what she was getting at. But he stood there, looking out at the ocean as if the answer would miraculously appear in front of him.
“You seem to be avoiding the question again. It’s getting a bit tiring, you know.” He let out a frustrated sigh. “Yes, I had thought we could talk, but . . . ”
“But you decided to seduce me instead in the hopes that I wouldn’t push the issue.” “No. How many times do I have to tell you that that wasn’t my plan? I was enjoying
being with you. Having you nearby. I’ve missed you, and I didn’t want to spoil things by bringing up my past or your past.”
“I don’t get you, Marco. I don’t get any of this. How are we supposed to move on if you don’t share anything with me? If we don’t communicate with each other.”
God, she sounded like a cracked record. How many times today had she said the same words over and over and over, and still it didn’t penetrate the thick cage he’d built around himself.
“You know what? This conversation is going nowhere—again. I’m going for a swim.” She stated as she tore off her over shirt, balled it up and threw it away from the reach of the incoming waves.
With that she turned and strode into the water, ignoring the coolness of the water on her skin. Without looking back to see what Marco was doing she dove in.
The water washed over her and she swam under the waves for a few breaths. When her lungs were bursting she shot
up to the surface, treading water as she flicked the hair out of her eyes.
Marco was right next to her. “I was beginning to think I might have to rescue you.” “I don’t need rescuing, I’m a big girl.” She ducked back under the water and with a
swift kick she moved away from Marco.
When her muscles felt sufficiently tired, she headed back to the shore. Once she got back to the shelter she picked up her towel and wrapped it around her.
“Feel better?”
The question grated and her relaxed state immediately went out the window.
“I did until you asked that question.” She started to collect up her stuff. “I think we should head back.”
“Okay.” His agreement surprised her and they quietly packed up their picnic site.
Phoebe couldn’t believe that only a couple of hours ago they had been so close, as close as any couple could be. Being held in his arms had been wonderful, but now it seemed liked she’d dreamed the whole episode.
They made their way back to the car. They hadn’t spoken a word to each other since he’d agreed to her request to leave.
Phoebe put a final bag into the trunk of the car and failed to stop her sigh from escaping.
“Are you okay?”
She rolled her eyes at his question. “Of course I’m okay. I came away to sort my life out, only to have you turn up and complicate things. Then you say you want to start over, but really, I think you lied.”
“Don’t call me a liar.” Marco ground the words out, his anger reaching out to her.
There was a part of her that wanted to infuriate him more. Get some more emotion out of him. The only time he showed any real emotion was when they had been making love, and even then it was controlled. She would love to get him to lose the iron-clad grip he had on his control.
“Well prove that you’re not a liar. All I’ve seen so far in the last few hours is you lying to yourself about what you really want from our relationship.”
Seducing Phoebe: Lovers Unmasked: Book 3 Page 8