Sea of Love (Love in Bloom: The Bradens, Book 4) Contemporary Romance

by Melissa Foster

  “I’m a big girl, Dane. I make my own decisions and my own mistakes, so tell Treat that he doesn’t have to worry about me.”

  She looked so sexy that for a moment Dane forgot he needed to hold back; then the warmth of her touch on his hand reminded him.

  “I guess I don’t know what this is either, but I want to find out.” She held his gaze for a beat too long, translating her desire loud and clear. “When do you leave again?”

  “I’m here for the next week or two, depending on the success of our tagging. They’ve had a number of great white sightings this summer on the Cape, and they’ve asked Brave to tag and track them.” Dane loved traveling, and every tagging mission renewed his focus and drive. He’d been tagging sharks for thirteen years, and he never stayed in one place very long. Normally, he looked forward to the next mission, the next state or country. Tonight, he wished he had a month, or a year, before heading out again. He wanted more time with Lacy.

  “Is Rob here, too?” Lacy asked. Dane had spoken highly of Rob over the past year. She knew they were very close.

  “He arrives Sunday. When do you go back home?” he asked.

  Lacy lived just outside of Boston, two hours from the Cape. “Sunday. I have to be at work on Monday. I heard about the sharks around Chatham. Is that where you’re working?”

  “I don’t want to talk about work, Lace. We have forty-eight hours, and I don’t want to waste a second of it.”

  “What did you have in mind?” Lacy asked.

  “I have no idea, but I know I want to kiss you again.” He leaned in close, then hesitated, until he was sure the darkening of Lacy’s eyes was a sign of acceptance. She tightened her fingers around his and closed her eyes. The moment his lips met hers, every muscle constricted. She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him deeper. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, and he felt a familiar tightening in his groin. He swept her mouth with his tongue, drew one hand up to the back of her neck, kissing her deeper, then, fighting every force of nature that was driving him forward, forced himself to draw away.

  “Jesus, Lacy. I could make love to you right here.”

  “Here,” she whispered.

  Dane was unsure if it was a question or a statement. What was he doing? He might not be certain of what was between them, but he knew Lacy wasn’t a girl he wanted to forget—or could forget. He needed a distraction to keep his lust in check.

  “We need to walk,” he said with a wavering voice. He took her hand and walked down the beach. “I’m sorry. I know I’m hot and cold, and I’m not usually like this.”

  “Is it me?”

  He heard the worry in her voice and stopped abruptly, looking her in the eye. “Yes. It’s you, Lacy, but not in a bad way. Believe me. I want to make love to you here and now, but I told myself we’d take it slow. It’s just…” He rubbed his forehead, wondering how he could possibly explain what he didn’t even understand. “Lacy, I’ve got months of fantasies racing through my mind. Images of what I wanted to do with you, thoughts of touching you. Christ, I can practically feel you beneath me.” He pulled her closer. “All those intimate thoughts and pictures are chased by my wanting to slow down and get to know you better.” He searched her eyes again, looking for a clear indication of what she felt. What he saw was something he didn’t expect—surprise.

  Lacy let out a long breath. “Dane, that’s exactly how I feel, like there’s all this pressure to make those thoughts come through, but then there’s the other side of wanting to get to know you, so it doesn’t feel so…I don’t know…dirty.”

  “You’re anything but dirty.” He kissed the tip of her nose, and she smiled. “Although, we could be dirty if you wanted to.” He raised his eyebrows in quick succession.

  Lacy’s jaw slacked and her eyes opened wide in an exaggerated fashion.

  “I’m kidding,” he said quickly.

  “I know. So was I. Didn’t you get my over-the-top gawk?” she teased.

  He pulled her to him and kissed her again.

  “God, you surprise me.” He touched the soft skin of her jaw and kissed her again. “So, we should take it slow?” he asked when they parted. “Get to know each other?”

  “I think we should just let nature take its course.” She leaned in and kissed him.

  Jesus. All it took was that one kiss to send his desires careening out of control. The hell with it. He took her hand and, while still kissing, they stumbled up the beach to the dunes, where the grass grew in tall tufts. He pulled his lips away long enough to find a path up the sandy hill.

  He threw his jacket on the sand, and before he could reach for her, Lacy was in his arms, kissing him again. Her tongue probed his mouth with urgency, as she pulled the tail of his shirt from his pants, then slipped her warm hands underneath. He heard himself groan and winced, not wanting to seem too eager, but she met his groan with a moan, and it spurred him on and kicked his steely resolve to go slow out with the tide. He unzipped her dress with trembling hands—he’d waited so long to be with her that his breath caught in his throat. He kissed the tender spot at the base of her neck, then licked the sweet saltiness of her skin, relishing in the taste of her. Dane couldn’t get enough of her. He trailed kisses across her breastbone as her dress dropped to the sand and dragged his eyes down her incredibly sexy curves, remembering every word they’d spoken over the previous months, every secret they’d shared, every intimate desire they’d whispered in the dark.

  “God, Lace, you’re beautiful.” In all the months he’d dreamed about seeing Lacy again, he couldn’t have come close to the way his heart seemed to swell within his chest at the sight of her and how his body ached for more as he tasted her sweet flesh.

  THE SHOCK OF the brisk air against Lacy’s bare skin sent goose bumps up her arms. Dane wrapped her in his arms, held her against his chest, and kissed her until she could barely think. Months of restrained desire fueled her need to feel his skin against hers. She drew back, nimbly freeing him from the buttons on his shirt. Her fingers traveled over the rough hairs on his chest. She’d waited so long to touch him and knew she should go slowly, but his skin was hot beneath her palms and she couldn’t help herself. She slid her hands down his body and felt the ripples of his rock-hard abs, sending heat between her thighs.

  His hands glided down her naked back to the slim line of her thong. Dane pressed her hips against his. Their bare chests came together, every breath rushed and needy. His mouth found hers again, and Lacy’s hands found the button of his pants, then the zipper. His slacks dropped to the sand, and Dane moaned against her mouth. She stroked his hard shaft through his silky boxers.

  He took her breast in his mouth, and she gasped at the heat of his mouth on her chilled skin. Her fingers tangled in his hair, urging him harder. His teeth brushed against her nipple, sending her nerves into a heated frenzy. She reached for his boxers, tugging them down as he moved his mouth from her breast to her mouth again, probing her with a force so strong it took on a blaze of its own. They lowered themselves to the sand—missing his jacket altogether.

  “Lacy…” he said breathlessly. His eyes were pitch-black as he stared into hers.

  Lacy trembled beside him. His hand slid over the crest of her thigh, and Lacy froze when his fingers grazed the scar that covered her upper thigh.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She didn’t answer. She moved his hand to between her legs, and he stroked her there, allowing the thoughts of the scar to fall away. She opened her legs for him, and as he slipped two fingers inside of her, the hot length of him touched her leg. The sand scratched her back and shoulders as she arched against his hand, reminding her of where they were. Lacy had a momentary worry of being caught naked on the beach. She pulled herself from her reverie long enough to look around.

  “What is it? Did I hurt you?” he asked.

  “No.” Why is my voice trembling? “I just don’t want to be caught…you know.”

  Even in the darkness she could see Dane’s a
dorably sexy smile and realized she didn’t really care if they were caught. She was not going to stop what they’d started.

  “We’re pretty deep in the dunes.” He kissed her softly. “And we’re far from the building. I don’t think anyone will see us, but I don’t want to do anything that you’re not comfortable with. Want to go back to the hotel?”

  Heck no! Lacy reined in her desire long enough to settle her voice. “No. It’s okay.”

  Dane wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and drew her into another deep kiss, then licked her lower lip as they separated.

  “Still nervous?” His voice was warm and comforting.

  “A little,” she admitted.

  “Lie back,” he said, gently guiding her down to her back. He lay beside her, and they stared up at the stars. In the darkness, he reached for her hand.

  Lacy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then blew it out slowly. What was wrong with her? Why on earth was she so nervous? She was with the man she’d been dreaming about for months. She wanted him so badly she couldn’t think straight, and there she was, trembling like a scared child. She tried to clear the wanton thoughts from her mind long enough to form coherent ones and weave her way through her nervousness.

  “Remember the afternoon we first met?” he asked.

  “Yeah.”

  He leaned on one elbow and traced her ribs with his finger. “My whole life I’d been looking down, down into the water when I’m looking for sharks, down at the computer when I’m researching funding sources, and even down when I’m just going through my daily life. Think about it. How often do you really look up?”

  Lacy couldn’t remember the last time she’d looked up at the stars.

  “The night we met, I looked into the sky and thought about you, and when we started talking on the phone and texting, I found myself looking for the stars. Even on the rainy nights, I was searching for the stars. And somewhere along the way, I realized that I wasn’t really looking at stars, Lace. I was looking for you. And now I wonder if you had been there all the time, just waiting for me. The Lacy Star,” he said with a smile.

  Lacy snuggled against him. Her head rested in the crook of his arm, her hand on his stomach. The dune grass swished beside them. Dane put his arms around Lacy and held her close. He tilted her chin up and looked into her eyes.

  “Lacy, I’d wait for you forever.”

  She saw the truth of his words in his serious gaze.

  “We don’t have to do anything tonight. We can get dressed and walk some more, or go back to the hotel. Whatever you want. The night is yours. I just want to be with you.”

  Could you be any more perfect? Lacy wanted nothing more than to push through her nerves and be closer to Dane. His tender words tugged at her heart, and his gorgeous body tugged at all the intimate parts of her that she’d been trying to ignore. She gathered her courage and remembered Danica’s words. Whatever you want to happen will happen.

  She leaned over and kissed him, and when they came apart and he opened his mouth to speak, she settled her mouth over his again, kissing him deeper and leaving no room for misinterpretation. She ran her hand down his muscular stomach until her fingertips touched the tip of his erection. She hesitated for only a second before she wrapped her slender fingers around him, and she couldn’t contain her surprise at his girth now that he was freed from his briefs. Her eyes flew open, and she felt him smile against her lips. She didn’t know what to do, or how to react, so she continued stroking him.

  He reached down and touched her hand, stopping her motions.

  “Lacy.” He had a serious note to his voice.

  Lacy wasn’t sure if it was her nerves that got the best of her, or if she really did find the whole thing funny, but the next thing she knew, she was laughing. When he drew his eyebrows together in question, it only made her laugh more. She released him, and in the next breath, he had flipped her on her back and was staring down at her, a curious grin on his lips.

  “You’re not very good for my ego,” he teased.

  “I can’t help it.” He had her pinned beneath him, naked. She dropped her eyes to his erection, which cast a shadow along her belly, and she laughed so hard, she had to turn her face away from him. Ten inches is definitely not an exaggeration.

  He reached down and tickled her ribs. “I’ll give you something to laugh about,” he said, tickling her so hard she curled her legs up and tried to turn onto her side beneath him—but he was too heavy, and his penis knocked against her ribs, sending her into more fits of laughter.

  “Get that weapon away from me,” she said between laughs.

  “It’s been called a lot of things, but a weapon was never one of them,” he said sternly, but she saw him trying to contain his laughter, which only made her crack up more.

  Tears of laughter streamed down her cheeks. She took deep breaths to regain control.

  DANE HAD ALWAYS wondered what women really thought when they finally saw the size of him. He was usually met with wide eyes and gracious hunger. Lacy’s laughter, he realized, was probably the most honest reaction he’d ever encountered. When he was a younger man, he’d tried to hide his enormity. He had enough brothers to know he was more than well endowed—he had a python in his pants. When he was in college, he’d finally embraced his gift, and it had given him courage and even a cocky air about him, which had roped in many women. But after meeting Lacy, he’d come to loathe his revolving bedroom door. And watching the relationship between his brothers and their girlfriends made him crave more than a good lay.

  He started to move to Lacy’s side, and she grabbed his arm.

  “Don’t go,” she said. She pulled his hips to hers. “I’m sorry I laughed.” She touched his face and kissed him.

  Dane moved his mouth to her neck, then lower, to the center of her breasts. He fondled her nipples between his index fingers and thumbs, until they were taut peaks. He couldn’t get enough of her. He took one nipple in his mouth and dropped his hand, careful to avoid the scar that made her flinch, to the heat between her legs, stroking her gently. Her legs fell open, and he slipped two fingers inside her, teasing her with his thumb, stroking her until her breaths came in tethered pants.

  “Dane. I want you inside me,” she said breathlessly.

  Dane wanted nothing more than to be inside her, but he loved watching her squirm against her need. He wanted to please her, but he worried that once he was inside her, all those months of wanting her would come rushing forward and he wasn’t sure how long he’d last.

  He kissed his way down her belly to the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. Her hands clenched into fists as he worked his fingers in and out of her in slow, smooth movements, then replaced them with his tongue.

  She gasped a breath at the first lick. Her hands found his shoulders, and she dug her nails into him as he quickened his pace, slipping a finger inside of her as he felt her muscles tense. Just as she came apart, he climbed on top of her, his testicles against her wetness, his girth against her belly, and he kissed her hard and possessively as she shook and shuddered beneath him, crying out into his mouth.

  When her body stopped trembling, he reached for his pants and quickly snagged a condom from his wallet. He ripped it open with his teeth.

  “Hurry,” Lacy urged.

  He rolled the condom on and looked into her beautiful blue eyes. “Are you sure, Lace?” Dane wanted her so badly he could barely breathe, but he worried about how quickly they’d come together. He didn’t want her to get the impression that sex was all he was after.

  “More than sure.”

  She opened her legs wider, and he lowered his mouth to hers, entering her slowly, being extra careful not to hurt her. She grabbed his hips and urged him deeper, harder, until his entire length was buried inside her.

  Lacy gasped, pinning his heart to hers with the desire in her eyes.

  He’d never experienced such intense pleasure, and hadn’t been with many women who could accept all of him. He gro
aned when her silken flesh touched the base of him, and he took her in a passionate kiss—memorizing the deep curves of her mouth and the sweetness of her lips. Lacy wrapped her arms under his and grasped his shoulders from behind, then pressed her body in to his as they moved in perfect rhythm. She licked his neck, sending flames through his veins. When she locked her legs around his hips, he was sure he’d go over the edge. He drove deeper, harder, faster into her, sucking in a breath with each thrust, biting back the urge to come.

  Their bodies were slick with sweat despite the cool air. Rough grains of sand dug into his knees and stung his toes, but he didn’t care. The taste of Lacy’s salty skin and the sweet, sensual smell of her infiltrated his senses. All hopes of being gentle and taking it slow were cast aside as she bucked beneath him, her insides pulsating around him, drawing the come right out of him. He quickened his thrusts, meeting her peak with his own earth-shattering release. He pumped harder, driving into her again and again, until his muscles twitched and clenched, every ounce of his energy drained, and he and Lacy both lay spent, panting with pleasure. Then he kissed her again, long, slow, and tender.

  As he rolled off of her soft and supple body, he thought again of why he hadn’t gone to see her for all those months. He knew now that he’d been right to worry that once he was with Lacy he’d never be able to turn away. Like Treat had done for Max, he’d do whatever it took to be with Lacy.

  Chapter Five

  A BREEZE WHISPERED across Lacy’s bare breasts. Every nerve tingled, and her fatigued muscles were unable to respond to the chill on her skin. From where she lay next to Dane in their hidden nest on the dune, she saw a halo around the moon. In her mind, words danced in quick succession—Wow. Amazing. So damn hot. The feel of Dane moving closer beside her—their arms touching, his thigh flush with hers—sent a chill through her.