“I’ve never had anyone call me beautiful before. Heck, I had a guy in high school run screaming from the room when he lost a bet and was told he’d have to take me to the prom.”
“He was an idiot.”
She smiled at his words, amazed by them. “Who did you go to the prom with?”
“I didn’t.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “My junior year I spent prom night in jail, waiting for my dad to sober up long enough to bail me out, and I didn’t have the money to go senior year.”
“Jail?” she asked. “What did you do to go to jail?”
“Nothing too bad. I was in for fighting.”
“Over what?”
“Bella Marino. She broke up with her boyfriend and then threw herself at me. He got pissed and we got into it at the mall. He pulled a knife, I pulled a knife, and they called the cops on us.”
“Kyle!” she said, stunned by his confession. “You’re not making up any of this, are you?”
“No.”
She let her breath out slowly as she stared into his blue eyes.
He laced his fingers through her hair. “I’m not proud of my past, Marianne. I’ve spent most of my life trying to forget it. I just…”
She waited a few minutes until it became apparent he wasn’t going to finish his sentence. “You what?” she prompted.
“I don’t know. I feel like I can tell you things and I don’t know why. It’s not something I normally do. Hell, I barely talk to anyone. And then I meet you on the beach and I can’t seem to shut my mouth or resist you.”
She leaned forward and kissed him. “I can’t resist you, either.”
His cock hardened to full size at her words. He pulled back with a wicked grin.
Marianne melted at the look. He was better than anything she’d ever read in one of her books.
A real-life hero. One with a very sad past. How she wished she could make it up to him.
She moaned as he lifted her up and set her down on top of him. He was so hard and full inside her, and the tip of his shaft went straight into her G-spot from this position.
“Ooo,” she moaned. “You keep doing that and I might not ever let you leave this cave.”
He guided her hips with his hands as he watched her. “You keep doing that and I won’t even try.”
Marianne covered his hands with hers and felt the strength of him in his grip. She trailed her gaze over his tawny skin, pausing at the multiple scars. He was her fantasy come to life. Only he was real. His scars were deep, and she suspected he carried a lot more inside than those she saw on his body.
How many more did he carry in his heart?
“Have you ever killed anyone?”
“That’s a strange question to ask while I’m making love to you.”
“I’m sorry. I guess it was rather nosy.”
He trailed his hand up her body and sank it deep in her hair. “Yes, I have,” he said softly. “And no, I’m not proud of it. My life has been very ugly.”
She held his hand against her cheek and kissed the scars over his knuckles. “I wish I could make it better.”
“Trust me, love. You are.”
She smiled at that.
Kyle raised his hips, tossing her forward, onto his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled over with her until she was pinned under him.
How he loved the way she felt beneath him. The feel of her breath falling gently on his shoulder. The warm, sleek wetness of her around him.
How he wished he could make love to her without a condom. To feel the whole of her wetness surrounding him.
She was magnificent and he didn’t want to leave her body. Not even when they came together in one swirling moment of blissful orgasm.
He still held on to her while she ran her hands over his bare back and shook under him. He was worn out and sated to a level he wouldn’t have thought possible.
He laid his head down against her hard nipple so that he could feel the puckered areola against his cheek. It was the tenderest moment of his life.
But he knew it wouldn’t last. Good things never did.
Chapter Three
Marianne woke up mid-morning to find Kyle already awake and dressed. Or at least partially dressed. He wore a pair of faded jeans and those biker boots again, but the rest of him was gloriously bare and glistening in the bright sunshine.
Yum!
Resting on his knees, he had his back to her while he cooked over a small Coleman camping stove.
Wow, the man really was prepared for anything.
She felt a tiny shiver as she stared at him and remembered the night they had shared. They’d made love so many times and in so many different ways that she was sure she wouldn’t be able to walk straight today. Not to mention, they would definitely need another box of condoms—which might be her only saving grace from all that glorious temptation he offered.
The smell of coffee and bacon made her empty stomach growl.
“How long have you been up?” she asked.
He looked at her over his shoulder and grinned as he came out of that deadly crouch like some lethal, languid panther who had been tamed only by her. “Morning, little teacher.”
“Good morning.”
He made her a paper plate of eggs and bacon and brought it to her, then went to the small cooler to fetch some butter for her toast and a small carton of orange juice.
“Wow, full service in bed. I like that,” she said as she sat up on the air mattress, which had been surprisingly comfortable while she slept. Marianne made sure to keep the sheet wrapped around her.
His eyes turned dark, seductive. “I have to say that servicing you in bed gives me a great deal of pleasure.”
She blushed even more.
“Not to mention you gave me quite an appetite after last night.”
She smiled at the depth in his voice, knowing exactly what it heralded, and one quick glance at his groin confirmed it. Kyle Foster was a sex machine.
“So, what’s on the agenda for today?” she asked before she took a bite of her bacon.
Kyle drew a deep breath as he thought it over. In the book they were supposed to be outrunning the drug dealers who were enemies to the arms dealer, or some shit like that. For all he knew, it could have been a car dealer chasing them.
He’d spilled coffee on the book earlier that morning and hadn’t been able to finish the chapter. Not that it mattered. With just the two of them, there wasn’t really a way to fabricate a group of people pursuing them.
He was good, but that was beyond even his abilities.
So he’d have to think up something else for them to do.
“Well, I think we’re safe here on our private beach. I say we enjoy the day. What about you?”
Her smile dazzled him. “It sounds like a plan to me.”
Marianne finished her breakfast and dressed while Kyle cleaned up and shut down the stove. As soon as he had it cleared, he got up and pulled a gun out from under his folded shirt. Ejecting the clip, he checked his ammunition, then returned it to the hilt. He put the gun back in the concealed holster and then fastened it around his waist before he put his shirt on to cover it.
His movements appeared reflexive, as if he wasn’t even aware of what he’d done.
“You always do that?” she asked as she tied her shoes.
“Do what?”
“Check your gun.”
He frowned. “My gun?”
“The one you just put behind your back.”
“Oh,” he said, his face lighting. “My weapon. Yeah, I guess I do. I never thought about it.”
She sucked her breath in between her teeth. “You’re a scary man, Kyle Foster.”
“So they tell me. But how about I put Scary Kyle away for the day?”
“I think I would like that.” She pulled his shirt up. “Want to leave that behind?”
He cringed at her suggestion. “I don’t think I can. That’s like asking me to leave
my arm behind.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want either one of us to get shot in the event I get a little frisky with you later.”
One corner of his mouth twisted up at that as he pulled her into his arms. “Frisky, huh?”
She nodded.
He dipped his head down and kissed her while reaching behind his back to unfasten the gun. “All right, teacher. For you, but only for today.”
He moved away to unload the ammo and then placed the gun and clip in a small box near the stove.
Marianne sighed in relief. She might like to read about cops and robbers, but real guns made her very nervous.
Kyle grabbed a hand shovel and bucket, took her by the hand, and led her down to the beach.
“You like clams?” he asked.
“Yes, why?”
“Want some for dinner?”
“Sure.”
She frowned as he walked around the beach, studying the sand. After a second he bent over, presenting her with an exceptionally nice view of his butt.
He started digging.
It was awfully hard not to walk over to that butt and cup it. Or better yet, to cup the nice-sized bulge that she had become more than just a little acquainted with the night before.
“What are you doing?” she asked, moving closer to him. She had to fist her hand to keep from stroking him while he worked.
He glanced up from his task. “Digging up dinner. Want to help?”
She was astonished when he produced a clam from the beach. “I’ve heard of doing this, but I’ve never seen anyone do it before.”
He examined the clam, then put it in the bucket. “Want to try it?”
“Sure. What do I do?”
He took her hand and pulled her along the sand. “We’re looking for airholes,” he explained. He paused by a small dimpled circle in the sand and indicated it with the toe of his foot. “That one’s called a keyhole. Clams make it so they can breathe. All you have to do is put the shovel a few inches away and then you can dig it up.”
Marianne was a bit timid at first. “How is it a New York City boy knows about digging up clams?”
“Travis Lamb, one of the guys I was in the navy with, showed me how to do it when we were on leave in Charleston years ago. His mother took the whole house full of guests out at dawn, and we dug up enough clams for her to make a shitload of chowder for an Independence Day party that night.”
“You really were in the navy, weren’t you?”
“Hell, I can even fax you the discharge papers if you want. They have the official seal on them and everything.” Kyle smiled warmly, then helped her dig.
Marianne closed her eyes for an instant as she felt his warmth surround her. She’d never done anything like this or enjoyed anything more than just feeling him behind her as the sun shone down on them.
This was peaceful. Comfortable.
She laughed in triumph as she uncovered a clam of her own. Kyle reached for the bucket. His hips brushed against hers, letting her know he was hard again.
She felt heat sting her cheeks.
“Why are you always blushing?” Kyle asked.
“I…uh…” She cleared her throat, not sure what to answer. The truth was, her sexuality had always embarrassed her, and Kyle was so at ease with it.
Then again, she’d never been more sexually aware of anyone else. Every time she looked at Kyle, she wanted to take a bite out of him. Pull him into her arms, throw him down on his back, rip his clothes off, climb on top of him, and then ride him madly until they were both sweaty and spent.
Of course, she’d done a lot of that last night, and it still wasn’t enough to satiate her.
She wanted more of him.
He stared at her intently as he took her hand into his. He laid a gentle kiss into her palm, all the while staring into her eyes.
“What’s the matter, Marianne?” he whispered. “Are you scared of how much you make me want you?”
“A little.”
He brushed a light, tender kiss across her lips. She moaned at the taste of him as he moved her hand so that her palm was pressed against his swollen erection. “Have you ever made love on the beach?”
She cringed at the thought. “Someone might see us.”
His look turned mischievous. “Afraid? I thought you were Ren Winterbourne. Woman of adventure.”
She bit her lip to keep from laughing. “Ren doesn’t have to live with herself or the embarrassment of being caught in flagrante delicto by a stranger.”
He pulled his shirt over his head and tsked at her. “So much for fantasy, huh?”
Marianne stared at his tanned, muscular chest. He really was scrumptious. Irresistible.
And this time when he kissed her it was fierce, demanding. Every part of her thrilled at the taste of his tongue dancing with hers. At the way his hand felt cupping her face.
He laid her back on the beach.
The sane part of herself told her to push him away, but the repressed part of her refused. She’d lived sheltered and safe the whole of her life.
Kyle hadn’t. A man who was riddled with bullet scars knew nothing of fear. Nothing of trepidation.
He only knew how to live in the moment.
How she envied him that.
He pulled back and reached for the buttons of her shirt. “Well?”
Marianne swallowed. “If anyone catches us, you’re a dead man.”
He laughed at that. “I’ll even loan you my weapon to shoot me.”
“Promise?”
“Absolutely.”
Taking a deep breath, she slowly unbuttoned her shirt.
Kyle watched breathlessly as she opened her top for him. It was the most erotic thing he’d ever seen. Strange. He’d had much better looking women striptease for him. Watched them peel their clothes off like a pro.
None of that had ever turned him on the way Marianne’s timid movements did.
Her quiet hesitancy was a breath of fresh air. She wouldn’t do this for someone else. He wasn’t just another lay to her.
He liked the feeling of being special.
In his life, that was something that had always been sorely missing. The type of women he’d dated had always known the score. Always known their way around a man’s body.
Not Marianne. She was just an unassuming woman from Middle America, living a life that was nothing special.
Nothing special to anyone but him.
He found her remarkable.
She moved her hands away from her shirt and ran them down his back. Kyle dipped his head down so that he could taste her bared flesh.
“Hmmm,” he breathed as he flicked his tongue around her navel. “I think I’m addicted to your taste.”
Marianne closed her eyes while his hot breath scorched her. This was the most unbelievable moment of a life she had spent playing it safe. A life made up of daydream fantasies of something like this happening to her.
To her surprise, she found herself laughing.
Kyle lifted himself up to stare at her with a stern frown. “You know, it’s not a good thing to laugh at a guy when he’s trying to seduce you.”
She brushed his hair back from his face and smiled up at him. “I’m sorry. I was just thinking of how you swept me off my feet yesterday. Literally.”
His frown faded as his face relaxed into a heated, intense stare. “Anytime you need a hero, baby, you just call me.”
She moaned as he dipped his head down and kissed her fiercely. Mmm, how she loved the taste of his mouth. The way his muscles rippled around her.
Marianne wrapped her body around his and reveled in the sensation of his bare chest against the part of hers that was bared by the opening of her shirt. She felt him from her lips all the way to her toes.
Her heart thundering, she ran her hands down his back, feeling the dips and welts of old scars there. Her heart wrenched at the thought of how much pain he must have lived through.
“I don’t know,” she whispered against his li
ps. “I think you need a keeper a lot more than I need a hero.”
Kyle froze at her words. “Would you care to volunteer for the job?”
“Would you let me?”
Her question hung in the air between them.
“I’ve never had anyone interested in it.”
“Never?”
He shook his head as the truth of that sank in. “No, it’s why I joined the navy. All those sappy, stupid commercials about teamwork got to me, and I thought it might be nice to be part of some kind of family.”
She toyed with his hair as she watched him quietly. “Did you find it?”
“I did with the SEALs. I knew with them I had a kindred bond.”
“Then why did you leave?”
“Joe came in and selected three of us from my unit. Tony and Doug had been like brothers to me and I didn’t want to let them down. When they signed up for BAD, I followed suit.”
“Do you regret it?”
“Not until they dumped me on this damned island and told me to rest here for a few weeks.”
She gave him a peeved stare.
He offered her a wicked grin. “Now I’m thinking I should thank them for it.”
“You’d better be thinking that.”
He rubbed himself against her, letting his body caress hers. “Believe me, Marianne, I am.”
Marianne sighed as his kiss swept her into heaven. She didn’t even protest when he removed her shirt and laid her back against the scratchy sand. Strange, this didn’t look uncomfortable in movies and such, but in reality…
She groaned as Kyle unzipped her shorts with his teeth, then pulled them down her legs. And when he did the same with her panties, she almost came just from the sheer eroticism of the act. He was like a wild predator set loose on her.
One who wanted only to devour her.
What was it about him that made her burn like this? That made her forget the fact that they could be discovered at any moment?
“You do like to live dangerously, don’t you?” she asked as he crawled sinuously up her body, nibbling every inch of the way.
“There’s no other way to live.” His hot breath teased her taut nipple before he opened his mouth and claimed it.
Marianne sighed in satisfaction as she cradled his head to her. His hair teased her skin while his tongue encircled her areola, teasing it to a hard, bitterly sweet nub that made her stomach contract every time he licked it.
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