by Nicola Marsh
Reality hit as she entered the tiny cabin and her gaze riveted on the bed. She and Zac were about to make love—unreserved, unashamed, undeniably hot, sizzling, exhilarating love.
He paced the confined space like a caged leopard, raking a hand through his hair and looking just as dangerous.
‘Zac?’
He swivelled towards her, his expression torn while his hungry gaze roamed her body. ‘You’re sure about this?’
Heck no!
What if she was lousy in bed? Frigid, just like Jax had said? What if she disappointed him? Or, worse, what if they were cataclysmically brilliant together and she fell further for him?
She fiddled with the neckline of her top, surprised by the flicker of irrepressible desire in the glittering blue depths of his eyes. If this daggy old top turned him on, he really must like her.
‘Nothing in life is a surety. We’ve got tonight. Let’s not waste it.’
His lips curved into a deliciously dangerous smile as he held a hand out to her. ‘Didn’t anyone ever warn you about sailors?’
Showing more bravado than she felt now the moment of truth had arrived, she placed her hand in his. ‘Oh, yeah. Luckily I gave up listening a long time ago.’
He tugged gently on her hand till she stood less than a foot away. ‘You’re one hell of a woman.’ He traced a line along her jaw, tilting her chin upwards. ‘And I intend to make this a night we’ll never forget.’
Her heart slammed against her ribs and her pulse tripped in anticipation.
‘Show me.’
Their gazes locked, the wild yearning in his sending a jolt of answering desire through her body.
Her breasts tingled, her stomach dropped and her knees quivered as he stepped away, his stare bold, assessing, as it raked her body, strongly seductive yet soft as a caress.
‘Let me look at you.’
Her breath hitched as he tugged her top over her head and dispensed with her bra with a deft flick. His sure hands making light work of the side zip on her pants too.
‘I feel naked,’ she breathed on a sigh, as his fingertips skated around her knickers—practical white cotton, unfortunately. Being seduced by the man of her dreams had been the last thing she’d expected today. He toyed with the elastic, making excitement ripple through her.
‘Almost…’
His sizzling glance from beneath lowered lids sent her self-consciousness about her plain panties evaporating, along with the last of her nerves.
Zac wanted her. Her. All of her—her comfy clothes, boring knickers and quick brain—and she’d never felt so special. If she’d needed a confidence boost, the adoration in his eyes as he scanned her body was it.
The air whooshed out of her lungs as he kissed his way down her body, slow, soft kisses trailing a path to her abdomen and lower, where she throbbed with uncharacteristic fervour.
She’d never felt remotely like this, had barely registered much pleasure at all during sex with Jax, yet Zac’s lips, followed by his fingertips skating across her skin with infinite precision, had her wanting to fist her hands in his hair and shove him where she burned the most.
‘Ooh…’
Her pelvis bucked as he slipped one finger, another, under the elastic of her panties, caressing her folds, teasing her, pleasing her with a few simple strokes.
‘May I?’
He raised his head and she nodded, biting on her bottom lip to stop from crying out with the pleasure of it all.
With torturous patience he peeled her panties down, his hands stroking her legs all the way to her toes while easing her back onto the bed.
She squeezed her eyes shut against the sight of herself lying open for him, naked, and tried to ignore the inevitable doubts that accompanied being this exposed.
She didn’t have a supermodel body, or big breasts, or long legs. Instead she had a hint of cellulite on the tops of her thighs and breasts that wouldn’t win any wet T-shirt competitions.
She’d always felt inadequate naked, had never felt sexy, and Jax had reinforced her insecurities.
‘You’re beautiful.’
At that moment, with his gaze travelling over her, drinking in every flawed detail before looking her in the eyes with reverence in his, she almost believed him.
Her breath caught as he grazed her clitoris, once, twice, and she almost came before he lowered his head again.
She tensed as his hot breath fanned her. Her hand stilled him.
‘I’ve never done this before.’
His head snapped up. His shocked expression would almost have been comical if she didn’t feel such a novice.
‘What I mean is I’ve had sex, but—not this.’
She waved towards her nether regions, heat flushing her cheeks as a gratified glint turned his eyes electric blue.
‘Then I’m proud to be your first.’
With the first sweep of his tongue any lingering resistance evaporated.
With the second she clenched her hands to stop herself from digging them into his shoulders to hold him down.
With the third her thighs fell open all the way, and her eyes drifted shut as she savoured the mind-blowing sensation sparking through her body.
This was all too much, yet too little, as he kissed her intimately, swirling his tongue, nibbling, varying the pressure and the rhythm till she exploded on a loud cry, sobbing with the sheer, mindless rush of it all.
‘Hell, are you okay?’
He wiped her tears away with the pad of his thumb, so gently, so tenderly, she wept harder.
‘Lana, talk to me.’
As he cradled her close she clung to him, burying her face in his chest, where her tears quickly gave way to chuckles.
He stilled. ‘Are you laughing or crying?’
‘Both,’ she mumbled, inhaling, savouring the addictive scent of sea air and Zac imprinted on his skin.
He pulled away and stared down at her in confusion. ‘You know, those are two reactions guaranteed to make a guy feel mighty insecure after what just happened.’
She reached up and cradled his cheek. ‘Sorry, I’m just overwhelmed.’
How could she articulate what she felt? The gift he’d just given her?
He covered her hand with his and planted a soft kiss on her mouth. ‘You don’t have to say anything.’
Smiling, she turned her hand over, intertwined her fingers with his, hoping he could read half of what she was feeling in her eyes.
‘I want to… What you just did for me…’
‘My pleasure.’
His wicked grin made her laugh, defusing the tension and giving her the courage she needed to tell him the rest.
‘I’m guessing by my reaction to you that I’m not frigid?’
He swore and squeezed her hand. ‘Who told you that?’
‘My ex. The only guy I’ve ever had sex with.’
Realisation dawned, and his expression was thunderous. ‘So not only is the jerk lousy in bed, he blames his partner? Nice.’
‘I always thought the problem was me.’
So the old adage of sailors swearing was true, she thought, as the expletives tripping from his tongue at a rate of knots made her blush.
He cupped her face and stared into her eyes—direct, compelling.
‘Listen to me. You’re a vibrant, responsive woman and you drive me crazy. Promise me you’ll forget everything that jerk said.’
She wanted to believe him, she really did, but how did he know, considering they hadn’t technically had sex?
‘But we haven’t—you know—done anything.’
His lips curved into a delicious smile, a smile of promise. ‘The way you just responded to me, sweetheart, we’ve done enough.’
No, they hadn’t. If he made her feel this good with his mouth, imagine how exciting the rest would be.
Trying a coy smile, she met his darkened gaze. ‘I want you.’
His eyes burned, hot and hungry, and his answering smile was pure devilry. ‘The feeling’s mu
tual.’
More emboldened than she’d ever thought possible, she slipped a hand between them, stroking his erection through his trousers, enjoying the shocked widening of his eyes.
Stilling her hand, he said, ‘We’ll take things slow.’
She didn’t want slow. Slow would give her time to think and analyse, let a few of those old insecurities creep up. She didn’t want to think—not now. She wanted to feel and savour and enjoy.
‘Actually, I’m thinking fast.’
She blushed at her audacity, her nipples hardening as she leaned forward and rubbed against the crisp cotton of his shirt, desperate to feel skin on skin, to feel all of him.
‘We’ll go slow later.’
‘Whatever you want.’
Her fingers were frantic as they fumbled buttons, tripped over ties and snagged on zips, but the end result—a gloriously semi-naked Zac—was well worth it.
Her bravado halted at his tight black boxers, her fingers trembling.
‘Here. Let me.’
He shucked them, and her eyes widened.
‘Can I touch you?’
He nodded, his beautiful blue eyes heavy-lidded with passion, his gaze smouldering.
Her hand shook as she enclosed him, hard velvet pulsing in her palm. She stroked him to the tip and back, easing down and up again, empowered, emboldened, decidedly wanton.
‘You’re driving me crazy.’
His voice cracked and, high on her newfound sexual power, she knelt before him, eager to taste him, to give him half the pleasure he’d given her.
Before she could take him in her mouth he dropped to his knees and reached for her.
‘As much as I appreciate the sentiment, I want you so badly I’m not going to last five seconds if you do that.’
She raised an eyebrow, delighting in his tortured expression as her tongue flicked out to moisten her bottom lip and his gaze riveted to it.
‘Do what?’
With a growl, he swept her into his arms and tumbled her onto the bed, where her laughter quickly petered out as he lay beside her, the heat of his body igniting hers as he cradled her head and plundered her mouth.
Sensation rocketed through her as his tongue duelled with hers, firing her blood, her imagination, and everywhere in between.
She whimpered as his hand slipped between her legs, her body throbbing and eager and yearning for release as his fingers worked their magic.
‘I want you inside me,’ she gritted out as she arched into him, clutching at his shoulders as the tension within grew and expanded and finally detonated on a shattering explosion into ecstasy.
He slanted a searing kiss across her quivering lips. ‘You can have me.’
She should have been thinking about protection, thinking about the consequences of not using any, but with her body humming, floating on a plane it had never reached once before, let alone twice, all logic had fled.
Thankfully he rolled a condom on before rolling her on top of him, and his gaze was adoring as he gently pushed her up into a sitting position till she straddled him.
‘You’re incredible.’
His hands skimmed her waist, drifting slowly upwards to cup her breasts, teasing her nipples with the barest brush of his thumbs, sending aftershocks through her.
The faintest of spasms shuddered through her. The tension was building again, coiling tighter and tighter, ready to send her into orbit this time.
She sucked in her breath as his hands spanned her hips, lifted her as he surged upwards, thrusting into her till she cried out.
‘You okay?’
‘Never been better.’
She clenched her internal muscles—her scarcely used internal muscles—to show him exactly how much better she was with him inside her, and was thrilled by the flicker of shock in those endless blue eyes.
‘You wanted fast, right?’
He thrust into her again, harder, deeper, and she gasped, her thighs quivering as he spread her a tad more.
‘Fast is good,’ she managed to say, as he drove in again and again, each thrust sending her closer to the brink, each thrust a lesson in exquisite pleasure, each thrust showing her exactly how great sex could be with the right person.
Though this was more than sex, and she knew it.
But she wouldn’t think about that now—wouldn’t think beyond the earth-shattering spasms building, climbing, snaking their way through her pelvis and spreading outwards till she could barely feel anything beyond the torturously exquisite tremors rendering her mindless.
Finding a natural rhythm, she picked up the tempo, glorying in his ragged breathing, his glazed gaze, his straining muscles as he pushed them both towards a climax big enough to cause a tidal wave to swamp the ship.
‘Jeez.’
She collapsed on top of him, stunned and sated and satisfied—very, very satisfied—savouring his strong arms as he cuddled her close.
‘Lana?’
‘Hmm?’
She snuggled deeper into his chest, knowing she could happily stay there for ever.
And now they’d made love and proved what she already knew—she’d fallen in love with him—well, things were about to get interesting.
He ran a finger down her bare arm, from shoulder to elbow, dipping briefly into the hollow before continuing to her wrist, where her pulse beat frantically.
‘You’re not frigid. And I intend to prove it. Over and over again. All night.’
She whimpered, a low, desperate, needy sound, and she clutched at his shoulders, hanging on as he flipped her onto her back and propped over her.
‘What do you think about that?’
She smiled, slid her hands down his chest, savouring the rasp of hair against her palms. ‘What are you waiting for?’
Zac didn’t need to be asked twice.
He growled, nuzzled her neck, and smiled when she giggled, a pure, uninhibited sound of joy.
She was incredible. The sex he’d been fantasising about had far surpassed his wildest dreams. To think some stupid bastard had called her frigid, dented her self-esteem, kicked her confidence. Little wonder she’d used to look at him as if he was some kind of monster at times.
But not now.
Now she gazed at him from beneath half-lowered heavy lids, her molten caramel eyes glowing with satisfaction, the green flecks glittering with excitement. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, and he’d make damn sure he obliterated any last lingering doubts that she was anything other than pure sex goddess.
‘I’m going to do this all night.’
Her breath caught as he licked a slow trail from the tip of her shoulder to her earlobe, where he lingered and nibbled.
She moaned, and he tensed. He’d never heard anything so sexy, and he could scarcely believe he’d only just had mind-blowing sex, considering his straining erection.
‘Can I explore you?’
Her hesitant question had him wanting to sweep her into his arms and cradle her close. The hint of vulnerability beneath her soft tone was enough to fell the strongest man. Considering he’d already fallen for her, all she had to do was glance in his direction and he was all hers.
‘Go ahead.’
Thrilled by her eagerness, he lay back and folded his hands behind his head, watching her.
Lust rocketed through him as she placed a soft, open-mouthed kiss on his neck, another one above his collarbone, before flicking her tongue out to lick him, a tentative flick that had him twitching.
He groaned as she nipped the sensitive areola, flicking a nipple with her tongue.
‘Do you like that too?’
Her tongue traced lazy circles around it, and her voice held more than a hint of wonder at his response.
‘Like it? You’re driving me wild.’
She stopped, raised her head, and sent him a smile that could have tempted Neptune. ‘Good.’
‘Is that right?’
He surged upwards, his mouth seeking hers hungrily. Needing her more than she’d
ever know.
Her head fell back and her lips parted on a whimper as his tongue plunged inside, teasing and stroking, almost ravishing her in a deep, devouring kiss, while his hands took on a life of their own, roaming and exploring her curves.
‘You’re so soft,’ he murmured against her lips, praying he’d have the control to make this last all night, just as he’d promised.
For, come morning, he had another promise to discuss with her—one he hoped she’d go for in a big way.
He slid his palms up her ribcage to her breasts, feeling the nipples pebble as her heart thudded beneath his touch. He knew his own matched her beat, the rapid staccato rhythm sending blood pumping to every inch of his body. She moaned as he skimmed his palms repeatedly over her nipples and she arched up to meet him.
‘Zac, you’re killing me.’
He smiled, reached over the bedhead and grabbed a condom. ‘Not yet—but the night is young.’
She smiled, gnawed on her bottom lip before holding out her hand.
‘Here, let me do that.’
Surprised at her willingness to take care of the essentials, he handed it over, watched her rip the foil open and finger the rubber as if it was priceless parchment. For all her limited experience, she sure knew how to drive a man crazy. Sweat broke out across his upper lip as desperate need tore through him at her first tentative touch.
‘How’s that?’
She unrolled the rubber slowly, every minute movement a lesson in exquisite torture.
He groaned and stilled her hand, on the brink of losing control. Again. ‘Perfect.’
‘Good.’
She caressed his cheek, hooked a leg over his hip and rose to meet him in an erotic invitation he was powerless to refuse.
Sliding forward, he entered her inch by inch till they were locked tight. He’d never known such a feeling of completeness, of being totally one with another person, and if he’d had any doubts that a long-distance relationship was the way to go, the realisation she could be his soul-mate dispelled them in an instant.
But for now they had tonight and he intended to show her exactly how much she meant to him, how much he hoped for the future, by making love to her with every inch of his body.