I can’t afford any flights of fancy with Gabriel, no matter how much he teases my better judgment with his boyish, sexy grin. Or how deeply he affects—and scares—me with just the slightest touch.
And how could she forget the panty-soaking fantasies that stalked her dreams for months? Frustration at not reaching a real orgasm by his hand left her with carnal desires for Gabriel she couldn’t find the words for.
She’d lost count at how many times she had to slip a hand into her panties to relieve herself, but it was never enough. Her body knew the difference between her touch and his.
“Esmeralda? You all right? Your eyes kinda glazed over there for a minute, sweetheart.” Genuine concern laced his words as he slipped an arm around her shoulders to pull her closer. She rested her head on his chest, thoughts of his warm embrace and delicious kisses chiseling at her resolve. “You look like you’re carrying the weight of the world all by yourself. Why don’t you let me help you?”
Because letting you in means opening myself to the same heartache my mother died with—and that would break me.
Ema drew a breath and raised her gaze to his, teasing him with a smile. For a minute she thought he’d press her for more. Instead, he crooked a finger, motioning her over to a small area a few feet away. “Come.” His deep voice washed over her, soothing the tension in her shoulders and back.
He bent over to pick something up along the edge of the tidal pool.
“When we’re out on a mission, there are times we’re placed on standby while orders come down the food chain. When your cousin’s not tormenting us with his pranks, we’ll get to sharing things.” Heat flushed his face and a quirky smile raised his lips. “Wait, that came out wrong.” He looked over the water.
“What I meant to say was, we talk about things. Mostly stupid things, but once in a while…” She placed her hand in his outstretched one. He turned her hand up, placing his palm over hers revealing a perfectly-shaped sand dollar. “…treasures are revealed.”
Ema blinked several times. Tears stung the back of her eyes. Not of sadness but of fond memories and how touching it was of Gabriel to remember such a small detail about her. Heck, that her cousin remembered was a miracle.
It was so beautiful and her favorite of the treasures she loved to gather on the beach as a child. She caressed the face of the sand dollar, recalling the last time she held one. It had been a month before tragedy struck her small family with the death of her father and her mother had found it for her on this very beach. She closed her eyes for a beat and let out a deep sigh.
“I want you to have this one to add to your collection, and every time you see it I want you to remember something.”
Ema raised her head and moved her attention to him. “Ah sì, what?”
A wicked smile played on his lips a second before he answered, “Thought you wouldn’t ask.” Gabriel crushed her lips with his, stealing every ounce of oxygen from her lungs. He caressed the seam of her lips with his tongue, demanding entry. She obliged.
Ema slipped her fingers into his locks and groaned. She’d wanted to do that all day. He countered by taking their kiss deeper until they were almost one.
He pulled her body flush against his. Just as quickly as he had claimed her lips, he released her.
Without a word Gabriel scooped her into his arms and turned away from the water, heading back toward a grouping of palms trees. He covered the short distance in a few strides, moving them into the protection of the low-hanging fronds where no onlookers could see them.
She sent him a quizzical look. If there was one thing she knew about Gabe, it was his ability to keep ninety-nine percent of what went through his mind to himself. He took being the strong silent type to a completely different level. But that didn’t stop her from pushing him for an answer. “Why did you bring me all the way out here for a sand dollar? You could have easily given it to me back at the party.”
“True, but I couldn’t have done this in front of two hundred guests…” He pushed closer, placing his hands low on her hips, easing her back against the closest tree. He bent to claim her lips again, only slower than before.
He pulled her lower lip between his and suckled, nipping the flesh with his teeth just hard enough to wake her libido with a shot of electricity straight to her feminine parts.
She squeezed her thighs to alleviate the sudden assault of pleasure. With nothing more than her silk panties to help with her relief, the pressure wasn’t enough.
“Wrap your legs around me, baby.”
Her breath hitched. Gabriel hiked her skirt around her waist long enough for him to palm her silk-clad ass and haul her up his body with the palm tree as a support behind her.
She met his gaze just as the hardened length of his cock pressed against her pussy. A sultry grin tilted his lips. There was no hiding how he affected her. Only the thin linen material of his pants and her moistened underwear separated their flesh.
Gabriel leaned into her, his lips so close to her own. Dios, she wanted another taste. “I have questions about your guest today, Ema, and I will get answers. But first, I need you. If not right here , then in my bed. Tell me to stop, Ema. I can’t wait to get you back to my bungalow. I’m burning alive with the need to have you wrapped around my cock, but if you tell me to stop, I will.” He raised his gaze to hers, his breath ragged with each drawl. “Please don’t ask me to stop.”
Gabe eased a hand into her top to free a breast. “So beautiful and ripe, waiting for me to pluck.” Warm air hit her nipple, hardening the tip into a pebble. Ready for whatever he wanted. And she wanted him take her. Taste her. Devour her completely.
She popped the two small hidden buttons holding her halter top together. Her other nipple begging for attention. Begging for Gabriel to pinch and suck.
“I’m going to take my time with these.” His husky voice, laden with desire, reached across their entwined bodies. Her senses flooded with everything that made up Gabe. The taste of him on her lips, the feel of his corded, work-hardened muscles beneath her hands and between her legs. The pure masculine scent that made her want to do things right here, right now.
She lost herself in his touch.
Gabriel wrapped his lips around one of her nipples. She couldn’t look away, fascinated by the way he beaded it to an even harder state. He slipped his fingers beneath the material of her panties, pulling her ass cheeks apart to allow him closer to her core. He rocked into her.
She shuddered. “Again,” she rasped, barely managing the single word before Gabe delivered another shockwave to her system. This time he pulled her so he brushed her clit.
“Let me closer, Ema. Let me in, and I’ll give you everything I have. Just for you. God, only for you, precious.” His voice a seductive murmur at her ear.
Gabriel moved a hand out from under her skirt to capture her chin in a gentle hold. She was on edge—desperate for release. Desperate to lose herself in him.
“Don’t be afraid of this, of us, Ema. One more night is all you need.” In a softer raspier voice he added, “I can see you need this, precious. Stay with me tonight.” Golden rays of light captured the sequins on the lower part of her halter top. The myriad of colors bounced around them as if mirroring the emotions of Gabe’s words.
Something rooted her to this moment with him. She should be a hundred miles away from here already, but her heart said something different. Maybe he wasn’t the only one in need?
Fear clawed at her mind, yet her heart seemed to be the one making all the decisions. A shoulder to lean on in Gabriel—maybe even shed a tear or two on—was more than she could hope for, but to burden him with her problems seemed unfair. The man already carried enough weight of his own with his rank in the military. He didn’t need her problems.
He was already too close to her heart—she couldn’t risk him getting closer.
But a few hours to feel the passion that burned between them each time they met? Would that be such a bad thing?
Antici
pation rolled off Gabe in waves. She was tempted to tease him a little, but with the way his heart pounded against her hand resting on his chest, she didn’t dare push him too far. Besides, she couldn’t lie with the proof of her desire for him already evident.
She pulled her halter top back into place. Tomorrow morning she’d step back into the real world and face her problems head-on, but for the next few hours she was ready for whatever Gabe had in mind.
She hoped her heart knew what it was doing. “You mentioned a bungalow close by?”
Chapter Three
Gabriel mentally recapped the last few hours.
A wedding, a drug lord, and a sexy Latina. Sounded like a start to a bad joke, but he wasn’t laughing. He’d seen the serious look in the deep set of Bougainvillea’s eyes with his parting words. He’d seen that kind of predatory look a hundred times before and never wished to see it aimed at someone he cared about. When he was damned sure Ema was in the clear, he’d call his CO and get him to use his connections south of the border to warn the local PD.
He palmed the key to the oceanside bungalow and turned, blocking the stairway to the door. “Close your eyes.”
“You really planned this out, didn’t you?” A hint of laughter colored Ema’s words.
“What?” He couldn’t help but return the smile he saw on her oval-shaped face. Such a happy gesture marred only by the darkened circles, which he planned to erase slowly and with as much sex as he could fit into the short time he had with her.
His Ema, if everything worked out as planned. He didn’t only want her for a short time, and seeing how vulnerable she’d been, prey to a man like Bougainvillea, had sealed her fate. Gabriel was going to fight for her.
“Cocky and arrogant. How’d you know I’d come here with you instead of heading back?” She tried to peek around his shoulders. “Unless there’s someone el-” her tone faded from amused to hurt.
“You finish that sentence and I’ll bend you over for a spanking, precious, and make you wait for the rock-your-fucking-world orgasm I know you’re aching for.”
His words sent a flush of light pink to taint her mocha skin, leaving her speechless in the process.
Good. He didn’t need her to decide accepting his offer was a bad idea. He’d thought about getting her back in his bed since the moment she’d left it six months ago, and he’d be damned if anything would keep him from accomplishing his goal when he was so close.
He grinned. “Now, be good and please close your eyes.” He worked in the please this time, reminding himself a suave Don Juan got more than the rougher Marine side of him.
Gabriel palmed her hand and led her up the three stairs that spilled into a full-fledged covered porch trailing the length of the spacious bungalow. Sun-warmed wood creaked under their weight. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Ema still had her eyes shut then opened the door.
He escorted her into the living space, closed the door, then stepped up behind her. As tenderly as possible, he pushed her hair aside for a taste of her slender neck. “Open your eyes and tell me what do you think? There’s a hot tub on the other side of those doors.” He turned her toward the far wall where the deck wrapped around the side of the bungalow exposed by ceiling to floor windows, all the while trailing kisses along the soft slope of her shoulder. God, he could get lost in her taste. The feel of her body pressed against his.
Fucking A. Every bone in his body ached for her. So much he’d almost lost his junk in his pants back on the beach when he’d found her so hot and wet.
“It’s beautiful, Gabe. The view, the seaside charm and rustic feel. But most importantly, the company.” Her voice trailed off into a moan that fed directly into his heart.
He still didn’t understand the pull she had on him. There were no rules of engagement written out on this mission, so he was going in with nothing to guide him but instinct. Hopefully, he knew what he was doing because one slip and Ema would cut the delicate strings connecting them.
“Take your clothes off. I want to see your body before I lick and kiss every part of you.”
****
Ema eased out of Gabriel’s arms to face him. That same seductive tone she was powerless to resist washed over her like rich, dark chocolate, leaving her heart thundering. Hot liquid pooled in the crotch of her panties. “Like this?” She slid the buttons of her top out of their hold again and slipped the material first off one shoulder then the next before losing the material altogether.
She cupped her breasts, letting her nipples slip between her fingers. A groan rattled deep within Gabe’s throat, giving her the courage to continue.
“Let me see them.” He moved into her space to peel her hands away. If he kept looking at her with such fervor, she’d be lost.
“God, I’ve missed you. I’ve dreamed about having you again. Just like this.”
“You’ve dreamed of me, Gabriel?” His gaze simmered with a deeper passion than she’d seen before. From his kneeling position looking up at her, Ema saw the full force of the fire set deep in his eyes. The blaze burned hotter with each encounter, pulling her closer to the warmth he offered.
“You know I have, precious. The proof is right here.” He guided her hand to stroke the ridge of his cock through his pants. Impressive in every way.
With his forefingers and thumb, Gabe pinched both her nipples, forcing a moan from her. “I’m going to suck those delicate berries into my mouth and make you come for me. First, I want to see the rest of you.”
He skimmed his fingers along her sensitive sides then worked his way toward the front clasp of her skirt. Shudders of anticipation raked through her. With the slightest touch, he had her wanting more than she could ever have. A family. A man to love her body and soul. She had to stop, pull back on her runaway emotions constantly edging her closer to him.
In a flick, he released the final barrier. “Baby, I need you. We’re both in danger of me combusting right now if I don’t get you wrapped around my length soon.”
Dios, he was going to be the death of her. She shouldn’t be here, but he looked at her with such intensity, as if she was his soul reason for breathing, and there was no way she could resist his allure much longer.
What they had went much deeper than just lust and want. For both of them. And it scared her to the core.
Her skirt pooled around her feet, leaving her naked but for a pair of white lace panties. She moved to slip those off too, but he stilled her with a light touch to her hands.
“Let me.” With a feathery caress, he brushed his fingers up the length of her legs before finding the lacy edge. A single tug on both sides and she stood bare to him. “If I have my way, you won’t need these any time soon.” Gabriel gathered her buttocks in both hands and buried his face in the V of her legs.
With a loud gasp Ema rocked her head back.
“You know I get what I want, Ema.”
That’s what she feared most. During their last rendezvous he’d whispered a secret fantasy of a happily ever after with her while he thought she slept in his arms. Her heart wanted what he spoke of, but she knew better than to listen. She’d walked out an hour later and kept her distance with one excuse after another.
Until now.
She fisted the long stands of his hair, desperate for more of Gabriel.
She’d dreamed of having this moment with him again, too. Dreamed of him caressing her swollen bud with the tip of his tongue as he did now.
Her body responded with the same bone-deep shudder he always provoked, leaving her breathy, desperate to reach the pinnacle of pleasure.
“Put your foot on my shoulder and lean back against the bed.” She followed his direction, opening her pink folds to him. Gabriel shifted his body closer, parting her legs with his broad shoulders. She reclined back. Light stubble from his chin rubbed against her inner thighs, the burn adding to the delicious feel of him between her legs. He reached up and tugged on her nipples.
Pulse after pulse of pleasure shot straight t
o her core. “Gabe, don’t stop. Please, don’t stop. I need you. Make me come for you.” Her back arched. Fire consumed her from head to toe. He latched onto her swollen nub, and with a single tug pushed her deeper into the chaos of her desires.
She buried her fingers into the cotton sheets, unable to hold back the cry of pleasure that slipped past her lips. Ahì, que rico. So good. Spasms rocked her whole body. She palmed the heavy weight of her breasts and squeezed, tugging at her nipples, delivering another shock of pleasure straight to her core.
“God, you are so fucking delicious, precious.”
Gabriel eased up her body, his hard muscles pressed against her overheated skin, his massive cock pulsating against her thigh.
He shifted his weight to settle on his elbows, leaning down. Warm, moist lips surrounded her nipple. She could smell her own desire coating his lips. Did he find her juices desirable?
With a breathtaking pull, another wave of ecstasy launched an assault against her sensitive body. Lust swirled in her belly. Her breath caught with each grind of his rock-hard dick against her thigh.
More.
“My turn to taste you.” Her words came out as a whisper—she was barely able to form syllables much less full words after that orgasm.
She followed his movements as he climbed off the bed. His muscles rippled. She swallowed, thirsty for a long, deep drink of her tall Marine.
“Will you strip and let me taste, Gabriel?” She’d always been confident in her sexuality, but with Gabe something was different. He stirred the submissive side like no one before him, leaving her a bit vulnerable. Something she never handled well.
There was that intense look again. He raked his dark gaze across her body with appreciation before landing on hers. Gazes locked, he slipped off his pants and tossed them aside. His cock bounced against his abdomen, and he palmed the hardened staff and stroked from root to tip.
Once. Twice.
She licked her lips, her mouth watering for a taste of the pre-cum wetting the tip. “You’ll wrap those beautiful lips around my cock soon enough, baby. But first…” Gabriel moved over to the nightstand, pulled out a condom, then rolled it down his long, thick length.
Tequila Sunset: A Military Erotic Romance (Sexy Siesta Series Book 2) Page 3