Summer at the Shore (Seashell Bay Book 2)

by V. K. Sykes

  When his gaze turned dark and smoldering and one big hand came up to cradle her cheek, Morgan blinked up at him in surprise. It looked like she’d been wrong after all. Ryan didn’t look the least bit interested in pulling back—or pulling away.

  In fact, he leaned in even closer. “As a matter of fact, I have an idea about that.”

  Chapter 19

  Good Lord, they were finally going to do it. And she was more than ready. She’d spent weeks resisting her endless, impossible desire for Ryan, and suddenly that seemed like it had been the dumbest thing in the world. If there were any lessons to be gleaned from that awful fire, it was that life was both precious and random all at once. That being cautious and careful couldn’t always protect you from the bad things, which she should have learned in the wake of her father’s death. That being too cautious and careful could cut you off from the things you wanted, the things you loved.

  That she loved Ryan was beyond doubt. Morgan knew with absolute conviction that saying no to him now would be a missed opportunity she would regret forever, whether he stayed in her life or got on the ferry at the end of the summer and sailed away.

  He took his time, gently resting his forehead against hers, inhaling deep breaths as if drawing in her scent. She thought he was giving her one final chance to say no.

  “Yes,” she breathed. “Yes, Ryan.”

  She wouldn’t have been able to say anything more, even if she’d had the words, because he dipped his head and claimed her mouth with a searing kiss that stole every ounce of strength from her body. His hand spread wide over her back and drifted down to settle at the base of her spine. He loomed over her—big, brawny, and muscular—his very presence making her feel protected and cherished.

  And turning her on like crazy.

  She reached up and sank her fingers into his hair as he deepened the kiss. Boldly, she pushed her tongue between his lips, sweeping inside and claiming him the way he’d claimed her only a few weeks ago. She let her hunger drive her, pulling back to trace the edges of his firm mouth with her tongue before stealing back inside for a deeper taste of him.

  Finally, Ryan eased his grip and broke the kiss. She felt a slight tremor in the big hands that wrapped around her upper arms. “Jesus, Morgan, if you don’t want to go any further, say so right now. If you’re not ready . . .”

  “Does it feel like I’m not ready?” she said in disbelief. “I’ve been ready since we were in high school. Probably since junior high, although it’s probably really tacky to admit that.”

  “You’re sure? Because I don’t want this if it’s just a gratitude thing,” Ryan said, frowning. “That’s not why I’ve been trying to help you. You know that, don’t you?”

  She let out an exaggerated sigh. “You are such a dope, although I guess I can’t totally blame you. I’ve been Mr. Dithers for weeks about this.”

  A smile eased his lips up. “You’re way cuter than Mr. Dithers. But I get it, and I just want to make sure that you’re sure.”

  She rested a hand on his chest, then slid it down to his waist, letting her fingers drift along the top of his cargo shorts. “Oh, I’m sure, big guy.”

  Ryan’s dark eyes lit up. He dipped to nuzzle her neck, trailing soft, hot kisses as she arched into him. It felt like heaven to finally give in to what she’d been fighting for so long. Relief had her wanting to jump up and spin around in crazy circles, like a kid high on sugar.

  Or rip his clothes off and do him right on the beach.

  Classy, Morgan. Real classy.

  Honestly, at this point she almost didn’t care. She felt liberated from something that had been wearing her soul down for the longest time.

  “Kevin told me just before you got back that they were finishing up for the day.” He slid his lips onto hers for a short, hot kiss. “They’ll be gone any minute now, and if not, we’ll tell them to get lost.”

  “Well, that might get some tongues wagging around town,” Morgan said.

  “Do you care?” he murmured as he moved to her neck. His breath was hot against her sensitive skin, making her shiver deliciously.

  “Let them wag,” she managed.

  “I like the sound of that.” He nibbled gently at her ear. “It looked pretty dry to me in the downstairs bedrooms. Especially that big bed of yours.”

  “I don’t mind getting wet if you don’t.” She winced when he laughed at the unconscious double entendre.

  “Actually, it sounds like a great way to kick off the new and improved Golden Sunset, don’t you think?” he said.

  “Yes, and I’d challenge you to race me back except for the fact that my legs are feeling a little weak right now,” she said, smiling up at him. “Thanks to you.”

  “I have a solution for that.” He pulled her to her feet and scooped her up in his arms, then started for the path.

  “I’m too heavy for you to carry me all the way back,” she protested with a giggle.

  A giggle. Morgan couldn’t remember the last time she’d giggled.

  “Babe, my army gear and pack weigh more than you do.”

  He must have been telling the truth, because he was practically jogging back to the inn, carrying her as if she didn’t weigh anything at all.

  And like he couldn’t wait to get her into bed.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him, nibbling at his ear. A few lingering doubts tugged at her, demanding she pay attention. But that was just habit, her tendency to always worry about the future instead of living in the moment. Right now, she wanted only today. She would leave tomorrow to bring what it would bring.

  Carrying Morgan, Ryan practically jogged up the path to the B&B. Fortunately the workers’ truck was gone, because he probably looked like a teenage boy about to get laid for the first time. He’d never wanted a woman like he wanted Morgan. It was crazy how much he wanted her—almost scary. But it also felt better than anything had in a long time. It felt right—deep down in his bones right, and that was a feeling he never took lightly.

  “Hey, Soldier Boy, don’t drop me,” Morgan said. “I guarantee there will be no nookie if I end up on my ass.”

  He stepped onto the back porch of the annex, pausing for a moment to kiss her cute nose. “A very fine ass it is, and I’m not about to let any harm come to it.”

  She grinned back at him, so clearly happy that his heart soared. The look on her face when he’d told her about his plan to fix the inn had made him feel like a freaking hero, as ridiculous as that sounded. He didn’t want hero worship from Morgan; he just wanted to make her life easier. In fact, that was now a mission, as important as any he’d ever undertaken.

  “I’m glad to hear it,” she said. “Because I’m quite attached to my ass.”

  He groaned. “Merrifield, that was bad, even for you.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, kind of lame. I guess I’m a little nervous.”

  Ryan paused outside the screen door, shifting her so he could reach for the door handle. “You’ve got nothing to be nervous about, babe. I promise.”

  She rested a hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her. A smile tilted up the edges of her mouth, but her eyes held his in a serious, steady gaze. Her vulnerability came through, and it was like she’d just wrapped her hand around his heart and squeezed.

  “Aren’t you nervous?” she asked.

  He turned the question over in his mind. “Not really, but then I have such a raging hard-on that I can barely see straight.”

  She dropped her head and laughed. “Butler, you can be such a guy sometimes. It’s kind of appalling.”

  He finally got the damn door open and strode into the kitchen with her. “I bet you’re pretty happy about that right now though.”

  She brushed a stray lock of silky, blond hair out of her eyes and smiled at him. “You have no idea.”

  “Well, there you go. I’d say this is turning out to be a very good day.”

  He carried her down the short hall to her bedroom.
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br />   “And I hope it’s about to get even better,” she said, her voice dropping to a husky purr.

  Man, didn’t that just make his dick want to stand up and salute?

  He set her down and shoved the door shut. Sabrina was staying at Lily’s, but he didn’t want any surprises. Not when he finally had Morgan exactly where he wanted her. If he had anything to say about it, they wouldn’t be leaving this room for several hours.

  Morgan crossed to the window and opened it wide. There was a hint of smoke in the room, but it wasn’t a problem. The white lace curtains framing the window fluttered in a breeze coming off the water, bringing with it the tangy hint of ocean air. She braced a hand on the post at the head of her bed as she balanced to kick off her sandals.

  Ryan studied the old four-poster bed. It was obviously an antique, beautiful and in great shape. It was clear that Morgan loved it. She’d draped a gauzy, almost transparent swath of white fabric over the top to create a canopy that cast soft shadows. The duvet was gold colored and looked thick and soft, piled high with lots of satiny white and pink pillows. It was a total girlie bed, perfect for her and perfect for making love.

  He strolled to the foot of the bed and leaned a shoulder against one of the posts. “I’ve fantasized about doing you in this bed since the moment I saw it.”

  She choked out a laugh. “Isn’t that just the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard?”

  He shrugged. “Like you said, I’m a guy.” He eyed the posts, then glanced down to look at the frame. “This is strong enough to support us, right? I do not want to break your bed.”

  She nodded. “Trust me, it’s very solid. I know.”

  When he raised an eyebrow, she flapped a hand at him. “Not because of that. Ryan Butler, you have the dirtiest mind.”

  He moved a few steps to rest his hands on her shoulders. “Oh yeah, and I bet you know what I’m thinking this very moment.”

  She smiled, her cheeks flushing a faint pink under her tan. She looked a little shy and incredibly cute.

  “I bet I do. And speaking of which, what’s next on the agenda?”

  “The first thing is to get you out of those clothes,” he said, starting on the buttons of her blouse.

  “What about you? Don’t we have to get you out of your clothes?” She reached for his zipper.

  He brushed her hands away. “You first. Besides, it’ll only take me a few seconds since I’m only wearing shorts and boots.”

  “Commando, eh?”

  “Are you complaining?”

  “Heck, no.”

  Ryan slipped her blouse off and pretty much lost his breath. She was gorgeous, a spectacular combination of toned and curvy, with smooth skin kissed golden by the sun. And she had great breasts. As far as he was concerned, all breasts were great, but hers were in a league by themselves—full and pale, with rosy nipples barely concealed by the lace of her simple white bra.

  “Babe,” he said, “you’re gonna kill me.”

  “I hope not,” she said with a self-conscious laugh.

  Then she surprised him by reaching back and unhooking her bra, dropping it to the floor. Her nipples were already tight—gorgeous, hard little points he couldn’t wait to sample.

  Fully recognizing what a lucky bastard he was, he cupped both full, perfect weights in his hands and thumbed her peaks. Morgan sucked in a breath, her blue eyes going soft and heavy-lidded.

  “Let’s get you undressed all the way,” he murmured, reaching for the snap on her short denim skirt.

  A moment later, she stood before him, clad, God help him, in a lacy white thong. Ryan contemplated leaving it on, but decided to leave the games for later. He hooked his thumbs into the elastic waistband and skimmed it down over her slender legs. Morgan rested a hand on his shoulder and stepped out of the thong.

  His heart almost stopped. She was unbelievable, glowing golden in the sunlight pouring through the frilly lace curtains and washing lovingly over her body. Morgan was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, from her flaxen blond head to the sweet golden curls at the notch of her thighs to her neat painted toes, glittering with a nail polish that seemed to match the rest of her.

  She lit up the room, and she sure as hell lit up his heart.

  He must have looked like a moron standing there gaping at her, because she propped her hands on her hips. Ryan was almost tempted to laugh at her schoolmarm expression. She was without doubt the hottest schoolmarm on the planet.

  “Well, Soldier Boy,” she said. “What the heck are you staring at? Get those clothes off and get to work.”

  He did laugh at that. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll get right on it.”

  As Ryan hopped around on one leg, hauling off a boot, Morgan swallowed a giggle. It was mostly from nerves, which were making her a bit light-headed. And no wonder—she was standing here stark naked while the guy she’d been crushing on for years had practically eaten her up with his eyes. It was heady, empowering, and truly scary to think that she and Ryan Butler were finally going to do it after all these years.

  And in broad daylight too, which somehow seemed to make it even more official. No sneaking off for a furtive coupling on the beach late at night. Clearly, Ryan had no problem with what they were doing, which meant she shouldn’t either. Not even if that tiny voice in her head still whispered a warning that she was risking a world of hurt.

  When Ryan unzipped his cargo shorts and skimmed them down, every remaining thought in Morgan’s head fled.

  Oh. My. God.

  He was amazing, every muscle cut, his body bronzed by the summer sun. Totally jacked. She knew that already, of course, but to see him stark naked just made everything seem . . . more muscular. And even bigger.

  And boy, when it came to his equipment, big was exactly the right word.

  Ryan gave her a salacious grin. “Now that you’ve had a good look, would you like to touch?”

  “Uh, you first,” she answered inanely.

  Honestly though, she didn’t even know where to start. Morgan wasn’t a nun by any means, but no guy she’d ever dated came close to Ryan’s physical presence. Her soldier boy was definitely in a class by himself.

  “That would be my pleasure,” he said.

  He prowled over to the bed and pulled her close, sliding his hands over her butt. Morgan quivered at the feel of all that hot, hard flesh pressed against her. His erection lay thick and heavy between them, and she couldn’t help squirming a bit, rubbing it against her belly. Ryan made a noise low in his throat, halfway between a hiss and a growl. Then he dipped down and took her mouth in an openmouthed, deliciously wet kiss. He clamped his hands on her, massaging her butt as he slowly rubbed against her.

  Morgan sighed, slipping her arms around his neck. The coarse hair on his chest tickled her nipples, and sensation streaked down to her core, spiking arousal and heat. As she’d done on that night when they’d first kissed, she pulled up her leg, bringing her sex into direct contact with his hard thigh. Already she throbbed with a sweet ache and instinctively searched for relief.

  But it was so much more than last time. Now they were naked—all hot skin and nothing between them, their bodies doing exactly what they wanted.

  He broke the kiss when she pressed even closer, hooking her ankle behind his knee.

  “Fuck, babe,” he growled. “That is so hot I could take you standing up, right against the wall.”

  Her stomach gave a little flip at the image of her jammed against the wall, Ryan pounding into her.

  “In fact,” he said, “I’d have you facing the wall, your hands up high and your legs spread wide. Then I’d take you from behind, so I could touch all of you while I was inside.”

  Wow. Morgan had to admit that he made it sound damn tempting. She clutched at his shoulders, staring up into his face. His features were taut, and his gaze glittered with dark intensity. She had to swallow before she could answer.

  “I . . . uh, that sounds awesome, actually,” she stuttered.

>   He let out a low laugh. “Yeah, it does, but not for our first time. I want to be looking into your gorgeous eyes when I’m inside you.”

  Morgan went up on tiptoe—and, oh, did the slide of her breasts across his hard chest feel fantastic—and kissed his mouth.

  “I want that too,” she whispered.

  He touched his forehead to hers. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  He picked her up and plopped her on the bed, high up on the pillows. He started to follow and then froze. “Shit,” he muttered.

  She raised herself up on her elbows. “What?”

  He stood up straight. Morgan couldn’t help focusing on his impressive erection, now pretty much at her eye level.

  “I can’t believe it,” he said in a disgusted voice. “I don’t have a condom on me.”

  “Don’t you carry one in your wallet? I thought all guys did that.”

  “I left my wallet back at my parents’ house. Didn’t think I’d need it today.” He gave his head a rueful shake. “I’m sorry, babe. We can do other stuff, but—”

  “It’s not a problem,” she interrupted. “I’m kind of embarrassed about this, but I bought some condoms the other day. They’re in the top drawer of the dresser.”

  He grinned. “Planning a little action, were we? You little devil, you.”

  Morgan guessed she was probably blushing from head to toe. It had been an impulse buy at the drugstore the other day, and she’d silently ragged herself all the way home. Now, she was glad she’d done it.

  “Hardly, but it’s always a good idea to be prepared for any situation.”

  “That’s my motto too, babe,” he said as he stepped over to her dresser. “No wonder we’re so good together.”

  Joking or not, his last comment caught her right in the heart. She wanted so much for them to be good together, on every level, even though it probably wouldn’t last beyond the fading of the summer season.

  He found the condoms and came back, his gaze focusing on her face. “You still okay there, Merrifield?”