Perfect for the Beach

by Lori Foster

  She reached for her vagina but Trey pulled her hand away. She whimpered her displeasure. “Please, Trey. I can’t take it anymore.”

  “I know, sweetheart.” Trey abruptly dropped to his knees. He pressed his face against her center and drew in a long breath. “Have you dreamed about this, Jenna? Remembered me touching you here?”

  He stroked his finger across her distended nub. “Hell, yes,” Jenna panted.

  Pushing aside her panties, he flicked his tongue slowly over the nub. Jenna’s body jerked from the first intimate contact. Trey fastened his fingers to her butt, holding her in place. “You’re still as sweet as I remember.” He suckled her softly and Jenna whimpered. “Open your legs, darling. I want more of you.”

  Jenna clutched Trey’s shoulders as she spread her legs wider. The bedroom door was open, allowing light in from the living room. That fraction of light enabled her to see Trey’s head at her center, and she thrilled in the erotic delight of watching him love her this way.

  Trey eased a finger inside her. “You are so wet.”

  He slipped another finger inside, then swirled his tongue around her clitoris, creating deliciously hot friction. Jenna closed her eyes and clung to him, gripped his broad shoulders for dear life.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. Let go.”

  Jenna’s head rocked from side to side. “Oh, baby …”

  With two fingers deep inside her, Trey took her clitoris completely in his mouth and suckled her.

  And then, with the force of a volcanic eruption, Jenna exploded. The sweetest of orgasms started at her center and overflowed to every part of her being. She screamed Trey’s name, held onto him as her climax continued to rock her. He suckled her harder, and Jenna thought she would die from the pleasure.

  “Trey … oh, God …” Jenna’s scream turned to a sob and her body went boneless.

  Trey gathered her in his arms. Holding her tight, he kissed her deeply. She didn’t realize that she’d been crying until he wiped tears from her eyes.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart.”

  But was it? Jenna had allowed him to open the door on their relationship, allowed him back into her heart.

  Given him the power to devastate her again.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked her.

  “Nothing,” Jenna lied.

  “I know you’re afraid, but you don’t need to be. I swear to you on my life—”

  Jenna covered Trey’s mouth with a finger. She didn’t want to think about anything other than the here and now.

  “Kiss me,” she told him.

  Trey kissed her gently, and some of Jenna’s fears ebbed away. No matter what happened tomorrow, she would treasure tonight. She loved this man deeply and always would. And she knew in her heart that she would never find with another man the kind of connection she shared with Trey.

  Why did that thought make her want to cry?

  “Maybe I should just hold you,” Trey said.

  “What?” Jenna asked, surprised.

  “I want to make love to you, but we don’t have to rush. We have all night.” He kissed the palm of her hand. “I know you have some reservations.”

  “I’m ready,” Jenna said, but to her own ears she sounded sad.

  “I want you to know that this is about more than sex. It’s about what I feel for you in my heart.”

  Jenna drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes. Maybe Trey was right. She was suddenly wistful and nostalgic, and if they made love right now, she’d bawl like a baby.

  Trey pulled her to a standing position. “Come, Jenna. Let’s lie down.”

  Two hours later, Jenna coaxed Trey awake with a lingering kiss.

  His eyes popped open. “Hey, you.”

  “I’m hot and bothered and I need some of your lovin’,” Jenna said in a feigned southern accent. She’d had all she could take of their lying naked together.

  “Is that right?”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  Smiling brazenly, Jenna got to her knees beside Trey. She reached for his penis and stroked him until he was hard. His body was magnificent, his erection massive. From the top of his head to the tips of his toes, he was complete centerfold material. Everything about him was perfect.

  “How do you want it?” Trey asked her.

  “I want to ride you,” she answered shamelessly.

  Jenna straddled her legs over Trey’s body. He reached for her, fingering her folds.

  “You’re already wet.”

  “For you, always.” She leaned forward and planted her lips on his. As her tongue twisted with his, she reached for his erection, wrapping her fingers around his hard, hot length. She moved her hand up and down his shaft, delighting in his gutteral groans that said she had power to tease and torture him the same way he had her.

  He moaned his displeasure when she eased her body backward. “What are you doing?”

  “This,” Jenna replied. As she stroked him, she flicked her tongue over the tip of his shaft. Trey’s loud groans were her sweet reward.

  Their short reprieve had rejuvenated her, and now she was ready to love like never before. This was going to be a night of carnal satisfaction and no regrets. No more emotions to ruin the mood.

  “Oh, sweetheart. Don’t make me come. I’m not through with you yet.”

  He reached for her and pulled her up. “Sit on me.”

  Jenna moved her body backward. So long she’d had to fantasize about her memory of making love to Trey. Finally she was going to experience it again.

  And enjoy every damned minute of it.

  Staring into his eyes, Jenna positioned herself over him. She braced her hands on his stomach as he guided their bodies together. When the thick head of his penis entered her, she gasped in pleasure.

  “You okay?” Trey asked.

  “Mmmm.”

  Trey gently eased himself farther inside her. Quick, shallow breaths escaped her with each inch he moved. His shaft was large and hot and filled her completely.

  The same way he filled her heart.

  There was no denying it, no matter how much she wished she could concentrate on the physical.

  Trey placed his hands on her hips and gyrated slowly. But Jenna wanted more. “Faster,” she told him.

  “Oh, baby.” Trey’s grip tightened on her hips as he picked up speed. Jenna rode him, matching his movements. She arched her back, taking in more of him, needing more of him. The pressure building, their pace quickened to wild and frenzied, until Jenna was riding Trey as if he were an untamed stallion.

  Her head grew light as her orgasm took root. “Oh, God. Trey!”

  Trey pulled her head down and kissed her as she came. Kissed her as his own moans grew louder, more intense.

  “I love you,” he rasped.

  And then he let go, toppling with Jenna into the abyss.

  Chapter Five

  Jenna awoke with a sense of panic—and knew she had to get out of there.

  Oh, the scene was perfect. Her back was snug against Trey’s front, his arm secured around her waist. Their embrace was cozy. Intimate. It spoke of a comfort level many lovers only hoped to achieve.

  And that’s what scared her to death. That to all appearances, they looked the loving couple. They had acted on their fierce attraction for each other, ending up in bed as they had so many times before. But had anything between them really changed?

  As much as Jenna simply wanted to pick up where they’d left off, go back to him and trust that he’d always love her, she couldn’t do that. Yes, Trey had told her that he loved her last night, but was love enough to ignore the issues that had driven them apart?

  The biggest issue had been honesty. Trey hadn’t exactly lied about his past—he just hadn’t disclosed it. And that last morning, when Jenna had point-blank asked him about what she’d learned, he’d become enraged. He had kept a vital part of his history secret from her, yet he’d been angry with her. How could Jenna spend the rest of her life with a man who didn’t let her
into his heart?

  Sure, last night had been beyond incredible. And what a way to end her two-year drought! But she and Trey had fallen into the old routine of going to bed in hopes of solving all the problems between them. That was something she just couldn’t do anymore.

  Very carefully, Jenna slipped Trey’s arm off her body. She was relieved when he didn’t stir. Then she eased her body to the edge of the bed and sat up, aware that there was a hole in her heart bigger than the state of Florida.

  She had made up her mind to go, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to stand up. Not yet. Sighing softly, she stole a glance of him over her shoulder. Regret slammed her in the gut like a sledgehammer. Maybe it was the peaceful look on Trey’s beautiful face, but it was hard to believe that she would be walking away from him forever.

  It was the very reason she hadn’t wanted to see him again. She’d simply wanted his signature on the separation papers because it would have been easier that way.

  At least with him sleeping, it would be easier to slip out of here now. Then she’d find Ruby and get the separation papers, and meet up with Trey later at Castaways. Ruby would have a lot of explaining to do when she got back to their hotel, but Jenna would worry about that later.

  She inched herself to a standing position. Still, Trey didn’t stir. A part of her wanted to climb back into bed and wake him up with hot kisses. But the other part, the part that was afraid he’d revert to his morning-after emotionless shell, told her she couldn’t risk her heart.

  Her eyes lingered on his sleeping form. The bed sheet was strewn over a part of his hip, but other than that she could see all of his naked body. There was no doubt about it—Trey was the picture-perfect man of any woman’s fantasies.

  But one who had never fully given her his heart.

  Jenna gathered her bra and thong from the floor, wondering where her shorts were. Then she remembered the strawberries and chocolate and Trey’s skillful fingers. A hot flush stung her cheeks.

  She had been wanton. Insatiable. Greedy with a lust that was shocking in its intensity. She and Trey had reacquainted their bodies by making love in every conceivable position until the early hours of the morning.

  Her lust was satisfied, but her heart was sad. Staying here for another hour or a day would only be delaying the inevitable. She had come here with one purpose—to end a marriage that never should have been.

  Her bra and panties in hand, Jenna crept across the hardwood floor.

  “Jenna.”

  Trey’s deep, raspy voice stopped her dead in her tracks. And though she’d just been trying to sneak out on him, she felt an odd sense of relief that he was now awake.

  Turning, she did her best to look casual. “You’re awake.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Um … I’m just…”

  “Are you leaving me?”

  The touch of sadness in his voice sent a jolt of pain straight to her heart. “I need some time, Trey,” she admitted. “Time to think.”

  “Time so you can run.”

  “That’s not what I said.”

  “But it’s what you’ll do, Jenna. The moment you get a chance. Because we haven’t resolved anything.”

  Jenna didn’t say a word as Trey climbed out of bed and approached her. “We still need to talk,” he told her. “Believe it or not, that’s what I wanted to do most last night. We just got … carried away.”

  “That’s our problem. We always get carried away and forget the important issues.”

  Trey reached for her hand and linked their fingers. “Do you remember the day you left me?”

  Meaning, did she remember their argument. How could she forget it? “Yes.”

  “That day, we started off in this bed full of happiness and hope—until things turned ugly. I wish I could go back in history and change all the happened, but I can’t. So the best thing I can do is backtrack to before the argument.” He paused. “And finally answer your question.”

  Trey’s words left Jenna in shock. That question had been the catalyst for their breakup. He had outright refused to answer it then, at a time when the truth had been vitally important to her. Did he honestly think that responding to it now would change things between them?

  A million times, Jenna had played out that morning in her mind, wondering if she had been unfair. Insensitive. Ambushed him, as he’d said. She always came up with the same conclusion. She could understand how the question might have been a surprise, but asking him about his past should not have led to an explosive argument. Not if he had nothing to hide, and certainly not if he loved her as deeply as he had claimed.

  Even now, Jenna felt a sting of pain in her gut as she remembered how Trey had shut down. She had been in the throes of passion one minute, the pit of despair the next.

  Reliving the day their marriage ended wasn’t something she wanted to do. So she stepped away from him and said, “I gave you the chance to answer that question two years ago. You didn’t want to. Maybe it’s best that we not bother with it now.”

  “I wasn’t ready then.”

  “And now you are?” Jenna asked, a hint of incredulity lacing her tone.

  “Yes.”

  This was a trick. A ploy to get her into bed again. God only knew why, but clearly Trey wasn’t ready to let her go.

  Maybe it was their sexual chemistry that he couldn’t walk away from. Neither of them could deny that the passion between them was explosive. But Jenna wanted more out of a marriage than just hot sex. Even mind-altering, toe-curling, spicy hot sex.

  “Why don’t I make some breakfast. We can talk while we eat.”

  “Don’t you have to go to work?”

  “Nope. I took the day off to spend it with you.”

  Trey never took a day off. He’d acted as if Castaways would fall apart if he wasn’t there personally. “Then who’s running the restaurant?”

  “Someone new. A guy you don’t know. A guy I trust completely.”

  “Wow, that’s a shock.”

  “I told you, Jenna. Things are different now.”

  Trey kissed Jenna’s cheek before slipping into his white boxers. Then he strolled out the door, leaving her to ponder his words.

  She hugged her torso for a good ten seconds before putting on her panties and bra. She found her shirt in the living room and pulled it over her head. Bright sunlight spilled into the house, lifting her spirits a little. The clear blue sky and vast ocean always helped improve her mood.

  While Trey opened and closed cupboards in the kitchen, Jenna headed toward the patio. The terrace table still held their dirty plates, the bowl of strawberries, and the now hard chocolate. If this had been any other morning-after-great-sex with her husband, Jenna would blush like a schoolgirl as she helped to clean up. But today, all she felt were mixed emotions.

  Stepping outside, she inhaled the invigorating scent of saltwater as she reached for her shorts. One thing was certain—she would miss this place.

  Get this business over with, Jenna. And the sooner the better. Jenna put her shorts on. Fully dressed, she felt somewhat less vulnerable. What she’d really like to do was go to the bathroom and shower, but that would mean spending more time here. And right now, that wasn’t an option. Trey didn’t appreciate that she needed time to think, but she did. Here, she was under the influence of their memories and his charm, and much more inclined to think with her heart. She needed to think with her head.

  She would head back to her hotel, shower there, and take care of Ruby—and not necessarily in that order.

  “How do you want your eggs?” Trey called from the kitchen.

  “Actually … I’m not very hungry.” The truth was, Jenna was starving. But if she stayed here, she would be tempted to indulge her carnal hunger, and that would get her nothing but more heartache.

  “No?”

  “No. I’ll, um … just … head back to my hotel.”

  Trey appeared from behind the kitchen wall. He had a dishrag slung over his
shoulder. “Oh.”

  “And pick up the agreement my lawyer drew up.”

  Disappointment streaked across his face. Jenna glanced away, unable to face him. “You knew the deal when I got here. And you promised that if I spent the night, you’d sign the papers in the morning.”

  “I figured we’d at least talk first.”

  “I know, but … I feel … overwhelmed. At least look over the document. I can have it couriered here if you prefer—”

  “No.”

  Jenna met Trey’s eyes. “Trey, you gave me your word.”

  “Don’t run away from me again. If we’re going to do this, then let’s not make it impersonal. You bring the papers here and we’ll go over them face-to-face.”

  Jenna blew out a shaky breath. “I don’t know … I just … it’s pretty straightforward.”

  Trey tossed the dishrag onto the counter and marched toward her. “Nothing about this is straightforward, Jenna. Nothing.”

  The intensity in his voice shocked her. She took a step backward, but Trey advanced, placing both hands on her shoulders. “When I pledged before God to love you in good times and in bad, I meant that. When I said till death do us part, I meant those words in the deepest part of my soul. Now you want out and you expect me to make this easy for you. You’re my wife, Jenna. My wife. Does that mean nothing to you?”

  “That meant everything to me!” Jenna countered. Then she looked away. The last thing she wanted was an ugly argument with Trey. “Please, I don’t want to fight about this.”

  She jerked when she felt Trey’s palm on her face, but it was a surprisingly gentle caress. “I’m not angry, sweetheart. But I am frustrated. You’re my wife—my life—and you want to walk away again before you’ve given us a chance.”

  “I’m confused,” Jenna admitted.

  “I’m a different person, Jenna. I’ve grown. Won’t you give me a chance to show you that?”

  “I came into this marriage with all the hope in the world. That hope was shattered, Trey. You don’t know how much that hurt me.”

  “I was hurting, too.”

  “Then why didn’t you just talk to me that day? Why get angry? Why watch me walk away and now act like you can’t live without me?”