Baring It All

by Rebecca Hunter

  His hair was wet against her cheek as he nuzzled her neck. He smelled the ocean, of adventure, of temptation. Of Max. Natasha let out a soft sigh. Finally.

  Though his hands were occupied with her gear, hers were free to explore, so she rested them on the hard muscles of his arms, exploring the planes and bulges with her fingers. There was so much she wanted to discover about him. She moved her hands higher, over his shoulders. Water dripped from his hair and ran down his neck. She traced one of the trails, first with her finger, and then with her mouth. His husky breaths came quicker in her ear. Just this little taste was getting her hot really, really fast.

  Max lifted his head and met her gaze, his eyes heavy with desire.

  God, he was breathtaking. If she were to select a match solely on baser characteristics like strength or sexual appeal, Max would be at the top of her list. Golden-blond hair hanging over his tanned forehead. Pronounced cheekbones, chiseled jaw. Her gear wasn’t heavy, but his biceps flexed under the weight. She flashed to the image of those biceps flexing as he held himself over her.

  “Back to the cabin?” she asked, her voice breathless.

  “Definitely.”

  He gave her a soft kiss on her forehead and headed for the path, away from the beach. Natasha swallowed, her heart pounding, as she watched him.

  Thank God Social Darwinism had long been debunked. Survival of the fittest didn’t apply to everyday situations, and there was more to life than finding someone to get her pregnant and protect their offspring. She knew better than to choose a man based on physical prowess alone, and in case she was temporarily stunned by Max’s blinding appeal, lured in by the promise of virility, birth control would save her from the pitfalls of sex with such an obvious winner.

  But for now, none of that mattered. Time to put her analytical mind on pause and concentrate on her senses. Starting with touch.

  Max took a few steps up the beach and then turned back toward her. He tipped his head to the side a bit. “You coming?”

  Right. She had slowed to a stop and was just staring at him. Probably drooling.

  “Just ogling you,” she said, flashing him a smile.

  Max laughed. “Then let’s move faster.”

  Crunch. Thump, thump. Crunch. Thump, thump.

  Each footstep in the coral sand cut through the pounding of her heart in her ears. Each footstep took her closer to the little cabin where she would finally discover what sex with Max Jensen was like. The thought was making her giddy.

  He stepped aside to let her pass when they reached the boardwalk to the cabins.

  “My turn to ogle,” he whispered as she slipped past him.

  The sultry air between them shifted. He walked close behind her, close enough for his breaths to brush over her skin. She glanced over her shoulder, and he was no longer smiling.

  What would this be like? These days were supposed to be about exploring her fantasies, things she might never explore again, but right now, all she could think of was one thing. Max naked. That alone was her fantasy.

  The resort’s pool area was still and empty. The palm trees rustled between the clusters of little white modern wooden cabins. Everything else was quiet, the pool in the center of the resort’s little self-contained suites undisturbed. No one was here, and the erotic sound of Max’s breaths rang in her ears. He wasn’t touching her, but she was hyper-aware of him, so close behind.

  Max dropped her flippers and mask in the basket, and she shimmied out of the bottom half of her wet suit. He leaned against the wall next to the door, his hands in his pockets. When she lifted her gaze to his, he flashed her a smile.

  “Don’t mind me,” he said, his voice lazy and sensual as his gaze wandered down her body. “Just enjoying the afternoon view.”

  “Good to know,” she said with a laugh.

  Getting out of a wet suit wasn’t the most graceful process, so she shut out Max’s stare and concentrated on not falling over. Natasha tugged the last leg of the suit over her ankle and headed for the outdoor showers to rinse off. Max was impossible to ignore completely, so she took her time, letting the water cool her body. She had spent plenty of evenings sneaking glimpses at him over the years. He could be the one who stared this time.

  She dried off with one of the towels stacked near the pool, hung up her wet suit and returned to the door of their cabin. “Ready?”

  He gave a little nod and pushed off the building. The door clicked open, but he waited for her to enter. She wiped her feet on the rug just inside, and the door closed. Her breaths were coming faster, and a shiver ran through her that had nothing to do with being cold. This was it.

  Slowly, Natasha raised her gaze. Max peeled off his sunglasses and laid them on the foyer table, but his eyes never left hers. He was staring at her with a kind of raw hunger that was new, different. He took a step toward her, a hot, intense fire alive inside his sky-blue eyes.

  His hand was warm as he brushed it over her cheek and ran his thumb along her lips. His thumb moved lower, down her throat, over her collar bone. She was still wet, and his fingers glided over her skin, through the paths of water. He traced the edges of her bikini, slipping his fingers under the material. Natasha sucked in a breath. Her fingers trembled as she reached up to touch the smooth ridges of his stomach. He let out a soft groan.

  “Let’s move to my bedroom.” His voice, smooth and deep, his gaze and his smile were all a trifecta of sexiness that hit her deep in the gut. It was no wonder that women fell all over themselves to get his attention.

  She cleared her throat, trying to ignore the heart-stopping intimacy that was building around them. “Ready for some experimentation?”

  Max nodded. “Always.”

  She followed him into his room and he threw a towel on the bed before sitting.

  “You have any specific plans for us?” he asked.

  Natasha sat down next to him, and he scooted closer. She cleared her throat, trying to concentrate. “How much time do you need for recovery?”

  He raised his eyebrows. “You mean between rounds of sex?”

  “Yes.”

  She was almost sure he was fighting a smile. “You know, I’ve never actually timed it.”

  He rested his hand on her thigh, caressing with slow explorations. Her eyes fluttered closed. His touch was warm, and her breath caught with each new movement.

  “It varies,” he continued, his voice a little rougher. “But I’m pretty sure it won’t be long today.” His smile was infectious, and she found herself smiling back.

  “I’m just trying to get a sense of how much we have time for,” she said, fighting to keep her voice even. Natasha took a steadying breath. This was indulgence with an expiration date. No danger in that. That sexy grin played on his lips again. Indulgence, personified.

  “What exactly do you plan to do with me?” he asked slowly, his voice full of amusement. “What do you like?”

  She shrugged and gave him a mischievous smile. “I’m not sure where to start.”

  He was probably looking for a more specific answer than whatever gives me an orgasm. Truthfully, she wasn’t exactly sure what her full range of options were. That was why she was sitting here, across from the world’s hottest guy, ready to get the sexploring started, to figure that out.

  He shook his head slowly. “Tell me. I want details.”

  She bit her lip. “You go first. What do you like?”

  Max’s eyes were heavy with desire, and he smiled as he ticked off items on his long fingers. “I’d like blow jobs, going down on you and fucking you from behind, to begin with. Your turn.”

  The scenes Max alluded to rushed through her mind. Max’s mouth between her legs. Or sucking him off. Or her on her hands and knees, looking over her shoulder as Max guided his cock into her. Yep, she liked those ideas.

  She gave him a quick smile. “I like o
ral sex, too. I could definitely use your help on my technique, considering the fact Wayne turned down my blow job in favor of extra sleep.”

  Max’s expression darkened. “I can’t believe that had anything to do with you.”

  She blinked a couple times at his reaction. He sounded almost...angry. It happened so rarely that she wasn’t sure what to do with it.

  “It’s okay,” she said. “I’m over it.”

  Mostly.

  Max took a long breath. “Natasha, you’re incredible. Any guy who doesn’t make you feel that way has no business being with you.”

  His eyes were bright and intense, and he looked so serious. The intimacy of his stare was doing crazy things to her heartbeat.

  Natasha cleared her throat. “Have you ever done it in public?” What the hell, Nat? She’d scrambled to find a different subject and—well, she’d done that.

  Natasha glanced up at Max. His eyes were wide.

  “Goddamn,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re skipping the minor leagues and going straight for the championship game, aren’t you?”

  “Just because I’m not all...” she waved her hand in the air, searching for the right words “...out there doesn’t mean I’m an innocent young thing. Seriously, growing up as Illana Petrova’s daughter introduced me to plenty of things I couldn’t unsee.” She grimaced. Plenty of things. Including walking in on her mother’s boyfriend fucking a much younger starlet on an empty film set one day. That had been followed by a lesson on how easy it was to get swept up in sex or fame with a man and mistake that for something deeper when he wasn’t on the same page. Yeah, Natasha had had enough crazy to last her a lifetime.

  Max was scowling now. Shit. How had they gotten into this territory so quickly?

  “Look, I didn’t mean for this to get all...” She paused. “Personal and talky. Let’s move on.”

  Max looked a lot less relaxed now. He had stilled, and he was watching her, his expression much darker and, well, very un-Max-ish.

  Natasha looked at her clock. “We only have one hour and nineteen minutes left before Alya’s shoot is over.”

  He nodded slowly, but he still didn’t move. Where the hell was the man who took nothing seriously? Suddenly, the way they were sitting, every part of this, felt way too personal. Natasha bit her lip.

  “Let’s get started,” she said quickly. “But I have a rule—no wasting sex time on the past.”

  Finally, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Fine. But I reserve the right to make rules, too.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “HEY,” YELLED NATASHA, laughing as he grabbed her bare waist. “What are you doing?”

  Max lifted her and rolled her on top of him as he fell back onto the bed. Natasha came down onto his chest, her warm, soft skin against his. He let out a little groan.

  She squirmed, so he wrapped his hand around her ass and held her against him. Damn, she looked sexy as fuck right now, pressing down on him. She was trying to school her mouth into a serious line, but her eyes were alive with amusement. Laughter bubbled inside him as Max held her in place. Of course, his dick was loving this, too.

  “Is this your idea of foreplay? Capturing me and not letting me go?” she asked breathlessly. Her voice was husky and low, suggesting that it was her idea of foreplay. Hell, just about everything with her felt like foreplay, but that wasn’t why he’d done it.

  “Maybe. We’ve all got our things, right?” He winked. “Or maybe I just wanted to make you laugh.”

  Her smile broke through, warm and happy, and her whole body melted against his. “Success,” she said softly.

  Her elbows were by his sides, and she explored his chest with her fingertips. She sighed, as if she was perfectly content like this, mostly naked and on top of him. He certainly was.

  Max gazed up at her. Back in Sydney, she had been clear that good sex was what she was after. But after listening to the comments about her ex-boyfriend and her mother, he had to wonder if this setup was a little more complicated for her.

  He’d seen the moment the discussion got personal. If she didn’t want to spill all her secrets, that was her choice. And now, as she hovered over him with that beautiful mouth just inches away, his brain was no longer doing its best thinking in this position. He was dying to taste those lips again. She had signed up for fun, and if he could keep her laughing, this would all go well.

  Max rolled them both over so her legs were trapped under his. Her tiny bikini left miles of soft skin uncovered, and with each new position, a different part of his body met hers, making his cock harder. Long, blond hair, still damp, cascaded over her shoulders onto his bed. She squirmed under him, giving him little sounds of pleasure, and his eyes rolled back with pleasure. He was enjoying this way too much to let her free right away.

  “Okay, you made me laugh,” she said, breathless. “Now let’s move on to the next part.”

  “What part is that?” he asked, his voice filled with feigned innocence.

  She smiled playfully. “Blow jobs. Going down on me. Fucking me from behind.” She said each word slowly, each a scorching-hot invitation from her plump lips. His cock jumped, and she flexed her hips in a slow, seductive grind against him.

  The temptation to kiss her right now was overwhelming, so he leaned down and covered her mouth with his. Soft caresses of her lips. Velvety strokes of her tongue as she explored and he answered. They were there again, in that space where everything else fell away, and there was only touch and scent and the bone-deep ache to get closer to her. Damn. He could do this forever.

  He nuzzled her neck and bit down gently, right at the base of her throat. She let out a little shriek, laughing, so he sucked and bit her again, this time a little harder. Yes, this kind of physical play was like a mainline to his cock. And all that wiggling was only making him harder. She moaned, and her breaths came in short pants on his skin.

  Her other hand slid across his stomach, moving up and down. With each movement, her breasts pressed against his bare chest.

  Max groaned. “You feel good.”

  She sighed, softening a little against him. “You do, too.”

  Max took a long inhale, breathing in her intoxicating scent. “You smell even better.”

  Natasha nodded against him. She brought her lips to his skin, tasting him. This was heaven.

  “You ready to pick up where we left off back in Sydney?” he asked. “Against your kitchen table, when I was dying to take off that sweet little white dress of yours?”

  “I imagined it in my bed that night. How it would be with you.” Her teeth grazed his skin, dissolving all thoughts.

  “Good. But first we need to get naked.”

  * * *

  Max untangled his body from hers. He pushed up onto his arms, all rippling muscles and an amused smile, looking completely at ease with his raging erection. It was impossible not to stare. Now Natasha knew what it felt like to be on top of all those warm, hard muscles...

  She sat up, her gaze fixed on the ties of his board shorts as he slowly untied them. But when the knot was free, he stopped.

  He was watching her now, challenge in his gaze. The room was quiet, just the rustling of palm leaves through the window. A little flutter ran through her. She wasn’t nervous, was she? She had stripped for him in her bedroom window, for God’s sake. Though that had been less intimate, more of the red-light variety of entertainment. But their time in this little bedroom of the cabin was...well, a different kind of fun. Just moments ago, she had rolled around on the bed with him, losing herself in their kiss.

  She took a breath, stood up and pulled at the strings around her neck, easing the bikini top slowly over her breasts. She pulled the strings around the back, and it came off. Max’s smile grew wider.

  “Your turn,” she said.

  “Sure.” He eased his board shorts down over his
cock, and, oh, my, Max was naked. And looking very alert. Just looking at him made it hard to breathe. All that...man.

  He climbed onto the bed and propped a pillow against the headboard to lean on. He settled his hand on his cock and gave her a wide smile. “Keep going.”

  “Just waiting until you’re comfortable,” she said, her gaze on the fist that was making him extra content. He laughed, low and warm.

  But as she reached for the ties of her bottoms, his eyes sparked hotter. She tugged the sides loose. He played with his cock as he watched her, unhurried, a smile playing at his lips. As she stepped out of them, he gave himself a stroke.

  “I’ve been waiting for this since your little striptease back in Sydney,” he said, his voice even lower. He shook his head slowly, smiling. “Goddamn.”

  She climbed onto the bed, and he guided her between his legs, facing away from him. He eased her back against his chest, skin against skin.

  The position was somehow more intimate than sexual, despite his thick cock pressing against her back, and it got her thinking that there would be others after her, probably many others. Maybe he would even be serious about a woman someday. Maybe today would be a story he’d tell another woman when they discussed past sexual encounters.

  Oooh, Nat, be careful.

  Where was this idea coming from? It shouldn’t bother her, but it did. They were just having a few days of fun. But with his sexy allure and easy charm, a guy like Max was so easy to fall for.

  Ugh. Why couldn’t she let go and enjoy herself for once?

  Still, they were here on his bed. Even if these days on Green Island weren’t leading anywhere, she wanted to keep them...private. It would be a lot easier to relax if she just put it out there.

  “Can I ask a favor, Max? I’d like for the details of what happens here on the island to stay between us,” she said softly. “Forever, I mean. Even when you’re married to some princess in a foreign land—”

  “That’s not going to happen, Natasha,” he interrupted.

  “Fine. But wherever we end up, I’d like to have this island fling just for us.”