Chapter 7
After their littleescapade in the changing room, he’d taken her back to the hotel and kissed her good night. At around seven, dinner had been sent to her room with a time to meet him in the lobby in the morning. No one had ever treated her as well as he did, and that worried her even more.
With the dawning of a new day, she’d had to contemplate what the hell she was doing. Yesterday she’d acted like some two-bit floozy. Like one of those girls, he kept nearby when he had an itch to scratch—something she wanted nothing to do with. She needed to end this little farce. But doing what her heart knew was right warred with what the logical part of her brain demanded she do.
“What’s wrong?” Roman asked, stopping.
“I’m worried,” she murmured.
“About what?”
“I’ve never worn anything like this before. I feel like a piece of meat.” She pulled slightly on the lightweight cover-up. She also wondered if wearing the black bikini, he’d bought her—the one he’d stripped from her body before proceeding to give her the best orgasms of her life, shaking her to her very core—had been the right decision. He twisted her thoughts. Made her want things she had no business desiring. And even now, even though she should be going home, telling Roman this wouldn’t work, she wanted to stay with him and see where this all went.
“People... Women have been staring at us. I’ve heard what they’re saying.”
“Oh?” He pulled her closer to his side and bent his head, brushing her ear with his lips. “What are they saying?”
“They’re mostly trying to figure out how you ended up with me. Some of the guys have been”—she let out a breath—“appreciative of me.”
“Well, the women can wonder all day long, but that’s for me to know. As for the men, if someone makes you feel uncomfortable, baby, tell me. I’m your man. I’ll protect you.”
Violet stilled. She opened her mouth, then closed it a couple of times before shaking her head. “You don’t mean that. This is a date. Something you’ll probably forget after tomorrow.” God, she hated feeling vulnerable.
“We’ll see,” he said, continuing down the dock to the waiting boat. “For now, we should be having fun. You don’t get seasick, do you?” he asked, cocking a brow. “I guess I should’ve asked you before we left the hotel. My bad.”
“No.” She laughed. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll just have to wait to find out.”
Less than twenty minutes later, after they watched the dolphins follow the boat, they docked at a small port. The crystal-blue water called to her, beckoned her to jump in and enjoy the warmth while exploring its hidden depths. Once they disembarked, Roman pulled her back into his arms and kissed her.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“The Dry Tortugas. We can explore the fort, or we can hit the beach and go snorkeling.” He pulled the passes out of his back pocket and showed her.
She squealed with excitement. Roman smiled as he handed her one of the tickets. Her breath hitched. Never had she seen a more handsome man in her life. “I would love to go snorkeling with you.” She took the ticket from him and read it.
“You mean I’ll get the pleasure of seeing you in that spectacular bathing suit again? Pinch me.” His hands pushed under the cover-up she wore.
Warmth seeped into her, and her pussy tingled with anticipation. When he grabbed her ass, she let out a strangled moan of need.
“Shit. Make that sound more often. It’s sexy as hell, baby.”
“Roman,” she gasped as his thumbs skimmed the undersides of her breasts.
“That’s my name,” he teased.
Her nipples hardened a bit more with each swipe of his fingers. “We’re going to get charged for being indecent out here.”
“Probably.” He chuckled. “All bets are off when I get you into the water, though. I aim to taste you again, even if it’s only your nipples.”
Yes. She wanted what he promised. Her clit ached and throbbed. Her heart pounded. Roman was dangerous; she saw it in his gray eyes. He could do very bad things to her if she allowed him to. She wanted everything he could give her, which was ridiculous. None of this made sense anymore. She flip-flopped on her decisions like she changed her underwear. If he were a drug, he’d be named Temptation on a Stick, and she’d be a strung-out junky looking for what only he could provide.
“Okay,” she said.
“Okay?” He groaned. “Baby, I told you I want to get your nipples back into my mouth so I can taste and fondle you. Make you hot and wet. Hopefully make you come while we’re in the water. Maybe fuck you while we’re out there. All you gotta say is ‘Okay.’ Damn, you’re so fucking innocent. I can’t wait to corrupt you.”
“I’m not innocent,” she objected, crossing her arms. “Besides, I thought you were turning over a new leaf with me. No more ‘thug’ or ‘player’ activities.”
“Really?” He leaned in, nuzzling her neck. “I thought we discussed this.” He pressed his lips to her pulse point, then nipped the tendon. A whimper passed her lips. “I said no more groupies. That doesn’t mean I won’t be your personal bad-boy thug who corrupts the hell out of you and makes you a wanton hussy.” His broad hands palmed her ass, pulling her flush to him. “Take that hideous cover-up off and show me your body. Give me a glimpse of what’s going to be mine.”
“Um...” She bit her lip.
“Take it off,” Roman purred.
“Here?”
“Yeah, here. You’re on an island. Look, I’ll take my shirt off too. It’s only fair.” He grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it off.
Violet swallowed her tongue. Chiseled and tight, each of his abdominal muscles stood out in relief. His sun-kissed skin gleamed in the midday sun. “Seriously?” Her mouth watered. Was it bad of her to want to lick him from throat to belly button and everywhere in between?
“What?”
“Look at you. You’re like some badass geek god. You’re a conundrum is what you are,” she said, wagging her finger at him. “You have classic monsters on one arm and mythology on the other. If you turn around and have Hamlet on your back, I’ll lose my shit.”
“You cuss?”
“Yes, all the time. Shit, shit, shit. Damn, hell, son of a bitch. Happy?” she snapped, bracing her hands on her hips.
“Dirty mouths need to be cleaned out,” he growled, rubbing her bottom lip with his thumb. “Are you ashamed to be seen with me? Be honest.”
What the hell?“No. But”—she sighed—“you can have anyone you want. Pick of the litter. A blonde or a brunette. Someone taller with bigger, better boobs. Someone who will eat up all the attention you shower them with and hangs on to your every word.” Someone who’s not me.
“I could, sure. However, none of them would ever be you,” he answered, pulling her into his arms. “I guess I’m going to have to spell this out for you.” He kissed her again, this time with a desperation that left her weak-kneed and completely off balance. The way his tongue plundered her mouth excited her. He nipped and sucked on her bottom lip, then deepened the kiss again, leaving her breathless and hungry for more.
“Now, let’s get this cover-up off you.”
Roman ensnared her with his smoldering gaze while he slowly unzipped the lightweight material and pushed it from her shoulders. Desire flared in his gray eyes as he took his fill of her. “It’s like yesterday never happened and you’re looking at me for the first time in this getup.”
Heat crept into her cheeks.
“You’re right. I’m remembering every moment from that dressing room. The sounds you made. The way your skin tasted. The way you dug your fingernails into my scalp. Came apart in my arms,” he growled. “Fuck, just the thought of you naked and in my arms again makes me hard.” He took her hand and placed it over his groin. “Feel me.”
Her fingers brushed his erection. “We shouldn’t be doing this out here. Everyone can see. This borders on indecent,” she murmured. “Children might see us.”
A harsh curse passed his lips while stilling her hand. “So fucking tempting, but you’re right. Let’s go snorkeling.”
* * * *
They entered the watertogether, diving down beneath the surface to the coral reefs.
Roman watched Violet with awe. Her lithe body pushed through the water effortlessly. Mermaid. The thought drifted through his mind as she continued to swim with the fish. She glided with ease, following a sea turtle through a U-shaped coral formation. Then, pointing to something, she waved him over. What he saw didn’t even compare to her beauty, but it came in a close second. A nest, grouping, hell, he didn’t know what to call it, but the multicolored reef formation reached for the surface of the water. Schools of small fish, crustaceans, and other sea life made the reef their home. Amazing.
He glanced up when Violet tugged at his hand. Ahead of them both, a manta ray cut through the water gracefully. When it came closer to them, she stuck her hand out, and her fingertips grazed the fin. She shot up in the water and grabbed onto him, smacking his shoulder while flailing around like a fool. Her lips curled into a smile, and he knew, if she could, she would be giggling.
They came up for air, and she squealed.
“A manta ray,” she gasped. “I got to touch it. We should follow it. Please?” Her wide eyes implored him to allow her to follow the sea beast.
“Sure,” he answered. Her arms wrapped around him as she kissed him before taking a deep breath and diving back under.
Roman treaded the water for a minute, reeling from her open affection, then dived down himself and came up beside her. She had already caught up to the creature, and her fingers drifted over the fins again. He wished he had a camera to capture this moment for her. She deserved to have this preserved for all time. A second, then a third manta ray swam toward them, and before they knew it, they were surrounded, each manta ray wanting a bit of attention before, one by one, they left.
When he and Violet finally surfaced in a little alcove away from the crowds on the beach, excitement and amazement burned brightly in her eyes. She was absolutely beautiful. The breath had been knocked from his lungs, and he couldn’t wait another second. He needed her. “Wrap your legs around me.” The shallow water gave him a chance to rest his legs, but also gave them the privacy he required.
She arched her brow and stared at him for a minute.
“Just do it.”
“Are you going to be a perv?” she asked while doing what he told her.
“Depends on what your meaning of perv is.” He rubbed her across the erection tenting the front of his shorts, and her eyes grew round.
“You’re still hard.”
“Yep,” he answered. “Now come here.” He crushed his lips to hers and brushed her against his cock. She groaned into the kiss, pulling herself closer to him. Fuck, he should be trying to get her out of the water, but all he could think about was her tits being in his mouth like he’d promised.
“Roman.” She whimpered. “What are you doing to me?”
“Showing you a good time with a bad boy.” He palmed her breast, pushing it out of the confines of her top. While the water lazily lapped around them, he watched as her nipple pearled. Roman lowered his head, latched on to the tight bead, and groaned. The sweet taste of her supple flesh made his dick twitch. What he wouldn’t give to slide deep inside her and make her climax in his arms.
“Oh my,” she whispered, threading her fingers through his hair. “You do that so well.” Her hips stuttered over his, and her breath hitched.
“You taste amazing. Let me have your other tit.” He pushed aside her top and fastened on to her hard nipple. She worked herself on his cock, brushing and rubbing her sweet pussy over him with each suck. He slowly began to lose control. “Don’t stop, baby.” He grabbed her ass, adding to the friction. His balls tightened exponentially at her soft whimpers.
“I think...” She groaned. “I think I’m going to come.”
“Good, baby. Come for me. Let me watch you take your pleasure.” He sucked the sensitive flesh at her neck and kissed a path back to her breast, where he gently bit down on the peak.
Violet bucked and cried out in pleasure. She rode him harder as he scored her nipple with his teeth, then bit down again. The minute she gasped, he covered her mouth with his and swallowed down her scream as she detonated in his arms. He grunted as he followed her over the edge. So aroused from watching her, he wasn’t able to control his reaction to seeing her soar in his arms.
Long moments later, a blush stole over her cheeks, and she hid her face in the crook of his neck. “Did we both just...?”
“Yes, we did.” He chuckled. “I don’t know about you, but that was my first time coming in water.” He caressed her back, trying to catch his breath. “Pretty fucking spectacular if you ask me.”
“But you didn’t even get inside of me,” she whispered.
“Nope,” he answered. “Your sweet little tempting body turned me on, and the way you reacted to my touch made it impossible not to.”
She glanced around for a second, then looked back at him. “You’re a horrible influence for me. Now you have me fornicating in water. The poor fish. We’ve blinded them.” A half smile curved her lips.
“Or we gave them one hell of a show. We better go back before I do rip off your bottoms and fuck you right here.” To make his point, he dragged her across his still-hard dick. “If anything, you’ve only made me want you even more, Violet.”