12 #2
“I heard you laughing, even from inside the suite.” Nava appeared at his side, cuddling close as he wrapped his arm around
her shoulders. “What’s so funny, babe?”
“Your timing is impeccable, mi cielo , as always.” His gaze tender, he ran a caressing hand over her short, spiky hair. “Maria and I were marveling at the number
of relationships created among such a small crew. There’s us, of course, but also—”
“Hold on.” Peter’s voice suddenly rumbled in Maria’s ear, and the warmth of his big body behind hers nearly melted her spine.
“You two are a couple? How did I not know this?”
“Ramón and Nava are masters of intrigue, evidently.” When she turned her head, his mouth was so close to hers, a simple sway
of her body would have them kissing. Which would, she reminded herself, be somewhat awkward, given his hookup-in-progress
with Delia. “If it’s any consolation, I had no idea either.”
Any moment now, he’d back away from her. Any... moment... now.
He didn’t, though. Not even a millimeter. And when his eyes dropped to meet hers, they were dark and hot.
Her throat was so dry, it hurt to swallow. “Where’s Delia? Are you two about to head off for the night?”
“Uh, no.” His frown crinkled the skin between his eyebrows. “She went back to her inn a couple of minutes ago. Didn’t she say goodbye to you before she left?”
When she shook her head, he edged even closer to her. So close, his belly brushed against her back, and her breath hitched.
Just a little. Not enough for him to notice, hopefully.
“It’s a shame she had to cut her night short.” According to the English idiom, she believed her pants should currently be
afire. “Will you see her again before her flight home?”
The crinkles deepened. “No. Why would I?”
Wow, her stomach felt better. Remarkably better.
“Well.” Ramón cleared his throat loudly and waited until they turned toward him. “Now that you’ve confirmed Delia’s whereabouts,
Nava and I wanted to thank both of you for making our set such a warm, supportive place all these years.”
Peter’s scoffing noise vibrated deliciously near her earlobe. “You two were the ones in charge. Thank yourselves.”
She twisted to face him again, grinning. “That’s what I was going to say.”
“And if the two of us agree on something, it must be right.” His fond smile made her stomach swoop, but that was still preferable
to nausea. By far.
“Exactly,” she said with a decisive nod.
His warm, calloused hand patted her shoulder in mute affirmation, and then it simply... stayed. Lingered. Cupped that curve
of muscle and gently kneaded, his thumb brushing the nape of her neck.
This was—different. Peter usually avoided physical contact with her off camera, other than occasional high-fives.
She definitely wasn’t complaining.
This time, Nava cleared her throat. Twice.
When Peter and Maria looked her way once more, she bit her lip for a moment before continuing.
“Anyway. As Ramón was saying, we owe you a debt of gratitude. We may have theoretically been in charge, but you two set the tone. We couldn’t have asked for better actors, but more importantly, we couldn’t have asked for better people as our colleagues and friends. ”
Shit, Maria was going to miss everyone from the island. Mourn their absence like family.
“Aww, Nava.” Maria flung her arms around her friend and held on tight. “I’m honored. And if Ramón ever misbehaves, let me
know. I stole Cassia’s ax from the set earlier today, so I can easily exact blood-soaked vengeance on your behalf.”
“I’m going to miss you, you thieving, murderous bitch,” Nava whispered against her shoulder, voice choked. “Please stay in
touch.”
“Takes one to know one, as Americans like to say. I saw you sneaking off with Cassia’s hero sword.” Maria swayed her from
side to side. “And if you think you can shake me loose at this point, you’re terribly mistaken.”
“Hey. I want in on this action.” Ramón sounded a bit hoarse himself. “The hugging action, not the thieving action, just to
be clear.”
Then he gathered both women close, Peter joined the huddle, and they were all sniffling a bit. Even Peter, although he kept
tilting his face up to the ceiling and blinking hard.
“P-Peter took those torn-up leather pants of his.” Maria’s nose was starting to run, and she discreetly blotted it against
his button-down. “They’re essentially chaps at this point. I can only assume he’s joining a troupe of male strippers.”
“Snitches get stitches, Pippi.” It was a pained grunt from her neck, where he’d buried his face at some point.
Again: not complaining.
Nava huffed out a laugh. “Ramón took a rock from the original wall you two built. It’s shaped like a heart, because he’s secretly sentimental as hell.”
“Untrue. I have a soul of flint, stony and cold,” he protested.
“You have a soul of marshmallow fluff.” After one final, breath-stealing hug, Nava let go and directed a watery grin at Maria.
“I’m pretty sure he’s going to make everyone a scrapbook commemorating our years on this island. A mixtape too. He’ll force
you to listen to it while he watches your reaction on FaceTime, and when Green Day’s ‘Time of Your Life’ starts playing, he’ll
sob into a pillow.”
Maria shook her head. “Old people.”
After she planted a kiss on Ramón’s cheek, she somehow found herself in Peter’s embrace again. He hugged her from behind,
one arm circling her upper chest, the other her belly, while he pressed up tight against her back.
“Um, I think...” Lips twitching, Nava glanced at Ramón, who responded with an odd sort of snorty sound. “We should...
go. But please make sure to say goodbye before you head for the ferry tomorrow morning. Doesn’t matter how early it is.”
If Peter’s increasingly hard dick weren’t pressing against her upper ass, Maria figured she’d be fighting tears again. But
it was, which made focusing on her sincere grief remarkably difficult.
Still, she blew her dear friend a kiss. “Will do.”
Then she and Peter were finally alone, and he snatched her hand and tugged her into the hall, just out of sight of the rest
of the party.
His broad palm cupped the back of her skull as her shoulders hit the wall. Before her next gasped breath, his thigh pushed
between hers, his free hand gripped her hip, and he’d ducked his head to whisper directly in her ear.
“It’s been six years. I can’t wait any longer.” His lips were soft, his breath hot. “Maria, if you want me even a little, let me take you to bed tonight. Please.”
She could ride that thick thigh. Grind against him until she came. It wouldn’t take long, not after the way he’d pushed her
against the wall. Surrounded her. Claimed her with sure, hard hands. But she had to think first. Think .
Sex. He was asking for sex. Not a commitment. Not a romantic relationship.
And foolishly, she was going to say yes, because she wanted him too, and not just a little. Even though it was probably a
mistake—and it would definitely blur that strict line she’d maintained for so long, that stalwart barrier separating quick
fucks from lovers who could offer the sort of future she needed. Not that she’d come across any of the latter for some time
now.
Sex with Peter wouldn’t be a quick fuck, and it couldn’t truly be casual for her, not after so many years of close friendship.
Their connection had long ago encompassed much more than physical desire. With the exception of her family members, she trusted
him more than any man on the planet.
With her body, anyway. Her devoted friendship too.
Her heart...
Well, that remained to be seen, didn’t it?
Maybe he could offer her what she needed in a relationship, and maybe he couldn’t. Maybe he didn’t even want a romantic relationship with her.
But she would give him the chance to show her, starting tonight. Right now.
“Maria.” His mouth was a line of fire down her neck, and she lit like tinder. Her chin tipped back as she sagged against the
wall, against his hold, her head swimming with each swirl of his tongue. “Say yes. Tell me I can have you.”
There was only one possible answer, but—
“I still have to pack, and the ferry leaves before dawn.” Embarrassingly, she was breathless, almost panting. “We won’t have
much time.”
His sudden laugh tickled her collarbone. “It won’t take much time. Not for me, anyway.”
“Is that...” Gods above, she couldn’t think with his mouth on her. Gently, she pushed him a few millimeters away and blinked
up at him. “Is that supposed to convince me to say yes? Because if so, I have unfortunate news for you.”
“Maria. Sweetheart.” His eyes on her were heavy-lidded. Intent. Determined. “Do you really think I’d leave you wanting?”
His hand slipped beneath the hem of her dress, and a trail of bone-melting heat followed his fingers as he slowly stroked
up her thigh. Her lips parted as he cupped her pussy and squeezed lightly.
“I’ll make you come a dozen times before I slide inside you the first time.” It was a murmur, filthy and low. “Our second
round, you’ll come on my cock.”
She believed him. What Peter promised, Peter delivered. Pleasure would be no exception.
And unless he planned to deliver that first orgasm in the hallway, they needed to move.
“Our colleagues are just around the corner,” she whispered, eyes closing as he pressed the heel of his hand against her clitoris
and rubbed slowly. “I don’t care, but...”
He lightly scraped his teeth along the ridge of her shoulder, and she arched and squirmed closer to that relentless, careful
hand. “Ask me if I give a fuck.”
She had to laugh. “I’m certainly hoping you’ll give me a—”
But before she could even finish her sentence, an earsplitting shriek erupted from the dining room—was that Jeanine?—and Peter jumped violently and raised his head so quickly, it rammed into Maria’s chin.
“ Skit! ” Instinctively, she jerked away from him and clapped a protective hand over the now-throbbing bottom of her face as she gingerly
checked for a chipped tooth or other damage.
A bit of blood from a nipped tongue. Nothing serious.
But the moment was gone. Hopefully not for good, but...
Fy fan!