Chapter 9
Marti’s body was pressed close to Dante’s as they swayed to the melody that flowed around them.
The music and lyrics seemed to resonate with her.
She felt the fire, and a part of her knew he did, too.
This was different for her, being held by a man that she felt connected to. It was definitely a unique experience.
For the past month, she had been bearing so much alone.
Sleepless nights, looking over her shoulder, and getting freaked out by any unusual noise were taking their toll on her.
But at this place in time, in Wild Rose Point, she felt safe.
And tonight she wanted to close her eyes and absorb everything radiating from Dante.
The heat, the fire and most of all, his strength.
He knew how to treat a woman and make her feel special.
This beach date night was a prime example of that.
She recalled his words from a few nights ago… “I learned the best way to rid yourself of fear is to confront it head-on.”
That was what tonight was all about. He thought he was helping her overcome her fear of insects.
But in ways he didn’t know, he was helping her through a much more difficult situation—avoiding her stalker…
at least until she figured out what to do about it.
She wasn’t going to let the person harassing her go so far as to break her.
She would not let fear control her, even if it meant telling the police everything, which is something she hadn’t done… yet.
The music stopped, and another slow song began, but Dante stopped moving. He stood there, holding her in his arms as if he knew his warm embrace was exactly what she needed. Maybe it was time to let him in on what she wanted from him. “Dante?”
He leaned back to look at her. “Yes, Marti?”
“I want you.”
The look of desire in his eyes told her he was thinking along the same lines even before he responded to what she had said. “And I want you, too.”
Lowering his head, he captured her lips. The moment he did so, she sank closer into his embrace, letting their mouths mate in a way that was familiar, yet somehow new. It was as if tonight would change things—for both of them.
This kiss was different. Granted, none of the others had been lacking.
But tonight’s kiss spoke of anticipation, of yearning…
and deep, dark desire. It was the wet-your-panties kind of kiss.
The type that could bring a girl to an orgasm even while she was still fully dressed.
It was more stimulating than any kiss she had ever experienced.
If this was a prelude to getting what she wanted, she couldn’t wait to see what came next.
She wasn’t sure how long they stood there kissing, but she didn’t care. This was a kiss of no return, and she was all in. When he finally released her mouth, she shuddered at the loss.
“Are you cold?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her.
Granted, the air was cool off the ocean, but there was no way she could be cold when, thanks to him, she was heating up from the inside out. His very presence brought out the fire in her.
“No, Dante. I’m too hot for you, to be cold,” she said, honestly.
He looked at her for just a second, then swept her up into his arms.
***
Dante carried Marti to the double chaise lounge and gently placed her there. Raw sexual energy flowed between them, filling the cool sea air with tension that was almost tangible. From the look in her eyes, he knew she was feeling it as well.
When he had placed her on the lounge, her dress had ridden up, and what she wasn’t wearing beneath it was on full display. But she made no attempt to cover up. Evidently, like him, she was past the point of modesty.
Seeing her bare flesh only increased his sexual hunger. He hadn’t intended for the two of them to make out here, their first time together, but then maybe it was meant to be. What better place to explore each other than by the ocean and beneath the stars?
Still, he would let it be her decision.
He kicked off his shoes, then leaned down to remove hers. He glanced at her and saw she was staring at him, not saying a word. But she honestly didn’t have to. She had told him what she wanted, and he intended to deliver.
“Would you prefer to continue this inside?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No. I like it out here. You made this area beautiful and romantic. The firepit and torches are only providing light for us. Besides, nobody’s staying in that third house right now. So the beach is ours.”
“I like it that way. Just you and me,” he said, easing onto the lounge beside her.
“I like it, too.”
Needing to taste her, he leaned in, cupped the side of her face, and kissed her once more.
He had wanted her from the moment he’d seen her again.
Although he had questioned the intensity of the attraction, he hadn’t downplayed the desire.
Instead, he had let nature take its course.
What was meant to be, would be. He wanted a month of her time, and he would give her a month of his.
It wasn’t long before their kiss was burning out of control, engulfing them in flames.
However, he wasn’t ready for that yet. He wanted another taste of her.
Releasing her mouth, he moved away from the lounge to remove his shirt.
Then came his slacks. He watched as she leaned up and slid the sundress off her shoulders.
Just as he’d assumed, she wasn’t wearing a bra, but she did have on one of those barely-there thongs. He felt his body get hard at the sight of her. “You’re beautiful, Marti.”
“So are you,” she said, easing back on the lounger after easing her panties down her legs. His erection throbbed at the sight of it. When he pulled a condom pack from his slacks, she smiled. “I like a man who is always prepared.”
He chuckled. “I can’t be any other way.”
After sheathing himself, he moved back toward the lounge. Her feminine scent fueled his desire. “I want to taste you, Marti.”
“And I want to taste you, too.”
His mouth tilted into a smile. “I have no problem with that, but I’m going to go down on you first. You will have to do me at another time.”
He was glad she didn’t say anything about his assumption that there would be another time. But all she said was, “That’s fine, I know where you live.”
“You’re welcome at my place any time, day or night, Marti.”
Dante leaned in to initiate another kiss, and when she moaned his name, he pressed her back against the lounge cushioned pillow and began licking her throat.
He decided he would start there and kiss his way downward to the target of his desire.
When he reached her breasts, he almost got waylaid by their lushness.
“Dante…”
“Hold on, baby. I have a lot in store for you tonight.”
He then continued his trek down her stomach and began licking around her navel. The closer he got to the essence of his desire, the more potent her scent became. When he positioned his face between her open legs, he inhaled deeply, determined to know her scent forever.
Dante figured that extreme lust had to be overcoming his senses for him to think such a thing.
Spreading her legs even wider, he lifted them on his shoulders, and then he went after what he wanted.
The moment he got his first taste, he knew he was a goner.
Holding tight to her thighs, he began to greedily tongue her clit.
The more she moaned, the more he wanted her and he greedily went about getting it, holding tight to her hips while doing so. He kept it up until she screamed his name and her body exploded into an orgasm, one that he not only heard but also felt and tasted.
He lowered her legs from his shoulders and eased between them.
Her skin felt hot, and he figured that his did, as well.
He lifted her hips so he could slide inside of her, and she immediately wrapped her legs around his waist. It was a smart move, considering he planned to give her one hell of a ride.
He drove greedily into her body, and with every thrust, she lifted her body upward to meet him. When he rolled his hips against her, she rolled hers against his. The sensation of her nails digging into his shoulders should have been painful, but instead, it only fueled his desperate need.
His hips and muscled thighs rocked against her, driving his thrusts harder and deeper.
She reached up and clasped his face in her hands.
When he looked at her, he saw something in the depths of her eyes before she closed them and screamed his name.
Only then did he throw his head back as the intensity of an orgasm, the magnitude of which he had never experienced, gripped him in its clutches, and he released a growl that he felt not only in his throat but every part of his body.
At that moment, although he couldn’t explain why, he knew his life would never be the same.