Chapter 6
SIX
LIZ
Cradling my face in his palms, Thatcher’s thumbs stroke my cheeks.
Electricity shoots through me, warring with the lust and anticipation that are already building.
“You have no idea how badly I want this,” he says, his husky voice stoking the fire in my belly. “You have no idea how badly I want you.”
“If it’s half as much as I want this and you, I have a pretty good idea.”
“We’ll have to see about that.”
His mouth crashes against mine again. My heart thunders in my chest as he urges my lips open. His tongue finds mine, making me sizzle more than chestnuts roasting on an open fire.
A strong arm wraps around me, pressing my chest to the muscular wall that is his. We rub against each other, and my nipples harden as the water swishes around us.
The pools of desire building within me grow as we press against each other. The jets from the tub pushing us together, our bodies pulsating.
Still giving me hot, wet kisses, Thatcher slides his free hand between us. He strokes my thigh in long, languid motions. Moving closer and closer to the place that’s crying out for his touch. Crying out for him.
A long finger slides up the inside of my thigh until it finds the apex. Tracing the edge of my swimsuit, my hips instinctively move against him, urging him on.
He chuckles low in his throat, nipping at my bottom lip before moving his lips lower and lower to my chest.
“Do you like this?” he asks, applying more pressure, pushing the palm of his hand against my pussy more firmly.
“Mmm,” I manage to get out. My ability to form words and sentences more difficult as his fingers work their magic below and his mouth drives me crazy above.
Hitching me up in his arm, he brings my chest to his mouth level. Burying his head in my chest, he moves his head back and forth.
“I swear.” His fingers underwater slide beneath my swimsuit, pushing it aside to grant him more access. “If I died right now, I’d be in my favorite place in the world.”
Then he angles his head to find one of my peaked nipples, suck it deep into my mouth. I mew.
“That’a girl,” he encourages as I writhe against him. “That’s a good, good girl.”
I preen at his praise. I pulsate from his attention. I come a-fucking-part as he takes me up and over the edge until I’m nothing but pleasure.
Still thrumming from the impact of the orgasm, he pulls me from the water. Instead of feeling cold, I’m hot. Especially with his body covering mine.
He kisses me over and over again. His lips trailing along the side of my neck and over my shoulders. Droplets of water and sweat still clinging to us.
“Thatcher,” I say, lacing my fingers through the damp hair at the back of his neck. “What are we doing here?”
“What do you mean?” He leans lower, swirling his tongue around one of my nipples. “I’m making love to you.”
The pulse still aching between my thighs quickens.
“I mean, why haven’t you taken me to bed yet?”
He chuckles at that. “You’re eager.”
“Desperately.” I lean up to nip at the curve where his shoulder meets his neck. He growls in response. “I want to feel you inside of me.”
“What a coincidence.” His hand roves over my hips, sliding around to cup my ass. “I want to be inside of you.”
He gives me a squeeze, grinding his hips against mine. My eyelids flutter, savoring the feel of his rock hard cock pressed against my pussy. Based on what I’m already feeling, I’ll probably be sore in the morning.
It’s going to be so good.
Moving against me once more, Thatcher gives me a kiss and pushes himself to his feet. Ever the gentleman, he helps me up. He doesn’t stop there.
Sweeping me into his arms with a yelp—from me—he carries me down the hall to the first bedroom, which happens to be his.
Laying me out on the bed, he stands upright, gazing down at me with hungry eyes as he slides off his swim shorts.
My fingers idly slide of my exposed skin, basking in the glow that is his attention.
I feel like a woman who is about to have her first meal in weeks.
Then again, the way he’s looking at me, maybe I’m the meal he’s about to devour.
Either way… I can’t wait.
The trunks fall to the ground giving me a chance to view him in his all his glory.
“It’s just as I expected,” I say, my eyes focused squarely on his cock.
“Oh? And what was that,” he asks, reaching for his jeans on the ground and removing a foil wrapper.
“Oh, just that you’re going to ruin me for all men.”
“You think so?” he asks, crawling up the bed toward me, liking a hunter stalking his prey.
“I do.” I slide the straps of my swimsuit down my arms and lift my hips to pull it off my body.
Thatcher pauses between my thighs, leaning back on his heals.
“I don’t know about that.” He licks his lips. “If anyone’s going to be ruined, I think it’s going to be me.”
Before I can argue back, he lowers his head between my thighs, bringing my pussy to his lips. I cry out, the pleasure reigniting within me so quickly, I lose all power of thought.
Once more, he guides me over the edge into pure ecstasy. Praising me as I buck and cry. Seemingly gaining pleasure from giving me mine.
When I come back to my senses, he’s ripping the foil wrapper of the condom. I reach for him and pull him close, tangling my tongue with his as I slide latex down his thick cock.
I don’t wait for any more teasing. This man has already driven me senseless twice. I’m wild, ravenous, until he finally thrusts into me, making our bodies one.
I cry out, and he stills, leaning up to eye me worriedly. “Are you okay?”
“Only if you don’t stop.” I pull his head back down to mine and kiss him as we move against each other. Two bodies, two souls, making a kind of magic you only dream about.
The fire has burned down to embers by the time I slide from the bed, tugging on the first shirt I find—his. It’s soft and warm. It smells like pine and him.
The cabin is still except for the wind pressing gently against the windows.
I look around for my socks. Instead, when I lean down to search, something slips from the pocket of his shirt and flutters open at my feet.
The list.
The paper is creased and smudged, the ink bled a little from damp fingers. I start to fold it back up, but a line catches my eye before I can stop myself.
Get laid.
The words hit like a splash of cold water. My stomach twists.
Of course. The list. His list of naughty things to do while suspended.
And I—apparently—am one more box checked.
I press my lips together, telling myself not to overreact, not to feel foolish for thinking last night meant something deeper. But the ache in my chest argues otherwise.
“Looking for something?”
His voice is low, rough with sleep, from behind me. When I turn, he’s leaning against the doorframe, jeans slung low on his hips, hair mussed, eyes soft with the kind of satisfaction that had felt mutual only hours ago.
“I wasn’t snooping,” I say quickly. “It just fell out.”
He sees the page in my hand, takes one look at my face, and the easy smile fades. “Liz—”
“Was this the goal?” My voice cracks, only fueling my anger. “Check the box and move on?”
He crosses to me in two strides, but he doesn’t touch me yet. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Then what was it?”
“Flip it over,” he says quietly.
I hesitate, then turn the sheet. New words fill the back, written in the same rough scrawl but neater, almost careful.
Don’t fall.
For a second I can’t breathe. “Don’t fall?”
“And it’s too damn late.” He shakes his head. “Because I already am. I wrote that list before we met—” He swallows. “I added that last item before anything happened. To remind myself not to make a mess of something real.”
The anger drains away as fast as it came, replaced by warmth that starts in my chest and spreads outward until my eyes sting. He looks so unsure standing there—this man who dove into freezing water without hesitation—waiting for me to believe him.
“I don’t want a notch,” he says. “I want you. The rest of the list can go to hell.”
For a long beat, all I can do is stare at him, the page trembling slightly between my fingers. Then I let it fall to the floor and reach for his hand.
“Come on,” I say, voice soft but certain. “Let’s go back to bed.”