Hardball (25 page)

He’d settled for letting her fall asleep in his arms, and then later hauling her off to the golf course. She’d resisted at first, but he knew the challenge of learning the game would be a powerful distraction. It worked, too. Holly had been so irritated by her clumsy first attempts that she’d knuckled down with a grim determination that seemed to drive all thoughts of Arnold out of her head. Nate couldn’t help but admire her. She was so far from a natural athlete that he’d had to stifle the occasional laugh when she whiffed the ball or hammered one sideways into the trees. But his girl was a fighter, and that he could totally respect.

The pretty blonde who was helping him gave a satisfied exclamation, capturing Nate’s attention. “We’re in luck, Mr. Carter! We do have a small suite available for you.”

“Great,” he enthused. “I knew you could do it.”

Fortunately, classy hotels often kept a suite or two open for VIP’s that showed up unexpectedly, and it sure didn’t hurt that the clerk was a genuine fan. She gave him a suite on the fifth floor, that she said directly faced the ocean.

Perfect.

As Nate pushed his way through the doors of the Salt Grill, he fixed his eyes on Holly, sitting in elegant profile at their table by the windows. She was gazing through the tall glass toward the ocean, now dark and mysterious in the moonlight. The room’s subdued but warm lighting bathed her in tones that made her even more tantalizing than usual. Her long neck and creamy shoulders, uncovered except for the thin strap of the black cocktail dress, made him want to run a string of kisses on her glowing skin from the tips of her fine, surgeon’s fingers right up to her delicate earlobe.

“Penny for your thoughts?” he said quietly, hoping not to startle her.

She turned toward him, giving him a bright smile as if to celebrate his return.

“I was just thinking how lucky people are to be able to live beside the ocean. It’s good for the soul to be near the water, don’t you think?”

“Yes, it is,” he agreed, after pausing for a moment. “And it’s good for my soul to be near you.” He realized with diamond-sharp clarity how right the words sounded to him.

A look of wonder stole over her fine-boned features. “Nate Carter, that is without a doubt the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me.” Her heart was in her eyes, and her gaze made Nate feel ten feet tall. But strangely tongue-tied, too, as if something had grabbed at his vocal cords and squeezed tight.

“Ah, would you care to inspect our room now?” he finally managed. “I’m told it’s kind of nice.”

* * *

Holly inspected the suite, her skin tingling with delight.
Nice
was not exactly the best word to describe the place. Decadent wouldn’t be closer. Both rooms were spacious and lavishly decorated, and the furnishings were the finest she’d ever seen in a hotel room. And she’d stayed in enough nice hotels to know the difference.

But the wall-to-wall, full-height windows—with a door leading to a long, oceanfront balcony—drew her immediately. The door opened with the slightest push, and she stepped out into a fragrant ocean breeze. Lights shone from the hotel courtyard below and to the left, highlighting the tall palms whose fronds rustled in the wind. The moon glimmered on the white-capped waves as Holly strained to make out a group of lights distant on the horizon. Probably a freighter heading for the port of Jacksonville.

“Let’s go down to the beach,” she suggested impulsively, turning to Nate who had stepped out onto the balcony beside her.

He leered at her, waggling his eyebrows like Groucho Marx. “For a little skinny-dipping, I presume?”

She rolled her eyes. “I was thinking more along the lines of a nice walk along the shore. But feel free to go for it if the spirit moves you.”

“Better not. God only knows what’s lurking out there in those waters at night.” He put an arm around her waist and kissed her ear. “I’m up for a stroll, though. But let’s grab a blanket. It’s great to sit in the dark, just watching the waves and listening to the surf.”

She laughed. “You do know how to impress a girl, Carter.” She tried to act like it was no big deal, but excitement bubbled inside her as she surrendered to the impulsive magic of the trip. Everything about it had been perfect. More than perfect, if that were even possible.

And that thought, somehow, felt a bit too much like tempting fate.

A sliver of moonlight allowed Nate and Holly to pick their way along the narrow path through the dunes. He glanced back at the lights of the Ritz shining behind them. Ahead lay only the darkness of the sand and the glow of the moonlight on the still water. With the low tide, the beach seemed to stretch forever toward the sea.

They had ditched their shoes at the end of the fake wood walkway that traversed most of the wide dunes between the hotel and the shoreline. Holly looked elegant in her sexy cocktail dress, but as for him—well, bare feet and rolled up trouser legs didn’t exactly go with the Armani look.

Leading the way, wine bottle under one arm and a long-stemmed glass stuffed in each outside pocket of his jacket, he swept the beach ahead with the small flashlight a valet had retrieved from the BMW. Holly followed right behind, her left hand loosely gripping the back of his jacket and her right clutching the blanket.

Suddenly, she cried out. “Ouch!”

“What’s wrong?” He swung around and flashed the light in her direction.

“Man, that really hurt!” Holly flopped down in the sand like a little kid and examined the bottom of her foot. “I must have I stepped on a sharp shell. I think it’s okay, though. Just stings a lot.”

Nate trained the flashlight on her foot. Just inches away, he noticed a big, bumpy oyster shell poking up out of the otherwise pristine sand. “You sure you’re okay?”

She nodded as she dusted the sand from her foot and then held out her hand. He grasped it and helped her up. She balanced on one foot for a moment before gingerly putting the injured foot down. “It was more a shock than anything. No big deal. Let’s keep going.”

“As soon as we stop, I’ll kiss it better,” he murmured in her ear.

“Maybe I should step on things more often,” she said in a sex-laden voice as she reached around his neck and leaned her body into him.

Nate dropped the wine and the flashlight onto the soft sand and pulled her against him, his hands reaching down to the small of her waist and then to her bottom. Feeling the smooth, rounded warmth in his hands as his mouth eagerly found hers made him hard in a split-second. He knew Holly could feel his erection against her stomach, as she moaned and melted against him.

Small dunes covered in sea oats lined the beach as far into the distance as Nate could see. They slowly walked south past some medium-height condo buildings until he spotted a kind of small semi-circle formed by two dunes. He could see that it offered protection from view on three sides—only people walking by on the beach directly in front of the indentation could see inside it. And it was highly unlikely that anybody else would be walking here on this dark beach, so late at night.

“Over there,” he said, pointing. “That’s our spot.”

Holly gave him a thumbs-up and quickened her pace, despite her foot. Nate laughed and followed. By the time he caught up to her in the dunes, she had already spread out the blanket. He set the wine bottle down, pulled the glasses and corkscrew out of his pockets and tossed them onto the blanket. Then he reached for her.

“Oh no,” she protested, sitting down. “You promised something first.” She reclined onto her back and gracefully lifted her right leg into the air, wiggling the foot.

“I did, didn’t I? He sank to his knees and took her slender foot in his hands. Brushing off the film of fine sand, he kissed it—not just once, but all over, running his lips lightly from her heel to her toes and back again.

Could there be anything more perfect than this night?

Holly luxuriated in the feel of Nate’s hot mouth tickling and caressing her foot. No man had every played with her like this before, and it turned her on more than she’d have thought possible.

She sighed and draped her arms over her head. A night in a magical place with the sexiest man she had ever known, a man who seemed to hunger for her as much as she did for him. Her body throbbed, eager to leap ahead, but she also wanted the magic to last forever.

Nate gave her foot one last nuzzle and then put it down gently. Seductively, Holly slowly drew both legs up, bending them at her knees. The movement made her dress fall back and pool up around her hips. The resulting little growl from Nate made her smile with satisfaction.

Kneeling between her legs, he carefully set himself down on his right side and began to gently stroke the inside of her thigh, following each caress with a hot, moist kiss on her sensitive skin. She shivered, but even in the uncertain light of the half moon she could tell he favored his shoulder.

She decided to let him have his way, letting her body go boneless on the blanket. His teasing mouth moved higher on her thigh, and his hand slid under her bottom, kneading her with a hard, possessive grip. Arousal weakened her limbs, and a surge of hot moisture dampened her silk panties. Nate inhaled deeply and pushed the scrap of fabric aside, slowly inserting two big fingers and stretching open her tender folds. Her belly tightened as he reached deep inside.

She moaned as he stroked her delicate inner flesh, already slick and hot with need. He gave a low, husky laugh, massaging her with leisurely, maddening strokes. Holly tilted her hips, opening herself up and breathlessly urging him to do more, do
something.
Instead, he just kept up the teasing, probing strokes, obviously determined to drive her out of her mind.

“Nate,” she warned through clenched teeth, trying to keep her voice down.

“What’s the matter, baby?” he purred. “Don’t you like this?” He slowly pumped his fingers in and out, then used her moisture to circle her clit with a light, feathering touch. The hard little bud throbbed like crazy, and she wanted to weep with frustration. A choked sob finally broke from her throat and she arched her back, reaching for a hard, fast climax.

Laughing softly, he bent and his tongue gently, oh-so-gently, sought out her clit. He licked and sucked the sensitive nub, applying just the right pressure until she cried out, her voice breaking the stillness of the night. “Oh, God, yes, yes. Oh, Nate, that’s so good.”

Holly was panting now, her skin misting damp in the humid sea air. Every part of her body that Nate touched zinged with sexual energy. His tongue played on her clit and pushed between her moisture-drenched folds, making her squirm. His big hands kneaded and shaped her ass, lifting her to his suckling mouth. He greedily devoured her, driving her wild with a firestorm of sensation. All too soon, she felt the tiny inner muscles ripple with impending orgasm. Nate’s wicked tongue would make her come very soon, but she wanted him inside when it happened.

And she also wanted to give him what he was giving her.

“Baby,” she gasped, reaching down and stroking his head with trembling fingers, “Let me do it for you. I really want to taste.”

Nate raised his head and stared at her, his eyes glittering and untamed in the uncertain moonlight reflecting off the water. He pulled in a deep breath and gave a sharp nod.

“Lie down, right where you are,” she whispered.

He did, carefully avoiding any pressure on his left shoulder. When he’d stretched out fully on his back, Holly knelt between his long, muscled legs, her eyes locked on to the massive bulge that strained against the fine wool of his suit. Biting her lower lip in anticipation, she quickly undid his belt and lowered his zipper. She eased his pants down around his hips, revealing his white briefs. His long, thick cock pushed out the top, while his heavy testicles bulged out the bottom.

She leaned down and kissed the head of his cock, licking away the drop of fluid that already glistened there. Nate moaned deep in his throat. She lowered the briefs, releasing his shaft—jutting thick and long and so, so hard. How did it ever fit inside her? But it did, and perfectly. And deep inside her was exactly where she wanted all that beautiful male flesh to be.

Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she lowered her mouth over the engorged head, taking in as much as she could in one smooth motion. Nate’s hips jerked in surprise as she hummed with satisfaction. When he settled, she caressed his balls as she sucked on him.