Merry Christmas, Paige (8 page)

His head fell upon her shoulder. Breathing harsh, his body damp with perspiration, he couldn’t think straight, didn’t try as he attempted to rein in his control. Useless. Control around Paige was near to impossible. She had that much effect on him.

Her gentle hand brushed the hair from his eyes. He looked up and imagined he could see her love radiating in the darkness. He didn’t need to see her blue eyes to know emotion was there—he felt it.

How did he come to be so lucky?

She pressed her lips against his. “Should we do something about the lights?”

“Lights?”

She chuckled softly. “Do we have any candles?”

He released her ass, and her legs drifted to the floor. “They’re in the top shelf of the linen closet.” He rubbed his cheek against hers. “I’ll get them.” He strolled across the room, only bumping into a chair once before locating the closet. Blindly, he felt for the candles and found a box of them, along with two in holders. He grabbed the crystal and moved his hand over the surface to locate matches. After he found them, he made his way through the darkened room to the table.

A hiss followed the path of the matchstick as he lit it. A blue flame flickered and the stifling odor of sulfur filled the room. When he had both candles lit, he noticed the two halves of the naupaka flowers pressed together as one. “Just as they should be,” he whispered.

“What?” Paige asked, coming up behind him.

He picked up the flower and handed it to her. “The pieces are still connected.”

She gazed upon the flower with something close to awe. “It’s amazing.”

“No. You’re amazing.” Everything about her was extraordinary. From the young woman he had fallen in love with to the confident woman who stood before him. She saved lives, including his. “Come here.”

She set the flower on the table and stepped into his waiting arms. With a finger beneath her chin, he raised her gaze to meet his. Candlelight danced in her eyes. He lowered his head and captured her lips for a long, slow kiss. When the caress ended he held her close, savoring the moment.

“Do you know what I’d like?” she asked.

“What?”

“A bath.” She chuckled.

“I know something better.” He picked up the candle, padded across the room back to the linen closet and extracted a couple of towels and bathrobes from the shelves. When he returned he set them on the table.

“What are you up to?” Her tittering was so charming it mesmerized him. Deeper than he remembered, her voice sounded more mature, as was the woman before him.

“A shower.” He grabbed her hand in his.

“No electricity means no hot water.”

Her steps were hesitant as he led her to the sliding glass doors. It still rained, but it wasn’t the torrential fall they had experienced when they arrived.

“Outside?” Her voice rose with surprise.

“Outside. It’s nature’s shower.”

“You must be crazy.” Her little girl giggle made him smile.

He led her out upon the deck. “Not crazy, just in love.” His impulsive action had gifted them with a dark romantic setting. In the distance, lightning zigzagged across the sky, creating flashes which reflected off the billowing waves below.

The overhang blocked the rain, so he pulled her farther toward the railing. Cool, wet drops fell from above. He stretched his arms out wide and let the water and breeze wash over him. Several seconds passed before she stepped out and joined him.

Water beaded off her skin, following the curves of her body before gathering at her feet. Her hair was damp once again. She’d never looked so sexy.

What was it about a wet woman that made a man horny? His cock twitched. Damned if he wasn’t ready to take her again.

“This is wonderful.” She tipped her head to meet the rain and twirled around, laughing. “I haven’t done this since I was a child.” Another spin and she was back in his embrace. Her arms folded around his neck. She gazed up at him with longing in her eyes. “I never want to return to reality.”

“You don’t have to. Stay here—with me.”

As if his words conjured the very uncertainty they were both attempting to avoid, the light in the kitchen flickered on. Electricity was restored.

She blinked away raindrops. “Nathan, it isn’t that easy.” She smoothed her palm over his cheek. “I have a life in Colorado, my practice, a house. I can’t just walk away from it, and Mom lives with me.” The ache in her voice squeezed his chest.

She wanted this as much as he, she had to.

“I know this is asking a lot of you, but transfer here.” He gripped her hand in his, held it close to the shelter of his body. “We’re always in need of doctors. When I spoke to Dr. Waters, he told me he was looking for someone at the hospital. Paige, we can make this work.” A moment of uncomfortable silence followed, causing him to nervously continue. “I couldn’t bear to lose you again.” He wouldn’t lose her again, even if he had to follow her to Colorado. “I love you. Say you’ll stay.”

She stared deep into his eyes, big tears filling hers—or were they raindrops? “I want to say yes.” A weak smile appeared. “I want to throw caution to the wind and say yes, but—”

“No buts. Say yes.” His heart fluttered with hope.

She licked her lips and blinked. “Yes.”

Joy like he’d never felt before overtook him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and raised her off her feet, turning in circles.

She laughed, hugging his neck.

When he lowered her, his lips found hers. She tasted of hope and a future together. Hand in hand, they ran back into the house dripping wet. He jerked a robe off the table and held it open, and she shoved her arms through it. He tightened her sash before slipping into a robe himself. As he closed the sliding glass doors, he tossed her a towel. She rapidly wiped the cloth over her legs and then ran it over her head to dry her hair. He did the same.

“If you want to take a quick shower, I’ll fix us something to eat,” he offered. Sylvia had never liked to cook, so he had gotten used to fixing meals for Cami and Janis.

Paige followed him into the kitchen. “No. I want to help.”

Slender arms wrapped around his waist and he smiled. This was just how he’d imagined it would be between the two of them, working together, a real family. “Great.” He turned in her embrace and looked into misty eyes. “Happy?”

She blinked back tears. “Ecstatic.” Her arms locked around his neck. “Now kiss me.”

As her lips touched his, he knew their life together had just begun.

Chapter Eight

Fate sure had a way of making itself known. Who would have guessed that deviating from her travel plans would land Paige right into the arms of the man she longed for? The god of fate deserved a huge thank you.

Shrugging out of her robe, she placed it atop the bed, before reaching into the bag and extracting a silky piece of material. Ebony black with red hibiscus and yellow centers accentuated by deep green leaves, the cloth slid through her fingertips as she draped it around her neck and then crisscrossed it over each breast.

“Now if I can only remember how the salesclerk said to fasten it.” Reaching behind her, she struggled to connect the clasp. On the second try she was successful.

Next she stepped into the skirt that rode her hips like it was caressing them. The wide split up the front emphasized her long legs, while the back of the sarong stroked midway down her calves. Three-inch dress sandals would give her just the look she was searching for, sensual and feminine. Tonight she would go commando to avoid panty lines since the material hugged her like a second skin. Besides, it would be something to tease Nathan with throughout the evening.

A soft smile touched her lips at the wanton temptress staring back at her in the mirror. She ran her hands down her body and a delicious tremor assailed her. “This works,” she whispered.

As she was placing a couple things in her black clutch purse, Nathan entered the bedroom and came to an abrupt halt. Wide-eyed and slack-jawed, he ogled her.

Pride and female satisfaction beamed through her like a light.

It took a moment for him to speak. When he did, his voice thickened. “You’re gorgeous, baby.” With just a few steps he closed the distance between them. Heavy-lidded, he raised a hand and smoothed a fingertip down her silk-covered breast, teasing a nipple.

Tingles erupted at the diamond-tips, zinging throughout her breasts, which were aching with need.

“I think we should stay right here.” His hungry stare was pinned on her chest. Heat sizzled across her body, nearly stealing her breath. Moisture built between her naked thighs, making them wet and slick.

How the hell did he do that with just a look?

She managed a taut chuckle. “No way. You promised me a night out.” Besides, she had plans for him later tonight. In fact, she might stoke his anticipation throughout the entire evening, starting now. She leaned in to rub against him.

He slowly raised his gaze to meet hers. “Then you have five seconds to get out of the bedroom before I strip you naked and have my way with you.”

“Yeah. Right.”

“One.” His hand closed around one of her breasts. His thumb rubbed firmly over her nipple.

Oh Lord. He meant it. Her fingers tightened on her purse.

“Two.”

“Okay. Okay. I’m going.” She laughed, stepping backwards and pivoting. The click of her heels against the floor echoed as she hurried from the room.

Walking into the living room, Paige glanced out the window, and for the first time since she’d arrived in Kauai the gloomy weather didn’t affect her. Sunshine sliced through the clouds, allowing a ray of light to shine upon the naupaka flower lying on the table next to Nathan’s cell phone.

The sight of the flower filled her with excitement. “If that isn’t a sign, I don’t know what is.”

She heard Nathan’s footsteps behind her. “Who are you talking to?”

On the balls of her feet, she spun around. “No one. Just thinking out loud how lucky I am.” She walked into his open arms.

In reality, Nathan was the lucky one. He had been given a second chance and this time he wouldn’t screw it up. Her uncertainty was easy to understand and that was why he had to work double time to win her trust. “We better get going.”

She eased up against him. “Where are you taking me?”

Her cherry-red lips called to him. He licked along the seam, nipping her bottom lip. “You’ll see.” She grinned, flicking her tongue against his before retreating. “Teasing me?” His voice deepened as his cock firmed against her belly.

“No. Just starting the evening off right with you hard and wanting me.” Her velvet-smooth voice awoke all his senses. She stepped out of his embrace, took several steps, and then shot a sensual glance over her shoulder. “By the way, I’m not wearing any panties.”

Nathan nearly swallowed his tongue. From a scale of one to ten, his erection went from a four to ten within a single heartbeat. Weak-kneed, he stood there until he could catch his breath. “You’re kidding, right?”

She turned back around. His gaze glued to her swaying hips as she approached. Looking up at him with a mischievous grin, she took his hand and placed it on her ass. “Would I lie to you?”

He ran his palm across her gentle swell. Red-hot need slammed into his balls, making his toes curl. Sure enough, she was naked beneath. He licked his suddenly dry lips. “Uh, baby, let’s just stay here.” So damn aroused, he doubted he could make it out to the Hummer much less through the evening without touching her. Her hands smoothed from his shoulders to his chest and lower, stopping just above his throbbing organ. He groaned when she snatched her hand away.

“Let’s not. See ya in the car.” She winked and slipped out the door.

He took a moment to adjust himself, and then, gingerly, he traced her steps.

When he approached the Hummer, Paige was already seated in the passenger seat. A cool breeze whipped around him. He opened the car door and slid inside.

No panties
kept whispering through his mind.

The sly smile she gifted him was nothing compared to the slow teasing way she inched her knees apart.

His heart fluttered. His erection jerked.

Oh she was good.

Mesmerized by the woman, he’d completely forgotten his keys were still in his pants. He raised his hips and dug into his pocket. When her tongue slid seductively between her lips, he thought he’d died and gone to heaven. He would give his left nut to have that precious mouth wrapped around his aching shaft right here—right now.

He lowered his ass back upon the seat, before he crammed the key into the ignition and gave it a twist. As he steered the car for the road, her perfectly groomed fingernails slid up her legs.

Damn. That was sexy. He could almost swear he felt her fingernails trailing up his legs, knees and thighs, getting closer to the area that throbbed with need.

“Mmmm.” She continued to stroke and smooth her hands along her bare limbs to the point he had to remind himself to breathe. “Feels. So. Good.” Dark and sensuous, her voice sent a tremor through him.

That voice. It was almost as incredible as her stimulating touch.

He attempted to focus on the road, but found it impossible. She released a sexy groan that made him jerk the steering wheel when he looked her way.

“Sonofabitch.” He righted the car before palming himself through his pants.

One of her hands had disappeared beneath her skirt. He couldn’t see exactly what she was doing, but his imagination soared with the possibilities.

Did her expression of ecstasy mean she had parted her slit and was finger-fucking herself? The thought of her hand moving in and out of her hot sex made him impossibly harder. Or was she teasing the bundle of nerves nestled at the apex of her thighs?

“Talk to me, baby.” He wanted to know every little dirty detail.

“Wet. Slick.” Her body seemed to melt in the seat. Her eyelids fell as she spread her knees wider and slouched down. She moved her hand back and forth, an expression of pure rapture spread across her face.

His grip on the wheel tightened. “Open your eyes,” he growled. “Look at me.”

She did as he demanded. Her smoky eyes were laden with lust. “Nathan. I need you inside me.”

And that’s exactly where he wanted to be, thrusting between her thighs.

He didn’t think twice as he jerked the vehicle over to the side of the road. Her purse slid off the dashboard to the floor. “You know we might get caught?” Hell. They were on the highway. It was a certainty they would be discovered.

“I don’t care. I ache for you.” The hard edge in her voice thrilled him.

For a mere instant, the thought of them locked in jail for indecent exposure passed through his mind. Then again, a man would be an idiot to let an opportunity like this pass by—and Nathan Cross was no idiot.

He left the engine running and opened his door at the same time she did. They met before the hood of the vehicle and fell into each other’s arms. He wasted no time pushing down his pants, before looping his arms beneath her knees to raise her against the vehicle and spread her wide.

Paige murmured her approval, crossing her mouth over his. Her hunger was overwhelming. She kissed him like a woman starving for a man’s touch.

The second he thrust deep inside her, she cried out and he swallowed the sound. He couldn’t remember when he had ever felt her so wet, so tight, so fucking wild as she moved hard and fast against him.

She grabbed his ass, held him closer.

A punch of excitement hit him in the belly and his knees went weak. Prickles of sensation raced across his skin as he drove her against the vehicle. His hips moved rapidly, pounding ferociously between her thighs. His climax hung on by a thread. If she pulled the string, he would completely come unraveled.

Her fingernails bit into his flesh, the sting bittersweet. “Oh God!” She shuddered, her back arching.

His hips churned against hers. “Not now. Wait.” A burn radiated through his cock so hot that he struggled to hold on, make it last forever. He needed to savor the pleasure/pain, wanted her to feel what he did, because if he didn’t know better he was coming apart in her arms.

Shaking, her body covered in a light mist of perspiration, she gasped. “Can’t. Oh God.”

Her swollen pussy sucked him deeper. Spasms rippled around him, setting off a fire that sizzled through his veins. He fought to breathe, fought to resist the claws of his orgasm demanding release.

But it was too late.

Nathan stiffened. The slow-motion eruption confused his dazed mind. He thought he heard Paige scream his name as every nerve ending began to beat with a pulse of its own. The rapture inside him built like an ocean’s swell. He felt the wave’s gravitational pull taking him higher and higher. The crest hung over him and then burst, raining pleasure and tossing him into the flames of ecstasy. It burned—it felt so good that for a moment he heard nothing.

Then Paige’s frantic voice cut through his tattered mind. “Truck!” she cried out. “Let me down. Let me down.”

Once again, it was too late.

As her feet touched the ground the large delivery truck’s horn bellowed. The high-pitched sound seemed to go on forever, even when it raced around the curve and was out of sight.

A sheepish grin fell across Nathan’s face. Damn. He hoped he didn’t know the driver. Before anyone else caught them, he stuffed his dick back in his pants and fastened them.

Paige swayed. She fought to get her land legs beneath her. “I can’t believe this.” Her voice shook with laughter. “I’ll have the reputation as a slut before I leave this island.”

He chuckled, moving around the vehicle to open her door. “Not a slut, but perhaps a temptress.”

“Not funny.” She slapped him playfully on the shoulder, before she slid inside.

He leaned down and kissed her softly. “That was so fucking hot. Do you have any idea what you do to me?”

Her face beamed. “No, but if it’s anything like what you do to me then I can imagine it.”

He pressed his lips to hers once more. “I think you made us late.” He slammed the door shut and hurried around to climb in behind the wheel.

When his door closed, she faced him. “Me?” She said it so innocently all he could do was laugh.

He shifted the Hummer into gear and pulled onto the road. “Yes. You were the one masturbating in the front seat of my car.”

The prettiest pink dotted her cheeks. “Okay. I guess if you put it that way, perhaps I was to blame.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

The color on her face deepened.

“Truth,” he pressured.

“Yes. There, I said it. I enjoyed the hell out of it.”

Rather pleased with himself, Nathan’s lips quirked into a smile. “I’ve decided you should never wear panties again.”

Her brows rose. “You have?”

As he maneuvered the vehicle off the highway he grinned. “In fact, I think I’ll keep you naked and chained to my bed.”

She giggled, the sound so carefree. “You might have to. We’re not safe outside the bedroom. We always get caught.”

“Admit it,” he said. “Admit that you enjoy the daring, the possibility of having an audience. Tell me it doesn’t make your body writhe knowing someone is watching. Confess that you’re hot and bothered, maybe even a little wet and aroused.”

“Yes, I’m aroused.” She glanced around at the estate and the grounds surrounding it. “Where are we?”

“Home, Paige.”