Clear as Day (3 page)

He rolled away for a moment and retrieved a condom from his backpack.

She reached for the packet to hurry and sheath him.

Nate halted her, his eyes hungry and serious. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a year. I’ve got all sorts of fantasies, and we’ve got all afternoon.” He grinned and set the condom aside close to hand. “I love your freckles.” Scattering kisses over her, the brush of his beard and mustache raised shivers as he followed freckles over her shoulder, breast, belly, thighs, and back to her lips.

She wrapped her hand around his hard, hot shaft, savoring his pleased groan.

“Oh, yeah, babe.” He rolled to his back, giving a lazy, encouraging stroke into her hand.

She’d missed this too much. Missed him too much. She slid lower, scattering kisses along his chest and tight belly, his familiar scent and taste both soothing and amping her own arousal. A teasing kiss and nibble sent him arching off the blanket. With a slow, thorough kiss, she took him in her mouth.

Much too soon, he stopped her with a rueful, panting laugh. “Not now. Too good. Won’t last.” He tumbled her over and seized her lips in a deep, hard kiss.

He caressed his hand over her mound, tenderly stroking a slow finger down the center of her where she was slick and ready for him, adding stroke upon stroke, the sensation exquisite. She gasped and arched for more. He leaned over her, devouring her mouth in a luscious kiss as he caressed her, in and out, teasing and circling, his tongue and fingers playing in the same maddening rhythm, driving her higher and keeping her pent at the edge.

He pulled away and his mouth replaced his fingers, licking and suckling, and launched her shivering and crying into a sharp, shocking climax.

His kiss gentled and soothed through each delightful aftershock, tangling her between more hunger and pure bliss.

“Now, Nate.”

He just grinned up at her and continued driving her wild with hands and mouth and sweet words, until she came again, the pleasure leaving her limp, laughing and needing him filling her
now
. Why did he have to be so stubbornly considerate?

“I adore what you do to me, but please.”

Satisfied laughter rumbled from him, the rich, deep tone vibrating through her, and he sat back on his heels. His eyes locked on her, he sheathed himself with teasing deliberation.

Then he was over her, spreading her knees, the hard heat of him pressing at her core.

Oh, finally. She arched her hips to meet him.

He caught her wrists. His lips twitched with teasing humor. “In a hurry, huh?” Taking her mouth in an ardent, deep kiss, he eased in, enough to tantalize and tempt, and then drew back.

She whimpered and writhed, trying to take in all of him, urging him to plunge in and take her hard and fast, and end this restless yearning.

He sank in again, deeper this time, stretching and filling her, the sensation perfect, and withdrew.

“Nate, please. Now!”

He thrust fully in, groaning, “Ah, Kay, so good.” He set up a slow, delicious stroking, kissing and licking, keeping her gently pinned and sweetly forcing her to take the pleasure he was drowning her in. The muscles in his shoulders working, bunching. His whole body beautiful in motion.

She had to shut her eyes against the whirlpool of sensation, narrow her focus to touch.

“Come on, babe, let me see how high you can fly again.” He shifted his thrusts, leisurely rotating his hips, and the change in rhythm magnified the shimmering edges flooding her. “Come on, babe. Damn, you’re so beautiful. Open your eyes. Look at me.
Look
at me.”

“Nate, I need—” She opened her eyes, too filled with wild sensation to find her words.

Passion burned in his face. No more professor look in his taut features, wet with sweat trickling down his temple, or in those gray eyes, now deep and tense and locked on her. He was all pirate, plundering her.

“What do you need? Tell me.” His voice sawed hoarsely as he fought for his own breath.

She needed him, and something more than she could gather the words to say.

She clawed her fingers into the blanket, arching and meeting his every thrust, clenching her muscles futilely against his withdrawal, gasping at his return. “Nate!”

****

Hell, yeah, this was good. Nate was right where he needed to be after the longest damned year ever of missing her. Kay was beautiful in her passion, reaching, straining her hips to meet him, straining to take him ever deeper. So tight. Hot.

“Nate, let me, let me…”

He loved making her so breathlessly speechless. Good. He backed off, gentling his thrusts. Not easy, with his mind flying on the intoxicating mix of love and lust, but he hadn’t waited for a year to let her, or himself, off easy with a fast tumble. No way. He’d tie a knot in it first.

She whimpered and gave a frustrated, delighted laugh. “Oh…Nate.”

“Look at you, babe. You’re so damn beautiful.” He drank in the sight of her stretched out beneath him in the dappled shade, perfection in cream and blush, her freckles like gold dust. He slowed his body to a sensual, liquid pull and glide, fighting the urge go off in a blaze. Slow, yeah. Oh, yeah. Way better.

They had all the time in the world. Slow and easy and sweet as honey. Her body perfect around his. Her hands against his skin, heaven.

He freed her wrists and cupped her face, caressing his fingers over her cheeks, loving how her eyes fluttered closed as she smiled and sighed. Loving how blonde tipped her brown lashes and brows and caught the light. Loving the one dimple in her left cheek as she smiled. The heat of the day had dried her hair, and the silky caramel waves spread in abandon over the green of the beach blanket.

“Have I said how much I missed you? I’ve been dreaming of this, but nothing in my dreams is as good as being here with you, as loving you. Tell me, what do you need? Did you dream? Did you miss this, us, together? Like this, babe?”

“Yes, oh, yes. Nate, please.” Her eyes flew open, shining and deep.

He slowed even more, delighted to draw every sensation out until he was shaking with his own need. He covered her lush mouth with his, and all he knew was kisses and mating tongues and the slick heat of her body clasping him, the sharp grip of her fingers on his back, the tang of sweat, and his pulse pounding to the music of her breathy cries.

The moment was endless, the pleasure coiling hard and bright in his belly and balls.

He reared back, catching her one leg over his arm. Slow in, slower out, the tension exquisite torment. She cried out, clenching and rising more. Kay’s wide eyes were dark as denim now in her flushed face. Her fingers bit hard into the blanket. His heart drummed. His breath rasped. Sweat trickled along his temples and glistened between her breasts.

Her legs trembled. Her chin lifted. Her eyes blindly focused inward. “Nate—”

Time, oh yeah, time to move. “Now, babe, all the way. Here we go.”

“Yes, please, yes. I need…you…you.” She panted, and a bright laugh tore from her. “More.”

He drove short and hard and she matched him in the fast, perfect rhythm. Almost there—

Want me for more. I know I’m right. We can be more than lovers. I’ve waited so damned long for you.

She cried his name as she shuddered around him, sweet and tight.

Her pleasure became his, as his own release hit hard and welcome. “Yes!” His voice cracked out, breath seized, mind blew.

She gasped, trembling in completion, her joyous laughter floating around him.

An echoing joy surged through Nate. He fell forward, bracing over her on shaking elbows, lungs heaving, and kissed her, relishing how she tightened around him with little shivering sighs of pleasure.

He sank his fingers into her hair, nuzzling her throat, and leisurely toyed small nips and kisses over her. Unable to hold back, he allowed himself to whisper a soul deep “
I love you
” while she was still coming down.

Hell, how he wanted to shout every word.

No more interminable year counting the days and hours until he’d see her again. If that made him pathetic, he didn’t care. No more living on checking his e-mail and a photo by his bed. No more leaving her behind. No more holding back every silenced
I love you
burning in his gut. No more wondering who in the hell she was seeing the other fifty weeks of the year. No more comparing the fun, soft, easy women he met to Kay and being annoyed to find no matter how able he might be, he was no longer willing, because they weren’t his cute, touchy Kay.

Relief filled him richer and deeper than any simple relaxation from physical release. He wasn’t walking away from her again.

****

Kay’s gasps trailed into more breathless laughter. He’d left her melted, shattered and contented after the dazzling wild release. How wonderful nothing at all had changed between them. She stroked her fingers over his biceps, her mood lighter than she remembered in a long time and the pent agitation she’d wallowed in earlier washed clean away. She could blame the champagne, but the truth was Nate.

Nate took a deep, relaxed breath and playfully nuzzled her throat, his breath and beard tickling. “Mmm. I missed your laugh. I’d be somewhere and think, hey, Kay, would like this, and I’d catch myself waiting for you to laugh.”

“I missed yours, too.” Another truth. She waited for Nate to slip free and roll off her.

Instead, he kept her lazily caged between his arms, his gray eyes drinking her in with a curious, fiercely tender expression.

“Hey.” She stretched languidly under him, sliding her legs along his, getting twitchy at being caught so long beneath him, but contrarily delighting in the connection of their bodies, even the sweaty weight of him. He felt perfect within her, and she was too pleasantly exhausted at the moment to shift herself or nudge him away. A minute more, or so. She tightened around him, remnants of pleasure rippling through her and drawing a throaty chuckle from Nate.

“Hey to you, too.” His lips swept down on hers, and the languorous kiss distracted all notion of time.

With a reluctant sigh, he broke the kiss, and withdrew from her. He pressed one more kiss to her lips and rolled to his side to deal with the condom.

Kay stretched, combed her fingers through her hair, and tucked her hands under her head.

“Thirsty?” Nate brushed a stray lock from her forehead.

“If I could move, I’d get us some water.” The cooler was barely two yards away, but lounging there decadently sated and naked in the bright shade was easier than actually moving.

He laughed and pushed to his knees. “The feeling’s coming back in my legs. I think I can make it.” He raked an appreciative gaze over her as he rose to his feet, completely at ease in his sunlit nudity. “Very nice.”

“Thank you. The view from here’s pretty nice, too.” She stretched with a teasing arch of her back.

Barking out a laugh, Nate fake-staggered over to the cooler and fished out a cold bottle of water. He collapsed onto the blanket, nudging her to sit up, and they shared sips until they’d finished. He snuggled her to his side and flopped them back onto the blanket.

“What do you think? A little timeout, then we’ll get back to my fantasies,” he murmured and loosed a contented deep sigh. “Missed you…” Sleep hit him before he finished the sentence.

Men. Kay smiled and shook her head. How they could go from full throttle to dead-stop peaceful sleep always astounded her. Judging by the shadows under his eyes, he needed this nap. She eyed his grip on her arm, her painting kit, and the sunlight on the water. The day was moving on. She was missing the light—

An odd bubble of yearning in her chest fought with the need to escape for some space.

Relax. Enjoy this. Weren’t you the one moaning about being alone? Just chill and enjoy. He’ll be gone soon enough and you’ll have all the quietude and order you want back again.

She sighed in resignation and forced herself into the routine she used to relax her muscles to get to sleep some nights. The effort took three tries, but at last the hot air and sand and Nate’s deep, steady breaths lulled her and she let herself doze.

A dream woke her, leaving her heart tripping along. Around her, peace ruled. The tree shadows had shifted. Nate still slept, his grip on her fallen away, allowing her to ease free without disturbing him.

This was the hour when the quiet lay the heaviest, the breath of the day held pent and the land drowsy with the heat that shimmered on the lake and made the far shores waver and melt. Water lapped languidly against sand and her small boat’s hull. The feathery tamarisk branches hung motionless in the baking air. A solitary buzzard hovered on the thermals, circling with the same slow pace of the afternoon in a cloudless sky the pure stony blue of male turquoise. Soon the afternoon breeze would rise and start the long change into evening.

Kay eased up to lean on one elbow and indulged in watching Nate sleep. He lay on his back, one arm raised and bent above his head. Her fingers itched to paint him, to capture the beauty of him: each familiar line and plane of his face, the sweep of lashes, the fine network of crinkles by his eyes, the relaxed curve of lip and angle of throat, how scattered sand grains clung with a film of sweat to his skin, and the light caught and gleamed on blond beard and damp, tousled hair shot with unexpected glints of silver. A solitary ant trudged over the blanket fibers toward Nate. She flicked the creature off into the sand and it scrambled off, tumbling and tripping over the rough grains.