Dancing in a Hurricane (39 page)

"Do you shave?"

"Yup. For photo shoots, I shave my chest and trim my leg and arm hair."

She lowered her legs and lay on her side, feeling the blood circulating through her body. "Does it bother you?"

His eyebrows drew together. "Not until now. Does it bother you?"

She sat up and crossed her legs, pretzel style. "Not at all." Leaning forward, she touched her forehead on the mat. "I shave my legs every day. Does that bother you?"

"Uh uh." He cleared his throat. "But that's what women do, shave their legs."

She sat up and looked at him. Did he think she found him less masculine because he shaved? She stood and walked slowly toward him, swaying her hips. "I like your chest smooth." Stopping in front of him, she stood with her knees between his. "But I'd love to see it with hair sometime." She put her hands on his t-shirt over his chest and rubbed circles.

He grabbed her and pulled her down on top of him.

"Yikes! Sixto!"

"
Cariña
, I'll stop shaving. For you." He ran his hands up her back under her shirt. "No bra?"

She grinned her naughtiest smile. "Nope."

"Kiss me, Bree."

She touched her lips to his, slowly kissed him, enjoying the building tension. His body vibrated, but he didn't grab or overpower. He let her lead.

She ran her tongue along his lower lip. "Mmm. You taste good." He opened his mouth and she deepened the kiss, touching his tongue with hers. When she shifted, her nipples rubbed his chest and they both moaned.

Lifting her head, she looked into his eyes. "Too much?"

His voice choked. "Yeah."

She slid off him, avoiding his hard member and sat next to him. "Sorry. I know better."

"Yeah."

She smiled. "You bring out the naughty in me."

He grinned and sat up, put his arm around her shoulders. "It's going to get worse." He kissed her neck then bit her shoulder.

A shiver of delight scuttled through her. "I know." She ran one finger down his clavicle to his stomach. "Help me be good."

He grabbed her finger, brought it to his mouth, and kissed it. "Do you realize, Bree, that your lips say no, but your body says yes?"

She narrowed her eyes. "What does that mean?"

"There's a term for a woman who wants to make love, but always says no."

"You're calling me a tease?" She grinned. She was never accused of that before. It was kind of exciting to have that much power over a man.

He stood. "You're gloating, but it's not much fun on this side of it."

"I…" She stood. "It's been difficult for me too, Sixto. You have to understand that while you have no doubts, I'm conflicted."

"Ha." He shook his head. "No doubts? Hell, woman, I'm second guessing everything I do when it comes to you." He backed up a step. "This is all new to me. I've never felt this way about anyone before."

She closed her eyes for a second, the sweet emotion of his disclosure made her chest ache. She reached for him, put her hands on his arms. "It's the same for me, Sixto."

"But you were engaged. Almost married."

She smiled. "To my best friend. It was a comfortable, logical relationship."

"How?" His brow furrowed.

"We wanted the same things in life, we got along well, and had similar values. I loved him." She shrugged. But not the way I…" She clamped her teeth together.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Bree said too much.

Sixto stared at her.

She stared back, the seconds became a minute and neither spoke. Should she tell him? Was this the right time? Or should she wait for him to say it first, but what if he was waiting for her?

"Bree." He looked at her. She waited for his admission of love. She always imagined a more romantic setting, being held tightly in his arms, soft lighting, quiet music…

"Put your bikini on," he said. "Let's go to the beach."

A half hour later, they lay on a blanket on the warm sand, facing each other, their heads propped up on their arms. The beach was quiet, kids were in school, and the clouds kept most sun lovers away.

She smiled in catlike contentment as he ran his fingers down her arm, onto her ribs, over her hip, and back up again. The movement was hypnotic.

"Are we going in the water?" she asked.

"No."

"Then why are we at the beach?"

He grimaced. "Self preservation."

"Hm?"

"I wanted to see you in your bikini, but things get out of control if we're alone."

"Oh." She smiled wryly. "The beach is safe?"

"Mmm hmm." He stopped tracing her curves at her bikini bottom and snuck a finger under the band. He looked at her and grinned. "Maybe not."

"My turn to touch you," she whispered.

He groaned.

She felt his pecs, brushed his nipples with her fingers, and watched his eyes grow dark, almost black. Tauntingly slow, she moved her hands down his ribs, over his abs. When she touched the waistband of his trunks, she stopped and smiled at him. "Am I going too far?"

"Don't tease me."

His tone did not sound amused and she pulled her hand away. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize, just know that I take this very seriously." He reached into the cooler and took out two bottles of water.

"Maybe too seriously?"

"We've talked before about how a relationship can only progress to a certain point if there is no physical intimacy."

She thought about that lately. A lot. "But kissing? Isn't that intimate?"

He touched his lips to hers but moved back. "It is, but nature intended us to do more. Marriage was not instituted by God, but by man. It's part of our being human to consummate our affection for each other."

She nodded. "In theory, that makes perfect sense. But personally, I can't leave behind the beliefs I was brought up with."

His face grew intense as he considered her words. He asked, "Okay, what if we flew to Vegas tonight and got married."

She started to stand. "Okay. Let's go!"

He laughed and gently pushed her back down. "That wasn't a proposal, it was a theoretical supposition."

"Oh, sure. Big words, meaning we're not going to Vegas." She knew where he was headed with his theory and it wasn't fair. He was attacking on two fronts—sexual and emotional.

He opened her water bottle and handed it to her. "If we were married tonight, would your feelings for me change? Would you feel we were any more ready to make love because we exchanged vows and signed a piece of paper?"

She shook her head. "I see your point, but to me, marriage isn't a five minute stop in Vegas. It's months of preparation and classes with your pastor, it's writing vows that actually mean something. The piece of paper makes it legal, but the promises, the connection between two people, make it spiritual."

His eyebrows drew together. After a moment, he conceded. "Good counterpoint, but I'm going to get out my psych books when we get home." He grinned wickedly. "This discussion isn't over."

"You don't like losing an argument, do you."

"Hush." He put a finger on her lips. "Drink your water."

She laughed and lay on her stomach. "Would you put some sunscreen on my back?" Pulling her hair to the side, she laid her head so she could see him. His eyes traveled down her body and turned dark with passion.

He sat up, she closed her eyes, and within seconds, she felt the squirt of lotion on her back. He sat on her butt, his knees on each side of her hips.

Her eyes popped open. "Jeez!" She started to push herself up, but he unfastened her bikini top and she quickly flattened herself on the blanket to protect her modesty. "Sixto! Do you want me to flash everyone?"

He laughed. "
Cariña
, there are twelve people on the beach and the closest are a half-mile away."

She wiggled her bottom. "You're heavy."

He sat heavier on her. "What have I told you about wiggling that juicy behind?"

She sighed and held still. "No wiggling?"

He eased some of his weight off her. "Damn right no wiggling." Rubbing his hands together, he massaged the sunscreen into her skin. The sun appeared as the clouds drifted past and warmed her as his fingers massaged her back, her sides, shoulders and arms. "Legs?" he asked.

She'd already put some on, but his touch was heaven and she said, "Yes, please."

He got off her, but turned around and sat back on her butt.

"Oohf. Would you stop that? You're going to flatten me."

"With your big ass? Impossible."

"Oh!" She reached around and yanked his ponytail. "You're horrible."

"Yeah." He squirted lotion down one thigh and up the other. "You love it."

She did. Every minute of it.

He rubbed the lotion in, massaging deep between her legs and on the outer thighs. Moving lower, he rubbed her calves, her heels, and the soles of her feet.

"Mmm. Sixto, that's marvelous." She almost fell asleep.

"Turn over."

"Fasten my top."

"Am I your entourage today?"

"Mmm hmm. Today and every day." As long as she could keep him.

He hooked the ends together and ran his hand down her spine to the curve of her lower back. "Beautiful."

Turning over, she felt beautiful when he looked at her with his expressive eyes. He sat next to her hips, his gaze sliding over her body, heating her blood and making her core tingle as he stared at her V zone. She closed her eyes as flutters began deep inside her belly.

He squirted sunscreen on her stomach and palmed it into her skin in a spiral motion. His hand brushed the underside of her breasts and snuck under the band of her bottom. He finished by circling a finger in her belly button. It sent a jolt to her womb and her body shuddered with pleasure.

"Sorry,
cariña
. Couldn't resist." He rubbed his hand over her stomach again.

"I thought you said the beach was safe?" Her voice came out raspy.

"Spread your legs."

Opening one eye, she said, "No."

He smiled and grasped her ankle, moving her legs apart. "This won't hurt at all." He knelt between her knees.

She closed her eyes again. "Just make it fast then."

He laughed and squirted a zigzag on both her thighs. His big hands rubbed the lotion in. "Bree, it's going to be slow." His voice dropped lower. "Hot and slow." He spread lotion on her shins and the tops of her feet and in between each toe. He rubbed one foot with his fingers, pressing his thumbs into the muscles.

"Oh, yes, that feels good." She never had a foot massage before. Kyle didn't like bare feet. She wiggled her toes and he moved on to her other foot.

He ran his hands unhurriedly up her shins and over her knees.

Looking into his eyes, his need heated her. Between her legs, she quivered.

His gaze traveled down her body as his hands slid up her thighs to her bikini. He whispered, "I want you."

Her breath came in tiny gasps, but she managed, "No, Sixto."

Instantly, his hands were gone from her, he stood. "Oh Christ." His breathing huffed as unsteady as her own, his hard cock pressing against the fabric of his trunks. He grabbed his towel and walked away. "I'm gonna hit the shower."

Tipping her head back, she watched upside down as he walked toward the men's room. Thank heaven he knew when to stop himself, because she had no experience with a man's breaking point. Kyle had about a tenth of the sexual drive Sixto possessed.

She heard footsteps and looked up to see a lifeguard walking toward her. She sat up and pulled her towel over her stomach and legs, prepared to get a lecture on inappropriate beach behavior.

"Hi, Bree. I thought that was you."

She visored her hand over her eyes. "Mark? Hi. How are you?"

"Good. How about you?"

"I'm good."

"You know, I'm sorry I never called after Halloween."

She smiled. "I didn't expect you to. I made a mess of myself that night. Actually, I thought about calling you and apologizing, but…" She gestured helplessly.

"No. It was my fault. I didn't realize you weren't a drinker."

She grimaced. "Two drinks is my limit now."

"Good plan." He gestured behind him. "I was watching you from the tower."

Eeew. A sick feeling settled in her stomach.

"Are you with that Cuban now?"

"Yes. We're dating."

"That's a waste."

Had she heard him correctly? "What?"

"So many beautiful women end up with that kind."

She straightened her spine. "What kind?"

"Cuban." He looked toward the men's room. "Bree, you deserve better."