Island Fever (4 page)

“Quiet. I have a reputation to protect.” He smiled as he dished up a plate of food for her.

“Thanks.” Her mind went back to the question he’d asked, before she got distracted by food. “I love art. It’s always been a huge part of my life. My father was an artist, and I really love working with kids. So, teaching art just seemed like the perfect career option.”

“Any reason you’re set on middle school?” He opened the wine and poured them each a glass.

Melanie picked hers up and took a sip. “Kids at that age are at such a crossroads in life. I wanted to be a teacher who can give them direction.”

“That’s pretty altruistic of you.” Asher pulled a chunk of steak off his kabob, and then popped it in his mouth.

Melanie mimicked him, savoring the tangy teriyaki sauce on the meat. After swallowing her bite, she said, “Probably not quite as much as saving lives.”

He leaned forward and used his thumb to wipe a trace of sauce from the corner of her mouth. “I don’t know. I have a niece in the eighth grade. I’d say you’re pretty brave.”

She laughed, partly to dissipate the flutters his touch gave her.

“Where do you live when not on vacation, Melanie?”

Reality was such a bitch. “Portland, Oregon.”

“Hmm.” He finished off the last of his steak. “That’s a little further than the north side of the island, hmm?”

“Just a little.” Why did he have to bring this up now? She didn’t want to think about leaving him tomorrow.

She changed the subject as fast as she could. “So tell me, Asher, what was it like growing up in paradise?”

The next hour, and setting sun, passed with conversation that spanned all aspects of their lives. Their dialog was easy going, full of curiosity, and constantly flowing. There were no awkward silences you had with someone you were just getting to know.

Asher reached for the container of pineapple and opened it.

“I don’t know if I can eat any yet,” she protested. “Maybe in a bit, but I’m too full now.”

“Who said anything about eating it?” He took her plate and set it aside.

Then he reached behind her neck to unfasten the button that held her dress up.

Melanie didn’t even think to stop him as he pulled the dress down to her waist, leaving her chest bared to the stars and moonlight. Her heart thumped wildly and only half of it was from the fear that someone might come along and see them.

“No bra either. I should have guessed.” He cupped the weight of her breasts in his hands, and her nipples stiffened in his palms. “You’re so damn beautiful, Melanie.”

He let her go and reached for a chunk of pineapple. Instead of eating it, he brought the fruit above her body and squeezed. Juice ran over her curves.

She gave a squeal of surprise, not ready for the icy cold juice that puckered her nipples. And then she sighed when he lowered his mouth to lap it up with his hot tongue.

His wet mouth tugged gently on her breast, making liquid pool between her thighs. She threaded her fingers into his hair, holding his head against her as he sucked and nibbled on her the sensitive tips of her breasts.

While still kissing her body, he lowered her onto the sand, pulling her dress down and off her body.

Naked, and with only the sound of the waves hitting the beach, she caught her breath as he drew the pineapple in a trail down her belly, then rubbed it slowly between her legs.

“Asher...”

She closed her eyes and arched her back, as his tongue followed the trail of pineapple. He bit her inner thigh, a light graze, and she whimpered. When he pushed her knees apart, she let them fall open. Then his tongue was inside her, plunging deep before circling up to her clit.

She lifted her hips, silently offering all of herself to him. And he took her, without rush and with a tenderness that had tears of pleasure blurring her eyes.

It wasn’t enough. It would never be enough until he was inside her, joining them together. After she came, shaking and sobbing his name, he sat up and rolled her onto her stomach. Still in a haze of pleasure, she was barely aware of him positioning her on her hands in knees.

He took a second undressing and getting the condom on, but then his erection was probing between her legs. His hands gripped her hips as he slowly pushed into her.

She closed her eyes as he filled her, stretched her, and then went deeper. Then he slid out a bit, only to glide back in faster. He increased his pace with each thrust, the sound of their joining alive in the night.

She felt so taken, so helpless to the aggressive pleasure he was giving her. She loved it. Loved this moment in time with him. She rotated her hips, pushing back against him as he pressed forward.

“
Oh God, Asher
.”

Faster and harder he moved inside her. Until he hit a spot that sent her world into a spin, and a second orgasm hit her hard. She cried his name as stars above her mingled with the stars in her head.

She fell forward, pushing her bottom into the air as he continued to pound her, extending the pulsating pleasure of her climax.

“Sweetheart!” His hands gripped her hips so tight, his touch like a hot brand on her skin. He slammed into her with a force that pushed her off the blanket and her fingers slid into the smooth sand. He groaned deep, his release causing her inner muscles to clench around his thick cock and she felt every shuddering pulse of his climax.

“Jesus.” She whimpered as he sprawled on top of her, the weight of his body pressing her breasts harder into the blanket.

“It’s actually Asher,” he murmured.

She gave a languid laugh and she felt his responding smile against the back of her neck.

“ God, Melanie. Do you have any idea what you do to me?” He kissed her nape.

She closed her eyes. Probably the same thing he did to her. Oh, God. This was crazy. These two nights with Asher felt much too perfect to be just a meaningless fling.

He kissed her shoulder and let out a soft sigh that tickled the back of her neck, making goose bumps rise on her flesh.

“How about we swim?”

“Sure.” Though she hated it when he lifted himself off her, leaving her feeling all too alone and slightly chilled from the breeze hitting her sweat.

“I should’ve brought my board.” He caught her hand, pulling her to her feet, pulling her briefly into his arms and kissing her lightly on the lips. “I could’ve given you a private surfing lesson.”

“Mmm. I have terrible balance. I probably would’ve drowned you in the process.”

But it sounded fun. Maybe another time.

When
?

She left tomorrow. There would be no more moonlight swims. No more sex on the beach. Not with Asher at least. This was it. The final countdown.

Don’t think about it
, she told herself as disappointment threatened her bubble of happiness.
Just don’t think about it.

Asher felt like he was eighteen again, he realized, as they held hands, laughing as they ran naked into the ocean. Melanie pulled away and dove under the waves. She emerged a moment later looking like a sea nymph with her soaked hair and droplets of water dripping from her breasts.

He waded into the water and continued to watch her, amazed to feel desire stirring again.

She swam out a ways, and he dove under the water to catch up with her. He reached out and grabbed her foot, pulling her back as she tried to out-swim him.

Her scream was more in fun than surprise. She turned in his arms and treaded water so they faced each other. Her eyes sparkled as her silky wet body brushed against his.

“This is amazing. Seriously, not overrated in the least, paradise.”

“It can be.”

“Were you born on Oahu, Asher?”

“Born and raised.”

“Hmm, lucky guy.” She kicked away and began to swim parallel with the shore.

He swam after her. “It had its up and downs.”

She rolled onto her back and floated, her eyes drifting shut. “Really? I can’t imagine much of a downside of living in Hawaii.”

“Have you checked out the price difference in food at the market?”

They were again swimming side by side.

“Oh come on.” She laughed. “Is that the best you’ve got for reasons to not live in Hawaii?”

“Mmm. Sometimes the non-natives get island fever, but since I was raised here, not so much. We never did long Sunday drives. Or road trips through a bunch states. If anything we hopped a quick plane ride to Maui or something.” He couldn’t tear his gaze away from her breasts.

They seemed to float towards the surface even though the rest of her body had sunk an inch below the water line.

“Hey, Asher,” she said, her eyes still closed. “Have I told you how great my trip has been since I met you?”

His chest swelled as he took in a pleased breath. “No, you haven’t.”

“Well, I have now.” She rolled back over to tread water again.

There goes my view
. He jerked his gaze away from her chest, which were now under the water and hidden from him.

“You know, Melanie, I was thinking tomorrow we should go hiking up on Diamond Head. Have you guys been there yet?”

Her expression fell and she glanced down at the water. “I’m leaving tomorrow. I didn’t mention that?”

She was leaving tomorrow? As in within twenty
-
four hours?
Something akin to panic raced through him, and he hands clenched under the water.

What could he say? She was a tourist on vacation. They’d both known this wasn’t anything more than a little bit of fun.

“Asher?”

“It’s all right. I’m sorry. I never stopped to consider when you might be leaving.”

“I know. I kind of forgot myself I got so caught up in everything. Diamond Head would’ve been nice, though,” she said whimsically. “We never got up there. Piper was more into the shopping and tanning, than seeing the sights.”

She swam the few inches that separated them.

“I’m so glad I was the one who found you last night,” he confessed softly. If there was any indication she heard the slight reverence in his words, she didn’t show it.

Her mouth quirked. “Oh, you mean right after I tripped and fell on my face?”

“Exactly.”

“Me too.” She pressed her body closer to his and her eyes went wide. “Oh, hello there. I see somebody’s getting all excited again. Are you trying to tell me something?”

“I think I am.” He didn’t understand it himself. He could probably make love to her all day and never get enough of her. And now, knowing she was leaving tomorrow, it was as if he wanted to squeeze in as many times as possible.

And with how hard his dick was right now, it was definitely possible.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and urged her toward shallow water. She followed, but when he stood up and tried to walk out of the water and back to the beach, she stopped him.

Falling to her knees in shallow water, she grabbed his hips and pulled him to her. She nuzzled her face against his cock.

“Can I have my turn now?” she asked. Her tongue darted out to flick over his growing erection. “After all, you’ve been so generous to me.”

The air hissed out from between his teeth and he couldn’t have stopped her to save his life.

Melanie’s tongue weaved around his cock, and he laced his fingers in her wet hair to hold her mouth against him. Her tongue stroked over his entire length, taking a moment to tease the head and lick the sensitive crease underneath.

Damn, she was good at this.

His hips bucked under her teasing mouth. As his sac began to tighten, a pearl of fluid appeared, and she licked it up. Then she opened her mouth and took him deep.

“Sweet God,” he choked out.

She moved her mouth up and down him, lightly massaging his sac and bringing him so close to the edge. His thighs tightened with the impending climax.

“Sweetheart, you should probably stop or I’m not going to be able to.”

If she heard his words, she ignored them. Because her mouth moved faster, and then took him deeper.

Needing to touch her, Asher slid his hands down to cup the weight of her breasts. Her nipples stiffened in his palms. The heaviness of her breasts in his hands, and the suction of her mouth pushed him to release. Even then she didn’t pull him away, but stayed gentling her mouth as she lapped him dry.

“Jesus.” He shook his head as he fell to his knees in the water beside her.

“It’s actually Melanie.” She winked and then stood up, running back to dive under the waves again.

He stared after her, dazed and his heart going a mile a minute. Never had he felt like a woman deserved to be so completely worshipped. Or placed on a pedestal like a goddess.

Was this love? Just crazy, stupid lust?

You barely know her, he told himself. But he did. Maybe not with the depth of someone you’d known for years, but in the last two days they’d talked and made love constantly. Discovering each other in and out of the bedroom.

She was a redheaded sea nymph, swimming in the mild waves of the ocean. His very sexy sea nymph. He wouldn’t be surprised to wake up in a couple of days and discover this had been some kind of amazing dream.

Maybe, it would be better if it were. It’d be easier to let her go.

I don’t want to leave
.

Melanie climbed into his truck and tried not to let the depressing thoughts sink in. This entire trip had been so wonderful, the last two days magical.

And not even twelve hours from now she had to be back on a plane to Portland.

“Do you want me to take you back to the hotel?”

She glanced over at Asher, who was watching her. “What are my options?”

“We could just drive around for awhile. See the island at night.”

“Okay. That sounds great.” She didn’t care about seeing the island. She cared about delaying the moment when they had to say goodbye. Staying beside him as long as possible.

He started the truck and drove back to the main road. Without saying a word, he reached over and grabbed her hand.

Melanie bit her lip. She laced her fingers through his and gave a light squeeze. His grip tightened in response.