Seaside Seduction (Sun Stroked Book 1) (8 page)

“How are you managing the pain?”

“It’s better and I’m getting stronger.” Of course, chasing Dani around helped with the strength building, and also helped him focus on something besides the pain.

Malik’s smile widened. “Then I think you might be ready for this now.” He reached into his pocket and held out a government-issue envelope.

“What is it?”

Malik didn’t speak. After dropping the two-by-six, Ethan brushed sawdust from his hands and then ripped open the manila envelope.

His stomach tightened as he scanned the words.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” he murmured under his breath. As he scanned the paper again, his surprise segued to confusion. He glanced at Malik. “I don’t understand.”

“What’s to understand? Your expertise is needed, and I’m signing your release papers. You can go back overseas, Ethan. A desk job for now, and then eventually into battle.”

“So I’m free to go?”

“Like the letter says, you can leave tonight if you’d like. You see, Ethan, your superiors haven’t written you off like you believed. And you’re here because they care.”

Working to mask his conflicting emotions, Ethan folded the paper and shoved it into his back pocket. He picked up a deck board and carried it to the frame.

Malik folded his hands and studied him. “Isn’t this what you wanted and have been waiting for? Isn’t this the future you’ve strived for?”

“Yeah. I guess so,” he replied, turning his attention back to his project.

Malik turned around to leave, but before he walked away, he said, “Your destiny is in your hands, Ethan.”

Ethan glanced at the screw he’d just taken out of his tool belt and suspected the medicine man was right. He was definitely screwed.

In the span of a few short days, he had learned that the one thing he thought he always wanted wasn’t the same thing as what he really needed.

A
fter showering
and pulling on a bright yellow sundress, Danielle hurried to meet her friends.

“Well, well, look who’s all giggly and glowing,” Lauren said as Danielle hurried through the restaurant toward them. Danielle pulled out a chair and glanced at the salad and ice tea in front of her.

“You were running late, so we ordered you a Caesar salad, hold the anchovies,” Abby said, her blue eyes twinkling, a gorgeous gleam to her sun-kissed skin. Danielle also took note of the shine on Lauren’s skin and wondered what, or who, had put it there.

She momentarily turned her attention back to her lunch. “You two are the best.” Her stomach was grumbling, so Danielle grabbed a fork and dug in. “Mmmm, delicious.”

The three fell into easy conversation, talking about the resort, its luxurious facilities and all it had to offer. Danielle ate her salad, ripped into the fresh bread and washed it all down with her ice tea. As her friends continued to talk, her mind wandered to Ethan and all the wonderful intimate things they’d been doing together.

After a long while, she glanced up at her friends, who were staring at her in wide-eyed anticipation. She dropped her napkin, wondering whether she was exhibiting some telltale sign that she’d been having the best sex of her life. “What?”

“You’re smiling,” Lauren said. “I am?”

“Yeah, you are, and we want to know what you’re smiling about and what you’ve been up to for the past few days,” Abby piped in.

She gave a casual shrug. “Well, I met a guy.”

“No shit,” Lauren said. “We want details, girlfriend. Details. Tell us all about this fabulous sea god who’s been keeping you captive inside your cabana.”

Chuckling, Danielle glanced around to make sure no one besides her friends could hear her. “I think there is something very magical about this island’s springwater. My deepest desires have come true.”

Abby leaned forward. “Oh, yeah? Do tell.”

She gave a long, contented sigh, reflecting on the sexy little games she’d been playing with Ethan and how quickly they had moved from strangers to lovers. She’d never shared herself with anyone the way she’d shared herself with him. And the way he took charge of pleasing her made her pussy ache and moisten just from thinking about it.

“He’s very…
creative
, I’ll tell you that.”

“Creative?” both women asked at once.

She arched a brow. “Yeah, creative.”

Lauren pitched her voice low. “But the real question is, has he had his wicked way with you?” Danielle suspected her friends knew her well enough to know what she really wanted from a man, even though she’d never come right out and told them.

“He knows what I want, Lauren,” she rushed out. “He really, really knows me. I’ve never, ever been so sexually satisfied in my life.” She shivered. “The things that man can do with a vine.”

Truthfully, he was everything she’d ever wanted in a man. She loved his commanding attitude, his attention to detail, his protectiveness and the way he always touched her like her pleasures were paramount.

Lauren blew a breath. “Oh, boy.”

“What is it?” Danielle asked. “You’ve got it bad for this guy.”

She smiled as she thought about Ethan and how good they were together. Deep down she knew she’d never find with any other man what she’d found with him. Since he was a skilled soldier and a commander in the military, Danielle expected dominance from him, but what she hadn’t expected was the underlying tenderness he showed her. It was that tenderness, and the way he took painstaking care of her needs, that touched her so.

She drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. She certainly hadn’t anticipated this turn of events during her vacation and knew there was no sense in hiding the truth. Her friends knew her too well for that.

“Okay, so he’s great and I want to keep him around longer.” Which, as her friends knew, was something she’d never ever wanted before.

When her friends grew quiet, mulling over that bit of information, she continued. “I hadn’t planned on anything more than a good fuck with a virile warrior. I guess I got more than I bargained for.”

Abby reached out and grabbed her hand. “So go tell him. Be honest and tell him exactly how you feel.”

“You think?” Danielle glanced at Lauren.

Lauren, being the more practical of her two friends when it came to relationships, frowned and shook her head. “I think you should remember that you both lead very different lives, Danielle, and when this vacation is over, the affair will be over, too. Just keep it about sex. Great sex, by the sounds of things.” Lauren stood and hustled Danielle out of her chair and pointed her toward the door. “What I think you need to do is go, have a good time and fuck him out of your system once and for all.”

Danielle turned back around to look at her friends. “But I haven’t heard what you two have been up to.” She glanced at Abby. “Abby, are you enjoying your vacation?”

Abby nodded, but Danielle didn’t miss the gleam in her eyes. She wondered who had put it there. “I’m fine. Now, go. Tell him how you feel. We’ll talk soon. I promise.”

With those two very different, nonnegotiable pieces of advice, Danielle rushed from the restaurant and made her way to Ethan’s cabana. As she walked the footpath, she spotted Ryan Thomas nestled between the trees at the back of his cabana, sprawled out on a hammock. On closer inspection, she noticed a pink Chicago Bears hat on his head. It looked suspiciously similar to Lauren’s favorite ball cap. How interesting…

Deciding to investigate later, she rushed to find Ethan. She found him at the back of his cabana, bent over a stack of wood, a drill in his hand. As she took a moment to watch him screw down a deck board, it occurred to her that her warrior was strong and virile, yet the most tender man she’d ever come across.

He reached for another board, his muscles flexing with the movement. Her body stirred to life. Dayum. She had to admit, there was something very sexy about a shirtless guy in a pair of work boots. Unbridled need rose to the surface. He looked good enough to eat. Perhaps that’s exactly what she’d do. A sexy bedroom sound rose from her throat, gaining his attention.

When he glanced up at her, his face lit up. “Hey, babe.” He walked over to her and pulled her in tight, like touching her was the most natural thing in the world. His lips found hers, and he kissed her with intimate recognition.

He inched back and cupped her face with gentle hands. His eyes were so full of want, her knees liquefied. “I thought you had the hydrotherapy room booked this afternoon.”

Her heart pounded in her chest as she explored her desire for him. He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. Lust exploded through her senses and her pussy clenched, needing to feel him inside her.

“I do, but I thought you might like to join me.”

Intrigue registered in his eyes. “Oh, yeah? What do you have in mind?”

“Well, since you’re all hot and sweaty, I thought you could use a nice, long, sensual soak.” She grabbed his shirt and tossed it to him. After he pulled it on, she laced her fingers through his. “It’s time for
me
to take care of
you
.” And for her to give him back everything he’d given her.

A few minutes later, they found themselves alone in the hydrotherapy room. She glanced at the state-of-the-art tub, a tub big enough for two, she mused. On a small metal rack next to the tub, the jars of edible body butter sparked her imagination.

When she turned back to Ethan, his eyes were brimming with lust. Deciding to tease him, Danielle walked over to the tub and bent over it to give him a good view of her ass.

As she set the plug and filled the tub with hot water, she heard a low growl coming from behind her. Before she had a chance to stand up, she felt Ethan lift her sundress and push against her ass cheeks, pinning her body to the cool porcelain. His hands spanned her waist and came around to play with her nipples.

He gathered her breasts into his palms and whispered, “Perfect fit.”

Physically aware of the way he was stimulating her senses, she grew slick with need but struggled to keep her focus. She turned on the powerful jets and filled the tub with sea salts.

Wiggling slightly, hoping to drive him as mad as he was driving her, she glanced at Ethan over her shoulder. “Grab a bottle of aromatherapy oil on the shelf beside you.”

Growling in reluctance, Ethan stepped back and glanced at the small bottles. “What scent?” he asked, his voice ragged, his cock pressing so hard against his jeans, it had to be causing him pain.

Danielle sat on the edge of the tub and watched him move, her pussy clenching and throbbing with desire to feel him between her legs again. “How about lilac?”

He grabbed the bottle and handed it to her. She poured a generous amount into the tub, turned off the running water and inhaled the sensual scent. When she turned back to face Ethan, she came face to face with his crotch.

Yummy!

She reached out and stroked the length of his cock through his jeans. With his body shaking, he fisted her hair and groaned. “Goddamn, girl, I need to fuck you again.”

Danielle unhooked his button and listened to the hiss of his zipper as she lowered it. She pulled down his shorts, allowing his magnificent cock to spill out.

“Mmm,” she moaned, licking her lips. The scent of his arousal called out to her. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, filling her lungs. Leaning forward, she brushed her tongue over his head and watched the way it pulsed in response. “I need to taste you first.”

“Fuck,” he whispered, his hands tightening in her hair.

Reaching beside her, she grabbed the raspberry-flavored body butter. She opened the jar, dipped into it and rubbed the lotion over his cock.

“Holy fuck,” he bit out, his hips jerking forward.

Danielle moaned, working the body butter over his shaft, making him slick and so damn hard, she was sure he was going to rupture an artery. She licked his slit, tasting the heady mixture of raspberry and tangy male cream. “Mmm, delicious,” she whispered. She glanced into his smoldering eyes. “Want a taste?”

“Yeah,” he murmured, and bent his head down to meet hers. When his lips crashed down on hers, she slipped her tongue into his mouth, giving him a sample.

A moment later she pulled back and watched him lick his lips. “That is so fucking sexy, Dani.” Lust raged in his eyes, and she sensed it took considerable effort for him to speak. “You sure know how to work magic with your lotions and scents.”

She grinned and turned her attention back to his cock. She cupped his balls, her mouth taking possession of his shaft, drawing his impressive length in as deep as she possibly could. He began rocking his hips, fucking her mouth. She took her time with him, wanting to pleasure him the same way he’d been pleasuring her over the last few days. Her hands skimmed his sinewy muscles. She enjoyed the feel of his hard, sculpted body and the way his muscles bunched beneath her touch. As she continued to feast on his cock, her nipples hardened, and her pussy lubricated, aching to feel him deep inside her.

“You’re so good at this, Dani, I’m not going to last.” His voice sounded strangled. Fueled by her need to taste him, she picked up the pace, her tongue working over his shaft. She stroked and sucked and discovered all the ways he liked her mouth on his cock. His muscles tightened, his shaft filled with heated blood and she could feel it swell beneath her tongue. Ever determined to taste his juice, Danielle moaned and slipped a finger between his ass cheeks.

Ethan moved urgently against her, plunging his cock in and out of her slick mouth. Her own sex fluttered, and she squirmed against the tub, seeking release.

A rumble of pleasure sounded low in his throat, and he pitched forward. “
Yesss,
” Ethan bit out, his cock pulsing in orgasm. Not wanting to waste a drop, she wrapped her mouth around his engorged tip, letting his seed shoot down her throat. She nuzzled his cock and spent a long time enjoying the taste of his cream.

“Hey,” Ethan said, breaking the quiet between them.

She glanced up at him. He shot her a scalding look before laying his big hands over her shoulders and drawing her to her feet. He pressed his mouth to hers and kissed her deeply. His tongue moved inside to play with hers. “Now it’s my turn to lick your pussy and taste your cream,” he murmured into her mouth.

She lifted her dress for him. “By all means.”

With a grin, he grabbed the hem from her, inched back and pulled the fabric over her head. She listened to the soft rustle of her clothes as he discarded them. He unhooked her bra and tossed it aside, then sank to his knees. The silky sweep of his hair against her skin brought on a shudder. Then a surge of warmth flooded her veins. He pressed his nose into her stomach, trailed kisses over her flesh and ripped her panties from her hips. She gasped with excitement.

One finger brushed between her thighs to stroke her wet pussy. He breathed a kiss over her quivering sex lips, then buried his tongue inside her. That first sweet touch sent her to the moon and back. The heat of his mouth scorched her sensitive flesh. She gave a lusty groan and slackened against him. Strong hands wrapped around her waist and held her stable.

Her fingers gripped the tub as raw desire seared her insides. He pushed one thick finger up inside her, and her body shook all over. A powerful, mind-numbing orgasm suddenly tore through her, taking her completely by surprise.

Her legs shook, and she lost herself in his touch. “Ethan,” she cried out, reaching for him, her hands moving to his shoulders.

“I got you, sweetheart,” he whispered from between her legs, his hands spanning her waist, anchoring her pussy to his mouth.

Once her sex muscles stopped spasming, he gathered her into his arms and stepped into the tub. He pulled her on top of him and turned on the jets. The hot, scented water felt luxurious against her skin.

She straddled his waist and he slipped a hand between her legs. Softly, gently, he stroked and smoothed her swollen pussy. She gave a contented moan and brushed a kiss over his mouth.

“Nice,” she whispered, feeling completely free with him.