That got another sweet squeal of delight. “Amazing!”
“So are you,” he said gruffly, reaching up to pull her down against him, then eased her on her side so they were lined up on the sun bed.
For a few minutes, they stayed very still, looking at each other in the dim light, the steady drumbeat of the rain matching the one in his chest as he let himself be transfixed by her.
A breeze fluttered the netting, making her shudder.
“Are you cold?”
She shook her head. “I’m scared.”
“Of what? I promise, I swear...” He lifted one hand as if to show her how safe he was. “We can lie hear and listen to the rain. I promise, I’m good.”
She closed her eyes as if the words physically affected her. “Yes, you are. You’re so...” She searched for a word, clearly frustrated. “You’re not going to like this.”
He lifted a little from the headrest, concerned. “Tell me anyway.”
“You’re not naughty.”
He snorted softly. “Stupid word, but tell that to the rest of the world. Anyway, I earned it.”
“Well, you’re not anymore. Not with me. Not now. Not most of the time. You’re...nice.”
That made him laugh. “First time I’ve ever been called that. But I guess you bring out the nice in me.” Which was weird. “I don’t know why or how.”
She smiled. “It’s okay to be nice. And it’s okay to be...” She rolled a little closer, snuggling into him and looking up. “A little not nice, too.”
He took the cue and kissed her, slow and soft and, oh, hell, not nice. He plunged his tongue and curled it around hers, coaxing a moan from her throat.
“Nice and deep,” he whispered between breaths.
She melted into him. “Very nice.”
He stroked her side, lightly brushing her breast with his thumb. “Nice and tender.” He barely touched her but felt her harden under his thumb.
Dipping his head, he suckled her jaw and throat, kissing his way to her earlobe, licking it. “Nice and wet.”
“Ohhh.” Her sigh was pure pleasure, the sound and feel of it on his cheek making his whole body tense.
He flicked his tongue all the way down her throat and over her breastbone, suckling her skin for a taste. He filled his hands with her curves, dragging them over her hips to carefully gather her skirt, inching it up so he could touch her skin.
When his hand pressed her taut thigh, she eased her body back on top of his, as if neither one of them could resist the temptation to press against each other.
“Nice and...” He slid his hand higher and higher, their hips rolling in rhythm as he reached the dip where her cheek met her thigh. “Sweet.”
“Mmm. Nate...”
He stilled his hand. “Too nice for you?”
She looked up at him, chaos in her eyes. “I’m dying here.”
He curled his hand around her bare behind, finding the silky string of a thong, tracing the line of it right...between...her...legs. She was soft and slippery, making him hard and hot.
“Too nice,” she whispered. “So nice. Oh my God, Nate, don’t stop.”
He wouldn’t. Turning her for a better position, he looked at her all mussed from his hands, her lips pink from his kisses. Her eyes lost all their blue-green to the dark, dark promise of arousal. “Let me, Liza. Let me show you how nice I can be. Let me...”
She nodded, her breath coming so hard and fast now, she couldn’t talk. He wanted to see what pleasure did to her. He wanted to give her everything and take nothing. He didn’t stop to analyze that but caressed her and kissed her with all the tenderness and passion he had.
She let out a tiny cry, jerking once into his hand, then biting her lip as she looked at him.
“Come on, Wonder Woman,” he urged. The rain drummed harder overhead, loud enough to drown out her sweet moans of gratification, strong enough to wrap them in a cocoon of water and silk and secret, stolen kisses.
“Nate...” She shuddered again, gripping his arms, digging her fingers into his muscles as he slid his finger all the way into her, stroking the wet, warm skin, finally teasing an orgasm from her quivering, out-of-control body.
It took a minute for her to catch her breath and release her grip, long enough for him to quell his own arousal because he knew—he just knew—they weren’t going any further.
“Okay,” she finally whispered. “I’ll do it.”
Or maybe they were going further? “You will?” He couldn’t stop the smile. “I’d have been willing to wait, but...”
“I’ll work for you.”
He blinked, surprise and disappointment colliding. Then he laughed, rocking into her so she could feel how hard that disappointment was. “Probably a good time to make your salary demands, too.”
“I only have one demand.”
At her serious tone, his smile evaporated. “Yeah?”
“Well, two. Dylan can be in the children’s program at the resort.”
“Done. Easy. What else?”
“We can’t...I can’t...” She closed her eyes. “This sounds really selfish considering the pleasure you just gave me, but I’m not ready for...everything.”
He didn’t answer right away, waiting to hear if there would be a time limit on that one. There wasn’t.
“Ever?” He wanted to show restraint, and had, but if they worked together, that might be impossible.
She sighed and cupped her hand on his jaw. “I need some time to forget some things.”
“Things in your past?”
“No, yours.”
He frowned, then figured out what she meant. “Carrie?”
“I can’t fall into bed with a guy she...” She shook her head. “I have to know you for you, not the man she made up in that journal, not the guy in the media, and not what I thought you were. Who you really are. And then...”
So he had one more person to prove his worth to. “I like that plan. Start Monday. The sooner you know me, the sooner we’ll finish what we just started.”
She smiled, kissing him and wrapping her arms around his neck. “Will do, boss. Now hold me and tell me something I don’t know about you.”
He cuddled her closer, smoothing her dress and adjusting himself to let the desire abate. “Something you don’t know about me. Let me think.”
“And it can’t be anything that I’d read in the paper. A secret.”