Sea of Love (Love in Bloom: The Bradens, Book 4) Contemporary Romance (4 page)

“God, Lace, you’re beautiful.” In all the months he’d dreamed about seeing Lacy again, he couldn’t have come close to the way his heart seemed to swell within his chest at the sight of her and how his body ached for more as he tasted her sweet flesh.

THE SHOCK OF the brisk air against Lacy’s bare skin sent goose bumps up her arms. Dane wrapped her in his arms, held her against his chest, and kissed her until she could barely think. Months of restrained desire fueled her need to feel his skin against hers. She drew back, nimbly freeing him from the buttons on his shirt. Her fingers traveled over the rough hairs on his chest. She’d waited so long to touch him and knew she should go slowly, but his skin was hot beneath her palms and she couldn’t help herself. She slid her hands down his body and felt the ripples of his rock-hard abs, sending heat between her thighs.

His hands glided down her naked back to the slim line of her thong. Dane pressed her hips against his. Their bare chests came together, every breath rushed and needy. His mouth found hers again, and Lacy’s hands found the button of his pants, then the zipper. His slacks dropped to the sand, and Dane moaned against her mouth. She stroked his hard shaft through his silky boxers.

He took her breast in his mouth, and she gasped at the heat of his mouth on her chilled skin. Her fingers tangled in his hair, urging him harder. His teeth brushed against her nipple, sending her nerves into a heated frenzy. She reached for his boxers, tugging them down as he moved his mouth from her breast to her mouth again, probing her with a force so strong it took on a blaze of its own. They lowered themselves to the sand—missing his jacket altogether.

“Lacy…” he said breathlessly. His eyes were pitch-black as he stared into hers.

Lacy trembled beside him. His hand slid over the crest of her thigh, and Lacy froze when his fingers grazed the scar that covered her upper thigh.

“What’s wrong?”

She didn’t answer. She moved his hand to between her legs, and he stroked her there, allowing the thoughts of the scar to fall away. She opened her legs for him, and as he slipped two fingers inside of her, the hot length of him touched her leg. The sand scratched her back and shoulders as she arched against his hand, reminding her of where they were. Lacy had a momentary worry of being caught naked on the beach. She pulled herself from her reverie long enough to look around.

“What is it? Did I hurt you?” he asked.

“No.”
Why is my voice trembling?
“I just don’t want to be caught…you know.”

Even in the darkness she could see Dane’s adorably sexy smile and realized she didn’t really care if they were caught. She was not going to stop what they’d started.

“We’re pretty deep in the dunes.” He kissed her softly. “And we’re far from the building. I don’t think anyone will see us, but I don’t want to do anything that you’re not comfortable with. Want to go back to the hotel?”

Heck no!
Lacy reined in her desire long enough to settle her voice. “No. It’s okay.”

Dane wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and drew her into another deep kiss, then licked her lower lip as they separated.

“Still nervous?” His voice was warm and comforting.

“A little,” she admitted.

“Lie back,” he said, gently guiding her down to her back. He lay beside her, and they stared up at the stars. In the darkness, he reached for her hand.

Lacy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then blew it out slowly. What was wrong with her? Why on earth was she so nervous? She was with the man she’d been dreaming about for months. She wanted him so badly she couldn’t think straight, and there she was, trembling like a scared child. She tried to clear the wanton thoughts from her mind long enough to form coherent ones and weave her way through her nervousness.

“Remember the afternoon we first met?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

He leaned on one elbow and traced her ribs with his finger. “My whole life I’d been looking down, down into the water when I’m looking for sharks, down at the computer when I’m researching funding sources, and even down when I’m just going through my daily life. Think about it. How often do you really look up?”

Lacy couldn’t remember the last time she’d looked up at the stars.

“The night we met, I looked into the sky and thought about you, and when we started talking on the phone and texting, I found myself looking for the stars. Even on the rainy nights, I was searching for the stars. And somewhere along the way, I realized that I wasn’t really looking at stars, Lace. I was looking for you. And now I wonder if you had been there all the time, just waiting for me.
The Lacy Star
,” he said with a smile.

Lacy snuggled against him. Her head rested in the crook of his arm, her hand on his stomach. The dune grass swished beside them. Dane put his arms around Lacy and held her close. He tilted her chin up and looked into her eyes.

“Lacy, I’d wait for you forever.”

She saw the truth of his words in his serious gaze.

“We don’t have to do anything tonight. We can get dressed and walk some more, or go back to the hotel. Whatever you want. The night is yours. I just want to be with you.”

Could you be any more perfect?
Lacy wanted nothing more than to push through her nerves and be closer to Dane. His tender words tugged at her heart, and his gorgeous body tugged at all the intimate parts of her that she’d been trying to ignore. She gathered her courage and remembered Danica’s words.
Whatever you want to happen will happen
.

She leaned over and kissed him, and when they came apart and he opened his mouth to speak, she settled her mouth over his again, kissing him deeper and leaving no room for misinterpretation. She ran her hand down his muscular stomach until her fingertips touched the tip of his erection. She hesitated for only a second before she wrapped her slender fingers around him, and she couldn’t contain her surprise at his girth now that he was freed from his briefs. Her eyes flew open, and she felt him smile against her lips. She didn’t know what to do, or how to react, so she continued stroking him.

He reached down and touched her hand, stopping her motions.

“Lacy.” He had a serious note to his voice.

Lacy wasn’t sure if it was her nerves that got the best of her, or if she really did find the whole thing funny, but the next thing she knew, she was laughing. When he drew his eyebrows together in question, it only made her laugh more. She released him, and in the next breath, he had flipped her on her back and was staring down at her, a curious grin on his lips.

“You’re not very good for my ego,” he teased.

“I can’t help it.” He had her pinned beneath him, naked. She dropped her eyes to his erection, which cast a shadow along her belly, and she laughed so hard, she had to turn her face away from him.
Ten inches is definitely not an exaggeration
.

He reached down and tickled her ribs. “I’ll give you something to laugh about,” he said, tickling her so hard she curled her legs up and tried to turn onto her side beneath him—but he was too heavy, and his penis knocked against her ribs, sending her into more fits of laughter.

“Get that weapon away from me,” she said between laughs.

“It’s been called a lot of things, but a weapon was never one of them,” he said sternly, but she saw him trying to contain his laughter, which only made her crack up more.

Tears of laughter streamed down her cheeks. She took deep breaths to regain control.

DANE HAD ALWAYS wondered what women
really
thought when they finally saw the size of him. He was usually met with wide eyes and gracious hunger. Lacy’s laughter, he realized, was probably the most honest reaction he’d ever encountered. When he was a younger man, he’d tried to hide his enormity. He had enough brothers to know he was more than well endowed—he had a python in his pants. When he was in college, he’d finally embraced his gift, and it had given him courage and even a cocky air about him, which had roped in many women. But after meeting Lacy, he’d come to loathe his revolving bedroom door. And watching the relationship between his brothers and their girlfriends made him crave more than a good lay.

He started to move to Lacy’s side, and she grabbed his arm.

“Don’t go,” she said. She pulled his hips to hers. “I’m sorry I laughed.” She touched his face and kissed him.

Dane moved his mouth to her neck, then lower, to the center of her breasts. He fondled her nipples between his index fingers and thumbs, until they were taut peaks. He couldn’t get enough of her. He took one nipple in his mouth and dropped his hand, careful to avoid the scar that made her flinch, to the heat between her legs, stroking her gently. Her legs fell open, and he slipped two fingers inside her, teasing her with his thumb, stroking her until her breaths came in tethered pants.

“Dane. I want you inside me,” she said breathlessly.

Dane wanted nothing more than to be inside her, but he loved watching her squirm against her need. He wanted to please her, but he worried that once he was inside her, all those months of wanting her would come rushing forward and he wasn’t sure how long he’d last.

He kissed his way down her belly to the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. Her hands clenched into fists as he worked his fingers in and out of her in slow, smooth movements, then replaced them with his tongue.

She gasped a breath at the first lick. Her hands found his shoulders, and she dug her nails into him as he quickened his pace, slipping a finger inside of her as he felt her muscles tense. Just as she came apart, he climbed on top of her, his testicles against her wetness, his girth against her belly, and he kissed her hard and possessively as she shook and shuddered beneath him, crying out into his mouth.

When her body stopped trembling, he reached for his pants and quickly snagged a condom from his wallet. He ripped it open with his teeth.

“Hurry,” Lacy urged.

He rolled the condom on and looked into her beautiful blue eyes. “Are you sure, Lace?” Dane wanted her so badly he could barely breathe, but he worried about how quickly they’d come together. He didn’t want her to get the impression that sex was all he was after.

“More than sure.”

She opened her legs wider, and he lowered his mouth to hers, entering her slowly, being extra careful not to hurt her. She grabbed his hips and urged him deeper, harder, until his entire length was buried inside her.

Lacy gasped, pinning his heart to hers with the desire in her eyes.

He’d never experienced such intense pleasure, and hadn’t been with many women who could accept all of him. He groaned when her silken flesh touched the base of him, and he took her in a passionate kiss—memorizing the deep curves of her mouth and the sweetness of her lips. Lacy wrapped her arms under his and grasped his shoulders from behind, then pressed her body in to his as they moved in perfect rhythm. She licked his neck, sending flames through his veins. When she locked her legs around his hips, he was sure he’d go over the edge. He drove deeper, harder, faster into her, sucking in a breath with each thrust, biting back the urge to come.

Their bodies were slick with sweat despite the cool air. Rough grains of sand dug into his knees and stung his toes, but he didn’t care. The taste of Lacy’s salty skin and the sweet, sensual smell of her infiltrated his senses. All hopes of being gentle and taking it slow were cast aside as she bucked beneath him, her insides pulsating around him, drawing the come right out of him. He quickened his thrusts, meeting her peak with his own earth-shattering release. He pumped harder, driving into her again and again, until his muscles twitched and clenched, every ounce of his energy drained, and he and Lacy both lay spent, panting with pleasure. Then he kissed her again, long, slow, and tender.

As he rolled off of her soft and supple body, he thought again of why he hadn’t gone to see her for all those months. He knew now that he’d been right to worry that once he was with Lacy he’d never be able to turn away. Like Treat had done for Max, he’d do whatever it took to be with Lacy.

A BREEZE WHISPERED across Lacy’s bare breasts. Every nerve tingled, and her fatigued muscles were unable to respond to the chill on her skin. From where she lay next to Dane in their hidden nest on the dune, she saw a halo around the moon. In her mind, words danced in quick succession—
Wow. Amazing. So damn hot.
The feel of Dane moving closer beside her—their arms touching, his thigh flush with hers—sent a chill through her.

“Lace,” Dane whispered.

“Yeah?”
God, I love your voice
.

“I didn’t plan for that to happen.”

The sincerity in his voice tugged at her heart. She turned her head, his features slowly coming into focus against the darkness. “I know.”

He touched her thigh with his hand, and she froze.

“You don’t need to flinch when I touch you.” He squeezed his warm palm against her scarred thigh.

Lacy almost never thought about her scar—or the incident that had caused it. The
incident
, that’s what she and her sisters called it. She’d been only seven when the shark had grazed her leg. She closed her eyes and willed the thoughts away as she’d done so many times before. Usually, men who happened to notice her scar and ask about it were eager for a quick answer and a change of subject. Dane wanted more. He wanted to know the truth, but she wasn’t ready to share it with him. She took his hand in hers, raising it off of the patchy, rough skin that covered the upper part of her right thigh. She’d told him that she thought she might be afraid of sharks, but she hadn’t shared why, and as he touched her thigh, the admission hung on her tongue, but fear swallowed it down. She wanted a relationship with Dane, and if she could keep her fear at bay, she just might have a chance.

He came up on one elbow and kissed her softly. Lacy closed her eyes as he touched her cheek with one hand and released her hand with the other, resting it on her scar once again.

“Dane.” Her heartbeat quickened. She reached for his wrist, but he held firm.

“Shh. You’re beautiful,” he whispered. Then he kissed his way down her side to her thigh. He ran his finger along the long, thin grooves that marred her thigh. Slowly, he followed each pattern, which swam fast and deep in some places and rode the surface in others.

As he traced the deeper grooves, Lacy closed her eyes, losing sensation for a few seconds as Dane’s fingers traveled the paths she’d worked so hard to forget. When his warm lips touched her thigh, she held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut, disappearing into the quiet, dark place she’d learned to escape when the memories came rushing back. She concentrated on the sounds of the waves, the salty sea air, anything but the feel of Dane touching, exploring, and caressing her scar.

“Wanna tell me about it?” he asked. Moving away from her scar, he laid his head on her belly.

“I’m getting a little cold,” she lied, warmed by the heat of his body against her. He lifted his head and returned her gaze. Lacy held her breath again, expecting him to push her for answers—answers she didn’t want to think about. She was too happy. She’d waited months to be with Dane, and as she looked into his eyes, silently hoping he’d let it go, she didn’t know how she’d make it through a day, a week, or a year without seeing him again.

He pulled her close and rubbed his hand thoughtfully along her back. “Let’s get you back inside.”

She let out a relieved sigh and reached for her dress. Dane stopped her from pulling it over her head and first gently brushed the sand from her legs, her butt, and her back. He ran his fingers through her hair, shaking free the sand crystals, and warmed the back of her neck with tender kisses. Then he took her dress and slipped it over her head.

“Here,” he said, placing his jacket around her shoulders. Then he stepped into his pants and put on his shirt, leaving the top buttons open, his curly dark chest hair peeking out.

He’s too handsome. Too kind
. He must have some fault she was missing.

He held out his hand. “Shall we?”

They walked through the cool sand toward the lights of the inn. Worries sailed through Lacy’s mind: What now? Would he act like nothing had happened when they were with his family? Should she?

As if he’d read her mind, he asked, “Will you still be my date tomorrow?”

When he smiled, Lacy’s pulse ratcheted up a notch again. “Are you sure?”

Dane stopped walking and touched her cheek. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my whole life.”

He stepped closer, and the memory of his kiss brought a smile to her lips.

“Lace, I’m happier than I have been in a very long time,” Dane said.

OhGodohGodohGod!
“Me too.”
Me too? What the hell is wrong with me?

“Then, it’s a date.”

They stopped to retrieve their shoes. Dane slipped his fingers into the straps of her heels, then picked up his dress shoes and carried them in one hand, never letting go of her hand with the other.

Once inside, the lights of the inn were too bright, the hardwood floors smooth beneath her bare feet. Lacy held tight to Dane’s hand, not wanting the night to end. The middle-aged woman behind the counter smiled as they passed, and Lacy wondered if she could tell what they’d just done. She reached up to touch her hair, startled when she felt the mass of frizz that her corkscrew curls had morphed into.
What was I thinking?
She cringed at the thought of what she must look like. They took the stairs up to the second floor, passing a mirror that hung on the wall. She turned away, embarrassed, and made a mental note to be sure she looked great tomorrow.

Standing before the door to her room, she felt her nerves tighten again. Should she invite him in? Would he want to come in? She dug through her purse for her room key.

“I had a really nice time tonight,” Dane said.

Lacy bit the inside of her mouth, afraid to lift her eyes and meet his. She wanted to kiss him again so badly that she didn’t trust herself. “Mm-hmm.”

“You’re meeting your sisters in the morning, right?”

She’d already forgotten. She grabbed her key card and fumbled with inserting it into the slot. “Yeah.”

He nodded, and Lacy saw a question in the narrowing of his eyes and the nod of his head. He took the key card from her hand and unlocked the door.

“After you meet Danica and Kaylie, since we don’t have to meet everyone until around four o’clock, maybe we can go for a sail,” Dane suggested.

“On the boat you’re staying on?” Dane had borrowed one of Treat’s sailboats to live on while he was on the Cape. He’d lived on boats for so many years, he’d told Lacy that he missed the feel of the water beneath him when he was on dry land.

“No. That one is in Chatham already. He has two other beauties. I’m staying at the inn tonight.”

Here? Please don’t go
.

Dane pushed open the door and stepped closer to Lacy.

“I want nothing more than to come inside and hold you in my arms until we both fall asleep, but I’m worried I’ll smother you,” he said.

She reached for his waist. “Smother me, please.”