He follows the material across my chest and up and over my other breast. All the while, I keep my eyes squeezed shut. It feels like a game that will end as soon as I open my eyes.
He drops down to press a kiss to my navel and I immediately inhale sharply, shocked by the feel of his lips on my bare skin. He continues south, his fingers working over my body as his lips follow an invisible line down the center of my abdomen.
He tugs down the top of my bikini bottom and his lips touch my hip bone. A soft moan escapes my lips and his hands dig into my skin.
We aren’t alone on this beach. Yards away, I know other guests from the hotel are out and about. If they walked over in our direction, they’d find us, and that’s likely why Noah doesn’t continue his dangerous pursuit. He emits an impatient groan and then rises up off the chair, taking me with him. I blink my eyes open as he starts dragging me into the water. We splash in the waves and cool off, keeping a few feet of distance between us, hoping to ensure we don’t lose ourselves again. I know there’s no rush, but at the same time, I’m impatient. I’ve wondered for so long what it would feel like to endure a full pursuit from Noah Martin, and having him touch me on that beach chair is conjuring up all sorts of wicked ideas in my head.
Once my fingers have turned into prunes and I’ve successfully cooled off, I walk back onto the beach and flop down on my stomach on my beach chair, grateful for the umbrella that blocks me from the sun. I don’t mean to fall asleep there, but with the warm blanket of heat surrounding me, it’s impossible to stay awake.
I wake up sometime later, slightly disoriented, and turn to glance over my shoulder. Noah is lying on the chair beside me, his eyes closed. A paperback lies face down on his chest, like he rested it there for a moment before falling asleep. I smile and push up to stand, lifting the book from his chest to drop it on the table beside the remnants of our lunch. Instead of waking him, I lie down beside him in the chair, looping a leg over his and tossing an arm across his torso. He stirs enough to shift over and give me a little more room, and then his hand reaches up to grip my arm, as if insisting I stay with him. We fall back asleep together, warm and happy.
I’d forgotten about the couples massage Noah set up until an attendant walks out onto the beach later that afternoon, apologetic about disturbing us. Apparently, while we’ve been out here lounging, they let themselves into our villa to set up for our four PM appointment.
“If you’ll follow me inside, we can get started.”
Inside the living room, they’ve rearranged some of the furniture so that two massage tables now sit side by side in the center. They’ve lit candles and turned on a soothing playlist of songs that must come pre-loaded on every spa CD across the world.
There’s a man and a woman, one masseuse for each of us.
They introduce themselves as Javier and Gabriella and instruct us in polite masseuse speech to strip down to what we feel comfortable in then lie down under the sheet. They exit the villa to give us privacy, and then Noah and I turn toward one another.
“What do you think they expect?”
Noah tilts his chin toward my room. “If he’s your masseuse, you should probably go put on a couple more layers over your bikini.”
“Ha ha. Be serious. Should I just leave my bottoms on?”
He stares down at said material then wipes a hand down his face. “Why did I plan this massage? It’s going to be complete torture.”
I grin. “It doesn’t have to be. Now turn around so I can undress.”
His dark brows arch with intrigue. “I’d rather not.”
I roll my eyes and turn my back to him, glancing at him over my shoulder as I reach up to untie the bikini strings around my neck. As promised, he doesn’t turn around. He watches with rapt attention as I continue to untie the strings around my back.
The material falls away and I immediately replace it with my hands, covering myself as best as possible.
Unfortunately, there’s no way for me to lift the sheet and climb under with my hands where they are.
“Help me?” I plead.
He smiles and shakes his head.
I narrow my eyes, suddenly wanting to push him the way he’s pushing me. On a wild whim, I drop my hands and turn confidently to lift the sheet off the table. Sure, I’m blushing, but I doubt he’s noticing that.
I don’t look at him as I climb up and tug the sheet higher to cover myself. Only when my chest is concealed underneath the soft white linen do I tilt my head and take him in.
He looks absolutely drugged, standing there watching me. There’s an obvious bulge in his swim trunks that I’m mighty proud of.
“Your turn.”
He laughs and shakes his head, turning to disappear into his room. When he returns a moment later, he’s wearing boxer briefs instead of his swim trunks. The rest of him is beautifully tan and toned. I don’t hide my obvious perusal of him as he walks toward me.
He’s supposed to climb up onto his own table now.
Javier and Gabriella will be coming back inside at any moment, but instead of complying with their request, he rounds my table and comes to stand directly beside me. He stares down at me for a moment as I take him in, then he leans over and plants a kiss on my lips, letting his hands drift down to the sheet covering my breasts. He feels me through the material as our kiss deepens. I arch up, filling his hand, wanting him to feel more of me, and he obliges happily. His hands move up and then gently tug the sheet down inch by slow inch so that cool air covers my chest, making me shiver. His palms warm me up, though, teasing me until I’m a squirming mess on that table, antsy for more. His tongue touches mine and I reach up to grip his neck and keep him leaning over me. I love the way his hands feel on me. I love how sexy I feel, how much he’s responding to me right now.
I have no doubt we’d continue this game if there were no knock on that door.
“Are you both ready?” Gabriella asks from the other side.
I reluctantly break our kiss, sending a private smile up to Noah as he forces himself to straighten. I don’t immediately cover myself, so for a moment, I’m lying topless on that table underneath him.
He looks down at me and then reaches out quickly, tracing my breast as if he just can’t help himself.
The villa’s doorknob jiggles and I swat his hand away so I can quickly yank the sheet back up to my neck.
He laughs and reluctantly moves back to his table like a good boy, lying down and covering himself.
“Torture,” he says, right before Gabriella and Javier walk back inside.
Eight
Noah was right.
A couples massage is basically the equivalent of an hour-long foreplay session where you’re left wondering just how much touch the human body can endure without splintering into a million pieces.
I try not to look at Noah while Javier works his hands over my legs. The massage oil is not helping matters either.
I turn my head and keep my attention on the opposite wall. But then, Javier forces me to change positions, and I have no choice but to look at Noah—or more importantly, look at Gabriella touching Noah.
His eyes are closed as he lies on his back. She moves her hands down his arms, digging the heels of her palms into his muscles. No doubt he’s enjoying this after his workout earlier.