Sea of Love: A Bayberry Island Novel

He shook his head, his smile becoming more sweet than seductive. “I want us to make love tonight. Just take our time to explore each other. I want . . .” Ash cut himself off, closed his eyes briefly, and reopened them. “Rowan, the last thing I want to do is freak you out, but I hope this is the start of something incredible for us. I want to take care of you tonight, show you how it feels when a man absolutely adores you, desires you so badly there aren’t words for it. I want you to melt.”

  Since no man had ever said anything like that to her before, she had no idea how to respond. Rowan tried to smile but felt hot tears begin to well in her eyes, which she struggled to keep at bay. In lieu of speaking, Rowan leaned down and kissed him, hoping she would be able to convey how his words touched her. She pressed her fingertips just under his chin as her lips roamed all over his. When she gently opened his mouth with her tongue and bit down on his bottom lip, he moaned with delight. Rowan’s goal was to hear that sound from him many, many times tonight.

  Her kiss went on. She tasted him and tested him, curious how he would react to every little thing she did. Would he let her decide the pace? Could he relax and receive? What seemed to send him over the edge? As Rowan toyed with him, she slid her fingers up into his loose curls, marveling at how intimate it felt to hold his head in her hands. There was no doubt about it—she was falling in love with Ash. With this kiss, she felt it pour out of her and into him. She couldn’t help it. It was too late to change the course of her emotions. Even if she wanted to, it would be too late to talk herself out of loving him.

  He slowly broke the kiss. With his gaze locked on hers, Ash reached up and untied the halter of her dress, holding the straps in his hands to control how much of her flesh was exposed and how quickly. Rowan saw how he looked at her. He had such reverence in his expression, and his intensity pierced her heart.

  She knew he was falling, too.

  Ash eased the straps down, over the tops of her breasts, over her aching nipples, finally allowing the halter to fall to her waist.

  “Oh my God,” he whispered. “So beautiful. You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  Slowly and carefully, as if he wanted to savor the sensation, Ash dragged a single fingertip down the slope of her breast. He then cupped each one in a palm, a look of awe in his eyes. Ash lowered his head, kissing the tops of her breasts, the sides, then, one by one, her incredibly sensitive nipples. A shiver of pleasure coursed through her.

  “You like that, don’t you? I can tell.”

  She nodded, tipping her head back. It felt as if she were beginning to float, as if the bliss had set her free.

  For many more minutes, Ash gave his complete attention to Rowan’s breasts. She glanced down to observe how her flesh had become a playground for his fingers, hands, lips, tongue, and teeth. He hummed as he sucked her nipples, the vibration nearly causing Rowan to jump from the bed. The deep rumble of his chuckle only intensified the teasing.

  “I want to play with you a lot, Rowan. Would that be all right?” Ash asked this as he drew closer, but he gave her no time to answer. He kissed her lips again as he unzipped the back of her dress. As if on cue, a warm breeze slipped through the bedroom window and skimmed along the length of her spine. Oh, it felt so decadent.

  Slowly, painfully slowly, Ash pulled the dress down to her hips. His hands splayed out over Rowan’s belly, and he held them there. Rowan was puzzled. He seemed frozen. Was he changing his mind?

  Ash leaned into Rowan without warning, and she had to clasp her hands around his neck for balance. He gave her no time to recover, taking her mouth with his. Though Rowan knew from experience that he was still holding back, this kiss was far more intense than the last. It was deep and delicious, and the beauty of it left her too weak to hold on. Her fingers slipped. She fell back onto the bed, and Ash followed, continuing to slide his hot mouth all over hers, his hands all over her stomach.

  “I want you so much, sweetheart. Rowan, I have to have you.” Ash left a string of kisses across her cheeks, chin, and forehead, then down her throat, between her breasts, down the center of her body. She felt her belly ripple with anticipation.

  Eventually the kisses ceased, and Ash let his palms slide down inside the loosened dress. The instant she felt his fingers slip into her panties, Rowan arched her back from the shock of it, from the need that rocked her.

  She knew how wet he would find her, and she knew the begging Ash had envisioned wasn’t far off.

  In a single motion, Ash rose to his feet and took the dress and panties with him, tossing her clothes aside. Rowan peeked under her lashes to see his beautifully masculine face shadowed by seriousness, that sensual mouth set in determination. She could only imagine how she appeared to him, stretched out on top of the comforter, bare, breathing hard. She probably looked like the desperate wanton she was.

  “Please.” Her voice came out as a raspy, impatient plea from a greedy woman. “Take off your clothes for me. I need to see you.”

  Ash seemed to enjoy her request and began to unbutton the front of his shirt. He took his sweet time, and Rowan felt he was teasing her. Eventually, he pulled the shirttail up and out of his leather belt, leaving the shirt hanging open, hands loose at his sides.

  The vision left her breathless. His chest was hard and defined, with small pale nipples surrounded by blond down. Toward the top of his chest the hair was light in color, but it darkened and became streamlined as it continued into the waistband of his pants. Even with the movement caused by his breathing, the muscles of his abdomen rippled.

  She couldn’t help it. She licked her lips and made a helpless little mewling sound.

  Ash seemed to like that, and he smiled as he brought his hands to the fly of his khakis. With a determined slowness that tortured her, Ash unbuckled the belt and let it hang open. He brought his fingers to the top button of his pants, twisted it free, then reached for his zipper.

  That’s when Rowan lost her patience. She started to sit up. She needed to touch his chest and stomach, needed that so much she was sure she’d die if he stopped her. She also wanted to do the honors with the zipper. Maybe she would use her teeth.

  “No, baby.” He grinned, gently pressing her shoulders to the bed. “What I need for you to do is stay on your back and let me open your legs. That’s all I need you to do. Can you do that for me?”

  She nodded.

  “I promise it will be worth it, sweetheart.”

  Ash dropped to his knees once more. When Rowan felt his fingers on her legs, knees, and haunches, she shivered. When his hot breath hit the back of her knee, she gasped. When she felt his breath brush up the inside of one thigh, she groaned.

  And when he delivered a long and languid lick along the seam of her sex, she cried out. “Oh my God!”

  Rowan hadn’t experienced anything like this in so very long. Too long. So long that she didn’t remember what it felt like.

  Ash put his entire mouth over her sex, cupped her bottom in his hands, and raised her up so he could feast on her. It went on and on, licking, sucking, nibbling . . . Rowan got so wet she feared Ash’s mouth couldn’t contain it, and she felt a warm rivulet of her passion slip through his lips and hands and run down her bottom.

  “Oh my God. Please. Please. It’s too much, too good . . . oh please.”

  Somewhere in the back of her mind she was aware that the out-of-her-head crazy-woman voice she heard babbling in the background was her own. She planned to stop the nonsensical mumbling as soon as possible. “Oh God. Ash. Please. This is so good. Please. Please.”

  It was too intense, too wonderful. Her legs began to shake. Rowan let out a long and deep moan.

  There was no turning back. The heat and pressure had built so furiously that it felt as if all the pleasure in the universe just converged like a laser beam, striking the most tender part of her being.

  She was going to come. The night had hardly even started and she was about to explode.

  “Not yet, sweetheart.”
r />   Ash took his mouth from her. He released her and lowered her bottom to the mattress. She would have complained but was unable to form words.

  “Rowan.”

  She opened her eyes and saw Ash standing again, staring down at her with dark intensity. He unzipped his pants. She watched him hook his thumbs in his boxer briefs and yank everything down at once. Suddenly, the most beautiful man she’d ever seen stood completely naked before her. He was big and hard and he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

  At that moment, there were only three words in the English language that would be of any use to her. So she said them.

  “Take me. Please.”

  Ash bent over, carefully spread her legs wider as he pushed them back, and lowered his big body onto her. It was shocking how hot and hard he felt and how open and desperate she was for him.

  He kissed her. Ash took her with his mouth, prying her open and letting her know how it was going to unfold. She was his. He was opening her, everywhere, and taking what was his.

  He entered her body with precision. He moved slowly, unwavering in his goal of claiming what was his. Rowan reveled in the effortlessness of what was unfolding between them. It was a simple equation, the most loving and perfect moment Rowan had ever experienced. She threw her arms around him and held him tight as he unlocked her, body and soul.

  The rest of the night was a timeless blur. They made love off and on until morning, stopping only for water, bathroom breaks, and at one point, they raided the freezer for butter pecan ice cream that they ate in bed, naked, with one spoon, straight from the carton.

  She learned so much about Ash. She saw that he could be lighthearted even in the throes of passion. She figured out what made him lose control. She learned how much he liked her to grip him tight at the base of his cock while she gently sucked him. And she discovered that Ash had never preferred one sexual position over another, though he did reserve the right to change his mind in the future.

  When the night was over and it was almost time for her to get to the Safe Haven kitchen, Rowan understood something about Ash that surprised her. He needed physical affection, and he wasn’t afraid to let her know that. He responded so earnestly to her touch and was determined to give as much as he received.

  Hands down, it had been the best night of her life. Ash had delivered on his promise—Rowan now knew how it felt to have a man absolutely adore her.

  * * *

  Ash turned off the shower and grabbed a towel from the rack, holding it open for Rowan. She turned away so that her back was to him, and he pulled her in tight, giving her skin a quick rubdown. “I wish you didn’t have to go.”

  “Me too. But unless you want Mellie marching in here while you’re naked, you’d better let me get to the kitchen.”

  Ash sighed, wrapping the towel tight, then hugging Rowan in his arms. “You’re probably exhausted, sweetheart.”

  She leaned the back of her wet head onto his chest and giggled. “I’m exhausted—but happy.”

  “Happily exhausted.”

  “Exactly. How about you?” She peeked over her shoulder and smiled, pushing up the apples of her cute, freckled cheeks.

  Ash wasn’t lying when he told Rowan her smile made him forget his own name. But it was what it made him remember that was the real story. When Rowan smiled, Ash remembered that he was still alive, that happiness could survive sorrow, and that joy might be right in front of him.

  “I’m doing pretty good for a man who got about ten minutes of sleep, but I don’t have a bed-and-breakfast to run, either. I’m a man of leisure, you know.”

  “Must be nice.” She tried to wriggle free of his grasp. “I really do need to get dressed.”

  “I can’t convince you to come back to bed with me?”

  Rowan laughed out loud. “Don’t torture me like that. I’d love to spend the whole day in bed with you, but it’s Tuesday, which means I’ve got to make a crap-ton of crepes before seven.”

  “Hmm.” He kissed her wet hair. “Is that a Flynn family recipe?”

  She laughed again and tried once more to escape his clutches, but he didn’t want to let her go. One image after another flashed through his mind of the night they’d just spent together, followed by a rush of remembered sensation. Never in his life had he felt so much love in a woman’s touch, so much welcome in her arms. She was a wonder, this Rowan Flynn, and he knew it couldn’t be random luck that he’d found her. Ash chuckled into her wet hair, wondering if he had a magical fountain to thank for his incredible good fortune.

  He hadn’t meant to be pushy, but Ash found himself pressed up against Rowan’s backside. He could tell by the way she stiffened that she felt his arousal.

  “That’s not helping at all, Mr. Wallace.”

  Ash lowered his lips to the nape of her neck and drew aside a clump of wet hair so he could kiss her there. She smelled like breezy body wash and warm Rowan. “You know, that’s a great idea. I could help out in the dining room this morning. I’ve never worn an apron before, but I bet I’d look hot in one.”

  “I’m sure you would.” Suddenly, Rowan escaped his embrace, and Ash was left holding the damp towel in his hands. She turned to face him, naked, her skin pink from the hot shower. One of the things he’d already come to love about Rowan’s body was the pattern of freckles splashed across her chest and arms. He couldn’t help but think of that cute and stubborn little girl in the photo on her fireplace mantel. She’d grown into a gorgeous and special woman.

  Rowan took advantage of his preoccupation and swiped the towel from his grasp. “I know I have a lot of freckles. I hate them.” She bent forward and wrapped the towel around her hair, twisted it into place the way women did, and straightened up.

  Ash was puzzled. “You hate your freckles? Seriously? I love them!”

  “Thank you, but I really have to go.” She got on her tiptoes to kiss him. While she was there, she smacked his butt, hard, then jumped out of the shower before he could retaliate.

  Ash laughed. “So that’s how you want to do this?” Still naked and wet, he followed at her heels, running across the hall into the bedroom. He grabbed her from behind, picked her up, and flipped her over his shoulder.

  Rowan began pounding his back with her balled-up fists, laughing hard. “Put me down!”

  “Whatever do you mean?” He pinched her cute little ass. “I’m simply taking you to find some clothes to wear to work. I am being nothing but a help to you. Should we check in here? See anything you like?” He swung around so fast that her feet pulled down several hangers from the closet rod.

  “Ash! Please!”

  “How about your dresser?” Ash riffled around in the top drawer and pulled out a lacy pink bra, then slipped his free arm through the strap. “Does this make me look flat-chested?”

  “It makes you look like a six-foot-three dude with a bra hanging off his arm.” She continued her drumming on his back. “I gotta get ready for work!”

  Ash tried his best not to laugh, but Rowan was so much fun to play with! He couldn’t remember the last time he’d allowed himself to prance around like a complete ass the way he was doing at that moment. Maybe that was because he never had. “Well, since you can’t seem to choose what to wear today, how about we go into the kitchen so I can make you some coffee? Maybe that will help you think clearly.”

  He’d just made it through the bedroom door when he felt Rowan’s hands go still. Before Ash could figure out what she was up to, the tickling started.

  “Stop!”

  “Are you ticklish?”

  “No!”

  “Oh, that is such a lie!”

  She was right. Ash was exceptionally ticklish and knew he wouldn’t be able to withstand much more of this torture, especially since she’d found his two weakest spots—under his arms and along his sides. He staggered into the living room and veered off balance toward the top of the stairs. “Come on now! Not fair!”

  “Then put me down!”

  “Never!
”

  “Rowan? Are you up there?”

  Ash froze. Rowan’s tickling stopped. Both didn’t dare breathe. As if coming out of a daze, he realized he had a gorgeous naked woman slung over his shoulder, her ass about an inch from his face.

  Rowan whispered harshly in his ear, “I told you! Oh my God—we’re both naked. Hurry!”

  Ash released Rowan and set her on her feet. She stood in front of him. In one smooth movement, Rowan turned to face the steps, whipped the towel from her head, and slapped Ash across the face with it in her rush. Maybe he deserved that. Just as Rowan opened the towel and pulled it taut in front of her, the carriage house door opened.

  Imelda flipped on the stairwell light and narrowed her gaze at the two of them. But her eyes went huge when she realized the state of their undress.

  “I’m on my way,” Rowan said.

  Mellie shook her head silently and left, gently closing the door behind her.

  Rowan spun around to face Ash, and she was pissed.

  Before a word could escape her mouth, he kissed her, then asked, “Has anyone ever told you that you’re exceptionally beautiful when you’re angry?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Get dressed.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes. You.” Rowan snapped the bath towel against his bare butt as she walked by, and this time the attack was intentional. “You’ve got a crap-ton of crepes to make this morning, Mr. Wallace.”

  * * *

  Clancy grabbed what appeared to be a banana-nut muffin straight off the baking sheet, headed toward the coffeepot, and decided to give himself a moment before he even greeted anyone.

  It had been a long night. He’d had to drag four drunk, underage teenagers from the clambake, arrest a man for trespassing out at the marina, issue citations for a multitude of illegal beach bonfires, and deal with the usual marijuana possession, public intox, lewd behavior, and indecency complaints. Clancy took a sip of the good and strong coffee he knew he’d find here in his childhood kitchen and stared out the window. He decided that while he waited for the caffeine to kick in, he’d give himself a few minutes to do nothing but watch dawn break over the sea.