“I don’t feel I have to keep you company. I want to—if that’s all right with you? And besides,” she grinned, “I think we’re long overdue for that picking up where we left off scenario, don’t you?”
A wicked grin spread across his face. “When you put it like that… see you up there, pronto!” He made a zooming noise and dashed into the bedroom, leaving Mia to chuckle and shake her head before retreating to the other bedroom and the much-needed shower that nestled within.
Half an hour later, feeling fresher and rejuvenated—she hadn’t realised until she stood beneath the shower spray how tired the extended snorkelling experience had made her—she jogged back up to the cockpit. Unsurprisingly, she found Arjun there, his damp hair gleaming in the sun. Not that his hair would be damp for long, given how hot it still was. He was wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts, and had flip flops on his feet. She’d put on the second bikini Thomas had suggested she bring, which was a striking teal colour, and thrown a long, floaty white summer dress over the top—her skin was due a bit of a break from the sun. She, too, had on flip flops.
“Hey,” she said, sitting beside him on the bench seat, wincing slightly as the heat seeped through the dress and bikini and onto the skin of her bottom. “Feeling better now you’ve cleaned up?”
He nodded. “Oh yes. I knew I wouldn’t be as long in the shower as you, so I sneaked into the kitchen and grabbed us some drinks and snacks.” He indicated a small cool box he’d tucked under one the opposite seat, presumably to keep it out of direct sunlight.
“Sneaked?” She giggled. “You make it sound like you shouldn’t really have been in there! It’s our yacht for the day, right? And I’m assuming we’ve paid for whatever food and drink is on board?”
“Well, yes…” A line appeared between his eyebrows. “But it sounds more exciting if I pretend I raided the kitchen, all right? Like we’re having some kind of forbidden midnight feast.”
Mia glanced up at the clear blue sky, then back at him with a frown. “Midnight? You sure?”
He prodded her lightly in the arm. “All right, all right, stop shooting me down in flames. Ruining my fun. I’m just playing around. Maybe the sun has gone to my head.” He shrugged. “Anyway, sneaky, forbidden, or perfectly acceptable aside—would you like a drink and something to eat?”
“Maybe in a little while. There’s something else I’d like to do first.”
“Oh?”
She maintained eye contact with him, waiting for the penny to drop. When it didn’t—either that or he was acting deliberately obtuse—she allowed a slow smile to spread across her face and lifted her eyebrows suggestively.
“Ohhh, that,” he said, his tone exaggerated and a glint in his eye.
Mia immediately realised he’d been teasing her. To be fair, she probably deserved it for winding him up about the midnight feast. Still smiling, she said, “Well? Are you up for it? Or would you like to take a rain check?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” He slid along the bench seat, closing the space between them, and rested his arm over her shoulders. “I’ve thought of little else since we left the dolphins behind.”
“Really?” she purred, snuggling into him and nuzzling his neck. She was immediately struck by the delicious scent of whatever shower gel he’d used—something light yet exotic and very him. “Mmm, you smell nice.”
He squeezed her shoulders and leaned his chin on the top of her head, then pulled in a breath. “You do, too. Strawberry shampoo. And sunshine. Perfection.” He leaned away from her so he could look into her face. “You really are beautiful, Mia, you know that? Inside and out.”
A warm glow emanated from her belly and seeped to her extremities. “Thank you. So are you.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Men can’t be beautiful!”
Taking in his fit-to-model good looks, she shot back, “I beg to differ. You’re pretty damn beautiful from where I’m sitting.”
“It’s not very masculine, though, is it?”
Mia rolled her eyes. “I never had you down as someone worried about his masculinity.”
“I’m not.”
“So stop complaining and kiss me, then.”
He opened his mouth as if to protest, but then seemingly thought better of it. “All right, I will. Just one more thing?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Go on…”
“I love you.”
The warm glow intensified. At this rate she’d be matching the sun for amount of heat given off. “I love you too, Arjun. Very much.”
“Music to my ears,” he said, then removed his sunglasses and placed them next to the yacht’s control panel.
“Ooh, looks serious.” She indicated the eyewear.
“That’s because it is.” Arjun carefully grasped the arms of her sunglasses, then lifted them away from her face and stowed them beside his own. He reached his hands towards her face again, but this time to cup her cheeks and draw her in for a soft kiss. A kiss which she reciprocated willingly. She tangled one hand in the thick hair at his nape, and rested the other on his chest, beneath which she felt the racing of his heart and the heat of his skin, even through his T-shirt.
Happiness and arousal grew within her in equal measure. She’d had a perfect day so far, and much of it had been down to this man. The time they’d spent together alone, both on the yacht and when they were in the sea—particularly when they’d been with the dolphins—had been fun, yet relaxed, and now she felt closer to him than ever. He’d said just days ago that he was happy with their situation and planned to stick around, but although she’d had absolutely no reason to doubt him, something about today seemed to underline his words, make them more real, more permanent.
Tightening her grip on Arjun’s hair, she tugged slightly, and when he moaned his appreciation, she took the opportunity to slip her tongue into his mouth. He tasted of mint and he quickly darted his tongue to meet hers. She poured her sudden intensity of emotion into their kiss, deepening it further. He responded in kind, and within minutes they were snogging like hormone-ridden teenagers, their hands roaming rapidly and wildly. Led entirely by physical need, Mia quickly straddled him on the seat, then ground against the erection she was most pleased to find there. Whether it was because they’d been interrupted earlier and had had to wait a considerable amount of time before carrying on, she didn’t know, but she was so consumed by lust that all she could think about was having him inside her, and the blistering orgasm that would undoubtedly follow.
Judging by the way he moaned, and frantically explored her mouth and body with his tongue and hands, Arjun felt exactly the same way. She groped around and quickly located the hem of his T-shirt, then dragged it up his body. They broke their kiss just long enough for Mia to whip the garment over his head and drop it to the floor, then carried right on. She swept her hands across his exposed skin, the heat and the feel of his soft skin and hard muscles utterly intoxicating. She groaned deeply into his mouth.
A second later, Arjun was busily searching for the bottom of her dress. On finding it, he echoed the move she’d made with his T-shirt. Only he didn’t stop there. No sooner had he ditched her dress than he was making light work of undoing her bikini top. So much for giving my skin a break from the sun. He snapped the clasp in the centre of her back, then tugged the straps down her shoulders. Mia removed her hands from his body and helped the garment the rest of the way off before clutching his shoulders. The sun, despite being way past its zenith, still beat savagely down on her bare skin. Fortunately, she’d reapplied sunscreen after her shower so didn’t need to worry about burning right now. And besides, being naked—or almost, anyway—in the open air, on the open sea even, was exhilarating.
Arjun’s hot hands were now on her breasts, alternately cupping and squeezing them, then toying with her nipples. She broke their kiss to throw her head back and let out another guttural groan, this one completely unfettered and immediately swept away by the sea breeze which made being in the direct sunlight beara
ble.
His mouth now free, Arjun lowered his head to her breasts and suckled one nipple while continuing to pinch and roll at the other.
Mia moaned again, her pussy clenching with need and growing wetter by the second. “Fuck, Arjun, that’s so good.” She tightened her grip on his shoulders, her nails digging into his flesh. “I’m so… uhh… I want you right now. So bad.”
He hummed around her nipple, but made no other response—he simply continued to pleasure her. Perturbed, and more than a little crazy with lust, she rolled her hips, grinding roughly against his stiff cock.
That seemed to do the trick. Following a swift nip to her bud, he lifted his head and met her gaze, a challenging flash in his eyes. “Like that, is it?”
Before she had a chance to respond, Arjun had set her on her feet and yanked her bikini bottoms down to her ankles. Then, while she stood there, almost paralysed with arousal and wondering what he was going to do next, he stood, took off his flip flops, then removed his shorts and kicked them to one side. There was no underwear beneath them. Mia’s eyes went wide at the sight of his cock, stiff and with a bead of precum appearing at its tip. Juices seeped from her pussy, and she let out a sound that was supposed to be a moan but was more like a squeak.
It didn’t seem to matter to Arjun. Now naked and clearly raring to go, he took a moment to drink in the sight of Mia, wearing nothing but a pair of teal bikini bottoms around her ankles, and her flip flops. With a grin the devil would have been proud of, he swept her up—her footwear tumbling off and slapping onto the deck along the way—and dumped her unceremoniously on the bench seat, his own arousal making him clumsy.
But she didn’t care. Nor did she care about the sweaty stickiness already being generated between her bare skin and the leather surface beneath her. She barely noticed it. She was too focussed on the ache in her groin and wondering exactly what Arjun was going to do about it.
She didn’t have to wonder for long. He quickly climbed up beside her, grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head. Then he shifted so one of his hands held both of her wrists, leaving him with one hand free. As his dark eyes burned into hers, the intensity she saw there told her he was as eager for pleasure, and relief, as she. It made her melt and burn all over again.
He cupped her cheek, then took her mouth in a rough, brief kiss that left her breathless and a little dizzy. As she blinked to try and regain some equilibrium, Arjun removed his hand, then pressed his fingertip lightly against her lips. Then he trailed it at a snail’s pace down her chin, throat, décolletage, between her breasts, over her stomach and eventually into her trimmed dark-blonde bush. If possible, he then went even more slowly, drawing out her agony, before delving between her swollen, slick lower lips and gathering up some of the juices pooling there. With another of those devilish smiles, he brought the sticky finger to his lips and sucked off her juices. Then, seemingly satisfied he’d tormented her enough, he manoeuvred himself between her legs, pointed his thick shaft at her entrance, and slid home.
The long wait for picking up where they’d left off, Arjun’s sudden show of dominance, and his teasing combined into a heady mix which had Mia’s orgasm upon her and ripping through her at a breakneck speed that left her breathless and stunned with disbelief. She convulsed silently beneath him, even as pleasure built up in her all over again as Arjun began to fuck her with a ferocity she knew would have her coming again in no time.
She clung desperately to his biceps, vaguely aware of the illicit thrill of fucking outdoors, completely naked. Not that it mattered—if a cruise ship sailed past right now, there was no way they’d be able to stop. They couldn’t, not even if they tried. They were miles past the point of no return now; pure animalistic lust had taken over as they jerked and thrust and groaned their way to the very edge of bliss.
Mia arched her back, loving the sensation of the bathing rays of the sun on her exposed face and tightly-scrunched eyelids. It was delicious, decadent, and when Arjun bent his head to nip at the delicate skin of her throat, then mutter, “I’m almost there, baby,” it was all she could do to gain control of her brain, mouth, and vocal cords in order to formulate a response.
“Yesss, Arjun. Come for me.”
He scraped his teeth briefly over her throat, then shifted his weight so he could fuck her faster. Apparently realising this meant his movements would no longer stimulate her clit, he grabbed Mia’s hand and thrust it between their bodies. She took the hint and stroked her swollen, slippery bud, gasping as tiny shockwaves began zipping through her. As he pounded her relentlessly, clearly on the home stretch, she pinched and squeezed lightly at her sensitive clit. This time she intended to enjoy her climax, rather than have it arrive and leave again in the blink of an eye, before she had the opportunity to bask in it.
She got her wish. The shockwaves increased in power and frequency, and after a moment of hovering at the edge of that inevitable precipice, she tumbled off it, calling Arjun’s name over and over as pleasure swallowed her whole and she emerged from the other side trembling and satiated. Somewhere in amongst her orgasm, Arjun had hit his own peak, and had collapsed on top of her, panting into her ear and mumbling nonsense.
Finally, she regained enough sense to realise it wasn’t nonsense at all. Her brain kicked into gear and she formulated the response. She stroked his hair tenderly and said, “I love you, too.”
Chapter Ten
A couple of hours later and the fierce heat was finally seeping from the day. The sky had transformed from its stunning, cloudless blue into a melting, yet no less beautiful, mixture of reds, oranges, pinks, and purples. They’d long since upped anchor on the yacht and, according to Arjun, were heading to the pier they’d set off from. At the rate they were going, it’d be almost dark by the time they got back. Arjun didn’t seem concerned, so Mia put it out of her mind and concentrated on enjoying herself.
She was playing cards on the lower deck with the rest of the gang, who’d been both gobsmacked and distraught at missing out when she and Arjun had recounted the story of their dolphin encounter. She was chilled out and content, and her attention wandered from the game, to the scenery floating by as they grew closer to land once more, to the three men, and back again.
Thomas met her eye and said, “So, how’s your day been, Mia? Enjoyed it?”
She nodded. “Yes, yes, a hundred times yes. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday.”
Alex burst out, “It’s not over yet, baby!”
Mia, Thomas and Elias snapped their heads towards him, and Elias hissed, “Shut up, Alex! That was supposed to be a surprise!”
Only mildly abashed, Alex said, “Well, it still is a surprise, isn’t it, because Mia doesn’t know what the it is!”
“I suppose,” Elias replied with a roll of his eyes. “But you’ve ruined the surprise about the surprise, because Mia’s now expecting it. You and your big mouth.”
“Sorry.” Alex did look apologetic now. He lazily scratched at his stubble, which was actually more of a beard now. She wondered how much longer he would last before shaving it off. He’d end up with weird tan lines on his face, too, if he kept it. “I couldn’t help myself. I’m excited, that’s all. Sorry, Mia,” he turned his gaze on her, “I didn’t mean to ruin your surprise about the surprise. Try not to think about it, okay?”
A snort escaped her. “Yeah, like that’s going to happen. Now I know something’s going on, I’ll be trying to work out what it is.”
“And that,” Elias put in wryly, “is why I’ve now learnt to keep surprises a surprise. Saves a shit-ton of pestering and questions along the way.”
“I could’ve told you that,” Thomas said with a slow shake of his head. “We probably ought to put together some kind of document. Hints and tips about how to deal with Mia Harrington. Could save us all a lot of trouble.”
“You’ll all be in a lot of trouble if you don’t be quiet,” Mia piped up, shooting Thomas a dark look.
He chuckled. “Just win
ding you up, sweetheart.”
“You’re always winding me up—all of you. Can’t you lay off it a bit? It’s my birthday. I think I should get some kind of respite.” She stuck out her bottom lip, pretending to sulk.
“All right,” Thomas replied amiably, sitting back in his chair. “Until midnight tonight, I’ll do my best not to wind you up any more. Doubt I can last any longer than that, though.”
“Sounds about right,” she shot back, wiggling her eyebrows to show she was joking.
He grinned. “Touché.”
She gave him a sweet smile, then turned to Elias. “And you? Think you can manage a wind-up-free zone until midnight?”
The dimples appearing in his cheeks, he replied, “For you, my darling wife, I will try my best.”
“Alex?” She fixed him in her gaze.
With an innocent expression, he lifted his hands in a who-knows gesture and said, “Guess so. No promises.”
Mia tutted. “I guess I’m going to have to learn to give as good as I get, aren’t I?”
Now it was Alex’s turn to snort. “You already do!”
Her jaw dropped. “Do I?” She stopped to think, then grinned, pleased with herself. “Oh, yeah, I suppose I do, don’t I? Huh.” She shrugged. “Perhaps it’s because you’re all here at once and all teasing me—I’m feeling outnumbered and outwitted. Well,” she corrected herself, “perhaps not outwitted, but overwitted, if that’s even a word.”
“Since it’s your birthday,” Elias said, “we’ll allow it. Anyway,” he checked his watch, “we should finish this game because the three of us have to go and prepare your half-ruined surprise soon. You’ll have to go and see our illustrious captain again and keep well out of our way until we’re ready for you.”
She smiled. “Our captain is rather illustrious, isn’t he? Or should I just say good? At piloting the boat, I mean. Perhaps I was dubious at first, but I’ve felt perfectly safe ever since. He’s very capable.”