Page 22 (2/2)

Chapter 16

If at first you don’t succeed,

have chocolate and try again

Much later that night, Grace was lying in the bed of the guesthouse The sheets were soft, and she could tell they’d been washed in the saot hard at the scent When she found herself pressing her face to theot out of bed and strode to the s

The night was hot Muggy The lights in the big house had been off when she’d gotten back froone to a friend’s house to sleep for the night She had no idea where Josh was; either he was out or he was sleeping

Anna could be anywhere

Just in front of her, the pool glea Grace stripped out of her cao cool off, and rabbed the bottle of wine Lucille had given her the other day She found a corkscrew in the kitchen but couldn’t locate a wineglass No problem She simply took the entire bottle with her and headed outside, where she sat on the edge of the pool and let her feet dangle in the water

Heaven

She watched theif this counted as fun It felt decadent and different But fun?

Maybe if she wasn’t alone

Maybe if Josh ith her…

That was a disconcerting thought, so she took another sip of the wine, set the bottle at her hip, and slipped into the pool with hardly a ripple

It felt so good that she dived deep The deliciously cool water rushed over her body, instantly bringing down her body temp She swam a few laps, then lazily floated to the far side of the pool She leaned on the edge, kicking gently, looking out at the risingone by and that there was now a light on in the big house Her dreamy haze was interrupted by a disturbance in the water at the other end of the pool, and suddenly Josh was there, eain when he leaned close, the heat of his body instantly enveloping her even as the chlorine-scented water rushed off his face and shoulders He could stand up here where she couldn’t, the water hitting him midchest

Their eyes met His lashes et and spiky, his eyes dark and deep and intense He didn’t speak, and neither did she Reaching out, he stroked the wet hair at her teer slowly down her cheek to the corner of herthe movement

Suddenly the cool water felt as heated as the air around theer over her lips, then paused for a beat before lowering his face to hers Replacing his finger with his ue traced the line of her lower lip

She heard a moan Hers, of course, low and throaty as Josh’s hands slid up her back Using the water’s ly He nuzzled her neck, his lips warainst her now-chilled skin, and she sucked in a breath

Lifting his head, he ers cradled her head so he could run his lips along her jawline to the soft skin of her neck Oh, God His tongue there, right there on the vulnerable spot beneath her ear, and just like that, he had her

Whatever he wanted…anything Because she wanted it too

He kissed her, slow and hungry and powerful, and the night, thespun all around her He deepened the kiss, turning it into a second one and then a third, and then soher brsts and then her bare nipples

He’d untied and removed her bikini top

He raised his head, and she arched in thehis mouth on her

But he just looked at her, and she couldn’t tell what he was thinking Needing soe, she reached for the wine bottle, but he took it gently fro her intently, he took a sip fro up

She couldn’t take her eyes off him

He set the bottle down and kissed her His mouth was chilled froh hiroan that ru He offered her another sip fro her up, he put his lips to her nipple, his fingers dancing down her spine,he did felt so sensual, so slow and dreaht then and there With one ht have, but his eyesbut a reflection of theof the man

She slid her hands up his delicious abs and up to his chest, hu in pleasure at the feel of all the firh She needed more "Josh--"

He kissed her throat, her collarbone, her shoulders as his fingers trailed down her belly, caressing her through the fabric of her bikini bottom It didn’t deter hiers touched her, knowingly caressing, then dipping inside her as he kissed her deeply, his tongue ht to hiainst hers, and he was hard Everywhere She pal her thu a hand in her hair, he kissed her harder, hisand very serious "Out of the pool," he finally said, his voice low and co himself out in one easy econo back for her, he pulled her out with no effort at all "Come on"

She had no idea where to, and she didn’t care She willingly followed

Josh pulled her wet bod in close Her skin was deliciously chilled against his and her breath warainst each other, and he wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but he was sure of one thing

They were finally doing this

He kissed her again, swift and rough, and she erly

"Now, Josh," she whispered "Please now"

Hell yeah He pulled back and eyed their surroundings There was the patio table, but one of the legs was faulty He had two plush lounge chairs only a few feet away, just beneath the terrace, protected by the bushes he’d yet to prune back for the year

Perfect

He pulled Grace over to one, nudged her onto it, and followed her down Herand hard, leaving it swollen and wet as he shifted doard her breasts He laved at one gorgeously pebbled nipple, loving how thatsounds that were fueling his lust and need to the point of no return He should stop this and get them inside, but he didn’t want tobeneath his, her hands running over hiood He slid a hand to the s her so that her sweet spot caught his thigh as she rocked her hips They were still learning about each other, but he was starting to know her body now, and what she needed Mouth on hers, he set a rhythhtened on hi into his biceps as she squirht, so close, and then she tore herto--"

"Come Do it"

She burst into wild shudders in his ar her cry, Josh held her to him and watched as she rode out the waves of pleasure

She was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen

When she finally sagged back onto the lounge, she tugged him down over the top of her "Tell me you have a condom You’d better have a condom!"

"In my pocket"

This caused some trouble since his shorts were still drenched froers on the packet when he sat up a little Slapping his hands away, she insisted on doing the honors herself, which ly rolled the condo with need