Rich, Rugged And Royal. Catherine Mann

into that endlessness.

      “Perfect. Now hold still,” he said and somehow slid effortlessly behind her.

      Her balance went haywire again for a second, the horizon tilting until she was sure they would both topple over.

      “Relax,” he said against her ear. “Out here, it’s not about fighting, it’s the one place you can totally let go.”

      The one place he could let go? And suddenly she realized this was about more than getting her to relax. He was sharing something about himself with her. Even a man as driven and successful as himself needed a break from the demands of everyday life. Perhaps because of moments like these he kept it all together rather than letting the tension tighten until it snapped.

      She fit herself against him, his legs behind hers as they drifted. Her muscles slowly melted until she leaned into him. The waves curled underneath, his chest wet and bristly against her skin. A new tension coiled inside her, deep in her belly. Her swimsuit suddenly felt too tight against her breasts that swelled and yearned for the brush of the air and Tony’s mouth.

      His palms rested on her thighs. His thumbs circled a light massage, close, so close. Water ebbed and flowed over her heated core, waves sweeping tantalizing caresses on her aching flesh. Her head sagged onto his shoulder.

      With each undulation of the board, he rocked against her, stirring, growing harder until he pressed fully erect along her spine. Every roll of the board rubbing their bodies against each other had to be as torturous for him as it was for her. His hands moved higher on her legs, nearer to what she needed. Silently. Just as in tune with each other as when they’d been paddling out.

      She worried at first that someone might see, but with their backs to the shore and water … she could lose herself in the moment. Already his breaths grew heavier against her ear, nearly as fast as her own.

      They could both let go and find completion right here without ever moving. Simply feeling his arousal against her stirred Shannon to a bittersweet edge. And good God, that scared the hell out of her.

      The wind chilled, and she recognized the sting of fear all too well. She’d thought she could ride the wave, so to speak, and just have an affair with Tony.

      But this utter abandon, the loss of control, the way they were together, it was anything but simple, something she wasn’t sure she was ready to risk.

      Scavenging every bit of her quickly dwindling willpower, she grabbed his wrists, moved his hands away…

      And dived off the side of the board.