The slick press of her skin and her short little pants and whimpers of pleasure will haunt me for a lifetime. She tastes sweet and salty, and I can't stop kissing her, sampling her everywhere I can reach.

When she untangles her legs to pay my body the same attention, my stomach contracts in pleasure. Her hands slide down my chest and her nails rake my abs. My breath catches in my throat when her hand clasps around me and strokes between us. When my head drops to her shoulder, I bite the skin there as my hips thrust my cock into her palm.

I cup her jaw and I look into her eyes. "I want you, Chloe. Now."

She squeezes around me, pumping once, slowly. Torturously. "Yes," is all she can manage to say.

And that's all I need.

I roll onto my back, in deference to my injuries, and put my hands on her waist. She squeals as I lift her by her hips and arrange her legs on either side of my head.

As much as I enjoy her hands on me, it feels like I've been waiting an eternity to taste her. I push up the material of her dress, inch by inch as she's watching me with heavily lidded eyes and sucking on her lower lip until its red and glistening.

I groan at the sight and slide my hands up the long length of her legs. She shivers and my lips curve up in a smile. It's been so long since I've been able to take the time to enjoy sex with someone who won't be leaving as soon as the sun comes up.

Watching her little responses to my every touch is a hell of a turn on. My fingers tease at the sensitive skin on the back of her knees and then scrape a line down her inner thighs. Her breathing shallows the closer I get and so does mine.

Her panties are see-through by this point. The shadow of her pussy and the small strip of hair are unmistakable. I trace the line with the soft touch of my finger from top to bottom. Her hips follow the movement and a hopeless mewl comes from her throat. With one hand, I pull her panties to the side and use the thumb of the other to start a gentle rhythm against her clit. I watch as her eyes drift closed and then I arch up and press my mouth right to that spot.

Her body tightens around me and she leans forward to cup the back of my head with both hands. She murmurs encouragements, pleads to deities and lets loose a string of obscenities, but I don't stop. I'm mindless with the sharp taste of her arousal.

Her pleas devolve into babbling. I watch as her eyes flash open and she pushes up to watch me work her. The sight of me between her legs drives her body wild. Her knees find purchase on the sand and she uses that to add weight behind her hips, meeting me in an imitation of sex as my tongue spears into her.

Her breath comes out in short sobs. Her knees squeeze my head, and her moans surround us both. I release my grip on her thighs as she melts. Her chest heaves and her entire body seizes. I watch as she stutters through her orgasm, a blush blooming over her chest and cheeks and then her body goes limp.

It was worth the wait.

It takes a few more moments before my hearing returns. Then I remember that I have eyes that do a beautiful thing called seeing, so I open them for a test drive to see if they're still working. The first thing I see is Gabe pressing kisses against my thighs, thighs that are still trembling from the most intense orgasm of my life. Somehow, he maneuvers me back down to the blanket.

"Baby," he whispers, running a thumb along my lower lip. The thought makes me smile. "You okay?"

I make a sound that doesn't seem intelligible, but he soothes me with a hand on my hair.

My head lolls against his shoulder, and for a moment, I'm content to feel him against me and soothe me back down.

He lets me relax against him as feeling returns to my limbs and the slight ringing fades from my ears. As the numbness begins to dissipate, I become aware of his rock hard body against my own. The insatiable need he has stoked inside of me returns, making me stir against him.

He has me pinned, again, against the blanket with my arms wrapped around his shoulders. If I weren't on fire with the need to have him inside me, I would be satisfied to rest here for a year or two—it is that comfortable. I use my grip on his neck to bring his mouth to mine.

When our lips touch, I sigh into the contact. I swear this man can kiss. It's shameful how his lips and tongue conquer my mouth, how I don't give a second thought to giving up all control. He has this way of enveloping me with his body and making me feel powerful and vulnerable all at once. And it occurs to me that this feeling is a lot like love.

The need to get ever closer consumes me until I crawl up his body, forgetting that I'm still wearing panties. Gabriel reaches down and with a sharp tug, divests me of that barrier. His hands go around me and he undoes the bra's clasp. I tug it off my arms and toss it behind me. His cock rubs against my sensitized clit with gentle thrusts from his hips. Each time the tip brushes against me, a little sound erupts from my chest.

I lean backward against the blanket, his arms cradling me. The angle shifts and he hunkers down around me, his eyes blazing. He continues the gentle back and forth, his cock cradled between the lips of my pussy and pressed against my clit, in a way that makes me see stars.

But this time, I need more. I disengage, angling my hips so that his next thrust presses against my entrance. His shoulders lock under my hands and choke on a swift surprised inhalation.

"God, that feels so good."

"So good," he agrees.

His face distorts and I peer up at him. "What's wrong?"

"Condom," he chokes out. "I'm clean, regular checks."

"Me, too."

"I need to have you on a bed. My bed."

My body wants him anywhere I can have him, but I agree. He lifts me from the blanket and we both dress quickly. Mindlessly, I follow him back up to the house, through the kitchen where the scent of our meal still lingers and then, finally, into a darkened bedroom.

I'm covered in gooseflesh from the cool air and when he turns to lay his hands on my shoulders, I shiver. We both climb on the bed and I curl up to him as he wraps the covers around us both.

"We don't have to do this right away," he mumbles into my hair. "If it's too soon, we can wait."

"You would wait?'

"Not happily, but I would."

"That's sweet." I nip at his lips. "But completely unnecessary."

And then I dive under the covers.