“I didn’t realize you followed my career.”
Darcy’s smile faded as she pushed away from the edge of the pool, swimming to the middle. “You were all over the papers. It was kind of hard to miss.”
“You followed my career,” he repeated.
“What if I did?”
“I like that,” he said. “I like knowing that you thought about me once or twice in the five years we were apart.”
“More than once or twice,” she admitted.
“Me, too,” he said. “I thought about you quite a bit.”
She watched him from the water as he unzipped his jeans and skimmed them down over his hips and knees. She’d expected boxers, but he hadn’t bothered with underwear. “You-you didn’t bring a suit,” she stuttered, stating the obvious.
“I wasn’t planning to swim,” Kel said, standing naked in front of her. “I understand the whole theory of skinny-dipping is that everyone takes their clothes off.”
Darcy shook her head. “Oh, no. I run this hotel. If someone walked in and found me in the pool, naked, with a naked man, the staff would never stop talking about it. If you come in, I’m getting out.”
Kel stepped to the edge of the pool and dove neatly into the water, swimming to the center. He came up in front of her, grabbing her waist as he did. Darcy screamed and tried to kick away from him, but Kel held tight.
“I can’t seem to get enough of you,” he said, gently tugging down one strap of her tank suit and dropping a kiss on her shoulder. “Why is that?”
“You’re seriously demented?”
He captured her mouth and plunged his tongue inside in a lightning-quick assault. “I think it’s all the chocolate I’ve been eating,” he said, his mouth now trailing up her neck to her ear. “Have you been eating chocolate? Because you taste delicious.”
“I may have had a few pieces,” she admitted.
He tugged the other strap down and her tank suit gaped in the front, exposing the tops of her breasts. Kel tugged a bit harder and the suit was suddenly around her waist. “That’s much better,” he said.
Darcy stared at him for a long moment. Why did she even bother fighting him? All her resolve just disappeared the moment he touched her. With a resigned smile, she skimmed the suit down over her hips, then kicked it off. “Satisfied?”
“Not yet, but I will be,” he teased. “And so will you.”
“What are you going to do with me?”
Kel yanked her naked body against his, his eyes fixed on hers. “I missed you today.”
Darcy moaned softly, tipping her head to the side. “Why do you insist on torturing me?”
“Because you seem to enjoy it so much,” Kel said. He drew back, then traced the shape of her lower lip with his finger. “You do enjoy it, don’t you, Darcy?”
She hesitated for a moment as Kel waited for her answer. He needed to know she wanted him as much as he wanted her. But was she ready to admit that? He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, his tongue invading her mouth as his fingers wove through her hair.
“Tell me you want me,” he murmured against her lips. “I want to hear you say it.”
“I want you,” Darcy said, dragging her mouth across his. Her body conformed to his as he pulled her legs up around his waist, his erection brushing against her suggestively. They bobbed in the water, kissing and touching, Darcy marveling at the slippery feel of their naked bodies touching underwater.
“If we do this here, one of us will end up drowned,” he said.
Darcy unwrapped her legs from his waist. “Then come with me,” she murmured. She swam to the end of the pool and climbed the steps to the deck, turning to face him as she did, unfazed by her nakedness.
A stack of fluffy white towels, embroidered with a gold “D,” sat in a nearby basket and Darcy grabbed one and wrapped it around her body. Then she turned back and watched as Kel followed her.
The sight of his shaft, hard and ready, sent a thrill racing through her. He was hers tonight, to enjoy for as long as she wished. Darcy picked up a towel and took it to him, slowly rubbing it over his damp skin and kissing the spots that she’d dried.
Kel closed his eyes, enjoying her little seduction, and for the first time, Darcy realized the power she held over him. Yes, he could seduce her, but she could just as easily seduce him. She slipped the towel around his neck and pulled him into another kiss, his desire pressing against her belly, hot and hard.
Darcy reached down and touched him, and Kel sucked in a sharp breath. Then, she stepped away from him and walked toward the spa. She could be a tease if she wanted to and Darcy wanted to return a little bit of the torment he’d lavished on her.
Each of the marble-lined steam showers were like small rooms, shower heads on three of the four walls with a low bench against one side. Darcy dropped her towel, then stepped inside and turned on the water, adjusting the temperature. A moment later, Kel joined her, grabbing her waist and pressing her back against the wall.
They stood under the rainfall of water, kissing, laughing, exploring each other’s bodies slowly and deliberately. Darcy ran her fingers over the scar at his shoulder, then kissed it, as if that could somehow make it better.
“You are so beautiful,” he murmured. Kel cupped her breast in his hand and then bent and gently sucked on her nipple.
“I’m too small on top.”
He shook his head. His palms covered her breasts, his thumbs teasing at the hard peaks. “You’re perfect exactly the way you are,” he said. “See how we fit?” He straightened and pulled her against him, his hands firm on her hips. “As if we were made for each other.”
“I’m sure there are other women in this world who fit,” Darcy said, reaching around and placing her hands over his.
“Not like you,” he murmured. “Not like you.” He reached down and slipped his finger inside her. “See,” he whispered. “Perfect.”
Darcy held her breath as he slid in and out of her, teasing her closer to her release. But this wasn’t going to be about her, at least not yet. She drew his hand away and wrapped it around her neck. “I think it’s time I torture you for a change.”
“Please do,” he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender.
She pressed a kiss to his mouth, then trailed her lips lower and lower, down his chest to his belly, dropping kisses on his wet skin as she went. Then, kneeling in front of him, she slowly took him into her mouth. Kel groaned, furrowing his fingers through her wet hair in an attempt to control her.
The water seemed to heighten the experience, her palms sliding over his flat belly and narrow hips as she drew him in and out of her mouth, her fingertips exploring every hard angle and rippled muscle. As she brought him closer, with a hand to her head he urged her to slow her pace. But Darcy needed his surrender, wanted to feel it and taste it. Finally, with a frustrated growl, he bent down and drew her to her feet.
“We can’t stay here,” he said in a ragged voice. “We don’t have a condom.”
“We don’t need one,” Darcy replied.
He caught her gaze, confused. “Are you sure?”
“I’ll take care of you,” she said, her hand drifting back down over his abs to his belly.
“But I want to be inside you,” he said.
“You will be. Just close your eyes.”
He did as he was told and Darcy slowly began to stroke him. “How do I feel?” she murmured. “Tell me.”
“Oh, God,” Kel moaned. “I can’t do this.”
“You can,” Darcy urged. “Just tell me.”
He paused for a long moment. “You’re warm…and wet. And so tight.” He held his breath. “It’s like I’m part of you. You’re all around me…and it feels so…incredible.” His voice drifted off as he surrendered to her touch. Darcy listened to the clues his body gave her, his quickened breathing, his tense grip on her shoulders.
“I want you to come with me,” he murmured, reaching down to touch her between her legs. He drew his finger along the soft folds of her sex.