I catch him off guard and flip him on to his back, and he lets out this surprised little laugh that fades away when I grind down on him. My hips are like magnets for his hands, his grip guiding me at a punishing pace. Every single nerve ending is on fire; I can feel him from my fingertips to my toes with each move. He hits just the right spot, over and over until my muscles feel weak and ready to explode all at the same time. He surges up when I’m right on the edge, mouth finding my nipple as I come apart around him, holding onto him for dear life.
I wrap my body around him like he’s the only thing that can give me a soft place to land when I come down. It takes me a minute to catch my breath, and when I do, I cup his beautiful face in my hands.
I kiss him tenderly and whisper. “I think I could fall in love with you, too.”
He revels in the thought for just a moment, then I push my hips down on him, making him moan. He holds me like a lifeline, his hips frantic. He buries his face in the crook of my neck when he comes, bringing me along with him for a third time.
We collapse onto the bed, boneless and breathless.
When his breathing has returned somewhat to normal, I run my fingers through his hair and kiss the tip of his nose.
“Wow. Three times. Congratulations to me.”
He laughs and holds me closer. “There’s more where those came from. Eventually.” He reluctantly gets up, leaving me a little bit cold until he returns to bed and pulls me back against his chest.
I let out a contented sigh and fall asleep with the afternoon sun on my face.
Chapter Ten
I wake up with my head on River’s chest, my body pleasantly aching and my soul at ease.
He pulls me out of the last of my sleepiness with a kiss on my forehead. “Good morning,” he says. His morning voice is all rumbly beneath my ear, and it’s the best sound to hear first thing. I squeeze him tight.
“Good morning.”
The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafts through the air, and I wonder if I’m imagining it because I’m in need of caffeine, or if this little tropical bungalow is actually stocked with the essentials. Maybe Casey brought a Keurig pod or two inside before she put a hole in our boat.
A thought that makes me giggle.
“I’m glad you’re happy this morning.”
“How could I not be happy this morning?” I press my lips against any spot I can reach as River traces absentminded patterns on my upper back.
“I looked in the cabinets. There isn’t anything to make you breakfast in bed, but I just wanted to make it known that I tried.”
I run my fingers along his chest and bring my hand to rest over his heart, loving the steady thump of it beneath my palm.
“I won’t ever turn down breakfast in bed, but that was a Fake Skye thing, not a Real Skye thing.”
He cuddles me closer. “Tell me what Real Skye likes, then.”
“She likes spooning, being kissed awake in the middle of the night, ice cream—of course—”
“Of course,” he laughs.
“She likes long nights of sleeping and not sleeping, she likes loyalty, monogamy, and most importantly, not referring to herself in the third person.” I hike myself up on my elbows, so I can kiss his lips. “And I have to say you’re doing a great job at all of those things so far.”
He slides his fingertip along the curve of my jaw. “You don’t have to worry about loyalty or monogamy with me, you know that right?”
I nod. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t know that. I’m confident in the kind of man you are, River. I don’t doubt that. I would also like to add that I like using you as a pillow.”
Another rumbling laugh. “I like being used as a pillow.”
“What about you? What do you like?”
“I like the sounds you make when I make you come. I like falling asleep with you in my arms and walking up the same way. I like your smile, your heart, your dog. But most of all, I like you,” he says with a dopey smile. “I like you a lot, probably more than anyone.”
I laugh. “Well, that sounds like a good start.”
“Yesterday you said that you wish I would’ve gotten your number and asked you out. Skye, if I didn’t know you were the woman I was going to be meeting with that day, I would’ve gotten your number. I wouldn’t have even waited an hour to call you. I would’ve asked you out that evening, if you were free.”
I smile, thinking about the what-ifs. “I would’ve said yes.”
He presses a kiss into my hair. “Good to know.”
We lie in silence for a few minutes, just holding each other and listening to the waves crashing against the sand outside.
“We have to end this arrangement,” he says.
“We definitely do,” I say, propping myself up to look at him again.
“I don’t think we can totally avoid the paparazzi though, I mean, they’re bound to get us sometimes if we’re out and about.”
I sigh, because I know he’s right. “So long as we’re not catering our relationship to photo ops, I think I can put up with that. I think I’d put up with a lot to be with you.”
He grins and moves in for a kiss, and it spirals out of control pretty quickly. I pull away and clasp my hand over
