Beth let out a squeal of delight and launched herself at him, kissing him and looping her arms around his neck and legs about his waist. He tasted salty and fresh and as his hands drew her closer to his body she wondered if she could ever be happier than in this moment.
They kissed with the waves lapping at their bodies and the air above them cooling and Beth wanted this moment never to end.
After a few minutes she felt Josh’s hands tighten across her buttocks as he picked her up, carrying her out of the surf, water dripping from them both and leaving a trail across the sand. He carried her all the way to the top of the beach to a spot in the sunshine where they couldn’t be seen by anyone on the cliffs above, then he laid her down and lowered himself down next to her.
Beth’s skin felt chilled as the water cooled in the air until Josh began running his hands over her. On her body her chemise was almost see-through where it clung to her skin but Beth had finally lost her inhibitions and didn’t care.
‘Marry me, Beth,’ Josh whispered as he kissed her neck, trailing his lips down over her collarbone to her chest.
She managed to nod before he moved lower and caught one of her nipples in his mouth through the material of her chemise and then the only sound that she could make was a low groan of pleasure.
He teased her, nipping and kissing, dancing his fingers across her skin until she felt as though her skin were on fire and she longed for the weight of him above her. At some point he gripped the hem of her chemise, lifting it off over her head and murmuring in appreciation as he took in the sight of her before his body covered her own.
Beth felt her hips rise to meet his, as though her body was instinctively primed for this moment, but he hovered just out of her reach, a mischievous smile on his face.
‘You only get one first time,’ he whispered in her ear, his breath tickling her neck. ‘Let’s enjoy it.’
Beth almost shouted out loud as she felt his fingers dance across the skin of her thighs, moving ever upwards and inwards. When he brushed against her she felt a jolt pass through her body and every muscle stiffened, but then as he gently stroked and teased she felt herself begin to relax.
All the time her hands were exploring his body, trailing over his shoulder, his back, reaching down to where his spine met his buttocks. Then he shifted, pulling out of her reach as he lifted his body and dropped his head lower so his lips could pepper kisses across her abdomen, circling her navel and making something tighten inside her as he slowly moved lower.
She hadn’t realised her thighs had clamped around his shoulders until he began gently to press them outward, before giving her a wicked smile and kissing her in her most private place. Beth gasped, her hands grasping at his head, but he murmured something she didn’t catch into her skin and kissed her until her head arched back and she felt her hair trail through the sand.
‘Just imagine,’ Josh said as he lifted his head for just a moment, ‘when we are married we can do this all day every day if we desire.’
Beth tried to utter something witty about him not being a very good boss if he was secluded in his bedroom with her all day but then he dipped a finger inside her and all conscious thought left her head.
‘Every. Single. Day,’ he said, and Beth felt her hips arch up towards him, begging him for more even though she didn’t know what more would be.
He moved rhythmically, teasing her and kissing her until Beth felt a wonderful tension begin to build inside her. Josh must have sensed it too for he smiled at her and then carefully positioned himself over her, slipping inside and pushing her over the edge. Every muscle in her body tensed and she felt as though she were floating above the ground as wave after wave of pleasure pulsed through her.
Gently Josh pushed into her again and Beth realised he was holding back, giving her time to recover and adjust.
‘I want you,’ she said, looking up into his eyes. ‘All of you.’
Josh groaned and thrust further into her, the force momentarily taking her breath away and then her hips were rising to meet his over and over until they both tipped into oblivion.
He stayed on top of her for a minute then carefully rolled to one side, gently pulling her body close to his in the sand.
For a long while neither of them spoke. Beth was contemplating how her life had changed so significantly in the last few hours and she wondered if Josh was thinking the same.
‘Time for lunch?’
She rolled her eyes. ‘I was lying here thinking of our future and you’re thinking about your stomach.’
‘I need to keep my strength up,’ he said, kissing her on the nose and reaching for the picnic basket.
‘Shouldn’t we at least get dressed first?’
He took the opportunity to rake his eyes all the way down her body before answering.
‘If you insist.’
Chapter Eighteen
As he took a bite of a delicious cheese scone Josh watched his future wife, smiling at the thought of how their fates had changed in such a short while.
He hadn’t planned on proposing to her, hadn’t even truly decided what he wanted before they’d set out for their walk this morning. Then all he had known was he wanted to spend more time with her, to banish the horrible feeling that their time was too short.
It was only when they had sat down at the
