Make Me Crave

“Go, go, go. You’re on vacation. You’re not required to mother me.” She softened the words with a smile, still looking queasy.

Allie went. Becka wouldn’t thank her for staying and would only feel guilty if she did, which would distract her from resting. Tomorrow would be soon enough for them to go exploring and try out the stand-up paddleboards Allie had eyed when she’d checked out the beach.

Her face heated at the fact she’d been caught sunbathing topless. Whoever that guy was, he’d been far off enough that she couldn’t clearly see his face. Those shoulders, though... Allie shivered. Even at a distance, she’d seen the cut of his muscles and how purposefully he’d maneuvered the kayak through the turquoise waters. The island must have already gone to her head, because she’d spent a truly insane moment hoping he’d come to shore so she could get a better look at him.

Maybe more than a better look.

Allie laughed at her fanciful thoughts. Vacation hookups were all well and good, but if that was what she’d wanted, she’d chosen the wrong place to go. Isolation and relaxation were the name of the game on West Island, which was exactly what she’d craved when she let Becka talk her into booking the trip. It was the exact opposite of New York and her life there.

But now she found herself wondering if maybe something slightly more chaotic would have been a better choice. The sun and sea had soaked into her blood and the heady feeling had her convinced anything was possible. It was only a week. The perfect length of time for a fling...

If she wasn’t on a private island in the middle of the ocean without a single man in sight.

She bypassed the little golf cart that was one of the main forms of transportation here. It felt good to walk after being cooped up on the plane and then lying prone while she sunned herself. She usually taught at least one class a day at Transcend—more if she needed to cover someone else’s schedule—so being inactive wasn’t natural for her. It was only a mile or two to the restaurant and the day had started to cool as the sun reached for the horizon. It’d be downright pleasant tonight.

She’d make sure to wake early and attend one of the yoga classes offered, and the rest of the day would be filled with activities that would keep restlessness from setting in. There was even scuba diving available, though Allie wasn’t sure she was feeling that adventurous. Snorkeling? Sure. Going deeper with only a tank and a few tubes between her and drowning? That would take a whole lot more convincing.

The path was cleared and well maintained to allow the carts to drive without problems, so she let her mind wander as she fell into a natural stride that ate up the distance without tiring her out. Every once in a while, the path would branch off in different directions, some heading toward other villas, some heading deeper inland. There was a small selection of hiking trails that offered tours of the history of the island.

She made it to the restaurant easily and found it practically deserted. Allie paused in the doorway, wondering if she’d misunderstood the woman who’d checked them in. Maybe it was closed?

“Looks like it’s just you and me.”

She jumped and spun around. The man stood a respectable distance away, but his sheer size ate up the space and made her feel closed in. She froze. I’d recognize those shoulders anywhere. Confirming her suspicion, his gaze slid over her body as if he was reminding himself of what she looked like with nothing but what she’d worn on the beach. She tried to swallow past her suddenly dry throat. “You.”

“Me.” He finally looked her in the face, and she rocked back on her heels. The man was an Adonis. There was no other way to describe his blond perfection, from his hazel eyes to the square jaw to the cleft in his chin to the body that just wouldn’t quit. He might be wearing a shirt now, but the button-down did nothing to hide his muscle definition.

He held out a wide hand with equally perfect square fingers. “Let me buy you a drink?”

“We’re at an all-inclusive resort.”

His lips twitched, eyes twinkling. “Have a drink with me.”

Oh, he was good. Charm practically colored the air between them, and she had the inexplicable impulse to close the distance and stroke a finger along his jawline. To flick that cleft chin with her tongue.

Allie gave herself a shake. “Since we’re the only ones here, it’d be silly to sit apart.”

The look he gave her said he saw right through the excuse, and why not when it was pathetically flimsy? The truth was that this man was magnetic and she suspected she’d be drawn to him even in a room full of people. He waved a hand at the empty place. “Lady’s choice.”

“How magnanimous of you.”

“I try.”

She laughed and headed for the table in the middle of the small patio. There were half a dozen tables, and she picked a spot that put her back to the building and presented the best view of the ocean through a carefully curated gap in the foliage.

He eyed the view and then the chair on the other side of the table, and then he picked it up and set it adjacent to hers so they were sitting on a diagonal, rather than directly across from each other. “Nice view.”

She turned to agree—and found him staring at her.

Allie wasn’t falsely modest. Life was too short to play games with body shaming and pretending she didn’t have access to a mirror. She was pretty—beautiful when she put some effort into it—but she’d given up being skinny or petite after the agony of high school, and she wasn’t athletically built like some of the women at her gym. Sure, she had muscle beneath her softness, and she could keep up with the best of them in her spin classes, but she loved food just as much as she loved to sweat, and her curves reflected that. Some guys had a problem with that, though she didn’t keep them around as soon as comments like “Should you really be eating that?” started.

This guy looked at her like he wanted to put her on the table and feast on her for dinner.

The desire stoked the flame inside her that had kindled the second she saw him. She leaned forward, checking his left hand. No ring. No tan lines, either. “What brings you to West Island?”

“It’s paradise, isn’t it? Who wouldn’t want to come here to get away from it all?”

That wasn’t quite an answer, but she was distracted by the intoxicating way his mouth moved when he spoke. Get ahold of yourself, Allie. You’re in danger of panting for him. She took a quick drink of water that did nothing to quell the heat rising with each minute she sat next to him.

Luckily, a waiter appeared to save her from saying something truly embarrassing. He outlined the menu for the night and took their drink orders, then disappeared as quickly as he’d come.

They were in the middle of one of the most beautiful places Allie had ever seen, and she couldn’t manage to tear her gaze away from this stranger. She licked her lips, every muscle in her body tensing when he followed the movement. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, he took her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles.

The touch was innocent enough, but she felt that light movement in places that were most definitely not innocent. She didn’t have to look down to know her nipples now pressed against the thin fabric of her sundress.

His smile was slow and sinful and promised things she never would have had the gall to ask for. “This is going to sound unforgivably forward, but what do you say we get out of here and go back to my villa?”

It was crazy. More than crazy. She didn’t even know his name, and she sure as hell didn’t know anything more pertinent about him.

But there on the softly lit patio with the tropical scent of some flower she didn’t recognize and the soft shushing sound of the tide coming in, she didn’t feel like Allie, gym owner and mother hen, the responsible one who could never afford to do anything out of line or make a misstep because too many lives depended on her.

Here, she was just Allie, a woman. A woman who desperately wanted the man staring at her mouth as if he was doing everything in his power to keep from kissing her right then and there. She licked her lips again, secretly delighting in the way a muscle in his jaw jumped. “Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes, let’s get out of here.”

CHAPTER THREE

ROMAN TOOK THE woman’s hand as they left the candlelit restaurant and made their way to the golf cart he’d driven there. He’d considered walking, but he was so goddamn glad now that he hadn’t.

She looked even better up close than she’d been on the beach. Her white floral dress displayed her large breasts to perfection, hugging her ribs and then flaring out to swish around her thighs as she walked next to him. Her long blond hair was a mass of waves tumbling just past her shoulders, and he could picture it all too easily tangling between his fingers as he thrust into her.

Slow down.

He took a careful breath, and then another, focusing on keeping his stride unhurried and his hand loose on hers. Roman was hardly a saint, but he’d never had a reaction to a woman on such an intrinsic level like he was having now. He wanted to kiss her pouty lips and run his hands over her body and...

Slow. Down.

Not happening.

Not when she looked at him from under thick lashes, her blue eyes devouring the sight of him. She wanted this.

But he had to be sure.

He pulled her into his arms when they stopped next to the golf cart. She stepped against him easily—eagerly—and he let himself off the leash enough to run his hands down her back and to cup her ass, bringing her flush against him. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and he had to bite back a groan at how good she felt. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

She didn’t give him the chance to follow through. She tilted her face up and captured his mouth. It was chaste as such things went, her lips soft against his, but it didn’t stay that way. Roman slid one hand up to cup the back of her head and deepened the kiss, tracing the seam of her lips with his tongue and delving inside when she opened for him. Her hands fisted the front of his shirt, pulling him closer even as her hips rolled against his.

Roman tore his mouth from hers. “Golf cart. Now.” Or he was in danger of forgetting where they were and fucking her right here. Even ignoring the glaring lack of a condom, he wasn’t a beast incapable of anything resembling control, and this beautiful wanting woman deserved better than to be bent over a goddamn golf cart.

At least for the first time.

First time? You’re out of your damn mind.

He picked her up and set her on the golf cart, enjoying the way her lips parted in a surprised O. He was showing off and he didn’t give two fucks about it, especially not when he slid behind the wheel, fired up the cart and started down the path leading toward his villa. He almost asked about hers, but just because she was alone didn’t mean she was alone.

The thought brought him up short. He glanced at her. “Are you here with someone?”

“Just my friend.” She correctly interpreted his expression. “I’m single. No boyfriend. No husband.”

Thank fuck. “Same.” He pressed the accelerator again. There were little eco-friendly lights scattered along the edge of the path to keep them from driving into a tree, and he made it back to his villa in record time.

Roman shut off the engine and turned to face her. “I—”

“Wait.” She pressed a finger to his lips, and he instinctively nipped her lightly. Her eyes went wide. “Let’s just...enjoy this. It’s not like it’s real life. It’s the fantasy of this place.” She motioned with her free hand.

He couldn’t argue that, not with the low sound of some bird in the distance and the sky and sea fading from magnificent colors to true dark even as they sat there. He’d left on a scattering of lights in the villa, and he took her hand and led her inside. “Hot tub?”

“Maybe later.”

There was no mistaking the intent in the way she watched him, so he didn’t waste time. This was, after all, the fantasy. Roman embraced that and ignored the part of him that was curious about who this woman was and why she’d come to this place. About what her life was like wherever she spent her normal time. About a lot of things. He set it aside, because he craved another taste of her, and if he started talking about shit that didn’t matter, he would ruin this perfect feeling of breathless need between them.

He led her into the main bedroom. It played up the island fantasy just as much as the rest of this place did: big windows overlooking the water, a massive mattress framed by a driftwood headboard. The white comforter was ridiculously fluffy, but he wanted to see her stretched out on top of it while he drove into her.

Slow, damn it.

Roman turned and framed her face with his hands. He kissed her, exploring her mouth as he took them deeper. She made a little helpless noise in the back of her throat that had his cock hardening even further. He licked along her neck and nudged off the strap of her dress before working his way across her upper chest to do the same to the other side.

As much as he wanted to rip the goddamn thing off her, he dragged his mouth over the swell of one breast and then the other, shifting the fabric lower with each pass. Her fingers tangled in his hair, and she arched to meet his mouth, her breath coming as quickly as his.

He captured one nipple, sucking hard until her back bowed and she let loose a little cry. “I’m taking this off.”

“Good.” She shimmied out of the dress in a move that made his mouth water, her breasts bouncing a little.

And then she stood before him in only a pair of pink lace panties.

“Fucking perfection,” he breathed.

It was hard to tell in the low light, but a flush might have appeared on her cheeks and chest. “Don’t make a girl stand here while you stare.”

He shook his head, trying to clear it. “Give a man a few seconds to enjoy the view. I didn’t get a chance to on the beach earlier today.” He kneeled before her and ran his hands up her legs, enjoying the feel of her muscles flexing beneath his touch. He stopped at the generous curve of her hips and hooked his fingers into the edges of the panties. “It drove me fucking crazy that I didn’t know the color of your nipples.” The answer was a dusky rose, the contrast between her nipples and her tanned skin drawing him farther up onto his knees so he could see her better, could lick her there again.

She shook, just a little. “You could have come to find out.”

“Mmm.” He kissed her soft stomach as he drew her panties down her legs. “If I had, you would have run screaming up the beach and barricaded the door.”

“Maybe.” Her breath hitched as he ran his tongue around her belly button. “Or maybe I would have waded out into the water to meet you.”

The image hit him with the force of a train. Of the waves cresting up to tease her breasts as she stood there waiting for him. Of him pulling her into his arms the same way he had here in the villa. Of her wrapping her legs around his waist and him tugging her bikini bottom to the side and—“Fuck, maybe I’ll make another circuit around the island tomorrow and we can do it right.”

She laughed softly. “Or maybe you can put that wicked mouth to good use and we can focus on the here and now.”

That sounded even better. Roman moved, hitching one of her legs over his shoulder, and buried his face in her pussy.

* * *

Allie had half convinced herself that she was dreaming, but the feeling of his mouth latching on to the most secret part of her was all too real. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to his licks, long and slow as if relishing her taste and feel. It was the single hottest thing she’d ever experienced.

Right up until he turned them and toppled her onto the massive bed. She gasped, the sound morphing into a moan when he pushed a single finger into her, as slow and exploring as his mouth had been.

His eyes drank in the sight of her in a move she swore she could feel. He lingered on her thighs and pussy, hips and stomach, taking extra care over her breasts, before finally settling on her face. “Perfection,” he said again.

“You’re not too shabby yourself.” She reached over her head to grip the comforter, knowing full well that it offered her breasts up for him.

He made a sound perilously close to a growl. “Thanks.” A second finger joined the first, and he barely gave her time to adjust to that before he pushed a third into her. Stretching her. Readying her. “Fuck, woman, you feel good.”

“You...too.” She fought to keep her eyes open, to not miss a single second of the experience. This golden god looked at her as if he wanted to imprint himself over every inch of her, and she was more than happy to play sacrifice for the night. If he could bring such pleasure with his hands and mouth, there was no telling what he’d do with the rest of his body.

He twisted his wrist so that his thumb slid over her clit with each stroke of his fingers, the combined sensation leaving her feeling warm and melty. She let go of the comforter to reach up and cup his chiseled jaw. “I’m going to call you Adonis.”

He barked out a laugh. “I’m hardly that pretty.”

“You’re even prettier.” She never would have said it in real life, without the island and pleasure making her drunk on him. Allie traced her thumb over his bottom lip, slightly fuller than the top. “You call me perfect, but you’re flawless.”

Another laugh, this one strained. “Trust me, I have more than my fair share of flaws.” He turned his head and kissed her palm. “But we’ll pretend that’s not the truth tonight.”

“Works for me.” She didn’t ask about his flaws. That wasn’t what this was. She didn’t even know his name, which somehow made the whole situation hotter—because Allie never did this. Ever.

Tonight she was going to.

With that thought buoying her, she reached for his pants. “I need you.”

“You have me.” He pushed his fingers deeper as if to demonstrate.

“No, I need you.” She managed to get his belt off and shoved his shorts down his narrow hips. His cock was just as perfect as the rest of him, long and thick, and she swallowed hard. “I’m tired of waiting.”

“That’s too damn bad, because I’m just getting started.” He slid his fingers out of her and looped an arm beneath her waist, sliding her farther onto the bed until he could place her hands on the bottom of the headboard. “I’m not going to tie you down.”

Her heart tried to beat itself out of her chest at the thought. “I don’t know how I’d feel about that.” Liar. She wanted it. Allie didn’t think she was particularly kinky before tonight, but the thought of being at the mercy of this man...

Slow your roll. He’s a stranger. Getting tied up by a stranger is a bad idea, even in paradise.

He stopped, kneeling above her on all fours, his cock dipping down until it almost touched her stomach. Those hazel eyes were completely serious for the first time since she’d met him. An hour ago. You met him an hour ago.

He didn’t touch her, though he was close enough that she could feel the warmth coming off his body. “If you’ve changed your mind, we can stop. I’ll give you a ride back to your villa or, if you aren’t comfortable with that, you can take the cart and the staff will return it to me tomorrow.” No judgment in his tone. No trying to guilt her or pull some shady business. Just ensuring that this was exactly where she wanted to be.

She gripped the headboard. “I want to stay. I want you.”

His grin had her breath fluttering in her chest like a trapped thing. “You won’t regret it.”

Before she could think too hard about what tomorrow would bring, he kissed her, long and slow. Reacquainting himself with her as if it had been days since they’d last touched instead of moments. Her Adonis worked his way down her body one torturous inch at a time, turning parts of her erogenous that she never would have considered before that night. The inside of her elbow. The bottom of her ribs. Her knees.

He stroked and kissed her body as if memorizing every inch, until she was a quivering mess. Her world narrowed down to where he would touch her next, to the only parts of her he hadn’t touched—her breasts and the spot between her thighs where she ached for him. “Please. Adonis, please.”

He chuckled against her inner thigh, and she felt it like a bolt to her pussy. “I like it when you call me that.”

“I’ll call you anything you want if you just touch me.”

“I have been touching you.” He shifted to lay next to her, his big palm coasting over her body, an inch off her skin. She shook with the need to arch up and feel him, but the slant of his brows told her that if she tried, he’d just move his hand farther from her. “Unless you mean something specific. Like here.” His fingers drifted just above her nipples and then down until she could feel the air displacement above her clit. “Or here.”

“Please.”

The touch was so light, she thought she might have imagined it. But she didn’t imagine the look in his hazel eyes. He leaned down until his lips brushed hers with each word. “I want to feel you coming on my cock.”

CHAPTER FOUR

ROMAN HAD LAUGHED when he’d found the stash of condoms on his initial exploration of the villa, but he’d never been so glad for them as he was in the moment when he ripped through a foil packet and rolled the condom over his cock.

He looked at her sprawled on his bed, her long limbs askew, her pussy so wet he could see it glistening from where he stood, her breasts reddened from his mouth, her hair a tangle over the white comforter... Passion personified. “Aphrodite.”

She tore her gaze away from his cock. “What?”

“If I’m Adonis, then you’re my Aphrodite.” He wanted to know her real name, but Roman wasn’t a fool—if he pressed her now about it, it would ruin the fantasy they played at. He ran his hands up her thighs as he climbed back onto the bed. “You look like her statue.”

Her lips curved in a sinful smile. “You already have me in your bed. You don’t have to go overboard with the compliments.” She leaned up on her elbows and kissed his throat. “If you don’t slide your cock into me right this second, I’m liable to expire on the spot.”

Fuck, she kept surprising him. Roman laughed; the sound was harsh with need. “Can’t have that.”

“No, we can’t.” She nipped the spot where his neck met his shoulder and then her hand was around the base of him, guiding his cock inside her.

He fought to keep the stroke steady and not drive into her like a goddamn beast. She clenched around him, one leg looping around his waist to take him deeper yet. Heaven. There was no other word to describe her little whimpers and shakes that he could feel all the way to the base of his cock. Or for her hands sliding down his back to grab his ass and drive him the rest of the way into her. He tangled his fingers in her hair and kissed her hard. “You know what you want.”

“I want you.”

He pulled almost all the way out of her and she rose to meet his thrust, her body moving in perfect time with his. As if they’d done this a thousand times before.

It was good. Too damn good.

He pulled back enough to create a little distance between their bodies. “Touch yourself. I said I want to feel you come on my cock, and I meant it.”

She didn’t hesitate, one hand snaking between her thighs, her middle finger circling her clit. The sight of her seeking her own pleasure while they were still joined threatened to toss him headfirst over the edge. He thrust again, hard enough to make her breasts bounce with each stroke.

Once. Twice. A third time.