Read, Write, Love (Love in Bloom: The Remingtons, Book 5) Contemporary Romance (9 page)

He cocked his head to the side. “My free spirit”—he kissed her neck—“beautiful Leanna”—he kissed her lips—“has never had sex on a beach? But you’ll whip off your clothes in my living room and put on my sweatshirt when you’ve known me five minutes?”

She was still relishing in his use of the word
my
. “I knew you about thirty minutes, and there’s a big difference. I’m not shy about being seen naked, but being seen having sex? Not such a pretty sight.” She looked up and down the beach. They were alone, tucked against the side of a dune. The moon reflected off of the ocean, the waves lapped at the shore, and Leanna’s heart thundered inside her chest. At the moment Pepper was being very well behaved, lying in the sand beside them, and the idea of getting out from under tender and sexy Kurt did not seem appealing at all.

Nervousness and desire vibrated through her body. “I’m game if you’re game.”

“Oh, baby, with you? I don’t know what you’ve done to me, but I’m game for just about anything as long as it doesn’t involve a broom or broken glass.”

He covered her mouth with his and kissed her until the last bit of worry about being seen and out of sync slipped away, and all that remained was the feel of his full lips, his hard body against her, and the sound of the breaking waves. Kurt’s hand moved along her thigh, and when it slid beneath her dress, her whole body went hot. She arched into him, and he pressed his cheek to hers as he worked her belt free.

“I’ve thought about you in your lacy panties all day.”

His seductive whisper sent a shiver through her, and when his fingertips touched the edge of her panties, she sucked in a breath. He gazed at her with serious eyes.

“Want me to stop?” he whispered.

God, no
. She shook her head, reached her hand around the back of his neck, and pulled his mouth to hers again. His big hand moved up her body, his palm covered her ribs, and his thumb grazed the underside of her breast. She moaned against his lips, and he deepened the kiss. When they came apart, she could barely breathe for the need to kiss him again. But his mouth was moving slowly down her body, kissing a hot path between her breasts. He lifted his eyes and met her gaze and she held her breath; then he moved farther down and lifted her dress above her hips. Leanna gripped the blanket in her fists and closed her eyes, stifling the urge to beg for more as he ran his finger along the edge of her lacy panties, teasing her with his touch. Her body tingled, aching for more of him. Then his lips were on her stomach again, burning a path from her belly button to her hip. She exhaled in pleasure and he gripped her hips, causing her breath to hitch in anticipation. He used his teeth to drag her panties down her thighs.
Good Lord
. It was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen a man do. Kurt ran his tongue along the crease between her leg and her sex, first on one side, then the other. A cool bay breeze swept across her damp skin, and Kurt worked his way up her body, kissing, tasting, touching every inch of her skin and taking her dress with him. When he reached her breasts, he stopped, and she felt him rise up onto his elbows.

“Leanna,” he whispered.

She opened her eyes.

“You’re sure you want this?”

“Yes.”
God, yes. Now, please
.

He kissed her softly. “You’re exquisite. Everything about you, Leanna. You’re not at all awkward.”

“Take your shirt off.” She tried to work the buttons on his shirt, but her hands were trembling.

He pressed his hand to hers and held it against his chest. “You’re shaking.”

“A little.”

He kissed her hands. “Are you nervous?”

“A little.”
A lot.

“We don’t have to.” His gaze turned serious.

“I want to.” She reached for his buttons again. “I’ve never wanted anything so badly in my life.”
Oh, shit. Did I just say that out loud?
She shot her eyes to his.
Oh God!
He was looking at her with an amused little smile.

“Me either.” He removed his shirt and rolled it up, then placed it beneath her head. He shifted his eyes to Pepper, fast asleep in the sand. “Think I can untether him?”

“Yes. Quick. Yes.”

He removed the leash from his leg, and Pepper opened one eye, then closed it and went right back to sleep. Kurt stepped from his pants, and Leanna drew in another sharp breath at the sight of him, naked, before her. She felt as if she were under a spell, her eyes locked on the gorgeous broad-shouldered creature before her. Planes of lean muscles and warm skin there for the taking, and boy did she want to take. She dragged her eyes down the center of his body to his eager desire between his legs, and anticipation thrummed through her. He came to her then, and she wanted to reach for him, to stroke him and love him, but she couldn’t move.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered against her neck as he unhooked the front clasp of her bra and carefully removed her clothing, leaving her naked, save for her panties around her thighs. In the next breath, he drew them off. Leanna closed her eyes, breathing harder and shivering against the bay breeze as he came down beside her. He reached into the pocket of his pants and took a condom from his wallet, then tore it open with his teeth. She tried to help him roll it on, but her hands were still trembling. He took her in a sensuous kiss, never missing a beat as he put on the latex sheath.

“Told you I was awkward,” she whispered as he gently laid her back down.

Positioned above her, he kissed her again. “You’re not at all awkward.”

She shifted her eyes away, and he drew her chin back, bringing them eye to eye again. “We can stop.”

“No,” she said sharply.

“Look at me. Be here with me, Leanna. Share this moment with me.”

She held his gaze as he slid inside her, and a streak of heat raced through her body to her heart. She sucked in a breath as he pushed deeper, until their bodies were as close as they could possibly be, and he stilled. She closed her eyes, and he kissed her eyelids.

“Be with me.”

His heated whisper drew her eyes open as he withdrew, then pushed in until he was buried deep, again and again, sensuously stroking the coiled heat in her belly free. He lowered his mouth to hers, and in that moment she became his. The rest of the world fell away, and it was only the two of them. His efforts carried her from one breath to the next, breathing, taking, loving her body. She tried not to move, afraid of throwing them off. He buried his hands in her hair and rested his forehead on hers.

“Leanna.” Her name was filled with desire.  He kissed her again as he pulled out, then thrust in until he was buried deep, and stilled again.

He slid his lips to her cheek and whispered, “Move with me.”

She loved his voice, his words, the way he expressed himself. Every word was intense, passionate, and thankfully, he began moving inside her again.
Yes, oh yes
.

“No,” she whispered back.

He stilled again.

“No? Why?”

“I’ll throw you off, and this feels so good.” She looked away, and he drew her eyes back again, searching for understanding. “Really,” she pleaded. “Trust me. You don’t want me to move.”

“Let me be the judge, okay? I want to feel you, all of you, and if that means you move at a different rhythm than me, I’ll figure it out.”

She bit her lower lip, completely, utterly embarrassed and wanting so badly to let herself go and just be herself with him at the same time. She shook her head.

“Leanna.” He caressed her cheek. “I don’t care if you buck like a bronco. I’m with you. I want you. The real you.”

She smiled. “A bronco?”

He shrugged; then he lowered his mouth to hers, and his tongue moved swift and deep, in perfect tune to every thrust of his hips, and Leanna began to forget her worry and forget her awkwardness. As his hands moved down her body to her breasts and he brushed her nipples, her hips began to move on their own. She knew she was completely off, and when he stilled, so did she.

“No. Keep moving,” he urged.

She did, and she prayed he wasn’t going to get up and say,
That’s some crazy shit you have going on there. I can’t do this.
Her last boyfriend had said something similar one too many times.

In the next breath, his cheek was pressed against hers again and he was whispering in that sweet, seductive voice of his. “You feel so good. I love the way you move. Oh yeah, that’s it.”

His encouragement wrapped around her heart; then his lips met hers and his heart thundered against hers. She felt so safe with him that she didn’t object when he rolled over and positioned her on top, even though she hated being on top. Their pleasure was all up to her now, and she sucked at this part of sex. She moved, and she knew her rhythm was off. Then his hands found her hips, and he helped her find a rhythm that he could match. Their rhythm. Once they found their cadence and their bodies were in sync, one of his hands found her breast, while the other found her center, and he teased her most sensitive area. She couldn’t help but suck in a breath and arch against his hand.

“That’s it, baby. Come for me.”

His voice sent another thrill through her. No man had ever talked to her during sex, and Kurt made her feel special and sexy. He sat up and took her nipple in his mouth, still teasing her with his hand, and her eyes slammed shut against the sensation of a million pinpricks along her limbs as she came apart, sending her body into a frenzy of crazy movements and hot pulses. He gripped her hips again, moving with her as she rode out the wave of the best orgasm she’d ever experienced. When she finally let out the breath she’d been holding, he expertly rolled her onto her back and took her in another hard kiss. She couldn’t think. The new position brought her quickly to the peak again, and she lifted her hips to meet his thrusts. He smiled down at her, never missing a beat, driving his hard length into her, burying to the hilt and then pushing deeper.

“That’s it,” he urged. “Come on, baby. Take it right over the edge again.”

Pepper whined, and Kurt shot him a heated look. Pepper put his head back down and sighed.

Kurt drew his eyes back to Leanna, totally focused on her pleasure, his muscles hard beneath her palms, his movements efficient and strong. He shifted his hips, and she sucked in another breath.

“Kurt,” she panted. “Oh God.”

He gripped her hips and held her tightly, thrusting harder, deeper, stroking the spot that tightened every nerve in her body and sent her insides into a pulsating fever of need. He sped up his pace, and she gripped his powerful biceps tightly as he took her to the brink again. She cried out—a loud, indiscernible shriek of pleasure that sent Pepper to his feet, barking and running up and down beside them. Kurt held her tight as his muscles flexed, and his body shuddered against her as he found his own release.

Pepper circled them, barking and whining.

Kurt leisurely reached for his leash and drew him close—carefully, Leanna noticed.

“Sit.” He said just above a whisper, still breathing hard. Leanna felt the word vibrate through his chest.

Pepper obeyed.

“Good boy,” Kurt managed. He let out a breath and pushed himself up from Leanna’s chest.

She pulled him down on top of her again. She needed to feel his heart beating against hers. Being in Kurt’s arms stole the emptiness from her heart and filled it with an unfamiliar contentment that she never wanted to lose.

“Told you I was awkward.” She bit her lower lip.

He kissed her trapped lip, then kissed her cheeks and her forehead and looked at her with his sea-blue eyes. “I didn’t notice a bit of awkwardness. You’re perfect.”

A COOL BREEZE came off the bay like a sigh and rolled over Kurt and Leanna, now fully dressed and lying on the blanket gazing up at the stars. Pepper’s leash was tied to Kurt’s belt loop, and the dog lay quietly beside them. Leanna’s leg was draped over Kurt’s, her head rested against his chest, and her index finger traced the ripples of his abs.

Kurt covered her hand with his. “You’re nervous.”

She didn’t respond.

“Was this too public? It was new for me, too. I’m sorry. Maybe we shouldn’t have—”

“No. It wasn’t that. I mean, it was public, but I wanted to be with you as much as you wanted to be with me, and this was fun. I’m glad we have a first for both of us.”

A first. Our first
. He loved that. Kurt brushed her hair over her shoulder, thinking about firsts. Women thought about their first time, their first kiss. He knew that many of the things that were momentous in women’s lives revolved around men. His firsts, however, were tied to his writing. The first manuscript he completed,
Beneath the Stillness.
His first rejection letter. His first agent request for a full manuscript. The first offer of representation. His first publishing deal. His first live television interview. His first book award. If he really drew on his memory, he could pull the name of the first girl he’d kissed, Madeline Bern, but it was last in a long line of firsts. Firsts with women had never felt very momentous. This first went to the head of the line.

A first for both of us
.

Kurt wasn’t a talker. His family and friends knew this about him, and they accepted it. He enjoyed observing more than being in the midst of the goings-on, but Leanna had flipped a switch inside him. He felt himself changing, wanting more, and it surprised him.  Rather than fight these new feelings and climb back into his writer’s mind—the safety of his writer’s cave—he wanted to remain in her world.

“I feel like I’ve had a few firsts tonight,” he admitted.

“A few?”

She touched his cheek, and he closed his eyes for a breath, relishing in her touch. Her palm was warm and soft, loving.

“For the first time in years, I’m not thinking about writing.” He leaned up on one elbow and gazed into her eyes. “For the first time in as long as I can remember, I really and truly enjoyed making love.” He leaned in and kissed her. “I enjoyed making love to you, Leanna, being close to you. I like you. A lot.” His pulse sped up again. “And you’re wearing off on me. I never talk this much.”

She smiled, but she didn’t respond, and Kurt’s stomach tightened. He was moving too fast, baring his heart when he shouldn’t. He’d watched his siblings fall in love, and he’d caught glimpses of what it was like for them to really let someone into their lives. Something inside him that he didn’t even know existed felt drawn to Leanna in that way. He wanted to let her in.

But was she pulling back? He wasn’t practiced enough at reading women to be sure. Worry snaked its way into the back of his mind.

“I didn’t exactly take you on a date, did I?” He sat up and leaned his arms over his knees. “I’m sorry. I’m not very good at this.”

She laughed softly as she pulled herself up beside him. “What are you talking about?”

“We had sex on the beach when I should have taken you to dinner, a movie, something more date-like. There’s probably some dating rule I know nothing about. No sex until the third date or something?” He shifted his eyes to her with a smile.

“You’re so funny. I don’t know many people who go out on three dates before they have sex.”

“Really?” He had always thought timelines for intimacy were odd. He either felt something or he didn’t, but he also wanted Leanna to know he really liked her in a way that was much deeper than just sex. “That’s kind of weird, too, isn’t it?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I probably would have slept with you at my cottage this morning, and we hadn’t even gone out on one date.”

He pulled her close. “Then why do I feel like something’s wrong right now?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I’m just embarrassed. Now you know about my weird inability to be in sync while we’re…” She glanced at the blanket.

“Oh, thank God.” He breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank God?”

“Yeah. Here I was thinking I’d done everything wrong.” He pulled her onto his lap and gathered her thick hair in one hand and lowered his lips to her bared skin. “You’re perfect, sensual. Not awkward. Not weird. Perfect.”

“Come on, Kurt.” She rolled her eyes.

“Maybe we should do it again so I can prove it.” He smiled and she laughed. “Seriously. I’m not sure why you are so worried. We were perfectly in sync.”

She lowered her forehead to his. “I love when you lie to me.”

“I never lie, babe. It’s one of my faults. I’m not even sure how to lie.”

“Everyone lies.”

He pulled back and searched her eyes. “I don’t. I’ve never been able to fake feelings either. They’re either there or they’re not. It’s who I am.”

She rested her head on his shoulder and whispered, “Then we’re a perfect pair, because I’m who I am, too.”

THERE WERE NOT many things in life that scared Leanna. Starting over in a new city was exciting; quitting jobs was as easy as changing her clothes. She knew she could pick up the pieces of her life and find a way to carry on no matter what was going on around her. She might not be the neatest girl on the planet, or the most organized, and she might not remember everything—like where she left her bike or Pepper’s leash—but she knew the moment she set her head on Kurt’s shoulder that her heart had opened to him in a way it never had before. And that scared the crap out of her. One of her biggest skills was being discontent—and although this felt a world away from anything remotely similar to discontent, she hoped her mind didn’t steal this happiness from her.

As Kurt drove toward her cottage, her heart told her to invite him in and ask him to stay for the night, but her head told her that was stupid. They’d gone out once. She didn’t know him well enough.  Yet her gut reaction was that he was not only trustworthy, but different from—maybe even opposite of—any man she’d ever met. It was after midnight when they pulled into Seaside. The lights in Bella’s and Jenna’s cottages were still on.
Of course
. Directly across from Leanna’s, Amy’s cottage was dark.

Kurt opened the car door for Leanna, something no man had done for her in the past. And there he was, standing tall and handsome in his linen pants, with those piercing blue eyes. A perfect gentleman. And what was she thinking? She wanted to rip his clothes off and climb on top of him again.

She stepped from the car, and he folded her in his arms.

“I wish I had thought to take you to my place for the night,” he whispered.

Could they possibly be in sync?

“I…um…” She turned at the sound of whispering behind her and noticed Amy, Bella, and Jenna walking up the street from the pool. Pepper took off in their direction, dragging the leash behind him.

Kurt followed her gaze. “Were they swimming?”

“Chunky-dunking.”

“Chunky-dunking?” He laughed. Their hair was piled up messily on their heads. Each woman was draped in a towel that barely covered her private parts, and they were grinning like fools.

“It’s what we call skinny-dipping,” she whispered. “The pool closes at eight, but we sneak in sometimes.”

“I’ll have to set my alarm so I don’t miss the next episode of Seaside Skinny-Dipping. May I see you tomorrow?”

May I?
She reminded herself that words were his life. “I’m making another batch of jam tomorrow, so I’ll be here all day. Aren’t you writing tomorrow?”

“I write every day, but I’d like to fit some time in to see you. Unless you have plans or would rather not.”

Leanna sensed her friends behind her, turned, and nearly bumped into Bella.

“Bella,” she chided her. Pepper was legs to the sky with his tongue hanging out of his mouth as Amy scratched his belly.

“Sorry. I wanted to say hi to Kurt. Hi, Kurt.” Bella smiled and tilted her head.

“Hello, Bella.”

“This is Jenna.” Bella pointed to Jenna, who waved. “And Amy’s loving up Pep.”

“Hello, ladies. Nice to meet you.” He glanced at Leanna. “Tomorrow?”

“Sure. I don’t know what time I’ll be done. What do you have in mind?”

He leaned in close. “It doesn’t matter. I just like being around you. Although, I kind of owe you a real date.”

“A real date,” Bella whispered.

Leanna shot her a look.

“Sorry. We were talking about having a bonfire here in the quad tomorrow, if you guys want to join us.” Bella turned away and tightened her towel.

“That’s not exactly a real date, and I’m sure the last thing Kurt wants to do is hang out with a bunch of women.” Leanna touched his hand. “I’d love to see you.”

“I don’t mind hanging out with your friends if that’s what you’d like to do.”

“Great. Then it’s a date,” Bella said.

“Oh my God, Bella.” Leanna glared at her. “Jenna, please take her home.”

Jenna looped her arm into Bella’s. “Come on, Bell. Let’s give Leanna a little privacy.”

“I’m going, too.” Amy picked up Pepper’s leash and handed it to Leanna. “Nice to meet you, Kurt.”

“You, too, Amy.” Kurt settled his hands on Leanna’s hips, and she lowered her forehead to his chest.

“I’m sorry. Bella’s a little pushy.”

He lifted her chin with his index finger. “They seem nice. I don’t care what we do, as long as I’m with you. Why don’t you decide, and I’ll come by around six or so?”

“Perfect.”

He kissed her good night, and Pepper whined at his feet. Kurt shook his head. “Good night, Pepper.”

As he drove away, Leanna wondered if her luck had changed—or if she was on the way to a crash-landing but too high up in the clouds to notice.