See You at Sunset (19 page)

No, no, no.
What a cosmically bad idea that would be—both of them wet and basically naked. But still she moved to the ladder, as if pulled by a magnet. Micah broke the dark surface of the water and raked a hand back to clear his eyes as he bobbed in the gentle waves.

“It’s nice and warm,” he said. “What’s wrong, Tyler? You chicken or something?”

No, dammit. She wasn’t—not anymore.

“Those are fighting words, Lancaster,” she called down to him as she pulled her tank top over her head and dropped it at her feet. She kicked off her sandals and wriggled out of her skirt, deliberately not looking at him. Irrationally, she was really happy that her lacy red demi bra and hip-hugger panties were both new, stylish designs from Victoria’s Secret.

She stood poised at the top of the ladder, where she’d stood countless times before. Holly had no fear of the ocean, having jumped and dived off Seashell Bay docks and piers all through her childhood. She’d never suffered anything worse than a black eye Brett Clayton inadvertently gave with his elbow as he surfaced beside her.

After a quick glance down at Micah, who was staring up at her with his mouth hanging open, she aimed a little to his right and launched herself into a dive.

She came up spitting salt water and shrieking. The water was
not
warm—it was freaking cold. “You lied about the water, you rat,” she yelped.

He swam closer. “Since when did you become such a wimp?” he teased.

Holly splashed water at him. “Officers of the law are supposed to always tell the truth.”

Micah gave her a sly grin. “Are you still cold?”

She didn’t miss the heated intent in his gaze.
You are so playing with fire, Holly.
But she didn’t care—not tonight anyway.

“Am I still shivering?” she scoffed.

“I can fix that.” He pulled her in, plastering her against that wet, gorgeous chest of his. Holly couldn’t resist. Didn’t want to resist, because it felt too damn good—better than anything she’d felt in a very long time.

She snaked her arms around Micah’s shoulders and treaded water along with him.

“Does that help?” he whispered in her ear. His bristly chin brushed against her cheek, making her shiver even harder.

“You have no idea,” she choked out.

“Mmm, wrap your legs around my waist, babe. Then you can just float with me.”

She was vaguely aware that he was pulling her with him, but didn’t fully realize what was happening until he turned and gently pressed her against one of the dock’s pilings. Micah’s arms protected her back from rubbing against the rough, moss-covered wooden post. He pulled her close, and the filmy fabric of her bra was like nothing against the rock-hard heat of his chest. Her nipples, already stiff from the cold water, ached with a delicious heat from the contact.

When she sucked in a startled breath, one of his hands slid down to her ass and he kissed her hard. She didn’t even try to close her lips, taking him right in.

And, dear sweet Jesus, did he ever taste wonderful. She’d dreamed about kissing him for so long. And not the friendly, quick kiss on the cheek or the occasional peck on the lips they’d shared as friends. She’d wanted
this
. Hot, glorious, messy, and so damn passionate that it blasted every rational thought from her brain. She’d wanted Micah’s tongue sweeping into her mouth, his lips devouring hers like he’d never wanted anything more in his life than what they were doing right now.

Holly wound herself around his big, muscled body, getting as close as she could. With his strong arms and the buoyancy of the water supporting her, she could crawl right on top of him. And everywhere they touched, every point of contact—and there was a
lot
of contact—her skin burned with heat. Even in the water, she could tell she was getting hotter and wetter between her thighs, getting ready for him. She clamped her hands on the sides of his head, holding him still as she indulged in leisurely kisses that slid from one to another, never seeming to end.

When he breathed out a sexy groan against her lips and slid a hand down the back of her panties, cupping her, Holly broke away on a gasp. She stared into his eyes. Even in the deep shadows underneath the dock, she could see that his gaze had gone heavy-lidded and oh so possessive, taking every bit of strength from her trembling muscles.

It would be so crazy to give in to him, but she wanted it, wanted
him
, more than anything she’d wanted in years. Her heart pounded out a surging, driving rhythm that silently urged her to take more.
To take everything.

“Let’s go back up,” Micah finally whispered.

Holly simply nodded, all out of words. She grabbed the edges of the ladder and found an underwater rung with her feet. She rested there for a moment, trying to gather her wits after that mind-blowing string of kisses.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” Micah said. His big hands grasped her hips. “But if it’s easier, we could just swim back to the shore.”

Holly didn’t worry about falling, not with Micah right behind her. There was no way he’d let her get hurt even if her grip faltered. “I’ll be fine.” She started climbing.

“You have the most beautiful ass in the history of the world,” Micah said in a husky voice.

“Well, you’re certainly getting a good view of it,” she joked.

“And feel of it,” he said, applying a gentle squeeze.

Her breath seized again. She loved the feel of his hands on her, but what was going to happen when they made it back up onto the dock? It was clear that he’d only broken it off in the water because he wanted to get even busier on dry land. And so did she.

She scrambled up and turned around to extend a hand down to Micah, her breath coming in shallow pants, partly due to exertion but more a result of her nerves. After all, it seemed she was about to take one of the biggest risks of her life.

And Holly hated taking risks—especially emotional ones. In her experience, they only led to heartache. Then again, she’d played it safe with Jackson and that had turned into an epic disaster, hadn’t it?

Micah grasped her hand and hauled himself up. Before she could even say a word, he pulled her against his dripping body. His erection felt long and thick and so very hard against her belly.

“Micah, this is crazy—”

“Maybe,” he interrupted. “Maybe not.”

His big hands pushed her panties down. “Holly, you know you can stop me anytime. But I don’t think you want to, so why don’t you just let go for once. Stop worrying and let go.”

Holly knew she should push him away. It had been a crazy few weeks, and she was vulnerable. The breakup with Jackson had been the icing on the cake. Given where her head was right now, it would be the worst possible time to jump into bed with Micah.

But her body was singing from an entirely different songbook than her brain. Boy, was it ever singing.

“Let go,” Holly said in a whisper, more to herself than to Micah. She twined her arms around his back and lifted her face for him to kiss. “For just one night.”

Something dark flashed through Micah’s eyes, then he smiled at her. “For just one night,” he echoed before nuzzling her mouth.

A few seconds later, she came up for air. “Your place, I presume? We can hardly barge in on my aunts.”

Micah’s laugh came out deep and wicked. “I was thinking, why wait?”

She pretended to think about that—not an easy thing when his big, warm hands were sliding all over her wet skin. “Uh… okay,” she stuttered when his fingers slipped between her thighs.

The truth was that she wanted him inside her and she wanted it now. It was totally crazy, but doing it out here on the dock—the same dock where they’d hung out as teenagers all those years ago—somehow felt not just insanely sexy but absolutely right.

Holly stepped out of her panties and reached for the waistband of his boxers. When she carefully eased them down over his straining erection, Micah sucked in a deep breath and grabbed at the front clasp of her bra. Unhooking it easily, he slid the straps off her shoulders and dropped the scrap of lace and nylon to the wooden planks.

“You’re so beautiful,” he breathed as he gazed down at her. “You can’t believe how many times I’ve imagined what you looked like underneath all those tight shirts and bikini tops. As a perverted teenager, of course,” he added with a grin.

“You mean the adult Micah has never had even one lewd thought about me?”

His hand drifted up to caress her breast. “Only about a million,” he whispered.

She rested her hands on his hips, gazing up at him. “Me too,” she whispered. “About you.”

She’d had an epic crush on him when they were teenagers, but she’d always been too afraid of screwing up their friendship. Then she’d moved away to school, and those feelings had faded under the impact of time, distance, and her new and busy life—a life that had soon enough led her to Drew.

Still, there’d always been a spark deep down with Micah, a cherished memory of that first schoolgirl crush on the best boy in Seashell Bay.

But there was nothing girlish about what she felt for him now. And there was damn sure nothing boyish about Micah Lancaster. He was all man, and so nakedly gorgeous that she could hardly catch her breath.

When she reached up to slide her hands around his neck, he gently pushed her arms away.

“Let me play for a minute, babe,” he murmured in a low, raspy voice. His sexy tone was almost enough to send her over the edge.

“O… kay,” she stuttered when his hands moved up to cup her breasts.

Her still-damp nipples were already tight, aching points from the night air and from the urgency of her lust. When his long fingers finally closed over them and gently tugged, sensation zinged straight to her core. It forced a cry from her throat.

Micah let out a husky, satisfied laugh when she clapped a mortified hand over her mouth.

“Oh, damn,” she muttered. “Do you think anyone could have heard?”

He pulled her hand away and turned it over, pressing a kiss to the middle of her palm. “The closest house is half a mile away. You can make as much noise as you want.”

“Good.” She had no intention of curtailing the evening’s activities, but nor did she want half the island knowing she was doing the nasty out here with Micah Lancaster.

“Then again,” he said in a thoughtful tone as he flicked his thumb over her nipple, “sound does carry a long way over water.”

She smacked his arm. “You big jerk—”

She lost her breath—and her words—when Micah dipped down and fastened his mouth over her nipple, sucking hard. Pleasure bolted through her, weakening her knees, and she had to grab his shoulders to keep from tumbling down to the smooth boards under her feet.

He clamped one hand on her ass, lifting her up. For the next few minutes he drove her crazy, teasing her breasts. She squirmed against him, pressing her hips against his erection, trying to find just the right angle to assuage the growing ache between her thighs.

Finally, when she couldn’t take it anymore, she clamped her hands over his ears and forced his head up. “Micah, you’re driving me insane.”

He slowly straightened, holding her away from him as his fiery gaze swept over her body. Her breasts felt hot and swollen, and part of her wanted his mouth on them again. But she needed more—much more. She needed him to make love to her now.

“You’re really something, babe. I think I could spend the rest of the night playing with those sweet breasts of yours.” He swooped down and sucked one of her nipples back into his mouth for a brief taste.

“As good as that sounds,” she managed in a squeaky voice, “I need more.”

She reached down and wrapped her fingers around his thick length. He let out a harsh, trembling breath.

“I need you inside me,” she whispered.

He bent down, resting his forehead on hers. “I need that too, babe. More than you can know.”

When he let her go, she immediately missed the heat pouring off his body. It was a mild night, but she still shivered in the slight breeze that wafted over her skin.

Holly cautiously eyed the planks under her feet. She wanted Micah so badly that every muscle in her body was pulled tight with lust, but suddenly the idea of doing it on the dock—without even a towel underneath her—was somewhat less than enticing. With her luck, she’d probably end up with a splinter in her butt.

Holly mentally sighed.
When did you turn into such a wet blanket?

“So, how do you propose we do this?” she asked as he rummaged in his pants pocket.

He glanced up, no doubt hearing the hesitation in her voice. “Afraid of getting a splinter in that sweet ass of yours?” he teased. “Don’t worry, I won’t let that happen.”

She propped her hands on her hips and scowled at him. “Do you always read my mind like that? It’s really annoying.”

He eyed her with appreciation as he flipped open his wallet. “Hate to break it to you, honey, but that nasty glare is pretty much offset by your smoking-hot and very naked body.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” She nodded at the condom he pulled out of his wallet. “Well, someone came prepared.”

Thank goodness. Holly had been so caught up in what was happening—so caught up in him—that she hadn’t even thought of protection. She needed to dial back the emotional intensity a few notches. Micah was as dangerous to her as a riptide, threatening to wash away what little control she still had left.

But as she watched him sheath his big and hard and gorgeous erection, she had to admit it would be a pretty terrific way to go.

He gave her a wicked grin. “I’m an officer of the law. I always come prepared.”

“I’m glad someone did,” she muttered. Now that they were finally going to do it, she couldn’t help feeling just a bit nervous. Because it was Micah, and he knew everything about her. There wouldn’t be a hope in hell of hiding behind their old, easygoing friendship after tonight.

Yeah, tonight she was crossing the Rubicon in a big, big way.

“Hey, you,” he said, “come here.” He slowly drew her in. “You’re going to let it go just for one night, remember?” he whispered.