Page 55 of Craig

His fingers fit into her waist and had him impatient to feel her skin. The barriers of clothing were frustrating.

Dragging at the jacket she still wore, he managed to wrestle it off her. Tossing it somewhere, he played his fingers over the bare skin of her back, loving the feel of her smooth skin.

The kiss deepened, though whether by design or just the need to go deeper, he had no idea. But the deeper he went, the more he tasted, the more he wanted.

He would never be satisfied with just this. Her tongue met his, and the kiss took on a wildness that left them reeling!

Chapter 9

The urge to just pull her down on the rough planks was so strong that it took a minute to fight for control.

And in order to gain back that control and stop the madness, he had to rein in his raging passion, which was no easy feat. It also meant dragging his mouth from hers, which was done with great reluctance.

But if he continued, he was going to take her right here, right now, in the open, on the rough surface. He wanted their first time after being back together, damn it!

They were back together, whether she wanted to admit it or not; she belonged to him and he was hers. He wanted their first time to be in a room, in a bed, where he could explore every inch of her body.

Mindless, weak, and disoriented, as well as burning with a desire so great, Regina wanted him so desperately that she could not think. So, when he eased away, she almost screamed in frustration.

“Not here. Not now,” he whispered against her mouth.

“Later.”

Tilting her chin up, he brushed her lips. “I want you,” he continued.

“More than I want to live. But not here.”

Easing out a breath, he stepped back carefully. His eyes were dark, his face flushed, and he had to clench his fingers to keep from hauling her against him.

Regina surfaced from the daze the kiss had put her in, and then common sense and humiliation came charging in, full force. It had her stepping back as well.

He saw when she began to distance herself, not only physically, but emotionally as well.

“Regina-”

“I have to-” Holding up a hand as if to ward him off, she bent to pick up her jacket and just fled. He watched her wind her way through the narrow paths, brushes snagging at her clothing, and contemplated going after her.

“Later,” he muttered to himself, before turning to attend to their catch.

Regina felt as if her heart was bursting from her chest.

Racing up the stairs, she went into the room assigned to her and sat on the edge of the bed.

She felt weak with need. She shouldn’t have come, she thought feverishly.

She should have insisted on knowing where they were going, and when he told her, she should have settled for somewhere more public, a hotel, with two different rooms, an entire suite. Not this, this isolated place that had woven its magic with the fabulous flowers, the solitude, the aura of peacefulness.

She shouldn’t have come.

Rising, she started to pace and then wandered over to the window.

That was another big mistake. He had ditched his clothing and was only wearing a pair of boxers, and was just hauling himself up onto the deck.

Water dripped off him. His hair was plastered to his head, and from her vantage point, she could see droplets clinging to the hairs on his chest, hair that arrowed down to his washboard-flat stomach.

Her mouth went dry, so did her throat, as she let her gaze wander further down.

“Oh, dear God,” she whispered, one hand going to her throat. As if her thoughts had transmitted themselves to him, he looked up then, barely giving her time to step out of sight.