“Shay?” Dylan's deep voice echoed.
“Out here,” she yelled back.
He strolled onto the patio. When he saw her, a big grin smeared his lips. “Party's out here tonight?”
“Party's in here,” she said, slapping the water.
Get naked and get in here. Fast.
Dylan swaggered over to the spa. He bent and kissed her, cupped a naked breast. “How was your day?” He rose and began to undress, deftly undoing his shirt buttons. He tugged his shirttail from his pants, working the last two buttons. Slowly, he peeled away his shirt, leaving only a white athletic tee.
“Better now.” She forgot about her day. And focused on her man's sexy attributes. She loved how his undershirt exposed all the key parts, but when he pulled it up over his head, she held her breath and stifled a heady reaction.
He continued his striptease. Luckily, thick hearty foliage enveloped the patio. Their acre of land sat well away from prying eyes. The only one watching was her, and he seemed real intent on giving a good show. He shed everything but his smile and stood before her, tall and proud. Stepping into the spa, he leisurely sank that macho glory, and finally, she could breathe normally again.
His head disappeared beneath the white whirlpool and came up under her. Shay's body shuddered with surprise. Delight. His mouth went up her thigh, across her lap, over her breasts and to her chin, where he placed a tender kiss.
Water dripping into his eyes, he put an arm on each side of her head and stared at her. God, what a gorgeous husband. Dark. Intense. Corrupt. He leaned forward, and this time he laid a mind-blowing kiss on her. “Hey,” he said when their mouths parted.
Five years and his kiss still boiled her blood. She needed his heat, needed that burn to feel alive. Loving him. Being loved by him. That's what her life required. Caught between his hard chest and wide arms, Shay was a lucky woman. She'd married the love of her life. “What's up?”
“I thought this day would never end.” He nibbled her jaw. “This is all I could think about.” He kissed her longer, harder. “Did you have fun last night?” He sucked her bottom lip, practically swallowing it.
Her cells sizzled. She loved when he kissed her like that, utterly consuming. He had so much to give. She took every bit. With a lazy grin, she pressed her fingertip to his chin, over a small scar that he'd had for decades. “The question
is
did
you
have fun?” She poked the tiny dent.
“Oh, yeah.” Dylan's chest rubbed her breasts. He stared down at them. “I have a couple of ideas for tonight.”
She grasped his forearms, gauged their strength. “I do too,” she said, caressing the sprinkle of dark hair over his skin. His mouth captured a taut nipple. He not so gently sucked it. Her hips jerked at his boldness, the instant bolt of pleasure. It took sheer willpower to pull her breast away. “Turn around.”
Dylan lifted his head and looked at her. “Okay.” He complied, and treated her to an eyeful of muscled tan ass.
She eased herself back into the whirlpool and sat on the underwater ledge. Her gaze lingered on his perfect buns. Mel Gibson had nothing on him. “Come down here and lean into me.”
He followed orders like a fresh recruit, snuggling his back into her open embrace. She handed him a glass of wine. Cuddling her breasts into his smooth back, she wrapped her legs around his hips. “This feels nice,” she said, nuzzling his shampoo-scented hair.
“Definitely,” he agreed. Draining half a glass of wine, he let his frame fall into full relax mode.
“How was your day?” She massaged his scalp.
Groaning with pleasure, he didn't answer right away. “Did you eat?” he asked, when he finally spoke.
“Late lunch. You?”
“Same.”
“What's going on with the mansion?” Her fingers worked his skull and legs hugged him close.
“We're in the paperwork phase. Labor should start in a few weeks.”
“Can't wait to see the finished product.” She knew his work would be top-notch and gorgeous. As always.
“I want you to see the house before we begin.”
“Really?” Things were definitely starting to feel normal again.
“Yep.” Dylan's long fingers traced her thighs. He caressed her hips, squeezing the sides where her meat was juicier. Not too juicy, mind you. She was proud of her thirty-six inch hips. Lucky for her, she didn't have to work too hard to maintain them. Thank you, Mom, for the good genes. At fifty-something, her mother still looked fabulous. She may not have been the most nurturing mom, but she had a ton of style and grace. Some of which had rubbed off on Shay.
Shay loved fashion. It hadn't always been that way. Back in middle school, she'd been a tomboy—baggy jeans, even baggier tees, and sneakers. Her toes had never seen daylight. High School had changed all that. She'd grown out her hair, had even experimented with makeup. She'd embraced her femininity, her sultry dark looks. A lot of guys had appreciated the change. Not that she'd done it for any of them.
Dylan slipped his hands beneath her butt, distracting her. “I want you to be part of the process,” he said, squeezing her flesh. “See what makes your husband tick.”
Her hands circled his torso. She caressed his flat midsection, played with his small, tan nipples. Trailing her fingers down his taut frame, she snared his semi-stiff erection and squeezed it. “I already know what makes him tick.” She stroked him up and down, up and down until he grew rigid. “See?” she said, increasing the tempo of her pumps. She slowed her rhythm and took her time exploring.
Dylan turned his head sideways to capture a nipple.
She stopped him. With her hand, she kept him right where she wanted him, inflicting more pressure, inflicting more pleasure. Her finger toyed with the sensitive head, spreading a slick drop of fluid that had trickled out. His breaths picked up. She concentrated her energy on that magnificent part of his body. He bucked against her, and just like that, she let him go. “Not yet,” she said.
He held still against her, regulated his breathing. “Close call,” he said, nestling into her. It amazed her how quickly he got it back under control. But he wouldn't for long. Nope. Not if she could help it. “You could do that to me every night,” Dylan rasped out.
“Ha!” She pressed a kiss to his temple. “If I did, you would get bored.”
“Would not.”
Shay let out a laugh. Of course he would say that. She patted his chest and said, “Relax. I promise not to touch.”
“Don't do
that
.”
“Okay. I won't.”
“So you'll do it again?”
“Yeah.”
“When?”
She laughed again. “Soon.”
He reached up and put his arm behind her head. “Well,” he said, and began to whistle. “Since we're killing time...” He blew out a few verses. “Tell me about your day.”
Shay's groan came out louder than she'd intended. “You don't want to know,” she said, playing with his pebbled nipples.
“What don't I want to know?”
Did she really want to talk about work and dampen the mood she'd just created? Yeah. She needed to discuss Donna's problem with Dylan, get a guy's perspective on the situation. Besides, she knew how to get her husband's motor running again. Of that, she was not concerned. “Remember Donna?”
“Your assistant?”
“My
pregnant
assistant.”
“When did she get married?”
“She didn't.”
“Oh.”
“She's been seeing some guy on and off, mostly off. He got her pregnant.”
“Donna?”
“I know,” Shay said, adjusting her weight. She curled her leg over his thigh. “She's a mess. And she's terrified of telling her parents.”
“She's an adult.”
“Yeah, she
is
twenty-three.”
“Adult,” he reiterated.
“Only she still lives with them.”
“She does?”
“That's a whole other story.”
“So what's the deal with this guy?”
“Donna informed him that she was pregnant. He informed Donna that that was her problem.”
“What an asshole.”
“Yep. He just used her for a screw.”
“Some dudes are like that.” His fingers splayed over her calf. He drew circles on her skin, leaving tiny goose bumps everywhere. “Whatever their mentality, they should use some fucking protection.”
“I can't believe Donna didn't insist. She's really hung-up on this loser.”
“Must be.”
“Why do men do that? Walk away so easily.”
“People can rationalize anything. In his mind, it's probably Donna's fault.”
“Well it's not,” she said, in an edgy tone.
“I know that,” Dylan said.
“It's too convenient to blame the woman.”
“Unfortunately, some women allow themselves to get pregnant.”
“So they can trap the guy?”
“Sometimes.”
“You think subconsciously, maybe that's what Donna tried to do?”
“No. I think she was just being naive.”
Yeah. Donna was a gentle soul, quiet and kind and almost childlike in her innocence. “Real naive,” she said, nodding in agreement. Her lips pressed together and she pouted. “But that doesn't help her right now.”
“She has options.”
“Not really.”
“What are you talking about?” He turned his head to look at her. “There are plenty of choices.”
“She's against abortion. Adoption freaks her out. The only thing left is to be a single mom.”
“She wouldn't be the first.”
“I can't picture Donna in that role.”
“Maybe she'll surprise everyone.”
“And maybe she'll wreck her life and some poor kid's.”
“Let's hope not.”
Yeah. Let's hope not
. She pondered Donna's quandary. For altogether different reasons, a baby had brought disquiet to both their lives. She'd figured out a way to restore order in her house. How could she help Donna? Shay could give her a shoulder to cry on. She could support her, encourage her. Not much else she could do. Donna's fate rested in her own hands. Only she could decide her destiny.
Shay felt thankful and fortunate she didn't have to make such a choice. Dylan rested all comfy and cozy against her. God, she was happy. She stroked the side of his face. “I'm lucky I have a guy like you.”
He didn't respond right away. She felt his shoulder muscles bulk and tense. “Pregnant or not, I would never abandon you.”
What a glorious night. Fabulous weather. Incredible wine. Relaxing Jacuzzi. Why spoil a good thing? Because Dylan left the door wide open. And it was time. She squeezed her eyes shut, measured her words carefully. “You say you would never abandon me, but in a way you did.” She held her breath and felt the tears burn her eyeballs.
Dylan let the statement seep in. He turned his body sideways and pierced her with perplexed eyes. “When did I abandon you?”
“You have to ask?” The question irritated her.
“Yeah,” he said, too blase for her liking.
“Okay. I'll play dumb, too. How about the last few months?”
He stood abruptly, startling her. “Abandoned? You told me to stay the hell away from you. That's what I did.”
Dylan's beautiful naked body was right there, eye-level with her face. She took in his confrontational stance. Her husband had a point. She'd very clearly told him to stay the hell away. He shouldn't have taken it so literally. She stood up naked in front of him, crowding his space. “Call it whatever, but I still felt abandoned.”
“I'm sorry.” He gulped the rest of his wine. “But you abandoned me too. Whatever point you were trying to make, it registered loud and clear.”
She watched his twisted face. Poor guy had never looked more vulnerable. “Know what?” She brushed a lock of his wet hair. “I got so caught up in everything ... I forgot the point.” Hoping to lighten things, she let out a chuckle.
“The point is that we had an agreement. You broke it.”
“You're right. I did.”
“Why? Why did you freak out like that?”
She sat on the ledge of the spa and dangled her legs in the water. “I think about it now. It was pretty stupid.” Real stupid, she mumbled under her breath. “It happened right after my birthday. I felt like, oh crap—the big 3-0 is next.” She kicked water across the spa, spraying his arm. “You have to understand, there's this unspoken rule that women are supposed to have everything by a certain age. Perfect marriage. Successful career. Great kid. I had two out of three.” Her head dropped. “Pretty lame, huh?”
He took her hand and braided their fingers together. “You didn't express it like that originally.”
“Would it have made any difference?”
“At least I would have understood. Instead I thought I married a
loca
.” Dylan laughed.
For a while there,
loca
described exactly how she had felt. “I'm sorry I put you through that. It wasn't very pleasant for me either.”
His arms dropped to his sides. “I know I don't articulate my feelings too well. And I know that drives you nuts.” He looked at her. “It's who I am. It's what you married.”
Her gaze went south. She really did love him. Big heart, big ... “That's the thing. We're married. We're a team. You can't shut down like you do. Yell at me. Fight with me. Just say
something
.” She hooked her hand on his waist. “It wouldn't hurt to open up.”
Dylan looked away. He didn't have a ready response. “So. Tell me more about this
unspoken rule
. You know, so I can better prepare.”
She knocked him in the ribs. “It's all bull. And I don't buy into it anymore,” she said. “What's the point in rushing to have it all? Having it all means having it when everybody's ready. Otherwise you really don't have it all, because someone's unhappy.”
He shook his head and rubbed his chin. “I think I actually understood that.”
“Wish I would have sooner. Would've saved a lot of aggravation.”
“Maybe, but look what you learned.”
“I'm laughing now. Wasn't laughing last week.”
“No. But that was last week. And I gotta tell ya. I'm really liking this week.” His hand captured her breast.
She splayed her fingers over his abdomen. “Me too,” she said, chewing the inside of her cheek. “I think we're gonna be okay. And one day we'll make great parents.”