His jaw shadowed with a dark growth of beard made him look more piratical than ever. His gaze on her breasts was like an urgent caress and her nipples tingled and hardened in response, topping up the desire that still writhed in her from last night.
Matt slammed the dish of mangoes down on the bench. Before she could pull the sheets back up over her nakedness he was kneeling by the bed, stroking her bare shoulders and caressing her breasts with warm, skilful hands. “They’re beautiful. You’re beautiful.”
He bent his head and took one nipple in his hot mouth, sucking it and stroking it with his tongue while he pinched and kneaded the other. Cristy gasped at the fierce current of pleasure that surged through her. Her heart started racing so loudly she thought he must surely hear it. She twined her fingers through his hair, pulling his head closer to her.
Her body was primed, ready to ignite into passion at his touch, turned on from the endless hours of the night spent wanting him, knowing he was so close, and yet refusing to let herself have him because it was her wedding day.
But today was a brand new day. And she had decided to trust in lust.
He moved his mouth from one nipple to the other and she twined her fingers through his hair, holding his head in place; she couldn’t bear it if he stopped. Tremors of delight ran through her in a direct line from her sensitized breasts to between her legs and she tightened her thighs together. Her face started to burn, her breath come in short, shallow gasps and she arched against the hardness of his body with a pleasure so extreme that it was almost unbearable.
Her breasts swelled under his attentions while her nipples were so hard they hurt with exquisite sensation. Pleasure built as he set the pace with the pressure of his fingers and the movement of his tongue, until suddenly the pleasure peaked and went over the top and she cried out with surprise as much as ecstasy as her orgasm hit her. She gripped his shoulders as shudder after shudder of fulfillment racked her body.
Matt pulled his head from her breast and she met his look of astonishment with one of her own.
“That’s never happened to me,” she gasped, scarcely able to get her breath. “I’d heard you could climax from that alone but I…”
“You sexy, sexy woman,” Matt growled as he pulled the sheet from her, leaving her naked but for the lacy thong. “Now it’s my turn. I lay there all night wanting this, wanting you…”
He tugged at the thong and she lifted her hips to help him slide it down her legs and off. That orgasm had served as an appetizer, now she wanted the main course. And dessert, too.
Forget all her qualms, her fears. She was hungry for this man and she was done with denying herself. There hadn’t been multiple condoms on tap the last time lust had led her into trouble.
Cristy reached up and pulled his T-shirt over Matt’s head. She sighed in appreciation at the splendor of his body then splayed her hands against his chest, reveling in the warm strength of him, the dark hair springy beneath her touch. She played with his nipples, urging them into stiff peaks, wondering if what she were doing would give him just a fraction of the pleasure he had just given her.
He climbed onto the canvas bed with her, lying beside her and pulling her close to him. The hardness of his arousal pressed into her and she felt aflame with a reborn surge of desire.
He rolled his weight onto hers and claimed her mouth, his beard rasping with a pleasurable pain against her skin. With a moan of welcome, she opened her mouth to welcome his kiss. Eagerly, she parted her thighs. Skip the foreplay, she was wet and ready for him. Just get that condom. Or two.
Before she could say the ‘C’ word, a harsh, ripping sound tore through her ears as the aging canvas on the bed suddenly gave way under their combined weights and she found herself thudding to the floor, banging her hip hard. She squealed and Matt let out an impressive string of curses.
She lay, stunned, amid the tangled sheets and torn canvas. Matt’s face was very close and for a long, still, dumbfounded moment she looked into his eyes—dark with passion and want.
“T... talk about the earth moving,” she managed to stammer.
“But it’ll take more than that to stop me,” Matt growled, kissing her. Cristy felt the heat rising again and forgot all about the pain in her hip.
“Mmm,” she moaned, rolling against him, enjoying every second of it as he nuzzled his way down her neck and started to stroke her belly.
Who cared about the collapsed bed and the hard floor beneath her? Now where were those condoms?
Cristy opened her eyes to look for the panic bag and its essential cargo. And drew in her breath with a gasp.
“Mmm, that feels good for me too,” said Matt in his huskiest voice. But she scarcely heard him.
Staring at her with cold reptilian eyes was the scariest monster she had ever seen—straight out of a B-grade horror film. An enormous lizard like a mini stegosaurus, with spikes protruding from the back of its neck and down its back, stood inside the doorway. As she stared back, transfixed in terror, it flicked out its tongue at her and lumbered forward.
She gulped and held herself completely still, too shocked to scream.
“That’s right Cristy,” crooned Matt, as he caressed her inner thigh with sensual skill. “Just lie back and enjoy what I’m going to do to you.”
Cristy felt woozy, light-headed. She took a deep breath. She’d fainted at the sight of a dolphin fin. No way was she going to wimp out again in front of Matt. Even though she thought the last dinosaur had died millions of years ago.
“Matt,” she murmured, “just keep still, don’t move and don’t say anything.”
He sounded puzzled. “Sure, if that’s what turns you on. But—”
“Just look around slowly and don’t panic,” she whispered.
M
att hauled himself up on his elbow. What gave here with the instructions? Was this some chapter in the
Kama Sutra
he’d missed when he’d read it by torchlight at age thirteen?
“Turn around slowly,” Cristy whispered again. “Don’t make any noise.
“What the—?”
Matt followed the direction of her eyes. The lizard flickered its tongue at him.
As if he didn’t have enough problems with the white charger. Now here was a dragon just waiting to be vanquished. This noble knight business was getting way out of hand.
Matt gritted his teeth so he didn’t groan with frustration. Cristy was warm and naked beneath him. Couldn’t the dragon slaying wait until after—?
“Wh… what is it?” whispered Cristy, her eyes wide with terror. She licked her lips to moisten them with her pink, pointy tongue. Why did she have to do that? He knew it was from fear, not desire to finish what they’d just been about to finish. Damn! He tried not to look at her breasts.
“It’s a dragon lizard,” he said. “And I’m going to get it out of here.” He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.
Cristy grabbed his arm. “No! Be careful.”
Careful?
“You might get hurt.”
Hurt? Yeah, right. He’d forgotten her fear of Australian beasties.
He looked at her, mock serious. “Never fear, Cristy, I’ll tread with caution, I’ll…”
She gulped and slowly sat up, not keeping her eyes off the lizard. “W… would it attack you, do you think?”
“It might do. If it were very hungry.” He meant to tease but immediately regretted his words at the fear that flashed across her face.
“Should we… should we try to get out a window?”
“Lizards can run up trees so it could follow us.”
Damn! He shouldn’t have said that either. This wasn’t a time to tease. Not when her face had gone as white as the sheets and the pupils of her eyes so dilated he could hardly see any blue.
He got up. “I’ll handle this. There’s nothing to worry about. Stupid lizard.”
C
risty clenched the sheet as Matt stomped over to the beast. Surely it would turn and run when he got near it? But what if it attacked? She looked around for a weapon she could beat it off with. Then stared in stunned amazement as Matt leaned down to the lizard, which showed no fear of the human.
“I don’t appreciate your timing, Sam. Hoping for a spot of breakfast are you?”
What was going on here? “
Sam
? You called it Sam! You… you know this monster?”
The beast blinked coldly at her and took a step forward on its scaly legs. Cristy pushed herself backward against the hard frame of the bed.
“Don’t you come near me,” she ordered. It blinked at her again.
“Relax. He won’t hurt you. He’s a pet of old Seth the hermit—lizards live for years, you know.”
“A pet? You told me that it would attack.”
Matt pulled a face. “Sorry. Couldn’t resist teasing you.”
“Teasing me?”
“Yeah. Well, I knew Sam wouldn’t hurt a fly. Uh, actually he could do serious damage to a fly, I guess. But not to us.”
“We were never in any danger?”
“No. Seth tamed him and when Sam senses someone’s in the hut he hangs around, hoping for scraps. He’s very partial to bacon.”
“B… bacon?” Not human fingers or toes?
Matt addressed the lizard. “Sorry, old mate, the cupboard is bare.”
“Don’t encourage him and don’t even think about feeding him.” Cristy felt her voice rise. “And I don’t appreciate you teasing me. I was really frightened.”
“You don’t like old Sam?”
“I think he’s hideous.”
“He’s not the prettiest of pets, I admit,” said Matt, getting up from the floor.
Cristy shuddered. “He’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“But he grows on you,” said Matt. “Sure you wouldn’t like to get to know him?”
“Get him out of here!”
“C’mon mate,” Matt said soothingly as he ushered the reptile out with an old broom that was resting near the door. “The lady doesn’t want you around.”
Matt disappeared out the door after the slowly moving lizard. Cristy heaved a sigh of relief. “Send him far away,” she called after him. “But don’t hurt him.” She didn’t believe in injuring animals just because they frightened humans. Sam could just head back the forest where he belonged.
Minutes later Matt returned, striding through the doorway, magnificently unconcerned with his nakedness.
“Is that…thing gone?” Cristy said, suddenly feeling self conscious about her own nudity. She pulled the sheet up and over her breasts.
Matt sat down next to her. “He won’t be back—he only comes for the food, not the company.”
“I was petrified,” she said with a shudder.
“I know. I’m sorry I teased you.”
“Th… that’s okay,” she said. The Aussie humor took some getting used to.
“Talk about thwarted,” Matt said, starting to laugh. “Reptile interruptus.”
Cristy laughed, too, if a bit shakily. “I guess we weren’t expecting visitors.”
Matt put his arm around her and she snuggled close. She kissed him on the sexiest curve of his jaw.
“We don’t have to stop,” she said, as invitingly as she could, though in truth she’d lost the mood. A meeting with a prehistoric Australian monster wasn’t exactly a turn on. And her hip was beginning to throb where she’d banged it on the floor; bruises bloomed all the way down to her thigh.
“You don’t sound so keen.”
“No. Yes. Well…” she started, knowing how half-hearted she must sound.
Matt got up and put on his black undershorts. Then he held out his hand to help her to her feet. Cristy rose awkwardly, clutching the sheet to her with one hand, accepting his offer of help with the other.
She looked up at him. “Are you sure you don’t want to—?”
“I’ll take a rain check, if you don’t mind. I think we’ve both lost the impetus.”
Cristy bit her lower lip. She was satisfied. Oh, so satisfied. While Matt… It didn’t really seem fair. “I feel… I feel like I owe you one.”
Matt’s eyebrows rose. “We’re not keeping a balance sheet on orgasms here.” He laughed. “What are you, an accountant or something?”
“I am, actually. Or I was.”
He assessed her face and body with a slow narrowing of his eyes that made her want to blush.
“You don’t look like an accountant.”
Cristy bristled, primed by years of such comments. “That’s a very sexist remark. And if I had a dollar for every time I’d heard it I’d be a wealthy woman.”
“Okay, okay. I take your point. He grinned wickedly. “But I sure wish my accountant looked like you. Tax return time would become a pleasure.”
He pulled her to him and kissed her briefly, just long enough to send her senses zinging. “Take that on account. And we’ll settle up later.”
He reached for his T-shirt and slid it back over his head. “How are you at slicing mangoes? I’m going out to get some coconut milk.”
“From the juice bar at the mall, you mean?”
“Yeah, the one you shin up the coconut palm to reach. Wish me luck.”
“Just don’t bring Sam back with you.”
Cristy watched Matt as he strode out the door and her heart did that curious little flip. Not only was Matt the sexiest man she’d ever known but he was fun, too. Kind to animals. And generous.
She blushed as she thought about what had happened. She’d had an orgasm just from him sucking her nipples. What would the real thing be like?
He’d said he’d take a rain check.
When?
Her heart plummeted. What if they were rescued this morning and she never got a chance to even the score?
She felt suddenly desolate at the thought of being without Matt. Once they were rescued they’d go their separate ways and the thought was inexplicably painful.
Cristy acknowledged that this—for her at least—had gone way beyond lust. She hoped against hope that no rescue boat would arrive this morning. Because she intended to make every second she had left with Matt count and not run away from an experience that she knew she would remember for the rest of her days.
T
wo hours later, Matt strode ahead of Cristy toward the beach. This woman was hot. He hadn’t even put her into drive and she had roared off without him.
Old Sam had a bad, bad sense of timing. Matt felt thwarted, frustrated. But it gave him a good feeling to know he could give Cristy such ecstasy, so easily. And the way she’d been feeding him slices of mango at breakfast, slipping them provocatively into his mouth, made him confident that his turn would come. With interest.