The Only Shark In The Sea (The Date Shark Series Book 3) (31 page)

The desire in her voice brought fire to Vance’s eyes. He reached out and took her hand, leading her through what remained of the boxes to their bedroom. Stopping at the doorway, his expression was flushed, but hesitant, worried about pushing her too far. “We can wait,” he said, though his voice was full of need and desire.

“I don’t want to wait,” Natalie whispered. Her free hand slid up his chest, fingers closing around the fabric as she pulled herself closer to him. She kissed him…slowly.

His hand pressed against her back, cinching her in as close as she could possibly get. “I’m afraid of hurting you.”

“You won’t.”

“I’m afraid you’ll think this was a mistake,” he pleaded. Torn between his desires and fears, his eyes begged her for surety.

“Nothing about you being in my life has ever been a mistake,” Natalie said.

Knowing words would never convince him, she took the lead and pushed him away from the door, closing it behind them. Still locked in indecision, he stood stock still in the middle of the room as she came to him. He didn’t resist when she took her time unbuttoning his dress shirt, though his chest was heaving by the time she finished. Her own heart was racing and she felt seconds away from passing out as she slid her hands up his warm skin to his shoulders and pushed the cloth back so it fell to the floor.

After so many years of shying away from physical contact, fearing it and avoiding it at all costs, she was stunned to be standing so close to him with that barrier no longer between them. “You’re beautiful,” she whispered. It wasn’t just that he kept himself fit. His body wasn’t a reminder of her mistakes and failings or some twisted notion of purity. It was warm and full of life and real.

Tugging at the bottom of her shirt, she was interrupted when Vance’s hands closed over hers and slid gently up the length of her body, removing the fabric and trailing heat as they went. Eyes closed, struggling to breathe, she reveled in the sensation. When Vance’s hand began sliding back down her skin after tossing the shirt aside, she wasn’t sure she could handle much more until his fingers slipped beneath the strap of her bra and released it in one smooth motion. So gentle and loving, his hands pushed the straps from her shoulders and curved around her body before dropping the clothing and pulling her against his chest.

Natalie hit her limit as the heat of his body spread into hers. Breathing was nearly impossible, but she couldn’t pull back and didn’t even want to. Fears and inhibitions vanished as she gave herself over to the man she loved. As her lips crushed against his hungrily, he responded in kind. Jeans were removed in a matter of seconds and Vance swept her into his arms and onto the bed. He didn’t ask her again if she was sure or too scared. He saw the answer in her eyes, her consuming want, and accepted her desires.

Hovering over her, Vance kissed her stomach and kept moving lower, one inch at a time. His lips trailed a sweet agony across her skin as she struggled between wanting to urge him on and a desire to prolong his touches as long as possible. When Vance’s kisses reached her panties, he slipped his fingers beneath the fabric and gently slid them from her body.

She watched raptly, frozen and overwhelmed, as he removed the last of his clothing and she felt his weight and heat settled over her. Her body was screaming for him to take control and make her feel everything all at once, but he looked at her, studying her expression as he brushed hair back from her face. “You look scared,” he whispered.

Natalie shook her head. “I don’t know how to do this right,” she said, her inexperience suddenly overwhelming her and making her voice tremble. One time as a teenager that was interrupted in the most brutal way possible made her uncertain, scared of disappointing him, but not scared of being hurt.

“There is no right or wrong,” Vance said softly. “There’s just you and me and how much we love each other.”

He was so confident in her, so trusting and kind. It gave her strength as she reached up with trembling hands to pull him down. Their mouths met as she kissed him, working in tandem to express what words could not. There was no talking after that. She felt numb and alive all at once. Every touch and kiss strengthened the passion between them. The moment they came together, she knew perfection. She knew the darkness of her past had lost its grip as she let go of everything and lost herself in the bliss of being truly loved.

The End

Acknowledgements

There is always a long list of people to thank on each Date Shark book because it always takes lots of comments and feedback from my beta readers to get these books just right. I often feel like a newbie again trying to write in a new genre and I often screw it up, but these fabulous people are always so encouraging and helpful that I keep at it.

Thank you so much to Mylissa Demeyere, Monique Bogan, Joel Sturtevant, Gina Larson, Brittany Willis, Sneha Mohite, Apryl Baker, and Deanne James. This was a great team who helped me balance out the tough subjects with the romancey parts and reminded me to describe things once in a while (Thanks, Joel!). You guys are the best!

I owe a big thanks to the Limitless Publishing team as well for not giving up on me even though I’m sure they thought I had died or been kidnapped when they didn’t hear from me for so long while we were selling our house and moving and I got almost no writing done at all. These ladies are a fabulous group and I’m so appreciative of their support.

As always, I am so grateful to my husband for his support and to my kids for being patient while I tried to finish this book over the summer in between trips back and forth to Denver and picnics at the splash pad. Love you all so much!

About the Author

DelSheree Gladden was one of those shy, quiet kids who spent more time reading than talking. Literally. She didn't speak a single word for the first three months of preschool, but she had already taught herself to read. Her fascination with reading led to many hours spent in the library and bookstores, and eventually to writing. She wrote her first novel when she was sixteen years old, but spent ten years rewriting and perfecting it before having it published.

Native to New Mexico, DelSheree and her husband spent several years in Colorado for college and work before moving back home to be near family again. Their two children love having their seventeen cousins close by. When not writing, you can find DelSheree reading, painting, sewing and trying not to get bitten by small children in her work as a dental hygienist. DelSheree has several bestselling young adult series, including "Invisible" which was part of the USA Today Bestselling box set, "Pandora." The Date Shark Series is her first contemporary romance series. 

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