The Right Time (5 page)

He edged her toward the bed with his hips, the delicious, insistent pressure of his erection prodding her stomach. He looped an arm around her back and tugged down the zipper of her dress, licking her collarbone as he did in one wickedly erotic sweep that made her get up on her toes for more. The dress fell around her ankles when he tugged it down her arms, and she stood before him in heels, a taupe bra with lace trim, and the matching thong, basking in the heat of his appreciative gaze.

Nostrils flaring, he took a moment to sweep his eyes over her breasts to her hips. He looked like he wanted to devour her, and she wanted to be devoured.

“Incredible,” he muttered.

With a flick of a finger, Ransom released the front clasp of her bra and her breasts tumbled from confinement, the aching, pointed tips tightening in the air. He cupped the soft mounds and squeezed them together, pressing his mouth against the top curve and rubbing his thumbs along the taut nipples. His soft hair brushed her chin and collarbone, and the beginning of stubble grated her sensitive skin.

Sophie held her breath, barely able to endure the swell of need he unleashed, trembling on the cusp of a new and wild experience. Relentless fire beat through her veins, forcing her to tear at his shirt, exposing his hard chest even as he fastened his lips over hers again.

She forced him into a deeper kiss, leaning into his mouth. His heavenly, moist mouth. Soft with the right amount of force. He kissed her thoroughly and with enthusiasm, nipping at the corners and sucking her bottom lip. He took his time, concentrating as if to get it just right. And it was perfect. The gentle tugging, coupled with his hand drifting down to her lower back, built heated pressure in her pelvis. Her nipples contracted into aching peaks as she drowned in the minty-fresh scent of him.

“Sophie, Sophie.” He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her thong. “The things I want to do to you…”

Her breath stuttered as he dragged the lingerie past her knees and she stepped out. Then he stood back and looked at her, shaking his head. “Breathtaking,” he muttered.

She delighted in the way he stared at her nakedness. His eyes darkened into deep blue and ran over her as if he’d never been as captivated by another woman’s body.

Reaching for his pants, she whispered, “You’re overdressed.”

They stripped his clothes off until he was as naked as she, and his body was a sight to behold. Simply gorgeous. Even more magnificent than she’d expected, boasting a lean waist, firm biceps, and rock-hard abs. His full-on erection was couched between two thighs the size of tree trunks, muscled and chiseled like the planes of his chest and abdomen.

Colorful tattoos covered his shoulder to the middle of his forearm and over to his left pec. She ran a hand over the designs, but there wasn’t time to explore or examine. They kicked off their shoes, and she fell onto the bed. Ransom followed her down, the welcome weight of him pushing her into the mattress.

His pink tongue rubbed over the tops of her sensitive breasts before claiming the nipple of the left one. His mouth closed over it like a warm clasp, and Sophie moaned low and deep in her throat, arching her back. That seemed to be the constant position of her body—arching and reaching and straining toward him.

Her fingers tunneled into his hair, holding him tight as he sucked and pulled with his lips and teeth. He ravaged the tender flesh and then laved the puckered skin with his tongue, the soothing motion equally erotic. He drove her body crazy. So crazy she could barely stand the heated sensations barreling under her skin.

The sensual onslaught continued, focused on her breasts while his hand dragged in the valley between them, over her stomach and between her legs to the mound of curly hair below.

“Spread those legs for me,” he said.

And she obeyed, her legs falling wide. He fingered her opening and her body jolted. He electrified her skin and sent shock waves to her extremities.

His hand moved between her legs and swirled in the wetness around her moist clit. He circled the nub, going wide at first and playing with the lips. Then he massaged even faster, making the circles even tighter. She wiggled against his hand, whimpering and begging. He stroked and caressed, taunting her until she gasped and her head rolled back into the pillows.

She bit her lower lip and sank her fingers into the muscles of his back. The apex of her thighs became a throbbing mass of hunger.

“I can’t wait to get inside you.”

He whispered the hot words into her skin and removed his hand from between her legs. She lifted her hips high, silently begging him to put it back.

Ransom traveled down her torso, his hands and mouth turning her inside out with soft caresses and moist licks along her waist and hips. A quick kiss to her clit sent a surge of heat to her sex and made her growl in exasperation, as he went lower still, down to her knees, and even ventured as low as the arch of her foot. He bathed her in kisses. Pleasurable, out-of-this-world kisses that made her stretch and preen as she savored each one. She was breathless and boneless and filled with desire for him.

Finally, he offered what she so desperately wanted. Donning a condom, he entered her in a rush, eager to possess her. Long and wide, he hit every spot as he sank deep. The pleasure of his invasion made her throw back her head in abandon.

His hands gripped her thighs and she lifted her knees to his waist. Sophie crossed her arms at the back of his strong neck, thrusting upward, demanding he give her more.

Her body went haywire as he drove hard and deep. Alternating speed, he thrust very, very fast and then frustratingly slow, withdrawing to the tip and then plunging to the hilt. But no matter the speed, he felt so good. Unbelievably good.

“Damn, you feel incredible,” he whispered as he fucked her.

He shifted an ankle onto his shoulder and she bore the slight discomfort to take him even deeper at that new angle. He squeezed her breast and pulled it into his mouth to suck on the hard bud of a nipple. Sophie gripped his rock-hard body tight, her hands smoothing over the rippling muscles beneath his skin.

His mouth was on her breast, her leg around his neck, and his body driving, driving into hers with each insistent rock of his hips.

The ache between her thighs grew tighter and tighter until the pressure built and she splintered, shattering as he hit it just right. Her muscles pulsed around him as wave after wave of pleasure lashed along her nerves.

“That’s it, sweetheart. Come on this cock.” His tongue rubbed her stinging nipple.

The words…his tongue…the constant drive of his body into hers…

Another orgasm blasted through her, and Sophie gasped and cried out. Multiples. That rare, elusive unicorn.

Her second climax seemed to undo him. His hips lost their rhythm and he unleashed a litany of curse words against her chest.

In the aftermath, all she could think was that it was insane, this type of bliss. Mind-numbing. Sending her emotions careening out of control and her body trembling until it literally ached from the intense pleasure.

Watching Ransom come back into the room, Sophie pulled the sheet over her exposed breasts. The soft cotton felt like sandpaper against her humming body.

He climbed into the bed, a glint brightening his eyes. “Were you satisfied?” he asked.

As if he didn’t know. “Are you asking because you want a pat on the back or because you’re concerned about my satisfaction?”

Ransom smirked, the twin dimples sinking deep into his cheeks. “Both.”

He eased the sheet lower on her waist, and her nipples pebbled under the exposure.

“You’re so responsive,” he said, flattening his hand over her ribs, right below her breasts.

Sophie swallowed, moving a little restlessly in response to his touch. She’d never been like this with other men. Ransom seemed to have some kind of erotic hold over her.

He gently kissed her arm. “It’ll be daylight soon, and we should get some rest, but…” He covered one breast with his hand and her restless movements intensified. She gasped when she felt his hardening penis bump her outer thigh. “I want you again.”

“Again?” she whispered. She wanted him, too. Sleep was the last thing on her mind.

“Mhmm.”

While he nibbled on her neck and ear, he eased her onto her stomach.

Oh god.
Her favorite position. She was already wet and getting wetter by the second.

Ransom reached for a condom and tested her readiness with a sweep of his hand between her thighs. “On your hands and knees,” he instructed in a thick voice.

Quivering with anticipation, Sophie sank her hands and knees into the mattress and lifted her ass toward him.

He swept her hair away from her nape and sank his teeth into her neck. She curled her body back, lifting her bottom into the hardness of his length. One hand on her hip yanked her even tighter against him, and he mashed her breasts together with one hand while thrusting hard against her ass.

“What are you doing to me?” she whispered.

She reached back for him, her body quaking beneath the strength of his.

“Giving you what you deserve.” Ransom shoved into her.

Sophie could no longer stand the combination of sensations. The rough handling and layers of sexual stimulation were almost too much. She sank onto her forearms.

“A good fucking,” he said. He widened his legs between hers and sprawled her beneath him.

With one hand on her neck, he drove into her. She exploded almost instantly, cheek to the pillow, eyes shut tight and crying out with a loud voice. He used her body but offered so much in return. Yes, he demanded her submission, but he delivered unparalleled satisfaction, in a splendor of sensation that left her shaking and sobbing with pleasure.

Sophie’s eyes fluttered open. A lock of hair obscured her vision, and she squinted against the morning light, experiencing a level of contentment she hadn’t felt in a long time. She noted the pillows strewn across the bed, the sheets bunched up around her legs, and the hair-sprinkled male arm thrown across her waist.

She shoved a curly tendril of hair out of her face to clear her vision and stretched, loosening her limbs and working out the minor aches in her muscles as she groaned.

Ransom’s arms tightened and tucked her back closer into his chest. Any closer and she’d be absorbed into his skin.

The position felt normal and natural, like a couple who’d spent many years together. The intimacy of lying around naked, wrapped in each other’s arms, skin to skin, was another aspect of her current relationship she missed. Keith was always running off because he had an early meeting or needed to catch up on work. Most times she felt dismissed after sex, lying in bed alone, when the desire to touch and be touched was strongest.

She ran her fingers through the hairs on Ransom’s forearm, playfully tugging until he grunted his displeasure.

“I have to get up. I’m going on a tour today,” she said.

“I thought about going on a tour myself.”

His low voice sounded lower after several hours of sleep, and she pressed back even further against him, burying herself into the warmth of the sound. There was so much contradictory stimuli in this early morning cuddle. The soft mattress, but his hard body. The cool sheets, but his warm skin pressed into her back and thighs. Contented heat radiated in Sophie’s chest.

“When do you leave the island?” she asked.

“Tomorrow morning, bright and early.” He yawned.

Sophie’s fingers stilled, and a knot of despondency settled between her shoulders. She wanted to prolong her time with him.

“We could go on a tour together,” she suggested lightly, her stomach knotted. She didn’t know how he would respond to such a suggestion. Perhaps their night together was a one-time thing.

“Good idea,” he said, and rolled onto his back. “What did you have in mind?”

Plopping onto her back, Sophie assessed his appearance. Strands of hair tumbled across his brow, in utter disarray on his head. She combed her fingers through his messy hair, taking pleasure in the softness and texture.

“A tour of Nassau, for sure. After that, we can play it by ear.”

He yawned again and scrubbed a hand over his hair-roughened face. “Then I guess we better get up.”

Whimpering like a petulant child, she turned onto her side and yanked a pillow over her head.

“Come on, birthday girl.”

Her eyes flew open and her heart leapt. He remembered.

Ransom smacked her butt and she yelped from the tender pain. “You said you wanted to see the island—let’s go see the island.”

They rolled out of bed and agreed to meet in forty minutes for breakfast. Sophie left, but first he planted a firm, sensual kiss on her lips.

In her own room, she showered and changed into an apricot halter and a pair of white capris with tennis shoes. After dressing, she picked up the phone she’d left on the dresser and saw numerous texts and calls from her boyfriend, Keith. He’d been trying to reach her all night, sent an early morning text, and left a voicemail while she slept in the bed with Ransom.

I want to see you.

Don’t you think you’ve punished me enough?

Why aren’t you returning my calls?

On and on they went. The voicemails were more of the same. She was tempted to call or at least send him a text, but didn’t bother when she realized that not one of those communications wished her a happy birthday. He hadn’t remembered, and his negligence was a tart reminder of the many reasons why their relationship had so many problems.

Sophie turned off the phone and placed it in the room safe. She would not take it with her. No distractions while touring today. If her parents needed to reach her, they knew her room number, but she doubted they’d call. They’d encouraged her to take the trip and enjoy herself for her birthday, and that was exactly what she planned to do.

She and Ransom left the hotel, the first order of business being a tour of Nassau, which took them on a colorful journey that filled them in on the history of the islands and their pirate influences. They sampled a variety of spirits and enjoyed handmade chocolates from Graycliff Chocolatier, an interactive chocolate factory where they learned how cacao beans were processed. As part of the tour, they even created their own uniquely flavored chocolate pieces. At John Watling’s Distillery on Delancy Street, named after a pirate, they toured the facility and learned about handcrafted rum and other spirits made by the Bahamians. Sophie purchased souvenirs and bottles of pale rum and amber rum, made on the premises from local ingredients.