What Emma Craves (22 page)

“Where are we going?” Emma entwined her arms around his neck.

“For a swim. It’s a beautiful night.” He made it to the edge and waded in. “Ah, it’s the perfect temperature, and it’s so calm.”

“This is nice,” Emma said, as he walked out until the water was waist-deep then eased them both in.

They were hot and sweaty after their interlude, so it felt extra good.

Once the water was chest-high, he changed Emma’s position in his arms so she could wrap her legs around his waist, which she did happily. She immediately lay back in the water, her hair fanning. She looked like a mermaid in the moonlight. “The salt is so buoyant. I don’t even have to do anything but lie here.” She moved her arms lazily in a circle. “Amazing.”

“What’s amazing is you. I could watch you all night long. Your breasts are like two perfect globes,” he said. “The view has never been better.”

Emma came up out of the water and hugged him, whispering in his ear, “We needed that. I’m so happy.”

“Yes, we did,” he said, holding her tight. “I had no idea we were missing that. When I saw you with Antonio, something inside me broke. I’ve been struggling with these feelings all day, not knowing what to do. The girls were giving me all this advice, but nothing felt right. Then when I thought he was kissing you, it was the last straw for me.”

“It’s going to take more than this to get us back on track, but I know this is where we need to be,” she said. “I just want to mean more to you than anyone else in the entire world. It’s not something I could’ve ordered you to do. You had to see it—and want it—for yourself. But I’m glad you did. You’re all I want.”

He bobbed down in the water, still holding on to her. “You’re all I want, too. I never meant to be pigheaded about this, but I didn’t get it. Like I said, these feelings are new to me. I did a lot of thinking on the way back from dinner. That’s why I was late. In the end, losing you is not an option. I will keep fighting for you, whatever it takes.”

“You were never going to lose me.” She assured him with a lingering kiss. “We were just stalled. I admit I enjoyed the attention Antonio poured on, even invited it, but only because it made me feel appreciated. I felt coveted, and women need to feel that sometimes. We need that reassurance—or at least I do. Knowing that I’m the one who turned you on that much a few moments ago, and that you can’t live without me, makes me feel happy.”

“If you ask me, Antonio appreciated you too much,” Pete growled. “But if he hadn’t, I might still be knocking my head against the wall trying to figure this out.”

They heard splashes behind them, and Pete turned them around.

Mallory and Charlotte were giggling as they half-swam, half-splashed over.

“I see you lovebirds are back on track,” Mallory said, stopping a few feet from them, then sinking back in the water, kicking out her feet and arms.

Both girls were totally naked, as usual.

“That was some hella good sex, boys and girls,” Charlotte said. “I applaud your gangster efforts.”

“Did you watch us the entire time?” Emma asked, her arms still around Pete’s neck.

“Nah,” Charlotte said. “It was too hard to see in the dark, but by the sounds of it, you got the goods more than a few times. You drove Cheri nearly out of her mind. Her boobs were heaving like I’ve never seen before. We had Frankie and Jay double-time her so she’d shut up already.”

“I have no idea why Antonio invites them,” Mallory said, shaking her head. “They are the epitome of low-class.”

“He’s amused by her extra-large breasts,” Charlotte answered, “and the fact she’ll do anything—and I mean
anything
—to get her fix. I’m saying a Dirty Sanchez is not out of the question for her.”

“Gross!” Mallory gasped. “Everyone has to draw a line somewhere. Mine is way before that. I do have some morals, even if they’re sometimes hard to find.”

“I don’t know what a Dirty Sanchez is,” Emma commented. “And from the sounds of it, I don’t think I want to know.”

“No, no, you don’t,” Mallory agreed. “It’s disgusting, and if I had to guess, totally made-up. I don’t know of one person in the entire world who would say okay to anything that has to do with shit during sex. And I mean
actual
shit. Even for all of Cheri’s bravado, I don’t think she’d do it.”

“Well, ladies,” Pete said, clearing his throat, “on that note, I’m going to take my beautiful wife home for the evening. We plan to stay holed up for a while, ordering room service and having great sex, so don’t be alarmed when you don’t see us. I’m sure we’ll resurface eventually.”

Pete swept Emma out of the water without looking back.

She held on to him, kicking out her feet and giggling as he carried her to their villa.

* * *

Emma stretched out in bed. She was relaxed and content. It was one o’clock in the afternoon. It’d been three days since they’d seen anyone else for more than a passing moment. They’d ordered all their meals in, and other than going out on the beach in front of their villa, or taking a few runs, they hadn’t ventured farther than their deck. Their pool had been amazing. Emma could float in there all day long, as it had shade from a few palm trees.

The past few days had been exactly what Emma had needed and hoped for on this trip. A full reconnection of body and soul. She felt rejuvenated.

This morning she’d gone on an early morning run. She had been out the door before sunrise, and by the time she arrived back to the villa, Pete had been up and ready for some fun. They’d spent the better part of the morning having sex, and then she’d taken a nap.

“I’m going to be so spoiled now,” Emma said, rolling over, bringing her hands over her head to stretch. “I’m not going to be able to re-adapt to normal life. All I’m going to want is for you to feed me chocolate-covered fruit and massage my back for hours at a time.”

Pete strode toward her as he towel-dried his hair. “I’m ready to give you another treatment as soon as you’re up for it.” He gyrated his hips, displaying his prominent erection. “This one will massage you on the inside.”

“I can’t believe how often you’re hard,” Emma said with wonder in her voice. “What’s gotten into you? It’s like you’ve morphed into a sex machine.”

Pete crawled onto the bed with her, grinning as he tossed the towel to the floor. “You’ve gotten into me, or is it I’ve gotten
into
you?” He placed his lips on her bare stomach. “You’re so enticing I can’t get enough.” He nipped her stomach.

She swatted his shoulder. “Now I know you’re making things up!” She laughed. “You just like sex. Plain and simple.”

“I
love
sex, but sex with you is driving me insane.” He moved up her body and took a pert nipple into his mouth. “It’s like when we just met. I can’t get enough.”

“Me either.” She wound her hands into his hair, loving the feel and the texture of it. He had thick blond hair that curled at his neck. It’d always been a turn-on for her. “Remember when we holed up in your apartment for an entire week? That was pure bliss.”

“I remember that all too well,” he murmured, taking the other nipple in his mouth as Emma groaned. “That’s when I realized how incredibly flexible you are.” He chuckled. “My dick couldn’t get enough. But I knew I was never going to let you go after our week together. I was already figuring out how I was going to propose.”

“I knew I was going to marry you, too.”

Pete propped himself up on an elbow, gazing down at her, his eyes heated. “I’m sorry we stumbled, but I want to make sure the rest of our years together are amazing like this. We’ll just have to make sure we keep finding our way back to this feeling and talking about it when things feel off.”

“I agree—”

The glass door to their bedroom suddenly slid open, and Mallory, followed by Charlotte, tumbled in. They were both dressed in sheer bathing suit cover-ups with nothing on underneath.

“Okay, kiddies, I’m officially here to tell you your self-appointed hibernation is over!” Mallory announced as she draped herself on the bed. “The yacht hasn’t been the same without you, and I’m bored out of my mind. They really need to advertise this place to singles.”

Emma giggled as she pulled a sheet around her and Pete. She wasn’t being modest, she just wanted privacy. “I don’t know,” Emma answered. “We’re having a pretty good time alone. The only thing missing for me is my junk food and a ballet barre so I can stretch my aching muscles and get in a good workout.”

“They have a small convenience store here,” Mallory said. “They can deliver whatever you want, sans the barre. But that’s beside the point! We miss you guys. And it’s my last night. I fly out with the dawn tomorrow morning.”

Charlotte had gone into the living room and was tugging a chair in. She sat by the bed, resting her feet on the mattress. “Plus, tonight is the monthly Saturday pool party,” Charlotte added. “You guys have to come. We want to have dinner on the yacht first. Antonio is already arranging it. He’s having the restaurant cater some specialty items for us and deliver them piping hot, and that man gets what he wants. Then it’s pool party time. You can’t miss it. It’s the bomb.”

“What happens at the pool party?” Pete asked, pulling Emma into his arms as he reclined against the headboard. She snuggled in, loving the attention.

“Don’t you guys read the fine print? What
doesn’t
happen at Pool Party Saturday?” Mallory said. “It’s a free-for-all, and it’s my favorite night to be here. They don’t schedule many activities, but this one happens on the second Saturday of every month, rain or shine. They do it up. They bring in a DJ, string up more lights, and host a full bar at the pool’s edge. There’s a lot of drinking and a lot of fucking to be had by all. It’s a great time. It’s one of the only times almost everyone shows up.”

“And if it makes you feel any better, Antonio is totally repentant,” Charlotte said. “In fact, it’s been awesome for me, since I’m back to being his number one fuck buddy. He really wants you guys to join us tonight. He told us to tell you he admires Pete’s gumption—his word, not mine—and would hire him at his company in a heartbeat. He also said to tell Emma that she’s breathtakingly beautiful, but he will respect both your wishes to keep his dick out of it. Of course, if those wishes should ever change, and Emma wants to have sex, he’s open to that as well,” Charlotte chortled. “Leave it to the Cuban to keep all avenues open. I have to say, that man loves the chase. But once you’re caught, it gets stale fast, so in my opinion you dodged a bullet.”

Emma glanced up at Pete to gauge his reaction. “It’s up to you,” she told him. “I can go either way.”

“A catered dinner on the yacht is a hard invitation to pass up,” Pete said. “And the pool party sounds intriguing, so I say we go.”

“You heard the man,” Emma said to the girls. “What time should we be ready?”

“We’re going to meet at the marina at seven,” Mallory said, pulling herself off the bed dramatically, arching her back, yawning, raising her arms above her head. “We’re going to head out now and let you guys get back to your regularly scheduled romp. Unless, of course, you want company?” She looked hopeful. “Then, by all means, we’ll stay.”

Emma chuckled. “We’re not ready for company yet,” she informed the supermodel. It was hard to believe Emma was going to turn this beauty away. “But we’ll keep you posted. Who knows what the night will bring?”

“I like the sound of that,” Mallory said as she stood and turned toward the door. “Come on, Char. Let’s hit the beach bar and liquor up. I saw the cute new guy head in that direction a little while ago.”

Charlotte got up and followed her out. “That guy wasn’t a guest. He was a new staff member, and he was going to his new position as
bartender
.”

“Whatever,” Mallory said, flicking her arm behind her. “If he’s single and wants to fuck me, who am I to turn him away?”

Charlotte shook her head. “You are the horniest girl I’ve ever met. Are you sure you’re not a guy?”

They continued their banter as they left the villa.

Emma snuggled into Pete more, basking in contentment. “Are you sure you want to go on Antonio’s boat?” she asked, drawing a circle around his belly button. “We can still do the party and not eat on the boat.”

Pete shrugged. “It’s fine. He’s not a bad guy, and he has great taste in women. If this were a regular resort, I would’ve laid him out. But this is a resort where that kind of behavior is expected, to a degree. I can only fault him to a point. Plus, it’s a free dinner on a yacht. I’m not going to complain.”

“What do you think the pool party will be like? We should probably talk about our expectations before we go.” Emma was a little hesitant about attending. She didn’t want to take a step backward when they’d had three perfect days together. “I’m not sure we’re ready to jump back into the lifestyle full force.”

“How about we decide that tonight is going to be about us and our pleasure, and leave it at that?”

“Sounds perfect to me.”

21

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“T
he food here is to die for,” Emma announced to the table. “I never want to leave. When we get back home, it will feel hollow and cold, I know it will.” She popped another delicious shrimp into her mouth. The yacht was anchored fairly close to shore, bobbing on small waves.