Sanctuary

is a fine place to start.”
    Shudders coursed through her, liquid and hot. “I hate you. I said I hate you.”
    “I know what you said.” He nibbled slowly down to her throat, thrilled with the way her body went lax beneath him. “Kiss me, Lexy. Come on and kiss me.”
    On a sob, she turned her head, found his mouth with hers. “Hold me. Touch me. Oh, I hate you for making me want you.”
    “I know the feeling.” He stroked her hair, her cheeks, while she trembled and strained beneath him. “Don’t fret so. I’d never hurt you.”
    Desperate, she gripped his hair, dragged him down harder. “Inside me. I need you inside me. I’m so empty.” She arched up, groaning.
    He closed a hand over her breast, filled his palm with her, then giving in to his hunger, tugged the scooped neck of her blouse down so he could take her into his mouth.
    The taste of her, hot, damp, pungent, pumped through his blood like whiskey. He wanted it to be slow and sweet, had waited all his life just for that. But she was moving restlessly beneath him, her hands tugging, pulling, reaching. When he closed his mouth over hers again, he couldn’t think, could barely breathe. It was all taste and sound.
    He was panting as he fought with her wet skirt, yanking at the thin, clinging material until his hand could skim up her thigh, until he found her, already wet. She jerked against his hand and climaxed before he could do more than moan.
    “Jesus. Jesus, Lexy.”
    “Now. Giff, I’ll kill you if you stop. I swear I’ll kill you.”
    “You won’t have to,” he managed. “I’ll already be dead. Get these goddamn clothes off.” He tugged at her skirt with one hand, his jeans with the other. “For God’s sake, Lexy, help me.”
    “I’m trying.” She was laughing now, trapped in a dripping skirt, still flying on the fast, hard orgasm, her blood singing so high she could barely hear the sea. “I feel drunk. I feel wonderful. Oh, hurry.”
    “Hell with it.” He tossed his jeans aside, dragged off his shirt and pulled her into the water, skirt and all.
    “What are you doing? This is brand-new.”
    “I’ll buy you a new one. I’ll buy you a dozen. Only for God’s sake, let me have you.” He dragged the skirt down by the elastic waist and was inside her almost before she could kick her way clear.
    She cried out in shock, in delight. She wrapped her legs around him, dug her fingers into his shoulders and watched his face. Dark eyes, never leaving hers, seeing only her.
    When the wave swamped her, outside and in, she burrowed against him, and knew he would always bring her back.
    “I love you.” He murmured it to her as his body raced toward the edge. “I love you, Lexy.”
    He let himself go, shuddering with her until they both went limp. Then he gathered her close and let the waves rock them. It had been perfect, he thought, free and simple and right. Just as he’d always known it would be.
    “Hey, out there.”
    He glanced over lazily, spotted the figure on the shore waving both arms. Then he snorted, pressed his lips to Lexy’s hair. “Hey, Ginny.”
    “I see some clothes thrown around here look familiar. Y’all naked out there?”
    “Appear to be.” He grinned as he felt Lexy chuckle against him.
    “Ginny, he drowned my skirt.”
    “About time, too.” She blew them elaborate kisses. “I’m walking a while. Gotta clear my head some. Lexy, Miz Kate got your daddy to drop in down at the bonfire. I’d make sure I had something covering my butt before I went back.”
    Weaving more than a little, and chuckling herself, Ginny headed down the beach. It made her heart happy to see the two of them together like that. Why, poor old Giff had been pining away for her for years, and Lexy, well, she’d just been chasing her own tail waiting for Giff to catch hold of her.
    She had to stop a moment, waiting for her spinning head to settle back on her shoulders. Shoulda skipped the tequila shooters, she told herself. But then, life was too short to go skipping things.
    One day she was going to find the right man to catch hold of her too. And until then, she was going to have a high old time looking for him.
    As if she’d conjured him, a man walked across the sand toward her. Ginny cocked a hip, aimed a grin. “Well, hey there, handsome. Whatcha doing out here by yourself?”
    “Looking for you, beautiful.”
    She shook her hair back. “Ain’t that a coincidence?”
    “Not really. I prefer to think of it as fate.”