Houston touched the bottom of the shirt, brushing his fingers across her bare thighs. “You mean you’re going to let me go in the water all alone? Unprotected? Lonely and scared?”
Shifting, devious fingers stroked across the tight nylon front of the bikini bottoms. She swallowed hard, determined not to lean forward into his touch.
“I thought you weren’t scared.”
“I might be once I get in.”
“Right.” He looked just terrified. “Come on, then.”
She shucked the T-shirt and held out her hand.
He gave a wolf whistle, then grinned at her when she shot him a stern look of disbelief. A bikini had really been a bad idea.
“Every time I look at you, I want to pick a coconut.” Confused, she looked down at the print on the suit, gasped when he plucked at her nipple.
“Got one.”
“Houston! Get in the water.”
“Okay,” With a sharp turn he grabbed his board and ran off into the surf, flopping down on the surfboard as soon as he’d clearedthe shore.
His hand trailed in the water for a minute as he drifted out a little, and Josie could almost feel his relief at being back in the water. He rolled over onto his back as she stepped into the warm ocean, the silty sand covering her toes.
“Come here,” he called, lying loose-limbed, legs dangling.
Making her way to him, Josie smiled. God, she was happy. Ridiculously happy. And he was more relaxed than she had ever seen him.
“Get on with me.”
“How?” The board didn’t exactly look stable.
“Just climb on the bottom. I’ll keep it from tipping.”
Sure. Easy. Not. Josie gripped the hard white surface and hauled herself up, pausing as she tried to figure how to swing her leg up and over. Sliding back into the temperate water as her hands strained, her breasts caught on the board, squeezing painfully. She wondered again why exactly she had the stupid things in the first place, since they were nothing but trouble.
Grappling for balance, she tipped forward and about scraped herself out of her bikini top. That had to be giving him quite a view. “Uhh. I’m stuck.”
“Don’t try to sit or stand up. Just inch forward on your stomach.”
It was good advice that worked, her progress steady until she was inching up between his knees, past his thighs and right over his soaking swim trunks that had a suspicious bump. One that hadn’t been there before. Startled by the lilting motion of the board swaying back and forth, she held onto his legs and dropped her chest down right about where that bump was.
He groaned.
This was interesting. She started to enjoy herself, despite the fear factor, and began a slow, leisurely soldier-crawl up the board, hugging her body to his the whole way up. Skin touched, hips rubbed, breasts pushed into his chest,and finally her bikini bottoms came to rest right smack on his trunks. Her mouth hovered over his.
The board gently rocked, rolling all those parts of her over him.
“Can you come down to the beach and do that every day?” he asked, voice husky. “I think I just had an out-of- body experience.”
Then he kissed her.
Chapter Forty-Four
Houston was whistling as he strode down the hall the next day towards his office. Josie had put his splint back on, and he was still in career limbo, but he didn’t care. Not much, anyway.
Not when he had Josie to be with on the backside of every day. Not when he was so content he was feeling like a pop love song. If he wasn’t careful he might actually start humming.
Even though Josie had spent the night, those three little words hadn’t managed to force their way past his lips. He’d meant to tell her, but he’d never quite gotten around to it. But it would happen, when the time was right.