Noah drew back, panting hard. “Are you sure?” he murmured, ever the gentleman, even as she could see the passion, wild in his eyes.
Evie nodded. She’d never been more sure. It was like gravity, undeniable, this force that was bringing them together. She didn’t want to think or question it anymore. She just wanted to drown herself in this wild, sweet rush and never come up for air.
Noah reached to grab his jeans and fumbled with a condom from his wallet. Then the temptress in Evie was taking over, guiding him between her thighs and drawing him inside her.
She cried out at the feel of him, thick and deep.
Perfection.
Their eyes locked, and Evie was struck again by the thrilling newness of it all: this foreign body, these stranger’s eyes. Except Noah wasn’t a stranger. It felt like she’d known him all her life as they moved together as one. Every thrust, every moan. Somehow, she’d been waiting for this. Again, their bodies slid together, hot and gasping, careening further away from anything familiar and safe, until Evie was on the edge.
And then Noah slowed, long enough to hold her gaze, and moved into her with a slow, deliberate stroke that she felt everywhere. There was no holding back now, no way to hide from the pleasure already snaking through her body, building, gathering, until it broke through her in wave after wave of pleasure. Evie was pulled into the undertow, lost in his eyes, his touch, his everything, as she felt Noah come apart, holding onto her so tightly it felt like he’d never let go.
And as she lay there, gasping for breath, dizzy with pleasure, Evie realized that would be just fine with her.
11
Noah woke to clear skies, the unfamiliar sound of waves crashing right outside the window, and a warm body curled beside him in bed.
Evie.
He tried to keep still, not wanting to wake her—at least, not until he’d had a chance to drink in the sight of her, lying there in the warm morning light. Her eyes were closed, lashes trembling against her pale skin; her dark hair spilled across the pillow in a wild tangle.
She took his breath away.
He could hardly believe it, remembering every fevered kiss and gasping moan from the night before. So much for taking it slow and keeping things light. Just a glimpse of the desire burning in Evie’s eyes, and all his self-control had gone up in smoke.
Not that she’d seemed to mind …
He smiled. He’d known from the moment he’d first seen her dancing wildly by candlelight that she had a passionate streak as wide as Cape Cod Bay, but he couldn’t have imagined how it would feel to be in the path of that whirlwind. To have her mouth pressed hungrily against him, to have her body rocking into his.
To see the look in her eyes as she came undone.
Evie stirred, yawning. “Good morning, sunshine,” he murmured, dropping a kiss on her bare shoulder.
She rolled over and gave him a sleepy smile. “It is, isn’t it?”
Noah kissed her again, luxuriating in every touch. He couldn’t help it. Everything about this woman made his heart sing.
And as for his body …
Evie giggled against his mouth. “Someone’s up early,” she whispered, trailing her fingertips across his bare chest. She kissed the edge of his jaw and snuggled closer. “Did you sleep OK?”
“You mean, aside from someone stealing the covers all night?” he teased.
“Whoops,” Evie said. “That’ll teach you for snoring.”
“I didn’t!”
“Just a little,” Evie grinned. “It was cute.”
Cute. It wasn’t exactly “devastatingly manly,” but Noah would take it, especially with Evie looking sleepy and rumpled and utterly satisfied. He chose to believe he was the one who put that smile on her face, not the cloud-like mattress or fresh, soft linens.
He lay back, tucking Evie against his chest. “As your first official guest, you definitely get a five-star rating.”
“Me, or the inn?” she asked playfully, and he laughed.
“Both of you. This was definitely better than bedding down in the backseat of my truck.”
“It doesn’t look too comfortable,” she agreed.
“You’d be surprised.”
“Why, have you spent much time back there?” she asked with a smirk.
Noah grinned. “When I was younger? Maybe. It’s a small town, remember. Not many places to go be alone.”
Evie shook her head, laughing. “Real classy.”
“I’m a perfect gentleman,” Noah protested, stroking idle circles on her shoulder. “Although, one time, I was parked with my high-school sweetheart out by the dunes—not far from here, actually. Anyway, we were … enjoying our privacy, let’s just say, when suddenly there’s a barking noise, and a golden retriever somehow manages to jump in the open window.”
“No!” Evie laughed.
“It gets worse,” he said, rueful. “The dog was one of Debra’s, and she wasn’t far behind. I was hearing about that one for years at family dinners.”
She smiled. “What happened to the girlfriend?”
“Dumped me for a guy on the sailing team,” he said promptly. “Although I’m pretty sure the endless teasing from my mom is what drove her away.”
“Her loss,” Evie said, kissing him.
“Nope, I’m pretty sure it was mine.” Noah smiled. “I was kind of a dork in high school.”
Evie laughed. “I don’t believe that!”
“Mackenzie will show you the photos. My buddy Griffin and me were into heavy metal music,” he said, shaking his head. “We thought we were so rebellious and cool. We weren’t,” he added.
Evie grinned. “I was painfully shy in high school,” she confided. “College, too. It was a good thing Jules was assigned to be my roommate or I would have never left the library. She pulled me out of my shell.”
“I don’t believe that for a second.” Noah rolled them over suddenly, pinning her beneath him. He kissed her, slowly. Savoring her taste. “You are a wild woman, Evie Baxter-Jones.”
She arched against him, wrapping herself around his body, and Noah’s pulse thundered in his veins. The kiss deepened, their mouths hungry, hands roving.
He could never get enough of her.
He gripped her tightly to him, hands sliding up her body—
HONK!
Suddenly, there was the sound of engines outside, and tires crunching on gravel. Then, a low hum of voices drifted up through the open window.
Evie sat bolt upright in a panic. “It’s the crew!”
“And?” Noah tried to tug her back into his arms, but she was already scrambling out of bed.
“You have to go, before they see you!”
Noah’s brain short-circuited for a moment at the sight of her, naked in the morning sun.
Dear God, she was stunning.
“Noah!” She grabbed a robe from the chair and belted it around her waist. “Didn’t you hear me? You can’t stay.”
“It’s your house,” he reminded her, amused by her fluster—and the adorable shade of pink in her cheeks. He propped himself up on his elbows, watching her scramble around the room. “There’s nothing wrong with you having guests. It’s the whole point of this place,” he added. “I’m your trial run, remember?”