Sugar Sweet Sin

Just Us

The patio is in darkness. Dante hasn't had a chance to turn on the outdoor lamps yet, but the pool lights are on, shining up through the water and making the tiles on the bottom shimmer. I slip off my heels and toss them aside before going to the edge of the water.

I sense more than hear Dante come to the door behind me. My eyes fall closed. I don't want to have this discussion with him right now. I don't want to think about harassing messages or reporters or paparazzi. I refuse to let our relationship fall victim to this.

I slide my dress off my shoulders and down my body. Without turning around, I step out of the garment and throw it behind me, not really caring where it lands. Now I'm in my bra and panties.

"I have no intention of letting this go, Ash," Dante says from the doorway.

"And I have no intention of saying another word about it tonight." I unhook my bra and toss it aside.

"The problem isn't going to go away."

"Not if we keep talking about it." My panties are down my legs, and I reach down and throw them in the same direction as my bra. Now I'm completely naked, and I can hear Dante coming closer.

"Ash, I know this is a lot to handle all at once," he says, his voice so soft I can hardly hear it over the breeze rolling in off the beach. "But you're not alone. I'm here. We're in this together."

"Then let's be together," I say. "Let's just forget the rest of this bullshit for a night."

His arms fold around me from behind, pulling me back against his chest. "All right. Just for a night."

He dips his head and brushes his lips against the place where my neck meets my shoulder. A moan escapes my lips, and I let my head roll back against his shoulder. His mouth moves slowly up the side of my throat. His hands slide up the front of my body, finally coming to curl around each of my breasts.

"You know," he says, "you can't just get naked every time you want to end a conversation."

In spite of everything, I smile. "It worked, didn't it?"

"Only this once."

I start to reply, but then he takes my earlobe between his teeth and I forget how to speak.

After a few minutes of that exquisite torture, I can't take it anymore. I twist in his arms, turning to face him, and finally our mouths are meeting. The hunger that rises in me chases away the uncertainty, loosens the tension that had taken root in my body. I can't get close enough to him, and Dante seems to be struggling with a similar force. His body is rigid beneath my hands, his grip on me a little too tight, his kisses a little too rough. Suddenly I'm stumbling back, and he's moving with me, and then we're both tumbling into the pool.

Dante's arms stay around me as the water rushes over our heads. Fortunately, the water isn't that deep here, and I'm able to find my feet quickly. No sooner does my head rise above the water than he's kissing me again, not even taking a second to catch his breath.

He's still wearing his clothes—a fact I'm all too aware of as his hands roam over my naked skin. His wet shirt is clinging to his chest, but my hands find the buttons as his lips continue to assault mine. He only pulls his mouth away when I have trouble yanking his shirt off of his shoulders. We finally manage to wrestle it off together, and then he takes me in his arms again, more gently this time.

"Tonight, there's just us," he murmurs against my throat. "I'll protect you from the rest of the world."

I believe it—I know that this man will do his best to guard me from the crueler side of this sudden attention. The rest of the world might try to tear me down, but he has my back.