Page 110 of Chasing the Sun

“I might have.”

She climbed onto his lap, still warm and wet from the shower.

“I take it you’re not hungry?” He wrapped his arms around her trim waist, his arousal already evident.

“I’m very hungry,” she said before sucking his lower lip into her mouth. “Just not for dinner.”

He felt his plan slipping through his fingers, but his fingers didn’t care. He caressed her bare back as she started unbuttoning his dress shirt.

“You look so handsome, but now I’m going to rumple you up.”

“Rumple away,” he said to the sound of her sweet laughter.

She finished with the buttons, shoved off his shirt, and tugged up on his T-shirt. “So many layers.”

He brushed her hands away and finished the job himself. Now that he knew they were skipping dinner, he was anxious to have her instead. Once he was naked, they tumbled backward together, reaching and groping almost like it was their first time.

Since they’d been living together, they’d found pockets of time to be intimate, and of course, there were the weekends when Molly was with her mom. Still, they were always wary of getting caught, and it was time to rectify that.

They were a jumble of hands, lips, and tongues as they rolled around on the king-sized bed. After all that foreplay, he entered her in one smooth stroke, reveling in her sounds of satisfaction as he filled her.

She’d been on the pill for a long time now, and he was thankful he didn’t have to stop to get a condom. After she came exuberantly and loudly like usual, he let loose, pouring everything he had inside her and growling her name.

Afterward, they continued caressing each other while their breathing returned to normal.

“Sorry we missed dinner,” she said.

“I’m not.”

She giggled. “Should we get dressed and go down to the restaurant?”

“We might not be able to get in now. They’re expecting a wedding party tonight.”

“Oh.”

“We could go for a walk on the beach instead. If we hurry, we can still catch the sunset.”

“But you hate the beach.”

“I never said that!”

She laughed, and he gave her a gentle pat on the butt. “Hurry and throw something on so we don’t miss it.”

Now that he’d missed the chance to do what he’d wanted to do at dinner, he’d come up with a different plan, and even the sand between his toes wasn’t going to stop him.

After she’d put on one of the sundresses he’d packed and he’d pulled on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, they slipped on their sandals and headed outside. They held hands as they strolled down the resort path through the beautiful gardens to the beach.

Sure enough, there were several people gathered there to watch the sunset. Bryce took a moment to appreciate nature’s display, and then he gazed at the beautiful woman beside him.

She appeared to be enthralled with the scene, and he marveled at how she’d adopted Naples as her home and loved it as much as he did, maybe even more. He felt grateful that she’d decided to stay with him and Molly and essentially made them a family again. Every day, he strove to make sure she knew how much he loved her and how important she was to them.

Once they’d reached the beach, they removed their shoes and left them in the sand. He took her hand again and led her down to the shore, where the water lapped gently in the late-day sun. Some children were in the water, splashing each other and laughing, and he looked at them and smiled.

He wouldn’t mind having more kids someday, and recently, he’d been dropping hints to Chloe about it. There’d been no disguising the joy on her face when he’d mentioned the idea. She was wonderful with children, as was evident with Molly and her dance students.

They walked past the masses to a quieter spot, and he stopped and drew her in for a hug. She happily looped her arms around his neck and tilted her head up for a kiss. Naturally, one kiss led to another and another until he reluctantly broke away. He turned her to face the sunset, encircled her waist from behind, and pulled her back against his chest.

The sun was inching downward, spreading its brilliant colors across the horizon and sparkling on the sea. Gulls floated on the wind near the pier where determined fishermen were still casting their lines, and terns pecked at the sand.