Because Of Love

She looked up and caught his eyes, but the piercing look in them made her lean back, away from him. A lump formed in her throat and she swallowed hard to remove it as her breaths came a little faster. His hands pressed into the leather on each side of her, the throw still clumped in his fists as he leaned closer to her, unblinking, the intensity of his gaze reflected by the pulsing muscle in his neck.

He was staring at her lips with such passion that it heated her up so much so she wasn’t cold anymore. It might as well have been summer already. In fact, she needed an iced drink at that very moment. This, this was… Talia swallowed again, this was so not going to end well. His eyes looked down and she breathed a little easier, grateful for the respite. She needed to get herself together and out of that situation before it became unbearable to resist any longer.

“DeLu – mmh!”

Caught off guard, Talia stayed frozen staring at his closed eyes as his lips closed around hers. He kissed her, he was kissing her!

As quickly as it began, it ended. He didn’t pull back though, he leaned his forehead against hers as he breathed heavily, his eyes clenched shut and a tick in his jaw. She didn’t have to see the rest of him to know, the tension rolled off him in waves. He was fighting himself.

Talia felt like grabbing at her neck as she fought to pace her breathing but she was too scared to move. She didn’t want to spook him, nor did she want to encourage him. Clearly he was having a tough enough time stepping back. She needed to gather her wits and take control of the situation.

They just couldn’t do this. She needed to get away from him. She should run, but to where? The yacht was his and currently in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight. And how was she to move from her current position? She was practically surrounded by chiseled arms, broad shoulders and a sculptured chest, trapping her on the sunlounger with its raised back. Not forgetting the throw he had over her legs that he was still holding. There was no quick nor easy escape for her.

She parted her lips slightly and tried to silently take in a large enough breath to fill her lungs. As she exhaled, he moved. Unlike the first time he kissed her, that felt more like a trial, he pulled her lower lip into his mouth and suckled on it. Gentle, soft like he was trying not to startle her, but she could feel him tremble from the restraint of not losing control. His hands on the lounger by her hips, his face against hers, she could feel the effort it took to hold back from what he really wanted. Knowing that gave her a heady feeling. A rush of tingling sensations began from her lip, trapped between his, and quickly spread like wildfire throughout her body.

Should she just give in? The thought ran through her mind as he slowly pulled away, releasing her lower lip to capture her upper one. Her hands fisted in her lap, a slow burn began in the pit of her stomach; the kiss just as gentle, just as slow. Unconsciously, her body tilted up, her lips moving on their own to return the kiss as the slow fire spread in the pit of her belly, all thoughts of precaution flying away.

She wanted him to touch her, to hold against his chest as he kissed her. She wanted more. The kiss grew fierce and with his lips against hers he pushed her back, pressing her into the raised back of the sunlounger. Her body jerked, surprising her into breaking the kiss. She looked up at him as he leaned over her, one arm raised to rest above her head. His eyes still tightly shut, his lips moist and slightly ajar as he panted for breath. Her body jerked again and she finally realized the warmth against her naked skin at her hip. It was his hand. His fingers were clamped around the waist band of the shorts at her left hip in a fist full hold. Her eyes ran over his hand, his veins had popped up, then up his wrist to the taught muscles of his veiny forearm. He was shaking.

Immediately as she turned to look up at his face, he caught her lips with his in another frenzied kiss. The little flame that had started inside her grew to a roaring fire. His tongue pushed into her mouth to claim more of her and her lips welcomed him as her legs parted in invitation. As the kiss grew wilder so did his tugging on her shorts. She wanted him to stop yanking at the stupid thing and just take them off already. She wanted him on top of her, pressing her into the leather covered mattress of the sunlounger so that she could feel every inch of his body against hers. She wanted to be naked with him in the open ocean and under the dark starry sky.

So many feelings crushed into her: panic, desire, excitement, apprehension, and she was drowning in them. She was in the waters that surrounded them, her head barely above the surface. There was only one thing clear to her, she was done holding back. She wanted everything.

Decidedly, Talia opened her fisted hands on her lap and raised them to pull him down onto her only to grab air. She felt DeLuca leave her as if he was being yanked away from her by someone behind him. Breathlessly, she opened her eyes and stared after him. He stood right at the railing, his back pushed into it. His hands were clamped around the metal rod so tightly his veins from the back of his wrists to his biceps popped. She watched as his chest heaved up and down heavily as he panted for breath, his eyes fixed on her face were filled with unfulfilled hunger.

He wasn’t the only one. So why did he stop? Had she done something to make him think she didn’t want this?

Talia rose to her knees and DeLuca quickly turned his back to her.

“You need to go back to the room,” he ordered forcefully through his strained voice. Talia felt the fire inside of her get doused. “We can’t do this,” he went on, unaware of what he was doing to her.

With her bruised pride, she got off the sunlounger and without a word marched herself to the cockpit. She couldn’t believe she’d let that happen.

What was wrong with me? What was wrong with him? she thought angrily. He said that as if I was the one who seduced him!

“Talia.”

She stopped before she took the first step down and looked at him through the windshield glass. Her heart leaped a little at the imposing figure he made, standing between the sofa and the sunlounger.

“Lock the door.”

Her legs suddenly turned to jelly under her and she grabbed the stair railing for support. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her, on the contrary, he wanted her too much. So what was holding him back?