Rachel glanced down at herself. Her br**sts were half-revealed above the water, and the silver moonlight gave her skin a pearlescent sheen. Etienne shifted closer, reaching out to catch her hand and draw her forward. As her br**sts brushed his chest, he rolled onto his back, taking her with him so that she draped half over his floating chest with her lower body in the water beside him. He began to paddle his feet, propelling them back toward land.
Rachel slid her arms around his waist and went with him, kicking halfheartedly to aid. At last, Etienne stopped and stood. The water reached to just above her br**sts as Rachel also stood, but she barely noticed before he pulled her into his arms. She went willingly and lifted her face as he claimed her lips. Rachel first let her legs brush his under the water, then wrapped them around his h*ps as she twined her arms around his neck. She arched against him, her body stretching and lengthening with awareness. She was conscious of several sensations: the night air now slightly chill on her damp skin; the water itself, warm and silky around her now that she had adjusted to the temperature; his body hot everywhere it touched hers; her passion feverish as it built inside her.
They had made love several times now, each time more explosive and better than the last, so the rush of excitement Rachel felt was overpowering. She had felt like this before--this hunger for him, this pleasure in him, this desire--but this encounter would be even better. Their minds opened to each other, and his desires joined hers. The first rush was almost unbearable as it attacked her nerves, making Rachel swoon.
She heard the half-growl, half-purr that erupted from Etienne's throat as she slid her hands into his hair and scraped her nails across his scalp. She responded with one of her own as the sensations echoed inside her. The feeling was so enjoyable, she did it again, then again, before finally sliding her hands down his neck and running her nails over his upper back and shoulders. Rachel had never known that such a simple action could be so erotic, but her own back muscles rippled in sympathy and desire.
Etienne's hands were wandering over her body at the same time--caressing her back, following the curve of her hip, cupping her bottom then squeezing briefly, before smoothing along her legs. The combination of their caresses and pleasures quickly had Rachel trembling. Etienne had stripped off his clothes on the beach, and she could feel his erection, hard and excited, where it was trapped between their bodies. Rachel tightened her legs around him and shifted herself upward. Rubbing against him, she stilled and groaned deep in her throat as his urge to cl**ax swamped her mind.
Recalling every time they had made love, and the way she had fainted after each, Rachel wanted desperately to break their kiss and suggest they move back to the blanket--but it seemed too much effort, and breaking the kiss seemed impossible. It was as if she needed it to breathe.
"Rachel." Her name was a growl in her head, for Etienne was still kissing her and not speaking. It took her a moment to realize he was speaking mentally; that with their minds fevered and wide open, they needn't speak to communicate. "I want you."
Rachel sighed and tried to answer mentally that she wanted him too, but she wasn't sure he got the message. She had no idea if she had attained the ability yet. Still, she didn't repeat the thought aloud when he broke the kiss and propelled her backward through the water. Rachel felt sure he was taking her to the blanket, but he stopped while still in the water and urged her up to the surface. She floated on her back with her knees bent. He grasped her legs and shocked her by suddenly pulling them wide open.
Rachel nearly sank under the water in surprise, so she dropped her hands to keep herself afloat. In the end, she didn't have to paddle; her arms hit sand almost at once and she realized Etienne had moved them closer to shore--close enough that she could hold her upper body up out of the water. He shifted between her legs and bent his head to caress her hot flesh with his tongue.
Rachel jerked, her feet shooting upward and splashing water everywhere as he set to work. Her mind went through myriad emotions--shock, embarrassment, and the brief mad desire to scoot away from the delectation he offered all shot through her in rapid order, but then pleasure took over.
Moaning, she caught the soles of her feet on his shoulder blades and used them to pivot her hips. Her legs spread wider apart, opening farther to facilitate him. This was... Well, Rachel had never experienced such intense pleasure. She almost feared she might die of it--but it was a heck of a way to go, she decided as the throes of her first cl**ax struck, echoed out to Etienne and then were reflected back even more intensely.
A soft chuckle drew her back to consciousness, and Etienne unhooked Rachel's legs from over his shoulders and crawled up her body. He settled on top of her where she lay on the damp sand. Obviously, he had moved her farther out of the water, which was probably a good thing. She would have drowned if he hadn't. She had fainted again, and even now she didn't have the strength to hold her head or anything else up. It was even an effort to force her eyes open, but she did and dazedly stared at him.
"How? Where did you learn... ? How?" she asked incoherently.
Etienne grinned and brushed a damp strand of hair off her face. "Do you remember the garden?"
Rachel's mind was still so befuddled that she had to actually think for a moment. Understanding dawned at last, and she distinctly recalled feeling what he was experiencing as she had licked, kissed, and caressed him. Obviously he had experienced the same thing tonight, allowing him to hit just the right spots with just the right pressure to send her over the moon. And probably himself with her, Rachel realized, recalling that she had shared his ecstasy.
"Oh," she breathed, and found herself grinning foolishly. The sex was definitely a plus about being a vampire. She was beginning to discover all sorts of pluses to this business. What had she made all the fuss about? "You're good."
Etienne grinned back. "Yes, I am. And so are you. We're a pretty good pair."
"Yeah." She sighed happily and stretched beneath him. The way she was arching forced her br**sts up until they rested mere inches from his mouth, and Rachel grinned when she felt his sex begin to stiffen again. She already knew from experience that vampires had boundless stamina. Another plus. It was starting to look as if those pluses were boundless, too.
Catching her while she was still arched, Etienne scooped one hand under Rachel's back, then shifted to kneel in the sand and caught her under her knees. Lifting her into his arms, he got to his feet. Rachel laughed huskily and caught her hand around his neck as he carried her to their blanket. He took a moment to straighten the cloth with a foot, then dropped to his knees and laid her out. He started to stand, but Rachel tightened her hold on his neck, preventing him and trying to draw him down for a kiss.
Etienne allowed it, but only for a moment. Then he muttered, "Food," and swiveled to grab their picnic basket.
Rachel was hungry, but not for food. Not for blood either--which was rather surprising, since she had been hungry for blood almost nonstop since he had turned her. She wondered briefly if that meant she was nearly finished with the change but was distracted when Etienne began to pull items out of the basket.
"Strawberries?" she asked with surprise. He set a bowl of the ripe red fruit on the blanket.
"Yeah. Strawberries dipped in chocolate," he announced with a proud grin. "It's called fondue or something."
Rachel arched an eyebrow at the squeezable bottle of chocolate syrup he retrieved and set on the blanket beside the strawberries. When he closed the basket and pushed it away, she tried to hide her amusement. "I think fondue is warmed chocolate that you dip the strawberries into."
Etienne shrugged. "Rachel, honey, I'm a guy. A three-hundred-year-old guy but still just a guy. This is fondue to me."
Rachel laughed.
Etienne picked up a strawberry and squirted some syrup on it, then popped it into his mouth. He grabbed and squirted chocolate sauce on a second, this one for her. Rachel laughed and opened her mouth for it, then shook her head as she chewed and swallowed. She commented, "I don't think I've ever seen you eat real food before."
He shrugged then grinned. "I don't very often. Only on special occasions. But I didn't think a picnic basket full of blood bags felt right."
Rachel grimaced. "No. Not nearly as romantic."
Etienne laughed at her expression then suggested, "Well, perhaps if we both drank it out of the same champagne glass."