Carolyn cried out into his mouth as his fingers dipped between her legs, finding and gliding over her warm, slick flesh. For a moment she was all sensation, and little in the way of thought, and one hand clenched desperately in his hair while the other tightened around his erection.
When she was rewarded with a groan from Christian and his caresses and kisses became more demanding, she immediately released him to find the bottom of his roomy trunks. She slid her hand up one leg to find him again without the cloth in the way and his flesh was hot, and even harder than it had been a moment ago. Carolyn began to move her fingers over him, eager to increase his pleasure.
Christian's response was most gratifying; he stilled for the count of a heartbeat, and then growled into her mouth, his tongue lashing her almost in punishment. But he also changed his caress, leaving his thumb to circle the nub of her excitement as he slid a finger inside her.
Carolyn's h*ps bucked and she arched on the lounger, crying his name as their kiss was broken. Christian continued what he was doing, but shifted his mouth to her nipple then, drawing it into his mouth and suckling hard until she released his erection and removed her hand to tug fretfully at his swim trunks. Much to her relief, he responded at once, his hands leaving her so that he could stand and quickly shed himself of his swimsuit. In the next moment, he was climbing on top of her, his knees urging hers apart.
Carolyn reached eagerly for him, her hands pulling his head down to hers once more as he settled between her thighs. He didn't enter her right away. While he claimed her lips and thrust his tongue into her mouth, he merely ground himself against her, his hardness rubbing firmly across the center of her excitement.
Carolyn moaned and wrapped her legs around him in response, her kiss becoming more desperate. Her hands dropped to clutch his behind, digging in with a demand that wouldn't be satisfied by such half-measures.
Still, Christian held back, his mouth devouring hers briefly before he suddenly thrust himself into her.
Carolyn tore her mouth away on a cry as he filled her, and then arched, little gasps coming from her lips as her body fought to accept an invasion it wasn't used to.
"Cara?" he asked uncertainly, not moving, and she blinked her eyes open. Seeing the concern on his face, she pulled his head back down. As she reclaimed his lips, her h*ps instinctively moved to urge him on and then he was moving again, his body withdrawing and then thrusting back into hers. His mouth caught her moans and cries as he drove them both to the edge of a precipice and then the ringing of a phone intruded, making her frown against his mouth.
"Ignore it," Christian gasped, thrusting into her again, but a second ring made Carolyn blink her eyes open and peer uncertainly around at what at first seemed an alien scene.
She was on her lounger on the beach as expected, but still in the shade. The beach was alive with laughing and chatting couples.
Her T-shirt and shorts were back in place over her swimsuit, her book lay flat on her stomach where it had apparently fallen when she'd dozed off, and Christian was reclining on the sand beside her chair. Even as she noted that, his eyes popped open and he lunged to his feet. In the next moment, he was running for the surf, apparently eager for a dip.
Carolyn stared after him, her brain slowly calming from its agitated state and accepting that it had all been a dream. Of course, it had been a dream. Only in her dreams would Christian be straight and interested in her.
The ring of the phone sounded again, and Carolyn glanced to her purse lying in the sand. Giving her head a shake to try to clear it, she leaned to the side, snagged the strap and dragged the purse closer. She then pulled it onto her lap and quickly dug inside to find her phone. It rang for the last time just before Carolyn hit the talk button, and then she pressed it to her ear to say, "Hello?"
"Caro?" Bethany said.
"Yes." She sat up, sending her book toppling to the sand. "Are you feeling better? Are you coming down to the beach?"
"No. I just wanted to check on you. I feel so bad about leaving you on your own."
"Don't worry about me," Carolyn said on a sigh. "I'll be fine. You're the sick one."
"Yes, well I do worry about you. I insisted on dragging you to St. Lucia and then, basically, abandoned you. I feel awful."
"Don't. You're sick. There's nothing you can do about that. But you'll be better in a couple of days and we'll still have loads of time to have fun."
"Right," Bethany murmured. "That band kid's not hanging around bothering you, is he?"
"I-no.
He's nowhere near me," Carolyn said, her eyes finding Christian as he swam steadily out to sea. It wasn't a lie, she told herself. Christian was nowhere near her at the moment.
"Good," Beth said firmly. "If he shows up, tell him to take a hike. You don't need to waste your vacation playing beard for another Brent."
No, because sitting around on her own in honeymoon hell was so much better, Carolyn thought, but merely murmured noncommittally. "Is there anything you want me to bring you when I come back?"
"Umm... well... if you wouldn't mind, could you stop at that little store across from the main building and see if they have any ginger ale?" Bethany asked. "And maybe some crackers? It will help settle my stomach."
"Of course," Carolyn said. "I'll bring them right up."
"No. Go ahead and have your lunch first. I can wait until you've eaten."
"All right," Carolyn murmured, recalling that Christian had said something about looking over pamphlets during lunch.
"And Carolyn?"