Masters at Arms - By Kallypso Masters Page 0,29

stairway. Guilt assailed her for making him carry her. “You can put me down. I can walk.”

“I’m carrying you.”

His tone didn’t invite disagreement, so she held on tight, hoping to ease some of her weight from his arms. Then she worried about putting a strain on his neck. But he didn’t even sound out of breath, as though he bench-pressed a woman every day or something.

When he reached the sand and continued to carry her, she nipped lightly at his earlobe, and whispered, “Put me down, Damián.” His arms tightened around her even more. Lord, she loved the feel of his arms under her thighs and around her back.

Why do I feel at home in the arms of this stranger?

This man who simply made her feel. Period. She’d been numb for so long. How had he gotten past her fortress at all, much less in such a short time? A first for her with any man.

After ten minutes or so, still not winded, he lowered her to the ground, letting her slide down his rock-hard body, allowing her to feel every contour of his chest and thighs. And a very erect penis. Savannah not only felt his erection, but her nipples tightened with the friction of his chest against hers. She’d never been aroused by a man, yet Damián had caused her clit to jolt and her panties to grow wet with little more than a look.

Good Lord, Savannah Gentry was full-blown horny.

Heady with her body’s response, she pulled his head toward hers and nibbled at his lips, then sucked on his full lower lip. He groaned and grabbed the back of her head as he deepened the kiss. His tongue dove inside her, claiming her mouth as his. Rather than repulse her, Savannah felt her pelvis tilt toward him automatically. He lowered one of his hands to the small of her back and ground her even tighter against his erection.

When she thought her lungs would explode, she broke off the kiss, gasping for air, and laid her forehead in the crook of his neck. His pulse pounded as hard as hers.

When he spoke, he sounded as if he’d run a 25-yard dash. “Madre de Dios.”

Now he was winded. She smiled. What carrying her all that way hadn’t managed, a kiss had.

Damián reached out to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. “Nice diversion, but we aren’t there yet.”

Well, she was closer to there than she’d ever been before. Then she understood his meaning and looked around. Huge moss-covered rocks dotted the beach leading to an opening in the cliff. A small tidal pool sat at the entrance, surrounded by jagged rocks pounded relentlessly by the foamy waves. To her left were high cliffs with expensive homes barely clinging to their ledges. She was amazed the people living in the homes hadn’t claimed this beautiful spot as their own private sanctuary, rather than having it become a public-access beach. In Rancho, the residents would have put up a gate to keep out the riff-raff.

A flock of gulls dove at them, begging for handouts. She wished she had something to feed them. When their insistent squawking didn’t yield the desired result, they flew down the nearly deserted beach hoping to find an easier mark.

Her feet were soothed by the cold, wet sand. She could probably walk once they got to the soft sand on the other side of the tidal pool. How do you know there is soft sand on the other side?

She squeaked when Damián bent down, pressed his shoulder against her stomach, then hoisted her over his massive shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “Hey, put me down!”

“I need to watch my footing or we’re both going to be sprawled on those rocks.”

The view of his tight ass being brushed by her loose hair sent her stomach into a tailspin. She giggled. She held onto the towel still, but didn’t know what to hold to steady herself. His ass seemed as good a place as any. She slid her free hand into the back pocket of his jeans.

“You’d better move your hands higher or I’m going to drop you here on the beach and have my way with you.”

She moved her hands against his lower back instead, holding onto the waistband of his jeans. His hand molded against her butt, holding her steady. Another zing let her know her body was very much aware of his.

She held on for dear life as he began walking. He navigated the