bewitching her senses and beguiling her as they were doing to him? It certainly made him want to throw caution to the wind. They’d almost made love at the estate the other day, but Mariella had pulled back at the last second. Would she again?
“Joe, please,” Mariella implored, grasping his biceps. “I need you.”
There was a hunger in her eyes that she didn’t even try to hide. And the urgency and longing in Mariella’s voice were his undoing. He would take all she could give him, even if it was only for one night. If that was true, he’d make certain it would last all night.
He glanced around. They were alone on the beach. When he’d arrived, only his Aston Martin and her Mercedes had been in the beach’s parking lot. There had been a few people milling around during the sunset, but they were now gone. It was just the two of them, and no one would ever have to know. They’d share a secret that would bind them together forever.
Joe reacted on instinct and reached for Mariella, slamming her against his hard chest. He wanted to devour her and indulge in the passion he’d long held back—for her. He heard the air whoosh out of her lungs seconds before his lips descended on hers. The second his lips touched hers, Joe thought he’d died and gone to heaven. His kiss was soft at first as he tested her resolve to be sure she was ready to take this next step. She didn’t pull away from him. So he rained soft kisses at the corners of her mouth. Then his tongue teased at the seam of her lips until she parted them, allowing him entry into the sweet haven that he sought.
How could Harrison have looked elsewhere? Joe sure wouldn’t have. His tongue grew bolder as he began exploring her mouth; Mariella was a willing participant. Her tongue engaged his in a mating dance as old as time itself. They continued kissing until Joe pulled away long enough to catch his breath.
Wow! That was even better than when they’d kissed at Casa Cat. He’d gone over and over it in his mind and come to the conclusion that it was a fluke. Some sort of grief-filled need that had spurred Mariella to kiss him back and almost make love to him.
But now he knew otherwise.
Mariella wanted him just as much as he wanted her.
“Be right back,” Joe said and quickly rushed to his car. He popped the trunk and pulled out a couple of blankets he kept in case of emergency. Then he strode back to where Mariella waited for him. As he approached, he had to stop for a minute and stare at her. She’d never looked lovelier than she did standing barefoot with the breeze blowing through her long black hair.
And tonight...she would be his.
* * *
Mariella smiled when Joe returned with a blanket. Of course, they’d need provisions. In her haste to be with him, she’d failed to think of the obvious, but he had. Because that was Joe. He was always thoughtful, putting others’ needs, comforts and desires above his own. Same as she had. She shook her head. There would be a time for contemplation. Tonight, however, she wanted to be held. Tonight she wanted to be kissed. Tonight she wanted to be made love to.
She held out her hand to Joe, and he came willingly to her. She watched as he laid out one blanket, threw down another and then knelt before her. She joined him, but he retreated slightly and sat back on his haunches.
“Mariella, you have no idea how much I want this, want you.”
She smiled. “I think I do. But there will be time for talking later.” She was impatient to feel his naked body on hers and began tugging his button-down shirt out of the waistband of his jeans.
As each button revealed a little bit more of Joe’s broad chest, Mariella lowered her head and placed a light kiss on his warm skin. She continued to do so until every button was undone and she could lower the shirt down his muscular forearms. He was big and powerful. He didn’t have six-pack abs at his age, but Mariella appreciated his flat stomach. She bent her head and licked one of his nipples, once then twice, circling it over and over with her tongue. She could tell he liked what she was doing, because Joe groaned and his hands immediately went into her hair, keeping her in place. But she didn’t stay at one nipple. She toyed with the other as she acquainted herself with his unique taste and flavor.
When she finally lifted her head, he cupped both sides of her face and kissed her. They fell backward onto the blanket, a mass of tangled limbs. Then Mariella felt Joe’s hands caressing every part of her body with soft strokes. Each brush was lighting a fire inside Mariella, and she began writhing underneath him, eager for more. Joe’s hands came between them, and with a big tug on the tie of her wrap dress, her dress came apart.
She was wearing a bra and panties and didn’t try to cover herself up. She wanted to see herself through Joe’s eyes, and the appreciative look in his blue eyes was nothing short of magical. When he emitted a low growl of hunger, it made Mariella feel sexy. More than that, it made her feel alive. She drew upward and shrugged off the sleeves of the dress and flung it away from them. She didn’t want any barriers between them, so she reached behind her and unclasped her bra. Joe’s eyes darkened at her actions, but he made no move to stop her. He seemed content to allow her to set the pace. They could go as fast or as slow as Mariella wanted, and she knew Joe would be happy with whichever path she chose. The bra fell to the blanket.
When she reached for the band of her bikini panties, Joe stopped her. “Let me,” he rasped. She lowered herself onto the blanket, and he hooked his fingers under the band. Then Mariella lifted her hips and watched as he slid her panties down her legs and tossed them aside. “I can’t wait to please you,” Joe murmured with a wicked grin.
Reaching for her, he took her breasts in his large hands and began to palm and knead her as if her breasts were the most beautiful things he’d ever seen, ever felt. He whispered a litany of praises as he worshipped her bosom. “You’re so beautiful.”
A blush crept up Mariella’s cheeks, which was embarrassing at her age. Joe made her feel like it was her first time all over again. His eyes were closed as he buried his face in her bosom, inhaling her. He lavished her with his teeth and tongue, licking and sucking in equal amounts. Mariella’s mind was spinning and swirling with each nip and probe of his tongue. She was clamoring for more, and as if reading her mind, Joe rose and began unbuckling and unzipping his jeans. They, along with his briefs, came off in one easy movement until Joe was just as naked as she was.
Mariella leaned backward and opened her arms. Joe slid down, his entire body covering hers, and Mariella gasped in relief, drawing him to her. She’d never wanted anyone this much before—not even Harrison. Sex with her husband had been exciting in the beginning but after thirty-two years had turned perfunctory.
She kissed Joe long and deep, allowing herself this indulgence, and Joe devoured her, causing an avalanche of emotions to course through Mariella. Her heart beat erratically as his bulky frame settled over her heated body. He seemed set on a course of her ultimate surrender. And she would give it. She arched against him for more. It was as if he’d lit a fuse and she was about to combust. His mouth left hers, trailing a path of fire and heat to her neck, and returned to her breasts, where he settled to suck and nibble at his leisure.
But he didn’t stop there.
He pressed kisses on her stomach and thighs, and Mariella threaded her fingers through his wavy brown hair.
“I didn’t think I’d ever have you like this...” Joe murmured when his hands came to the spot between her thighs that ached for his touch, all while his mouth continued to torment her nipples. And when his hand snaked downward and he slid one finger inside her, Mariella arched off the blanket. A low moan of pleasure escaped as her sex tightened and throbbed around him. She wasn’t sure if she could take it, if she could ride out the storm.
“Oh, God, you’re so wet, Mariella.”
“Yes...” She could only croak out the word as his fingers became more demanding. Her sex spasmed as he teased her, and Mariella not only rode out the maelstrom of emotions that Joe was causing, but gloried in it.
He seemed to want her completely bare to him, and Mariella wanted to hold on to some semblance of control, but it was a