“Got your supplies,” I gestured toward the convenience store bag as I approached.

Bren chuckled. “I’m covered for now. But thank you.”

“You’re ridiculously beautiful, do you know that?” I asked, and she smiled up at me, her sunglasses covering the light in her eyes.

“What’s got you in such a good mood?” she asked, and I sank to my knees beside her.

“You.” I tucked a piece of her golden hair behind her ear. “Always you.”

Her smile softened and I leaned over to kiss her, hoping to show her all the feelings that had overwhelmed me on the way here. In every push and pull of our mouths, I wanted her to know that I needed her, that she was everything to me.

“I want you,” she murmured.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

She nodded.

“So have me.”

Her tongue swept out to coax mine, and I savored every stroke. Weaving my fingers in the silky strands of her hair, I moved to cup the back of her neck, losing myself in the feel of her lips as she kissed me.

Slowly I worked the buttons of my shirt until I shrugged it off and let it fall onto the sand. We were utterly alone in front of the villa—miles from any other people—and I intended to make the most of it. I palmed the weight of her gorgeous breasts in my hands, but before I had the chance to pull away her bikini, she shook her head.

“I haven’t forgotten last time. You wouldn’t let me. But now…” She reached for my fly and unzipped it, then tugged my pants and boxers down in one motion.

“What do you mean?” I asked, and she guided me back down against the chaise lounge chair, kissing the hard muscles of my chest as she sank to her knees beside me.

“I want to taste you,” she said. “You wouldn’t let me the last time, but today I’m not taking no for an answer. It’s been about me from the start. For once, let’s make things about you.”

I held my breath, trying to find the words to argue. I didn’t care if she was on her period—at this point I wouldn’t have cared if she had two heads. Before I found the words, though, her ass was in the air behind her and she was hovering over my thick, straining shaft.

Taking my length in one hand, she worked me slowly, gently, until finally her mouth closed over me and I let out a little groan of satisfaction.

“Bren.” I tried to stop her, but then she bobbed deeper, taking as much of me in her mouth as she could while working the rest with her hand.

I let out a murmured curse as she gagged a little, and then I forced myself to thread my fingers through her hair again, willing myself to pull her away and focus instead on her pleasure. When I tried, though, she only released me with a little pop and shook her head.

“Not this time,” she said. “I want to make you come.”

“But—” I tried to argue, but she silenced me again by swirling the tip of her tongue around my swollen head, all the while staring deep into my eyes. Then, slowly licking her lips, she shook her head again.

“Don’t you want to give me what I want?” she pouted.

“I—” I broke off, growling as she bobbed against my length, sucking hard and deep until my eyes dropped closed and I leaned back into the chair, trying to force myself to think of something, anything other than how good it would feel to spurt my hot need inside her mouth…feel her throat close over me.

I imagined how hot it would be to see my seed dripping down onto her breasts while she took me deeper inside her warm, wet mouth.

As I moved my hips in encouraging thrusts, her tongue stroked the underside of my shaft, stopping every now and then to tease the sensitive tip. In that moment, I would have given anything for her to rip off that bikini and let me watch her breasts bounce as she worked me up and down.

“You have no idea how hot you are,” I groaned.

She smiled at me, though her hand never stopped its work. “Why don’t you tell me?”

“You’re the sexiest woman alive. Every time I lay eyes on you I want to tear your clothes off and have my way with you right then and there.”

“Oh, yeah?” she cooed, rolling her tongue over my sensitive tip as I jerked into her mouth.

“Yes,” I groaned. “Right now all I want is for you to take that top off and let me see your perfect breasts, baby.”

“Do you know what I want?” she asked, and I struggled to breathe as I stared at the way she was working me over

“What’s that?”

“I want you to come in my mouth and watch you lose control. How does that sound?”

I swallowed hard. “My girl gets what she wants.”

“Good.” She offered me a mischievous grin then sank to her knees again, taking as much of me in her mouth as she could and working me long and deep. This time there was no gentleness in her touch. No, she was all urgency and need and want, working me fast and hard and coaxing me toward the finish line.

Her tongue flicked over me, teasing me even as my balls drew up and I readied myself for her.

Staring into her eyes, I managed to grit out the words, “Going to come.”

And she smiled around me, her tongue twisting over my tip as I jerked and threaded my hands through her hair. Closing my eyes, I focused on her warm, wet lips and groaned as the wave of pleasure shot through my body, rolling over me like the ocean waves in front of us.

In that moment, I lost control, flexing and pulsing as hot come spurted from my cock into her waiting throat. She never slowed, working me through it, taking me deeper as I came. I couldn’t stop the deep guttural sound coming from my mouth that I didn’t even recognize as my own. My vision blurred as I tried to find my breath again.

When I’d finally stopped twitching, she pulled away and lay beside me as I fought to catch my breath.

I turned toward her, relishing the swollen redness of her lips.

“Let’s get married.” The words slipped from my mouth before I’d thought them through, but there was no doubting I meant them. I wanted to spend every day of the rest of my life waking up next to her face. I wanted to have that baby we’d been so afraid of at first. I wanted everything—with her. But I knew it was risky. She was already gun-shy. What if this was the thing that sent her packing?

“What?” She laughed, sweeping her hair to one side before lying back on my chest.

“You heard me. I want you, Bren. Marry me.”

This time, she sat up and met my eyes. “If that’s the way you react to a blow job, you must not have had very many in your life,” she joked, but her hand fluttered to her throat and her eyes gleamed.

A good sign?

“It wasn’t that, although, shit, that was so damned good. It was you. Bren, I love you,” I murmured. “Be my wife, baby.”

She blinked at me, her eyes wide. “You haven’t had time to think this through.”

“I don’t need time. I know that I love you. I’ve loved you since the first moment I saw you. I know this is fast, but we’re perfect together.”

She searched my gaze for a long moment, then shook her head and said, “Look, um, I think we’re both a little high off the vacation fumes. I’m not saying no. I’ve never felt this way, to be honest. But I just want to make sure we’re not rushing things. Let’s put a pin in it, okay? Talk when we get home…”

I bit down on the inside of my cheek, looking her over as I nodded. Even now, I could feel her edging away from me, and the deep closeness I’d felt between us was crumbling like a wall made of sand.

Sure, marriage was fast and I knew she had her issues with intimacy, but I also knew how she felt about me—I could feel it in the way she kissed me, the way she touched me.

So why pull away?

“Bren,” I said, but she was getting up and dusting herself off.

“I’m going to hit the shower and take a nap, okay?” she said.

I nodded. “You sure, baby? You okay?”

She nodded. “I’ll see you in a little while.”

I watched her march into the little outdoor shower, all the while wondering to myself if I ought to call her back and set the record straight. But there was nothing to fix. I loved her, but she hadn’t said she loved me. And she hadn’t agreed to marry me.