Dare to Surrender by Carly Phillips Page B

on a luggage stand near the closet.
    “That was fast.” And odd, like everything else on the island so far.
    Unsure of what to do with myself, especially since butterflies had once again had taken up residence in the pit of my stomach, I walked back to the foyer area. My hands went to the faux pearls at my neck, fingering them nervously. I’d bought them with the island-appropriate clothing for this trip.
    I looked out the window, the view of the tranquil blue ocean and beautiful island below a panorama of indescribable beauty. Something I’d enjoy more if I understood what I was doing here.
    I heard the whooshing sound of the elevator doors, and relief poured through me. “Lucy?” I asked, spinning around. Finally, everything would begin to make sense.
    “Not Lucy.” The familiar masculine voice wound its way through my veins, easing my fears, answering every unasked question.
    Excitement flooded through me. It had been so long, and I’d missed him so much. To this day, it didn’t matter that the time we’d shared together had been brief. To me, it meant everything.
    He was just as I remembered, with his stern expression, features carved into what I considered perfection, full lips, strong jaw, and those intense eyes focused on me. A white dress shirt, sleeves rolled immaculately, and black slacks, with more casual shoes than his norm, completed the outfit.
    He stared at me, his expression unreadable, maybe even vulnerable, and my heart thudded inside my chest. I studied him in return. His handsome face had occupied every dream I’d had, but he was here now. A reality. My reality , I thought, those sinfully sexy eyes eating me alive.
    “Iz.”
    He held out his arms.
    And my world suddenly righted itself once more.
    I ran to him and jumped into his waiting embrace, wanting to be as close as possible. I clung to him, running my hands up his strong back, threading up through his silky hair. Hair that had grown longer since I’d seen him last.
    There’d been many times in the last months when I had tried to convince myself the connection between us could not have been as strong as I remembered. The desire not as potent. That distance and might-have-beens were clouding my judgment and memory.
    I’d been wrong.
    Everything between us was solid, not a figment of my imagination, and right now, he was very real. Not just the thick erection snug against my core but the invisible thread that bound us together. Just then, his big hand cupped the back of my head, and he sealed his warm mouth over mine, and I knew at that moment, I’d come home.
    He kissed me like I mattered, and the time melted away, and the kiss turned ravenous. Hungry. He devoured me, and him being Gabe, I expected nothing less. I merely wrapped my legs around his waist and held on, losing myself in the way he slicked his tongue inside my mouth, mimicking the physical act of making love. The thing we hadn’t yet done.
    He continued his assault, his fingers tight in my hair, tugging at my scalp, and my brain short-circuited from the pleasure. Real damned fireworks went off behind my eyes. No doubt about it, I was done for. Nobody else could ever live up to him.
    He nipped at my lower lip, and I moaned, my pelvis grinding against him, seeking pressure to relieve the growing ache.
    “Slow down,” he said in a rough, harsh voice.
    Of course he’d had to end the kiss to speak, and I whimpered at the loss of contact.
    His glittering gaze met mine. “Just because I missed you doesn’t mean I’m going to let you control things.”
    I’d missed the bossiness in his tone, not that I’d let him know that. Instead of arguing, I set about getting what I wanted, gliding my lips over his strong jaw, nuzzling my nose into the crook of his neck, where I could inhale his musky aftershave and lose myself in the masculine scent.
    When he didn’t take the bait, throw me on the couch, or slam me against the wall, I went for the kill, nibbling on his earlobe with my