until Ian has established his own men in the Secret Service? Discretion is key, Ēostre, more than anything at this point in my career.”
“You’re right. Forgive me, all of you,” she said. Thoroughly chastened by her own conscience and Max’s cool, irrefutable logic, she flashed the three-person shifter squad an apologetic smile. “It would appear even I am prone to moments of poor decision and ill temper.”
“No harm, no trial,” Andrew said, chuckling. “We get it. Our presence is intrusive, and you want to enjoy a holiday without us lurking behind you. We’ll endeavor to grant a wider berth for the rest of the weekend.”
The wolf’s bright, toothy smile eased the heavy weight forming in Ēostre’s stomach. She couldn’t have forgiven herself if her rare surge of draconic arrogance had alienated his bodyguards.
Thankfully, Hotel Avalon was a brisk stroll from the shoreline, and within a hundred-yard walk, their bare feet were on beach. Ēostre carried her shoes in one hand and enjoyed the sensation of hot, dry sand shifting beneath her toes.
“That feels amazing,” Max muttered. “But I’m not sure about this being an entirely selfish venture for you.”
If you knew how damned good you look in those shorts, you wouldn’t question it, Ēostre thought.
It didn’t take long to discover the perfect spot on the beach. A single umbrella shaded two lounge chairs only a few yards from where the water lapped against the sand. The turquoise waters sparkled beneath the late afternoon sunshine.
“I wasn’t joking, and I don’t believe I made the terms of our wager,” Ēostre reminded him.
She pulled off the cover-up and settled down on the cushioned lounger. Once she removed the bottle of sunblock from her beach bag and passed it to Max, she rolled onto her stomach and set her cheek in the crook of one elbow. “Chop chop, my friend. This was your idea.”
Max didn’t respond, and she didn’t dare to look. Instead, she continued to hide her face, long after the first touch of his fingers brushed past her back. He took her hair and guided the long, silver braid to the side of her shoulder to expose the expanse of her back.
After he unfastened her bikini top, Ēostre heard the bottle’s contents shaking then squirting over one of his palms. “You’ll have to forgive me if I’m heavy-handed. I haven’t done this in a while.”
“So you’ve done this before?”
“Once or twice,” he answered with a mysterious air to his deep voice.
From the moment his hands touched her skin, Ēostre knew she wouldn’t regret her decision. Fingers covered in cool sunblock glided over her back and kneaded the lotion into her flesh. They swept up to her shoulders and down her sides, dangerously close to skimming past the sides of her breasts and breaching the minimal protection offered by her swim attire.
And more than anything, Ēostre wanted to roll onto her back to invite him to finish a more thorough lotioning of her body. To feel his hands easing beneath the bikini triangle to cup skin against skin.
Heavy-handed? No, his hands were as magical as their dragon forms.
Her nipples stiffened, and despite the ambient temperature of the hot and sunny summer day, his touch made her shiver. Ēostre tried to convince herself it was the chilly lotion, then his hands descended again.
It was the closest she’d come to orgasm without sex in a long while.
“Ēostre?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you all right? Your back is stiff as a board,” he commented.
She cleared her throat and relaxed beneath his strong hands, letting him work out the kinks and aches acquired over a week of driving, sitting at a desk, and of course, that persistent twinge she’d felt ever since Astrid crashed into her. “The lotion was a little cold is all. I’m fine.”
“Well,” he said in a husky voice, “I think I’m done with you.”
One peek at Max over her shoulder was enough to renew the scintillating tingle gliding over her
“You’re right. Forgive me, all of you,” she said. Thoroughly chastened by her own conscience and Max’s cool, irrefutable logic, she flashed the three-person shifter squad an apologetic smile. “It would appear even I am prone to moments of poor decision and ill temper.”
“No harm, no trial,” Andrew said, chuckling. “We get it. Our presence is intrusive, and you want to enjoy a holiday without us lurking behind you. We’ll endeavor to grant a wider berth for the rest of the weekend.”
The wolf’s bright, toothy smile eased the heavy weight forming in Ēostre’s stomach. She couldn’t have forgiven herself if her rare surge of draconic arrogance had alienated his bodyguards.
Thankfully, Hotel Avalon was a brisk stroll from the shoreline, and within a hundred-yard walk, their bare feet were on beach. Ēostre carried her shoes in one hand and enjoyed the sensation of hot, dry sand shifting beneath her toes.
“That feels amazing,” Max muttered. “But I’m not sure about this being an entirely selfish venture for you.”
If you knew how damned good you look in those shorts, you wouldn’t question it, Ēostre thought.
It didn’t take long to discover the perfect spot on the beach. A single umbrella shaded two lounge chairs only a few yards from where the water lapped against the sand. The turquoise waters sparkled beneath the late afternoon sunshine.
“I wasn’t joking, and I don’t believe I made the terms of our wager,” Ēostre reminded him.
She pulled off the cover-up and settled down on the cushioned lounger. Once she removed the bottle of sunblock from her beach bag and passed it to Max, she rolled onto her stomach and set her cheek in the crook of one elbow. “Chop chop, my friend. This was your idea.”
Max didn’t respond, and she didn’t dare to look. Instead, she continued to hide her face, long after the first touch of his fingers brushed past her back. He took her hair and guided the long, silver braid to the side of her shoulder to expose the expanse of her back.
After he unfastened her bikini top, Ēostre heard the bottle’s contents shaking then squirting over one of his palms. “You’ll have to forgive me if I’m heavy-handed. I haven’t done this in a while.”
“So you’ve done this before?”
“Once or twice,” he answered with a mysterious air to his deep voice.
From the moment his hands touched her skin, Ēostre knew she wouldn’t regret her decision. Fingers covered in cool sunblock glided over her back and kneaded the lotion into her flesh. They swept up to her shoulders and down her sides, dangerously close to skimming past the sides of her breasts and breaching the minimal protection offered by her swim attire.
And more than anything, Ēostre wanted to roll onto her back to invite him to finish a more thorough lotioning of her body. To feel his hands easing beneath the bikini triangle to cup skin against skin.
Heavy-handed? No, his hands were as magical as their dragon forms.
Her nipples stiffened, and despite the ambient temperature of the hot and sunny summer day, his touch made her shiver. Ēostre tried to convince herself it was the chilly lotion, then his hands descended again.
It was the closest she’d come to orgasm without sex in a long while.
“Ēostre?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you all right? Your back is stiff as a board,” he commented.
She cleared her throat and relaxed beneath his strong hands, letting him work out the kinks and aches acquired over a week of driving, sitting at a desk, and of course, that persistent twinge she’d felt ever since Astrid crashed into her. “The lotion was a little cold is all. I’m fine.”
“Well,” he said in a husky voice, “I think I’m done with you.”
One peek at Max over her shoulder was enough to renew the scintillating tingle gliding over her
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