“That’s enough!” I yelp in a strangled voice.

Dex laughs, but he doesn’t protest. He just kicks back, floating on his back in the middle of the pool with a contented sigh.

The sun glistens on his naked chest. My heart races faster, making me brave.

Making me bold.

“Fine,” I blush, slipping one strap and then the other over my shoulders. “But only because I’ll drown with all this fabric weighing me down.”

“Whatever you say, sweetheart.” Dex doesn’t open his eyes, floating there, so I shimmy the wet dress off my body, peeling away the fabric that’s clinging to my skin. I leave it on the edge of the pool, and take a few nervous strokes, self-conscious in my bra and panties.

But Dex ignores me, and slowly, I relax. The cool water feels amazing against my skin, and the music is soft and soothing, a sultry jazzy song. I swim a couple of laps of the pool, turning onto my back to kick gentle splashes, floating like I did when I was a kid. I drift, letting my mind go blank, my body weightless, losing myself between the water and the sky.

When I close my eyes, all I can see is him.

Those dark eyes, that beautiful body, all hard edges and muscle. Lean. Powerful. He’s floating beside me, but I don’t need to look over to remember every inch. It’s branded on my memory, burning behind my closed eyelids.

When I feel his touch, sliding over my bare stomach, it’s almost like I willed it there.

I catch my breath, still floating, my eyes closed. It takes everything I have not to reach for him, or make a move to break my buoyancy.

Dex treads water beside me, leaning to kiss the side of my torso as his fingertips trail hot against my cool skin. He traces around my bellybutton, sending shocks of awareness through my whole body.

I shiver.

Now his touch trails upwards, across my ribcage, soft as a whisper up the center of my chest, teasing along the lacy edge of my bra.

Dear Lord.

The sensation is too much to stay still. I rise up against his touch and lose my balance, suddenly falling in the water. But Dex shifts position, slipping under to support me so I’m lying back against his chest in a lifeguard’s hold. He kicks steadily, keeping the both of us afloat, his hands free now to roam softly across my skin, teasing my shoulders, my stomach, my chest…

I let out a whimper as his fingertips graze my nipples. I can see my body, floating in front of me, my breasts swelling, the buds dark rose beneath my pale lace bra. Dex’s hands sweep over me in a soft, dizzying rhythm, toying with me until I’m aching, desperate for more than this tormenting caress.

“Dex,” I murmur, restless in his arms. I can’t keep floating like this for much longer, not with my body wired so tight. Dex kicks back with powerful strokes, steering us into the shallows, so he’s leaning against the wide steps, with me lying on top of him, part submerged. His front to my back, our bodies hot, the water so cool.

His touch grows firmer, sliding down my stomach and along the waistband of my wet panties.

Oh...

My head falls back against his shoulder, and I tilt my face to his neck, breathing him in, reaching out with my tongue to taste his skin: saltwater and heat and him.

Dex lets out a low groan, shifting beneath me. I can feel him, hard against my back, and as his touch dances lower, over the damp fabric, the hardness grows.

He slowly, softly, strokes between my thighs.

Jesus.

I moan, arching needy against his touch. He circles again, too soft, barely brushing against my swollen nerves, but the feeling is electric, setting my nerves alight.

“Dex,” I gasp against him, my voice thick with need, my body strung out and liquid in his arms. I’m mindless here, gripping onto his biceps to keep myself in place as his fingers stroke in lazy rhythms over my panties, up across my trembling stomach, back down to dance over my aching core.

It’s heaven. It’s pure torment.

It’s a revelation.

I sink into him, surrendering completely to his slow, certain caress. I don’t know how long we’re suspended in this weightless place—everything melts away. I hear the water lapping against us, feel the sun hot against my skin, his fingertips stroking gently, stirring my body into a tight knot of sensation that shivers and gasps at his every touch.

But it’s not enough. The ache between my thighs grows, need twisting in the pit of my stomach, hungry and raw. His touch is still barely a whisper, gliding over my skin, barely brushing me through my panties until I can’t take it anymore.

With a moan, I twist around, sliding my legs on either side of his torso so I’m straddling him in the shallow water. I take his face in my hands, registering the dark look of desire in his eyes before I take his lips in a fevered kiss.

This. This is what I need.

His mouth is hot, hungry. I kiss him desperately, surging against him, and Dex groans, gripping my hips hard and grinding me down into the hardness in his lap. The pressure hits just right, a stardust of friction bursting through my body, taking my breath away.

I arch against him, reckless. Ravenous for more. He breaks away with a growl, tugging my hair with one hand to tilt my head back and kiss down my neck, licking hungrily along the damp skin. I shudder, writhing at the sensation. He yanks my bra straps down, kissing lower across the swell of my breast until his lips close around my nipple and he sucks, hard.

Yes!

I cry out, tangling my fingers in his damp hair, holding his mouth against me as his tongue rasps across my sensitive bud, sending sweet shards of pleasure ricocheting through my body. He licks and suckles, driving me half-wild with desire before switching his attention to my other breast, rocking his hips against me in a dizzying rhythm, driving me higher, tighter, closer to the edge.