Confident that he was not chasing her, but rather cleaning the sand from his mouth, Gianelle grinned victoriously when she saw the shoreline inches away. That would teach him to tease her so ruthlessly, she thought just before she felt his hands around her ankles and opened her mouth into a huge O. She went down face first, and before she could gather more sand into her hands to fling at him, Dante flipped her over on her back and slid his body over hers, pinning her under him. Wearing a darkly roguish grin he held up a much larger handful of sand over her face.
“Surrender to me and I will show you mercy.â€
“Never!†she laughed.
“You refuse?â€
“I said never, brute. Are you hard of hearing?â€
Dante shrugged his massive shoulders as if he had no other choice now. Pinning one of her arms between his belly and hers and holding the other high over her head, he proceeded to smear her cheeks slowly and thoroughly with sand. She thrashed and squealed with laughter beneath him. When he was done, he regarded her with sheer amusement lighting his eyes. And then his gaze changed, darkening with the hunger that raked his body.
“Kiss me, or I’ll hurl myself into the waves and end my miserable life.â€
Gianelle stopped laughing and looked up at him. Her heart began to pump wildly. Dante felt it against his chest like the furious beating heart of a tiny bird.
Her resistance deserted her. She closed her eyes and pursed her lips, ready to receive him. Above her, Dante smiled at the chaste kiss she offered.
He moved his mouth over hers, devouring it’s softness, tasting her, teasing her while his own breath stalled against the fervent pounding of his heart. His tongue parted her lips, marauding the deepest corners of her mouth, spreading, stroking, and making her writhe beneath him. His body ached to take her right there while the tide washed over them. Her reaction to him, so sweetly wanton set every drop of blood in his body ablaze, hardening him until the agony of it ripped a groan from his throat. He broke the kiss, his breath heavy and his eyes burning into hers like sizzling mercury.
“Oh my.†Gianelle whispered with languid wonder. She dragged her lower lip between her teeth, making Dante want to do the same to those coral colored lips.
“I should warn you,†Dante murmured, a slow grin, heartwrenchingly sensual, curling his full mouth. “I find your wicked seduction of me completely irresistible.â€