Page 136 of For Better or Hearse

His voice like velvet. His hands like silk. Nathaniel surges deeper. Thrusts.

The sex isn’t frantic or wild or rushed. It’s slow. Claiming. Meant to be.

Just like them.

Ash cries out to the sky. Her lashes flutter as the hearts between them pound in sync.

There’s that bloom in her chest again.

That bright bloom she can no longer ignore.

They sneak out of the jungle like wildcats. Ash is on the prowl as she treks through the brush, sweaty and flushed and damp.

They swam for hours at the lagoon, and as late afternoon fell, they made love again. Reluctantly, they redressed and set off for the boat.

Nathaniel shoves a fallen tree branch out of their way. He lets Ash pass first, taking in the tropical backdrop of the island. A bright orange butterfly flitters in the air. Vines and flowers and lush vegetation make it a paradise. And still, Nathaniel has the best view in the world.

Ash.

From his position behind her, he has a prime view of her perky ass. She’s in her bathing suit, smiling, her long black hair dripping down her shoulders. In the dappled sunlight, she’s shivering.

“Truth,” Ash says, glancing over her shoulder at him.

“Give it to me.”

“Last meal. What would it be?”

He hurries to catch up. Grabs her hand. “You and a cloth napkin.”

Her kohl-lined eyes flash. A feline grin tips her lips. “Absolute carnage.”

He’s in a goddamn great mood. Waterfall sex, the beach, Ash. Nothing can beat this day with her. Except the next one after it.

“You?” he asks curiously, stroking a thumb over her knuckle.

“Mushroom and Swiss burger, rare. Fries. The sweetest, most mouth-puckering root beer.”

“No hesitation. Savage.” He chuckles. “Why are we talking about food?”

“Because I’m hungry.” With a laugh, she skips over a rock. Her backpack bounces on her shoulders. “I shot up in anticipation of lunch. Brad was hyping it up so much I can already taste it.”

They wander down a path, this one bordering a rock wall. A few feet ahead of them is a cave. Spiderwebs and leaves cover the entrance.

Smirking, Ash shoves him. “Go in that cave. See what’s in there.”

“You first.”

Grinning, he grasps her wrist and pulls her toward him. She squeals, twists in his hold, then loops her arms around his neck and pulls him in for a vicious kiss. The light reflects the green in her eyes, the bright red of her lips.

It’s like illuminating every feeling he’s ever had.

Her.

She is mean and feral, and fuck it if he doesn’t love it.

Fuck if he doesn’t love her.

He almost said it earlier, on the bank of the waterfall. Buried inside her, all that dark hair wrapped around his fist. But it wasn’t the time.