Into the Tide (Cottonwood Cove #1)(67)

I nodded because Lila James had grown into a strong woman.

A capable woman.

And the most beautiful fucking woman I’d ever laid eyes on.

“You are.” I ran my thumb down her cheek.

“Okay, the water’s getting cold. Should we get out?” she asked.

“Yep.” I wasn’t in any hurry to get her naked body off of mine.

She climbed out and wrapped a towel around her and held one out to me as I stepped out of the water and drained the bathtub.

She moved to her suitcase and dug through it, pulling out her pajamas.

I raised a brow. “You aren’t going to need those. I told you I planned to kiss every inch of you until you fall asleep.”

And I was a man of my word.





twenty





Lila





Hugh had kept his promise, and I’d finally given into sleep late into the night after he’d literally worshipped every inch of my body—and yes, I’d cried his name out more times than I thought possible. I remember a friend telling me orgasms were rare.

But not when you were with Hugh Reynolds.

They were as common as clearing your throat or blinking.

Just when you thought you were done, he was serving you up a big plate of pleasure.

My body was on a high, and it hadn’t come down.

And—I was still a freaking virgin.

I was giving the Virgin Mary a run for her money on this one.

I’d been naked in front of this man so many times, had endless orgasms, yet my V-card was still firmly intact.

“How the fuck am I supposed to keep my hands to myself with you wearing that dress?” Hugh said, as I reached for my purse. We were getting ready to head to the wedding.

“You like it, huh?” I twirled so he could see that it was backless. My hair was in a chignon at the nape of my neck. Hugh was wearing a fitted black tuxedo, and to say the man took my breath away, would be a massive understatement. Tall and lean and gorgeous. His thick hair stopped at his shoulders, and he pushed it behind his ears, showing off those sage-green eyes.

“I do.” He trailed his fingers down my back and then moved beneath the waistband, which had some stretch to the fabric, and he palmed my butt cheek. “And that fucking Sebastian better keep his eyes off of you.”

“You better tone down that jealousy. This is temporary, remember?” I teased, patting him on the cheek.

“I was protective of you before—” He paused to think about his next words. “So no one will be the wiser.”

I liked that he was jealous. Because I felt the same about him. I couldn’t stand the thought of Hugh with another woman. I knew it was just because we were playing house and having fun. Once I went back to my real life, he’d return to his, and all of this would be a faint memory. But that didn’t mean I didn’t want to scratch out the eyes of any woman who looked at him right now.

Cage, Gracie, Finn, and his date, Sonia, met us by the elevators. Hugh had filled me in that Finn had only gone out a couple of times with Sonia, and it wasn’t anything serious.

“Good timing,” Cage said, and Gracie charged her Uncle Hugh, and he scooped her right up. She was wearing an adorable white flower girl dress, as she was going to be part of the wedding party today. “How’d you guys sleep?” Cage asked with a brow raised, as if he were questioning the arrangements.

“The best I’ve slept in years,” Hugh said, blowing a strawberry on his niece’s neck, and her head fell back in laughter, and I felt my cheeks heat at his words.

“Interesting for a man who never sleeps all that well. How about you?” Finn directed the question at me as we stepped onto the elevator.

I cleared my throat, wondering if they could all see through me. If they knew that I could have won an Olympic gold medal for the most orgasms collected in one night. “I slept well, thank you. How about you?”

“Not so well for me,” Finn groaned. “Sonia’s wave machine had me on edge. There is nothing relaxing about the noises coming out of that thing. I was preparing for a shark attack all night. Or it might have been the strong incense she burned in our room, which had my stomach rumbling, thinking it was time for breakfast every hour.”

Sonia rolled her eyes. “Finny, you know you loved it.”

Finn glanced over his shoulder at me and Hugh with wide eyes and gave us the slightest shake, making it clear that he did not enjoy it.

“Yeah, Finny. Stop whining. Try sleeping in a room with a four-year-old who sings in her sleep,” Cage said, winking at his daughter.

“Daddy…” Her head fell back in a fit of giggles against Hugh’s shoulder. “I was singing in my sleeps again?”

“Hey, that’s a sign of happiness. A kid who sings in her sleep. That’s a good life, man,” Hugh said, nodding at his brother and kissing Gracie’s cheek.

When the doors opened, Cage reached for Gracie and set her on the floor before taking her hand in his. “All right, remember what I told you about attending a wedding.”

“Don’t be a baby?” she asked her father, and we all laughed as we walked behind them.

“I didn’t say that. I said you were a big girl,” Cage corrected her as he led us through the lobby toward the bus that was shuttling us all to the Wayburns’ house for the ceremony and reception. “I said that big girls can walk down the aisle without stopping to chat with everyone in each row.”