“A pretty big one, too,” she murmured.

“I’m sorry. I hate fighting with you, Angel. Most of all, I hate to see you upset.”

Abby’s blue eyes blazed with intensity. “Then try not to say such hurtful things next time.”

“I’ll try. I promise.”

“Okay.”

As an uncomfortable silence still hung around us, I sighed. “You know, I was afraid when I woke up and found the house empty that you’d left me.”

“I would never do that to you.”

“I know. It was just this irrational fear I had.” I exhaled a long, ragged breath. “I guess, it’s kinda like the fear I have of you getting pregnant on the sly.”

Abby shook her head. “How could you think I would ever do that?”

I furiously rubbed my face, letting the salty water sting my eyes. “I don’t know why.” At her wounded expression, I added, “I don’t think, deep down, that you would really do that, but, it is a fear of mine.’”

She inched a little closer to me. “We’re in this marriage together, Jake. It’s a partnership where we make our decisions together. Even though I would love nothing more than to have your baby, I don’t want to until you’re ready. More than anything, I want to know that you trust me.”

“I’m sorry, Angel. I do trust you. I swear. You’ve never been anything but trustworthy and faithful to me.”

“Then stop worrying.”

I drew in a ragged breath. “Somehow I can’t help but wonder how you can still love me when I’m denying you this.”

“Oh Jake, my love for you doesn’t stop just because there’s a rough patch in the road, or I don’t get what I want.”

“Really?” It was hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that someone could sacrifice so much for me just because they loved me.

She nodded emphatically. “Of course not. I may be disappointed or hurt, but I could never love you less.”

I stared into her eyes, seeing the unconditional love for me burning bright in them. I felt like such a fool for ever doubting her. “Angel, I love you so much,” I blurted before jerking her into my arms. The motion caused us to lose our balance, and we dipped under the surface of the water. We remained lip-locked with our arms wrapped around each other as our feet kicked to keep us from sinking. When we broke the surface again, I pulled away. “Let’s get to where we can touch.”

“Okay,” Abby murmured, her blue eyes hooded.

We swam closer to the shore, and the moment our feet could touch again, I took her back in my arms. Abby gripped my shoulders before hopping up to wrap her legs around my waist. My fingers went to the strings at her back. With one tug, the bikini top gave way, and her delicious tits spilled out. Gripping her hips, I pushed her further up my body where I could suck on her ni**les. As they puckered and hardened in my mouth, Abby gasped. Her fingers came to tangle through the wet strands of my hair. “Jake,” she moaned.

“I want to f**k you, Angel,” I growled against her chest.

“Not here,” she panted.

“No love-making in the ocean?” I questioned as I ground my erection against her core.

Her hooded eyes met mine, and she gave me a lazy smile. “It’s not good for the girl.”

“Oh, really?”

She shook her head. “You’d be good, but the potential infections from the salt water wouldn’t.”

I laughed. “Okay, Angel, I’ll take you to the house.”

With her legs wrapped tight around my waist and my arms underneath her ass, I started walking us out of the water. I kept my mouth firmly on Abby’s. Anxious to be inside her, my tongue thrust in and out of her deliciously warm mouth just like I wanted my dick to be doing. At the same time, Abby kept up a relentless pace of rubbing herself against my dick.

We’d only made it half-way up the beach when she broke our intense kiss. “Take me out here, Jake,” she insisted.

My brows shot up in surprise. “You can’t wait for the house?”

“No,” she moaned. “I want you right now.”

“Damn, Angel, are you trying to kill me?”

“Please,” she begged.

Gazing at the palm trees below the house, I steered us over to them. I eased her down onto her feet on the sand before ripping her bikini bottoms down. I couldn’t resist bringing my mouth between her legs. When my tongue flicked against her clit, Abby cried out, and her knees buckled. With one arm, I pushed her back upright. Her fingers tugged on the strands of my hair as I licked and sucked her pu**y. I didn’t bother thrusting my tongue into her. No, I was reserving that one for my throbbing dick.

Just as she was about to come, I pulled away. She whimpered in protest and thrust her hips forward. “You’re going to have to wait until I’m inside you,” I said, as I rose up off the sand.

“No fair,” she pouted.

“Well, I could say you’ve been a bad girl—you know, refusing to talk to me last night and making me think you’d left me on the island.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So you admit you were a bad girl?”

She eyed me for a moment, trying to decide how playing along with me would benefit her. “Yes, I guess I was a little bad.” After nibbling on her bottom lip for a moment, she floored the hell out of me by saying, “Maybe you should spank me and teach me a lesson.”

At just the suggestion, my head snapped back like she slapped me. We’d never gotten real down and dirty like this. Sure, a playful smack here and there, but never like what she was suggesting. “You think you deserve it?”

“Mmm, hmm.”

“Fine then.” Grabbing her hands, I jerked them above her head. I then whirled her around and placed them on the tree trunk. For a moment, my hand massaged the globe of her ass. Glancing at me over her shoulder, Abby waited expectantly for my next move. Deciding to really play the part, I barked, “Did I say you could look at me?”

Abby jerked her gaze from mine and stared ahead. I pulled my hand away and then cracked my open palm against her cheek. She gasped as her whole body jerked. Just as she was getting used to the sensation, my hand went to her other cheek, and I smacked it good. “Do you like that?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Is it making you a little wet?”

“Maybe.” She glanced over her shoulder and shot me a defiant gaze. “Why don’t you check and see?”