Standing on the deck, Angel surveyed the empty stretch of beach leading away from the marina. Dark and deserted it was ideal for a stroll. This was hardly the time for such an indulgence, but it was the second time Cordelia had mentioned it.
There was an expectant sparkle in her hazel eyes bordering on excitement. Noticing the way her heartbeat picked up a notch, he could tell that she wanted this. It was not just anticipation of a walk on the beach. Telltale arousal clung to her skin, the scent stirring his desires. Maybe it was the moonlight or the simple fact that it only took one glance to turn each other on, or maybe he just had a really overactive imagination.
Either way, this was a bad idea. They were already late. Whatever caused that little time hiccup had put them behind schedule. He hated to say it, but this was not just any other night. “We’re late, Cordy. Our watch started fifteen minutes ago.”
The corners of her mouth dipped just enough to make him feel like an ass. This was supposed to be her special night out and now he was ruining it by reminding her they still had a job to do.
“Oh. Already?”
According to the plan, they would take up a position on one of the boats moored at the marina. Cordelia knew where Harmony’s family kept their sailboat. It would give them cover, but provide a view of the harbor. If this were the target destination, they would be able to see a boat coming from any direction.
“There’s not much cover on the beach, but it’s pretty dark in that direction. We could still see any incoming boats and have time to get back before they disembark.”
Cordelia squealed in delight jumping up to wrap her arms around his neck, rounded breasts pressing into his chest, body snuggling into his. He loved the way she fit against him, enjoyed the tease of the clothes against their skin, easily picturing how silky soft she would feel when he was able to peel those layers away. Muscles bunched beneath her hands as they slipped down to unfasten his tie and the top button of his black shirt.
The siren song of her words was pure temptation. “You. Me. Moonlit beach.”
There were plenty of reasons to stick to the plan. Safety. Readiness. The off chance an escaped convict would use Sunnydale’s marina to sneak into town. Or that a mob of demon-worshiping vampires would swarm the marina in order to capture him.
Cordy pushed the jacket off his shoulders. Angel shucked it off, draping it over one arm, while trying to figure out how to tell her that it would be better if they just stuck to the plan. Before he could say anything, she sank into a crouch, her palms keeping contact with his chest and abdomen on the way down, grazing his hips, and giving his thighs a squeeze before finally letting go. The jolting pleasure went straight to his groin, his shaft filling rapidly, lengthening, getting hard. Its tip felt tight, sensitive, rubbing against the soft cloth of his boxers.
A strangled growl curled up inside him as he tried to hold perfectly still, but he could not stop his head from filling with wild images. Soft hands stroking him firmly. Wet tongue sliding across his length. Hot mouth sucking him off.
Angling his gaze downward he fully expected her attention to be focused the same place as his, but her head was bent low, the soft cascade of her loose hair shadowing her face. “What are you doing?” The question rumbled low, gutteral. He wanted to hear her say it.
Those hazel eyes whipped up at the same moment her touch provided an answer. “Taking off your shoes and socks. You don’t want to ruin them in the sand. Plus, walking on the beach in your bare feet…pure toegasm.”
That was not exactly the ‘gasm’ he had in mind. Angel did not know whether to growl in frustration or just laugh at the misunderstanding. Here he was anticipating her touch, and the hot sensation of her mouth, and Cordelia was just planning an innocent moonlit stroll on the beach. Neither of which they really had time for.
He rubbed a hand over his face and neck, but that did not really help ease the source of the tension. “Toegasm,” he muttered desperately wishing that he could stop picturing her sucking him off. Cordelia had a steep learning curve when it came to their lovemaking, mainly because her enthusiasm and curiosity took over any reasoned plan to go slowly when it came to introducing her to new things, or allowing her to be the aggressor.
For one thing, Cordelia was not hesitant about telling or showing him what she wanted. He was always ready, which seemed excessive since he once practiced control over his baser urges, but he could not stop wanting her. It seemed she felt the same way. God, he loved that she could not keep her hands off him. She was so tactile, and warm, and spontaneous.
One of these days, he would have to show her the benefits of patience and anticipation when it came to sex, but the future was still unsettled. All they could focus on was the here and now.
There was never enough time to work on their relationship, too little privacy, too much tragedy, and the ever-darkening shadow of impending doom. Tonight was a luxury even if it was going to be cut short by the necessity of patrolling the marina. Deep down, he was afraid they would never get the opportunity for the kind of closeness he imagined, and his heart ached, and the demon side of his nature raged. Whatever he had to do to save her, whatever was needed to make her feel safe, or happy, he would get it done.
Being alone with Cordelia even for a few minutes, just the two of them walking on the moonlit beach, sounded simple, yet suddenly so appealing. So, he gave in to her wishes. Like he always did, he mused, enjoying her touch as she removed his shoes and socks, and then rolled his pants up to his calves.
Cordelia slowly rose into a standing position again, her hands making the reverse trip, fingernails rasping along the cloth of his pants. She did not miss noticing his arousal this time around. Heat flooded her cheeks and her teeth tugged at her bottom lip. Her eyes closed when he touched her cheek with the back of his fingers, opening up slowly when he trailed a path down the curve of her throat.
Reaching back up, his hand gently clasped her jaw, lips hovering just above hers teasing them both. The sharp sting of her nails curled into his bicep urging him on. Angel bent down as he turned her head, exposing her elegant neck to the exploration of his mouth, the fingers of his free hand molding around the curve of her shoulder to hold her steady.
Arching her body toward him, instinctually responding to his desire with complete trust, she sighed softly at the trail of cool kisses across her skin, adding an impatient moan until his mouth opened up, blunt teeth scoring across the warm flesh he had exposed just enough to make her feel it.
His tantalizing touch skimming her throat again, as his mouth moved to the other side. The soft press of his lips preceded the nip of his teeth. Cordelia’s heart thudded, his name sounding out as a moan, as she caged his head in her hands and sought his mouth.
Grazing her lips, he whispered a reminder, “The beach.” Some things would have to wait until they were home again.
“The what?” Standing there with her face still tilted toward his, Cordelia blinked as if the meaning of the word escaped her. “Oh! Right.”
Though Angel left his jacket draped over a deck chair, and his socks and shoes neatly tucked into place beneath it, Cordelia kept a firm hold on her designer shoes.
The sand scrunched under his feet and squished between his toes as they walked along the dry area of the beach. It was an odd sensation feeling the sand shifting around his feet. Good, but different. This was hardly his first beach, but it had been years since he had experienced one.
Cordelia held his hand and snuggled close as they walked along. It was easy to forget that they had another reason to be out here. He almost had.
His attention veered back toward the harbor. The waves were rolling in, crashing against the beach with more fervor than before. Dark clouds covered the moon and shadowed the horizon making it difficult to see any activity out in the water. The only lights in the distance were coming from the marina and from the red and green marker buoys that directed boats back through the shallower waters.
When he realized there was no sign of activity, Angel turned his focus back to Cordelia who had slipped her hand out of his to wander toward the water. The outline of her footprints in the wet sand led to her still figure as she stared out at the dark ocean, the white tipped waves lapping at her feet. The red dress and her golden skin stood out in stark contrast to her surroundings.
Hands in his pockets, Angel moved toward her at a slow pace, enjoying the view. She was so beautiful, his Cordy.
Sensing his approach, she flashed a grin over her shoulder and then took off running down the beach, peeling laughter trailing in her wake. Instinct forced him to follow. He let her run just long enough to make the chase interesting. When he caught her, Angel swung her up and into his arms.
Laughing and running had left her breathless. Cordelia wound her arms around his shoulders hugging him tight, her shoes still dangling from her fingers. “Told you the beach could be fun.”
Her mirth, the energy bounding around her, and her smile sparked fire within him. He dropped the arm holding her legs up letting her body slide down across his to a standing position. The other arm kept a hard hold pressing her close.
Angel’s hand slipped down to palm her rounded ass cheek as his mouth slanted down across hers, his hand wrinkling her dress as it caressed and squeezed. Opening up on a moan her lips meshed with his in rapid surrender.
The shoes dangling from her fingers dropped unheeded to the ground cushioned by a sandbank. Clasping his shoulder, her hand scrabbled for purchase while the other grabbed onto the open collar of his black shirt. There was nothing languid or soft about their kiss. It was a hot, sweet duel of lips and tongues.
Cordelia broke away long enough to gasp for a breaths, licking her swollen lips as an impish glint appeared in her darkened eyes. He knew that look. Playful. Wanton. One promising a glimpse of heaven.
Releasing her grip, she curled her nails and grazed down the contours of muscles scoring across one hard nub as she passed. Her palm flattened against him, fingers arrowing down across his abs, which tightened reflexively, and passing the leather barrier of his belt.
This time Angel knew she was not aiming for his feet. Once again he was rock hard with wanting her, aroused to the point that it was difficult to remember they had a mission. All he could think about was her aroused scent, the taste of her mouth and warm flesh, anticipating the sight of her writhing against the sand as he buried his cock deep inside her.
Just one thin thread of reason remained. When her lips left his again so she could stare down at what she?d captured in her hand, he let out grunted her name out in pleasure at her touch, and regretted that he was going to have to put a stop to this.
Cordelia’s fingers splayed out to cover what she could, an eager little noise caught in her throat as she found her prize. He grabbed he wrist, trying desperately to find the means of saying no, putting an end to this before they left themselves in a vulnerable position. More vulnerable than the one they were already in on the open beach.
With her wrist restrained, she cupped him hard, forcing Angel’s eyes to slam closed, and his head drift forward. He felt the fingertips of her free hand teasing at the curve of his ear, her cheek brushing against his, and her husky plea slammed into him with another wave of desire.
“I want to taste you. I want to feel you against my tongue.” She licked her way across the bump of his Adam’s apple as it bobbed heavily with a reflexive swallow, grazing his neck with her teeth.
Letting go of her wrist Angel made no move to stop her watching instead as Cordelia sank to the sand, the skirt of her dress a pool of blood red silk around her. The sight stirred up more than just arousal within him. It was all he could do to let her take the lead, to hold still as she unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned his pants, and slowly unzipped them.
When her hand brushed over his covered cock, any patience he had disappeared. He shoved his pants and boxers down over his hips exposing the heavy column of flesh, pale, laced with rippled veins, already hard.
“Cordy.”
Her name sounded more like a prayer as her fingers slipped around his thick girth, brushing through the small bush of dark hair at the base, stroking eagerly. After that, he couldn’t say much of anything because her expression entranced him, full of love and lust, and because she was staring at his cock like it was her extra special dessert. He wanted nothing more than to feed it to her inch by inch.
The base of his spine tingled, desire tugging deep in his loins, as Cordelia’s tongue lapped across his exposed tip, tracing her lips with the beaded fluid gathered there. His eyelids drooped heavily, eyes going amber, trained upon the pliant lips now framing his shaft as her mouth closed around him.
His arms hung heavily at his sides, hand itching to touch her, to wind his fingers into her hair, to clasp her head and slide his length even further, but he resisted the urge to make her take it all.
The soft hand surrounding him kept up its tight rhythm, grasping firmly, twisting, pulling while her wet velvet tongue flicked and teased. Her hot mouth slid along the thick rod of his cock, drawing hard, cheeks hollowing with each move. Little mewls tumbled from her throat melding with his stunted attempts at coaxing her on.
He could not string more than two words together as his body tightened, thrumming with escalating need for more of her touch, and the deep hollow of her throat. With great effort, he stopped his hips from bucking forward when her fingernails bit into the back of his thigh. The muscles there burned with the effort of standing upright under the pleasurable assault of her mouth.
A growl of thunder from the heavy clouds overhead added to the tension, echoing his need for release. Stroking across his skin Cordelia reached in to fondle his balls, her fingers gentle at first, doing nothing more than sweeping down to cup him in her palm.
Angel’s eyes clamped tight. He felt himself losing it when her nails curled under him and the blunt edge of her teeth purposely scraped his shaft. Losing the battle to keep his hands to himself, he unsteadily fingered through her silky hair, skimming across the nape of her neck. Moving with her, yet dangerously close to holding on too tight.
Tension coalesced rapidly. Muscles tightened up. His hips started to thrust a fraction each time she took him inside. The hammering of her heart against her ribs filled his ears. His nostrils flared at the scent of her arousal mixed with his own. Her luscious mouth so hot, wet, surrounding him. It was all so good. Too much.
Fisting both hands in her hair when Cordelia clasped his hips trying to get leverage, Angel let out an incoherent growl as he started to come. The thunder overhead seemed to echo his sentiments. He burst into her mouth just as the first drops of rain splattered down from the heavens.
Each release jerked him forward. Her lips shone with fluid as the warm suction of her mouth kept up its ministrations until she had taken it all. Releasing him from between her swollen lips, she barely had time to curve her mouth into a wicked little smile before he reached down to pull her up to her feet and into his arms.
His lips crashed into hers, kisses altering with words of praise, and promises of long, slow loving later tonight. Now was another story. Their mission had not changed. It was still dangerous. Still necessary.
But they were not leaving this beach until they finished what she started, even if it was going to have to be one of their seemingly patented quickies.
The taste of himself on her tongue drove him wild. She was just as frantic, arching into him, careless of the rain pelting down in fat droplets.
Angel started to lower her to the sand, errantly thinking that he would later catch hell for ruining her designer dress, but their shifting position brought something into view that hadn’t been there before. Standing downwind and in the periphery of his vision made it necessary for Angel to focus his gaze on the intruder.
