“Are you always this wise?” he asks.
“No.”
“Good.”
Chapter Four
Ben
I wake up, roll over, and my hand lands on a pillow and the big empty space next to me. Allie should have been here with me, but of course, I don't want to pressure her. She's quite a bit younger than I am. I'm thirty-two, and she's twenty-two. I wouldn’t want to take advantage.
But I can’t stop thinking about her. How hot she looked in that red bikini. It made me feel like an animal, seeing the bright red suit on her smooth body. I had to exercise a lot of self-control.
And that kiss. There was something in it that I've never felt before. I want that feeling again. I have to have it again. No kiss has ever made me feel that way. The way her lips lightly explored mine was both reserved and curious. The way she kissed me was an embodiment of her personality.
Allie is mysterious. I've figured out that much. And she's nothing like her friends. I have to get to know her better. I have never in my life thought about a girl the way I think about Allie.
I told them I would send a car for them today, but I'm afraid that she won't come. I am restless and find myself fidgeting. I have work to do, phone calls to return, emails to answer, but I want none of it. This girl is the only thing that's on my mind.
I get out of bed and immediately start tidying my room.
The girls arrive at noon. Of course, I see Tucker and Charlie already up and drinking. Finally, I see Mindy and Kate step aboard. And then there she is, wearing a yellow dress that shows bikini straps going around her slender neck. All my worries about not seeing her again are washed away and replaced with red hot desire.
“Welcome back,” I say to them, but I’m really just addressing Allie.
Mindy gives me a smirk and a wink. I wonder what they talked about last night.
“You guys like jet skis?” Tucker asks them.
“I’ve never been on one,” says Allie.
“Don’t worry,” I tell her. “I’ll go with you. All you have to do is hang on tight.”
She looks at me and then looks away as if she hardly knows me. Doesn't she remember the romantic evening we had? The kiss we shared? The sunset we watched? We made a connection, and I know she felt it, too. I touch her lightly on the shoulder, and I see her face go red. I take it as a good sign.
Over lunch, I have a hard time keeping Tucker and Charlie from drinking too much. “You can’t be drunk if you’re going to be driving the jet skis,” I tell them. “Especially with precious cargo.”
As usual, they don’t want to listen.
“Since when does Ben want to do anything fun?” asks Charlie.
Tucker clears his throat. “Since I killed my brother and replaced him with this way more fun carbon copy.”
Everyone laughs, including me. They are right. I rarely come out to play. But Allie looks like she’s thinking about something else.
We finish lunch and then lay on the deck for a little while. Allie is still trying to ignore me, but I'm going to make that difficult for her.
Chapter Five
Allie
I wrap my arms around Ben's body and squeeze. The open ocean makes me nervous, but at least I'm wearing a life jacket.
“Are there sharks in the water?”
“No,” he says. “There are no sharks around here.”
But I have a feeling he’s lying to make me feel safer. I just have to let go of my fears and trust him. I've been ignoring him all day to test if he genuinely likes me or not. It sure seems like he does because he hasn't been able to keep his eyes off me all day. I don't have that much experience with men, but no man has ever made me feel so good about myself. So wanted and desired.
“Are you ready?” he asks.
“No.”
“Okay,” he laughs. “Here we go.”
I scream as he takes off into the open water, and we bounce up and down on the waves. I grip him tighter and push my body into him. It feels like we're going a million miles an hour, and I'm sure I am hurting his ears with my screams.
I'd like to be pressed up against him screaming for other reasons.
Last night when the girls and I made it back to the hotel, they grilled me about my time with him. I gave them a detailed play by play, including all of my reservations. I almost didn't come back to the yacht today, but they said if I didn't take a chance for once, I would die a lonely old hag. They can be brutal.
Deep down, I did want to come back. I wanted to be with Ben again. Even if surrendering to him terrifies me.
And I think he’s trying to terrify me right now. If it’s possible, we’re going even faster, farther from the coast, and I’m shaking. But holding tightly onto him gives me some security.
He stops, and we’re far from the yacht. I look around, and I don't see Mindy or Kate anywhere. We're around a corner in a cove where no one can see us. When he kills the engine, all I can hear is the sound of the breeze and the ocean water lapping against the side of the jet ski.
He turns to face me. “Fun?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I say as I brush my hair out of my face, and I can hear that my voice is unsteady.
He puts his hand on mine. A pod of bottlenose dolphins swims near us, jumping out of the water.
“Oh my God, look!” I say as they play.
He laughs as I watch the dolphins. He starts kissing my neck, which sends shivers all through my body. His hands hold onto my hips, and I let him suckle my skin.
Okay, forget the dolphins. I lean into him and start kissing his lips, only this time I have no reservations. I kiss him with an aggressive passion that he returns fully, his tongue plunging deep into my mouth. Everything about this moment, the ocean, the dolphins, the sunshine, the kiss, it's so perfect. I never want it to end. It makes me so dizzy, I actually fall off the jet ski and into the water.
And a second later, Ben is in the water holding me tightly to him and kissing me again. I feel desire course through my body. The dolphins have moved away from us, but I can still see them jumping out of the water in the distance.
“Have dinner with me tonight,” he says, breaking away from our kiss and holding his face close to mine. He has that dreamy look in his eyes again.
“I think Mindy and Kate wanted to go to town tonight.”
“So let them go.” He shrugs and looks deep into my eyes. “Stay with me.”
“I’m not sure.”
“Allie, I want to be with you. I’ll make it worth your while. I promise.”
Looking into those eyes, hearing his seductive voice, how could I possibly say no?
“Alright,” I say.
“But only if you really want to,” he says.
“I do,” I tell him. And that’s true.
But I hope he doesn’t know how scared I am.
Chapter Six
Ben
My jaw nearly falls to the floor when she walks out onto the deck that evening for our dinner. The air is cool, the sun is about to set, and I’ve had a vegetarian meal prepared for us.
Her dress is vibrant purple, and strapless. I want to tear it off of her to free that incredible body, but I control myself and pull her chair out for her to sit. I pour us both wine.
“This all looks so extravagant,” she says.
“Only the best for the best.”
“What makes you think I’m the best?”
“I just know, Allie. So why were you trying to ignore me today?” I take my seat and await her answer.
“I didn’t think you’d notice.”
“It was all I could notice.”
“It’s just that…” She takes a bite of food. “This is really good.”
“Thank you. I’ll let Jeffrey know to make it again. Why won’t you answer my question? It’s just that what?”
She finishes chewing and takes her time. "Well, I guess I really like you. But you have your life. And I have mine. My friends and I are going to move on in a few days, and
then I'll probably never see you again. I suppose I'm just not into the whole one-night stand thing."
"One-night stand? You think I want a one-night stand?" I set down my wine glass and almost spill on the tablecloth.
I’m afraid I’ve made her more nervous.
“I’m sorry,” she says. “I just thought…”
“Allie, I’m not like my brother and his idiot friends. I’m a good guy. Didn’t you see that yesterday? And today?”
“If this isn’t just a one-time thing, then what is it, Ben?”
I wish we didn’t have to have this conversation. I just want to get to know her. Learn about her family. About her hopes and desires, her fears, her past. Everything. I don’t want her to question our future.
"Look, I know we've only known each other a couple of days," I say. "But just because we're on different paths right now doesn't mean we can’t continue to get to know each other.”
I can tell she has strong reservations, and it makes me crazy. I just want her to drop her guard, but I worry that the more I push, the more she'll pull away from me.
"Let's just be in the moment and enjoy dinner," I finally say.
"It's hard not to. The food is amazing."
The sun goes down, and we drink in the view of the ocean at twilight.
“This is so beautiful. I don’t know how you get any work done when you have such a nice yacht.”
"Sometimes, I don't."
She’s keeping the conversation superficial. I’ve developed such strong feelings for her, though. I know we haven’t known each other long, but I’m falling for her. I don't want superficial. I want to get deep.
What if I tell her about my feelings, and she gets scared and runs off?
"Ben," she starts, but then stops. I love hearing my name coming off her lips. I want to hear it again.
“Yes?”
“Ben, I like you. I just don't know if I want to go deeper if I think I might never see you again."
I get up from my chair.
“What are you doing?”
I kneel beside her. "Allie, I want us to make a promise."
“I can’t marry you.”
I laugh. “You have a sense of humor. That’s good.”
“So, what’s this promise?”
“That no matter what happens tonight, we’ll see each other again. You can hold me to it. I don’t make promises unless I can keep them.”
I take her hand. She looks down at her plate, but she’s also smiling, nudging at the eggplant with her fork. God, she's impossible to read. I don't know if I'm coming off too strong. Should I back off or be even more bold? What does she want?
“I don’t know, Ben. I barely know you. I hardly know anything about you.”
“You know I’m a good kisser.”
“There is that,” she laughs.
"And that I am financially stable." But I don't think that means anything to her. She's not that sort of girl.
“It’s just that I didn’t come here to meet guys. I came here to see the world.”
“And that’s what’s so amazing about you! That just makes me want you more. That’s what sets you apart from other girls.”
“What about you? What makes you different from all the other guys out there?”
I'm not prepared for the question. What separates me from other guys? I don't even know. I've been so focused on work that the last ten years have flown past me. I haven't stopped and thought about who I really am.
“I know what I want. And I don’t play games." Her body is drawing me closer. Those hips, that tiny waist, and perfect chest. Stunning eyes that glitter behind those glasses. She smells like lavender. She looks like an absolute queen, and it makes me feel like a pauper who's nothing to her.
“Ben, I don’t know how to tell you this.”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“It’s just that I’ve never been with a guy before. Like sexually. And I don’t want to disappoint you.”
“Allie, it’s impossible for you to disappoint me.” I still don’t think she gets it. “I first saw you down on the deck with your friends when I was alone up here, and I couldn't take my eyes off of you. I saw you standing next to the railing. You couldn't see anything without your glasses, and I thought, this is one of the hottest girls I've ever laid eyes upon. I had to come down to meet you and talk to you."
She leans down closer to me, hanging on my every word.
“I haven’t been able to think about anything besides you.”
She takes my face in her soft hands. “I haven’t been able to think about anything besides you, either.”
Chapter Seven
Allie
Before I know it, I’m kissing him. I didn’t finish the delicious food, but I don’t even care. I don’t want to eat. I just want him all over me. I’m hungry for something very different. Why are all these clothes in the way?
There’s still a part of me that wants to run away, but I would never forgive myself if I just tossed him aside the way I thought he would throw me aside. I can tell he’s the kind of man who deserves a chance.
My hands slink under his shirt and over his smooth, rippled body. I explore every curve of him. This is so new to me. My brain is telling me to stop, but another much louder part of me is saying to just go for it.
So I do. He nearly engulfs me with his mouth in a vigorous kiss. A light breeze goes through the air and tickles my skin, and then his hands are tugging at my dress. We kiss until it's no longer enough for either of us.
“I want you so bad, Allie,” he whispers into my ear.
“I want you, too.”
If Mindy and Kate could see me now, they’d be so proud.
His tongue trails down from my ear down my neck until he reaches my collar bone. I look out at the sea and the sky sprinkled with stars beginning to shine bright in the night sky. His hands slink up my dress along my thighs. He nibbles on my skin, and then his fingers reach my panties, and it’s a touch I’ve never felt from someone else before. The deep throb of desire beats in my pelvis. He moves his fingers smoothly and expertly over my clitoris, and I can't even speak to tell him that I want more. I never want it to stop. I’m completely electrified, and then he moves his mouth down my chest.
“Let’s go to the bedroom,” I whisper with a sense of urgency. All my inhibitions have been tossed out into the sea, into the clear blue waters to be devoured by the sharks that may or may not be there.
“I like your thinking,” he says as he lifts me off my feet into his arms.
He's so strong that I must be like a feather to him. I wrap my legs around his muscular waist, and we kiss hungrily as he carries me into the bedroom.
I don't care anymore that he's older than me or that I am inexperienced. I don't care that we live completely different lives on different continents. I have to have him tonight. Now.
I land on the bed, sinking into the plush duvet. Ben falls on top of me, and I can feel his rock-hard body against me. His hands slide underneath me as he kisses me with passion, and then before I know it, my dress is over my head and on the floor.
“No bra,” he says. He puts his mouth on one of my nipples and gently twists the other between his fingers and thumb. His hips grind against me, and I feel his hard penis against my panties. I lay my head back and close my eyes, wanting this moment to last forever and the night to go on into eternity.
He kisses me down my stomach, teasing me slowly. His lips are soft and wet on my skin, his hands circling my breasts, squeezing my nipples. Not hard, but firm and loving. I spread my legs farther apart, and his mouth trails up one side of my thigh and then the other. He slowly pulls my panties down and throws them onto the floor. He spreads my two lips apart with his tongue. It's warm and wet, and it is the yummiest feeling I've ever experienced. I run my hands through his hair, shifting my knees toward my head. His tongue circles the aching nub between my thighs. He suckles on me with wet, passionate kisses, like he’s consuming my body, devouring m
e and ravaging me. He slips a finger inside me, and I moan. I throw my arms back, and I can feel intense pleasure rising from deep within.
The entire boat rocks on the ocean waves, and I feel myself lift right out of my body. My orgasm rushes through me, paralyzing my arms and my legs, and I arch my back with the euphoric pleasure. His tongue continues to tickle me as I float back down to Earth.
"Ben," I heave, my body glistening in a fine layer of sweat. "I want you inside me. Now."
He kisses up my body until he reaches my mouth. I can feel his hard, long penis against me.
“Your wish is my command." He breathes.
One second of pain turns into intense pleasure. He slips into me in a quick motion, and I wrap my legs around him, hooking my ankles together and squeezing tight, my hands on his chest, his breath on my forehead. I didn't know it was possible for something to feel so good.
“Is this okay?” he asks.
“Yes,” I heave into him. “Yes.” He strokes into me. “Yes.” And then back out again. “Yes.” I can’t stop saying "yes", and I want to scream it at the top of my lungs, so I do.
He thrusts against me faster. I cling to him with my arms and legs, pushing him deeper into me, holding our bodies tighter together.
I never want to crawl out from under him. I want him inside of me and on top of me forever. He kisses me as he fills me, moving faster and faster with every stroke so that it's like we are rocking the boat instead of the waves.
I feel his cock throbbing inside of me, and think I might be split apart from his size. Suddenly, he slows his pace and thrusts into me at a new depth, plunging into my body. He holds me there, and I feel like we are one body held together in a perpetual orgasm.
He slips back out of me and lays down beside me, both of us panting and exhausted. He grazes my chest and my stomach with his exploring hands, sweetly touching my body. I close my eyes and nestle my head against his strong shoulder.
Euro Trip Page 3
