by Virna DePaul
At that word, my heart flutters. Stupid, stupid heart! I put on a pot to boil some water.
“Well, if it’s okay with them, it sounds…” Horrifying. “Fun. I’ll take the day off from work.”
“Good, and be sure to bring a swimsuit.” I can almost hear him waggling his eyebrows. “Preferably a string bikini.”
Ugh. The one swimsuit I have is a black one piece that I haven’t worn in two years.
“You are hopeful, aren’t you? What if I show up wearing a swim dress and white sunscreen on my nose?”
“Then I’ll just have to get underneath that skirt of yours, won’t I? I always did like a challenge.”
I dump the noodles into the barely boiling water. “You’re ridiculous. You know that, right?”
“So I’ve been told. But it’ll be fun, I promise. Plus you can use all that Woodcrest charm on Spires and Noble as much as you want. Wearing a string bikini or not.”
I hum a little, thinking. I haven’t worn a two-piece swimsuit since high school, but why not try something more daring? I was already going shopping anyway. At the thought of Simon seeing me in a bikini, I shiver and realize I don’t give a crap about what Liam would think. All I care about is what Simon thinks. Will his blue eyes darken with desire? I’ll be honest, I’ll wear a thong and nothing else just to see him look at me like that again.
“Marissa, are you there?”
I stop stirring and look up at him. I realize that this is kind of odd, us, here, acting like boyfriend and girlfriend, without anyone to act for. And it almost feels natural. Right. “Yes, sorry. What was the question?”
Simon laughs softly. “I asked how your day was.”
Before I realize what I’m saying, I blurt out, “Charles came by my office.”
Simon doesn’t say anything. Then I hear an irritated noise. “Why the hell was The Prat there today?”
“He told me he knows who you are,” I say quietly. He closes his eyes and curses, but I quickly say, “He hasn’t told anyone. And I threatened to expose him for being a cheating bastard if he gives us away. He believed me. I don’t think he’ll say anything.”
When Simon just looks at me, a frown on his face, I force myself to continue. “But if you want to call things off now, I understand.”
He hesitates but then shakes his head, and I have to be honest, relief courses through me. “No. We’re in too deep. I’m willing to take my chances. But are you?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you, Marissa. But if he shows up again, call me. I’ll take care of him.”
With that, my heart softens. Façade or not, Simon sounds concerned for me.
I raise an eyebrow. “Take care of him? Why do you sound like the mafia right now?”
I turn off the burner, dumping the noodles and hot water into a bowl. The steam rises upward as I pour in the oh-so-healthy flavor packet. Mmm, ramen noodles.
“Just tell me if he’s bothering you,” he grinds out. “You will, won’t you?”
I stir my bowl of salty goodness. “Of course. I appreciate that you care. I might even buy a bikini to reward you.”
He laughs, and it warms my insides. “You little brat. But I’m going to hold you to that. A string bikini or bust, darling. I want to see all of your best assets.”
11
Marissa
Friday, standing in front of the mirror in my room in the lake house, with every goose bump I possess poking out from my skin, I’m telling myself I can do this.
The salesgirl assured me that I look great in this bright red bikini. I’d been on such a high that I believed her. But now, looking at myself in the glaring light of day, I’m not even sure I have the courage to go out with my cover-up on. I suck in my stomach, turn to the side, and see another stretch mark that surely hadn’t been there a day before.
Freaking Dakota probably doesn’t even know what a stretch mark is.
I brush at it, and then roll my eyes, because that’s only going to make my skin red enough to match the bikini. I then make the very huge mistake of looking at my ass in the mirror. I yelp. Since when was my ass so gigantic? And not the good, Kardashian kind of gigantic. Gigantic in that it seems to spread outward far more than is socially acceptable.
I’m about to hide under the bed when there’s a knock on my door. “Marissa?” It’s Simon. “You ready to head downstairs?”
No! I’ll never be ready! But in a fit of what was either extreme bravery or extreme stupidity, I didn’t pack any other swimsuit, and I highly doubt I want to borrow a suit from Tilly, who wears swim dresses but is also the size of a toothpick. I groan quietly, pulling on my cover-up and hoping I can just keep it on for the entirety of the weekend.
I open the door to see Simon dressed in swim trunks, a towel over his shoulder, and with those gorgeous, rock-hard abs on full display. God, he has a face for the ages, completely memorable, like Harrison Ford or Sean Connery. Unlike me, he looks like he belongs in this world of A-list celebrities. And the truth is, though Alien Love is cheesy stuff, he and he alone elevates that show from complete drivel. He’d make an awesome leading man. Noble and Spires would be out of their minds to cast anyone else, I think, as he gives me that cocky half-smile.
“You ready, darling?”
I bite the inside of my cheek. “Of course. I have my gallon of sunscreen, too,” I joke, holding up my beach bag. Although I’m not really joking, as I need about a gallon to protect my fair skin from the sun.
“I’ll be happy to rub it all over you,” he says, guiding me out. I shiver as he touches my shoulder, imagining him putting his hands all over me. I can tell he’s trying to see what I’m wearing underneath my cover-up. Too bad I’m going to disappoint him by keeping it on all afternoon.
“Good news,” he whispers as we make our way down the stairs. “Liam isn’t here. Not sure if he had a conflict, or what, but…” He waggles his eyebrows at me.
“Oh. That’s good. Now you can schmooze your way into their hearts without him getting in the way.”
“That’s the plan, darling,” he says, giving me a squeeze, just as we run into Spires and Tilly and a handful of their friends. Noble is there, although he’s solo and sitting on a towel, gazing out onto the lake, sipping a craft beer. It’s rather strange to see the guy who looked like such an intimidating person wearing swim trunks and sunglasses like any other lake goer.
“I’m kind of surprised Noble isn’t wearing a Speedo,” Simon says in my ear.
I almost drop my bag. “Thanks for the image, asshole,” I say with a laugh.
He shrugs, a grin on his handsome face. “You’re very welcome. Hey, maybe I should’ve worn a Speedo? Shown off the goods?”
I look down, and then blush as he sees me looking right at his crotch. “Your goods don’t need any help,” I mutter. “Besides, I’d very much like to keep them all to myself.”
As he whispers in my ear, “They are all yours tonight,” a shiver runs through me.
“Marissa, Simon!” Spires comes walking up, his arm slung around his very skinny wife. “Are you going to swim? Or just sit out in the sun? Tilly and I don’t usually get in the water, but we like watching other people do it.”
Tilly sniffs a little. “I’m not much for algae getting wrapped around my ankles.”
“Tilly here prefers pools full of chlorine.”
“Oh, I’m not much for lakes either.” When everyone looks at me, I add, “Once when I was a kid, a fish bit my big toe when I went swimming in a lake. I pretty much refused to ever do it again.”
Everyone laughs. “I’ll protect you from any toe-biting fish,” Simon says.
My heart warms despite myself.
We go down to the shore, which is sandier than I’d expected. Oh, look, there’s Dakota, drinking a margarita on the pier. And... “Didn’t that guy win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor a few years back?” I ask, nudging Simon and fangirling all over the place. “Oh, my God, is that—”
He nods. “Calm.”
>
“Easy for you to say,” I whisper, slapping his side. This is all so terrifying. “My heart’s beating out of my chest. I’m going to faint. How can you be so relaxed?”
“Actually,” he whispers back, grinning, “I was telling myself to be calm.”
Oh. I have to laugh. He’s doing a very good job at acting, I realize. It’s funny with him. I can’t tell where the act ends and the real Simon begins.
Simon and I lay out our towels and I begin putting on sunscreen, hoping he doesn’t notice that I’ve yet to take off my cover-up. But as I’m trying to get sunscreen on the back of my neck, he sits down behind me.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to take this off?” he asks, plucking at the navy blue cover-up.
I freeze as a couple of movie-star thin blondes parade by. Simon doesn’t even give them another glance, but it doesn’t matter. “I don’t think—I think I’d rather not take it off.”
He doesn’t say anything at first, and I wonder if he’s pissed at me. Then I feel pissed that he’s pissed, because shouldn’t I be allowed to wear whatever I want? I turn to give him a piece of my mind when I realize he’s just smiling at me, a rather secretive grin.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing. But I can see that you’re wearing a two-piece, which makes me think you bought it after we talked. So I’m surprised you’d waste time and money for something you aren’t even going to show off.” He grins a little wider. “Besides, these are Hollywood actors. The stuff about us having egos? Utterly false. We’re the most insecure bunch of people you’ll ever meet. Look at them all. They don’t care about how anyone looks except themselves. If you feel too uncomfortable, you can always put this little number back on.” He plucks at the cover-up once again.
I hate to admit he’s right. And the salesgirl assured me it looked good. Okay, that was her job, but still. Plus, Spires and Tilly are down on the pier, and their group of friends is out on the lake. I look around, like someone’s going to pop out of the trees, and then throw off my cover-up in one fell swoop before I rethink what I’m doing.
Simon doesn’t say anything. I’m not sure if his eyes are roaming this sea of massive white gooseflesh in front of him, because I can’t look directly at him. All I know is, he’s not saying anything. Why isn’t he saying anything? I look that bad? I’m sheepishly looking for my cover-up when I feel his hands on my shoulders.
“Is your goal in life to continually torment me?” he growls near my ear. “Because if so, you’re doing a marvelous job.”
I turn, and his blue eyes are so dark they seem black. I shiver, but this time, it’s not in fear. It’s in excitement. I give him the bottle of sunscreen. “How about you be useful and put that on my back?”
He squirts the white liquid into his palm. “Of course, my lady.”
The sunscreen is cool while his palms are hot, and I know he’s rubbing and stroking beyond what anyone needs to do to put on sunscreen. His fingers dip below the ties of my bikini top, brushing my skin. I blush all over. When his long fingers dip into my bikini bottom, I’m not sure if I want to slap his hand away or tell him to keep going.
“Do I really have to sit here all afternoon and look at you with your luscious breasts and ass almost bared for the world to see?” he asks as he kisses my shoulder.
I smile. “You were the one who insisted on a string bikini.”
“This is my fault? Cruelty, thy name is woman!”
“If you’re good,” I find myself saying, leaning toward him, “then maybe you’ll get to see what’s underneath all of this.”
He groans and fake-collapses onto the towel. I laugh and roll my eyes.
We sit out in the sun for a while, but I must admit, it’s rather hot out. I start sweating, and despite the possibility of fish nibbling on my toes, the lake looks like a great idea. Standing up, I hold out my hand. “Let’s go swimming.”
He pushes his sunglasses down, assessing me. “What about those naughty fish?”
“I’m sure you can keep them away.”
He takes my hand, nodding decisively. “Of course I can. I shall protect my lady from all fish nibbling attempts.” Then he swoops down and picks me up, and I squeal. He carries me into the water and then unceremoniously dumps me into the cool lake.
I splutter and swim back up, splashing water into his face. “That wasn’t very gentlemanly!” I protest. I can hear everyone else laughing at our antics.
“I never claimed to be a gentleman.”
I splash him again and proceed to launch myself onto his shoulders, trying to push him into the water. He’s too strong for me, though, and he just traps me against his shoulder and carries me further out into the lake as I laugh like an idiot.
The others are beginning to drift back to shore just as Simon and I are coming toward them. Which is fine with me, because the only person I want to spend time with is Simon.
“Have fun out here!” one of the guys calls, slowly swimming back to shore.
I’m about to answer when Simon dunks me. I decide that he needs a little revenge, and I end up staying underneath the water longer than expected. I can see he’s looking around for me, and I hear him calling my name.
Right as he’s about to dive into the water, I grab his waist and push. He doesn’t topple, exactly, but he does move a few inches to the left.
“Brat!” he calls, pulling me upward. “I thought you were drowning!”
I just blink and smile. “I’ve been swimming since I was a baby. I can probably outswim you.”
He raises a golden eyebrow. He puts his sunglasses on his head and says, “Then bring it, Woodcrest.”
We have a swim battle, which quickly devolves into splashing, dunking, climbing all over each other, and Simon tossing me around. I’m laughing so hard I’m breathless. That’s when I realize we’re far out in the middle of the lake with no one watching us.
He seems to realize the same thing. His eyes darken and he pulls me toward him. Suddenly my laughter dries up, and desire pulses between us.
“Did I tell you how ravishing you look in that bikini?” His fingers trail down my spine. “I can hardly think with you wearing that.”
I place my hands on his chest, feeling his heart pound underneath my fingertips. “You don’t look too bad yourself,” I reply, my voice breathy.
I can feel his erection growing against my stomach, and it makes me even more on edge. His hand dips below my bikini bottom, cupping my ass. I close my eyes.
“You know what I can’t stop thinking about?” His voice is a dark murmur in my ear.
I shake my head.
“How luscious this ass would look as I fuck you from behind. I’d cup it and stroke it and spank it as I pound into you.”
I’m gasping at this point. My eyes fly open, and I’m trying to keep my breathing even at the look on his face, his hand on my ass. He spanks me lightly, underwater. I inhale a breath.
“I never knew you were an ass man,” I can’t help but say.
“I’m an equal opportunity man. Breasts, ass, anything on a woman I like. But your assets are particularly of interest.”
The way he says it, I might even believe it. That he could want me, even with all these movie star types around. The fire in his eyes says he might even want me for more than just this month of pretend. Concentrating on that, I grip his shoulders, trying not to sink underneath the lake, completely under his spell.
The sun is shining above us and the water laps around us, but all I want right now is his touch. His kiss. I tilt my head back, and he doesn't need me to say anything.
He kisses me, pulling me up until I wrap my legs around his waist. Being this open against him drives me crazy. I want to strip off this tiny bikini and feel our naked bodies rubbing together. Simon keeps kissing me, his mouth hot and insistent. Then he breaks the kiss, looking to shore.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Just making sure no one’s around.”
I look, too, and he’s right: ev
eryone’s gone inside.
He sucks in a breath. “If we do this, Marissa—”
I stop him with a finger to the lips. I know what he’s going to say, as it’s been on my mind, too. Defining things. Making this real. But even if we have sex, would that even make this real? All I know is I’ve never felt these things, and too much thinking will ruin this moment. I just want to do, to feel these incredible things for once, and not have to think. “No strings. It’s just sex,” I tell him, feeling deliciously free as those words escape my lips. Who ever thought I would be able to separate the two? Even now, I’m not sure I can, but in this moment, all I want to do is feel first, think later.
He seems to understand this. He nods. I feel my top being untied, and I’m bared to his hot gaze. My nipples pucker—from the cool water, from his gaze—and I don’t protest when he stuffs the top into his trunks’ pocket.
“God, you’re fucking gorgeous.” As he gently treads water, he tips me back and feasts on my breasts like he did that night in my kitchen.
I moan and hold onto his shoulders as his mouth sucks one nipple then the other, cupping my breasts and playing with them. It’s like all feeling has centered where’s he’s touching me, and it’s unbearable. He pinches a nipple, and I let out a soft cry, digging my nails into his shoulders.
He looks up at me then, his gaze dark. “Shall we take this elsewhere?”
I nod. I don't care where he takes me—just that he doesn’t stop touching me. We swim back to shore, and the water against my bare breasts makes them even more sensitive. We climb up onto the shore and Simon takes me in his arms, kissing me, his hands roving over my body. I know that everyone’s gone inside, but it’s still reckless. What if someone comes outside and sees us?
He seems to think the same thing because he gathers our towels and leads me to a copse of trees that gives us a measure of privacy. It’s shady but it’s warm enough that it’s not cold. Besides, Simon touching me would keep me warm even if it were below zero and snowing outside.
He arranges the towels into a pseudo-bed and then pulls me down beside me. He covers me, kissing me, his mouth trailing down my neck and fastening on my right breast. I arch, moaning.
