He parked the car in front of our apartment. He walked me up the flight of stairs. We both stood outside the front door. I hadn’t counted on him walking me to the door. I had no intention of kissing him. Suddenly, everything felt very awkward.
“Thank you for dinner,” I said, trying to suppress the fluttery feeling in my stomach. “I hope we can talk again soon. I’m sure we’ll run into each other at the house, assuming you plan on keeping us and the house.”
“What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked.
I shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know. Laying around and being lazy?”
He chuckled. “Wrong answer. Why don’t you come to my place?”
I raised an eyebrow, questioning his boldness. I had just been debating the merits of a goodnight kiss and he was asking me to his house?
“For?” I asked.
“To hang out on the beach,” he said. “I can teach you to surf.”
“You live on the beach?” I asked him.
He nodded. “I do. I would say it’s a private beach, and technically, it’s supposed to be, but I don’t have it barricaded off or anything like that. It’s mostly private.”
I thought about it for a second. “Sure. I could use a nice day on the beach.”
“Great, I’ll pick you up in the morning, say nine?”
“I’ll be ready, thank you,” I said.
“No problem. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He smiled and walked away.
That solved my worry about whether or not he expected a kiss. Clearly, he didn’t. I was probably not his type. That was okay. He seemed like a good guy to be friends with. I could always use more friends in Greece. I opened the door and walked into a dark apartment. It didn’t stay dark for long. Alena was sitting on the couch and flicked on the lamp.
I squealed, jumping back and nearly tripping on the damn heels I was wearing. “Oh shit! You scared me!”
“You’re late,” she said.
“Late for what?”
“You were supposed to be home by eleven.”
I checked my watch. It was barely after nine. “It’s nine.”
She sighed. “I’ve always wanted to say that. I’m practicing for when I have kids and they break curfew.”
I rolled my eyes. “I sometimes worry about you.”
She shouted as I walked to my room. “How was it? Did you kiss him?”
“No, I didn’t. He’s picking me up tomorrow for a day at the beach.”
I closed the door on the sound of her smacking air kisses.
She could be so childish, but I couldn’t help but smile.
Chapter 11
Rand
I was a little surprised at myself for what I was about to do, but something told me I was safe with Nicole—and not safe like she wouldn’t murder me in my sleep, but safe as in she wasn’t going to hurt me in an emotional way. She had been kind to my grandfather. If he’d let her get close, then she must be good people. My grandfather was a discerning man.
I jogged up the stairs, anxious to see her, which surprised me a bit. I didn’t usually feel anxious or excited about seeing anyone. She was different. I had a new understanding of what Adrian had felt for Bella on that first day. He’d immediately known she was the one. I wasn’t sure I could say that for Nicole, but she did touch me in a way I hadn’t experienced before.
I knocked on the door. When she answered it, I was a little surprised to see her fully clothed. I made it a point to look her up and down. “You know I said the beach, right?”
“Yes.”
I made it a point to look at the jeans and shirt she was wearing, right down to the tennis shoes. “Do you normally go to the beach fully clothed?”
“No, but I don’t normally ride in a car with strangers either,” she said. “I’m not about to do it in a bathing suit.”
I smirked. “I see.”
“I have this,” she said, holding up a colorful bag that was stuffed full.
“Perfect. Are you ready to go?”
“I am.”
We headed down to my car. I could tell she was a little nervous. I wasn’t sure why, but I wanted her to relax a bit. I had no idea how to make that happen. I pulled through the gated entrance of my home. There were several houses along the road, all of them with gates blocking entry to the homes that all faced the beach.
“Wow,” she murmured when I pulled up to the large two-story house I called home.
“Come on,” I said. “Let’s get you changed and on the beach for a little rest and relaxation and hopefully a little surfing.”
“I didn’t realize,” she mumbled, shaking her head back and forth.
“Realize what?”
“When you said you lived on the beach, I think I was thinking of something much, um, smaller,” she said. “Like a hut or something.”
I chuckled. “No. Definitely not a hut. Come inside.”
I got out of the car. She grabbed her bag and followed me through the front door. The view from the door was amazing. I knew it was amazing. It was what had sold me on the house. I had put in a lot of money into the renovations to capitalize on that view, including removing just about every damn wall and putting in all windows facing the beach.
“What a fantastic view,” she said. “If I had a view like this, I would probably never leave.”
“There are days I don’t want to.”
I walked into the living room, letting her look around before opening the French doors onto the expansive deck overlooking the beach. I looked over and saw her inhale, and I smiled. It was the first thing I did every time I walked out as well.
“Your business must be doing as well as your grandfather bragged about,” she commented.
I shrugged. “It is, and that’s all credit to him.”
“How’s that?” she asked.
“He gave us the seed money to get started. He was confident we would be successful, even when we weren’t. No one else believed in us, except him.” I remembered the many conversations we had back in the beginning.
She smiled. “He was such a good man.”
“He was. I owe him so much.” I pushed away the melancholy that came from thinking of him gone from my world forever.
“That water looks very inviting,” she said, easily changing topics.
“It does. Do you want to get your suit on?”
She grinned. “I have my suit on.”
She undid the button on her jeans, kicked off her shoes, and pulled the pants down. I was staring. I knew I was staring, but I couldn’t stop myself. I waited for the shirt to come off, anxious to see her in a bikini.
She dropped her bag, pulled out a long black thing, and walked back in the house. I stood, watching as she ducked behind the one wall I had and pulled off the shirt. I caught a glimpse of creamy white skin that hadn’t seen the sun in a while. My glimpse was short lived when she pulled on the black cover-up.
She returned a few seconds later, slid her feet into a pair of sandals, and looked up at me. “Ready.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Why’d you go in there when you were putting on something that is sheer?”
She shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know. It felt a little weird to strip in front of you.”
“Are you wearing that in the water?”
“No.”
I stared at her, waiting for her to get my point. She defiantly stared back.
“Okay, then,” I said dryly. “Well, I already have on my swim shorts, and I’m not going to wear gauze, so prepare yourself for my bare chest.”
Her eyes sparkled with amusement. “I’m ready. Let me see.”
I chuckled. “If this is a ‘show me yours’ situation, I feel like I need to ask for a bit more.”
She winked. “Maybe later.”
She walked to the end of the deck, opened the gate, and began the trek down the stairs to my private stretch of beach. I eagerly followed, looking forward to her reciprocating the ‘showing me hers’. As we strolled across the beach to the
water’s edge, I was tempted to grab her hand. I didn’t. She didn’t give me a sign that was what she wanted, and I didn’t want to push.
She kicked off her sandals and walked right up to the water, dipping her toe in and turning to look at me. “Coming?” she asked in a way that had me thinking about something entirely different than dipping my toes in the water.
I stared into her blue eyes that matched the sky. “I am.”
I kicked off my shoes and watched as she stripped off that sheer cover-up. I felt my muscles tighten and sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. Her body was rocking in all the right places. The little black bikini she was wearing fit her perfectly, accentuating the curves without being overly sexy. It was subtle and classy and perfect—just like her.
She walked in, cutting through the water with determination, stopping when she reached waist high. I moved through the water to stand beside her.
“Feels good, right?” I asked. The question had a double entendre. The cool water was not having the calming effect on my libido. It was only heightening it, making me want her with a sudden, powerful passion.
“It feels amazing,” she said. “I haven’t been to the beach in months.”
“How can you live here and not come here all the time?” I asked her as we both stood staring out at the sea, the water gently lapping at our skin as the little waves moved past us.
“Because I work, and when I’m not working, I’m usually trying to catch up on housework and the grocery shopping. I would love to spend more time at the beach, and when I first got here, I did. I think it kind of lost its appeal, but now I remember why I loved it so much.” Her voice sounded wistful. “Now, if I lived on the beach, I would have no excuse for not getting down here more often.”
I laughed, appreciating the subtle dig. “Noted. Are you the type of girl who doesn’t get her hair wet?” I tried not to grimace or let her see my distaste for such nonsense.
She cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. Before I could even guess what she was going to do, she fell backward, splashing into the water and sinking below the surface. My mouth dropped open. My first instinct was to dive under to save her. When she popped back up, smoothing the water from her face and slicking her long hair backward and smiling big, I burst into laughter.
“Does that answer your question?” she asked with a giggle.
I winked and dove forward, submersing myself into the salty water and swimming a few feet out. When I came back up, she was watching me, a playful smile on her face. She dove in and swam past me, both of us leapfrogging each other. We spent the next hour swimming and splashing each other and enjoying the refreshing water in general. I couldn’t remember ever feeling so carefree.
“Want to head inside?” I asked. “I could use some water and something to eat.”
She nodded. “I’m thirsty for sure.”
We walked out of the water and grabbed our things from the beach. I was happy when she left the sheer cover-up off and walked across the beach in her bikini. I certainly appreciated the view from behind as we climbed the stairs.
“I have an outdoor shower on the side of the house,” I said. “We can rinse off all the sand.”
“Sounds good,” she answered.
I turned on the water for the shower and watched as she stepped under the spray. Her face turned up as the water sluiced down her skin, lovingly traveling over curves that were begging to be touched. It was every man’s wet dream. I had seen the exact image numerous times in magazines and movies meant to entice, but none had looked as good as she did under the water.
I stepped closer, using the edge of my towel to wipe some sand from her shoulder. It felt like an electric shock the second my fingertips touched her skin. She turned to look at me, her eyes reflecting my own desire. I saw an opportunity and acted.
I grabbed her face with my hands and kissed her under the shower spray. Her hands went to my waist and I knew it was a green light. Go.
My mouth moved over hers, the kiss intensifying. My body rose to the occasion in every way. I pulled her against me, walking backward into the house. I dropped one arm to wrap around her waist, tugging her wet body against mine. She was soft in all the right places. I managed to get her through the doors before I reached up to undo the top of her bikini, yanking it away and exposing her breasts. They were cold, wet, and lush as she rubbed against me.
I yanked her bikini bottoms down, tugging at the wet fabric and peeling it away from her skin while she went after my shorts. It only took seconds for both of us to get naked. I ran my hands over her breasts, sliding over her sides and down to her hips, yanking her against me.
“Oh god,” she gasped.
I slammed my mouth against hers, our teeth connecting before she opened her mouth wide enough for me to devour her. She tasted salty and sweet, and I couldn’t get enough of her. With my mouth connected to hers, I stepped back, pulling her away from the bank of windows just in case someone happened to come along the private stretch of beach.
“I want you,” I breathed against her mouth.
“I need you,” she replied.
“Room,” I muttered the word, kissing her again as I guided us in the right direction.
Thankfully, my bedroom wasn’t far. We practically fell through the door.
I turned, walking her backward to the bed. I easily lifted her, putting her on top of the covers. She looked up at me, zero hesitation in her eyes before she reached up and pulled me down to drop a languishing kiss on my lips. I sighed into it, my thighs pressed against the edge of the mattress. My hands dropped to cup her heavy breasts before brushing my thumb over the pebbled nipples.
She gasped, her back arching as she thrust her breasts upward, quietly asking for me to feast upon them. I eagerly obliged.
Chapter 12
Nicole
I didn’t think about what I was doing. I didn’t care about all the reasons why I shouldn’t have sex with Rand. All I wanted was him, right then. His mouth moved over my breasts, sucking my nipples into his mouth and lapping at them with his tongue. It was like he had twenty hands. While one hand cupped my breast, holding it up to his mouth, his other hand was moving between my legs. I sucked in a gasp of air when I felt him brush over my folds.
He expertly parted me with the tip of a finger before gently rubbing over my sensitive flesh. His mouth was still working at my nipples, squeezing and sucking while his finger worked inside me. It was an assault on my senses. It had been a while since I’d had sex, and my body seemed confused and overwhelmed by all the delicious sensations racing through me. I squirmed on the bed, writhing in ecstasy as he continued his exploration of my body, inside and out.
“I’m close,” I whispered, giving him fair warning.
“I feel it,” he rasped.
I reached down, trying to wrap my hand around his heavy cock to guide him toward my opening. He didn’t stop what he was doing. His finger was working me, sliding over the sensitive nub and adding pressure before pushing back inside me. I was crazy with need. I needed him inside me. I couldn’t hold back for much longer. I fought to control my response to his touch, but it was a losing battle.
“Rand,” I gasped his name. “I’m going to—”
I didn’t get a chance to finish the sentence. His mouth slammed over mine the same second he pushed a second finger inside me, stretching my body and pulling a violent orgasm from deep within me. My cries of pleasure were swallowed by his mouth. He pushed the fingers in higher, and I was convinced I was going to pass out with the intensity of the orgasm. My body was stiff, and every muscle contracted as he continued to kiss and work my body. For a brief moment, I heard nothing, felt nothing except the white-hot pleasure coursing through my body.
“Damn, girl,” Rand whispered next to my ear when I finally came back from wherever it was I had drifted away to.
“Oh god,” I groaned, a little embarrassed by my reaction to his fingers.
I’d only been with a coup
le of other men. Actually, not men, guys. Boys really, and they had never been able to do that to my body. I felt like my body was humming like a tuning fork, vibrating with sheer delight.
“You’re a very wet woman,” he said, kissing my neck.
Once again, my face flamed red. “I’m sorry.”
His head popped up, looking at me. “Oh, hell no. Don’t be sorry. That was so good, so fucking good. I want to feel that wetness around me.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
He crawled over me, his heavy cock brushing over my thigh before he used his hand to guide himself to my opening. I braced myself for his invasion. I’d seen a glimpse of his size and had felt the girth in my hand. Again, it had been a while, and the boys I had been with did not compare to the man about to enter my body in that moment.
I bit my lower lip, squeezing my eyes shut as I prepared myself. When nothing happened, I looked up to find him staring at me. “Are you okay?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yes. I’m ready.”
He got a slightly concerned look on his face before lowering his mouth to mine and kissing me. It was a slow, passionate kiss that had me forgetting all about everything. When he pushed the tip of his swollen cock inside me, I nearly melted.
His passage inside me was agonizingly slow, stretching me as he moved deeper and deeper. His kiss had stopped, and it was nothing more than our lips pressed together. I could feel his steely concentration in the tenseness of his body.
I was panting, trying to rein in the orgasm that was threatening to embarrass me all over again. I moaned, a low sound in my throat that was completely out of my control.
“That’s it,” he encouraged. “That’s it. Open up for me.”
“You’re so big,” I blurted out, adjusting my hips a little to take him in deeper.
He chuckled. “Thank you.”
I was instantly embarrassed all over again. I wanted to come up with something witty to say, but my brain was sluggish. Ecstasy and desire clogged up the brainwaves. The humor quickly faded, passion replacing the mood as he began to move. I ran my hand over his chest, and the hair brushed over my palm as he continued to move inside me. He began a steady tempo, plunging and pulling out and plunging deep again. I looked up, staring into his eyes as we watched each other seek out ecstasy.
My Favorite Mistake Page 7
