by Iona Rose
A moment that could quite possibly change everything and it made me not want to proceed, but then I reached him.
He got off his stool. “Hi,” he said.
I couldn’t get myself to respond, so I just focused on settling as gracefully as I could on the stool, which was quite the task given how easily it swiveled around.
He on the other hand, set his foot on the ground as he took his seat.
I realized then just how tall he was. I calculated that the top of my head would barely reach his shoulders.
He called the bartender over and turned to me, a smile on his face. “What do you want to drink?”
I decided to be confident. I wasn’t one who felt irrefutably convinced of their own charm, but since he had noticed me, there was undoubtedly something here I could work with. Somehow, being in his presence made me feel sexier and more desirable than I ever had. The tip of my tongue softly rimmed the inside of my upper lip as I took a second to think, and then the words slid out of my mouth like butter, “Sex on the beach, would be great.”
He didn’t blink.
His gaze lingered boldly on my lips, painted a stark red, and then he lifted his eyes to mine.
At first sight I had thought his eyes were grey, but as it turned out, they were green. An aqua shade of green and mesmerizing.
“Sir…” the bartender called.
He peeled his gaze away from mine to place our orders. “Just a Macallan for me, and Sex on the Beach for the lady.”
I relished the husky tone of his voice. It sounded so smooth and quiet, but the underlying authority was unmistakable.
He resettled his gaze on me. “My name is Carter Edwards.” He held out his hand.
I paused, realizing we hadn’t even introduced ourselves. I accepted the offered hand and replied, “I’m Leah… Leah Peters."
“You're American, I suppose,” he said.
My gaze lingered on the joining of our hands as I slowly pulled mine away, almost convinced they were beginning to sear from the contact with him. “I am.” I thought about mentioning that I was from Indianapolis, but I didn’t think it was needed. Tonight was about two strangers meeting in a different part of the world, choosing to be in each other’s company for a little while.
Perhaps it would be just tonight, so the less we knew of each other, the better off we would be, but exactly what was I expecting to happen between us tonight? I had never had a one night stand. I never believed I could pull one off, but right now as I stared at the insanely gorgeous man before me—it was all I wanted. We could spend the remaining hours of the night together, and then before the sun rose, we would be out of each other’s life, just as quickly as we had come into them.
I loved the sound of that.
“I’m from Minnesota,” he said.
“Oh, I’m from Indiana,” I replied, choosing to just follow his lead and take each moment as it came.
Our drinks were delivered then and he lifted his tumbler to his lips for a sip.
I noticed when our legs touched, his jean clad knees brushed against the exposed skin of mine. It sent tiny prickles of excitement coursing through my body.
“So what brings you all the way to Turkey?” he asked.
“Just a quick vacation,” I replied. “With friends.”
“And how long are you here for?”
“About two weeks.”
“Hm. And you’ve been here…”
“Two days,” I replied. “What about you?”
“I’m here on business. It’s my first time here, so I have been struck by how beautiful this city is. I might just extend my stay for a proper vacation. Now that I'm here I think I need one.”
I smiled. “Don’t we all?” I lifted my glass, the liquid wetting my lips as my gaze lowered to the sliver of rich, olive, skin beneath his white dress shirt. I couldn’t seem to look away. The way the material molded to his torso was nothing short of art. It wasn’t tight, but fitted enough to show the ripped build of his frame underneath. I looked towards the dance pit of adult kids and now wanted to be in the midst of them, with him.
Quite a lot of people had taken layers of their clothing off. What a great excuse it would be for him to do the same. But somehow, I couldn’t picture him being there. He seemed too… respectable for playing in bubbles. This fact made me feel happy and sad at the same time.
“So what do you do in Indiana?” he asked.
I just wanted him to kiss me already. The information exchange just seemed too slow for me, especially since I’d just gotten out of a non-relationship with a guy I’d met online. We’d talked off and on for about three weeks before deciding to meet. I’d later come to find out after a few more dates that compulsive lying to cover his wilting confidence at being thirty-five and unemployed was a trait he’d forgotten to share.
So my enthusiasm for a love that would go the distance was currently nonexistent, especially given the breathtaking man sitting next to me. My body was currently brimming and humming for him, and I wanted to give it what it wanted‒his mouth on mine‒on me. “I work in marketing,” I answered.
“Oh,” he said. “I’m involved in marketing too. We’re actually out here handling the new campaign for the Splash brand.”
“Oh, I'm aware of them but aren’t they majorly in Dubai? They’re opening a branch here?”
“They are. We’re in charge of the marketing and advertising for their year-end launch. What agency in Indiana do you work for?”
“Steer Point. You’ve probably never heard of it, we’re really small. We’re involved in digital marketing around the metropolitan area.”
“Interesting,” he said. “I’ve never been to Indiana, but maybe one of these days I’ll stop by for a visit since I now know someone there.”
“You’ll be welcomed,” I said, unable to control my smile. Damn, he was so magnetic.
He leaned in.
I paused, especially when his eyes bored into mine and I didn’t dare breathe. Something about his gaze was so arresting and I couldn’t quite place a finger on it.
“You’re incredibly beautiful, Leah,” he said.
“Thank you,” I breathed the words out. “You’re um—you’re beautiful too.”
He leaned back and laughed. “Nothing compared to you, but message received.”
“I mean it, you’re beautiful too—oh God. I didn’t mean like pretty… I meant you’re handsome.”
A massive smile showed on his yummy lips as he placed his hand over mine on the counter, and once again leaned towards me. “Well, I’m glad to know you think so. I hope you don’t have a boyfriend, Leah. Because, I don’t think I can go any longer without kissing you.”
I stopped breathing.
His gaze remained on my lips, focused solely on my mouth.
Simply frozen, my mind going blank. I know that I responded along the lines that I definitely did not have a boyfriend. But otherwise, I couldn’t seem to focus.
His left hand slid around the side of my neck.
Instantly, I dripped between my thighs.
He gently drew me closer to him.
My startled gaze roved over his unbelievably beautiful face as his forehead met mine. My eyelids fluttered shut as I inhaled the exotic scent of his skin… a heady mix of lemon and some kind of woodsy scent, and I knew I would never forget it. The warmth of his breath tickled my face, and then our noses met, stroking lightly.
His mouth captured my lips and for a moment—my heart stopped.
It all came at once… something warm started in my belly and seemed to spread out to my limbs. It seeped into the crevices of my body, and rendered me completely limp. I struggled to hold on to his waist for some semblance of balance.
His tongue slipped into my mouth, bold and velvety as it tasted me with long, leisurely licks. His hold around my neck tightened, and so did my grip at his waist. He tasted like heaven. The flavor of the scotch he’d consumed right before, an elegant mix with his unique taste, clean and head
y with the promise of primal fucking, drew me closer and closer to the edge.
I never wanted him to stop and kissed him back like my very survival depended on it.
My breasts felt heavy and tender from the dizzying arousal, my sex throbbed and pulsated with excitement. If he could do this to my mouth, I wondered in awe at just what he could do to other parts of my body. The possibilities made me almost choke with a gasp.
He broke off the kiss and it was punctuated with a low smacking sound. He pulled away, his hand released my neck.
Incoherent, I almost fell off the stool. His hands grabbed my arms to save me. I came back to my senses enough to process what had just happened. I was almost shocked at now hearing the chaos we were surrounded by. Like the sound had just been turned on after the mute button had been on. In the last few minutes with him, the entire world had faded away, just the two of us existed.
What the hell just happened?
I avoided his eyes as I tried to get myself together. I busied myself with adjusting my clothes and brushing off nonexistent lint.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I lifted my gaze to meet the genuine concern in his, a welcome surprise from the amusement I had been expecting. “I am,” I replied. “Thank you for the uh… kiss. It was nice.”
He smiled.
I felt like smacking my palm across my head. In situations like this, the less said was always better, but I couldn’t seem to stop babbling.
“Let’s go somewhere a bit more private,” he said, and lifted his gaze towards the rooms on the second floor. “Would one of those do?”
Yes, it was a worn out line, but I so did not care. “Sure,” I replied, as I tried not to grab him up and drag him out of his seat. I needed to not act so darned eager, but wow… if that kiss was any example—I was in for the hottest sex on the face of this earth.
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