by Tina Saxon
“More like a happy beginning.”
“You keep promising things, but I’ve yet to see you deliver,” I say, lifting my chin and twisting my lips in playful defiance, knowing the thin ice I’m walking on. His fingers dig into my hips and the ice cracks as he jerks me into him.
“Sydney, are you wanting to put on a show?” he rasps. “Because I can have you screaming my name in less than sixty seconds and I don’t give a flying fuck that we have an audience.” I swallow, turned on by his words but also mortified that I’m thinking of saying yes. His brows lift, waiting for me to answer.
This is what happens when you play with fire.
“No,” I say with an awkward laugh.
His lip twitches. “You and that mouth will be the death of me.” He picks up a mango, bringing it to my mouth. “Now, eat or I’ll find something else for you to do with that mouth.”
My mouth waters. Not for the mango, but for him. I lean forward to take the mango and run my hand along his hardened bulge at the same time. He shudders in surprise. “I like option number two,” I purr.
A low rumble from the back of his throat spurs me on. I tighten my grip. “I wasn’t playing,” he warns.
“Neither was I.”
Strong arms scoop me up and he takes quick strides to the bedroom. He mumbles to the ladies we’ll be right back in a language I’ve never heard him speak. I’ll ask about that later.
He tosses me on the bed, pulls down his swim trunks and stares at me like he’s about to devour me. “Option two, huh?” He walks toward me, pumping his shaft a couple times and I inch closer to him on all fours.
I hum, pulling him into my mouth. It doesn’t take long before deep throated growls are coming from the back of his throat. It’s always the few seconds after where he’s trying to gain control of his senses, but can’t, that I feel like I won an Oscar for my performance. It’s empowering.
My eyes roll back into my head when the massage therapist runs her arm up my back. Between the exotic smells and the soft music playing along with the ocean sounds, I’m in pure bliss. Naked, except a piece of cloth placed over the crack of my butt, hands and arms drag along the entire length of my body. Max told me the lomi lomi massage is a Polynesian technique used to get rid of negative energy.
I can’t think of a better way to release the shit storm Shanna brought into my life. An elbow digs into the knots in my shoulders as her other hand works my hip. My brain fights to focus on the two areas, but gives up. With more strokes, my body relaxes, reaching a euphoric state. We need to have them come back before we leave. I lift my head, watching the woman dig into Max’s muscular back. His back tenses when she hits a knot. A pang of guilt hits me that the tension might be because of me. He needs this as much as I do. Laying my head back down, I push out all the guilt knowing that’s the last thing Max would want me to be thinking about.
An hour later, my body is heavy from relaxation. “Please roll over,” my masseuse whispers in my ear. Having no care about being naked, I roll on my back. She places the same strip of fabric over my pelvic area and one across my breast, only wide enough to cover my nipples. Hearing Max get situated, I glance over. Holy shit… I shouldn’t have. Desire stirs to life seeing Max’s naked body. Steel eyes meet mine, desire swirling in them as he winks and then skims down my body. My lady puts a blindfold on me before I get to see him make it back up my body. Yes. Make me blind to him so I can relax.
It doesn’t work.
While on my stomach, her touch was relaxing. On my back, every touch seems sensual, like it’s pulling the sexual energy from my core because in my mind, Max is watching me. Watching us. I try to think about being on stage, singing. But every thought makes a U-turn and heads right back to Max. What was relaxing minutes ago has turned agonizing. This is so wrong. On so many levels. I focus on her movements, counting down from ten, hoping that will put me back into the zone.
Five, four, three… oh shit! I jump when another set of hands joins in. “Sorry,” she whispers but continues with her hand movements. Four hands on different parts of my body, and I know Max is watching now.
“Max,” I mutter, my voice needy laced with panic. He chuckles and says something to the women causing them to stop.
I lift my hand to remove my blindfold but Max stops my arm. “Keep it on,” he rasps.
All the suppressed desire hits me full force, heating my body. Large warm hands cover my feet, kneading the arch with his thumbs. The pressure of his hands works up my legs. I spread them wider in anticipation as he moves to my inner thighs. His oiled fingers glide over the area and my body shivers when he feathers over my sensitive clit. Much to my disappointment, they keep moving around the area I’m silently begging for him to touch. Then he moves up to my torso. I let out a heavy breath and he chuckles, but says nothing.
The palm trees whisper above from the ocean breeze, the air rich with the mixture of the salt and exotic oils. All my senses, except sight, are heightened. Hands envelop my breasts and his breaths deepen with each squeeze. If I was to reach for him, I bet he’d be rock hard. His hands are on the move again, this time, they’re headed down. Sliding across my skin to my feet.
This is torture.
When he stops for a few moments, I lift my hand to peek under my mask. “Don’t,” he whispers, grabbing my hand and placing it back down by my side. I lie perfectly still, waiting. What feels like minutes later, I begin to wonder if he’s still outside with me.
“Max?”
Warm lips press against mine and he murmurs, “Shhh. I’m testing my control.” I bite my lip to suppress my laugh. “I’m at your mercy, you know that, right?” His lips trail down the sensitive nook of my neck and I tilt my head giving him better access. “Standing here, staring at perfection, while you wait for me, I’m barely hanging on.” His raw words glide down my heated skin with his lips. I arch my back when he swirls his tongue around my nipple and whimper. The desire before, now burning a hole in my lower belly, blacks out my other senses and I can’t focus on anything else.
The heat from his breath on my clit is enough to make me moan. “Max, please,” I beg. I gasp when I’m slid to the end of the table. His hands wrap around my thighs and his mouth clasps to my clit. Seconds. It takes mere seconds for me to scream his name as I ride my orgasm out. My fists grip his hair as he continues his assault, sucking and fucking me with his tongue until I’m screaming out a second time with strangled moans.
Before I can come down from my orgasmic high, he pushes me back giving him room to get on the table. He pulls me up so I’m straddling him.
Bright light shines in my eyes and I squeeze them shut. “Sorry,” he says, throwing the blindfold off to the side. Giving me a second to adjust, his hands massage my back. My lips curve to a smile when I meet his eyes.
“Hi,” I whisper.
“Hey, beautiful.”
I rotate my hips, writhing against his cock as it presses against my clit. He lifts me, just enough to slide me back down on him. I moan, my breath catching at the fullness. Our eyes lock as our oiled bodies move in a slow, sensual dance.
“Do you hear that?” he murmurs in my ear as he slides inside of me, fully sheathed. Only thing I hear is the beat of my heart drumming in my ears. As he rests his forehead on mine, his eyes close and he wraps his arms around me tighter. The restraint he’s been harboring is on the verge of unraveling. “It’s your body telling me you were made for me.”
Only for you.
“Max.” I wait for him to open his eyes. “I love you.”
Emotions swirl in his features as his lip curves up to a half sexy grin. “Tink, I loved you yesterday. I love you today and I’ll love you tomorrow.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Max
“I feel you watching me,” Sydney says with one eye barely open. She stretches and rolls to her side, facing me. Ice blue orbs meet mine. “Why are you up so early? It’s not even light outside.”
“I couldn’t help it. You w
ere snoring.”
She gasps, pushing me on the shoulder. “I do not snore.”
“Don’t worry, babe, I won’t tell anyone,” I joke. She doesn’t snore, but I didn’t lie about not being able to stop staring at her. I still can’t believe she’s mine, it feels too similar to my dreams. Except in my dreams, she never told me she loved me. I want to ask her when we can tell everyone, but after what happened a few days ago, she needs time to come down from that horror. So far, I’m doing a damn good job helping her forget.
“Are we staying in bed all day.” She yawns, curling up into my chest.
I hum, wrapping my arms around her. That sounds like a fantastic plan. But we can’t. “Nope. We’re hang gliding this morning.” She shoots up, her perky breasts on wonderful display, right in front of my face. Plans can change, right?
“Really?” She squeals in delight. “Hey there hot stuff. My eyes are up here.”
“You can’t fault me. You practically stuck one right in my mouth.” I grab the right one, her nipple pebbling. She slaps my hand, scooting away from me.
“That’s not quite how it went.” She laughs, pushing off the bed to stand. “When are we going?”
I roll on my back and adjust my hard dick in my underwear. Another problem waking up next to her, my morning wood edges on the side of painful. We had sex so many times yesterday; I thought for sure we fucked the desire out of it. At least for a few hours. But then she had to pop her boobs in my face. That’s like offering a dog a steak dinner. And now I’m famished.
She walks to the bathroom, her black lace cheeky panties the only thing on. I groan. “You’re killing me, Tink.”
Peeking out of the bathroom, her toothbrush hanging from her mouth. She pulls it out. “What am I doing,” she slurs, toothpaste almost coming out. She snaps her mouth closed and holds up a finger.
Yeah, seeing white stuff fill her mouth, so much she can’t talk isn’t helping my dick become soft. At all. I throw the covers off me in frustration and march past her in the bathroom. She stares at me in the mirror with a lifted brow. I step into the shower and turn it on full blast. Ice cold water hits me, causing me to pull in a quick breath.
“You okay?” she asks, glancing into the walk-in shower. “Brrr. That water is cold.” She steps back.
“Exactly,” I quip. If I didn’t want to see the sunrise from a hang glider, I’d be back in bed, warm and satisfied.
The memory of when I threw Sydney in the pool comes jarring back. The water was ice cold then too. She thinks it was because she was messing with me. And that part is why she joined me, but watching her swing her ass, dancing and singing all night was sexy as hell. She had kissed me earlier that day in a bout of adrenaline after skydiving. It took one taste for me to acquire an addiction but I knew Damon had eyes for her so I was trying to quench the flames building inside of me.
It didn’t go as planned. She ended up in my bed, subsequently ruining my life for the next year. Hindsight, I should have fought for her. But fuck, it was one night. Who finds their soulmate after being with them one night?
This son-of-a-bitch, that’s who.
And here she is now, making me the happiest man on earth. Life is exhausting sometimes, but she’s worth every agonizing breath I took because of her.
Watching Sydney experience hang gliding was better than the view itself. Her excitement level should be one of the Wonder’s of the World. It made me excited and jumping out of planes or hang gliding doesn’t get me excited anymore. It’s more of a release. But seeing it through Sydney’s eyes makes me want to experience everything over again, with her by my side.
“That was incredible!” She launches into my arms after we give the guys our gear, her body wraps around me and she slams her mouth down on mine. I open, taking full control of the kiss I so desperately wanted to give her a couple hours ago before we left. I will take everything she has to give me, selfishly and greedy, without any question. I’ve never been so consumed by one person. It’s fucking unhealthy, but I can’t stop. She’s my cocaine, an unstoppable craving that isn’t satisfied until I devour her.
I wrap her silky strands, heated from the sun, through my fingers and tug so she pulls back. Her lips curl up. “Were you thinking what I was just thinking?” she whispers.
I hope so.
“Marry me?” I murmur.
Her pupils dilate with her widened eyes, but her smile stays. I guess that isn’t what she was thinking. Her eyes move back and forth between mine looking for validity. She doesn’t have to look far. She knows I would never ask if I didn’t mean it. And I fucking meant it. Every word. Every letter. Every syllable.
“Yes.”
It’s my turn to search her eyes. “Do you mean it,” I ask, hesitantly.
She nods her head. “Yes, Max. I’ll marry you.”
I nuzzle my nose into her neck. A tidal wave of relief rushes through me. A laugh escapes my lips as the insanity of the moment catches up to me. I just asked Sydney to marry me. No ring. No knee. Just the words. Why the hell did she say yes? She deserves better than that.
“I’m sorry I didn’t plan this better but I feel like I’ve wasted enough time.”
“It was perfect.”
“No. You’re perfect. In every way. I love you, Tink.”
“So, what were you thinking about?” I ask her as we lounge outside. She asked for an afternoon to do nothing except lay by the pool. After the energy of the morning died off, we were both spent.
She rolls her head, glancing over at me, her sunglasses taking up half her face. “When?”
“This morning after we kissed. You asked me if I was thinking the same thing you were.”
“Oh,” she chuckles, sitting up. She grabs her water and takes a quick drink. Condensation from the bottle falls onto her chest and my gaze follows the drip of water until it disappears into her cleavage. Damn, that’s hot. “Our first kiss. Do you remember, after we went skydiving?”
“Did you just ask me if I remembered our first kiss?”
She sheepishly looks down. “I didn’t know if—”
I swing my leg over, hopping off the chair and sweep her up in my arms, jumping in the pool. She screams right before she hits the water. She coughs when she breaks the surface.
“You asshole! Didn’t you learn the last time you tried to drown me?”
I shouldn’t laugh at her pouty lips, but she’s cute as hell when she’s mad. Swimming over to her, I pull her into my arms and walk her to the ledge. Her back rests against the side of the pool and she wraps her legs around my waist. “I remember, Tink. I tried for so long to forget, except it was etched in my head like a plague on display reminding me about my number one fuck up.”
Water cascades down her sun-kissed face, her eyes sparkle like a diamond with the light hits them perfect. “Not too many times you can say your number one fuck up turned into the best thing you ever did.”
My smile grows and I wag my brows as my thoughts turn dirty. “You are definitely the best thing I ever did.”
She laughs, shaking her head. “Well, if you plan on being did some more, that’s a good answer.”
“Oh, I have plans.” I nibble on her ear and she arches her neck, giving me better access. “And you know me, I execute every plan I make.”
Chill bumps cover her body. “I hope one of those plans involves a pool,” she breathes out. “In Hawaii.”
I trail my finger along her bikini bottom, slipping it under. She moans when I swipe it against her core, burying it deep inside.
“It’s at the top of my list.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Sydney
“I have to go into town to take care of some business,” Max whispers into my ear. He runs his nose along my naked spine, making me squirm. I can barely muster enough energy to shoo him off with the slight lift of my hand.
“Stop.” I snicker with no emphasis. “I’ll be here when you get back.” The heat from the afternoon sun mixed with the humid oc
ean breeze sweeps over my body, relaxing me further into my reverie. I want to breathe this moment forever. I want to feel it grow inside me, cherish every second it consumes my body.
My phone dings, waking me. I roll over and groan. My nipples pebbled from the soft breeze dusting over them. The hum of sensuality vibrating through my body from being naked is empowering. I’m sure Max won’t mind if I forgo clothes the rest of the vacation. I listen for him, wondering if he made it back. Rather, I hear my phone ding again. I push myself up, untangling my legs in the cool sheets, and reach to the bedside table where my phone is sitting.
Hulk: Be ready for dinner by 7.
I smile to myself. Everything about Max is perfect. Despite our quick engagement, I can say with absolute ascertainment, I love him with everything that I am. When Damon asked me to marry him in front of everyone, I felt on the spot, caught up in the fantasy that Addison and I were marrying best friends and we’d have babies together that would grow up to be best friends too. I was with him because I needed him to fulfill a fantasy, not because I loved him. And I’ve come to terms with that mistake. I’ve realized Max isn’t my second choice. He was my clear choice in a hazy world. I let beliefs stop me from tapping into my real desires.
Even though the fantasy hasn’t changed, I’m saying yes because I love Max with everything inside of me. He owns my heart. He consumes my thoughts. He sings to my soul. I hold the phone to my heart, getting lost to his tune that lives inside me. Lyrics flash in my head and I pull my phone back, opening the Notes app to write the words down before I forget them. Glancing at the clock, I fly out of bed.
Shit. Shit. Shit. 6:10!
I pull out the only dress I brought with me. It’s a simple red, strapless, fitted dress that goes just past my knees. Thankful I took a shower before passing out, my beach wavy hair ends up looking perfect. Mascara and red lipstick finish my sexy look with no need to add any more makeup. If only I could have a year-round tan.
