Unlaced

by Jaci Burton

  Lisa slid her hand in his as they walked down the dock. “You’re quiet.”

  He glanced over at her and lifted his lips. “I was thinking about my dad. The smell of the water and fish reminds me of going to the lake and fishing with him.”

  She squeezed his hand, leaned closer to him. “He died way too young.”

  “Cancer has a way of ripping those we love away from us.”

  “I know. I see it all too often at the hospital.”

  “Makes you want to hold on to the people you care about and never let go. We only get one chance to do this, you know.”

  She stared up at him, the sunlight making the subtle red highlights in her brown hair look like they were on fire. “Yes. I know.”

  He found the pier he was looking for and dug into his pocket for the tickets.

  “This is it?” Lisa asked.

  “Yeah. You like it?”

  Her jaw dropped. “It’s incredible.”

  He’d booked a catamaran with a large flat deck off the back, so there was plenty of open space for just lying around in the sun. And the best part was yet to come. He handed their ticket to the captain, a quiet older man with a worn cap pulled low around his face, who grinned and hurried to let the ropes loose, saying they’d get right under way. As soon as Lisa situated herself on the deck, her legs slung over the side, she shifted, looking for other people.

  “Aren’t we waiting for the others?”

  He grabbed a spot on the deck next to her, watching the dock disappear as the captain pulled slowly away. “There isn’t anyone else. I chartered the boat for a private day-long cruise.”

  Her brows shot up. “Are you serious?”

  “Hey, I’ve spent years sharing you. I want you all to myself for as long as I can.”

  She shook her head. “You amaze me. Thank you.”

  The ride was like sailing on smooth glass as the captain took them out across the turquoise water. There was a shade awning available to get out of the sun, but once they’d gotten going, Lisa went below to change into her swimsuit. She came out in a strapless bikini, green and pink with palm tree patterns splashed across the fabric. It hugged her curves perfectly.

  He went below and changed into his swim trunks. When he came back, Lisa was lathering on sunscreen.

  “Let me do you,” she said.

  He waggled his brows. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Laughing, she pushed at his back. “I meant sunscreen.”

  “So not what I had in mind.” He turned his back to her and she lathered lotion on him. He did the same to her, but took his time smoothing his hands over every inch of her skin, enjoying the feel of her shoulders, her muscles, the way she seemed to relax when he pressed into her.

  “This is nice,” she said, leaning against him. She tossed on her floppy hat and stretched her legs out on the deck.

  It was very nice. Lisa always had the best legs. With all the running around she did at the hospital, they stayed in great shape, with well-toned calves and slim ankles. Her toenails were painted a bright pink. She looked at him over her shoulders, saw the direction of his gaze.

  “Kayla’s idea. She said the pink was tropical.”

  He let out a laugh. “Very.” He slid his hands under her thighs and drew her legs up to her chest so he could play with her feet.

  “You know my feet are ticklish,” she said, sliding them away from his reach.

  “I do seem to vaguely remember that.”

  “Ha. Vaguely my butt. You used to torture me by holding me down and tickling me until I had hiccups.”

  “I did not.”

  “Did, too.”

  “I seem to recall it making your nipples hard.”

  “Can I help it if it my feet are both ticklish and an erogenous zone?”

  “I like things that make your pussy wet.”

  The rumble of her purr rolled through her back and against his chest. His dick stood up and took notice, too. He wrapped his arm around her waist, letting his fingers dip to the top of her bikini.

  “Rick.”

  They were cruising along slow and easy. The captain was in the main cabin, his focus on steering the catamaran. No other boats were in sight, and even if they were, who could see anything but the blur of a boat cruising by? Rick slid his fingers under her waistband.

  Now all he heard was the rush of water along the side of the boat and Lisa’s breathing, which grew heavier, her chest rising and falling with deliberate, deep swells. There was a lot of swelling going on between his legs, too, his cock throbbing as it hardened and pressed against Lisa’s butt.

  “Rick,” she said again, though he wasn’t sure if it was in warning or invitation. He dipped his hand into her bikini bottom, resting it just above her mound. It was like dipping his fingers into molten lava—hot, steamy, and utter temptation. He couldn’t resist sliding farther, cupping her sex, all that heat surrounding his hand. He felt Lisa shudder against him. He had to admit to doing a bit of shuddering himself. Holding a hot, wet pussy in his hand, and doing it in public, wasn’t something he did every day. Or even every year. It was one hell of a turn-on.

  Another factor to consider was that this was Lisa, his ex-wife, someone he cared about. He had to protect her, and he was torn between wanting to do just that and not giving a damn, because he really wanted to rip off that little excuse of a bikini bottom, spread her legs, and bury his mouth against her soft, wet flesh. Especially since she was wriggling against him, lifting against his hand and throwing off every signal in the book that told him she enjoyed what he was doing. And he really liked doing it to her, enjoyed the feel of her soft skin, how wet she got when he slid his finger along the plump folds of her pussy.

  “You like that?” he asked, leaning his cheek against hers, whispering in her ear.

  “I think you know I do. You can feel what you do to me.”

  “Yeah, I can. Wet, quivering. You want me to put my finger inside you, don’t you?”

  “God, Rick, this is . . .”

  “What? What is it, Lisa? Don’t tell me it’s wrong, because it isn’t. No one can see us. The captain is driving the boat. Let me drive you.” He skimmed her flesh again, a light touch. She quivered in response, lifting her butt off the deck, pressing her sex against the heel of his palm.

  He slid his fingertip inside her and she rewarded him with a pulse of hot cream. Encouraged by her silence, he dipped farther, knuckle deep, keeping his movements slow and rhythmic. In and out, in and out, caressing her clit with the pad of his thumb, his intent to drive her slow and easy and right over the edge.

  The lull of the water, everything around them, was quiet except for Lisa’s rasping breath, her fingers digging into his forearm as he moved rhythmically against her, inside her, until she tensed, let out a soft whimper, and jerked against him as she came, driving her head back against his collarbone while she rode out her orgasm with sharp, shuddering motions.

  God, he was hard now, and really damned uncomfortable. Making her come like this had been easy. Fucking her in such a public place would be impossible. He withdrew his hand and licked her sweet, salty cream from his fingers, which only made the torture worse. He was going to have to wait.

  Lisa settled against him, tilting her head back to stare up at him. “This hardly seems fair.”

  He smiled down at her. “I’ll get my chance.”

  She righted herself and wriggled back against him, rubbing her butt against his erection.

  “You’re enjoying that, aren’t you?”

  The vibration of her laugh echoed against his chest. “Maybe a little,” she said. “But I promise to make it worth the wait.”

  He could already imagine it.

  In a short while the captain pulled into a private, white sand beach carved into a U-shaped cove. Cool blue water lapped against the shore as they disembarked and the captain helped Rick unload their supplies. Rick made arrangements for him to pick them up before dusk, and the catamaran took off.


  “He’s leaving us here?” Lisa asked.

  “Yeah,” Rick said, turning to her. “I wanted us to be alone for the day. There’s a reef out there for snorkeling, we have a picnic lunch and some drinks in the cooler over there, we have fins and snorkel gear, beach chairs and towels, and I have a cell phone to contact him in case of an emergency.”

  She stood ankle deep at the lapping water’s edge, hands on hips. “You think of everything, don’t you?”

  “Not everything. Just some things. So what do you want to do first? Swim or eat?”

  “Definitely swim. I caught a glimpse of the reef on the way in and it looks gorgeous.”

  “Let’s go.”

  They spent the afternoon snorkeling, diving under and taking pictures. The reef was a splash of colors, from orange to blue to purple to green, coral and waving tall grass hugging the bottom tight while rainbow-colored fish swam in and around it. Lisa seemed to really enjoy herself. Rick did, too, though he mainly enjoyed watching Lisa. She took to the water, the coral, and all the sea life with a childlike exuberance. He grabbed the camera and took pictures of her interacting with everything around her. Those were going to make some great photographs.

  When they tired of swimming and snorkeling, they climbed out of the water, dried off, and ate lunch. Rick had ordered a picnic basket from the hotel, and it was full. They had sandwiches, fruit, wedges of cheese, and a bottle of wine along with water. Plenty to eat and drink while they relaxed in the beach chairs. It was a perfect, private paradise.

  “This is heaven,” Lisa said, sipping her wine out of their acrylic glasses. “I could get used to this.”

  “It would be easy to live the decadent lifestyle, wouldn’t it? If only we were rich and useless.”

  She snorted. “Yeah. It’s that whole needing a job and money thing. The lack of independent wealth.”

  “Dammit. There are always roadblocks.”

  “I could start buying lottery tickets.”

  He drained his wineglass and grabbed the bottle out of the cooler to refill both their glasses. “Yeah, there’s a good use of your money.”

  “Hey, I’m working on my dream retirement here. Don’t shatter my illusions.”

  “You’d never be happy as part of the idle rich.”

  She lifted the glass, swirled the liquid around before taking a sip. “You’re probably right. I’m way too twitchy. I always need to be doing something. This is nice, because it’s temporary, a break from my normal frenetic pace. But to do this every day, lie around and have nothing to do?”

  “You’d be bored.”

  Her lips lifted. “Yeah, I’d be bored. I’m already wondering what I’m going to do to fill the time after Kayla goes off to college.”

  “No more cheerleading events,” Rick reminded her.

  “No more soccer games. Sleepovers. Shopping trips.”

  Despite her trying to hide it behind teasing amusement, Rick could see the misery reflected in Lisa’s eyes. He wanted to turn that around. “You’re worried your life is over because your baby girl is going away to college. That she won’t need you anymore.”

  Her cheeks pinkened. “I know it’s silly. But we’ve always been so close. I know we’re not best friends, because I’m first and foremost her mother, not her buddy. The house will just be so empty after she’s gone.”

  He hoped it wouldn’t be, but he wasn’t going to get into that just yet. “You have a full life, Lisa. A career. You’ve worked hard. Your life isn’t all about Kayla.”

  She shrugged. “I know that. Logically anyway.”

  He also knew that part of her was afraid to take the next step. He knew her so well. “Yeah, but you’re a woman. Emotional.”

  She tipped her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose and gave him a look. “Oh, don’t give me that. You’re going to miss her, too.”

  “Of course I am. But she’s grown up. She’s ready to move on to her next adventure. To get out there on her own and test the waters.”

  Lisa slid the glasses back up to cover her eyes, then clasped her hands together in her lap. “And we have to let her go.”

  “Yeah, we do. But instead of thinking about the emptiness, why don’t you think of fun ways to fill all that spare time you think you’re going to have?”

  She glanced over at him. “For example?”

  “Well, I’ll be available.”

  Seven

  Lisa gave him a thoughtful look. He’d hooked her, which was good. Sometimes he liked her thinking, especially if it was about him.

  “You’ll be available for . . . ?”

  “I don’t know. Bowling.”

  She snorted. “You hate bowling.”

  “Good point. We could go to movies.”

  “We used to love that.”

  “I hear they’re reopening the old drive-in.”

  “Really?”

  “Do you remember when we used to go?”

  She laughed. “Yeah. You, me, and about ten of our friends, all piling into a couple pickup trucks packed up with lawn chairs and coolers. It was fun.”

  He reached for her hand. “I liked it better when it was just the two of us there.”

  “Of course you did. Because we did more making out, less watching of the movie.”

  He had vivid memories of the times they spent cuddled together in the car. “Duh. Why do you think I liked it?”

  “You would.”

  “Though I think I got you pregnant at the drive-in.”

  “I think you might be right. Maybe it’s not such a good idea for us to rekindle our love of drive-in movies, then.”

  He tilted his head back and laughed, then stood and dragged her out of the chair, pulling her against him. “Okay, no bowling. No drive-in movies. I can think of other ways to pass the time.”

  Lisa locked her arms around his back, her hips brushing his legs. She tilted her head back. “You can, huh?”

  “Yeah.” He pulled her sunglasses off, needing to see her eyes. So clear, bright, filled with the passion he felt, too, whenever he got close to her. She made him feel like a kid who couldn’t control his own libido. Hell, he got hard whenever he was around her. That didn’t happen with other women. He definitely had a thing for Lisa.

  “What are you thinking about?” she asked.

  He refocused his attention on her face. “What? Nothing.”

  “Not true. You get this glazed look in your eyes whenever you’re thinking about something. Kind of unfocused, like you’re deep in thought and miles away.”

  “Sorry. I was actually thinking about you.”

  She quirked a brow. “You were?”

  “Yeah. And how I get a hard-on whenever I’m around you. It’s kind of embarrassing. I’m too old to pop an erection whenever I’m near a woman.”

  She grinned and rocked her hips against his. “Oh, I don’t know about that. I like it. It’s a compliment.”

  He slid his hand down her spine, palming the small of her back and pushing her closer to him so he could press his erection against the softness of her body. “You say that now. What if we were in the grocery store?”

  “Hey, it’s your hard-on, buddy. People will be staring at you, not me.”

  “I’ll be pointing the finger at you and telling everyone it’s your fault because you’re so damn sexy.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “Try me.”

  “I just might do that.”

  She laughed, and he loved seeing her so free and relaxed. It reminded him of when they first met.

  “God, you’re beautiful, Lisa. I can’t believe how much time we’ve wasted.” He tangled his fingers in her hair and brought his mouth down to hers, tasting the sharp sweetness of wine on her lips. He pulled back, licked along her bottom lip, then pressed his mouth to hers again, sliding his tongue inside, letting the flavor of her mouth burst along his taste buds. He wanted to devour her, but he kept his desire in check, keeping the kiss light and easy. She inched closer and let
out a soft moan as he held her, kissed her, let sensation take over for both of them.

  A warm breeze blew over them, the sound of the water crashing against the shore equaling his passion for Lisa. He savored every minute he spent holding her in his arms, feeling the buttery softness of her skin, the fullness of her curves, the way she was so pliant against him. He moved his hand along her neck to her shoulder, learning her body all over again just as he did last night, still in awe that she let him touch her like this. It could have gone the other way and he knew that. She could have easily said no, but she hadn’t. That she wanted this, wanted him, kind of amazed him.

  He pulled back, searched her face, the way her eyes darkened when they were filled with passion and need. Her lips parted and she swallowed, breathing hard, her breasts rising with every deep breath. He took her hand and moved to the bag, dragged out the beach towels and spread them on the grassy bank above the chairs.

  She didn’t say anything, just reached behind her, unhooked her top, and tossed it over the chair. Rick blew out a breath, admiring the way the sun bronzed her skin, cascaded off her hair. Everything about her was perfection, right down to a few little stretch marks across her lower belly, the marks that said she had once carried his child. He loved those, loved her because she never cared about them or tried to hide them. She’d always seemed proud of them. He moved toward her and dropped to his knees in the grass to plant his mouth across them, kissing and licking each one. With a low moan, Lisa buried her hands in his hair while he reached for the ties on the sides of her bikini, undoing them so he could pull the material away and bare her sex.

  He looked up at her. She watched as he slid two fingers between her legs.

  “Spread for me,” he said.

  She parted her legs and he entered her with his fingers. She was already wet, her damp heat gripping him as he finger fucked her with slow, easy movements. She laid her hand on his head, her lips parted as she breathed in heavy, panting bursts while he pleasured her with deliberate strokes. When he planted his mouth over her clit and licked her, she cried out, thrusting her sex against his mouth. He felt her grip him from the inside, contractions tightening inside her as he sucked, and she came against his mouth, over his fingers in a shuddering rush. He loved doing this to her, knew what she needed and how. He loved that she trusted him enough to let him do this for her. For them both.