by Sotia Lazu
He held her gaze as he grasped handfuls of his chaps and pulled, ripping them off his legs. Then, with a wink, he spun so his ass was in their line of sight, bare but for a strip of leather fitted snug between the buttocks—not briefs, then. Which were tan like the rest of him, as if he sunbathed in the nude. How did Elina not notice yesterday?
He slapped his palm on one ass cheek and glanced at her over his shoulder. Elina bit her lip, and he flared his nostrils. Was he as affected by her presence as she was by his?
He shook his ass, first from side to side, and then up and down. A grown man twerking shouldn’t make for a sexy sight, but she wanted to bite that ass and then crawl up his body, wrap herself around him, and impale herself on his cock.
Which she found herself staring at when he twirled back toward her and the girls.
Xenia pulled lustily on her smoke, while Sofia’s cigarette burned unnoticed between her index and middle finger. She watched Bull’s every move with an eagerness that made Elina bristle.
But when Elina managed to look up from the tent in his leather thong Bull wasn’t looking at Sofia or Xenia—or even Marianna, whom he was paid to entertain. He was watching Elina.
She followed his hands as they caressed the length of his body, from his neck down to his waist, and then lower. When he looped his thumbs in his briefs, she gasped and raised her gaze to his angular face.
Was there a question in his eyes?
Whether it was or not, Elina had an answer for him. She dove for his hat, grabbed it, and held it in front of his crotch as he divested himself of his final article of clothing.
“No,” she yelled. She faced the girls. “Show’s over.”
“Why?” Xenia asked in English.
Marianna glanced from Bull to Elina, her lips forming a silent O. “It’s him,” she said in Greek. “Her cowboy.”
“Bull, please tell me you have more clothes with you,” Elina said.
He chuckled, and her nipples threatened to pierce her bikini bra. “I learn from my mistakes, darling.”
When she turned to look, he was back stepping to the en suite bathroom, his hat still covering his groin.
“This is meant to be,” Marianna said with a face-splitting grin.
Sofia wore a serious expression. “Boss, you need to hit that again. Do it for those of us who’ll spend the night alone.”
Xenia shook her head. “I need another drink. And to see a cock.”
Chapter Seven
“This is Bull.” Elina pointed at him as he reemerged from the bathroom. The jeans and white T-shirt might help the others not think of him naked, but they did nothing to cool down the lust she felt. “Bull, this is my sister, Marianna.”
Bull tipped his hat at Marianna.
Elina continued. “Xenia, her koumbara—that’s the Greek Orthodox equivalent of a Maid of Honor, I guess.”
He repeated the gesture. “Ma’am.”
“Great, now I feel ancient,” Xenia grumbled, but she was smirking.”
“And this is Sofia, my former assistant.” Elina kept her gaze on Bull, as he gave a little bow. Was he as affected by Sofia’s beauty as most men?
“Pleasure meeting you all,” he said. Did his gaze linger on Sofia?
“Bull and I will go have a drink at the beach bar.” Shit. Elina shouldn’t have said that. Maybe he didn’t want to. Maybe she had another party to go to. She swallowed the bitter taste or jealousy and looked up at him. “I mean, if you feel like it.”
The tilt of his lips made her heart skitter. “Nothing I’d rather be doing.” He took her hand, leaned in closer, and whispered, “Well, maybe a couple things, but the night is young.”
Heat crept up Elina’s face. “We should go.”
“Wait.” Xenia crossed her arms over her chest. “I paid for a full striptease. This isn’t very professional.”
So what? She wanted Bull to drop trou, or was she after a refund?
“You’re absolutely right, but I think I’m coming down with something and won’t be able to perform.” Bull touched his lips to Elina’s knuckles. “While I changed, I texted a couple buddies. They’ll be here in twenty, and you’ll get two shows for the price of one.”
* * * *
Excitement faded into dread as they descended the stairs to the bar. Was he expecting them to have sex again? Here? The bar hopped with half-naked people, drinking and dancing. It was too loud. Too crowded.
“Excuse me a moment, darling.” Bull let go of her hand, and she felt cold, despite the warm night. She watched him approach one of the servers and slip him a fifty. His words, like the man’s reply, were drowned out by the music. The man pointed somewhere to the right. Bull smiled, nodded, and motioned for Elina to join him.
“They don’t usually serve beyond the lit area, but he will set up a couple sun beds for us past the rocks. What will you have?”
You. “A glass of white wine.” Her buzz from before had faded, and she’d like to keep it that way. Bull was still a stranger, leading her to a secluded dark area.
And he could have killed her, chopped her up, and destroyed the parts with lye yesterday, when she fell asleep beside him. She wasn’t afraid of him. More of herself. If she drunk enough, she might tell him she’d never felt free till she met him, nor had she ever been this scared of losing something. Of never seeing him again after tonight.
The server and another guy carried two sun beds to the edge of the water, and the server returned with beach towels and their drinks. “Do I come back for more drinks?” he asked.
“No, we’re good,” Elina answered a little too fast.
When the man left, Bull draped the beach towels over the sun beds and stretched his long body on one. Elina joined him, and he pulled her to his side, her head cradled in his arm.
She took a sip of her wine and handed him the glass, to leave on the ground. She wanted her hands free, so she could splay her fingers over his chest and feel his heart beat.
“I never thought I’d see you again,” he said so low, it was almost swallowed by the gentle swoosh of the water lapping at their feet.
“But did you want to?”
In lieu of an answer, he crushed his lips to hers.
The man was made of magic and sex. By the time they broke the kiss, Elina was straddling him and his fly was open.
And she didn’t remember moving.
She sighed and buried her face in the crook of his neck. “Is it okay if we… You know—if we don’t… I’m still sore from yesterday.” And she wanted to soak up memories of him that had nothing to do with sex, like how he ran his long fingers through her hair, and how his chest rose and fell with every breath.
“We don’t have to do anything. This is perfect.”
It was, which made it more painful that she’d found him now and couldn’t keep him. “Tell me about your home,” she said. “About Texas.”
He didn’t reply immediately. When he did, his tone was measured. “Not much to say. My family owns a large ranch. We’ve been raising horses for three generations. I’m the black sheep for not sticking with the program.”
“Are your parents still… around?” she asked.
“My father is. Momma passed six years ago. Matthew and I decided to expand the business. We took a loan, and things were looking up, until he decided to be an asshole. We haven’t spoken since last February.”
Elina couldn’t imagine not having a relationship with her sister. They were totally different in everything, but their bond was impossible to sever. “I’m sorry to hear that. Do you want to talk about it?”
“I don’t want to waste precious time with you, talking about that jerk.”
One more try, and she’d let it go. “What was your fight about?”
“Money. A woman. False expectations. He didn’t want me to marry Ashley. Convinced Poppa to take me off the deeds to the ranch if stayed with her. So I left and did odd jobs here and there until Luis offered me a job stripping. And now here I am.”
“Here you are.” She was grateful to his ass of a brother, as well as to his cheating ex. “But now you broke off the engagement.”
He stopped caressing her hair, and tightened his grip for a second, before skating his palm all the way down her back. “I’m not going to beg for my birthright. Poppa and I patched things up, but Matthew must come to me and apologize if we’re to ever have a chance at reconciliation.” He smacked her ass lightly. “I’ve aired my family’s dirty laundry. Your turn.”
She shrugged. What was there to say? “We have a family business too, and I don’t work there.”
“Right. You’re with that advertising firm.”
“Not anymore. I quit yesterday.”
He clasped her arms and lifted her so he could meet her gaze. His eyes looked luminescent in the moonlight. “So yesterday—you and I—was to keep your mind off things?”
“More to celebrate.” She grinned. “Quitting was the first thing I did that felt good in a long time. I wanted to keep the high, and you, mister, surpassed all expectations.”
Bull laughed, and she kissed him, cupping his face with both hands. His mirth turned into a moan when she rocked her hips. “I thought you were still sore,” he said.
“I can work through the pain.” She bit her lip. “Be gentle.”
He lowered her next to him and slid his hand under her sarong and inside her bikini bottom, to ghost his fingertips along her labia. “I don’t have a condom, but I can still make this good for you.” He separated her folds and circled her clit.
He could do miraculous things with those fingers, but she didn’t want them. She wanted him. “I’m on the pill,” she said. “And clean.”
Bull’s response was a guttural sound that sent white-hot desire rushing through her body. How could she live the rest of her life knowing she could never have this again? To keep from crying, she focused on working his cock out of his jeans. He was hard and ready, and she wanted to taste him, but when she made to move lower, he stopped her.
“I want to be inside you,” he said.
She lost her bikini bottom as fast as she could, and climbed back on top of him, her sarong floating around them and hiding them from priding eyes.
Not that any onlooker would mistake their coupling for anything else, the way she threw back her head and moaned as she took him inside. Elina didn’t care if the world watched them. All that mattered was that he was here. With her. She rocked against him slowly, until pleasure overcame pain and she became more aggressive. More demanding. She raised her hips and slammed them down hard and fast, and he bucked under her, giving as good as he got. A humming reached her ears. No… not a humming. A mewling sound. Was it coming from her?
Bull grasped her legs and shifted her so she was squatting instead of kneeling. He cupped her breasts with his hands and rolled the nipples, and jolts of lightning speared her pussy. She arched her back, to lean her weight on her arms, and the angle of his thrusts changed. He hit that sweet spot inside her with every down stroke, and heat built up inside until she was burning with the need for release.
“Fuck. You’re gorgeous. I want to see you come apart for me, Elina.” He pressed his thumb to her tender clit and rubbed, his rhythm steady.
“I’m close,” she whispered. “Faster.”
Bull shook his head, and she could scream with frustration, but the ball of pressure building in her belly burst, sending her spiraling to her climax. Her panted breaths turned into incoherent pleas for him to never stop fucking her, and he drew her pleasure out for an eternity—not nearly enough time with him—before his body went rigid beneath her, and he spent himself inside her.
Elina collapsed on top of him, and he folded her in his strong arms and kissed the crown of her head.
And that was it.
They were done.
Tomorrow, she had to be happy for her sister, and on Sunday, Bull was going home.
“Stay the night with me,” she said.
He nodded. “Will your friends be okay with me staying over?”
She couldn’t care less if they were, but that wasn’t what she meant. “No. Here. Stay and watch the sunrise?”
Chapter Eight
A breeze caressed Elina’s face, and she stretched against Bull’s prone form. He was full of muscle, but nothing was more comfortable than the hard planes of his chest and abs. She opened her eyes to the sun, low over the sea, and smiled. They’d missed the sunrise, but made love again before they drifted off in each other’s arms.
Made love.
Had she ever called the sexual act that before?
No, because she didn’t confuse the two. It was the wedding hubbub of the past few months that gave such romantic notions room to grow. After tonight, things would get back to normal. And that wasn’t half as reassuring as it should be.
Her mood soured, she stood. She was sore, and stiff from the less-than-optional sleeping arrangements, and she missed Bull’s body heat. Wrapping herself in the sarong didn’t warm her up, and neither did the beach towel. It might not be the early-morning chill making her shiver.
She felt… bereft. Like there was a big gaping hole in the middle of her chest—not painful, just there. Or lack of there. Like there would never be something there again. Her gaze was drawn to Bull. He lay on his side, curled around the spot she occupied minutes ago. His skin shone golden in the pale light, and his disheveled hair covered his face.
Looking at him made the hole inside widen.
Was this how the rest of her life would feel? Like she was missing something, every second of every day?
No. Stupid thought. Bull was a brief distraction from her daily routine. This evening she’d celebrate her sister’s happily ever after—if anyone could make marriage work, it’d be those crazy kids—tomorrow she’d be a little sad that she couldn’t have more incredible sex, and come Monday, she’d forget him and focus on finding a new job.
She should just go. She’d text Marianna that she’d meet them back at the house. If she went to the hotel, Bull might come looking for her.
Yes, she’d leave. But first, she had to see his face, one more time. She reached out and brushed his hair off his cheek. His long lashes fluttered, and she spun away, to flee before he woke.
“Morning.” His voice, gravely with sleep and devastatingly sexy, stopped her in her tracks.
“Good morning.” She couldn’t bear to look at him. His eyes would burn her to the core, her self-control would snap, and she might beg him to stay. Maybe go to the wedding with her.
Realizing there was nothing she wanted more shook her. She needed to put some distance between them—make sure her thoughts were hers again. “I need to go. The girls will be looking for me. We have to get ready for Marianna’s big day.” Did she manage to sound cheerful? Her throat was raw, and her eyes burned with unshed tears. What was this? Early-onset perimenopause? This emotional jumble of nerves that woke up in her place was more of a stranger than Bull was.
“Can’t you stay a while longer? Have coffee with me?” he asked.
She didn’t hear him stand, and she jumped when he encircled her waist with his arms. “I’m on a tight schedule,” she mumbled. She wouldn’t lean into him. Wouldn’t tilt her head ever so slightly, so he could kiss a path to her lips. “Lots to do before the wedding this afternoon.”
He kissed her neck, and she was warm again. Had to be a hormonal imbalance. Nothing else was acceptable. “I don’t want to say goodbye yet. Give me your number or email? We can keep in touch.”
And what? Start a long-distance relationship? Those never worked out, especially when there was no chance of a shared future. Feelings faded with time and distance, especially if they weren’t real to begin with. She wasn’t subjecting herself to months of pining and insecurities. Pragmatism—more like her. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
He turned her to face him, his hands on her shoulders. His eyes held the same sadness that clenched around her heart like a fist. “Why? The pas
t couple days were amazing. You are amazing. I don’t want to lose you yet. This could be something. If we get to know each oth—”
If she let him continue, he’d change her mind, which would only prolong the inevitable. They couldn’t be together in any real sense. Why waste time hanging on to something always meant to end? “No.”
“We can talk on the phone or Skype, until—”
She shook her head.
He dropped his hands. “I don’t understand. I know you feel this”—he motioned between them—“too. You can’t tell me you don’t.”
“That’s irrelevant. This thing can go nowhere.”
His eyes pleaded with her. “But why won’t you give us a chance?”
She wouldn’t hear the desperation in his voice. Couldn’t, or she’d give in to anything he asked for. “Because I don’t want to. We had a fun couple days, but there’s no place for this—for us—in my life.” She swallowed the tears clogging her throat. “It’s over.”
“Elina…” But he didn’t reach for her again.
“Goodbye, Bull.”
Loneliness, familiar and comfortable, closed around her like a cocoon as she walked away from him. It kept her company while she scaled the rocks toward the main road, and it led her feet all the way to the suite.
She didn’t have a keycard, so she tapped on the door, hoping one of the other three was sober enough to hear her. The door opened the second time she knocked, and Marianna blinked at her blearily. “Fun night?”
“Super fun.” The forced smile made Elina’s jaw ache, but this was Marianna’s day, and Elina would be damned if she took away from her sister’s happiness.
“Good. What time is it?”
Elina checked her phone. “Seven.”
“Wake me up in an hour? We’ll have breakfast and go. Lots to do today.”
And lots to let go of.
Elina kept the smile on her lips until she reached the room Marianna indicated as hers, only it felt more like a grimace of pain. The soft mattress of the bed was the polar opposite of the sunbed she spent the night on, but it felt hard and uninviting. She couldn’t get comfortable, with that giant void between her ribs.
