by Lucy Smoke
He stilled over me, hands on either side of my hips and I felt him inside, jerking as his chest pumped against my back while he leaned over to kiss the top of my spine. When he finally left me, liquid seeped out between my legs, and I glanced over my shoulder. Cheeks flushed, he grinned down at me as he moved aside to grab a towel.
When I saw my bikini bottoms floating, unattended, in the pool, I couldn’t hold back the laughter. This was going to be the best spring break I had ever had, I just knew it.
Chapter 8
I wasn’t completely wrong. Cruising with the guys was probably the most fun I had ever had. My parents hadn’t regularly taken the family on vacation when I was a kid, and when we did go it was always to boring places—like mountainous campsites with no other kids or grandma’s house. Sipping margaritas poolside with four incredibly hot athletes was nothing like grandma’s house.
“You up for dinner tonight, Jamie?”
I jerked as a somewhat familiar voice called out to me from across the pool. Lifting my shades, I sat up and scanned the area. Dex’s brother—Stephan—was heading straight for me. I lifted my lips in welcome.
“Hey, there’s a dinner planned?” I asked as he came over and popped into a seat alongside my lounge chair.
He leaned back on his hands and looked around. “Yeah, Dex said he’d come have dinner with me and Mother again before we hit the island tomorrow. Speaking of my brother, where is he—oh and his entourage of course. I assume they’re with him?”
I shrugged and lowered my sunglasses once more to block the fiery sun rays. “I think the guys wanted to go figure out what expeditions they’re doing when we hit the island.”
“Hmmmm.” Stephan’s gaze moved down my floral sundress. “Thought I’d find you in a swimsuit up here. What’s with the dress?”
I frowned, but I supposed it wasn’t a strange question. Nearly every other woman in the area was wearing less than me. “Cody and I were planning on going to the ship’s theater to catch a movie. Movie theaters are always cold.”
“Ahhh, I see,” he said, but he didn’t stop his slow perusal. I shifted uncomfortably. “So, you and Dex’s boys are close, too, then, huh?”
I shrugged without answering. I didn’t know what to say to that considering I more than knew them and I couldn’t tell him that, but I also didn’t like the tone he was using. “I suppose,” I finally answered. My voice was so quiet, it was practically swallowed by the surrounding sounds of people playing in the pool and talking at the poolside tables.
“You have to be if you hang out with them as much as I’ve seen you hang out with them—sans Dexter.”
I turned my head and stared at his face. His expression was odd. He smiled, but the pleasantry didn’t meet his eyes. They were cold, calculating.
“I guess I am,” I replied. “I’ve known them for almost my entire college career. Yeah, you could say we’re friends.”
“And how does Dex feel about that?” Stephan asked.
I frowned and sat up, swinging my legs over the side of the chair. “He’s fine with it,” I said tersely. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find Cody. I don’t want to be late for our movie.”
I didn’t give him a chance to respond as I grabbed up my purse and bolted away, walking briskly towards the interior of the ship. I could feel Stephan’s eyes following me as I went, and as my feet tapped impatiently while I waited for the elevator, I nearly jumped out of my skin when a pair of hands landed on my shoulders.
“Hey, I was just coming to get you,” Cody said brightly. When I whirled around, he backed up and then frowned. “Hey, what’s up? What’s with the face?”
I shook my head and looked over his shoulder but Stephan was no longer where he had been. My fingers itched to reach for Cody’s hand—to feel his palm against mine—but I didn’t dare. I waited until we boarded the elevator, thankful that it was just the two of us before I spoke.
“Stephan was just here,” I started. “He was asking me a bunch of questions—about my ‘friendship’ with you and the guys.”
Cody frowned and reached up, rubbing a thumb across my cheek before dropping his hand away. “What exactly did he say?” he asked.
“Just asked me what Dex thought about me being friends with you all.”
“Hmmmm.” He hummed a noncommittal reply. “We should tell Dex when we see him,” he finally said.
I nodded in complete agreement and then something that Stephan had said registered and I grimaced. “I forgot,” I said as the elevator doors opened and we stepped out. “Stephan said there’s going to be another dinner tonight.”
Cody frowned. “I haven’t heard anything about it.”
“Yeah, neither have I. Do you think Dex is going alone?”
“It’s not a bad thing if he does,” Cody said. “It is his family. They weren’t all that bad last time.”
“Yeah,” I said as I looked away. “I guess you’re right.” But still, something was niggling in the back of my mind as Cody led me towards the theater.
It was actually set up much like a showroom, where people sat together at tables—ate and drank and watched live entertainment. Instead, the employees of the cruise ship had pulled down a large white backdrop while someone worked a projector in the back of the room. We found our seats towards the very front.
I tried to relax as the movie started. Ironically, they were playing Titanic—not my first choice of movie, but it would do to get my mind off of things. By the time Jack stumbled across Rose just as she was about to throw herself off of the ship, I was well immersed into the love story, sighing dreamily every time Jack looked at Rose. Beside me, Cody chuckled and under our table, he reached for my hand and I sighed for a completely different reason.
After the movie, Cody led me back to our suite, where we found the others waiting for us. Taylor was stretched out across the sofa bed, shirtless, as he flitted through the channels. Darren was on the balcony flipping through a magazine. But Dex—Dex was straightening a tie around his neck.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
He grimaced as he adjusted the cuff of his sleeve. “I have a dinner planned with my Mother and Stephan.”
Cody and I exchanged a look. “Are you going alone?” I asked, returning my gaze to him. Cody gave my hand a squeeze and then let go, moving around us and leaving us to speak privately as he headed for Taylor.
Dex finished fiddling with his shirt and nodded. “Yeah, unless you want to join us?”
I bit my lip. It was clear that Dex’s mother couldn’t stand me. His brother, on the other hand, seemed far too interested. Interested—at least—in what I was doing with Dex’s friends.
“Baby?” Dex’s finger found my chin and lifted. I hadn’t even realized I let it drop. “What’s wrong?”
I released my lip and sighed. It was better to just get it out, I decided. “I ran into Stephan today and he started asking me about my ‘friendships’ with the guys,” I blurted.
Dex blinked and dropped his fingers away. “What did you say?”
I shrugged. “That we were friends and I’d known them for several years.”
I watched as Dex’s face morphed. He went from confused and concerned to angry. His brows puckered as his lips turned down into a scowl.
“Dex?” I tilted my head as I tried to figure out what I had said. Was he angry with the way I had handled the situation? “What’s wrong?”
Instead of answering, Dex shook his head, his eyes glaring past me at the door. He turned me around and urged me further into the suite. “Stay with the guys tonight,” he ordered. Then, before he left, he turned and glanced back at us. Behind me, I heard the guys shifting and Darren opening the sliding glass door that led out onto the balcony. “I’d prefer it if you stayed inside tonight. I’m not going to demand it or anything, but I need to speak with my family first and I’d rather you not run into them until I do.”
No one spoke. Dex looked at me, the anger swirling in his irises
calming ever so slightly. “I’m sorry, Jamie,” he said. And then he was gone, the door closing behind him with a quiet, anticlimactic snick.
“What the fuck?” Darren blurted.
If only I fucking knew.
Chapter 9
The quiet whisper of air woke me as someone opened the bedroom door and quietly closed it again. I inhaled sharply and rolled over, blinking my bleary eyes at the dark figure striding towards the bed. The closer he got, the more my vision cleared. I tipped my face up as Dex reached the bed and sat down to pull off his shoes.
Despite the coldness of the room that kept the rest of me securely under the covers, I reached my hand out and touched his thigh. He didn't jump at my soft touch, but he did drop his second shoe to the floor to look at me. His gaze locked with mine. He didn't bother removing his clothes as he turned and fully climbed under the comforter to curl around me.
"Everything okay?" I asked around a yawn.
He shook his head and laid it against my shoulder, breathing in my scent. I paused and then reached up, running my hand through his dark hair.
"Do you want to talk?" I offered.
He shook his head again and just sighed, squeezing me tighter.
"You're scaring me, Dex." I had never seen him so unforthcoming. Yes, he was quiet. Yes, he could sometimes be introverted. But Dex was not one to avoid my questions. A sinking feeling took root in my chest. I sat up, pulling him with me, and leaned over to flick on the bedside lamp. Dex's face was solemn. I cupped his cheeks, staring up into his eyes, searching for something—an answer or even a hint as to what had obviously gone down between when he left and now.
"What happened?" I asked.
Dex didn't speak for a long time and then, his lips parted and he breathed out a low breath. "Stephan saw you kissing one of the others," he whispered.
I blinked and leaned back. Dex's fingers flexed in the fabric of my sleep shirt, drawing me back. "I-I'm so sorry, Dex," I said. "I thought we were being careful."
Dex ducked his head and ran his nose up the side of my neck before sighing and resting his chin on my shoulder. He shook his head. "It's not your fault," he admitted. "It was a stupid request to make. I want you to know I didn't ever want to hide us."
"I know," I assured him. "We haven't told anyone else's parents—not even mine—yet."
"My mother is difficult to be around, I know that," Dex said. "Stephan had no clue, he thought you were cheating on me and he brought it up at dinner."
I cursed low, pulling away from the comfort of Dex's heat. "That's why he was acting weird at the pool today," I said. "He suspected—or I guess... he knew it then. Why didn't he just try to call me out alone?"
"Stephan isn't like that," Dex said, a darkness to his gaze. "When I admitted that I knew you were seeing the others—told them it was an open relationship—"
"But it's not," I interrupted, glaring at him.
"No, it's not, but they wouldn't necessarily understand that I share you with three of my best friends."
I softened. "You're right, I'm sorry. I just—"
"It's okay," he replied. "This cruise has everyone on edge—some vacation it's turning out to be."
"It's not the cruise," I told him. "The cruise is fine. We're not always on edge, just..." I let the sentence trail off. I didn't necessarily want to admit that his family was the major issue. I bit my lip.
Dex scrubbed a hand down his face. "Fuck, I wish I'd never written this idea down," he said sharply, blowing out a breath.
I released my lip and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his cheek until he turned and looked back at me and then I kissed his lips as well. "When we get to the island tomorrow, why don't we all go explore—just the five of us again. No family or other cruisers. Just us."
Dex's eyes were on my lips, a ravenous gleam in his gaze. "I like that idea," he admitted.
I giggled as his hands found my hips and he used his grip on them to pull me closer. "Dex," I laughed, "I'm serious."
"So am I," he said. "I'm so serious that I think you should hurry up and fall asleep so that you can be well rested for our trip to the islands tomorrow." I gasped as his hands found the bottom of my sleep shirt and jerked it up and over my head. "I know just how to help you fall asleep," he continued. "I'll just tire you out so that you can sleep soundly."
"Oh, is that what you're going to do? How magnanimous of you." I tried to sound sarcastic, but my voice came out breathy. I shuddered against him as he tossed my shirt away and yanked my chest against him. My nipples rubbed against the softness of his dress shirt.
"I'm a magnanimous kind of guy," he whispered as he leaned forward and claimed my mouth in a rush of fiery heat. I closed my eyes and groaned against him, losing myself in the kiss, letting it take me over.
Dex released my mouth and gave me a moment to breathe so that he could divest himself of his shirt. I couldn't wait, though. I reached for the top of his shirt and yanked, ripping the fabric and popping the buttons off as the shirt gaped open. He blinked at me as if surprised while my chest rose and fell, my cheeks flushing.
"You're just begging for a spanking, aren't you, Baby?" he asked as he slipped out of his shirt and tossed it away.
Wickedness filled me. "Not yet, I'm not."
He grinned and it struck me how much I fucking loved this man. I loved it when he smiled. When he was happy, I was happy. It was the same feeling I got when I saw Taylor or Darren or Cody smile. I couldn't believe my luck, really. Some women waited years to find one man, and I had found four.
"Baby?" Dex held his hand up and cupped my cheek, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb. "What's wrong?" His eyebrows bunched together as he frowned.
I laughed and shook my head. "Nothing," I promised. "I just love you."
Slowly, as if he wasn't quite sure if I was being honest or not, he started to smile—his lips tipping up at the corners, his eyebrows pulling apart and un-bunching. "I love you too, Jamie. You know that, right?"
"I know." I tipped my face up, begging for a kiss, and even though I knew he was about to make an awful mess of me, Dex caved and pressed a kiss to my lips. He slipped his tongue inside and stroked mine. Behind my closed eyes, I could feel fireworks bursting. I loved it. I loved him. I was beginning to think I would always love him and the others. There was nothing that could break us.
"Now," Dex said, drawing back to look down at me. His hand slid from my cheek to my neck, which he circled and held firmly. "What have I told you about wearing panties?"
My eyes widened as his other hand moved down and found the evidence of fabric between my legs. He pushed his fingers against my crotch, rubbing hard enough to make me tighten.
"I-I thought you liked it when I wore your gifts?" I replied shakily.
His expression turned decidedly devilish. "Not right now, I don't," he answered, gripping them and snapping one side of the thin fabric before reaching for the other and doing the same. I jumped and bit my lip as wetness leaked from my core. "Spread them," he ordered.
My lips parted as I tried to draw in more air. I lifted one leg and slid it over his thigh before doing the same with the other as he sat before me on his knees, his hand still on my neck. He squeezed lightly and my core spasmed. I whimpered.
"Hmmmm. You like it when I hold you like this, don't you, Baby?" I closed my eyes, heat sliding across my cheeks. He released my neck and my eyes popped open. "Answer me," he commanded. In stilted movements, I nodded. "With words," he snapped.
"Yes, sir."
His hand returned to my throat and I sighed my pleasure. "Good girl." His fingers returned to my core and stroked up and down, teasing. Involuntarily, my hips lifted towards his movements. I tried to wiggle and squirm and spread my legs as wide as I could—anything to get him to touch where I needed him most. I wanted his hand on my clit, his fingers circling the bundle of nerves and driving me insane. But no matter how hard I twisted against him, he avoided it, all the while sending me amused glances.
"
You're so pretty down here, Jamie. So fucking pretty." I gasped as his fingers finally—finally!—latched onto my clit. He squeezed it lightly—with the same amount of pressure he was currently holding my throat. "You know, I was talking to Darren the other day and he was telling me how much he fucking misses this pussy of yours."
"I-I—" I stuttered as he pinched my clit again.
"Oh, were you trying to say something?" He leaned closer, turning his head.
"I—oh fuck!" I screamed as he clamped down on my clit harder than before. My legs spasmed and jerked and I groaned, rolling my hips. I writhed against him, my eyes begging. My lips parted in both shock and want.
"Baby, I can't understand you if you don't finish your sentence."
I sent him a pleading look. "Dex, I just—" I stopped gritting my teeth as Dex abandoned my clit and, in a quick motion, tilted my hips up using their position on his thighs and shoved a finger up my asshole. Sure, it was lubricated somewhat by my own wetness, but it was so sudden that I tightened up all over.
"What do you fucking call me when we're in bed?" he asked lightly. He could've been asking for the weather for all his tone gave away.
"Sir!" I gasped. "Sir, I call you sir. I'm sorry, sir. Fuck, sir."
"Yes, you'll do that soon enough," he replied, drawing his finger out of my forbidden hole and then slowly sliding it back in. Desire churned in an inferno, pooling low in my stomach. I could feel myself reaching for the edge and he hadn't even entered my pussy yet.
"What do you want, Baby?" Dex asked, leaning close so that he breathed the question against my lips.
"Y-you," I whimpered. "I want you."
"My what?"
"Your cock," I begged. "Please sir, can I have your cock?"
"Where do you want it?" He pulled his finger out and slid it up towards my pussy. I clamped down on it with a moan the moment he entered me. "Where do you want it, Jamie?" he repeated.
