by A. m Madden
I wanted to roll my eyes but refrained. Those two were inseparable. “She’ll be fine. Rebecca has a nice backyard with a pool and two little ones. We should worry Kayla won’t want to come back to us after this weekend.”
My claim caused him to stop dead in his tracks with a horrified look on his face. “Take that back.”
Chapter Twenty
Ryder
As we crossed the Sanibel Causeway, she dreamily stared out the window.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen water this blue,” she said. I loved the wondrous look on her face and would never tire of seeing it. Hell, I’d been there a few times and still marveled over the vibrant turquoise Gulf waters.
“Wait until you feel the sand. It’s the softest I’ve ever felt. And there’s this beach the locals call Asses-Up Beach.”
She grinned at my comment. “Why?”
“It’s covered with pretty seashells, and anyone visiting is usually bent over picking them out of the sand with their asses up in the air.”
“Oh, can we go?” she asked excitedly.
“Of course. We’ll drive back to explore Sanibel on our way home Sunday. We’re staying on Captiva, which is at the tip of Sanibel. The way it runs north to south in the Gulf makes it possible to see the sunrise from one side of our bungalow and the sunset from the other.” Her confused look prompted me to say, “Look it up on your phone. You’ll see what I mean.” After a few taps, she stared at the screen. “See how Captiva is narrow? The resort we’re going to sits in the center of that strip of land. Each private bungalow has a beach on both sides of it.”
“That sounds stunning.” When her body twisted toward me and she placed a hand on my thigh, I cut my gaze between her and the road. “This is such a beautiful place, Ryder. Thank you for bringing me.”
“Just the beginning, baby,” I said, lifting her hand to kiss it. “There are so many places I want to take you to.” Originally, I had considered Orlando as our first getaway, since she hadn’t been. But after Wes casually mentioned we would need a vacation from that vacation, I decided someplace more low-key would be better.
Sure, with each month that went by in her pregnancy, it would be harder to plan anything that required a lot of walking in the heat, such as amusement parks. We would just have to save those kinds of trips for after she had the babies.
About a half hour later, I pulled up in front of the Captiva Sundial Spa Resort. After the porter took our bags, Riana continued to sport a brilliant smile through check-in and right up until we stepped up to our private bungalow a few minutes later.
I waited for our porter to carry in the luggage, tipped him, and ushered her through the door.
“The way they built this is brilliant,” she said in awe. Just as I had explained, the small buildings were staggered in a way that gave each an unfettered view of a beach that faced both east and west. If a balcony faced the east, then the patio faced the west. And every other small cottage’s layout was reversed, with a large wall of shrubbery between them giving the guests added privacy.
As her eyes swept over every detail, I stood near the door, appreciating her reaction. The inside was no less picturesque with its decor and views. Creams and whites, blues, and greens all complemented the landscape surrounding us. It was actually reminiscent of her apartment.
A living area led out onto a balcony holding a bistro table and two lounge chairs. That spot would give us an amazing view of the sunset each evening. A modern bathroom with a shower and jetted tub for two separated that space from the bedroom. And then came a massive bedroom that faced a wall of glass and led to the private beach, holding more outdoor furniture. From that bed, or that patio, we could watch the sunrise.
Riana walked past the luxurious bed, running a hand over the smooth white duvet cover. My gut flipped with anticipation, imagining us making love as the sun rose each day.
She sat on the edge, bouncing up and down a few times. “It’s very comfy.”
“Sure… if we had plans of sleeping,” I replied with a smirk.
“True. Who could sleep with such a gorgeous unobstructed view of the Gulf?” Looking over her shoulder, she gave me a salacious smile, and I flashed her one of my own.
When she stood before the glass wall to stare at the view, I followed behind and wrapped my arms around her waist. Her hands came to rest on my forearms as she leaned back into my body. “This is heaven.”
“It sure is.” Beneath my hold a rumbling caused me to laugh. “I take it you’re hungry?”
“Starved… but that water looks so inviting.”
“Why don’t you go take a dip, and I’ll order us lunch?”
“That sounds perfect.”
No sooner had we both changed into our swimsuits than she took off for the beach. With each graceful step she took, I appreciated the gorgeous woman she was. She wore the tiniest white bikini, which could probably be considered illegal—nothing more than three triangular scraps of white fabric covering her perfection.
Riana had a runner’s body, lean and toned everywhere. It made me wonder what changes would come once she began showing. She claimed that already had happened while running a hand over nothing more than a sexy little swell. But I tried to imagine how big her belly would get. The visual that popped into my mind caused a twinge of apprehension to pinch inside me. No doubt she’d be gorgeous, but that wouldn’t be my baby she carried. And based on neither of us wanting kids of our own, this would be her one and only pregnancy. The thought saddened me, enough so I wondered if she ever changed her mind—would I?
Pushing those what-ifs aside, I ordered lunch and then decided to book a couple’s massage for the next day.
Once our meal was set up on the patio table, I waited for her to look my way and waved her in. She eagerly appeared with beads of water clinging to her skin and reflecting the sunlight like tiny diamonds. Riana stirred me in ways that were hard to control, predictably perking up what hid beneath my swim trunks. No other woman had ever had that effect on me… not even Diane. I’d been attracted to Diane when we were together, but looking back now, it was a superficial allure.
When Riana reached where I stood gawking like a pervert, I adjusted myself and pulled her against me to kiss her neck.
“Mmm,” she moaned when my lips traveled over to her shoulder. I smiled against her skin and resumed peppering it with kiss after kiss before landing a deep, passionate one on her lips. She pulled away, linking her hands behind my back. “Now you’re all wet,” she said with a smile.
“That’s okay. I’ll just have to get you back later and make you wet.” As her cheeks tinged a rosy hue, I winked. “Come, let’s have lunch.”
“Okay.” She snatched a big fluffy towel, covering up my great view, and perused the lobster rolls, fruit, and drinks I’d had delivered. “It looks delicious.”
“Dig in.” We ate under the shade of a palm tree, staring at the smooth surf in a comfortable silence. It made me wonder how I could top this on our next trip, and I had a feeling that we’d be coming back to this resort repeatedly.
Now that we were at our intended location, I filled Riana in on what I had planned for the rest of our weekend. As she became more and more excited, I teased, “Oh… and we’re touring the island’s sewage plant. It’s supposed to be an industrial wonder.”
Her smile faltered just a touch before she said, “Can’t wait! That sounds interesting.” I tried to keep a straight face, but when I failed miserably and laughed, she shoved me. “You ass.”
“You’re so adorable.” A strand of her hair floated in the breeze and caught on her lips, prompting me to remove it and lean in for a kiss. Typically, the kiss instantly progressed, and within seconds, we had worked ourselves up into a frenzied state.
She pulled away first and breathlessly asked, “Swim with me?”
To be honest, I’d rather have carried her to bed, but that would wait. I took her hand and nodded. “Let’s go swim, beautiful.”
We stroll
ed into the warm crystal-blue water, and without warning I lifted her to gently toss her in. She came up spluttering and laughing, splashing me in retaliation. “You suck.”
“I do, huh?” I asked, smiling deviously. In a flash, I dived toward her. She tried to swim away, but I reached her before she could escape. Effortlessly, I lifted and tossed her for the second time. “Do I still suck?” I asked when she surfaced.
“Yes!” she called out while swimming as fast as she could in the opposite direction.
“You can’t escape me.” I lunged and possessively enveloped her in my embrace. She struggled until I pulled her flush against my body and coaxed her to straddle my waist. Having her wrapped around me that way caused that same rush of heat to flare up and make me hard as stone.
I skimmed my hand over her face, drying the droplets of water that clung, and stared into her eyes. “This swim needs to be short. I want you, Ree.”
“Let’s do it right here.”
While her gaze surveyed the beach, thinking she was kidding, I kissed the corner of her lips. “Yeah, right.”
“What? No one will see us… and if they do, it looks like we’re just kissing.” Closing the distance, she kissed me to prove her point. Without hesitation, her tongue slipped in, and she pressed harder against me, worsening my desire. “Do it, Ryder,” she whispered against my lips. “Take me.”
Fuck, I didn’t need any more coaxing than that. On her command, I landed one hand on the center of her ass, beneath the water, to hold her up. I then quickly lowered the elastic waistband to release myself, used my cock to push aside her bikini bottom, and slid in.
The instant I was all the way inside her, she sucked in a deep breath. I couldn’t look away from her deep-brown eyes. This was a first for me. I’d never had ocean sex. Hot tub or pool, yes, but there was something about being out there that was sexy as fuck… especially with her. The voyeurism combined with the warm water lapping around our connected bodies caused a renewed surge of pleasure to roll through me. With each slight shift of my hips, the openmouthed pants I released came faster and faster.
During it, she desperately gripped the back of my neck as I rode the gentle surf, and she rode me. She used my body as leverage to lengthen her pumps up and down my cock. Fuck, it felt incredible.
Manipulating the hold on her head, I drove my tongue in to penetrate her mouth as deeply as I penetrated her pussy, timing the thrusts of both tongue and cock perfectly. My release progressed sooner than I wanted, forcing me to say through gritted teeth, “Riana, I need you to come.” I licked at her lips, tasting the saltiness that coated them. “Tell me you’re close.”
“Yes,” she hissed, tightening around me. “Don’t stop.” That was all I needed to hear before I came inside her, and she followed a moment later, milking me through her tight clench. We clung to each other, each dealing with the aftershocks in our own silent way.
Only after we both relaxed did I finally say, “That was a vision. I love watching you come.” Her cheeks, already rosy from the heat, tinged deeper at my claim.
“That was wild.” She smiled wider. “We just had sex in the Gulf.”
“Just the beginning, baby. I plan on fucking you for days… and think of all the other places we’ll be adding to our list this weekend—balcony, tub.” I pretended to ponder something. “And then, of course, that bed.”
“How boring,” she teased.
“Well, now that I know you’re a daring little minx…” I left my claim hanging and kissed her hard. “Maybe we should commence that to-do list. We’re only here two days.”
“I think we owe it to ourselves,” she replied with a sassy smile. Just as I turned to carry her out of the water, she pointed to the horizon. “Oh my God… look.” In the distance, a pod of dolphins popped in and out of the turquoise-blue waters, synchronized in a perfect dance. “They’ve come to welcome us.”
“Either that or they’re perverts who like to watch humans have sex.” I landed a wet kiss on her shoulder. “Want to give them an encore?”
Chapter Twenty-One
Riana
“He thought of everything,” I said before taking a sip of my deliciously cold iced tea. For the past fifteen minutes, I’d been reliving every detail of our weekend by sharing it with Rebecca. Well, not every detail. The number of times we’d had sex bordered on addiction.
Ryder had admitted he wanted to create new memories for us, and our time away had done just that. The gorgeous location he’d chosen, the couples’ massage, and the gourmet food already made for a perfect escape. Add in all the places we’d been intimate and that made for the best weekend of my life… one that would remain in my thoughts and in my heart long after. I had said as much to him, and his response was, “At least until the next time.”
Every day I thanked the Fates for having us at that club on the same night. I tried to imagine my life without him in it, and it was almost impossible to do. Strange how quickly I’ve become accustomed to having Ryder back… in the best of ways.
With a hand propping up her head and a goofy smile on her face, Rebecca stared at me while sporting a dreamy expression. “That sounds so romantic.”
“It was amazing.”
“Where do you think he’ll take you next month?”
“I don’t know, but something tells me we could stay in a flimsy tent during a hurricane, and Ryder would still make it wonderful.”
She patted my hand. “You deserve only wonderful things, Riana. And that has nothing to do with the way you made my brother and Ricky so happy. Your profession, your heart. They’re blessed to have you in their lives.”
“I’ve been equally blessed,” I admitted with a shrug. I pointed to where they all congregated in the pool. “As are you with Marco, Antonio, and Liliana.”
“Every day I thank a higher power for all I have. They’re my world.” Our gazes focused on where Ryder, her husband, Cooper, and Ricky splashed around with her two kids. Each time Kayla snatched the ball they were tossing and ran with it prompted Ryder to chase her around the patio, and that caused adorable giggles to erupt.
“Those kids are going to sleep well tonight.”
“So will Ryder and Kayla,” I said on a laugh. Despite the fact he and I had barely gotten any sleep over the last three days, we’d driven from Sanibel directly to Rebecca and Marco’s place so he could pick up his precious Kayla. “Thank you for watching her.”
“She’s a pleasure. Antonio already started his campaign for a dog. I told him we couldn’t because we are officially in charge of Kayla when Uncle Ryder and Aunt Riana need us. It’s perfect. You guys get to have a”—she raised her fingers in air quotes—“fun weekend, and my kids get to experience having a dog without needing to get a dog. So I thank you for that.”
“Our pleasure.”
As we continued to watch them, Liliana, wobbling because of the clumsy inner tube attached to her swim vest, stubbed her toe on a lounger. Instantly, she released a high-pitched squeal that turned into sobbing.
“Oh boy.” Before Rebecca could get out of her chair, or even before Marco could head toward her, Ryder snatched the crying toddler in his arms and began dancing around. The sobs turned into giggles, and all was well again in her world. “He’s going to make a great dad,” Rebecca said with a warm smile.
My gut clenched at her innocent comment, but she wouldn’t know that by the smile I had reciprocated.
How could I admit Ryder didn’t want kids or that every day in this pregnancy would cause him duress as he worried about me? I hadn’t shared his experience with pregnancy with anyone. Nor could I tell her that his phobia was only half the truth, and that I didn’t want children either.
I wasn’t sure Rebecca would understand why I’d rather focus my life on helping others than have kids and face the very real possibility I could unintentionally mess up their lives.
One could argue I was the person I was today because of my messed-up childhood, and they’d be right. What they wouldn
’t know was that I’d perfected suppressing every single one of my negative emotions. Sure, I got that life happened. When my parents married, they hadn’t considered my dad’s career could ruin their marriage, that it could affect me as it had. Why would they? They were in love.
Millions of people made the same decisions every day, bringing children into this world with little else to build their lives on but love. Most fared just fine despite their lives forever changing because of divorce. And then there were those like me, where it left an indelible scar on my heart and a tremendous amount of guilt.
Because of me, my mother had spent the rest of her years alone, loving my father from afar. If I hadn’t been born, I knew she would’ve been with him until the day she died. So as that child who’d caused her life-altering sacrifice, I now had to carry that accountability with me for the rest of my life.
At that moment, Ryder’s eyes caught mine, and he frowned. I quickly adjusted the contemplative expression that had unconsciously slipped over my face, but when he began walking toward me, I knew he didn’t buy it. Predictably, a soaking-wet Kayla followed right behind him.
Thoughts of my parents dissipated with each step he took as my eyes drank him in. Ryder was a beautiful man. Tanned, toned, and temptingly sexy in black swim trunks and nothing else. By the time he reached me, the only expression on my face was one of longing.
“Hey,” he said before leaning over me to plant a wet kiss on my lips. The moisture dripping off his body felt good in the heat. “You okay?”
“I’m great.” My admission prompted him to go in for another kiss, one that progressed inappropriately, considering where we were.
When logic tapped on my conscience, I pushed him away. A flash of annoyance slowly morphed into understanding as he also remembered our hostess. “Sorry,” he mumbled with a not-very-convincing shrug before plopping in the chair beside me.
