But completely different. At least to me. The pond held new personal meaning—my liquid treasure chest where I found my prized jewel, Taylor. I decided not to tell Jax about her. A part of me didn’t trust him, even after close to an hour of brotherly bonding and sworn promises. She belonged to me. Or at least I hoped she would. I didn’t even want her to see Jaxson. I couldn’t chance another blow to my heart from him.
Slowly we walked back toward the house, chuckling when we saw Mom and Dad collide trying to move away from the window so they didn’t look suspicious.
“Think they watched us the whole time?” Jax asked around a smile.
“Oh yeah,” I laughed, my gaze fixed on the grass so I didn’t step in any dog crap. I ditched out of clean-up duty yesterday, to meet Taylor. “I figure Dad’s coffee kicked in about twenty minutes ago and he’s been in pain, glued to the glass door.”
Jackson started a menacing chuckle. “Then for hell sakes, slow down. Let’s torture the old man as long as we can.”
“You better stop smiling. Hate for him to think we’re getting along.”
“We okay Riley?” Jaxson’s tone turned penitent, his steps halting.
“That depends. Do you have an expensive shirt I can borrow?”
Fourteen
WATER SPORTS
Taylor
Today’s agenda included my debut as a water skier. Riley and I would meet his friends at the lake to spend the afternoon boating, then cook hotdogs once the sun went down. Other contact sports were slated for after dark.
Two weeks of constant companionship with Riley had pinned my lust meter in the danger zone, and his suggestion on how to relieve the physical tension building between us centered on a sole thought. Sex. The problem being, I started thinking the same thing. However, sex to me included a committed relationship, possibly one with a honking diamond on my left hand and a china pattern picked out. But that scenario remained several hundred pages into my life plan. Not on the page “life” currently wrote.
I paced the kitchen, bouncing an orange against my palm. Grammy pulled a tin of fresh blueberry muffins from the oven and the luscious aroma filled the room. She brushed the tops with melted butter, garnishing each with a sprinkle of brown sugar. I wanted to inhale one of the steamy treats, but my stomach had coiled in a nervous knot.
“Something wrong angel girl?” she asked, putting each steamy little cake into a basket, lined with a blue checkered napkin. “I think you’ve worn a trail in my floor.”
“I’m nervous.”
“About water skiing? It can’t be that hard. Looks kind of fun.”
“Yeah, sliding across the top of water on two slats at a high rate of speed, sounds like a blast,” I replied with a sarcastic edge. “Especially if you face plant. I’ve been told the water turns to concrete over ten miles an hour.”
Grammy took my orange and placed a hot muffin in my hand. The heat seared my skin and I juggled it between my palms. “Damn, that’s hot! Do you have like asbestos hands, or what?”
“Your dainty hands have never been used for anything that could grow a callous. Toughen up.” She took two muffins from the basket, rolled them together in a separate cloth and dropped them into a paper bag.
“Take these with you. Tell Riley you made them. Boys like to know a girl can cook.”
“But I can’t.”
Grams held my chin in her fingers. “That’s part of a girl’s charm. The ability to lie in a disarming, bewitching manner. All a boy has to do is think you can cook. By the time he figures out you can’t, it’s too late. You’ve already hooked him.”
“Are you trying to play matchmaker? I thought you wanted me to cool it with Riley Martin.”
“He’s growing on me.”
I looked around the part of the house visible to me, noticing several vases of fresh flowers dotting various table tops, the fireplace mantle, and the piano. Riley brought flowers to Grammy every day when he picked me up.
“You like the flowers, not Riley.”
Her quilted mitt-covered-fist pushed her side. “That’s not true. Riley’s nice enough. At least he’s nothing like his derelict brother. When you said you were dating the Martin boy, I worried the slimy older one had caught you too.”
“What do you mean?”
She placed the butter in front of me and I pressed a pat to the hot fluffy center of the muffin, watching it ooze into all the tiny holes, coloring the bread dark gold. Grammy put the muffin tin in the sink to soak, took her cup of tea off the counter and pulled out the chair across from me. Her eyes concentrated on the dark liquid in her cup, rippling with the motion of the tea bag she dipped.
“The older boy is a ‘looker’. Seems to never lack for female attention.” Her eyes lifted to mine, a crease wiggling through the wrinkles on her forehead. “Talk around town is he’s a real heartbreaker, but not the most scrupulous ‘playboy’. Rumor has it he’s single handedly responsible for all the teen pregnancies in town.”
“Grams!” I gasped. “Don’t tell me you believe that gossip.”
Her head bent slightly, her gaze back to her tea. I could see her arched brow through her gray bangs. “I’m just sayin’.”
The doorbell rang and I scurried out of the kitchen. Behind the thousands of faceted pieces of glass welded with beads of lead, stood my ‘playboy’. Riley. He gathered me into his arms, fusing my body to his while his lips stole a hungry kiss.
“Blueberries? Yummy.”
I towed him into the living room where Grams stood, anticipating today’s floral delivery. Riley pulled a bouquet of white petals wrapped in brown paper and handed them to her.
“Daisies! My favorite.”
Again I took inventory of the flora decorating the room. “What, not the yellow roses? Or the purple lilies? What about the orange Gerbera daisies? I thought those were your favorite.”
“All right missy, you’ve made your point. Now what time can I expect you to have my granddaughter home, Mr. Martin?”
“By midnight.”
“Good because you know . . .”
“Nothing good happens after midnight,” I finished in a huff. We know, we know.
She handed me the small paper bag containing our muffins. Two big grease spots had formed on the side.
Grams cocked her head to Riley. “Taylor made these, just so you know.”
“Grammy,” I growled.
Riley took the bag, slinging his arm around my neck. “No, I did not know Taylor was so domestic.”
“I’m not,” I murmured. “She’s lying. She said if a guy knows you can cook, you can snag them easier.”
Riley’s lopsided grin turned my bones soft. “I must say now I know you can’t cook, I may have to rethink our relationship. Food is very important to me.”
My elbow found his gut and he doubled over with a half cough.
“Thanks a lot, Grams.”
Grammy giggled deep in her throat. She slipped back into the kitchen for a vase. When she returned, she had her purse slung over her shoulder.
“I’m going with the church auxiliary ladies to play bingo in Hampton for the day. I’ll be home before you, so don’t think otherwise. I trust you two can behave?”
“Yes, Grams. We’ll be responsible adults.” I kissed her cheek and her eyes sent a signal she hadn’t passed on my comment.
“Age doesn’t automatically give you maturity. And don’t think I didn’t catch the double meaning behind “responsible” either. I’m trusting you, Taylor.” She poked her finger into Riley’s chest, “And I’m especially going out on limb with you, Mr. Martin, so don’t let me down.”
“Gouged and speared. You ladies are dangerous. Yes, Mrs. Daniels. I’m aware my brother’s reputation precedes me, but, I’m not my brother. I promise.”
A horn honked a rapid burst. Grandma smiled and nodded her head. “I’m just sayin’,” followed her out the door.
Like smoky tendrils, sex loomed around Riley and me, silently curling into our thought
s. After Grammy left with the other dinosaurs in her church group, we stood facing each other, our thoughts intertwining with the same sinfully delectable ideas as if sharing the same brain. Riley’s arms knew their way around my waist, drawing me into him while his lips tried to suck mine off my face.
“Slow down big boy. We’ve got the whole day to ourselves.”
“We could just stay here, you know.” His hand settled over a favorite curve, his thumb stroking the spot where my brain vaporized, taking all common sense away.
“Riley,” I moaned, already getting that hot dreamy feeling all over my body. “Don’t do that.”
His lips pressed my ear, his breath hot. “Do you really want me to stop?” I braced myself against his purposely placed knee, feeling my body becoming supple as soft wax in his arms.
“No…”
He lifted me in his arms and all the way up the stairs, the voices in my head jumped up and down excitedly. This is it! Today’s the day you let him go all the way!
Yesterday, I treated myself to a waxing to insure smoothness where it counted, and a pedicure, so my feet would be soft. Yes, this would be a good day to lose my virginity.
Riley closed my bedroom door and flipped the lock. He eased onto the bed, pulling me off the pillows and under him. Each button undone met with a kiss, until my sundress lay open and my red bikini exposed. I waited, holding my breath until his lips touched the swell of my breasts, his tongue drawing a wet line inside the fabric line.
“Damnit Riley, “ I writhed against him, feeling his eagerness pressing into my thigh through his swim trunks.
His smile turned wicked when his lips, hot and swollen, pressed mine. “I love torturing you,” he whispered. Riley’s hand stroked my stomach, slowly smoothing over the stretchy fabric of my swimsuit bottoms to a place they hadn’t touched before. Panic struck.
“No! I can’t, I’m not ready,” I hissed against his lips.
“That’s not what your body’s telling me, baby.”
My nails dug into his arms when his leg pushed mine apart and he pulled at the fabric.
“No, Riley, I mean it. I can’t. Please stop!”
His hand moved away and my legs quivered under the weight of his body.
“Okay,” he whispered, giving a favorite curve of his a light kiss. “You know I’ll never push you.”
I rolled on my side, facing him. He slipped a loose strand of hair behind my ear and grinned lazily, his eyes still sensually dark. I slithered closer, placing a light kiss on his mouth.
“Sorry. I guess I’m scared about going all the way. I want to, really, and with you, but I just can’t.”
He pecked my lips back. “It’s okay, really.”
“Maybe it’s being inside Gram’s house. It’s like she’d know the minute she walked through the front door. I swear she’s got sex radar.”
We both laughed, easing the tension slightly. Riley climbed off the bed and pulled his T-shirt over his head. My eyes raked over his ripped body, noticing a certain part stretching a flower printed on his shorts as he watched me adjust my bikini top.
“As you can see,” he smiled, his cheeks pinking, “water skiing in cold water better happen sooner than later.” He flipped his cell phone opened, “Hey Cade, we’re running late. I’ll call when we get to the dock.” Riley paused in the conversation. An odd look covered his face. “Shit. Well lay down the ground rules before we get there. Oh and, friend, I know. Good thing I don’t give a fat rat’s ass anymore. Good luck to you.” Riley shut his phone, staring at the floor. “Kaylee’s coming.”
“Is that going to be a problem for you?” I asked, deciding whether it would be for me.
One side of his mouth pulled up. “No.” He pointed to his shorts, almost back to normal fit, “This bad boy only wants you, baby.”
I knelt on the bed, tugging the sides of his T-shirt and bringing him close for a kiss. “I noticed.”
Without breaking out locked lips, Riley lifted me off the bed and held my legs around his waist. “Girl, you drive me crazy. I’m falling for you fast, so I hope you’ve got a safety net to catch me.”
I kissed him back, hard. “I’ll never let you hit the ground, I swear.”
Our foreheads pressed, our breaths blowing on each other’s face. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he said solemnly. “Life’s full of surprises. You never know what’s swimming in deep water, babe.”
“As long as I have you for a life preserver, I’ll never drown. You won’t hurt me Riley, I know that. By the way, I’m not falling. I fell for you the minute you rescued me from the pond.”
**
The water felt icy and I could no longer feel my lips. My teeth chattered, but I refused to give up. I would water ski, if it took my last breath.
“Number twenty-four…” resounded the obnoxious chant echoing at the end of a seventy foot rope. The glittery neon blue paint on the boat bobbing on the water, blinded me whenever a ray of sunlight caught it just right.
“Come on babe! You can do it!” Riley’s vote of encouragement came through a laugh and sounded loaded with doubt.
I secured a deep breath, wrapping my hands around the spongy handle and pulling my knees close to my chest. Keep the tips up. Pretend you are sitting on the toilet. Damn, I tried, but each wave rolling my way pushed the tips to the right or left. I had to wait for that one split second when all the planets in the universe lined up and the tips stayed straight.
“Go!” I yelled, assured this time I’d “pop” on top of the water. The rope went taught, and my eyes went wide when I felt the familiar yank of neoprene between my fists. I didn’t have time to take a breath, and fought with all the strength I could muster in my legs to keep the tips straight against the wall of frothy water fighting from the other side. I tucked the handle to my chest, trying to let the boat pull me up and not force myself to stand.
Suddenly, I landed on top of the water! The skis clacked against the washboard surface speeding beneath them and I thought yes! I’m skiing! I let out a whoop and leaned too far back. The water slammed my back and my arms went straight up, allowing my lifejacket to slip off effortlessly, taking my swimsuit top with it! One ski escaped. The other twisted my ankle the wrong way with the current of the wake from the boat when it made the all too familiar cut to the left, circling back.
Water washed over my head and my world became a cloud of fizzy bubbles. I bobbed back to the surface, gasping for more air, before I finally released the other ski from my foot to tread water.
Riley dove over the side of the boat with another life vest hooked over his shoulder and swam towards me. He disappeared under the water for a moment and I panicked. His head popped up in front of me and his arm circled my waist, holding my bare chest against his and taking over kicking for both of us. His finger held up the strap of my swimsuit top.
“Missing something?”
I couldn’t breathe, but not from fear of drowning, but by the way my breasts felt pressed against Riley’s chest. My fingers tugged the fabric, but Riley held tight.
“Not so fast. I kind of like the way things feel right now.”
Riley wrapped the life vest around my hips, keeping my half naked body below the water line and pressed to him. “You okay?”
My arms locked behind his neck. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“I’d say you’re a hell of a lot better than fine. Shit, Taylor. I’m horny.”
I smiled back, feeling Riley horny. “I know,” I giggled.
“Twenty-five, twenty-five…” The chant and clapping started again.
“You want to try again?”
“Technically, I was skiing.”
“Thirty seconds hardly counts. What do you say? One more try?”
I locked the rubber vest over my chest, leaving the swimsuit top in Riley’s fingers. “Twenty-five’s my lucky number.” Riley looked confused, holding my top up. I pressed a hard cold kiss to his lips. “Keep it. The extra weight is throwing off my balance.”<
br />
“Damn girl, you’re evil.”
“Send me the skis and rope. If I don’t get up this time, you get to take off the vest and warm me up. If I ski more than two minutes, you don’t get the peep show and I get my top back.”
“Will show and tell be a ‘hands-on’ experience?”
“Maybe. But, if you don’t help me get the skis, this cold water will shrivel everything up like prunes. I poked his belly under the water, “Including what’s inside your shorts.”
Riley helped me strap the death traps back on my feet and grabbed the rope when the boat circled again to bring it closer. He kissed me. “I’ve never wanted you to fail at something as bad as I do this.”
He tied my swimsuit top around this arm and swam back to the boat. I resumed my “toilet seat” position, determined to make attempt number twenty-five work. Drowning would be easier to survive than feeling Riley’s warm hands on my cold boobs. After this afternoon, hands on would apply to more than “chest compressions.”
**
Riley sat on the quilt overlooking the lake.
“You can turn around now.” I refastened my bikini top, making sure my assets were covered. He glanced over his shoulder at me, pouty lips turned down in dramatic overkill.
“Quit sulking. I told you twenty-five would be my lucky number.”
I managed to stay on top of the water almost ten minutes, finally letting go of the rope near the shore because my legs were tired. Riley didn’t try to hide his disappointment, barely saying two words.
“You don’t play fair,” he growled a little too seriously. “You’re such a tease.”
“I beg your pardon? You’re the tease.” When he wouldn’t return my banter, I kneeled behind him, looped my arms around his neck and flicked my tongue along the edge of his earlobe.
“Don’t be like this Riley. I’m having fun. Don’t spoil things.” The vein behind his ear visibly throbbed, hinting that other parts of Riley may be as well. I kissed his neck, noticing the slight tilt of his head to allow me access to the full length of tanned skin. I found a spot midway, and started sucking. As soon as I thought fangs might appear in my mouth, Riley flipped me on my back, his body pressed to me.
Riley's Pond (New Adult Romance) Page 9
