Always Was

by Amabel Daniels

  “Only me and Joe working here today. First come, first serve.”

  Sammy tugged on Adam’s sleeve. “Come on, it’s not a big deal. You mean to tell me you’re that anxious to stay cooped up driving in the car all day?”

  She led him out to the Honda, wondering if he was having another punctual timeliness fit. Smiling, she shook her head. For such a leisure-pandering dude with no admitted personal deadlines—other than a sketchy offer to reenlist somewhere new—he was a stickler about being on schedule.

  “I doubt we’ll get much more driving in for the day,” he said as he took the passenger seat.

  She shrugged, started the car, and headed to the chain hotel they’d located nearby the garage. “Oh well. We’ll take it easy today while we wait to pick up the fixed tire. Pretty hot out. How about we let Ink enjoy some AC, go for a swim, hang out at a decent hotel for a change?”

  And give me a little more precious time to simply be near you before you disappear again.

  He agreed immediately, and after they checked in to their room and changed into their bathing suits—Sammy risking a bikini without a shirt over it—they were strolling hand-in-hand for the pool.

  Rippling water beckoned them to enter, not a soul in sight.

  “All to ourselves,” Adam said, tossing his shades and towel to a lounge chair.

  Matching his infectious smile, she removed her own sunglasses, placing them, with her towel, next to his.

  “That means I’m free to do whatever I want with you.”

  She raised her brows, feeling giddy, not at all alarmed at his playful tone. “You think?”

  “Uh-huh.” In all his glorious sinfully fit body, muscles and mysterious tattoos, he stalked toward her.

  Backing away, she prepared to run.

  He reached for her, hefted her high in his arms, and tossed her unceremoniously into the deep end, her squeals and laughs soaring through the air before she went under. She felt rather than heard his own cannonball entrance to the pool, his waves hitting her as she rose to the surface.

  As he shook his head like a dog, she squinted and swam for him. Her attempt of dunking him under failed, but she scored in climbing up on his slick skin, granting her a hands-on contact of his sexy body. She could never bore of feeling his rugged physique.

  Their antics simmered as she gave into the realization she couldn’t overpower him, and he wasn’t in the mood to let her win, it seemed. His efforts grew lazy, keeping her close. His hold gave her no reason to be alarmed, because while she knew he was physically stronger, he would never abuse that strength on her. Catching her breath, she molded to him, wrapping her legs around his waist, her arms draped over his shoulders. His hands gripped her hips as they kissed, neither able to resist the temptation.

  “Baby,” he whispered, separating from her enough to press his forehead to hers. He’d done it a few times now, and each time she wanted to swoon, as though he had to remain touching her, but retreating enough to give them space, to slow himself down. “You have any idea what you do to me?”

  If the erection prodding in between her legs was any clue, yes, she had a good hunch how aroused he was.

  “Want me to stop?” she asked, and then kissed him deeply again.

  He laughed. “You’re ready to get out already? We’ve only been in for fifteen minutes.”

  That long? Time sure faded when he had her in his arms.

  What was she doing to him? Turning him on. And what was he doing to her? Turning her to a brainless mush.

  Smiling, she lowered her legs and pushed away, swimming to the wall. “How about some laps?”

  “Are you challenging me to a race?”

  God, she’d never tire of his mischievous smiles. She nodded. “Loser gets dinner tonight?”

  “You’re on.”

  They set their wager according to who would be faster to stroke through ten laps back and forth. She paced herself at his side until the eighth stretch, and he gained on her, his strong arms slicing through the water effortlessly. But by the final pass, she’d “caught up” to him and “won.” While his gallant offer to let her win was sweet, it irked her competitive nature too.

  They’d always shared a healthy gaming mentality against each other. And as simple and silly as a little race could be, it meant as much to her as his cooing sweet words. Their friendship seemed to always take first priority, and she was gladder than ever she’d had the idea to take advantage of the slight hiccup of the flat tire repair and spend the day with him.

  He continued swimming a few more laps. Spent from the impromptu cardio of swimming, she leaned against the wall, her arms on the tiles, watching Adam glide through the water. That sexy, daredevil man all for her own enjoyment … until he wasn’t.

  With a disruptive cacophony of squeals, giggles, chatter, and music, a handful of girls passed through the gate to the pool area.

  Sammy sighed, watching as they dumped their stuff on chairs and a patio table, their grating hip-hop from one of their phones ruining the peaceful quiet. Like a swarm of bees homing into a potent flower in the garden, they all zoned their gazes on Adam as he still swam by himself in the pool. A couple smacked their lips, making “hm-hmm” noises, eyeing him like he was a hunk of meat and nothing more. One adjusted her boobs in her bikini top. Another nodded, like she was appraising a product to purchase.

  Oh, come on. She couldn’t blame them for appreciating his sexiness. But he was … hers. Wincing, she wondered how she could make that claim. A car-mate, copilot, old friend, quasi-lover, if she could take that final step with him.

  Adam’s face cleared the surface of the water, and again he employed the animalistic shake of his head, freeing the excess water. A couple girls had sat on the edge of the pool by then, and giggles sounded.

  Spinning in his spot, he searched her out, smiling when he found her against the wall.

  He swam toward her. Reaching her, he caged her in, his arms like walls at her sides. He kissed her nose, and she floated to him, clinging around him like an aquatic koala. He wrapped his arms around her and crushed them against the wall.

  For a shy girl prone to hiding, she sure took their PDA with pride. He didn’t even glance in the direction of the other pool users—despite the blindingly ample cleavage they broadcasted.

  His forceful kiss and low growls signaled what he felt for her, and her alone. As though he were branding her his, declaring that he was taken.

  “I’ve got an idea,” he said, breaking the kiss.

  “Shoot.”

  “How about another game?”

  “Of?”

  “Truth or Dare.”

  She laughed. What were they? Kids?

  “I’ll go first.”

  On that note… “Okay.” She rolled her eyes. “Truth or dare?”

  “Truth,” he said.

  The more dangerous choice. Interesting. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Do I really hog the bed and snore like a chainsaw?”

  He chuckled, his chest rubbing against hers. “No. You don’t. But I’d still love you if you did.”

  Love.

  That one small word smacked her like a brick in the face. Love. Her smile froze on her face, stunned at his raw confession.

  Well… Of course he meant it in the within the boundaries of the friend zone. Scolding herself for being silly and reading too much into his statement, she smiled wider. She hugged him, soaking in the affection he so freely offered, regardless of how he’d intended its weight.

  “Seems a bit crowded, huh?” she said, opting out of continuing the game.

  “Promiscuous Girl” played from their radio, and Sammy snorted to hold in a laugh at the irony.

  “A bit. Want to head back to the room?”

  She nodded and he hoisted her to the edge of the tile outside the pool. By the time she’d wrapped a towel around her waist, he’d exited too. Handing him his towel, she stuck her sunglasses on the top of her head, watching as he dried off, starting with his head. With h
is face behind the fabric, she let her stare follow the drops of water streaking from his neck to his pecs, to his abs, all the way down to his waistband. Excitement rose and her breath quickened, recalling her grip on him and how she’d—

  “Ahem.”

  She tore her attention from his torso and winced as she met his gaze.

  Busted.

  He grinned and took her hand. “Now what?” he asked.

  As they walked back inside, she caught him leaning toward the windows of the small but fully equipped gym.

  “I got up kind of early. Maybe a nap?” Because, why not?

  “How about you catch up your beauty sleep, and I get a run in on the treadmill?”

  “Perfect.”

  A little breathing space from the oppressive cloud of lust hanging over them.

  After she grabbed a glass of water from the bathroom, she plopped down on the bed, still in her bikini and towel. Adam changed, took Ink out for a small potty break, and then came back to her on the bed. His goodbye kiss struck her as such a domesticated gesture, but she loved the genuine sweetness behind it.

  ****

  Waking from her brief snooze, Sammy peeled her eyes open, taking in the empty room. Her suit had dried, her pool towel a tangle of microfiber around her legs. No sooner than she emptied the water from her glass at the bedside table and leaned up on her elbows, lazy from her nap, Adam entered the room, shirtless, wiping his chest with his t-shirt in one hand, holding an orange popsicle in his other hand.

  Slumping down to lay back on the pillows again, she sighed at him, wishing she could summon up the courage to make another move on him. Called herself chicken.

  He stood next to the bed. He threw his dirty shirt to the floor, never removing his steady green gaze from her, and licked the frozen treat in his hand. Still not having shaved, his facial hair showed an even sharper contrast, the darkness against his tanned, lean jaw.

  Bad boy, bad boy, whatcha gonna do?

  “Nice nap?” he asked.

  She nodded. She jerked her chin at the popsicle in his hand. “Thought you owed me dinner,” she said.

  He rounded the bed and jumped on next to her, lying lengthwise at her side, propping himself on one elbow as he continued to enjoy his treat. “In due time. I wanted an appetizer.”

  His smoky gaze, combined with the husky timber of his voice, had her wondering at his innuendo. Did he mean the iced stick, or her?

  “Want some?”

  Once again, the popsicle or…? She quickened her breath, meeting his devilish stare. She nodded.

  He held the stick out to her mouth, letting her get a lick before he pulled it away. He had another taste for himself, and then kissed her, his chilled tongue giving her the zesty tang of the citrus flavor.

  “More?” he asked. She nodded. Instead of offering the dessert, he kissed her again. Clutching the back of his head, she gripped his hair, keeping him close and anchoring herself to reality.

  “Trust me?” he asked.

  Yes. But with what? He traced the tip of the popsicle along her lips and she darted her tongue out the savor the icy sweetness.

  His words from the car ride that day before flashed through her racing thoughts.

  Payback’s a bitch. His promise to return the favor of her giving him head in the car, the vow to tease and torture her with his own dose of seduction, came to mind.

  Armed with that popsicle in his hand, and that wicked almost-grin on his lips…

  She wasn’t sure she was ready for such … play.

  He wanted to, what, go down on her? Heat spread on her cheeks, her ears like they’d been tipped in fire. Her naivety had never been so obvious.

  What if I get so relaxed, I fart?

  When was the last time I trimmed down there?

  What if I’m frigid, and I can’t … react?

  Is it true that if you don’t use it, you lose it?

  She frantically questioned if she could handle such caliber of kinky foreplay, and a strange sense of stage-fright paralyzed her. With a frozen stick of orange, too. Never had she thought she’d experience such erotic naughtiness. As though he could sense her doubts, Adam kissed her.

  “Gonna melt, baby,” he warned, his breath warming her wet lips, freshly cooled from the popsicle in her mouth.

  Again, was he referring to the dessert dripping down his fingers, or her? A few more seductive words in his gravelly tone and more of the steady blast of his intense gaze, she’d be a complete puddle anyway.

  “I’ll give you a little leverage, okay? So you can stay in control.”

  “Yeah?”

  “No hands.”

  Her eyes opened all the way. “You’re going to tie me up?”

  His lips curved in a smile around the popsicle. “No, baby. I won’t use my hands.”

  Then how could he… Oh, good God.

  Slightly, with as much determination she could muster, she nodded, a faint bob of her head on the pillows.

  “Relax,” he whispered on a breath, his citrus-coated lips above hers.

  She couldn’t be any more lax if she’d tried after he kissed her, his cool tongue teasing hers. Moaning in no time at all, she forgot to be nervous, enjoying his sensual command over her.

  Trailing the tip of the popsicle along her jaw, she fought the urge to squirm at the sticky, freezing tingle he left on her skin. Where cold shocked her, his hot tongue soothed her. Further down, he continued, zinging her warmed flesh with the popsicle, eliciting gasps at the iciness, and then laving her slowly and thoroughly with his skilled tongue. Sucking at the valley of her breasts, she watched as he dipped the dessert under the fabric of her bikini top ever so gently, following the outline of her breast. Shivers couldn’t be controlled as he backtracked, licking up every drop of tangerine on her skin.

  He held the popsicle to his side and lifted his face from her chest, then nodded at her hand. “Hold it for me?”

  She took the popsicle and he lowered himself to her neck. Nuzzling her, she automatically turned, giving him access to—

  Oh. His teeth gently scraped at her skin as he tugged the knot of her halter-top string.

  Released from the pressure of the cups, she was bared for him, her nipples harder than they had ever been before, tormented and teased from his onslaught of cold and heat.

  She arched her back, expecting his mouth where she’d needed him to soothe her ache, but instead, he scooted upright. He shifted the popsicle from her hand to his, taking a long lick before sucking on her fingers where the syrup had dripped on her. From fingertips, to her palm, around her wrist, and then trailing kisses along her entire arm, Adam meandering in a too-long journey to her breasts.

  Finally, his lips hovering over her nipples, she panted, dying for his touch, but he delayed yet again. Twirling the frozen stick, he circled around her breast, sending her whimpering and lifting off the mattress.

  “Adam…” She choked on her breath as he brought the popsicle to her beaded peak. “Please.”

  He covered her nipple with his mouth, chasing away the chill and searing her with his hot tongue. Nipping, licking, and sucking, he teased her, alternating between the orange ice and his mouth.

  He dragged the diminishing popsicle along the contours of the black inked tree at her side. She jerked and shivered at the shock of cold on her skin. Outlining the tattoo, he moved from just under her breasts, down to her hips. Undeterred by her bikini bottoms, he slid the remaining chunk of iced treat just under the hem of her bathing suit, running his tongue in its wake.

  Pressure burned from within. So damn slowly he induced her insanity, sending her wishing for more. More of his contrasted torture, the exquisite caress of his mouth on her flesh. Dipping the coldness in her belly button, she gripped his hair, needing something to clutch, something to hold on to for the ride.

  He jerked up to face her, one brow slanted down in question.

  Oh come on, don’t make me beg … more.

  “You okay?”

 
; “Okay?” As in this is it? She nodded. “I’ll be more okay if, uh…”

  He smiled.

  “Please don’t stop.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I aim to please.” He presented the rapidly disappearing iced treat for her to hang onto. Using his teeth again, he untied the strings of at the sides of her bottoms, and removed it from his path. She closed her eyes as he retrieved his dessert, sliding it along her hips, up her inner thighs, and—

  Oh God.

  Down the crevice where her legs met her center, just to the side of where she was wet and needy for him.

  Cold faded and she could only concentrate on his warmth, his scalding touch as he pleasured her with his lips and tongue, and teeth, too.

  She bucked her hips as he quickened his ministrations. It seemed too soon that she’d surrendered to the scaling intensity that soared from her core. Curling her toes, fisting the sheets, she couldn’t resist the burdening tension in her body. With a cry of shock, pleasure, and surprise, she embraced a foreign calm, a shuddering release as she orgasmed for the first time. Even the couple times she’d pleasured herself before her assault hadn’t rendered her liquefied like this.

  She breathed harshly. Oxygen couldn’t replenish her wracked body fast enough. Dizzy, comfortably so, she gasped for air. Her eyes still squeezed tight, she couldn’t summon the energy to speak, to move, to process a coherent thought.

  When she felt his kiss on the top of her thigh, she blinked until she gazed at him. Standing up at the side of the bed, he gave one last lick to the remaining stub of his popsicle, a rugged grin on his lips. Leaning closer to her on the bed, he offered it to her.

  Shaking her head as much as she could muster the strength to, she declined.

  His chest rose and fell in a deep sigh, and he set the wooden tab of his “appetizer” into her emptied glass on the table near the head of the bed.

  Lowering, he pressed a sugary, delicate kiss to her lips, and then walked, with an odd limp, to the bathroom.

  Once she heard the water running, Sammy closed her eyes again, still stunned at how out of the world his wicked mouth could be.

  Smiling, she covered her face with both hands, tamping down the need to scream, laugh, dance, any jubilation she could force her body to perform.