by Melody Grace
He was a gentleman, dammit. His parents had raised him right. And fantasizing about laying her down right there on the mini-golf green was not something a gentleman would do.
“What do you think?” Eliza’s voice pulled him back to reality, to their second stop of the night. The narrow bar was crammed on a back street in Provincetown, and Eliza swore it was the best spot for a drink. It was starting to rain, just a light splatter of drops as they approached the entry, and they hurried their pace.
“I like it.” Cal ducked under the low doorframe and looked around. “Very . . . private.” The place was dim and divey, with dark walls and cracked leather booths that had seen better days.
“I like Riley’s,” Eliza continued. “But sometimes, it’s nice to be anonymous.”
He agreed. He could only imagine the gossip if they were at a local haunt—and he was looking at Eliza like he wanted to slowly strip her naked.
“What do you want?” Eliza asked.
You, he wanted to reply. Now.
“Whiskey,” he answered instead. “On the rocks.” A drink was the last thing he needed when he already felt drunk on her, but this was a date, and he was finally getting it right this time.
“Coming right up. Winner buys.” Eliza winked and headed to the bar, her hips swinging.
Cal tried not to notice how half the men in the bar turned to check her out. He couldn’t blame them. He picked a table instead, a booth half-hidden in the shadows, and tried to pull himself together.
How long could he politely wait before dragging her to bed?
It had been an hour at least since he’d kissed her, and Cal was already in withdrawal. He’d never felt like this before, craving a woman with such a raw, animal need. Her touch. Her kiss. A smile. He was a red-blooded man, sure, but Eliza set something in him burning out of control, and he was just about ready to give up on fighting it.
The only question was, did she feel it too?
“Here you go.” Eliza arrived back with their drinks. “It’s a 25-year,” she added, sliding in beside him. “They don’t put it out for the tourists, but Mackenzie told me to ask special.”
“She’s the artist.” Cal tried to keep it straight. “Dating Jake? And Summer is the baker, she’s with the guy from the bookstore. Grayson.”
“That’s right.” Eliza broke into a grin. “But you can relax, there won’t be a quiz.”
“But I want to know about your friends.” Cal looked around the cozy bar, a world away from the fancy designer places in the city. “You’ve built a life here.”
Eliza paused. “I guess so.” She looked thoughtful. “I always thought Boston was home, but I’ve been spending so much time here this past year, it’s sort of crept up on me.”
“Do you think you’d ever settle here full-time?” Cal asked, remembering Tish’s questions about long-distance romance and the future. He’d laughed it off at the time, but now he found himself leaning in to hear her answer.
Eliza took a sip and slowly licked her lips.
“Maybe. I always pictured it, but when I was older. Retiring down here, splitting the beach house with Paige like two old spinsters,” she said, smiling. “What about you? Fancy taking on the Pink Palace for good?”
Cal tried to think straight. “Maybe. Who knows? Sometimes life can send you in . . . unexpected directions.”
Like the back booth of a dive bar, hanging on every word from a pair of cherry-red lips. Eliza smiled, her eyes sparkling in the dark, and Cal had to reach for her. He took her hand in his and slowly caressed the hollow against her thumb.
Eliza’s lips parted. Her gaze met his, and he saw the silent inhale of breath as her cheeks flooded with color.
God, she was beautiful.
Eliza glanced down and threaded her fingers through his. Slowly, almost shyly, she stroked her thumb over the smooth curve of his palm.
Cal felt it like a thunderbolt. One touch, and his body was demanding more.
He knocked back the rest of his drink in a single swallow. “Let’s go,” he said, his voice emerging harshly. “Now.”
Eliza’s eyes widened. “What about dessert?”
He leaned in, whispering in her ear. “I’m going to taste you. Slowly.”
She met his eyes, and the desire he saw there took his breath away. Eliza nodded, wordless, and Cal pulled her to her feet. He threw down some bills and then practically dragged her to the exit. He needed to be somewhere alone with her, now, before this spark between them blazed out of control.
Outside the bar, the street was empty in the rain, streetlights reflecting off the wet cobblestones. “Where did you park?” Cal looked around. Eliza pulled out her keys and hit the lock button, and he heard the distant sound of a beep.
“Over there!” They took off at a run, the rain coming down harder now, cold and wet. But even the showers couldn’t dampen his lust. He yanked on her hand, tugging her back to him, and kissed her, right there in the middle of the street.
The sparks caught, and just like that, he was on fire.
Eliza’s mouth was hot, searching, and Cal drank her in. She clutched his shirt collar, pulling him down to meet her as his hands gripped her waist and their bodies pressed closer. She tasted like whiskey and chocolate, sweet and smooth and smoky, and he couldn’t get enough, her body soft and sinful under his roving hands, and his tongue plunged deep between her lips, demanding more.
Eliza dragged her mouth from his. “Wait,” she panted. “Not here.”
“Eliza . . .” Cal groaned, too far gone to stop now.
“Do you want us to catch pneumonia?” she challenged. “Because with our track record . . .”
He paused. “Good point.”
Cal managed to keep his hands to himself until they were safely back in her car. She started the engine and put the heaters on full.
“You’re wet through,” Cal said, his eyes drawn to the way her damp dress hugged her skin. “I need to get you out of those clothes.”
Eliza laughed. “For the sake of my health?”
“Absolutely.”
Eliza leaned in and kissed him again, hot and swift, and Cal cursed whoever hadn’t invented teleportation just yet. He needed this woman. God, his whole body was craving her. But somehow, he had to keep it together long enough for her to drive them back down the coast, while he sat there beside her, his hand resting on her bare thigh, stroking idle circles on her skin.
“Don’t.” Eliza moved his hand aside. “I can’t focus with you touching me.”
He drank her in with his eyes instead, her profile flushed in the dark.
She shivered again. “I can’t focus with you looking at me.”
Cal had to smile. “Eyes on the road,” he said, and dragged his gaze away. How did she do this to him? Just the presence of her beside him in the driver’s seat was enough to make his blood boil, hot with desire. He said a silent prayer of thanks as the crossroads came up ahead of them, and she made the turn towards his place. Any farther, and he might have had to make her pull over and park in the woods, like they were a couple of randy teenagers.
She parked haphazardly out front and bolted from the car, but Cal was faster. He unlocked, flung open the door, and dragged her inside.
“Clothes. Off,” he demanded, already reaching for her.
He didn’t need to ask twice.
They stumbled down the dark hallway, shedding clothes and stealing kisses, until Cal lifted her clear off her feet and set her down in the bathroom. Eliza was stripped down to her underwear now, and he turned the shower on, filling the room with hot steam.
“I was kidding, about the pneumonia,” she grinned, breathless.
“I’m not taking any chances.” Cal kissed her, hot and deep. She moaned against his mouth, and God, he couldn’t have wanted her more. He pulled her back into the shower stall, still half-dressed, and kissed her harder, up against the tile with the hot water pouring down on them.
Eliza tugged at his damp shirt, fumbling wi
th the buttons until she let out a low curse and ripped it open instead. “Whoops,” she said, wicked there in the dark.
“I’ll live.” Cal pushed off his jeans and buried his face against her neck. He tasted her, licking against the tender hollow of her throat and kissing lower, over the lacy swell of her breasts, as Eliza gasped and pressed against his mouth, wriggling free of her bra.
“Cal,” she moaned softly, and damn, if it wasn’t the sweetest sound he’d ever heard. His hands devoured her, caressing every inch until he found the heat between her thighs, and Eliza’s breath hitched, and her voice caught, and he dropped to his knees.
But Cal already knew a taste would never be enough.
* * *
Eliza was in heaven. Or hell. She couldn’t tell which, because the things Cal was doing to her were so devilishly divine, she could barely manage coherent thought at all.
“Cal . . .” she moaned aloud, flushing to hear the blatant need in her voice. But God, she couldn’t help it, not with his hands on her, and his mouth, and that tongue.
The things he could do with his tongue.
Cal murmured against her, licking deeper, and it was all Eliza could do to sink back against the tile and try to keep standing. The water beat down on her, hot and slick, and she clutched his shoulders for balance, her fingers tangling in his wet hair. Over and over, he licked against her, teasing with his lips and fingertips, until she was wound tight, gasping, strung out on the edge.
But still, somehow, she couldn’t fall.
Eliza tried to relax, but it was him. Cal Prescott. She shouldn’t want him like this. She shouldn’t let her guard down, moaning and begging in his arms, a world away from the polished, lady-like women he must be used to dating. She didn’t want to let him see her, out of control with nothing held back.
Be quiet, she ordered herself. Just relax, and let it go.
Of all the times to go overthinking something.
But now the thoughts were rattling in her brain, she couldn’t shut them off. What was he thinking? Was she being too loud? Or not loud enough? Eliza could feel the heat slipping away as she lost the moment, until Cal paused, and glanced up.
“Everything OK?” He gave her a lazy smile, his fingertips still circling on her inner thigh.
“Great!” she replied, too loud. “A-plus effort.”
Cal laughed, looking surprised. “I didn’t realize we were grading.”
Eliza burned. “Sorry, I just meant . . .” She gulped. “Good work.”
He rose to his feet and brushed wet hair back from her face. “I feel like I lost you back there.”
Eliza cringed. “Sorry. It’s not you. My brain switched on, and . . .” She gave a helpless shrug.
“Well, how about we try switching it off again?” Cal leaned in and kissed her again, slow and unhurried, and Eliza melted into his embrace. “Better?” he whispered, kissing slowly down her neck.
“Mmmhmm.”
He nibbled on her earlobe, his breath sending hot shivers down her spine. His hands teased over her again, teasing against her curves, and Eliza slowly exhaled. Now they were talking. She ran her fingertips over his chest, exploring the expanse of taut muscle and smooth, tanned skin, and Cal shivered beneath her touch, his body pressing hard against her.
She tugged his face down to kiss him again, the spark igniting, low in her belly. Harder, deeper. Cal shut the water off, and they stumbled back, out of the shower. He grabbed some towels, enveloping her in the softness, and guided her down the hallway, stealing kisses until she was breathless again.
“Don’t think,” he murmured in her ear, his hands teasing her breasts and over the slope of her stomach. “Don’t think about this, just feel. My hands on your body,” he continued, his voice low and thick with desire. “Feel how much I want you. God, Eliza . . . You make me crazy. Since the day we met, all I’ve wanted is you.”
Cal was poised above her, illuminated in moonlight through the window. The look in his eyes sent shivers right through her: hot, and wanting, and somehow, so real.
This time, she didn’t have to listen to her secret insecurities; Cal’s kiss blotted them all away. His body was hard against her, pressing her back into the mattress with a delicious weight. She wrapped her legs around him, urging him closer, writhing now with a fresh, sharp need. His mouth grazed lower, kissing and sucking her nipples into stiff peaks, as his fingers dipped into her wetness, making her clench and moan. He lifted himself, reaching for the nightstand, and then Eliza surprised herself, rolling them so she was straddling him, on top.
She took the condom from him and slowly rolled it over his hard length. Cal shuddered under her hands, watching her with a look of pure, glazed desire.
She felt invincible. Beautiful.
In control again.
“Remember,” she whispered, lowering herself against him. “Winner takes all.”
Cal’s eyes fell shut, and he groaned as she began to move. His hands gripped her thighs, and he rose to thrust with her, urging her on. This time, Eliza didn’t hold back. She moved with him, chasing the sweet itch that curled, tempting, right in the heart of her. Over and over, she surged against him, determined.
And then Cal rolled them, flipping her onto her back beneath him, and she realized her sense of control was an illusion. Because she could never hold back, not when he felt so good, moving deep inside her. Everything melted away, and it was just the two of them: damp bodies and hot, bone-melting kisses, and everything inside her unravelling to let him in. Cal drove into her, and Eliza opened for him. No games, no defenses, just the look in his eyes taking her higher, making her gasp his name in pleasure until they both hurtled over the edge, and she came apart around him with a cry.
Free.
13
Eliza caught her breath. Cal was collapsed beside her, and her skin was still flushed with pleasure, her climax melting away. “Well . . .” She stretched with satisfaction. “That was . . . something.”
“Mnugh.” Cal made a satisfied noise, face-down in a pillow.
Eliza grinned and nudged his bare chest. “That’s it? Wow. I never thought I’d see the day. Cal Prescott, lost for words.”
Cal emerged from the covers. “Easy there, woman.” He draped an arm around her, yawning, his eyes still closed. “Give me two minutes, and I’ll have something to say. Multi-syllabic, and everything.”
“Only two minutes? I’ll have to try harder next time.” Eliza dropped a kiss on his shoulder, and then took a light bite. His eyes shot open.
“Hungry?” Cal pulled her suddenly into his arms. Eliza laughed but the sound was swallowed as he kissed her: a slow, sweaty kiss, as if they had all the time in the world.
She melted into him. Man, this guy could kiss.
When they finally came up for air, her head was spinning. Cal grinned. “See? Two minutes. I told you so.”
She laughed and playfully hit him with a pillow. “Down, boy. I’m going to need refueling. I didn’t get dessert, remember?”
“We’ll see about that.” Cal leapt out of bed, and Eliza was treated to a glorious eyeful as he found a pair of sweatpants in the dresser and tossed her a robe. “Like what you see?” he asked with a wink.
“Maybe.” Eliza shrugged and nonchalantly slid out of bed. Well, as nonchalantly as she could, while trying to remember where her underwear went. After a quick scan of the room, she admitted defeat and tied the robe tighter. “Moonlight is very forgiving.”
“Ha!”
Cal’s laughter followed her down the hallway to the kitchen. She poured a glass of water from the filter and gulped it down, standing at the counter. Outside the windows, the ocean was glinting silver in the moonlight, and the whole bay was bright with the cloudless sky.
She heard Cal approaching, and then his arms wrapped around her from behind. She exhaled and relaxed back into his embrace, loving the feel of him, warm and solid. She couldn’t explain it, but a feeling of rightness settled over her.
This wa
s exactly where she was supposed to be.
Cal dipped his head to drop a kiss on her shoulder. “I knew we’d get it right eventually.”
She turned, still in his arms. “You mean, us, dating? Either that, or someone would have wound up dead.”
Cal chuckled. “My money’s on me. You’ve been doing your research.”
She laughed. “I don’t know . . . Sometimes, I’m putty in your hands.”
Cal met her gaze, reaching to brush hair from her face, and Eliza had to look away. It suddenly felt too much. Too close.
Too vulnerable.
She scooted out of his embrace, over to dig in the refrigerator. There were slim pickings. Bottled water, beer, some suspicious-looking leftovers . . . She made a face. “Where’s a whole cake when you need one?”
“Oh, ye of little faith.” Cal opened the freezer compartment and pulled out a pint of ice cream with a flourish. “I know what women want.”
“Double chocolate fudge?” Eliza pressed a hand to her forehead and pretended to swoon. “Why, Mr. Prescott. You’re too good to me.”
Cal found a pair of spoons and led her to the back-porch swing, adding an extra blanket against the cold. Eliza snuggled there beside him, savoring the cool sweetness of the dessert as she watched the dark shadows of the ocean.
It was peaceful out there, with just the moonlight and the distant sound of the waves. Slowly, her breathing steadied and her pulse slowed. Cal was silent beside her, but it was a calm, easy silence.
Eliza nestled her head against his shoulder.
“You don’t let your guard down often, do you?” Cal’s voice was low, and when she glanced up at him, he was watching her with a thoughtful expression.
