“Well, good. I like nature, but not that much.”
I turned to her with a smile. “We’re on the exact same page then. I think we’ll have a good time.”
Nine.
“So you said this was your parents’ house, right? The house you grew up in?”
Sean nodded, then took another swig from his beer. “Yeah. My father built this house, for him and my mother. Loved being so close to the water. It’s not quite the same as the South Pacific, but he always said it made him feel a little closer to home.”
He sat back, with a little smile on his face, presumably about his father.
After we came in from the lake, I’d scrubbed my hands as hard as I could without making them raw, ridding myself of the ickiness of worms and raw fish. While I was off doing that, and then joined him in the kitchen to help prepare sides for dinner, Sean had scaled, cleaned, and fileted the fish. He deep-fried them outside in a huge fryer to keep the smell out of the house, and we ate until we were full.
Now, we were just sitting outside as the sun set, bathing everything it touched in red-gold light as we talked. We were beside each other on the outdoor sofa, but I had my legs draped across his lap, and his fingers played in the fringes of my torn jeans, occasionally brushing my bare thigh. Sean had a beer, while I had a glass of wine.
“That’s right,” I said, nodding. “You said your dad was Samoan.”
He shook his head. “Grandfather, actually. My dad is Samoan and Fijian.”
“Fijian as in, like… from Fiji?!”
“Yeah, Samoa is basically next door neighbors with Fiji. Maybe I’ll take you home with me some day. That’s actually where my parents met. He was working, at a tourist resort. She came on vacation with her family, and according to them, it was love at first sight. He followed her back to the United States.”
“That’s so romantic.”
Sean smiled a little more. “Yeah, they loved the hell out of each other. I was only fourteen when she passed, but I remember that.”
I knew neither of Sean’s parents were alive anymore, but I didn’t realize he’d lost his mother so young. His father had only been gone for about a year, after being hit by a drunk driver, according to Charlie. She hadn’t said how his mother passed. “Can I… is it okay for me to ask what happened?”
“Cancer. She was sick for a long time, and then she went into remission, and then… it was like she was suddenly just gone.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, reaching up to stroke his face, but he gave kind of a half-shrug.
“It’s okay. It wasn’t for a while, for my father, or me but then it was. Me and him got closer. He took me to meet his family in Fiji and Samoa, took me to get tatted when I turned eighteen.”
I swept my fingers over the intricately inked design that went halfway down his arm, and then beyond where I could see, under his tee shirt. “So this has some special meaning?”
He nodded. “Keahi. Fire, flames.”
Now that he said it, I could see that the deep red ink mixed in with the lines of black against his golden skin did resemble flames going down his arm. “So that’s what Keahi means? Fire, in Samoan?”
“Hawaiian, actually,” he chuckled. “And I still haven’t gotten a clear answer on how I ended up with a Hawaiian last name, but I guess we were all just Polynesian family down there anyway. And thank you, for pronouncing it right.”
I grinned. “You’re welcome, but I’ll admit to having to slow down and think about it every time I say it. Kay-ah-hee.”
“You’ll get used to it. My ex did, eventually.” As soon as those words came out of his mouth, Sean let out a sigh. “I’m sorry. I don’t even know why that came out, you don’t want to hear about—”
“Actually…,” I interrupted. “I would like to know what happened between you and your wife, if I haven’t already interrogated you enough.”
He sighed again, and I almost told him we didn’t have to talk about it, but he started speaking before I could.
“Stupidity, mostly. On my part. We met, had great chemistry, had great sex, I fell in love, so I married her. Two years in, I found out she didn’t feel the same. She admitted to being in love with somebody else, some guy from back in her hometown. She’d been seeing behind my back for the whole second year of our marriage. She asked for a divorce, I gave it to her, and here we are, a year and a half later.” He stopped, took a long swig to finish his beer, and then turned to me with a blank expression. “We should probably head inside, the sun is almost down.”
Damn. Mood ruined.
I nodded, then swung my legs out of his lap so he could stand up. He offered a hand to help me up, and I finished off my wine glass, then accepted.
“I’m gonna go take a shower,” he said, as we stepped through the door into the kitchen. “Wash the outdoors off me.”
I laughed. “Sounds like something my dad would say, and I probably need to do the same.”
“Well, you can use mine, and I’ll use one of the guest baths.”
“Sean, you don’t have to—”
“Not an argument you’re gonna win, beautiful.” Sean kissed my forehead, then walked off, with me right behind him, all the way to his bedroom. I watched as he grabbed shorts and a tee shirt, his toothbrush, toothpaste, and body wash, then grinned at me as he left the room.
Alone in Sean’s room, I let out a heavy sigh. I knew I shouldn’t have asked about his wife, but I was beyond curious, especially with the way our relationship was progressing. I mean, I didn’t even really know what was happening.
Here I was, spending the weekend at his house – in his bedroom. He hadn’t even asked where I wanted him to put my bags; he’d brought them straight in here, because that was his natural assumption of where I would want to be. And… it was where I wanted to be.
But, still…
You’d think that as hard as I’d been flirting, and teasing, and almost going there with him, I had no reservations about taking our relationship to the next level – sex. But… how could I take things to the next level, when I wasn’t even sure what level we were on? We talked like a couple, hung out like a couple, flirted like a couple… but there’d been no discussion of a title. Not that I needed a title, because just two months ago, I’d been ready to get engaged to someone else.
But somehow, that felt like a lifetime ago. With Sean, it felt like we’d been learning each other, growing together for years instead of the short time we’d actually known each other. If I was being completely honest with myself, I felt natural, and relaxed with Sean in a way that I never had with Ray.
Ray was handsome, and successful, and he definitely had charm. Well educated, well connected, well appointed… the kind of man you considered yourself lucky to find, especially when you were over thirty, as I had been when we met. I liked him well enough, and the sex was good, so over time, that “like” grew into a casual sort of love that, looking back, wasn’t good enough. It lacked the passion and warmth it should have had to convince me to hire someone else to run my store, move so many miles away, open another store, buy a house, all of that. After three years together, it lacked the passion and warmth I felt in two months with Sean.
Not for the first time, I wondered if I’d moved for Ray at all.
Before him, my life had fallen into a stale sort of routine. I had my family, and my friends, and my store, and all of those things made me happy, but there was a missing piece to the puzzle. I wasn’t just hell-bent on getting married, but I did feel like love could maybe fill that void. Problem was… when Ray mentioned moving for his job, that little part of me still felt empty. So I told myself that maybe he and I just needed that new adventure together. Moving to a new city on our own, away from well-meaning, but nosy family, meeting new people, starting that second location for Scantilily I’d been thinking about for so long, buying that old home and bringing it back to life. Maybe that would make me feel whole.
And… I was right.
Just… minus Ray.
I felt whole. By myself.
When I moved into this vibrant neighborhood, full of black people making the most of their lives, I felt at home in a way I never had in Chicago. Every day filled the emptiness a little bit, and even once I got that horrible phone call from Ray, I still felt like I was right where I needed to be.
And then… Sean happened. Whatever the heck we were doing came to life, and I just felt… full. I was embarrassed, and hurt, and angry, and confused by Ray, because how could I not, after being with him for three years? But those feelings were fading, more and more, quicker and quicker with each passing day. Sean made me feel warm, and whole, and honestly, I was okay with leaving whatever this thing was between us undefined, at least for now.
For now, I was content to just enjoy these moments.
I got in the shower and soaped my skin with my African Paradise shower smoothie, then rinsed under the warm water. While in Chicago, I’d visited my favorite spot – which unfortunately didn’t measure up anymore compared to the one a few doors down from Viv’s shop – and gotten waxed and buffed and mani-pedi’d.
When I got out of the shower, I peeked into the bedroom to see if Sean was there. The room was empty, so I stepped out, and took my time rubbing body butter into my skin, brushing my teeth, and unwrapping my hair from where I’d covered it while we were outside.
I fluffed it out around my shoulders, then looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. Large breasts, soft, not-exactly flat belly, wide hips, and ample thighs. If I turned around, my thighs weren’t the only thing I could call ample either. But, I was happy with what I saw. Smooth, soft dark skin, well-proportioned body, even if I wouldn’t be walking any runways. Some dimples and stretchmarks, but I looked damn good anyway – and I did say so myself.
I thought about, then decided against putting on lingerie – or any clothing, for that matter. I wrapped myself back into my bath towel, then went to find Sean.
I found him in the living room, sitting in what he’d told me earlier was his favorite chair, with a fire blazing in front of him. He was absorbed in something on his phone, and didn’t see me until I was halfway to where he was.
When he looked up and saw me, he smiled, then extended his arms toward me. “Come ‘ere.”
I did as he asked. I went right up to him and sank into his lap, curling up with my head against his chest. “I’m sorry if I upset you earlier,” I murmured, looking up to meet his eyes. “I know those are all sensitive topics, but I’m just trying to get to know you. I should have gauged that a little better though.”
“It’s fine,” he said, stroking a thumb across my jaw. “I’d be concerned if you weren’t curious, especially about my divorce. And I mean… it still bothers me, honestly. I don’t like talking about it, but it’s information you deserved to have, with us… doing whatever it is we’re doing.”
I smiled. “So you don’t know either, huh?”
“I have no idea. But…” he shrugged. “I’m rolling with it. All I can do.”
I nodded, then gestured at his phone in his hand. “What were you doing?”
“Reading articles about college football. The season is starting soon. I knew you’d probably be in the shower a little longer than I would, so I started the fire, got comfortable.”
Sean took in a subtle, sharp intake of breath when I lifted my hand, gliding my fingers over the back of his ear. I readjusted myself in his lap, sitting up a little more so I could kiss his neck, then tug his earlobe between my teeth, running my tongue over the soft flesh before I sat back. “Well, don’t let me interrupt. Finish reading.”
“Nah, I can look at that shit later.”
“Finish your article,” I insisted, holding back a laugh. “I can wait five minutes for your attention.”
He shook his head. “Fal… you came in here and got in my lap, looking and smelling good enough to eat, in nothing but a towel. Kissing on me like you’re trying to start something. I can’t wait five minutes.” I giggled as he pushed a hand underneath the edge of the towel, running his fingers up the back of my thigh to squeeze my ass. “So how about you tell me what you had in mind when you came in here like this?”
“Well… you said this was your favorite chair, right?” I asked as I got up from his lap, moving to stand right in front of him. He nodded, and I tossed the condom I’d had clutched in my hand at him. Earlier, before I joined him out on the dock, I’d done a little bit of snooping. I came across a stack of them in the drawer of the table beside his bed.
I grabbed the top of my towel. “So, I was thinking… we could make some more happy memories for it.” I pulled the towel open and dropped it, hoping that the roaring fire behind me made me look as sexy as I felt.
Sean’s eyes went wide, and he raked his gaze over me in a slow, hungry sweep. He licked his lips, then lifted his eyes back to my face. I took a step forward, intending to do a sexy little sashay, but before I could take another step, Sean was out of the chair, grabbing my face to pull me into a kiss.
His tongue was minty, warm, sweet, and reckless as he plunged into my mouth with a ravenous sweep. He kissed me like he was starving, and his hands dropped from my face to grab my ass, then moved between us to squeeze my breasts. His warm, calloused palms felt so good on my bare skin they left tingling, electric heat trailing in their wake. I gasped into his mouth when his fingers grazed my nipples, pinching and rolling until they were hard peaks.
“S-S-Sean,” I stammered, whimpering as he moved from my mouth to my neck, sucking and nibbling. “I-I-oh my God.” I forgot whatever the hell I was saying as he pushing a hand between my thighs, immediately sinking two fingers as far as they would go. “Ah!” I arched into him, going weak at the knees when he pressed his thumb to my clit.
“Let’s revisit the chair at another time,” he muttered into my ear as he pumped his fingers into me. I nodded, frantically, just wanting him not to stop what he was doing, and what seemed like seconds later, we were on the floor. I was on my back, legs spread wide, and not the least bit embarrassed. My fingers went to my nipples, flicking and squeezing as I watched him strip off his tee shirt and shorts.
Sean’s body was beautiful, just as I’d imagined. His golden skin glowed in the light of the fire, highlighting the intricate tribal tattoo covering one side of his chest, and extending down to his elbow. Drool-worthy biceps and shoulders, a thick, toned waist, and his… hammer… well… made my mouth water. It would be worth the limp I’d probably have later.
I let out another loud “Ah!” as Sean’s mouth closed over one of my nipples, sucking hard enough to skirt that line between pleasure and pain.
“Am I being too rough?” he asked, with his mouth still full of my breast and I wildly shook my head as his hands kneaded and squeezed me wherever he could reach.
“No!” I grabbed the back of his head, holding him down against my breasts, damn near smothering him, and he chuckled before he sucked my nipple again, then grazed it with his teeth. It sent a shock of pleasure down my spine, and I hadn’t come back from that one before he moved to the other side and did the same thing.
I moaned, tingling with desire as he kissed and licked his way from my breasts to my belly button, and then between my legs. He touched everything except what I needed him to touch, kissing and biting the inside of my thighs, my ass cheeks, the backs of my legs.
“Sean, please,” I whimpered, when he kissed me just above my clit, leaving behind the tingling warmth of his contact.
“Please what? You want me to do this?” he asked, running his tongue over me in a barely-there touch between my butt cheeks that made me spasm.
“Don’t tease me, plea—mmmmm…” My plea turned into a low, appreciated moan as he licked me hard, then closed his mouth over my sex, lapping at me with his tongue. My fingers dug into his low-cut hair, as he moved lower, dipping his tongue inside of me and then coming back, licking and kissing his way over my slick flesh.
I was so, so wet, and that seemed to make Se
an more excited. He kissed, licked, slurped, and sucked until my legs shook, and my wetness was covering his face, and then he dove back in for more, groaning and growling under his breath about how I “tasted so fucking good”.
His tongue was everywhere, places nobody else had ever put their tongue, but it felt too good to be shocked or embarrassed. I just rocked my hips against his face, kept my legs open wide, and gripped him by the ears to keep him in place… not that he seemed interested in being anywhere else. He tongued me until I had no choice but to scream his name, and the hot pressure of an orgasm built in the pit of my stomach until it exploded, sweeping over me in sweet, shuddering release.
Vaguely, through half-lidded eyes, I saw him sit up, grabbing the forgotten condom I’d brought with me. With his tee shirt, he wiped his face, then rolled the condom on and situated himself between my legs again.
Instead of plunging inside of me, he braced his arms on either side of me and looked down on me until I was lucid enough to meet his eyes.
“You ready?”
I nodded, and then he kissed me again, a sweet, sex-laced kiss that was nothing like the ravenous one a few minutes ago. His tongue swept my mouth, caressing, exploring, and making me feel like I could easily get drunk on him… if I already wasn’t.
The way he was looking at me, as if I was something precious he didn’t want to damage, that made my heart race. It occurred to me that we were getting into something we shouldn’t, taking us further than either of us was really ready to go, but I pushed the thought away. Sean cared for me, without a doubt, and I cared for him. Right now, that was all I needed, so whatever happened later… just, happened.
Sean sank into me slowly, a little at a time, with easy, coaxing strokes until he was buried deep. He groaned once he was in, closing his eyes and shaking his head as if it was the best thing he’d ever felt. I sucked in a deep breath, half discomfort, half unbridled joy at how good he felt, filling me up. “You good?” he asked, meeting my eyes, and I nodded.
He kissed me again, then he began to move, and it was agony and relief all at once. He moved his lips to my neck, kissing and nibbling as he stroked me, slow and gentle, and my body gradually opened and stretched to accommodate him.
The Way Love Goes (Serendipitous Love Book 4) Page 10
