Waves of Romance: Contemporary Romance (Holidays Beach Read Book 2)

by Lori Ann Mitchell

  He kissed her then, her musk alive on his lips, fragrant and sweet and rich and the more she tasted, the more she wanted to taste. His lips crushed hers, leaving her breathless and sated by her own musky juices. Placing a hand on either side of her, Derek mounted her and, feeling the tender tip of his cock against her glistening lips, wriggled left, then right, until he slid in with a sumptuous, slick sound.

  She gasped beneath his kiss, breathless and thrilled by the sensation as he continued to kiss her while sliding deeper, harder, longer inside of her. When at last their pelvises met, wet and moist, he grunted and, still locked in a torrid embrace, began to thrust in and out of her as gently, but persistently, as he continued to cover her mouth with his own.

  Her pants met his grunts, her hands still clinging tightly to the bed rails as he nudged her thighs wider apart with his own and, knees on the bed, her ass gently lifted off the mattress, began to fuck her more persistently, energetically and forcefully.

  Each thrust forced a pant from her mouth, swallowed by his own as she grunted and struggled to breathe as sweat bathed her body, his and hers, their skin fiery and fierce as the friction between her legs grew so intense he fled from it, dripping and purple as he finally freed her to breathe and knelt above her, stroking himself until a fiery blast of hot, wet goo splattered her chest and belly, his enthusiasm so thick and fragrant it splashed her chin.

  She chuckled, gasping and impressed, before he fell beside her, skin so flushed and hot it was like lying next to a heating pad. He grunted, turning onto his back as she ran her index finger through the gooey trail he’d left along her glistening torso.

  “Here,” she said, offering it to him.

  “Gross,” he panted, still trying to catch his breath.

  “You made me,” she said, dabbing her finger along his frowning lips. “It’s only fair.”

  “Jesus,” he said and she slid her fingertip in, feeling him clasp his lips around her finger like tasting icing on a spoon. He winced, slightly, but licked her finger clean and she chuckled, dragging it out to run along his bare, damp chest.

  “I missed that,” she sighed, drawing her body close to his and wrapping her arms around him. “I missed you.”

  “Me too,” he said, folding his body around hers so that they lay, nestled, in a wet, sticky cocoon. “I’m sorry, Sage.”

  She chuckled, her heartbeat finally returning to normal. “You said you wouldn’t apologize again.”

  “That wasn’t an apology,” he grunted, pushing her gently away to peer back at him, the warm breeze through her window blowing across his damp curls. “I’m genuinely sorry I’ve been missing out on sex like that all week.”

  “Don’t you know makeup sex is the best sex,” she corrected him. “It won’t always be like that.”

  “Wanna bet?” he chuckled, reaching for her. Effortlessly, lying on his back, he dragged her atop his long, lean body. “I think we can have even better sex if we try.”

  “I dunno,” she purred, straddling him. “That was pretty damn good.”

  He shifted, gently, until her thighs slid apart on either side of his taut, lean belly. “Give me a few minutes,” he promised as she began to gently glide back and forth against him, “and I’ll prove it to you.”

  She chuckled, impressed that she could get so excited again, so quickly. “I knew it was a mistake letting you in tonight,” she sighed as she leaned down to kiss him.

  “I kind of gave you no choice,” he murmured between soft, velvet kisses that slowly grew more intense. “Those chocolate roses do it every time!”

  Chapter 9:

  Sage

  Colby walked in, looking suspicious – but beautiful – in a gray pleated skirt and clingy sleeveless blouse. Sage sat behind the bakery counter, coffee steaming from two mugs sitting on either side of a plate of fresh baked lemon poppy scones.

  “I got your text,” she said, shutting the store door behind her. “I… you made it pretty clear I was fired the other day so I’m not sure…”

  Her voice trailed off as she approached the customer side of the counter, a barstool pulled out just for her. “About that,” Sage said, motioning toward the seat. “I was hoping you’d reconsider.”

  Colby looked back at her, doubtful. “I don’t understand,” she said, a little of that bitterness showing through. “Reconsider… what, exactly? Letting you fire me?”

  “Exactly!” Sage said, raising the coffee cup to her lips.

  She thought she might be nervous about meeting with Colby again, but after a long, sleepless night of Derek in her bed she felt mostly… content. Sore, raw, proud, sexy and… content. And so, on a whim, she’d texted Colby’s number and invited her for coffee and scones before the store opened that morning.

  Now, it was time to make amends. “I don’t get it,” Colby said.

  “I know,” Sage sighed. “I’m… this is hard for me, but… I’d like you back here.”

  “Why?” Colby asked as if Sage had asked her to squash a spider – with her teeth! “You hate me.”

  “I don’t hate you.” .

  “You hate what I did… with Derek.”

  “I don’t hate what you did,” Sage said, “I hate that it happened. There’s a difference, you know?”

  Colby nodded, settling into her barstool after lingering at its edge. “Besides,” Sage said, pinching off a corner of scone. “It takes two to tango, you know?”

  Colby sighed and pinched off the same scone. “No,” she mumbled around a small bite. “I pretty much threw myself at him.”

  “Why?” Sage asked, coming around from the counter and sitting in the stool on the other end of the counter from Colby.

  “Uhhmmm,” she said, with that patented eye roll like Sage was a nun just hearing about the birds and bees for the first time, “because he’s hot like crazy.”

  Sage had to chuckle at her apt description. “Right, I get that Colby, but… why would you throw yourself at him if you knew we were together?”

  Her eyes widened, as if this had never even been a consideration. Flummoxed, she seemed speechless for several moments. Finally, she said, “I… I don’t know, Sage. I guess I just never thought of you.”

  “Oh bullshit,” Sage harrumphed, leaning forward slightly in her best lecture position. “You knew exactly what you were doing, so don’t play dumb with me.”

  Colby shrugged, frowning. “Okay, so maybe part of it was to see whether or not I could steal him away from you. But the other part was that he’s hella hot.”

  “Do you have girlfriends?” Sage asked, abruptly shifting the conversation in another direction.

  “Not many, why?”

  “I’m just assuming Derek’s not the first boyfriend you’ve ever stolen.”

  Colby sighed and took another nibble of scone. “Can I help it if their guys hit on me?”

  “I guess not, Colby, but… you can have a little self control.”

  “Why?” she huffed. “I mean, I figure I’m doing those girls a favor showing them their guys are really dogs, you know?”

  “That would be great, Colby, if that’s why you really did it.”

  “Why else would I do it?”

  “Because you’re a spoiled brat who isn’t happy with what she already has, she has to have what everybody else has, too.”

  Another eye roll, this one heavier than before. “Is that why you really called me in this morning? To lecture me again…” She started to get up and Sage softened, reaching out to touch her arm.

  “No, no… it’s not. I wanted… to give you your job back.”

  “What?” Colby slumped back into her seat, as if Sage had just recited the Gettysburg Address… in Mandarin. “Are you punking me? Is that what this is?” She whirled around in her barstool playfully, as if scoping the place out for hidden cameras.

  “I’m dead serious, Colby,” Sage said, pinning her with her eyes. “I acted hastily when I fired you, and… I’m sorry.”

  “You’re… sorry�
�� for firing me?” said Colby. “I’m the one who should be apologizing to you.”

  “Well, see there,” Sage said. “There’s a start.”

  “Start of what?” asked the young girl suspiciously.

  “A reconciliation, that’s what. Between you and me.”

  “You’d do that?” Colby asked. “I mean, really give me my job back? No strings attached?”

  “Oh, there will be strings,” Sage sighed, suddenly relieved and reaching for her coffee. As if feeling the same way, Colby did the same.

  “Like what?” Colby asked curiously.

  “Well, now that you’ve gotten Derek out of your system…” She paused, considering Colby’s long, coltish legs and flawless tan skin. “You have gotten Derek out of your system, haven’t you?”

  “Yes!” she said, with a definitive wave of her hand. “And if I’d known you better, Sage, I… I would have never tried so hard to get him in my system.”

  “Gross,” Sage snorted, and Colby did, too. “The less I know about your torrid affair, Colby, the better.”

  “It was hardly torrid,” Colby said and, for the life of her, Sage couldn’t help but arch a curious eyebrow.

  “No?”

  “I mean, don’t get me wrong,” Colby started, getting a sultry, faraway look in her young blue eyes. “It was—”

  “Okay, okay,” Sage said, crossing her legs and plugging her hears. “Forget I said anything.”

  “I was gonna say… weird,” Colby confessed, making Sage unplug her ears, though her legs stayed crossed… just in case.

  “How so?”

  “Just… like he was somewhere else,” Colby said pointedly, before adding, even more pointedly, “or with someone else.”

  For the first time since seeing Derek in Colby’s poolside selfies on Facebook, Sage actually felt… okay. And more than that, better about her decision to hire Colby back on. It was the only thing to do, considering. And from the look of gratitude in Colby’s eyes, she seemed to agree.

  “Strings?” Colby said, interrupting Sage’s reverie.

  “Huh?”

  “You said there’d be ‘strings attached’ if you took me back?”

  “Oh yeah, for sure,” Sage said, back to sipping her coffee. “You definitely need to take this job more seriously. I mean, I’m thinking of making you manager one day, and if so… you can’t be in here lolly-gagging and chasing after every surfer who comes in for a free scone every morning.”

  “We give surfers scones every morning?” Colby asked, perking up.

  Sage sighed. “See, if you paid more attention to your job, Colby, you’d know that…” She stood, finishing her coffee and moving behind the counter to rinse out her cup.

  It was nearly nine, now, and she had a date with the waves. “So, are you ready to suit up and start over?”

  “Yeah,” Colby said, rinsing out her cup as well. Sage started to walk away and Colby reached, gently, for her hand. “And Sage? Thanks. I mean, thanks a lot. I know I didn’t look it, but... I was really upset when you fired me.”

  “Me too,” Sage said.

  Colby wrinkled her nose, reaching for her old work apron. “Why, Sage?”

  “I hate when friends break up over guys,” Sage explained, grabbing her purse.

  “Really?” Colby said, tying her apron, face soft and thoughtful. “I mean, nothing personal, but… I never thought we were friends, actually.”

  “No,” said Sage, from halfway across the store. “But we could be. And that’s never a bad thing…”

  Chapter 10:

  Derek

  Derek sat atop his board, letting the tide take him where it would. His mornings were free and easy and, when Sage wasn’t joining him in the surf, lonely.

  He had never felt that way before: Lonely. Not that he’d never been alone. Traveling the world at a very young age, and being paid to do it, he’d been alone plenty, on airplanes, checking into hotels, out in the waves, but always with the promise of another new “friend” at the end of the night.

  He’d never wanted for female companionship, nor had he ever had to try very hard to lure girls into his bed. But this latest dustup with Colby, sexy as it was, had left Derek shaken, and not just because he’d almost lost Sage.

  It was the first time in a long time, perhaps since he’d lost his virginity, that sex had been purely physical. No more or less exciting than watching internet porn or jerking off in the shower. Always before he’d found something to be excited about a girl, in addition to the sex. The girl’s sense of humor, or her exotic eyes or tattoo, her husky voice or a concert they’d gone to, or were going to, whatever it was, it was “sex plus”.

  But Colby had left him feeling cold and confused, in more ways than one. Everything he’d thought about how he wanted to live his life changed, somehow, in those twelve hours they’d spent together. It wasn’t that the sex hadn’t been good, it had, but somewhere along the way he’d discovered that he needed more than that.

  At some point, catching his breath or showering or catching a beer on the balcony between sexy times, Derek had seen his whole life stretch out like before, one one-night stand after another, random girls, random bedrooms, random balconies, random beers while taking a breather, random mornings waking up before dawn just to be gone before she woke up and wanted to “talk” or “get to know him better”.

  He winced at the thought, the sun warm on his back, the board soft and gentle beneath him. It was something his friends might call “a good problem to have,” but still… a problem. Despite his carefree days and almost childlike existence, he was no longer a kid. What’s more, he was in love. The days after Sage had broken up with him were the longest in his life, quiet and dull, yet anxious and prickly from lack of sleep.

  He had thought, for a hot moment, that swimming into Colby’s arms – and diving between her legs – would cure him of the post break-up blues, but it had done just the opposite: Make him want Sage even more. And now, as he spotted her silhouette on the beach, his heart leapt and he knew something else: He couldn’t live without her.

  She was taking her time, laying her board on the sand, waxing it like he’d taught her, brown skin glistening in the sun. It could have been anyone on that beach, a random beach bunny, but Derek knew her so well now, it could only be her.

  The shape of her body, her ponytail resting gently on one narrow shoulder, her brown bikini bottoms and robin’s egg blue top, made him smile and drift closer to shore.

  He paused just shy of the break line, bobbing more actively now and smiling as she stood and stepped into the sea. He caught her looking for him, hand over her eyes to block the sun, and waited… waited… for that moment when, seeing him, she smiled.

  She smiled.

  Rushing out to him, dashing above the little slows and under and through the bigger ones, she arrived at his side wet and glistening and, the minute she was close enough, he leaned over and kissed her.

  “What was that for?” she asked, wiping a stray lock of wet hair out of her eyes.

  “I missed you,” he said, grinning, shrugging, almost shivering with delight.

  She chuckled and paddled gently away. “Jesus, Derek, we’ve only been away from each other for an hour or so.”

  “Too long,” he said, and she laughed some more. “I think we need to make some changes, Sage.”

  She arched an eyebrow, long, lean thighs straddling her board. “Oh God, what now?”

  “Nothing,” he said, suddenly nervous. “It’s just, I’ve been thinking, and… your place, my place…”

  “… are a block from each other,” she said, but somehow they’d drifted closer together and, this close, he could see the concern on her face.

  “Too far,” he said, smirking.

  “It used to be just fine for you,” she reminded him, grabbing hold of his board to keep from drifting away. He did the same, both of them facing each other in the gentle swell just shy of the rolling breakers. Here, the Atlantic was more like a
lake, and less like an ocean.

  “Things are different now,” he said.

  “Why?” she asked, shaking her head. “What’s gotten into you?”

  “I don’t know,” he marveled. “You, I guess.”

  “Colby, more like it,” she corrected him.

  “Yeah, her too…” And, when her eyes widened, he quickly added, “For better or worse, Sage, I want to say she brought us closer together.”

  “You just got scared, Derek,” she told him, gently patting his thigh before gripping his board again. “No one’s probably ever broken up with you before.”

  “No, they haven’t,” he agreed, “but then again, I’ve never really dated anyone long term.”

  “Then… you’re just being delirious right now—”

  “Let’s move in together!” he blurted, interrupting her.

  “What?”

  “I’m serious,” he said, tugging her board closer. “If I’m being delirious, let me be delirious all the way.”

  “That’s… really delirious.”

  “No it isn’t,” he insisted. “Couples do it all the time.”

  “Yeah, but…”

  “But what?” he challenged, splashing her playfully.

  “But… I just… I’ve been alone for so long.”

  He nodded. “I hear you, Sage. And remember… remember when we were kids, and we spent the night at a friend’s house for the first time, and we’d always wake up in the middle of the night scared and their mom would call our mom to come get us?”

  She chuckled. “Yes, but…”

  “It’s not like you can’t walk home if you’re not digging it.”

  “Oh, so we’re living in your place? Who decided that?”

  “It’s bigger.”

  “Mine’s paid for.”

  “Technicalities, technicalities…” He grinned. “Besides, I’ve been thinking of… investing in a property here in Seaside.”

  “Hold on there, cowboy,” she said. “You… are you serious?”

  “I wasn’t,” he confessed, “until this very minute. My Dad says I should invest some of my money, instead of spending it. So… why not buy a cozy little cottage by the beach?”