by Tasha Fawkes
"It’s like that Neutral Milk Hotel song. How strange it is to be anything at all,” she said. "And here we are, just being. Existing. Breathing in and breathing out, while millions of tiny cells in our bodies are performing a massive choreographed dance to keep us alive. And that gigantic ball of gas and flame is the instrument that's keeping us all alive. Sitting here, staring out at it, facing the object of our life and also our death." She shrugged. "I don't know. It feels exhilarating to me. There are millions of reasons we should have never existed, but here we are. The craziest thing you can do in your day is be aware of that."
When she spoke, she meant it. I got the impression that her surface fear wasn't the only thing that had fractured today. This trip was changing her, and I was lucky enough to watch the metamorphosis. It occurred to me that for this second of being alive, this moment of experiencing the thrill of merely existing, I had the perfect partner. There was nobody else I would rather be with.
"I like that," I told her, meeting her gaze. "I like that a lot."
Something passed over Brin's features, but I couldn't tell what. A moment of decision, maybe? Then the answer became clear.
She leaned toward me and planted her lips on mine. Desire quickly supplanted surprise as the electricity of her lips drew me in. Her mouth was soft, moving nimbly against mine. She tasted of salt from the ocean and something all her own, all delicious. I pulled her closer, and she sank against me, fitting perfectly against my side.
She broke the kiss. Her eyes were laughing. "There. Now you've had your brand of thrill too."
"You guys ready to go?" Martin called from somewhere behind us.
I turned and waved at him. He and Russell were packing up. When I turned back to Brin, she was already staggering to her feet. I cast one last glance at the setting sun and bid it farewell.
Brin and I staggered into our room hours later, exhausted. After a delicious dinner downstairs and a couple of drinks, both of us were ready for bed. My last thought as I drifted off was that it felt natural falling into bed next to her. How could one day change so much?
The only problem, I thought, sleep dragging me down, was that our relationship wasn't meant to change.
Nine
Brin
I came out of sleep gently, slowly becoming aware of my surroundings and the sensation of soft cotton sheets wrapped around my waist. My eyes flitted open to a room full of light, happy sunbeams splaying across the bed. I smiled, wide and silly like it was Christmas morning. Was there a time of day here that wasn't magical?
I turned on my side to see the bed was empty next to me. Everything from yesterday came flooding back, the memory cast in my aching muscles. Chad. A cliff. Snorkeling. A perfect kiss. Chad.
Oh god, I kissed Chad!
I slapped a hand over my mouth and rolled back onto my back, staring up at the ceiling as I processed.
I kissed Chad Harlan... and it was sensational. I knew I shouldn't have done it, that I was only his fake girlfriend and I'd made such a big fuss about not doing any funny business while we were here, but I couldn't make myself regret it. The impulse to kiss him had risen out of the blue and his reaction, his pulling me close and kissing the living daylights out of me, had been everything.
I glanced over at the clock and saw it was nine am. He'd let me sleep in. Shit, was he still here? I could already tell my hair was a disheveled, dry mess from being in the ocean yesterday. I could only imagine how I looked. My eyes flitted around the room, and I stilled to listen for signs of movement. Nothing. Thank god.
I hopped out of bed and headed straight to the shower. The steam and hot water pounding against my back helped finish waking me, and by the time I stepped out, I felt ready for whatever today had to bring. I pulled on the fluffy white bathrobe and headed back into the bedroom, where I sat at the end of the bed and started toweling off my hair.
There was a light knock on the door, but before I could get up to answer it, it cracked open.
"Are you decent?" Chad asked, peeking his head through the gap.
"More or less," I said. "Where'd you head off to this morning?"
Chad entered, carrying a tray with two coffees and a paper bag on it. I eyed the bag, mouth watering.
"I was getting you breakfast," he said. "And doing a little work. I didn't want to wake you. You looked like you were having a good sleep."
"I was. Thank you." I was already reaching out for the bag, making little grabby gestures with my hands. "Please tell me there's something with sugar in that bag."
Chad laughed and sat the tray down on the bedside table. He tossed the bag over to me, and I opened it, inhaling the sweet scent of vanilla icing as I pulled out the pastry. This morning was turning out to be a stellar one so far. I could get used to this.
Chad watched me eat, smirking. "You've got a real sweet tooth, huh?"
"Let's put it this way—if you cover it with sugar, I'll eat it. Probably my biggest flaw." I shoved the last of the pastry into my mouth and licked the icing off my fingers. I could have eaten twenty more.
"Oh yeah?" Chad asked, eyes sparkling with mirth. "Does that apply to everything?"
I swallowed hard, nearly choking on the half-chewed food. Heat snaked through me, settling into my core and burning me from the inside out.
Oh dear.
Chad turned up his mega-watt smile and came to stand in front of me, arms crossed over his chest.
"I've got exciting news," he said.
"Uh-huh?"
"Russell worked through the night editing yesterday's footage. We posted it a few hours ago, and it's already gone viral. Over a million views and counting."
I knew I was supposed to be excited by this news, but I barely even heard it. Chad was so close to me, his biceps bulging against the sleeves of his t-shirt, his manly scent drifting across the small space to fog my mind.
I'd always known he was hot, but when had he started being so seductive? I wanted to jump up and kiss him again, but I was scared. Worried. Insecurity began to trickle in, reminding me that just because he'd kissed me back didn't mean anything. I was his fake girlfriend for the week.
But then there was the energy that seemed to charge the room just from being close to each other like we were two opposing magnets forced apart.
God, I wanted to taste his lips again. The desire was almost overwhelming. I needed to distract myself.
"That's great," I said. "You must be thrilled."
"I am. Absolutely elated."
He stayed standing there, looking down at me. I licked my lips again, the last few bits of sugar melting into my tongue.
I couldn't stand this tension. I wondered if I should just ask him about the kiss, about whether it might be something he wanted to do again. That would be super awkward though. Why was I always so goddamn awkward?
"What are you thinking about?" Chad asked.
I laughed. And then, surprisingly, I told him.
"How much I enjoyed that kiss yesterday."
Chad didn't skip a beat. He leaned down and slammed his mouth against mine, threading his fingers through my hair to hold my face in place. I moaned at the sudden contact, heart racing.
"I was hoping you would say that," he murmured against my mouth. "It's been on my mind all fucking morning."
"What are we going to do about that?" I whispered breathlessly.
"Well." He nibbled my lower lip. "I was thinking something like this." He kissed me again, urging my mouth open with his tongue and exploring more.
We fell back onto the bed, and Chad scooted me further up the mattress until my head lay on the pillows. He never broke the kiss, deftly massaging my mouth with his firm lips. His stubble scraped my cheek. His hand ran up the length of my thigh, dipping under the bathrobe. I was suddenly aware of how naked I was under there. Chad growled. He was aware now too.
This kiss was more exhilarating than any cliff jump ever could be. Maybe if we went cliff jumping into a volcano, that might compare a little. My heart
hammered against my ribs, blood singing in my veins. The room filled with the sound of our heaving breaths as we devoured each other, locked in a passionate embrace that felt as never-ending as time itself.
Just as I had on the beach yesterday, I threw caution to the wind and fell into Chad. Dove into his warmth. His kiss. I was his fake girlfriend, but this desire was real, tangible almost. If Kimberley were here, she would tell me to go for it, to go for him, because this was the part of the vacation I probably needed more than anything else at the end of the day. It felt like it at this moment, with Chad's hand wrapping around my thigh, digging his fingers into my flesh. He began kissing lower, gliding his mouth down my chin, my throat, sucking on the sensitive skin there and pulling out a gasp of pure pleasure from me. I was in heaven.
My core ached for him, ached to be filled. The throbbing sensation grew harder and harder to bear as his expert lips feathered over my collarbone. He inched open the robe as he went, kissing each inch of skin as it became exposed. His hot breath tickled me and I laughed. I fell silent when he parted the robe fully, exposing my naked body to his gaze.
Chad groaned with pleasure, eyes eating me up from top to tail. I didn't feel the same vulnerability I normally did when a guy first saw me naked. In fact, his reaction was thrilling. I felt empowered. Alive. I smiled coyly and took his face in my hands, pulling his gaze up to mine and kissing him hard. I wrapped a leg around his hips. He ground his bulge into my sex, the denim providing a delicious friction that sent shivers of pleasure through me. I needed more. I needed all of him.
"If I told you, you had an amazing body," Chad said between kisses, "would you hold it against me?"
I laughed. "With lines like that, no wonder you have to pay someone to be your girlfriend."
"I'll get you for that," hee growled, sucking my bottom lip into his mouth.
"Can't wait."
Chad sent a wandering hand down my curves. His rough fingertips left gooseflesh in their wake, down my ribs, my stomach, before finally finding my seam and running teasingly over it. I arched up. The thought of going another second without him touching me there was almost too much to bear. I was like a cat in heat.
"Please, Chad."
He continued rubbing just above where I wanted him to. He tucked his mouth under my ear and chuckled darkly. "Please, Chad what?"
"Please touch me. I'm dying."
"We wouldn't want that, would we?" He nibbled on my earlobe and then blew cold air onto the wet spot. My head nearly spun right off my shoulders.
"Say it one more time, and I'll give you what you want, beautiful."
Easy.
"Please, Chad. Touch me. Put a finger inside of me. Anything."
Without further ado, Chad plunged a finger into my wetness. Since it had been awhile, even that finger felt huge. I wondered how I was going to survive taking his cock, especially since based on the sizable bulge in his jeans, it was no tic-tac.
Another finger joined the first. I mewled and tossed my head back, holding onto the back of his shirt for dear life. Why the hell was he still wearing a shirt? I began to claw it off, and Chad effortlessly pulled it over his head and tossed it to the side, never taking his hand out of me.
He stroked my clit with the pad of his thumb in slow circles. So. Goddamn. Slow. I wanted him hard and fast but he was determined to make me feel every tortuously slow movement. My mind was reeling under the assault of pleasure.
Chad kissed my neck, whispering, "How does that feel, beautiful?"
It was the second time he'd called me that, like he was asserting his dominance or something. I didn't test him on it. He was making me feel too good to fight him on anything.
"So fucking good," I replied, breathless. "So fucking good."
Chad nuzzled into my throat and upped his tempo, bringing my hips off the bed as I struggled to keep up with his fingerfucking. With anyone I'd slept with before, this was just a bit of clumsy foreplay that I would usually prefer to skip. With Chad, this act could be the main event. My heart pounded so hard I could hear my blood. There was a tightening sensation in my core. I was going to explode, and I didn't know if I'd survive the force of it.
Chad moved down to my chest and sucked my nipple between his teeth. I moaned and arched up.
More. More. More.
"More? Baby, I'll give you everything," he said, moving to the other nipple. I hadn't realized I'd spoken out loud.
He sucked on my breast, and it sent a white-hot bolt of pleasure straight to my sex. The liquid heat in my belly exploded, and I went flying. I was barely conscious of Chad's fingers still working inside of me, of my body pulsing around them, of my cries of pleasure. I slipped somewhere dark and warm and wondrous and let the ecstasy take me under. I'd never come like that in my life.
"You're in the wrong profession," I panted.
Chad pulled his hand away and sat back, unbuckling his belt as he looked down at me with a devious smirk.
"And what profession do you reckon I should be in?"
"You'd make one hell of a magician."
He frowned, midway to unzipping his pants. "Why's that?"
"Because those hands are fucking magic."
Chad laughed and rolled his eyes. "And you say my lines are bad." He pushed off his pants and rolled over to the side of the bed, where his suitcase was sitting half-packed. He grabbed something out of the front pocket—a condom.
He was just wearing boxers now, and as reality settled back into place, I gaped at the massive tent of cotton. Chad pulled down his boxers, and his cock sprung to life.
It was long and thick, with a bulging mushroom head already glistening with a drop of precum. I reached for it without thinking, stroking the shaft and reveling in the heat and weight. Chad shivered at my touch, letting his eyes flutter closed. I moved my exploration down to his smooth balls, taking them in hand and massaging them gently.
Chad groaned and bent down to kiss me again. His lips moved sloppily against my own as he lost himself in the pleasure. I felt powerful. Sexy. I ran my other hand up his chest, loving the way his muscles jumped at my touch. He was a work of art. It felt like touching a warm statue, taut and sculpted and otherworldly.
"I need to fuck you," Chad murmured. "I can't wait any longer."
He moved away from me just long enough to rip open the condom wrapper and sheathe himself. I watched hungrily, biting my lip. I couldn't wait for him to get inside of me.
Chad pushed me down onto my back with a firm palm on my chest. He settled between my thighs, directing his cock to my entrance with one hand while the other held me in place—not that I would've gone anywhere.
Chad split me open, pushing slowly inside and stretching me wider than I'd ever been stretched. I groaned. My body spasmed with the force of it. He stilled and waited for me to adjust a little, and I tried to lean up on my elbows to kiss him.
Chad grinned but held me flat against the mattress. "I want to watch your face as you take my cock," he said. "You're so tight, Brin."
His words sent another wave of heat over me and my sex throbbed. "Then give it to me."
His eyes hardened into pools of darkness, and he sheathed himself to the hilt in one firm thrust. I cried out in both pain and pleasure. It felt so good, so right. His cock went deep so that every move of my hips rubbed him along my g-spot.
Finally, Chad bent down to kiss me. He pulled out halfway and slammed back in as his mouth claimed mine. The pain abated into pure bliss as he began thrusting in earnest. I clawed at his back because it felt like if I didn't hold on, I was going to float right away into the sky.
Chad's lips moved over mine possessively in a dance that only we knew the steps to. His hips met mine over and over again, forcefully pinning me to the bed. I wrapped my legs around his hips and urged him deeper, and he rewarded me with a gruff growl and his teeth in my neck.
Was sex always this good? Surely not. If it were, I would be having more of it. My memories of sex were clumsy and awkward and unsatisf
ying; in comparison, this seemed to be a different act entirely. We were wild and primal. We were animals. All bets were off and the rules no longer applied. This was exactly where I wanted to be and it felt so damn good.
I lost track of time. I lost track of everything. My world narrowed down to the god on top of me and the pressure building in my core with every thrust of his hips. He pawed at my breast, tweaking my nipple and making me cry out. I scratched him. He bit my ear. I bit his neck. We pushed each other, tested each other, and the more lost in shared ecstasy we got, the less we resembled humans.
The tightness in my belly cinched in further, further, until I knew I was ready to break. I gasped for air. "Don't stop!" I begged, squeezing my eyes shut. "I'm so close!"
"Yes, beautiful," he ground out. "Come for me. I want to see you fall apart."
He met my eyes with an intense stare, and I shattered. If my last orgasm was spectacular, this one was earth-shattering. His cock continued to drive into me, forcing my body into another climax that made my hair stand on end. I screamed, probably loud enough for the whole island to hear me. I didn't care.
"Fuck!" Chad groaned. He upped his assault, and I held onto him for dear life. He was close too, I could feel it. I could practically taste it. He slammed into me hard enough to shake the bed. Then, with a low grunt, he thrust one last time and collapsed on top of me.
And jeez, was he heavy.
We both collected ourselves, panting until our breaths started to calm. I kissed Chad's shoulder, sticky with sweat. He hummed into my neck.
"What a way to start my day," I joked.
Chad's shoulders shook with laughter, and he pulled himself up a little, resting himself on his elbows to look down at me. His hair was messy and fell over one of his eyes, which sparkled down at me with mirth.
"What happened to your conditions?" he asked.
I shrugged as best as I could and giggled. "I mean, we never wrote anything down."
Chad laughed. I'd seen his smile hundreds of times over dozens of videos, but there was something different about the way he smiled just then. Maybe it was in my head. Maybe it was wishful thinking. But something seemed different about him. And hell, I liked it.
