*****
Careful to stay against the side of the pool, Audrey moved into the shallow end until her feet touched bottom, and waited for Zach. When she’d pressed her bikini-clad body against his half-naked form-his magnificent half-naked form-she’d felt his erection against her lower belly.
A thrill shot upward from her toes, spreading through her body and warming her despite the cool water lapping at her skin. She’d never had so much fun.
Zach dove under for the second time, the water glistening off his wide shoulders in the mountain sun before he disappeared beneath the azure surface again. This time, he was successful, coming up for air right in front of her and giving her a knowing wink a split second before Speedo Man did a practiced dive into the deep end.
“My hero,” Audrey murmured. She smiled as Zach stepped closer. Droplets of water glided down his chest, and pooled in his belly button before dripping lower to disappear into the band of his blue swim trunks.
“My lady,” he said, pushing his hand toward her.
She reached for the boob as he moved to shield her from the family members who clearly weren’t minding their own business. “Okay,” she said, peering over his shoulder, “your family on the deck can’t see what I’m doing, but Speedo Gonzales over there has a clear view.”
Theresa’s husband stood beside the pool, knocking the water from his ears and pretending not to watch them.
Audrey bit her lip. Think like Ava, she reminded herself. “If you put it back for me, then everyone will just think you’re feeling me up.” Butterflies on steroids raced through her belly.
Zach’s mouth twitched at the corner, and Audrey had the urge to kiss him there again. But she held back. This was just a game. All games came to an end eventually.
“Okay, twist my arm,” he muttered. “Slide your hands around my waist, and pretend I’m really turning you on.”
“Like that will be hard,” she whispered, doing as he said. His back muscles tensed under her touch as she raked her fake fingernails along his shoulder blades. He shivered. She ran her hands down his sides, stopping just shy of his waist band. Did his breathing just catch? She smiled inside.
His hand approached her breast, and she arched her neck and gave a dramatic moan of ecstasy. She bit her lip as his fingers dipped inside her bikini top, holding the material away with one hand while the other pushed the fake boob into its pocket.
As he removed his hand, his fingers brushed her nipple and it immediately pebbled, despite the innocent nature of his touch. A shot of pure desire leapt through Audrey’s veins, and her wide-eyed gaze met his.
“Oops, sorry,” he said. But he didn’t look sorry, nor did he pull his hand away.
“It’s okay,” she whispered, and willed him with her eyes to touch her there again.
As if he’d heard her unspoken plea, he covered her breast with his large hand and squeezed gently, all the while not breaking her gaze. His thumb flicked over her nipple, and Audrey quivered in his embrace.
She looked down, expecting to be embarrassed at the sight of his hand inside her bikini top. Audrey Thompson would have been. But the sight ignited a gentle but persistent throbbing between her legs.
“I can’t stop thinking about last night.” His husky voice whispered against her temple. His hand traveled to the curve of her hip, holding her close.
She looked up and met his intense gaze. “Really?” Her voice was breathless.
He rolled her already aching nipple between his fingers and squeezed hard. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. “Really,” he said.
He caressed and kneaded her breast while his other hand pressed their hips together. The hard ridge of his erection made her want to wrap her legs around his waist, lay back on the pool deck, and beg him to take her now.
But that would be taking the game too far. Wouldn’t it?
“Oh for chrissake, get a room,” Theresa called from the pool deck.
Zach gave Audrey a lopsided grin and removed his hand. She quickly adjusted herself, and found everything back in place. She cleared her throat. “Ah, thank you.”
“Anytime,” he said. His blue eyes deepened in color as he peered down at her. “I mean that.”
She wiped pool water from her eyes and took his hand, letting him lead her from the water and feeling pretty much naked in this itsy bitsy bikini that barely had enough material to be legal. How could Ava wear this and feel…normal?
Pool water slid off her skin as she climbed the steps out of the shallow end. Still holding Zach’s hand, she followed him around the deck, then retrieved her glasses. After shading her eyes, she announced, “Excuse us, everyone. We’re going to go have sex now.”
Zach exploded into a coughing fit.
Audrey Thompson would never in a million years say something like that. She would also never in a million years do what her Ava-self had just proposed. She just wasn’t that kind of girl.
Too bad. Playing naughty was damn fun.
Chapter Six
Zach tugged her into the house through the back door.
Inside the enormous mud room, the washer and dryer hummed with a quiet drone, unlike her machines at home, which shook the whole house when in use.
Safe from the eyes and ears of his family, she let go of his hand and burst into giggles. She pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head. “I almost wet my pants out there. That was so much fun.”
He slid the towel from around his neck and looped it around hers, tugging until their half-naked bodies were just inches apart. He wasn’t smiling. Despite the heat from his body, goose bumps rose on her skin.
His dark gaze bored into hers. “You had a good idea out there.” He pulled her closer until their hips touched.
She blinked. “Wh-What idea was that?” She couldn’t think straight with his arousal pressing against her flesh. If her nipples got any harder, they’d pop the gel falsies right out of the bikini top.
“About having sex.”
Excitement rippled her skin, and desire pooled between her legs. “I was, um, just playing the game.”
He leaned toward her until his coarse chest hairs tickled the sensitive swell of her breasts. “It’s my favorite game,” he whispered.
Warning bells clashed with the hallelujahs in her head. She couldn’t have sex with him. He thought she was someone else.
“I forgot my towel outside,” she said, her voice cracking.
“You can get another one.”
“We’re dripping water all over the floor.”
“It’ll wipe up.” He kissed the side of her neck. Her knees almost buckled. She splayed her fingers on his chest, and his heart beat strong beneath her palms. Push him away, Audrey.
“Wanna play?” he asked, and the hot tip of his tongue dipped into her ear. She shivered.
No. She barely knew him. It would be wrong, because he thought she was Ava.
He thought she was Ava. To him, she was Ava. If she was supposed to be Ava, she should act like Ava. What would her sister do? Audrey’s pulse roared in her ears.
His fingers tipped her chin so he could stare into her eyes. His steamy expression halted her breath and melted her resistance. Her lips slowly stretched into a grin.
“Roll the dice, big guy,” she murmured in her sexiest voice.
His throaty chuckle reverberated against her chest as he backed her up against the whirring dryer. He lifted her onto the waist-high appliance. Warm, dry metal heated her bottom and thighs.
“You’ve got a great mouth, dollface,” he murmured as he leaned in to kiss her. His hands slid down to cup her hips, pulling her close and positioning himself between her knees.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss. He tasted of iced tea and lemon. His tongue was hot, his hands hotter. The vibrations of the dryer competed with the throbbing between her legs. “Shouldn’t we go somewhere more private?” she asked against his mouth, breathless already.
“No.” He wrapped a forearm aro
und her waist, and arched her backward to trail kisses down her neck and onto her breasts. He pushed the flimsy bikini top and a fake boob aside. “I like them real like this, baby.”
He liked her breasts! “But someone might-” She gasped as he licked her nipple. “Someone might see us.”
He laved his tongue around the aching peak. “That’s what makes it so fun. Live on the edge, dollface.”
Live on the edge. How many times had Ava told her just that? How many times had she told herself that? How many times had she ignored the advice?
She tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled his head closer. He cupped the underside of her breast and lifted it for greater access. He suckled her, and she yelped softly at the pleasure and pain of his teeth on the sensitive peak.
Her body’s reaction shocked and thrilled her as she wriggled closer to him. His mouth left her breast with a soft popping sound as the suction released. He met her gaze briefly before dropping to his knees. When he grasped her legs and hooked them over his shoulders, she realized his intention.
“Oh, no.”
“You want me to stop?” he asked, his voice deep and husky.
The good girl side of her certainly did. Good girls got to know a man before letting him get so intimate. But the bad girl side wanted this, yearned for this. Zach kissed the inside of her knee, sending shivers rippling across her skin. Oh, who was she kidding?
Her lips tugged into a grin. “No, I don’t want you to stop.”
He returned her smile with a rakish one of his own. He caressed her thighs and hips before pulling off the string bikini bottom.
Any self-consciousness took flight when he leaned in and kissed the triangle of hair between her legs. She closed her eyes. His hot breath scorched her skin. When his tongue touched her, her body jerked involuntarily. A moan escaped her parted lips. She curved her fingers around the dryer’s front edge, wanting, needing more of his touch.
“Mmm.” She sighed and speared his hair with her fingers, pulling his head closer. He slipped a finger between her folds, teasing, touching, not quite entering her.
“Zach, please,” she begged.
His fingers thrust deep inside her, swirling and dipping and probing as the dryer trembled beneath her. When his teeth grazed her sensitive nub, Audrey saw stars.
“Mm, there. Oh! Yes!” she cried, riding the precipice of rapture. Her fists bunched in his thick, damp hair. The crescendo rose inside her, stronger and stronger. The dryer gave a final shudder, the buzzer sounding with the end of the cycle just as Audrey exploded from the inside out. Wave after wave of orgasm crashed against Zach’s pleasuring mouth.
Finally, he pulled away. He kissed her inner thigh, then the inside of her knee before unhooking her legs from his shoulders. Audrey’s legs dangled off the edge of the dryer, weak with spent passion. He picked up her bikini bottom from the tile floor, then rose to his full height.
“And the buzzer marks the end of the game,” she said under her breath, stunned from the physical sensations roiling through her entire being.
He handed her the red scrap of material, and his fingers lingered on hers.
“What about you? When do you get to play?” she asked. She’d been so caught up in the feel of his hands and mouth upon her body, she hadn’t had a chance to touch him. She curled and uncurled her fingers. What an amateur. Ava would be appalled.
He chuckled and lifted her off the dryer. “It didn’t occur to me to bring a condom to the pool this afternoon.”
She couldn’t help laughing with him as she pulled on her suit. “Well, there’s always next time.”
His gaze turned serious for a moment, then his smile returned. “There is that.”
He reached for his fallen towel and used it to wipe her from his mouth. She adjusted the ties on her bikini bottom, needing the distraction to settle her unease.
“Oh! I beg your pardon,” came a deep British voice from the doorway.
Audrey looked up. Stoudt backed out of the room with a slight bow, his face cherry red. After he disappeared, she met Zach’s gaze. They burst out laughing.
“Do you think he saw anything?”
Zach shrugged. “If he did, we’ll never know. The man is nothing if not discreet.”
Her heart raced. Zach was right. The threat of getting caught made it much more exciting. She wanted him again. Now.
“I need a shower.” She nudged his shoulder. “Last one there’s a rotten egg!” she cried, sprinting out of the room.
*****
Zach raced after her with a startled laugh. She ran through the kitchen, and he followed. She ran through the foyer, right past Stoudt, and he followed, giving the older man a mock salute as he raced by. She scampered up the stairs, and he followed two steps at a time until he caught her at the top, yanking her into his arms and swallowing her shriek of laughter with his kiss.
Her sweet lips opened beneath his, kissing him back with answering fervor. She flung her arms around his neck and he half-dragged, half-carried her down the hall. He pulled her inside her room, kicking the door shut with his bare heel.
He ran his hands up and down her body, loving how she shuddered at every touch, like this was all new to her. Downstairs, he’d almost been convinced she was nervous. In all the time he’d known her, he’d barely given sex with her more than a passing thought. There had never been any chemistry.
But being with her now was thermal combustion. His body burned for her. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so turned on.
He backed her toward the bed, but when they ran into the mattress, she muttered against his mouth, “Not here. Shower.”
He caught her lower lip between his teeth. “The shower can wait.”
She shook her head and pulled away. “But we’ve got eyes in here.”
Zach jerked his head up and glanced around, expecting to see the maid or ever-present Stoudt standing in the corner, mouth agape. He saw nothing.
She motioned toward the fireplace and the deer head. “Bambi’s watching.”
He laughed, loving this funny side of her, and led her into the bathroom. The glass-enclosed shower took up an entire wall. He reached into the two-person stall, and turned on the water.
Despite having known her for several years, he’d never really known her until today. His body burned with desire. He couldn’t wait to make love to her. She gave him a bashful glance through a thick fringe of black lashes, and he remembered she was just playing a game. He didn’t care. As long as she played it with him.
She reached behind her neck and untied her bikini top. With a flick of her wrist, the red material floated to the floor.
He took his time devouring her with his eyes. Her smooth skin glowed with just a touch of sun. The damp ends of her tangled hair curled over her shoulders. One lock coiled perfectly around a rosy nipple. He traced his finger around it. She caught her breath and closed her eyes.
With one step, he erased the space between them and planted a long, leisurely kiss upon her upturned mouth. Her hands flattened against his chest, pushing him away. She gave him a sly smile, and leaned in to kiss his collarbone. Then she laved her tongue across one of his flat nipples. Almost painful desire rippled across his skin, and he grew even harder. She moved lower still, and circled her tongue in and around his belly button. As she dropped to her knees, she hooked her red-tipped fingers in his trunks, then slid them over his buttocks to the floor where he stepped out of them. His erection sprang free.
“Your turn,” she said.
Audrey stared at his beautiful, naked body. Ambrosia for the eyes. A blush heated her face. She’d read enough sexy romance novels to know what she was supposed to do next, but reading, fantasizing, and actually doing were three completely different things. And she hadn’t done this since college.
Be Ava, be Ava, be Ava.
She touched her tongue to him. He jerked. She took him into her mouth. He groaned and thrust his hands into her hair. His reaction delighted her, encoura
ged her. She swirled her tongue around the smooth head of his penis, and he shuddered.
Still, she sensed him holding back. She smiled around his erection, then wrapped her fingers around him and used her other hand to cup his sac as she took him in and out of her mouth. His fingers dug into her scalp, urging her closer. She used her teeth, her tongue, and her lips to coax tormented gasps from his mouth.
Finally, he pushed her away. “Dollface, you’re killing me,” he growled, hooking his hands under her arms and pulling her to her feet.
The bikini bottom stuck to her damp skin as he peeled it from her body. He motioned her into the hot spray of the shower. The water beat down on her hyper-sensitized skin, heating her body even more, as she heard him root around the medicine cabinet. He reappeared in the shower doorway and flashed a big grin, holding up something in his hand. “The bathrooms here are always fully stocked.” He held a foil-wrapped disc between his index and middle fingers.
Thank God one of them was thinking clearly. “There are condoms in all the bathrooms?” Was that weird, or was it just her?
He stepped into the stall and wrapped his arms around her from behind, his large, wet hands cupping her breasts and teasing her nipples with his thumbs. “I learned that when I was a teenager. Came in handy more than once, I’ll tell you.”
A jealous shiver ran up her spine as he kissed and nipped at her shoulders. Her jealousy over women he’d been with in the past bordered on ridiculous. She focused on right now, right here.
Hot water sluiced across their skin, and his erection nudged her bottom. She poured a bead of liquid soap into her palms and lathered them with the thick foam, then reached behind her and took hold of his thick, heavy shaft. She felt and heard his sharp intake of breath as she squeezed and fondled him.
One of his hands slid down to her belly and between her legs. His finger found her still-swollen clit, and she jumped. While he toyed with that sensitive nub, his other hand played with her breasts. Her nipples hardened until they almost hurt.
He turned her in his arms. After several kisses that sidelined her equilibrium, he directed her to the built-in seat at the far end of the two-person stall. His gaze held hers as he turned on the second shower head and lifted the nozzle from its perch. “Spread your legs,” he commanded softly.
Passionate Kisses 2 Boxed Set: Love in Bloom Page 128
