Rip Current

by Jill Sanders

  “Agreed.” Marcus nodded, then grabbed Shelly’s hand and pulled her towards the door. “Night,” he called out over his shoulder.

  Just then, two large Styrofoam containers were delivered to the bar.

  “Ready?” Wendy wrapped them up in a bag and nodded to him.

  “Sure, is one of those for me?” He reached for them, only to have his hand slapped away playfully.

  “If you’re good.” She laughed. “Night.” She waved to Cassey, who watched them leave with a frown on her lips.

  “Later. We will talk about this later,” she warned as he followed Wendy out of the door. Now he had a whole other conversation in his future to dread.

  Chapter Eight

  They walked slowly along the dark boardwalk, hand in hand. He’d won the small battle about carrying the bag of food a few feet outside of the bar. She loved the coolness of the breeze that was rushing off the water that night and enjoyed the feel of his hand in hers.

  “Do you always walk to work?” he asked as they hit the street.

  “Sure, saves on gas.” She chuckled. “Why?”

  She watched him shrug his shoulders. “It’s just the thought of you walking home in the dark…”

  She laughed. “This is Surf Breeze, not Miami.”

  “Still, there are psychos everywhere.”

  “True.” She nodded. “I can take care of myself.”

  Sarcastic laughter burst from him. “Did you learn self-defense in yoga?”

  She glanced at him sideways. “No, but I learned to shoot at gun school.” She tapped her small purse and smiled.

  “Carrying?” He nodded. “Yeah, you would.” He shook his head.

  “What does that mean?” She stopped and looked at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “Nothing. It’s just smart.”

  She looked at his face to make sure he wasn’t being sarcastic and then nodded when she saw sincerity in his eyes.

  “What made you start?” He reached for her hand and continued to walk.

  She shrugged her shoulders. “It was Alan’s idea.” He glanced at her and she could tell he was waiting for the story. She sighed. “Okay, it was after I’d been sort of stalked.” She felt his hand tighten in hers. “But,” she jumped in quickly, “that was back at the Flora-Bama bar. That place was crazy during spring break.”

  He stopped her just outside her door. “And now you walk to your condo every night at”—he glanced down and frowned—“one-thirty in the morning with nothing but what I can only presume is the smallest gun possible.” He glanced down at her small purse.

  She chuckled. “Yes, and I live in a town the size of a shoe box.”

  He shook his head. “This place gets pretty crazy. Did you see how many people were in there tonight? It was almost packed out on a Monday.”

  She nodded and smiled at him as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Do you want to fight about it?”

  She knew the smile cost him, but it was worth it to see his lips turn up. “Later,” he mumbled before his lips touched hers. “Now, I’m too hungry to argue.”

  She nodded. “Ditto.”

  When she opened her door, she enjoyed the fact that she’d kept her small place clean. She no longer had to rush around cleaning before a man came over. She’d spent most of her morning organizing the rest of her place using everything she’d bought the day before. She even had a small list of items that would further organize the place.

  “You’ve cleaned up the place,” he said, walking in and looking around. “Is this new?” He walked over to her table and picked up a small ball covered in dried leaves. She’d picked up the bowl and balls to decorate her table along with the new place mats.

  “Yeah, I bought them yesterday.”

  “Cool.” He tossed it back in the bowl. “I guess you like this kind of stuff.” He looked around again and she could tell he was noticing the other new things she’d put out. She turned and started unloading their dinner, putting the sandwiches out on plates.

  “Here.” She reached in and shoved a cheese stick in her mouth. “You can start with these.” She handed him the chips and salsa. “I don’t know what Sam puts in the salsa, but it’s addictive.” She scooped some up with her cheese stick and moaned.

  “Lime,” he said, scooping some up with a chip.

  “What?” She frowned at him.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “I asked.”

  “So did I.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

  He chuckled. “I asked after signing his kids surfboard for him.”

  She growled. “Famous people suck.” She turned back towards her task. “I bet you can get anything you want. All you’d have to do is walk in wearing a pair of shorts and no shirt and they’d give you the key to the city.”

  He chuckled. “It does have its advantages.” She felt him take her hips with his hands. She sighed as her knees went weak and she leaned back against his chest.

  “This is not because of that.” She enjoyed herself for just a moment.

  “If I thought it was, I wouldn’t be here,” he said against her hair.

  “What about all the others?” She turned in his arms, looking up at him.

  “What others?” He took her mouth with his as his hands reached around and pulled her closer. She felt his arousal against her hip and instantly felt herself go warm. The food sat on the counter, forgotten, as they hungrily enjoyed each other.

  “Cole,” she begged, trying to pull him closer. “Don’t make me wait again.”

  “No,” he said as he started to tug her shirt over her head. “Not this time.”

  He walked her towards the back of her condo, and when her knees hit the edge of her bed, he stopped her from falling back. She reached for him, pulling his shirt over his head as he watched her. She shook her head. “This should be illegal.” She ran her hand over his chest as he chuckled.

  “I agree.” His finger lightly played over her chest, causing her eyes to close. His finger hooked under her bra, sending it off her shoulder. She sighed at the release of the weight and then moaned when his finger followed the curve. She felt herself sway a little, and then he was taking her hips and guiding her down to the bed.

  He lay beside her, running his hands lightly over her skin. The tight shorts she’d worn to work were peeled slowly off her until she lay there in nothing but a matching bra and panty set she’d splurged on the day before. When she looked up, she frowned. He was still wearing his shorts. She started to tug them off, only to have his hands take hers and move them above her head, holding her still.

  He chuckled when she frowned at him. “Trust me, we’ll get to that. For now, I want to enjoy you.” He moved until both of her hands were encased in one of his. “Who would have thought.” His eyes traveled over her.

  “What?” It came out as a whisper. How could she have known that just having him look at her would turn her on so much.

  “That I’d stray from being an ass man.” He shook his head as his eyes and free hand traveled over her powder-pink bra. She arched her back, trying to get him to move faster. “Easy.” He chuckled as he slowly moved the strap off her other shoulder. Using just one finger, he swirled her shoulder, traveled across her collarbone, down until he lightly moved the lace down, exposing her. She felt her nipples pucker in the cool air or maybe it was because his eyes were hungrily eating her up.

  Her hands were still caught up in his above her head, but she knew she could break free if she tried. When his fingers traveled down behind her, she arched so he could unclasp her bra.

  “Okay, definitely rethinking this whole ass man thing.” He chuckled as he tossed her bra aside. She giggled and arched a little more for him.

  “Touch me,” she begged, needing to feel his skin on hers. So far, since he’d freed her, all he’d done was look.

  His free hand lightly scraped down her shoulder until he brushed against her chest. Dual moans sounded and she thought for sure she’d burst if he did
n’t touch her more. Then his warm mouth was on her, sucking and licking her, and she broke her hands free to bury them deep in his hair.

  “Yes,” she moaned. Needing the warmth of him next to her, she wrapped her legs around his hips and moved against him. She could feel his desire for her and had to have more. But when she tried again to remove his shorts, he stopped her with a chuckle.

  “Not yet. I’m enjoying my new found obsessions.” He chuckled against her nipple. His hands reached up and took her wrists, pulling them aside.

  “Cole,” she warned, not wanting to have to wrestle him down. He just chuckled again, then gasped when she flipped him over and straddled him quickly. “You asked for it.” She smiled down at him as she pinned his hips to the bed.

  ***

  Cole was trying to go slow. After all, how could you tell a woman that if she touched him, the evening would end too soon. He held back a chuckle. This had never happened to him before. He’d always been suave in bed before her. Now, however, if she did manage to pull his shorts off, he knew that would be that.

  He looked up at her and groaned. Her breasts had seemed perfect when she was lying there in front of him, but hovering above him they were even better. He closed his eyes and felt himself get even harder than before, which was something he hadn’t ever experienced.

  “Wendy,” he croaked out between clenched teeth, “if you don’t let me lead, this isn’t going to lasts long.”

  She chuckled. “Lie there and take my punishment.” She ran her hands up his sides, setting off his tickle spots, but he bit his tongue and held back the chuckles. “You think it’s okay to torture a woman like this, well, let me give you a taste of your own medicine.” She pulled his arms above his head and then held them both with one of hers. “Don’t move,” she warned.

  His eyes were closed, so he just nodded.

  “Look at me,” she said against his skin. “Watch what I do to you.” Her mouth was on his chest, along with her free hand. His eyes zeroed in on her mouth as she ran her tongue over his flat nipple. He felt her hips pinning his down and couldn’t stop the desire from flooding into each and every vein in his body.

  “Mmm, I love these.” She ran her fingertips over his pecs, then down his arms, and continued past his stomach. “And here…” Her mouth replaced her hands as she ran her lips over his hip then lightly tugged on his shorts. When he moved to stop her, she pushed his hands away gently. “Remember, it’s my turn.”

  He leaned his head back and closed his eyes and tried to think of a million things other than what she was doing to him so he would last longer. When her mouth hovered above his cock, he felt his entire body shiver with desire. Then her lips touched him and he was sure he’d never experienced as much want as he did right then. His hands went into her hair, holding her, guiding her as she took her time pleasing him. When he didn’t think he could stand it any longer, he hooked his hands under her arms and pulled her up his body as she smiled down at him.

  “Enough,” he growled as he flipped their positions. When he had her back underneath him, he felt a little more centered. Then she wrapped her legs around his hips and he felt himself pressed up against her core. His sight actually went a little gray around the edges.

  Reaching over, he pulled his wallet from his shorts and had the rubber on himself quickly. He came back over her, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He kissed her until he felt her own shiver of desire. When he slid slowly into her, he couldn’t stop the moan from escaping his lips or the growl that came after as he heard her own moan of delight.

  “Hold onto me,” he said as he started to move. He watched her blue eyes open slightly and then focus on his face. He hadn’t known what it would do to him, seeing her eyes go soft as he moved inside her. When they slid closed a few moments later, he watched her throw her head back and lose herself and quickly followed.

  Chapter Nine

  Laying there looking up at her ceiling, with Cole breathing lightly in her hair, she started wondering just what the heck she’d done. Her mind kept playing over how she’d gone from hating him, to bringing him home and… she closed her eyes and held back a groan.

  When he moved, she thought he would roll off the bed to leave, but instead, he snuggled next to her, pulling her closer to his chest. She had to admit, it felt pretty damn great. Her arms went around him as her face was buried in the hard muscles of his chest. He smelled like the ocean, which only reminded her of who he was.

  Sighing, she closed her eyes for just a moment and heard her stomach growl. Then he chuckled.

  “I guess I pulled us away from the food. Hang on.” He rolled away from the bed and she instantly missed his warmth, the feel of him, and even the subtle scent of the surf.

  She reached down and pulled up the covers until her shoulders were covered as she heard him banging around in her kitchen. When he walked back into the room completely naked with a large plate balanced on each hand, her mouth went dry. How could any woman ever say no to a man like Cole?

  “What?” He stopped half way across the room and looked down at her.

  She shook her head and chuckled. “I’ve never had food served to me in bed by an underwear model in the buff before.

  He chuckled and walked over to sit next to her on the bed. “Well, then we both are doing something new since I’ve never served food to anyone in bed before.”

  She reached up and took a plate from him. He moved over and sat next to her under the blankets.

  “Too bad you don’t have a TV in here.” He frowned, checking out her blank wall across from her bed.

  “The bedroom is for sleeping,” she said between bites.

  He chuckled. “And other fun things.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her, causing her to laugh.

  “Besides, I spent almost an entire month’s worth of tips on the one out there.” She nodded to the living room where her big flat-screen TV hung on the wall.

  He frowned for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders. “I guess it’s better than the one I have.”

  She chuckled. “You don’t own—”

  “I know.” He interrupted and smiled at her.

  She thought for just a moment that she saw something sad cross his eyes, but then he was cracking a joke about something else and the moment was gone.

  “So, are you going to tell me what’s really up?” She leaned back against her padded headboard and glanced at him.

  “With what?” He frowned a little.

  She smiled. “So, you’re keeping two secrets then.” She nodded when she saw the truth in his eyes. “Spill.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He took her plate and set it, along with his own, on her nightstand. Then he leaned in and started raining kisses along her shoulder blade.

  She chuckled. “Trying to get out of telling me what you forgot to mention to your family tonight?”

  He shrugged his shoulders and looked up at her. “Is it working?” he asked as he pulled the sheet away and placed his mouth on her. She felt her eyes roll to the back as her body started responding to him.

  When she moaned and grabbed his hair with her hands, he chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  This time, however, she wasn’t willing to wait and pulled him down and fused her lips to his. Her hands rushed over his body, feeling every strong line, every strained cord as he tried to control himself.

  When she pushed his shoulders, he fell back and let her slide over him. This time, she reached in her nightstand and enjoyed watching his face as she slid a condom slowly on him. When she moved over him, his hands went to her hips. His nails dug into her as she started to move her hips slowly. She threw her head back and let the rhythm build until he pulled her down to him and his mouth covered her cries of pleasure.

  “That’s it,” he moaned against her lips. “Come for me.”

  She couldn’t have denied him, not when he was holding her and kissing her to oblivion. After
she convulsed around him, he moved until she lay underneath him and then continued to use his mouth on her until she felt herself building again.

  When his hand moved down between them, she fell over the edge and marveled at the sound of him calling her name.

  ***

  When Cole woke up, his senses and thoughts were instantly flooded with Wendy. His face was next to her hair and with every breath he took, he could smell her sexy scent. Her naked, warm back was pressed up against his front, making his body ache.

  He pulled her closer and could tell the moment she started to wake up. He felt her shoulders tense, and she sighed and relaxed back into him.

  “Having regrets?” he asked as he ran his hands over her skin.

  She shook her head no. “You?”

  He chuckled. “Does this feel like I’m having second thoughts?” He pushed himself closer to her and heard her moan.

  When he moved her leg higher, exposing her to him as he ran a finger over her sweet spot, she cried out and started slowly grinding her hips. He loved the way she responded to his touch; he was completely addicted to her. Her taste, her smell, the feel of her body wrapped around his. When he slowly pushed inside her, her hands fisted in the sheets as she gasped.

  He couldn’t have known that making love to Wendy would have touched him so much. To see and hear her responses to him… it was beyond anything he’d ever imagined.

  When he felt her release, he joined her and then lay there holding her until he felt her drift off again. His mind refused to shut down, especially since he could see the sun trying to break through her thick curtains.

  He knew she probably wasn’t a morning person—how could she be, working the hours she did?—but Cole lived for the early mornings. His body called for him to move, but his mind and heart wanted to stay in bed with Wendy all day.

  A few minutes later, it was his stomach that finally pulled him away from her sleeping body. He showered quickly and then walked into her kitchen with one thing on his mind. All of the Grayton men knew how to cook; their mother and Julie had seen to that.