by S R Dyble
"You want me to stay with you at the beach house?" I asked, confused.
"Yeah, we can have fun. On a strictly friends basis."
I rolled my eyes, thinking: yeah, we all know how that shit ended last time...
I couldn't anyway, I'd already convinced myself that I had to distance myself completely from Nick. To give myself a chance to be rid of this horrible ache I had in my chest. But something changed my mind as I stared at him, something about the way he looked at me with the beauty of Australia surrounding him. His face was sunkissed and he looked so casual dressed in his beach shorts. His hair was longer, just touching his eyebrows. It was a look I'd never seen on him before, and I wanted to know more. I knew how much of an idiot I was being, but just going home and dealing with the grief that my parents had left me with, was enough to make me realise, I wanted to stay and explore as Nick had suggested. I looked at him once more and rolled my eyes.
"Okay," I agreed.
Now that my parents were safe, I was able to relax and take in my surroundings. Despite knowing that they were going to put themselves into death's hands again, I had two weeks. Two weeks before they planned to head back out to sea to get their story. I planned to use those two weeks to explore this beautiful place, starting with the huge beach house we were staying at. As Nick left me by the front door and headed towards his room, he glanced back at me and smiled. Taking my hands out of my front pockets, I dropped them down my thighs whilst taking a deep breath and staring about the room. It was the first time I'd allowed myself to take it all in. To my left, a huge space was perfectly laid out with a long corner sofa and a coffee table that appeared to be made out of a huge log with glass on the top of it. Dozens upon dozens of cushions occupied the sofas and I took the opportunity to go in and sit back and relax with my feet up. The view was laid perfectly before me beyond the floor to ceiling windows. All that was missing was the sounds of the waves toppling over themselves. I stood up, placing the pillow I'd had held to my chest back down onto the sofa. I traced my fingers along the chair arm as I made my way towards my bedroom, then continued trailing my fingers along the wall to appreciate the texture of the wooden panelling. The bottom half of the wall was decorated in beautiful white wooden panelling, the top half painted light blue. There were beach-style accessories everywhere and the floors were original wood with large worn rugs placed all around the house. This place was amazing, and my bedroom was nothing less. On the four-poster bed, Nick had placed my bag at its feet on a large chest. I sat down on it, gobsmacked at the huge window allowing a full view down the beach over the wooden fence. Dressing the window was long, white and silky chiffon curtains that trailed across the floor. Picking up my bag, I walked over to the grand cupboard that looked sanded and painted to match the shabby chic look to the rest of the room. Placing my bag on the floor, I opened both doors to place my clothes inside only to gasp, clamping my hand to my chest.
"I'm back from Narnia!" Nick shouted, causing me to leap backwards, screaming and catching my heel on the rug before landing hard on my arse. I stared up at him as he climbed out of the cupboard, his face lit up as he tried to conceal his laughter. It was futile, and by the time he crawled up beside me, he was laughing his head off.
"Very funny, Nicholas. You sodding idiot."
"Oh come on, Lill'. You must find that funny, your face—"
"Yeah, bloody hilarious, you clown." I got up, trying to face in another direction to stop him from seeing my smile.
"You can't hide that smile from me…"
I stared back at him then, a memory flashing before my eyes and reminding me of all the pain surrounding my heart linked to Nick Carson.
You can't hide that smile from me…
Nine months earlier
I hated being away for Eve's birthday. This year was supposed to be special. Something we could celebrate without her being submerged in the grief of losing her parents, and I was supposed to be there to stop her from falling back into that grief. I'd already fucked it up, that much was clear from our last phone call. She'd found out about me and Nick, as well as my recent visits to the Carson household to meet top shagger and sexy talk on legs, Nick Carson. Just the thought of his seductive words made me need a cold shower. I shook my head, feeling ashamed and immature.
What the hell am I doing?
Being alone in a hotel room far too big for just one person was probably the cause of my epiphany. I felt guilty for that, too, because I really wasn't supposed to be here. A poor bride had called me at the last minute, asking for me to rescue her and her bridal party because they'd been let down. My hotel room had been paid for not by myself, another bonus of travelling down at the last minute. I'd driven all the way to bloody Cornwall and had worked a full day straight without rest.
I decided to take a bath because for some reason a wave of guilt, stress and anxiety was taking me over and a bath ought to do the trick. As I reached the bathroom—wearing the silkiest dressing gown known to man, provided by the hotel— I smiled in appreciation. A room like this obviously had a huge tub with air blowers. I sat on the edge of the tub and poured almost a full bottle of bubble bath in by accident as I heard a knock at my hotel door. Frowning, I got up and made sure I was fully wrapped in my dressing gown before preparing myself to tell whoever it was knocking at my door, that they had the wrong room. Then I saw Nick standing just outside my door. He was a sight for sore eyes, and after today my eyes were definitely sore.
"You gonna invite me in, Petal?"
"Wh… what?" I stuttered in confusion while taking a step aside to let him in.
"What are you doing here? How did you know where I was staying?"
"I have my connections," he said, applying a kiss to my cheek that landed closer to my neck. It sent a jolt over my body.
"That doesn't sound creepy at all..." I answered.
"I thought you could do with some company."
"You drove hours and all that way because you thought I'd need some company?" I questioned him.
"It almost sounds like you're not happy to see me," he smiled at me which made my lips curl at the edges.
"Actually, you're interrupting my bath that—" Oh shit, the bath!
I pelted into the bathroom chanting curse words until I saw the huge monstrosity of bubbles overflowing the bath like the bath’s blowers had created a bubble monster from the full bottle of bubble mixture I had dropped into the bath.
"Fuck!" I almost fell tryna turn the water off but managed to navigate my way through the bubbles to the taps.
"What the hell did you do?" Nick chuckled.
I started scooping up bubbles, tryna dispose of them in the sink and down the toilet.
"Wait, you didn't put bubble mixture into a bath with air blowers, did you? That's like creating a bubble machine inside the bath!"
"Thank you, Nicholas. I have gathered this information for myself! Hence the huge tub of overflowing bubbles!"
I cursed him under my breath as I tried scooping more out of the tub. Then Nick started to help, I noticed in the process he'd removed his top and was now scooping up armfuls of bubbles with only his black jeans on. I couldn't help but stare.
"You're wet," he said, pointing to my body.
Surely I wasn't that obvious?
"Your dressing gown. It's drenched and it's see-through...."
"Oh." I turned away trying to reposition the fabric that clung to my breasts.
"You don't have to turn away," he said, holding my arm to pull me back towards him, "I'm not complaining."
I looked away feeling embarrassed before he moved to peck my lips and position his hands on my body. Moving my hand up, I placed my finger between our lips to stop him in his tracks.
"I still have to get a bath. It's been a long day…"
"Fine, I know when I'm not wanted," he said, before trying to loosen the tie on my dressing gown. I swatted his hand away and he smirked before I pushed him out of the bathroom. Once gone, I composed myself after feel
ing the usual tingling sensation I felt after being close to Nick. Then I stripped and climbed into the bath. I rolled my eyes once I heard the door latch clicking to open and I sat forward as Nick's head bobbed around the door.
"I was thinking, I pride myself on trying to save water…"
"Is that so?" I questioned him.
"That's why you should let me share your bath," he concluded.
I sat crunched up, staring at him with a smile on my face and shook my head in disbelief. Nick had no reservations, he started stripping in front of me and as much as I loved the sight of his body, I had to laugh.
"No way, you twat. This is my bath."
"Aw come on, Lilly, you've got a huge bath, stop being greedy."
I shook my head, smiling at him as he neared and climbed into the bath behind me. I turned to face him, keeping my legs up against my chin.
"Jesus, this is slippery. Did you put a whole bottle of baby oil in here?"
"Seems kinda fitting for you, you big baby," I said, splashing water at him.
He pretended to be wounded, placing his hand on his chest.
"Come here," he said, reaching for me.
"Why?"
"What kind of bath buddy would I be if I didn't wash your back?"
Shaking my head in disbelief once again, I did as he said. Then placing his hands under my thighs, he shifted me backwards until my back pressed against the front of his chest, my body fitting snug between his legs. Once close against him, I glanced over my shoulder. I didn't dare look directly at him. He reached for the last of my shower gel and lathered up his hands and began rubbing it on my back, making my eyes flutter. He made sure to run his hands over my neck, then once he rinsed my back with water, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. The warmth that ran the full length of my body centred towards my chest and I realised I'd never felt so good before. There was something about being in his arms in the warm water and the way he held me. I felt him go still for a short while and I wondered if he felt it too. Then he let me go, confusing me. He'd let go as if I was something he shouldn't have been touching. I turned my head to look at him and his face was set like stone as he studied me.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing," he snapped out of it, and holding onto my shoulders, he laid me back against his body once again.
We sat like that for a short while, and I closed my eyes as Nick placed a kiss on my head. I felt so relaxed until he reached for the empty shower gel bottle on the side and brought it into the water. He then ran it through the water like it was a boat with a propeller on the back.
"You're literally a big kid," I commented.
He continued with his propeller noises.
"You can act displeased all you like, but you can't hide that smile from me, Petal."
He was right because my smile only grew as I watched his hand gliding the bottle through the water.
"Look," he said, running the boat around me. "Months at sea, and at their final destination, the crew face a terrible threat and seek cover underwater. Risking their lives in treacherous waters…"
I rolled my eyes as he continued his act, using a foreign accent as he continued speaking. He then dunked the bottle into the water like a submarine and I watched as he brought it closer in between my legs.
"A cave. Take cover!" he said.
I blurted out a laugh and moved his hand away.
"I hope you're not trying to insinuate that my vagina is the size of a cave…"
Then from my thigh, his hand started sneaking its way back to where it had been until Nick brought it in directly between my legs. My eyes widened when he ditched the bottle, replacing it with his fingers. I hummed and gripped onto his arm, watching as the bottle sprung to the surface of the water as Nick ran his fingers through my folds, teasing my clit with his thumb along the way.
"I already know how tight your pussy is, that's why I prefer it wrapped around my cock."
I gripped his thigh as he continued, and I couldn't help but hum with the pleasure he was causing. All the while, I could feel his length growing against my back.
"You like that?" His voice sounded deep as he spoke into my ear and I whimpered and nodded as he slid his fingers inside of me.
"Speak to me," he said, bringing another whimper from my mouth.
When I moaned again, he removed his hand and before I could ask why he climbed out of the bath.
"Get out," he said as I eyed his impressive length, dripping with water.
"I was about to tell you—"
"You think I'm punishing you?" he asked with teasing eyes.
I stood up and he drank me in with his eyes. I was about to get out but instead, he lifted me out of the water and into a fireman's hold, I then chuckled, as he carried me into the bedroom.
"We're drenched!" I shouted but it was no use. He threw me onto the bed and made short work of climbing on with me. Watching my eyes, he climbed up through my legs and kissed me.
"I dunno what's wetter, baby, your skin or your pussy," he said as his dick brushed against my most sensitive part. It made me whimper and I grabbed onto his arse trying to guide him to where I needed him. I didn't have to try for long because Nick didn't want to wait either. He thrust hard into me and I called out, gripping onto his skin in the process. Seconds later, I lifted my arm over my mouth to conceal the moans.
"So fucking perfect," he breathed.
Knowing we were in a hotel room, I did the best I could to conceal the sounds coming from my mouth. I never usually found it hard. I'd never experienced sex with anyone like I had with Nick. It was explosive and it was hard to stay quiet.
"God, Nick," I moaned once again as he lifted my legs and brought them higher.
I saw the smile it brought to his face, he continued thrusting into me and driving my insides mad with anticipation. The water acted as the perfect lubricant. Nick slid in and out of me faster and faster until I was literally panting and gripping the wet bed sheets beneath me. He watched me, our eyes connecting as he continued. He was waiting for me to come, and he didn't have to wait long because I called out his name and used my fist as a plug to cover my mouth as ripples of ecstasy climaxed inside of me. I felt Nick shooting inside of me shortly after as he groaned loudly, and closed his eyes before moving to rest on top of me.
"I dunno about you, but this friends with benefits thing is fucking amazing," Nick said once he lay beside me on the bed.
At the mention of the friends with benefits thing, I frowned. I didn't mean to, but it wasn't hard to forget that we were strictly on contract, and something about that killed it for me. I smiled over at him, trying to keep my thoughts concealed before getting up and heading back to the bathroom.
Present Day
I sank my fingers into the sand and then sprinkled the rest of the handful that I had. I'd taken to the water's edge to try and organise my thoughts, it was time I forgot everything that had happened with Nick. I'd already decided that, and I was determined. I wasn't sure how easy it would be, but that was my goal. Otherwise, I would never be able to rid myself of this attachment. The sun was setting and it made the most beautiful colour in the sky, reflecting onto the calming waves of the ocean. Nick had picked the perfect place here and I stared further down the beach to the end of it, covered in tropical green trees. I sighed, feeling totally at peace with my feet sinking into the warm sand. Next to me, various shells scattered not far from the water's edge and I picked one up to admire. As I ran my fingers over it and cleared the sand away, it revealed a beautiful rainbow-like colour in the shell. I wanted to keep this one. It was beautiful. It was the first time I'd seen people walking down the beach, but I'd noticed further up was much busier. Thankfully this side of the bay seemed so peaceful and quiet. Looking at the girls walking this way, I noticed one of them had long blonde hair that was curly and bounced like a Loreal advert. She was lean but showcased her bikini like a model. The other girls were equally as beautiful. One had ginger hair and hovered around
her friends carelessly, while the other with brown hair similar to mine reached to pick up a shell from the sand.
"Hey," I heard Nick and I turned around to see him standing just beside me. He bent down to see what I had in my hand and he took it within his palm to look at it. He turned it over in his palm and ran his finger over the colours. Then smiling, he handed it back.
"You haven't eaten. I've made some tortillas if you wanna join me," he said.
I raised my eyebrows as he was about to speak again. He was on edge, almost nervous-looking and I wondered why.
"I know I'm always joking around, but I do wanna sit down and talk as we used to if you'll let me," he said, trying to catch my eyes.
As I thought about what he had said and tried to determine what he'd meant, I noticed that the girls walking up the beach had slowed to a stop.
"Nick?"
We both looked at the girl talking to him, her two friends waited patiently behind her and glanced at me. Not a spec on either of them was out of place.
"Nick Carson?"
Nick stood up from his crouched position.
"I thought it was you. I can't believe this," she said astounded.
"Olivia? I haven't seen you in—"
"Years. I know."
She was definitely happy to see him. She awkwardly neared and then hugged him. She was a beacon of light at this present moment. Olivia looked over at me, assessing me and my outfit with her eyes. I wished now more than ever that I'd had the chance to pack my bikini.
"What are you doing here?" Nick asked.
"I came here with friends. A last-minute trip, we're doing the whole beach party thing," she fiddled with her hair.
"Like there aren't enough beaches at home?" Nick answered, grinning at her.
I had to remind myself that this part of Australia we were currently staying in, wasn't the area Nick had grown up in. These lasses were obviously old acquaintances from his home in Australia. Friends even?
"Yeah, well we wanted to go somewhere where our families wouldn't be, so here we are. I can't believe you're here! After all these years…" She stared at him longer as if reliving memories in her head. "You have to come pay a visit. This is too much of a coincidence for us not to hang out. You may see some familiar faces. Sawyer and Teddy are here!"
