Dare Me Forever (A Solana Beach Book)

by Paige Edward

  At last, he began to press with his thumb against my spot. Even through the dense denim, it felt amazing. He kept pressing, slowly and gently at first as I moved beneath him. He unzipped my jeans, sliding his fingers into the top of my panties. The anticipation of his fingers on my center was almost too much to handle. I reached for him, wanting to give him some pleasure, but he pushed my hand away.

  “I want to see you come,” he said as he sat up and continue to titillate my center. The way his eyes caressed my face, my body, kept me building. He played with my clit, softly at first, and then harder. He then surprised me as he slipped his finger into me while still massaging my clit. Within seconds I could feel a warm sensation all over my body. I don’t think I’ve ever been so wet.

  As he increased the pressure on my clit, he slid another finger inside of me. The rhythmic motion of his fingers inside me, the mind-blowing stimulation, I could feel the waves pulsing through me. As I came, I was gasping for air. Ryan laid back down beside me, running his hand through my hair, stroking my face.

  I closed my eyes to help me catch my breath. When I opened them, he was looking at me with pure satisfaction and lust. He kissed me slowly again and then went to pour us some more wine. I had accidentally knocked over the glasses, spilling the pinot grigio all over the sand. Ryan grabbed the bottle and poured a long sip down his throat.

  “Classy,” I said laughing. I pushed my bangs away from my face, which still burned hot.

  “Only the best for you.” He passed me the bottle and I took a sip.

  His phone rang. He looked down at the ID. “Amy, forgive me, this is shite timing, but I need to take this. Won’t be but a minute.” He sat up, and immediately his tone changed as he addressed whoever was on the phone, authoritatively giving them instructions.

  As he continued to pace, his voice stern and cold, I frowned slightly. “It’s almost 8 pm,” he muttered, more to himself than anything. “What do you need that is so urgent you couldn’t have waited till the morning?” I was glad I didn’t work with him and really glad I wasn’t the person he was talking to on the other end of the phone. I’m sure it took a lot of work to keep everyone in line, all the pieces moving in sync, but did he need to sound so gruff?

  “Yes, I’ll need all the figures by tomorrow 7 am, sharp,” Ryan said into the phone. “I’m meeting with some investors, and we need to quantify our progress, which I shouldn’t have to explain to you.” His eyes traveled to meet mine, and softened slightly as he surveyed me. “Listen,” he said, “I need to get off. I’m otherwise engaged at the moment.” He ended the call without saying goodbye.

  “Amy, awfully sorry.” He sat down next to me, close enough that our thighs touched. “Way to kill the moment, I know. This project has been turning into a bit of a mind fuck to tell you the truth. There are so many political entities involved, and so much money at stake, people can’t seem to keep their shit together.” He ran his hand though his rich dark hair. “But I can’t do everything myself. It’s too big.” It seemed like he was talking more to himself at that moment than to me.

  I pulled him towards me by his tie and kissed him again gently on the lips. “Of course you can’t do it all yourself. You’re talking about miles of sea line.” I gazed out at the ocean, and a sudden sadness washed over me. I wanted Ryan’s investment to pan out, but the thought of losing the shoreline I’d grown up with was hard to bear. My little town would look so different, but wouldn’t it be worth it if it helped the local economy like Ryan said? There were no easy answers. Life was so much more complicated than I always wanted to be. I sighed, turning back to Ryan. “Let’s go grab that beer you promised me.”

  He folded up the blanket and threw the rest of the wine out as I straightened my shirt and gathered my things. Ryan grabbed my hand to pull me up from the sand. He didn’t let go as we started to walk back towards the town. My hand felt good in his, fitting in like a puzzle piece, warm and right. A tingling buzzed all the way up my arm, and as I gazed up at him, it continued up to my heart. I’d never felt a wholeness like this—and this was just from holding his hand. I couldn’t understand it, but I stopped myself from thinking too much. It was an almost magical feeling to walk alongside him. I’d never tell Jamie or Cat--they’d probably cart me off to some funny farm.

  But I swear I felt it.

  We went to Tap House, a new German beer garden, a block or so away from my shop. Ryan sat down on the bar stool next to mine, and even though I wasn’t usually into PDA, I leaned into him, pressing my body against the warmth of his as we ordered.

  I wasn’t a big beer drinker, but Ryan promised me that he knew the best brands. After everything that had gone right this evening, how could I doubt him? The bartender slid the two pints across the bar, and Ryan caught them easily without spilling a single drop. He raised his glass, his green eyes glinting in that way I loved. “To new friends,” he said, his voice a low purr.

  I raised my glass to his, gently butting the rims together. Cool beer trickled down my glass, slipping in between my fingers. I smiled, glancing at Ryan out of the corner of my eye, and licked the beer off, slowly and deliberately, feeling a little thrill at the way he sat back in obvious longing. I didn’t usually tease like this, but with Ryan it was a thrill.

  “To new friends,” I said innocently, taking a sip of my beer. Ryan was right--it was much better than any I’d had before, cool and delicious.

  The waiter dropped a plate of sausage in front of each of us, and we chatted as we ate—not about our pasts, this time, but about light things: our favorite places in the town, our favorite movies. The Tap House was nice, hip but casual. I’d been meaning to go since it opened a few months ago, but hadn’t had the chance.

  As Ryan dropped his shiny credit card on the counter—he had already bluntly refused to let me pay—I glanced around the room, at many people my age, enjoying themselves. I wondered how old Ryan was—definitely older than me by at least five years. He had a certain maturity about him that men my age didn’t yet have. At first I’d thought it was the accent that made him seem older, but as I got to know him, I realized that it wasn’t just that. There was a strength and integrity to him that could have only developed with age.

  Once Ryan signed his name boldly across the check, he looked up at me and smiled as we made eye contact. It was a face, a body, and a gaze that I could get used to.

  CHAPTER 13

  Amy

  Cat called first thing in the morning, bright and chipper as always. We’d planned to go on an early morning hike, but 6 am was a bit earlier than I’d anticipated. And I hadn’t realized I’d be up so late the night before.

  “I promise I’ll bring you a coffee, Ames. You know I can’t sleep past 5. I waited a whole hour to call. Aren’t I a great friend?” I could practically hear her grin over the phone.

  As much as I wanted to be mad at her for waking me up, I just couldn’t be. It was basically impossible to be more than slightly annoyed with Cat. She was just one of those kind of people.

  “Give me a half an hour, and I’ll be ready,” I promised. “If you bring a blueberry muffin with that coffee, I’ll forgive you for waking me in the middle of a super hot dream.” I stretched my arm above my head and yawned loudly into the phone.

  “And who was the star of said super hot dream?” Cat asked dramatically, but I wasn’t going to answer her right away—at least not until I saw her in person.

  “Coffee, muffin,” I muttered in my best Tarzan impression. I ended the call, and closed my eyes. A few more minutes of relaxation before I started the day. Ryan’s face floated to the edge of my mind, and I could see the way he’d smiled at me as I’d walked toward him on the beach the night before. I imagined him beside me in this bed, kissing my neck, making his way down my body with his tongue. I imagined that extraordinary look in his eye as he pushed himself into me. His chest hard, but those eyes, tender. Like I was all he needed in the whole world.

  I needed to stop thinking about him 24/7
. But I couldn’t get him off my mind. He was an arrogant, business-obsessed Brit, but he was also an affectionate, witty, complicated person—and more than anything I wanted to figure out the puzzle of who and why he was who he was.

  Maybe the hike with Cat would give help give my thoughts a rest. We’d better make it a really hard hike, so that I’d have to concentrate on my breathing, and knock these somewhat obsessive, X-rated thoughts to the back of my mind. I really couldn’t remember thinking of anyone this much, without actually really knowing them. I’d only seen him three times. But last night was making it impossible for me to push it from my mind. I remembered feeling infatuated this way with Hunter, but I had known him for years before we got together, and anyways, I’d been a teenager.

  I didn’t have any excuses now. I was twenty-three, I hardly knew Ryan, and yet he was invading every waking moment. I hated to admit to myself that he was in my dreams too. And I certainly wasn’t going to dwell on the fact that I was still wet from the dream, where he had made love to me like no one else had before. Totally consuming me.

  I heard the doorbell ring twenty minutes later. I guess Cat couldn’t wait any longer. I sighed as I opened the door, but the minute I saw the steaming coffee and smelled the freshly baked goods, I couldn’t even tease her about being early.

  “Coffee Savior, I bow down to you,” I announced thankfully. “I was out later than usual with this new guy, Ryan. I want to tell you about him. I just need to wake up first.” It was impossible not to be happy looking at Cat with her pageboy haircut, bright yellow sports top and matching yellow stretch pants. Throw in her neon green laces on her new Nike grey kicks and it was undeniable--she looked like the sun on acid. Thankfully, she was only 5 feet tall, so there wasn’t too much to look at. I think otherwise I could have been blinded.

  I slurped the coffee and walked back inside. I already had on my black stretch pants and a new blue tank with a sports bra sewed in, hugging my curves. I put my coffee on the kitchen table, and ran into the bathroom. Pulling my brown hair into a high ponytail, and smoothing down my bangs, I looked into the mirror. I looked like one happy camper. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so optimistic about life.

  I grabbed my phone and texted Hunter to come a little later to drop off his present. That way we wouldn’t have to rush back from the hike. I’m sure he wasn’t yet awake.

  Slipping on my socks and hooking my finger around the laces of my shoes, I carried them and my coffee into Cat’s car. As I tied my laces into tight double knots, we headed towards the hills, only twenty-five minutes away. I’d still have time for a quick shower and change in order to open the store on time. She put on one of our favorite pre work out songs, Will I Am, and we sang along with Nicki. Cat is all about letting loose. She and Jamie have that in common. I’m glad that they remind me to do it once in a while.

  We pulled into the park grounds and found a spot for the car. When I got out, I smelled that minty eucalyptus scent that I love. The sun felt warm on my skin.

  Cat had brought us each a bottle of water, which I put on top of the car as I did a few stretches. I was back at exercise with a vengeance and we were going to rock this hike.

  There were only a few cars in the parking lot, as we’d come early enough to beat the usual weekday hikers. We headed off into the woods, and before I could even begin to obsess about Ryan, I challenged her.

  “Cat, let’s race!” I said, as I took off ahead of her down the path. I know it wasn’t very sportsmanlike to use the element of surprise to my advance like that, but what can I say? I liked winning.

  I could feel my heart rate start to climb, as Cat laughed behind me, catching up. “What are we, five years old?”

  We spurred each other on. As one of us would slow down the other would speed up. Blood pounded in my ears as the exhilaration of exercise and competition—friendly though it was—kept me moving. I was competitive enough, and so was Cat, so there was no way this race was going to end soon. It was a pretty steep climb, and walking usually took at least thirty minutes to reach the first plateau. We were going so fast, we would make it in twenty at the most.

  I could feel the sweat dripping down my face, and was glad I’d put my hair up in a ponytail. I tucked my bangs behind my ear, and swore that next time I’d bring some kind of 80’s bandana to keep the hair out of my eyes.

  As we neared the top, I saw another runner a few hundred feet in front of us. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite make him out from this far away. It wasn’t until Cat and I reached the top, both of us panting and chugging our water that I saw who it was.

  CHAPTER 14

  Ryan

  Hiking in the mountains near Escondido, a town that was near the new home I was building, I wondered what Amy was doing at that moment. She was hot. She was definitely different from the woman I usually dated. I couldn’t get her off my mind, I didn’t have time for this kind of distraction right now. Maybe I just needed to fuck her and get it out of my system.

  I wasn’t in the market for a relationship. I was too busy at work. Something wasn’t adding up about this new project. The budget was set, we’d hired the contractors, but the funding from another project the Morgan’s had finished prior to my taking over didn’t have the consistent cash flow I’d been led to believe. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something wasn’t right.

  I continued up the mountain, accelerating my pace, enjoying the feeling of sweat on my body, until I reached the peak of the hill. Pumping my arms, I began drills, up and down the peak, until I hit thirty reps. I needed to run, otherwise, I’d think about work until I was blue in the face. I was sweating hard when I finished my last rep. Panting, I rewarded myself with a long look out over the ocean, and the city below.

  Besides the huge project by the waterfront, I was thinking of buying out a lumber company to have a good vertical business, keep everything under my control. I’d have to check the budget first, of course, but long term it could do the company good, make it the kind of business that was impenetrable.

  Maybe I’d ask Amy out again, besides the fundraiser, take her to dinner and bring her back to my place to see how hard I could make her come. I shook my head—even my obsession with business couldn’t get my mind off her.

  I thought I heard my name, and I turned around at the sound. I’d taken my shirt off and was wiping my dripping face. It was Amy with another woman, both of them guzzling water, their cheeks rosy from a run. I couldn’t help the huge smile that I felt on my face as my eyes traveled over her body. Her jogging shirt was outrageously flattering. Shite, I had it bad for this girl. I felt like I had conjured her up and she’d appeared.

  “Hi.” She smiled sweetly and then introduced her friend. She looked amazing, all sweaty and flushed. I imagined what I could do to her to make her look that way. I tried not to stare, but her large blue eyes were mesmerizing, as was the cute way she kept moving her bangs away, inadvertently getting her face muddy--well I couldn’t keep my bloody eyes off of her.

  What luck. Hot, smart, active, and challenging. I hadn’t ever wanted someone like this.

  CHAPTER 15

  Amy

  I thought I had succeeded keeping my mind off Ryan, pushing him out of my thoughts for the past thirty minutes, but I swear when I saw him in front of me, I was sure I was hallucinating. What was wrong me? But when I heard Cat’s sharp intake of breath and whisper, “Who is that awesome looking dude, who is smiling at you like his favorite flavor of ice cream?” I knew it wasn’t my imagination.

  Ryan was here and I was a sweaty mess. Great. I tried to make myself more presentable, wiping my face with the back of my hand.

  He came towards us, as we were almost at the top of the hill. I introduced the two of them. Thankfully Cat didn’t say anything out of line. She’s been known to embarrass the hell out of Jamie, but she was gentler with me. Ryan leaned towards me and used his thumb to wipe my cheek.

  “You have a big streak of dirt on your face, Amy,”
he said, gently smudging it away. I looked at the back of my hand. I must have hit it against some tree on the run because it was covered in mud. And now that mud was on my face.

  Perfect, now sweaty and dirty.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  Laughter bubbled from Cat. “You um got some on your chin and nose too,” she added mischievously. I could feel my face turning hot. I bet it was bright pink, not only from the exertion but also from embarrassment.

  “I like you dirty,” Ryan said smiling. It was at once sweet and naughty, but it was hard to know exactly his meaning with the tone of voice he used. Maybe both. I laughed, and lightly touched his bare chest, as if to push him away. I couldn’t move my hand--I mean I could but I didn’t want to. His chest was strong and perfectly sculpted. He must work out all the time. I couldn’t help but start remembering my dream--the way he was on top of me in my fantasy that morning, thrusting into me until I exploded with desire.

  Cat cleared her throat and I realized I’d probably had my hand on him longer than was decent.

  “Hands to yourself now,” Cat admonished. I shot her a wicked glare, but then laughed as I realized Ryan was chuckling under his breath.

  “I was just steadying myself after that race,” I added, smiling. I could feel the heat rising to my face again and was happy Ryan wouldn’t be able to see me blush through the flush of exercise.

  “Of course, and I was happy to help,” he said, looking at me with that twinkle.

  Cat cleared her throat. “I think I’ll wander over there for a minute to, um, meditate.” She started walking towards the other side of the plateau, to the beautiful sea view below.

  Ryan and I continued to look at each other. He beamed again, that sweet yet cheeky grin, one that I couldn’t get enough of.

  “Ryan, I’m really looking forward to tonight.”