My balls tightened.
Maybe it was hearing her say my name like I held the key to all her fantasies. Maybe it was the experience of feeling tits for the first time. Or maybe it was the rhythmic stimulation on my dick.
Most likely, it was a combination of all three, but one thing was for sure—I was about to come.
The pleasure built until I felt like my entire body would explode.
My vision dimmed.
My fingers spasmed involuntarily, squeezing Corrie’s tit harder than necessary.
She whimpered, and I couldn’t tell if it was from pain or pleasure. I was about to apologize, but when my mouth opened, all that came out was a raspy groan.
My cock suddenly pulsed, spilling powerful spurts of cum in the water.
Shiiiit. So good.
I bit the inside of my cheek in an attempt to hold in the shout trapped in my throat. I succeeded, but the low growl rumbling in my chest couldn’t be contained.
I’d hoped to hide the fact that I shot off like a horny teenager, but my sounds were too obvious.
Luckily, it must’ve turned Corrie on even more, because her entire body stiffened. Her thighs clamped down on my sides and her motions became jerky.
With a loud cry, she shuddered against me before she buried her face in the crook of my neck. Her mouth closed over my skin and she sucked. Hard.
Tingles shot through me, and more cum seeped from my tip.
It was a good thing we were in the water, because I might’ve collapsed if we were on land.
Weak and trembling, my knees buckled and I sank until we were submerged up to our chins.
I wound my arms around Corrie’s back and placed a kiss on the side of her head.
A few aftershocks caused her to jolt as she clung to me and I held onto her. We were melded together so closely a hair couldn’t have been wedged between us.
Just how it was meant to be.
“Well, that escalated quickly,” I said playfully.
Corrie laughed weakly. “Yep.”
“I could go for a nap right about now.”
I didn’t think I’d ever been this relaxed. My energy was drained, but Corrie didn’t seem sated.
She hummed. “I’m not done with you yet, cowboy.”
Grabbing my face, she kissed me hard and deep. The way she sucked on my tongue and nibbled on my lips was passionate and desperate. Frenzied.
Scared.
“Why do you always kiss me like it’s the last time it’ll ever happen?” I murmured into her mouth.
She sucked in a breath and pulled away long enough to say, “Because it might be.”
Going back for more, her fingers threaded through my hair as she tried to reel me back in.
I resisted, dodging my head to the side. Her lips made contact with my cheek and she mewled in frustration.
“Aiden, kiss me.”
Not until she understood my intentions.
She still wasn’t sure about us, and that was unacceptable.
I cupped her delicate jaw in my big palm and made sure she was looking me in the eyes when I responded, “No.” My tone was hard. “It’s not the last time.”
What did I have to do to get her to believe me? To believe in us?
I kissed down the column of her neck, tasting sweet skin and salty sea. I scraped my teeth over her pulse point before licking my way back up.
I planted a quick peck on her mouth. “I’ve got millions of these to give. How many times a day do I need to kiss you for you to be satisfied?”
Her lips twisted to the side—a completely adorable move—while she thought about her answer. “A hundred?”
“I’ll see your one hundred and raise you another hundred.”
“You’re going to kiss me two hundred times a day? Every day?”
Smirking, I nodded. “It shouldn’t be difficult to reach today’s quota.”
She laughed. “I think we already did.”
I made a sound of agreement. “Then let’s start over.”
WE SPENT THE REST OF the afternoon playing in the waves and making out in the ocean until reality called me back—literally.
Corrie and I were searching for seashells when my phone started ringing on our pile of discarded clothes. It was Theo, telling me my presence was needed at the pool party for the contestants. Just a quick appearance, he said.
I hated seeing Corrie put her dress back on. Hated knowing we had to part ways. I was so greedy when it came to her.
The kisses.
The genuine smiles.
The way she cautiously let her guard down.
We made small talk as we rode the horses back to the ranch. Nothing too serious—the hot weather, how beautiful the scenery was, the good quality of food at the resort’s continental breakfast. According to Corrie, they made the best scrambled eggs she’d ever had.
When I asked her if we could see each other again soon, she promised she’d show up for the recording session with Stan the next morning. It wasn’t the alone time I was hoping for, but it gave me something to look forward to.
I parked the SUV near the same spot on the road where we’d done the switcheroo earlier. Holding up my cell, I confirmed my signal, then shot off a text to Theo to let him know Corrie could be picked up.
Knowing we only had a few minutes left, I reached for her across the middle console and threaded my fingers through her hair. She leaned in for a kiss, and pleasure zinged from my lips to my toes, swooping through my stomach like a rolling wave as she stroked my tongue with hers.
Without disconnecting the kiss, I glanced out the windshield, watching for Theo. But movement in the rearview mirror caught my eye.
Turning, I looked behind us. Corrie nibbled my jaw as I squinted at the vehicle coming over the hill in the distance.
“Shit,” I cursed.
“What?” Corrie followed my line of sight.
“Someone’s coming.”
“Is it Theo?”
“No. He’s at the resort. It could be someone from the NTT crew.”
“Shit,” Corrie echoed my sentiment with wide eyes. “What do we do?”
My gaze went to the back seat. The windows were tinted. If Corrie curled up back there, it was likely she wouldn’t be seen but not guaranteed.
I contemplated the thick foliage to our left, then looked back at the road.
The approaching car was no longer visible. It’d disappeared in the low dip on the other side of the hill, and we had mere seconds before it came into view again. We needed to make a decision.
I pointed to the bushes. “Hide there.”
“In the forest?” Corrie sounded alarmed.
“Not far. Just enough to be out of sight.”
Hesitating, she swallowed hard before opening and shutting the door, then darting away with a speed that had me impressed.
Less than sixty seconds later, a white resort SUV slowed to a stop next to mine. The passenger side window rolled down. Ross was behind the wheel.
“Hey.” I waved. “What are you doing out here? I thought you were conducting the interviews today.”
“Finished up early. I told the camera crew to get some footage of the contestants having fun on the beach, so I had a couple hours to kill.” He hitched a thumb behind him. “Not much to see on the other side, but some of the local ladies are pretty hot and not difficult to impress. You should’ve seen the way they flocked to me when I flashed my Rolex.”
God, he was such a creep. “Where are you off to now?”
Maybe if I kept the subject on him, he wouldn’t be suspicious about why I was parked on the side of the road by myself.
“Pool party.” He grinned. “Speaking of hot women, how about those contestants, huh? The casting department did good.”
“Yeah, sure,” I half-heartedly agreed. “Well, I’ll see you there.”
I gave Ross an awkward salute, hoping he’d take the hint and move along.
But nope.
Squinting, he eyed
my SUV. “Why are you just sitting here?”
I patted the gray dashboard. “Thing died on me. It must be the battery or something.”
Cars had batteries, right? Right.
Vehicle maintenance wasn’t included in my vast worldly knowledge. I could tell you what the horizon looked like from the top of the Eiffel Tower but had no clue how to check the oil of a car or change a tire.
Some cowboy I was.
“Want me to see if I’ve got jumper cables?” Ross asked, leaning toward his door like he was about to get out.
“No!” A little too loud. Needed to lower it by a couple decibels. “No, it’s cool. Theo’s on his way now. He should be here any minute.”
“Oh.” He shrugged. “Okay. See ya later.”
“Yep.”
I watched him drive away and waited until the taillights disappeared around a curve in the road. Then I got out and walked to the tree line.
“Corrie?” Silence. “Corrie, you can come out now.”
Tilting my head, I listened for the sound of twigs snapping or rustling leaves. Nothing.
Concerned, I ventured into the jungle. Weeds and sticks tickled my ankles. Large leaves slapped me in the face and I almost tripped over a fallen log. Whipping my head from left to right, I searched for a glimpse of purple hair.
Still nothing.
“Corrie!” I called out loudly, causing several birds in the tree above me to take flight.
“Aiden!” The reply was a high-pitched whisper-yell. “Help.”
Shit.
Following the general direction of her voice, I took off into a run. Well, as fast as I could while stumbling because of vines and rocks and whatever else piled up in the wild.
“Where are you?” I turned in a circle.
“Behind the large tree that’s split down the middle.” She was closer now, and I spotted the area she was referring to.
I rounded the thick trunk, and when Corrie came into view, the sight before me wasn’t what I was expecting.
I’d been worried about sprained ankles or broken bones.
But what I saw made my jaw drop.
Corrie was stiff as a board, her arms extended at her sides, and perched on top of her head was the smallest squirrel-monkey-thing I’d ever seen. It was no bigger than my fist, with big eyes, brown fur, and a short furry tail.
“Get it off me,” Corrie whispered, face white as a sheet. “But don’t provoke it. It could have rabies.”
I slowly stepped forward, studying the animal clinging to her scalp. “It’s actually kind of cute.”
The incredulous crazy-eyes aimed at me were full of outrage. “It stinks. And bats are diseased, you know.”
“Not a bat.” Another careful step.
“It flew. Pretty sure it’s a bat.” Aside from her lips, she still didn’t move a millimeter.
“I think it’s one of those flying squirrels. A sugar glider, maybe?”
“I don’t care what kind of animal it is. It’s pooping. Oh my God.” Corrie’s hushed voice went up a pitch. “I can feel it dripping down my back.”
Finding humor in the situation, I was unable to hide my smile as I flailed my arms and closed the distance yelling, “Shoo. Shoo!”
Screeching, the little guy took off. The brown blur jumped through the air before attaching to a tree and scurrying up to the high branches.
“See?” I pointed, finally letting a snicker free. “Not a bat.”
Corrie scowled and some color came back to her cheeks. “He shit on me.”
“Turn around.” I began unbuttoning my shirt, ready to use it to clean her off.
She did as I said, still holding her arms out.
“It’s probably in my hair, too.” She sniffled.
I paused. “Are you crying?”
“No.” The waver in her voice told me she was, in fact, crying.
“He’s gone now,” I consoled, feeling kind of bad for thinking it was funny. “Everything’s okay.”
Starting with the top of her head, I examined her strands. They were messy and wavy from swimming. Some sand still clung to her hair, but there was no crap. I moved her locks to the side to look at her back. She was a little pink from being in the sun, but other than that, it was just smooth, untarnished skin.
“You’re imagining it,” I told her. “There’s nothing here.”
“For real?”
“For real.”
“I could’ve sworn I felt it.” Shuddering, she faced me.
Now that I was certain Corrie was safe and unharmed, I finally allowed the laugh caught in my throat to break free.
In response, her eyes shot daggers at me.
If looks could kill, I would’ve been dropping to my knees.
Although, metaphorically, I was already there anyway—I’d always worshipped Corrie, and my feelings for her had grown tenfold in the past twenty-four hours.
I knew I shouldn’t tease her. I didn’t want her to think I didn’t take her unique concerns seriously. But having a wild mammal land on your head was so random.
“Only you.” I affectionately chucked her under the chin. “I swear this would only happen to you.” After stuffing part of my shirt into the back pocket of my shorts, I bumped her with my shoulder and began walking back toward the road. “I’m sorry if I took you on a bad date. Next time you get to choose what we do. No clams, no horses, and no jungle adventures.”
Wining and dining probably would’ve been a wiser choice for today. Instead, I force-fed Corrie the grossest food ever. Scared the hell out of her with an activity she hated. Literally humped her. What was I thinking? She deserved romance and I wasn’t sure I’d succeeded.
“What makes you think you’re getting a second date?” she quipped. “Kinda cocky to assume.”
Ouch.
Lifting a low branch out of our way, I placed my palm at the small of her back as she stepped over some twigs. “It must’ve been the dry-humping. Call me old fashioned, but I thought you coming on my cock was a pretty good sign for the future.”
Red-faced, Corrie gaped at me before giggling. “Technically, it was wet-humping.”
“I’ll settle for any kind of humping when you’re involved.”
The rosy blush on her face deepened, spreading down her neck, and we traipsed silently for a few seconds.
“Seriously, though, Corrie.” Humor had left my tone, gruff honesty taking its place. “I need confirmation about spending more time together, and not just in a professional setting. I want you to be my girlfriend,” I stated, spearing her with my serious gaze. “Again. A second time.”
She stopped walking, and her mouth opened and closed a few times. “You still want to be with me after everything I told you today?”
“Without a doubt. I’ve always known you were a little eccentric.” I smiled as I took her hand in mine. “You said earlier that I make you brave? Well, you make me happy. I’ll be your courage if you’ll be my contentment.”
A grin—a big one—spread over her face and she let out a laugh. “You always did have a way with words, you swoony bastard.”
“So that’s a yes?”
Biting her lower lip, she nodded.
Thank God.
Having Corrie finally agree to be mine was better than being encored by a stadium of twenty thousand fans. It was the highest high I’d ever experienced.
I didn’t even realize I was grinning like a loon until Corrie reached out and touched my dimple.
My favorite hazel eyes softened, and slender fingers squeezed my hand. “For the record, it was the best date ever.”
Seriously? I could tell she was being honest, but that meant she must’ve been with some losers. I had no idea what her dating history entailed, but it wasn’t like it’d be tough to top today’s activities.
I was well aware of how much I’d hurt her in the past, which was bad enough. Knowing I’d allowed someone else to break her heart because I wasn’t there to protect it? That almost killed me.
&
nbsp; Looping an arm around her waist, I drew her closer, ready to pour a hundred apologies into one searing kiss, but Theo’s voice came somewhere from out of sight.
“Aiden? Are you doing the dirty in the woods? Not that I’m against kink or anything, but I draw the line at getting bit by a snake or a mountain lion while I’m getting it on.”
“Snakes?” Corrie let out a squeak of alarm, tightening her grip on my hand and frantically searching the ground. “And mountain lions?”
“Here.” Giving her my backside, I motioned for her to climb on.
She didn’t hesitate to jump onto me, hooking her elbows around my neck in a suffocating chokehold. I patted her forearm until she gave me some slack, then I wedged my hands under her thighs to carry her the rest of the way.
“I’m serious. There could be dangerous predators out there,” Theo continued, much to my annoyance. “I don’t want to ruin your good time, but if you don’t come out in thirty seconds, I’m coming to look for you. Better get decent.”
Rolling my eyes to the sky, I followed the embarrassing speech until we emerged from the bushes.
“We weren’t having sex,” I informed him as Corrie dismounted from the piggyback ride.
“Then why is your shirt off?” He motioned toward my bare torso.
“Long story. Ross came by and she had to hide.” I motioned to the trees.
Frowning, Theo shook his head. “I knew it wouldn’t take long for that weasel to go lurking around the island. So here’s the deal—If anyone asks why either of you have been indisposed, I’ve got you covered.” He looked at me. “Aiden, you’ve been sleeping all day. The late nights really took it out of you.”
“And me?” Corrie asked.
“Diarrhea.”
A gasp of horror erupted from her pink lips. “Why did it have to be poop-related?”
“Because it couldn’t be the same as Aiden and no one would want to bother you if you’re glued to the toilet.” He shrugged. “It was the best I could come up with.”
Letting out a resigned sigh, Corrie looked over at her getaway car, then sent me a shy smile. “Bye, Aiden.”
“Hold on.” Before she could run off, I grabbed her hand and reeled her in for an embrace. I rubbed my nose over hers. “I had a really good time today.”
“So did I.”
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