by Karr, Kim
His deep intake of breath tells me he’s searching for the best way to respond. “They’re just words,” he says, as if trying to make light of it or maybe erase his hurt. “They don’t change what we have or how we feel.”
That just makes me cry.
“Shhh . . . don’t cry, baby. I’m not going anywhere, I promise,” he soothes and then holds me. Holds me like he’s never going to let go.
I don’t know how much time passes before I’m able to pull back and look at him. “Jasper, I—” I start to tell him that I love him too, because maybe he needs to hear it.
Those soft lips land on mine and silence me. When we’re both breathless, he pulls back and taps my behind. “What do you say we get back on deck before everyone returns?”
With a laugh, I stand up and wipe my eyes, thankful for his lead back to normalcy. “You’re dying to know which I’d have picked, aren’t you?”
Tugging up his board shorts, he puffs out his chest. “I already told you, I know the answer.”
With my bottoms on, I slip my top over my neck and turn for him to tie the back strap. “Are you sure?”
His fingers tie a bow and then slide down to my behind. “If you keep it up, I’d be happy to try it now.”
Reaching for the door, I unlock it. “Last one on deck has to jump in.”
“Hey, that’s cheating,” he yells lunging for me.
Before I hit the top stair, he’s hoisting me over his shoulder and stepping onto the deck. “Looks like I win.”
“Put me down, Jasper!”
Ignoring me, he carries me toward the swim platform.
“I can’t get my cast wet.”
Steady on the platform, he lowers me down and laughing, he dives in the water. Moments later he surfaces and still laughing, he hoists himself up.
My legs spread wide to balance myself, and with the ebb and flow of the water, I can’t move fast enough for what I know is coming.
Grabbing me, Jasper pulls me flush to his body.
The cold feels good against my warm flesh and this time I don’t argue.
We end up lying on the cushion of the wraparound bench, me on top of him, his body cool and comforting, a towel shielding me from the harsh rays.
The sun overhead, the rocking of the boat, the lake air, and the amazing sex makes us both a little sleepy. It’s not until I hear splashing and the thumping of feet on the platform that I realize I fell asleep.
Pushing up on my elbows, I look down at Jasper to see him shielding the sun from his eyes as he looks up.
“Wake up, sleeping beauties.” Jake’s voice booms.
Drew’s head pops into view from the edge of the boat. He’s wearing a bandana around his head and an eye patch. “You gotta be shitting me? You’re sleeping during Jobbie Nooner?”
Hopping to my feet, I step aside.
Jake is hovering above Jasper and pretends to step down right onto Jasper’s groin.
Jasper moves fast and rolls off the bench. “Don’t you fucking dare.”
Jake laughs and hops down, holding out his hand for Shannon, who is wearing a single beaded necklace, and then he offers a hand to Jasper. “Don’t worry bro, I wouldn’t hurt the jewels.”
He doesn’t sound in the least bit wasted.
I turn to Shannon. “How was it?”
“Oh, my God, it was so much fun. You should have come. All the Tigers were there.”
I give her a smile, and think, I had so much fun too.
With the platform clear, Drew climbs the ladder and two dark-haired women, who look like twins, with huge boobs bursting out of their itty bitty bikini tops are behind him.
Jasper is standing behind me now and he wraps his arms around my waist, and whispers in my ear, “Best Jobbie Nooner I ever attended.”
“But you had no beads to give away,” I tease.
“But I had you, and nothing could be better than that.”
I melt right here in his arms—and it’s not from the sun or the warmth of his skin.
Once Drew and company are on deck, Drew hangs his arms around each of the women’s shoulders. “This is Hailey,” he points to the girl on his right who must be wearing more than a dozen beaded necklaces, “and this is Bailey,” he points to the girl on his left, who is wearing way more necklaces than her sister.
“Actually, I’m Hailey,” says the girl on his left.
“And I’m Bailey,” says the other.
Drew just shrugs.
Jasper reaches around me and shakes each of their hands and I do the same. “Nice to meet you both,” I say, but they aren’t interested in anything but Drew.
When Jake opens the cooler to discover the beers are all gone, he looks at Jasper. “Bro, you drank them all?”
Jasper holds me even tighter against his warm body. “It wasn’t me, it was Charlotte.”
I scoff and nudge him in the gut.
He laughs.
Drew sits down with a girl on each knee. “No beer, then I think it’s time to blow this Popsicle stand.”
Jasper looks out over the horizon to where the sun is just starting to set. “Yeah, it’s probably time to head back.”
With the anchor lifted and the motor roaring, Jasper stands at the wheel and trudges slowly out of the play zone.
From the captain’s chair, I look around the quiet of the boat.
Drew is heavily involved in a double make out session. I’m not sure how I feel about that. Then again, it’s really none of my business.
Jake and Shannon are sitting on the chair across from me, quietly looking out onto the lake.
Once we’re in the open water, Jasper pulls me to stand in front of him. With one hand on the wheel, he pushes down on the throttle with the other. In no time, he has us tearing through the water and over each and every wave like he was born to move fast.
My man.
Who walks fast.
Talks fast.
Drives fast.
And fucks fast.
All speed and hard edges . . . with the softest of hearts.
Over my shoulder I whisper, “By the way, you made the right choice. That’s what I would have picked.”
Sneaking a palm to caress my behind, he mouths, “I know that.”
And I smile.
I love that he knows me.
Gets me.
And that he’s okay with who I am.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
IN REVERSE
Jasper
THE SOUND OF my cell ringing from the other room doesn’t bother me.
The truth is there never seems to be enough time to get everything done you want to get done.
There will always be a trade-off.
This for that.
That for this.
But when I’m with Charlotte, I’m unwilling to make that trade-off, so I ignore the call. Whoever it is will either call back later or leave a message.
The creamy white sheet that perfectly matches her skin tone covers our bodies from head to toe. I caress my hand down her back, feeling her silky soft flesh while I dust light kisses all over her face.
She giggles and my heart skips a beat.
I really fucking love that sound.
“That tickles.” She laughs from inside our cocoon.
I bury my stubble-covered face in her neck and suck on the spot behind her ear that I know doesn’t tickle, but turns her on.
There’s so much I know about her and so much more I want to learn.
Her breathing picks up the minute my lips apply a little more pressure. She definitely isn’t ticklish in that spot—the sounds she’s making assure me of that.
“This doesn’t tickle, does it?” I murmur in her ear, knowing for a fact that the more I suck, the wetter she’ll get.
“Maybe it does,” she answers, and her voice sounds breathy. Turned on.
I laugh. “Give it up now, Charlotte. I know I’m right.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because,” I answer,
“I know that it makes you drip for me.”
Her hands fly to her face. “Oh, my God, you have such a dirty mouth.”
“And you can’t get enough of it,” I growl, taking her lips with a swooping kiss.
She kisses me back with all she has. And she has so much to give. I want to be able to open her up and help her let her past go, the way I have been able to because of her, but she’s not there yet.
I can wait.
Choosing to focus on what works between us, and not what needs work, is the road I’ve decided to take. Very grown up choice for a guy with a fuck this attitude. That is why I refuse to dwell on what happened yesterday—that I’d found the courage to tell her I love her, feelings I’ve never had for anyone and words I can’t ever remember telling anyone—and she shut down.
I’m not thinking about that today.
“Now admit that when I kiss you behind the ear, you get wet for me.”
All I get is a shake of the head.
“I’ll bet you that blow job you promised me yesterday that I’m right.”
She rolls her eyes. Actually rolls her eyes. “Of course you would.”
To prove my point, I suck on that spot until she moans and then I swipe my finger across her very wet pussy and bring it to my lips. “See, soaking wet.” I grin and insert my finger in my mouth, tasting all of her sweetness.
She stares at me with those wild blue eyes. Her breathing ramped, her cheeks flushed, and her body amped up.
And then just for fun, I take my finger and rub it over those lush lips, and stare back at her, waiting for her to admit I was right.
I give her some time. I know she’s tired. We stayed up late and woke early reliving the experience that took place on the boat. Over and over we brought each other to climax, and every time was just as spectacular as the last.
Time running out, I nip at her earlobe, “Say it.”
She narrows her eyes at me.
“Say it.”
With a huff, she finally admits, “You were right, I’m not ticklish there. Are you happy?”
Close enough.
Satisfied, I roll my raging erection and myself onto my back, more than ready for some more action. But when I pull the sheet from our heads, I blink at the brightness of the daylight and jump up. “Fuck, what time is it?”
She burrows out of the sheet and crawls up on her stomach. “I don’t know, when we woke up it was still dark.”
Finding her cellphone on the dresser, I look at it. “Phew, it’s only seven thirty. I have to meet the guys downtown at nine though, so we’re going to have to hurry.”
She too jumps out of bed. “Oh, shit,” she swears, and she never swears.
I cock my head curiously with a grin.
She pulls one of my t-shirts over her head. “I’m going to be late for work on my first day back.”
Bending over in uncontrollable laughter, I manage to say, “You’re going to be more than a little late because you still owe me that blow job, and this,” I point down to my saluting cock, “needs some attention.”
“Rain check for tonight?” she offers sheepishly.
I shake my head no, and point once again.
This can’t wait.
With her freckles bright, her eyes narrowed, and her hair a beautiful mess of tangles, she says, “How about I watch you jerk off in the shower while I get ready?”
Incredulous, I say, “I don’t jerk off in the shower.”
“Yes, you do. I saw you.”
“Excuse me?” I manage, knowing I haven’t jerked off in weeks, and not at all since she’s been in my bed.
Fuck, I haven’t had to.
With a shrug, she scurries across the hall and into the bathroom, leaving the door open behind her.
Both laughing and practically crying with humor, I compose myself and follow her. “When exactly did you see me in the shower?”
Already at the sink brushing her teeth, she talks around a mouth full of toothpaste. “Maybe you could forget I even mentioned that?”
Caging her in, I whisper in her ear, “Tell me.”
Setting her toothbrush down, she turns.
My hands on either side of her hot little body, I say again, “Tell me.” I know I’m rattling her, and honestly it doesn’t really matter, I’m not embarrassed. Just very curious. I mean, come on, guys jerk off all the time. They put a loose fist around an erect penis and stimulate their genitalia. It’s been going on since the beginning of time. In high school we learned about healthy strokes for Christ’s sake. Don’t do it in the prone position, limit how often you do it standing up, you should be on your back. Really? Does it matter? Masturbation is masturbation.
She covers her eyes with her hands. “I can’t. It’s too embarrassing.”
Taking her hands from her face, I hold onto them. “Never be embarrassed around me.”
She sighs. “Okay . . . but I don’t want you to get upset.”
I pin her up against the counter. “Does this feel like a man who’s getting upset?”
Her cheeks turn pink as she blurts out, “The day we went biking and came here afterwards, you went to take a shower. Someone was buzzing to come up, so I was going to knock and ask you what you wanted me to do. The bathroom door was open a crack and when I looked in, I saw you. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have watched.”
“It’s okay,” I grin.
“I’m really sorry,” she says again.
Giving her a break, I don’t pressure her to finish her story. I remember the day well. The pent-up sexual energy that had been building. The need to release it before I spent any more time with her because I knew moving too fast wasn’t the right move. Although I don’t ask her to go on, I am curious. “Tell me,” I say running my hands down her body. “Did you like it?” My voice is huskier than I mean it to be.
The small noise that eeps out her throat gives me her answer before she even speaks. “Yes, I did.”
“Enough that you’d want to see it again?” I’d rather have the blowjob, but her mindset isn’t there so I’ll take this option.
She risks a glance down toward my groin. “Yes.”
That’s all it takes.
I can’t help myself.
When I’m with her, I feel like a shark that has just tasted blood in the water; all I want is more, more, more.
With a few steps back, I turn the water on and step under the lukewarm spray. Once my body is wet and the water warmer, I run a slow hand over my stomach and down to my thighs before firmly settling my cock in my fist. Then I start to pump it slowly from base to crown and down again as she watches me. Up, down, up, down, up down.
She looks mesmerized and I’d do this every day for her just to see the look I’m seeing on her face right now.
I lean back against the wall, the water dripping down my chin, onto my chest, and right down to my cock. This time when my hand slides down, I give my balls a squeeze.
She swallows a moan.
“Take your shirt off,” I whisper in a voice rough-edged with need.
If I needed to jerk off, it would be to her face, her body, and the thought of her tight little pussy clenching around my cock, so why not see the real thing.
Her eyes flash and then without hesitation, she pulls the cotton over her head and steps closer. The room fills with steam, but not enough to block my vision of her perfect tits and heavenly body.
The sight of her standing there picture perfect, my back arches and my head tips back, water splashing me as I continue to stroke my cock slowly, much more slowly than when she saw me last time.
Slow turns into fast when I look over at her and see her run her hands over her breasts and down her body. She stops to watch me as my cock disappears inside my curled fingers, watches how I add a little extra stroke around the head when I notice her breathing pick up, and then when her hand moves between her legs, I give a stroke to my balls.
Rubbing soap onto my palm, I back myself up against the wall.
Half a minute later, she steps into the shower, all harsh pants and biting her lip. Sexy as fuck.
Just looking at her has me losing control. My fist pumps faster, slick with lube, and my hips rise and fall to meet every thrust until I can’t hold on any longer. “Come for me,” I breathe.
She nods and takes her clit between her thumb and fingers and squeezes, rubs, circles.
My breath bursts out of me and I find myself biting my own lip.
I’m hand fucking myself even faster now.
When she steps closer to me, I use both hands, and this time when my breath bursts out of me in a groan that’s too loud for this small space, I can’t hold it back. “Oh, fuck,” I cry. “Oh, Charlotte.”
Words tumble from her lips. Her mouth falls open. Her face contorts into pleasure. And I can tell she’s coming.
I am too.
Hot wetness spatters. It pumps out of me in two hard spurts. The rest surges over my hand as I cup the head of my cock and stroke a few last times.
My eyes never leave hers, she watches every single move I make, and as the water washes away my evidence of desire for her, I reach for her. Bring her trembling body to my chest. Press her face to my skin. Stroke her hair. And the entire time the words I love you sit on my tongue.
When both of our beating hearts calm, we wash, and then I pull the lever, shutting off the water.
“See, that didn’t take that much time,” I joke, grabbing some towels.
She smiles at me. “Maybe next time we’re in a hurry we could just do it in the shower.”
With a raised brow, I wrap a towel around my waist. “Is that your way of telling me masturbation is off the table?”
“Maybe. I like your hands on me more than I like my own,” she admits, “but I really liked watching you.”
Laughing at her honesty, my response is simple. “Anytime you want to watch me, just let me know.”
Wrapping a towel around her, I want to dry her, pat the water away, and lick the excess drops, but we both have to start our day. She needs to head upstairs and I have an auction to get to.
It’s a big day.
By eight twenty she’s kissing me quickly. “You sure you don’t mind if I don’t go with you today?”
“I’m sure. It will be over quick and we could really use you here to post the announcement as soon as it happens.”