Mr. Fantasy: (A standalone romance)

by Cambria Hebert

  I nodded.

  “For real?”

  Laughing, I stepped onto the glass, which gave a clear picture of the turquoise waters below. Several fish swam by, one of the them a bright yellow.

  “Look!” she gasped, pointing again. Instead of taking my offered hand, she smacked me repeatedly on the shoulder. “Look, Carter!”

  “Come closer,” I proposed, completely amused by her awe.

  When I tugged her forward, her feet dug into the floor. “I can’t step on that! What if it breaks?”

  “Then I guess we’ll get an even closer look.”

  Squealing, she jumped back.

  Ah, so incredibly cute.

  Laughing, I picked her up, stepping back onto the glass with her cradled in my arms.

  “I weigh a lot, Carter! This isn’t funny! It’s going to break!”

  “It’s not going to break.” I assured her. “Don’t you trust me?”

  She stopped squirming and bit her lip nervously. “Yes, I do.”

  Leaning in, I kissed her.

  “Have you ever seen a shark?” she asked when I pulled back. Her eyes lit up. “A dolphin?”

  “A dolphin way under the boat?” I asked, completely skeptical.

  Her shoulders slumped. “Right. Too bad. I’ve always wanted to see one up close.”

  Sitting down in the center of the window, I kept Nora in my lap. The bedroom glowed from the little bit of light filtering up through the water, and the waves seemed to ripple right along the walls.

  “I feel like I’m inside a fish tank,” Nora observed, still staring down at the moving water beneath us. “It’s so beautiful.”

  I didn’t bother to look at what she was referring to because, honestly, there was nothing down there that could even compare to her.

  “Oh! Look!” she exclaimed, nearly falling out of my lap onto her hands and knees. Blond hair fell around her shoulders, creating a curtain that hid her face. “Look!” She tapped on the glass.

  A school of orange fish swam by, their small fins working overtime.

  She gasped again when a small coral reef came into view. “It’s different colors!”

  I smiled.

  Finally peeling her eyes from the ocean floor, she scowled at me. “You aren’t looking.”

  “I’ve seen it all before, but watching you… It’s like seeing it for the first time all over again.”

  She didn’t look back down. Suddenly, there was an invisible tether tightening between us. The atmosphere shifted, dissolving all the comfort and fun in the space and replacing it with tension and thick desire.

  My stomach clenched and my pulse quickened, making me forcibly swallow. Her eyes drifted down to my throat, and when they came back up, the blue was darker than before.

  Spider-crawling my fingers over the glass, I caressed hers, rubbing my thumb over the back of her hand. Her breathing hitched, and I knew she felt the same tug.

  Moving so she was between my legs, I cupped her cheek, caressing it the same way I had her hand. “You really are so beautiful,” I whispered. I knew I didn’t have to say it, but truthfully, I wanted her to know that’s how she looked to me. “I thought about you almost every day since that night we spent together. It drove me crazy. So crazy I had to find you again.”

  She whispered my name, but it was more than that.

  I grazed her lips at first, teasing us both. Opening my eyes again to hold her stare, I said nothing, waiting until her eyes went unfocused before putting my lips on hers again.

  I kissed her deeply, the way I’d longed to do from the moment I’d snatched her from the office. Palming her head, I had my way, kissing until she began to melt and I wasn’t just supporting her head, but all of her weight.

  Easing us back, I laid her across the window, kissing her still. Settling between her legs, I felt them trembling, so I glided my fingers over her bare thigh and all the way to her calf.

  Her hands went to my shirt, fumbling with the buttons but unable to get even one undone. A sound of frustration rumbled in her throat. Pulling away from my lips, she stared accusingly at the shirt still covering my chest.

  Rising above her, I ripped it off. The sound of buttons scattering and rolling across the floor was like music to my ears.

  After pushing herself up off the glass, her hands went everywhere, sliding over my chest, across my abs, and dragging up my arms. Leaning forward, she flicked her tongue over my nipple, making me shudder. My fingers tangled in her hair as she sucked and taunted my flesh with her hot little mouth.

  Ripping the dress over her head, I threw it aside with my shirt, then tugged off the rest of her clothes until all she wore was a pair of lacey pink briefs.

  Catching her arms and forcing her back down, I pinned her wrists above her head. With her body stretched out, I took my time kissing and sucking every inch I could reach.

  She was panting when I finally released her arms, and immediately they went to the waistband of my pants, her quivering fingers trying to undo the button. After the third try, she glanced up, her eyes unfocused and so incredibly blue. “You make me too nervous.”

  Gently pushing her hand away, I undid them while claiming her mouth.

  “You weren’t this nervous the night we met,” I murmured between kisses.

  “It’s because now I lo—”

  I jerked back only far enough that I could see the look in her eyes.

  Nora bit down on her lip, averting her gaze.

  My heart fell a little because I’d been sure she was about to say the words I really longed to hear. “You know this makes me angry,” I whispered, tugging her lip from beneath her teeth.

  “Why?” she whispered, eyes searching mine.

  “I don’t like anything that hurts you,” I explained, cupping her face in my hands. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were plump. “Because I love you.”

  Her breath caught, and surprise filled her expression. “Y-you do?”

  Smiling gently, I took her hand and pressed it against my chest. “You’re the first person I’ve let in here in a really long time… Take care of it, okay?”

  Her chin wobbled slightly, but then she smiled. “I promise.”

  “Good girl,” I praised, then kissed her again.

  Cupping the back of her head, I pushed her down so we were skin to skin.

  Below us, something swam into view, and I grinned. Moving fast, I flipped her over, pressing her naked torso along the glass.

  “It’s cold.” She gasped, squirming.

  “Look.”

  A large stingray glided gracefully through the water, its body deep brown and spotted with white. It looked almost like it was flying, fluttering its fins, which really looked more like wings.

  Nora made a small sound of awe.

  Moving her hair to the side, I kissed her neck, over her shoulder, and then started moving across her back. A low moan filled the room when I reached under her to palm her breast.

  Slowly, her legs parted, and I fit myself between them. Grinding against her warm, round ass was sweet torture, and so were the sounds she made every time I moved. Pushed to my limit, I ripped the panties off her body and tossed aside my boxers. Slipping an arm under her hips, I pulled her ass into the air, sliding my rigid erection along her slick core.

  Burying her face in her arm, she thrust against me with a deep moan. The sweet warmth of her core enticed me, but I held back from plunging deep in favor of rubbing along her slit to tease the sensitive nub above it.

  Reaching around behind her, she grabbed at my bare hip, trying to pull me in. Giving in, I pushed the swollen tip into her entrance. Her upper body melted against the glass, and a shudder moved through her.

  Every part of me tightened. The need for her was so intense. Desperately, I wanted to pound into her, to lose myself.

  Rocking just a little, I let my eyes slip closed for a moment of bliss before pulling away.

  A sound of protest filled the room, and she looked over her shoul
der. “Carter?”

  I stood, staring down at her naked form on display, lit from behind by the ocean. “I can’t.”

  Flipping around, her bare ass hit the glass. “W-what?”

  Sliding my hands under her arms, I lifted her off the floor. She seemed wobbly on her feet, and her face was still a mask of confusion.

  She whispered my name again.

  I picked her up, cupping her bare cheeks as her legs wound around my waist. Under her, my cock jerked, desperate to be inside her again.

  As I carried her to the bed, the slick desire of her core coated my lower belly, making me even more impatient.

  The second her back hit the bed, I bent over, locking eyes with her. “I can’t take you on the floor from behind. Not right now. I want to see you. I want to look into the face that I love when I claim you.”

  “Carter,” she whispered, letting her fingers drag down my chest.

  “After this, you’re mine, Nora. Completely. No more denying. No more saying you aren’t. Got it?”

  Her throat worked, and the nerves she spoke of before befell me in a vicious way. I’d just filleted my heart for her. I let her into a place no one else was allowed. What if she rejected it? Rejected me?

  “I love you.”

  A deep roar filled my head, echoing through the rest of my body. Possession, hard and forceful, slammed into me, knocking out everything else.

  When I plunged into her, we both cried out. I wanted to take her slowly and sensually, but there was no way. Her confession drove me to the brink of madness, making me operate on pure instinct.

  Nora was warm and wet, sheathing me with far more than just her body. Groaning, I fell forward, burying my face in the side of her neck, thrusting deep.

  Her fingertips dug into my back, anchoring me to this moment, anchoring me to her.

  Too soon, the bliss between us erupted, and I was free-falling through satisfaction. Entire body quivering with ecstasy, I milked every last ounce of pleasure I could from the both of us. I collapsed over her and our slick bodies stuck together, but I didn’t care. It could be glue fusing us together, but I wouldn’t ever complain.

  Nora

  Reality vs. Fantasy Observation #4:

  Fantasy is having a sexy one-night stand and thinking you’re his only one.

  Reality is knowing he has a name for all the women he’s dragged home.

  The opening and closing of the bedroom door aroused me from the satiated state my body had succumbed to. Glancing beside me, I realized Carter was no longer acting as my personal heater.

  “Hey,” I called, lifting my head. “Where’d you go?”

  “I don’t know if I should be offended or proud that you just noticed I was gone,” he quipped, walking toward the bed.

  Proud. He should definitely be proud.

  Pushing up into a sitting position, I spied what he carried. “Ooh, what’s that?” I said, wiggling my fingers in a gimme gesture.

  The sound of his warm chuckle made my belly tighten, and everything we’d been doing in this bed for the last few hours whispered through the rest of me.

  Oh, if Val only knew how right she was when she called him Mr. Fantasy.

  “You want one of these?” he teased, holding out a drink inside a real pineapple, complete with umbrella and straw.

  I went to take it, but he pulled it back, just out of reach.

  “Hey!” The sheet around me fell to my waist, exposing my naked chest.

  “I was hoping you’d do that,” he mused, fixing his stare on my breasts.

  I scoffed, and he winked.

  I grumbled, and he held out the pineapple, offering it like a truce.

  “Is it alcohol?” I asked, wrapping my lips around the hot-pink straw.

  “You’re supposed to ask that before you drink it.” He scowled.

  Batting my eyelashes, I said, “Even when you give it to me?”

  “Except me.” He relented, slipping into bed with his identical drink.

  “It’s juice,” I said, taking another sip. The pineapple was a little prickly against my palms, but I didn’t care. How often did a girl get to drink out of an actual hollowed-out pineapple?

  “You haven’t eaten enough for me to ply you with alcohol.”

  I glared. “I’m a big girl.”

  “I want you sober,” he whispered, leaning in to kiss my shoulder. “I don’t want you forgetting any of this.”

  “As if I could.”

  “Sometimes good memories get overshadowed by bad ones,” he said, a more serious note creeping into his tone.

  Lowering the pineapple and turning to him, I asked, “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  He shook his head and smiled. “I have a surprise for you.”

  “What could be better than turning the bedroom into an aquarium?” I asked, gazing over at the glass floor.

  “C’mon.” He motioned, getting out of bed again. It was the first time I noticed what he was wearing.

  “Is that a swimsuit?”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Should I go get drinks from the staff naked?” His hair was mussed, dark eyes playful, and his all-black swim trunks accentuated his long torso.

  “I need my dress,” I asserted, covering my bare chest with my arm.

  Pulling my arm down, he said, “There’s a suit here for you.”

  An icky feeling came over me, and I held the pineapple out for him to take.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Is it bad?” Immediately taking a sip of my drink, his face filled with concentration as though he was studying the juice to make sure it wasn’t sour. “It tastes fine,” he concluded.

  Standing, I dragged the sheet with me, covering myself. “I’m not wearing any of the clothes you keep on this boat for all your conquests.”

  “Nor—”

  “I know you’re rich and sexy and single… but could you maybe at least act like you don’t parade women on and off this boat and your island?”

  As I lectured, Carter lowered his chin to stare up at me from beneath his strong brows. I swear, the more I talked, the more amusement lit his eyes.

  Squinting, I pursed my lips. “You think this is funny? Should I tell you about Alan—”

  The drinks were put aside, and he tackled me before I could even finish my threat.

  “Hey!” I gasped, falling against the tangled sheets while being jailed in by his body.

  “Let’s get a few things straight.” He half growled, eyes roaming my face like a predator checking for weaknesses in his prey.

  You know, if this had been Alan on top of me, I’d probably be queasy and timid. I’d probably be worried I’d said something wrong and his anger was all my fault.

  This wasn’t Alan.

  (Thank God.)

  Leaning over to where he held my wrists, I sank my teeth into his hand.

  “Ow!” he hollered but remarkably didn’t let go. “What the hell are you biting me for?”

  “You tackled me!”

  “Because you were about to put images in my head I don’t even want to imagine.”

  “What the hell do you think you just did to me?”

  His lips actually tugged up into the beginnings of a smile.

  My eyes narrowed.

  “It’s brand new.”

  The expression dropped from my face. “What?”

  “The bathing suit, the clothes…” He began, eyes bouncing between mine. “I had them brought onboard for you.”

  “Oh.” I pressed my lips together. That was a relief.

  Above me, his body shifted so he was no longer holding me down, instead cradling me in his arms.

  “Yes, there have been other women on this boat,” he admitted, his voice matter-of-fact. Feeling me bristle against him, he kissed my nose, then hurried to say, “But I’ve never kept clothes for them. I’ve never even considered it.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “I’ve never taken a woman back to my island.”

  “Liar.” I accused.


  He laughed under his breath. “It’s true. Ask Aaron. I never let anyone see that much of me, of my personal space.”

  “But that night…” I refuted. Memories of his beautiful island, the views from the terrace, and the pure white sand on his beach assailed me. “You brought me there.” Considering something else, I said, “Was that not your island? Do you have two?”

  His teeth flashed when he laughed. “I’m not that rich. Not yet anyway.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  When he pressed against my back to draw my attention, I noted the seriousness in his eyes. “You’re the only woman I’ve brought there. The only woman to ever be in my bed.”

  “But why? We didn’t even know each other.”

  He shrugged. “I felt it. My heart just recognized you. It was fate.”

  “You believe in fate?”

  He smiled fondly, as if we were talking about an old friend. “I have a healthy respect for fate. And yeah, I think it exists, as long as you’re paying attention.”

  “You’re like really for real right now?”

  “Really for real.” He confirmed, eyes shining like polished gems. “You’re more to me than just a sand dollar, and I’ll never treat you like one.”

  My nose wrinkled. “A sand dollar?”

  “Beach girls, random hookups. You step onto the resort and they’re a dime a dozen, just like dollar bills. Not worth much but maybe enough for a good time.”

  I punched him in the side.

  “Ow!” he wailed, rolling off me. “Since when did you become so violent?”

  “That’s a horrible way to talk about women.”

  “I said that’s not how I think about you!”

  “That still doesn’t make it right,” I declared, leaning over to pinch his nipple.

  “Okay! Okay!” He surrendered, holding out his hands. The surrender was completely nullified by his laugh. “I won’t say it again.”

  “Unbelievable,” I muttered. Still, I was secretly delighted he thought of me in a better light.

  “Don’t be mad, good girl,” he crooned, sitting up and pulling me against him. “I love you.”

  What a dirty trick. Pulling out those three words in a voice more charming than coffee at a five a.m. wake-up call. How was I supposed to be mad when he tucked me against that long, sinewy body of his and made my heart flutter?