Winding my arms around his waist, I sighed.
“If you don’t get dressed, you’re going to miss your surprise.”
I pulled back. “Huh?”
“Probably swimming away right now.” He sighed regrettably.
Bounding out of bed, completely naked, I rushed toward… Well, wait… Where was I rushing?
“Top drawer,” he instructed.
Pulling it open I saw three bathing suits in a neat row, all of them still tagged. There were two bikinis and a hot-pink one-piece with a zipper up the front.
“A one-piece?” I feigned surprise, lifting it with my finger.
“It’s got a zipper. Easy access.” He winked, and I nearly swooned.
Naturally, I put that one on. It fit like a glove, and I kinda marveled at how he knew my size.
Handing me the pineapple, he grasped my free hand and led me onto the deck of the yacht.
“We aren’t moving.” I noticed when the ocean came into view before us.
“We dropped anchor for a bit.”
“Why?”
Smiling, he tugged me toward the back of the boat where a section of the side was lowered, sort of like a tailgate on a truck.
Beyond that, waves bobbed, but something else moved with them.
“What is that?” I asked, feet stalling.
Carter swung back, scooping me off my feet, and carried me the rest of the way. “You said you wanted to see dolphins.”
I gasped. “Dolphins!” Nearly falling out of his arms, I craned my neck so I could look. “Oh my gosh! Dolphins!”
An entire pod was right beside the boat, swimming and playing. They cut through the water so gracefully like the waves were no resistance at all. I clearly recalled when I’d been tossed overboard and just how much resistance the ocean could put forth and how quickly I’d grown tired.
Standing on a little platform attached to the boat, Carter helped me down, cool ocean water rushing up over my bare toes.
“How did you do this?” I asked, gazing around in awe.
The water here was bright turquoise, and the surface glittered like a handful of diamonds under a bright light. There were no other people to be seen. Miami was long gone, and the sun was lowering in the sky, creating streaks of color overhead.
Warm, balmy air blew around us, caressing my skin just like the water flowing over my toes.
“This is a well-known spot where dolphins like to play. Must be good eating or waves or something, because usually, they gather here quite a bit. When you said you wanted to see them, I had the captain point the boat in this direction.”
“You really are Mr. Fantasy,” I murmured, watching a dolphin crest before diving back down.
His arms wound around me from behind, and he rocked our bodies together rhythmically.
Nearby, a dolphin jumped, its whole body leaving the water in a beautiful arch, then plunged below.
“Oh!” I gasped, gripping his forearms. “Did you see?”
“Want to pet one?”
“Can I?” I asked.
“They’re pretty used to boats and people,” Carter explained, going to the edge of the platform and slipping his hand into the water. “Tour guides bring people out here.”
A grey body swam close, passed by, then turned back.
“You just have to hold still,” he said, watching the mammal.
Sure enough, it came back, swimming close enough that Carter was able to reach out his hand and stroke it.
“They’re a lot bigger than I imagined,” I said, suddenly apprehensive. “Do they bite?”
Holding out his dripping-wet hand, he coaxed me forward. “Come here.”
Cautiously, I moved closer, surrendering my hand to his. Crouching beside him, I gazed out warily.
Wrapping his fingers around mine, Carter put our hands down into the water. I waited, barely breathing, heart pounding, for a dolphin to approach.
After a few moments when none came, I took a deep breath. “I don’t think they want to.”
“Hold still,” Carter said, patient.
The sea breeze was blowing the hair away from his face, and the sinking sun kissed his cheekbones, making him glow. I forgot about the dolphins and the magic of being out here. All I saw and felt was him.
“Here he is,” Carter whispered, and something smooth and slick grazed against my fingers. Startled, I jolted, but he held my hand still, pressing my palm on the side of the dolphin. My hand dragged the length of its body, then it flicked its tail and coasted away.
“Oh my gosh!” I exclaimed in a hushed tone. “I just petted it!”
Carter sat down with a chuckle, letting his feet plunge into the water and tucking my hand in his lap. “Sit with me.”
Following his lead, I hung my feet over the platform, water coming up to almost my knees.
“Next time, we’ll bring some fish and feed them.”
“We can do that?”
“We can do anything.”
“This is some world you live in, Carter Anders,” I mused, gazing out over the horizon.
Lifting my hand from his lap, he kissed the back. “It’s our world now, remember?”
How could I forget? The way he rose above me, declaring I was his, would be embedded in my brain forever.
A dolphin whizzed by, splashing us and making me laugh.
“I think this is the perfect spot to watch the sunset,” he told me.
He was right. It was perfect.
Carter
Reality vs. Fantasy Observation #5:
Sometimes there is a thing as too much fantasy… like when it has birds.
Have you ever woken up with a woman’s lips wrapping around your morning wood and her warm, wet mouth sliding down until there was nothing left to take?
No?
Dude. You don’t even know what you’re missing.
Men everywhere have wet dreams about this… but this morning, I wasn’t dreaming.
Not a single thought drifted through my mind. Everything remained peacefully quiet as she slid up and down my rod, chasing away literally everything but the feel of her mouth and hands. As her head bobbed, the ends of her hair tickled my abs, creating another layer of pleasure I didn’t even know I could experience.
Tilting my hips up, I thrusted into her mouth. Nora dragged back until just the tip was caught between her lips. One palm wrapped confidently around the base and began pumping while her tongue swirled around the head.
Small grunts of pleasure burst from my throat as she assaulted me with sensation after sensation. My entire body melded boneless against the mattress, and I tossed an arm over my eyes. The second she moaned, my body shuddered because the vibration quivered my already sensitive dick.
Pulling back, her mouth left me, and she sat back. Cracking my eyes open, I gazed unfocused at her rumpled blond head perched right beside my stretched-out body. A little smirk pulled at her shiny lips, both hands still wrapped around my shaft.
My eyes drifted closed again, and her mouth slipped down over me. The slow, seductive way she milked my erection changed, becoming more fevered and faster. Unable to even drag in a full breath, I moved restlessly under her. Pumping my hips to try and match her pace, feeling myself rise and rise and rise…
And fall.
I tumbled into an endless wave of ecstasy. I don’t know if I shouted or called out her name. Pleasure had its iron grip on me, paralyzing me.
When I finally came out of it, I was still in her mouth and the warmth of her still tenderly around me made a rush of emotion roll over my chest.
She made me feel vulnerable in a way I had never been before. I’d worked hard for a lot of years to build up a world for myself in which I was king.
Even Lewis Regal’s threat didn’t shake me as much as Nora did right now. I was letting her inside places I’d purposefully sealed off.
Purring like a cat, she eased away from my cock, straying upward to kiss across my stomach and chest, and nestled against my sh
oulder.
I palmed her head, holding her against me. “I think that just earned you the title of Mrs. Fantasy.”
The throaty sound of her laugh made me smile.
“Don’t even think about it.”
“So you can call me Mr. Fantasy, but I can’t turn it around on you?”
“I don’t call you that. Val does.”
“But you secretly agree,” I teased.
She poked me in the stomach. After a few moments, she said, “I should probably call Val. She’s probably worried because I didn’t come home last night.”
“Aaron told her.”
“Aaron?”
I made a sound of agreement.
“You’re really close to him, huh?”
“He’s my family,” I said, trailing my fingers along her shoulder. “The only family I have.”
Lifting her head, she whispered, “You have me now, too.”
I pressed a long kiss to her forehead and prayed I’d never lose her, knowing I might. “You ready for breakfast?”
“I’m starving,” she admitted.
We dressed in our suits, and she pulled her hair back into a messy-looking knot. Before leaving the bedroom, I grabbed a black silk shirt and held it out for her arms.
Once it was on, she turned, smiling. “If you keep putting your clothes on me, you won’t have any left.”
“You look better in my shirts than I do,” I teased, reaching between the unbuttoned sections to play with the zipper at her breasts.
Her stomach made an angry grumbling sound, and I laughed. “I guess I’ve held you captive for too long.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m here willingly.”
Emotion clogged my throat. It was a sensation I didn’t like. As if I were choking on emotions I’d managed to avoid for so long. “Thank you for this,” I said, releasing some of the pressure inside me.
Pausing at the bottom of the stairs leading up top, she tugged my hand. “For what?”
“Being here with me like this.” For not asking questions I’m not ready to answer.
“There is nowhere else I’d rather be.”
When we walked on deck, home was a welcome sight. I liked Miami, but I’d spent far too much time there recently.
“We’re here.” Nora’s deep-blue eyes gazed toward the island. “I think these are the biggest palm trees I’ve ever seen.”
“Watch your step.” I cautioned as we disembarked, walking across the long dock to shore. Instead of going toward the house, I tugged her toward the beach.
“Where are we going?”
“Didn’t you say you’re starving?”
“Isn’t food usually kept inside the house?” she muttered, scurrying along behind me.
Sand kicked up around our feet and squished between my toes.
Amused with her continued muttering, I made a mental note that Nora might not be the perkiest morning person, and if she went too long without eating, she got crabby.
“Will this do?” I asked, putting my back to the beach to meet her gaze.
Curious, she peeked around me, but every move she made, I made, too, effectively blocking her from seeing.
“Stop that!” she scolded, smacking me in the stomach.
Snickering, I stepped back to let her see. She did that thing I liked. You know, when her mouth dropped open into that adorable little O.
“You did this?”
“Technically, no, but I did ask someone to do it.”
A gleeful little sound erupted from her, and she rushed off, the silk shirt billowing out behind her as she ran.
The table for two was draped in a long white cloth, two white folding chairs pushed up to the sides. Bright-pink tropical flowers graced the center, along with covered platters of food, white porcelain plates, and silverware that gleamed beneath the morning sun.
“Come here!” She waved an arm to me, then turned back to the table. Blond hair blew around her face like a tornado while she lifted one of the lids to peek inside. “Bacon!” she exclaimed, snatching a piece and taking a bite.
With her other free hand, she seized a flute of juice.
Tucking my hands into the pockets of my swim trunks, I made my way toward her, pace unhurried. I’d been rich a while now, but honestly, I’d never really enjoyed it that much, other than the solitude it could buy.
Seeing Nora experience so much joy in just the little things I was able to do for her gave me a whole new appreciation.
“Who said you could eat that?” I teased, delivering a stern look.
Her chewing paused for a brief second, and she smacked me with the remaining hunk of her bacon. “I’m starving!” she announced.
Some of the bacon I was being abused with snapped off and fell into the sand.
She made a sad face. “Look what you made me do.”
With an incredulous expression, I pointed to myself. At the same moment, a seagull swooped out of the sky, diving for the morsel.
“Agh!” Nora cried, launching herself at me. The flute in her hand went flying, juice splattering across the sand. Both her arms wrapped tight around my neck, and we tumbled to onto the beach.
Instinctively, I rolled so I was over her like a shield. Ducking into my chest, she cowered while her fingers dug into the back of my neck.
“It’s a bird,” I mused, lifting so I could gaze down at the top of her head.
“What?” Her voice was muffled against me.
“It was just a bird after the food you dropped.”
Slowly, her head lifted. Wary eyes glanced around to where the bird was perched in the sand a safe distance away, staring at the table like it was anticipating more.
“It’s vicious!” she declared, pushing at me so she could sit up.
Laughter I’d been trying to suppress bubbled up and spilled over.
She looked charmingly affronted as she stared daggers at the bird. “Don’t laugh!” She complained.
I kept laughing. “You’re scared of birds?”
“Only the ones who try and pluck out my eyeballs,” she stipulated.
If her goal was to make me stop chuckling, she failed.
Nora crossed her arms over her chest and made a disgruntled sound. Her cheeks were flushed, but her eyes kept going back to the seagull.
Jumping up from the sand, I ran at the bird, making it fly off over the water. Offering a hand to her, I said, “He’s gone now.”
Nervously, she looked up at the sky.
“If he comes back, I’ll scare him away again, okay?”
Note to self: It is too much fantasy for Nora to eat on the beach.
I pulled her up and helped her into the chair. Dragging my chair closer to hers, I sat down beside her and lifted the lids on all the plates.
Fruit, pastries, egg frittata, and, of course, bacon was spread out before us.
Nora poured coffee into two mugs, handing one over to me. “Do you do this often?”
“Never.”
She gave me a side eye filled with doubt.
Popping a slice of pineapple into my mouth, I rested a palm against her thigh. “I know it’s probably hard to believe, but there are a lot of things I haven’t done. I’ve always kind of used this island as an escape, nothing more.
“Sounds kinda lonely.”
I never realized how much until I met you.
“I have Aaron,” I said. “And Bryan comes out a lot on the weekends.”
“I thought you said you lived here alone?”
“Aaron has a place on the other side of this island.”
She gasped. “Do you think he saw us that morning?”
Ah, yes, sex on the balcony. “No.” I promised. “The balcony faces the opposite direction.”
“Eat this,” she said, shoving a bite of frittata against my lips. I obliged, then fed her the same.
The breeze off the ocean was refreshing and kept the sun from feeling too hot. As we chowed down, Nora would occasionally glance at the sky as if anticipating another at
tack from a hungry seagull.
“I got you.” I promised after about the fifth time she looked up. Putting an arm around her shoulder, I pulled her close. “Just eat.”
“I hope you don’t think I’m ungrateful.” She grimaced.
“Everyone has things they’re scared of.”
“What about you?” she asked, curious. “What are you scared of?”
I answered without considering my words. “Trusting people.”
Nora turned in her seat, tucking her legs beneath her, sitting so close her knees brushed my leg. “Something had to have happened to make you that way.”
My heart squeezed, but I worked not to show it. Lifting an eyebrow, I smirked. “Does that mean you’ve been attacked by angry birds?”
“That’s different,” she declared.
Grabbing her chin, I smiled. “How?”
“Birds are vicious creatures! Just look at their beady eyes and creepy feet. You don’t have to experience anything evil to know they are capable.”
This girl was a riot.
After my laughter died down, seriousness settled over me once more. “I think sometimes people can be that way, too. Although, what makes them scary is they don’t always look like they aren’t worthy of trust.”
Her voice was soft and all her attention was focused solely on me. “What happened at the office yesterday?”
I knew I was going to have to tell her. But maybe not today. Shaking my head once, I cupped the back of her neck. “I just want some time with you. Can you give me that?”
Her eyes searched mine for the span of a few heartbeats. Just when my lungs burned with nerves, she nodded. “Of course I can.”
Leaning in fast, I kissed her swiftly, relief making my limbs like Jell-O. “That’s my good girl.”
She barked at me.
She was a brat, and this required payback.
“Watch out!” I gasped, putting an arm over her head like the bird was swooping in.
She screamed and curled into me.
“You are so mean!” she yelled, shoving away from me. “I’m leaving!”
I knocked her chair over when I burst out of mine to pull her back. Shrieking, she landed in my lap but still tried to get away.
“You’re going to make me angry.” I cautioned, grabbing some fruit and chewing.
Mr. Fantasy: (A standalone romance) Page 22