by Anna Durand
"Why not donate it to a good cause? Kids with cancer or abused animals really need your generosity."
Though I studied her expression, I couldn't decipher her true reasons for refusing my gift. Well, I'd known her for a matter of days, and we hadn't discussed our pasts that much. Maybe she always disliked accepting financial assistance, but the fact she'd accepted it from her parents suggested otherwise. Maybe she didn't like a monetary gift from someone she'd known for a few days.
"Please," I said, "let me do this for you. If you won't accept a gift, at least let me invest in your company."
Why was I so determined to give her money? She wanted nothing from me, and I kept pushing her to take my gift.
Eve sighed. "My God, you're stubborn. I don't want an investor who's sleeping with me. Isn't that a conflict of interest or something?"
What was the point in arguing anymore? She would never accept help of any kind from me. Maybe that was because we were sexually involved, or maybe because she didn't like my past. An infamous man made her uncomfortable. I couldn't fault her for that. Not many women, except the ones who craved fame, wanted to get involved with a man like me.
Yes, I'd made this bed for myself. Today, I had to sleep in it alone.
"Have it your way, bebê," I said. "I'll leave you to manage on your own."
"Thank you."
I retreated to the outdoors where the other guests were engaged in a game of charades. Nude charades might sound sexy, but in fact, it was rather awkward and silly. Tits and dicks bounced while the players tried to act out various themes, and falling down meant getting grass and dirt on their skin and in their hair. I knew from experience grass and dirt could get into many places where a person didn't want it to go. Sand was even worse, but luckily, we had no sand in the field behind the guest house.
Heidi stumbled while flailing her arms—to represent what exactly, I had no idea—and tumbled to the ground. When she got up, she had a small daisy stuck to her nipple.
Ollie snickered. "Look, she's wearing a pasty."
"The organic kind," said Willy, one of the Silver Foxes. "Very progressive, Heidi."
"Sexual harassment," I said, "is against the house rules."
Edna flapped her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Heidi knows we're joshing, and she gives as good as she gets."
"It's true," Heidi said. She plucked the wildflower off her skin and tossed it to Ollie, then blew him a kiss.
The boy blushed.
Lunch arrived a few minutes after the charades game broke up. Eve was pushing one metal cart overflowing with food while pulling another behind her. The strain of dragging them both across the dirt path between her home and the guest house crimped her whole face. She looked tired, most likely because she'd made all the food herself. Several of the men rushed to her aid. Though she tried to wave them away, Ollie took possession of the cart behind her while Willy wrested the other cart from her grasp. Sylvester hurried into Eve's house to get the third cart laden with food.
When I approached her, she managed only a half-hearted smile. "Thought you'd be first in line to wrestle for the carts."
"You wouldn't have let me, would you? I hoped you'd accept help from someone else." I glanced at the men hauling the carts toward the guest house. "I assume you aren't sleeping with any of them."
"No."
"Have you been with any of them in the past?"
One side of her mouth twisted as if she were trying not to smile. "No, I have not."
I felt strangely relieved to hear that. "Are we joining the others in the dining hall or eating in private?"
"The Kittens just got here. I'd like to eat with them so we can catch up."
Was she trying to avoid me?
I moved closer, loving the way her lips parted and her breath caught. "Heidi mentioned all of you keep in touch through email and social media. You don't need to get caught up on their lives or vice versa."
"Abandoning them on their first day here would be rude."
"Heidi ordered me to make sure you have fun. She suggested an intimate picnic at the hot spring."
"That girl needs a hobby."
"She cares about you. So—" I'd almost said so do I. "So let's not disappoint Heidi. Have lunch with me at the hot spring. I understand it's only a short walk away."
"That's true, but—"
"Say yes, Eve."
"Maybe tomorrow."
I lashed an arm around her waist and tugged her tight against my body, relishing the feel of her curves. "Soon enough, you'll figure out I can be much more stubborn than you. All I want is to make you feel good. Relax. Enjoy a beautiful day. You've earned it."
"This is a serious violation of nudist etiquette."
"Because I'm naked and I'm hugging you? Yes, I know." I tugged her even more snugly to my body. "In case you hadn't noticed, propriety doesn't mean much to me."
"No kidding." She gazed into my eyes, her tongue slipping out to moisten her bottom lip. "I don't have a handyman anymore, which means there's a lot of work for me to do."
"Forget about work for a while." I sealed two fingers over her lips when she started to protest. "Please, Eve, let me do this for you. It's lunch, not a handout."
She glanced at the nudists tramping into the guest house. "Okay."
We made sure the other guests had everything they needed, then grabbed some of the food and packed it into a picnic basket. From Eve's kitchen, we gathered a few more ingredients, including a bottle of wine and two glasses. Soup and sandwiches wasn't the most romantic meal, but I cared more about making sure she was well-nourished. I had a feeling if I didn't do that, she might forget to eat.
I grabbed a pair of sandals too. The trail to the hot spring was dirt, but as Eve had warned me, footwear was a necessity out in the woods. I carried the picnic basket and a blanket slung over my shoulder while she led the way, refusing to walk beside me and opposed to me holding her hand. When I tried that, she yanked hers away.
She had to be in front, naturally.
After a short walk, we arrived at the hot spring. Two wooden benches hunkered alongside the pool, and a wooden box with a latching lid held towels for any guests who might have forgotten to bring one. The box also offered bottled water. Eve thought of everything for her guests but neglected to take care of herself.
That changed today.
Steam wafted up from the blue pool, curling up into the air and dissipating. We laid out our blanket and relaxed there among the trees, listening to the birds singing while we ate and talked.
"I hope the Kittens haven't overwhelmed you," she said after consuming a large mouthful of her sandwich. "They can be a handful."
"Don't worry about me. They're sweet girls." I brushed a crumb away from the corner of her mouth with my thumb. "Besides, I grew up with two sisters. The Kittens are more exuberant than Maria and Aline, but I can handle it."
"How often do you see your family?"
"Several times a year. Sometimes I go home to visit them, and sometimes they come to America to stay with me."
"I know you live in LA, but how long have you been in the US?"
"Quite a while."
She consumed the last bite of her sandwich and wiped her fingers and mouth with a napkin. "I know it's none of my business, but I'm curious. You only have a slight accent, and you talk like an American."
Her curiosity about my life should have made me uncomfortable. After all, I wanted nothing more than a fling with her. But I discovered I liked knowing she wanted to know about me. It made me curious to learn about her.
"My mother is American," I explained. "Of Cuban descent, but both she and her parents were born and raised in Florida. She met my father when he was in Florida on spring break—he went to Harvard, like me—and they became infatuated with each other. My mother didn't go to college, but she's a very smart woman. Anyway, they kept in touch through letters and over the phone. She visited him in Massachusetts for thre
e weeks in the summer. Six months after they met, my father proposed. She married him, and after he graduated, she moved to Brazil with him."
"It must've been hard to move to another country. Did she speak Portuguese?"
"Not at first. My father taught her." I took a sip of my wine. "She was always fluent in Spanish, but eventually, she became adept at Portuguese too. Still, she insisted I learn about America and Cuba so I would understand my heritage."
"You mentioned your father was an ambassador."
I nodded. "For three years. I told you I went to Harvard after that, but I spent summers at home. After graduation, I moved back to Brazil to join the Olympic football team. I'd played football before my family moved to Washington, and I played soccer in high school here and while at Harvard. My father wanted me to get a degree in business, so I'd be more levelheaded about financial matters, but all I cared about was football. We compromised. I got the degree, then went back to football. He was right, though. Having business training has helped me make better decisions."
"Didn't you say you moved to LA five years ago?"
"Yes, you have an excellent memory." Or was she memorizing everything I said for another reason? Did I want her to? "After the Olympics, I played for a professional club, and later for the Brazilian national football team until I retired seven years ago. My first modeling jobs were in New York, so I lived there for two years. Then, I signed a contract with an agency in Los Angeles. I've stayed there ever since."
"Wow, you're quite the international man." She took a swig of her wine. "My life can't compete."
"I've told you my story. Now tell me yours."
She swigged more wine, a bit of it dribbling down her chin. "I'm boring."
With my thumb, I wiped away the dribbling red wine. "I doubt that. You've told me very little about yourself, and already I'm enthralled."
"You're full of shit, that's what you are."
"At least tell me about your family. Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
She took another swig of wine. "Fine, if you insist. Yes, I have both. My brother lives in Portland, Maine, with his wife and their two children. He teaches high school, and she works at a community college. My sister is an accountant, and she's engaged to a great guy. She lives in Portland too. That's where we all grew up."
"How did you end up here?"
"I moved to New York, thinking I could become a professional photographer. The city didn't work out as well for me as it did for you." She gazed across the hot spring, though she seemed not to be looking at anything in particular. "I was broke. My parents had retired to Florida by then, and they wanted me to move there too. My brother and sister both wanted me to go back to Maine. I didn't want to do either, so I racked my brain for a way to make ends meet while still having time for photography."
"That must be when you had your idea for this place."
"Yeah, but it wasn't a eureka moment. It was an accident." She swung her attention back to me. "I was researching nature photography when I made a serendipitous typo. While I was typing the word nature, the search engine popped up with suggested searches, and I accidentally clicked on 'naturist.' I was going to click away from the search results, but I got curious. When I looked at the first page in the search results, I learned naturist is another word for nudist. I didn't close the browser window. I kept looking."
"A closet voyeur, eh?"
"Maybe at first," she admitted, her head bowed, looking up at me through her lashes. "But then I realized it wasn't all about sex. Some people prefer to be naked. Browsing various websites about nudism gave me an idea. It seemed like there weren't a lot of affordable retreats geared toward nudists. When my dad inherited this property, complete with a hot spring, I got my brilliant idea."
"You serve an underserved population of tourists." I traced a finger down her cheek. "You are brilliant, Eve. And hardworking. And a talented photographer, not to mention incredible in bed."
"So are you." She reached inside the picnic basket and dug out a box of cookies. "Ready for dessert?"
My cock loved the idea of Eve crumbling cookies all over me and licking them up crumb by crumb, but my curiosity pushed me to ask one more question. "How often do you see your family?"
With a soft little groan, she set down the cookie box. "We all go to our parents' house in Florida for Thanksgiving. For Christmas, we alternate between Maine and my place. This year, it's my turn."
"Are those the only times you see your family?"
"My parents like to surprise me every so often. My brother and sister have each visited a few times, and they keep pestering me to visit them." She leaned forward to settle her hand on my thigh. "May we please end the getting-to-know-you session?"
"Absolutely." I rose and offered her my hands, helping her up when she took them. "Take your clothes off, Eve, and join me in the water."
"I don't go naked in public."
"We're alone. Heidi promised to keep everyone away from the hot spring."
"Oh great. Everyone will know we're out here getting it on."
"No, I told Heidi we're having a picnic."
Eve gave me a skeptical look. "That's code for screwing each other's brains out."
I kissed her forehead. "Take a chance. With me."
"But—"
I ran for the pool and dived in.
The water was warmer than body temperature, but not too hot. Perfect for making love to a beautiful woman. By the time I surfaced at the pool's center, Eve had shed her dress and was slipping out of her panties. The sight of her nude made me hard. I'd seen her naked body before, had my hands and mouth all over her, but seeing her never failed to arouse me. It was different than with other women. I craved her more every time I had her, but with the others, I'd gradually lost interest. I couldn't imagine ever getting tired of Eve.
I swam to the shore, where a ledge offered a place to rest my arms. "Grab a condom, would you? They're in the basket."
"There aren't any—"
"Underneath everything else."
She dug around inside the basket and brought out the box of condoms. "You sneaked an entire box of them in here? Seems like overkill."
"Not with you. I can't get enough of your body."
"We don't really need these anyway." She threw me a sideways glance. "Unless you have a secret you need to tell me? About your health?"
"I'm clean, Eve. I get tested regularly."
"Okay, then. We don't need these." She tossed the box of condoms back into the basket. "I'm clean too, and I'm on the pill. Besides, I don't know if condoms work underwater. Do you?"
"No, I've never had sex in the water before."
She straightened, her brows wrinkling as she stared at me. "You have never done it in the water? But you're so adventurous."
I shrugged. "Never had the opportunity."
She approached the ledge and sat down on it with her feet dangling in the water. "You're introducing me to a lot of new things, so it's nice I can do the same for you."
"Time to get wet," I said, running a hand up her inner thigh. "Or are you wet already?"
"You know I am." She slid off the ledge into the water, dunking her head to drench her hair. "But now I'm wet all over, not just between my legs."
I pulled her into my arms and kissed her. The sensation of her silken tongue on mine, of her supple and slick body pasted to mine, made me even harder. I whisked my palms up and down her backside, from her shoulders to her ass, while she tangled her fingers in the hair at my nape and plunged her tongue deeper into my mouth. I grasped her bottom with one hand, and with the other, I covered her breast. She gasped when I flicked my thumb across her taut nipple.
When I pinched it, she clutched my hair tighter.
I gave up her lips and her tongue, dipping my head to nuzzle her throat.
"Val," she moaned, her head falling back. "Please, yes."
"Eve, you're so perfect." I slid my hand from her brea
st down her stomach, and lower, to push my fingers between her folds. "I love your body."
I stroked her until she wrapped her legs around me, wrapped her entire body around me.
"Skip that," she breathed into my ear. "I can't wait any longer."
Neither could I. Even touching her with my fingers, feeling how ready she was, made me throb for her. I clamped both hands on her ass and thrust into her body, groaning when her wet heat surrounded me. "You feel so good. I want you to come all over me."
"Hurry, please."
I punched into her again and again, tugging her bottom toward me to deepen every thrust. She drew her head back to look at me, her lips swollen from our kiss, her eyes half closed and her cheeks dusted with pink.
God, she was so beautiful.
With our gazes bound to each other, we gave in to the moment and to the sheer pleasure of joining our bodies. I slowed my pace, pulling out and easing back inside her, to prolong this feeling despite the desperate need to slam into her until we both exploded. Never in my life had I longed to stay inside a woman forever, to revel in the intimacy and the sensations. Her hot sheath glided along my cock, wavelets lapped around us, and her head fell back as her eyes closed. She clung to me, both arms around my neck, and locked her ankles behind my ass. Her breaths tickled my ear. Her hair tickled my cheek. I rotated my head to bury my face in that hair and fill my senses with the sweet scent of it, the scent of her.
"Faster," she murmured into my ear.
I bucked into her, gripping her bottom, yanking her into me every time I drove my cock deeper. She made a desperate noise, a cross between a gasp and a whimper, and I fucked her even faster, even harder, pounding into her while the water splashed around us and sprayed our faces.
Eve's entire body stiffened around me. She threw her head forward and sank her teeth into my shoulder when she came, her cry muffled by my flesh, her body clenched around my shaft. The pulsating waves of her climax pushed me over the edge. A hoarse shout erupted out of me as I thrust once more, the deepest and hardest thrust of all, and exploded inside her sweet body.