Cocksure Ace

by Webster, K.

  I told her she was going to fall in love with me.

  I’d been partially joking.

  Joke was on me, though.

  I’m the one completely losing all sense of reality over this girl.

  Rather than driving straight back, I take a detour to one of my favorite haunts. When I was a teenager, I used to terrorize my hometown. I’d drive my Jeep all over and get into whatever trouble I could drum up with my cousins and some of my friends. We were daredevils, always jumping off cliffs, racing dirt bikes, and swimming as deep as we could go in the ocean without drowning. When I wanted a job away from my mom and the hotel, I got one helping Alejandro. Since he was a good buddy of Dad’s, he took me under his proverbial wings while giving me my own. I’d gone from adrenaline junkie, to desperately wanting to fly airplanes. I didn’t stop from there.

  I flew.

  Right through life.

  Right out of Tahueca.

  This is the first time I’ve wanted to land. To pause time and not go. To relax my crazy beating heart and enjoy the moment.

  I pull up to one of the cliffside campsites people often come to when traveling through. Luckily, no one is here tonight. Once I park, I scoop Sheridan out of the front seat, loving when she giggles. I carry her to a bench and sit with her still in my arms. She snuggles against me, her hot breath tickling my neck.

  “Another sight?”

  “You wanted to see them all,” I remind her. “Miss World Traveler. What do you think?”

  She turns to look out at the ocean. The waves are still pissed, churning violently. The moon, however, is calm and bright and huge. It casts an illuminating glow across the water and her milky white thighs. I rub my palm up and down, unable to keep from touching her.

  “It’s so pretty here. How could you ever want to leave?”

  Her words sting, just like the little bee she is.

  “I always craved more out of life. I felt like I didn’t have enough of what I was looking for here. Out there…” I trail off and shrug. “Out there, the more is endless.”

  “What happens when you find it all? Headed to the moon next, bird boy?”

  I chuckle. “I never thought that far ahead.”

  “What if you never find what you’re looking for?”

  “What if I already found it?”

  We grow silent, neither of us brave enough to venture further into that conversation. I refuse to consider the more with Sheridan. Not because I don’t want to—because I really fucking do—but because it’s not fair to either of us.

  I fly and have my dad in Florida.

  She runs a massive corporation in California.

  We’re busy and committed to our careers.

  Her sigh is heavy and sad. One I feel all the way down to my toes. Kind of fucked up. Meeting a girl who could be the one knowing it’s just a taste or a tease of something you can’t have. Sure, I could have her, but at what cost? Am I ready to root myself to be with one girl?

  Right now, hell yes.

  The answer is a thousand yesses.

  Tomorrow?

  Maybe.

  The next day? The month after? Next year?

  At some point, the roots would begin to feel like quicksand, pulling me deep into the earth until I can’t breathe. The thought of being stuck anywhere—even with the prettiest girl I’ve ever known—is suffocating.

  “Ready to go back?”

  “Depends.”

  “On what?”

  “If you’re going to stay the night with me or not.”

  “I should take you back to your villa so you can get some rest,” I murmur.

  “Then no. I’ll stay right here in your lap for the rest of the night.”

  I chuckle. “Little bee, I said I should. We both know I won’t rest until I’ve been inside you again. So I should take you back, and I will. I’m just coming with you.”

  “Then yes. Let’s go, bird boy.”

  Music plays loudly from Eddy’s, but we bypass it to head toward Sheridan’s villa. Estefania must be at the restaurant with everyone else, because she’s not there. Thank fuck. Not that I don’t like Sheridan’s new friend, it’s just I don’t want to share my girl right now. We’re on borrowed time.

  After I lead her inside, I shut and lock the door. I walk into the bathroom and start the shower. She’s naked by the time I shed my clothes. My eyes roam down her perfect body. She’s thin but has some muscle tone. Her tits are a perfect handful with the rosiest, perkiest nipples I’ve ever seen. It takes everything in me to tear my gaze from her to check the temperature of the water. Once I deem it acceptable, I grab her hand and pull her under the spray with me.

  It’s strange.

  It’s our last night and I should be fucking her against the shower wall. Instead, I hug her to me and pull the rubber band from her hair. I run my fingers through the tangles, letting the water sluice through the strands. She rests her cheek on my chest while I stroke her hair. Anxiety coils in my gut. I hate this feeling. Like loss is imminent. It’s jarring. Each second that ticks by feels louder and quicker.

  We’re quiet as I wash her hair and then mine. She’s reverent as she soaps my body down, teasing me with firm caresses. I wait until we’re cleaned and rinsed off before kissing her. Because when I start, I won’t be able to stop.

  The kiss goes from needy to desperate in seconds. I barely manage to get the water off and us toweled off before I’m grabbing her ass and lifting her. She holds on to my shoulders, attacking my lips with her teeth. By the time we reach the bed, I’m hard as a rock. I want to drive into her, but I need to taste her first.

  “We never got dessert,” I say, nipping at her neck. “I’m craving something sweet.”

  She growls when I toss her on the bed. Anger flashes in her eyes, but it’s chased away by desire when she sees me stroking my dick.

  “Spread your legs, abejita. I want to taste you again.”

  Her body trembles, but she obeys, opening the softest parts of her to me. I kneel beside the bed and grip her hips, roughly yanking her to the edge. She groans when I spread her knees apart as far as they can go. With a wicked smirk on my face, I lean forward to inhale her. Her scent is addictive. Clean but with a unique, aroused musk that makes my mouth water for a taste.

  “Oh!” she cries out as my tongue licks up her slit. “Camilo!”

  My trembled name on her tongue sounds really fucking good. I tease her clit with my tongue to see if I can coax more strangled sounds out of her. She doesn’t disappoint me as I eat her pussy. Every sound and thrash of her body makes me crazy with need. It doesn’t take long for her to orgasm. Her spine straightens and her limbs jerk when it overtakes her. As she comes down from her high, I prowl over her. Our mouths meet as I grip my dick, teasing at her opening. I push into her and we both hiss.

  Pulling slightly away so I can see her face, I ease into her slick body, cataloging every expression she makes. Since she’s so expressive, I see hundreds of variants of emotion. I thrust hard, driving all the way into her. Her eyelids flutter and a moan spills past her lips.

  Being with her doesn’t feel like some random fuck just to get off. It feels like I’m connected to someone for the first time in my life. I don’t want to sever that connection. I want to keep her pinned beneath me so I can stare at her lovely face for hours as I press deep inside her.

  “Camilo…”

  Her whispered word is frantic and needy. She wants more. She wants everything. All I can give her is all I have in this moment. I kiss her hard and fuck her harder. It isn’t until she’s crying out my name again, her cunt squeezing my dick, that I also come with a groan. Hot cum jets inside of her. I feel as though I’m claiming her as mine.

  We both take a moment to catch our breath. Our stares remain locked. Eventually, I slide my dick out of her and saunter off to grab something to clean us up with. After we’re clean, we turn off all but the lamplight. I wrap my naked body over hers and stare at her.

  “Creeper,�
� she teases, but her voice cracks.

  “Shh,” I murmur, brushing my thumb over her lip. “Don’t ruin it with your crazy talk.”

  She snorts. “Crazy talk?”

  “You’re the craziest woman I’ve ever known. And you know both my mother and Araceli, so how you beat them out is beyond me.”

  “You’re an asshole.”

  “I know. You tell me all the time. Literally every conversation with me. Pretty soon I’m going to forget my own name and instead go by Asshole.”

  “Obnoxious too,” she adds, smirking.

  “Don’t forget handsome.

  “And arrogant.”

  “And yours,” I whisper. Her eyes widen, so I amend my words. “For tonight.”

  “Tonight’s almost over.”

  “There’s always tomorrow,” I offer in a playful tone I’m not at all feeling.

  “And if there’s not?”

  “At least we had today.”

  Neither of us sleeps. We just stare. Kiss. Make love a few more times. And when the early morning sun creeps its way into the bedroom, I make the difficult effort to pull away from her.

  So fucking hard.

  “I need to shower and pack,” I tell her.

  “I know. Me too.”

  “Maybe…” I trail off. I don’t know what I want to say. “Maybe we can do this again some time.”

  Her brows dip. “Some time. Hmm.”

  “I…”

  “Some time isn’t enough.”

  “You deserve better than him,” I murmur, stealing a quick kiss.

  “Do I? It’s not like I can have better.”

  My jaw clenches. “Sheridan…”

  “Goodbye, Camilo.”

  The last kiss we share feels just like that. A goodbye. It’s a great kiss, but it sucks. I hate the finality in it. I wish I had the answers. Unfortunately, I don’t.

  Sheridan

  I look like Sheridan Reid.

  Hair straightened to perfection. Makeup applied flawlessly. My navy-blue Black Halo Jackie sheath dress fits like a glove. I notice a piece of lint on my Gianvito Rossi suede nude slingback pumps and frown, wondering how it got there.

  I wore my ruined tennis shoes to the small airport and threw them into the trash can before fishing my pumps out of my bag. I was just certain I’d made sure they were clean.

  Anxiety begins to creep in.

  Everything feels unsettled and unsure. It’s not a feeling I’m familiar with. As a result, a tiny piece of lint is going to be the death of me. With a frustrated huff, I swat it off my shoe. Damian laughs loudly—literally snorts and cackles—as Doris says something to him. They’re sitting side by side chatting about God only knows what. Estefania is cozied up with Kyle, the both of them whispering sweet nothings to each other. A spike of jealousy shoots through me. I wish I were saying a proper goodbye to Camilo.

  We had our goodbye when the sun came up and that was that.

  Alejandro took them out to the airstrip so they could start getting the plane ready and then he came back to fetch us. I haven’t seen Camilo since he kissed me. They were already in the cockpit when we boarded the plane.

  I hate it.

  I hate that my reality is crashing so hard down on me.

  “Need a drink?” Lawton asks, donning his professional skywear suit rather than the strange outfits he borrowed from Damian while at Hotel Zaragoza.

  “Please,” I mutter.

  “Tequila?”

  I thought I was a Hennessy girl. Turns out, I’m turning into a tequila girl.

  “That would be fantastic.”

  Lawton smiles and scurries off. I should put my AirPods in and sleep since I didn’t get any last night, but I can’t. I’m trying to live in these last few moments because once we land, everything changes.

  Or, worse yet, everything remains the same.

  I thought I loved every aspect of my life.

  After the past few days, I’m left rethinking everything.

  The biggest one is David. I try to think about him. Force his features into my mind. Attempt to remember his smile and the cologne he wears. Nothing comes to mind. It’s as if he’s a distant memory, which is silly because I saw him before he left for Costa Rica.

  I’m frowning hard when Damian plops down. In my lap! And I can’t even be mad because it’s Damian. Damian in tight pink leather pants. He smells like peaches and cream oatmeal. My heart does a squeeze inside my chest.

  “Go bother someone else,” I grumble.

  He pets my hair, grinning at me. “But it’s more fun bothering you.” Then, his brows furl. “Are you okay, babykins?”

  I force a smile. “Perfect. You? Ready to get to your project?”

  “Nice try. You can’t avoid the question. But for now, we’ll evade.” He sighs dramatically. “I’m shooting for the show, and while I am dying to spruce up this old yacht, I’m feeling worn out. It’s hard being famous.”

  I laugh. This time it’s genuine. “Aww, poor you.”

  “Yes, poor me,” he whines. “They make me work so hard. All I want to do is pretend to be Doris’s son and drink margaritas all day with my bestie. Is that too much to ask?”

  “You’re rich. You could do it.”

  “But what about all those poor boats?” he hisses, holding his palm to his chest. “They need me.”

  “I brought you a double since you have to deal with him,” Lawton says, putting my drink in the cupholder. “Should I call security?” He smirks at me.

  My heart does a flutter.

  Camilo is security at Hotel Zaragoza.

  Would he be security way up above the clouds?

  “She’s thinking about him,” Damian tattles. “You can always tell because she gets this girly, dreamy look and her cheeks turn pink.”

  “Go away,” I groan. “Get off my lap.”

  He picks up my drink and sips it. “Gross, Lawton. What is this?” He sniffs it. “Tequila straight? Where’s like the yummy margarita part?” Damian kisses me right on the mouth, making me laugh, before he stands up. “Stay here, sexy mama. I’m going to get something to add to that drink to make it taste better.”

  Lawton trails after him and they argue at the drink station, swatting at each other like siblings. Doris tells her son to behave. Damian actually listens, which makes me grin.

  God, I’m going to miss these people.

  As my mind drifts to Camilo, the door to the cabin opens. Now that we’re in the air, they can do their autopilot thing and terrorize us. Me, specifically.

  Carter flashes me a wicked smile as he strolls out of the cockpit. Camilo peeks out behind him, making my heart stop in my chest.

  “This is your captain speaking,” Carter says. “The weather looks great. We’ll arrive in La Fortuna Airport before supper. Before we let you settle in for your flight, I just wanted to tell you all I enjoyed myself immensely on my forced vacation with the Funky Flyers.”

  Damian takes a bow, making sure to bend his ass right in front of Carter. Carter simply laughs.

  “This song’s for you guys,” Carter tells us as he fiddles with his phone. It’s connected through the Bluetooth speakers and then the familiar beat of “Goodbye Stranger” by Supertramp starts playing.

  Damian dances in a silly way that makes everyone laugh, including me. When I feel a heated gaze on me, I can’t help but draw my attention to the cockpit. Camilo looks handsome as ever in his cocky pilot outfit and his usual smirk. He looked at me the same way before he pounced on me and made love to me. Every part of me is bruised and sore from our sex-filled night. I even noticed a few hickeys this morning after my shower.

  Eventually they’ll fade.

  Will the memories fade too?

  My blood seems to chill and I shiver. Grabbing the complimentary blanket, I pull it up over me and drag my gaze away from the hot pilot to the clouds.

  For once in my life, I want something I can’t have. I’m used to going after things I’ll eventually have. With Camilo,
it’s impossible. We’re worlds apart when it comes to our lives.

  On that note, I close my eyes and dream that we aren’t.

  “Sherrie-dan,” Estefania says, shaking me awake. “Time to wake up.”

  I yawn and look around. Everyone is gathering their things to go. We’ve landed. I’ll see Daddy soon. And David. I’m met with a mixture of confusing emotions.

  “I would offer you my security detail, but you would be safer just hanging back until we make our way through the crowd.” She frowns. “Can I call you later?”

  Tears prickle at my eyes. “Of course.”

  She grins at me. So beautiful. So sweet. She pulls me to my feet and hugs me, her perky tits smashing into my face. I inhale my friend’s lovely scent and sigh. I’m going to miss her something terrible.

  “Va-jay-jay sammich!”

  We squeal when Damian bear hugs us both. It’s all giggles until he starts to cry. He’s dramatic as always, but it sets Estefania and me off. Who knew leaving these people would be so hard?

  I’m the first to pull away.

  I need to be strong for everyone. That’s what I’m good at. I swipe away my tears and shoo off Estefania.

  “Be careful and call me later.” I wave to her and then turn to Damian. “Be good, mister.”

  “As if,” he says, just like the girl from Clueless.

  He hugs me one more time before bounding off the plane. Everyone has exited except me. Lawton gives me a knowing smirk before busying himself with something in one of the cabinets. Camilo steps out of the cockpit, his nearly black eyes zeroed in on me. He watches me like a hawk as I gather my bags. I lift my chin and roll my suitcase toward him.

  “It was nice meeting you,” I tell him with a polite smile.

  His dark eyebrow arches up. “Nice. That it?”

  “Yep.”

  He steps closer until his chest brushes mine. “I thought it was far better than nice. Fucking amazing. Especially all the parts I spent alone with you.”

  My skin heats at his words. “Yeah, it was fucking amazing.”

  “Sher…” He trails off, his lips lowering to mine. “I hope you find happiness.”

  “Me too,” I whisper.