The Aristocrat

by Penelope Ward

  We held each other for several minutes. I could feel his heart beating against my chest.

  “Let’s take a dip in the bay,” he finally said.

  When we got outside, I slipped my cover-up over my head. Leo attempted to make his staring subtle, but I caught him checking me out every chance he got. And I didn’t mind one bit, because I enjoyed every minute of ogling his perfect body as he wore nothing but swim shorts.

  We spent the next hour playing in the water like two teenagers, even though the bay was pretty cold. We stayed in so long, though, that it started to feel warmer beneath the water than outside of it. I’d feel the chill whenever he lifted me up into the air and threw me. I loved wrapping my legs around him, the feel of his mouth wet from the water as he kissed me.

  When we emerged from the bay, he said, “You can go first in the outdoor shower, if you prefer, before we go inside.”

  “Thank you.”

  As I walked over to the infamous shower and turned on the water, I was tempted to strip down naked here, as Leo once had. What would he do if I did?

  * * *

  Leo

  Track 13: “2 Become 1” by Spice Girls

  My heart nearly stopped when Felicity untied the straps around her neck and let her bikini top fall to the ground. She quickly placed her hands over her breasts to cover them. Yes, I’d planned to sit here on this Adirondack chair and enjoy the sight of her showering in her bathing suit. But never did I expect her to undress in front of me. Never did I expect this.

  What is she doing?

  Am I dreaming?

  She closed her eyes and let the water rain down on her hair. She then lowered her hands, finally allowing me a clear view of her breasts.

  Holy shite.

  I’d imagined what they looked like, and the reality only exceeded my expectations. Before I could even process her being topless, Felicity slipped off her bikini bottom.

  My heart began to race as I took in her stark-naked body. I was as frozen as I was aroused. Her pussy was clean-shaven. Fucking bare—smooth and flawless. So much for Sigmund’s fire crotch jokes. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Perfect. She’s perfect.

  Felicity gave me a come-hither look when our eyes met, and I felt like that was my cue to join her. At least I hoped I wasn’t imagining that signal.

  Hard as a rock, I eagerly stood and walked over to the shower.

  “An eye for an eye, is that what this is?” I asked, feeling a little breathless.

  “Maybe.” She flashed an impish grin. “I thought I’d recreate the way we met.”

  I took a moment to examine her beauty. I’d dreamed of this body almost every night since I’d first laid eyes on her. My imagination hadn’t done her justice. As I’d suspected, much more than her face and neck were covered in freckles. My dream of counting them all would be more challenging than anticipated. I wouldn’t mind if I died trying, though.

  “Christ. You’re perfect. Do you have any idea how much I want you right now, Felicity?”

  “No…but I think you should show me.”

  My breath hitched. “Are you sure? I don’t know if you realize what you’re asking for.”

  She panted. “Yes. I do.”

  I groaned, moving my mouth to her neck and sucking before running my tongue down the length of her chest.

  I was surprised to find that while freckles covered her upper chest, arms, and legs, there were almost none on her breasts, which were naturally set close together and perfectly round. It was as if God had run out of freckles.

  I took her blush-colored nipple into my mouth and sucked so hard I hoped I wasn’t hurting her. Then I did the same on the other side. My hand slid lower, momentarily cupping her ass as I continued to suck.

  Dropping to my knees, I slid my hands down from her breasts to her stomach, which was also mostly clear of freckles, compared to the other parts of her body.

  Her beautiful bare pussy was now at eye level. I looked up at her and noticed the need in her eyes as she stared down at me, her breathing becoming heavier by the second.

  Unable to resist, I pressed my mouth to her mound and flicked my tongue against her. My eyes rolled back as I savored the first recognition of her taste. Sweet heaven. She gripped my hair as I continued to go down on her.

  “That’s it. Pull on my fucking hair,” I groaned against her. “Use my mouth.”

  Pressing my thumb over her clit while I licked the tender flesh, I relished every pull and scratch of her hands as she moved her hips to meet the thrusts of my voracious tongue. I ate her out for several minutes until she abruptly retracted.

  I stood, afraid I’d done something to hurt her. “Are you okay?”

  As the water poured down over us, she looked into my eyes and said, “I almost came.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “I want you inside of me first, Leo.”

  My eager heart raced. I had no intention of arguing with her or questioning this. I fucking needed her.

  “Let me go get something,” I said, preparing to rush upstairs for that gargantuan box of condoms.

  She grabbed my wrist. “I just want you to know…I’m on the pill. I went on it when we first started seeing each other, just to be on the safe side—in case something were to happen. I never trusted that it wouldn’t. You should still get a condom, though, if you want to be extra careful.”

  She went on the pill for me?

  The wheels in my head turned. I wanted nothing more than to bury myself inside of her with no barrier.

  “Would it be okay if I didn’t…use anything?”

  “It’s okay with me, but I just figured you’d want to be extra—”

  “No. I want to feel you bare. At least once.”

  Felicity nodded as we stepped out of the shower. I grabbed a towel and dried her off before wiping it over my own body.

  “Let’s go inside,” I said gruffly.

  Before she could even nod, I’d lifted her into my arms and carried her into the house, my throbbing cock so rigid it was downright painful. Our lips locked in a kiss as we made our way into the house.

  “Let’s do it by the fire,” she said.

  Earlier, I’d turned on the electric fireplace, never expecting it to serve as the backdrop. Maybe my bedroom would have been a more proper place for our first time, but I didn’t care.

  We practically toppled over each other onto the floor. At least the rug beneath us was fairly plush. As the fireplace roared, I’d never kissed her harder, first down her neck, and then down the entire length of her body.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to move to my bed?” I muttered over her skin.

  “No. Please. Just…” Her words trailed off. “Take me here.”

  Fuck. That was all I needed to hear. Within seconds, I lowered my swim shorts and placed my crown at her entrance, unable to wait even a second to penetrate her. I gasped at how incredible it felt to be inside her pussy. It was hot and wet—everything I’d ever dreamed of and more. I began moving in and out and could barely contain myself from coming.

  “You feel so fucking good, Felicity. I’m so goddamn scared.”

  “Why?” she panted.

  “Because I feel like I’m about to break you apart.”

  “Do it,” she panted. “I can take it.”

  Unsure how we even got to this place so fast, I began fucking her with reckless abandon, the sheer pleasure of her tight pussy enveloping my cock, making it impossible to think about the consequences.

  She writhed under me as I bent her legs back and pounded into her, feeling more out of control than I had in my entire life. There was nothing holding me back—no fear of consequences or distrust. That was a first for me: truly letting go. Not to mention, I’d never done this without a condom, and the friction of our bare bodies was wet ecstasy. I was so damn happy to experience this sensation with her, this beautiful woman who’d completely taken hold of me—heart, body, and soul.

  “You’re the first woman I’ve ever been i
nside of like this, and it’s better than I could have imagined. This feels…so…fucking good.”

  “I know.” She panted. “I know, Leo.”

  I fucked her so hard that it might have been better that we were on the living room floor, as we could have very well broken the bed. Sensing myself coming undone, I slowed down, hoping to stop myself from exploding too soon.

  But the moment I slowed down, Felicity began bucking her hips faster. I had no choice but to pick up the pace, which I knew would be the end of me.

  Within seconds, my orgasm rose to the surface and began to shoot through me like a freaking volcano erupting.

  “Fuck,” I yelled as I started to come, hoping it was okay that I hadn’t pulled out.

  As my cum filled her, I felt her pussy squeeze around me. Felicity screamed in pleasure as she climaxed.

  I lay on the floor, still inside of her, for several minutes as we kissed. Though we were supposed to be sated, I only wanted more. I ran my tongue along the freckles under her neck, and then lowered my mouth, pressing it softly against her breasts. When I looked up, she was watching every move I made.

  “You like watching me devour you, don’t you? You like watching me come apart, in general.”

  She smiled. “Guilty. I especially loved watching your face when you moved in and out of me. And the way your eyes rolled back when you came.”

  “I was so calm and collected.”

  She laughed. “Just the opposite.”

  I finally pulled out before lying beside her. “I had big plans for tonight. I wanted to take you out to a nice restaurant for dinner, then perhaps take you back to my room and make love to you properly. Fucking you on the floor was sort of barbaric.”

  She ran her finger along my jaw. “It was perfect.”

  “You know what? I think so, too. And is it wrong that I don’t even want to get up off this ground? I want to lie here with you forever in front of this fire.”

  “We should get takeout so we can eat naked.”

  “You’re a woman after my own heart, you know that?”

  “I have to give you up at the end of the summer,” she said with a shrug. “I don’t feel like sharing you with anyone tonight.”

  My chest tightened as a wave of reality hit. My decision to sleep with her made things much more complicated. As much as I’d never trade the experience, it was still probably a mistake given how much more attached to her I felt right now.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked.

  I couldn’t tell her I’d never felt this way before. It wouldn’t be fair to open my heart like that when I was only going to leave.

  “I’m thinking about how screwed I am,” I finally said.

  “You’re not the only one.”

  I got up and offered her my hand. “Come on. I’m taking you to my room next.”

  Felicity giggled as I lifted her and carried her up the stairs.

  After I placed her on the bed, I smothered her with kisses, all over her body.

  She placed a dainty hand on my chest, looking contemplative.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  She met my gaze. “Yes. I really am. This is the best July Fourth I’ve ever had.”

  “We made our own fireworks just now, didn’t we?”

  She smiled with an adorable blush.

  Today was odd. I’d gone from feeling at peace to anxious in an instant. There was still so much I needed to learn about her, and I was running out of time.

  “Tell me something no one else knows about you,” I said. “I want one of your secrets that’s all mine.”

  She blinked. “I don’t have any sordid things I’m hiding. I just have things I hide behind.”

  I twirled a piece of her red hair around my finger. “How do you mean?”

  “I hide behind a façade of strength sometimes, in order to convince myself I’m strong. For the most part, I am. But there are certain lies I tell myself and other people. I’ve told you the same one. Or at least I’ve implied it.”

  “What is it?”

  “That I don’t need anyone. That’s not true. Everyone needs someone. And I wasn’t exactly honest when you asked me how I felt about the idea of finding my father. The truth is, I’m scared of rejection. Deep in my heart, the thought of a father who might love me makes me so emotional I can’t even think about it. I won’t let myself. So, I’m not as strong as I might appear when you first meet me. That’s my secret—or maybe that was two secrets.”

  Her admission touched my heart. “Thank you for sharing that. Although I have to say, it doesn’t make you less strong to me. Strength is derived from actions, not feelings. We can’t control how we feel inside, our emotions or weaknesses. But we can control how we persevere despite them. In that sense, you’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. And your emotional vulnerabilities—least of all your need for love in your life—certainly don’t take away from that.”

  She linked her fingers with mine. “Your turn. Tell me something you’ve never told anyone.”

  Oh boy. I suppose I’d asked for this.

  Looking up at the ceiling, I said, “Even though on a rational level, I know it wasn’t my fault, I often blame myself for the fact that my brother isn’t here. When you told me you’d read about his existence on the Internet, I was a little too gobsmacked to say all that much. I wanted to tell you more about it. But it’s hard for me to talk about—I really never have.”

  I shut my eyes. “I’ll never get past the idea that my presence in the womb with him basically overwhelmed his system until he couldn’t survive. I often wonder what my life would have been like with a brother, you know? He might have wanted all the glory, all the responsibility of pleasing my parents, and I would’ve gladly let him take it. He might have eased some of the burden on me. His mere existence might have been my ticket out of Westfordshire. Or maybe I would’ve never wanted to leave him. He might have been my best friend. But I’ll never know.” I exhaled. “He’s part of the reason I’ve always felt this immense need to please my parents. Sometimes I wonder if God chose wrong.” I finally looked into her eyes. “So that’s my secret.”

  She leaned in and kissed me, as if she wanted to take away the pain.

  “I obviously hate that you feel that way, and I know it’s not always easy to believe people when they tell you it’s not your fault,” she said. “But I understand. We sometimes blame ourselves for things we have no control over. I often wonder whether my mother would be alive if she hadn’t had me. Did the pressure of having an illegitimate child while battling drugs push her over the edge? I’ll never know. But I think about things like that, too.”

  I smiled. “Well, wherever your mother is, I’m certain she’s proud of her daughter.”

  “Maybe not today after I let you fuck me on your living room floor.” She blushed. “But in general, yeah.”

  “Actually, speaking of that, I really want to do it again right now in this bed,” I said, grinning like a fool. “But I think we should eat first because you’re going to need your energy.”

  Felicity jumped when fireworks went off outside the window. “Jesus! I thought that was gunfire for a second. Forgot it was the Fourth of July. They sneak up on you.”

  “The best things in life often do.” Isn’t that the truth? Felicity Dunleavy had rocketed into my world out of nowhere—turning my life upside down in the best possible way.

  * * *

  Felicity

  Track 14: “Drunk in Love” by Beyoncé

  How did Sunday get here so darn fast? I’d been living in a dream since I arrived at Leo’s house. Friday had been all about getting to know each other’s bodies—in multiple ways in multiple rooms and on multiple surfaces. The night went by in a sex-induced haze.

  Then on Saturday, we ventured out of the house and went down to Newport for the day. I took Leo to see the famous mansions. We had dinner there and returned to Narragansett on the early side, because we were too horny to wait until later t
o have sex. I’d made a conscious decision not to drink this weekend because I wanted to be present for each of these precious moments with Leo.

  But as I stood in the kitchen watching him fiddle with the coffeemaker on Sunday afternoon, the reality of everything washed over me. I’d fallen for this man, and he only had a matter of weeks left. Then I’d never see him again. That had always been the plan, but for some reason that harsh fact only hit me in waves, and this one wiped me out.

  After he pressed start on the coffee, Leo walked over. His eyes held a clear affection that matched my own for him. In this moment I realized if I didn’t have a drink—and not the caffeinated one currently brewing—the pain would be unbearable. I needed to numb this. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t afford having my feelings escalate any further.

  “You’ve fallen into a daze,” he said. “Is everything okay?”

  “I think we should have some tequila.”

  “Well, that was a very random response.”

  “I know. But I’ve been good all weekend. I’m in the mood to get tipsy.”

  It was going to take more than tipsy to forget my worries tonight.

  He leaned down and spoke over my lips. “Are you trying to take advantage of me? You know you can do that without the alcohol, right?”

  “I’ve never had drunk sex before. I think we should try it. You make me feel safe enough to let loose in that way.”

  “You want to get wasted with me?” He flashed a devious grin. “Well, tequila it is, then.”

  Leo grabbed the shot glasses and the bottle, and we headed out back to enjoy our drinks on the deck overlooking the bay.

  Within an hour, we were both pretty sloshed.

  The next thing I knew, Leo had lifted me up in the air and was carrying me upstairs to his bedroom. Not only had the alcohol numbed all of my anxiety, it had sparked an adventurous side that didn’t otherwise exist.

  “Tie me up, my lord,” I blurted as Leo threw me down on the bed.