by Avery Flynn
But he hadn’t.
“This really wasn’t my plan,” he said between trailing kisses across her shoulder, her skin still smelling of coconut sun screen and tasting of saltwater.
“Mine either.” Her gaze not leaving his, she reached behind her back to the tie holding her bikini in place and tugged it loose. “Do you want to stop?”
There were a million things he wanted in the world, but with Aubrey in his arms none of them mattered. “Fuck no. I have too many ideas for what I’d like to do with you right now.”
She pulled one of the strings tied into a bow behind her neck and her bikini top slipped off, falling to the floor. “More script reading?”
This was where the writers would put in a smartass line or a something catchy. His mouth was too busy with Aubrey’s tits for that. Adjusting his hold on her ass, he lifted her higher so he could take one of her hard nipples in his mouth, grazing his teeth over the hard nub and curling his tongue around it. Her grip tightened on his head as she let out a shaky moan. Switching sides, he teased her other nipple until it was wet with his attention and he blew on it, watching the stiff peak go diamond hard.
This was good but it wasn’t enough. He wanted—needed—more.
Lowering his arms, he let her slide down him until they were face to face again. “Say the word and we stop immediately, no questions asked, but I’d like to take this to the bed. You good with that?”
“Depends.” She snagged her bottom lip between her teeth and gave him a wink. “Are you gonna be naked?”
This woman. She was going to kill him and he’d die happy. He pivoted and lowered her to the bed before taking a few steps back, his hands going to the waistband of his swim trunks.
“As you wish.” He shoved them down and made his way back to the bed, one hand curled around his cock as he jacked it slowly, looking down at her spread out on the bed.
Aubrey’s gaze turned dark with lust as she watched him. Not that she wasn’t busy herself. She made quick work of undoing the knot holding the wrap around her waist, revealing her blue bikini bottom held up by two very tempting bows on either hip.
The sight was the best and worst thing all at the same time because he was a selfish bastard. “Don’t you dare take that off.”
She paused, then lifted an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Because.” Unable to go another minute without touching her, he spread her legs and ran his hands up her legs from her ankles to nearly the juncture of her strong thighs stopping just short of where he so desperately wanted to touch. “For as much as I want to have you naked, there is something to be said for anticipation.”
She rolled her nipples between her fingers, pulling them taut. “You like to be teased?”
“No. I like to be the one taking it slow, making you want it more, hearing you plea for me to touch you...” unable to deny either of them any longer, he glided his thumb across the damp center of her bikini, “…right here, and then when you think you can’t take it anymore, feeling you come so hard you squeeze my dick hard enough that I follow you over.”
She let out a shaky breath and lifted her hips. “Take off my fucking bikini. Now.”
“Someone’s demanding.” He toyed with the string, dragging the end of it across her upper thigh. “I don’t know if I should do that.”
Aubrey narrowed her eyes at him. “Carter. I’m dying here.”
It wasn’t even close to begging, but he was on the verge of pleading himself so he wasn’t going to call her on it. Instead, he tugged the string until the bow was undone, repeating it on the other side and letting it fall to the bed.
“Fuck, darlin’, you are so wet,” he said as he traced along her glistening folds with the tip of his finger, watching her face for every change in expression, listening for each sharp intake of breath when he found the right spot.
And when he found that spot, the one that made her grip the sheets like she was afraid of falling off the face of the earth? That’s when he dipped his head between her thighs and tasted her, taking his time as she lifted her hips and rocked her core against his mouth. Taking his time, he explored her, gauging her response to every lick, stroke, and touch, her responses making his dick harder. Scissoring his fingers inside her, he circled his tongue around her clit again and again.
“Don’t stop,” she said, her body going tense. “So close.”
He had absolutely no plans of leaving her wanting. Having her sweetness on his lips and watching her as her pleasure built higher and higher was too good for that. The temptation to dial it back, take her off the edge of coming, was strong but denying her wasn’t something he had in him. Especially not when she was making that soft moan between quiet yeses and pleas for just a little bit more. Instead, he gave her his all, everything was hers for the asking.
“Right there, Carter.” Her staccato demand was a scream in whisper form. “Right. Fucking. There.”
He pulsed his tongue against that spot, the one that made her yank at the sheets, until she came with a sharp cry, her back arching as she went over. Watching her come was the hottest thing he’d ever seen.
He couldn’t wait to see it again.
Aubrey wasn’t sure she still had bones anymore, every part of her had magically transformed into Jell-O. Okay, it hadn’t been magic but Carter’s tongue and fingers and the general oh-my-God goodness of an orgasm that had singed her all the way down to her toes. Refocusing her eyes was an effort of Herculean proportions but she managed just barely to do it and was rewarded with a view that would put the son of a God to shame.
Carter at the end of the bed, sitting back on his heels still between her legs, his mouth wet with her satisfaction and the best kind of dangerous gleam in his blue eyes. Holy shit, if he could deliver on what he was promising with that look then her day was about to get even better. Could that even be possible? She was more than willing to roll the dice.
“Please tell me we aren’t done,” she said, propping herself up on her forearms to get a better look at him—and what a view it was.
The man might be undercover on the cruise but here in his room there was no hiding the body ripped enough to portray a superhero on the big screen. Spectacular? More like fucking mind boggling. She could wash the bakery’s aprons on his eight pack—of course, she had other plans for him today.
Judging by the sexy smirk on his face that had his dimple sunk about a mile into his cheek, so did he. “Not even close to being done.”
Liquid desire flowed through her as anticipation made her body tingle. “Condom?”
He leaned over and fished one out of the shaving kit on the desk next to the bed. “Got it covered.”
Watching him roll the latex onto his hard dick was no hardship. There was just something about watching a guy handle himself that got to her, and made her think every dirty thought there was out there, plus some that probably hadn’t been invented before.
As soon as he was done, he reached down and took her by the ankles and tugged until her ass was on the edge of the bed and he was between her splayed legs. “Fuck, you are delicious.”
Then, he reached down and used his large hands to cup her ass and lift her up so only her shoulders were on the bed. What need was there for a sex pillow when there was someone with arm-porn worthy arms to hold her in place? Absolutely none. She was back to holding onto the sheets for dear life because he was about to rock her world and she was so here for it.
This wasn’t for forever.
This was for fun.
Holding her with only one hand, he lined himself up with her opening and entered her slow, one thick inch at a time, filling her up completely. The rest of the world fell away at that moment. There was only her and Carter, the sounds of their bodies coming together and the tortured breaths as he fucked her slow and steady. The feel of him against her as he thrust forward into her and pulled back, leaving her wanting, had her begging for more in a voice she barely recognized as her own.
“You want more, darlin�
��?”
“Yes.”
Carter withdrew completely, his big hands moving to her hips before he flipped her over so she was on her hands and knees, back arched, and ready. He sank into her, going deeper than before, so much so that her breath caught.
“Too much?”
“Give me a second.” She released a deep breath, relaxed around him, and then pushed back against him, slow at first and then faster until she was practically slamming up against him.
“I could watch that ass of yours all damn day.” He gave her a smack on the cheek with just the right amount of sting.
Looking over her shoulder she took in the man behind her, his eyes dark with desire, his jaw squared with intent. It was the hottest thing she’d ever seen. “Do that again.”
He did. Once, twice more. Then he gripped her hips, yanking her back, and they worked together, back and forth, thrust and retreat, deep and shallow, until they were both panting, their skin glistening with exertion. She was climbing, every nerve ending tuned into that place where their bodies were joined, an electric ball of fuck-yes building with each stroke. Reaching between her legs, she circled her clit, her fingertips brushing against his slick cock as he fucked her.
“That’s it, darlin’, squeeze my dick,” he said, his voice thick with want. “So. Damn. Tight.”
The sound of his rumbled order was all it took to send her to the breaking point. Fingers pressing against her clit, her orgasm rushed over her, sweeping her away on a wave of pleasure that nearly knocked her arms out from under her. Carter’s harsh groan as he tightened his hold on her was all the warning she got before he rammed into her—hard, rough, and demanding—and then plunged into her one more time and came with enough force that she was probably going to have fingerprints on her hips.
Totally worth it.
“Let me go get rid of the condom,” he said, his breath ragged, as he withdrew and walked to the bathroom.
Hello reality, so very not nice to see you again. “I should get back to my room.”
“Why not stay?” he asked through the closed bathroom door.
“Do you think that’s a good idea?” She was after all the woman who’d ratted him out to the world for being on this cruise. Guilt poked at her, made her chest tight. Post-coital confession time didn’t seem the ideal time to fess up. Was it really so wrong to enjoy the afterglow for a few minutes?
“After what just happened?” Carter walked out of the bathroom, a Greek god in human form. “I think it’s a very good idea for you to stay because I’m hoping you’ll agree to do it again.”
“You’re a bad influence.” And you’re a giant horny chicken, Aubrey Dean.
He grinned at her and crossed over to the bed. “Without a doubt.”
She should say no, gather her clothes, and walk bowlegged back to her room. That was the smart thing. But what no one ever tells you about orgasms is that sometimes they make a person very, very dumb. She rolled over and got under the covers. Her head barely had time to hit the pillow before the bed dipped under Carter’s weight and he snuggled up big spoon style behind her, cocooning her in his warmth. After that, fighting sleep was a losing battle. When she woke up she’d explain what had happened, how she’d dimed him out before thinking better of it. He’d understand. God, she hoped so.
Six
Cuddled up next to Carter, her head tucked into his shoulder, Aubrey refused to open her eyes despite the morning sun beating against her eyelids. That meant she most definitely was not going to get up, walk through the open connecting door into her room, and answer the damn phone that wouldn’t stop ringing. She knew well and good who it was and she wasn’t ready to retreat from the fantasy of being with Carter yet.
Did that make her selfish considering who she was, who he was, and what she’d done? Probably, but she was fixing her mess by being his cover story. That had to count for something.
Not nearly as much as honesty.
Aubrey squeezed her eyes shut and tried her best to block out her guilty conscience and the sound of the ringing that had started again. She just wanted to pretend for anther few minutes that the here and now was all there was.
“You should probably answer that before they send a search party,” Carter said, his voice a rough rumble that was way too sexy for first thing in the morning.
He wasn’t wrong. She let out a sigh and opened her eyes under protest—although the sight of a mussed up Carter wasn’t a bad one. Really it was damn good. His hair was too short to be tousled but he managed to look just-woke-up sexy even with the pillowcase wrinkle across his cheek and especially because of the scruff covering his square jaw. Yep, that hadn’t-shaved-in-a-few-days look really needed to make a comeback.
Focus, Aubrey Marie.
“Everyone was meeting up for breakfast and then deciding who wanted to go into Orlando and who wanted to stay onboard.”
He rolled over onto his side, propping his head up with his hand and looking down at her, his gaze sliding over her like silk. “Which one are you doing?”
“Hadn’t made up my mind.” But was staying in bed an option because she was very much into that idea.
He hooked a finger under the sheet covering her from shoulders to toes and inched it down. “Stay on board with me.”
“But I could go ride roller coasters.” Never mind that the buzzy feeling in her stomach and the way every nerve was pulled taut had her already feeling as if she was approaching the crest of a loop-de-loop.
“Looking for thrills?” He tugged the sheet down farther.
She held her breath as it slid over her already hard nipples and they puckered even more in the cool air. Still, his gaze stayed on her face even as he kept drawing the sheet down lower and lower so slow it was as much a torment as a turn on until it sat low on her hips, the fact that she wasn’t completely bared to him making her think about her impending nakedness even more.
“We can’t stay in bed all day.” Maybe just most of it with breaks for eating.
Carter slid his fingertips across her bare skin, just above the sheet. “Why not?”
Her stomach growled. Correction, it didn’t make one of those cute little roars. It was more like the sound of an underwater violin being played a sea witch, all twangy high notes. Embarrassing? Only utterly and completely. Carter’s hand stilled but his lips twitched as he tried to hold back a laugh. Then it happened again. She sounded pretty much exactly like one of her gran’s dogs before they went outside and ate half a yard’s worth of grass.
“Pretty soon that’s going to get even worse,” she said because it wasn’t like she could blame the weird sound on anyone else in the room. “I need to refuel.”
He gave her a quick kiss and got out of bed, which gave her the very best view of his ass. Shit. She was going straight to creeper perv hell but not staring wasn’t an option—especially not when he turned around, hands on his lean hips, and gave her the full Monty. Thinking became optional.
“How long do we have before your friends send out a search party?” he asked, no doubt more than a little aware of how good he looked and exactly what he was doing to her.
The phone in her room started ringing again. God love her friends but she was going to have to kill each and every one of them. “Not long enough, but we can make up for that after breakfast.”
“I’m coming?”
“Yeah,” she said, tossing the sheet the rest of the way off and getting out of bed. “This is your official invite. You can work on your Iowa accent.”
“Midwesterners don’t have an accent,” he scoffed.
She started at him in Southern. “Bless your heart.”
Two incredible—and sadly separate—showers and about twenty minutes later, and they were walking into the dining room headed straight for the big round booth Liv, Kendall, Benjamin, and Grace seemed to have claimed. It wasn’t until they were tableside getting the full top knot to toes perusal that it hit Aubrey just how obvious it was what had happened between her and C
arter. Both of them still had damp hair, he definitely had a tiny bite mark at the base of his throat, and if anyone looked at the hem of her shorts they’d never miss the beard burn on the inside of her thigh.
Liv took one look and them both and said, “Imagine you two rolling in late together.”
“Our rooms are right next to each other.” The lie came out sounding exactly like what it was.
Benjamin covered his chuckle with the absolute worst impression of a sudden coughing fit ever as they all got up from the table. Liv got up and turned so she faced Aubrey and had her back to Carter then mouthed, “What are you doing?”
Really what was the point of lying. “Him,” she mouthed back before stepping closer and adding, “I’m in way over my head.”
Liv snorted. “Believe you me, you’re not the only one.”
Then she and the others started to walk away from the table.
“Wait, are y’all leaving already?” Aubrey asked, noticing that only the crumbs were left on everyone’s plates and their coffee mugs were all empty.
“We’ve been here long enough for firsts and seconds,” Grace said, shooting them a knowing grin. “Looks like it’s just the two of you.”
And they left. After all that calling and everything else, they took one look at her in her obviously just-been-fucked glory and walked away, leaving her alone with Carter. They really were the best friends ever—that was if she could figure out what to do now because the guilt eating away at her stomach lining for making that Insta post made acting like this was anything close to a normal situation impossible.