by Lily Harlem
With each step I took down the palm tree-lined path, I felt more and more embarrassed by what had just happened. More and more indignant that Raven had felt the need to come to my rescue. Who did he think he was, a damn knight in shining armor?
I veered off the spotlit path toward a bench nestled by some acacia bushes. The sound of the ocean, only a few meters away, was loud and crashing, the constant push-pull of the waves a sizzling hiss.
I sat and dropped my head in my hands and was aware of Raven sitting next to me.
Silence stretched between us.
The urge to tumble out my annoyance tickled my tongue. But I didn’t want to let rip. I needed to think and not be my usual speak-first-think-later self.
“You should talk, ’cause I just wanna go back in there and mess that asshole up,” Raven said, suddenly standing. “I need distracting.”
I looked up at him. He was pacing with his fists clenched, his feet stomping on the grass.
“That asshole is a professor,” I said, “and actually very important in the world of reflexology.”
“Like I give a fuck about that. He’s a creep who wasn’t going to take no for an answer.” He glared down at me.
“How do you know that?”
“Because I was watching from the bar. I saw him sidling up to you, touching you. Leaning in closer. I even lip-read you say no and he didn’t take the hint.”
“Exactly, I said no. I was about to get up and walk away.”
“He had hold of you.”
“Yes, but he would have let go and I’d have gotten us some water from the bar.” I stood and placed my hands on my hips. “I could still be in there discussing my patient.”
“Like fuck you could. He wasn’t interested in talking about your patient. He just wanted to get into your panties. Hell, his weasel eyes were glued to your cleavage.”
I can’t deny that. But still. Decapitation?
“How the hell am I supposed to see him tomorrow, after you just threatened to rip his head off?” My voice was louder now.
“You’ll be fine. He knows not to step out of line now I’m here.”
“Which brings me to the point of what the hell are you doing here? I’m guessing it’s not just so you could abuse the professor.”
His lips tightened and he sucked in a breath. When he spoke, his voice was low and husky, the anger had left his tone. “I missed you. When you went this morning the house felt hollow… My bed looked empty.”
“I was only going to be away one night, for heaven’s sake.” A small part of me remembered how I’d felt earlier, in the elevator going for dinner. I’d missed him desperately, wished he was by my side and would be holding me all night.
He stepped up to me, touched my cheek with the knuckle of his index finger. “Sometimes one night can feel like a lifetime, pumpkin.”
The inky blackness of his eyes were like a drug. Something I could fall into and get addicted to. But I didn’t, the simmering frustration in my gut wouldn’t let me. Not this time.
“Well, consider this, Raven. Until now I’ve always managed to look after myself. I’ve traveled the world learning my trade. Met all kinds of people, mostly nice, a few not so nice. I don’t need a beefed-up brute of a bodyguard, thank you very much, one that thinks I’m weak and pathetic and needs to be taken care of.”
He opened his mouth as if to speak, but made no sound.
“And.” I was on a roll now. “I don’t appreciate being followed. It’s creepy, creepy and needy and, fucking hell, so what if another guy looks at me? You hardly care when Todd does considerably more than that.”
He stared down at me. His jaw was now so tight I half expected to hear the sound of cracking teeth. “First, I don’t think you’re weak and pathetic,” he said stiffly. “You’re one of the strongest, most caring, intelligent people I’ve ever met. Second, I wasn’t following you. I’d come to surprise you and was just waiting until you’d finished your conversation before coming over. And I’m sorry if you think I’m creepy and needy, it wasn’t what I planned.” There was a sting of hurt in his voice. “And third, it’s different with Todd.”
I hated to see pain on his face, but I had to know more. “Why? How is it different with Todd?”
He shrugged. “It always has been. It’s him.”
My mind was spinning now. I cocked my head, frowned. “What is there between you two?”
Dropping his hand, he shook his head. “Nothing like what you’re thinking. We’re buddies, we work and play together. That’s all.”
The memory of him touching Todd’s balls came to mind. How could it not? It had been so fucking hot to be part of.
“I know what you thought I’d say.” He shook his head and lowered his voice. “That we’ve been lovers, or want to be in the future. But that’s not the case.”
“Isn’t it?” I raised my eyebrows.
He laughed gruffly. “No, it fucking isn’t. Well, not from my point of view anyway. I have no desire to go anywhere near his ass.”
“You think he wants more from you?”
“How would I know? It’s hardly the sort of thing to drop into conversation in the locker room—hey, buddy, do you want to fuck me or what?”
“Well, no, but…”
Raven sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Okay, so maybe there’s been some touching when we’ve been in threesomes and got carried away in the heat of the moment. But that’s it, nothing more than the odd fondle and only when there was a girl there.” His face creased. “Shit. What a fucking mess.”
“Why is it?”
“Because it bothers you.”
I shook my head. “No, not at all.” It really didn’t.
“Liar. You told me you thought I was gay on the plane.”
“Jesus, I was teasing you, and I think you got me back for that.”
He huffed and turned away.
I stared at his broad back, at the way his gray t-shirt stretched over his wide shoulders. His loose hair hung thick and glossy and shone in the moonlight. I could make out the tail end of his tattoo poking out of his sleeve and ending on his elbow.
“I’ll go back to Orlando,” he said.
My heart sank at the thought of him leaving, but not nearly as much as it did to see him in distress. I stepped forward, wound my arms around his waist and pressed my cheek into his back. Hugged him tight. “I don’t want you to go.”
He grunted. “Yeah you do.”
Squeezing him all the closer, I inhaled his gorgeously sexy scent. “I think whatever bond you and Todd have is great. You clearly not only care about each other, but you also trust one another too. Plus, he’s an amazingly good-looking guy. Charm and sex appeal ooze from him.”
Raven unpeeled my arms from his waist and stepped away, down the short bank leading to the beach. His silhouette stopped just before the ebbing waves. I’d never seen him look hunched before. He was hanging his neck down and his hands were shoved deep in his jeans pockets.
Something told me I’d just said the wrong thing.
I joined him on the shoreline, my heels sinking in the powdery sand. “What is it?” I asked, looking up at his angular profile.
The way his lips pursed made me nervous.
“Raven?”
“I know you’re in love with him.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. “He’s your type. Hell, he’s every girl’s type.”
A wave frothed toward me and I stared at it unblinking, uncaring as it skittered over my shoes.
“I was a fool,” he said, “to think I stood a chance with you. Of you falling in love with me and not him.”
His words were like a kick to the stomach, hard and breath-stealing, but when the shock of hearing them dispersed, clarity hit me. It was beautiful, like a fog lifting or water rolling away and leaving a perfect stretch of sand. I stared at a mounting, cresting wave and let the joy of the new knowledge pour through my veins and settle in my soul.
I’m not in love wit
h Todd.
“I’m never going to be handsome or a top goal scorer,” Raven was saying, “and I’m certainly never going to win awards in the charm department.” He gave a resigned sigh. “But I can’t change, Fiona, it’s the way I am. How I’m feeling at any given moment is right there, undisguised. And I understand why you want to be with him and not me. Hell, you told me right from day one that he was your type and I wasn’t.”
“But Raven—”
“Please, don’t feel bad. I’ll go now. I shouldn’t have come.” He turned and stepped away, disturbing clouds of sand as he dragged his feet over the beach.
“But, Raven, I’m not in love with Todd.”
He carried on walking. Every step ripped my heartstrings and I had to wrap my arms around my waist to hold myself together. Watching him leave was the same as having my fingernails ripped out—slow, bitter torture. I could almost hear the cracking of my about-to-be-broken heart.
“Raven.” My breath caught in my throat. “I’m in love with you.”
He stopped.
A bigger wave rushed over my feet. I stumbled forward as it knocked me off balance—disoriented as to my place in the world for a few scary seconds.
Then he was next to me. Steady hands wrapping around my waist, firm arms holding me close.
My eyes filled and tears pricked painfully, emotions battering me the same way the ocean just had.
“What did you say?” he asked, his face hovering over mine, his gaze scanning my eyes.
“I’m not in love with Todd,” I gasped, flailing to hold on to him.
A deep frown etched across his brow. “No, the next part. What did you say after that?”
I clung to his t-shirt, holding it in my fists. “I’m in love with you,” I said as a fat tear spilled over and a sob gurgled up from my throat.
His gaze was locked on mine, his eyes full of desperate hope. “Even if I’m a big, beefy brute who wants to protect you?”
“Yes, yes, especially if you are a big, beefy brute who wants to protect me.” I ran my hands up to the side of his thick neck, let my fingertips rest on his jawline. “And I think you’re handsome, so handsome. And just for the record, you’re totally my type.”
He mashed his lips together, closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. Another wave crashed around our feet, the water cool and fizzing. I ignored it.
“Say it again,” he whispered.
“I think you’re handsome.” I threaded my hands into his hair, let my lips hover over his.
“No, not that.”
Pressing into him, I felt as if I couldn’t get close enough. He’d gotten into my heart with the same swiftness a puck flies across the ice. I wanted our bodies to merge, to get lost in each other, forever. “I love you,” I whispered, the words a joyful release of overwhelming feelings. “I love you.”
He swallowed tightly then opened his eyes. Love and desire seemed to pour from them like thick, luscious treacle. He tilted my chin and spoke onto my lips. “I love you, too.”
We fell onto the mattress, our clothes a messy, tangled trail between the hotel room door and the bed.
The room was so dark I couldn’t see my hands in front of my face. It didn’t matter, it was as light and bright as a room could ever be simply because Raven was there. Raven was with me. Holding me, kissing me, about to find his way inside me.
“Make love to me,” I gasped as I clutched at his big, naked body. His skin was smooth and warm beneath my palms. I couldn’t touch enough of him at once and ran my hands up and down the planes of his back, across his shoulders, into his hair.
“Only thing that’s gonna happen,” he murmured, settling above me.
I spread my legs wide, drew up my knees and welcomed him prodding my entrance. Hot, hard, sheathed cock teased into me, making me feel complete and whole. There’d never been a more perfect sensation.
Our kisses were reverent yet at the same time urgent as he slowly tunneled to the hilt. “Oh yes, I need you so much,” I gasped, arching my spine and pressing my head into the pillow. As usual it took a few seconds to adjust to his size.
“I’m here,” he breathed, his lips sucking my chin. “Right here.”
“Don’t go anywhere,” I gasped, clutching his tensed butt cheeks and finding his mouth with mine. “Ever.”
“I won’t. Oh God, it’s never felt so good, Fiona.”
Ditto.
His taste, his smell, the heat and weight of him over me were all I ever needed. The feeling of being so adored and protected was exquisite. And although I already knew I was in love with him, I couldn’t help falling more so. How could I not? The way he was rocking his hips, filling me so wondrously, was like a personal trip to heaven.
“I’m happy you came to Orlando,” he whispered.
“I’m happy you came to Miami,” I replied, clawing my fingers into his flesh as the first coils of my orgasm prepared for release. “I couldn’t bear the thought of a night without you.”
“You don’t have to say that.”
“It’s the truth. You feel so right at my side…” I caught my breath and squeezed my eyes shut. “Oh god, especially when you do that.”
He was circling his hips, a devilishly sinful rotation that applied perfect pressure to my clit.
“That good for you?” he asked into my ear, his lips hot and damp, his breaths as ragged as mine.
“Do you even need to ask? Oh, Raven, I’m going to come now, oh fuck yes… Don’t stop.”
I allowed my body to spin out of control. My arms and legs shook as I clung to him. My pussy was being ravished by deeply satisfying spasms and my clit beating itself against his hard body.
“You sound so fucking awesome when you come,” he said, kissing his way across my cheek. “I wish I could bottle the sound and take it with me everywhere I went.”
I couldn’t reply. I was in a delicious place where ecstasy ruled and sanity no longer existed.
He kissed me, plunging his tongue into my mouth and keeping up the heavy circling of his hips. The sensations were wild, almost unbearable, my clit was so swollen and tender. For a moment I didn’t know if I could take any more.
But then the wave of yet another orgasm began to rise toward me. Big and strong, its promises were as addictive as any drug.
“Oh yeah, come again,” he moaned, his voice tortured yet blissful. “With me.”
I let that wave rise, gather power. Before I knew it, delicious, pounding sensations were cresting within me then crashing down.
“Ah, fuck, fuck,” Raven shouted, no longer circling his hips but hammering. “Fuck, that’s it.”
As my pussy throbbed through yet another series of thumping, orgasmic pulses, I was aware of his cock spurting into the condom. The heat and friction catapulted me to ecstasy.
The masks, the pretense had gone. We were as one. In love.
Lovers.
There was no one else. I didn’t need anyone else. And I certainly didn’t think of anyone else. Only Raven existed, filling my mind, body and soul with his.
Chapter Twelve
“How was the conference?” Todd asked.
“Fine, informative. I’m just heading back to Orlando now.” It was late evening and it had been a long day of lectures and workshops. Now I was dozing as Raven drove us home on the dark Florida highways.
“I’ve missed you. Can I see you tomorrow? Lunch at Ciao’s.” I glanced across at Raven.
“Yeah, I guess, what time?”
“Late lunch. Three, after practice.”
“Okay.”
“Can you ask Raven to come, too?”
“Sure.” I dropped my cell from my ear. “Todd wants you to come to lunch with us tomorrow, about three at Ciao’s.”
“I’ll be late. I have a medical at two.”
“Okay.” I relayed this information to Todd.
“Raven went with you to the conference?” he asked, sounding surprised.
“Yes, he, er, didn’t have much else to d
o and fancied a trip to Miami.”
Raven looked at me and lifted one eyebrow.
I shrugged.
“Oh, okay, well, I’ll see you both tomorrow. Safe journey.” Todd hung up.
“I wonder what that’s about?” I asked Raven.
He shrugged. “Dunno, nothing probably, he just wants to see us.”
“Do you think he’s mad that I didn’t ask him to come to Miami?”
Raven huffed. “You didn’t ask me.”
I reached over and stroked my palm down his forearm.
*****
The cab ride to Ciao’s the next afternoon took twenty minutes. When I arrived, Todd was already there.
He stood as I walked in. “Hey, it’s good to see you.”
“And you,” I said, allowing him to wrap me in his arms and press a kiss to my lips. He smelled divine, as always, and the solidity of his chest beneath his t-shirt felt luscious against my breasts. But I didn’t get that I-want-to-rip-your-clothes-off-and-fuck-you-right-now feeling that I had every other time I’d been near him. Today it felt different. Much as I could appreciate his fine body and handsome face, it wasn’t sending the same intensity of sparks around my system the way it had on previous occasions.
“Here you go,” he said, pulling out a chair. “I’ve ordered wine, and a steak for me and Raven. But I asked Benita to hold until you both arrived.”
“Thanks,” I said, sitting and pulling out the menu. “I’ll have a chicken and bacon salad if that’s okay.”
“Sure.” He called over Benita, who smiled warmly at me then bustled off to the kitchen with my order.
There were several other diners in the restaurant, lingering over their lunch, chatting and sipping wine. After glancing around, I set my napkin over my lap and rested back.
“The conference was worth the trip?” he asked.
“Yes, it was very informative. It would have been a long way to come from the UK but since I was in Florida anyway it was a great experience.”
He nodded and tasted the wine the waiter had just poured. “Good. And was Raven distracting while you were there?” He tilted his head. “Did he put you off your studies?”