‘You have to keep me in the loop. You like to control all the moves, but I have to know what they are. Things won’t work between us if you don’t.’
‘And you have to trust me,’ he returned. ‘After everything I’ve done, I deserve that much.’
‘You’re right. I’m sorry.’ She cupped his face. ‘I just didn’t want to be hurt by you. It hurt too much.’
She ran her thumb over her bottom lip. ‘If you still want me, I can contact Nina.’
‘No,’ he said flatly.
Her chin wobbled.
‘I want you, but I don’t want that damned contract between us.’ He touched his forehead to hers. ‘When I said you were a game-changer, I meant it. You changed everything for me. I’m having to account for somebody else now. When I plan, I have to plan for the two of us.’
He locked his hands at the small of her back and drew her closer. ‘We’re a matched set, Jenny. We’re not damaged, but we’re not perfect either. We just come out of a different mould.’
‘Please don’t compare me to that breadmaker.’
He laughed and the tension melted from his body. ‘Can I kiss up now?’
She sighed. ‘You’d better.’
He pressed his mouth gently against hers, and she tilted her head back to let him deepen the kiss. His tongue tangled with hers. It was so sexy and tender, her fingers clenched into his T-shirt. She’d been heartbroken when she’d thought he didn’t care, but she could feel his heart pounding underneath her touch.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and stretched against him. His hands grazed down to her bottom and held her possessively.
He was right; they might not be lily white, but they were pretty fantastic together.
She arched her neck as he kissed down the side of it. ‘I can’t believe you chased me all the way out here.’
‘You scared me to death when I got home and you weren’t there.’ He ran kisses over to her ear. ‘I’ve gotten used to having you there, livening up the place.’
She ruffled the hair at the back of his head. He needed more fun in his life. He needed to break out of the new strict rules he’d put upon himself.
‘Take me to bed,’ she whispered.
‘Which way?’
She caught his hand and led him through the door to the bedroom that faced the water. It was done in beach-themed pastels, too, with white furniture throughout. The windows facing the ocean were open, and the soft breeze off the water stirred the curtains. The scent of salt water filled the room and Genieve’s muscles unwound.
Brody was already taking his T-shirt off when she let go of his hand and turned. She trailed her fingers over his chest. He felt hard and warm. She loved watching him in the gym as he worked his body into shape. She liked watching him naked in bed even more.
He ran his finger down the strap of her bikini. He wasn’t being shy about looking now. Light from the living room filtered into the bedroom and bathed their bodies in a soft glow. ‘You don’t fight fair either.’
Her nipples tightened as he traced the edges of the cups, tickling her and teasing. He followed the strap underneath her breasts, and his fingers dipped into her cleavage. Her chest rose and fell faster.
‘I really am growing attached to the colour purple,’ he said gruffly.
She caught at his waist when he finally touched her the way she was craving. He cupped both hands over her breasts and plumped them higher. His hold was firm, and his thumbs were determined as they rubbed circles over her nipples. Her tender flesh woke up and pressed back against him.
Her fingers bit into the hard muscles of his sides. Leaning in, she licked over his nipple. Fire with fire.
His hands left her breasts, and he pushed aside her hair. She felt a tug at the tie at the back of her neck, and her bikini top loosened. He did the same to the bow at the centre of her spine. When he pulled away, her bikini top fell off.
Genieve felt her nipples perk up harder in the swath of light, but it dimmed as Brody moved in. His arms tightened around her as his mouth attached to her breast. She clutched at his shoulders as the backs of her knees hit the bed. He laid her down, suckling hard as he bent over her.
She squirmed as he lavished and ravished her. She felt a tug at the knot at her hip and then he was spreading the sarong open. Her bikini bottoms went fast. With a tug at each side, he undid them and let the front flap fall, baring her pussy.
‘Brody,’ she groaned as he dropped to his knees beside the bed and spread her legs open wider.
His mouth came down upon her, hot and intimate. Genieve’s hips rolled, and he slid his hand under her bottom to hold her where he wanted her. Her thighs quivered. Eventually, she draped them over his shoulders.
Sensations rolled through her like the waves just outside her window. She could feel them surging and retreating. He stroked his hands up and down her front and lapped at her sensitive nerve endings until she could hardly stand it. Finally, on an upstroke, she caught at his wrists.
‘No more,’ she said hoarsely. ‘I want you.’
She tried to pull him on top of her, but he stood to take off his jeans. It put him right in the soft spotlight coming from the other room, and she leaned back on her elbows to watch. He was all lean lines and rippling muscles. He pushed his jeans down, and she saw the hard-on she was waiting for. When he settled a knee on the mattress between her legs, she scooted back to give him room.
He tangled his finger in the gold chain that ran around her waist. ‘This thing has been driving me insane.’
It was just something she’d found at a shop in town last summer. The lightweight chain glinted in the sun, and it felt sexy as it settled on her hips. The selling point had been the charm with two fish kissing. She wore it whenever she came out here now. It was part cute, part beachy, part sexy.
He skimmed his open mouth along the chain, and her stomach clenched.
Make that way sexy.
He tugged on it, and her back arched.
He found the charm at her side and moved it to the centre of her belly, below her belly button. His weight pressed her into the bedding, and she moaned.
Soooo sexy.
He crawled up over her, and she stroked the hard muscles of his back and scraped her nails over his firm butt. His cheeks flinched, and he let out a hiss. His cock bumped against her as he settled into the cradle of her hips. The chain and charm were caught between their tightly pressed bellies.
The breeze blew through the curtains, stirring Genieve’s hair as she looked up into Brody’s face. She kissed his jaw. He looked so clean-cut and handsome, but the shadows played, making his eyes darken and turning his cheekbones into slashes. Her Black Knight.
Her pussy clenched, aching for him. She welcomed the darkness in him, because that darkness was her protector.
She nuzzled against him. She’d never had a man here in her beach house. She’d made love with him many times before, but this time it felt more personal. Private and for them alone.
He readied himself and nuzzled against her ear. ‘We need to get tested,’ he said. ‘Soon.’
His hands clamped around her waist, and he pushed into her, inch by slow inch.
‘Ooooh,’ Genieve groaned.
He gave a hitch of his hips and seated himself deep. ‘I want the upgrade to boyfriend status.’
She wound a leg around his hips. ‘You’d go beyond that,’ she whispered.
He pulled back an inch to let the light from the other room show her face.
Red hair had its disadvantages. She blushed easily. ‘I’ve never had unprotected sex before,’ she admitted.
His cock seemed to swell inside her, and she bit her lip.
‘But you take the Pill,’ he said. ‘I’ve seen them in my medicine cabinet.’
She caught him by the back of his neck and pulled him down to whisper in his ear. ‘I’ve never felt a man’s come inside me – but I want to feel yours.’
She wanted to feel her thighs wet and sticky. She
didn’t want to have to always stop when things got hot and heavy. She wanted to feel his hard, naked cock stroking inside her.
Her pussy squeezed at the thought, and Brody groaned.
He kissed her hard. ‘Soon.’
He began to move, and she shifted underneath him. They were still crossways on the bed, and her hair tumbled over the side. It swung in rhythm with his thrusts.
She held him tightly, feeling his thighs bunch between hers.
Her waist chain nipped at her skin, and the charm kissed them both as their bellies rubbed.
‘You feel so good,’ she said as their bodies rocked together.
‘I wasn’t going to let you go without a fight.’ He pushed up onto his arms and his hips swung more freely. ‘Especially when it was our first.’
But it had been a doozy.
Her back arched, and her breasts plumped against his chest. ‘Oooh, the best part of fighting is making up.’
His head dropped as he began shafting her harder. Genieve trailed her fingers down his back, leaving white marks in his skin. Outside, she could hear the tide coming in, closer and closer on the beach.
Their breaths turned ragged as their bodies slapped together. Genieve’s breasts juddered, and her nipples tightened into hard, sensitive peaks. She clung to Brody as he covered her. What had started out slow and sexy turned driving and urgent. He felt big inside her. Big and demanding.
He fucked her possessively until, finally, his cock drove home. She let out a cry. The chain and the charm bit deep, low on her abdomen. Her pussy squeezed tight around him, and pleasure rushed through her. It started in her centre and radiated to her fingers and toes. She wrapped herself around him, trying to hold onto the moment.
It wasn’t the boyfriend experience any more.
He was hers.
She pressed her face against his neck and relaxed back onto the comforter. They hadn’t even made it under the bedding. The comforter was rumpled, and the seashell pattern was crooked. Outside, the waves kept lapping at the beach.
Brody carefully disengaged their bodies and rolled onto his back. ‘I’d chase you across the country if making up is like that,’ he said, still winded.
Genieve pushed her hair off her forehead. ‘You don’t have to go back tonight, do you?’
He rolled his head to look at her. ‘I was hoping I could hide out here with you for a while.’
She smiled. Puckering her lips, she kissed him with a smack. ‘I’d like that.’
The mood in the room was relaxed and sexy. After such a stressful day, it was turning sleepy. That was, until her stomach growled. She giggled with embarrassment.
He laid a hand over her stomach. ‘Are you hungry?’
‘I planned on eating after my walk.’
His fingers tangled with the chain low on her abdomen. ‘And I just extended your workout.’
She pushed up on her elbows. ‘It’s all right. I can make something for both of us.’
His fingers rubbed the fish charm back and forth, and heat rose up inside her again. ‘I saw a seafood place in town. Do you want to go grab a bite to eat?’
She considered it, but her thoughts screeched to a halt. ‘Wait. You’re asking me to go out on the town with you?’
‘I am.’
She rolled over on top of him. ‘Are you awake or are you talking nonsense in your sleep again?’
He smiled lazily. Maybe taking him to bed had other side benefits, too. ‘There are, what, a thousand residents here? That’s not very many people.’
She poked at his chest. ‘Who are you and where have you put Brody Haynes?’
He settled his hands on her hips. ‘If someone recognises you, it will make total sense. You’re running away from your problems.’
‘And who are you?’
‘The rebound guy.’
‘Ha.’ She plastered kisses over his face. ‘I’d pick you any day.’
He patted her bottom. ‘Come on, before I change my mind. Let’s give them something to talk about.’
Chapter Fourteen
They slept in late the next morning. The curtains in the east-facing room tried to block the sunshine from entering, but the bedroom glowed bright and warm. It was the deepest Brody had slept in a long time. He stretched before getting up and walking to the window. He pulled back the shades and looked out at the ocean. The sun had been up for a while, but nobody was around. The tide had gone back out, and one lone gull trotted along the edge of the water, looking for breakfast.
He soaked in the quiet. He liked the calm out here. DC was always wound tighter than a top. The people, the politics, the tourists…He hadn’t noticed how much it had affected him until yesterday when it had nearly spun out of control. He glanced at Genieve when she rolled onto her back and opened her eyes. Her hair spilled across her pillow, and the sheet rode low on her breasts. Even now, he wanted to crawl back into that bed with her and forget about the rest of the world.
He’d screwed up yesterday. Even with the best of intentions, he’d nearly lost her. He needed to make some changes in his life so it didn’t happen again.
‘Good morning,’ she said, her voice husky from sleep.
‘Morning.’ He walked across the sunlit room and dropped a kiss on her lips. ‘What do you want to do today?’
‘Nothing and everything.’
That sounded like a great plan to him.
They took their time getting started, but eventually spent the day like any other tourists in town. The advantage was that there weren’t many here yet. In the summertime, the quaint little town of Rehoboth Beach ballooned to twenty times its size, but in early spring, the people in town were year-round residents. They strolled along the boardwalk and checked out the souvenir shops and boutiques. Some were open limited hours, while others were closed until the official season began. Funland amusement park wouldn’t be opening for a few more weeks, but the beach arcade was open. They played a few games, and Genieve won a stuffed bear by throwing darts.
They ate lunch on the second-floor deck of The Greene Turtle before heading back to the beach house. It was a perfect spring day without much wind, but the water was still too cold for swimming. They spent time on the beach, lazing around on beach towels, and playing Frisbee. Brody doused Genieve from head to toe in sunscreen. With her fair skin, she couldn’t stay under the bright rays for long. The reflection from the water only doubled the exposure, and it wasn’t like she covered up.
The bikini for the day was emerald green. It matched her eyes, and the halter top provided more support for her full breasts. It was the bottoms that were making Brody’s head cramp. It was a thong. He kept his eye on neighbouring houses as he rubbed the lotion over her pert little derrière. She jerked when he got a bit too intimate, but then relaxed into the sand as his thumb worked round and round. When her leg bent and her toes pointed at the sky, he knew it was time to stop. They could try that later in the privacy of their own bungalow. Still, he had to go into the water to cool off.
She laughed when he let out a curse and quickly headed back. ‘I told you it was too cold.’
He wiped the moisture from his face and looked down at his swimming trunks. ‘It did the trick.’
She grinned. ‘But for how long?’
He dropped onto the towel beside her. ‘Good point.’
Ever since she’d started hanging around, he could get a boner at a moment’s notice.
They spent the day making love and just unwinding. As much time as they’d spent together at his house, the interlude had been stressful. The underlying questions and threats had always been there, sharpening the edges. For once, they could just enjoy each other – without worries, without attention on them, and without that damn Luxxor contract. As open-ended as it had been, it had still gripped their relationship like a vice.
The day passed by and soon it was time for supper. Brody grilled fresh fish they’d bought at the market while Genieve prepared the rest of the meal. They talked through the ope
n kitchen window and then sat down together at the small outdoor table on her deck.
‘Come here,’ Brody said when they’d finished.
She lifted an eyebrow lazily, but followed him when he went to the grill. It was still warm, but the metal cooking grate was cool enough that he could remove it. He propped it up against the deck railing, and she automatically reached for the marshmallows. Her movements stilled when he pulled a set of papers out of his back pocket.
‘Is that what I think it is?’ she asked.
He passed the contract to her, and she unfolded it. Her smile dimmed for the first time all day. ‘What were your plans for this?’
‘I brought it along, thinking I could argue for it.’ He’d run around his house packing so fast he’d forgotten a lot of things – including swimming trunks, which he’d replaced with a purchase along the boardwalk – but he hadn’t forgotten that. ‘I like this option better.’
He pushed the igniter button and the grill’s flame came back to life. He turned it up to high and stepped back. ‘You can do the honours.’
‘Nuh uh.’ She ripped half the pages from their staples and handed them back to him. ‘We’ll do it together.’
As one, they tossed the Luxxor contract into the flames. The fire flared and danced excitedly as it consumed the dry white paper. Soon it was gone, with only ashes at the bottom of the grill to show it had ever existed.
Genieve’s hair swung as she tilted her head. ‘Which felt better? Burning that or the other one?’
‘The other one,’ Brody growled.
She bit her lip. ‘I thought you were jealous when I was with Samuel…even before I really knew you.’
‘Jealous?’ he bit out. ‘Try infuriated, frustrated and just plain out of my head.’
‘Sorry,’ she said as she moved closer. ‘You were so stone-faced I couldn’t tell, but I thought maybe…’
She caught his hand where his fingers were fluttering like an accountant without a keypad. Going up on tiptoe, she kissed him. ‘Now we can celebrate for real.’
The contract was gone, and Maggie Harris was facing charges.
Courting Gossip Page 21