Dive In Deep

by Parker, Ali

  I nodded, smiling and just feeling so many emotions that I wasn’t sure what to say or do. “I am,” I said, stating the obvious and feeling like a complete moron.

  “Come on, Leia!” he shouted and started jogging toward me before stopping and favoring the injured leg.

  I winced, feeling pity for him even though I knew he would hate that. I imagined he’d been a very athletic man before the injury. He was probably used to carrying a seventy-pound ruck and running up a sandy hill. To be unable to simply jog across a manicured lawn would be difficult for a man to accept. But not him. He took it all in stride.

  He came up the stairs to the deck and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me in for a big bear hug.

  “You didn’t have to stop,” I told him.

  “I wanted to. She’s worn out, and I’m starving. The pizza should be here any minute.”

  I nodded. “Sounds good. I’m hungry.”

  “I’ve got plenty of cold beer in the fridge, every kind you could possibly want,” he said, giving me another kiss before taking my hand and leading me back inside.

  On cue, the doorbell rang. He went to get the pizza while I grabbed us a couple of cold beers and found the plates. As expected, he went a little overboard with the pizza, claiming he wasn’t sure what I liked and ordered enough to feed a starving football team.

  We dished up and carried our plates and beer into the living room where a massive TV covered one wall. I stretched out on the couch with my legs on his lap.

  “Do you have something you normally watch?” I asked him.

  He shrugged. “I’ve watched just about everything, as far as TV shows go. Waiting for the new fall season. What about you?”

  I shrugged. “Not really. How about a movie?”

  He grinned, taking a bite of what he called a taco pizza. “Chick flick?”

  I scoffed. “No. Those are to be watched alone or with girlfriends and a very big box of tissues.”

  He chuckled. “Good to know. Comedy? Drama?”

  “Comedy, definitely comedy.” I laughed. “I can’t have you see me ugly cry. Not yet.” I was sure I had skipped steps by wearing my pajamas and pigging out on pizza and drinking beer from the bottle, but I was not going to ugly cry in front of him. I had some dignity.

  He flipped through some channels, pausing and asking if I liked the movie. We struggled to find something we both agreed on. He was a man, and his idea of funny was a little different than mine. He kept flipping until we had finished our pizza and were on our second beers.

  “This one, come on?” he said with a laugh.

  I looked at the screen and nodded. “Absolutely. I haven’t seen this in forever.”

  He pushed play, and we started watching the Hangover. The movie was hilarious for men and women. I settled in, feeling completely comfortable and relaxed and absolutely content with the situation. I put my plate on the coffee table and pulled the small throw Trent had brought for me over my upper body.

  “Uh oh,” Trent said.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Leia loves that blanket. She’s going to want to snuggle.”

  “I don’t mind,” I answered.

  I was exhausted, and a little, rather larger, furball would be welcomed. It wasn’t long before Leia meandered into the living room. She smelled the plates, checked for leftover pizza, and then spotted the blanket. It took her about two seconds to work her way into a ball beside me, squishing me against the back of the couch and pulling the blanket off me as she stretched out. Her warmth lulled me, and before I knew it, my eyes were drooping so low, I couldn’t see the massive television screen. Then, it was sweet surrender. I had never felt more comfortable and content in all my life.

  When I awoke, I was floating through the air. I blinked several times, trying to orientate myself to my surroundings. It was Trent’s warm chest against my cheek that calmed me. “What are we doing?” I mumbled.

  “I’m taking you to bed,” he whispered.

  My eyes opened, and I realized he was carrying me. “Trent, I can walk. Your leg.”

  “My leg is fine,” he assured me. “We’re almost there.”

  He gently put me on the bed and pulled the covers up and over me. I was so tired, and his bed was so lovely. I tried to force my eyes open, knowing what came next. I was looking forward to being with him, but I just couldn’t seem to keep my eyes from shutting.

  His large, hard body slid in next to mine as he pulled me into his arms. Once again, I tried to open my eyes before giving up the fight, figuring I didn’t need my eyes open for sex. I ran my hand over his bare thigh and smiled.

  He kissed my cheek. “Shh, go to sleep.”

  “Don’t you want to?” I asked in a soft voice, heavy with sleep.

  “I want to, but I also know you’re tired. I’m happy to simply hold you in my arms.”

  “Okay,” I murmured and gave in to the sleep pulling me under. His warm, heavy arms around me offered me total peace and comfort. I felt safe there.

  I woke with a start, batting my hand at the warm wetness on my face, and encountered a large head. My eyes popped open to find Leia happily licking my face. “Get down,” I heard Trent scold in a whisper.

  I blinked several times and rolled to my back to find him standing in the doorway. “Hi,” I said, my voice a little froggy.

  “Sorry about that. I was coming to see if you were awake yet, and Leia decided she couldn’t resist a quick lick.”

  I smiled and rubbed Leia’s head. “Good morning to you too, Leia. I’m not going to lick you, but I will give you a kiss.” I kissed the top of her head and scratched behind her ears. The dog leaped onto the bed, obviously taking my affection as an invitation to climb in bed with me.

  “Leia, down!” Trent ordered, walking into the room.

  “She’s okay,” I told him.

  He grinned at me before pointing to the floor and ordering the dog off the bed again. Leia jumped down and trotted out of the room without giving him a glance. Clearly, she was not happy to be ordered off the bed. Trent looked at me and smiled before jumping on the bed himself. I bounced a few inches and giggled wildly.

  “I wanted her off so I could get up here and lick you,” he joked.

  “Oh, I think I like the sound of that much better, but maybe don’t lick here,” I said, covering my face with my hand. “I can still feel her slobber on me.”

  He wrinkled his nose. “Ew.”

  I laughed again. “Sorry.”

  “I’ll lick you later. I’ve made breakfast if you’re ready to get up. If not, feel free to sleep a while longer. I’ll keep the door closed and Leia out so you can get some rest.”

  I shook my head. “No way. I don’t want to sleep the day away. I only get so much time with you. I don’t want to spend it lying in bed.”

  He dropped a quick kiss on my lips. “That’s exactly how I was thinking about spending our time together.”

  I laughed again. “With me sound asleep?”

  “Not exactly, but I don’t mind lying in bed and holding you close. I haven’t slept that good in a long time.”

  “I know what you mean,” I said. “I wanted to wake up last night when you brought me to bed, but my body was so completely relaxed, I couldn’t fight the sleep. I slept like a rock.”

  He rolled off of me and stood next to the bed, wearing nothing but a pair of low-slung gray sweats. The man was sex on a stick. I still couldn’t believe I was the woman he’d chosen to be with. I sat up and smoothed my hair down, hoping like hell it wasn’t sticking up in twenty different directions.

  “Hungry?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Very hungry.”

  “Come on. Let’s eat, and then we’ll decide what to do today.”

  “I thought we were going to be hanging out in bed?” I asked with a sexy smile. I could feel the dried dog slobber on my face cracking and hoped like hell he couldn’t see it.

  “We can do that as well,” he said with a laugh. “We’v
e got a full twenty-four hours. We’ll get cramped up if we spend all of it lying down.”

  I waggled my brows. “We don’t always have to be lying down,” I said with a sultry voice.

  He leaned down and kissed me. “No, we don’t. Now, get up and meet me in the kitchen.”

  I watched him walk away, admiring the broad set of shoulders that dropped into a sexy V at the base of his back. I really didn’t mind hanging out in bed all damn day if I got to do it with him naked beside me. Alas, I didn’t want the man to think I was a sex-crazed maniac.

  Although I fully blamed him. He was the one who’d shown me just how good sex could be. He was the one that made me want him over and over. He didn’t have to strut around the house half naked.

  Chapter 28

  Trent

  I had every intention of staying in bed all weekend, but I realized I was not the type, and neither was Sade. She’d stared out the window almost the entire time we were eating breakfast, commenting on how beautiful the water was. It was a gorgeous, perfect day. Too perfect to spend inside tucked away in a stuffy room all day.

  “Feel like going out on the boat?” I asked her.

  She looked at me. “Really?”

  “Why not? It’s beautiful out there. I’ll throw some stuff together, and we can go.”

  “I think I’d like that,” she said with a laugh. “I brought my suit. I wasn’t sure if I would need it.”

  I laughed. “You don’t need it, but I suppose there is a good chance we’ll run into other boaters out there.”

  She giggled, blushing prettily. “I don’t think I’m ready to go flashing my assets for the world to see.”

  “I know I’m sure as hell not ready for you to flash anyone,” I growled.

  She helped me clean up before we headed back to my room to change into our swimsuits. I called and had the boat brought over to my dock. I would be doing the navigation myself. I wanted total privacy with Sade.

  We loaded up, bringing Leia along with us to spend the day on the water. I watched from my view behind the wheel as Sade stood on the deck wearing nothing but a bikini and slathering herself with sunscreen. I thought back to the first time we’d been on the boat and she’d kept that damn coverup on almost the whole time. I liked that she was much more confident and didn’t mind showing off her very ample assets. I damn near ran into another boat leaving the shore. I turned my focus to what I was doing instead of ogling the woman that was making it hard for me to think of anything but her.

  I dropped the anchor and headed down to the deck where Sade was stretched out on a lounge chair. Leia was at her side, lying in the shadow of the chair, dead asleep and completely content to be near Sade. I loved that Leia had adopted her almost right away. It was definitely a good sign.

  “You smell delicious,” I commented, pulling my chair closer to hers.

  “Sunscreen?”

  “Coconut. I smell a lot of coconut, and all I want to do is lick it off you,” I told her, not hiding my arousal. I leaned across our chairs and gave her a kiss before giving her boob a good squeeze.

  “I don’t think you’re supposed to eat sunscreen. I suppose I could dive in the water and wash it off, and then you could lick me if you please.”

  I nodded. “I please. I very much please, but I’ll wait. Let’s enjoy the sun. It feels good.”

  She sighed, turning her face to the sun again, her dark sunglasses shielding half of her face. “It feels amazing. I could get used to hanging out on the deck of your yacht.”

  I wanted to tell her she could move in with me and we could spend every weekend on the deck if it made her happy. I kept my mouth closed. I seemed to be stuck in full-speed-ahead mode while she languished in the freshness of our relationship. I had to force myself to slow things down out of fear I would push her away.

  “Anytime you want, you just say the word,” I told her instead.

  We laid out, enjoying the calmness of the day and simply being in one another’s company for a good long while. I didn’t want to move. I was content to just breathe the same air as her.

  “It’s hot,” she complained.

  I looked over at her. “Want to go for a swim?”

  She nodded and took off her sunglasses before standing up and looking down at me. She bent over and dropped a kiss on my lips, and three seconds later, there was a kerplop as she hit the water in a cannonball-style dive. I was laughing so hard with her spontaneity, I could barely walk to follow behind her.

  “Watch out!” I shouted a second before I leaped into the water.

  She shrieked and pointed at the deck where Leia was getting ready to leap in as well. I moved just in time to avoid being landed on by my flying dog. We played and swam and did a lot of kissing as we bobbed up and down in the water.

  “This is amazing,” she said, her arms around my neck as I held on to the boat ladder.

  “It’s perfect. I never want you to leave.” I said it before I realized the words were on their way out of my mouth.

  “I know. Me either, but duty calls. We can enjoy every minute together for now.”

  “Are you hungry?” I asked.

  She grinned. “I’m starving. Swimming leaves me feeling famished.”

  “Come on, load up,” I said. “I’ll take us to that place we ate at before.”

  “Really? They had such good food.”

  “I know. Now climb up and take your time. I want to enjoy the view.” I grinned.

  She laughed and reached for the ladder, climbing up and giving me a very nice view of her round ass. I reached and gave a good squeeze before she climbed aboard. She was waiting with a towel as I climbed up before turning to help Leia on board.

  I headed for the other side of the lake, my eyes constantly drifting to her stretched out on the lounge chair. When I announced we were close, she pulled on the pretty sundress over her bathing suit and slipped into a pair of wedges.

  I pulled on my T-shirt and boat shoes and put Leia below deck to take a long nap while we ate. We walked hand in hand up the dock toward the restaurant we’d enjoyed before.

  “I’m going for a big burger and fries,” she announced.

  “Sounds good to me,” I agreed.

  We ate our meals, talking about her work and the hotel situation like we were best friends—or better yet, like we were a real couple.

  “I love this place,” she said. “I think we should officially make it our place.”

  “Agreed. Want to do a little walking around before we head back to the boat?”

  She nodded. “Sure. Will Leia be okay?”

  “Absolutely,” I assured her. “She’s got her bed, food, and water. Swimming tuckers her out. She’s probably snoring away.”

  “All right, sure. I’d love to do a little window shopping.” She stressed the word.

  I silently vowed not to buy her anything. I wanted to buy her everything, but I would refrain. She didn’t like it, and I didn’t want to upset her. Instead, we walked in and out of shops, checking out a couple of antique places before finding an ice cream shop.

  “Can I buy you ice cream?” I asked

  She winked. “Damn straight you can.”

  We sat down with double-scoop rocky road waffle cones, enjoying the shade and the breeze coming off the water. “I don’t think I’ve done this since I’ve lived here,” I commented.

  “What’s that?”

  “This—nothing,” I said with a laugh. “I feel like a real tourist. I’ve been here before, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt this relaxed. I feel like I’m on vacation.”

  “Good. You need to relax now and then. It’s good for your soul.”

  “I plan on doing just that,” I replied. “You’re good for me.”

  Her tongue ran over the ice cream, sending a flash of heat through my body. I groaned, trying to keep my head out of the gutter, but watching her lick the ice cream cone was killing me slowly.

  “Are you okay?” she asked after some time.

&nb
sp; “Hmm?” I mumbled, fighting the erection that had sprung to life.

  “Is your leg okay? You look like you’re in pain?” She asked it so innocently, it only made the situation worse.

  I leaned forward across the table. “I’m not in pain, but there is some discomfort between my legs.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “What?” she whispered. “Did you chafe?”

  I burst into laughter. “No. You and that ice cream. It’s like watching porn.”

  Her mouth dropped open, and her cheeks turned bright red. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

  I shook my head. “Don’t be sorry. It’s just going to be a few minutes before I can walk back to the boat.”

  She giggled softly. “Okay. Should I do something?”

  “There’s only one thing you can do, and that isn’t an option right here, but maybe…” I let my voice trail off, thinking about the cabin and the large bed.

  We finished the ice cream and walked back to the boat. Instead of wasting time below, I opted to just head back home. I wanted to get back to my plans of spending the weekend in bed with her. When we got back to my house, we were both feeling the effects of spending the day in the sun.

  “I’m going to take a quick shower and rinse away the sunscreen and lake water,” she said.

  “I’ll order dinner,” I said, falling into the same routine and loving every second of it.

  I ordered Chinese and then took Leia out to play a bit. She was just as tired as we were. The swimming had left my knee feeling stiff and sore. I cut our playtime short and headed to the living room to wait for Sade with a couple of cold beers. I leaned my head back and dozed off. It was the sound of her footsteps and her calling my name that startled me awake.

  “In here,” I called.

  She came into the living room wearing a pair of pajama shorts and another tank top. Her hair was piled on top of her head. She had that sun-kissed glow about her. “You look beat,” she commented.

  I grinned. “You’ve worn me out.”

  She leaned down to give me a quick kiss. “Go shower. You’ll feel better.”

  I nodded. “I’m going to. Dinner should be arriving any minute. Why don’t you look for another movie to watch?”