by Tina Donahue
“I’ll pick you up at Surrender. How early will you be able to leave on Thursday?”
Eleven was her usual time. “Is seven too soon?”
“It’s perfect. See you then.”
“Okay.”
The moment she replaced the receiver, her intercom buzzed. “Let me guess. Cody’s on the line?”
“You got it.” Jacquie let out an envious sigh. “Should I even ask if you want to speak to him?”
“Nope.” The guys must have planned this. Why, she wasn’t certain since she’d figured they’d want to see her for another foursome, not individually. She pressed the button. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Hey yourself. What do you think is up?” He offered a sexy growl.
Typical Cody, no beating around the bush. “Down, tiger. By the way, I loved the VR. Was that you in it?”
“I wish. I’m thinking of doing the same then watching my moves later to improve my skills. Tell me you enjoyed it. You must have.”
She touched the device. “I did on the fifth go around.”
“You watched it that many times?”
“Had to. During my first few viewings, I was trying not to pass out or hurl.”
He barked a laugh. “Why? It’s fun. You need to try it. Sunday’s looking great.”
She straightened so fast, her chair squeaked. “What?”
“Do you trust me?”
Uncertain how to answer, she hedged. “In what way?”
“To make sure you’re safe.”
“During what?”
“Stuff I have planned for the weekend. I was able to coordinate the events to hit everything on the same day.” He’d never sounded prouder. “Say yes.”
“Cody…”
“This is who I am Bree. I want you to experience what I do. Show you a world you don’t know exists.”
“Are you kidding?” She held up the device even though he couldn’t see it. “I’ve already experienced what you do.”
“Not in real time and with me beside you. I swear you won’t get hurt.”
Maybe not physically, but emotionally she didn’t have a chance. She liked him too much as she did the others. Add his sports to the mess and she might end up with PTSD. “I don’t know.”
“Once we get there if you can’t do it, that’s cool. You can watch me.”
She wasn’t sure how that’d be better. “I don’t want to disappoint you and put a damper on your fun.”
“Not possible unless you don’t join me.”
Crap. She chewed her lip. To tell him no now to this and everything else, as she’d intended with Tav and Lucius, but hadn’t, would be cruel. At least she was having a last fling with them to ease her grief and give them a great goodbye. “Will there be booze for me to have a drink first?”
“And ruin the adventure?” Disappointment hung heavy in his voice. “It’s not safe if you’re bombed.”
She hadn’t intended to go that far, simply a good buzz so she didn’t feel anything. Which would ruin the thrill. There was no winning in this. “I guess I can go.”
He whooped. “You take Sundays off, right? I’m getting an early start at five. Six at the latest.”
It was her free day, but five? “Ah, six is okay. Should I wear anything special? A crash helmet? Pads for my elbows and knees?”
“Everything we’ll need will be there. For clothes, jeans and a tee will work. Also, a windbreaker or sweatshirt. Might get chilly. Sensible shoes too, though I do love your heels.”
“I know.” Her smile felt better than she’d expected, considering what they might be doing. “Sunday at six.”
“Can’t wait.”
She couldn’t either to see him, Tav, and Lucius again, while also dreading how each parting would end—with no future between any of them.
Lucius stood on deck gripping the rail, Parádeisos already gliding across the Pacific, sun skimming the horizon. Dark gold rays sparkled on the water, a few stars and a full moon faintly visible, temperature pleasant. Wind tugged his hair, cotton sweater, and linen pants.
Beneath its rush, a motor sounded.
Bree.
Fevered, he couldn’t get his pulse to slow or breathing to calm. He searched the sky.
The helicopter neared.
He gripped the rail, afraid if he didn’t, he’d wave his arms while jumping up and down, he was that happy to be near her again. And hoped she felt the same about him.
The pilot took forever to land the damn thing on the helipad then even longer to open her door and help her out.
Her hair blew in every direction. She gripped the ends, holding them tight to her neck.
Lucius liked her mane free and untamed. As far as her pants suit went… wow. That baby belonged in a bedroom or her club, not an office. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on her, but didn’t race up the steps to the next level where the helicopter had landed. If he was too eager, he might spook her. Better to let the pilot guide her down.
Not once did she look up, her full concentration on negotiating the stairs. Upon reaching the deck, she removed her heels and lifted her face.
Warmth and longing filled him, the moment as sacred as any he’d known. Sunlight spilled over her features and hair, deepening her natural color, making her look alive and vibrant. Yearning flashed in her eyes, her lips parting.
If he wasn’t careful, he’d devour her in front of the pilot, the yacht’s captain, and whatever gods looked down on them from above.
He reached her before she could get to him. “Hey.” Unable to resist, he gathered her close, kissing her deeply.
Her breath heated his, her arms around his torso. Holding tight, she pulled him closer.
Thank you.
Steps clanged, the pilot returning to his chopper.
Alone with Bree, Lucius couldn’t enjoy her enough, their tongues engaged in a slow, sensuous waltz, his rigid cock to her mound, their thighs joined. This was the first time in the years he’d known her that other people weren’t around, competing with him for her attention. After his fantasy on this ship ended, he wasn’t certain what he’d do except hunger for more.
God, I’m fucked.
Yet he’d never been happier.
She eased away first, her forehead resting on his chin, their chests bumping from each strained breath.
He rubbed her arms.
A pleased sound rushed from her and her stomach growled.
Poor baby. “Hungry?”
“I shouldn’t be.” She stilled then leaned into him, giving herself freely. “I ate chocolate all afternoon.”
“There’s a ton more on board.”
She lifted her face to his, the waning sun reflected in her eyes. “Where?”
He left the treats everywhere he could for her to find. A treasure hunt and another way to please her. “Mainly in the dining room and galley. There’s also roast beef, cole slaw, potato salad, corn on the cob, and rolls.”
“Whoa. I’m impressed.” She smacked his ass then clawed hair off her cheek where the wind had blown it. “You cooked?”
He’d fry an entire steer for her if she promised to touch him again. “The catering service did before the boat left shore.”
“Over there?” She pointed at an island lighthouse.
“Back at the marina on the mainland.”
She stepped to the rail and looked down. “Are we anchored here?”
“No.” He joined her. “The captain’s going to drive us around.”
“Don’t you mean pilot?” She elbowed his gut.
He faked a moan then slung his arm around her shoulders. “I thought I was the one handling discipline.”
Her gaze turned inward, and a smile blossomed, but then she got serious, as if flipping an internal switch. Rather than look at him she regarded the boat. “This is something. I didn’t know yachts came this big.”
His was a shrimp next to some owned by industrialists and entertainment moguls. “It’s really not much.”
“Are
you serious?” She eased his arm from her shoulders and padded up and down the deck, taking everything in. “Wish I’d had your life growing up.”
No, she didn’t. For some reason, she’d gone from yielding and intimate to pulling back, pretending there wasn’t a connection between them. That hurt more than if she’d told him to get lost. Words he’d understand even if he had a hard time accepting them. Her fluctuating moods not so much. “Trust me, it wasn’t great.”
She made a face women reserve for naughty children and idiot men. “Have you looked at what your parents own, and you’ll eventually get? Or checked yourself in a mirror?” She made a sweeping gesture taking in his full length.
He faked astonishment. “Are you actually saying I’m hot?”
“Hell yeah.” She regarded him as if he’d lost his mind. “Don’t you think so? My God, man, take a look at yourself.”
“I’d rather look at you.”
Delight filled her eyes but disappeared rapidly. She tapped her foot. “I’m serious.”
He got as much, but he wasn’t certain why she was way over there while he was over here and they were discussing his looks. Maybe she wanted to talk. Okay with him. Unlike other women he’d been with, he wanted to know everything about Bree and share his secrets too, especially the painful ones. It wasn’t often he could simply be himself except when he was with Cody and Tav. Around women? Forget it. Because of his wealth, they expected him to always be perfect: never uttering the wrong word, never belching at an inappropriate time, never laughing aloud as everyone else controlled themselves, never coming too soon during sex, never actually having to sleep. “I realize this may come as a surprise, but I didn’t always look as I do now.”
Frowning, she neared and searched his face.
He would have preferred she kiss him.
“I don’t see any scars from plastic surgery.” She squinted, looking more closely, then tugged his hair. “This seems real.”
Holding in his laughter was murder, but he managed. “I wasn’t born this way.”
“Of course not. You were smaller, but still movie-star gorgeous.”
“Is that what you think?” He pulled out his wallet and flipped the picture holders then handed her a photograph.
She held it close to her face. “This is you?”
“Yep.” As a skinny thirteen-year-old with thick glasses, braces, and zits before he got Lasik, his teeth straightened, and his skin cleared up.
“Who’s the woman?”
“The housekeeper.” When her husband had taken the photo, she’d been in her street clothes rather than a uniform. She and Lucius smiled broadly for the camera, his arm around her waist, head on her shoulder, her cheek against his unruly mop.
“You guys were close?”
“She raised me from three years old on.” He took the photo and slipped it back into the sleeve, taking care not to bend it. “Best mother a kid could have.”
“Wait.” Bree held up her hand. “Your parents adopted you from her?”
He leaned against the rail. “Nope. They’re blood. I even lived with them until I turned eighteen and took off for college. Afterward, I got my own place. Never looked back.”
“Sounds serious.” She cupped his face. “Didn’t they want to parent you?”
Her fingers heated his skin, her scent enveloping him. He leaned closer. “They were busy making money.”
“That’s wrong.” She stepped into him. “They should have given you their attention.”
It was a long time ago. Ancient history. He shrugged.
“Did they mind that she… What’s her name?”
“Inez.”
“Didn’t they mind you and Inez being close? Did they get jealous?”
“I never noticed them doing so. Nor would it have mattered. When I was a junior in high school Inez passed.”
Bree’s chin trembled. “Oh no. I’m so sorry. She left you alone.”
Hell. He didn’t want her pitying him. “I had my school buddies.”
“They’re not family. I’m sorry for what I said before. Your childhood was as crappy as mine.”
“You had it bad too?”
She stiffened and glanced to the side.
He expected her to pull away, change the subject, demand he call the pilot back so she could return to shore. Afraid to speak, he waited for her to break the silence.
Once she’d pushed her hair away, she settled against him, her palm on his chest. “Let’s just say it wasn’t Disneyland.”
“You didn’t get hurt, did you?” Fuck, if anyone had beaten her that would kill him. If her father or another male relative came on to her sexually… “You weren’t attacked by—”
“One of my mom’s boyfriends tried when I was fifteen. Lousy bastard didn’t know I’d been taking self-defense classes at the Y. Given the neighborhood I grew up in, knowing how to ward off rapists was required. By the time I was through with him, he didn’t even look at me the wrong way.”
“Christ, how awful.” Lucius hugged her. “What did your mom say about what he did?”
Bree shrugged then gripped his sweater. “She wasn’t happy he split, but she did stick up for me in the end. If she can ever get her head on straight, she’d be a remarkable woman.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Her fist tightened. “My mom needs a guy around every freaking second.” She told him what had happened this morning after her mother called and they talked.
As sad as the situation was, it gave Lucius insight into Bree’s personality. Why she was so damn afraid to get close to any guy, except for rare moments like this or when she enjoyed a man physically. “I hope she takes your advice and goes to the therapist.”
“Me too, but I’m not holding my breath.” She sighed noisily. “Enough of this Debbie Downer crap. I’m hungry. Point me toward the food. Especially the chocolate.” Her laughter filled the night air before a gust snatched it away.
He would have talked clear to morning if she’d wanted. Instead, he led her up one flight to the dining area. Windows ringed the large room, a table and ten chairs in the center, the overhead lighting resembling stars, wall lamps adding to the brightness.
She wore an approving look then padded to the sideboard, numerous domed containers on top, flames under some warming the contents, ice beneath others. Bent toward the far left one, she sniffed then pointed. “I’m guessing this one is roast beef.”
“Want to wager on it?”
“That’s too easy. Why not make this hard?” She stroked her thigh, provocative again, her gaze dipping to his cock. “And the prize totally worth it.”
A date came to mind, this one lasting several days, possibly a week. A month was too much to hope for. Even suggesting another twenty-four-hour period might come back to bite him. Until Bree trusted he wouldn’t turn into a louse, as her mother’s boyfriends did, he had to tread carefully. One slow fucking step at a time. “How about me being sub to your Dominatrix if I lose?”
Need flashed on her face. “What do I have to do to win?”
“Concentrate on eating while we’re nude, you sitting on my lap facing me, my dick in your cunt, and me climaxing before you do.”
Her mouth opened and then her gaze shot to the windows. Nothing except twilight outside.
Before leaving the mainland, Lucius had instructed the captain to avoid congested areas and to choose those most secluded. “No one can see in here.”
She fingered her collar then glanced at her heels and put them on the floor near the sideboard. Next, she regarded the chairs, each thickly upholstered in beige velour. “What you want can’t be done.”
“You’re conceding already?”
“No.” She looked down her nose at him. “It can’t be done in here.”
He joined her at the table. “There are drapes I can draw across the windows. If you’re shy.”
“Me?” She laughed then got serious fast. “Have you forgotten what I did in the voyeur room?”
<
br /> “What you did?”
“Us.” She flicked her wrist. “The chairs won’t work. They have arms. I have hips and legs.” She patted each. “It’d be uncomfortable.”
He gestured to the sofa-like seating to the side. “That will work. Or the floor. Even the table.”
“What about a bed? This tub does have one, right?”
Several. The one in the main stateroom the largest. He gave her a sly look. “Are you propositioning me?”
She ran her fingers down his sweater to his cock.
Despite his clothing, her touch warmed him, and his knees bent.
“Maybe I am.” She stepped away from his reach. “You’ll never know until you take me to the bedroom, now will you?”
Fast as could be, he heaped food on a silver platter, tossed utensils on it, then stuffed napkins in his pockets.
“There’s a fridge over there.” He inclined his head. “Can you grab the beers?”
“In a sec.” She searched cabinets, found the chocolate stash, then collected the drinks. “Lead the way.”
He intended to throughout the evening, well into tomorrow.
Chapter 9
Bree would never forget this dinner.
Propped against pillows and the headboard, Lucius faced her as she straddled him, their bodies joined.
The moment charged, her toes curling.
He flexed his sheathed cock, stretching her pussy further, claiming it as his harbor.
She wouldn’t have wanted anything else at this moment, welcoming the delight he generated within her: unsurpassed warmth, comfort, and excitement. One with him, she squeezed her cunt around his dick. Delight pulsed through her, her lids wanting to slip down. Unacceptable. Eager to see and experience everything, she kept her eyes on his, their faces close.
He slipped roast beef between his lips, offering her the other end.
Devoted to their enjoyment, she ate readily and fast, their mouths touching, his heated lips on hers.
Pressed as close as possible to him, she accepted his tongue, loving the lingering salt from the beef, his leather-and-tobacco fragrance, the scent of sex beneath it.
She gripped his hair to keep him close, her tongue requiring entrance into his mouth.