by Kinsley Gibb
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. He opened it to find Annabelle there with an overnight bag. She looked nervous and he wondered why when he was the one on the brink of doing something completely uncool like falling to his knees in gratitude that she’d come.
“You came.” So cool, man. Like a fucking puppy wagging his tail.
She tilted her head. "Did you think I wouldn't?”
“I thought the text scared you off. The conversation stalled after that.”
“No. Charlie was having too much fun so I had to cut her off.”
“Nosy, was she?”
“A little,” she said, her tone dry.
She brushed by and he caught the whisper of her perfume. It was light, feminine and very sexy. He recalled an unfortunate reaction to another lady's scent. It had been an awful custom mix that made him sick. He blamed his reaction on her cat and took off. He never saw her again.
Anabelle’s scent lured him like no other. He followed her to the kitchen. There, she studied the spread he’d set out.
“How many are joining us?”
“It’s a party for two.”
She laughed. “You’re going to have leftovers.”
He shrugged.
“The parade should start in a few hours.”
“This will be my first one with VIP seating.”
“One of the selling points the realtor noted was its prime location for the festivals and parades. Come onto the balcony, I don’t think you saw much of it last night.”
The gardens of Bali and Thailand had been his inspiration so the outdoor living space was his oasis. Private and quiet, it was a blend of elegance and industrial appeal. Sounds from the street were faint due to the water wall he’d installed. The trail of water ran along split bamboo reeds to the plunge pool.
“Beautiful.”
He was glad she liked it.
“Did you build it yourself?” A breeze came through and lifted her skirt. He glimpsed a hint of thigh and maybe…a thong?
Nice.
She smoothed the skirt down, her face pink. He grinned and focused on the conversation. “Yep. Before I moved in, I noticed the balcony lacked shade. So for two weekends, Joe and I built the pergola then over another few weekends, we built the plunge pool. The hot tube was already here but I like having both, hot and cold. Each has its use.”
“Must be nice to be good with your hands,” she said. He nodded with an eye on her hemline. Come on. Come on. Where was the gulf breeze when you needed it?
“I am at that.” He watched as she flushed. His chest filled with pride. Damn fool. “I extended the master shower out here so there would be a section for an outdoor shower.”
“I love outdoor showers. They seem decadent.”
“They are. We should try it.”
She gave him a secret smile, which gave him ideas for later.
He pulled her hips to his. “What’s with the smile?”
“What smile?”
“The Mona Lisa smile you’re wearing.”
She shrugged. “I think it’s your imagination.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. It makes me want to kiss you until you spill your secrets.”
“I don’t have any secrets. I’m pretty boring.”
“Hmmm…I don’t know…” He kissed her neck. “I don’t know what your favorite meal is.” The spot behind her ear beckoned, so he kissed it. “I don’t know your favorite color.” Kiss. “Or the name of your first boyfriend.” Nuzzle. “Or your favorite sexual position?” He bit her neck gently but kissed the sting away when she winced. He rubbed his face alongside her neck, careful not to scrape her with his stubble. He loved the way she shivered so he repeated it.
The drawstring on her peasant shirt proved to be too tempting.
“Sorry,” he said and did his best to sound repentant while she attempted to re-tie the string he’d pulled.
“Uh-hmmm. Sure you are.”
“I wasn’t sure you were wearing it correctly.”
“Is that right?”
“It is.”
“So now you know I’m wearing it correctly?”
“No, I don’t think so.” He untied it again and lowered the neckline beneath her breast, shoving her bra along with it to better frame her breasts. “This is the way, like a Tahitian island princess. I knew you were wearing it wrong.”
She chuckled. “I don’t know. I’m pretty sure I’d get arrested if I walked around like this.”
A car horn sounded and Anabelle started. She glanced around to see if anyone saw her exposed breasts.
“Don’t worry. It’s private. There aren’t any taller building so no one can see.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, but you’re right about not walking around like this. I don’t want to share these beauties.” The thought of another man seeing this way irritated him. “We’ll keep this style between us.”
He bent, sucked hard on a nipple, while cupping its plump twin with his free hand. Anabelle let out a low moan and wove her fingers through his hair. He loved the eager way she held him as if she didn’t want him to stop, as if she couldn’t help herself, which was only fair considering, he’d been unable to control himself in her presence for a while now.
“Derek. Harder. Take me deeper in your mouth.”
Her demand made him hungrier, made him tug and nibble and lick, giving its twin equal treatment, while she tossed her head, and pleaded for more.
The sudden blare of music startled them, pulled them out of their bubble. They stared at each other, breathing hard and tried to gain control.
Anabelle was the first to find success. “What about lunch?" Derek didn’t respond. Wet, hard bullets distracted him. She pulled his gaze back to hers. “Derek, lunch?”
In an instant he refocused. “Lunch…right.” He gave both nipples a kiss and pulled up the top, tying the drawstring with regret. The hardened tips saluted him through the thin fabric and he groaned. “Have mercy.”
He put her away from him and turned toward the kitchen.
Lunch would be a very hard affair.
Literally.
Chapter 10
Music drifted from the sound system and Anabelle looked full, relaxed and content, as if she could fall asleep.
“I don’t know if I can move, Derek.”
“Then don’t.” He met her gaze, enjoying a relaxed Anabelle. If he had his way, he’d see her looking relaxed on a constant basis. “Why don’t you sit on the balcony while I finish cleaning up.”
“I can help.”
It was on the verge of refusing her, but she took the dishcloth and began wiping the counters so he shrugged and let her help. The sight of her in his kitchen helping with domestic chores filled him with a sense of contentment. Strange, since he wasn’t one of those people who got off on cleaning. But it was something about getting chores done with Anabelle at his side that gave the mundane tasks a whole new spin. Whistling, he went back to the dishes while Anabelle wrapped and put away the leftovers. She shouldered past him to wash her hands and he “accidentally” sprayed her. In her thin wet, peasant blouse, Anabelle was now a contender for a wet t-shirt contest.
“Oops.”
Fire shot from her eyes and the next few minutes were spent splashing one another in retribution.
After he wrestled control of the spray and finished loading the dishwasher, he slid the door closed and turned it on. Derek grabbed her hand and pulled her to the balcony, stopping only to tumble her onto the chaise.
She squealed and pushed back hair from her eyes. She held him off with a hand against his chest when he cornered her against the cushions.
He eyed her sprawled form. She looked warm and flushed, perfect for her next lesson. “We have some time before the parade.”
“Yeah? What’s on the agenda?”
“Ever sunbath nude before?”
Her eyes rounded like an owl. “Absolutely not.”
“Why not?”
“Perfect segue, I think.”
“No.”
“Come on,” he said, trying to capture her embarrassed gaze. “You know you want to.” Her blush deepened and he knew he had her.
“Nope. Not gonna happen.”
“I dare you.”
“Nice try but people stupid enough to accept dares are the ones with their tongues stuck to a frozen pole while their classmates laugh from inside.”
“Come on.” He rubbed his nose against hers. “Trust me, no one here would dare laugh. Leer in a lustful manner, definitely.” He bumped her with his erection.
She grabbed a throw pillow to bash his head but he dodged her.
“Pervert.”
“Not even close. Just a red-blooded All American guy.”
He tugged on her wet shirt.
“Topless then.” He glimpsed reluctant eagerness on her face and coaxed. “No one will see you. It’s private. Look around.”
She didn’t deny him directly so he pulled her close and nuzzled the sweet smelling juncture of her neck and shoulder. “No? We’ll start first by changing into our suits to relax. We can take a dip in the plunge pool or hot tub, your choice.”
He stood and pulled her to a standing position before nudging her towards the guest room where he’d put her bag.
“Last one out is a rotten egg.”
That had her moving. He enjoyed Anabelle’s competitive streak, no doubt.
Minutes later after he stripped, changed and almost killed himself juggling the towels, sunscreen and drinks he spotted her standing where at the threshold and almost dropped his load.
“Have mercy,” he said under his breath and swallowed hard.
She flushed a deep red, looking like she wanted to bolt. The second she turned away as if to bolt, he snapped out of his daze. “I like your suit.” An understatement if ever there was. The black triangles ensured modesty but there was something about the sight of her lush side breast he glimpsed through her netted cover-up that made him rethink his stance on going topless.
The pressure of keeping his hands to himself may prove to be too much. Discreetly, he checked for drool. Get a grip man. Acting like a hormonal lust crazed person wouldn’t help the image of a mature man he wanted her to see.
He motioned her to turn and uncapped the sunscreen. The peekaboo cover-up came off and his gaze was drawn to lush twin handfuls down south.
Ah fuck.
Focus, man. Focus.
She looked at him over her shoulder. “Derek?”
He shook himself out of his stunned daze and poured sunscreen in his palm when he wanted to grab her and throw her down to have his wicked way.
At last, progress.
Her shoulders seemed like the safest place to start. Mentally, he ran through a list of wood species. He categorized each and tried to ignore her soft skin as he rubbed.
Softwoods. Pine. Cedar. Spruce.
Hard woods. Oak. Cherry. Maple. Teak. Walnut. Basswood.
His wood.
What? No.
Shit. His shoulders dropped. Not helping. No more thoughts about wood.
He lowered his body, poured more sunscreen into his hand and like the coward he was, skipped her bottom, worked instead on her legs and calves. The rub turned into a massage and she moaned her appreciation. “That feels so good, Derek.”
“Yes,” he said in complete agreement. Too good. Control was tenuous, at best. With his forearm, he wiped away the sweat on his forehead.
This was a test, he reminded himself.
A shitty test that served as torture because next came the hard part, when he moved north again. His hands skimmed the back of her knees, grazed her taut hamstrings towards perfect globes that had starred in many of his fantasies.
His hands hovered over her bottom while his mind raced. In his fantasy, he’d grabbed the luscious globes, kneaded the fullness, kissed it then bent her backwards on the chaise lounge where he pounded her with his hard cock.
Sweat trickled down his face.
“Everything okay back there?”
He pulled his gaze from her bottom and looked up to meet her look of uncertainty. He also read an answering hunger and was grateful he wasn’t alone in this need. He stood and rubbed her shoulders. The sight of her goose bumps soothed his ego.
He fingered her bikini top. “Take this off.”
“Pardon?”
He kissed the top of her shoulder, brushed his lips back and forth and played with the loosely tied bikini strings. She reached behind between them and grabbed his hand. The position emphasized the arch of her back and thrust her chest out.
“Come on,” he whispered. She shook her head. As punishment, he gently bit her neck. She rolled her neck to improve his access so he sucked away the hurt in reward.
“Let go.” The air was still as Anabelle struggled with her decision. Slowly, he tugged and waited to see if she’d stop him.
This time, she didn’t.
At last, both ends were loose.
Anabelle stood still, her bikini top dangled from her neck, as she waited. Derek skimmed a line down her back with his fingertips sending her nipples into painfully hard points. If he sought to soothe her, he’d failed. The discrepancy in their experience wasn’t forgotten.
He rubbed her shoulders as if he wanted her to know he wouldn’t do anything she wouldn’t like. But she already knew hew wouldn’t.
The bikini fabric shifted, scraped across the sensitive tips, and she sucked in a breath. Hot hands skimmed along her ribcage and snuck under the triangular fabric. He cupped her flesh and her head dropped as she shuddered at the pleasure.
Derek feasted along her exposed neck, nibbled the length, scraped his teeth along the nerve endings, and sent shudders of pleasure through her. With his hands he massaged the aching fullness of her breasts, strummed and squeezed her nipples. She fell back against his chest, and reached up to hold him to her.
“Derek.”
“Shhhh…it’s okay. I’ve got you.”
His hard length brushed her lower back. It felt thick and hard. She wanted to press against it. Wanted to rub back and forth. Wanted to turn and sink to her knees in front of him.
All morning she’d been certain the feelings, the pleasure she’d found last night had been an illusion. It can’t have been that good. But she was wrong. Thank goodness.
Hot, wet liquid flooded her girl parts.
“It feels so good.”
He lowered her to the lounge.
“I’m going to make you feel even better.”
And he did. A whole lot better. The screaming kind of better.
“You awake?”
“No.” Anabelle’s voice was muffled but he heard the exhaustion in her tone. He lifted his head and saw her on her stomach, half off the edge. He pulled her back to his side, tucked her in the crook of his arm.
“Ok, then.” He brushed a kiss on her head and let her slumber, content to pet her soft skin. On the streets below, the crowd noises grew. It wouldn’t be long before the parade began but he’d let her rest a bit more.
Guilt reared its ugly head. He’d worked her hard but he couldn’t help it. Each time had been better than the last and she’d matched him in every possible way.
Already, he was hungry again. He opened an eye to peek down at her. She was out cold. His heart squeezed in his chest. He wondered if the feeling would go away, the gasping, overpowering need to inhale her, to absorb her.
He had the uncomfortable feeling this desperate helplessness, so unlike anything he’d felt before, wouldn’t disappear anytime soon. She didn’t have his experience so she couldn’t appreciate the difference.
But he knew.
He knew it was different and he had a bad feeling, he wouldn’t be able to repeat it with another.
Fuck.
It had taken a long time to convince her to see him on a social level and
he had a bad feeling convincing her that this thing between them was more than a student/tutor would be even more difficult.
Fuck.
The sounds of revelry and carousing pierced the floating sensation Anabelle hovered in, a product of multiple orgasms. She grinned, content to snuggle, sprawled on her belly under a chenille throw he’d thrown over them. She fought through the languor, opened her eyes and noticed two things at once; Derek was awake and he was studying with his head propped on a hand.
“Hey.” His voice was quiet and rough from sleep.
“Hey yourself.” She wiped her mouth, checking for drool, and found some. Yikes. To cover her embarrassment, she said, “Sounds like people are having a good time down there.”
He smiled. “Yep. People are having a good time up here as well.”
She felt her face turn red, recalling her moans and screams from before.
“Did you know you snore?”
“What?” She jerked up, forgetting she was naked, then dropped back down.
“Don’t worry. It’s cute. Like I’d imagine a baby bear.”
She groaned. First drool, now snoring. “I’m too weak to deal with this.”
He flipped her on her back and lowered his face to hers.
“Can’t have that.” He kissed her and she responded, maybe she wasn’t as tired as she’d thought. The fact they were naked under the throw with people near made her feel decadent.
He pushed hair out of her eyes, his gaze intent. His touch lingered on her as if he was searching for a specific reaction. He seemed disappointed and she couldn’t figure out why.
He stood and pulled her up with him. “Come on, let’s get refreshed.”
He led her to the outdoor shower and turned on the system. Water traveled along a series of split bamboo poles that filled and lowered until finally gushing from a waterfall over their heads.
“Clever.”
He grinned and produced a bar of soap. With a brisk and efficient manner, a far cry from earlier and his sensual lovemaking, he washed her.