by A. J. Pryor
“Roan, you’re going to be late. So, unless you plan on showin’ me what’s under those shorts, you need to get going.”
He smiled and rubbed his nose against mine, holding my head close to his. “Bye, Goldilocks.” He inhaled one more time before releasing me.
“Bye, Roan.” I turned and walked away, feeling his eyes on my back as I made my way up the sandy hill and to the parking lot. When I turned to catch his gaze, he was busy with his boards.
As I made my way over the sandy hill, I wondered where our relationship stood—friends, yes, but in addition, something more that still hadn’t been defined. Was there a woman in Fiji? If so, would he see her this week? So many unanswered questions, with only the promise of next Sunday floating between us.
was trying out a new recipe for salmon cakes when my doorbell rang. Looking at the clock I realized it was nine at night, my guard was instantly up. Not long before, I’d gotten off the phone with Roan; he was heading to the airport, so I knew it wasn’t him. In my sleepy neighborhood, people didn’t come knockin’ on the door for no reason.
The bell rang again. I grabbed a knife and made my way slowly to the front of my house. Long windows flanked the door, but curtains covered them. Whoever was outside could see my shadow but not my face.
I carefully pulled one of the curtains to the side and looked to see who was out there. My breath caught. The sexiest man I’d ever laid eyes on was standing on my front porch, a look of determination on his face.
After turning the dead bolt, I opened the door wide. “Roan, what are you doing here?”
His contagious grin sent sparks through my body. “I don’t want to wait until I get back from Fiji.” In one stride he was inside my home, taking the knife from my hand and raising a questioning eyebrow at me; I shrugged. Placing the knife on the entryway table, his eyes devoured me, before he shut the door behind him, and flipped the bolt back in place.
In an instant, his hands slid through my hair and his lips met mine, as he backed me up against a wall. Our tongues collided and I wrapped one of my legs around him, causing his erection to nudge between my thighs.
“Do you feel that, Locks?”
“Yes,” I said, trying to regain my breath.
“That’s what you do to me. When I talk to you, when I see you, when my mind drifts in your direction, everything about you is like an instant trigger for my arousal.”
I grabbed his head and tilted his lips back down to mine. Sliding my fingers down his neck and holding onto his shoulders, I lifted my other leg up onto his hip and locked my feet behind him. He groaned into my mouth and his hands made their way to my bottom. Wearing nothing but a nightgown his touch was met with bare skin and his hands made a direct path to the center of me.
“Fuck, Locks, I think I might come. Where are your panties?” he asked, staring deep into my eyes.
“I’m not wearing any.”
One of his fingers slowly entered me, and my eyes closed in response, taking in every sensation I was feeling.
“Yeah, I think I figured that out.” His thumb slowly circled my sensitive core as his finger continued to penetrate me. He trailed kisses down my neck and up to my ear as waves of pleasure soared through my body. “Locks, you are wet and warm.”
Beyond aroused, I couldn’t speak or form a single coherent thought past the motion of his fingers. Roan’s powerful hands had set me on fire.
Capturing my mouth with his, I felt a second finger enter me. My body was wound tight, and the muscles in my belly started to clench. I was close, about to crest over the edge. Holding on to Roan’s shoulders through the soft material of his T-shirt, I dug my fingers into him as my body gave in to every sensation he was pulling from me. My hips moved in time with his hand, chasing the explosion I knew was about to roll over my body.
With his lips still pressed to mine, he whispered, “Scream for me, Locks. Let go, and let me feel you come around my fingers. Let me feel what I’m doing to you.”
My legs circled him tighter as he kept me anchored to the wall, his hand moving so seductively around all my sensitive folds. My head fell back and his name escaped my lips, as my orgasm burst through every fiber of my body.
When reality came back to me, I was gripping his shoulders, and my legs were still around him. He had a grin on his face that I wanted to remember forever. Gently, he pressed his lips back to mine and placed each of my legs down on the floor.
“Don’t forget about me while I’m away.” His forehead touched mine before he kissed me one last time. Then he turned back toward the front door and unbolted it.
“You’re leavin’?” I asked, shocked and barely able to stand on my own.
He looked over his shoulder and winked, then was gone.
boarded the plane for the twelve-hour flight to Fiji, my mind full of Jessica. Why I’d ever thought I could merely be her friend was beyond me. Her scent lingered on my clothes and her taste was still on my tongue, making it difficult to sit still.
After leaving her on wobbly legs, we talked over Bluetooth the rest of my drive to the airport.
“So when you get back, we’ll work things out?” Her voice had been tentative. She still wasn’t clear on where she stood in my world.
“There’s nothing to work out, Locks. You and me, we’re taking this all the way. We’re gonna give it a shot. I’m all in. Are you?”
She was silent for a few seconds causing me to hold my breath. What if she said no?
“Roan, I’ve been yours since the moment I met you.”
My breathing returned to normal.
I stored my bag in the overhead compartment and settled into my first-class seat. I had checked in two surfboards; my carry-on was the only luggage I was bringing on the flight. Matt Hamilton, the first client to sign with me and, to date, my best client, would be in the seat next to me. I needed to get my mind off sweet Jessica and into work.
I pulled up the latest surf report to see how the waves were looking for the short time we would be in Fiji. Matt needed to get ready for the meet in a few months. His wife had recently had a baby, and he’d taken time off from competing to be a family man. This trip was to make sure he was ready to jump back into his career.
As I was scanning the weather and swell reports, my mind wandered to where we were staying—The Tavarua Resort. Since the resort owned Cloudbreak, the surf destination where the world championships were held, it was a requirement to stay there. Luana entered my mind immediately and I shivered. I hoped like hell I could avoid her this trip. I never listened to her message the other night, deleted it, and tried not to think about her again. That chick made my skin crawl like no other.
Matt sat down next to me. He was thinner than the last time I’d seen him. He was only five foot six, which served him well in the water. His dark hair was shaved close to his scalp, and his dark-brown eyes looked tired, probably from being up with his new son.
“What’s up, dude?” he said. “You’re looking a little airsick.”
I reached over and fist-bumped him. “Nothing, man. Just lost in thought.”
“Yeah, thinking about Luana and hoping she’s still available for a little action?” He punched me on the arm.
I ignored him and showed him the reports. Matt and I were friends before he became my client. We’d lived in Fiji together five years ago. For three months, Luana shared my bed. She’d been beautiful, fun, and sexy—though I should have heeded the signs that she was unstable. We were both young, and naïve, but still, I should have known. It wasn’t until I left the island that all hell broke loose and the girl went bat-shit crazy. Mason was the only person who knew the extent of what had gone down all those years ago. I never wanted to speak of it again. The fact that she started calling me after so much time had passed freaked me the hell out. I probably should have listened to her message, probably should have made sure she hadn’t fallen off the deep end again, or at least put Mason on it, but I didn’t want to give her any air to breathe.
> Getting married and having kids had never been an option for me. After the way my parents screwed things up so badly, the thought was unappealing. Luana had hammered the nail in that coffin. Any lingering doubts about monogamy washed away. Never again would I lead anyone to believe sex with me was going to be more than an unfucking believable night. It was rare for women to get seconds. That is until now. For Jessica Baker, I’d serve myself up on a silver platter no matter the consequences. One crazed chick made me afraid of commitment; a hot-ass Texan was changing my ways.
We were in for some epic surfing. If the numbers on this website were correct, we were heading to Fiji at the right time, with perfect weather and a swell right out of a pro surfer’s dream.
“Right on,” Matt said as he scanned the site. “Tammy says you need to keep your hands off the staff this time and pay attention to me. She’s worried I’ll get lonely without her.” Tammy was Matt’s wife, and there was no way he would ever cheat on her. He wasn’t like that.
“Yeah, well, she doesn’t need to worry. This trip is about surfing, and all my focus will be on you and getting you ready for the competition.”
He eyed me. “Holy shit! It happened. You finally fell in love!” He had the biggest grin on his face.
“What? What the hell are you talking about, Hamilton? I haven’t even had sex in months. Get your head on straight.”
“Seriously? Then some chick has done a number on you big time, man. It’s written all over your face.”
The plane started taxiing, and I didn’t want to have this conversation anymore. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, avoiding any conversation about Jessica and love.
Turbulence woke me five hours later. We had dropped at least ten thousand feet unexpectedly. I heard screaming, and some of the bins above flew open. I looked over at Matt to see him white-knuckling the armrest.
“You okay?” I asked.
He looked like he was about to puke.
The plane leveled off, and the pilot came on the speakers. “Sorry about that, folks. A little unexpected rough air. Should be a smooth ride the rest of the way. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”
Matt visibly relaxed.
“Scared of a small air pocket, Hamilton?” I chided him.
“Wait till you have a little person you’re responsible for, Anders; then let’s see how well you do.”
A little one? I’d never considered having a child—never. The only person I’d ever looked after was Blake. What if something happened to me? What would happen to Blake? After the way he’d acted the last time I saw him, I thought he’d be fine. He was clearly more mature than I’d been at that age, but if something happened to me, it would crush him. I was starting to understand Hamilton’s fear a few minutes ago. What if something happened, and I never had a chance with Jessica, to feel her beneath me, our skin sliding against each other, our hearts racing to find the sweet release? My pants were starting to get uncomfortable at the thought.
“You gonna tell me what girl’s got you wound so tight?”
I looked over at Matt. He wasn’t going to let this go. I took a deep breath and jumped off the cliff. We had five more hours. What the hell else was there to do?
When I finished, he stared at me dumbfounded for a minute. “So you think you may be in love with this girl, but you refused to touch her until last night?”
“Yep.”
“But you did finally kiss her?”
I played with the watch on my wrist and nodded, remembering how she’d felt in my arms as her orgasm overtook her.
“Dude, when you do the deed, it’s gonna be the most epic sexual experience of your life!”
“Seriously, Hamilton. I just laid my heart on the table. You totally missed the point. It’s not just about sex. Well, of course, it’s about sex, but there’s more to this. What if I totally screw this up? I can’t risk hurting her and damaging my friendship with Mason because I want in her pants.”
“You think you’re in love with her. And once you have sex with a woman you love, no other female will do. I’m speaking from experience here. You won’t be interested in anyone else, and from what I’m hearing, that’s already happened. Poor girl is probably so confused. If she’s that hot, you’ll be lucky if she’s available when you get back. Girls like that don’t wait around forever. Trust me. I know what I’m talking about.”
I started sweating at the thought of Jessica moving on with someone else. It would crush me. Maybe a little phone sex would be in order this week. On second thought, no way. I need to be touching her when her body explodes with pleasure.
The plane was making its descent. My blood tingled at the thought of getting in the water. I loved Fiji, it was one of my favorite places to surf, and I hadn’t been back in a while. Adrenaline pumped through me when I looked out the window and saw the palm trees swaying.
“Let’s do this!” I said to Matt as I stood and grabbed my bag.
When we exited the plane, there were photographers waiting for us. Matt’s reemergence into the surfing world was big news. Everyone was waiting to see how the time off affected him. However, it wasn’t as if he’d spent the year baking cookies and cleaning house. Once a surfer, always a surfer—it never leaves you. Just because he hadn’t been competing, didn’t mean he stopped surfing.
We made it to the resort, and I breathed a sigh of relief that the coast was clear. No sign of Luana.
y boards were in my room when I opened the door, and a welcome basket waited for me. I hooked up my computer and plugged my phone in to get it charging. First on the agenda: let Jess know I got there safely. I didn’t have time to talk, so I shot off an email.
“Hey, Goldilocks. All checked in. It’s beautiful here. The palm trees are always swaying and the sand is golden. It reminds me of you. Next time come with me. I’ll try to call you later.”
Matt and I surfed for a few hours and then met some locals down at the beach for dinner. A few women tried to stake claims on Matt, but he brushed them off. They came my way, and I indulged them for a bit but made it clear nothing was going to happen.
Luana suddenly appeared by my side. Completely out of nowhere and freaking the shit out of me. The hair on my arms stood tall on high alert.
“Roan, I’m happy I found you. I didn’t want to approach you in the hotel, but I called you last week and you never returned my call.”
I took a step back not wanting to deal with this right now. “What is it, Luana?” My voice left no room for interpretation: be quick, and get the hell out of here.
“I saw that you were arriving here today and wanted to let you know you don’t have to worry about me on this trip. I’ve moved on and I am very sorry for the past. I promise I’ll keep my distance.”
Her promises meant crap. She didn’t know how to tell the truth. Without a word, I walked away from her.
Years ago, she told me she was in love with me. and while I had feelings for her, I knew I didn’t love her. We certainly had our fun, but I thought it was clear that when I left, whatever was between us would also be over. The girl had a thing for surfers; I was sure I’d be replaced with out too much heartache.
Love to me was just a word. My parents used it frequently and it got them nowhere. I loved my brother and I loved Mason, but that was a different kind of thing; we were there for each other, no matter what. Now, it was possible that what I felt for Jessica was also love, but those feelings were so deep, I had nothing to compare them with. During the time Luana was in my life, I was too young to know, that unrequited love was a dangerous emotion to ignore. and Luana’s feelings while unfortunate, were not my problem.
It quickly became my problem. Upon my return from Fiji, she issued a relentless onslaught of phone calls, letters, threats of suicide, and photos. All of which I chose to ignore, until her behavior escalated beyond anything I could have imagined. I couldn’t think about it without wanting to hurl so I pushed it to the back of my mind and continued into the hotel.
By the time we made it to our rooms, it was close to midnight. Exhausted from jet lag and the day of nonstop traveling, I fell onto my bed. With the twenty-hour time difference, it was already Wednesday night in Fiji. I thought about calling Jess, but it was four in the morning in LA. I drifted off to sleep, her blonde hair the last thing on my mind.
The ringing of my phone woke me six hours later. Jessica’s name showed up on the caller ID as I fumbled and tried to get my bearings.
“Hello.” I knew my voice sounded groggy. I was desperately trying to wake up, wanting to talk to her, but I was frozen in place.
“Oh no, did I wake you?”
“Hey, Locks. Ever hear of a thing called a time difference?” I smiled as I fell back onto the pillows, relieved to hear her voice.
“Go back to sleep. Call me when you’re up.”
“No. I’d rather talk to you than sleep.” I got comfortable, letting her southern accent soothe me.
“How’s the surf?” she asked.
“Epic!”
She laughed.
“Next time you’re coming with me. You’d love it here.”
“Do you think I could surf there?”
“Absolutely,” I said. “And there’s this private island where we can go, only you and me. It’s completely remote. The resort owns it, and we can rent it for an hour or a whole day. Whatever you want.”
“What would we do on a remote island?”
“I can think of a few things.”
“Tell me.” Her voice suddenly got softer.
“First I’d take off all your clothes.”
“Wow, Roan. You get right to the point.”
“No sense being in the garden and not playing the part, Locks.”
She giggled. “So then you’d call me Eve?”
“No. You will never be anything but Goldilocks to me.”
“What would we do then, Roan?”
“I would kiss you.”
“Kiss me? Is that all you’d do?” she asked seductively.
“At first, yes . . . then, my tongue would trail down your chest and rest on your perfect nipples. I would suck the right one into my mouth and nibble on it with my teeth while playing with your left breast with my hand.”