by Imani King
“Kian!” she cries out pressing hard against me.
I pull her tight and hold her as her body gives in to her orgasm. It’s the most beautiful sight I’ve ever witnessed. Never before have I taken so much pleasure in giving pleasure to my partner. As it passes through her and leaves her weak, I pull her to an upright position and help her out of the shower. She’s in my arms, and we’re kissing then she’s wrapping her legs around my waist and climbing up. Our wet bodies slide against each other.
Still waiting for my own release, I take a towel from one of the racks on the wall, drying her and myself. I take her by surprise and lift her by her waist, lowering her sex to my length. I enter her again, and she gasps in surprise. Moving my body against hers, I hit her most sensitive point again and again. he throws her head back as her eyes roll up into her head. Tightness forms in my core as I lock into combat, fighting against losing my load before I’m ready. Her walls clench tight on my length as I slide her up then lower her back down. Turning I move until we’re against the wall, which I use to help hold her up.
She rotates her hips, lifting herself up with my help, then I slam her back down on my cock. It drives deep into her, and she cries out with each thrust. Control and thought are pushed aside. We slam into each other. She’s tight around me, and the tension inside of me builds until it feels like white hot lightning, emanating from my core. I claim her lips with mine and relish the feeling of her melting against me. Our tongues dance as our bodies join.
Everything tightens and then I’m exploding. Stars fill my vision as I thrust in and she clamps against me. Her arms clench tight around my neck, and we moan together. As it passes and my vision returns, we kiss again. I raise her up then put her on her feet.
“Good?” I ask.
“God,” she shudders. “Yes.”
The shower is still shooting warm water out, so I step in, and she follows. We soap each other up then rinse off. I dry her off again and lift her. Her arms automatically go to my neck, legs draped over my arm. When I walk with her into my bedroom, I feel strong and self-assured, more than I’ve ever felt with any woman before. I place her gently on the bed and lie down next to her. Our bodies intertwine, and I watch as she yawns and closes her eyes.
“That was… that was so good,” she mumbles. She presses her lips to my shoulder. Before long, her breathing becomes rhythmic, and I can tell she’s sleeping. I watch her for a while, wondering exactly how I got myself into this mess.
I want this, forever. She’s the one, I think as I drift to sleep. In the morning, I will tell her who I am. I will ask her to stay with me.
***
I wake to her stirring. I pull her close, burying my face against her neck and kissing her delicate skin. She giggles.
“Morning,” I say.
“Morning,” she replies.
“What time is it?”
“No idea,” she stretches, breaking my hold on her.
I watch as she rolls out of bed then looks around. Damn, she’s perfect. My cock stirs watching her move, and I’m ready to go.
“Come back to bed,” I pat the empty spot she just left.
“You’re insatiable,” she says. “Look, I just want it to be clear. This is just a vacation thing—I like you, but that’s all I want.”
A sick feeling hits my gut—a punch to the kidney would hurt less than her words. I can’t let her see that though, so I smile.
“Sure,” I say, knowing I can’t tell her who I am after all. “Sure. Let’s get some breakfast.”
She stares at me for a long moment like she knows something is off. I can’t take that look. I want to tell her, but it’s obvious she doesn’t feel the same. How the hell am I supposed to deal with this? I climb out of bed and grab a robe using it as a way to avoid her gaze while I gather my composure. As I strap it around my waist, I turn back, composed once more.
She smiles, lighting up the room, and I plaster a grin on my face. It doesn’t matter what I feel inside, being royal, I’m used to not letting my true thoughts or feelings show. It’s all part of the play.
CHAPTER NINE
The days have flown by, and now it’s our last day here. Aidan and Kian are off doing something in another part of the house, leaving Eva and me alone. Picking a piece of kiwi off the platter between us I slide it into my mouth and stare out at the ocean. I’m an emotional wreck inside, but I don’t want anyone to know it. My feelings for Kian are much more than I ever expected them to be. This wasn’t supposed to happen. It’s a weekend fling. Feelings for Kian are not what I signed on for, and I know he doesn’t care about me. How could he? He’s the ultimate bad boy. I’m not stupid. I know he’s just having fun and if anything more serious was to come up, he’d bolt faster than lightning could strike.
My heart may be dumb but I’m not, and I won’t listen to it.
“Abby!” Eva raises her voice, cutting into my thoughts.
“Huh?”
“Are you listening to anything I say?” Eva kicks me under the table.
I smile sheepishly. “Uh, no?”
“Yeah, thought so. What’s up with you?”
“Last day I guess. It’s been a lot of fun, and I… almost don’t want to go home,” I cover.
Eva’s eyes narrow and I know she suspects so much more than that, but she doesn’t press the issue. “I was asking what you were planning to wear to the beach party later.”
“Oh, uh, I don’t know, sun dress with swimsuit underneath?” It strikes me that I haven’t really thought about what to wear on our last night here. It doesn’t matter anyway—it’s not like I’ll be leaving Kian with a truly lasting impression.
But Eva, never deterred, presses on. “Bikini or one piece?”
“One piece?” I take another piece of fruit. This time, it’s one I don’t recognize. Starfruit? These guys don’t skimp on the finer things.
She shakes her head in disapproval. “Bikini, girl.”
I shrug. “Ok, bikini. I have a blue one that goes with my favorite sundress.”
She nods, happy. “We should get dressed. Aidan says it’s starting in like an hour.”
Startled, I look out to the ocean. The sun hangs low in the sky. “Oh, I didn’t know it was that late.”
“Yup,” she says, standing. Eva is wearing a gorgeous yellow dress herself—and it looks expensive. My bet would be Aidan bought it for her, but she’s keeping quiet on that front.
I go and get dressed spending a little time on my hair and makeup. If this is going to be my last full night with Kian, I want it to be special. The way he looks at me with his smoldering eyes makes me feel like the sexiest woman on earth. I want to hang on to that feeling. If only it was real. If only he weren't what he is.
“Wow!” Eva exclaims when I walk out.
“Good?”
“Wow!” she repeats.
“Okay, I’ll take that,” I smile. “You look great too.”
“Oh, I know I do but damn, wow!”
“Thanks,” I say, my cheeks growing warm.
“Have you seen Kian or Aidan yet?” she asks, but just then a door opens and we hear them walk in.
“Hey, girls!” Kian calls out.
Eva and I walk out onto the catwalk that overlooks the living room area where Kian and Aidan are standing. Kian looks incredible, and my heart jumps. He’s wearing jeans, a tight fitting polo, and flip flops, but he makes it look like he belongs on the cover of a men’s magazine. His eyes light up then smolder when he sees me and my core tightens in response. God I love the way he makes me feel! Why, why can’t he just not be a bad boy? Would I want him as much if he wasn’t?
“You look stunning,” he says, and I blush.
“You girls ready for a good time?” Aidan asks.
“You bet,” Eva says as I murmur my assent.
We come downstairs and join them. They lead us outside, and we make our way down the side of the house to the beach. People are already gathered around a large bonfire. Tents are set up
with food and alcohol. Chairs dot the beach, and a live band is playing. It’s beautiful. Eva and Aidan go to work with the crowd while Kian and I make our way to one of the tents where we get drinks.
“Kian!” a girl in a bikini that is barely more than some bits of string exclaims, bouncing up to him.
His grip in my hand tightens but he smiles.
“Hello,” he says, nodding slightly at her.
“You have to dance with me,” she whines.
“Not tonight,” he says. “I have a date.”
“Aww, she can dance too,” she says, glancing at me. She gives me a wink, and I gulp. I guess he’s a bad boy to the core. I suddenly feel like pulling away and hiding somewhere. But on this night, on the beach, there’s nowhere to hide.
“Maybe later,” he says then tugs on my arm. We move away from the girl, and she waves as we walk off, apparently not deterred.
“Who was that?” I ask.
“Mindy,” he says. “No, Mandy.” He shrugs. “She’s an expat who lives here.”
“You really don’t remember her name?” I ask.
He stops and turns to face me with a frown.
“No,” he says. “It doesn’t matter. She’s not you.”
Everything stops. The noise is gone, the people are still, my core tightens into a hard knot. He’s playing with me. He has to be. That’s not a bad boy thing to say. Yet he sounds sincere. Does he mean it? He can’t. God he’s driving me crazy!
“Sure, you say that to all the girls,” I laugh, playing it off.
He looks like he wants to say something more but just as I think he’s going to, he shakes his head and we walk away from the crowd.
“Tell me about your home? You have any siblings?” he asks.
“Two sisters, I’m the oldest,” I say. “You know the Type-A oldest one with all the pressure to live up to your parents' expectations?”
“Sounds like Aidan,” he laughs, staring off at the horizon. “He’s always been like that.
“It’s tough,” I shrug, “When your parents expect so much of you. But for me, I expect more out of myself. It’s why I wanted to study in Europe. It gives me a chance to see the world, experience some new things, be better prepared for life.”
“Sounds brave,” he replies.
My cheeks warm at his compliment, and I look at him sideways trying to decide if he’s being sincere or not. I can’t tell. It feels like he means it but then that would go against everything I think about him. No, it can’t be real. Doubt grows like a seed trying to poke through. We walk in silence, holding hands, and everything is nice. Too nice. My hand in his feels right. The silence between us is comfortable.
“See that?” he asks, pointing a short distance ahead of us into the shallow water.
A small shark is holding itself in place. The setting sun sparkles off the water casting its shadow beneath it. It darts off suddenly in a blur of motion.
“That was beautiful,” I laugh.
“It doesn’t compare to you. To this night, to us,” he says as we resume walking.
The party is behind us. The music and talking drifts down the beach. The last rays of the sun drift away from us leaving shadows in their passage.
“How about you?” I ask.
“What about me?”
“Well obviously you have a brother, what about any other siblings?”
“No,” he shrugs. “Just the two of us.”
“And he’s the older one?”
“Yeah, he’s the one in line for… the family business.”
I don’t miss the hesitation in his words.
“What is the family business?”
“Marketing and promotion, mostly,” he says nonchalantly. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Sounds exciting,” I say.
“I suppose. It comes with a lot of expectations, like you were talking about. Responsibilities and demands. I don’t even bother trying to live up to them anymore. Aidan is the one in line to take over. I’m the recognized screw up of the family. They’ve given up hope on me.”
“I don’t think you’re screw up,” I say.
“You don’t know me well enough then,” he snorts. “Aidan is the responsible one. Always thinking through the consequences of every action. I prefer to live in the moment. Enjoy what life has to offer, take it as it comes.”
“Sounds fun, I guess.”
He shrugs. “Honestly? It gets a bit old.”
“So what do you want to do?” I ask.
“I have a business degree, like I said. Just no clue what to do with it,” he says.
“Why not start a business? Get a job?”
“Sounds like work,” he laughs. “If I did all that, I wouldn’t have been here to meet you.”
He turns, wrapping his arms around me in a fluid motion. Closing them around my waist, he lifts me up easily and turns me in a full circle while leaning in. We kiss, but my laughter breaks the kiss. I can’t contain the swell of happiness that bubbles up. He laughs then sets me back down. The tide rolls in, splashing cooling water over our feet.
“Sounds like the party is really ramping up,” I observe, looking back towards the bonfire.
I’m surprised at how far we’ve come. It didn’t seem very far at all but the fire is a dot down the beach.
“Yeah,” he says. “Do you want to go back? We could dance.”
“Sounds fun,” I laugh.
“Good.”
We walk back holding hands. The closer we get to the party the bigger an event it seems to be. There are dozens and dozens of guests. I can’t spot Eva or Aidan there are so many people mingling together. We grab drinks and walk the perimeter of the party, watching people and talking about the different tourists and expatriates and locals we see. The beer goes straight to my head, but somehow it makes everything more beautiful, less real. More like a fairy tale. One drink turns to more, and soon we’re laughing too loud and nearly shouting in the crisp night air.
“Do you know all these people?” I ask.
“Some,” Kian shrugs.
The song the band changes to one I recognize.
“I like this song!” I say, pulling him through the crowd. “We should dance!”
There’s an open area where carpet has been laid down over the sand in front of the small stage where the band is playing and a handful of couples are dancing. Kian follows along behind me as I drag us to the ‘floor’. He’s smiling when I turn towards him. The beat of the music is low and hard. Gyrating my hips in time to the music, I grind against him. He puts his hands around my neck and sways his hips in time.
I lose myself in his eyes. Swinging my hips side to side I bend my knees lowering myself in front of him then come back up while running my hands up and down his sides. The music plays, and I dance as the world recedes. There’s only the two of us. Swaying, moving, the music carrying us together. Deep in his eyes, I see a fire that ignites the passion in my core.
As I come up again he jerks me tight against him then we’re moving together. Our bodies meld together as we grind. His lips claim mine, dominating me. I give myself over to him in full. His hands are on my ass causing the fire to explode. The raging bonfire doesn’t hold a candle to what’s inside of me. We’re burning together as the music comes to a crashing crescendo then we’re surrounded by applause and catcalls.
Our surroundings slam in and only then do I realize that the crowd has parted and formed a circle around us. The dance floor is completely ours, and now that the song is over even the band has stopped playing to applaud our performance. Kian, grinning, steps beside me and takes a bow. My embarrassment is too strong. I can’t believe I did this or that I’m the center of attention. Clumsily I bow beside him, but I’m not used to this. Kian accepts it and looks like he’s reveling in it. He’s used to the spotlight, and it shows. He plays to the crowd, waving, and smiling then he tops it off by spinning me in a circle into his arms and planting a hot, wet kiss on me.
It seems like nothing coul
d go wrong on a night like this.
CHAPTER TEN
“I’m thirsty,” she says, stepping out of our kiss.
“Again?” I tease her, and she twirls around, looking as beautiful as ever.
Smiling, I nod as the band resumes playing and the crowd disperses. Dancers return to the floor. Holding her hand, I lead the way to one of the food tents.
“What will you have?” I ask as we approach the bar.
“It’s my last night here, let’s do this right.” She grins devilishly.
“Whiskey?”
“Good start.”
“Line ‘em up,” I order the bartender.
He puts down six shot glasses with a beer at either end. Arching an eyebrow, I look at Abby. Instead of answering my inherent question she grabs the first shot and tosses it down and is downing the second before I can grab the first one. I toss the first and the second back letting it burn its way down as I grab the third just catching up with her. She laughs and chokes before she can toss the third, so I throw it back and swallow.
“I win,” I laugh.
“Yes you do,” she says, taking her third then a long drag on the beer to chase it. “Damn that burns.”
“Yeah.”
The warmth settles into my stomach then radiates out along my limbs. The pressure and concerns lose their edge under the onslaught of the alcohol.
“Again?” she asks.
“You’re serious about your drinking aren’t you?” I joke.
“Deadly.”
I motion to the bartender who sets us up again. As soon as we finish the second round, she’s ready for a third. Now my head is spinning. I’m warm all over and ready to roll. Abby stumbles and I catch her, putting her firmly back on her feet.
“You all right?” I ask.
“Okay,” she breathes holding on to the bar. “I’m good.”
“How about we get some air?”
“Good plan,” she agrees.
The air outside helps to clear my head. Abby leans close, so I put an arm around her waist. It feels so right having her at my side.