Beach Blonde

by Alyson Belle

  All at once, her thoughts quieted. She didn’t have to think about anything, because this was so natural and right that all she had to do was feel Jack’s touch and the thudding of her heart. His lips were firm and demanding against hers, so she angled her head to let him trace her jaw, down her neck, and pause at her collarbone. She made a low noise in the back of her throat and shifted, so she was half pressed against him, the other half balanced against her seat. He twisted his arm behind him and dropped his seat down. Chris smiled against his lips and climbed on top of him, grinding her hips against his as she did. It made her happy to know that she wasn’t the only one eager for things to move along.

  “Shit,” Jack cursed, wrenching his lips away from hers and pausing to pepper her neck with kisses. “You’re a damn good kisser. I’ve waited so long to get you to myself.”

  Chris sucked in a deep breath. “Me too.”

  His hands moved along her back, down to her waist, and back up, leaving a trail of heat in his wake until she felt like she was about to combust. He squeezed her breasts, and she threw her head back with a deep moan. He pressed his mouth to her neck, drew his lips back, and grazed the sensitive skin there with his teeth, sending wave after wave of desire washing over her, her sex getting wetter and wetter.

  She dug her nails into his shoulder and squeezed her legs to show she was more than ready.

  “Christina,” Jack murmured against her neck. “I think we’d better stop.”

  Chris froze, her eyes flying open. “Are you not enjoying yourself?”

  “No, I am,” Jack said, his gaze roaming over her face. “But we’re starting to get an audience. I think we’d better take this somewhere where I can do what I really want to do to you without worrying about getting arrested.”

  Chris nodded, her face heating as she jumped off of him. She adjusted the front of her dress and kept her head ducked as he fixed his seat and started the car. The engine revved to life underneath her, and Jack released a deep breath before he pulled out onto the main road. For the rest of the ride home, he held her hand, sparks of electricity dancing between them.

  What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind? It’s freaking Jack!

  The more she thought about it, the less she cared about the consequences. Yes, Jack used to be her best friend, but that was a lifetime ago. She wasn’t that person anymore, and neither was he. She wasn’t Chris anymore, and probably wouldn’t ever be again. She didn’t know if she wanted to go back even if she had the chance. Besides, there was no harm in having some fun—and if the taste in the car was anything to go by, it was definitely going to be fun. She pressed her thighs together and crossed her ankles, the heady rush of arousal and anticipating blending with the whisper of nervousness into a natural high she’d never felt before.

  No, she had definitely never felt anything like that as a man, but she enjoyed the feeling—a little too much if she were being honest. Truthfully, she was having a hard time believing how sensitive her female body was, hundreds of nerves activating with a simple touch. Every inch of her skin burned like she was on fire, and Jack both fueled and doused the hunger.

  “We’re here,” Jack rasped, his voice thick.

  Chris turned to him, unbuckled her seatbelt, and climbed across the center console. Wordlessly, she pressed her lips softly to his, her tongue darting out to lick his lower lip. He made a low guttural sound in the back of his throat, and her heart soared in response, her hand ducking underneath his shirt to feel the smooth muscles of his stomach. His fingers found their way under the hem of her skirt, sliding his palms up the outside of her thighs and then over to squeeze her delicate inner thighs. Before he could touch her soaked sex and give her the relief she craved, Jack moved his hands to her back and pulled her in. With nimble fingers, he slid down the zipper, lower and lower, until Chris took his bottom lip between her teeth and tugged.

  He dipped his head and gave her another long, slow kiss, making her toes curl. With great difficulty, Chris pulled away and struggled to fill her lungs with enough air. He tucked his face in the crook of her neck, his lips idly kissing the sensitive skin there.

  “You’re making it very difficult to pull away,” Chris complained breathlessly.

  “That’s the point,” Jack said, his voice a warm caress. “Can I come up to your room?”

  Chris hesitated. “Okay, I have a confession. It… would be my first time. I’m not sure I'm ready—”

  “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Jack said, holding his hands up. “Because of your strict parents, right?”

  Chris nodded. She hated lying like this, but it’s not like she could tell him the truth. It was too absurd. And it was new. “But I don't want this to end,” Chris whispered.

  It was a blur, how she and Jack got inside and in her bed. The heat between her legs threatened to burn her to the bone if she didn’t get some satisfaction. But Jack didn’t rush her.

  “Can I take your top off?” he murmured against her neck as he ran his tongue over her pulse.

  She couldn’t speak, so she nodded and let him slide her dress down.

  “Can I touch you?”

  “Please.” Chris flushed at the whimper that came out of her throat at Jack’s touch. She’d never been touched like this before. Everything was warm and fuzzy and her fist tightened in Jack’s hair as his mouth moved down to her breasts. She watched as he circled his warm tongue around her nipple and closed his lips around it. Chris cried out, writhing in pleasure.

  Jack took his time moving lower, kissing over her stomach. “Can I take this off?”

  “Please. I need you,” Chris whispered.

  “Since you asked so nice.” Jack’s grin was playful and warm, not smug. So when Jack gripped her dress and panties, Chris lifted her hips and let him pull them off. Each kiss Jack planted on her inner thighs had her skin buzzing with warmth, but when his tongue swept up her sex she surprised herself with how loudly she moaned. Jack’s fingers pressed gently into Chris’ thighs as he worked his mouth over her, holding her close so she felt wanted.

  She felt sexy. She looked at Jack, whose eyes glittered and whose cheeks were flushed, and felt a rush of power along with the pleasure. Jack was doing this for her and enjoying it—he was touching and tasting and holding her body and making her writhe from the sweet jolts of belly-deep pleasure because he wanted her to experience something that had been denied to her, even if the reason she gave him had been a white lie.

  With a deep moan, her back arched off the bed and her pleasure built into an explosion that throbbed through her, head to toe. It was even better than when she had touched herself, and Jack's warm mouth kept on her sex, kissing and sucking at her until her legs were shaking.

  He kept touching her, warm hands and warm mouth and warm eyes. He nuzzled her neck as he settled above her. “Are you okay?”

  Chris nodded. “Yeah. Perfect.”

  Chapter 5

  Becoming

  Chris giggled as Jack placed a kiss behind her ear. “Stop it, you’re cheating.”

  “I’m not cheating,” Jack insisted, his voice a low rumble. “I’m just taking advantage of every opportunity presented to me. It’s not my fault you’re so easy to distract.”

  Chris scowled and twisted to face him. “You have to win fair and square. Where’s the fun if you’re splitting my focus?”

  “I don’t care how I win. As long as I win,” Jack said with a smirk. He planted a kiss on her nose and rolled the dice. “You’re just a sore loser.”

  “Am not.”

  Jack grinned at Chris warmly. “Come on, just admit it.”

  Chris pushed away from him and crawled to the other side of the board to keep some distance between them, at least for the moment. Jack remained upright, his back pressed against the edge of her bed, and his legs stretched out before him. In his rumpled shirt and boxers, and with his tousled hair, he took her breath away. She smiled and drew her bottom lip between her teeth, eyeing the game board.

  “I a
m so going to kick your ass,” Chris said, moving around some pieces. “You’ll see.”

  Jack rolled his eyes. “I hate to break it to you, but I am on a winning streak, and you’re not going to break it.”

  “Observe the board and tremble,” Chris announced, her voice rising triumphantly. “Not so confident now, are you?”

  Jack’s eyes narrowed. “How did you do that?”

  “Because I wasn’t trying to distract you,” Chris replied sweetly.

  Jack launched himself across the broad, knocked the pieces away, and began to tickle her. She shrieked, her legs flailing as her head twisted left and right. He climbed on top of her, pinned down her legs, and lifted her hands up over her head.

  “Do you surrender now?” Jack whispered into her ear, taking her earlobe lightly in his teeth.

  Chris shivered. “Never.”

  “Then I won’t go easy on you.”

  “You’d better not.”

  He used one hand to hold her wrists up in a vice grip, and the other to trace a path down her neck, over the fabric of her t-shirt, stopping near her underwear. She groaned and bucked her hips, her eyes falling shut of their own accord. After a few weeks together, he still managed to make her blood sing for him with every pulse.

  “Chris,” Andre called out. “You in there?”

  “I’m a little busy,” Chris said without opening her eyes. “Come back later.”

  “Is Jack in there with you?”

  “Unless it’s important, go away,” Jack added with a low growl. She shrieked as he took her earlobe between his teeth and tugged. “Nosy roommates.”

  “I heard that,” Andre said. “Fine, we’ll talk later, Chris.”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  Jack pressed his nose to her neck and nuzzled her. “Do you think we should just see what they want?”

  Chris shook her head. “Definitely not. They can wait.”

  Jack drew away and gave her a sultry look, his eyes slowly sweeping over the entire length of her body before moving back up to her face. “I was hoping you’d agree.”

  He had his hand slipped into her panties quickly and easily, teasing at her with gentle strokes. Chris pulled him down to kiss, her arms wrapped around his neck. And when his fingers slipped inside her, she moved on him.

  “You feel so good, Chris,” Jack whispered against her lips, nipping at her.

  She focused on the feel of his fingers filling her and the brush of his thumb on her bud as her hips bucked in time. Having his body covering hers so comfortably as he sent wave after wave of perfect pleasure up and down her spine like he was invested in being here with her, making her new body feel so amazing like this was her skin and always had been. She felt comfortable for the first time like she didn’t have to think about her body except for how good Jack was making her feel. She trembled as he thrust his fingers in and out and stroked her to a deep orgasm that left her fluttering around his fingers in a way that sank her even further into this body being the right one.

  ***

  “I’ll call you later,” Jack promised, pausing to give her a kiss on the cheek, before waving. “See you later, guys.”

  From their spot on the couch, Andre and Paul called out to him, their eyes glued to the television screen.

  Jack shrugged, slid on his sweater, and shoved his hands into his pockets. Chris watched him leave, her throat turning dry. Once his footsteps fade away, she slammed the door shut and spun around to face her friends. “Okay, what was that about?”

  Andre looked up. “We need to talk.”

  “What is so important that you had to interrupt me and Jack?” Chris demanded, taking a seat across from them.

  “We need to talk about you and Jack,” Paul clarified. “Look, we’re really happy that you’re happy, but—”

  “Are you about to give me the talk?” Chris asked. “Because if you’re going to give some speech about how you’ll hunt him down and cut off his balls if he hurts me, then you’re a little late and antiquated.”

  Paul gave Andre a look. “No, that’s not what we were going to talk to you about.”

  Chris paused. “Okay, you sound serious.”

  “We are serious,” Andre replied. “You need to stop seeing Jack.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Paul cleared his throat. “What Andre is trying to say is Jack used to be your best friend, and he still hangs out with us sometimes, so maybe it’s better if you let things cool off. You know, in light of recent events…”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Look, Chris, you were a guy, and now you’re a chick—but deep down, you’re still Chris. You could still turn back into a man for all we know, so it wouldn’t be fair to Jack.”

  “What do you mean it wouldn’t be fair to Jack?”

  “It means this little… fling or whatever it is, has to stop,” Paul said. “It’s not right on so many levels, and we can’t believe you’re willing to go that far.”

  “I like Jack, and I actually care about him. How is falling for someone going too far?” Chris fell silent as soon as the words left her mouth. Had she fallen for Jack?

  Paul paled. “So, you’re not with him just because of sex?”

  “No, of course not. What the hell kind of person do you think I am? I wouldn’t do that to Jack!” She felt in her heart that she was telling the truth.

  “You need to end it, Chris,” Andre told him, leaning forward and peering at her. “Even if you do have feelings for him. This isn’t right. You’re going to hurt him.”

  “No, I won’t,” Chris insisted through gritted teeth. “And what about me, huh? What about what I want? Don’t I deserve to be happy? I had my life turned upside down by some stupid sea sprite, and now I have to live with this for the rest of my life.”

  Silence descended over the room.

  “So, it’s not okay for me to date Jack because I used to be a man, but I also can’t find happiness because of it?” Chris demanded, tears stinging her eyes. “No, you know what? Screw you guys; you’re supposed to be my friends. I’m not going to sit here and listen to this.”

  With that, she uncoiled herself and stalked to her bedroom, slamming the door so hard that a picture frame on the wall crashed to the floor. Chris sighed but got a towel from the bathroom and started picking up the shards of broken glass, glancing at her reflection every so often.

  Was it wrong to want him?

  It didn’t feel like it, especially not when every fiber of her being called out to him. Jack made her feel good, made her feel safe, and she didn’t want to give that up. Andre and Paul were wrong; they had to be.

  She threw the glass and towel in the trash and braced against the sink, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

  “Hello, Chris.”

  Chris let out a yelp. “What the hell?”

  “That’s a strange greeting.” The sea sprite grinned with all her teeth inside the mirror. “Is that all you have to say to me?”

  Chris placed a hand over her hammering heart and cleared her throat. “No.”

  “You wish to know if I can make you a man again.”

  Chris nodded.

  “Are you sure you want that? I’ve been watching you, and you seem much happier as a woman.”

  “I am. But I can’t tell Jack the truth. Even if he believes me, I’ll lose him forever.”

  The sea sprite made a low noise in her throat, her body shimmering in the glass. “You care for this human?”

  “More than I thought I would,” Chris admitted, her stomach twisting into knots. “Is it possible for me to tell him the truth and not lose him?”

  The sea sprite bared her teeth. “I am not psychic.”

  Chris stepped back and raked her hands through her hair. “So, why are you here? Is it to gloat?”

  “I sensed your distress, and I wished to help you.”

  “Now you want to help me?” Chris snapped. “You’re the reason I’m in this situation in the first place.”

  “You got yourself int
o this mess,” the sea sprite replied coldly, “By chasing after women without learning their true value. I simply took what you freely gave. You cannot blame me for that.”

  Chris stared at her reflection, flushing with shame. “No, I suppose I can’t.”

  “I will ask you again, Christopher Cooper. Do you wish to turn back into a man?”

  “What will happen to Christina?”

  “She will cease to exist. Only you will have memories of her; others will not,” the sea sprite explained. “You will remember all the experiences. You would be free to take advantage of the knowledge in your life and your future pursuits.”

  “What about Jack? Will he forget about me too?”

  “Everyone will,” the sea sprite repeated.

  The last few weeks played out in Chris’ mind—the hours spent talking to Sarah and Lisa about everything and nothing, laughing until their sides ached; walking through malls with their arms linked through hers, and an overwhelming sense of calm washing over her; nights spent playing video games with Andre and Paul; and finally, him. Jack was in all of her memories, lurking in the background at first until he was front and center, his smile making her insides twist. Jack with his arms wrapped around her, his voice whispering in her ear, and carrying her on his back through a parking lot.

  With a jolt, she came back to the present. “What did you do?”

  “I showed you what would happen if you were to continue being Christina,” the sea sprite said. “I find it helps people when they have to make a difficult decision. I will ask one final time: do you wish to remain Christina, or will you return to your former self?”

  Become Christopher again? Andre and Paul might come around or they might not, but she couldn't live her life according to their ideas of what was appropriate or too far. She knew how she felt. And how Jack made her feel. Not just physically, although she’d gotten so comfortable in this body that she really did think of it as her own. It wasn’t a stranger’s anymore.

  Chris lifted her chin to meet the sprite’s gaze directly. “I want to stay as Christina.”

  “You will not be able to change your mind,” the sea sprite warned with a wag of her finger. “Are you certain this is what you want?”