“I could get used to this,” he says into the darkness. “You, me, nights on the beach.”
My heart thunders at the thought of spending days, weeks, even years with Caleb out here.
“Going out to romantic seaside dinners…roasting s’mores on the beach.”
I can see it too.
“Spending all the time in the world out here…naked. Lots of naked time on the beach.”
A laugh bursts out of me and I spin around in his arms. “You totally just ruined that moment. Also, being naked on the beach does not sound appealing. Sand would get in all your no-no spots, and no one likes that.”
“What the hell are you doing? Lying spread eagle face down in the sand or some shit? We’d lay a blanket down. Geez.”
I pat his chest twice and walk farther into the water. “I love how you’re planning our beach sexcapades right now. Never gonna happen.”
He prowls toward me. “You don’t think so?’
“Nope.”
“You’re telling me if I stripped naked right now then slowly peeled away that”—he bites his knuckles and takes another step closer—“sexy as sin sundress from your body, you wouldn’t get down and dirty with me?”
My chest heaves as the image of Caleb doing just that washes over me. I have to squeeze my thighs together to create even an ounce of the friction my body is craving right now.
“No,” I lie.
“Uh huh.” Another step. “And what if you were all wet and had to get naked? What about then?”
I already am wet. “No.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
Suddenly he swoops me into his arms, my legs automatically going around his waist for safety, and dashes into the shallow part of the sea. I’m half enthralled, half scared I’m going to fall.
He brings his lips to my ear. “I’ll say it again: you sure?”
“I swear, if you drop me into this water, Caleb Mills, you’re going back to school with the bluest balls in the history of blue balls, and you’re going down with me.”
He gives me a wide grin then pretends to lose his grip on me, and I let out a loud yelp, climbing farther up his body.
“Caleb!”
“Zoe!”
“Put me down.”
“Down? Right here?”
I rear back and glare at him. “Don’t you dare.”
Laughing, he carries me until we’re not standing in half a foot of water and are safe on the beach again. When we’re in the clear, he releases his strong grip.
I slide down his body in the slowest moment of my entire life.
I feel him everywhere, every hard and soft inch of him. I feel his heart beating within his chest like a wild animal stuck in a cage.
His opaque blue eyes bore into me, and we’re locked in a trance. Our chests brush together at every strangled breath, and I know he’s feeling what I’m feeling.
I don’t know if it’s the magic of the moon or the anticipation building up to our date tonight, but I want Caleb.
I want him bad.
I lift my head until my lips meet his ear. “Caleb?”
I feel his shiver, can hear the shuddered breath he takes. “Y-Yeah?”
“Take me home.”
We walk hand in hand up the short driveway, only parting to unlock the front door.
Caleb silently leads me down the hall to the bedroom we’re sharing.
The backs of my knees hit the end of the bed and I collapse, bouncing once before finding my balance. He stands in front of me, looking down at me like I’m his last meal.
His hands come up to cup my face, titling my head until I’m at just the right angle, and then he descends. His lips move over mine with ease, his tongue slipping into my mouth. One hand stays cupped along my jaw while the other dances upward. I feel his fingers dive into the mass of hair I have swept up into a ponytail and carefully pull the elastic band from the mess.
He grips my head and holds me close to him as his mouth makes love to mine in the most sensual kiss I’ve ever experienced. My whole body is alight with fire and yearning. My body is growing lax with the pleasure coursing through me, and all he’s doing is kissing me.
I can feel it everywhere—in my nipples, which are pulled tight and straining against the barbells poked through them, in the way my core tightens and my thighs clench together at the anticipation of satisfaction to come.
More. I want more.
I reach for the button on his pants, working it through the hole and popping it open. With an agonizing slowness, I slide the zipper down. I find the waistband of his jeans and push them and his boxer briefs down until his hard cock is exposed.
I waste no time wrapping my hand around his arousal.
Caleb wrenches his mouth from mine with a gasp.
“Zoe…what are you doing?”
“Shut up. Let me take care of you.”
“T-Take care of me?”
I stand and maneuver us until Caleb’s sitting on the bed and I’m standing over him, his dick still bobbing between us. I fall to my knees and push him back until he’s more relaxed.
He grabs at my face, his hand cupping my jaw and bringing my eyes to meet his.
“You don’t have to,” he insists.
“I know I don’t have to. I want to.”
His cock jumps at my words and I chuckle before lowering my mouth to him. I dart my tongue out, tracing it around the tip.
Just the tip.
I laugh to myself and Caleb moans at the vibration it sends over his dick. I trail my tongue down around his length, taking my time teasing him.
“Zoe…”
I finally close my mouth around him, sucking him all the way to the back of my throat before retreating and repeating the process.
Suddenly Caleb grabs my head and pulls me off him.
“No. No! You’re fucking deep-throating me and that’s just not fair. I’m about to bust a load down your throat, and that’s not what I want to do.”
I sit back on my haunches, giggling.
“You’re laughing? Ugh. How come you never told me you could deep-throat?”
“What’d you want me to do? Introduce myself with that little factoid?”
“Hell yes!”
I titter. “That would take all the fun out of the surprise.”
“I suppose that’s true,” he murmurs.
He pulls me to my feet along with him and grabs at the straps on my dress, slowly pulling them down.
“There’s a zipper in the back, you know.”
Caleb spins me around and pulls me tightly against him. I can feel his erection nestled perfectly against my ass as he carefully rocks his hips into me. His chest brushes against my back with each inhale he takes, the warmth of his breath fanning across my clammy skin, sending a shiver down my body.
He gingerly pulls the zipper down the tracks, and I swear he’s taking his sweet ass time.
Without an ounce of patience left in me, I grab at my dress and begin to pull it over my head, only to have it get stuck halfway.
“Ugh! Stupid boobs!” I grumble, jerking left and right, trying to pull the piece of fabric off me.
Caleb’s hands find my body and still my movements.
“Oh, no. You’re not going anywhere. You’re staying just like this.”
“Caleb, my dress is halfway up my body and I’m stuck.”
“Exactly,” he mutters. He leads me to the bed, pushing me down until I’m bent over, my ass in the air. “I see you put another thong on.” His fingers pinch at the material. “I never understood how women could stand wearing them, but fuck me if I’m not enjoying the view right now.”
“Fucking you is exactly what I want to do,” I practically growl.
“In good time,” he promises.
He pushes my dress higher, the new position making it possible for me to slide it over my arms and off. Caleb allows it, his attention still focused on my behind.
I gasp when I feel his lips la
nd along my spine and nearly collapse when he tracks the tip of his tongue down, down, down. His wet mouth lays open kisses along my ass cheeks, hands gripping each one.
“You been doing your squats, Zoe?” he whispers.
“Oh my god, shut up and just fuck me.”
He bites at me and I buck into him. “Not yet.”
His kisses continue south, his fingers now pulling at the thin strip of material resting between my cheeks, each pull causing friction in the most delicious of places.
I wait with want as he pulls aside my underwear and kneels, his fingers edging closer and closer to my now exposed pussy. A loud moan escapes me when he brushes his fingertip over me. I push my hips back, seeking more contact, but Caleb uses his other hand to hold me still as he continues slowly running a single digit over my skin.
He presses down on the small of my back, pushing me farther into the bed. I’m on full display, and I’ve never been splayed out like this in front of a guy before. It’s sending a thrill through me I never knew I was missing.
Normally I’d be covering myself, embarrassed by having a guy so close to my privates, but with Caleb, I feel free. I feel confident.
Wanted.
Just when I begin to think this was all one big tease, he plunges two fingers into me. A gasp bursts free and my hips instantly push back on his assault.
The pleasure reaches an all-time high when his tongue joins the torture, seeking out my clit and pulling it into his mouth with a tender suck.
“Oh, holy fuck, Caleb.”
My legs begin to quake, and I can barely hold myself up as my orgasm races through me before I even know it’s happening.
His rhythmic movements cease as he pulls away, sliding his fingers slowly out of my greedy body. He gently pushes me over until I’m on my back staring up at him. Reaching down, he hooks his fingers into my underwear and pulls the material down my legs while I catch my breath.
Standing with a foil packet in his hand, his fire-filled gaze meets mine.
“Scoot up the bed, Zoe.”
That rasp. His voice sends another shock straight to my core, and I don’t hesitate to comply, scampering up until there’s room for us both. He tears the condom open and rolls it over his length, giving his cock a few strokes. I could watch him do it all day, and he knows it by the way my legs drift open at the sight.
He places a knee on the bed and lifts a brow my way.
“You sure?”
I nod enthusiastically.
Caleb wastes no time settling between my legs and burying himself in me.
“Oh god,” he croaks.
Panting, he pulls out until the tip of his cock is sitting inside of me. “Fuck. You feel so amazing. I’m going to embarrass the shit out of myself if I keep this up.”
I wrap my legs around him, heels digging into his ass, trying to pull him back in. “I don’t really care about any of that. I just want to feel you inside me.”
“I care. I want this to last. I want this to be good for you.”
I grab his face, holding his stare steady with mine. “If you fuck me fast now, you can fuck me longer later, again and again and again.”
I pull his mouth to mine and kiss him until he finally drives into me again.
His hips piston in and out of me as he reaches down to run circles over my clit with the tips of his fingers. We find a rhythm that works for us both, grunting and groaning until we can’t take it any longer.
“I can’t last much longer.”
“I know, I know. Harder.”
My pussy clenches around Caleb’s dick and he picks up his pace, driving into me faster and harder than before. The pressure feels so good, so intense. It’s just the perfect amount of everything, causing another orgasm to rush through me.
Another hard pound, another sound of our skin smacking together. Another moan, and then Caleb’s finding his own release, his dick pulsing inside me as he empties himself.
His arms begin to shake as he holds his weight off me, grinning like he’s the luckiest man alive. He brings his nose to mine, nuzzling against me with his eyes closed.
“Zohanna.”
It’s all he says.
My name, whispered.
And I fall so hard for him.
Twenty
I stretch my arms wide above my head, my body feeling tired and sore in all the right ways.
Burying my face into my pillow, I smile at the thought of last night because…wow.
After we cleaned ourselves up in the shower, we slipped beneath the sheets and stayed awake for hours, exploring one another.
I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun learning someone else’s body before.
I reach over to the spot beside me, surprised when I feel cold sheets.
Huh.
I peel back the comforter that’s wrapped around me and reluctantly crawl out of bed. Picking up one of Caleb’s discarded shirts, I slide it over my head and sigh as his scent washes over me. I dig a pair of socks from the duffel bag I’ve yet to unpack and pull them onto my feet before padding out of the bedroom and down the hall.
I expected to find Caleb sitting on the couch, but he’s not there.
Instead I find a forlorn looking Magnus, who looks up at me with the saddest eyes.
“What’s up, buddy?”
He lets out a soft grunt.
Okay then.
I wander into the kitchen…no Caleb.
Maybe he’s out back?
Nope, not there either.
Bathroom?
Nope.
Out front?
Nada.
Where the hell are you, Caleb?
I race to the bedroom for my phone and check for messages. I come up empty…again. I pull up my recently contacted list and swipe over his name.
The call goes straight to voicemail.
What the…
Soft fluff rubs against my legs and Mittens lets out a tiny meow.
“Not now, buddy,” I tell him, but he doesn’t go away. He continues rubbing and pawing at me until I finally bend down and scoop him into my arms.
I run my hand over his fur, trying to console him and me at the same time, until my hand brushes over something that shouldn’t be there.
Glancing down, I’m surprised to see a folded orange note attached to the back of his collar. I pull it free and set Mittens down.
My hands shake as I open the note.
Zoe,
I’ll explain everything later.
-C
That’s all it says.
Four words.
Four fucking words.
What in the actual fuck?
I try Caleb’s number again. This time it rings twice before going to voicemail, which means he’s deliberately avoiding me.
“Son of a bitch!”
I throw my phone onto the couch, annoyed as hell.
Did I do something wrong? Did we fall into bed too soon after declaring our relationship?
But seriously…what happened in the six whole hours of sleep I got?
I don’t know what could have set this in motion. I don’t know how to get in touch with him if he’s not answering my calls. I don’t know how I’m going to explain his disappearance to my parents, who are due home tomorrow morning.
I don’t know anything right now, and the one person I want here to comfort me is the one who deserted me.
“We’re home!”
“I’m sure she’s so surprised to hear that, honey. You did just text her to tell her we were pulling into the driveway,” my dad says dryly.
Mittens goes flying off my lap at the invasion of new voices, skidding down the hall to the safety of his bed.
I climb off the couch with hesitancy, knowing my mother’s reaction will be very dramatic when she sees me. My eyes are circled in dark bruises from lack of sleep and my hair is a hot mess. I wasn’t able to sleep for more than an hour last night without Caleb’s body pressed against mine.
I miss him.
<
br /> I’m mad at him.
And I still haven’t heard a single peep from him.
I go from being worried one moment to fuming the next. I just want to find a middle ground somewhere.
“Hey, did you—”
My mother’s hand flies to her mouth just as I expected it would.
“Dear lord, Zohanna. What’s happened? You look a mess.”
Just as you rehearsed, Zoe. Play it cool.
“I’m not feeling well, Mama. Think I might be coming down with something. I’ll probably head back home tonight.”
She wraps me into her embrace and I sag into her, letting her comfort me for reasons she’s unsure of. “Nonsense. You’ll stay the night as planned. We’ll feed you soup and send you back to school tomorrow.”
I nod against her shoulder.
“You sure everything is fine? Where’s this handsome-as-sin new beau of yours?” She lets out a girlish giggle that I can’t help but smile at.
“He had to take off. His…old roommates were being troublesome about his bike he left over there.”
Her brows pinch together, and I can see my father look our way from my peripheral.
Shit, did I tell them Caleb sold his bike? I can’t remember…
They exchange a glance but don’t say anything further.
“Well that’s a shame. Did he at least leave his adorable little kitten behind? I was hoping to get a few snuggles in.”
“He did. I’ll go grab him.”
“Wait, wait—no hug for your old man?”
I walk into my dad’s open arms and he squeezes me extra tight, like he knows something’s off. I blink back the tears forming. I love my parents and their unconditional support, but right now I just want to be alone. I need time to figure this out, to decide how I’m feeling.
As soon as my father releases me, I dart down the hallway, locking myself in the bedroom Caleb and I shared.
I’m just so…annoyed.
Why couldn’t he have woken me up? Why couldn’t he have left more than four words on a piece of paper? And why in the hell can’t he answer his phone? Text me back? Anything!
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I check it for the millionth time.
Nothing.
Still.
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