by Parker, Ali
I put down the wine bottle and looked at her, really looked at her. I didn’t hide my desire. Her lips parted, her pink tongue darting out to lick them as if she suddenly had a very dry mouth. I could fix that. I took a step toward her. She made no move to escape.
I paused, inches from her, giving her the chance to move. She didn’t. Her chin went up and she stared directly into my eyes. I saw the same heat reflected there. The tension between us was thick with need. There was no fighting what was happening between us. I waited a single breath before I reached for the back of her head.
My mouth closed over hers. I only meant to give her a small kiss. I wanted it to be a simple kiss that would take the edge off. Part of me wanted to rebel against what Charlie told me to do. Fuck that. One kiss wasn’t enough. I growled low in my throat as my mouth opened wider to devour her. I burned for the woman. I could feel the fire low in my belly, urging me to take more.
Her hands moved into my hair, holding my head low against hers. I couldn’t release her. I refused to release her. Some otherworldly force was driving me on. My tongue dueled with hers. It was a clash to see who could get whose tongue in the other’s mouth. She gave as good as she got.
Chapter 12
Evie
I was not going to let myself think about the fact I was kissing the man in his kitchen, on his boat. I was letting go of all my rules and inhibitions. I was living in the moment. Holy hell, what a moment it was. His mouth moved over mine like a man that had been searching the desert for water. His hands, holy shit, his hands were everywhere.
I struggled to keep up. My hands roamed his body, getting my first real feel of the muscles in his arms and stretched across his back. He was powerful and hard and so damn hot. He reached for the hem of my shirt and tugged at it until it was halfway up my body. Our mouths tore away from one another while he quickly removed it before diving right back in.
One of his large hands grabbed my breast, lifting the weight of it. He groaned low in his throat and attacked me with new enthusiasm. I wanted the same. I pulled at his shirt, essentially trying to tear it from his body. I didn’t want to take it off the usual way. I didn’t want to lose his mouth against mine.
He pulled back just a little, his mouth still on mine as he pulled the shirt up, yanked it away, and tore it off before devouring my face once again. My hands stretched out across his pecs before running around to touch his back. His skin was hot and smooth and taut across the rippling muscles.
“I need you naked,” he growled. “Now.”
His hands were stripping off my shorts, taking my panties down with them. Clearly, he wasn’t interested in doing a layer by layer. I attacked his shorts with my fingers. I fumbled with the button until I yanked, popping the damn thing off. He was wealthy. He could buy more shorts.
Within seconds, we were both stripped naked. He stood in front of me, his chest heaving up and down as he dragged in heavy breaths. I could see the passion in his eyes. I could feel it radiating off him. It was intense and made me want to climb him like a tree.
I stared at him, waiting to see what he would do next. I would probably die if he had a change of heart at that point. My eyes pulled away from his and drifted over his body. He was hard and tattooed. That was unexpected. I saw the band around his arm and what looked like writing on the underside of his arm. That had to be a painful place to get a tattoo. I wouldn’t know from personal experience, but I imagined so. There were small tattoos on his chest, including a ship that I suspected was one of his.
Once the inspection of his torso was complete, I dropped my eyes lower. I sucked in a breath when I saw the size of him. His heavy cock was jutting forward. He was a big man in every sense of the word. I was a little intimidated. I wasn’t an innocent virgin, but he was definitely one of the largest men I had ever been with.
“Are you okay with this?” he asked on a breath that made him sound as if he was choking.
I met his eyes and gave him a slow nod. “Absolutely.”
He sprang into action so fast, I barely had time to blink. His hands were on my ass and then one was sliding between my legs. His mouth slammed over mine again, his tongue pushing its way in as his finger worked its way inside me down below. It was a double whammy. I gasped, inadvertently sucking his tongue deeper into my throat. I lifted one leg, bending it at the knee to give him better access like a complete wanton.
“You’re so fucking wet already,” he whispered.
I was a little embarrassed, but seriously, had he seen him? He was sex on a stick. He was a Greek god. He was every woman’s wet dream. Of course, I was wet. I was also about to climax. I tried to fight it. I didn’t want him to know just how badly I wanted him.
“Oh no,” I whimpered.
“Already?” he rasped the word, pushing his finger higher inside me.
“Oh no,” I repeated when I felt the spiraling of beautiful sensations soaring through my body. “Oh god. Oh no.”
“Yes, fuck yes,” he growled. His mouth covered mine, attacking me with a new ferocious need. It was more than I could take. There was no holding back the orgasm. It burst through me with a violence that had me arching against him, rubbing my breasts against his chest.
His mouth pulled away from mine and sucked on my neck as his finger continued to work inside me. I shouted out as the ecstasy sent me on a journey into the stars. Before I had the chance to come down, he lifted me up, pushing me against the wall and shoving his giant dick inside me. The orgasm eased his entry, but he was still big.
I winced, cried out, and dug my nails into his shoulders. He paused about halfway inside me. I lowered my mouth to his from my new vantage point and thoroughly kissed him. My body relaxed, blooming like a flower in the early morning sunshine. He slid deep inside and held perfectly still.
My chest heaved up and down as I struggled to cope with the onslaught of passion and ecstasy. It was overwhelming in the best way. “Good?” he asked on a strained breath.
“So good,” I moaned.
He began to move, slowly at first as he pushed my body against the wall. His length stretched me and filled me to completion with every stroke. I felt like I weighed no more than a feather as he held me with an arm around my waist and the other on my hip. He rocked into me, picking up the speed, grunting with every thrust.
“Fucking hell, you are so goddamn wet,” he whispered.
“You are making me that way,” I managed to get out. My brain felt foggy, saturated with lust and need. I could feel myself already on the climb to another orgasm. Sex with him was way too good. It was addicting.
He pounded into me a few more times before releasing a frustrated growl. He pulled me away from the wall and carried me across the small expanse to the wraparound couch. With me mounted firmly on his dick, he used one foot to move the small coffee table out of his way before lowering me onto the couch.
I had no idea how we were both going to fit, but he made it work. His body slid into mine once again. I raised one leg, resting my foot on the back of the couch and spreading wide for him. I didn’t care if it wasn’t ladylike. I wanted him and didn’t give a shit about rules. He made me feel wild, just as crazed as he was acting.
“Wider,” he snapped. “Open wider. I want to be deep, deep inside you.”
I put my other foot on the floor, spreading my legs wide until I worried I would break a hip. He lifted himself up on one arm. He stared down at me, his eyes focused on my breasts that felt swollen and achy. His other hand reached up, kneading the sensitive flesh before tweaking my nipple.
I whimpered, my back arching as I wiggled under him, trying to take him deeper inside. I dug my nails into his back, encouraging him to move. I needed him to move. He did as I asked without words. His hips moved in a slow roll. I looked up at the man’s marvelous body. His hair fell forward a bit. His jaw was set tight and his eyes focused on me. The intensity of his gaze turned me into liquid fire. I was burning for him. It felt like molten lava pumping through my vein
s.
I was hot and flushed, and my skin felt stretched. He kept moving, the slow glide in and out of my body. “Xander,” I said on a whispered plea. I needed more. I could feel my body ramping up to another explosive orgasm. I wasn’t going to be ashamed of my body’s response to him.
“Fuck me, another one?” he growled.
I reached for his biceps that were straining under the weight of him supporting his body over me. I squeezed, digging my nails into his flesh once again. “Yes,” I cried out as the orgasm broke over me once again.
He roared, his body going stiff as he exploded inside me with such force it triggered another orgasm, piggybacking on the first. I felt as if I would black out in that moment. It was too much pleasure. Too much ecstasy. Everything went dark and then exploded into light.
He fell on top of me, kissing my neck and cheek before kissing my forehead. “Holy shit,” he breathed.
A weird laugh crossed my lips. “Yeah, holy shit.”
He moved his chest off mine a bit and looked at me. “That was unexpected. Good, but please don’t think I lured you out here for that.”
I smiled. “How do you know I didn’t do the luring?”
He grinned. “I suppose I don’t.”
He rolled off me and got to his feet in all his naked splendor. I had a very good view of the man’s body and I wasn’t about to look away—until I realized he was looking at me with one leg still resting on top of the back of the couch. I felt myself turning bright red as I quickly closed my legs and sat up.
We both quickly dressed. The awkwardness between us was thick and uncomfortable. I didn’t like to feel that way and felt it was better to address a situation head on. “I don’t want to complicate this,” I said once I had my clothes on.
He shrugged, pulling on his T-shirt. “I don’t see it as complicated.”
“I mean, this,” I said, gesturing between us. “It was nice, but I am not sure I’m in a place in my life to be involved.”
“Neither am I. We’re friends.”
“Friends with benefits?” I asked.
He smiled and stepped toward me. His hands rested loosely on my hips. “Only if that’s what you want. I don’t do serious. I’d like to hang out with you again, but we don’t need to make it a thing.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “That works for me.”
He dropped a kiss on my forehead. “I should probably get back up there and start us on our way back.”
I smiled and nodded. “I’ll clean up down here.”
He walked away, and for some really stupid reason, I felt sad. I couldn’t explain it. I was the one who said no strings attached. I think a part of me was hoping he would insist on us being something more. I wanted him to say I’d like to see you again or something like that. He didn’t. That was a good thing because I really was not looking for a boyfriend.
We were pals, buddies, friends. That was it. Nothing more. We had sex. Amazing sex. That was it. People did this all the time. I wasn’t one of those people. At least, I didn’t used to be. I was now. I had stepped into the world of sex with no strings attached. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
Chapter 13
Xander
I walked into the restaurant where I was supposed to meet Charlie. He was taking a long lunch and had the time to actually leave the plant where he worked—managed, really. He was good with his hands and had a hard time keeping to the managing. He liked the doing.
He put up his hand. “Xander,” he called.
I made my way to the table and took my seat. “Did you order yet?”
“Two BLTs.”
“One is for me, right?” I joked.
“Maybe.”
“Asshole.”
He chuckled. “How have you been? I haven’t talked to you in a week.”
“I was out of town for a few days and then I was working on that other job for a client,” I told him.
“Your pet project?”
I smiled. “Yes. It’s nice to do a little something different.”
“Whatever happened with the party planner?”
I took a drink from the glass of water. My first option was to play dumb. “What do you mean?”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “You know exactly what I mean. You being dodgy tells me something did happen. You said you were going to take her out on the boat.”
“I did. We had an enjoyable evening.”
The waitress brought two plates of food and set them down in front of us. After making sure we had everything we needed, she hurried away to help another group of men.
“Okay, now that there are no ears to hear, tell me the truth. You can speak above a PG rating. I think I can handle the dirty details.”
I took a bite from the fry. “I am not giving you any dirty details.”
“What happened?”
“We had a good time.”
I felt like a shithead for talking about it. Then again, I knew she had probably told her friend Nelle all about the encounter. Women did that. Guys did it and it was called locker-room talk.
“You hooked up?” he asked with a grin.
I sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to give it up. “We did.”
“On the boat?”
“Yes, on the fucking boat,” I growled. “Where else?”
He held up a hand. “Where on the boat? On the couches on the deck?”
I frowned. “No, why does it matter?”
He grimaced. “On the couch in the living room?”
I didn’t necessarily consider it a living room, but I knew what he was referring to. “I’m really not sure why it matters. Do not expect me to give you details. I’m not going to give you a blow by blow.”
“Now I have to clean the boat,” he said with disgust.
“What are you talking about?”
“You sullied the boat. I sit on that couch. Hell, I lay on the damn thing. I need to know where the bleach goes.”
I chuckled, taking another bite. “You should probably just get a hose. It would be more efficient.”
He groaned. “Oh my god. Gross.”
“You’ll survive.”
He took a bite of his sandwich. He looked thoughtful as he chewed. “You don’t expect me to sleep with you every time you take me out on the boat, do you? I think you are a cool guy and all, and you are mildly attractive, but you are just not my type.”
I ignored him and ate my sandwich. He didn’t let up. He outlined all the acts he was willing to consider and those he was adamant against. If he made a move on me, I would knock his ass out. Both of us knew that.
“Are you done yet?” I asked him when he paused for a bit.
“I just want it made clear. I like your boat, but I could buy my own boat.”
“You could build your own damn boat,” I told him.
He nodded. “I could, but that’s not the same. It wouldn’t have all those nice finishes. Any boat I would build would be utilitarian and not comfortable.”
Before I could offer to go boat shopping with him, his phone rang. Because of his job, he needed to answer his calls. “This is Charlie,” he answered.
I finished my sandwich while he nodded and made various grunts and noises.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he said and ended the call.
“Gotta get back to work?” I asked.
“No, not exactly. We’ve got a dead duck out in the water. They want me to chopper out there and see if I can get it running before they have to call a tug.”
“How far out are they?”
“I’m not sure. They were going to send the chopper to pick me up.”
“I can take you out on the boat,” I offered.
He laughed and shook his head. “I think the chopper will be faster and more sanitary.”
“Is it one of mine?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yep. She’s only been in service for a couple of months. I’m sure it will be an easy fix.”
“I’ll go with you,”
I offered.
“You must be bored,” he joked.
“It’s one of mine,” I said, being very serious. “I need to know if there is an issue.”
“I doubt it is anything you did in the design. It is probably something stupid like they didn’t plug something in or some shit.”
I wiped my mouth, grabbed my wallet, and dropped a hundred-dollar bill on the table. “Let’s go.”
My reputation was everything. I refused to have rumors spread about my shitty designs or subpar ships. It only took one poorly designed ship to sink my business. While I would still be okay financially, I refused to take the hit to my reputation. My reputation was everything. My reputation was a million times more important than the money in the bank.
There were a lot of people who would love to see me fail. I refused to fail. I refused to let them see me crash and burn and live up to what they thought would happen. My success was fueled by my need to prove everyone else wrong.
“They will be at the plant,” he said as we walked to our cars.
“I’ll follow you over there. Let them know you’ll have a plus one.”
He laughed. “Glad I can return the favor.”
I was too irritated with the idea my designs had failed to laugh. I was already going through the potential causes in my head. I had no information to go on, but I knew what the likely suspects were. I prayed it was manufacturer or user error. If it was something I did, I would be very pissed at myself.
Thirty minutes later, we were in the air and flying out to the ship that was stuck out in open water. They had only left the dock a few hours ago. That told me it had to be a failure of some kind. I brought along my iPad with access to the file containing the design specs, including the engine specs. Charlie built them from what I designed. He knew them just as well as I did, but he knew the way it sounded and how it looked when it was all put together.
The helicopter landed on the massive deck. Charlie and I climbed out and made our way over to the ship’s captain. He led us into the engine room and quickly told us what was going on.