Just A Kiss

by Elks, Carrie

  “Let me see all of you.”

  He was kneeling before her, yet still the one in control. She unhooked her bra, pulling the straps down her arms. She hooked her fingers at the sides of her panties, dragging them down her thighs.

  As soon as she kicked them off, Breck grabbed her knees, hitching her legs apart. His face moved between them, kissing the sensitive skin inside her thighs. She felt the roughness of his stubble, the softness of his lips, the probing of his tongue as he circled her skin.

  Then he was there. Blowing softly against her scant hair. His tongue dipped against her, licking the spot that made her legs feel weak. She had to reach down to steady herself against him. Breck moved his tongue along her, the tip firm every time he pressed into her. Her breath came fast and fevered. She started to rock with his movements, as pleasure pooled its way down her body.

  “Oh God,” she moaned, both hands tangled into his hair. He pushed two fingers inside of her, the movement intensifying her pleasure, until it felt as though she was about to explode. “Breck, don’t stop.”

  “Wasn’t going to.” The vibration of his words heightened the sensation. Another thrust of his fingers and she was done, her world closing in to a single, perfect spot. She closed her eyes, her head falling back, as she moaned his name over and over again.

  He held her hips tight to stop her from collapsing. As she was still riding the wave, her body convulsing, he lifted her up, carrying her to the bed. He stripped his briefs off and lay his body on hers, before they began all over again.

  His kisses were fervent and desperate, as his hardness pulsed against her. His thighs teased her legs apart, as his hand reached down to hook her ankle behind him. Every time he touched her it was as if her skin was on fire. It threatened to engulf them both.

  “Do you have something?” she asked him.

  “Yes.” He broke from her complete embrace and reached for his pants, his other arm still holding her. A moment later she heard the rip of foil and a snap as he pulled it out. Another moment and he’d rolled the rubber on. But instead of pushing in and taking her, he paused, waiting until she opened her eyes and met his gaze. He held it, his eyes dark and needy. The emotions inside of her swelled, threatening to spill over. She had to bite her lip to stop the tears from forming.

  This was Breck, her Breck, touching her as if she was some precious stone. Staring at her as though she had all the answers to questions he hadn’t even begun to think up. As he slid inside her, his thick girth filling her, she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on tight.

  This wasn’t just sex. Her world was shifting as she lay in a hotel room. Everything was spinning, left becoming right, and her mind was reeling from the motion.

  He started to move his hips, his mouth capturing hers. At that moment she knew deep in her heart this wasn’t purely physical. He was the boy she’d dreamed of, the man she hoped for. The only one who knew her from the inside out. Though he’d protected her all those years ago, he had the ability to break her right now.

  His breath quickened, his fingers digging into her hips as he moved hard and fast. She felt the pleasure forming again, expanding deep inside her. This time he was moaning, too. His lips formed her name as he kissed her, their skin slippery from perspiration and need.

  His desire was her desire. His peak was her peak. And as she came again, he joined her, clinging to each other through their explosion. His arms cradled her as though he couldn’t let go, and she felt herself falling into him, hoping he never would.

  It felt wonderful. It felt perfect. It felt like she was falling for him. And maybe that was the scariest thing of all.

  20

  As far as he was concerned, Breck planned to hold her all night. If she tried to move, or roll away, he was determined to move with her. The thick bands of muscle in his arms flexed as he pulled her even closer. Her body relaxed against his, her breathing low and rhythmic. Breck felt his own slow until they were in sync with hers. But the thoughts in his mind were too fevered to allow him to cross the final bridge to sleep.

  He could still taste her on his lips. Still feel her on his mouth. The sound of her moans – soft and deep – as he brought her to release still reverberated in his ears. She was filling him up, the thought of her replacing every worry and fear he’d ever had. Caitie had always had that effect, even back when she was a girl. She’d been the moment of stillness before the lashing of rain began. He brushed his lips across her temple, breathing her in. She smelled sinfully good.

  He pulled her a little closer, a little tighter, all too aware morning would be creeping in soon. Only a few more hours until she was getting on a flight back to New York, and he’d be driving along the Pacific Highway to Angel Sands.

  What then? They hadn’t made any promises, hadn’t exchanged any words of love. But from the moment he’d kissed her, he knew it wasn’t a fling. The ache in his heart told him that much.

  He closed his eyes, pulling her closer, trying to think it through. On paper, nothing about them worked. She hated the ocean. He hated Christmas. And if her brother found out about this, he was going to hate them both. And yet somehow, laying in her bed, being together, they felt perfectly compatible.

  The bedroom door cracked open, a shaft of light hitting the carpet. Harper was silhouetted in the gap.

  “Caitie, are you awake?” she whispered.

  Next to him, Cait snuggled closer, her mouth brushing against his bare chest. He wasn’t sure whether to be amused or alarmed, knowing they were seconds away from Harper finding them in bed together. Breck opened his mouth, intending to alert her, but she’d crossed the room to the bed before he could say anything.

  “Cait, wake up.” Harper grabbed his arm, shaking it, before jumping back with a yelp. “Oh shit. Breck, is that you?”

  “Yeah, it’s me. She’s asleep.” He kept his voice low

  “So I see.” He could almost hear the raised eyebrows in her voice. “I guess you two made up.”

  Caitie mumbled and turned in his arms. He didn’t like the way she was facing away from him. “I didn’t realize we needed to.”

  “Well, after you hung up on her the other day I thought you did. Plus there’s the small problem of Rachel. You’d better not be doing the horizontal tango with both of them. If you are I’ll rip your balls off. That’s if Lucas doesn’t do it first.”

  Breck chuckled. There was something about Harper he couldn’t help but like. She was forthright, but more than that, she was fiercely loyal. Everybody could do with a friend like her. “Yeah, well I wasn’t planning on telling Lucas anything. Not if I want to make it out of that conversation alive.”

  “I thought he was your friend.”

  “He is.”

  “So why would you lie to him?” she asked, a frown in her voice.

  “I’m not planning on lying to him,” Breck told her. “But I’m also not the kind of guy who broadcasts my business all over town. I figure that what’s going on between us is kind of private.” His voice lowered. “I promise you my intentions are honorable.”

  Harper nodded. “I’m glad to hear it. You might not know it, but underneath all that armor Caitie has a heart of gold. And she really likes you, Breck. Please don’t hurt her.”

  Breck blinked. What a weird conversation to be having while the woman he was holding was asleep. “I like her, too,” he whispered, dropping his head to press his lips against Caitie’s hair.

  There was silence for a moment. Harper shifted from one foot to the other. “Well, this is awkward.” She grimaced. “Again. Sorry for disturbing you. I’m going to head to bed and pretend I never saw any of this, okay?”

  Breck grinned. “Works for me.”

  “Harper?” Caitie sat up. The sheet fell down and exposed her breasts. “Oh shit, what are you doing here?” Hastily, she pulled the sheet back up, jamming the fabric under her arms. Wide eyed, she turned her head to look at Breck. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. “Is this a private party
or can anyone join in?” she asked.

  Harper put her hands up. “Sorry, it’s my fault. I didn’t realize Breck was here. I wanted to check on you before I went to bed. We’ve got an early start in the morning.”

  Caitie blinked, as though getting used to the dim light in the bedroom. “Yeah, I’m okay. I set an alarm.” She glanced over to the table beside the bed, where her phone lay face down. “And anyway, Breck’s leaving early. He has to get back to Angel Sands.”

  “Long distance love. Oh my heart.” Harper lifted a hand to her chest, mock-swooning.

  “Shut up.” Caitie rolled her eyes. “And get out of here. I don’t interrupt you at night.”

  “I didn’t interrupt anything,” Harper protested, a twinkle in her eyes. “As far as I can see, it was coitus finnitus. Breck was practically smoking a cigarette.”

  “Harper, get out!” Caitie said, though there was a smile in her voice.

  Breck started to laugh. He couldn’t help it. The absurdity of the situation had got to him. Here he was, holding the girl he’d slept with for the first time, the girl he’d not been able to get out of his mind for days, while she bickered with her roommate about whether or not she’d interrupted sex. It was like he was back in college, except his muscles ached more. It was a good thing he liked Harper.

  “I’m going. But before I do, I’d like to say I told you so, Cait.”

  A tissue box flew through the air, narrowly missing Harper’s arm. “Get out!”

  “Okay, okay.”

  As soon as Harper left, Caitie rolled onto her back and covered her eyes. “Oh God, I’m mortified.”

  Breck frowned. “Why?” He tried to pull her hands away from her face. He didn’t like not being able to see her.

  “Because I’m twenty-eight years old, and my roommate just walked in on me and a guy. I swear, she’s not normally like this. Back in college we used to give each other space. Guess not anymore. You must think I’m so immature.”

  He laughed. “I was just thinking this whole exchange reminded me of college.”

  “Kill me now.”

  Breck finally succeeded in pulling her hands away. Caitie stared at him through melted-chocolate eyes.

  “Hey, I didn’t mean anything by that,” he told her. “Your friend is clearly crazy, but she loves you. That much is also clear.”

  Caitie’s expression softened. “She’s a good friend.”

  “She is. And she’ll be an even better friend when you make sure to lock your door.”

  That made her laugh. “Touché. And thank you for not being an asshole about it. Some guys would be angry at her for barging in.”

  “I try to not be an asshole whenever possible. Though if she’d caught us mid action, I might’ve had to change my mind.” He ran a finger down her chest, lingering at her nipple. “Speaking of which…”

  He kissed her until their words melted away. Until her breathing caught and his heartbeat quickened. By the time he’d slid his way into her, all thoughts of interruptions were gone. They were so caught up in each other that nothing else mattered.

  * * *

  The next morning Breck drove them to the airport, parking up and carrying their luggage as they walked into the terminal. He’d stood with them as they checked in, then Harper leaned forward to hug him in farewell. “I’m going to run through security and grab a coffee,” she said. “I’ll see you when you get through, Caitie.”

  Caitie nodded. “Sure. I won’t be long.” She turned to look at Breck, her eyes catching his as Harper walked over to the security line. “I can’t believe I have to leave.”

  He reached out, tracing her bottom lip with his finger. “I’m glad we had last night.” They’d woken twice to make love, their limbs entangled, their fingers entwined. No wonder they both looked exhausted.

  “Call me when you make it home,” he said, moving his hand to cup her jaw. Her eyes were shining brightly. “Let me know you’re safe.”

  “Okay.” She nodded. He hated the way she looked so sad. He wanted to smooth away all the lines, and make her smile again.

  “It’s not long until you’re back again,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose. “I’ll see you at the wedding, and maybe before if we can make it work.”

  Caitie nodded. She was still trying to clear her schedule so she could fly back to the Chateau for the final wedding arrangements the following weekend. It was touch-and-go if she could make it. Between that and his construction work, neither of them had a free day until the end of December. It was frustrating as hell.

  “And after that,” he said, smiling, “We’ll make a plan. Because I plan on seeing a lot of you, Caitlin Russell.”

  She lifted her gaze to his. “You want to see me again?”

  “Of course I do. Last night was…” He searched for the right word. “Amazing. But it’s only the beginning. I can’t get enough of you. I don’t want to. And in the meantime, I’ll be calling you every night.”

  The corners of her lips curled up. “I’ve heard about calls like that.”

  He laughed. “Yeah. Me too.” He ran the tip of his tongue along his bottom lip, thinking about last night. “I like you, Cait. Really like you.”

  “I like you, too.”

  “But there’s something you need to know about me.”

  She blinked. “There is?”

  He felt his chest tighten at her gaze. So open, so warm. She looked as innocent as a flower. “I’m terrible at relationships,” he told her. “I guess that’s why I’m single. I haven’t had one yet where I haven’t let a girl down. I don’t want to do that to you.”

  “You won’t.” She smiled at him. “I won’t let you.”

  She didn’t get it. “I’ll give you everything I can to make this work. But if it isn’t enough, you need to tell me. Because there are some things I can’t do.”

  “Like what?”

  He swallowed hard, thinking about all the girls he’d met who thought they could change him. Make things better. He’d tell them he didn’t want to celebrate Christmas, that he wanted to be alone, but each one of them thought he’d be different with them.

  And he wasn’t. Ever. And that’s why he sucked at relationships.

  “I know how important Christmas is to you,” he said, his brows dipping down. “To your job, your home, your life. But I can’t be there with you for it. I can’t support you.” He shook his head. “I can’t even stand to think of the day.”

  “It’s okay.” Her voice was soft. “I understand.”

  But she didn’t. Not at all. He could tell from the way she was staring at him that she had no concept of the hatred he had for the day. No understanding that it was going to take every bit of strength he had to attend Lucas and Ember’s wedding.

  And after it was over, he’d hide out at the beach until the whole damn holiday was over.

  Her phone beeped, and she pulled it out of her pocket. “It’s Harper,” she told him. “Apparently the line for security is huge. I should go…”

  “Yeah.” He nodded. No point in trying to explain the rest now. It could wait.

  “I’ll miss you,” she told him.

  “Not as much as I’ll miss you.” He lowered his head, brushing a kiss against her soft lips. “Call me, okay?”

  “Of course.”

  “And when the wedding is over, we’ll make some plans.”

  Her phone beeped again, making her sigh. “That sounds good.” She pulled her lip between her teeth. “And let’s not tell Lucas about this. Not until after the wedding. Just in case he gets upset.”

  “Okay.” He kissed her again, longer this time, pulling her close to try and memorize every fall and rise of her body. She kissed him back, her lips curling in a smile against his, before they broke apart and she grabbed her laptop bag.

  “I’ll see you soon,” she said.

  “And we’ll talk tonight.” He grinned. “And every night until I see you again.”

  “That works for me.” She rolled onto th
e balls of her feet, pressing her lips to his one more time. “See you later, Breck.”

  “Not if I see you first.”

  * * *

  Caitie was still smiling as she walked through the security scanner and headed to the end of the conveyer belt to pick up her things. Her whole body felt alive, in a way it hadn’t for a long time, all lit up like a firefly in summer. She slid her laptop into her bag and looped her belt back through her jeans, grabbing her phone, ready to stuff it in her pocket when she saw another message had come through.

  This one was from Felix. Four simple words that made her heart leap in exultation.

  We got the contract!

  She read it again, her grin widening as she slid her bag over her shoulder.

  Everything was slipping into place and she couldn’t be happier. And a lot of that was thanks to Brecken Miller.

  * * *

  “Hey, where are you, bro?” Daniel’s voice blasted through the car speakers. “I tried calling the office but they said you weren’t there.”

  “I’m on my way back from L.A..” Breck rested his elbow along the open window of the car. The weather was pretty temperate for early December, the sun’s rays unfettered by clouds. A cool breeze wafted from the coast, through the car’s open window. It ruffled Breck’s hair as he drove along the Pacific Highway.

  “More meetings? Man, you must be sick of those. Remember back when you first started working for Dad and you said you never wanted to be in management, that you’d rather get your hands dirty and build stuff all day?”

  Those days were over for Breck’s career. He could hardly remember the last time he held a brick in his hands. “Yeah, well somebody has to bring the customers in. Anyway, I wasn’t only there for meetings. I met up with a friend.”

  “And you stayed over? Interesting. Tell me more. Who is she?”

  “Nobody you know.”