Deep inside she knew it wasn’t true. Deep inside she knew it would probably rip her heart wide open and leave her emotionally wrecked for a very long time.
She’d managed to avoid him the entire evening, despite seeing his meaningful glances and stares, and him trying to corner her in the kitchen when she was helping to clean up. Yet, for some reason, she wanted him now.
Walking barefoot into her bedroom, she opened the little bag from the oh so very expensive lingerie store and laid her purchases out on the bed. Pink and black lacey wisps of underwear stared back at her. This was her gift to herself. Or was it for Bradley. She’d certainly been thinking of the look on his face and his reaction when she’d bought it.
Carefully she snipped at the tags, and before she could change her mind, she dressed in the lingerie. She turned this way and that to examine herself in the full-length mirror and for once was pleased with her reflection. The lacy garments enhanced her slender figure, and for once, she looked like she had breasts. She smiled to herself as she cupped them and looked down at her temporary cleavage. She pulled her robe on and stepped out into the dark hallway.
When he opened his door after her quiet tap, she quickly stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
“I wondered if you’d forgotten about our talk,” he asked her, standing there with his arms folded over his chest. He looked annoyed.
“Talk? I didn’t come to talk.” Debbie felt shy suddenly, wondering if she was doing the right thing.
“Hmm.” He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, as if he was ready to scold her. “What did you come here for?”
“This.” She opened her robe and boldly stared back at him, trying so desperately to fake the confidence that she was lacking at that moment.
Bradley groaned and rubbed his hands over his face, raking them through his already messy hair. “Don’t.” He was only a man. A weak man who wouldn’t be able to resist the delectable creature standing in front of him. “Put your clothes back on Debbie.” His voice came out harsher than he’d intended.
The look of hurt on her face as she knotted the belt spoke volumes to him and he realized he’d better explain quickly.
“Debbie, come and sit here. Let’s just talk for a minute okay?” She allowed herself to be led to the edge of his unmade bed and sat down, primly crossing her legs and keeping her back straight. It was so hard to maintain any dignity when you’ve just been rejected by a man after seeing you almost naked.
“I’m listening.” Her voice was cold and she wouldn’t look at him.
“Okay. Here goes.” He was pacing in front of her.
“You know about Anna right? How she hurt me when she dumped me. I didn’t think I would trust anyone again, let alone open my heart to anyone. And then you came back…”
“You said it was a mistake,” she accused him.
“Let me finish Debs. Please. This isn’t easy for me. I’ve been thinking how to say this to you and spent hours writing you notes which I’ve destroyed. Okay. Here goes. Yes, I said it was a mistake, but not because I didn’t want you. I do, god knows I do. I just thought it was wrong to do it like that, in the kitchen, like it was some casual thing. You are more precious than that. You mean much more to me than that. So, I’m not apologizing for kissing you or touching you. I will never regret that.” He paused to take a deep ragged breath and Debbie couldn’t take her eyes off him.
He started up again.
“As much as I would love to have your gorgeous body in my bed, I think I need you in my life more. Much more, whatever that takes. I want to make you happy and be the one to put the smile on your face. I want to be with you, more than I just want a quick fuck from you. Give me the chance to prove myself to you Debs. I won’t disappoint you.”
Tears were in her eyes as he finished and she hung her head, hoping to hide them. Bradley knelt in front of her. “Hey, don’t cry.” He used a thumb to wipe away her tears and then kissed her ever so gently, his mouth hot against hers.
“Oh Bradley. I don’t… no, I do. I want you too. More than anything. I have for ages.”
“Me too, baby.” They were in each others arms, falling back onto the floor as she flung herself at him.
Fifteen minutes later, Debbie was still straddling him, his rigid shaft buried deep within her hot wetness. “Did you mean it? What you said?” she asked him breathlessly.
“Every… word…” he ground out, thrusting up into her. “I… love… you… Minnie. For now and forever.”
As they climaxed together her tears flowed. It was all she’d wanted for as long as she could remember.
***
The Cabin at the LakeBrett had gone to look for Roland, his longtime friend. Seeing a car parked outside, but getting no answer after knocking at the door, Brett walked around to the back of the small cabin. Roland’s family owned the enormous tract of land that the lake sat on, and the small house had been built initially as a fishing hut for his father. Over the years, as Roland and his sister Julia had become teenagers, they’d claimed it as a party spot. Their mother had tried, unsuccessfully, to make it into a civilized vacation home, but the kids wishes had prevailed.
Standing at the back of the rustic cabin, overlooking the lake, there was still no sign of Roland. Knowing he might be already swimming, considering the warmth of the day, Brett went back to his own truck and fetched his cooler bag. Cold beer, warm sun. A very good combination for this particular day. Roland would be leaving soon, starting a new job in a city a few hours away and it would be a while before they were all together again.
The narrow beach next to the lake was littered with pebbles and the occasional dried log. Brett shaded his eyes as he looked around and spotted part of a bright blanket or towel on the other side of an enormous tree stump that lay near the water’s edge. Walking nearer, he soon realized it was Julia that was stretched out in the sun. She was lying on her back, her arm thrown over her eyes to shade them.
As soon as he realized she was naked, the blood rushed to his face, making his skin prickle. He couldn’t help but look and the image of her naked body was soon etched into his brain.
“Hey! Sorry Jules. I thought it was Roland down here.” He made an effort to look directly at her face as he spoke.
She moved her arm, still keeping the sun out of her eyes, and squinted at him.
“Hey yourself, Brett. I must have dozed off. God, the sun feels so good today.” She stretched then, like a lazy cat, her arms reached high over her head and her back arched. She seemed oblivious to her lack of clothing.
Brett gestured at her, his hand moving back and forth. “Jules, you forgot your swimsuit.” He tried not to look at her.
He didn’t need to look again. The image of her soft tanned body was in his mind forever. She was a beautiful girl, a couple of years younger than him and Roland, with dark blonde hair and full lips that always seemed curved in a smile. The tiny triangle of dark pubic hair had drawn his attention to her mound, framed by her slender hips and thighs. He’d seen her in a bikini before, but this was beyond his imagination. Her breasts were perfectly round with small dark nipples that were now tightly puckered.
Her light green eyes were currently gazing at him, her eyebrows raised.
“Roland’s gone to town. We needed some stuff for tomorrow so I made him go do the shopping for a change.” Julia still hadn’t covered up. As she swung her arm to indicate the expanse of beach on either side of them, her breasts jiggled slightly. “Please feel free to pick a spot, any spot and join me.” Her grin was cheeky.
At the age of twenty two, Brett still thought of her as his friend’s kid sister. He’d feigned oblivion when she’d gone through puberty, but she’d secretly been the fuel for many of his fantasies. On her part, Julia had spent hours trying to provoke a response from him, trying to prove that he was attracted to her.
Julia’s naked serenity confused him. His immediate response to her was an embarrassing erection that he struggled to conceal. Not tha
t he was a shy virgin. Far from it. He was liberated and experienced. This was different. It was a little like seeing a distant cousin naked. He knew it was wrong, but just couldn’t help enjoying seeing it anyway. The fact that they weren’t actually related was a big bonus for him, especially when it came to those late night fantasies.
“Can I share a corner of your blanket?” he asked her boldly. He knew that she’d tease him mercilessly if he sat anywhere else.
“Sure,” she smiled back at him.
“Would you mind covering up though? I hate to spoil your tan,” he smirked at her, “But I don’t think I’ll be able to focus on my book.”
Julia sniggered smugly. She’d gotten a response from him. Getting to her feet, she calmly wrapped a large sarong around her, taking her time, and tied it firmly above her breasts. The expression on her face implied that it was completely for Brett’s sake and not her own modesty.
Sitting down again, she leaned her back on the large sun-bleached log and patted the blanket beside her for him to get comfortable. She watched him remove his tee-shirt, folding it neatly and offered him a grin as he dropped down next to her wearing a pair of board shorts. Both were soon pretending to be immersed in their books, ignoring each other.
Brett had been looking forward to a day of relaxation. Instead he was sitting inches from a nearly naked Julia. His whole body felt tense and on edge and there was no possibility that he’d be able to concentrate on the book that lay open in his hands. Every now and again he turned a page, pretending to be absorbed, even as he knew he’d not yet read one complete sentence.
The tingling feeling in his gut doubled as he thought about her. Any conversation he thought of starting sounded lame in his head so he kept silent until finally, the aching in his groin demanded action. His legs felt weak as he stood, turning his back on her before she could notice his arousal.
“Leaving?” Julia sounded disappointed.
“Going for a swim,” he replied.
Without looking back at her, he splashed into the cool, shallow water of the small lake. Soon immersed up to his chest, he struck out for the middle, swimming hard in an effort to rid himself of the frustration and tension. Ten minutes later, he turned to face the shore, treading water and catching his breath. As he watched, he saw Julia in the distance standing and watching him with her arm up to shield her eyes from the sun.
Again he swam, this time towards her.
When he got closer to the shallow waters, he dived under and submerged himself for a brief moment. The water was shallow enough for him to stand, but he turned over and floated onto his back. He needed to be with her but it was agony for him. He should leave, but didn’t want to make things awkward between them. Brett was definitely feeling conflicted, floating there, lost in thought.
When something brushed past his leg he let out a small yelp of fright and went under. Coming up spluttering, he looked around anxiously. There’d always been stories amongst them of creatures living in the lake, but in the hundred years of Roland’s family owning it, they’d never found anything more exciting than fish. No monsters. No crocodiles. Only fish.
When Julia bobbed to the surface next to him, she was gasping for air, spluttering as she laughed. “I made you scream like a girl,” she managed to get out.
Momentarily embarrassed, Brett lifted a hand and splashed her and soon a water fight developed between them. When she turned her back for respite from the water in her face, he grabbed her from behind, pinning her arms to her side. Her body was cool and slick in the water. As she wriggled to get free, he suddenly realized she hadn’t bothered putting on her bikini and he felt her soft breasts pressed against his arm.
“Oh, shit! Sorry. Sorry Jules.” He released her and swam away.
“Sorry?” she turned to face him, serious now. “Sorry for what?” Her green eyes openly searched his face, seeking the truth from him.
“I shouldn’t have done that. I thought you had your costume on.” He wasn’t actually sorry that he’d got to hold her close and feel her breasts squished against his arm, but the way it had happened felt wrong, like he’d taken advantage of a situation.
Julia swam closer. “I’m not sorry, Brett.” Her legs were brushing against his and his penis sprung to life, rock hard in moments. She was deliberately taunting him, tempting him and he didn’t know how long he could say no for.
“Roland…” he began.
“Roland what?” she demanded impatiently. “He’s my brother, your friend. I’m free to make my own decisions you know! I’m not a little kid anymore in case you haven’t noticed!”
Brett groaned, well aware that she was grown up. She was all woman, and some of her woman parts were touching him and driving him nuts. Damn the consequences, he thought to himself and reached for her.
It was the first time he’d ever kissed her on the mouth and she responded eagerly, hungrily. The cool water flowing around them did nothing to bring down the heat of the encounter. Julia’s mouth opened to him, her tongue tangling with his. Her arms were around him, clinging, and when she straddled his hips, he was surprised, but cupped her bottom to hold her there.
Julia was tilting her hips against him, grinding her hot, hot center against the front of his shorts. She could feel just how hard he was, how big and solid he was down there and it was making her even hotter. Their mouths were locked on to each other, their tongues probing and tangling. Neither of them was concerned with getting oxygen, until Brett broke contact.
“Hold on,” he sounded breathless.
“No!” she cried out. “I’m nearly there.” Julia ground against him hard, tilting and thrusting her pussy against him. When she threw her head back, crying out, he knew she’d climaxed. When she finally looked back at him, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes bright. She looked glorious and he felt his heart flip over.
“Now can we get out?” he asked.
“But you…” she began. “You’re still…”
“Hard? Yes, I am. But it will subside. Eventually. No permanent damage either,” he smiled at her, gently untangling his arms and legs. He swam the short distance to shore and dropped onto the blanket to dry in the sun.
He woke up to a cool hand touching his shoulder. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, yet here he was, face down and he could feel the heat of the skin on his back and shoulders.
“Seriously,” Julia muttered. “You’re so stupid sometimes. No sunscreen!”
As her hand rested on his shoulder, gently stroking, he felt his erection swelling again pressing painfully against the hot little pebbles beneath him.
He felt an ice-cold dollop of cream drop between his shoulder blades and flinched. She started rubbing, spreading the sunscreen over his skin and he closed his eyes and sighed. He felt her fingers slide easily over his muscles, down his spine, covering his rib cage and his mind followed. Brett let out an involuntary moan.
“Turn over,” she whispered.
He wanted to turn over, he truly did, but was a little embarrassed by his lack of control. “No, I’m fine like this. Thanks Jules. My back feels awesome.”
“Suit yourself,” she sounded a little peeved and moved away from him to lie, still naked, on her stomach next to him. “Will you put some on my back please?”
Brett eyed her, and when he saw she had her head turned away from him, he struggled to his knees, and reached for the sunscreen bottle. What started out as a simple service for a friend, somehow became a back massage, one that made Julia sigh and groan with pleasure. It didn’t help Brett in any way with his arousal, fully aware as he was of her nakedness. In the few hours he’d been there, she’d had ample opportunity to cover up, but had instead chosen to flaunt it. Not that he was complaining, mind. He was a guy after all, and seeing a naked woman was always a good thing.
“Beer?” he offered her after wiping his hands on his shorts.
“You’re finished?” Julia sounded disappointed. “What about my front?” There was a hint of flirtatious teasing i
njected into the question and Brett looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
Handing her a beer he replied. “I think we both know that it would have nothing to do with putting sunscreen on you. Besides, I can only control myself for so long. That would be too much.” He looked over the lake as he chugged back a few big mouthfuls of the ice cold brew.
“Maybe I wouldn’t want you to control yourself,” she said in a small voice. She didn’t look at him, picking at the label on the bottle instead. She’d raised herself up onto her elbows and looked thoughtfully at him, waiting for his reaction to that.
“So you said, when we were swimming.” His tone was terse.
“Brett, you have to know that I like you.” She was looking down, not wanting to see any kind of rejection. “I have for a long time. And not just like Roland’s friend either. I think about you all the time recently.”
She’d taken the risk of opening herself up to him and now it was up to him.
Brett shifted his weight, finally resting a hip against the massive tree stump. “I don’t know.” He was reluctant to give her any more encouragement. Yes, he liked her too. More than liked her if he was honest with himself. Brett had sometimes wondered what it would be like if they dated, saw each other properly as boyfriend and girlfriend, and all that had ever come to him was the disappointment and anger from her family. What would Roland think? What would her parent’s think? He’d been part of their family for so long; it was almost as if he was one of them now. He sighed heavily and didn’t say anything more.
Julia waited for some kind of answer and when none was forthcoming she got to her feet and started gathering her things.
“For god’s sake! Put some clothes on!” Brett’s tone was harsher than he’d intended, sounding angry.
Revealing the Diane Collier Erotic Romance Collection Page 4