He held the door open for her when they arrived, inhaling her floral scent as she crossed in front of him. He grabbed her hand and turned her to face him. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“You did great this evening,” was all she said.
“Thanks.” He smiled and gently dragged her up against him until their bodies met from chest to toes. Her gaze held his, resisting a bit, as his mouth angled toward hers. But he didn’t pause, didn’t stop. As soon as his mouth touched hers, she relinquished whatever inner struggle she was dealing with. Then she was all over him like bees on honey.
He kissed her long and passionately. Their tongues tangled, both straining for a deeper connection. A whimper bubbled up from her throat.
Still just inside the entryway, they groped and clutched each other. Wanting more, much more, he slid an arm beneath her knees, lifted her, and marched into his bedroom. She circled her arms around his neck.
“I want you so much,” he said huskily. “More than I have wanted anything in my life.
“Same here.” She slid her hand into his hair and pulled him back to her for another kiss.
He dropped and rolled onto the bed with her. She squealed with playful surprise.
They kissed in wild abandon, shed their clothes in wild abandon, opened up to each other in wild abandon.
Sully palmed her cheek with one hand, searching her eyes. “I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I want us to have this night together.”
She paused long enough to murmur, “yes,” and kissed him again. Deeply. Hungrily.
He stroked her body, cupping and fondling her breasts, tracing his fingers over her flat belly, and dipping them between her legs to discover her wet and ready for him.
She was so responsive, his cock jerked in anticipation. Her hips rose to meet the long, slow glide of his fingers. Her knees fell apart, opening her to him even more. He played with her, until she moaned and arched in orgasm. She reached over and took his shaft in her hand.
“Mmm, wait,” he growled.
He rose, patted around until he found his pants, then his wallet, and retrieved a condom. As he knelt over her again, he ripped open the foil packet. She watched as he rolled the sheath into place.
“Oh, yeah,” she said. Her tongue swept across her lips. “Forgot about that.”
He positioned himself, found her core, and slowly entered her. She groaned, long and throaty. The sound spurred him into a couple of thrusts, and then he set a deliberate rhythm that he maintained until she bucked her hips and came again, bringing him to the brink until he thrust even deeper inside her with his own orgasm.
He leaned down, bracing his weight on his elbows. They were both breathing hard, their bodies slick with perspiration. He kissed her and nibbled her lips.
“We have our own private pool,” he said. “How about a dip?”
* * *
The water felt cool and refreshing on her overheated skin. She pushed off the side of the pool and glided to the other end and back. Sully was right behind her, shadowing her. When they reached the shallow end again, he grabbed her and pulled her close, running his free hand along her ribs and then cupping and gently squeezing one of her breasts.
Harper was beside herself with overstimulation. She wasn’t exactly a virgin. There had been one passing relationship in college that went nowhere, and she knew her way around a sex toy. But she’d never in her life had such a sensual, attentive experience. She smoothed her hands over Sully’s wet shoulders, enjoying the feel of his skin and composition of his toned muscles.
He tipped her backward and replaced his hand with his mouth, suckling her breast. “Mmm, that feels good,” she whispered, delicious sensations dancing through her.
He moved to the other breast and feathered his tongue up to her neck and jawline. As he kissed her, he slid his hand between her thighs and stroked her, gliding his fingers inside her core. With a few slow passes and expert flick of his finger she came, clutching him to her.
“I like it when you hold on to me,” he said.
“Mmm,” was the only sound she could muster.
He seemed to understand how bone-limp she was as he hugged her and she laid her cheek on his shoulder. She closed her eyes, content, exhausted.
A short time later—probably only a minute or so, she wasn’t sure—he urged her from the water. “Let’s go to bed,” he said, and she felt the mild rumble in his chest as he smiled.
She stepped back and let him help her out of the pool.
So tired.
He collected towels from a nearby chair and placed one around her shoulders, drawing her toward him for a kiss. Then he clearly took pleasure in drying her, followed by quickly rubbing the terry cloth over his own skin.
For once in her life, she didn’t want to overthink things. She moved with him to his room and let him tuck her in bed. He climbed in beside her and began lightly rubbing her back with feather-light strokes.
Mmm, good. So freaking good.
Chapter Five
Harper woke the next morning with the sun reflecting off the little pool outside their suite, creating flashes of shapes on the interior wall. The day was bright and clear, unlike her head. Sully slept, one arm draped over her hip. She rested there, staring across the room for several minutes, observing the reflections of light as they danced and moved, but finally couldn’t wait any longer. She had to get out of there. She had to think. And she couldn’t do that with him this close.
He snuggled against her and then rolled the other direction. She eased from the bed and headed for the bathroom in the second bedroom, where her toiletries were. She leaned on the counter and looked at her reflection in the mirror in disbelief. She’d slept with Sully McGlamery. They’d had incredible sex, and yet the girl in the mirror looked the same.
But her heart… No, her heart had changed. She placed her palm over the center of her chest and rubbed, trying to massage away the tension.
Numbly, she washed, dressed, and ran a brush through her hair. Then she lifted her bag onto the bed and packed her things. With a sense of disconnection she rarely, if ever, felt, she traipsed into the kitchen, fixed a cup of coffee from the Keurig, and grabbed her phone, heading for the patio area by the pool.
The Florida humidity clung to her skin as soon as she closed the sliding door. The sky presented the first hint of lavender as she took a seat in a cushy lounge chair. Setting her cell phone on the small table beside her, she sat there, ridged, holding the coffee mug with both hands, and sipped.
She would be heading home today. Max would meet her at the marina at ten, and her vacation would be over. A melancholy smile tugged at her lips. It had not been the getaway she’d planned. No, it had turned out so much better. Barefoot Bay was a gorgeous, elegant resort, and her time with Sully would be something she’d hold on to forever.
Behind her, the door rolled on its tracks and closed with a click.
She turned her head and looked at Sully over her shoulder as he approached.
“Good morning,” he said. He leaned over, kissed her lightly on the lips, and dropped onto the chair next her. “I’m shocked you’re up before me.”
She shrugged one shoulder. “I usually get up early when I have somewhere I have to go. Nervous energy, I guess.”
Their eyes met, but he didn’t speak. Neither of them seemed to know what to say. Finally, he glanced away, staring at the pool. She wondered if, like her, he was remembering their water play.
She stood. “I thought I’d grab breakfast in the restaurant on my way out. Want to join me?”
He rose also. “Sounds good.” They were a foot or so apart, but neither reached for the other. After an awkward pause, he said, “I’ll go change.”
“How’s your foot?” she asked as they walked inside together.
“Doing well. The meds probably contributed to my lagging in bed, though.”
“Yeah. I imagine so.”
Harper went to get her bag while he went to change, and s
he was ready and waiting when he entered the living room. He peered at her suitcase, and she thought she read tension in his gaze. But he didn’t say a word as he took charge of the bag, carrying it for her.
“I can get that,” she said.
He shot her a glance that said, Not on your life. “I’ll just have the valet put it in my car.”
Harper’s heart sank as the door clacked shut behind them. It was the sound of closure. She knew she’d never have another experience like that of the past few days. Just as she knew she and Sully would be going their separate ways and staying there.
Chapter Six
As they drove to Mimosa Marina, all Sully could think about was how much he sucked at relationships. Breakfast had gone too quickly, and he didn’t take the small opportunity he had to voice his feelings for Harper. Let him write a song about how he felt… Yes, that would be better. Honestly, he wasn’t exactly sure what his emotions were, but he suspected he’d fallen for his little geek, big-time. How could he be certain, though?
He shook his head. What was he thinking? Their worlds didn’t mesh. She couldn’t travel all over the country with him, and he couldn’t plant himself in one place. It didn’t matter what he felt. A sigh rumbled through his chest and amplified his defeated heartbeat.
Long-distant relationships didn’t work, either. His friend Derrick was a good example. Too much time away from each other, and they both started cheating. No, thank you.
As he pulled into the marina parking lot, Harper waved at a tall man with dark hair.
“There’s Max,” she said.
Sully parked and then plucked her luggage from the trunk. He observed the dude as they approached the boat. Max had a classy, debonair way about him. Very Harvard. He wondered if they’d met in college.
At the dock, Harper gave Max a big hug. “I’m sorry about the boat,” she said.
“Don’t worry about it,” Max said softly. “There’s nothing you could’ve done about it.”
Sully tensed. He fisted his hands, forcing himself to ignore his possessive reaction. He couldn’t draw her back. He had no right. Yet he couldn’t shut off the pang of resentment and frustration and…jealousy.
Harper made the introductions, and Sully forced a smile, calling on his acting training.
“Thank you for your help,” Max said to Sully as they shook hands.
“My pleasure.” He presented Max with Harper’s bag. The dude took it and stepped onto the aft platform.
Harper looked around. “What are you going to do about your car?” she asked Max.
“Rick dropped me off.”
“Rick is Max’s brother,” she explained to Sully.
He nodded. Great. She knew the guy well enough to know his family.
As Max disappeared with the suitcase into the cabin, Harper turned to Sully. She took a step toward him, locking her gaze with his. Her tongue did a nervous sweep over her lips. “Thank you,” she said. “I… It turned out to be an awesome vacation.”
Sully moved closer and took her hands in his. “Don’t be surprised if I make a trip to Baja.”
She smiled, a bittersweet look in her eyes. “I’d like that.”
He leaned in and kissed her good-bye, sliding his hand into her thick, wind-tousled hair and drawing her to him. Her lips were sweet. She tasted so good, so right, his heart ached at the thought of letting her go. How could he?
And yet he also knew he couldn’t keep her from the job she was meant to do. His breath mingled with hers as he inched away. He smiled grimly, retreating one step, and then several more, watching her eyes, waiting for her to call him back.
But she didn’t.
Max exited the cabin and started to collect the tie ropes. Harper retreated from Sully, watching him, and extended a hand, her fingertips touching his fingertips until the distance grew too far and they separated. She turned and climbed aboard with Max.
The engine rumbled to life. Then, cutting through the glassy water, the boat eased from the dock and into the channel.
He watched it until he couldn’t see her any longer.
Chapter Seven
Abby met Harper at the Tijuana airport. The ten-hour flight from Tampa had hit more turbulent pockets than all the other flights she’d ever taken combined. Not fun.
She tossed her suitcase in the backseat of Abby’s gold Kia Optima and climbed in the passenger side.
“How was your trip?” Abby asked as she pulled away from the curb.
Harper knew that would be the first question her friend asked. She’d thought about the answer during her flight, but she still hadn’t figured out a good enough one.
On one level it seemed ridiculous that with every mile she traveled toward home and away from Sully, unhappiness inside of her grew. She’d known from the onset their lives couldn’t mesh. But the intellectual side of her that had driven her entire life was now overruled by her heart. All the way home she’d told herself the intense yearnings she had for Sully weren’t really love, even though she knew this was the first time in her life she’d felt passionately.
She’d been worried and concerned when he’d gotten injured. After driving him to Fort Myers ER, she’d held his hand as they took blood samples, and he’d wanted her to stay with him. His sense of humor over the situation tickled her; the nurses had appreciated it, too. Funny, the intense emotions during all of that remained with her still. Her feelings for him were so loving and tender, wild and over-whelming. She simply didn’t know what to think. Except…she loved him.
Abby shot her a sideways glance at her hesitation.
“My vacation was excellent,” Harper finally said. “Not what I’d expected, though.”
The car turned sharply onto Mex 1 for the long drive south. Abby pressed her lips together, seeming to be warring between being a good friend and being a nosy-nose.
“Go on… “
Harper sighed in resignation. She might as well get it over with. “The short version is that my boat broke down, I was rescued by a deliciously hunky sailor, we spent a glorious two and half days at a stunning resort, and voilà, I’m home.”
Abby angled a questioning brow. “But you’re not the same woman you were when you left?”
“You’re too observant for your own good.” Harper crossed her arms in front of her. “But you’re correct. Something’s changed.”
“Spill.”
Harper took a deep breath and rushed on while she still had the courage. “His name is Sully McGlamery. We went to high school together. Back then he never knew I existed. Today he is a brilliant, popular singer.”
“And he popped your cork?”
Harper tipped her chin down and looked at Abby from under lowered brows. A clear You’ve overstepped your boundaries expression. She was not willing to talk about the special moments she and Sully had shared, even with her best friend. “That’s need-to-know, and you don’t.”
“I see.” Abby grinned. “And so now…you’re unhappy?”
“I… I don’t know what I am. I need some time to figure it out.”
“And then what?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know that, either.”
“Harper, you can’t just sweep your feelings under the rug like you do the dust bunnies in your apartment.”
Harper huffed. “I do not have dust bunnies.”
“My point exactly.”
She uncrossed her arms and ran a hand through her hair. “Just drive.”
* * *
Sully picked up speed on his treadmill, pushing himself harder. He’d spent a lot of time in his personal gym since he’d been home. And he wasn’t lying to himself. He knew precisely why he’d been charging full speed in every direction possible. Because the heartache set in every time he stopped.
The time he’d spent with Harper meant more than any other in his life. When he took a dip in his swimming pool, he thought of her. When he fixed his morning coffee, he thought of her. When he put his socks on, his toe completely healed now, h
e thought of her. When he closed his eyes and remembered the softness of her lips…a fist squeezed in his chest. He wanted to spend the rest of his life holding her, loving her.
As crazy as it seemed, in the short time they were together, he’d fallen in love with Harper. And he needed to discover if she felt the same. How did he do that when they were living miles apart? He couldn’t.
So he worked. In two weeks, he’d cut the final two songs for another album, collaborated on a TV pilot he had in the works, and agreed to perform a special Christmas program to benefit Habitat for Humanity.
Paul, his friend and manager strolled in then. “Shit, Sully. You’re going to run yourself into the ground. Something bad must have happened in Florida. You’ve been like this since you got back.”
Sully wound down to a walk and then to a stop. He waited until his breathing evened out and wiped his sweaty brow with a towel, then said, “You’re right, my man. I need to figure this out.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
“Nope. This is something I have to do alone.”
But in his heart he already knew. He was in love with Harper, and he had to at least find out if she could ever feel the same about him.
He went to his office and studied his calendar. Since he’d worked like a madman when he returned from Florida, he was way ahead of schedule. His obligations had been met, and he decided not to take on any more for a while. As a matter of fact, he may just take a trip and purchase an acre or so in Baja California.
Chapter Eight
It had taken Sully three days of trekking around Rosarito Beach with a real estate agent before he found the perfect place. His home in Glendale sat inland, perched on a hill, and he had originally thought he’d like to purchase a small ranch in the country; however, as soon as he saw the oceanfront villas, he changed his mind. The one he settled on was a two-story villa, with three bedrooms and lots of glass windows showcasing a magnificent view of the Pacific. It had a private pool, and the deck opened onto the beach. And most of all, it reminded him of Harper and their Barefoot Bay rendezvous.
Barefoot Bay: Come Sail Away (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 5