by MK Schiller
“Want me to teach you how to surf?”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak and break up this moment. I wanted to ask him how we were here. A place like this had to cost a fortune.
“I’m going to start the laundry,” he said.
“I’ll help.”
“I got it. Enjoy the view.”
I walked around, taking in the house. There was a wall of guitars interspersed with gold albums. I gaped at the name written there.
“Evan…is this…is this his house?”
“Yeah, I filled in for his guitarist last minute. He owed me a favor. I cashed in.”
“You played with him?”
Evan nodded.
“You’ve played with a lot of famous people, haven’t you?”
“It’s not a big deal. They’re not much different from us.”
I remembered what Tilla said about him being offered contracts. “Didn’t you ever want any of that limelight for yourself?”
He shook his head. “It’s never been about fame for me. I just wanted to play music. I’m happiest when I have a guitar in my hand. If people like it, then that’s an added bonus.”
“People love it. You’re talented.”
“Thank you, but I’ve heard that whole, ‘you could have been something special’ for a long time. I know my choices don’t always make sense, but they are the right ones for me.”
I frowned, taking his hand, waiting until he looked at me. “That’s not what I meant. Evan. I would never tell you that you could have been something special because the fact is that you are something special.”
He pulled me against him. “So are you, Billie Marie.”
* * * *
Watching Evan look at Orange Beach was heart-melting. But watching him surf, balancing his body on a board while he floated across the water like an extension of it, was heart-soaring. God, he was beautiful in black board trunks that came just above his knees. His tan skin glistened against the high sun as he moved on top of the wave, riding it to its slow crash. I straddled my board tighter as he paddled toward me.
“What does it feel like when you do that?”
“It feels like I control everything and surrender to it too. It’s exciting and yet I’m at peace. Does that make sense?”
“It does.”
“I think that wave’s calling to you,” he said, jerking his head to where the water started to swell.
“Really?”
“Go catch it, sunshine.”
I lay belly-down on my board, paddling to it as fast as I could. The wave was bigger than any I’d attempted that day. My legs were shaky as I stood. I rode it—or rather it rode me. Either way it was spectacular and exhilarating until the wall of water tumbled down, smothering me. I fought against the current, kicking my way back to the surface, but it was strong. The salt water filled my mouth and burned my eyes. I started panicking—the very thing you’re not supposed to do.
Strong hands grasped my waist and pulled me up.
I coughed and spluttered.
“Just breathe, Price,” he said, holding me steady.
I heard my heart beating loud like a warning drum. Then I realized it was his. I pulled away, putting my hand over it. “Are you okay?”
“I misjudged the wave. I should never have let you ride it.”
“I’m good. Thank you for jumping in after me.”
“You think I was gonna let you drown?”
He pushed the hair away from my face. The anxiety in his expression worried me. “Look at me, Evan. I. Am. Fine.”
I moved toward my board but it wasn’t there anymore.
“It’s lost,” he said. “I took the strap off your ankle when I pulled you up.”
“We should find it.”
“No, let it go,” he said, pulling me back. “I need to hold you right now.”
I embraced him, treading my feet against his. I went limp against his body, the exhaustion setting in. My naked breasts against his chest…shit.
“I lost my top too.”
“I noticed.”
I peered over his shoulder, searching the blue depths for my bikini top.
“You’re never going to find it in there.”
“You’re right. It’s too deep.”
“That’s not why. You won’t find it because I have it.” He chuckled, bringing his hand out of the water. I stared as he twirled my apple green bikini top. I reached for it, but he pulled back.
“Seriously?”
He swam backwards. “You expect me just to hand it over? C’mon, play with me. Try to get it.”
I swam toward him, but the boy was like a fish. Finally, I lay flat on my stomach on his board and paddled toward the shore.
“Where you going?”
“Back to the house to get a shirt.”
“This is a public beach. You can’t walk out there topless.”
“Watch me.” I turned back. “You can keep the top, too. It’s the closest you’re getting to my boobs tonight.”
Something was after me, splashing with all the chaos of a million simultaneous belly-flops. He caught my foot, stalling my progress.
He gripped the edge of the board. We almost flipped when he got on behind me.
“Put it on.”
“Nope.”
“Please…shit, I can’t believe you got me begging you to put on clothes.”
I slid it on. He snapped the back.
“Ouch.”
“Just making sure it’s secure.”
I moved forward on the board, making more room for him. He placed a protective arm around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder.
“Tired?” he asked.
“Exhausted but exhilarated too.”
“Yeah, me too.”
He turned the board around away from the land. He cradled me in his arms as we watched the sun leisurely dip into the horizon.
“I can’t believe I’m looking at something this beautiful.”
“Me either,” he said. When I titled my head back, he was looking at me.
“I called my mom today.”
“Oh yeah, how is she?”
“Good. Everyone’s fine. I had something to tell her.”
“What’s that?”
“That I’m not craving chocolate as much as I used to.”
“Does that mean something?”
“To me it does.”
I said a silent prayer that it did to him too.
Chapter Thirty-One
I lay on my belly reading. I felt his hands first as they ran across the backs of my bare legs and over my bottom. He was fresh from the shower, the clean scent of soap washed over me as he pushed up the hem of my T-shirt and rubbed my back.
“What are you reading?” he asked, kissing my shoulder.
“A romance novel.”
“Is there fucking?”
“Yes, loads of it. Crazy monkey sex.”
Evan’s low rumble of laughter was more sensual than anything in the book. “Are you at one of those crazy monkey sex scenes now?”
“Nope.”
“Want to be?”
I tilted my head. His eyes had that lustful quality that triggered all my hedonistic tendencies. “Yes, please.”
I sat up and took off my T-shirt. He slid my legs back so I was flat on my belly again. His fingers grazed my skin as he took off my panties.
He straddled my back, kneading my shoulders and arms. Then he stretched my arms back.
“What are you doing?”
“Stretching is really important, Billie Marie. I don’t want you to get hurt. Don’t be scared.”
“I wasn’t until you said that.”
“You remember your safe word?”
“Yes, do you?”
He was quiet for a second before he chuckled. “Now I get why you said chocolate when I tried to call you.”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll be listening better this time. Relax for me.”
I laid my head on
the pillow while his touch aroused each muscle. He traced my spine with his tongue all the way down, licking my lower back. He rubbed my ass in a slow circular motion. And his finger…
“Where is your finger?” I asked, tensing up.
“Where do you think? Why don’t we narrate for a minute? It might help you get more comfortable.”
“Okay. She wondered where his finger was…and oh God, now his tongue.”
“Original,” he said dryly.
“I’m having a hard time being creative right now.”
“You’ve never done this?”
“No.”
“I figured.”
He rubbed my bottom again, kissing his way across it. “Billie Marie, I ask you with the utmost respect if I may take your back end virtue.”
I debated for a second but his tongue moved again. I forgot what I was supposed to be debating in the first place.
“Yes.”
I could feel the press of his smile against my ass. “I’m going to go slow, but if you want me to change it up then speak up. Say faster, slower or stop in this case. Got it?”
“Faster, slower or stop. I got it.”
“Good girl. I’m going to help you narrate. We’ll do it together.”
I made an affirmative squeak, letting Evan’s seductive voice carry me.
“He knew this was taboo for her. As much as she trusted him with her body, she was nervous about this.”
I moaned as his finger penetrated me. “Despite that, she did have a carnal curiosity.”
“He wanted to satisfy that curiosity. But he’d be gentle. He’d let her set the pace. He’d walk whatever line she marked. It wouldn’t be easy for him. He’d admired her beautiful ass for such a long time. He wanted to show her that everything he did to her was in the pursuit of pleasure.”
He licked me again. The bed dipped as he got on his knees. He put an arm under me, lifting me until I was on my knees too. He used lube…lots of it. The penetration wasn’t as bad as I thought.
“Ready for more?”
Holy hard-on. He wasn’t all the way in?
“Yes,” I managed between pants.
He rubbed my back as his cock went deeper. He kissed my shoulders. I felt his fullness as it enveloped me.
“You feel so fucking good,” he whispered in my ear. I needed his dirty talk right now. He traced the shell of my ear before placing a strand of hair behind it.
He pushed my legs farther apart and moved slowly, as he’d promised. Each of his grunts signaled a yearning to move forward with more conviction. I wanted to go with him. I gripped the bed sheets in my hand with such force that the fitted sheet unfitted itself.
“Faster,” I panted.
His rhythm quickened. Evan’s arms tightened on my hips. I began enjoying it. Especially the way he groaned my name with each thrust. The way his lips trailed down my back. His hands came up my sides and cupped my breasts, pulling my back against his chest.
“You still with me?”
“Yes…oh yes, Evan.”
I turned my head and met his lips, getting drunk on them. He massaged my clit, sending my body into shivers.
I looked into his eyes. His expression held me in a trance.
“Fastest.”
He stopped moving and shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”
“I want it.”
He stared at me as if he wanted confirmation. “I’m sure.”
A wicked smile flickered over his face. “Put your head down on the pillow, Billie Marie.”
Confirmation achieved.
I rested my face into the pillow.
“No, baby, head to the side. And bring your arms around your back.”
As I got into position, I realized this was much like a policeman’s hold. Was he arresting me? He bent over me, biting my shoulder softly while caressing my hair.
He sat back on his legs, clasping my wrists tightly in each of his hands. He stretched my arms all the way back. I shut my eyes. The steadiness of his pace increased slowly. His groans signaled a yearning. They quickened along with his pace until he couldn’t hold back. He propelled, using my own arms for leverage to deepen his thrusts. I let out a scream that lived in that perfect realm between pain and pleasure.
“Billie?”
“Don’t stop.”
He didn’t. My body was drenched in sweat. His was dripping. The rapid pace, the risqué position, the tender way he said my name all brought me to a higher place. He didn’t fuck me or make love to me. Evan ravished me—and I loved being ravished.
I felt the waves of pleasure take me. He pulled me back against his chest again, a chest that was now slick. He cupped my chin, moving my mouth toward his.
His breaths were harsh. His words were harsher. Three simple words that complicated all my hopes and cast shadows of doubt on everything we’d shared.
“Heat on high. That’s what we are, baby.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
The air in Chicago felt different. The breeze, laced with an underlying crispness, created an uneasy feeling. Evan and I didn’t talk about that night. But I was sure he knew how hurt I was by his ‘heat on high’ comment. Nothing sexier, or more meaningful, than comparing a girl to a microwave meal. He gave me so many mixed signals—if Evan Wright were a traffic light, he’d cause a massive pile-up.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked, coming through his window with a bowl for Buddy in his hand. The dark night made him nothing more than a shadow. “It’s cold.”
“Just thinking,” I said, twirling the stem of a leaf in my hand.
“Need a penny, or will you share freely?”
I brought my legs up to my chest, encircling my arms around them. “I went out with Mike today. We bought Tilla’s gift.”
He sat next to me. “What did y’all get her?”
“You’ll see.”
“It’s not my anniversary. You don’t have to keep it a secret from me.”
“Since you didn’t come with us, you’ll have to wait and see.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t go. I had errands.”
“Where do you go on your errands?”
He clasped his hands together, staring at the starless sky. “To the cemetery. You already knew that though.”
“The whole time?”
“I work out too, at a gym.” Well, one look at his body and that was clear. “Sometimes I go for long ride or to the park to read. Mostly, I just think about things.”
He went to the park to read? Why didn’t he invite me? That right there was my idea of a perfect day. The park on a nice day, lying on Evan with a book in my hand. Careful, Billie…you’re treading dangerous waters.
“What do you think about?” The dangerous waters got higher as a wave washed over me, choking me.
He sighed. “Things.” He stared at my hand. “What’s that?”
He thought he was changing the subject. He wasn’t.
“This fell right at my feet today.”
“You’re collecting leaves now?”
“Just this one. It’s a golden leaf. Used to be a glossy green once. It turned.”
“Are you asking me when I’m leaving?”
“I’m asking you if you’re leaving.”
“Yes.”
I shut my eyes tightly, hoping it would hold the tears back.
He took my hand, squeezing it, running his thumb against my palm. “Billie, I can have that conversation with you and tell you all those things to try to make this better, but it would sound like excuses. The bottom line is that I’m not cut out to stay in one place. I’m not cut out for…” He looked at me, struggling for the words, but he left the sentence, much like our relationship, incomplete. “Forgive me.”
“When?”
“Four days.”
Four days? I suddenly hated the number four. Loathed it. Despised it. Wanted to strike it from the English language, and all numerical computation.
I squeezed his hand ba
ck. I told myself not to hold it against him. He’d given me ample warnings. He cupped my face, wiping the tear that escaped with his thumb. I wanted to ask him a millions questions, but this wasn’t the right time. He didn’t think he deserved happiness. I knew what I had to do—prove Evan Wright was very, very wrong.
Chapter Thirty-Three
I cracked the door a tiny inch so I could peer through it.
“We shouldn’t be spying,” Evan said.
“Shhh…I want to see her reaction.”
It was an hour before bar opening. I’d wrapped white twinkling lights to the ceiling and made sure everything was shiny.
“What are we doing here, Mike? Please don’t tell me someone called in and we have to work,” Tilla said as they entered. She’d done her hair differently and wore makeup. I hoped he’d told her she looked beautiful. It made my heart sigh. “The lights are nice.”
“Every star shines for you.”
She gave him a demure glance over her shoulder. “Okay, what’s going on, Casanova?”
“Your gift is here,” he said, not taking his eyes off her.
He guided her to the corner where the jukebox stood, all lit up with a big red bow adorning it.
“You got this for the bar. It’s beautiful.” There was a bit of disappointment in her voice.
“Unwrap it.”
She pulled the ribbon. Mike caught the silver rattle before it hit the floor. He shook it before handing it to her.
“A rattle?”
“That’s not for you.”
“Are you saying you want to have a baby?”
Wow, I didn’t know that was going to happen.
“We can’t. The bar and—”
“Sweetheart, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you and I can do anything, as long as we’re together.”
She hugged him. I closed the door. I shouldn’t be spying. Evan smiled at me and patted his lap. Although things were difficult between us, my body always yearned to be close to his. I sat there and he wrapped his arms around me. The music started.
Evan tilted his head. “This is their song.”
“Every song in the jukebox is their song. Mike picked out all the music.”