“AJ,” Milly hissed, reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Yes, beautiful?”
“Fuck. Me.” She added a smile after the rough command, but he knew she was serious.
“You want more?”
“So much more.” Milly tried to rock her hips as though she was proving her point.
AJ gave in, sliding in deep, then grinding against her so that his pelvis pressed against her clit.
Milly’s eyes rolled back in her head and she moaned softly. “Just. Like. That.”
AJ retreated and her eyes shot open. He smiled down at her.
“You’re a very mean man, Aaron James Ballard.”
He chuckled, then drove in deep and hard.
Milly screamed, her nails digging into his back.
“Is that what you wanted?”
“Yes.”
He did it again.
“And don’t you dare stop,” she commanded.
This woman was amazing. She was funny, smart, sassy. Not to mention, so fucking beautiful it hurt to look at her. He liked that she didn’t take too many things seriously, although he could tell by the way she interacted with her friends that she had a heart of gold and would move heaven and earth for those in her inner circle.
Suddenly, AJ wanted to be the center of that circle.
Leaning down, AJ pressed his lips to hers. “Hold on to me, beautiful. Because I’m about to make you scream.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, cowboy,” she said with a grin. Her arms tightened around his neck, her legs around his hips.
“Never, baby. And you’re about to learn that firsthand.” With that, AJ proceeded to show her.
Twice.
*
Milly woke up the next morning cuddled up to AJ. Before opening her eyes, she took stock of a couple of things. Namely her emotions and her physical state.
Her body ached in the most delicious way, thanks to AJ’s phenomenal skills in the sack. Her mind, on the other hand, was slightly off-kilter. She felt as though she’d been thrown from a moving vehicle, then hit by a truck, and now she had to figure out which way was up.
Admittedly, Milly didn’t usually have a lot of morning-after emotions. She prepared herself to be disappointed, and she usually was.
“Mornin’, beautiful,” AJ whispered, pulling her in tighter to his body.
Disappointment was not what she was thinking right then.
“Morning.” She sighed, realizing she was far too content. Throwing AJ out of her room wasn’t something she was even considering, although it probably should’ve been.
“Mmm.” Milly felt the hard length of AJ’s divine cock pressing against her ass. “You’re rather excited to see me this morning.”
AJ chuckled. “More than you know.”
She stiffened in his arms, then prayed he hadn’t noticed. Milly was enjoying the casualness of this thing she and AJ had. She would be lying if she said she didn’t want to explore it more in depth during their remaining time on the ship. But she had to remember to keep her guard up. There was something about AJ Ballard that got under her skin. And the last thing she wanted was to walk away from this with a broken heart.
“So, what do you say—” Whatever AJ was about to ask was cut off by someone knocking on her cabin door.
Grabbing the sheet, Milly tugged it from the bed and draped it around her before she padded over to see who was there. She opened it enough to peek out, smiling when she noticed her stepbrother standing in the hallway.
“Good morning,” Noah greeted, a wide grin on his face.
Not at all embarrassed that her stepbrother had caught her with her hand in the cookie jar so to speak, Milly smiled back. “I hope you’re here to bring me breakfast.”
“I can. I was just going down to get something for Dare.”
Really? That sounded promising. Looked as though her plan to hook Dare and Noah up had worked.
Realizing AJ was still watching her from the bed, Milly hugged the sheet closer to her chest. She lifted one eyebrow, hoping Noah would get on with it.
Noah leaned close, his voice low when he said, “Is someone in there with you?”
She might’ve blushed just a little. “Maybe.”
“Do I even want to know?”
“Probably not.”
“Do you want me to bring you breakfast? For two?”
Milly glanced over her shoulder at the sexy, naked man in her bed. “No, I think we’re good. Thanks, though.”
“I would say be good, but I think that’s no longer an option.”
Milly giggled. “I’d have to agree with you.” She couldn’t even bring herself to be embarrassed that she had shagged the sexy bad boy last night. “Oh, and for the record, I no longer need to see Cam’s pierced penis. I now have a firsthand experience under my belt.”
Noah’s eyes widened as though he could’ve lived the rest of his life without hearing that. Milly laughed, then closed the door. She turned back to AJ.
“Firsthand experience, huh?” he teased.
“Yep. But I’m not sure I had enough time checking out that piercing last night.”
“Yeah?”
The man’s body was a temple. One she wanted to worship at for the rest of the trip. Of course, it would have to end there, but until then, why couldn’t she have a little fun?
Later that night…
Milly sat beside AJ while they watched a movie under the stars. About fifteen feet in front of her, she noticed Dare and Noah were doing the same. At first she’d been surprised to see them there, had even been tempted to go join them, but she’d decided against it when she’d seen Noah take Dare’s hand.
Although she had stuck her nose where it didn’t belong when it came to Gannon and Cam, Milly knew she couldn’t do the same with these two. Then again, based on how cozy they were, she probably didn’t need to. Her talk with Noah yesterday had been enlightening—probably for him as much as for her. No doubt in her mind, the man had feelings for Dare.
For a brief moment, she wondered what that felt like. To be reunited with someone from your past, someone who’d left such a huge mark on your life…
She dared a glance at AJ and smiled to herself.
Last night, they’d had a few too many drinks and things had happened. This morning, when she’d awoken to find him still in her bed, she’d been a little surprised. But it had been a good surprise.
Granted, she absolutely did not see this going anywhere at all, despite how much she had enjoyed his pierced penis. But it hadn’t all been about mind-blowing orgasms. They’d had plenty to talk about, because oddly they had a lot in common, but Milly continued to keep her heart guarded. She knew there was no long term where AJ was concerned. He was a good guy, a gentleman. He had a full-time job, a house, and from their conversations, he had aspirations.
Those were qualities that men who were looking for long term with her tended to lack, and she’d learned to deal with that over the years. In essence, AJ was too much of a grown-up for her, and there was no reason she was going to get her hopes up.
So, she’d passively suggested they enjoy their time together while they were on the ship, making light of any kind of future. For a brief instant, she’d thought she’d seen a little regret in AJ’s eyes, but she didn’t know him well enough to be sure.
Not that it mattered. Her focus wasn’t on herself and she didn’t plan for it to be. They had two more days before Gannon and Cam tied the knot, and truth be told, she simply wanted to get to that day. She wanted to watch her best friend marry the love of his life. It made her heart swell to think of the love those two men shared for one another.
She peeked over at AJ once more.
Maybe one day she would be lucky enough to find that.
But she definitely wasn’t holding her breath.
Four
Time to say goodbye
It was the last day of the cruise and AJ wasn’t ready for it to be over. He’d spent
every night in Milly’s bed, hours inside her luscious body, and the mere thought of having to go back to his mundane life didn’t sit well with him.
Every minute that Milly wasn’t engrossed in taking care of things for the wedding, as well as the wedding itself, AJ had found a way to slip into her sights, ensuring they had more time together. And they were having a good time. Granted, a lot of that was naked time, but so what. Both parties were willing, so he didn’t see an issue with that.
Unfortunately, wishful thinking only went so far, because AJ could already feel Milly pulling away. She wasn’t distant exactly, but she was certainly more uptight than previous days. He wanted to think she didn’t like the idea of going back to shore and separating from him, but he wasn’t sure that was the case.
However, he wasn’t about to dwell on it, because that would ruin what little time they did have left.
After checking in with Hudson, AJ went in search of Milly. He found her on the upper deck, staring out over the inky-black water. The moon was up, offering more than enough light to see by and AJ took a moment to look his fill. Milly was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever laid eyes on. Long blond hair, bright blue eyes, a rocking body that she outfitted to highlight every phenomenal asset. But AJ knew it wasn’t only her outward appearance but also the warm heart and sassy sense of humor that made her the whole package.
He took a chance and moved up behind her, closing her in between his body and the rail.
“What’re you doin’ out here all alone?” he whispered when he leaned in close to her ear.
He inhaled her, intoxicated by her sweet, fresh scent. He wasn’t sure if it was her hair or her perfume, but he loved the way she smelled.
“Just enjoying what’s left of the trip.”
“The hard part’s over, huh?”
Milly leaned back against him. “It is. And I’m tired.”
“I can imagine.” She had been going nonstop since the first afternoon he’d seen her. They hadn’t gotten much sleep at night and then she was always right back up in the morning, moving a million miles a minute.
Milly turned her head back to look up at him. “It’s our last night. What do you say we make the most of it?”
“What’d you have in mind?”
She turned in his arms, smiling up at him. “Well, I was thinking we could get naked, then maybe take a shower.”
“Hmm.” AJ couldn’t come up with a single argument. “I could probably be coerced into getting wet.”
Milly chuckled, then pulled back and took his hand.
A few minutes later, they slipped into her cabin, and the moment the door closed, AJ pressed her up against the wall, slamming his lips to hers. He wasn’t sure what the urgency was, but he felt as though he had to make the most of this time with her.
Milly’s arms slipped around his neck as she held on to him, her tongue working his with the same eagerness AJ felt churning in his veins.
It didn’t take long before they were both undressed, still standing near the door. He’d had the forethought to grab a condom before he discarded his shorts. Within seconds, he was sheathed. He hefted her up so that her legs wrapped around him. Without prolonging the torture any longer than necessary, AJ aligned their bodies and helped her sink down on him.
A deep, guttural growl escaped him when the warmth of her pussy enveloped his cock. She was so hot, so wet, and the pure pleasure she brought him was something he would never forget.
He broke the kiss and stared into her eyes as he drove deep inside her. He wanted her to feel him. Not just his cock, but all of him. There was something between them that couldn’t be denied. Sure, it could’ve merely been phenomenal sex, but AJ didn’t think so.
“Fuck, Milly,” he moaned as her inner muscles locked around him. “You feel so good. So perfect.”
Milly bucked against him, trying to take him deeper. Standing up wasn’t the easiest position to be in, but he didn’t want to move, didn’t want to dislodge from her body for even a second.
He caught sight of the low dresser in his peripheral vision and came up with a plan. He took the few steps required to get to it before resting her ass on the top. Bracketing her body with his arms, AJ plunged deeper, then withdrew slowly. Minutes passed as he fucked her, their eyes locked as their combined moans and sighs filled the room.
Reaching between them, AJ found her clit with his thumb. He worked her into a frenzy as he continued to slide in and out of her pussy, his cock so fucking hard he hurt. He was past the point of delirium, completely drunk on this woman.
“AJ!” Milly’s nails dug into his arms as she held on to him. “I’m … gonna…” Her head tipped back as she screamed.
The sound shot straight to his balls, igniting his release. It barreled through him in a punishing rush, drawing a ragged groan from his throat as he succumbed to the brutality of it.
He kept his eyes locked on her face as he fought to get air into his overworked lungs. He wanted to tell her he had every intention of seeing her once they were back in Texas, but he didn’t. The words wouldn’t come.
Instead, he smiled. “You mentioned a shower?”
Her answering grin was radiant. “I did.”
“I say we get that out of the way and do that again.”
Milly chuckled. “I could probably be persuaded to get wet.”
Damn.
This woman was something else.
*
The next day
Milly woke early, slipping out of bed while AJ was still asleep. She spent some time on the balcony, letting the warm breeze wash over her as she fought the urge to do something completely insane.
This past week had been amazing. More so because she’d spent every night with AJ in her bed, curled up around her, making her feel safe. Which was the biggest problem. Milly knew deep down no man was capable of making her feel safe. Her personal experience left her weary of all men, especially the bad-boy types who could rock a woman’s body in the bedroom. Generally, they were useless outside of it.
On the other hand, Milly wanted nothing more than to tell AJ how she felt, to admit that she would like to see him again once they were back home. In her fantasy, AJ would take her words with relief and agree that they should continue to see each other once they were back in the real world.
However, Milly knew she wouldn’t tell him and he wouldn’t reciprocate. She’d long ago stopped setting herself up for failure. This had been a vacation fling. An affair that would end as soon as they were on dry land. That was how it was supposed to work, right? They had enjoyed the time they had and any attempt to extend it would only ruin the phenomenal memories of the past few days.
Milly didn’t want to cause any issues. Considering AJ was Hudson’s brother and she would likely have to see him in the future at some point, she knew she had to end this on good terms. No sense dragging it out until she ended up with a broken heart. At that point, they would part on bad terms, which would ultimately cause problems for her friends. That was the last thing she wanted.
As every second passed, getting them closer and closer to the end of the trip, Milly felt her heart squeeze. It was as though there was a band around it, the real world in control, making it harder and harder to breathe as it tightened.
But she had to look at this rationally. It wasn’t like she’d gone and fallen in love with AJ. That wasn’t possible. They’d only spent a few days together. Even if the sex was incredible, that didn’t mean it would result in a happy every after.
That was the same thing she told herself with every guy she encountered. And there had been many. Not that she was entirely proud of that, but Milly wasn’t a prude. She knew what she wanted, and although she never got it, that hadn’t stopped her from trying.
In the past.
The new Milly—the smart, adult version—wasn’t naive enough to believe that great sex led to a relationship.
That didn’t mean she and AJ couldn’t be friends. She would be cordial to him. Ma
ybe one day they’d be able to attend a function at the same time. Perhaps something at the marina. If she could put some space between them now, it would reduce the risk of things being awkward in the future.
She heard the sound of the door opening behind her and her heart skipped a beat.
“Good morning,” AJ greeted when he moved up behind her.
Milly turned in his arms and smiled up at his handsome, sleepy face. “Good morning. Looks like it’s back to dry land for us today.”
His gaze slid to the horizon and she knew he could see it the same as she could. The trip was over, they would be leaving the ship within a couple of hours, and all of this would become a pleasant memory.
Standing on tiptoe, Milly kissed his scruffy cheek. “I have to start packing my stuff.” She smiled brightly. “You probably should, too.”
AJ’s beautiful green eyes met hers. “Yeah. I guess so.”
Not wanting to prolong the inevitable, Milly slid around him and headed back into the cabin.
“Milly.”
She didn’t turn around to look at him. She couldn’t. If she did, she feared she would waver. Since that was the worst idea in the world, Milly kept her attention on the door, her hand on the knob. “Hmm?”
“I…” AJ sighed heavily. “I had a great time.”
Ignoring her heart, Milly glanced over her shoulder. “Me, too.”
More than he would ever know.
Five
Crickets…
Three weeks later, June
Sitting in the airport terminal, AJ glanced at his phone screen. Well, glared was a more apt description. He wanted to incinerate the damn thing with his eyeballs and pretend the phone was at fault for Milly not responding to him for the past three weeks.
Not once since they returned to shore had Milly answered any of his texts or his phone calls.
He hit the button to pull up the text message thread that he’d been adding to day after day. He scrolled up to the first one, sent the night they had gotten back to Texas.
Hey, just checking in. Wanted to make sure you got home all right.
Clueless (Pier 70, 5) Page 3