Undertow: A compilation of short beach stories

by Patricia A. Knight

  “You’re awake?” Right on cue, Aeron stirs behind me and strokes my shoulder with his fingers.

  “Yes, it’s very bright in here.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t set the blinds last night. Someone was a welcomed distraction.” He rolls away to grab a black remote from his side of the bed and presses a button. Dark blinds descend on the larger windows of the room, blocking out the morning sun. “Better?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “Coffee?”

  “Um, yes, please.”

  “Stay in bed. I’ll go and grab us a cup.”

  “Thank you.”

  He kisses me softly and gently nips at my lips before he leaves the bedroom.

  I stare around the now darkened bedroom. The chair at the end of the room calls to me and I leave the warmth of the covers to sit in it. I try and imagine how Aeron saw me last night, confident and happy to do as he pleased, uninhibited by touching myself and letting him fuck me.

  I wanted this. I wanted to feel... something. The first time I saw him, my mind immediately set on this path and now that it’s been followed, I’m not sure. What do I want? I think about my life back home. That’s what I’ve always known. Always wanted. Having a one-night stand isn’t going to change that. But surely last night wasn’t just a one-night stand? Having a connection like we did isn’t usual. Hell, I never even experienced that with Jim and we were married for years.

  Everything felt so easy with Aeron. I didn’t need to think. I felt, and what I felt was incredible. I’d never known I could react like I did. It was liberating. My heart beats harder at the remembered emotions. Being honest with myself, it was so much more than two people having sex. At least that’s what I felt last night.

  But that isn’t me. I only allowed myself to do all those things because it was a one-night stand. I’m not like this. I’m emotionally controlled, logical and organised. I plan. I’m not spontaneous. I need to focus on why I’m back in town and concentrate on that. Picking up my clothes, I pull them back on and sit awkwardly on the edge of the bed, now uncomfortable with what I’m going to say to Aeron.

  Thankfully, he’s back with coffee, but he wears an expectant look on his face, almost challenging me. He puts the coffee down on the lone surface in the room—next to his bed—and crosses his arms, waiting for an explanation.

  “Thank you. Last night was wonderful, but I need to get back. I’ve got a lot of things to sort out while I’m here.” I stand up and walk toward the bed. My words sound cruel and harsh when I want them to be soft and thankful.

  “That’s not what you said last night. You told me you didn’t have plans.”

  “I know, but it’s Monday and I have things I have to do.”

  “I thoroughly enjoyed last night. I especially enjoyed you. Can’t we spend time together afterwards?”

  His handsome face beams at me and I’m lost to him. But my serious head has already taken the lead. I don’t need the complications of being emotionally involved with a man that I have to leave at the end of a week. Dealing with the death of my mother is hard enough. I bury the simmering feelings for this man and put my armour back on. I can’t let him distract me.

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Thank you for showing me the house.” I try and stand my ground. Part of me questions my decision. Last night was beyond my wildest dreams.

  “I’m sorry you feel that way. I thought I saw something in you, a woman desperate to give in to what she wants. Obviously I was wrong.”

  “Hold on a minute. Who gives you the right to talk to me that way? You don’t know me. At all. Or what I have to deal with. I never promised you anything other than last night.”

  My anger is front and centre now, directed straight at him. Aeron’s attitude has changed as well. His laid back, relaxed demeanour has vanished. He stands taller, stalks me across the room, slowly circling me. His face is harsh and aggression rolls off him. It’s sexy as hell. My anticipation heightens and I can feel my pussy dampen. What will he do to me in this mood?

  “Don’t run from me, Tori,” he growls, circling like a shark.

  “I’m not running.” All my bravado from a moment ago has evaporated. Residual desire flickers through me.

  “Doesn’t look like it to me. Last night was not a mistake. Nothing about last night was a mistake and I want to see you again.” He stalks around me. I’m pinned next to the bed, stranded. “If you’re so content to limit our involvement to a one-night stand, I think I’d better take my fill of you now.”

  His comment has me whimpering with need. Like last night, having all of this man’s attention focused on me is more erotic than anything I’ve experienced before. He’s watching me, heating my body with his mere presence, making me feel vulnerable yet sexy. It’s both foreign and heady and the combination is potent. I don’t answer him. Reading him, I’m positive he was stating his intentions, telling me what is going to happen. His dominance ignites my blood.

  “I’m still going to watch you, Tori. I’m going to watch you in the mirror as I sink my dick into your wet pussy and see the pleasure on your face. I’m going to watch your body twist and bend to my will and enjoy seeing you desperate for what I’m going to give to you.”

  Fuck! No one has ever talked like that to me before. Just like last night, I’m intoxicated.

  “Do you want to say no?”

  He challenges me and I don’t have the strength or the desire to fight him. Liquid heat pools in my knickers. This is what I want. I don’t answer him. Stepping closer, he arches an eyebrow, daring me to say yes.

  “No.”

  Finally, he’s close enough for me to see his eyes. The aggression I was feeling is rooted in those steely greys. It’s yet more enticement for me and I mentally beg him to take me. Our eyes lock and all the passion and the lust that has been swirling beneath the surface explodes as he launches for me. His lips crash against mine. His body slams into me, and he locks my head in his grasp, rough and wild. Aeron’s stubble scrapes my cheek and I pant at his onslaught.

  He strips me of the clothes I took off for him last night, discarding them in a puddle on the floor in his rush to run his hands over my skin. More kisses, more hands. He throws me back onto the bed, removes his jeans, and then climbs over me. His ripped chest and abdomen press me into the mattress and my willing body softens under him. Teeth and lips kiss and bite at my throat, breasts and stomach before he leans up over me. Gripping my hips, he flips me over and I gasp in shock. He grabs my hair and pulls my head up so I’m looking toward the head of the bed. I see myself in a full-length mirror.

  “You’re going to watch in that mirror as I fuck you. I’m going to watch your face as you come at my command. Understand?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good girl.” He leans over to his bedside table for what I hope is a condom. Then he pulls my hips up and positions his knees, spreading my legs further apart. I shudder as the hard head of his cock sweeps through my engorged lips. All my nerves are on edge, anticipating what this will feel like, to be taken in such an animalistic way. And then that glorious stretch begins as he sinks inside of me.

  “Argghh,” I moan as he hilts himself. My scalp prickles as he grabs my hair again, lifting my head so I can see this erotic sight in the mirror. It’s at the end of the room, but the figures in the reflection look lost in passion. The glorious man dominating his female, ruthless in claiming her body for his pleasure. The same spark I felt when he watched me last night returns with rigour. It courses through my veins, and my pussy clenches around his cock.

  I watch as Aeron thrusts into me, harder and deeper, jolting my body forward and making my breasts sway. I’m mesmerised and can’t keep my eyes away from the woman in the mirror. My orgasm tightens in my stomach and I want to lose myself to it. I know I won’t be able to keep watching as my climax sweeps through me. I want to keep watching—watching this magnificent man control my body, command me.

  As the ripples start between my thighs, I
hear his growls. Our eyes lock in the mirror as my climax teeters on the edge.

  “Fuck, Tori... Come.”

  I can’t stop my eyes from closing and my orgasm pulls my body into a dark spiral. Aeron’s hands sink into the flesh of my hips. His thighs pin my legs, and his cock thrusts for the last time into my quivering pussy. God, it’s more intense than last night—more vivid, more erotic. Something inside of me shifts. Watching Aeron possess my body awakens an extraordinary feeling inside of me. My body and my heart recognise it. He owns me. Never in a million years could I fathom that I would want to feel that way... until Aeron.

  I breathe hard, my arms ready to give out as Aeron leans his weight onto my back. I collapse into the covers. He kisses my hair and my shoulder as he eases out of me before he flops down on the bed next to me.

  “God, Tori. Please don’t tell me this is still a one-night thing. That was incredible. I know you felt it, too.”

  His words are soft and warm. Calming. Gone is the rough, aggressive Aeron who crashed into me. His moods seem to change as quickly as the weather. But it pulls me to him further. This man fascinates me and that is a dangerous position to be in.

  “So?”

  “So what?” My voice is soft and I can hear the satisfaction humming through it. I’m cocooned in a special place at the moment and I don’t want to break the spell. If I admit that I do want to spend more time with him, I will be conceding some part of myself to him. It sounds ridiculous, but this is something entirely new to me. Jim did more damage to me then I want to believe. I’ve locked myself away from any form of emotion over the past several years. To spend more time with Aeron would mean I’d have to feel again. I open my eyes and look into his face and the warmth that is shining at me brings back the thoughts on the beach. I need to do something for me, to have time for me. Why can’t I enjoy Aeron while I’m here? Have fun, not over analyse it and try?

  “I want to spend more time with you, Tori. Is that such a bad thing?” He nuzzles into the side of my neck and gentle waves of arousal wash over my limbs. I am sated, satisfied beyond belief, yet one small kiss and the sweep of his tongue have me wanting him again.

  “I’m leaving for London on Saturday morning.”

  “So we have all week to enjoy each other.” He smiles at me and his honesty is evident in all of his features. He’s softer, calmer now, a complete change from the Aeron that I’ve been with up until now.

  “Shall we try coffee again?”

  “Yes, please,” I giggle at him as he moves from the bed to pull on his jeans, leaving me in bed for the second time.

  Chapter Five

  As I walk back along the shore to the white house, the afternoon sun plays hide and seek behind the clouds. The first day dealing with all of the paperwork after Mum’s death, plus meeting the estate agent, was worse than I had expected, but the stress of the day dissipates with every step. Moving closer to Aeron calms me.

  Aeron and I agreed I will see him this week with the firm understanding it won’t lead anywhere. When this week is over, so are we. I’ll go back to my job, still in control of my life. I can’t let a man interfere with my career, not when the divorce is still fresh in my mind. My life needs to be simple and focused on what it always has been focused on. My job.

  My desires can rule for this week, as long as it’s for this week only.

  I close the distance to the hidden path and wisps of excitement dance up my spine as I think of Aeron waiting in his study, watching for me through his telescope. The end of the beach is deserted and I slow my pace. Kicking out my hip, I add a deliberate sway to my steps. I play with the bottom of my blouse, becoming the coquettish persona Aeron has awakened within me. I stop for effect and stare up to his window, inviting his eyes to follow my hand as I trail it down my neck to the first button on my blouse. I pop it open and move to the next, pulling the fabric aside to reveal my full breasts spilling out of my demi-cup bra.

  I run my finger down to my cleavage in a blatant enticement. I imagine his eyes riveted to the swell of my flesh and smile in triumph. I walk toward the path and hopefully, an eager Aeron.

  * * *

  “Did you like teasing me, knowing I’d be watching you?” His deep voice creates goose bumps across my skin.

  “Yes, I did.” My honest answer is easy. Picturing him watching from his study as I trailed my fingers down my skin had me wanting to push myself further, to do more to please him.

  “Well, I’m the only one who’s going to touch you.” Aeron quickly goes to work divesting me of my blouse and bra. I’m standing in front of him in my flip flops and jeans. He holds up a length of dark fabric and grins at me. My pussy aches at the thought of him tying me up, preventing me from retreating or denying him. I struggle to control my pants as he circles me and grabs my hands, pulling them behind my back. Cool, soft material is wrapped around my wrists. The position thrusts my bare breasts up and out.

  “That’s better. Now, you’ll have to stand there and accept everything I’m going to do to your enticing body.” His words make my legs tremble in a decidedly good way.

  My nipples harden under his stare. They feel heavy, and my soft whimpers imploring him to lavish them with attention go unanswered. He takes a seat and relaxes, seemingly content to watch. His grey eyes cover every inch of my body and without a word or a touch, I can feel my knickers are wet for him. Finally, after what feels like hours, he stands and circles me. Still no touch or contact but his proximity has me gasping for breath.

  “I think you like to be watched almost as much as I like watching, Tori.”

  “Yes... I, think I do.” My hesitation is a mix of confusion and lust. I’ve never given any thought to the idea of being looked at. But under Aeron’s watchful eyes, I feel like he’s scorching me, his gaze telling my body to heat and my pussy to ache. It’s all new to me but also seductive, as if Aeron’s eyes have bewitched me.

  “Good. I want to know how much.” His words confuse me for a moment. He tugs open the button on my jeans, pulls down the zip and crouches to push my jeans over my hips. His mouth is positioned right at the apex of my thighs. Images of his tongue licking and tasting me enter my head and I fidget in place.

  “Don’t move, Tori.” His warning is all I need to still my quaking legs. He rises from his position and moves to retrieve something from his desk. “I hope you don’t like these knickers.” He smiles at me and holds up a pair of scissors. My body tenses and my clit throbs in anticipation of what comes next. Holy fuck, this is sexy!

  Lowering himself in front of me, he runs the cool metal up my thigh. The tip presses into my flesh until it’s under the lacy material. A distinctive ‘snip’ fills the air and the edges of my knickers drop. The touch of the metal running along my skin is mesmerizing and I close my eyes and moan as he snips the other side. My knickers fall away to leave my wanton pussy exposed. He places the scissors on the floor and his warm fingers trail up my legs. Every movement is slow and deliberate. He’s examining me in the most erotic way. I can feel the build to orgasm flare to life. His fingers continue to climb and my heart pounds in my chest. I could collapse at any moment but I want to feel his touch.

  Finally, he skims my soaked lips with the faintest of touches and I nearly come, gasping at the intensity.

  “Settle, Tori, don’t worry. I’ve got you.” He wraps his other hand around my thigh, holding me to him as his finger continues to explore. He adds pressure, sliding through my wetness and again I think I’m going to come. “Oh, baby, tell me how close you are. Tell me how you’re so turned on you can barely stop yourself from coming at my first touch of your sweet, wet pussy.”

  “Please... Aeron, I’m so close. Just a little bit...” I feel his smile against my thigh as he pushes his finger inside me. It gives me all the relief I need to reach my impending climax. His thumb presses on my clit and I fall.

  “Yes, oh... yes!” I scream out as my body flexes and shakes from orgasm. My pussy pulses around his finger. My shoul
ders protest at being behind my back for so long. Aeron releases his grip on my thigh and withdraws his hand, pausing to kiss my stomach as he stands in front of me. He brings his hand up in front of my mouth and I open.

  “This is how turned on you were. This is how much you liked me watching you.”

  I taste the salty tang of my own juices on his finger and watch his eyes watch me. God, he’s hypnotising. I barely know this man, yet I’ve done more with him in twenty-four hours than with my own husband in seven years.

  There is something fundamentally different about my interactions with Aeron. Aeron gives me the confidence to do whatever I feel, whatever he says. I lower my eyes from his as I can’t quite keep the connection any longer. His intensity is more than I can bear. He pulls his finger from my mouth. Quickly, he unties my hands and stands back in front of me.

  Leaning in, he kisses my lips in a lazy roll, pulling me into him even further. With my arms free, I circle his shoulders and deepen the kiss. There’s no hurry, no force, but that doesn’t lessen the raw desire his kiss sparks in me.

  “Mmm, come on. Let’s get you dressed. Otherwise I’ll be tempted to forget about dinner.” Aeron breaks the spell and I remember that I’m naked, more or less, in his study. I can’t help my giggle and pull back to look at him. His smile is bright and I return it in kind. I wiggle my jeans up, minus my underwear, and retrieve my bra and blouse. Aeron waits patiently. When I’m dressed, he takes my hand and walks me back through the house to the kitchen. He sits me at one of the high stools and sets about pulling a few items from the fridge and setting pans on the stove.

  “Can I help?”

  “No, I think I invited you for dinner, if I remember. I don’t have much to do, just heat up a few things.”

  I sit back and watch the now calm and controlled man in front of me. Still feeling the lingering effects from my orgasm, I’m amazed that Aeron was happy to stop when we did. His moods are forever changing, it appears, and I think I’m starting to see the pattern.