Bohemian

by Kathryn Nolan

  “I need to kiss you,” I said. We were staring into each other’s eyes—so intimate. So vulnerable. In the three years I’d dated Claire, I doubt we’d ever had eye contact this intense.

  In fact, not a single part of our relationship—not even the beginning—had been as intense as these moments with Lucia, being pelted with rain against a rock with a bunch of strangers standing around us, taking our picture.

  She sighed softly, tilting her head all the back and exposing her throat. She flashed a look at the camera.

  “Beautiful, Lu,” Ray said. I already missed her eyes on me. “Keep looking at her like that, Cal. That’s great. You look so hungry, man.”

  I swallowed an insane laugh. How was this happening to me right now?

  “Good hungry? Or um, like, hangry?” I asked, and Ray immediately said, “Stop. Talking. Calvin,” and Lucia hid her face behind her hair for a moment, lovely shoulders shaking with laughter. I rolled my eyes, then shifted my body so my lips were against her ear again, hovering.

  “Is this payback for last night? For the note?” Her hands traced down my stomach, playing with the button on my ridiculous ripped jeans.

  She didn’t answer, instead, she pressed herself against my cock again. And again. I was almost fucking Lucia in front of everyone, on this rock, steps from hurtling into the ocean. I slid my fingers up higher, to the very edges of her bathing suit, and left them there. Stroked my fingers along it as subtly as I could. She gave me a look of such deep yearning I knew she’d followed my instructions.

  “You didn’t touch yourself, did you?” I murmured against her ear.

  “All right, new positions. Lu, switch it up,” Ray said, moving in closer. He was suddenly a foot from us, dripping with rain. I was too, although I’d been completely unaware. My world was the size of Lucia, and Lucia only. “I’m going to get some close-up body shots, Lu. Cal, you just stand there, bro.”

  “Um…” I started to say, but Lucia was on the move. She slid down my body, grabbed my shoulders, and shoved me. My back was now against the rock (fuck, it was freezing) and Lucia was standing in front of me, back against my chest. Her ass lined up perfectly with my cock, her head thrown back against my shoulder.

  Which meant I could whisper in her ear and she couldn’t respond with the cameras trained on her face.

  I gathered the courage inside me, a growing storm. Had it always been there? Had I always possessed this deep well of confidence or was this new?

  I placed my hand on her collarbone, slipping my fingers beneath the straps of her bathing suit. Slid it slowly to the side. My fingers were barely an inch from her nipple. My other hand gripped her hip, squeezing hard. Her hair was blowing all around me in the wind as I lowered my lips to her ear.

  “I didn’t realize you were such a good girl, Lucia Bell,” I said. “I expected you to tear up that note and then finger-fuck yourself over and over.”

  A hum in the back of her throat. Ray was three feet from us, calling out instructions to Lucia. I could see her nipples hardening through the thin fabric of the bathing suit.

  “Good girls get rewards,” I said, letting my tongue touch her ear for the briefest of moments. She shivered. “How should I reward you?”

  I thought for a moment, but not too long. Too long and I’d realize I was saying the kinds of filthy things I’d always wanted to, but never could. Because of fear, because I didn’t think it was right. But nothing had ever felt so right in my life: Lucia’s pliant body trapped against mine while I muttered a string of dirty words into her ear.

  I’d lived my life before in total darkness. This crucial moment: like millions of light bulbs flaring to brightness, painting my life in vivid color.

  “Let’s see…” I said, moving against her just slightly. “I could eat your sweet pussy for hours.” Another hum in the back of her throat. “I could tongue-fuck you the way I wanted to the other night. Make you come in my mouth, maybe with a blindfold on? Definitely with these pretty little wrists tied behind your back. Or to my bed.”

  She stumbled a bit.

  “Lu, you okay?” Ray called out.

  “Oh, yeah,” she said, breathless. “Can we switch?”

  ◊

  LUCIA

  Ray glanced at his sketchpad for a moment. “Uh…yeah, why don’t you turn around, back towards Calvin. We can get some good shots of you, like, fisting his chest hair or something.”

  Perfect. I was already seconds from coming, my entire body strung tight as a hair-trigger. If Cal rocked against me one more time with his cock—firm and long and so fucking right—I was going to orgasm. Here, in front of everyone.

  Except I’d never been more unaware of the cameras, the crew, the endless collection of assistants and techs and makeup artists and production designers. Because for the past hour I had his full lips against the sensitive curve of my ear, saying things to me no lover had ever said. Even though I’d thought about it, pined for it, touched myself to it.

  I wanted…I wanted this. Him. This gentle, respectful, intellectual demeanor covering up a man who couldn’t control his baser instincts.

  Because of me. Because I pushed Calvin to a dark ledge he didn’t want to acknowledge. But we were both racing towards it now.

  I turned, taking in his wry expression. “Where do you want Cal’s hands?” I called to Ray, threading my fingers into the thick trail of hair covering his chest.

  I pulled. He winced. I pulled again, barely aware of the click click of the shutter lens. “Hot, Lu. Do that again.”

  I heard a barely perceptible groan from Cal. So I did it again, his cock stirring against my leg. Calvin liked pain.

  Interesting.

  “Okay, okay, before you rip his hair out,” Ray said, laughing. “Cal, buddy, hands on her ass.”

  I cocked my head, letting my hair whip around. Cal hesitated.

  “It’s not…Cal, it’s not real. It’s not sexual. She’s not going to slap you,” Ray said, coming in close. His lens was less than two feet away now.

  I re-arranged my face to Ray’s verbal cues: give me vulnerable. Give me smoldering. Cal’s the hot guy at the bar you’re about to take home and devour.

  Devour was right.

  His hands smoothed down my back and grabbed my ass like he’d been put solely on this Earth to complete that task. I gasped and he caught it, long fingers sliding between my ass cheeks, hauling me against his lean body.

  I licked up his neck, tasting sweat and raindrops. “Are you going to fuck me tonight, Calvin Ellis?” I whispered against his ear.

  Every muscle in his body tensed. I grinned, loving this shared feeling of power and control.

  Although really, he could have shoved me to my knees and demanded I suck him off in front of all these people and I would have done it.

  God help me, I would have done it.

  “I feel like it’s the least you can do for keeping a girl on edge for days now. Don’t you think?” I bit his ear, dragging the skin between my teeth.

  His fingers slipped lower between my ass. My cunt clenched, anticipating his fingers. I splayed my fingers across his chest, then caressed them down to his stomach. He wasn’t a gym rat, wasn’t sculpted and hairless like Taylor. But he had the body of someone who was fit because he wanted to be, not because of some abstract desire to look perfect.

  His abs flexed beneath the tips of my fingers and we couldn’t stop looking at each other. Staring at each other. Fuck, after this everyone would have to know, right?

  Ray kept calling out cues and I followed them, mindlessly, tapping into some muscle memory I’d developed over the past decade that allowed me to be both innocent and sexy-as-sin all at the same time.

  The rain whipped against my skin, freezing, but I barely registered it, because Cal was molten hot everywhere we touched. Lightning cracked against the beach in front of us but neither of us jumped.

  Click click click went the camera, then Ray’s voice, a bit tense. “Listen, I think we need to go ba
ck. Like soon.”

  “Okay,” Cal and I both said at the same time, dreamily staring at each other. His eyes were so green. I wanted Ray to give us the cue to kiss. I’d done it a million times with other models, and if Taylor was here he wouldn’t have hesitated.

  “As in…as in now,” Ray said. In the distance, I heard sirens, shaking me out of the moment. I stepped back from Calvin, dazed and trembling. He gripped my elbow, a look of concern on his face.

  “Right,” I said, laughing softly. The rain was pelting harder, almost like hail. Thunderclouds loomed in the distance and the sirens were growing louder. “Sorry I didn’t…I hadn’t realized how bad it was getting.”

  Calvin stepped back from the rock, shaking water out of his hair. Joanna stepped forward with a towel and Josie wrapped me in a giant blanket, giving me a squeeze.

  “You and Calvin are incredible together.” She squeezed again. “Truly.”

  I nodded, barely making eye contact. My lips were shaking and Calvin wouldn’t look at me. The crew and the camera guys were muttering softly, glancing my way as they spoke. Had it been that obvious? Lightning cracked again and this time I swallowed a scream.

  “And that’s a wrap, people. We need to get inside,” Ray said, physically pushing me away from the rock and the cliff that would have sent me to my certain death.

  I walked, shivering, towards my cabin, only thinking of the words hot and shower. I watched Calvin walk away, back through those gorgeous, towering trees, not even bothering to cover his head.

  Stay, I wanted to say, because a hot shower with Cal was suddenly something I wanted more than anything—more than hot tea. More than a good book. Even more than the look of black ink on a crisp white page.

  My heart squeezed painfully, a feeling I didn’t recognize.

  But I’d read about it.

  ◊

  LUCIA

  He was expecting me, but not in the way I imagined. He’d left no note, had given no indication that he wanted to see me as he’d walked away after the photo shoot, soaking wet and head bowed. I had to be the one to come—because I sensed his hesitation as he whispered dirty things in my ear.

  He thought we were playing a game.

  We weren’t.

  And as I picked my way along the dark trail that night, I didn’t think about a damn thing. Not Paris, or my Instagram followers, or my waning fame or why I hadn’t been able to write a single poetic word in seven years.

  I didn’t think about how, regardless of what happened tonight, I’d still be leaving in a matter of days—to become the face of a cosmetic line while Calvin went back to programming in a cubicle.

  Instead, I thought about how I felt, which was wanton. Hot and aching and seeking the shy, sexy nerd who’d gotten under my skin. Who’d worked me into such a frenzy it took every ounce of willpower not to get myself off in the long, steaming shower I’d taken.

  But I hadn’t—and now, wandering beneath a Big Sur sky, the scent of rain and chaos in the wind, I only wanted to feel. Only wanted to do what my body had been made to do—give pleasure. Receive pleasure. After years of denying myself any authentic moments—romantic or otherwise—I felt greedy. Hunger, simple and powerful, pulsing in my veins. Over and over, a rhythm that matched my heartbeat.

  I wanted Calvin.

  The light from the bookstore guided me the last hundred feet. And how fucking magical was that place, lit up, a golden beacon beneath the leaves. So much had happened between those walls: earth-shattering revelations, words so beautiful you couldn’t help but cry. Experiences so perfect they carved themselves into your bones. I felt it even more strongly now as I approached, opening the back door I knew would be unlocked. Walking past the bedroom, the kitchen and into the Big Room. A fire roared in the fireplace, casting Cal in a warm glow.

  He was sitting, staring into the flames. Whiskey in his right hand, journal in his left. Hair a little mussed, scruffy jaw, those glasses. He looked up and a riot of emotions crossed his face.

  “What are you writing about?” I asked, leaning against the doorway.

  “I want to write about you,” he said simply, “but I’m stopping myself.”

  I paused while we stared at each other. “Why would you do that?”

  He looked pained. “Because it’s not right. Because you live in a world with a million admirers. You don’t need one more.”

  I took two steps closer, feeling the fire lick along my calves, the arches of my feet. “Who says?”

  “I do,” he replied. “I let myself…I let myself get out of control. Earlier. In the rain. I’m sorry about that.”

  “I’m not,” I said, reaching up to undo the pin holding my hair in place. It tumbled down to my shoulders. “I’m not the least bit sorry about that.”

  “You should be,” he said, eyes trailing up my legs, stopping at the junction between my thighs. I was already wet. Soaking. I slowly unbuttoned the long shirt I was wearing. I was naked underneath.

  His fingers tightened on the glass. “This is insane. You realize that?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

  “You’re a goddamn supermodel.”

  “And you need to stop thinking so hard,” I said, letting the shirt fall away from my shoulders. I knew the effect I had. I knew what my body looked like. I loved it, was proud of it. But nothing prepared me for the look of total reverence that descended on his face, like he would have crawled a thousand miles for the privilege to pray at my feet.

  I sank to my knees. The glass broke.

  Amber liquid ran through his fingers but he didn’t notice.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” he asked, voice dangerously quiet.

  “You make me feel—” I said, before I could stop myself. Because I was naked and on my knees and a sexy-as-fuck man was looking at me like he wanted to eat me for every single meal for the rest of his life. “I know it’s insane. We met four days ago. But you make me…want again.”

  His throat worked, liquid dripping onto the floor. I moved forward, onto my hands and knees.

  “Lucia,” he rasped. A warning. I didn’t heed it. I crawled forward an inch, eyes on him.

  “You need to stop,” he said, but he was leaning forward, watching me. I loved it. Had never crawled on my hands and knees to a man before but I fucking loved it.

  “No,” I said. “You want this.”

  “Doesn’t matter if I want it.”

  “You deserve this,” I said, crawling until I reached him. I looked up, suddenly unsure. Nervous. But then I bent down, my ass in the air, and I kissed his fucking feet.

  I heard a low growl, like an animal about to attack. I lifted my head, sat back on my knees primly. Raised my gaze to meet his.

  “You promised me a reward,” I finally said.

  “Good girls get rewards. This—” he said, voice uneven, “—is not good. You know better.”

  I cocked my head with a wry grin. “Maybe I don’t.”

  In an instant, I was hauled up on his lap, my wrists pinned behind my back. I tried to settle onto his cock but he stopped me, holding me up. Keeping his gaze on me, he slowly removed his glasses. His eyes were emerald and fire.

  “I want to give you everything,” he said, suddenly serious. He kissed up my neck, heading towards my lips. I needed to reassure him, needed him to know I could handle whatever he wanted to give.

  “Give it to me, Cal,” I said. “I need this,” and I didn’t have time to think about how I’d stumbled over the word this wanting desperately to say you because Cal was kissing me and my world exploded. His lips moved over mine, learning me, tasting me, licking into my mouth.

  Calvin kissed like a fucking dream. The fire crackled. His hand trapped my wrists. I tried to thrust my hips, to find friction somewhere, but he wouldn’t let me, keeping me from the pleasure I craved.

  He settled back for a moment, just looking. I moaned, twisting in his grasp. He stared at me so long I could feel it, feel his eyes like a caress. Up my
legs, around my hips, along my collarbone. I was panting, watching him watch me. The transformation was incredible—gone was the nervousness, the shy demeanor. A week ago, Cal couldn’t even maintain eye contact with me; now he owned me.

  His fingers traced up to my nipple, his lips circling the other one. “Have you ever come this way?”

  I closed my eyes, leaning back. What he was doing was so…so…

  “What way?” His tongue flicked over my nipple and I swear I felt it on my clit.

  “Nipple stimulation,” he said, pinching with his fingers, lapping with his tongue.

  “I don’t…” I was struggling to focus, struggling to breathe.

  Dimly, I heard the storm outside start up again, a loud crack of thunder that shook the foundation of the store. Or maybe that was Cal, playing my body like his favorite instrument. The sensations shimmered through me, unfurled like leaves greeting the sun.

  “No,” I finally said, and he chuckled against my skin. He kept sucking, scraping his teeth and I cried out. The pain was something else…only it wasn’t pain, merely the knife’s edge of pleasure and he kept me dancing on it for what felt like hours. Nothing but my panting, moaning cries and his sounds of total enchantment. Nothing but his lips, his tongue, his teeth, his skilled fingers moving over my nipples—now so sensitive I could barely form coherent thought.

  “So close,” I kept moaning, over and over. “So fucking close Cal please,” I heard myself beg, but he wouldn’t stop, just kept methodically bringing me to the edge.

  My legs were trembling and he wrenched me closer, using his body to support mine. I couldn’t touch him, couldn’t stop him—could only receive this merciless teasing that seemed to have no end. He flicked his tongue quickly and I knew he’d lick my clit like that. My pussy clenched over and over in time to his tongue, forcing me closer to release, imagining his head between my legs. I could feel the orgasm tightening in my stomach, feel it gathering, ready, so ready, couldn’t believe I was going to come from this, couldn’t believe Cal was going to—