by Pamela Ann
“Why the fuck not?”
Did the ocean have the power to project the truth and deliver it to River’s shaded mind? I think the fuck not.
“Do you honestly believe I should care after seeing Willa sucking you off? You’re out of your mind!” That wretched memory would remain ingrained until my dying day.
Recalling that night in Palm Springs, the cascading uncontrollable emotions vastly ranging from betrayal, hurt, anger, disgust, and the manic rage possessed me all at once. It was something I could never forget.
Fed up, I got up from the lounger, almost running toward the door until I accidentally tripped on the strewn slippers I had abandoned earlier this morning. I lost my balance, landing flat on my sorry ass.
“Cara!” River impulsively rushed toward my side, ready to lift my body until I hatefully swatted his hand away.
I glared at him as I muttered my discomfort. “I don’t need you!” Using the strength of my hand to push my body upwards, I was halfway getting on my feet when a throbbing pain coming from my hand made me flinch in response. There was about a quarter inch splinter stuck in the pad of my middle finger. Blood could be seen trapped under the thin layer of skin. “Just my luck.”
“Let me help.” River sat on his heels, situating himself so my upper body could lean on him.
“I can take care of myself.” I protested, stubborn as a mule. I was about to shift away from him when he grabbed me by the shoulder, pinning me to the spot.
“Just fucking quit it already, Cara. We both know you hate the sight of blood!” He ran out of patience as he addressed me before taking hold of my hand, cradling the injured finger as he brought it to his face for closer inspection.
“I have tweezers inside…” The words disappeared from my lips as I watched, transfixed, while River used his teeth to pull the splinter out before closing his lips over it and sucking on my finger.
It should’ve disgusted me, yet I couldn’t look away. I was hypnotized, dumbfounded, and downright horny. Unknowingly, the muscles in my pussy constricted as I helplessly looked on, imagining it was my nipple he was sucking on. The vivid imagery elicited a strangled moan out of me. And before I could realize what was happening, River hastily abandoned my finger before crashing those wicked lips onto mine. He did so unreservedly. Painstakingly. It was rushed and slow, as intimate as it was punishing. As desperate as it was comforting.
Cradling my face, he slightly angled my face upwards, granting him uninhibited access to my lips, deepening his passion. The brash urgency took my breath away. Clinging to his chest, I matched his appetite.
Time suspended as the world faded behind us. All I could grasp was this man devouring me, consuming me completely. The kiss was ardent. Urgent. Fervently wild and voraciously sublime.
This was River, the only man I had ever loved. The guy who’d helped me shape the woman I was. The one who taught me how to be brave, fight battles head on, and never give up on myself.
It went on for untold minutes. But the moment I felt his hand travel below, squeezing and stimulating one aching breast, something brought me back to reality.
Petra. He was with Petra.
The name was enough to make me pull back, drawing away from his lips. Our noses touched as we heavily panted, reeling from the force of our kiss.
“Cara…” He said it feverishly, still intoxicated from our passionate exchange.
No...
Not again. This couldn’t be happening to me again.
This meant nothing. River merely enjoyed the chase. This was all it was. I didn’t want to be the idiot who’d been repeatedly deceived and yet still crawled back to him whenever he got bored.
He despised me and the very woman I’d become. How could I fathom kissing someone who loathed me as a person? Yet I did … What was wrong with me?
Shifting to my feet without daring to glance at him, I walked away, even though he called out to me in confusion.
I didn’t stop until I was safely tucked in my room. My heart pounded as I crawled under the comforter, curling up in a ball while I tried to forget the memory of him.
As much as it pained me, my body wanted him back.
Being with him—the dizzying sensation each time he touched me, the adrenaline-charged way he possessed me—would I ever feel the same?
The subject taunted my mind as exhaustion took me into a deep slumber.
I woke up just as the sun was setting. The beautiful burn of the sunset left streaks of yellow and orange reflecting into my bedroom’s interior, casting it in a glow.
There was a moment of tranquility before today’s events came rushing in like a massive tidal wave, diminishing my good mood.
Lethargically, I slid out of bed before heading toward the bathroom to freshen up. Noting my lack of clothes, I strode toward the closet, pulling out the closest thing to me, an emerald satin slip dress. Nights here were balmy, perfectly suited for tonight’s dinner. I left my face bare before glossing my lips with my favorite tinted peach gloss. Leaving my tousled hair as it was, I spritzed several pumps of my favorite citrus perfume before declaring I was all set to go.
Coming out of my room, I saw the living room was airy with all three doors leading to the patio wide open and the air-conditioning on full blast. River or one of the staff had switched on every lamp in the room. Cautiously stepping outwards, I was about to go out to the patio when a sound of an opening door made me pivot to check who it was. It was River emerging from the other bedroom, dressed in nothing except his white Calvin’s, impressively outlining his thick prized possession.
“I hope you don’t mind. I didn’t get the chance to bring anything with me except my passport. I’ll get some clothes first thing tomorrow.”
I merely nodded, tongue-tied as my eyes tried their damnedest not to gawk at those sexily defined pecs and abdomen. And God help me, the man had the thickest, most perfectly muscled thighs. After earlier, seeing him almost naked didn’t help my already provoked libido.
“I checked on you half an hour ago, but you were still asleep, so I called in and ordered room service. I wasn’t sure what you’d want—I mean, I know what you like, but I heard pregnancy skews with a woman’s palate, so I kind of order a little bit of everything. I had them place it outside.” His gaze lingered longingly, as if he meant to address what had happened earlier but decided not to.
“Thank you,” I managed to say before I skittered out of his direct line of sight, emerging out on the patio with the beautiful sun setting as the backdrop. The soft breeze felt amazing on my warm skin as I strolled toward the circular table set for two. But the other plate was already used.
“I already ate. I tried to wait, but I was starving. Sorry. I hope that’s okay,” he suddenly spoke right behind me before moving past my stoic form, pulling out a chair as he indicated with a soft cock of his chin, inviting me to take a seat.
Ignoring his charming smile, I reluctantly took it. My stomach hadn’t been fed since this morning, so I found it difficult not to salivate at the seafood feast laid out before me.
“Here, let me help with the lobster and shrimp.” River took it upon himself to fetch the other chair sitting across the table, dragging it along so it was situated inches away from me.
His close proximity, his naked torso, his intoxicating smell teasing my senses, the romantic view—it was all too much. “River, do you mind wearing one of my shirts, instead? If that’s too feminine for you, I’m sure there’s a throw blanket in there somewhere.” I found myself asking after he cracked a lobster open. The flexing display of muscles was overwhelming to my overworked imagination and underfed sex drive.
His cheeks turned pink, chuckling as they did so. Dark eyes twinkled as he grinned at me. “Are you crushing on me, Cara Quinn?”
“Very funny.” I tried to sound dignified but failed miserably. River was getting under my skin, and I wasn’t sure what to do about it. Broody River, I could handle. Flirty River, however, was difficult to manage.
“Here,” he said as he brought a big piece of lobster meat to my mouth. “Open that sexy mouth for me, babe.”
I glared at him but ate the lobster, anyway. Hunger had a way of reducing one’s dignity. “I’m not your babe.”
His grin merely got bigger. “You’ll always be my babe,” he stated as he brought another morsel to my mouth. “Thirsty? What do you wanna drink?”
“A glass of red and a white, please.”
He directed a serious look at me. “Very funny. But seriously, water? Juice?”
“Water.” I sighed. “This pregnancy thing sure is fun. I can’t seem to get enough sleep or food. If I’m not careful, I’m going to be as big as a house, and then I can kiss my career goodbye.” Speaking of which, I was sure Ari had already sent a prayer, asking just that. Should I even bother mentioning him to River?
“You’ll be fine. Stop stressing. It’s not good for you or the baby. As for your career, it’ll be there waiting for you when you’re ready to work again. And as for your body, I’ve never seen you more beautiful.”
He was quite easy with the compliments. I was sure it was all done because it was his baby I was carrying.
“Flattery is like chewing gum. Enjoy it, but don’t swallow it.” I quoted Hank Ketcham just to make a point.
“I know you don’t enjoy swallowing, Cara,” he said devilishly.
The subject approached treacherous territory, yet I felt obliged to defend myself somehow. “I did, and I have—in Sweden—countless times.”
“You did…” he said in a low mesmerizing tone. “It’s my top favorite memory of you…”
My eyes bulged out. “Your favorite?” I gasped, horrified, before a burst of laughter came over me. “Well, I guess it’s fair game to say my fave was when you ran out of condoms, but you were so horny you took my joke of using saran wrap around your dick, instead.”
He busted out laughing. I’m sure he’d forgotten about it, too. It was these kinds of memories that made my teenage years bearable. The best ones had him in it.
“Hey now, hey now … You still let me hit it,” he sniggered. “You liked it enough to let me take you raw … my first time not wearing one.”
My cheeks ached from laughing and smiling. “Nothing beats closet sex, though. You remember when—” River covered my mouth, not letting me finish.
“Okay, okay, we both know what happened. No need to rehash it!” He guffawed as he tried to secure his hand while I earnestly bit the inside of his palm. When that didn’t work, I reached out to pinch the side of his hip, but he kept dodging them. However, he didn’t see the next one coming, one aimed directly at his shy nipple.
He shrilled in pain, laughing as he brought me closer to him. I was about to reach out for the left one when he out-maneuvered me, heading straight for my lips, kissing me, instead.
We let out a sharp moan and groan the second our lips touched. His eager tongue parted my mouth, delving deeper before I slightly pulled back, but with our lips still touching. “You really have to stop doing this. You’re getting out of hand.”
“Okay…” he whispered, kissing me slowly. “I’ll stop…” His momentum remained steady. “One more,” he grunted out as he pressed his chest against mine. “Just…” Kiss. “One…” Kiss. “More…” Each kiss infused me with euphoria, sparking an unmitigated ache that had been suppressed for so long.
Jesus. “We really…” I felt drunk as his hands began to properly possess me while he skillfully scooped me out of the chair, ferrying me onto his lap with my legs parted in a straddling position. We really should stop. I knew what I had to say, yet the words couldn’t form before my brain got foggy due to River’s ministrations.
His lips released my mouth as he slipped downwards, trailing down my neck as he searched for a new area to capture and entice, while his hands effortlessly slid the straps off my shoulder. He nipped and sucked on my neck passionately. With the straps sliding off my arm, the rest of the top part unraveled south, giving him uninhibited access to my breasts.
“River,” I cried out as his mouth captured my right nipple while his left hand locked on my hip, applying pressure so his hard cock rubbed against my soaked pussy. “Oh, God…” He felt so good. So thick, so hard, and so mighty huge. “We have to…” Stop, I wanted to say, but my wanton body got too overwhelmed. Each time I tried to say something, River became even more emboldened to prove me wrong. The man was unstoppable. I shivered in anticipation as simultaneous stimulation began to seize me fully.
It didn’t take him long to unleash the unrestrained side of me. Fuck mode turned on. After months of not having his chiseled sinew body, I was like a woman ready to ravage and take charge.
Emboldened, I reached in between our bodies to coax his dick out of the boxers while eagerly feeding him my breast, pressing him on. “Don’t be soft…” I urged. “Bite me.”
A guttural groan of approval came out of him as my avaricious hand took hold of the base of his manhood. Two inches thick, I couldn’t fully grasp him. His thick meat twitched as I jerked it up and down while River brusquely placed a hand behind my neck, bringing my lips to meet his.
“Christ, baby, you’re killing me,” he uttered between kisses, as intoxicated as I was.
His acquiescent demeanor fueled me to take control. “Where do you want your cock, River? You have three choices to choose from,” I asked while quickening the speed of my ministrations on his rigid pole.
The man stopped breathing. “Don’t tease me, babe...”
“Guess it’s all up to me…” I bit his lip before bringing my mouth against his ear. “Lift my dress farther up.”
“You’re not wearing anything underneath, you fucking tease!” he declared. “Give me those lips back, Cara. Kiss me slowly while you bring that cunt down on my cock.”
Guided by his orders, I used my fingers to part my pussy lips, giving him a great view of our sexes meeting. Slowly lowering down on his shaft, I began to steadily fuck the fat bulbous head. Sheathing the top of his dick, I felt the solid rim around the bottom of the mushroom head before sliding back up. My arousal further evoked more wetness as River watched, bewitched, utterly mesmerized by the erotic display I was granting him.
“I love watching you enjoying my cock…” Kissing me tenderly, River took hold of my hips, imprisoning my movements, as we panted against each other’s lips. “Fuck me, babe. Fuck me slow. Fuck me hard. Fuck me good.”
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I slammed my pussy down on his cock hard. I rode him fast. I rode it like a woman who hadn’t had sex in months. I was a woman possessed with a ravenous appetite.
I called it the unholy trinity. A triple shot of continuous maximum pleasure. A combination of the relentless application of gyrating hips with the pussy secured at the base of his joystick for three seconds then shifting to the next one, sliding in and out and back again several times, before solidly clamping my vaginal muscles around his thick girth for three seconds then reverting to the first one again. I’d always regarded it more as a sexual dance, highly concentrating on the potent release of endorphins rushing through the body.
On the tenth set, I brought us to the brink of release. River’s release was harsh, punishing as he gripped my hips. “Goddamn it! Christ, Cara … I’m coming…” he gritted in between his teeth before roughly kissing me, trying earnestly to muffle the sound of his loud screeching growl just as his cock expanded monstrously within me. The feeling of him engorged beyond comprehension, filling me completely, provoked the immediate rush of my climax, as well.
My body shook as I rode my release. Predictably, upon climax, energy seeped out of me, wholly drained from fucking him.
Sweat sheened my body as River left soft kisses around my neck. “Marry me, Cara,” he rasped out before slowly bringing our faces together. His fingers tenderly brushed my cheek as he sought my eyes. “Marry me.”
Chapter 26
Cara
How can you ask me that? We’ve been at each oth
er’s throat for almost a year now. Secondly, please don’t insult me. We both know you’re still with Petra.” It was the plethora of things we hadn’t even discussed. How could he even throw marriage on top of everything else?
He snickered before kissing the tip of my neck as he gazed at me affectionately. “Says the woman who didn’t hesitate to ram my dick into her cunt. Guess me being with someone doesn’t affect you.”
“Of course it affects me! You seduced me … kissing me even though I kept telling you to stop.” Having this discussion was the perfect antidote to the spell fogging my brain. It lifted the fog in a heartbeat. “This was a mistake I don’t intend to repeat, so don’t get too ahead of yourself.” Pushing down on his shoulder, I was about to unlink my body from his until he pulled me back down, sliding my pussy down on his half-mast girth.
“I broke things off before coming here because the second I found out you’re pregnant with my baby, I knew it’s meant to be … We’re meant to be. I flew out here, knowing what I wanted—you. I want you. Always have.” He spoke in a gentle manner as his fingers brushed and stroked my heated skin. “Now I know we have a lot of problems to fix and work on for however long it takes. Marrying you means taking on Juan … and I guess I’m ready for that. If you need someone to speak to … I can be that person. We’ll work on it together as husband and wife. As a team. I’m not perfect, but I’ll do everything in my power to be perfect enough for you.”
Juan. He was speaking about Juan. A closed subject I could never bring myself to confess. To top it all off, how the hell did marriage come into the picture when he loathed me? Sure, sex was great between us, but that was all we had in common.
“I understand it’s all overwhelming for you, and I also get how you want to build a secure home for the baby, but that can also be achieved without us getting married, River. I mean, there’s so much to worry about. What if Petra comes back? What if I fall in love with someone else, like there’s—”