by Amy Brent
The difference in this was the deep attraction between Landon and me. It was everywhere around us even though we didn’t touch once out at those ruins. It was more than that, though, too. It was the way he listened to me and respected me, showing me I was the only thing in his world at that moment. It was the way he gave me every moment we had together. It was the way he worshiped me without seeming immature about it, like Brian did.
Brian faded from my mind increasingly as I spent time with Landon. He seemed more like the boy I met in college and less like a man. Landon showed me things I could have never expected in life: intimacy, depth, and an endless supply of ways to take me places I’d never go on my own.
When we were driving away from the ruins hours later, I looked at him as I reached for his hand. I had missed touching him. I thought back to the beach that Jasmine had said she was going to, impressed that Landon had known I would want more. He knew to bring me here and show me the beginnings of this place. It was so thoughtful and, more than that, observant. I kept my plans with Jasmine, enjoying a late meal of seafood and fresh vegetables as we discussed our days and then I returned to my cottage. Landon was inside, working on his laptop, and I smiled as I dropped my key on the counter. “Hey there. I hope you’re not working on vacation.”
“Not anymore,” he said easily as he typed something and made a few motions to end whatever he was doing. He didn’t do it in the way a person who was hiding something would, but why should I care if he had? I was the one hiding something from everybody right now.
“How was dinner?” He asked.
“Yummy. Jasmine went scuba diving today and saw a shark,” I told him, my shock evident in my voice, and he laughed. “I don’t think I want to do that.”
“We’ll see. The sea isn’t as scary as you make it out to be, Lily. It’s quite beautiful, much like you.”
I kissed him as I dropped onto the comfortable plush sofa beside him. “Thank you, but I am not yet convinced of that.”
“We need to see some beaches during this week. You’ll change your mind,” he said before I kissed him again. It deepened as we pressed together, and soon I was in his lap and he shoved his computer aside. He lowered my dress with skillful hands, finding my nipple with his mouth as I balanced on my knees before him, wrapping his arms around my neck. It was intoxicating the way he drew me between his teeth, flicking me with his tongue as I fell apart before him. His hands slipped the dress down my body slowly, and he traced my hips with his fingers before squeezing my ass in his strong hands.
I arched my back, offering him more as he drew me between his teeth again and found my ready clit, hard and waiting. He stroked me as he dragged his teeth over my sensitive skin, making me moan and rock against his hand.
I had craved him the entire time we’d been apart, and now that I was in his embrace again, I knew I wouldn’t want to go back to reality. He moved his lips up to my neck and slide his shorts off so his cock nudged my entrance. “Fuck me, Landon,” I told him as I slipped over him and clutched his shoulders.
He held me tight as he arched his hips up and took me, easily finding our familiar rhythm as we fucked like it was our first time together. It always felt that way, and I knew he was everything I wanted in my life. It was just wrong in so many ways. Yet it was also so right.
We made our way to my bedroom after resting and finishing a movie, where I cracked the window and let the ocean air into the space. I kept the thin curtains closed for privacy, but I needed the sound of the waves as I pulled Landon close to me and kissed his chest. I had just had him inside me, but I wanted him again, and I drew his nipple between my teeth as he groaned my name. “Baby, you’re insatiable.”
“I love you being inside me. Don’t fault me for that,” I told him before I kissed him and ran my hands over his toned chest and shoulders. Landon was perfect, and the idea of us ending when we went back home broke my heart. I kept the kiss going to distract myself. We made love with me on my stomach as he stroked my nipples gently, my legs parted as he moved slowly. It was beautiful, and I inhaled our combined desire as I memorized the sound of the waves as our backdrop.
I came with tears in my eyes, and he stilled and whispered my name softly, making my heart soar and my body cling to him tightly. I was so in love with Landon that it was going to kill me. I wiped my eyes before we faced one another. He pulled me against him and kissed my neck until I fell into an exhausted sleep against his hot skin.
Landon
The week passed quickly with the meetings we had as well as the free time. Lily and I were in bed together every chance we got, mostly in her more private cottage. I caught wind of Marilyn telling some of the other partners that she stopped by my cottage a couple of nights but received no answer, making them ask me who I was fucking this time around. I laughed it off and mentioned a waitress at some bar in town. I said she had a condominium near her job, so I was spending some nights there. I made it out to be very casual so they would drop it, but inside I knew I had to keep everything between Lily and me secret for the time being. I was a bit livid that Marilyn stopped by at all since I hadn’t been responding to her advances. I had figured she was going after some of the other partners. I had to give it to her, Marilyn knew who to hook up with and didn’t seem to bother with any of the men in the firm who weren’t at her level, and I wondered how much that had to do with her position.
I took Lily to a great private beach midweek to show her how welcoming the ocean was. She wore a two-piece purple bikini that concealed more than some with a sheer black cover-up, and I still wanted to rip it off her and fuck her right there.
Every time I was inside her, I wanted her more. I was trying to find a way to tell her my feelings and establish something for when we arrived home, but I kept putting it off.
We walked along the soft sand as three other people sat on towels and took in the view, none of them from our firm, as our coworkers seemed to flock to the more touristy beaches where activities were plentiful. I took the chance to take Lily’s hand and pulled her into the surf as it pooled around our feet. She protested with a throaty giggle but clutched me as she followed slowly. “See how far you can see out there? We can walk all the way until we’re swimming and know everything that is around us.”
The water was warm and welcoming, and Lily smiled softly as she stepped forward hesitantly.
“It is lovely here. I like that we’re nearly alone. I don’t like crowded places, even if it’s a beach.” I looked at her, taking in her natural beauty for a long moment, before I licked my lips.
“I’ll take you to every private place I know of, Lily. I want to show you the world,” I told her as she looked at me through her wide sunglasses. I couldn’t see her eyes, but I felt her grip my hand tighter as she moved farther into the water. I looked at her pale skin, uncovered for this trek, and told my cock to stay down as the water lapped against my knees. This wasn’t the place, even if she did look like the sexiest woman on the planet in her vintage-style bathing suit. She laughed as the waves brushed against her upper thighs and looked back at the shore. I held her hand tightly to keep her by my side.
“Where is your favorite place?” Lily asked as she let herself acclimate to the water for a moment.
“Let me see . . . I’ve been to a lot of places. I would love to take you to France and eat at this great little place near the Eiffel Tower. I love any coast that I’ve ever been to, but I prefer the ones in Northern California to the ones on the East Coast. They’re not like this, not for swimming. They’re for observing and finding your peace. I love the Hamptons for a road trip. I have friends who live in most of these places, and they often line me up with a great place to stay.” I looked at her to see her staring at me with a smile on her face. “What?”
“I have only ever been on the East Coast. I stayed in Philadelphia with Amy after my parents were gone, and then I moved to New York after college. I think a lot of it had to do with a fear of planes initially, but I worked throu
gh that. I know history doesn’t always repeat itself and I’ll have to fly to go to the good places, like this. I won’t say I am entirely comfortable with it, but I have ways to cope.” Lily shrugged. “I make do.”
She’d told me about her parents when we were first together, and it had made me admire her strength. Lily had been devastated by her loss, but the love of her aunt had pulled her through it, along with a will to survive. I couldn’t imagine what she’d have done if it was just her left behind at that young age. “I think you’re amazing. You’ve been through more than most people ever will, and while you were so young. Others grow up into horrible people, falling back on their life circumstances, but you are making the best of everything. You are going to be a successful woman.”
“I don’t know. I’m just plugging along like anyone else would.” Lily brushed my compliment off and I let go of her hand to cup her face as the water swirled around her hips and my thighs.
“You’re stunning,” I murmured as I brushed my lips against hers, feeling her freeze. It was risky, but we’d been nearly alone before, and what was a kiss on a romantic beach? Nothing.
“Landon, should we?” she asked before she kissed me again, softly and slowly.
“Always.” I wrapped my arms around her and held her still as the current moved around our legs. The kiss deepened and we became lost in one another. We both forgot where we were for several moments, but then she pulled away and looked around with a nervous energy. “We have to be careful, Landon. Anybody could see us.”
I stared at the empty beach before I looking into her face again. I pushed the glasses on top of her head so I could see her eyes. “I want them to.”
“What?” Lily asked as I captured her lips in another kiss. This one lasted several moments before she pulled away and looked at the beach before pulling me out of the water.
“I told the guys I’m fucking a waitress in town when they asked. Word got back to them that I haven’t been in my cottage. I guess someone decided to stop by or something,” I left out the details of who that was, knowing what it would do to Lily. “I want to tell everyone who it really is.”
“I thought this was just for the trip. I thought that this was just for fun,” Lily said as she looked everywhere but in my eyes.
“It was never for a night, a week, or a trip. I told you how I felt about you before, Lily. That didn’t go away.” I growled as she pressed her fingers between her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. “What did you say yes to?”
“What do you mean?” she asked as she looked at me.
“I saw the card with the flowers and he specifically mentioned that you said yes to something. What the fuck was it?” I demanded. Anger flashed in her beautiful eyes.
“You just come to my desk and look at whatever you want?” Lily asked as she stepped back. “That’s not part of the deal, Landon.”
“No, the deal is that we cannot stay away from each other. Can’t you see that? Can’t you see that I love you and I want to be with you?” I asked her. She blinked and shook her head. “What did you say yes to?”
“He moved in with me. He asked me and I just agreed, even though it doesn’t always feel right. Are you happy now?” she asked. I narrowed my gaze at her. “You’re my boss. This job is my future. We can’t be together.”
“The fuck we can’t. There’s other equally successful firms in the city, and I could get you on with any one of them,” I told her as tears sprang into her eyes.
“I earned this job, Landon. I want this job because of that. I don’t want you to set me up with something else because you know somebody.” She started to cry as she spoke, and I wiped her eyes. “What if we fade away? This fire can’t last forever, and then I’ll be in a job that you got me. They could let me go once it doesn’t benefit you any longer.”
“You would be the best assistant I’ve had even if I wasn’t in love with you. That is what I tell everybody, and I know for damn sure that you have a future in law if you want that,” I told her, but she stepped away from me. I knew our voices were rising, and while we seemed to still be alone, tensions were flaring. “I love that you have aspirations, Lily. I love that you want to work for what you get, but I want you. I want you so badly. I’ll give up all other women for you if you’ll just be mine.” I kissed her, and she threw herself into my arms as it deepened immediately.
We stumbled completely out of the water and behind some foliage as my hands slid over her hardened nipples. Lily moaned as I dropped to the sand and pulled her with me. She straddled my thigh as our tongues danced together. I looked around quickly to assure that we were shielded before I unhooked her suit and pinched her breasts, causing her to gasp into my mouth. My fingers slipped down between her legs to feel her heat through the thick material of her suit before I slipped my hands underneath it to stroke her swollen clit.
Lily came after a few touches, and I laid her back on the sand as I ripped my shorts open. All I heard was the sound of the waves as I moved her suit to the side and entered her as she cried out lightly. She was hot and tight, and I drove myself into her hard and fast as my need for her consumed me.
We dressed afterward and she sat up as she took a deep breath. “I can’t believe I did that here. Do you think anyone saw us?”
“We’re in the middle of a lot of trees and bushes, Lily. We’re alone,” I assured her as I stood and looked around. We were for the moment, and she adjusted her swimsuit before she led the way back to the beach. She looked stricken as she turned to stare at the water before she looked at me.
“I want to go back to the cottages.” Her voice was shaking, and I took a deep breath. We walked to the SUV and I drove back, terrified of her leaving me forever once we got back to the resort. I knew she feared what was happening between us, and I’d had no intention of declaring my feelings on the beach, or of making love to her right there on the sand. Everything was flashing before my eyes, and I gave her a long look as I stopped at the light just before the resort, seeing her staring forward through the windshield.
“Lily?” I asked as she blinked and kept looking forward.
She said nothing as we parked, looking around and rushing to her cottage as I stepped out of the car. I let my gaze wander over the parking lot, seeing no familiar faces as I let out a sigh of relief. I walked away from the car, pushing the button to set the alarm as I made my way to my own cottage. I poured a drink at the bar and sat on the couch with the sliding door wide open, listening to the waves and praying for a knock at my door.
I knew I couldn’t go home without her in my life as much more than just my assistant. I’d had Lily twice now, and it had only gotten better, mirroring the love I’d had for my first wife that I had lost so tragically. I kept drinking to get through the pain of the memories of Madeline that were mixing with the ones I now had of Lily.
It came hours later, when I was drunk and sloppy. I was half asleep on the couch, and I stirred as I looked around the room, which was lit only by the television. “Lily?” I asked as I made my way to the door blindly. I reached for it, falling to the floor before I could open it. “Lily, come back to me.” I crawled forward and managed to get the door open before I looked up, pain and hope in my eyes.
PART 3
Lily
I paced the living room in my cottage as emotions raced through my mind. There was so much confusion about all of this. I ran my hands through my hair, which was tangled from the wind.
Sleeping with Landon again had opened so many feelings as well as worries, though I had to admit that I’d set myself up for the fall. I had known we wouldn’t be able to keep our hands off one another the moment we were alone, as much as I’d tried to deny it. I hadn’t stopped to consider the way I would feel when I saw him with other women, not expecting such bitter jealousy. I hadn’t expected that I’d fall harder for him than before, making everything so complicated.
Brian was living in my apartment now. We were making a life together, and I blew that here.
I barely got back to him when he called or texted, using work as an excuse. I knew he was busy with friends and didn’t worry too much since he’d seen the itinerary and where we would all be staying. It was paradise and full of fun, only not the kind my boyfriend was thinking about.
I wasn’t even mad at the idea of him taking things too far with another woman back home. At this point, what did it even matter? I walked to the sliding glass door and stepped outside to breathe in the air, trying to make sense of the mess in my head. We had another two days here that I had to get through, and I pictured doing that without Landon.
I dropped into a chair and let tears slide down my cheeks. I thought about the beach earlier and our urgency to find a private place as I admitted to myself that I was in love with him. I hated myself for that, in part since I’d worked so hard to get this job and my pride was too involved in the situation.
I knew Landon cared for me and would get me another job, but what if I looked like the office slut who got promoted because of who I slept with? I knew all too well that people talked a lot and that this would be the rumor of the year.
Still, Landon made me feel like no other man had before. Could I get past that?
Could I go back home and pretend that we’d never been together at all?
The more I thought about it, I realized that I was invested in this relationship with Landon. As fucked up and painful as it was, I was in love with him. I’d slept with him earlier on the beach because I loved him.
I came running here with a plan in mind to seduce Landon all over again, so what had I expected? I knew I was getting into something deeper than I could handle, telling myself to just let it go even as I cried. I was in control of all of this. I could go back home to Brian and make everything all right again, put this behind me.
Brian didn’t have to know that any of this had happened. I could pretend that things were perfect and we could progress to where we’d been going before I lost my mind for a moment.