I take a deep breath and calm my nerves. He’s right. He had to call Chase if he wanted to get me home safely. “I know you had to call him. Thanks for looking out for me, but you didn’t answer my question. Did I do something that would’ve upset him?”
“You called him an asshole as soon as he got to the bar. Then I kept seeing you run your hand through his hair on the way home, but he kept moving it. That’s all I witnessed.”
“That’s all? Are you kidding? I’m going to die. I have to go.” I hang up. Nothing nice is going to come out of my mouth. When I get home, I shower and hide under my covers for the rest of the day.
***
I put on my tightest booty shorts and a low cut tank top to clean at Chase’s on Tuesday. If he wants to look but not touch, then fine. I’ll give him that and hope that it tortures him.
If I’m honest, there’s a part of me that hopes it’ll cause him to cave and talk to me before he puts his hands all over me. Damn, I miss sex.
Armed with my cleaning supplies and my iPod, I knock on the door. Dammit, my palms are sweating. I don’t want him to sense my fear or sexual tension. Maybe he won’t answer, and I can use the key.
“Hi, Skyla.”
Shit. I want to say ‘Hello, Mr. Moody, Mr. Erratic, and Mr. Pensive. Which one are you today?’ Instead, I scowl. “I’ll get to work and get out of your life.”
He looks hurt, but I have no clue why. He doesn’t follow me or say anything, so I shove my ear buds in and crank up my iPod. I get to work in the downstairs bathroom first.
After finishing there, I walk out and catch a glimpse of something moving. I look to my right and see Chase talking to himself as he paces in his wide open kitchen. I stand with my hand on my hip and stare at him. I hope he turns around.
Two can play this humiliation game and bingo. Check out those big eyes of his looking at me. I smile, and I’m now satisfied, so I go to the living room to clean. I’ve always been kind to people, but he drives me crazy.
I want to jump his bones because of his hotness, smack him in the face for his rudeness and sooth him over the sadness in his eyes. I’m one screwed up woman. I crank up rock music and begin dusting. It’s such a shame to see all these rooms do nothing but collect dust.
Chase
I hate that she’s angry at me, but damn, her feistiness turns me on. I slowly stalk toward the family room. Her back is to me, and all I can focus on is her cute ass shaking back and forth.
She must really be enjoying her music. I’m really enjoying watching her ass move to it. Could those shorts be any tighter? She turns around, and shit, she catches me.
“Are you enjoying the show?” she asks as she yanks out her ear buds.
I start laughing. I can’t help it. There are a number of things I could do with that smart mouth of hers and that cute ass. “It’s quite entertaining.”
“Was it as entertaining as you pacing around the kitchen, talking to yourself?” She throws her free hand to her hip.
I’m going to devour that mouth and fuck her senseless. “I’m sorry I was rude again the other day. It was difficult to wake up with you in my bed.” I’m serious now.
She cocks her head to the side. “What does that mean? Never mind because it’s not like you’ll tell me. I can’t keep up with your erratic personality and inept ability at conversation.”
She grabs her stuff and walks right past me. The need to be near her is too strong for me to resist, so after a few minutes, I creep my way up the stairs to find her. I paid a hundred thousand dollars to stalk my housekeeper in my own home. I think it’s time for some professional help.
Quietly, I walk down the hallway until I hear her. She’s in my damn bedroom! What the hell is she doing? Did I fail to tell her not to clean in there? The door’s cracked, so I look in, and damn she’s close to my bed. I don’t believe I’m going anywhere good when I leave this earth, so I’m going to enjoy myself beforehand. I’m kissing her.
The Tide Turns
Skyla
I’ll show him. I go into his bedroom on purpose. I hope he finds me in here and is thoroughly uncomfortable with it. His room is huge, and the furniture is massive. I don’t even want to know how many women have been in that king size bed, and I hate that I’m jealous.
I’m about to spray wood cleaner on his dresser when I feel the tap on my shoulder. Practically jumping out of my skin, I turn around. I can’t believe I let that happen again, but I didn’t expect him to ever touch me.
His dark, hooded eyes gaze at me intensely as he takes out my ear buds. He steps forward, way into my personal space, and the next thing I know I’m being backed against his bedroom wall. One hand goes up into my hair, and the other squeezes my waist, all while his lips slam against mine. He forces his tongue into my mouth, pulling me to him in every way.
I drop the wood polish and paper towels that are in my hands and wrap my arms around his neck, my fingers sliding up into his hair. I kiss him back lustfully, savoring his tongue that’s sweeping my mouth. His hair slides right through my fingers like silk. What is it about this man’s hair?
His powerful, fit body presses against me, pinning me harder against the wall while his tongue assaults my mouth. I shove my hips against him and whimper, my body begging for him to put me in his bed. After a couple of minutes, he slows our kiss. Letting go of my lips, he gazes down at me like he’s a starving man.
“You’re not supposed to clean my room,” he says in almost a whisper. I feel his sizzling breath on my skin.
“No one told me, but if this is my punishment, then I’m doing it again.”
“Fuck.” He groans and grabs my face, putting his hungry mouth on mine once again. I run my hands up under the back of his shirt, my fingertips gliding along his tense muscles. He halts and releases my lips, allowing me to see the quick rise and fall of his chest as my hands make their descent down his back.
He leans his forehead against mine and brushes the back of his hand down my cheek. “It was difficult to wake up in bed with you, Skyla because all I wanted to do was touch and taste all of your perfect body. I’ve been trying for two weeks to resist you.”
“Please, don’t,” I whisper.
“I can’t have you, angel.”
And just like that he’s gone, leaving me all alone in his room. That arrogant ass. I gather my stuff and storm downstairs, finding him on his patio.
“Don’t ever speak to me again,” I say before I angrily tread back through the house and go out the front door. I need to go back to Cali. The loneliness I feel on this damn island is killing me. A paradise for romance, my ass.
Then Bud leaves me right before we get to be together again. With him being three years older than me, you’d think he wouldn’t have given me the time of day, but he dragged me around with him everywhere when we were kids.
Being even a couple of years older than Bud, Lee thought I was a pest, but not my cousin. I cried for a month when he moved here. He told me I could move to Hawaii, too in three years, but that’s an eternity when you’re fifteen and miss someone. Bud was my everything, and I’m so angry at him for dying on me because of his drug addiction!
After slamming my front door, I throw myself onto my couch and cry for all the loss and rejection I’ve been dealt. My strength is crumbling.
***
A knock at the door wakes me. I don’t know how long I’ve been sleeping. No one visits me, so I’m instantly alarmed. Please don’t be the military, please don’t be the military. I can’t survive another loss. I slowly open the door and see that it’s Chase.
Chase
“Hi, can we talk?”
“No.” She starts to shut the door on me.
I stick my hand out and catch it. “Please. I need to apologize.” She looks sad. Her eyes are swollen and red. I hate myself for making her cry.
“Outside,” she says before she pushes past me and sits down on her porch steps. I sit next to her.
“Um, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t
have kissed you like that.”
“You’re sorry you kissed me?” she asks, looking straight ahead and sounding even angrier.
“No, but it wasn’t fair for me to grab you like that. I slept next to you, and I … I haven’t been with a woman in a long time, and you’re a very attractive woman, Skyla. I couldn’t take it any longer.” I turn toward her to see her expression. She blushes and peers up at me.
“I don’t regret you kissing me. What I regret is how you keep giving me the impression you’re interested, only to turn right around and push me away.”
“I shouldn’t be coming on to you due to the shit I’m dealing with, but I selfishly want you around. I came to apologize because I have no business trying to keep you to myself when I know I can’t get closer to you.”
Her eyes flash back up to mine. “You want to keep me to yourself?” she asks softly.
If she only knew how badly I want to lock her in my room and kiss those juicy lips again. “Yes, but I need to leave you alone. I came to explain, so you don’t think I’m a total jackass. I’m not trying to play some kind of game,” I say as I stand up.
She stands, too and looks pissed. “How can you do this?”
“Do what?”
“How can you feel that way but never plan to see me again?”
“Skyla, I don’t need to get to know you better to tell how great you are. I don’t deserve someone like you. I’m not a good person.” I look away from her.
“I don’t see that. You rescued me from those guys on the beach, you doctored my arm and said you’d pay me when I didn’t work. You fed me lunch. You saved my ass at that bar, and you came here to apologize for kissing me without permission. You’re not bad, so why can’t you see that?”
She runs her hand up my neck, her fingers sliding into the back of my hair, but it’s as if I can feel her touch over my entire body. I feel powerless gazing down at her. Don’t give in.
“I have to go, Skyla. You deserve better.” I jump into my car and leave. Once again, she’s left standing alone. I’m a dirt bag no matter how it plays out.
Skyla
Oh hell no! I go inside to brush my teeth and straighten myself up. He will kiss me again. I walk to his house and pound on the door. He opens it with a surprised look on his face, but I still see sadness. I don’t look for long before I throw my arms around his neck.
My lips capture his with an unbearable longing. I can’t understand my need to be physically and mentally close to this man I barely know, but I’m so drawn to him. He responds, his tongue quickly circling mine as his strong arms wrap around my waist. My tank top is being pulled tight in the back by his eager hands that grip it.
“Don’t push me away. Tell me whatever it is, and I won’t judge, but kiss me more first,” I say after releasing his lips.
I hear his light chuckle. He shuts the door and grabs my hand, pulling me behind him. He sits on the couch in his family room and looks at the spot next to him, signaling for me to sit down. I think he’s ready to talk, but before he can stop me, I straddle him. I don’t know what’s come over me.
“I told you to kiss me more first, then talk,” I say before I take hold of his face with my hands and kiss him hard, thrusting my tongue into his mouth. His tongue meets mine as he grabs my hips. I feel his fingers so close to my ass, and I just want him to move them down and take hold of it.
I want to know everything about him. A desperate need to hang on to the little bit of him he’s giving away controls my every move. Our tangled tongues continue their exploration, every hard stroke a release of aching desire.
I tug on his hair, showing him I’m needy for his touch, hardly able to deter how much I want him. He moans against my mouth and squeezes my hips harder, showing that his restraint is waning, too.
Our lips separate in need of a deep breath, and I slide my hands down the firm planes of his chest while leaning my head down to kiss his neck. I gently move my wet lips along it until I take hold of his earlobe, carefully pulling it between my teeth before I lick and blow on his ear.
His head falls back as his hands move from my hips to my ass. My wish is granted when he clenches it with his fingers. Then I feel it, his erection pushing against me, and all I can think about is being in his bed with him on top of me, sinking into me. What the hell? It’s been a long time since I’ve had sex, but there’s something more to this. A deeper yearning I’ve never felt before.
My hands keep moving down his chest, past his stomach until my fingers hit the waistband of his shorts. I softly feather a few kisses back down his neck before he gently takes hold of my wrists. I sit up and gaze into his pools of darkness that are beginning to show a sign of light, and I can see the effect I have on him.
“You’re unbelievable. That was the hottest thing ever. I mean the hottest,” he says before he pulls me forward until my forehead presses against his.
“How am I going to stay away from you?”
“You’re not,” I whisper.
He shakes his head. Is he saying no? I can sense his struggle, so I sit back up, waiting anxiously for his response.
“I’ve wanted you since the first moment I saw you. I’ve wanted you so fucking bad. Will you go on a date with me, Skyla?”
A grin spreads across my face. I’m winning. Mr. Moody is losing.
Chase
This woman is the sweetest taste of temptation. I walk away from her, leaving her on her porch alone, and she hunts me down. It plays out like a fantasy as she straddles me on my couch. This is one determined chick, and she’s got me turned on.
Her mouth is on fire, and God, when she moves it to my neck and ear, I have to put my hands on her ass and squeeze. If I don’t, they’re going to go everywhere else on her luscious body.
She wants me. She’s offering herself to me, so I grab her wrists to stop her from going any further. Anymore, and she’ll be in my bed. Everything feels right, and I want to do everything to her that I shouldn’t.
“Would you go on a date with me, Skyla?”
Where in the hell did that come from? I’ve never even been on a date. I’ve had women on my arm for different occasions, but they weren’t dates.
She gifts me a beautiful grin that’s the best damn present ever. “Yes, but only if you’re sure. I probably shouldn’t give you time to process this. You might change your mind.”
“No, I’m not changing my mind. I want to be near you, Skyla.”
“Chase, if you don’t want to share your darkest secrets, then don’t, but talk to me about everything else. Spend time with me, and kiss me,” she says before her lips are back on mine.
I run my hands up into her hair and hold her head, kissing her slowly and softly for several minutes. The kiss in my room was hot, but it was over too quickly.
I’ve dreamed about having her this way for months, so I relish every second of it. Her warm breath and wet tongue are in sync with mine, made only for my greedy mouth from here on out.
I’ve never cared an ounce about kissing, but doing it with her is erotic, and I will do it again and again. I’m selfish, and when it comes to Skyla, it’s a quality I’m not going to be able to change, especially now that I’ve had a taste.
A Do Over
Skyla
I’m giddy like a teenage girl when Chase drops me off at home. The cheesy grin I kept giving him had to have him laughing inside. I’m happier than I’ve been in years, and although I should be guarded from his erratic behavior, I have no desire to be. I want to be close to this man more than I’ve ever wanted anything.
After losing almost everyone I’m close to, I can’t hold back. We don’t know how long we have to live and love. I have to take a chance on Chase, even if it means my heart may hurt from it.
He told me to dress nice for our date in Waikiki. He definitely keeps me on my toes. A couple of hours ago he was barely speaking to me, and now he wants to take me on a special date.
I put on a flowing, royal blue dress that hits mid-t
high and silver, strappy heels. There hasn’t been a reason for me to dress this nice since I got on the island, so I’m excited. I put loose curls in my long blonde hair and wear silver jewelry. My nerves start getting the best of me right before Chase is to show up, so I call Eric. “Hi, it’s Skyla.”
“How’s my new friend?”
“I have some news.”
“Please tell me you’re not moving back to the mainland like you threatened at the bar.”
I begin giggling. “No, I need to see how something pans out first.”
“What might that be?”
“I had a break through today with your friend. We kissed, and we’re going on a date in a few minutes.”
“I’m happy for you, Skyla. I knew it was only a matter of time. Chase is used to having what he wants, and I know he wants you. How could he resist a chick as special as you? Don’t worry, I’ll kick his ass myself if he screws this up.”
“You always know the right thing to say. He’ll be here any minute, but I’ll let you know how it goes.”
“No getting smashed tonight,” he says, laughing before he hangs up.
I’m grateful that since meeting Eric, he’s graciously let me talk to him like he’s a chick. I need a girlfriend on this island. I hear the knock on the door, and my stomach is giving me the feeling that I’m in the ocean. I feel sea sick, so I swallow hard and take a couple of deep breaths before I open it.
Chase
My heart races as I approach Skyla’s door. She opens it and smiles. Wow! She’s stunning. I take in a gasp of air and try to dismiss the dirty thought I’m having of skipping dinner altogether.
“Skyla, you’re stunning.” My voice cracks, and I realize I said it because I genuinely meant it. It wasn’t just the line I’ve used to get a girl into bed. She’s gorgeous and needs to hear it every day.
The Mermaid and her King Page 7