Eric is quiet.
“Are you still there?” I ask.
“Um, yeah. I was just thinking about something. I’ll see you Saturday.”
It’s five o’clock when I finish getting ready. I put on my red spaghetti strap sundress and flip flops before I message Chase.
Me: Hi, still up for that walk? I’ll bring tacos.
Chase: Yes, and tacos sound great. Do you want me to pick you up?
Me: No, I’m a big girl, remember?
Chase: You keep reminding me. See you soon.
I get the tacos and drive to his house as quickly as I can. He’s smiling at me when he opens the door, his perfect white teeth shining against his dark skin. He smells enticing, and his athletic shorts and tight t-shirt are hugging all the firm, muscular parts of his fit body just right.
“Hi, Skyla, come in.”
“Hi.” I follow him to the kitchen and set the food down. I’m caught off guard when he pulls me into his arms and hugs me. I could stay here forever.
After a long embrace, he pulls back and gazes down at me. “I’ve wanted to hug you since we talked about our parents. I hope you don’t mind.”
I know I’ll give this man whatever he wants if he keeps saying sweet things like that. “No, I don’t mind. You can kiss me, too if you want.”
He smiles at me before his lips are on mine. They’re soft, wet and wonderful. Our kiss intensifies, tongues swirling together as he pulls me in closer to him. My fingers go straight into his hair, gliding through the silken strands before I scrunch it back up into my hands, tugging it, bringing his face as close to mine as possible.
His tongue darts in and out of my mouth as his hands travel down over my ass. He lets me go and looks down at me with that same starving look he had when he kissed me in his bedroom.
“We should eat.”
I try to slow down my breathing before I speak.
“We should.” It’s all I can say. Every part of my body is screaming for him to touch it. I know he sees it in my eyes when he takes my face into his hands and kisses me again, this time even harder.
I run my hands up under the back of his t-shirt, and unlike when we were in the bedroom, he doesn’t stop me. Turning my body, he pushes me up against the island in the middle of his kitchen and settles his leg between mine.
I feel his erection pressing against me as he runs his hands down my neck to my breasts and massages them while kissing on my ear. My head falls back, his touch stirring up a hot sensation throughout my yearning body, eliciting a whimper.
“Your whimpering drives me crazy, Skyla.”
Chase quickly releases me when we hear a noise behind us.
“Shit, sorry dude. I didn’t know you had company.”
I recognize Eric’s voice immediately. He’d come in the back door off of the kitchen, which leads out to the patio. Glancing up at Chase, I see he’s glaring at him.
Without turning around, I speak, trying not to giggle. “Hi, Eric. How are you?”
“Hi, Skyla. I’m not as good as you two,” he says, chuckling. “I’ll come back tomorrow, bro, and I’ll knock first.”
“That’s a good idea,” Chase says.
I look up again and see that he’s now smirking at Eric. I’m glad he’s seeing the humor in this. I hear the door shut. Slowly, I look up at Chase and giggle with embarrassment.
“We should eat,” he says before he leans over and kisses the top of my head.
Damn you, Eric. Feeling the pulsing ache between my legs only makes me want Chase more. “OK.” I lightly sigh with disappointment. He tells me to sit while he heats up our food. Taking deep breaths, I try to calm my nerves, but the ache between my legs is not fading.
We sit across from each other, and he’s quiet. I don’t like it, and I’m paranoid he’ll shut me out again. I know he wants me, but he seems to be fighting a battle. I don’t like the enemy one bit, and I’m determined to help him conquer it.
“How was your day?” I ask.
“It was good since I had you to think about and a pretty image in my head.” He gives me a faint smile.
“Every time you say sweet things to me, it makes me want you more,” I say with longing.
Chase stops moving and stares at me for a few seconds before he speaks. “You are so damn sexy, Skyla. I’m trying not to take you to my bed, but if you don’t stop, I’m carrying you there, and we won’t be sleeping this time.”
My eyes widen. He’s the sexy one.
“Who said I don’t want that?” My gaze is locked firmly with his.
“Fuck. Are you finished eating? I think we need to go for that walk. I need to talk to you about something.”
“I’m finished.” I’m also nervous. Is he getting ready to reveal his big secret? He takes my hand and shakes his head.
“I’m beginning to think our paths crossed, so you can torture me every day with temptation.”
“You’re torturing yourself, mister.”
“Not for long, angel … not for long.”
Chase
I take Skyla’s hand and lead her to the beach. Feeling her skin lights me up, but I’m trying to stay focused on the fact that she has a right to know the way I used to live. I’m hoping she’ll still want to be with me after, so I can fuck her very soon.
The waiting is torture, especially when she’s taunting me. I feel as if Skyla’s my new drug, and I don’t know if I can handle that constant urge. Wanting to see her and touch her every day is about to drive me insane.
She has a right to know about Bud, too, but there’s no way I can talk about him any time soon. I haven’t had to tell that story since I went into rehab right after he died.
“Um, Skyla, I feel like I should tell you some things about my past.”
She looks up at me and pulls a stray hair away from her face. Her expression shows curiosity but also concern. “OK.”
“I used to do a lot of bad things … unhealthy things that hurt not only me but others around me.”
I feel her squeeze my hand tighter. “Like what?”
“I was only fifteen when my mom died, and I took it really hard, so I started drinking. By the time I was twenty, I was out of control with it, and it was hard to hide, so I started experimenting with drugs, thinking I could conceal that better.
“First, it was pot. When my dad died a couple of years later, I needed something more to numb the pain. I also needed it to keep me going, so I could work. The alcohol and pot only made me depressed and lazy. A friend introduced me to cocaine, and it seemed like the perfect fix.
“A drawback to being wealthy is that you can get drugs whenever you want them and not the cheap stuff, either. I was using heavily, but I went to rehab, and I’ve been clean close to a year now.
“I’m fortunate in that my brain doesn’t seem to be wired for addiction the way it is for a lot of people. It was easier for me to stop than I expected. I’ll never let myself be that person again.” I wait for her to respond. I filled her head with enough garbage to process.
“Chase, I hate to think of how hard life’s been for you since your parents died. I’m sorry you had to go through that all those years. To think you suffered and didn’t really live makes me sad for you.”
“You feel bad for me?”
“Yes. You’ve been through a lot. It’s great you got clean, and I don’t know why you think you’re a bad person. You made poor choices, but it started when you were young due to tragedy, and it just spiraled from there. You need to cut yourself some slack. Your strength is amazing.”
“I’m not scaring you off?”
“No. Did you think I wouldn’t want anything to do with you because of that?”
She seems genuinely surprised.
“Not entirely. In the beginning I thought so, but you’ve made me feel like I could tell you, so I was hoping you wouldn’t run away.”
“I have even more respect for you, Chase. At a young age, you lost the people you love and depend on the most. Yo
u went to a dark place to take away the pain, but you found the strength to crawl your way out of the hole. That’s commendable.”
“I can’t tell you what it means to me that you’re not upset, but there’s something else I need to tell you that goes with it. Because of doing the drugs, I also slept with a lot of women.
“I feel horrible about it now, but I can’t change the past. I want you to know that I always used protection, and I’m clean.”
“It’s fine, Chase. No offense, but I assumed you’ve slept with a lot of women. You’re too good looking not to have women throwing themselves at you, especially those who are also greedy.”
Skyla stops walking and wraps her arms around me, hugging me tight. I can’t even comprehend how I can tell her all of that, and instead of her being angry and leaving me, she tells me how sorry she is for what I went through. I don’t know how she can have more respect for me.
She’d probably feel different if I told her the whole truth. Would she want to be near me if I told her that I supplied the drugs that killed my friend? I’m too selfish to find out right now. I can’t risk losing her. I hug her back and stroke her long hair, feeling so much relief that she’s at least sticking around for now.
She pulls away and gazes up at me. “I’m really relieved you’re not in some kind of mob or sex slave business.”
I grab her face and give her one deep kiss. She giggles against my mouth, and I swear that sound is fucking adorable. “Skyla, you’re an angel. A very, very cute one.”
Explorations
Skyla
That wasn’t so bad. I don’t know what I expected to hear, but he led me to believe it’d be worse. He really is brave. He doesn’t know it, but I believe it’s already too late for me to ever walk away from him.
After we go back in from finishing our walk, Chase seems uncomfortable. I imagine he’s not sure if he should touch me again. He has to be aware that it’d be hard for us to stop.
I decide I should go to make things easier on the both of us. After all he told me, it doesn’t feel like the right night to end up in his bed. I don’t want him to remember anything negative from the day we make love.
“I think I should go since I have to work again tomorrow, but then I’m off for four days in a row.”
He smiles at me. “I have to go into Waikiki tomorrow evening for a business dinner, but if you’ll spend some time with me those other days, I’d be a happy man.”
“You know what a busy social life I lead, but I’ll try to fit you in,” I say, kidding as we walk to the front door.
“I wouldn’t want to interfere with Eric and Andy’s lunch delivery on Saturday.”
“I might share with you, too if you’re nice and rub sunscreen on me again.” I wrap my arms around his waist and gaze up at him.
He smiles. “That’s asking for a lot. You have no idea how hard that was on me.”
His hands run up into the back of my hair, his expression turning serious. He brushes a few kisses on my lips. “My hands covered in lotion, gliding along your smooth skin that felt like silk,” he says barely above a whisper, his hot breath warming my skin once again.
My body starts trembling. His words dance along every one of my nerves, awakening them to beckon for his touch. “Chase,” I whisper.
He bends down a little, grazing his lips up my neck until they hover above my ear. “Then you were right between my legs. Pure. Fucking. Torture.”
One of his hands drop, and the next thing I feel is his fingertips on my thigh, trailing up under my sun dress, his mouth still lingering on my neck. The pulsing ache is back with a vengeance. His fingers move slowly along my inner thigh until they brush my panties and trail down my other thigh.
“Chase,” I whisper again. I don’t know why I’m saying his name. Do I want him to stop or keep going? My body jerks when I feel his hand cupping my wet panties, his thumb rubbing circles on the outside of them. His mouth is back on my ear.
“You’re really wet, angel. I think I should play nice and finish what I’ve started.”
His words draw a chill across my skin, and I feel my legs trying to go, my body still trembling. He moves his free hand to the nape of my neck and holds me while his other hand taunts me through the wet silk of my panties. His fingers slowly slide inside of them and sink into me. I whimper before sucking in a gasp of air.
“Fuck, Skyla, you’re so warm inside and tight around my fingers. He begins moving them in and out of my scorching flesh, crippling my control.
I’m helpless, dependent on his touch. I think I’d die if he stopped now. My eyes are clenched shut, and my breathing’s labored as the pleasure builds and emanates, spreading like a wildfire. His thumb is circling my clit all while his fingers plunge into me repeatedly.
“Open your eyes, Skyla. I’m going to see your face and those baby blues when you come for me.”
I slowly open them, feeling bashful. He’s staring at me with so much desire in his eyes. This is as much for him as it is for me. My lids are heavy as the pleasure seizes me, tipping me over the cusp, but I never look away from his hungry gaze.
“That’s it. Come for me, Skyla. I’ve never seen anything as fucking beautiful as your face is right now.” Waves of stinging pleasure wash over me again and again, my body writhing against his commanding fingers. I realize he’s holding me up as I come down from my high, collapsing against his chest.
His fingers slide out of me, and I feel his hands under the back of my dress, clenching my ass. I’m sated and warm against his chest, wanting nothing more than to curl up with him in his bed. I feel his erection against me and realize how difficult this has to be for him.
I’m not sure if I should return the favor. He pulls back from me and leans down to capture my lips, his hands still on my ass, pushing it against his hard-on. He kisses me slowly and skillfully for a couple of minutes.
“I know this can’t be easy for you. Do you want me to make you feel better?” I ask.
“Not tonight. You have no idea what you’ve already done for me. I’ll have that image in my head forever. I didn’t mean for that to happen. I just couldn’t resist, and I wanted you to feel good.”
I smile up at him sheepishly. I’ve never experienced anything that sensual and intimate. I’ve had sex before, but those times don’t compare to this moment between us.
“Thank you. That felt really good, and I’ll make it up to you soon. I—I better go.” Leaning up, I plant a soft kiss on his lips. “Thank you for a great evening.”
“Thank you for being so understanding about my past. I care what you think about me, Skyla.”
“I think you’re great, Chase. Goodnight.” I walk out the door, very thankful that I drove tonight. All my energy has been zapped, and my legs feel like Jell-O.
Chase
Throughout the night, I’m tormented from pleasure and pain as I continually see Skyla’s face when she came from my touch. If a woman didn’t get off while I was fucking her, then she was out of luck, but with Skyla, I could touch her all day long knowing I’m making her feel that damn good. This strong desire to take care of her and please her has taken over.
I wake up exhausted on Thursday, and I’m disappointed I won’t see her. I want to do something nice for her since she didn’t run away after hearing about my past.
Aware of her love for the ocean, and knowing she’s going to school for marine biology, I get an idea. After making a call to arrange things, I text Skyla to call me when she can. Soon after, my phone rings.
“Hello, angel.”
“Hi,” she says softly.
“Do you have plans tomorrow?”
“No. I was hoping to see you,” she replies.
“How early would you be willing to see me?”
I hear that cute giggle I love so much. “I guess it depends if you make it worth my while.”
“You’re driving me crazy. Do you know that? I think it’s worth getting up early for this.” Now, I picture her lying unde
rneath me in my bed, and I’m blaming her this time.
“OK, I trust you.”
“I’ll pick you up at 5:30 in the morning. Wear a bathing suit and something warm over it.”
“Wow, that’s early, so this better be good.”
“I’ll make a deal with you. If you don’t enjoy yourself during our outing, then I’ll make sure you do when we get back.”
She’s silent for a few seconds. “Um, it’s a deal. I’ll see you in the morning, Chase.”
Skyla
As I wait for Chase to pick me up, I yawn several times. This is too early to be out of bed, but I have a strong feeling it’ll be worth it. I have on denim shorts and a grey sweatshirt over my hot pink bikini, and my hair is braided in a side fishtail.
I see him pull into the driveway, and I swear my heart skips a beat. Just thinking about him gets me breathless. He’s smiling when I get into the car, and it still takes me by surprise since he seldom smiled the first couple of weeks I knew him.
“Good morning,” he says.
“Good morning, Chase.” I give him a peck on the cheek after I buckle up.
“I was sure you’d be angry at me for getting you up this early, so it’s nice to see that smile on your face. Have any idea what we might be doing?”
“Um, I had one idea. I imagine you have a boat, so I wonder if we’re going out on it, but something tells me it isn’t that obvious.”
“We are going out on a boat, but it’s not mine. I do have my own, and I hope I get a chance to take you out on it.”
“I can’t wait to see what we’re doing.” I feel butterflies in my stomach as we pull up near the docks and park. The only light I see are from a couple of boats that people are moving around on and the dock lights. We walk to one of the boats, and Chase tells me to wait while he goes to speak to someone. He has a discussion with an older gentleman and waves me over.
“Ron, this is Skyla. She has no idea what we’re doing here, so let me have a minute to make sure I’m not going to have to take her back home.”
The Mermaid and her King Page 9