by Mika Lane
Her heart rate sped up.
“Hale?”
“Yes, Aurora?”
“Do you mind if I unzip your pants?”
“Hmmm. Let me think.” His lips brushed her cheek and ran up her temple while his hand returned to cup her pussy. “You’re so goddamn hot down there.”
He stepped back to allow her space to reach his fly. Wearing a small smile, she pulled his cock out of a tangle of blue jeans and boxers. Her fingers encircled his thick shaft.
He groaned, “Fuck, baby.”
She lightly stroked him from base to tip, watching his eyes close and his head fall back. The power she had, to reduce him to putty in her hands, was almost as exciting as being touched by him. Leaning in to plant her mouth on his, she savored the light taste of beer on his lips. Their tongues explored with licks and nibbles.
She ran her thumb over the glistening precum of his cock, bringing a drop to her mouth for another taste of him.
With her gaze locked on his blissful face, she slowly lowered to a crouch before his erection. Her own knees were spread wide, and she slipped her dress up to her thighs. She looked to his cock and was entranced by the veins bulging from its otherwise velvety shaft. She then engulfed it with her mouth.
Tongue swirling, she closed her lips to create a suction. Hale pulled in his breath, followed by a loud moan.
“Goddamn, baby. Suck me.” His fingers tangled in her hair as he held her head.
She pulled back to look at him, admiring the gorgeous dimple in his chin, his full lips, and his nearly-black eyes. Yes, this was one gorgeous man. And when she caught his gaze, she made sure he noticed her reach between her legs and pull her panties to one side. Her fingers dove into her wetness, spreading it around and up to her hardening clit. As he watched her fingers get lost in her soft folds, she smiled slightly, and turned back to his cock.
The sun, fresh air, and beautiful setting—not to mention the gorgeous man with a huge, hard cock—left Aurora dizzy with the desire to please. At that moment, all she knew was that she needed his cock in her mouth. Deep in her mouth. And now. Taking a breath, she engulfed him, again, until the crown banged the back of her throat. Her gag was short-lived. She relaxed, savoring the new drops of salty precum he gave her.
Sliding first one finger, and then two, into her wet core, she fucked herself until her pussy contracted and squeezed her hand. At the same time, she pistoned her mouth over his shaft—in and out. Taking it deeper, she created a suction that caused her neck and jaw to ache. Pleasuring herself, while pleasuring Hale, sent her into a trance. She sucked him, and fucked herself, harder and faster. It was all animal instinct. Her mind fell blank with the rhythm of her actions.
Hale, too, was lost in a reverie. Grinding his hips into her face, he eased his shaft down her throat. With one final push, cum shot from his engorged cock and her pussy exploded in orgasm. She loved that they came together and eagerly swallowed, wishing it would never stop. When it did, she carefully and slowly licked every last drop from him and then tasted herself on her fingers.
He helped her to her feet, her legs shaky and numb, her head dizzy with crazy, primal reflex. As her dress fell back in place, his mouth descended on hers, devouring both their juices. He pulled his jeans back up and led her to a chaise where they collapsed.
Melting into his arms, Aurora luxuriated in her post-orgasm bliss. The late afternoon sun heated her skin, adding to the delicious sensation rocking every cell of her body.
“Damn,” he said, nuzzling into her hair. “You know, I kind of like you.”
“Yeah, you should. I’m pretty awesome.”
He slapped her on the ass.
“Hey!”
“That’s what you get for being saucy.” Kisses trickled down the side of her neck as he flipped her over to spoon. Once settled, he reached around to caress her breasts. His hands were soft but demanding. This was a man who knew what he wanted. And she was happy to give it.
Good god, is he already hard again?
But she didn’t have to wait to find out. His arm held her waist and his hardness bounced through his jeans against her ass once more. She arched and pushed to grind against him.
“Fuck, baby. My dick won’t stay down when you’re around.”
She flipped over and faced him. “And the problem with that is…?”
“Glad to know we see eye to eye on this important matter.” He unzipped his jeans. Slipping his hand inside, he made slow strokes along his shaft.
“Mmmm.” She leaned to sprinkle kisses across his face. “I don’t mind watching you do that. If I can play, too.”
His breathing deepened and his voice turned raspy. “Yeah? You like watching me stroke my hard cock?”
Her nipples tingled as they grew hard, pressing through the fabric of her dress. Hale groaned at the development and flicked them with his thumb, leaving her to revel in her sensual powers.
“Touch yourself, baby. Play with those beautiful tits.”
Damn if that wasn’t hot. At his gruff demand, her panties, wet from their previous play, soaked again. The throbbing at her core intensified, and she had to shift and squirm a bit to relieve a little of the growing pressure between her upper thighs. Slowly, she raised her hand to her breast and dragged her open palm across her nipple, determined to torment him all she could.
She pinched her nipple between her finger and thumb, rolling and pulling as he watched. He stroked himself harder in response, small growls escaping his lips.
“Yeah, baby. Like that.” His drew her in for an open mouthed kiss. Their tongues flicked and teased. Her eyes closed as she absorbed the sensations—her tortured nipple, Hale’s grunting, the afternoon sun whispering over her skin.
With one more hard stroke, he groaned loudly and shuddered.
“Fuck baby, I’m coming again. Goddamn.” He exploded for the second time in one hot, blissful hour.
She smiled at her ability to bring him such exquisite pleasure, whether they were naked together or just in close proximity. Reaching for the towel they’d sneaked out of the house earlier, she gently cleaned up the cum that had landed on his jeans, the chaise, and the front of her dress. Funny thing was, though, she didn’t care if she was covered head to toe in his juices. It just made her feel that much sexier.
He kissed her forehead and rolled to his back, blinking in the afternoon sun.
“Hey. Do you hear something?” Aurora asked.
“No. What do you hear?”
She sat up on the chaise. “It’s my phone. That’s the ring I gave to my parents.” Popping up, she looked around for her bag.
“Here we go,” she said, finding it and checking the caller ID. “Mother.”
She stood and wandered to the other side of the deck.
“Hi, sweetheart!” Her mother’s voice sailed across the airwaves like she was in the next room.
Never had the words like fingernails on a chalkboard rung more true.
“Honey, are you there? Aurora?” her mother trilled.
Deep breath. “Yes, Mom. Yes, I’m here. How are you?”
“I’m great, but I’m not calling to tell you about myself.”
Oh god.
“I’m calling to tell you about Ben and Anna!”
Oh god. Again.
She wouldn’t have sounded happier had she won the lottery.
At the mention of their names, Aurora’s stomach acid churned. The flush that burned across her face wet her forehead, leaving hair sticking to the back of her neck. She turned to the sky, hoping it would somehow swallow her whole.
When will this bullshit end?
But her mother’s voice slapped her back to reality. “Aurora, are you there? Are you having trouble hearing me?”
As if.
It occurred that moving three thousand miles away from her problems—a devastating breakup and unsympathetic mother—would never be far enough. She glanced back to the chaise where she’d left Hale. He looked to be in his own post-sex bl
iss, rather than listening to her, thank goodness. But seeing him gave her a strength she’d not had before. She could do better. She could be better.
She took a deep breath. “Mother, I don’t want to hear about those people.”
“Why, Aurora, you can’t go through life so bitter—“
“Mom. Listen to me. Those people did a terrible thing. I’m sorry you don’t think so, but I do. And I’d appreciate your not bringing them up every time we talk. I really don’t care what’s going on in their lives. And I don’t know why you would think I do. For Christ’s sake Mom, my boyfriend fucked my best friend. In what universe is that okay?”
Silence.
More silence.
Aurora turned to see Hale continuing to stare up at the sky.
Whew.
“Mom? You there?”
From the other end of the line, there was a long inhale. Followed by a slow exhale.
“Aurora. You do not need to swear like that. It’s trashy and unbecoming.”
“Mom—”
“Someday, you will find it in your heart to accept Ben and Anna’s happiness. You need to learn that sometimes in life, this is as good as it gets.”
What the hell does that mean?
“They’re fine people. They fell in love. Can you blame them?”
If this is as good as it gets, why even try?
Her view from the deck was blurred with tears and San Francisco looked like a strange Oz in the distance. Frustration exploded from her every pore.
What just one minute.
This was not as good as it got. Goddammit, she deserved better. No one—not even her mother—was going to tell her otherwise.
“Mother.” Aurora’s voice got louder, and she no longer cared if the entire neighborhood heard. “I understand you don’t see that what they did was terribly wrong. I get that. It’s sad, but I get it. What I don’t understand is why, since you know it hurts me, you keep bringing them up. It’s just baffling.”
“Aurora, honey—”
“I’m not finished.” She turned toward Hale and saw he was watching her and listening. And that was okay. He didn’t feel sorry for her. Instead, he had her back.
She continued, her voice shaking with rage. “Mother, until you can find something else to talk about besides those two, I have to ask you not to call me. Leave. Me. Alone.”
“I— Honey…you don’t have to—”
“Mother, I’m ending this conversation. There’s nothing left to say. Please think about my request. And say hi to Daddy.”
“Auror—”
Click.
The phone slipped from Aurora’s hand and clattered to the wooden deck. As she bent to retrieve it, she pulled her sleeve across to her face to sop up the tears. But she sagged the rest of the way to her knees, drained by the conversation.
That dreadful, dreadful woman would never change. But Aurora could. And dammit, she was going to, starting right now.
Hale hopped off the chaise and in a moment had his strong arms around her.
“Welcome to my freakshow,” she said as she sniffled.
He looked at her with understanding while he helped her up.
“God, she’s a bitch,” Aurora said, shaking her head.
“Sounds like a piece of work.” He walked her to the chaise, where they sat, she with her head on his shoulder.
“Me, too. But it’s gonna be okay. I know it is.” She turned her face to his.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Well. For everything. For your patience with me. For setting up today’s session. And for not running screaming in the opposite direction after listening to me fight with my mom.”
“You said what had to be said. A person can put up with only so much.”
“You’re right. And I can feel I’m getting back on my game.”
“I think you already are,” he said with a smile.
Chapter 9
The next day, Aurora followed her usual route back to the Sausalito studio for her evening voice lesson. While the sun was just setting, the air was still warm from the bright day, and it tickled her skin as she pedaled at top speed. She confidently negotiated rush hour traffic on two wheels, her spill of weeks past mostly forgotten.
Just as she arrived at the studio and locked her bike, her cell rang.
“Hale.” That familiar tickle zinged deep down in her core. “Whatcha doin’?” she asked.
“Still here at work. What about you?”
“I’m at the studio now, about to go in for today’s lesson.”
“How about a drink after? I’ll meet you there,” he offered. “Text me the address.”
Ooh la la.
“That sounds great. I’ll see you in an hour.” She skipped toward the giant industrial building where all the magic happened.
Exactly sixty minutes later, Aurora passed through the studio hallway to the waiting room to find Hale relaxed on an old Ikea sofa. His right ankle crossed over his left knee and the broad span of his arms crested the sofa’s back. For a moment, she leaned against the wall to fight her breathlessness.
She wanted to play it cool. But the afternoon scruff on his chin, and the snug T-shirt stretching across his chest and around his biceps made it hard. Very hard. That familiar dampness, making her panties wet, was back. Thank god she’d worn them.
“Well hi,” he said in his cool, sexy voice. “Nice to see you.”
Damn him. Was it even legal to be so hot?
Aurora stood for a moment longer, backpack in her arms, reduced to speechlessness. Her face heated with a blush that rose from neck to forehead. She gave him a small smile with a tilt of her head, praying he had no idea how much he rattled her. For an extra ounce of control, she swallowed. How could someone have such an impact on her? New York Ben certainly never had.
“Hey there. Nice to see you, too,” she said. So far, so good.
He stood and planted a kiss on her cheek.
“Want to head over to The Garage?” he asked as he held the door for her.
“Great idea. I’ve been wanting to go there for ages. I hear they have a couple good vegetarian dishes.”
“Ah, my little vegetarian. Let’s go,” he said, draping an arm around her shoulder. He gestured toward the waterfront. “It’s a couple blocks this way. Want to walk?”
“Yes…but…” She glanced at her bike, locked to a rack in a corner of the nearly-dark parking lot.
He gestured toward it. “Let’s get your bike and walk it over to the restaurant. We’ll lock it up there.”
Her heart skipped a beat at his understanding. The bike was her only transportation, but she cherished it for much more than that—it had been a major step on her way toward a new life, radically different from all she’d left behind in New York, and she rode it everywhere.
With the bike secured to a railing just outside the restaurant, they looked for seats. Aurora took in the charm of the place that had been an actual garage back in the day. A mishmash of gas station artifacts gave the place an industrial but homey feel. Beyond the massive garage doors she spotted more seating, nearly filled to capacity.
Strategically placed fire pits spat red sparks into the cooling evening air. Guests drank good California wine and gabbed with friends while nibbling small plates.
They nabbed the last available outdoor table. Hale waved the waitress over and ordered an expensive red wine. Aurora hid her raised eyebrows as she took in his profile. Even the waitress was enchanted. In the firelight, he was more masculine and gorgeous than ever.
How is that even possible?
She tucked her wild hair behind one ear, wondering if after her long day she was really presentable enough to be out in public. But from what she could tell, Hale was happily oblivious to any untidiness on her part.
The waitress came to let him taste the wine, and he told her to go ahead and pour. His confidence was damn hot, and the delicious throb in her core grew stronger. Under the table, out
of anyone’s view, she lifted her wispy dress a bit and parted her knees just enough to let the evening breeze cool her fire. But it did no good.
And of course, the cabernet, which she forced herself to sip slowly, added to her fervor.
Leaning toward Aurora, Hale took her hand. His intensity, even though he was barely touching her, caused her to flush all over again. The low lighting, aside from the fire pits and candles, fortunately hid most of the evidence. No way was she going to let on that he had this effect on her.
She sipped more of the wine; the longer it was exposed to the air, the better it tasted. Although any wine would be delicious with a man like Hale across the table. She squirmed in her chair.
He didn’t notice that, did he?
To her surprise, they’d polished off their bottle, and in her state, she’d completely forgotten to order food. The long day had taken its toll and the wine had gone straight to her head. And other vital places.
If she didn’t get to bed soon, she’d fall asleep in Hale’s very handsome face.
“Hey, want to get a little fresh air down by the water?” he asked her.
Was it that obvious?
She knew she had to get going—early morning and all—but did she really want the evening to end?
“Yeah. A walk would be great.”
Hale signaled for the check.
They wandered from The Garage, down Liberty Street, toward the waterfront’s rock seawall. It had been built in place of the ramshackle piers that had been crumbling since they’d gone out of service decades before. Aurora’s curls blew around her face in the cool sea breeze, but her puffy jacket blocked the night’s light chill. Regardless, Hale put an arm around her shoulders as they strolled. San Francisco glittered on the other side of the water and the new LED lights of the Bay Bridge danced just beyond the city.
With the exception of the tide’s slap against the rocks, and the occasional seagull cry, the night was silent. They settled on a bench in the quiet dark.
“It’s just stunning,” Aurora whispered.
“So are you.”
She felt the heat of Hale’s gaze in the dark. Another quiver shot right through to her. If she didn’t feel his lips on her soon—