Love Unbound: A Valentine's Day Romance Anthology

by Dee, Cassandra

  Suddenly, a noise sounded out from the bedroom down the hall. It was probably just him moving around in his bed. He was likely just going to sleep, but I wondered if maybe I wasn’t the only one pleasuring myself, wanting to make the walls of this beach house shake.

  Should I walk over to his room with no pants, just my bare legs and only a shirt to conceal my body? He’d probably be down. I’ve seen the way he looks at me, like a predator wanting to tear apart prey.

  But that only made me pulse again, delirious and horny. Good. I’d exhausted myself, rather than going down the hall and making a huge mistake.

  But even though I was tired, sleep still eluded me. So with quick steps, I went downstairs to pour myself a glass of wine.

  There was a liter of scotch sitting out, and I suspected that Joshua had been having problems getting to sleep too. Hmm, no thank you. I chose an aged red wine and poured myself an almost full glass and then dialed my best friend, Autumn Pierce. Autumn is cool. She was only a year younger than me, and she was also my second cousin in some kind of weird coincidence. She’s always been there for me, giving me helpful advice on all of the problems that came across my path. We were inseparable growing up, but once I went off to NYU, we were usually relegated to speaking on the phone or online. Incredibly, Autumn also met a guy at school, married him and had two kids.

  Still, Autumn always found time for me. We’d been talking on and off since my parents set forth their Hamptons proposal, and I called her now, relieved when she answered.

  “Hey Naomi,” she said in a hushed voice. “Sorry, my kids are asleep. What’s up?”

  “Not much,” I said. “Except I’m stuck in the Hamptons with the guy my parents want me to marry.”

  “Really?” she’d asked, flabbergasted. “This is what Brian and Heather want for you? Who is it?”

  I nodded miserably.

  “Yeah, it sucks right? It’s Josh Myers, you know the one from the Myers family who lives in a castle on Long Island?”

  Ever chipper, Autumn laughed through the line. “Well, it sounds like you could be having yourself some real fun this week then. That’s the Josh that’s really cute, right?”

  “Um, did you suddenly forget how he and I hate each other?” I reminded her. “And honestly, I’m basically here with a gun to my head. Our parents must be going senile. Or they took acid or something.”

  “Come on, it could be worse,” she wheedled. “You’re in the Hamptons with a hot guy and a bunch of booze. What could be so bad?”

  “A hot guy that drives me crazy,” I said darkly. My friend laughed again.

  “Oh, I bet he drives you crazy! Joshua is hot, Naomi. Just get some while you’re on vacation.”

  “Autumn,” I said with a warning tone. “I’m not on vacation. I’m in prison. Our parents want us to get frickin’ married! How insane is that?”

  But my friend remained unfazed.

  “I doubt they’re going to make you go through with that,” she said breezily. “Besides, how do you know it might not be fun?”

  What the hell? Whose side was she on?

  “I don’t know,” was my surly reply.

  A pause.

  “You don’t think he’s sexy?”

  “Well, I guess,” was my grudging concession. “In a meathead sort of way.”

  “Well, you don’t have to hook up right away. Just get to know him a little bit. Why not? What do you have to lose? What do you really know about him other than what family he comes from?”

  “Not much,” was my slow admission.

  “There you go,” Autumn said triumphantly. “Take my word for it. Listen to your best friend. I know what I’m talking about.”

  I sighed.

  “I guess I could learn a little bit about him,” were my slow words. “I don’t really want to though. I hate that we’re even here together.”

  “But he’s hot,” she said drolly.

  “I should never have told you that,” was my accusing moan.

  “It’s not a bad thing,” Autumn said, not batting an eye. “So you might as well talk to him while you’re there, right? What are you going to do, just ignore each other all week?”

  I paused for a moment. Honestly, I hadn’t considered.

  “Suppose so. I don’t know,” was my ill-natured comment. “How are your boys by the way?”

  “Oh, everyone’s good over here,” said Autumn breezily. “Tyler’s using the potty by himself, and we think Ethan is about to say his first word.”

  “That’s awesome,” my mood improving immediately. “I really want to see them soon. I miss them soooo much.”

  “They miss their Aunt Naomi too. You should come by after you get engaged,” was her last jab.

  I could almost hear my buddy winking over the phone.

  “Yeah, okay,” I said sarcastically.

  And with that, we hung up, promising to make plans as soon as I was back in the city. But it was crazy because even Autumn wanted me to get some. Why was everyone on my parents’ side? What did people see about Josh Myers that I didn’t?

  On the one hand, there were the man’s physical charms, sure. The penetrating blue eyes and coal-black hair paired with the body of a god. But doesn’t personality count? Couldn’t people see how infuriating this guy was with that cocky smile and knowing smirk?

  And with that, I took myself off to bed, a little dazed from the wine. The past week had been crazy … but what I didn’t know was that it was going to be crazier yet.

  Chapter 5

  Joshua Prepares to Pounce

  When I woke up the next morning, it was late. Sunshine streamed through my window making my head pound. With slow feet, I trudged downstairs and entered to the kitchen. Naomi was already up, sitting at the dining room table, eating a bagel. I gave her a half-sincere smile, poured myself some orange juice, and helped myself to some cereal.

  Sitting on the couch, I stretched out while downing the Cap’n Crunch. I was tempted to eat in my room, but why? The curvy girl was right here, and I wasn’t going to be scared off by her. For the first few minutes, we just sat there eating, not looking or talking to each other. But just as she finished her bagel, she looked at me.

  “Do you think our parents would actually cut us off?” she asked.

  I chuckled, relieved that we could start on some common ground. “Hell if I know. I still can’t believe we’re here right now.”

  “Exactly,” she said with a dour look.

  “Why, hat do you think?” I asked curiously. “Do you think you’ll be cut off?”

  Her expression was pensive.

  “I don’t know, but I’m afraid to find out,” she replied. “My mom called me just now to check up on how things were going.”

  “What’d you tell her?”

  “Not much,” Naomi sighed. “She said we had to start trying, or we’d be in trouble.”

  “Ooh,” I grunted. “It’s nice to be talked to like we’re ten years old, isn’t it?”

  “I’m used to it,” the brunette said with a wry face. “But this is on a whole new level.”

  I shook my head. “Yeah. This is so dumb.”

  “Exactly,” she agreed. “By the way, our parents made reservations for us to go have lunch on the beach today.”

  I snorted. “Seriously? What’s with all this heavy-handed micromanagement?”

  She shrugged.

  “Who knows, but unfortunately, it’s true.”

  I ran my hands through my hair, trying to think about how we’d spend our day.

  “Guess I’ll go take a shower,” I said. “Unless you want to go first.”

  She nodded absentmindedly.

  “That’s fine,” were her words. “Go ahead.”

  And with that, I bounded up the stairs, heading into the bathroom off to the right. Disrobing, I stepped under the hot spray. It felt good to splash the hot water on my face and wake-up a little.

  Yet the cleaner I got, the dirtier my thoughts became. My mind retur
ned to what I’d seen in this bathroom the night before: the beautiful creature that I’d grown up with and never took notice of.

  What would it be like with Naomi here? There was more than enough room for two. I began to grow hard just imagining how hot it would be to have her up against the shower walls, pounding into that tight pussy.

  Suddenly, before I had a chance to do anything about my growing boner, there was a knock on the bathroom door.

  “Yeah?” was my hoarse grunt.

  “I need to come in,” said Naomi. “I’m sorry, there’s only one bathroom!”

  Oh shit. Trust our parents to do this to us. I was sure this was all part of some scheme to throw us together. So I rolled with it.

  “It’s cool,” were my words. “Come on in.”

  The shower curtain concealed my frame, but I could see her somewhat through the fabric. She went over to the sink, likely messing with her hair and makeup.

  It was awkward to say the least, and I tried to fill the silence.

  “So I thought I heard you talking to someone last night,” I called out. “Did your mom call you last night, too?”

  “No, I was talking to a friend of mine,” she answered, voice muffled by the pounding water. “I hope I didn’t keep you up.”

  I chuckled to myself. “Nah, couldn’t sleep last night.”

  Soaping myself, my ears pricked. She was still bustling about, doing something or other, and I wondered if she’d still be in the bathroom when I stepped out.

  “I’m almost done,” was my warning. “Just so you know.”

  “Oh, okay,” she replied. “I’ll get my things and let you get out.”

  “I mean, unless you came in here to sneak a peek,” I added. “You don’t have to leave. We’re sharing the bathroom, after all.”

  Naomi laughed. “You wish, buddy.”

  With that, the girl grabbed her things and left, closing the door firmly behind her. I contemplated masturbating, but it didn’t even compare to what I really craved. I turned the shower off, frustrated.

  Fuck. What was happening? This girl was supposed to be an ice queen, except that I was dreaming of her instead.

  ***

  We walked to the beach together. I was wearing a simple polo shirt and shorts, and Naomi wore a sundress and had her hair up. The girl was ravishing, hands down.

  Waiting for us was a large blanket under an umbrella with a picnic basket. Beside the basket was a bottle of wine chilling, and there was a platter of strawberries.

  Naomi stared disbelievingly before letting out a short laugh.

  “Can you believe our parents? Like, for real.”

  “I’m starting to get used to it,” were my grudging words. “They really just want us to get super drunk and have lots of sex, apparently.”

  “Ha,” the brunette said, shooting me a sideways look. “Are you sure that’s not what you want?”

  I looked right back at her, blue eyes gleaming.

  “I want my parents to stop being lunatics,” were my rough words. “And I’d like to have them off my back for once.”

  She sighed, lifting a glass.

  “I’ll drink to that.”

  We sat down together on the blanket, sifting through the picnic basket to get to the food.

  “So you’re set to take over your dad’s recording studio?” were her curious words.

  “Guess so,” was my shrug. “Honestly, at this point, I could run the studio in my sleep. But I’m not sure that’s what I really want to do.”

  She stared my way, hazel eyes wide.

  “What do you actually want to do then?”

  I shrugged.

  “You know, honestly, I don’t really know. I’ve always liked messing around with cars. I rebuilt the engine in my Mustang myself. Took me almost six months but totally worth it.”

  Naomi looked impressed.

  “Wow,” she said. “So you might want to be a mechanic?”

  “Nah, I don’t think I could do that, either,” I admitted. “I don’t want to work for anyone else. I’ll probably just take over the studio, be my own boss.”

  “Well, it helps that you know what you’re doing,” she said, taking another sip of wine.

  But I turned to her then.

  “So, what about you? I thought you were going to be a hotshot journalist. At least that’s what my parents were always saying.”

  The brunette sighed.

  “I’m kind of like you with the recording studio,” were her slow words. “I can do it, but it doesn’t really excite me. What sucks is that I’m not really sure what else I’m good at.”

  “Hey, I’m thirty and don’t know what I want,” was my rueful admission. “At least you’re still young.”

  She smiled. “I’m twenty-six. That’s hardly young.”

  “Younger than me. Younger than a lot of my friends that don’t have jobs.”

  And with that, we began to eat our lunch, taking in the ocean view while letting the salty air brush against us. It was actually quite nice.

  “This might be sort of romantic if it wasn’t so creepy,” said Naomi.

  I chuckled. “Right.”

  The girl took a deep breath, breathing in the clean air.

  “Tell me about your last relationship,” she said. “I’ll tell you about mine if you tell me about yours.”

  “Not much to tell, to tell you the truth,” were my words. “The last two girls I got serious with both cheated on me. Julie—my last girlfriend—she was pretty much just using me for my money, craving the lifestyle more than anything else.”

  Her look was sympathetic.

  “Sorry to hear that Josh. It couldn’t have been fun.”

  I nodded, eyes staring out in the distance.

  “Yeah, that’s why I don’t let things ever get too far with girls these days,” were my words. “I think a lot of the girls I’ve dated over the last few years mostly just go out me because I’ve got a lot of money. Well, my parents have a lot of money. I’m finding out really quick that I don’t have shit.”

  She laughed. “Welcome to the club.”

  “So, what about you?” I asked curiously, turning the tables. “Who was your last boyfriend?”

  “A real jerk,” she answered. “It’s kind of funny. My story isn’t that different from yours. Most of the guys I’ve ever dated only wanted to date me for my family’s money. Or for sex. Or both.”

  “Sounds like you’ve dated a lot of assholes,” was my grunt.

  “Sadly, you’re right,” she said. “It’s too bad for both of us. We shouldn’t get used just because of what our families have.”

  And before I could stop myself, the words were in the air.

  “Well, what else do I have? Why would someone want to date me if not for the money?”

  Regret made my stomach clench immediately. I didn’t mean to sound so vulnerable, and it was weird. But she seemed to soften at my question.

  “Well, you’re handsome, for one,” she answered. “You have a nice car. You dress well.”

  “I got the car and clothes because of the money,” were my pointed words. “What else?”

  She shot me a look.

  “I don’t know, Joshua, you tell me,” she said. “What else do you have to offer a woman?”

  I shrugged. “I’m an honest guy. I don’t like lying to chicks.”

  “That’s a great trait to have,” she agreed, sipping on her wine. “In my experience, most guys are liars.”

  “Hey, a lot of the girls I’ve been with aren’t so honest either,” I retorted.

  “True, true,” she mused. But then her gaze swung back to me. “A lot of good women would go after you, I’m sure,” she said. “Even if you had zero personality, you’re cute. That goes a long way.”

  And to my chagrin, I started getting hard.

  “You’re not so bad yourself,” was my grunt.

  Thankfully, silence came then. We continued to eat, occasionally checking each other out. Finally, sh
e broke the tension.

  “Do you have a best friend?” she asked me.

  “I do,” I said. “His name’s Weston Park. Have you ever meet Weston?”

  “I don’t think so,” Naomi said, brows drawn.

  “He lived on my street,” I continued. “The dude’s only a year older than me and we’ve been friends for years. He’s always been there for me. You’d like him, actually.”

  She giggled.

  “What does he look like? Is he hot?”

  That made me angry for some reason.

  “I don’t really judge guys,” was my retort. “Besides, he’s a major playboy.”

  “I can see why you two would get along,” Naomi teased. “What color are his eyes?”

  I snorted. Where was she going with this?

  “I don’t know, blue? I don’t stare into his eyes. Why do you care about that?”

  “I’m just curious,” she said with a raised eyebrow. And the girl went for it then. “Would you have a problem with setting me and Weston up? Maybe I’d like him.”

  “You might actually like him,” I said, annoyed. “He’s a trust fund baby, too. Maybe you two would get along.”

  Her brow furrowed, and she no longer smiled. Her eyes lit up like a fire.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” she demanded angrily.

  I wasn’t really sure why she got so mad at first.

  “What? Nothing, I’m saying you two would get along.”

  “It sounded like you were calling me a trust fund baby,” she said.

  “Well, yeah? Of course, you are. What’s wrong with that?”

  “I resent that,” she said. “That’s all you think I am?”

  “No. Well maybe yes. I don’t get it. Why are you upset?”

  “Of course, you don’t get it,” she snapped. She leapt up to her feet and started storming back toward the beach house.

  I got up, running after her, but she’d already made it inside, slamming the door in her wake.

  I threw the door open, frowning. “What’s your problem?”

  “I’m not a trust fund baby!” Naomi yelled. “I can take care of myself!”