There was no way I could form a coherent response, so I stepped out of his hold. “Race you!”
I stepped to the pool’s edge and jumped in, clutching the top of my suit to ensure it didn’t roll down. Dane took the diving board approach and did a perfect dive, swimming underwater until he reached me.
He broke through the surface and shook his head, sending water droplets flying everywhere. “That wasn’t fair. You didn’t even give me a ‘ready, set, go.’ You just went.”
I laughed and shrugged. “Sorry, house rules. My house, my rules.”
CHAPTER 13
~ Dane ~
If I’d thought Beverly was stunning dry, seeing her wet made every fantasy of mine come true. I swear, the woman had an invisible raft under her as she floated on her back. Her tits bobbed in and out of the water as it rippled around her.
It was a shame the pool wasn’t colder because my dick had stiffened in my trunks and I could use a cool-down. I knew I’d affected Beverly when I told her how badly I wanted her, but she tried not to let on. I’d been with enough women to know when they were ready to straddle me and lose themselves in passion. Beverly was no exception.
Normally, I’d have her out of that suit in a nanosecond, but she wasn’t like the others. Not to mention I think she’d kick my ass and never want to speak to me again. But those plump, perfectly shaped lips of hers begged to be kissed.
Reaching out to touch her forearm as she floated next to me, I said, “You’re getting pink.”
Beverly frowned. Pulling her feet beneath her, she stood and reached up to touch her face. “I should get more sunscreen on.” She went to swim to the side, but I grabbed her arm.
“Kiss me,” I demanded, but she bit her bottom lip and remained silent. “I swear, Beverly, if I don’t kiss you soon, my lips will never forgive me.”
Her head tilted slightly as she studied me for a bit. “Well, I wouldn’t want your lips mad at you, considering you need them.”
“Pretty soon, you’ll be the one needing them,” I said, keeping my tone serious. “They’re very talented, and don’t get me started on my tongue. The tricks he knows will blow you away.”
Beverly’s eyebrows shot up. “He? Your tongue is a he? Does he have a name?”
“Jeeves.”
She held a hand over her mouth in a futile attempt to stifle her laughter. “Je-ee-ves?”
I could barely understand her through her hiccup-filled giggle. Tears of laughter streamed down her face.
“Yes, Jeeves. I don’t know why you’re laughing. You’re going to hurt his feelings.”
She lifted her hands in a gesture of surrender as she tried to compose herself. “I’m sorry, but why Jeeves?”
“Because like the infamous butler, he’s at your service. Anything you need, he can deliver.”
I took a step toward her, framed her face with my hands, and pulled her toward me. Our noses were nearly touching when I spoke.
“If you want to be kissed like you never been kissed before, he can do that. If you want to be licked and savored, he can do that. But most importantly, whenever, wherever, and for whatever you need, he’ll be there to make sure you get it. The best thing about Jeeves is, he makes sure your needs are met before his own. You will never be disappointed.” I stared down into her green eyes, which began to glisten as she stared up at me. “Do you still think it’s a funny name?”
She shook her head and choked out a no.
It took every ounce of strength I had not to scoop her up in my arms, take her back to the chaise lounge, and show her exactly what I meant, but now wasn’t the time. I glanced down, noticing how her chest rose and fell with each labored breath. Her modest bathing suit clung to her sexy figure, which didn’t help my current situation.
“If I can’t have a kiss,” I said, “how about some water? I’m parched.”
Beverly’s head tilted slightly. “Okay.” She took a couple of steps away from me when I dropped my hands before she turned back around. “Dane?”
“Yeah?”
“Never mind. Come on. Let’s go inside and grab something to drink.”
We climbed out of the pool, and I grabbed my towel and ran it over my body before I slung it around my neck. I looked back at Beverly, who had covered herself with a short cotton robe.
Her parents’ house was beautiful and reminded me of my brother Jack’s. To be honest, I was a bit surprised since her mom seemed to love opulence. The house was big, but not overdone. The living room was furnished with cream-colored sofas accented by marine-blue and yellow pillows. A stone fireplace was the focal point of the room, but the family photos on the mantel were what caught my eye.
“Would you rather have a beer, or is water okay?” Beverly called from the kitchen.
“Water’s fine.”
My attention was drawn to a photo on the mantel. Beverly was wearing a pink floral dress, standing between her parents as they all smiled for the camera. She must have been about sixteen or so, but she looked completely different. If I hadn’t been so familiar with her beautiful green eyes, I might not have known it was her. In this picture, she had short hair and was much heavier, but her face was the same. She was just as beautiful then.
“Dane?” Beverly stood stock-still in the doorway, staring at the photograph I now held in my hand. She hurried over and snatched it from me, then laid it facedown on the mantel.
“Hey, I was looking at that.” My tone was light, but that didn’t seem to matter.
Her expression changed as she handed me my bottle of water. “I’d rather you didn’t look at it. I absolutely hate that picture, but it was from a father-daughter dance I had to go to at the club when I was in high school.”
“Why don’t you want me to see it?” When she didn’t respond but tightened her robe around her body as if she was ashamed of it, it hit me. “You’re a beautiful woman, Beverly.”
“Not then I wasn’t. Don’t you remember the Heavy Bevy comments the night I met you?” She pointed to the picture. “This is why.” Her face flushed a deeper pink than it had been outside, and she yanked at the tie around her robe. What she didn’t realize was that the tighter she pulled it, the shorter the robe became.
“Hey.” I set my water bottle down on the coffee table and lightly gripped her arms, which were wound around her midsection. “You are beautiful, then and now.”
“Ha!” She shook her head and tried to pull away from me.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Don’t you believe me?”
Beverly scowled at me. “No, I don’t, actually. There’s no way you would have ever asked me out then. No one was interested in me in high school. I didn’t go to my prom or homecoming dance. That’s probably why my mom loves that picture. It’s the only dance I went to as a teenager, and my date was my father. How pathetic is that?” She let out a little snort. “So don’t tell me you would have dated me when you wouldn’t have even been my friend. Okay?”
I tightened my grip on her as she tried to shift away again. “That’s not a fair assessment. I have no way of knowing if I would or wouldn’t have asked you out. I didn’t know you back then. I think we would have at the very least been friends, and you have no way of knowing otherwise.”
“Really?” She tilted her head to study my expression, which I hoped looked as genuine as I felt.
“Really. Who’s to say how we would have been with each other. We could have been the best of friends. Shit, you might not have even liked me. I wasn’t always this charming—or this good-looking.” I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.
“I highly doubt that.” Beverly’s lips curved up, but there was no amusement in her expression. “I’m sure you were just as hot back then.”
As if I didn’t just hear it myself, my dick woke up, alerting me that this beautiful woman told me she thought I was hot.
“Why, Ms. Whitfield, did you say you thought I was hot?”
Rather than blush or deny it, she pinned me with her green ey
es, letting me know she wasn’t fazed at being called out for her comment. “That’s exactly what I’m saying, and there’s no way I’m the first female to tell you that.”
“You aren’t, but it sounds better coming out of your mouth,” I said as I inched a little closer.
All my willpower had been tested. When we were in the pool, it took everything I had to keep my dick in my shorts. Now, my body was telling my brain to shut the fuck up and go for it.
“You’re very smooth.” She bit her lip nervously, making me wish I was the one who did that, as the air around us charged with a sexual tension.
Staring deeply into her eyes, I said, “I can give you a thousand lines and try to sound suave and debonair, but that isn’t my style. I could stand here and tell you that I don’t want you and I’m not completely turned on by you, but that would be a lie.” I pulled my towel off my shoulders, placed it around her waist, and tugged her close to me. “Here’s the thing—I’m not a game player. The only game I play is golf. When it comes to women, I usually go for what I want.”
“And do you usually get what you want?” Her hands relaxed on her robe, allowing it to loosen around her, and my towel wasn’t helping since it limited her movements.
“I do, and I’m sorry if that bothers you or sounds vain, but you asked. What you didn’t ask is if I wanted you, which I do. When I saw you for the first time, standing on the patio outside the club, I wanted you. But what you don’t know and what confuses me is—I don’t want you for one night. I want to get to know you, and that’s different for me.”
I released the towel. Her arms dangled at her sides as her body leaned, drifting toward me until we could feel each other’s breath. It wasn’t as if we’d never kissed before, and knowing how sweet she was, I wanted to again. To taste her and be able to touch her was my goal.
Ever so slowly, so she’d have a chance to stop me if she wanted to, I reached for the belt of her wrap and pulled it apart. Her chest rose as she inhaled deeply, an invitation for me to bend down and place a kiss on the swell of her breasts, which I did.
Her gasp as my lips touched her skin made my lips curve into a smile. For some reason, making her feel desired was important to me. It didn’t escape me that we were in her parents’ home, and the realization that they might walk through the door was like an unwelcome cold shower.
“Bev, can we take this to your place?”
I prayed the short walk to the guest house wouldn’t change the course we were on, or at least, the course that I hoped we were on. A lot could happen in the hundred-yard walk it would take to get there. But it was a chance I needed to take.
“Yes. I’d like that.”
We gathered up our things and made our way to her house. She opened the door, and as soon as we’d set our stuff down, I reached for her hand.
“Where were we?” Before she could answer, I pulled her close and kissed the curve of her neck, which was becoming a favorite spot of mine.
“Dane?” My name sounded like a secret wish as her head fell back.
“Yes?” I placed my lips close to her ear. “Let me prove to you how desired you are.” My tongue grazed her ear before I pulled her lobe between my teeth and gave it a gentle nip. “Please.”
Beverly nodded, and before she could change her mind, I urged her backward until she sat on her sofa. I knelt in front of her, untied her short robe, and pushed it off of her, bringing me eye-level with her breasts. Her hardened nipples pushed against the fabric of her bathing suit, practically begging me to lick them.
“You’re stunning.”
I rested my hands on her legs, massaging them from her knees to the top of her thighs. When my thumbs were close to the spot I wanted to touch most, I stopped. Her thigh muscles contracted and trembled as I flexed my grip. It took every ounce of willpower I had not to strip her naked and fuck her, but I didn’t. This woman was meant to be savored, and that’s exactly what I intended to do.
Thoughts raced through my head. Some warned me to stop and slow down, but the part of my brain that controlled my dick told me to forge ahead. My better side bickered with my baser nature, filling my head with confusion, and when they were silent, I stopped. The angel in me had won.
Frustrated, I dropped my chin to my chest and leaned back on my heels. Beverly moved her knees together, and when I glanced up, her eyes were clouded with what appeared to be lust. The little devil in me scolded the angel with an I told you so.
Ignoring the voices, I pushed myself up and moved to sit next to her on the sofa.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, her voice full of concern.
My mind spun as I tried to process what I’d done. The last time I remembered stopping when a woman had given me the green light was . . . well, never.
Giving her a small smile, I shook my head. “No, there isn’t anything wrong. I just didn’t think I’d be able to stop at a small taste. The way your skin felt against my lips and under my fingers made me want more.” I raked my hand through my hair and rested it on the back of my neck. “This is rare for me, Bev.”
Her eyes widened. “Do you think I do this often?”
Her incredulous tone made me feel even worse.
“No, and that’s why I stopped. You’re different. You’re . . .” Clutching my hair, I said, “How can I put this?”
Before I could could string together any words that would make sense, she interrupted me.
“I’m not nameless.”
“What?”
Beverly frowned, twining her fingers together as she forced out her words. “Your brother. When we were on the phone in the car, he said you generally don’t recall a woman’s name. Is that why? You’d rather be with a woman you don’t know or won’t remember in the morning? Is that what you want?”
Shit. Jack had made me sound like a prick. I struggled with my answer, and wanting to be honest with her, blurted out the truth without thinking.
“I’ve never put my focus on a single person, just my sport, and since I don’t have time to get involved with anyone, it’s always been just one night. No attachment, just sex, which means no names needed. It’s the way it’s always been for me.”
Her eyes flew open wide as she stared at me, then narrowed.
Hello, foot; meet mouth. The more I tried to explain, the worse I made it. Shit, shit, shit!
Beverly’s tone was icy when she spoke. “I certainly don’t want to put a kink in your system.” She stood and walked toward the back of the house. “I’m going to go change. You can let yourself out.”
Before I knew what had happened, she closed a door behind her, leaving me alone in her living room. I wasn’t sure how long I stared at the six-paneled white door, willing it to open, but it never did.
Fuck! There I was, trying to be the good guy for once, and look where it got me.
The thing was, it wasn’t me I was worried about. Beverly might be tough on the outside, but she still had a few insecurities; her reaction to my seeing that photo of her was proof. Stopping before we went too far was the best thing I could think of doing. Funny thing was, the last thing I’d wanted to do was hurt her, but I had anyway, leaving me with an unfamiliar ache in my chest.
There was no way I was leaving; we weren’t done with this conversation. So I grabbed my T-shirt that was lying next to our damp pool towels and slipped it over my head, then sat on the couch and waited.
A short while later, I heard a click and the bedroom door opened. My head snapped toward the sound. Beverly stood in the doorway, wearing faded blue jeans with a rip in each knee and a thin white tank top. She must have showered. Her ebony hair was styled in loose curls that draped over her shoulders, making me want to run my fingers through them.
“You’re still here.” She took a few steps toward me but then thinned her lips and headed for the front door.
Before she could throw me out, I stood. “I am. Look, I’m not exactly sure what I did wrong. I’m in uncharted waters here. But what I know for sure is, y
ou aren’t a kink in my system. Yes, I’ll admit, I’ve screwed around with a lot of women, and you might think I’m an asshole for not knowing their names, but that’s because they were convenient. They didn’t matter to me any more than I mattered to them. It was just sex. On both sides.”
Hearing myself, I cringed. I should have brought a shovel because the more I spoke, the bigger a hole I dug.
Shaking my head, I said, “This is all coming out wrong.”
“No, I think I understand. You use women and they use you.” Her hands moved to her hips. “Am I getting warmer? Well, I deserve better than a manwhore, and from what I gather, that’s what you are. I’m not interested.”
This conversation was getting me nowhere except in the doghouse.
“Look.” I scrubbed my hands over my face. “I like you . . . a lot. You aren’t like other women—you’re better. Hell, you’re probably too good for me. But you’re right; you definitely deserve better.”
I walked past Beverly, not meeting her eyes, and stopped at the front door. With my hand on the door handle, I said over my shoulder, “Thanks for today. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. It was the last thing I wanted to do.”
• • •
I lay in bed that night thinking about everything that had happened today, and the more I thought about it, the more my feelings for Beverly grew. To say that scared me was an understatement. What did I know about having a girlfriend, if that’s what she was, or even wanted to be? We hadn’t gotten far enough to label what we were to each other, and I didn’t know if we needed to.
After I woke from a restless night’s sleep, I showered and got ready for my round. I might have lost my privileges at Royale, which was probably for the best, but I was still welcome elsewhere. Good thing for me then that today’s round was scheduled by one of my buddies at his course, a well-laid-out course with some tricky sand traps and water hazards.
It was still dark out by the time I got dressed, but the sun would be coming up soon. I thought about sending Beverly a text, but she was probably sleeping, so I skipped it.
Gripped (Prescott #2) Page 10