Frayed

by Kim Karr

  “You all right?”

  “Yes, I think I just need a breather. This is hard.”

  I plop down beside her. “Want to go grab some food? Call it a day?”

  “No. I’m having fun.” She buries her toes in the sand and I mimic her action.

  “Okay, but let’s take a short break.”

  She nods.

  We sit on the shore in comfortable silence for a bit and both watch the way the waves break. I assess the wind conditions as she studies the current rolling in. But I also find myself glancing over at her and thinking about how much fun I’ve had with her over the past few weeks. And even though we haven’t had sex, I’ve enjoyed her company. I seem to want her near me all the time. It’s not a feeling I’m used to. But sex or not, things have definitely progressed between us since our first date. And I haven’t pushed her. I’ve let her set the pace for the most part. And the fact that she joined me this morning in something she knows I love triggers an odd feeling in my stomach.

  CHAPTER 14

  I Choose You

  Bell

  It’s a beautiful day for the beach. The sun is shining, there’s just a slight breeze, and he’s here sitting next to me.

  He leans in close and startles me. “Look over there. Watch what he does.”

  With a grin, we both watch the guy as waves rise from under him and he catches one just right. “It looks like heaven.”

  He jumps to his feet and pulls me up. “Come on, let’s do this. Lie down on the board on your stomach.”

  “Shouldn’t we be in the water?”

  “Red, you have a few dry land lessons to complete before we take you out there.”

  My hands go to my hips. “What do you mean? Surfing is done in the water, not on the beach.”

  “Yes, it is. But not for us—not today.”

  I pout my lips but mostly for show because dry lessons means his hands are on me, and I can’t deny how much I like his touch.

  He drops down on the board and all his muscles flex in the most delicious way. “Like this. See, you have to move fast.” He snaps from his stomach to his feet. “It looks easy but it’s not. Speed is what matters. And as simple as it sounds, the less time you spend trying to get to your feet, the more success you’ll have staying up. Do you know how to stand on the board?”

  My eyes are ogling the ridges of his abdominal muscles and I fear I might be drooling.

  “Red? You got that?”

  I start to shake my head mostly because I haven’t tried to process what he said, not because I don’t understand it. I was too busy looking at what I haven’t seen in what seems like a very long time.

  “Come here.” His tone is commanding and his voice deep.

  I take a step and position myself right in front of him where he wants me. He nudges my feet apart with his, and the friction between his toes and my skin makes my pulse throb in places I didn’t even know it could.

  “This is the tail,” he says, pointing to where my back leg is.

  I shift my eyes and curl my toes into his. “Got it,” I say as my mouth goes dry.

  “And this is the midpoint,” he says, trailing his fingertips down my thigh and peering over my shoulder.

  By now I’m unable to speak and we stay like this for a few heartbeats—he’s standing close behind me in a provocative way. When his hands go to my hips, I have to close my eyes. He adjusts my stance so that my back is flush with his stomach and all I can think about is how much I need to have him.

  “Just like this,” he whispers in my ear. His voice is hoarse.

  His fingers glide up my skin from my hips to my waist as he realigns my stance. I wonder if he can feel my racing heartbeat. I can’t help myself and I lean into him, pressing the small of my back into what I already knew was there—his erection. He pops off the board like a rocket. My eyes snap open and his gaze follows every curve of my body before landing on my face.

  He clears his throat. “Okay, so next you’ll move from a horizontal position up to your feet. Got it?”

  I chew on my lip. Does he have any idea how crazy he’s making me? I swear he’s doing it on purpose. But I do as he instructs and lie on my stomach. When I swivel my gaze, I notice he averts his stare toward the water.

  “Okay, Red, snap,” he snaps.

  I hop to my feet but lose my balance and stumble down on top of the sand. He dashes to catch me but ends up landing on top of me instead. His body molds to mine perfectly and the closeness and familiarity make me crave him in a way that’s painful. I don’t push him away and he doesn’t move. Both of us are breathing hard and I can feel his heart beating as erratically as mine.

  After a beat, he rises to his elbows and looks down at me. “Are you okay?”

  I nod and watch as his eyes dart to my lips, then to my eyes. My hands move on their own and when I grasp his jaw a guttural moan escapes his mouth. I can no longer fight the feeling. I no longer want to. He lowers his head and hovers his mouth over my lips. I want him to kiss me. I know he wants to. But when the coolness of the water surrounds us, I scream. He quickly stands, grabbing my arm and bringing me with him. The tide rolls in and he laughs as I brush water from my face. I pull the tie from my hair and discover that the water has brought back my curls.

  He twists a piece of my hair around my finger. “I like your hair curly. I remember it this way.”

  I blow some stray strands out of my eyes as he runs his fingers through my hair.

  “Really?” I ask, surprised.

  He moves closer to me. “Yes. I do. I really do.”

  I smile and tuck a piece of my wild locks behind my ear. I stare up at him into those blue eyes. “Why can’t we take the board into the water?”

  He grabs my hand and points out into the vast ocean with it. “Because that out there is dangerous and I don’t want you to get hurt. I’ll let you know when you’re ready.”

  “So we’ll do this again?” I ask.

  “I hope so. I’d like to think I’m a good teacher.” He smirks at me.

  Moments pass without words while I stare at him, but I think he knows what I’m thinking. I step closer to him and grab his other hand.

  He moves into me, leaving no space between us. His eyes are locked on mine.

  “Remember when you asked me what would happen to my guidelines when I changed my mind?” I ask.

  His thumbs skim over my thighs with our fingers still laced at our sides. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.” He offers me a sexy grin. “You said you didn’t see it going that far.”

  The heat between us is almost unbearable as he gazes into my eyes. He closes the final space that separates us.

  I run my palms up his chest. “Well, it’s every girl’s prerogative to say those words and to change her mind after. You told me to tell you if I changed my mind and . . . Ben, I have.”

  “Fuck,” he groans.

  I nod with a glimmer in my eye because that’s just what I want to do.

  “Fuck,” he groans again.

  A few more moments of silence pass as we communicate without words.

  He places his hands on both sides of my face. “What made you change your mind?”

  I push the hair from his eyes. “You.”

  With a devilish grin he asks, “Would you care to elaborate?”

  “Later,” I say, making my voice sound low and enticing.

  He nods and then tangles his fingers in my hair, pulling me so tight against him I know he can feel my hard nipples against his bare chest. I caress the skin of his back and when his fingers sneak beneath the golden string of my bikini top, I shiver. My hands move to his shoulders, his neck, his hair. He looks down into my eyes but still hasn’t kissed me.

  “Why haven’t you kissed me?” I ask in a breathy voice.

  The corners of his lips quirk up. “I’m enjoying watching you,” he says.

  But I think it’s more. I think he wants to make sure I want this. And I do. I don’t care about anything other than him right now. So
I make sure he sees nothing but absolute certainty in my eyes. And then just like that, he grabs my face. Our mouths meet, our tongues collide, and we breathe each other in. We kiss with a hunger that I’m almost certain can never be satisfied. Time slips away as our hands move freely roaming over each other in ways they shouldn’t in a public place. With my heart thundering in my ears, my pulse racing, and my breathing out of control, I never want this moment to end.

  Then just like that, he breaks our connection. My mind is whirling with how much I want him, right here, right now. The beach is fairly secluded, even if it’s not private.

  “Come back to my place with me,” he whispers.

  And I want to. I really do. But I can’t. I run my palms down his chest, trying to soothe the sting that’s about to come. “I can’t. I have Ivy’s release party tonight. I should have left already.”

  He rests his forehead against mine and grabs my fingers, lacing our hands together. “Later tonight, then,” he says, and kisses me once more.

  CHAPTER 15

  Show Me

  Ben

  Having the freedom to finally touch her makes me feel like a kid in the candy store. The beach is quiet, with few surfers in the water and even fewer cars in the parking lot. I’ve thought about her, remembered what she felt like, ached for her body to touch mine for so many weeks you’d think knowing we will finally be together in just a few short hours would be enough, but it isn’t. I don’t want to wait.

  But I walk her to her car with my hand resting on her ass, all the while whispering things in her ear that I’m going to do to her. She looks up at me, a glimmer in her eyes, and I swear I growl at her.

  When we reach the parking lot I step in front of her and lift her chin, forcing her eyes to mine. “I want you wearing this when I see you later.”

  She pushes up on her toes and bites on my lip. “I thought you’d want me wearing nothing.”

  “Fuck,” I mutter. “You’re killing me.”

  She smiles in that sexy way she has.

  I can feel myself turning predatory. With a slide of my hands into her bikini bottoms, I palm her ass. We walk the rest of the way like that to the car with our lips locked. Only when she fumbles for her keys in her purse do I remove my hands. But when I hear the click of the lock, I open the door quickly and push her up against the opening. She gasps and threads her fingers through my hair. Then I kiss her hard. Her lips are soft and taste like mint—I’ve never forgotten their taste. I run my hands over her bathing suit top and then down her bare stomach, where I stop to finger the clover I saw earlier. “You’re so fucking sexy,” I murmur.

  She freezes for a moment but then lets out a soft moan when my fingertips graze the edge of her bikini bottoms. I twist my head to survey the area. Her car is parked at the end of the lot and we seem fairly isolated. If I could fuck her here I would, but we’ve already gone down that road. The next time I have her, I want her in my bed. But that doesn’t mean I won’t settle for leaving her thinking about me until she sees me again.

  “Red,” I whisper over her mouth.

  “Hmm . . . ,” she breathes, nipping at my lip.

  I don’t say anything else. Instead I rub the heel of my palm over her pussy.

  Her lips part and she makes that quiet sound again.

  “Do you like that?” I ask her.

  “Yes,” she answers, her breath blowing hot against my neck.

  I slide my fingers inside the golden string of her bottoms and stroke them up and down before stopping to massage her clit.

  Her eyes widen and her head bobs side to side.

  “It’s okay. Don’t worry, no one can see you with me standing in front of you,” I whisper in her ear. “Do you like how this feels?”

  She gasps, nodding and digging her fingers into my flesh.

  I kiss up her neck and stop to whisper in her ear, “You’re so wet.”

  My cock grows so hard it throbs almost painfully as I watch her—the way her eyelids close, the way her mouth parts, and how her hold on me tightens with every move of my hand. I want to touch her everywhere. I want to kiss every spot on her body and then sink deep inside her. But here in the parking lot there’s no way I can do that. With one arm shielding one side of us and her car door shielding the other, I move my fingers mercilessly in and out of her, wishing they were my cock. My pulse pounds in my ears when she buries her head in my neck and whispers something I can’t hear. The waves crash against the rocks, the wind whistles as it blows, but there is no mistaking her muffled cries of pleasure. She nips at the skin on my neck while digging her nails into my shoulders, but I don’t stop. I want her to remember me. Her body pulses against my hand and only when her body shudders and a much louder “Oh God, yes” escapes her lips do I stop.

  “You make me so hot,” I murmur in her ear.

  “That was nothing,” she purrs.

  “I can’t wait to see something, then.”

  She cups my face and pulls me in to look at her. “I can’t wait to do something to you.”

  Fuck. She can’t wait. I can’t wait. I slide my hand out of her bottoms and around to her ass, pushing her into me so she can feel how much I want her. Her hands slide down my chest to my board shorts, but I grab them.

  “Later,” I whisper in her ear.

  “I can’t leave you like this,” she giggles, pushing her hips into my erection.

  “Don’t you have to go to work?”

  She nods. “I’m probably already going to be late.”

  I pull both our hands to my mouth and kiss hers. Then I smack her ass. “So get going. Now!”

  She rubs her ass but I didn’t hit it hard.

  I smile. “You like that, don’t you?”

  Her head drops and her hair covers her face so I can’t see it.

  “You don’t have to answer. I already know you do.”

  She collapses into the seat of her car but pulls me down for one last kiss. “Ben . . .”

  I pause and look at her.

  “It really will be worth the wait. I promise.”

  I shake my head and stand there as she puts her car in DRIVE. Then something occurs to me and I chase after her, pounding on the door.

  She stops and opens her window. “Are you crazy?”

  “No, I just wanted to tell you, don’t let the past dictate the future, okay? We’ll work it out. I promise.”

  A mix of motions drifts across her face but none I can nail. She nods and closes her window and I watch as she drives away. With a grin I wouldn’t want her to see in the mirror, I think how much I like the way she kisses me, the way her lips taste, how much I love touching her—everywhere. Then when her car disappears around the bend, I take off toward the cold water of the ocean to ease the pain of my throbbing cock.

  • • •

  The sun is just beginning to set once I decide to pack up and head out, so it’s not too blinding. Blondie’s is just a few feet away. My feet kick up little bits of sand as I walk down the familiar beach with my board tucked under my arm and think what a big day tomorrow is for me. November first marks the day the announcement of both takeovers will be made, but more important, shares of Plan B will be available to the public. It’s a huge financial risk as well as an excellent opportunity for me.

  “Hey, man,” I greet Noel.

  He beams. “Hey, Benny boy. How was it out there?”

  “Fucking amazing. I haven’t spent the whole day out on her in months.”

  He smiles, baring his yellowing teeth and pride at the same time.

  “I didn’t expect to still see you in here this late. Faith isn’t going to be happy if you miss dinner.” I wink at him.

  “Fuck, what time is it?” he says, looking at his watch.

  I shrug as I lean my board against the wall. “The sun’s just about down, so it must be close to your dinnertime.”

  “Fuck. Come home with me. Have dinner with us. Then Faith can’t be pissed off at me for being late,” he begs.

&n
bsp; “Can’t tonight. Sorry, you’re on your own.”

  “Damn, boy, way to make a grown man beg.”

  I just shake my head.

  He opens the avocado green fridge and pulls out two cold ones. He tosses me one and I catch it but shake my head no and place the can on the counter.

  “Don’t be a fucking pansy ass.” But Noel says it with a grin.

  “I’ll give you pansy ass,” I tell him as I grab a long board hanging on the wall. I skateboarded all the time as a kid, so I have no doubt my agility will prevail. I give this bad boy a spin around the shop worth my time. I move fast. Of course the adrenaline coursing through my body certainly helps. When I stop, I flip the end and push it his way. “Your turn.”

  His hands go up surrender-style, as he shakes his head no, then strides over to lock the front door.

  “Come on,” I coax. “Who’s being the pansy ass now? I thought the coolest thing about long boards is that you could even sell them to dudes’ grandmas.”

  We both laugh again but this time at the sales spiel he gives the kids in his shop who come to work for him. I know it well. I spent so many hours here as a teenager. As he closes the place down, I pull my shirt from my bag and slide into it, tugging my jeans over my board shorts before slipping into my boots, not bothering to tie them. “Thanks for letting me leave my shit here. I still haven’t had a rack put on my new car yet.”

  “So you keep saying. And I’ll keep saying anytime, you know that. And, Ben, Faith would really love to see you.”

  I nod. “I’ll call you next week. I might just come and bring a guest.”

  “Oh yeah? You decided to chase some lucky girl?” he asks.

  “You know what, Noel, I did.”

  He slaps his hand on my shoulder. “That’s the way, boy.”

  We both walk out the back door together and as he hops in his truck he yells, “Don’t forget to call me.”

  I wave good-bye. “I won’t.”

  • • •

  The shiny black paint of my BMW touring bike is gleaming off the reflection of the streetlights. Its low silhouette and sleek shape are all that remain in the parking lot at this time of night. I can’t stifle my smile when I see her green helmet with sparkles enameled in it strapped on its back. As I hop on I catch sight of where her car was parked earlier and remember what it felt like to touch her again, but for some reason it felt different this time—even better if that’s possible. The next few hours can’t fly by fast enough. I pull my phone from my pocket and scroll through my short list of contacts until I find her name—then I send her a quick text.