A Taste of Summer

by Beverly Preston

  Locking his hands around her wrists, Summer prompting her to take hold of the roll bar. His gaze was severe, brow raised as a warning, encouraging her not to move. Ryan Summer had always been a fan of her curves. He practically worshiped her breasts, treating them as if they were his favorite meal—almost. Definitely courses one, two, and three out of seven. In one swift pinch of his fingers, he unclasped her bra.

  All of her senses turned acute as he began to undress her, removing the straps, one arm at a time. Goosebumps skittered down her arms following the languid trace of his fingertips. A cool mountain breeze rustled through the pines deepening the chill over her body. The tips of her breasts ached, heightening the tingling sensations.

  A tiny flutter of coyness fluttered inside tempting her to release the roll bar and lower her arms. Her chest lifted with each labored breathe. The air sizzled with exhilaration, sparking an uninhibited sensual power over a very powerful man. At that moment, she’d never felt more beautiful.

  His eyes glazed over. “Carrie Ann?”

  “Yes?” She purred confidently.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way…” She watched him force a hard swallow down his throat. “but your boobs…are the most beautiful boobs I’ve ever laid hands on. They’re flawless and lovely and plump.”

  A scowl laced its way across her face running a quick estimation of how many woman he’d slept with. The tally came to an abrupt halt when he growled playfully, nuzzling his nose between the pale mounds. An arrogant grin blazed in his eyes as his tongue drifted over the constricting flesh in a soothing circle. He sucked a nipple into his mouth, working it, until a low moan rose from her throat.

  Releasing the bar with one hand, she reached for his waist. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but…”

  “I already know.” He grasped her wrists. “I’m the best lover you’ve had. And Mr. Fucking Perfect comes in second. I’m not offended.”

  Cocky. Mother. Fucker.

  Blush flooded her cheeks. She squirmed, settling lower, straddling his narrow fit hips. Pressure stiffening beneath her.

  “Carrie Ann, you’re the best lover I’ve had. No bullshit. And we’re not keeping score. I meant it as a compliment and we’re not going to talk about it because it’s bound to start an argument. We’re both jealous fiends. Now…” He fastened her hands to the roll bar. “Don’t move.”

  Summer’s long fingers plunged beneath the spandex waistline of her shorts, reaching beyond the curve of her hips, collecting an extensive portion of her ass in his firm grip. Lifting his back from the seat, he bought his face inches from hers. Nose to nose. A ring of russet brown surrounded the glow of amber igniting in the reflection in his eyes as he reached a bit further, dipping beneath her cheeks.

  She gulped down her insecurities. And just like that the mathematics of past lovers was tabled, relegated to the back burner.

  “Now, you begged me—begged, Red—to pull the plane over so you could climb onto my lap and ride me. Apparently, this used to be your favorite position. I had no idea.” He released her ass and eased his seat back to the horizontal position. With little effort, he maneuvered her legs between his thighs and shimmied her shorts past her ankles. Instinctively, she kicked out of her shoes. “Do you know why I had no idea?”

  She shook her head in reply. Carrie Ann could barely hear him over her own heavy breathing and blood rushing through her eardrums.

  “Because you never told me.”

  “It’s only one of my favorites,” she simmered, pressing her lips together, hiding a timid grin.

  “I don’t think a spiked cocktail should be the factor of why you become so…passionately instructive. We’re old enough to know what we want.” He paused. “Right at this very moment, I want to tease you until you make that sound, that little groan that drives me fucking wild. But I’m more interested in hearing what you’d like.”

  A flush of embarrassment painted her cheeks. Delicious visions danced through her mind. The man had a gift, an erotic intuition, of knowing exactly how to treat her. The slightest touch of his hand could make her smile, moan, or damn near explode. Summer had been her world for two years. She’d always been up for anything and it took zero coaxing.

  Her breathing quickened, but any words of direction or encouragement lodged in her throat.

  He refused to relinquish his stare, patiently waiting for her to confess some sort of untold fantasy she’d kept hidden. Using her toes, she peeled the white cotton socks from her feet. His leg muscles flexed beneath her as he did the same. Summer’s shorts soon followed, forgotten to the floorboard of the Jeep. Using the roll bar for leverage, she returned her legs to each side of the driver seat.

  “I hate to disappoint you, but to be honest, one of the things I’ve missed about…us…is the fact that I feel like you read my mind. It’s quite the turn on,” she murmured coyly. Her bottom lip managed to slip seductively between her teeth. “I’m more of a shower than a teller. Can’t we leave the talking to you?”

  Spreading her thighs wide, she pressed down against the stiff column jutting beneath her. Hands clasped to the bar, her head dropped back, rolling in sync with the rotation of her hips.

  She heard the faint pleasurable sound of his breath hitch.

  “I’ll take that as a yes?”

  “That’s a fuck yes,” he hissed.

  Summer grasped her around the small of her waist, gripping her ribcage. The flat of his hands squeezed tenderly, spreading the warmth, roaming over her nude body. Every touch engulfed her senses. Each point of connection between his heated skin and her cool flesh, delivered a tingle to her most intimate nerve endings.

  Not to be one to shy away from a challenge, she attempted to beckon a sultry voice, teasing, “I mean…we’re completely naked, outside, in broad daylight, and you’re about ready to bury yourself…”

  The buck of his hips, rendered Carrie Ann speechless. Hard pressure slipping against wetness. “Red, you don’t have to say one more word. I’m not asking you to be something you’re not. Just thought maybe you’d been holding something back.”

  Before her old nemesis, guilt had time to remotely contemplate the term holding something back, a zing of pleasure shot through her like a flaming arrow. She gasped feeling the thickness, slick and hot, stroking her outside, skating over her sensitive swollen nub. Holding securely to the roll bar, her back arched and hips rolled each time the hard ridge passed over her throbbing clit. The pleasure sensation, maddening.

  “Do you want to put this on me?” he questioned tentatively, condom in hand.

  A quick beat of silence quickly turned to a minute.

  Letting go of the bar, her hands dropped into her lap. Carrie Ann sat motionless, gaping at the foil package. Her hesitancy had nothing to do with the premium quality latex.

  She didn’t want anything between them.

  She needed to unload the painful wound concealed deep in her heart. The truth she’d kept hidden from him. She should’ve done it years ago, ten years ago, but time passed and with each day the memory buried itself a little deeper. That shred of acknowledging put a mental road block straight in the path to her hooha.

  “Red?” He sat upright, brushing his mouth to her. Cupping her jaw, he met her gaze. “Your mind is chasing something. Stay with me. Whatever it is can wait.”

  Unable to summon her courage, she agreed with a nod, twisting to find his mouth. Easing her lips open, Summer sank his tongue between her lips, indulging in a long, intimate taste. He didn’t simply just kiss her. He devoured her. The sensual act drew her into the present as the past faded into obscurity.

  Without abandoning the kiss, Summer’s hands worked the contraceptive. He guided her arms above her head and she complied, gripping the bar. Trailing his fingers down her body, he outlined her shape with infinite leisure. His cologne mingled with his natural scent, spicy and intoxicating, engulfing her senses.

  A faint moan escaped her as he splayed a firm grasp over the full curve of her ch
eeks, encouraging her to lift. Holding to the bar overhead, she elevated her hips as he readied himself beneath her.

  She nudged at the broad head, allowing the tip to glide inside. Taking full control, she lowered slowly, her body molding around the piercing heat. Her thighs contracted raising her hips once, twice, before tolerating complete impalement.

  “Yes.” A hiss of pleasure split the quietness around them.

  “Oh, fuck yes,” he groaned.

  His biceps flexed, palming her bottom, lifting so she topped him again. Loosening the resistance on the bar, she allowed her weight to sink lower, falling into the gravity of a full penetration. Their bodies melded together as he filled her completely again and again. She gripped tighter, alternating between lifting and lowering. The hot, silky friction and coolness of the air, showered her with mind-blowing delight. He supported her with ease, letting her set the pace, permitting her to ride freely. Her body moved with pure abandonment, wild and unrestrained. Neither able to take their eyes off the other, enthralled in unbridled passion covering the other’s face.

  Carrie Ann’s legs trembled as the pressure of her climax began to take control. Unable to hold his gaze any longer, she threw her head back. Strands of long hair stuck to her damp skin covered in perspiration. The sound of her voice rose in a cry. His hips jutted upward greeting the roll of her hips with deep commanding thrusts.

  Her body jerked and bucked, fingers clamped securely to the brace. Summer sat forward, roughly wrapping his arms around her back and hips, driving deeper. Smashing her to his chest, he caught a handful of hair and tugged, fishing for another moan. She happily delivered.

  “You love it when I pull your hair,” he growled, fisting his grip tighter into the tresses.

  A long, drawn-out moan sufficed as a ‘Yes.’

  Their bodies entwined in a fever rush of madness, bucking and thrusting fiercely as another climax broke over her. He tackled her mouth with ravenous, indecent kisses, seizing her hips, propelling himself deeper with his own release.

  Struggling for air, she forced her fingers free allowing her arms to fall slack around his neck. Summer’s kisses gentled. She collapsed on top of his chest as he reclined backward into the seat. They clung to each other, absorbing the strong tremors of delight ricocheting through their bodies.

  Lying in his arms, Summer still wedged inside, Carrie Ann couldn’t shake the feeling of being a little deprived. She wanted to feel the heat of his release. She wanted to feel the slickness. Wistful romanticism grew stronger with each beat of her heart, leaving her wanting and vulnerable. She found it difficult not to blurt out three little words that had once spilled so easily from her lips.

  The temptation scared her. Sentiments caught in her chest. She wasn’t ready. Once she let him in, there’d be no escaping him…there’d be no escaping the truth. The idea of vocally acknowledging the wounds she’d kept buried for so long weaved an unsettling path through her consciousness.

  A sweet kiss at her temple brought her back to the gorgeous vision in front of her. Carrie Ann smiled warmly. Pressing her lips to the stubble-covered dimple in his chin, she tried to keep her voice steady. “I think I’ve forgotten how good this can be.”

  “I’ve never forgotten,” he whispered near her ear, his deep voice a caress against her skin.

  Summer rummaged through a backpack lying on the backseat, retrieving a wet washcloth from a large Ziploc baggie. Pushing himself to an upright position, he opened the door, and assisted her from his lap. Scrambling out of the vehicle, he discarded the condom to the baggie, warming the cloth in his hand before washing each of them thoroughly.

  “How many of those Ziplocs do you have in the backpack?”

  A flash of white smile disappeared behind his shirt, as he yanked it over his head. “Three.”

  “Good answer,” she giggled, slipping into her shorts.

  They spent the next hour and a half hiking along the spine of the range. She huffed and puffed, feeling a shortness of breath in the thin mountain air. Summer navigated his way up a trail of sorts, stopping at an overlook.

  “Wow.” Her breath diminished, riveted by the stunning panoramic views. The complete scope of Montana solitude on full display. Mother Nature showed off her beauty in vivid blends of yellows and greens. Not to be left out, the sophisticated greys and burnt sienna of the surrounding peaks stood erect like soldiers protecting the alpine cirque in the valley below. The considerable trek well worth every ache and pain she’d feel in her glutes later.

  “Nice perspective, isn’t it?” He retrieved a blanket fastened to the bottom of his pack and rolled it out on a flat patch of ground in the sun.

  “I’d say this qualifies as a million dollar view.”

  “You think? I was thinking we might have to go to Paris for the million dollar view.”

  “Paris? I’ve never been.”

  “Or maybe St. Lucia, Italy, Seychelles…I have a list of places I want to take you.”

  “You’ve been getting around.”

  “Actually, out of the bunch, I’ve only been to Paris. And I wasn’t on vacation. I was there while filming…”

  “You know you don’t have to do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Take me places to impress me.”

  A low filthy chuckle sifted through the tendrils of loose hair as he moved in behind her, nuzzling into the crook of her neck. The sinfully rich, melodious tone made her toes curl.

  “We both know all I need to do to impress you is slip my fingers into that gorgeous mane of dark hair of yours.”

  Her agreement came as a giggle, as she pressed a sideways kiss to his cheek. He crossed both arms beneath her chest, resting his chin on her shoulder. Both of their thoughts seemed to be floating along the clouds gathering to the west in the far distance. A soft pink hue danced beneath the belly, magnifying the bold landscape colors even further.

  “You remember my old truck?”

  “How could I forget Big Dirty?” An enormous grin slid across her face. On a campus full of influential sports cars, boasting egos and statuses, his big black four wheel drive stuck out like a sore thumb. “I always loved that truck.”

  “Red?”

  His pause prompted a reply. “Yes?”

  “What do you want out of life?”

  “’Scuse me?” She didn’t know why she acted like he needed to repeat the question. She’d heard him crystal clear. And he knew it. Summer gave her a significant glance, raising an inquisitive brow. “I don’t know. I guess I just want to be happy.”

  “You’re happy. I can tell. You love your career. You have a fearsome work ethic. You love your friends. You’re content with where you’re at in life. But that’s not what I’m asking you.”

  “What are you asking?” Her voice a quiet rasp. Nerves fluttered in her stomach like the wings of a hummingbird. Heat flushed her chest and cheeks.

  Summer swayed with the breeze. “When you’re lying in bed at night and it’s just you and your thoughts, what do you dream of?”

  A notch tugged between her brows trying to figure out how the conversation switched from Big Dirty to life dreams. Puzzle pieces were spinning and rotating in her mind searching for the correct placement.

  “I’ve been blessed with a phenomenal career that I never saw coming. After losing football, I would’ve never even considered acting. It just fell into my lap. The opportunities that have been given to me have been astonishing. In some ways I feel so lucky…I’ve got good friends, my family, more money than most people could spend in a lifetime. Yet, I feel like I’m pissing time away.” His lips drew closer to her ear in a raspy whisper. “I’m tired of fucking around with my life. I want more than contentment.”

  Her fingers came to her lips, nervously rubbing along her bottom lip as she pondered the enormity of the question.

  “God, I remember thinking life was so damn easy. When I was on the field, it felt like I was catching every green light on the road of life. I always love
d that truck. It didn’t matter if I washed it or if it was covered in mud, no one ever gave it a thought…because they never noticed it. When I signed my first movie deal, the first thing I wanted to do was sell that truck and get a sports car.”

  “The Viper.” She could barely suppress her frown, inquiring, “I never understood why you bought that thing? All the rich kids drove those in college.”

  “Exactly,” he muttered, in a sound of disgraceful resignation. “I grew up in a small town surrounded by corn fields. Football was supposed to be my one way ticket to a different life. I was on my way to the top, rising to this incredible high and then everything crashed. Hard. No parachute included. I’m sorry for everything I put you through, Red. You tried so hard to make me feel that everything was going to work out for the best, but I just couldn’t see it that way. I felt like the future I worked so hard for was ripped out of my hands. I took my self-pity out on you.”

  “You were the one who put a monetary value on success. Not me. I get it…you wanted a different life than the one you were raised with, but…”

  “It was made very clear to me that I’d never be enough. I’d never be able to give you the life you were raised with. The life you deserved.”

  Carrie Ann could practically hear her father’s disparaging words, full of judgment and laced with insult. The ugly memory soured her stomach. She hated the way her father treated him.

  “Money doesn’t ensure happiness. Watching you fall apart was the second hardest thing I’ve had to witness.” There was no need to explain. Even as a young girl, the sorrow of her mother’s death defined her. Carrie Ann never looked at life the same way after.

  “I wasn’t ready for it. I wasn’t ready for any of it…especially the overnight success that followed.” He gently traced the back of his fingers along the underside of her chin, still using her shoulder as a pillow. “Suddenly, I had the money, the fame, the house, that stupid sports car, but they were just crutches for my personal satisfaction. I became obsessed with appearance and how everyone else in the world viewed me. I was meticulously aware of how I spoke, who I was seen with, even how I shook someone’s hand for fuck’s sake. I turned into my car. A pretentious self-centered, asshole and I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror.”