"My friend, Derek Thomas, aka the Spartan King." I smiled with pride that crushed my dimples. "We brought him with us. He may be just what you're looking for. He's built like a ..." When I caught a glimpse of Indigo's face, I stopped describing Yvonne's hunk of a boyfriend, and said, "you can see for yourself ... I can go get him."
"Vanessa," Elizabeth ordered, "run downstairs and find this Derek fellow. If he's everything she says," her gaze cut to me, "I'm sure he'll stand out. Bring him up here, stat." Elizabeth was great at barking out orders. No wonder her gardens were so splendid.
"Look for the handsome guy with the braids," I tried to be helpful.
Before Vanessa left the room, she swung a dramatic half turn. I could feel Indigo's eyes on me, and Elizabeth's were on him. Mine flicked over Vanessa, of course, and I watched a look of hatred color her features before she did an about face and disappeared.
Elizabeth was out of her mind thrilled with Derek, who was equally elated to be chosen as the highlight of her Manhattan fashion show. However, it would have taken a stick of dynamite to permanently loosen Elizabeth's jaw line. What was that woman's problem?
After introductions, Indigo and I left his mother, whose eyes and hands worked Derek over like a pastry chef baking for celebrities. I inquired where his father was, surprised we hadn't yet run into the man who'd provided the striking home and amenities. Indigo's face was strained when he nodded toward the far end of the very long hallway. "In his study, I would imagine." He grunted. "Having his own party, more than likely." I'd never heard his voice drop into such a demeaning tone.
Derek later told us Elizabeth had indicated appearing in her show could very well be the stepping stone toward the modeling career he'd been striving for. He'd even confessed he was a stripper, which hadn't seemed to trouble her any more than she already seemed to be. He also said he'd give up his Information Technology Computer career in a heartbeat, if the amazing woman could make his dream come true.
I wanted to gag.
Derek laughed when confiding, "Elizabeth measured absolutely every part of me that could be measured, while my sugar babe inspected the lady's every move. And she is da lady."
By the look on Yvonne's face, I could tell she didn't care for the svelte designer who had her hands on her boyfriend's body parts, but she was willing to make exceptions.
We hung around the barn for a while, then were lured outdoors by blaring music which could never be considered disorderly conduct, as the faraway rooftops of the nearest neighbors pointed to the distant, star studded sky.
The patio lights glared. Emma and Bill shared a lounge chair, food, drinks and lips, while Pete and Casey played endless games of pool. And with Yvonne and Derek involved in a game of beer pong, we were on our own.
Comfortably barefoot, Indigo and I trudged through sand until we reached the shoreline. The lapping waves tickled my toes, gripped my ankles. In daylight, I'd have taken the plunge, but in darkness, the menacing body of water felt like the creeping unknown as the tide rolled in with a roar.
The interior lights brightened the rear section of the house that glowed like a Times Square Christmas tree, its brilliance dwarfing the patio torches. Leaving the party behind, hand in hand we strolled, retreating from breakers, splashing through ebbing waves, feet sinking into drenched sand. We strolled along the beach, with Indigo pointing out lighthouses and other landmarks. I held onto his arm, and his every word. The ocean smelled delicious, and now and then my breath was stolen by gusts of damp air, and Indigo's lips. We passed a jetty, climbed a sandy knoll, and paused in seclusion where Indigo settled on a stout tie wall.
The sky was a sailor's paradise, with a bright chunk of moon gliding through starlight, now and then crossed by wispy clouds.
Separated only by a fragile curtain of night, I watched Indigo's perfect silhouette, my gaze tracing his features, the solace on his face. "Finally alone," I said, attempting to sit beside him.
"Ah ah," he said. Grasping my wrists, he extended me before him. "Let me look at you." His gaze slid from my face to my feet. "It feels so good to be together," he said, his voice seductively rich.
"And so hard to be apart ..." My throat felt so narrow, I could hardly swallow.
"I missed you, chica." He pulled me so close, I had no choice other than to part my legs and straddle his thigh.
Sinking against him, I sighed. "I missed you too ... so much." Our foreheads pressed, our whispering lips barely touched.
His hands ran up and down my back, coming to rest beneath me. "It's been too long. I missed looking at you ... being with you ... touching you."
"I couldn't stop thinking about you, wondering when I'd see you again ..." I squeezed his biceps, buried my face in his chest. "I missed these arms ... these lips ..." my fingertip traced his mouth.
I couldn't see the waves, but heard each thundering breaker crash onto the beach behind us; the only sound other than our breathing was my pulse in my ears. We clung to each other as though our arms could stop time.
"There's a guest cottage ..."
"Don't tempt me." My breathing grew more shallow.
"I mean," Indigo chuckled, "not that I wouldn't love to share it with you ... there's a guest cottage for your friends. You're sleeping in the main house ... right down the hall from my room." His arms tightened around me. "Although I'd rather have you in my bed ... beside me ... doing all kinds of naughty things to you ..."
The tone of his voice, and electrifying suggestion, sent chilling excitement through every part of my body. He'd obviously been thinking about going further than we'd ever ventured.
"Naughty things, huh?" I breathed into his ear. "Like what?" My lips slid across his neck, and I couldn't help but suck his smooth skin.
"Why don't I show you ..." His hands slipped beneath my top, ran the length of my spine, then dipped beneath my pants, reaching as deep as possible, settling on my buttocks. He squeezed, caressed, pulling me so close, I could barely breath. "Mmm, baby, you feel so good," he groaned against my throat, leaving me breathless.
I sucked his neck harder, nibbled his jaw line, then swept my lips across his, moaning his name. My hips rocked, my fingers worked through his hair, along the side of his face, tracing the outline of our lips as they pressed. “Show me what feels good ...” I pulled my lips away just enough to murmur, but my tongue continued to work slowly around his.
"Closer," he whispered, "turn around."
"Like this?" I began to slide off his thigh.
"Like this ..." He lifted me, spun me around, and drove my ass into his lap. His hands on my hips urged me into a rhythmic grind. I felt his hardness as he strained against me, and reached behind his neck, pulling his face close to mine. His breath came fast. His fingers grazed my skin, reached under my shirt, clutched my breasts, then slid beneath my bra. My back pressed against his chest, I arched, bringing my aching nipples closer to his palms.
When I groaned, "Yeah ... like that," his hands massaged vigorously, eventually leaving my breasts, sliding down my torso to dive beneath the waistband of my pants. Delirious, my feet planted firmly in sand, I let my backside sink deeper into him. He was so hard, I could feel his heat through our clothing. Hips rolling, my body strummed his. I felt the vibration of his chest as he moaned, heard a mouthful of air catch before it left his throat, listened to a desperate groan escape from his lips. "I need you, Jewel. You make me want things I've never wanted before."
The next thing I knew, we were sinking to the ground. Indigo was kissing me fiercely, and I was being tossed about. Everything hit me at once: the cast of silver moonlight, waves crashing against the shore, his breath on my neck, his hands running the length of my body.
I was a figurine made of clay, turned and twisted, undressed and stretched across his lap. A damp breeze grazed my bare breasts; I shuddered, not from the chill, but from the ecstasy of it all. My Capris hugged my ankles and my thighs were urged apart. "I want to taste you again," he whispered. "Then I want to be inside you."<
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My voice was so fragile, I never thought he would hear my body's response when I whispered, "I want you to fuck me."
"I want to fuck you so bad ... but not yet," he panted.
I was cradled and kissed and backed against my lover's chest where my head came to rest on his shoulder. My eyelids involuntarily fluttered, and when I gazed up stars spiraled through the sky in glittering whirlwinds, or was it my head that was spinning like a cyclone?
Indigo's arms were around me, the fingers of his one hand circling my aching breasts, teasing my rigid nipples, while his other hand fed the storm between my legs. All the while, his breath blew over my face, his mouth trailed my neck, nibbled my ear, as he whispered his intentions. "I want to do so many things to you ... make you scream all night."
His fingers felt urgent, delivering inconceivable delight; again and again I screamed his name. In a state of frenzy, my head rolled from side to side. My body lurched. Bracing for an orgasm, I covered his hand with mine, doubling the pleasure. "Oh ... oh ... oh my God." Sucking in a breath, limply I fell against him, groaning, drawing out the sensation for as long as humanly possible. “Oh God. It feels so good. Don’t stop. Don’t stop.”
“I won’t stop. I’ll never stop.” His words were fierce. “Tell me what you want. I’ll give you anything ... anything you want.”
“You ... I just want you. I want to kiss you. I want to be in your arms. I want you on top of me. Feel you inside me.”
"I don't have any condoms."
"Really?"
"I didn't plan on us screwing on the beach. When I make love to you, it's not going to be a quickie ... it's going to be special. Slow and beautiful. It'll take all night."
"Night and day."
"Forever."
His chin rested on my shoulder. Reaching up, I pulled his face to mine, straining for his lips, whispering, "Baby. I need to be in your bed tonight." His body tensed. A sigh burst from his parted lips. He felt so hard behind me, I thought he'd explode. How he could practice that degree of self control was beyond my comprehension.
“I want you more than anything, Jewel, more than anything else in my life. I want you so badly, but I need you to be certain it’s what you really want. That it’s not just in the heat of the moment. I know how I feel. You have to be sure. No regrets ... not now ... not ever.”
“You make me so crazy, I can’t think straight. All I know is, I could never regret anything I do with you, Jimmy.”
"Baby, you make me want things I thought I'd never be able to have."
This wouldn't be like other nights ...This was different. We were alone on the beach, surrounded by raging tides, darkness, and I was drugged by rapture.
The salted air made me dizzy, drowning my sense of right from wrong. Regaining my strength, I turned in his arms, pulled him to his knees. I was the victim of starvation, and I couldn't seem to get enough of him. I was feeding off his body, my hands greedily heating his back, squeezing his buttocks, making their way up the inside of his thighs. I needed to experience his release as much as he did.
I pulled his shirt up over his head, raked my nails across his skin. My naked breasts ground into his chest, my nipples like burning embers, embedding in his flesh. The throb between my legs was relentless. I brought his hand back to me, guiding his fingers to the ache deep inside, bearing down, moaning.
My palms stroked the heat that pulsed beneath his pants. My fingertips locked on his fly, unzipping, slipping inside, stroking. Then he was suddenly the clay, and I began clutching, rhythmically pumping, molding his burning skin with my slippery palms.
Indigo held my face in his hands, the pressure of his palms growing desperate. I felt his groan against my throat, inhaled his guttural, "Oh God." He kept calling out my name, his breath on my face coming in gasps. My hands worked harder, faster, while I blindly imagined him thrusting inside me, filling my emptiness instead of the air. I wasn't sure if the wind ruffled my hair, or perhaps Indigo's final sigh, but my lips found his and remained there until I heard distant voices grow near.
RING AROUND MY FINGER
We scrambled for our clothes, giggling like adolescents as we brushed sand from our bodies, hopped from leg to leg, bracing one another as we quickly dressed. "Hold on, you." Indigo stopped me before I could face the beams of flashlights pointing in our direction. "One more kiss."
"You're insatiable," I whispered, happily obliging.
"But only for you." While his lips caressed mine, I kept my eyes open, watching the softness of his face, wondering when he would tell me he loved me.
Fingers locked, arms swinging, we met up with my friends who had patiently partied without us. I felt a twinge of guilt when I looked into Emma's eyes. "Sorry," I whispered, "We kind of got caught up in things."
She smiled, her expression knowing. "It's your mission, Jewel. Enjoy it." She winked.
With Em and me lagging behind, Indigo showed everyone to the guest house, which was an adorable stone cottage surrounded by walls of hedges. In the distance, I could still hear the thundering breakers crashing on shore.
"It was absolutely amazing," with a hushed voice, I confided.
"You didn't actually ..." Emma's eyes caught the moonlight, sparkling like chocolate diamonds.
"No, but almost." I squeezed her arm. "He's just too perfect to be true, Em. I'm so gone, it's pathetic." I groaned into her shoulder.
"Did he tell you he loved you?"
"No." At that moment, I hated the word, hated to admit it. At the concept that my entire world was beginning to revolve around this man, fear took hold. Then at the possibility that my universe could come crashing down at any moment, my stomach sank. "I should pull back," I said to Em so quietly, I barely heard my own words.
"Ride the wave, Jewel. There's really only today."
Gone was the psychologist I relied on to lift my mood. Standing before me was a pessimist. I recoiled. But, she was right. No one knew what tomorrow would bring, but whatever it was, it would have to be dealt with. Just as I'd dealt with losing my grandma ... being abandoned by Nikos. With each loss, I'd thought I would perish, but life went on, and I was stronger.
With everyone settled into the cottage, arms secured around one another, Indigo and I went back to the main house, which by then was deserted. The patio lights were dimmed, and only two interior lamps glowed, lighting the path to the second floor.
We crept up the stairs and stood before the doorway to Indigo's room. On the beach we'd been wilder than the ocean. But in the sobriety of the surroundings I suddenly fell subdued. I stared at Indigo, reliving the intimacy we'd just shared, the pleasure our hands had provided. My eyes questioned his.
"I have something for you," he said softly, opening the door and leading me into his room. Moonlight filtered through the tailored curtains, but when he clicked a wall switch, a table lamp stifled the glimmer of the outside world that I longed to sink back into.
He brought me to his bed, where I sat at the edge. "Close your eyes," he said.
My lids shut obediently, and through silence I heard the faint creak of polished hardwood as his bare soles crossed the floor. I heard a drawer slide open, quietly close. Then he was on his way back to me, and I felt the rate of my heart increase, my fingers twist nervously in my lap. The next thing I felt was Indigo as he knelt before me, his hands sliding over my thighs.
"Okay. Open your eyes."
I looked down at his face. His eyes were glistening. Dear Lord. Was he about to propose? My breathing grew faint. He must have noticed my confused expression, because he quickly slid onto the bed beside me and placed a small box into my trembling hands.
Speechless, I simply stared.
He smiled. "It's your graduation gift."
"Oh, Jimmy. I didn't get you anything ..." My bottom lip rolled down.
He gripped my chin, his thumb soothing. "Believe me. You've given me all that matters," grinning, he added, "and I'm not referring to sex, either."
"I know you're not
, baby." I held his face in my hands, my heart filling with emotion.
“Go on, open it,” he said excitedly. “I hope you like it. Believe me, it took me weeks to find the perfect one for you.”
With watering eyes I gazed down at the box, which was now a red velvet blur, and when I lifted the lid, gathered tears tumbled down my cheeks.
Indigo plucked the heart-shaped rose gold ring from the plush lining, and slipped it on my right pinky. He dabbed my face with a tissue from his nightstand, then kissed each cheek.
"There," he said, "now you can see."
"Jimmy," I cried. "It's so beautiful." I held my hand out before me, tilting and leveling, watching the sparkle of the centered diamond. "Now I have a pink heart right beside the rose from my dad." I brought my hand to my breast.
"Mi corazón es tuyo." Indigo whispered the words, "My heart is yours," directly into my ear, as if sharing a secret.
"Oh, God, baby ..." My eyes burned into his. I almost said: "I love you ..." but with trembling lips, the sacred words remained locked in my throat. I threw my arms around him, knowing I was the luckiest girl in the world. "Thank you, Jimmy," I covered his face with a flurry of kisses, "for the party ... for the gorgeous ring ..." And for being you ... something else I locked inside.
The clock on his nightstand read four-thirty. The night had been magical, unforgettable, absolutely overwhelming. Despite my happiness, I was about to fall over with exhaustion.
"Come on, honey," he said, tugging me to my feet. "I'll tuck you in next door."
Standing before the open door of what would serve as my room for the next several hours, we paused for one more kiss. "I don't want to let you go," he murmured against my hair. "I've never felt this way before ... I know now, I can't be without you."
I cradled his face with my palms, whispering, "I'm not going anywhere ..." My eyes searched his, bewildered by the staunch determination staring back at me. Was he trying to convince himself? I was tired. I was insane. It was all in my head. I shook free of the concern that gripped my midsection, making a mental note to have Emma analyze me during the bus ride home.
Head Over Wheels (Spicy Young Romance) Page 26