Hot Summer Fling

by Parker, Ali

  The more I learned about this world, the more addicted I was becoming to it. It was still early days for my journey into the magical world of art, but Fulton had been living with this for years. Even so, I didn’t think I’d be able to turn my back on it completely, regardless of how little I really knew about it.

  Fulton thought for a minute, his top lip between his shiny white teeth. “I haven’t thought about it for a long time. Just after I took over the company, I’d think about it from time to time, but then I got so busy that I didn’t really have time anymore.”

  “You have time now.”

  He nodded, a smile softening his eyes. “I do, don’t I? To tell you the truth, I have no idea what my life might have looked like. I do wonder about it, though.”

  “Maybe you’ll find out one day. Life works in mysterious ways. It could happen.”

  “Yeah, it could”—he paused before adding—“but I think it’s more likely that I’ll eventually find a balance between the two rather than to leave one behind completely.”

  “I think that might be worth looking into.”

  His smile turned crooked. “Now look who’s the one giving life advice. Maybe you should consider becoming a life coach instead.”

  I stuck the tip of my tongue out at him. “Maybe I will. I think that was pretty awesome advice.”

  “It was,” he agreed, taking my hand again. We’d been holding hands a lot. Both us seemed to keep reaching for the other as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “The galleries will be closing soon, but the Space Needle is open until midnight. Want to go see that next?”

  “Yes.” It came out more like a squeal than a word. I cleared my throat, meaning to reclaim the tiny amount of dignity that had escaped by the uncharacteristic sound, but Fulton wasn’t laughing or looking at me funny.

  He had pulled his phone out of his pocket and started tapping away with his free hand. “There. I just bought us tickets. You ready to go, or do you want to do a last loop around the gallery?”

  “No, I’m ready to go. I can’t wait to see the Space Needle, and we have to go on The Loupe.”

  Blue eyes widened on mine. “The rotating glass-floor thing? Are you sure? It’s really high up.”

  “What? Is Mr. Bigshot Billionaire afraid of heights?” I teased, still holding his hand as we wound our way around the few people left in the gallery to get to the exit.

  Fulton pulled a face. “No, I just think that people aren’t meant to walk on glass. It’s unnatural. Have you seen how easily glass breaks?”

  I laughed, taking a deep whiff of the air outside when we hit the sidewalk. “Okay, scaredy cat, we don’t have to go walk on the glass, but can we get dinner while we’re up there? Whatever that smell is, it’s making me hungry.”

  Fulton grinned. “Now that I can do.”

  The Space Needle, just like everything else in Seattle so far, was amazing. I’d only ever seen it in pictures, but they hadn’t done it justice. “I love it here. This city is stealing my heart piece by piece.”

  “We can stay a little longer if you’d like?” he offered easily, like he wasn’t a crazy-busy businessman who had to get back to the office.

  “Why would anyone ever leave this city?” I sighed, marveling at the thrilling views. The city was all lit up for the night, and it was truly breathtaking from five hundred twenty feet up.

  Fulton shrugged where he stood beside me, gripping the safety railing. “Beats me. It does have a certain something to it, doesn’t it?”

  “It sure does.” If I thought there was any chance of convincing Heidi to move away from Florida, I’d have suggested to the girls that we consider Seattle the next time we wanted to make a spontaneous move.

  I doubted we’d ever leave there, though. Especially now that Heidi and Will were having a baby. We all loved the sunshine and the beach, but I’d have given it up if it meant moving here.

  “Do you want to see what the city is really known for tomorrow?” He’d finally let go of his death grip on the railing, leaning with his elbow on it now.

  I cocked my head and smiled. I’d agree to pretty much anything he wanted to show me at this point. I was finding that life was a lot more exhilarating when Fulton asked me questions with that look in his eyes. “Sure, I’d love to.”

  Chapter 19

  Fulton

  “A fish market, are you kidding me?” Valerie’s hazel eyes were about as wide as those of the unfortunate, unblinking fish lying in the crate in front of her. “And you want me to touch them?”

  “Not just touch them.” I grinned, rolling my shirtsleeves up to my elbows. “Throw them.”

  “Why on earth would we want to throw fish at each other?” Her button of a nose wrinkled, a frown settling between her eyebrows. “I’m pretty adventurous and I’m up for anything, but this seems like animal abuse. Or something, but it can’t be right.”

  “It’s right.” I jerked my thumb over my shoulder to indicate the direction we’d come from. “We just watched the demonstration of how it’s supposed to be done, so let’s do it.”

  “Watching was one thing, actually doing it is another. Is this what you were talking about when you asked me last night if I wanted to see what the city was really known for? Fish tossing?”

  I nodded, a stupidly wide smile inching its way up my lips. “Haven’t you heard of the legendary fish throwing at Pike Place Market? It’s like Times Square. If you go to New York for the first time, you’ve got to see it.”

  “We’ve seen it now.” Her objections were becoming less firm, her eyes more curious as she surveyed the people around us. “But they do look like they’re having fun.”

  “Of course they are. Where else are you going to get to throw a fish at another person?” I reached for the plastic gloves we’d been given at the entrance, pulling them on.

  Valerie’s eyebrow arched. “Throw fish at another person, or to another person. There’s a big difference between those two things.”

  “That depends.” I waggled my brows, unfolding the plastic apron I’d been given with the gloves. Valerie’s protective gear was still sitting on the closed plastic bucket beside her. “How good are you at catching?”

  She rolled her eyes, but not before I saw the laughter coming to life in them. “I’m excellent at catching, I’m just not sure about catching a fish.”

  “Let’s find out.” I motioned to the protective gear, reaching down into my crate to choose a smallish fish lying near the top. “You’re probably going to want to get that on really fast; otherwise, you’re going to get fish splatter all over you.”

  She shrieked as I lifted the fish out and pretended I was about to throw it at her, but it encouraged her to do as I asked between fits of giggles. “Oh, you’re so on, Yates. I can be very competitive, you’ve been warned.”

  “Bring it on. I can take it.” I laughed as I watched her don her gear, but then wondered how the hell I could think she looked gorgeous covered in blue plastic while standing in the middle of a damn fish market.

  There were people all around us, yet Valerie was the only one I could really see. It was like she had this presence about her that made it impossible for me to look away from her.

  I’d told her to dress casually since I knew I wanted to bring her here today, so she’d chosen a simple pair of blue jeans and paired it with a white tank top. Somehow, she managed to make the plain outfit look sinfully sexy.

  When we’d gone shopping the night before, after we left the Space Needle, she’d refused to pick anything more than the bare essentials. No matter how much I’d tried to talk her into selecting more or nicer stuff, she’d simply said no.

  I had to respect her for it, since I’d been with plenty of women who would have maxed out my damn credit card with the same free rein I’d given her. Valerie was proving to me at each turn how much different she was from the women I usually spent time with.

  There was no doubt in my mind that she wasn’t with me to try and see how much
money she could get out of me. It was refreshing knowledge to have, since there was always a lingering seed of doubt about it in the back of my mind.

  “Catch,” I heard just a second before something wet struck my chest. I looked down in time to see the fish Valerie had thrown land at my feet. When I lifted my eyes to hers, she was smirking and her eyes were sparkling. “You know what, you were right. This is going to be fun.”

  I shook my head, but I couldn’t help a small laugh from slipping out. “That was your one free shot, Haynes. You’re going down.”

  She shot me a look, snorted, and bent down to retrieve another fish. This time I was ready for her. I caught the fish, adding it to the second crate I’d been given earlier. The crates would be collected when we were done, and the fish sold on the market.

  It was all fresh, but who knew how many years of this activity taking place here had left its mark. It smelled exactly like I’d have thought a place where people had been tossing fish to one another for years might smell, but somehow, they kept it from stinking too badly.

  The yelling and commotion of the fishmongers throwing fish that customers had purchased could be heard even from here. We were toward the side of the market, but I was pretty sure the noises of delight the crowds made would be heard from quite a distance away.

  There was a din around us too. Tourists were laughing and yelling at one another, some in jest and others who had begun to take it too seriously.

  “Are you ready? Or are you going to keep wandering off to wherever in your head?” Valerie was watching me, her next fish at the ready.

  I lifted my hands, wiggling my fingers. “I’m ready. Let’s do this.”

  Valerie turned out to be relatively decent at throwing, but her catching was a different story. She claimed it was because of the size of the fish.

  “It should be easier if the object you have to catch is bigger. Choose a different excuse.” I chuckled, careful to toss the next fish to her more slowly.

  “Score!” she yelled when she caught it, adding it to the pile in the second crate of all the ones she’d missed.

  I held up one finger. “That’s one for you, six for me.”

  “I’m not keeping score.” She shrugged, but there was a devilish gleam entering her eyes. “Unless it’s those points of yours I told you about yesterday. You lose one for pointing out that I’m not a good catcher.”

  “Jeez, you weren’t joking about how competitive you are.” I laughed when she made a face at me, trying to hide the smile that crept onto her lips.

  “Just one of the many things you still needed to learn about me.” She held her hands up, indicating she was ready for the next fish.

  I bent over and picked it up, launching it at her as slowly as I had the previous one. I wanted her to have fun, so now that I’d found a speed that worked for both us, I’d stick to it. “Yeah? What else should I learn about you?”

  She considered my question for a moment as she gently laid the fish on top of the others in her crate. “I hate the color orange, but not like the sun’s orange rays. Bright orange. I hate bright orange. I love yellow, though.”

  “How do you feel about red?” The strange thing was that I really wanted to know. For some reason, I wanted to learn every little nuance about this girl. “Because I’m not a fan. I don’t own a single piece of clothing that is red.”

  Valerie laughed. “I have some, but I’m not a fan either.”

  The rest of the afternoon flew by. Valerie and I talked, threw some more fish, and eventually got someone at the market to cook us one.

  By the time we got back to the hotel, it felt like I’d taken a holiday for a month. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had that much fun with someone outside of the bedroom. It had been an absolute blast, but I smelled terrible.

  “I’m going to go take a shower,” I said as we walked into our suite, heading to the door of the bedroom I was staying in. Both bedrooms had en suites and unfortunately, we had each been using our own since we’d arrived. “Do you want to watch a movie or something when we’re done cleaning up?”

  “Or something.” Valerie winked, walking to her own bedroom door with a saucy smile.

  I paused, crossing the suite to her. Only stopping when I was inches away from her, I lowered my mouth until my lips were just not brushing hers. “If it’s ‘or something’ you want, you can always join me in the shower.”

  Valerie sucked in a quiet breath, but when she didn’t reply, I took it as a no. As hard as it was, I didn’t try to convince her otherwise. I’d invited her, now it was up to her.

  There was insane chemistry between us. I hadn’t been sure if there would be, or if it would have dissipated after we’d scratched the itch. It hadn’t. If anything, it was amplified now.

  Since I knew what it felt like to be inside her, I was becoming that stereotype of a guy who thought about sex every two minutes. I got into the shower, contemplating turning the water to freezing to help me get rid of the semi I was sporting just because I’d been having the thoughts I had been.

  There was a click that sounded like the door closing just after I stepped in. I froze with my hand on the tap, my ears straining to hear if it had been my imagination or if Valerie was taking me up on my invitation.

  When I didn’t hear anything for the next few seconds, I decided it was my imagination and stepped forward under the spray. A moment later, the shower door opened and Valerie stood in front of me.

  Stark. Fucking. Naked.

  Hell, yeah.

  Chapter 20

  Valerie

  Fulton’s reaction to me interrupting his shower was priceless. His eyes raked over me, slowly taking in every inch of bare skin I’d put on display for him. When he lifted his gaze back to mine, there was so much need in them that I could hardly make out the ring of color surrounding his pupils.

  A slow smirk spread on his lips when he took a step toward me. “I’m glad you decided to join me.”

  “So am I.” I tried so hard to keep eye contact, but I lost the battle when the hardness between his legs caught my eye as he moved toward me. My clit pulsed in response, my inner walls clenching.

  I gasped when he closed the distance between us, pressing up against me and running his hands up my sides to my breasts. Lowering his head, he pressed his lips against my neck and planted soft, fluttery kisses there.

  I melted against him, my arms looping around his shoulders to keep myself up. Without his support, I was ninety-five percent sure I would’ve just become a gooey puddle at his feet.

  My eyelids closed, my head dropping back. A low moan echoed in the shower, so breathy and needy that I knew it had to have been mine even if I hadn’t meant to make a noise.

  Fulton’s hands were deliberate but gentle on my body, massaging my breasts and tracing the curve of my hip to my butt. He teased my nerves into a frenzy with every touch of his talented fingers.

  When he finally skimmed the tops of my thighs, I spread my legs for him. He shifted his mouth from my neck to my lips, kissing me as his hand worked its way in slow, tantalizing circles to where I so desperately wanted it.

  The kiss was rough and hungry, our tongues clashing and devouring. Fulton moved us backward until we crashed into the warm tiled wall of the shower, moving his hand between my legs as soon as he had me supported with his hips and hand. He took his time, first only brushing my aching need before finally sliding his fingers between my folds.

  “Fuck, Fulton.” My breathing was so labored that my words came out almost on a pant. “Yes!”

  His eyes were filled with desire, his lips swollen. Sliding his fingers closer to my entrance, he kept his gaze on mine as he slid one in. An honest to God whimper escaped me, surprising me with the amount of need that could be laced into one sound.

  Fulton gripped my ass with his free hand, prompting me to lift that leg around his waist to allow him better access. A second finger joined the first. It dipped in slowly at first, in shallow thrusts that made
me quiver.

  “Fulton.” I gasped for breath, struggling to speak or even think about what I needed from him.

  He chuckled, his lips on my neck for a brief moment before they reclaimed mine. “I know.”

  The thrusts became faster, deeper. Grounding myself against his hand, I whimpered and moaned. Just when I realized that I needed only one more thing, he was already there. His thumb brushed my clit, strumming it in time with his fingers inside me.

  My orgasm hit hard and fast, my muscles spasming around his hand. Pleasure burst through me, warming me and making my limbs feel like jelly. The world became nothing more than beautiful white light as I screwed my eyes shut and rode out my climax.

  Fulton stroked me through it, slowing until I opened my eyes before he finally let go of me. I rested my head against the wall, my breathing labored as I looked into his eyes. “Correction: I’m fucking glad I joined you.”

  “We’re not done yet.” His voice was so low and coarse it sounded like a growl. My eyes dropped down again, confronted with the evidence that he was just as turned on as I was and, yet, I hadn’t touched him.

  Wanting to remedy that, I reached for his solid length. Fulton shook his head, taking a tiny step back. “If you touch me right now, it’s going to be over before it can really get started. Let’s get cleaned up, then we can move this to the bedroom.”

  I pouted, but then I remembered what we’d been doing all day. Reluctantly agreeing with his suggestion, I nodded and reached for the shower gel. “Let me at least clean you up.”

  He eyed me warily, almost as if he knew what I was planning. Then he shot me a look that meant business. “Fine, but if you torture me, you’d better be prepared to take it later.”

  I smirked, knowing that I was only being brave because I’d literally just had a pretty spectacular orgasm. “Oh, I can take it.”

  I totally couldn’t. I’d been ready to beg him for anything just a few minutes ago, but hey. Fulton rolled his eyes but passed me a sponge. “Do your worst.”