Pure Satisfaction--A Hot Holiday Romance

by Rebecca Hunter

  And then, it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except the feeling of him entering her. His head pushed into her slick opening, filling her, taking her breath away. He pushed farther, farther. The glass shower filled with groans of pleasure. He pushed until she was full, so incredibly full, and then he stopped. His lips brushed against her shoulder.

  Then he whispered words so softly she almost missed them. “Oh, Ruby.”

  Two words, whispered reverently. His voice traveled through her with that same, heady rush she had resisted earlier. But before she had the chance to fully process it, he started to move. He pulled out and then pushed back in, gently at first and then harder. His strokes were thorough and methodical, as if designed to hit her at her most vulnerable places.

  But she didn’t want to stop. Her breaths were pants, and her cries were desperate with need. She was at that place, that beautiful plateau, fully immersed in the connection with Adrian. Was he there, too?

  His hands moved around her hip and between her legs. His fingers lingered close, and she squirmed to find the pressure she needed. Finally, he circled over her swollen, aching clit. Her insides exploded with ecstasy, and his cock swelled even more. He growled and came deep inside her, holding onto her, his voice low and tortured.

  Ruby collapsed against the wall, her mind in a fog of pleasure, with Adrian’s body slumped against hers. He slipped his still-hard cock out of her and coaxed her over to the bench in the shower stall, where he sat down. He guided her onto his lap, and she sat with his arms around her, leaning against his big body. Resting on his chest, his heart pounded in her ear.

  She wasn’t sure how long they sat there, skin against skin. But when she finally thought to speak again, the steam had cleared from the shower stall.

  “I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard you talk.”

  He laughed, his chest shaking under her. “And I’m sure that’s the least I’ve ever heard you talk.”

  * * *

  Adrian stood in the bedroom, slowly buttoning his shirt. He stopped to watch as Ruby rushed in to grab her hat and sunglasses, then ran back out to answer the door. Dinner had arrived, apparently, but he let Ruby deal with it. Selfish, yes, but he’d make it up to her.

  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so relaxed. It had been a long time since he’d had sex, so that was undoubtedly part of the relief he felt, but it was more than that. Something inside had loosened, some part that had been clenched for years. Five years, actually. Since Victoria left.

  He hadn’t thought about her in a long time, so why had his mind wandered to her more than once in the last few days? He had worked hard to move on from that part of his life, to make sure he’d never make the same mistake again. But the similarities were there. He’d been trying like hell not to think about this, but if he let himself think it, maybe he could figure out what the hell he was doing.

  Victoria had been his opposite, impulsive where he was controlled, talkative where he was silent and moody. She got under his skin, made him laugh and turned him on, even when he didn’t want to be. Especially when he didn’t want to be. Was that what this preoccupation with Ruby was—she reminded him of Victoria?

  It wasn’t the first time this idea had crossed his mind. Adrian hadn’t realized that Ruby’s comment about being selfish until thirty had struck a nerve until he’d found himself thinking about it yet again. It was too much like the way Victoria had wanted things her own way, from where they lived to where they ate dinner. He’d told himself it was because he didn’t care that much about any of these choices. He was happy anywhere as long as it was with her. But the unexpected pregnancy had shone a light where he’d tried so hard not to look. Even a baby wouldn’t come first. Victoria’s own wants and needs would always be her priority. She wouldn’t change just because a baby was coming. Not even for a family.

  He’d probably never fully get over the miscarriage, but he could clearly see that if he’d had a kid with Victoria, all three of their lives would’ve been a mess. Still, there were a few months before Victoria miscarried where he’d seen a future in front of him, one that he wanted badly. One that he still wanted, though not with Victoria. With someone who wanted it just as much as he did.

  Maybe it wasn’t the similarities between Victoria and Ruby that were triggering his memories. Maybe it was that Ruby reminded him of his own past self, when he couldn’t see anything clearly.

  God, he hoped that was what his fascination with her was about. Then it would fade as soon as he found a good match to date, who wanted a family and a quiet life and all the things he wanted. Which meant he should line up a series of dates right after they got back to New York.

  The idea felt wrong. Like the last thing he wanted to do, ranking below tasks like getting a dental filling or spending another work happy hour in that bar. Then another idea followed, even less appealing: What if Ruby did the same thing—planned dates with other men right now, when her hair was still wet from the shower, where he’d fucked her?

  Hell, no. The thought was as jarring as it was disturbing. It was the kind of thing that Victoria would have done to him, and he would never, ever treat Ruby that way, even if they were just “fooling around.” He could deal with untangling himself from her after he left the island. He shouldn’t be thinking about the future right now.

  Footsteps came from the main room, along with the sound of Ruby’s voice mixed with someone else’s. Then the front door closed, and finally, they were alone again. Adrian left the bedroom and found Ruby sitting at the table on the lanai. She had put on another red dress, this one shorter and tighter than the last one. Her hair was still damp from the shower, and her cheeks glowed a rosy pink. He still couldn’t get used to the fact that he was allowed to look, especially since once he started, it was hard to stop.

  “Sweden is tonight’s theme.” Ruby gestured to the table overflowing with dishes.

  It was a small buffet with breads, cheeses, vegetables and a lot of other foods, some more recognizable than others, including...pickled beets. Huh. He scanned the dishes, arranged in a neat circle around a Swedish flag. The meatballs were a definite yes, but the little squares of what seemed to be fish, floating in a yellow sauce with little green bits? No, thanks.

  Ruby inspected what looked like a creamy potato dish. “The server gave me a menu, but I thought it might be more fun to taste it all first.”

  “Interesting idea,” Adrian hedged.

  He sat down next to Ruby and followed her lead, filling his plate with everything except that fish in the yellow sauce.

  “To an unexpected week,” she said, raising her glass.

  He chuckled. “In more than one way.”

  “Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, which is tamale-making day,” she said, buttering a piece of freshly baked bread. “Then Christmas Day is mostly on our own, aside from the meal. Considering the fact that we’re pretty much confined to this cabin, what should we do to occupy ourselves?”

  Immediately, the memory appeared in his mind of Ruby naked up against the shower wall, him holding onto her hips with his cock buried deep inside her. The direction of his thoughts must’ve been obvious, because Ruby laughed.

  “Besides that, I mean,” she added. “I planned to put together my photography portfolio, but it seems a little depressing to work on Christmas.”

  He leaned back in his chair, forcing his mind off sex. “I brought a stack of books. You’re welcome to take a look at them.”

  Her eyes widened. “You brought books?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Believe it or not, I do read.”

  Ruby’s face opened with laughter. “I mean in your suitcase. Is that why you brought so much luggage?”

  “One of the reasons, yes.” Adrian tried to keep a straight face, but it was hopeless. He swiped a hand over his mouth so she wouldn’t see his smile. “Though maybe I shouldn’t offer them to you.
”

  “Okay, I admit that maybe there are legitimate reasons for bringing more luggage.” Ruby’s laugh was musical. “Now will you let me borrow one?”

  “I suppose,” he said.

  “What did you bring? Maybe a suitcase full of sexy romance we could read aloud?”

  He chuckled. “I wish.”

  “Hmm...what kind of books would Adrian Wentworth read?” She took a sip of her wine and leaned back in her chair. “My guess is mystery, where the world works the way it should. Mysteries get solved, bad guys get punished...that kind of thing.”

  “Interesting theory.”

  “Am I right?”

  Adrian flashed her a smug smile. “Nope. Try again.”

  She furrowed her brow. “Then literary fiction is my next guess. Something deep and boring.”

  He shook his head.

  “Ooh, now I really want to know.”

  He waggled his eyebrows, just to drag out the suspense a little, and she cracked up. After years of false smiles and gloats and irritation, she was smiling, really smiling just for him. And it felt good.

  “Most of the books are science fiction, but there are a couple of fantasies in there, too.”

  She fake gasped. “How completely impractical of you. I’m impressed.”

  He just lifted his eyebrows a little, trying not to smile.

  “Is there sex in these books?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “Do you skip over those parts?”

  He crossed his arms. “You want to see what I do when I get to those parts, Ruby?”

  “Definitely. But not at the dinner table.” Ruby flashed him a sassy smile, then took a bite of the potato dish. “Are there anchovies in the potatoes?”

  Adrian shrugged and popped a meatball in his mouth, their day replaying in his head. The more time he spent with her, the more he was curious about...well, just about everything. But most things weren’t any of his business, so he started with the question he’d been mulling over since the meeting in Cristina’s office.

  “Can I ask you a serious question?”

  She nodded.

  “Why were you planning to spend Christmas alone?”

  Her playful smile faded. She opened her mouth to answer, but then closed it. Finally, she sighed. “It just seemed like the best option I had.”

  “What about your friends? Wasn’t there anyone you wanted to spend a few hours with?”

  “My roommate’s family has a house in the Hamptons,” Ruby said. “That’s where I went last year, but it was pretty depressing to be the only single person with a bunch of couples.”

  Enough said. That one Adrian definitely understood. “And your own family?”

  As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Her whole body tensed, like she was steeling herself.

  “Sorry,” he said, trying not to frown. “None of my business.”

  Ruby shook her head. “It’s fine. Christmas was never a lot of fun growing up. My mom is a flight attendant, so she spent a lot of time away. It was mostly just my dad and me. But they thought it was important for my sake to have Christmas together. I always looked forward to it, hoping they’d put aside their own problems for a day. It never happened. They never figured out how to compromise.” She sighed. “That’s another reason I made that pact with my mother. To avoid all that resentment my parents built up. I need to make sure I’m over my hang-ups about relationships from growing up with all that resentment. I’m hoping that age will bring me some wisdom. Though I’ve heard it doesn’t always.”

  She raised an eyebrow at him, and he heard the crack she was taking at his age. But it was deflection. He could hear the hurt in her words, too, the sadness of her hope evaporating each year. How could she still look forward to holidays? But, of course, she did. Of course, sunny, upbeat Ruby would still hope.

  It was quiet for a while, then Ruby gave him a little smile and added, “I know. That story is always a buzzkill. But I’m fine.”

  Adrian frowned. That’s what she thought was going through his mind? He had to think of something decent to say to her right now, and, as always, he was coming up with nothing. So he pushed his chair back from the table.

  “Come sit with me,” he said. “Please, just for a few minutes.”

  She blinked, and for a moment he thought she was going to turn him down. Really, none of this was his business, and he was prepared for her to remind him of that in some way. But then she pushed back her own chair, stood up and settled into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her, telling her the only way he knew how that she deserved so much more.

  They sat that way in the warmth of the evening. He looked out beyond the privacy of their cabin, past the pool and the screen of flowering bushes to the ocean. The urge to solve this, to do something to make her feel better was getting stronger. Even if it was none of his business. But what could he do?

  He could give her pleasure. The longer she sat on his lap, the more the other night came back. Ruby’s legs spread, her ass moving up and down against his cock...

  No, sex was about forgetting, gone when the afterglow faded. Pleasure wasn’t enough. He was looking for something more, something that would last longer. Maybe he could figure out how to make this year’s Christmas a really good one. He needed to come up with something...and quickly. As in, within the next twenty-four hours. Something so she’d understand how highly he thought of her, something to make that careless comment in the dinghy earlier today disappear.

  Ruby shifted in his lap and kissed him. “Thank you, Adrian. That felt good.” She gave him another kiss, this one lingering, and then she sat back down in her own chair.

  She wasn’t in his arms anymore, and the moment was already fading. Adrian searched for a way to hold onto it.

  “I think we should celebrate Christmas. Just the two of us,” he said quickly. “In my family, we get up early, open presents and then have brunch.”

  “Presents?” She raised an eyebrow. “That’s not really my thing. Minimalism, remember?”

  He blinked. How could presents not be her thing? He had plenty of money, enough to give her something useful and meaningful...and she didn’t want it?

  “Please? We’ll make it fun,” he said softly.

  Her brow furrowed, and she was quiet. Finally, she sighed. “As long as we have a twenty-dollar price max.”

  Adrian frowned. That was not at all what he had in mind. On the other hand, this was about her holiday. He ate the last meatball off his plate, promising himself he’d find a way to make twenty dollars meaningful. Somehow.

  “Fine. Nothing expensive,” he conceded. “I’d just like to do something to celebrate.”

  “Great. And I have a condition of my own.”

  He chuckled. “And that is...”

  “No more sleeping on the couch for you. The bed is king-size. Even if you’re not the snuggle-up type, there’s more than enough room for both of us. We can build a pillow wall if you want us to stay on our own sides.”

  Adrian chuckled. “As long as you’re okay with sleeping in the same bed as me, I’m more than happy to be there. No pillow wall necessary.”

  She smiled that smile of hers, all traces of hurt gone. Her whole face lit up, and his chest tightened. That smile was for him. He was the one making her happy, and damn, he wanted to do it again and again.

  Except that wasn’t how this worked. Would she still smile at him like that when they got back to New York, or would they go back to how they’d always been? The idea that everything that happened here in Hawaii would be gone hit him hard—that he’d go back to watching other people make her smile while she frowned at him. It made him never want to go back.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ADRIAN PACED BACK and forth in front of the kitchen counter. Where the hell was Ruby? She’d been gone for over an hour now af
ter announcing that she needed to “take care of something.” It was the first time they had actually been apart since they’d gotten on the plane in New York, and Adrian really didn’t like the uneasy feeling of not knowing what was happening with her.

  He frowned. How would it feel when they got back to New York, after things between them ended? She could be hit by a taxi, and he wouldn’t even know it, let alone be around to help her.

  Over the years, he’d found that the best thing to do when these kinds of uneasy thoughts surfaced was to force his mind on something else. Something specific and fact-based. Like Ruby’s Christmas gift.

  He had stayed up late the night before, searching the internet for the perfect gift under twenty dollars that could be delivered by tonight. Unsurprisingly, his options weren’t very satisfactory. Admittedly, he didn’t know her very well, but he was pretty sure he was on the right track with photography. In the end, he ordered a book of erotic photographs as a sort of gag gift but had gone to bed unsatisfied. He needed to think of something else...that cost two dollars and fifteen cents. Right.

  What did she want? All the camera components he’d looked up were far over the spending limit, and he didn’t know what accessories she already owned. The minimalist thing was yet another pain in the ass when considering presents. She’d mentioned getting her portfolio together this week, and he’d secretly checked out her photography website, which showed a contest she’d won. How the hell could all this translate into something she really wanted?

  Then, the perfect idea came to him. He could give this other “gift” to her along with the book since, technically, it cost nothing. Arranging it would take some last-minute finagling, but he was almost sure he could pull it off. All he needed to do was get ahold of his sister.

  Adrian stopped his pacing and found his phone, typing out a quick message. If Sydney could help him figure this out, it would definitely make this Christmas memorable.

  He took a deep breath and let it out as the relief ran through him. Then he surveyed the neat line of bowls in the middle of the counter. Inside each bowl was an ingredient for tamales that he’d chopped or minced or rinsed in whatever way the recipe had specified. The large bag of masa was sitting at one end, along with a package of banana leaves. Had he missed anything? The chicken had to be—