Her eyelashes flutter against her cheeks as she breathes hoarsely .
“Wait,” she rasps, “I think I …”
I pause, commanding my body not to do what I urgently need to do .
“What is it?” I ask, controlling myself but just barely. “I can tell you want me, Ava .”
“Oh I do!” she shudders. “It’s just I’ve… Well I never — ”
“Oh,” I breathe. My cock swells so quickly I’m afraid I’m going to come immediately. She’s a virgin. I should have guessed it .
Now I want her a million times more .
“I can wait a little longer,” I smile, wondering if I’m really telling her the truth. “But can you ?”
“What do you mean?” she pouts .
The boat rocks again and I lean against her, stroking her sex from the outside of her bikini bottom. She’s soaked through .
I watch her lips part as my fingers slide against her, slipping under the fabric to find her wet and wanting, swollen and ready. Our eyes are locked together as I gently tap against her untested clit, teasing her until her hips begin to pulse against me. Her cheeks flush crimson as I bring her to a fast, shuddering climax. Her juices drench my palm and I ache to be inside her, but dare myself to wait .
“Oh,” she sighs, her eyes half closed .
I kiss her deeply as she trembles, finding that she does, in fact, fit so naturally in my arms it’s no effort at all to keep holding her .
Chapter 26
AVA
A fter Ethan pulls away in the Rolls, I walk back through the Fairmont Hotel lobby, lighter than air. Everything inside me feels like it’s filled with bubbles, like I’m a shaken soda pop, ready to explode .
I must be on fire, because I feel people looking at me. Their heads swivel around as I walk past them, trying not to grin too obviously. But how can I help it? That was amazing. And who does that? Just takes the afternoon off and sails around San Francisco Bay with a billionaire? An actual billionaire ?
Apparently, I do that. Me. Little old me .
When I get back up to our room, suddenly I’m half exhausted. My arms and legs feel like they’re made out of loosely coiled rubber bands. I guess as the adrenaline drains out of me, I start to feel just how exhausted I really am .
Bea stops in the middle of the living room of our suite when I open the door, turning to squint at me suspiciously. She’s wearing a pair of fuchsia boy shorts and a strapless bra, still shiny from a shower. Her hair sticks out in triangular patches as she jerks her chin at me in greeting .
“I was looking for you, Ava,” she snaps. “I mean, I looked everywhere. Where did you go? I thought we were going to meet up in the entrepreneurial panel ?”
“Yeah,” I stammer, suddenly unable to put a sentence together. “I mean, yeah… I was gonna, but — ”
She tips her head to the side, looking me up and down .
“Did you go to the pool? Don’t tell me you went to the pool without me ?”
I glance down at my outfit, self-consciously twisting a bit of my coverup in my fingertips .
“Actually… no. I didn’t go to the pool .”
Trying to avoid her eye line, I cross the room diagonally and head for my bedroom, but Bea is right behind me, swinging in through the doorway like a bloodhound, hot on my trail .
“What do you mean, you didn’t go to the pool? You’re wearing a bathing suit, Ava. A frickin’ bathing suit !”
I turn around to face her, putting my hands up to show that I am surrendering immediately .
“I really didn’t go to the pool, Bea,” I smile, feeling a blush creep back into my cheeks again. “I promise. I absolutely promise .”
She chews on her lower lip for just a second, scowling. Then she flops dramatically into an armchair, draping her bare legs over the side .
“All right, spill,” she commands me .
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I shrug innocently, keenly aware of the fatigue in my shoulders. That big, fluffy, down comforter is just feet away from me. I could be asleep in seconds, assuming Bea would let me .
“You know, I’m super tired,” I murmur, edging toward the bed. “Can we talk about this later, please ?”
“Oh hell no!” she barks, pointing at me. “You’re up to something, Ava. I’m not leaving until you tell me exactly what’s going on !”
“Well…” I begin, trying to figure out the fastest way to tell her, and the least amount of information I need to give her before she’ll surrender and leave me alone to get some sleep .
“Start at the part where you decided that you were going to skip the conference, Miss Thing!” she exclaims helpfully. “What were you thinking? We paid good money to be here !”
“Okay, yeah, we totally did,” I cringe, remembering how long it took us to scrape together the cash for this. The website claimed we would have unparalleled access to the best Bay Area employers, plus educational panels and resume help that was supposed to put us into some kind of immediately employable pool. When I think of how many resumes I’ve given out… that number would be zero… I see that I’m not really making the most of the situation .
“So?” she prods .
“So…” I echo shyly, silently commanding myself to just tell her already. “You remember Ethan, of course — ”
“Oh no you didn’t !”
I pull a face, watching her shocked reaction to see if she’s going to cheer me on or find something to beat me with. Her eyes are so wide, I see the ring of white around her dark, inky irises .
“He’s just, you know… he’s a friend. Remember? We practically grew up together .”
“You didn’t just grow up together, Ava. He was your first crush, wasn’t he? Your ideal man candy? Please tell me you didn’t just burn your V-card right there, playing hooky this afternoon. Please! Tell me you did not !”
“I didn’t,” I protest. “I swear to God, I didn’t. But the idea did occur to me …”
I can’t finish the thought. Images race through my mind, setting my skin on fire with what I’m sure is a bright, obvious blush. My insides twang, reminiscent of the orgasm I just had on the boat. I feel ready to come all over again, suddenly awake and alive everywhere .
“Whooo, girl,” Bea says softly. “What is happening to you? You still got it bad for him ?”
“Jeez, I don’t know,” I shrug, pretending to be unsure even while my body seems to have already made up its mind. “I mean, would that be so bad? Ethan is totally a player. This is our last summer before real life, real jobs, real responsibilities… I mean if I was going to have a perfect summer fling, not something serious but something fun, wouldn’t he be it ?”
“There is no such thing as a perfect summer fling, Ava,” she scowls wisely, even though I know her information is totally coming from YouTube serials and trashy romance novels. “He’ll break your heart. He will. He’s a known womanizer .”
“I’m not offering my heart, Bea,” I snap. “I’m just offering up my, you know, lady bits. For a little fun in the sun. Like today …”
She leans forward, keenly interested. “Yeah, so if you weren’t at the pool, where were you ?”
“He took me out on his boat. His yacht,” I confess, my words coming out in a conspiratorial rush. I see her lips pop open in surprise, with a little noise like a bubble bursting .
“He what? You guys just… just like that? Just went on a yacht ride ?”
“Can you believe it? Doesn’t that sound totally outrageous ?”
“Oh, girl,” she sighs, fanning herself dramatically. “Well, maybe I need to rethink my position on this. I mean, if you’re going to go all Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous , maybe a summer fling isn’t such a bad idea after all .”
“That’s what I’m saying !”
“And you’re sure, absolutely sure, that you can keep it light? No strings? No heartache ?”
I wave my hand in the air dismissively and roll my eyes. “Shoot. If any
body’s going to be breaking anybody’s heart, I’m gonna break his. This is strictly for research and educational purposes. That’s it .”
Bea stands up, walking to the French doors that lead out onto our private patio, shifting her weight from hip to hip, sort of looking in silhouette like some French director’s idea of a thoughtful, college-age woman .
Now that she’s not looking at me, my fatigue returns. I crawl up onto the bed, sliding along it diagonally until my muscles just begin to sink into the luxurious down .
“Your phone,” she tells me. “It’s ringing. Here it is .”
I feel my bag land on the mattress next to me and fumble in it blindly until my fingers find the cool plastic case .
“Thanks,” I mumble as she leaves, apparently satisfied by my obvious display of fatigue .
I’ve got three missed texts from my brother. My eyes don’t quite focus right for a few seconds, but just before I fall asleep, the words sort of piece themselves together .
Ethan is at the conference .
Stay away from him .
Stay away .
Chapter 27
ETHAN
A s I wake up, I dream of Ava wrapping her thighs around my hand, grinding her hips against me until she comes, her lips pink and parted, her eyes half closed. Her hair falls back over her bare shoulders as she sighs my name .
I’m always hard in the morning, but today feels like it might just break off. Ava never really left my mind, I guess. And now that I’ve had a taste of her, I only want more .
My hand slides down my body, unconsciously seeking my hard-on and wrapping around it. I’m not even all the way awake, but I wrap my fist around myself automatically, imagining her soft fingers, her full lips. Her little gasp, her, wet, pink …
Fuck.
I come immediately, right into the sheets, shuddering and twitching like an animal, like a teenager, like I had to do it. And as soon as I’m done, I’m ready to go again. I’m so thirsty for her, I wonder where will it end .
Sliding out of bed, I automatically grab my phone and stare at it for a few seconds. I want to say something, but what am I supposed to say? Just now, I had a flash, an image of her in my private estate, just north of here. Among the evergreens, away from everyone, just the two of us. I wonder if she would go for that ?
I just want to get her away from everyone and have some peace and quiet, some time to explore. Maybe I can shake this crazy, feverish feeling. I like it and hate it, all at the same time .
But I’m not sure she’d ever go for that. I’m pretty certain anyone in her family would rather see me drawn and quartered than making time with their little Ava .
But, fuck it. I’m gonna try. I grab my phone to text her .
Come to my room. Five minutes .
Without even waiting for a response, I head into the bathroom for a quick shower. The water feels amazing on my skin, and I realize I’m still hard. If she’s on her way, though, I don’t really have time to beat off again .
As I’m wrapping a towel around my waist, dripping in the middle of the bathroom, I hear her soft rap at the door. I can feel my smile, wide and triumphant .
She’s being obedient, too. It’s good .
When I open the door, her eyes widen immediately. I’m tempted to let the towel fall off me, but keep it tight in my fist, maybe just to draw out the suspense a little bit longer. Something about this feels so good; every little decision I make turns me on. Thinking about her first thing, coming up with a plan, getting her to my door, now watching her eyes skate across the water droplets on my chest. It’s all too perfect .
“Come in,” I suggest. “You want coffee ?”
She nods mutely, stepping across the threshold with her tiny feet bound up in strappy orange sandals. The sherbet-colored dress is snug on her curvy hips, fluttering just under the beautiful swell of her ass cheeks. A sudden clenching my balls reminds me that I’ve still got that hard-on, and I think she might’ve noticed it too .
I tuck the towel carefully around my thighs as I sit in the chair on the balcony, staring at her over the rim of my coffee cup as she sips daintily at her coffee, keeping her eyes carefully averted. She looks at the door, the coffee pot, the horizon. Anything but the obvious outline of my throbbing cock .
“Will you come with me to Shelter Cove? I’ve got a beautiful house there .”
She gasps, her lips opening and then closing into a hard line. I can tell she wants to go, but I know she needs to say no .
“I’ve got an employment contract I need you to sign,” I smirk .
She squints at me, uncertain, as though it might be some kind of a trap .
“You’ve got a what ?”
“I just thought of it this morning,” I smile, enjoying the way she mirrors my smile, showing off those cute, deep dimples. “You came to this conference looking for a job, so let’s give you a job. Easy .”
“Well, it’s not really that easy, is it? What, am I supposed to just tell Aden that I’m working for you? Do you think he’d really go for that ?”
Aden. Just hearing his name makes me feel… something. I don’t even know .
“He would never even know. The contract will come from Century Group, one of my shells that does some kind of… something. Import/export, I think .”
“You don’t know for sure ?”
She quirks one eyebrow at me. I have to smile, almost laugh. I remember that look, but the last time I saw it I think she was eighteen. Right before our families split. Maybe a couple years before. She always wanted to race me laps in the pool. I thought it was a good idea not to get too close, but when she would dare me, it was always a temptation. I’d say no, and she’d raise one eyebrow, silently challenging everything I stood for .
“My lawyers set them up. Shell companies are pretty standard at this level of business,” I explain. “But in any case, it won’t have my name anywhere on it. Here... I'll email you a contract right now. See? All done. You're officially my underling .””
She smiles but then looks away, scanning the horizon for who knows what. I know she’s just thinking about the consequences. Thinking about what would happen if Aden found out, what her parents would say. Deep down, she’s really a very good girl, the same girl I always knew .
“He knows you’re here,” she murmurs. Her soft voice gets caught in the wind and whipped back toward me. Even though we’re high above the bustling city sounds, I hear those words with absolute clarity .
I swallow, hard .
“We don’t have to tell him anything. This is just between us .”
She turns back to me, pouting slightly. “Aden won’t see it that way,” she says, though she doesn’t really have to. I know she’s right. “And neither would my parents. Your family …”
“I know,” I interrupt her .
She scowls, flinching. I know that I should say something to reassure her, but I’m not really sure what there is to say. There’s nothing we can do .
My parents and her parents had an arrangement to open a restaurant some years ago. My parents did what they do with money, which is creatively moving it from place to place. Her parents, with less experience, were surprised to find out how the real world works .
They felt cheated somehow, but maybe they just didn’t understand each other. In any case, Aden picked a side, telling me one day that blood is thicker than water and cutting our friendship off at the knees .
I was headed off for the Marines and so I thought I could step away for a while and it would blow over, but I didn’t really get a chance to check. And I guess it never did. Now he owns a different restaurant in a nice part of town. It looks really successful, though I’ve never been there. He should be over this; he really should .
“Ava, I know we have some things to work out here. That’s not what I’m talking about. Their issues are for them to work out. I’m talking about taking a little break, for the summer. Just between us. For fun. We can sort out everything else as it comes.
Do you trust me ?”
She takes a second to think, chewing on the inside of her cheek and blinking a few times. Finally she rolls her eyes and sighs dramatically .
“God help me, Ethan Mercer, I do. I totally do trust you. Am I stupid ?”
I lean back in my chair, relieved .
“If you ask me, you’re absolutely brilliant .”
“Oh, you would say that!” she laughs, smacking my knee playfully. My towel spontaneously slides open, and I watch her eyes grow wide again .
Something makes me stop. With any other girl, I’d take her by the shoulders and show her what I wanted. But Ava is different. For a moment I don’t know what she will do .
But then she drops to her knees in front of me. Her trembling fingers lightly rest on my parted thighs as she stares transfixed by my cock, which is standing and ready. Her tongue slides along her lower lip, wetting it .
She glances up at me, her eyes full of questions .
“Yes, please,” I murmur .
Slowly her hands slide toward my shaft, encircling it gently. I can feel the tremor in her fingertips. Has she never done this before ?
But I can’t ask. My breath is swept away when she opens her mouth and tentatively takes the tip of my cock against her hot, wet tongue. She sucks on it eagerly, rolling it around her mouth like a lollipop, lacing her fingers more tightly together .
In moments I’m grinding against her, fighting the urge to bury myself in her throat. I barely hold back from pounding her sweet, newbie mouth as the urgency rises dramatically in me .
Her moan vibrates my shaft, sending me immediately over the edge. My come takes her by surprise and she flinches back slightly but I hold on, throbbing and thrusting until my balls empty into her sweet, hot mouth .
She holds me for another moment, then shyly retreats, her lips glistening with my seed. Relief and satisfaction wash through me like a dreamy mist and I remember my to-do list. Check .
Chapter 28
Dirty Sweet Cowboy Page 17