by Monroe, Max
“This spot look good to you?” I ask, and she grins a mischievous smile.
“It’s all very…private.”
I smirk at her dirty little innuendo. “You don’t like private?”
“Oh, I love private. I’m just curious about what your plans are with all this privacy…”
“Well…” I step forward and wrap my free arm around her waist until her body is pressed close against mine. “I definitely have some plans,” I whisper, brushing my lips over hers. “And I’m pretty sure you’re going to love these plans.”
“I am?”
“Yeah.” I press a soft and slow and seductive kiss to her lips, and then I release her from my grip and hold up the picnic basket. “You ready to get your feast on?”
An absurd laugh escapes her lungs, and she rolls her eyes. “You’re such a fucking tease.”
I grin at that, set the basket down, and lay out a large blanket over the sand. “No teasing here.” I crisscross a finger over my chest. “I hear the hotel staff can pack one hell of a lunch.”
Lena sits her bikini-clad ass down beside me and doesn’t hesitate to start rummaging through the basket. “This lunch better be the best fucking lunch I’ve ever had in my whole life.”
“Okay, bossy.” I chuckle, and she sticks her tongue out at me.
But her focus quickly moves back to the food.
Fresh Italian bread, cheeses, cold meats, fruit…one by one, she spreads them out in front of us and doesn’t waste any time putting together a little sandwich for herself and taking a bite.
“Does it suffice, or should I call Maria at the concierge desk and tell her that we’re incredibly disappointed with her awful picnic lunch?”
“It’s delicious.” She grins around a mouthful of food. “And you’re a smartass.”
I smirk and follow her lead, making a little sandwich for myself and diving right in.
We’re halfway through our lunch when Lena holds up a small, familiar piece of fruit and quirks a brow. “What is this?”
“It’s a fig… You’ve never had a fresh fig?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “Have I been missing out?”
“Most definitely.” I take it from her hands and peel the outer layer until the sugary, sweet goodness is revealed. “Here, give it a try,” I say and hold it toward her mouth.
A smile kisses her lips as she takes a bite. “Holy shit,” she says around a moan. “That’s really good.”
“I guess Maria pulled through after all, then,” I tease.
Lena laughs, steals the fig from my hand, and proceeds to make a show of eating it while not sharing with me. “Wow, this is so good. It’s too bad it’s the only one in the basket, huh?”
“And you say I’m a smartass.” I reach out and tickle her ribs until she squeals.
“Okay! Okay!” She raises the white flag and holds the fig toward my mouth. “I’ll share if you stop tickling me!”
I lean forward, take a bite, and then press a teasing kiss to her lips. “Thank you. You are so generous.”
“I am generous. Probably the nicest, most generous woman you’ve ever met.”
“You’re definitely the most fascinating woman I’ve ever met,” I admit succinctly.
She searches my eyes as if she doesn’t quite believe me, and I nod my head.
“You really are, Lena. There is no doubt that you’re something special.”
Her blue eyes turn soft. “You really think that?”
I shake my head. “I know it.”
My words seem to take both of us off guard, and unexpected silence wraps around us like a blanket.
The crashing of waves and lapping of water against the sand seem impossibly loud in the void. My mind starts to race with thoughts of what I’ve just said and how she makes me feel and the stark reality that our week together is coming to an end very soon.
Tomorrow, in fact.
My chest constricts at that realization, but before I can fully grasp how I feel about it, before I can try to understand my sudden melancholy, Lena’s voice pulls me back to the present.
“Can I ask you a personal question?”
I search her eyes, hoping to find a hint of regret. Maybe she doesn’t want to stick to the rules anymore either? “Like, how personal?”
“Well, it’s more of a vague personal question, I should say…” She pauses, biting down on her bottom lip, and I kind of hate that this normally confident woman looks so uncertain right now.
“As long as it’s all very vague,” I joke, ignoring the stabbing pain in my chest in an effort to put her at ease. “I mean, I have rules, you know.”
Lena rolls her eyes at that. “Very funny.”
I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her closer to me. “You can ask me anything.”
Ask me everything…
When she doesn’t respond, I add, “Seriously, Lena. Even if it goes against the rules, you can ask me knowing that I’m not going to put pressure on you to do the same.”
She nods and just kind of blurts out, “Do you have a girlfriend?”
I draw my eyebrows together. Does she really think I’d do that? “No.”
“Do you have a wife?”
I shake my head, disappointment that she doesn’t know these things already threatening to creep in.
“No girlfriend, no wife, no baby momma, Lena,” I assure assertively. “I wouldn’t… That’s not the kind of guy I am.”
A smile crests her mouth. “Okay, that’s a relief.”
She shrugs. “I don’t have any of those either, by the way.”
“No baby momma?” I tease, and she laughs.
“Nope. No wife either.”
“Well, that’s good news,” I say softly. “I’m not all that well versed in handling scorned women.”
“So, you’re not the kind of guy who has a trail of broken hearts behind you?”
“No, not really,” I admit. “I’m more the kind of guy who doesn’t have time for relationships from the start. Any women I’ve spent time with know from the beginning that I can’t give anything more than friendship.”
“Friendship is an odd word to use for sex, but okay.”
I chuckle. “Hey now, I was trying to be a gentleman about it.”
“Well, you are incredibly gifted at friendshipping. I’m actually crafting up a BFFs For-eva bracelet as a parting gift for your penis—you know, for all the fantastic friendshipping he’s been doing this week.”
She giggles at her own sarcasm, and I can’t stop myself from gently tackling her to the sand. With her back to the ground and my body hovering over hers, I tickle her rib cage and belly with my fingers and spur more giggles from her throat.
It’s music to my fucking ears.
“If you’re not careful,” I say, looking down at her with a devilish smirk. “I’m about to friendship the fuck out of you right here on this beach.”
“You promise?” she challenges.
“Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you, dirty girl?” I lean down to press a tender kiss to her lips. “You’d love to have my cock inside you, knowing that just around that little cliff right there is a whole beach full of people.”
Her breaths turn into pants, and my gaze flicks down to the way her breasts move up and down with each inhale and exhale of her lungs.
She spreads her legs, wrapping them around my waist, and the movement forces my now hard cock to press right against the apex of her thighs.
Fuck.
“Do it, Theo,” she whispers. “I dare you. Slide inside me. Right here. Right now.”
Excitement and adrenaline race through my veins, and I can’t find a single reason not to give her what she wants.
And, trust me, there are plenty of reasons. Loads of fucking reasons.
But goddamn, I want her, and want has apparently sent them all scattering in the wind.
With her fingers in my hair, she pulls my face to hers and slides her tongue past my lips. I groan when the kis
s turns deep, and she responds by moving her hips so her bikini-bottom-covered pussy presses against my cock.
“Do it, Theo,” she whispers again, and a moan slips from her throat. “I need to feel you inside me.”
Before I can stop her, she moves one devious hand inside my swim trunks and slides it up and down my length.
“Fuck.” I groan. “You’re trouble.”
She licks her lips, and I’m a goner.
In two swift movements, her bikini bottoms are pushed to the side and I’m buried inside her.
Goddamn.
She’s wet and warm and perfect, and it is the most glorious-fucking-thing I’ve ever felt in my life.
“God, you feel good,” I say, and she whimpers. “Too good, Lena. Too fucking good.”
And then…realization hits me hard.
I’m bare. Inside her. Without a condom.
“Shit,” I mutter and start to pull out, but she clamps her legs around my waist and starts maniacally shaking her head.
“No, no, no…”
“Fuck,” I groan and press my forehead to hers. “Lena, honey, I don’t have a condom on.”
“I’m on birth control,” she whispers. “Just don’t stop,” she begs, and her eyes lock with mine. “Please, don’t stop.”
Even though every rational cell inside my body is telling me this is a bad fucking idea, I can’t find the strength to stop.
I can’t find the willpower to pull out.
I can’t do anything but stay right here, buried inside her.
Our gazes locked, I press my cock in deeper and she keens.
“You drive me crazy,” I whisper toward her before burying my face between her breasts. I nudge one triangle out of the way and suck one hard nipple into my mouth.
Her little hips shake as I move to the other breast, flicking the nipple with my tongue and sucking it past my lips. “God, that feels so good.” Her nails dig into the bare skin of my back. “So fucking good.”
Fuck, it does feel good. My cock bare and Lena’s perfect pussy wrapped around me is the best damn thing I’ve ever felt in my life.
I can’t stop myself from pushing my cock into her…harder, deeper, faster.
“Yes. God, yes.” Her pussy clamps down around me, and I know she’s close.
And fuck, I’m close too. My climax is building at the base of my cock, and I couldn’t stop even if the fucking cops came and tried to arrest us for public indecency.
So, I don’t.
I move my cock inside her until she comes, and her pussy grips me so tight that I can’t hold back.
I come hard…deep inside her.
And I know in an instant…I won’t ever be the same.
Lena
When I blink my eyes open and reach beside me to find an empty spot, I sit up in bed and search for the man who should still be lying beside me.
But Theo is nowhere to be found.
I grab my cell phone from the nightstand of his suite and see it’s crazy early, a little after five in the morning, to be exact.
The room is still dark, the sun not quite ready to stretch its rays above the horizon, and the only hint of Theo’s location is the soft pitter-patter of the shower water filtering in from the master bathroom.
A yawn escapes my throat as I slide out of bed and head over to the kitchen area of his expansive suite to make a cup of coffee.
It’s strange how quickly you can develop habits, how quickly you can get used to something.
I’ve only known this suite, Theo’s suite, for a little under a week, and yet it’s started to feel a bit like home. I know that the fancy coffee machine only takes three minutes to make my much-needed dose of caffeine. I know that inside the fridge are leftovers from dinner last night and Theo’s favorite coffee creamer.
I know that when I walk out onto the balcony to drink my coffee and listen to the ocean’s waves, I’ll probably find Theo’s half-drunk cup and reading glasses sitting beside a crumpled-up newspaper.
I know that if I walk into the master bathroom, I’ll be able to smell the fresh and clean scent of his body wash and I’ll find his razor and shaving cream sitting out on the counter.
And I know that when he walks out of the shower with this towel wrapped around his waist, he’ll flash that smile I like so much, kiss me on the forehead, and say, “Morning, honey.”
In the span of seven days, somehow, Theo and I have created habits.
Once my coffee is ready, I add a little sugar and milk to my cup and stir it with a spoon.
And just before I can take my cup to the balcony, Theo strides out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, his towel firmly wrapped around his waist.
“Morning, honey,” he says with a handsome smile and steps forward to kiss my forehead.
But today, that sweet kiss makes my chest hurt.
“Morning,” I say, pushing the word past my lips and forcing a smile to my mouth.
With a hand on my hip, he searches my eyes for a long moment. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just not looking forward to the long day of traveling.”
And just like that, I acknowledge the pink elephant in the room, and silence spreads like a virus between us.
This is my last day here.
This is the day we say goodbye.
This is the day our rendezvous ends.
It’s so damn heavy on my heart, I have to avert my eyes from his.
He pulls me into his arms instead.
“I know we’re supposed to be keeping things light and airy right now,” he whispers into my ear. “But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t going to miss you.”
I wrap my arms around his waist and bury my face into his chest. “I’m going to miss you too.”
He kisses my hair, and the tears threatening to fill my eyes have me clearing my throat and breaking our embrace.
“Well…” I pause and glance down toward my feet. “I need to go to my room and pack, and then I’m supposed to have breakfast with my friends before we catch our flight… Will you still be here around ten?” I ask, my voice shaky with uncertainty and an emotion I don’t quite understand. “Or do you need to head out for meetings? Or…?”
He slides his finger under my chin and lifts my eyes to his. “I’m not quite ready for our official goodbye either, Lena.”
I swallow hard, but I can’t speak. When I don’t respond, he smiles kindly. “I’ll be here at ten.”
“Okay,” I say and stand up on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. “I’ll see you back here then.”
He nods toward my full cup of coffee on the counter. “No coffee on the balcony this morning?”
“No.” I shake my head and push a little smile I’m not really feeling to my lips. “I figure I should probably do the responsible adult thing and make sure I’m all packed and ready for my flight.” More like, I figure I may as well break the habits now…
Theo nods, and our impending goodbye might as well be hanging over us like a fucking rain cloud.
It wasn’t supposed to be this hard.
It wasn’t supposed to be anything…
Annoyed with my stupid brain and my stupid emotions, I leave Theo in the kitchen and make quick work of heading back into the bedroom and gathering my things.
Once I’m dressed and everything I’ve managed to leave in his suite over the last few days is stuffed into my purse, I head back out into the main living space and find him stirring his favorite creamer into his fresh cup of coffee.
“See you back here at ten,” I say, and he looks up to meet my eyes.
“See you at ten.”
But just before I’m out the door, his voice grabs my attention.
“Lena, wait!” he calls for me, and I turn on my heels to find him jogging toward me with something in his hand. “Your notebook.”
“My what?”
“Your notebook.” He places it in my hand with a soft smile, and I search his eyes for a long moment. How did he get this?
; “I saw it lying on the nightstand this morning, and well, I kind of, sort of, borrowed it for a few minutes before I hopped in the shower.”
“You borrowed it? For what exactly? Journaling?”
“Very funny.” He smirks. “And no, I guess I just wanted to take one last look at those rules of ours.”
One last look at our rules.
And a visual of one particular rule on that list flashes in my brain.
Rule Number Five: And at the end of these seven days, we say goodbye.
Time to face the fucking music.
Lena
“You know, if it weren’t for the fact that your suitcase was here, I would’ve completely forgotten you were even on this trip.” Pippa’s knowing smile consumes her entire face, and I roll my eyes.
“Don’t be so dramatic.” I laugh and toss the final—and seventh pair—of shoes into my suitcase before diving into the five stacks of clothes lying across the floor of our suite.
I didn’t wear half this shit, and yet, I thought it was a good idea to lug it all the way to the coast with me. One day, I swear, I will be like those chicks who can travel the globe with a simple fucking carry-on.
“Me? Dramatic?” Pippa snorts. “I think not, you little sexpot. I am merely stating facts. You met a sexy as fuck man with a tight arse and a big willy, and you pretty much disappeared for a week.”
“I did not disappear,” I retort, even though I damn well know I did. The past seven days, I’ve seen my friends maybe three times, and all of them lasted for no more than a few hours.
“You are so full of shite, and you know it.” She calls me out. “I’ve spent the last five nights being Frederick’s wingwoman.”
“Hold the phone.” I eye her knowingly. “The girl who spent the first not one, but two nights here drunk-cockblocking me, was able to be someone’s wingwoman?”
“Yes,” she states firmly. “And for your information, that girl is a fantastic wingwoman when alcohol isn’t involved. But I guess you wouldn’t know that since you’ve been MIA all week…”
“Okay, yeah,” I finally agree on a guilty sigh. “You’re right, Pip. I’ve been a bit of an MIA biotch this week. I’m really sorry.”