by Noelle Adams
She chuckled. “The glaze? Yeah. I might. I’ve got shallots and soy glaze and butter.” She paused before she added spontaneously, “I can make them tonight and you could stay, if you wanted.”
His eyebrows shot up. “I thought this was it for us.”
“It is. I mean, I still think that’s for the best. But the day isn’t over, and... I don’t know... it might be nice to have someone to cook for. It would be a nice way to... to end things.”
He hesitated just a moment before he said, “Yeah. It would. Thanks. I’ll stay.”
REBECCA HAD THE BEST time she could remember as she leisurely prepared a dinner of steaks, pasta salad, and an iceberg wedge with homemade blue cheese dressing.
Phil helped her do some of the simple things like chop up vegetables and turn the steaks. She opened a bottle of red wine, and they ate out on the covered patio as the sun was starting to set.
At the end of the meal, she was close to melting away from pleasure.
Not only had she enjoyed the meal and the ambience, but she was ridiculously happy that Phil had loved the food so much. He didn’t appear to be trying to make her feel good by excessive compliments. His moans and raves seemed utterly genuine.
He’d always loved her cooking.
No one else—other than her family—had ever made her feel as valued as he did.
Between them, they’d finished the bottle of wine, so her mind was buzzing, and she was full enough to be pleasantly satisfied without feeling sick when she finally put down her fork.
The breeze had picked up from the bay and was blowing against her warm cheeks. The air was fresh and salty, and the sunset was casting all kinds of vivid colors onto the water.
She felt so good she was almost embarrassed about it.
She wasn’t used to feeling so good, so indulgent.
“That was the best meal I’ve had in... ages,” Phil said, swallowing the last of his wine.
“Thank you. I’m glad you liked it.” She smiled at him, hoping she didn’t look too much like a sappy fool.
He smiled back, and they just smiled at each other for a little too long.
Realizing how she was feeling, she glanced away and pushed back her chair. “Okay. I better clean up.”
“You shouldn’t have to clean up since you did all the work to make dinner.”
“You did some—”
“I did almost nothing. So I’ll clean up. You take it easy.”
She started to object, but he was already getting up and picking the dishes up from the table. She watched him as he carried them back inside.
Her eyes weren’t very disciplined after all the wine she’d drunk. They lingered on the delicious tight curve of his ass beneath his shorts, and she had the overwhelming urge to go over and squeeze it.
That wouldn’t do.
It wouldn’t do it all.
She was saying goodbye to him as soon as the dishes were put up.
She didn’t want to speed up their farewell, so she didn’t try to help him. He would have refused her assistance anyway.
So she got up and went over to the double chaise on the patio near the table, stretching out on it so she could enjoy the evening air and the view.
She listened to the sounds of Phil putting the dishes into the dishwasher and washing up the pots and pans she’d used.
He was a really nice guy.
She liked that he was cleaning up.
Some guys wouldn’t have done that.
She liked cooking for him.
She liked that he’d so openly enjoyed it.
She’d liked this whole evening. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so relaxed.
Laura had been right. She had needed rest.
She had needed closure.
This vacation was a very good idea.
She was so relaxed right now and just a little buzzed from the wine that if she closed her eyes she might just drift off to sleep.
She closed her eyes.
It was so nice out here on the beach.
THE NEXT THING SHE was aware of was her hair blowing into her face.
It tickled.
She lifted a hand to brush it back. She hadn’t been wearing a ponytail today like usual, so her hair was loose. It felt like it was everywhere.
She opened her eyes as she smoothed it back and realized it was dark outside.
The air was warm and pleasant, and she could hear the sound of the waves on the beach. There was light coming out from inside the house, but the patio lights weren’t on.
She’d fallen asleep on the chaise after dinner. She had no idea what time it was.
Phil.
He must have left.
And she’d never gotten to say goodbye.
She turned automatically to look back into the house and blinked when she realized she wasn’t alone on the chaise.
Phil. Stretched out beside her. Sound asleep.
She relaxed back, smiling at the fact that he’d stayed. He’d fallen asleep too.
She settled onto her side so she was facing him. His hair was ruffled, and his lashes were ridiculously thick, and his face looked younger than usual. Completely unguarded.
She wondered how long they’d been sleeping.
It was very dark outside. She couldn’t see the bay or even the line where the water met the sky. It must have clouded up some since there was no moonlight.
She was actually a bit chilly.
She tried to ignore it for a few minutes but eventually could think of nothing else, so she leaned over to snag a soft throw blanket she’d brought out the other evening. She was settling back down and covering herself up when a thick voice murmured beside her, “You gonna keep that blanket all to yourself?”
She giggled and turned back to see that Phil’s eyes were open. He looked soft and groggy. Both sexy and adorable. Without thinking, she spread out the blanket so he could get under it too.
She had to scoot a lot closer to him to make it work, but that wasn’t a problem.
“You fell asleep,” he said, adjusting to make their positions work. He had to wrap an arm around her, but Rebecca thought that was perfectly natural.
“You fell asleep too!” She nestled up against him. He was warm. Warmer than the blanket.
Now she was warm too.
“I just closed my eyes to keep you company,” he said, dry and fond.
“Sure you did.”
“Didn’t want to walk out and not say goodbye.”
She cuddled closer. “I’m glad you didn’t.”
“Me too.” He pressed a kiss against her hair.
Nothing in the world could feel better than she did right now. The rhythmic sound of the waves matched the slow, sensual pulsing inside her. Phil was stroking her hair and back, and her cheek was pressed against his shirt.
“I like this,” she said.
“Me too.” He kissed her again, this time his mouth pressing with gentle pressure against her temple. Her forehead.
She tilted her head up to give him better access, and his mouth moved down to her cheekbones—one and then the other. Back up to her forehead and down again to her cheeks. Each kiss was like the brush of a feather. “That feels good,” she whispered.
“Mm-hmm.”
His hand was sliding lower now, down to the curve of her bottom. He stroked her there just as gently as his kisses.
The pulsing of her body intensified, but it was still nothing but pleasant. Delicious.
“That feels really good,” she whispered again.
“Mm-hmm.” He was still caressing her face with his lips.
“I haven’t felt so good in a long time.”
“I know you haven’t. You need to treat yourself better. Let yourself feel good.” His words were a hoarse murmur and as pleasurable as his kisses.
“We were going to be smart,” she said, moving her hands up so she could touch his hair.
“Mm-hmm.”
“This doesn’t feel smart.”
“It feels right,” he murmured, his mouth lingering on the corner of her mouth.
“Yes.” The word came out as almost a hiss as he squeezed the soft flesh between her butt and the back of her thighs.
“Don’t you think it feels right?” His body was tense now rather than relaxed, but it was a tension she loved. It spoke of how much he wanted her. She could feel he was growing hard when she rubbed against him.
“Yes,” she admitted. “It feels right. Nothing has ever been righter than this. And I really want to feel good again.”
He made a little groan in his throat and rolled her over onto her back. Then he kissed her for real.
Both her body and her heart were ready for him, and her mind was falling in line without any real argument. She wrapped both arms around him and spread her legs to make room for him. As they kissed, she bent her knees up so her groin was better aligned with his.
She rocked against the hard bulge in his pants, the stimulation intensifying her pleasure.
He was deep in her mouth now, sliding and thrusting like he was making love to her with his tongue alone. Soon she was nearly writhing beneath him, unable to hold still, desperately trying to feel him more, deeper, harder.
“Fuck,” he gasped, finally breaking the kiss and lowering his head to press kisses into the side of her throat. “Oh, baby, you’re made of fire. You’re blazing right now. It feels like you’re going to explode.”
“I am.” Under normal circumstances, she’d have been embarrassed by the whimper in her voice, but she was far past embarrassment now. “I’m going to explode. Please help me, Phil. I need you to help me. I need to feel good again.” She ground her hips against him shamelessly.
“Yes.” He moved a hand down to hold on to her bottom. “I’ll help you, baby. Let me help you. Let me make it good for you.”
“Please. Please. I need....” She had to fight to still her motion, breathing raggedly as he unfastened her shorts and slipped his hand beneath them and under the waistband of her panties. “Please, please, Phil.”
Her hands flew up above her head to clutch at the cushion of the chaise as she felt his fingers exploring her intimately.
“Shit,” he murmured. “You’re so hot and wet.”
“Yes.” She arched up when he pressed into her clit. “I need to come so bad.”
“I know you do.”
“It’s been so long for me.”
“It won’t be much longer. You’re really close. I can’t believe how much you need this.” He’d adjusted his hand and now sunk two fingers inside her.
She arched up again. And then again as he gave a thrust with his fingers. Her cheeks were blazing, and her skin was sweating, and her thighs were parted shamelessly, ready for him to do whatever he wanted to do to her. “I do. I need it. Please, make me come with your hand.”
“I will. It’s not going to take long. You’re so ready for me.” His voice was hoarse, and his eyes were hot and hungry. So possessive she barely recognized him as the lazy, laid-back man he’d become.
He thrust again. And again.
She gasped loudly and moved her hips with his rhythm.
“That’s so good, baby. Ride my hand. Show me how much you want this.”
“I do. I do.” She tossed her head back and forth and let out an uninhibited moan. “Oh, God, Phil. Please. I’m so close. I need this so much.”
“You’re going to come so hard. You’ve been holding back for too long. This is for you. Just for you. Take everything you want.”
He fucked her with his fingers more vigorously, and she cried out loudly as the sensations built up to an unbearable peak.
“Don’t hold back,” he murmured. “Give me all of it.”
She came then, so hard she was almost screaming with it. She was never that loud, but something had come over her, something that broke all bounds of the restraints she lived her life with. She shook helplessly as the waves of pleasure overwhelmed her. She clamped down around his hand, soaking his fingers with her arousal. She gripped the cushion above her head like a life line as she rode out the contractions and all the pleasure that came with them.
He kept moving his fingers, sustaining the orgasm longer than she would have thought possible until finally she collapsed in a heap of sated exhaustion onto the chaise.
Then he finally slid out his fingers.
“Oh God,” she gasped, still holding on to the cushion with her thighs splayed wide apart. Her shorts were undone, and she was still wearing her bra and top.
She couldn’t believe she’d just come as hard as she had.
There was a smile in Phil’s voice as he said, “You enjoyed that.”
She gave a huff of amusement, unable to even open her eyes yet.
“You needed it.”
“I did.”
“How long has it been for you?”
“A really long time. Years.”
“Then we’ll have to make up for lost time.” He sounded like he was still smiling when he adjusted again.
She made a little noise when she felt his fingertips against her clit.
He started to massage her there, and her whole body immediately tensed up again.
“Oh God, Phil. I can’t. Not again.”
“Yes, you can, baby. You can come again and again. I’m going to make you.”
“Oh God. Oh please. Oh please!”
“Yes, baby. There you go. You’re ready to go again already. Look at you. How hot and sexy and eager you are. You want me to touch you so much. You want me to make you feel as good as I can.”
She was arching up again as he massaged her clit in slow circles. She was already so sensitized that she’d almost reached orgasm again already. In no time. She rocked and whimpered, “Oh yes. Oh please. Oh please, please, please!”
She came on the last word, and he kept working her over until she came a third time.
He seemed like he might keep going, but she grabbed for his hand and pulled it out from between her legs.
“What is it, baby?” he asked. He was sweating profusely now, and his eyes were like nothing she’d ever seen before.
“I don’t want it to just be for me anymore. I want it to be for you too.”
He kissed her softly before he said, “You really have no idea, do you? What we just did was for me too.”
Eight
PHIL WAS SO AROUSED that his erection was a painful, throbbing presence in his shorts, but he’d also never experienced anything—anything—like making Rebecca come the way he’d just done.
For the past several years, sex for him had been like scratching an itch. He’d needed the relief, and he’d tried to treat the women well, but he’d expected nothing else out of the encounters.
He’d been a teenager—nineteen years old and crazy in love with Rebecca—when sex had last been connected with this kind of emotional intensity for him.
It was startling. Rather intimidating. But also addictive.
He was intoxicated by it. Not just the building anticipation in his body but also the overwhelming pleasure in his heart, his mind.
For a moment, as he kissed her and she pulled him down on top of her, he was afraid he might explode the way Rebecca had done a few minutes ago.
“I want you to fuck me now,” she murmured into his ear.
It was the hottest thing. Those words coming out of his sweet, quiet Rebecca.
His erection throbbed dangerously, and his hips gave a few helpless thrusts.
She chuckled and slid her hands down to his ass. “Now, Phil.”
“Okay. Okay.” It took a minute to pull himself together, but then he straightened up, found the condom he’d brought with him—since he’d been feeling optimistic that morning—and then shucked his clothes as quickly as he could.
Rebecca watched him, her eyes heavy and appreciative as they raked over his naked body. He moved back onto the chaise and started taking off Rebecca’s clothes, pulling down her shorts and underwear together
as he yanked off her top. Then he reached around to unhook her bra and pulled it off to reveal her firm, rounded breasts.
His erection throbbed even more.
“You’re staring.” She shifted slightly on the chaise.
“I have good reason to stare. You’re so beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Her words were almost tart, but he figured she was self-conscious and covering for it. She took the condom from him and rolled it on.
Phil was trying not to shake—but not doing a very good job—as he positioned himself between her legs and aligned himself at her entrance.
She bent her knees up around his hips and held on to his butt. “Now, Phil. I want you now.”
So he eased his way inside her, both of them moaning softly at the penetration.
She was tight and warm and pliant around him, and nothing in the world had ever felt so good. Sweat dripped down his face and back as he rolled his hips, trying to adjust to the clasp of her body around him.
She was digging her fingernails into his ass, and the pain just heightened his pleasure. He tried to hold still but couldn’t. His hips moved of their own accord.
“Yes,” she breathed, arching up as he gave a hard, helpless thrust. “Just like that. Please, Phil.”
He released a long moan as he let himself go. If she was asking for it, then there was no way he could hold back.
He thrust hard and fast, shaking the chaise, jiggling their bodies. Rebecca moved with him, her knees folded up around his hips. She was making huffs of effort every time he pushed into her, and he was grunting like something primitive. He couldn’t help it.
There was nothing in the world right now but Rebecca and how it felt to move with her this way.
“Phil, yes. Please, yes. Harder. Faster.”
He bit back a roar as he gave her all he had.
He wasn’t going to last long. He could already feel a climax clamping down, and it was going to release any minute.
He wanted Rebecca to come first.
She was almost sobbing, clawing at his ass and tossing her head in her urgency. “Almost... there. Phil, please. Please, hard.”