Chapter 17
Riley stood near the front of the boat, one hand up to shade her eyes as they slid up against a long floating dock. “So this is Pensacola?”
Gray tied the boat off, flexing his muscles as he did so, and the sight of that sent Riley’s belly flip-flopping. She was so turned on by every single thing about him, and that lust was so huge and so powerful that it frightened her as much as it excited her. He’d come up with the idea of going farther down the coast, and she had agreed. They both needed a break: him from his worries about his father and her from her worries about her folks showing up or sending someone after her, like those two inept goons they’d sent as bodyguards at the start of her trip.
He finished with the ropes and let them go, the knot hanging perfectly. “It’s a nice beach, especially this side. It’s really calm, with barely any waves. That’s why it’s called Quietwater. It’s great for swimming.”
He took her hand and they dived in. The shock of the slightly warm water felt good against Riley’s hot skin. As Gray promised it was very calm, with hardly a ripple, despite the number of people swimming and floating on inflatables nearby.
They floated on their backs, still holding hands. The water rose below them, then dropped them again. Riley closed her eyes, basking in the sudden feeling of freedom that washed over her senses. This is what it’s like to really be alive, just breathing, feeling, and not constantly running from one thing to another in a mad attempt to please everyone but myself. That thought swelled her happiness. It was enough to just be out there on the water, side by side with Gray, to feel his hard body bumping against hers, to feel the strength of his limbs moving through the sea in tandem with hers. The sun was shining, and the music thumped from all the different bars and eateries that lined the boardwalk. For the very first time in her entire life, Riley knew exactly what it meant to be happy.
Gray eventually put his feet down and stood. Riley blinked at him. The water near the dock was deep, but in the area where they were floating it only came up to his waist. When she put her feet down to touch the bottom, he said, “We need to get you under some shade. You wanna go hang out under the bar awning?”
“Sure.”
Gray swam back to the dock and retrieved the shoes they’d left on the side, along with her sundress and a shirt he’d tossed on top of their shoes. They then began to make their way out of the waves, toward shore. She was still floating on a cloud of happiness and peace, and she stumbled slightly as they made their way out of the surf and onto the fine white sand. His hand immediately steadied her and she gave him a goofy, giddy smile. He let her lean against him as they headed down the boardwalk, the wooden planks warming their feet through the thin soles of their sandals.
Riley looked down at herself and saw her dress clinging tightly to her wet body. “Maybe we shoulda brought towels,” she said, a wry expression on her face.
He groaned. “Yeah, I agree. I’ve got saltwater all up my ass crack.”
Riley blinked, then howled with laughter. “Oh, wow. TMI.”
“It won’t be later,” he said, then gave her a smile that made her heart stop, her core clench, and more laughter come flying out of her mouth all at once.
“I assure you I’m not getting up close and personal with your ass crack anytime soon…or ever, for that matter.”
He sighed. “Damn. I guess I’ll have to find someone else to tend to that fetish. What a shame.”
“You’d better be joking.”
He laughed. “I thought you were.” Then leaned in to press his lips against her forehead. “I’d lick the salt of your body without complaint.”
The images that followed erased all the giggling on her lips. She swallowed hard instead and could only nod.
They ducked into a small bar. Riley, already feeling the effects of the sun, ordered a bottle of mineral water with a glass of ice and a sliced lime, and Gray asked for a beer. They took their drinks to a shaded table and sat down.
They gazed out at the vista, and Riley found herself in awe of the natural beauty of the place all over again. “I had no idea how beautiful it is here,” she said. “I mean, when I think of Florida I always think Daytona, which is sort of run-down, and Miami, which is way too hectic.”
He tipped the bottle back, then set it on the table. “How did you end up here anyway?”
She pushed salt-laden strands of hair away from her face. “It was the oddest thing. I was trying to figure out where to go, and…well, you know the internet. I was searching for a beach vacation, and a bunch of stuff just popped up.”
“Yeah,” he said, coaxing her to continue.
She rested her hands on the sides of the glass, letting the ice and water cool her, a small trick she’d learned years earlier from some woman at one of her father’s fancy dinner parties. “Well, I didn’t want to go to the Hamptons, because everyone who goes there knows me. Ditto on South Beach and the Bahamas, and places like that. I’d heard of this place once or twice, and an ad for it popped up. I guess it was a fluke that I found your resort, one of those happy Googling accidents. You really need better SEO.”
“I know,” he said as his face took on a gloomy expression. “Tell that to management.”
“I should. I should check right back in and say, ‘Hey, you really need more staff and a little extra visibility and…’” She stopped and took a deep breath. “Gray, how much was your dad expecting mine to invest?”
His eyebrows raised. “You don’t wanna know.”
“Actually, I do.”
He gave her a long stare.
There was anger below the surface, and she saw it. She held up a hand. “Fine. Don’t tell me now, but I eventually want to know, okay?”
He shrugged.
The anger dissipated, but she was sure she’d spoiled a beautiful moment. Damn it. What’s wrong with me? I shoulda known it’s too soon to bring up that touchy subject. She took a deep breath and asked, “Do you like that song?”
“I do,” he said, his face impassive again.
She worried that she’d gone too far, locked him out. She had just blurted what was on her mind, without thinking it through, something she always seemed to do with Gray even though she was so careful with everyone else in her life. As the music continued, desperate to correct her mistake, Riley asked, “Do you want to dance?”
He chuckled. “You must have no regard for your life. There’re about fifty drunk people out there on a floor meant for twenty. We’ll be stampeded. Besides, look at her,” he said, pointing at a very curvy woman, twerking like her life depended on it. “I don’t wanna get in her way.”
Riley shot a look at the floor and grinned. The woman was at least fifty, very drunk, and obviously having the time of her life, with no regard for the potential for physical injury for anyone within five feet of her. “Yeah, I see your point.”
Gray rested a hand on top of hers. The warmth of his touch instantly filled her body and sent little jolts up and down her skin. She managed to look at him without blushing, but she wasn’t sure whether or not he could read the very dirty thoughts going through her mind. He always managed to make her hot, but she wondered if that was enough. It is for now, she finally told herself, then gave him a grin.
Once they finished their drinks they strolled the boardwalk again, then stopped at a few more of the quaint shops before finally climbing back on the boat.
“Would you mind helping me untie her?”
“No, not at all.” When Riley neared him, she couldn’t help smiling. He smelled like sun and good, clean sweat. There was a fresh coat of gold on his shoulders, and she wanted to run her fingers all over him. As he hauled the line toward him, Riley untied the knots quickly.
“Are you having a good day?” he asked.
“It’s a whole lot better than jetlag,” she said, laughing. “After this morning I didn’t think I’d be saying yes to a question like that, but yes, Grayson, I’m having a very good day.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
He took the controls and she stood by, watching as he maneuvered the boat away from the dock very carefully, then headed along the glistening sickle of shoreline. Other boats tooted their horns, and people waved. Riley, caught up in the carnival-like atmosphere, waved back.
They made their way back to Maggie’s home dock slowly, taking their time. As they went, Gray dropped an arm over her shoulders. The heat and weight of it felt so right on her skin that she shivered. Slow anticipation began to build as they made their way through calm, deep-blue and sapphire-green waters. Palm trees waved along the shores, and seagulls and other birds swooped and glided overhead. The scent of the place, briny and yeasty somehow, was a smell Riley reveled in.
The dock floated into view, and Gray carefully guided Maggie into her berth. He cut the engine and headed for the dock to tie her up again.
“Let me help,” Riley said, but it wasn’t just about being nice. She’d never had any interest in boats or being on one, but her fears were assuaged by the long swim in the deep ocean and she was ready to be a part of whatever it was that Gray enjoyed.
After the boat was secured, Gray turned to her. His hands fell onto her shoulders and her body pressed close to his, so close that her breasts flattened against his chest. His lips crashed down on hers like the waves against the shore. His teeth caught her bottom lip and tugged at it; it was a gentle gesture, but the fire that started by that slight sting was anything but gentle. Riley needed him so badly that she actually ached. The crotch of her bathing suit bottom was sticky and tacky, and when his hands slid down her back and pressed against her spine, resting lightly on each knob before sliding to the lush slopes of her bottom, they grew stickier still. Her breath moved in and out of her mouth in a hard gasp.
“Maybe we should go to the cabin,” he growled out
They broke apart and Gray led her below, into a small, cramped space that was home to a double bed and a tiny dresser. Riley didn’t care how small that bed was; she was just happy to crawl into it with her sexy captain.
His hands tugged away her bikini, and she whimpered as her body came into view. There were some lighter splotches against her tan. Gray let his hands run over her, his fingers making a slow study of her curves and the jut of her hips. He caressed the span of her ribs, and then one finger dipped into her belly button before running down to the junction of her thighs. He cupped her mound in one hand, squeezing just enough that her labia collapsed in on her clit, pressed against it, and caused a terrific and unusual pressure that had her hips jerking and twitching as they fell across the bed, eager to touch either other in more ways.
Riley, shuddering as his fingers continued to wander over her flesh, allowed herself the luxury of exploring his body as well. Her fingers stroked his abs, the hard muscle below the skin, causing little rashes of goosebumps to pebble her own. She fumbled her way down the front of his shorts, her fingers brushing against the heavy fabric until she found the buttons and little tie that held them up on his lean, powerful hips. She slid her fingers down that fly and encountered a heavy hardness there.
A moan broke from her mouth and she arched her hips up below him, wanting to get as close to him as possible. Her fingers traced the ridge of muscle along the top of his shoulders, and she gripped the buttons on his shorts and began to unfasten them.
His cock, hard, hot, and pulsing with blood, filled her hand. The texture, silkiness over steel, fascinated Riley and she reveled in the dual sensations as she squeezed and gripped his cock, letting her fingers wander over the heavy casing of veins that mapped that rigid flesh of his member.
Gray groaned and placed his mouth on her neck, nipping and tugging at her flesh with his teeth before moving lower. His mouth found her nipples and subsumed them, sucking hard and making her whimper as her free hand moved up to tangle in his hair as she strove to get him even closer to her flesh.
Riley’s fingers stroked the slick helmet at the top of his erection, and a small drop of fluid escaped. She used the ball of her thumb to rub it into his flesh, oiling it and making him even harder at the same time. His cock jerked and pulsed within the warm confines of her fist, and she felt a sense of triumph rise. He wanted her as much as she wanted him, and there was no way either of them could deny that.
Caught in a haze of sensation she tilted her pelvis forward, allowing him the angle he needed to touch her there. His fingers dipped between her thighs, stirring the skin that curtained her pouting lips. Riley whimpered low and long as his fingers stroked the tiny bud at the top of her mound, while his other fingers slid along the seam of her labia before plunging inside her. She ground her hips against those questing fingers, whimpering as friction and heat bloomed inside her. She felt an orgasm bursting to life inside her, but she was not ready to cum yet.
They were twisted along the bed in an awkward position, and she struggled to get into the right position between his legs. Her eyes feasted greedily on his erect, swollen flesh.
She lowered her head. His cock throbbed and pulsed as her clever tongue swirled around the base of his shaft, her mouth closing more tightly to prove an even wetter, deeper sensation. Her tongue licked the sensitive spot where his head and shaft met, greedily inhaling the musky scent of his manhood as she bobbed her head and worked faster, applying even more pressure with her cheeks and lips, striving to make him lose his mind as much as he made her want to lose hers.
“Damn it, Riley! Now I’m gonna have to fuck you twice to make sure you’re as happy as I am,” he said between grunts and groans.
That tempting threat only served to make her even wetter and hotter. She wanted his sensitive tongue on her clit, but more than that she wanted him buried deep and hard inside her pussy, wanted to feel his cock sliding past her lips and into the tight sheath just beyond.
He pulled her away from his cock and pressed her into the mattress, moving his fingers to her clit. He massaged it furiously, making her entire ass lift away from the bed. His mouth went back to her nipples, teasing and tormenting them until they stood up in hard, stiff peaks. Sensations ran all through her body, jolting her out of herself into a place where there was nothing but need, want, and pleasure. Heat became fire as he made his way down her body, his tongue leaving wet little trails on her flesh. Fluid dripped and ran from between her legs. Her hips arched involuntarily as his teeth grazed the skin right above her navel, just before his tongue shot out and probed deeply within it. Sensation crawled across her flesh and nerve endings. He opened her labia, licking the seam of the inner lips, then held them open and pressed his skillful tongue against her clit. Drops of creamy white cum slid from her wet channel. He pressed a single finger into that tight opening, and the heated slickness of her walls surrounded the teasing digit.
“Damn, that feels so good.” The words jerked from her mouth in little whimper-encased syllables. Her heels dug deeper into the mattress, and her fingers found his coarse hair and yanked hard as his tongue moved across her juddering clit again, taking her to the height of pleasure, a sublime pedestal she was afraid to come down from yet wanted to leap off of.
She was lost in a haze of lust so strong she could not even think, could not even begin to. When he knelt over her, it was hungry reflex that forced her hand to guide him into her waiting channel. Her walls gripped him tightly, caressed him as he began a fast, hard rhythm. Riley arched her back and met him thrust for thrust. Her nails raked along his back, and they both cried out.
His strong hands locked around her hips and lifted them. Air stroked her wet vulva once more, and then the head of his cock rubbed against the slick, puffy lips that hid her soaked, waiting entrance. He pressed forward, and Riley felt her walls open and her legs part. He was huge, heavy, and thick. Her walls stretched to accommodate him, and she whimpered as she felt his distended flesh opening her, entering her, then going deeper and deeper into her body.
A slow beat began but he soon sped it up, slamming his hips into hers. He moved faster, creating friction that made her cry out in a breathless voice as the need for an orgasm cranked up yet again. Her walls clenched, opened, and spilled fluids all across his flesh as it withdrew from hers. His hips jerked back and forth. His cock created more heated friction within her body, and the rocking of the boat only helped increased the motion. Her mouth dropped open as a long cry escaped. It echoed around the room as her body shuddered and jerked.
She felt stiffened and shudder. Her legs, wrapped around his lean waist, trembled as she strained to raise her pelvis just a little more, to allow him better penetration. Gray, rigid and straining forward, found another small inch of space near the end of her tunnel and thrust into it, working hard to let his orgasm, now pulsing and spilling, play out.
Then he finally collapsed on top of her.
Riley, mind-blown and stuck in a shifting haze of pleasure and contentment, lay there under his weight, her fingers clutching his shoulders and her lips pursing and releasing as she dropped tiny kisses on his broad shoulders, chest, and neck.
“I think you’re trying to kill me,” he said, his words pressing into the hollow between her shoulder and neck.
As his breath washed over her, she giggled and shifted just a little below him. “Oh well. I guess if the cops come after me, I’ll have to tell them it’s not at all my fault. You chased me down, knowing the danger.”
His head lifted, and his mouth captured hers. Their bodies lifted and fell with their breath, and he finally broke the kiss off and withdrew from her gently.
He cuddled her close, and she rested her head against his shoulder. Their bodies cooled slowly. His hand lay on one of her hips, where she allowed it to remain. The boat rocked and drifted slightly, a soft motion that was oddly soothing.
She turned her face to his. “So, I have to know. Why did you… I mean, why not just let me go?”
He lifted himself up and placed one fist below his chin, then looked at her sincerely. “I had to let you know I’m not the huge douche canoe I came off as. I wanted this thing between us, whatever it is, to have some meaning—or at least that was what I told myself while I was driving. Really, I just wanted you to stay.”
“Why?” she asked, that one word holding the whole force of her hopes and aching heart.
“Because you make me want something. I don’t what exactly. I mean, I’ve never felt anything like this before, Riley. I just know I don’t wanna lose it.”
Joy crashed past her defenses, and her hand sought his. “Me neither, but you have to know that eventually… I mean, I can’t stay here forever. You do know that, right?”
His smile held resignation. “I do, and when you’re ready to go I won’t hold you back. I can only afford so many tickets to crash your little farewell party, you know.”
There was supposed to be a jest in there somewhere, but all she heard was a sad truth. He couldn’t afford the ticket he’d bought and she felt guilty about it, yet she was glad he’d done it. More than that, though, their differences suddenly swam to the surface.
Gray was not from a poor family, not by a long shot, but it was clear that he had to make it on his own, and he was still struggling to break away from what his family expected and what he actually had to do for himself.
That was the one thing they had in common, and she hoped that it was enough.
Well, that and crazy, hot sex.