I grab the six-pack of beer and take it out to the beach. I considered just going home after I punched Wes. I left the rehearsal before Wes came to his senses and decided to start a fight. But I stuck around in the parking lot long enough to see that Sloane didn’t even have to go to the hospital. They checked her over and determined that the EpiPen was enough. That she was going to be okay. She went back into the rehearsal, and I left. I couldn’t bear to stay and watch her prepare to marry him.
My surfboard is in the back of my truck. I consider bringing it down to the beach with me, but I don’t really feel like surfing. Instead, I plop down on the sand with my beer.
I’ll drink for a while, maybe take a dip in the ocean, and then sleep off the alcohol in the back of my truck or here on the beach. I open the first beer, trying to do anything but think about Wes and Sloane. I’ve never punched anyone before. I know that punching someone accomplishes nothing but making the puncher feel a bit better—at least, for a moment. But, now that I have, I want to go back and beat the shit out of Wes for treating Sloane so poorly.
And Sloane…I have no idea what she is going to do. Marry him most likely. I don’t see her canceling the wedding the night before. She’s different than all the other women I’ve seduced. She is stronger and no-nonsense, all business. I’m not even sure that she is marrying Wes because she loves him. There has to be another reason that I am overlooking. Something that makes her feel like she has to go through with it—not because she loves him, but because that is what is best for her future.
Maybe her company’s future? I have no idea.
But Sloane was right about one thing. I was going to lose this game. I was never going to claim her. Even if she decides not to marry Wes, she will never be mine. She is too intelligent, too independent, too rational to let her heart go to a man like me.
I sip on my beer, trying to forget about all of it. I stare out at the ocean. I should take a trip somewhere. Get away from my normal life for a week or two. I’ve always wanted to travel overseas. But it would have to be somewhere without a beach because, after our time together on the beach, in the ocean, I can’t be out here without thinking of her.
It was a mistake, coming here now. I should have just gone back to my shack. Maybe then I can forget about her. I glance down at the six-pack on my left. Maybe, after drinking all of them, I will forget about her.
“Can I join you?” a soft voice says behind me.
I freeze, not sure if she is really here or if I am imagining her.
She doesn’t wait for me to answer. Sloane just sits down in the sand next to me, not caring that her white dress is going to be covered in sand. She takes a beer and opens the cap with the bottom of her shoe. She didn’t bother asking if she could have one. She isn’t that kind of girl. She doesn’t ask permission for anything; she just does.
“Thank you,” she says after a long pause.
I stare at her with wide eyes. I’m not sure if anyone has ever thanked me before, for anything. And I never expected to get multiple thank-yous from her, of all people.
“You really need to stop thanking me. For however bad Wes treats you, I’m worse.”
She sips her beer. I watch her mouth close around it, and I can’t help but imagine her lips wrapped around my cock. Although I don’t see that happening—ever.
“I’m not getting married tomorrow,” she says.
I nod. “I guessed that. I’m not sorry. I don’t think he’s good enough for you.”
She finishes her beer. “I’m not sorry either. Not really.”
She takes another beer out, which makes me smile at her.
I finish my own beer and start on a second. “So, what now?”
“First, I’m going to finish the rest of these beers with you.”
I grin. “Of course. And then?”
“And then you are going to fuck me and make me forget about Wes.”
I spew the beer out of my mouth. She looks at me straight-faced though, and I know she is dead serious.
“You surprise the hell out of me, Sloane.”
She drinks down half of her second beer. “You don’t surprise me at all.”
“I’m not sure if that was meant as a compliment or a dis, but I’ll take it if it means I get to fuck you.”
“I don’t like surprises.”
“I love surprises if they come from you.”
Her lips crash with mine, surprising the hell out of me again. Her kiss is hungry, like she is desperate for more and more and more. And I’m more than happy to give her everything she wants and more.
I kiss her back, equally as hungry. My tongue slides into her mouth, and to my surprise, she lets me. Each step I take with her is going to surprise me because I thought she hated me. She has every reason to. I broke up her wedding. I ruined her life.
But she is kissing me like I’m the only man she has ever wanted. My hand tangles in her hair, pulling her closer to me, and at the same time, she pushes herself on top of me. We fall back and break our kiss.
Sloane lies on top of me, breathing heavily from our quick make-out session. We stare at each other for a moment, deciding if we want this to go any further.
“We can stop. No one has to know that you kissed me. You could still go back to Wes. But, if you do this, he will never take you back,” I warn.
I’ve seen it before, and as much as I thought I wanted to destroy her, I was wrong. I don’t want to hurt her. I care too much about her, which is strange, especially since I have never slept with her.
“Don’t ever stop. I need this. I don’t want Wes. I want you even if only for one night.”
I pull her bottom lip into my mouth, bringing her lips back to mine. Her hands go back around my neck, and my hands rub against her bare back, running over her smooth skin, as we kiss. Each kiss, our tongues dive deeper into each other’s mouth, showing how desperate we are for each other.
Without thinking, I begin to undo the zipper that starts around her waist. I slowly unzip it until my hand can slip beneath the lace fabric. My hand slides over her ass, and I find the same lace material covering it.
Sloane starts tugging at my shirt, running her hand over my abs and up my chest. I love the feel of her soft hands so firm against me, demanding what she wants. I’ve never had a woman so clearly tell me what she wants without even saying a word.
She wants me to take her here, on the beach.
The wind picks up, and salt water and sand brush over us. And I’m reminded why I never fuck women on the beach.
“My car is”—I kiss her soft, luscious lips—“just”—she kisses me, stopping me from speaking—“over—”
Sloane shuts me up again with her kisses. I don’t give a fuck that rough seashells are poking into my ass as she rides me. I don’t care that we are going to get salt water in our eyes as I fuck her. I won’t be able to close my eyes for a second because I would hate to miss even a moment with her. I don’t give a shit that I’m going to find sand for days to come in places that I don’t even want to think about.
I’m going to fuck her here, on the beach, where anyone could see us, because I can’t help but give her everything she wants and give myself exactly what I want as well. Because I’ve never wanted anything more than this completely unpredictable, self-sufficient, beautiful woman.
“I want to strip you naked, but I couldn’t stand it if anyone else got to see you naked on the beach,” I say.
She lifts up the hem of her dress and jerks it over her head, revealing her black lace bra and underwear that she somehow hid under the white material of her dress, like the devil she hides underneath her angel facade. My eyes widen from the shock of what she just did and how perfect her body is. How her breasts overflow from her bra, begging me to touch them.
“No one comes to this beach. And it doesn’t matter if anyone does. I’m not going to last long enough for them to get much of a show anyway.”
She kisses me again, and I forget that we are on a public beach and that anyone could see her. I no longer fucking care.
“Plus, I’m not ashamed of my body. I know I look hot, naked or not.”
I bite her bottom lip again. “I couldn’t agree more.”
She grabs my dick from beneath my shorts and underwear, and I cry out like a fucking girl. I didn’t even realize she had found a way through the fabric of my shorts. Her kisses and body are so fucking fantastic that I can’t even realize anything else that is going on in the world. I blame it on the fact that all my blood is now pooled in my dick instead of my brain.
Still, I can’t have her completely exposed if someone decides to come looking. So, I roll us over in the sand until she’s on the bottom, and I’m on top.
“Can’t handle a woman in control?” she asks, her eyes full of lust and her lips plump from all the kissing.
I chuckle. “Oh, I would love to see you take control and ride me. I don’t think there is anything I want more. But there is no way I’m letting anyone have a chance at seeing you naked. I want to be the only one. I’m too controlling about things that are mine.”
“I don’t like to be claimed. I’m not anyone’s.”
I roughly kiss her until she is purring a little bit in her throat. And, when I stop, she has a blank look on her face, which makes my grin wider.
“Well, I’m very much up to the challenge of making you mine.”
I kiss her again as she pushes down my shorts when I realize…
“Shit.”
“What?” She curiously looks at me and then around the beach, assuming I spotted someone looking at us.
As I look at her, I scowl at my unpreparedness. “I don’t have a condom.”
She grins and then lets out a small chuckle before reaching into her bra and pulling out a gold little square that contains a condom.
“Thank God,” I say, grabbing it from her and ripping it open.
I don’t waste time in thinking about why she had a condom in her bra, if she was planning on using it with Wes. I roll it on my dick before sliding my fingers under her panties. I feel the moisture, that I caused, immediately cover my fingers as I find her entrance and slip them between her folds. She moans, and it is a beautiful sound that I never thought I would hear.
I spread the liquid up over her clit, and she bites my lip to keep from screaming. As it is, her screams are loud enough that I’m sure everyone within a square mile can hear her.
“Fuck me, Asher. Make me belong to you.”
I slip inside her, and it’s heaven.
“I’m never leaving again,” I groan as I move inside her.
“Fuck, I don’t want you to stop—ever.”
I fuck her against the sand as the waves crash against us. I thought I was in love with the ocean and beach before, but now, I know I will never get enough of it. Not after I’ve had her here.
I thrust and move and build us both until neither of us can hold out any longer, no matter how desperate we are to make this moment last forever.
“Jesus Christ, Asher!” Sloane cries as she comes.
And I come right along with her.
I collapse on top of Sloane, feeling every inch of our bodies pressed together. “You’re mine now,” I say. I don’t add forever. Despite how much I want this to be forever.
Jesus Christ! What the hell is wrong with me? I can’t want her forever.
We both hear the sirens in the distance at the same time. I jump off of her and grab her hand, pulling her up and holding her close to me, like I’m going to be able to protect her against the police.
Not likely.
I scoop up her dress off the sand and hand it to her. I pull up my pants and grab my shirt and beer, and then we both start running toward the parking lot.
I don’t know why we are both running like the police are going to come arrest us. From a distance, we look plenty clothed for the beach. She’s wearing her bra and panties that could easily be mistaken for a bikini, and I’m wearing shorts. But, still, we run like we are running for our lives.
When we get to the parking lot, I don’t give her the chance to go back to her car. Actually, I don’t even see her car in the parking lot. Instead, I pull her straight to my truck. I open the passenger door and help her inside before running around to the driver’s side and jumping in. I turn the key to start the truck up, but of course, it doesn’t start.
“Shit,” I curse.
I jump out of the car and bang the top of the hood. It still doesn’t start.
“Shit, shit, shit.”
Sloane rolls down the window. “It sounds like a problem with the starter. Have you checked the wires?”
I don’t question how she knows so much about cars. Of course I’ve tried it before. I’ve had plenty of experience with getting cars to start. But I humor her and try it anyway. To my surprise, it starts right up.
I jump back into the truck and peel out of the parking lot. I start heading back toward my shack on the beach just as the sirens begin to get loud enough that I’m sure they are right on top of us. I glance in the rearview mirror and see the police heading into the parking lot we just vacated.
Sloane laughs and exhales at the same time. It’s a nervous laugh, more like a release after the tense moment we just had. She begins to put her dress back on and then buckles her seat belt as I drive.
“I’m sure the police weren’t after us,” she says.
“Maybe,” I say, trying not to lie. I’m sure they were after us. Or at least me.
“Still, it was exciting nonetheless.” She dusts off sand from her body. “I’m going to be getting sand out of places for weeks.”
I laugh and relax a little, watching her try to dust off sand out of her hair and body but to no avail.
“It’s not funny,” she says with a smile. “You should look at yourself. It’s going to take you at least as long to get rid of all the sand.”
“What makes you think I want to get rid of the sand? I live at the beach, and every time the sand rubs against my skin, I’ll have a reminder of how I made you mine, if only for a few minutes on the beach.”
She blushes a little, and it’s the most adorable thing in the world. I take her hand and hold it, like we have been together forever. Like it’s the most normal thing in the world to do. And, to my surprise, she seems to relax.
“Where did you park your car? I can take you back to it if you want or take you home or…”
“I want to stay at your place tonight. I can’t face my family at my condo. Or Wes. I think you owe me enough to let me spend one night with you.”
I grin. “You’re welcome to stay at my place for as long as you like.”
What the hell has happened to me? I don’t say things like that. I don’t let women stay for as long as they want. I call the shots.
“Just remember that my place doesn’t have as nice of amenities as you are used to.”
She cocks her head to one side. “The shack I stayed in is your only place?”
I nod.
She smiles. “Really? It’s your only place? You make who knows how much money with your sponsorships and championship winnings, and you don’t have a nicer place than that shack and this beat-up truck that doesn’t even run properly.”
“Yep.”
“Why?”
“Because I have realized that possessions don’t make me happy. Even when…”
“Even when what?”
“Nothing. It doesn’t matter. I just realized that I was happier in a shack on the beach with awesome sunsets than a large mansion with lots of rooms.”
She smiles. “I prefer the mansions.”
I laugh. “Well, good thing we aren’t getting married then or doing anything beyond tonight. We would make a terrible couple. We have nothing in common.”
“You’re right. We would be miserable together.”
“Yep. Miserable.”
I turn left onto the gravel road leading toward my shack. “Last chance. I can always take you to a hotel to stay at tonight if you prefer.” Although that is the last fucking thing I want. I want her in my bed, shower, couch. I want to claim her in every inch of my shack if this is our last night together.
“I think I can handle the shack for one night.”
I exhale deeply as I relax, knowing that I get to have her at least one more time. Or a dozen times if I get my way tonight.
I pull up next to my shack of a house and turn off the engine. Then, I hop down out of my truck and run over to Sloane’s side of the car to open the door, like the gentleman that I am. I hold my hand out to her to help her down. Her dress is still undone, barely hanging on to her body, as she begins walking toward the front door.
“The door is unlocked, so just go on in. I need to get my surfboard out of the truck.”
“You don’t keep your front door locked?”
“No. Why would I?”
She smiles and then walks into my home. I hurriedly take my surfboard out of the truck and rest it on the rack to keep it out of the elements in case it rains, as it does so often here in the early summer. And then I run inside to find Sloane.
I open the door and find Sloane already completely naked, standing in my living room/bedroom—depending on how you look at it since I really only have one large room that is everything.
She turns and grins at me before she nibbles on her finger. “Your mouth is hanging open,” she says, her smile widening.
I instantly close my mouth. “I’m sorry. You are just so incredible.”
My eyes go up and down her body, drinking in every drop of her that I felt beneath me earlier but never got to fully appreciate.
“I was going to shower to get cleaned up, but you don’t seem to have a shower or bathroom of any type.”
I laugh. “I have a shower and bathroom. It’s just outside. But I might demand payment in order for you to use it.” I take a step forward.
She grins widely and cocks her head to one side. “And if I don’t want to give you payment?”
“Then, I guess you are going to have to stay dirty.”
She bites her lip as I walk closer, wishing that lip were in my mouth.
“What kind of payment do you have in mind? Because I do like things dirty,” she says with a twinkle in her eye.
“Dirty, it is then,” I say.
I slip out of my shorts, and I walk over to my dresser where I keep a stash of condoms. I grab one and then walk straight to Sloane before throwing her over my shoulder. Then, I head out to the outdoor shower. I don’t put her down until we are both in the shower, and then I flick the water on, drenching us both with cold water that I know better than anyone is going to take at least ten minutes before it resembles anything close to lukewarm.
I’m used to it, but Sloane screams as the cold water rains down on us. I kiss her, knowing that is the best way to warm her up. We both forget about the cold water as my hands are finally able to grab her bare breasts. As we are finally together, completely naked, skin on skin. If the beach was perfection, being with her now in the water is magical.
“I need you inside me—now. I know I just had you, but now that I’ve had a taste of you, I want you more than I did before,” she says.
I grin. “But I haven’t had a taste of you yet.”
I lift her up and press her back against the wall so that I can bury my head in her pussy. She grabs hold of my head, encouraging me to keep at it. To fuck her with my mouth, my tongue. To make her scream, to make her come. She comes quickly with the flick of my tongue and the cold water pounding down on top of her.
I lower her and then flip her around so that her back is to me before I enter her.
“Yes, Asher!”
I don’t last long inside her. And, somehow, she manages to come again and again as I thrust inside her. When we have both come and there is nothing left but the water pouring down over us, I reach for the soap to attempt to get the sand properly off of us. I know, realistically, it is going to take days to get it off, and if she decides to spend her next few days mostly at the beach, like I do, she is never going to be able to fully get rid of the sand.
I take the bar of soap and start slowly moving it over her body, washing her. Getting to know every inch of her skin, the smell of her hair, the curves of her body. She doesn’t say a word as I do so. She just lets me take care of her, and it seems more intimate than any other time we have had together.
When I have touched every part of her body with the bar of soap, she takes it from my hand and does the same to me. Our eyes are locked. When she finishes, she shivers.
“Does the water ever warm up?” she asks to give a reason for her shiver.
I know her shiver has more to do with our intimate moment than with the cold water.
“Not really,” I say.
She nods and then swallows hard so that I can see her throat moving. I imagine my cock down her throat, and my dick instantly becomes hard.
When my eyes go back to hers, I see something different there. More serious than before.
“Marry me,” she says.
My whole world stops. I can’t breathe, and I’m afraid my heart has stopped.
“Marry me.”
Two words that I never thought I would hear or ever say to any woman.
But this woman is different. Sloane is different, so I know, when she says those two words, there is more to this story than I understand. She didn’t preface it by saying she loved me, which there is no way for her to have fallen in love with me so quickly. She’s not like the other girls. That isn’t what she wants. She has a reason for asking me that she just hasn’t told me yet.
I surprise myself by even considering saying yes, but it could get me more sex and a chance to really destroy her later if I decide I want to.
She thinks I’m predictable. She hates surprises, or so she says, but that just makes me want to surprise her even more.
So, I say the one word that I know will shock her the most, “Yes.”