Chapter 6 – All Sorts of Options
After an entire morning in the desert sun, I was now under the umbrella, sipping a wine spritzer, my plate of raw-food “lunch” devoured. Elaine’s review boards were entirely right about everything at the Cactus Flower Spa. The pool boys were sexy, the massages were divine, and the raw food menu was for the birds. Literally. I was dying for a luscious steak dinner with all the trimmings.
Holding my magazine, I noticed a change in the light and glanced up expecting another visit by my server. I didn’t expect to see Derek, looking fantastic in navy swim shorts and a maroon tee, holding a spa-issued towel. His blue eyes were hidden behind aviator sunglasses, but his dark hair moved easily in the dry breeze. A smile of approval was on his lips, and my entire body lit up like a firecracker.
“Red is definitely your color,” he said in that low voice that made me wish for the nearest family bathroom.
“Hello,” I said, pushing myself into a sitting position on the lounger. My cover-up was on my shoulders, but it was open, revealing the swimsuit he obviously admired. “Finished for the day?”
“Maybe,” he said, sitting on the chair next to mine. “I was craving a dip in the pool. Or something.”
I smiled, almost, but not quite sure of his meaning. “I’m surprised they let you in the way they guard this place. Did you bribe one of the clinicians?”
“Yes,” he said, pulling off his shirt. “A cool fifty, and the doors flew open.”
The sight of his perfect chest and lined stomach caught my breath. Less than twenty-four hours ago, I’d been wrapped around him, and I was growing slick at the memory. I blinked down to the shimmering pool water, my whole body flushed.
“How did you find me?” I managed to say.
“I’m a detective, after all.”
I returned his grin at that. “Oh, really?”
He chuckled. “Last night you told me your room number. I called and they said you were here.”
I wasn’t pleased with them giving out my location to unknown gentlemen callers, but in this case, I’d let it slide. My eyes drifted to the round tattoo near his shoulder. It was an anchor design blended with a skull over an SF.
“And that’s for…?”
He seemed confused then glanced down. “Oh. Marines.” He shook his head. “Rite of passage, I guess.”
“It’s cool. Unique.”
“I really enjoyed dinner on the patio last night,” he continued, leaning back. “When Patrick said he was blowing off the day, I considered doing the same.”
I slanted my eyes at him, confident enough to flirt. “Why didn’t you?”
“Had a workshop at ten. But it was hard to concentrate.”
One of the slim, tanned pool boys who just moments ago I’d conceded was “sexy” walked up. Now he looked like a child to me. “Drink, sir?”
Derek glanced over at the table beside me. “Two of whatever the lady’s having.”
The boy nodded and quickly left.
“It’s just a wine spritzer, I should warn you.”
That grin was back on his lips, making me want to kiss them. “What’s with you and ordering drinks?”
I bit my lip unsure of how much to reveal. Then I shrugged. “It’s been a while since I’ve done it for myself.”
His blue eyes flickered to my face behind his glasses. I could tell his interest was piqued, and he wanted me to say more. “Sounds like a story.”
I lifted the glass from the table beside me and finished the rest of my drink just as the server returned with two new ones.
“Maybe I’ll tell it to you sometime.” I was relaxed from the alcohol, and wanting to stay in this place of bliss with him. “But not now. It’s too depressing.”
He nodded. Then he sat up. “I’m taking a dip. It’s warmer than I expected.”
I watched as he stood and walked to the pool. He was literally perfect, and I noticed many eyes following him into the water. He submerged beneath the crystal blue surface and shot to the other side of the long pool.
Up until now, he’d been the initiator of all our encounters. Elaine was gone for the day, our room was empty. Would I invite him up? Did I want to get that close? As I pondered the question, he surfaced on the other side of the pool. Wiping his eyes he turned, then went under and shot back in my direction. In moments, he was back, surfacing in front of me, and when our blue eyes met, a loud Yes! echoed in my head.
Standing, I let my cover-up slide off my shoulders, and I tossed it on the lounge chair. My hair was still in a high ponytail, and as I walked to meet him in the pool, his eyes tracked my progress. He leaned back against the side, stretching his arms out, and his focused attention set my pulse humming under my skin. With every step, desire throbbed stronger in my core, and by the time I lowered myself into the pool, it was all I could do to keep my hands to myself. I pictured drifting one under the water to his waist, running my fingers down the front of his swim trunks, coaxing him to an erection. His face said it wouldn’t take much. But I kept my expression neutral.
“The water’s nice,” I said, leaning against the wall beside him.
He nodded. “Refreshing.”
“This morning I was thinking how little we know about each other.”
His eyes were still on me, traveling from my face to my hair then back to my mouth, where they lingered. My lips tingled for his touch.
“What do you want to know?” His tone had become low and sexy.
“I don’t know,” I said, trying to think of neutral things we could share. Questions that wouldn’t lead to subjects I didn’t want to discuss. “What’s your favorite color?”
“Red,” he answered quickly.
I smiled, and my cheeks warmed. “Seriously.”
He leaned forward, returning my smile as he lowered his arms into the water. “I’ve never really had a favorite color until now.”
I turned and bent my elbows on the side, resting them on the mosaic tiles leading into the pool. We were so close, my upper arm touched his shoulder. It was electric.
“Okay,” I said slowly, thinking. “What was your favorite game as a boy?”
“Football.”
A little laugh escaped my lips, and I lay my cheek on my forearms. “You’re not giving me anything memorable.”
His hand drifted under the water to my side, where he lightly ran the back of his fingers down my skin from my ribs to my hip. My eyes closed as desire flooded into my lower abdomen, and I fought a moan.
“I’ll tell you something memorable,” he said in that sensual voice. “But I’d rather do it in private.”
My eyes opened slowly, and I wondered if he could read my thoughts. He turned and pushed against the tiles, his muscles flexing as he rose out of the water. Little droplets ran down his torso, and an image of me licking them off almost made me burst into flames. I quickly followed him out and back to our things on the lounge chairs. Our wine still sat on the small table between them.
“Should we take our drinks upstairs?” I said.
“I was waiting for you to ask.”
Being in my bed allowed for all sorts of options. We’d already recreated my fantasy from the little box, only in reality, he held me on his lap, both of us in a sitting position as he filled me with his huge cock from behind. My back was pressed against his firm chest, and with one hand, he squeezed my breast while the other massaged my rigid clit. I couldn’t stop the little moans that drove him wild. I barely even knew I was making them as his mouth covered my neck with burning kisses, his beard scratching the back of my shoulders. All I knew was him full inside me, pushing all the way in, harder as I rose on my knees and then dropped, increasing the depth of his thrusts.
“Fuck,” he groaned, the hand that was holding my breast now moved to my stomach, pulling me harder against him. Our thighs crashed as I moved on him, and the sensation of his rock-hard dick hitting my G-spot while his expert fingers massaged my clit conjured images I’d seen of women coming like men, wet and everywhere. Three more hard thrusts, and I was flying to the moon.
I dropped my head back and came so hard, my whole body shook. He kept pushing, and I gripped his hands, squirming and moaning, desperate for him to keep going, but unsure if I could take any more of this intense pleasure.
“Ooh, god,” I wailed, and we both slid forward onto the bed. He was still inside me gently thrusting, and I rubbed my thighs together, shaking but easing down from the rocket high I’d just hit, savoring the feel of his huge cock massaging my return.
I lay on my stomach, Derek propped behind me, watching me, his pace slowing. We were both breathing so hard, I could feel his warm breath against my back. As much as I hated losing our connection, I slipped off him and turned, resting my cheek on his chest and wrapping my arms around his waist. His strong arms went around me, holding me securely several long moments as my body calmed. Inhaling him deeply, I placed a small kiss against his skin.
“Did you finish?” I whispered.
He chuckled. “If I hadn’t been wearing a condom, it might’ve shot out your ears I came so hard.”
My nose wrinkled, but I had to laugh. “That’s a lovely image.”
“You drive me crazy.” His hands went to my shoulders, and he eased up to look into my eyes. “I don’t know what to do with you. With this.”
I blinked down, not wanting to start this conversation with him. He wouldn’t like the way it ended. I didn’t like the way it ended in my mind.
“You seem to have a pretty good idea what to do with me,” I tried deflecting.
I pulled away from his gaze, resting my cheek against his chest once more. His fingers traced lines down my back, and I closed my eyes, loving this moment, wanting to permanently brand it on my memory so I’d never forget it. Never forget him.
“That night you didn’t meet me, I was pretty frustrated,” he said. “All day I’d caught your scent on my hair, my beard… then I showered before going to the bar, and you were gone.”
I chewed my lip thinking how I’d done the same—lifted my dark curls to smell his warm woodsy scent that was now all around me, filling my bed.
“I was desperate to see you one more time just to get that luscious scent on me again,” he finished.
I lifted my head, teasing. “Are you saying you haven’t showered in two days?”
He caught my cheeks and pulled my lips to his, covering my mouth in a gentle kiss. My lips parted and the tips of our tongues touched lightly, setting off a little spark below my waist.
“I’m just giving you a peek at what you’re doing to me,” he said, his voice low.
I slid down, resting my cheek on his firm pectorals, tracing the lines with my fingers. We were quiet a moment, then I thought of us at the pool, our unfinished conversation. “You were going to tell me something memorable,” I said.
His hand returned to my back where he lightly touched my skin. “Yes,” he murmured, and my head rose with his inhale. “What do you want to know?”
Everything, my stubborn mind answered. Instead, I said, “You were telling me about when you were a boy. Your favorite game. Start there.”
He was quiet, thoughtful. “My dad was in the military. A few times when I was pretty young, he was sent on missions where I knew he might not come back.”
He paused, but my interest was piqued. “How did you know?” I asked.
“I could tell by the way my mom cried when he left.” His hand continued stroking my back. “It scared me so bad I couldn’t sleep at night.”
In my mind, I pictured a kid-sized version of him, dark hair, blue eyes, lying alone in the dark. Afraid. It was an image I could relate to well, and instinctively, my arm went around his waist.
“What did you do?” I said.
His tone remained calm, comforting. “I made up a game. I thought about my favorite thing to do with my dad. And I decided as soon as he got back, we’d do that together.”
“What was it?”
He inhaled deeply. “Different things. Sometimes it was as simple as throwing a football together. But focusing on us doing it, having fun, smiling, helped me know I’d survive the pain of waiting.”
My eyes were damp. “It’s a very sophisticated approach for a little kid.”
I felt him shrug. “It didn’t solve the problem. It just gave it an end point.”
I thought about what he was saying, and I thought about my situation. “But what if it feels like the pain will never go away?”
His hand stilled on my back. “It will. Eventually. Sometimes you’re not even aware it’s gone and then something happens, something unexpected, and you realize it’s no longer there.”
I lifted off him, sliding my fingers under my lower lashes before propping my head on my hand. He wrapped a dark curl around his finger as his gaze traveled from my lips to my eyes. I wanted to know what he meant, if he had experience with pain like that, like mine, but we were venturing far too close to off-limits topics. Instead I changed directions.
“So you followed in your dad’s footsteps and joined the military,” I said, looking back at his beautiful blues. “You were so young. What was it like in Iraq?”
His lips tightened. “Lonely. Scary at times.”
“Did you use your game?”
A small smile touched his lips. “Sometimes.”
“Did it work?”
His eyes moved away from mine, and he didn’t answer. Then it struck me—he might have things he didn’t want to share as well.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “We’re probably breaking the rules of a one-week stand.”
“Probably,” he said, but his tone was different. “I wouldn’t know.”
We’d gone too far, and it was my fault. I had wanted to ask questions. I wanted to know everything about him. But I’d forgotten I couldn’t. No matter how my heart craved knowing him, what we were doing couldn’t last beyond this week. When I left this place, I returned to everything I was pretending didn’t exist, and that was no place for him.
The thought pressed on my mind, threatening to spoil our private escape. So I lowered my hand and moved up to kiss him, to take us back to what we were able to share. My hands cupped his cheeks, and his fingers that had been tracing lines on my skin began massaging, moving lower. I rolled onto my back, tugging his shoulders as I did. He readily complied, rising above me, deepening our kiss.
My hands moved from his shoulders, down his arms, finding his hard stomach. His lips pressed mine apart as his tongue swept inside to curl around mine. My legs opened automatically, allowing him between them, and in a breath, he pushed inside me, hard and full. We hadn’t done much foreplay, and we’d only just come down from our last shattering climax. But it didn’t matter. I was already wet. The little we had shared deepened my desire for him, and the fullness of him pushing into me, combined with his mouth covering mine, moving to my jaw, lightly nibbling on my neck, sent heat shimmering down my legs. My insides bonded to him, melted into him, wrapped around him, holding him to me. But I couldn’t name what I was feeling.
Never in my life had I dreamed I would enjoy being with someone like him so much, and now I couldn’t imagine having anyone else in my bed. He was enormous over me—I was only five four, almost a whole foot shorter and just at 120 pounds—and I knew I’d never be satisfied with anything less again.
“You’re so quiet,” he whispered against my ear before kissing it, still rocking into me slowly.
I was holding him, loving the feel of his fullness sliding in and out of me. He kissed my neck again, and I wrapped my arms tighter over his shoulders. I never wanted to let him go.
“Mmm,” I breathed. “It’s even good slow.”
His hands moved to my buttocks and together we rolled over so that I was on top. But I stayed with my torso pressed against his, kissing his mouth, kissing a trail down his neck to his chest.
A low groan vibrated through his upper body, and I sped up my rocking. Instantly, the friction triggered my climb, and I increased the pace. I sat up fully then, bucking my hips against his pelvis as he watched me. My dark curls spilling all around me.
“Fuck, Mel,” he gasped. “You’re so hot. I’m fucking about to come again.”
He gripped my butt, easily lifting me up and down and he seemed to grow larger. I was moaning now as the pressure built in my legs, tightened through my lower abdomen.
“Fuck,” he murmured again, increasing the speed as he lifted me, slamming me back down against his hips. “I can’t hold it.”
I felt him shoot off and instantly my orgasm exploded through my legs. He was still lifting me up and down, and I collapsed forward, pulsing in his arms. He gently stopped lifting me and held me as we rolled back to him on top, still inside me.
“I’m sorry,” he breathed, lifting up and fixing his blue eyes on mine. “I wasn’t expecting that. I didn’t have a chance to prepare.”
For a moment, I didn’t want to move. The sensations humming under my skin were so strong, so sensual. My eyes slowly opened, and I studied his beautiful face, tracing a finger over his dark brow, thinking how fantastically our bodies worked together. I had a hard time wrapping my mind around it.
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “I’m still on the pill.”
The dark brows I’d just caressed drew together. “Sounds like I had a lucky slip.”
A tiny laugh slipped out with my exhale. He had no idea. “You could say that.”
“When I told you that first night I was clean, I was being honest,” he said, the powerful hands that were so strong to lift me—and probably anything else—gently traveled up my body, smoothing back my hair. “It’s been a while since I’ve been with anyone, and last time I checked, I was all clear.”
I nodded. “I’ve never done anything like this before,” I whispered. “But I’ve had a reason to keep up with things. You’re safe with me.”
He lowered his face to gently kiss me, and right then it was inescapable. The seemingly endless kiss he pressed, soft lips lingering against mine, tongue lightly touching my tongue, sealed it for me. He was everything I wanted. He was safe with me, I felt safe with him, and I wanted him to hold me forever so badly.
But in that simple acknowledgment, my heart sank in my chest. This blissful paradise we were sharing, our strange arrangement, was drowned by my dismal reality. I was not one he could hold.