1 Week Later
I switch it up tonight with a glass of whiskey before pulling out my cell phone. My fingers hoover over the keys in hesitation for a brief second before I compose my message to Brennan. I need to start just right, so she doesn’t ignore me. I’ve allowed a week to pass. Hopefully, she’ll be more receptive to converse with me.
Silas: I was going through my things, and I came across my camera that I never use. I thought about you because it would be great for you to learn on. That is if you’re interested in real photography.
A few minutes past. Maybe she is in the shower and hasn’t seen my message yet. I won’t let myself think about the alternative—that she is ignoring me. Finally, after what seems like a lifetime, I see the three dots that lets me know she is responding.
Brennan: Of course, I’m interested in real photography. I want to take the type of pictures my mother took, but I couldn’t accept your camera. Thanks for offering.
Silas: Do you consider us friends? Forget about the Tory crap and ask yourself if you could see yourself building a friendship with me?
I really have enjoyed her company. She is such a refreshing change. If things truly are impossible between us on a sexual level, I’d rather have her in my life as a friend than not at all. That’s saying a lot, considering I don’t have platonic relationships with the opposite sex. I only want to fuck them. Also, I know that friendship is the building block to more for someone like her. I will appeal to her sensibilities since she doesn’t want what most women want from me—money and celebrity status.
Brennan: Why would you want to be friends with me? We don’t have anything in common. We’re from two different worlds, where I don’t fit in. I have nothing to offer that would add value or enrichment to your life.
That comment pisses me off, but I’ll keep quiet about it for now. I hate that she thinks the rich are somehow better. I’m going to make it my personal mission to improve her self-esteem. She is simply stunning, and she doesn’t even know it because she’s allowing her lack of wealth to shape her worth. She’s seen her mother work as “the help” her whole life, and now she’s taken on that mentality. Such bullshit.
Silas: It’s exactly why I want to be friends. You’re different, and I’m different when I’m around you. I don’t want just another socialite around me, pretending to be my friend. It’s oddly refreshing that you just see me—Silas or Mr. Smug Hottie—and not my money.
I can’t believe I just admitted all that, but it’s the truth. Until now, I didn’t know what her appeal to me was. I don’t chase women. With any other woman, I would have already been on to the next. I even told her that I wouldn’t chase her, yet I’m drawn to her, and I’m helpless to stop it. This scenario between us seems painfully familiar, but even so, I still can’t just leave her alone.
Brennan: Well, when you put it that way, how can I say no? Of course, I want to be your friend. I can’t be more than that, but I think a friendship would be wonderful. I’m different when I’m with you too.
To hear her admit she also acts different when around me gives me even more hope. Not to get in her pants, but to change her jaded view of the world. It’s not about who has the most money. We have the same problems as anyone else, and sometimes more because of what our status brings. Money equals expectations.
Silas: Then it’s settled. We’re friends, and friends loan each other stuff. I’ll let you borrow the camera, and I’ll even teach you how to use it.
Brennan: Fine. You’ve twisted my arm. Seriously, thank you. I’ve taken some nice pics of things on the boat with my phone, but I admit, it would be awesome to get some better shots. I promise to take care of it.
Silas: I’m sure you will. And you’re welcome. I think you should start a portfolio so that you have a visual medium to evaluate as your skills grow. Let’s start with capturing the sunrise in the morning. You can meet me where we first met around 6am. That’ll give you a half-hour to familiarize yourself with the camera’s features before the sun actually rises.
I’m waiting for her to shoot down the idea since she said that she wouldn’t be coming back to my space when we were at the pool. I could have suggested that we meet on the fourth floor of the aft since that’s where the outdoor pool is, and it’s open to everyone. The thing is, I need her back in my personal space. I need to know that we’ve somewhat resolved her issue with me, and this is the best way I can think of. Fuck neutral territory; I need her on mine. I’m not giving up the chance for more; I just need to slow things down a bit and appeal to what she wants. It will have to be her decision.
Brennan: That’s really early, but I’ll be there. I can’t wait to see the difference in the pictures. I’ve never had a real camera before. I looked up the cost of some on the phone you gave me, and let’s just say without you loaning yours, it was out of the question. Thank you again.
Score one for me. She’s accepted my invitation to meet me on my turf. The camera idea was genius. The crazy thing is, it’s not some ploy to get in her pants. It makes me happy to know that my small act of kindness will mean everything to her. Having her in my company again is the bonus. I sip the last of my whiskey, finally content.
Silas: Get some rest then, buttercup. See you bright and early. Don’t be late. I can’t wait to see the pictures you capture and watch as your ability grows. Night :)
Brennan: Night, Silas. I won’t be late.
My alarm sounds at a quarter to five, and it feels like I just closed my eyes. I throw on a pair of jeans, wash my face, and brush my teeth. The time is creeping by. I pass the rest of the time until Brennan’s arrival by ordering a huge breakfast for us. I don’t know what she likes, so I just get some of everything. The food actually arrives before she does but only by a few minutes.
I left my level open to below, so I can sit in the shadows and watch her approach like a creeper. Holy hell, she’s actually wearing a dress—and even more surprisingly, it fits. Not in the obscene way that Tory wears her dresses, but a relaxed fit t-shirt dress that just brushes her knees. It’s simple yet sexy. That’s her, though. Understated sexy. I see her looking around the deck for me. She’s never actually been inside my lair. I slide the glass door back and watch as she takes me in. She peruses my body slowly since I deliberately didn’t put on a shirt. I never said I would not try to win her over. And from the eye fuck she just gave me, she likes what she sees. I step back and let her in, playing oblivious to what I just noticed.
“I took the liberty of ordering breakfast for us again. I don’t know what you like, so I got some of everything,” I say.
“Thank you. I’m actually starving since I had an early dinner last night.”
“Well, let’s get you fed.”
She is looking around my space now, so she is a bit caught off guard when I grab her hand to lead her to my dining table. She flinches at first, but then her fingers intertwine with mine. Her petite feminine hand feels like it was meant to fit in mine. I pull out her chair while holding her until the last possible second. What the hell is wrong with me? It’s because of the chase, I tell myself.
“You have a lovely suite,” she says, continuing to look around.
“Would you like a tour?”
“Maybe another time. I don’t want to miss the sunrise.”
That’s right. How quickly did I forget the point of her visit at this hour.
“Right! Here. What do you like?” I ask as I begin to add pancakes to her plate. “Sausage?” She just chuckles and nods to all my offerings. By the time I finish, her plate is beyond full.
“You are not going to eat all that,” I tease.
“Why? Because it will all go to my ass?” Her infectious smile wavers, and I could kick someone for making her self-conscious about her body.
“Your ass is perfect, so don’t ever let anyone tell you differently,” I chastise. “I meant there was no way your tiny self could put away that much food, so I’m volunteering to help.”
Before she could let my intent sink in, I straddle her lap and cut a bite-size piece of pancake with my fork. I drown it with maple syrup and edge it slowly toward her lips. Yes, I’m abandoning my ease back into her good graces strategy. I will follow her cues of what she lets me slide with. It’s hard to stick to a plan of slow when I’m with her.
“Open,” I command softly. She surprises me by obeying. Our proximity is so intimate, and then I just upped it a notch by feeding her. Holy shit! Watching her take a bite is so damn erotic. She licks the residual syrup from her lips, and I don’t know how long I can keep this from escalating to more. I don’t want to ruin our miraculous progress.
“Your turn,” she insists. I take another bite-size piece with the same fork ready to place my lips where hers just were. Only she surprises me yet again by taking the fork out of my hand. “Turnabout is fair play, Mr. Lair,” she whispers before feeding me the bite. My dick strains against my jeans, and my chest heaves. I’ve never been so turned on by something as innocent as this—this vanilla.
There is so much I can say right now. God knows the lewd thoughts that are wreaking havoc on my mind, but I don’t want to push too hard. Whether she knows it or not, we’re establishing a mental game of foreplay that will end with her underneath me. There’s no denying how much she wants me too. Her eyes give her away. She’s just rebelling against what her body craves because she’s scared. Good thing I have time. We go back and forth, feeding each other everything on the plate until we both notice the beginning of the sunrise.
“I’ll grab the camera,” I say as I dab the bacon grease from the side of her mouth. I can’t resist giving her a wink as I do so, and it earns me another smile. I reluctantly get up to grab the camera from my bed where I left it this morning. When I get back, she is already out on the deck, looking toward the sky.
She turns to watch me as I walk out to meet her. Her eyes are giving her away again, and it gives me an idea. I hand her the camera bag, and she wastes no time looking through it. She pushes a strand of hair back that escaped from that bun hairdo she wears. Her hair is too pretty for that shit. I just want to pull all the pins out. My fingers are twitching to do just that. She puffs out a breath of frustration as she fiddles with the camera. She’s getting overwhelmed with it all.
“Hey. Let’s just get you some practice shots in. Point and shoot. Then later you can read the instruction manual and learn about all the features and how to work them all,” I suggest as I steady her hands in mine.
She finally nods and aims the camera toward the sunrise. She takes a few shots before we look at them together on the LCD display.
“See? Not bad. Not bad at all for your first time. Those are actually pretty good.”
“Oh, it’s definitely your camera. I can’t take that much credit. What kind of camera is this?”
“Nikon D800,” I say, pointing at the name on the camera. We both laugh, but then she points the camera at me. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I want to shoot you. I mean take your picture. You know what I mean,” she corrects.
“I’m not a fan of having my picture taken, but for you, I guess it’ll be okay,” I reply, only somewhat teasing. “I’ll be your subject. How do you want me to pose?”
“Do whatever you want. I just want to try something.”
I grab the rail and face her so that all my tattoos are in her line of sight. She snaps quite a bit before she finally lowers the camera.
“Okay, let’s see.” We look at the LCD display again, and I’m amazed at what she was able to capture. “Wow. Good job!”
“You’re kind of beautiful,” she confesses. She blushes when she realizes that she said that out loud. I miss that lovely shade on her even though it would be nicer somewhere else—like on her ass.
“Right back atcha, doll. Glad you think so.”
“Um, so how do I get the pics?” Her attempt to change the subject is endearing, but I let her get away with it.
“There’s a memory card inside so we can download them to a computer, or once we stop at the first port, we can find a place to print them.”
“Okay,” she agrees.
I grab the camera and point it at her. “What are you doing?” She covers her face with her hands.
“Turnabout is fair play. Remember, Miss Delavan?” I use one hand to lower her guarded hands, and she lets me. Then I do something I’ve been dying to do. I pull those stupid pins out of her hair until her raven locks tumble free. She shakes her head and runs her fingers through the waist-length tresses as I snap away. She blows a shy kiss to the camera, and something comes over me. I wrap the strap around my neck, rotate the camera behind me, and pull her into my arms.
Her breath hitches, but she doesn’t pull away. I throw caution to the wind and lean in further. We’re both on the precipice of something bigger than us. I capture her lips in mine, and this time, she doesn’t hesitate to open to me. I deepen the kiss as her hands roam my chest then down to my stomach. She moans into my mouth, and it takes the strength of a saint not to take her to my bed and fuck her right now.
I’m into some twisted shit, so slow is key. This is the first step toward us being more than just the “friends” that I proposed. I’m still opposed to a relationship, but I want her. I can’t wait to feel my cock slide in and out of her tightness.
Reluctantly, I’m the one to break the kiss this time. Only because I know where this heading if I don’t pump the brakes.
“I have an early class this morning, love. I need to get some prep work in before then.” She rubs her lips and looks away from me.
“Oh, okay.” I don’t want her to get the wrong idea. That fucking kiss was scale shattering hot.
“You’re welcome to stay and have some more of that breakfast we didn’t finish if you want,” I add. I remove the camera from around my neck and place it around hers.
“No. I’m going to head back to my room. Thank you for breakfast and for letting me use your camera.” She tries to hand it back to me, but I refuse.
“Hold on to it. I want you to go learn about the different features. Then you can teach me,” I reply with a wink.
“I doubt I could teach you anything, but I’ll accept that challenge.”
“Great. Let’s plan on having our nightly swim tonight, but bring the memory card from the camera. We can download the pictures to my laptop afterward.”
“Deal!” She half jumps from excitement. That’s the response I was going for.
“See you later, beautiful.” That enticing shade of red disappears inside her dress, and I can’t wait to make her blush naked so I can see. Yeah. Today was a success.
“Later,” she bids. There is an extra bounce in her step as she leaves the way she came. Wait until she’s had my cock. I want to see her walk then. It’s only a matter of time now.