Connor emerged from the bathroom as I was putting my shoes on. “Nice touch, by the way.”
I spun around and looked at him. “Nice touch?” I asked.
“Yes, throwing your phone in the trash at the airport in Michigan.”
I crinkled my nose. “Yeah, I knew you would trace it, so I had to get rid of it. By the way, how did you find me? And why did it take you so long?”
He smiled. “Do you want the truth or do you want me to tell you what YOU want to hear?”
I looked at him from across the room and cocked my head. “Huh? I want the truth.”
He laughed. “Okay, but you need to promise me you won’t get mad at me,” he said as he walked towards me but kept a distance.
I bit my bottom lip and narrowed my eyes. “Okay, I promise.”
“I actually found you in less than a week.” He could see the anger brewing as I clenched my jaw and moved it back and forth.
“Hey, you promised.”
I swallowed hard. “Continue.”
“You need to remember, Ellery, with the kind of money I have, I can do and find out just about anything. I’ll hand it to you, though. I loved the way you paid off the girl at the ticket counter to put your ticket under a different name, but unfortunately, she liked my money more.”
“Ugh, you sneak.”
He laughed. “Shall I continue?” I shook my head and crossed my arms.
“Don’t get mad at me for what I’m about to tell you,” he nervously said as he ran his hands through his hair. “I had my tech guy hack into your computer through your IP address.” My breathing became heavy as my eyes widened in disbelief. “That’s when I saw you were looking up a Dr. Murphy, so I did some research, and that’s what led me here.”
I clenched my fists and walked towards him. He put his hands up in front of him. “You promised you wouldn’t get mad.”
“That was before I knew you hacked into my computer, you stalker.”
He grabbed my wrists as I approached him and held me back. “I really don’t want you slapping me again; that really hurt.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me slapping you, I’m going to punch you instead.”
He laughed, kissed my fists, and wrapped his arms around me.
“Tell me one more thing,” I asked.
“What do you want to know, baby?”
“If you knew in less than a week that I was here, why did you wait so long to come?” The pain in my voice was apparent, and he knew it as he sighed and looked at me.
“You didn’t want to be found so quickly, so I was giving you time. Did you really think I’d let you spend your birthday alone?”
I looked at him and smiled as I buried my head in his chest. Tomorrow was my twenty-fourth birthday.
****
We walked hand in hand to the beach as he spread out the blanket over the warm sand and I set the basket on it.
“You know, we could have just gone to a restaurant?”
I smacked his arm. “I love the beach and nothing is more romantic than having a picnic here.”
He smiled as he put his arm around me. “Sex on the beach is just as romantic. Can we do that too?”
My skin ignited when he said that as that familiar ache appeared. “Look around the area, my dear. There are children around.”
He laughed and opened up the picnic basket, took out a strawberry, and seductively fed it to me. I moaned as I bit into it.
“If you keep doing that, it’s not going to matter if there’s people around here. I’m going to take you right here and now,” he whispered.
I smiled and bit my lip. “Down, boy. There’s plenty of time for that.”
We ate, talked, and enjoyed the warmth of the sun. I leaned over to kiss Connor when a little girl, about five years old, came and tapped me on the shoulder. “I can’t find my mommy,” she whined.
“What does your mommy look like?” I asked her. She rubbed her eyes with her small hands. “Her hair’s like yours.”
“Well, that certainly narrows it down,” Connor said. I shot him a look, and he shrugged his shoulders.
“Come on, sweetie, let’s see if we can find her. But first, what is your name?”
She tilted her head and closed one eye. “It’s Chloe.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Chloe. I’m Ellery, and this is my friend Connor,” I said as I shook her little hand. Connor looked at me and then at her small hand that extended out to him.
“It’s nice to meet you, Chloe.” He smiled.
The way he shook her hand made me melt inside, so gentle and pure. I got up and took her by the hand and motioned for Connor to do the same. He got up and took her other hand as we walked her up and down the beach. I heard a woman yell Chloe’s name. Connor and I turned around as the small woman with blonde wavy hair came running up to her and hugged her tight.
“Chloe, you scared me!”
She stood up and looked at me and Connor. “Thank you so much for taking care of her.”
I was surprised when Connor spoke out. “No problem, but you need to keep a closer eye on her.” She shot him a look, took Chloe by the hand, and walked away.
“Connor, that wasn’t very nice.”
He sighed. “Look at her, she looks all of what nineteen or twenty? She shouldn’t even have a kid. She’s still a kid herself.”
I wasn’t sure where that came from, but I had a suspicion it had something to do with his sister. We walked back to the blanket. He spread his legs and pulled me in between them as my back laid into his firm chest.
“The very last memory I have of my mom was at the beach. I think that’s why I love it so much. I feel closer to her when I’m here,” I softly said as I stared out into the blue ocean.
Connor tightened his grip around me and kissed the top of my head. “Tell me about your memory.” I lifted my head back as he leaned down and kissed my lips.
“It was our last vacation before she died. My dad took us to the beach because she wanted to see the sunset over the water. I remember her sitting in a lounge chair with a big floppy straw hat on and big white sunglasses. I was building a sand castle, and just as the sun was starting to set, she called me over to her and had me sit on her lap. She pointed to the sunset and said, ‘See that, Ellery? There’s nothing more beautiful than the sun setting over the ocean water. I want you to remember something for me: if you ever feel sad or lonely or need to talk to me, come here and wait for the sun to set, and I’ll be here with you.’”
Connor lifted me up and turned me around so that I was facing him. He stroked my face with the back of one hand while the other was around my waist. “Memories are our way of holding on to the things we love, and I plan on making the most beautiful memories with you.”
I stared into his enchanting eyes as I leaned over and softly kissed his moist lips. I could feel him harden beneath my thighs. “I love you, Connor Black,” I whispered.
He hardened our kiss as he ran his hands through my hair. “I love you too.”
I jumped up and took his hand, pulling him behind me. “Where are we going?” he asked as he adjusted himself.
“You’ll see,” I said.
I took him to a lighthouse I noticed earlier in the day at the end of the beach. I prayed the door would be unlocked as I turned the handle and it opened. I turned to Connor and smiled.
“Ellery, what are you doing?”
I shut the door and pulled him by his shirt into me, kissing him passionately.
“You said you wanted beach sex. Well, this is the best I can give you right now. We’ll call it ‘sex in a lighthouse on the beach.’”
He growled and then his face lit up. “You kinky girl,” he said as he pushed me up against the wall.
His hands moved up my shirt and to my breasts as his tongue explored my neck. I unbuttoned his pants and took him in my hand. He moaned as I ran my hand up and down the length of him. He easily took down my shorts and panties and slid his fingers inside me to make sure I was ready for him. He wasted no time as he grabbed himself and entered me, not gently, but rough and with such force it made me scream. He moved in and out of me at what seemed like at the speed of light as he savagely kissed me. He grabbed my wrists and pinned them above my head with one hand as he took the other hand and pulled my leg up to his waist. His roughness was something that I had never experienced before, and it made me wonder if this was what sex was to him with other women. My body shot up in flames as he brought me to the point of no return.
I moaned his name as he commanded, “Tell me you want me to fuck you. I want to hear you say it.”
I obliged by telling him what he wanted to hear. He gave one last hard thrust as we both moaned and came together. He buried his head in my neck as he let go of my wrists, and I held him tight. As our breathing slowed, he lifted his head and brought it to mine.
“You never cease to amaze me.”
I smiled. “Let’s get out of here and go home.”