“I DON’T FLOAT," Lenic grumbles.
It is a beautiful Sunday afternoon in August, and the rocking of the cool water beneath me feels so good against the beating sun above. But the feel of Lenic’s hands cupping my buttocks in my barely-there red string bikini, under the water of the sea, is a million times better.
"Of course you do, gorgeous." I look at him, incredulous.
"I sink like a stone. I don't float."
"Everyone floats," I insist, wrinkling my nose at him. "Look." I lie on my back, my arms wide, my eyes closed, and a smile on my face. "See … I float." I stand upright in the water.
He shakes his head. "You’re a girl."
“Lenic, everyone floats. If you put a newborn baby in water, it will kick its legs and swim to the surface. It's natural, just like floating. Everyone floats."
"Exactly. I’m a man, not a baby. I don't float."
“You are not going to grow a vagina if you float, Lenic.”
“This body is all muscle. It’s harder than stone. I’ll sink.”
"I won't let you sink," I promise him.
"Too late, beautiful," he says, his voice gravelly, threading his hands through my hair. "Way too late now."
I smile warmly. "Just ... just lie back, it’s fun," I insist, cocking my head and stare at him expectantly. He stares back, defiant. I roll my eyes. "Just try it. I'll hold you up, I promise."
“Not happening.”
“Lenic, can’t you just go with the idea for a moment? Be a bit playful? Humour me, and not go all Tempest?” I blow out a frustrated breath when he shakes his head at me. “Do you not get fed up?”
“Of what?”
He has been treading deep water for too long. “Of swimming against the tides, all of the time. Just let go, have fun, and float already.”
“Why?
“Simple. It’s fun.”
Lenic heaves out a defeated sigh. “Don’t you dare tell the lads I did this,” he grumbles, then shuts his eyes, and slowly, reluctantly, he allows himself to lie back in the water.
“I wouldn’t dare.”
“You would. And don’t you dare YouCube this.”
Restraining a giggle, my arms slide beneath his back, my body pressing close to his. “There," I say, the smirk in my voice evident. "See, isn't this something you should be doing? You know, relaxing and not over thinking things? Unwind and have fun. Fun. That’s what life is, or should be."
“The hell’s happening to me?” he grunts. “I’ve got the hottest-girl-in-the-world’s tits pushing up against me, and what am I doing…? Goddamn floating like a pussy.”
"Relax. Look, you're doing it. You're floating. You are having fun like a big kid." I laugh. “A big manly kid, if it makes you feel any better,” I add quickly.
“Huh…" He glances up as I smile down at him with an I-told-you-so look on my face. "I guess I am, Hazelnut.”
He laughs then, a real deep belly laugh, the booming sound filling the big empty space around us. Listening to it with rapt attention, urges me to throw my arms around his neck and squeeze him until he can’t breathe. If he had any idea how good it is to see him laugh like this—
I squeal suddenly when Lenic splashes water over my face, then tries to hook me by the waist. “I’ve got something else to float … your boat,” he laughs.
I duck beneath the water and dodge away from him, slipping one finger just beneath the top of his black shorts and snap the waistband. “Oh no. Am I in a relationship with a man who makes dad jokes?”
He spins in the water and prowls towards me. “I’ve waited long enough with you in that teeny, tiny red bikini,” he rasps.
I watch his powerfully built legs move beneath, his chest cutting through the water like a great white shark, and can’t help but think of the force he can generate. Desire floods my body, my gaze roaming over his broad shoulders and along his thick muscular arms, dripping with droplets of water. I want to taste every single drop with my tongue. But he is smiling, and I want to keep him that way. Surprisingly, I tell myself sex can wait for later.
Swimming between his legs, I surface just behind him, tapping his shoulder, and then diving away again as soon as he starts to turn. I hear him curse as I dive beneath the water and can’t resist doing it again, grabbing his calves as I do to give myself an extra boost. I break the surface of the water, laughing as he spins around, capturing my shoulders in his massive hands.
I catch my breath as his eyes open. Eyes I always get lost in, eyes that make the butterflies in my tummy fly south. His gaze flicks to my mouth, and he slides his tongue across his lower lip. “You're it," he tells me in a low gravelly voice that is almost a whisper, caressing the side of my face with his hand. My fingertips gently trace his jawline as his eyes rest on mine, like he is looking deep inside of me, then his head angles and he softly kisses my lips.
"Yeah … I guess I am."
For the last few weeks, we’ve done it like animals in heat. Really, I'm amazed I have any damn stamina left with Lenic. It must be all the practice. My fondest memory is when he pulled me into an alleyway last Friday night, after our date at the Thai restaurant, whispering in my ear, ‘I have a bad memory to make up for,’ before giving me a mind-blowing orgasm with just his fingers.
Licking his lips, he reaches over and wraps one arm around my waist, pulling me close to kiss my mouth again. He pulls away to speak after only a brief touch of his tongue to mine, but only ends up kissing me again, and again, and again, deeper each time, caught up once more in the electricity that flows between us. I wrap my arms around his neck and begin to helplessly give him everything he wants.
He looks down at me, the look of a man undone, and I am barely able to not lift up and encourage him to take me completely, but … I have something important to tell him.
It is something I should have told him a week ago.
“I’m staying over West’s new apartment tomorrow evening in Queens Oak … I’m going to tell him about us. Tell him I’m serious about you.”
His brow creases. “He’s in love with you.” His assertion is delivered with so much conviction that it surprises me, and takes me a moment to find my bearings.
“Why … why are you so sure?” This isn’t the first time someone has made this assumption.
He fits his body into mine, locking his arm around my waist. His dark eyes glance down into mine with so much sincerity, and something else that I can’t name, but it has the edges of jealousy, the jaggedness of hatred, and the commitment of possessiveness.
“Because, how can he not be in love with you? You’re a heartbreaker, Felicity Saint James. I damn heartbreaker.”
He reaches to cradle my face in his hand, and that look, that damn lopsided-grin look of his melts my heart again, and I feel it flutter like a caged bird in my chest.
“I want a repeat of this morning,” he says.
“What? You want me to make you a coffee again?”
“You know what I want,” he growls lowly, and the throaty tone of his voice makes me shiver all over. “I’m taking you to bed. Now.”
“Why?” I smirk. “Who’s waiting for me there?”
Squeezing my buttocks, he rasps, “Don’t tease me about other men, Felicity.” His hands slide up beneath my bikini top, palming my breasts. Gasping, I arch back as he slowly rolls my nipples between his thumb and forefinger.
I moan out in pleasure. “I … don’t think I’ve ever seen you so…” I study his face for a long moment, looking for the perfect word as I cover his hands with my own and lean into them. "…content."
“Liar. You’ve seen me plenty of times," he growls at me, lifting my hips so that I straddle him and feel his unmistakable ‘content’ under the water. I bite down on my bottom lip. “Fuck the bed,” he hisses all of a sudden.
He really dislikes beds.
"We can’t out here," I sigh, not letting go of the grip my hands have on his, my nipples growing hard against the palms of his rough hands.
“I know." He kisses me, then pulls back, breathing heavily, “If only I knew how to stop wanting you all the damn time.”
“It’s daytime. Someone will see us.”
“Private land," he replies, with a deep throaty chuckle. He presses his growing, hardening ‘content’ up against me. “I thought you like being in the public eye." His smouldering gaze seizes mine, as though he is daring me to say no to him. “You trust me, don’t you?”
“Yes…” I breathe out. “You know I do.”
His voice pitches deep. “I’ve never had anything to hold on to in my life, so all I want to do is protect you. I’ll keep you safe … I’ll always look after you.” He bends his head to kiss my neck, and I feel his finger curl inside my bikini bottoms and slide against my clit. "You’re too goddamn sexy," he growls.
I reciprocate, moving my hands down abs that I want to trail my tongue down — but have no damn time — to the waistband of his shorts, and carefully stretch the material over his dripping hard dick. I tug on his cock, the familiar feel and weight of it in my palm. I want time to kneel down and lick, suck, and taste cum on my lips, want to spend time on his body and remember where he is damn sensitive. Want the time, but as we aren’t going to get that, out here in the open, all I want is him— quick, hard and dirty.
"We have to be quick," I pant.
"Turn around—” he orders gruffly.
“Kowabunga!"
Something large and dark flies over and canon-balls into the sea. A shower of water cascades over us, and I screech at the top of my lungs.
Cross.
Bloody cock-blocking Cross. Both Delphine and Cross are a team of cock blockers, and I am starting to suspect that they have an official cock-blocking business, Facebook page and everything.
Team West.
I am definitely waving the flag of Team West.
When Cross bobs to the surface of the sea, a fountain of water erupts from between his lips and then he grins at us. “Thought I might find you two love birds here," Cross beams. “You two shagging in the sea?”
“Piss off, Cross,” Lenic and I both hiss.
I have a feeling that ‘Piss off, Cross’ is going to become a regular catchphrase.
Lenic helps me climb up back onto the dock. “I’m sorry about this,” he apologises, handing me a towel. “Like I said — he’s a dog. If you want him gone, just say the word.” Cross eventually drags himself up onto the dock. “Quit staring at my girlfriend’s tits,” Lenic spits out, all of a sudden, his lips pursed. “Or I’ll put you back in the water and make sure no one ever sees you again.”
Cross holds his palms up in defence, but suddenly jerks his head back in shock. “Girlfriend?” His head twists from Lenic to me, then back to Lenic.
“All you need to hear, mate — is the word ‘mine’,” Lenic warns his friend, turning to head for the boat home.
Ensuring first that Lenic can’t see him, Cross extends his hand out for me to high-five it. Which I do. “I knew you’d been the one to break that moody bastard,” he chuckles.
When I begin to laugh with Cross, Lenic snaps his head around, shoots daggers at his manager, then walks over to me, wraps his arm around my waist, and pulls me to him.
After Lenic blends us all a strawberry and banana smoothie in his kitchen, we sit up on the deck of his boat.
“Where’s my French kitten?” Cross asks me.
“You’ve got it bad,” I tell him, swallowing down a mouthful of my drink.
He shrugs his shoulders. “Just making sure Mr Hotty In The Shower here isn’t getting greedy again.”
A look of confusion crosses my features. “Cross won’t believe that the first night you stayed here — we didn’t have an orgy,” Lenic clarifies.
“A man can have his fantasies,” Cross mumbles, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Again, man, quit thinking about me having sex,” Lenic jokes, “because I'm starting to think that soap ban in the gym’s showers needs to come into effect.”
“You would know all about dropping the soap, mate,” Cross quips.
Surprisingly, Lenic lets out a soft chuckle, even though I can see he’s trying his hardest to bite it back. It draws a smile from me, and I just watch him enjoying himself with his friend for a while.
When Lenic suggests we invite Delphine over to join us for a barbecue, I lean back in my chair and feel a pleasant burst of joy swarm my heart, a sense of freshness and renewal that I haven’t felt in a long time.
I.
LOVE.
This.
I freaking love this.
I love this because the angry, dark Tempest is gone, and the real Lenic Reevus shines brightly in these moments.
I love sitting here, in the early afternoon light, drinking my smoothie, the sun warm on my face, a cool breeze ruffling my hair, smiling at my dreamy boyfriend, where nothing else seems to matter. All the bad stuff circling my head … it all just floats away in the wind.
I click my shoes together. Everything is alright again. I am alright. Lenic is alright.
Nothing could be better — the weather, the world, the atmosphere buzzing with laughter and good times, the way I feel, my body, my heart, my peace of mind. It is all just right.
The way it is supposed to be.
If only I knew this feeling wouldn’t last … I would have let him keep his secret.