DEAN WAS FULL OF SURPRISES, and it wasn’t just the zip-lining excursion or the waterfall that made me think so. When I’d first seen him, with his mouthwatering body and confident grin, I’d assumed that he would be cocky, perhaps even a bit egotistical. Instead, I’d learned that he was thoughtful and caring and surprisingly tactile. Whether he’d been holding my hand or just letting our shoulders brush as we walked alongside each other down the path, he’d been touching me in some way throughout the entire day. Even more surprising was discovering how much I liked it.
Grabbing my hand, he led me over to the edge of the water and set his backpack on the ground. I did the same and then stood there, eyeing the water longingly. It looked cool and inviting, especially with as hot as it was that day. Movement to my right had me turning my head, my mouth immediately watering at the sight of Dean, stripping his shirt off over his head. In the light of day and without the cloud of alcohol, his body looked even more tantalizing than it had the night before.
I let my eyes wander over his smooth, golden skin. Muscles rippled just under the surface as he tossed his shirt onto the grass and began toeing off his shoes. His nipples stood erect and I licked my lips as I imagined myself sucking on the pert little buds. He had a smattering of dark hair on his chest that matched the hair on his head, and my hands curled into fists as I resisted the urge to reach out and run my fingers through it.
It wasn’t until I heard his deep rumbling laugh and looked up at his face that I realized I’d been caught ogling. “Oh, God! I’m sorry. That was rude of me to stare,” I exclaimed, feeling mortified.
I was sure the heat in my face could’ve rivaled the sun at that point. I took a step back, but Dean followed me, closing the distance between us until he was right up on me, our chests brushing each other. I trembled as I felt the heat emanating off of him. It soaked through the thin material of my shirt, threatening to scorch me. He put a finger under my chin and lifted my face so that I was forced to look at him and I gasped when I saw the lust swirling in his eyes.
“Don’t ever apologize for looking. I like having your eyes on me, seeing the way you want me, knowing that you desire me as much as I desire you.” His hands wound around my waist, and I barely had time to revel in the fact that he’d said he wanted me too before his mouth was slanting over mine.
My lips parted on a groan and Dean took advantage of the moment, sliding his tongue between them. I ran my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer as we explored each other’s mouths. My lips trailed down his chin, nipping and licking his jaw before devouring his mouth again. I breathed him in, my mind swirling with the intoxicating scent of body wash, cologne, and clean sweat.
Just when I was about to suggest we get naked, he broke our kiss. I could feel his panting breaths across my cheek as he leaned his forehead against mine. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get so carried away. I really didn’t bring you here to maul you,” he whispered between breaths.
“Don’t ever apologize for mauling me. Not when I want to maul you right back,” I joked, sending some of his own words back to him. He threw his head back with a laugh and I smiled at the sound of it. I had a feeling he didn’t get many opportunities to be so open and carefree.
“Come on, swim with me. I think we both could stand to cool down a bit.”
We both stripped down, neither of us hiding the fact that we were watching each other. All of my sexual experiences before Dean had been mostly vanilla. In the bedroom, lights off and only one or two positions. Now, here I was in the middle of the day, standing in an open clearing, stark naked with my cock jutting out. What is it about this man that makes me want to try…everything?
My eyes darted to his face and the sight of his hand sliding up and down his own hard cock brought a bead of liquid up through my slit. It dribbled over the head of my cock and I heard a low growl rumble up from his chest. It was the sexiest sound I’d ever heard in my life. It made me want to drop to my knees and spend hours worshipping at his altar.
I thought I was going to get my wish as he reached for me and pulled me into his arms, but then I felt my feet lifting off the ground as he swung me up over his shoulder. I had just enough time to suck in a breath before he launched us both through the air and into the water. The sudden shock of cold stole the air from my lungs and I kicked my feet, swimming up to the surface. Dean was smirking as I wiped the wet hair from my face.
“Why the hell did you do that?” I sputtered. Luckily, I had caught my glasses in the fall and I tossed them onto the grass beside the backpacks.
“I told you we needed to cool down,” he said with a smug grin that I just wanted to kiss off his face.
I did need to cool down, probably more than Garrett even realized. The looks he was giving me had been threatening to melt me on the spot, and I knew that if I stayed there one more second, I was going to throw him down on the ground and not stop until one of us was buried inside the other. And I wanted that, but not just that. I actually enjoyed spending time with him. I liked hearing the things he had to say, and I wanted to spend some time getting to know him better. Then, I would happily eat him for dessert.
His hand hit the water, sending a spray of cold water in my face then he took off in the opposite direction, the sounds of his laughter echoing in the trees that surrounded the clearing. He was a strong swimmer, but I was faster, and I easily caught up to him, grabbing his ankle and yanking him back down under the water. He came up laughing that time, and like two little boys, a water fight ensued. We took turns splashing and dunking each other until we were both exhausted.
He came willingly when I reached for him and pulled him under the waterfall until we stood behind it, the rushing water creating a barrier between us and the rest of the world. Wrapping his arms around my shoulders, he pressed his lips to mine. My hands landed on his hips as I allowed myself to get lost in the feel of his kisses. We took our time, content with savoring the moment.
After a while, we decided to get out. I swam behind him to where we left our backpacks, enjoying the sight of the water dripping off Garrett’s perfectly round butt as he climbed up onto the grass. I diverted my eyes as he turned around, but the knowing grin on his face let me know that I wasn’t fooling anyone. A loud rumble erupted just then and his hands flew to his stomach.
“Well, that was embarrassing,” he said, his cheeks turning pink.
I chuckled. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving,” he groaned.
“I figured you would be. That’s why I packed this,” I said, pulling the small insulated cooler out of my backpack and waving it in the air. “There’s a blanket in your bag. If you’d like to get it out, we can have a little picnic.”
“Wow! You really thought of everything.” He gave me a radiant smile. We dressed quickly then he got to work, pulling the blanket out and spreading it over the ground. When he was finished, we sat down together, and I began laying the food out between us. It wasn’t much since I’d been limited on space in the cooler, but the cold chicken, cheese and crackers, and fresh fruit were enough to make my mouth water.
“So, you know several things about me already. Tell me more about you.” Garrett’s head popped up at my question.
“What do you want to know?” he asked, wiping his mouth on a napkin.
“Well, you know what my job is. It’s only fair that I should know yours,” I told him.
“I’m an author. I write romance fiction novels.” I cocked my head to the side as I studied him closely, waiting to see if he was pulling my leg, but his serious expression said he was telling the truth.
“Like pirates and Scottish lords with young, virginal maidens?” I teased.
Garrett barked out a laugh. “Not exactly. My books are more contemporary, and the main characters are all men.”
“You write gay romance novels?” I stared at him, dumbfounded, then burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny?” he demanded, narrowing his eyes at me.
Realizing he thought I was making fun of his career choice, I rushed to explain. “I swear, I’m not making fun you. I’m laughing at me and my assumptions.”
“What do you mean?”
I shook my head. “I just had you pegged as an accountant or a computer tech guy. Not that there’s anything wrong with those jobs either, but I never would’ve dreamed that you did something so creative.”
Garrett chuckled, and I could see him visibly relax. I was relieved that I hadn’t offended him. “Well, I don’t know how creative I am. I just write whatever the characters tell me,” he answered modestly.
I gave him an appreciative look. “Using your imagination to develop whole lives and experiences that people want to read about sounds pretty creative to me. I wish my job could be like that.”
Garrett tilted his head at me. “You don’t think what you do requires creativity?”
I pursed my lips, trying to figure out how to explain. “No, I definitely think there’s a level of creativity to what I do. I’d just like to take on some greater roles. Don’t get me wrong, I love action flicks as much as the next guy, but as an actor, I long for a role and a storyline with more depth. Less explosives and more movies that deal with real world issues. I also get tired of always portraying a straight man just because that’s what the powers-that-be have decided will bring in the biggest box-office dollars.” I shrugged, feeling embarrassed for having carried on. “Sorry,” I murmured.
“What are you apologizing for? I think it’s great that you want to be part of something that holds some meaning. You should never settle for something just because it’s easier or more comfortable.”
The way he was staring at me, almost as if he admired what I’d said, stirred something inside my chest. I’d mentioned my feelings to my agent as well as a couple of buddies of mine who were actors and they’d all said basically the same thing; “You’re making a ton of money doing something you love. Why take any chances of screwing that up?”
“Thank you,” I said quietly. Bethany was the only one who had ever really listened to me and understood what I wanted to do with my career. That was, until Garrett. He smiled at me, and damn if I didn’t feel like I’d just won some sort of prize. Easy, big guy. This is all just for fun.
“I understand being frustrated with your work. I’ve been experiencing the worst case of writer’s block I’ve ever had,” I told him.
“Why do you suppose that is?”
I stared down at my plate, chewing on my lip. “It’s pretty hard to write a happily ever after for someone when you’re suffering your own bruised heart,” I admitted quietly.
I glanced up at Dean who was wearing a thoughtful expression on his face. “Bruised, but not broken?” he asked softly.
I frowned as I gave his question some consideration. I’d never really thought about there being a difference between the two, but now that he’d mentioned it, I suppose there was. When any of the characters in my books had their hearts broken, they were completely gutted, shredded apart and left bleeding. I knew because I experienced their pain right along with them. None of the people I’d ever told that to understood what I meant, but that was just how it worked for me. I shared all of my characters’ pain as well as their joy, often becoming so overwhelmed that I would have to stop writing until I could pull myself back together. But it hadn’t felt like that in my own life. Even in that one horrible moment, when I’d pushed things too far and realized I’d lost my chance with Akio, I’d always considered my heart merely bruised. Why is that?
“No. Just bruised,” I finally answered.
“Good. You’re too nice of a guy to have your heart stomped on,” Dean said, a gentle smile pulling at the edges of his mouth. I felt myself blush under his watchful gaze. I wasn’t sure why his opinion mattered to me so much, but knowing that he thought I was a good guy filled me with a warm, happy feeling.
“Have you ever…had your heart stomped on?” I asked. I waited patiently while he moved the empty food containers aside and stretched out on the blanket. With his hands behind his head and one ankle crossed over the other, he didn’t seem at all uncomfortable with the direction our conversation had taken or with my question.
Dean closed his eyes. “No, I’ve never had a relationship last long enough to give my heart away,” he responded.
“Really?”
“You seem surprised,” he said in an amused voice.
“I guess I am. I mean, I figured you would’ve fallen in love plenty of times. You’ve got to have men falling all over themselves to get to you. How has no one caught you yet?”
His shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I want more than what I’ve found so far.”
“Meaning?”
Dean sighed. “Meaning I want someone who looks beyond the money and the fame or what I can do for their own career. Being a movie star is just my job, it’s not who I am. I want someone who actually wants to get to know the real me and who still wants to spend time with me even when there are no cameras around.”
He said it casually, as if it didn’t really matter, but I could hear the sadness behind his words. In that moment, alone in a clearing on the side of a mountain, he was just a man. A man who sounded as lonely as I was. Suddenly, I was even happier that I’d agreed to spend my vacation with him. Soon enough, we’d both return to our own lives, each of us struggling to find that one thing that would make us happy. But for the next two weeks, we had each other and for the rest of our time there, neither of us had to be alone.
He opened his eyes, smiling up at me as I moved to straddle him. His hands found my waist,, and I leaned down to brush my lips over his. “I think you’re a nice guy too, Dean Wilder,” I whispered.
He stared up at me, his green eyes concentrating on mine as if he were trying to see inside my soul. I held my breath, wondering what he would find in there. His arms slid around my back as he lifted his head, his lips seeking mine. I responded by pressing my lips to his. Our kiss deepened and soon we were a frenzied activity of wandering hands and mouths and tongues. Heat flared between us and my hands shook with desperate need as we ripped our clothes back off.
Dean reached for his wallet, quickly pulling out a condom and packet of lube. Holding my hand up, I waited for him to squeeze some lube on my fingers, then I got on my knees and reached behind me, using my slick fingers to slowly work myself open.
“That’s so fucking hot,” he said, reaching his own hand between his spread thighs and getting a firm grasp on his cock.
His eyes remained locked on me as his hand slid up and down his long shaft. Seeing his reaction, I turned my back to him, bending down on one hand and offering my ass up in the air. I heard his shuddering breath as I ran two wet fingers around my rim then dipped them inside, working them in and out, and making sure to put on a good show for him.
A low growl emanated from behind me and I let out a loud moan as I felt Dean’s finger join mine. I luxuriated in the exquisite burn and stretch that came with having three fingers inside me, but I knew it was nothing compared to the feeling of fullness I’d experience once I had that thick cock in my ass. I began grinding myself down on our fingers, desperate for more. Dean removed his finger and I whimpered at the loss, but then I heard the telltale sound of foil tearing, and I watched between my legs as he worked the condom down his cock and then slicked it with lube.
His fingers dug into my hips painfully as he lifted me up onto all fours, but I didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was getting him inside me as quickly as possible. I had never felt so desperate for another person, as if I was sick and he was the only drug that could cure me.
“Please, Dean. I need you,” I choked out.
He answered my need as well as his own, roaring as he slid inside. I gasped as he filled me in one fluid motion, my hands sweeping the area around me for something to hold on to as everything around me began to swirl. He held still, granting me a moment to catch my breath, but that wasn’t what I wanted. Sweat dripped from his body onto my lower back, and it was like throwing gasoline onto an open flame. My eyes rolled back in my head as I gyrated my hips, grinding down on his cock.
“That’s it. Fuck yourself on me. Get yourself off on my cock.” His voice sounded rough and strained as he held himself steady.
I wasn’t interested in only my own pleasure though. No, I wanted to drive him wild, to make him come apart right along with me. Taking control, I rocked my hips forward until only the tip of his cock remained inside then I slammed back quickly, driving myself onto his hard-as-steel rod. I shivered at the pure ecstasy that rippled through me as I repeated the motion, squeezing my inner walls on each stroke forward and milking his cock.
Dean panted hard behind me and I knew he wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. A few moments later, he swore loudly, his nails digging into my flesh as he began to thrust his hips. I cried out as his cock slammed into me at the perfect angle, the head brushing over my prostate with every stroke.
“God, Dean. You feel so good.” My orgasm built, gaining momentum until I thought I was going to lose my mind if I didn’t get to come. I just needed that one little thing that would put me over the edge.
As if he’d heard my thoughts, Dean reached beneath me and grabbed ahold of my leaking cock, and I cried out at the first brush of his hand over my sensitive flesh. His fist closed around me and he began to stroke in time with his powerful thrusts. Sweat dripped down my face and my fingers gripped the blanket as he pounded into me.
Flashes of color erupted behind my closed eyelids, and I screamed as an all-consuming orgasm thundered through me. My arms gave out from under me, and I fell forward. Dean followed me to the ground, his movements becoming erratic as he chased his own release. Seconds later, I felt his cock grow impossibly larger and his shout rang out in my ears as he filled the condom with his seed.
Dean rolled us onto our sides, curling his arms around me. We lay that way for several moments, his breath warm against my cheek and his chest plastered to my back. I was sleepy and sated and I could feel myself starting to drift to sleep. It was absolute perfection. He pressed his lips to my shoulder then began trailing lazy kisses up the side of my neck. I purred, tilting my head back and offering him my lips. He took them, kissing me slowly, soundly.
“We better get going. It’ll start getting dark soon and I don’t want to get stuck on the side of a mountain all night.”
“I can think of worse things,” I teased, wriggling my butt against him. I gasped as he bit down gently on my ear.
“Such a fucking tease,” he murmured, shaking his head as he stood up.
“Technically it’s not teasing if I promise to follow through,” I pointed out. He threw his head back with a laugh and then offered me his hand, helping me off the ground.
“You’re absolutely right and I promise to let you not tease me as much as you want…just as soon as we get out of here.”
“Deal,” I agreed, giving him a triumphant grin.
We rinsed off then worked together, packing up the mess from our picnic and rolling up the soiled blanket. We were quiet, each of us lost in our own thoughts, as we walked along the path that would take us back to the car. My ass felt deliciously sore and my lips still tingled from Dean’s kiss. When I’d agreed to spend more time with him, I’d expected to have a good time. I knew he’d show me some amazing sights around the island and, of course, I’d been hoping for more of the incredible sex I’d shared with him the night before.
What I hadn’t expected was how very comfortable I felt around him or how natural it felt to have him reach out and touch me. But it did feel natural, as if I’d known him much longer than I actually had. That was shocking to me because it usually took me a long time to open up to people. But there was something about being in this place and about Dean himself that made me want to throw caution to the wind.
I was proud of myself for taking risks and trying new things. Zip-lining over the treetops and swimming under a waterfall were things I never would’ve tried on my own. After only one day I was beginning to feel and act like a whole new person and I had him to thank for it. Dean was awakening something inside of me that I suspected may have always been there; it just took the right person to pull me out of my shell.