Yasmine

 

Naked and coated in body paint, we marched with the band and joined the parade on Duval Street. Masks covered our faces. I was Ariel from the Little Mermaid and Hawk was the prince.

A week had passed, and the partying had begun, trumpeting in Fantasy Fest, a massive adult Halloween celebration lasting ten days and packing the streets with naked, painted people on every corner, bringing in over 75,000 people each year.

Back in the 1970s, tourism had declined, especially during October. During that time, most shops and restaurants closed for a month. But then a group of local business owners came up with Fantasy Fest, hoping to attract visitors and tempt snowbirds to return sooner. They’d been smart. Fantasy Fest boosted the economy.

The festival always started with a show-stopping parade, and then the days continued with extravagant masked balls and tons of parties, more costumed marches, and street fairs full of delicious food and thrilling games. Every business had a float trying to outdo the others. Many of the events served as fundraisers for local non-profit organizations. The most important was the iconic King and Queen of Fantasy Fest campaign, which raised money for AIDS Help of Monroe County.

While the festival called for costumes, somehow it became traditional to be as naked as possible. Cindy figured it was due to all the alcohol being poured through every foot of the Keys. So, Hawk and I stomped on the street in only paint. He’d been air brushing our designs all day in anticipation of this evening.

Walking out here with Hawk at my side was like stepping into a new life—one fit for a queen. Everything felt so alive around us. I didn’t know if it was the fact that our love had grown stronger and stronger with each day, or the booming rhythm of the keys. The streets were a kaleidoscope of bright colors and shifting light. Music rode the cool energy flowing in the air.

We found a great spot to check out all the action. The main parade was supposed to start in ten minutes.

I turned to him. “I thought Brett was coming.”

“He was, but then he drank too much last night and is now nursing a hangover.”

“He’s missing all the fun.”

“He needs to slow down.”

“You should send him over to the Soul Tribe. It’s become your second home.”

“No,” Hawk said. “I don’t need him over there hitting on all of the healers.”

“Willow and Phoenix can handle him.”

“I doubt that.”

“You should set something up. My bet is on Willow whipping him into shape. She did a wonderful job on you.”

“I’m easy. Brett is ridiculous. He’s now talking about world records and trying to do sixsomes. I’m just waiting for him to crash, calm down, and get back to himself.”

“You should pay him back and do some behind the back maneuvering.”

He nodded. “I should. It would keep him busy. Maybe I will have Willow work her magic on him. Although, it might be hard to get him to the holistic center. He’s not a fan of hippies.”

“Why not?”

“It’s a stupid theory he has on them not shaving.”

“Jesus. It’s the woman’s body. If she doesn’t want to shave, that doesn’t make her less beautiful. I mean, seriously, he acts like he’s renting out her body and staying for years.”

“Wow.”

“I’m just saying.”

“Brett at Soul Tribe could be disastrous.”

“You have to give it a try.”

“I’ll think about it.”

I wrapped my arm around Hawk’s. “I can’t believe I’ve never done one of these. This is insane.”

“I can’t believe I’m letting you walk around here naked.”

“I’m not officially naked. You can barely make out my nipples.”

“I can definitely tell where your curves begin and end.”

“That’s because you’ve spent days studying my body.”

“And still, I want to study some more.” He slipped his hand down my ass and cupped it. “Damn. After this parade, I’m going to rub all this paint off you with my cock.”

“So, freaky.” I grinned. “I think I’m going to rub my pussy all over you.”

He groaned, pulled me in front of him, and cradled me from behind. “Let’s go now.”

Just from his firm embrace, my pulse sped up, anticipating more. “Hawk.”

“I want to fuck you so bad I’m going crazy.”

“Damn you.” I licked my lips. “Okay. We can leave. But not before we see Cindy and Victor’s float. I must’ve worked on that damn dolphin for weeks. I never want to see blue sequins or glue again.”

“Okay.”

“And we have to check out Soul Tribe’s float. Willow said they were doing a phoenix rushing out of a big lotus flower.”

He pressed his hard cock against me. “Hmmm. Sounds so good.”

“Did you even hear anything I said?”

“Not one word.”

I laughed.

The more he touched me, the more I knew we probably wouldn’t see any float at all. In fact, I didn’t think we’d even make it back to his house.

“I want you right now.”

“Me too.”

Just being around him gave me a rush. My body blazed on fire.

How was it possible to get so turned on just from being near him? I turned around and faced him, pressing my breasts onto his chest. Hard muscle wrapped around every inch of his body.

Damn. I’m lucky.

Since going to his Reiki sessions, he’d become less uncomfortable with showing his stomach and chest off. No longer did he care about his scars. He’d even been working on a design to cover them. He no longer wanted to wear them as a badge of horror. He’d begun to move on, step onto a new path where there was more to his future than the past.

Bands boomed and jammed around us. More people packed the streets, waiting for the parade to begin. Canopies of twinkling lights outlined every block. It was all so perfect, so insanely ideal.

I turned around and looked up into Hawk’s haunting blue eyes. Love washed over me.

This was really happening. I’d given my heart to him and didn’t look back. I’d done exactly what Victor told me not to do. I’d gone into this heart-in and had no regrets.

“I love the way you’re looking at me,” he whispered. His thick body pressed hard against mine. Raw energy rippled through him. Every time we made love, that hot power rushed through me.

He’s all mine.

He leaned further into our embrace. “We should probably start having adult discussions,” he said.

“Adult discussion?” I giggled. “That doesn’t sound like fun at all.”

“Still, we should.”

“And what will these adult discussions be about?”

He brought his strong hands to my face. Intensity blazed in his eyes, an unstoppable desire coming from his gaze. My heart pounded at the sheer heat of his passion.

It was all for me.

“Hawk? What’s wrong?”

“We should be talking about the future.”

“O-kay.”

“Kids and marriage.”

I gasped on air and choked. “What?”

“Relax. It’s a discussion. Lots of discussions, but we should start talking about them.”

“Kids?” I swallowed. “And marriage?”

“You heard me,” he growled, lowering his lips to mine. Our mouths met, and it was music—a sweet melody. Our tongues twisted around the other. I couldn’t get enough of him. I craved him more than he could ever know. The taste of his sweet tongue—his warm flesh—sent all my senses spinning. His wild scent seeped into me and there was no turning back. If he’d yearned to fuck me out here, I would let him. He could take me anywhere, anyplace.

As if he heard me, he whispered, “We have to go. I want you out here, but I couldn’t let any other man watch you come. It’s bad enough I’ve let you come out here naked.”

“Covered in paint.”

“Naked.”

Giggling, I ran my fingers through his thick hair and caught his bottom lip in my teeth, tugging it ever-so-gently.

“Fuck.” He sucked in a huge breath, pulling me tight against him.

“You want this, baby?” I rubbed against him. His cock was hard and long and ready to be inside of me. Already, I was close to coming and he hadn’t even entered me.

“It’s not nice to tease.” He slipped his hands over the rise of my ass. “Not when you know I’ll make you beg for this cock when we get home.”

“Beg?”

“All fucking night.”

“You couldn’t keep yourself away from this pussy all fucking night.”

Growling, he lifted me up and placed me on his shoulders.

“Hawk!”

“Oh no. You want to talk shit. Okay. I’ll show you.”

“Put me down.”

He smacked my ass. People in the crowd laughed and slung glitter at us. Speechless and full of shock, I held onto him, scared to fall.

“You knew I was crazy,” he said. “I don’t know why you would test me.”

“You’re a mad man.”

“I’m your mad man.”

“Yes, you are.”

Hawk carried me away from the festival. Away from all the partying people and booming music. He hurried us through the gleaming maze of floats and packed bars. It was all an adrenaline rush, a fast-paced surge of energy coursing through my veins.

Tonight was our night, and tomorrow night would be our night too. Nothing would get in our way. Not one person or thing could alter our path. I knew this deep down in my bones. Our love was real, stronger than any hurricane, and sweeter than a key lime tea.