Just Lunch (4 page)

Artic cold sea water rushed over my feet when we reached the shoreline. I yelped, squeezing his hand in surprise. “Oh my God, how do you surf in this? It’s freezing!”

“You get used to it. And sometimes you have to wear a wetsuit,” he said, leading me away from the water as he tried not to laugh at me.

“Yeesh. Scratch surfing off my bucket list.”

“What else is on that list?” he asked.

“Let’s see… sky diving, go to Europe, learn to cook, and run a marathon.”

“Awesome. I’ve always wanted to go sky diving, too.” He told me about a friend of his who’d been, how he’d said it was the biggest rush of his life. Deviating around a giant hole someone had dug in the sand, he told me what was on his bucket list. Our conversation flowed seamlessly from one topic to the next as we strolled along, hand in hand. Rocco ran over to sniff two abandoned beach chairs, one tipped over with some beer cans scattered around. I wondered if the owners of the chairs were passed out in their beds right now, oblivious to their loss.

We talked about the craziest things we’d ever done, he’d driven around a race track at high speeds, and I’d been bungee jumping. Sometimes we just walked in comfortable silence. The ocean provided the soundtrack, and everything felt perfect. After a half hour, we wordlessly turned and headed back to his place.

When we reached the house, he led me straight to his bedroom. Our chemistry was sizzling, almost tangible in the air between us. Gazing into my eyes, he slowly unzipped my hoodie and let it fall to the floor. “I’m keeping that,” I told him.

“It’s yours,” he said, reaching for the hem of my shirt. He undressed me quickly, his hands snaking around my hips to erase the distance between us. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, smoothing one hand up my back, the other down to cup my ass. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed against him, our foreheads touching as I closed my eyes and sighed.

“How did you get to be so sweet? Most guys that look like you are total assholes,” I said. When I opened my eyes, something I saw reflected on his face made my heart skip a beat.

“You’re unlike any woman I’ve ever met,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss me. “I might not let you leave.” His tongue dove into my mouth, sending adrenaline racing through my veins. I slipped one hand under his shirt, tracing his belly with my fingertips before tucking one finger under the waistband of his shorts and skimming across his flat abdomen. He reached behind his neck to grab a handful of sweatshirt, and as he pulled it over his head, I pushed down his shorts and boxers. The feel of skin on skin was almost enough to send me over the edge. His cock was throbbing as I gripped him, and when he bent down to suck a tight nipple into his mouth, I gasped his name. His lips were back on mine in an instant, and he growled as he pushed me down on the bed. “This one’s gonna be hard and fast,” he warned, “I need to be inside you
now
.”

“Condom,” I choked out. I was dangerously close to exploding, and he hadn’t even touched my clit yet. He reached toward the night stand, ripping one open with his teeth and slipping it on. Kneeling between my legs, he shifted into position and drove into me, sucking in a hard breath as he buried himself to the hilt. He pumped into me, watching as I came within seconds, which was apparently enough to send him over the edge. We maintained eye contact as we came together, and I’d never felt so connected with someone in my life. Once he’d stopped, he stayed buried inside, resting on his elbows to look down at me. He smoothed the hair from my face, resting his hand on the crown of my head as he kissed me tenderly, first on the lips, then on one cheek, and finally on my neck, burying his face into the curve of my shoulder. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, squeezing as I inhaled, his spicy scent settling into every available corner of my memory. It was guaranteed I’d never forget the smell of his cologne, the sudden recall sure to strike when I least expected, tricking my mind into believing he was close to me. Even in my orgasm induced haze, I realized this was not good, but the oxytocin flooding my brain had other plans.

After a quick trip to the bathroom, he was back in bed pulling me to his chest. “We should have done this a long time ago,” he said. “I may have never left.”

My chest tightened at his words. He couldn’t be serious. “You wouldn’t have given up the opportunity to come here. It was everything you wanted. “

“Yes, but my priorities might have been different if we’d been together.” He tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his eyes. “I’ve thought about you a lot since I moved here.”

His bold admission caught me completely off guard. I couldn’t believe he actually felt this way about me. Heart pounding, I held his gaze and took a deep breath. “I think about you a lot, too. I was so excited when my boss told me I was coming here. I’ve been thinking about you nonstop ever since.”

“Me too,” he smiled. “I was praying I’d get the chance to be alone with you. And I’m so glad I did.” I closed my eyes and settled into him. His free hand lazily roamed over my body, and as he pressed a kiss to my forehead, I briefly let myself wonder what might have been.

I must have dozed off, because I woke to find myself alone in bed. In the dim light, I saw Austin standing naked at the door, staring out at the beach. The door was cracked open, and the ocean’s gentle roar seemed to have him hypnotized. I watched him for a minute, wondering what he was thinking. As if he could sense my observation, he turned and came toward me. The look in his eyes was troubled, and I wondered if his emotions matched my own conflicting feelings.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just thinking.” He sat down on the edge of the bed, and I curved my body around him, amazed by how much better I felt once we were touching.

“About what?”

“Honestly?” he asked.

“Honestly,” I replied.

He sighed and seemed to contemplate his next words. “You. My girlfriend. How different things might be if something had happened between us back in Atlanta.”

“We’ll never know how things would have worked out. But even if we had hooked up, I would have never let you turn down the chance to come out here. I know how much you wanted it.” I laced my fingers through his, watching him study our hands.

“I know. That’s one of the things I like about you. Most women would have a meltdown if their boyfriend wanted to move across the country. But you would have made me go, even if it meant losing me. The girl I’m with now, if I told her I had to move back to Atlanta, she’d be so pissed.”

My disdain for this girl was immediate, but I calmly said, “Well then, maybe she’s not the right girl for you.”

“I know she’s not the right girl for me. I knew the instant I saw you at lunch. She’s never made me feel the way I feel when I’m with you.” My heart leapt into my throat, and when he turned to face me, I was certain he could hear my heart pounding in my chest. “I don’t mean to freak you out or anything, it just made me realize I shouldn’t be with her.”

I wasn’t sure what to say. Part of me was thrilled to know he’d be dumping this bitch, but the other part wondered where we’d go from here. As much as I liked him, I couldn’t imagine starting a long distance relationship with him now. And what about Jamie? I’d only just begun picturing my future with him, but I could already imagine a life with Austin, and this night was making that life seem very appealing.

Thankfully, he didn’t seem to expect an answer from me, because he lifted the covers and slid back into bed. Arm around my waist, he fit me against his body, tucking my head under his chin. “Sweet dreams,” he whispered.

“Sweet dreams,” I murmured back.

H
IS HAND ON
my back pulled me from sleep. Deep indigo morning light seeped through the windows, and the first thought in my mind was that we didn’t have much time left. We were still pressed together, sleep unsuccessfully separating our bodies. The look on his face reflected my feelings, and as he traced his fingers up my spine, I closed my eyes against the wave of emotions that rolled through me. Lust, sadness, worry, hope, more lust. His mouth covered mine, gentle at first, intensifying as the blood racing through our veins awakened our bodies. He shifted on top of me, hips between my thighs, and locked his mouth on mine. He was already hard, and I was aching for him, wet and waiting. It was like my body knew what was coming before I’d even woken up.

He drifted down, taking one rosy nipple in his mouth and swirling his tongue in slow circles around the tight peak. Moving lower, he kissed my belly button as he made his way to settle between my thighs. I ran a hand through his hair, moaning in anticipation of his lips on the most sensitive part of my body. When his mouth connected with my clit, I almost lost my mind, gasping for air as he flicked his tongue over the bundle of tiny nerve endings. Without warning, I came hard, bucking my hips while he palmed my ass and held me tightly to his mouth. Once my spasms died down, I rested my hand on his head, his lips drifting along the inside of my thigh. “That was incredible,” I mumbled.

“Good,” he replied, grinning as he reached for the last foil packet on his nightstand. Taking it from his hands, I nudged him onto his back, rolling the condom on and moving up to straddle his hips. My wetness allowed him in on the first thrust, and we both moaned as he filled me completely. He gripped my hips as I rode him, smoothing one hand up between my breasts and around the back of my neck to pull my lips down to his. This time felt different, unhurried and relaxed, as if we both wanted this final time to last as long as possible. I continued riding him, gasping when his thumb found my clit.

“Fuck, you’re going to make me come again,” I breathed, feeling the first tingles start to wash over me. I ground my hips in tight circles around his cock, moaning as the waves of ecstasy rolled through my body. He flipped me onto my back, pulling out to rub his dick along my clit.

“I love making you come,” he whispered as he slid back inside me, sending a jolt of lust straight to my core. I kissed him hard, relishing the way his entire length felt as it drove into me over and over again. “I don’t want this to end,” he said, sitting back on his heels and letting his eyes roam over my body. His hands skimmed down my belly, coming to rest on my hips before pumping into me again. “I can’t hold back anymore,” he groaned, thrusting faster and deeper. His head fell back and his eyes closed, and he pounded his orgasm into me, whispering my name as he slowed to a stop.

He settled down into my arms, and I wrapped myself around him, savoring the feel of his weight on top of me. We lay there for a minute, and I traced my fingernails up and down his back, memorizing the way his skin felt against my fingers. “Let’s get in the shower,” he murmured.

The mental image of him wet and naked in the shower made my insides tighten in anticipation, and he jumped a little with my squeeze. “Sorry,” I laughed. “It really sucks that we’re out of condoms.”

“Shit. That does suck,” he replied as we detached ourselves and headed for the bathroom.

In the shower we soaped each other down, which of course brought his erection back full force. I knelt down and finished him off, wrapping my lips around his cock until his hand fisted in my hair. “God damn, you give good head,” he breathed. “You made my knees weak.”

I
SAT ON
his bed as he dressed for work, and watching the clothes go on was almost as sexy as watching the clothes come off. Today’s outfit was a light grey suit with a grey and white striped button down, accented with a solid black tie. As soon as he was finished dressing, I immediately wanted to rip it all off.

On the drive back to my hotel, we were silent at first. I peered out the window, thinking how I wished I could spend more time with him. “I wish you could stay longer,” he said. I laughed, amazed by how he seemed to read my mind.

“I was just thinking the same thing,” I told him. “I’m gonna miss you.”

He glanced over at me, the look on his face revealing just how much he’d miss me, too. “Can we stay in touch? I’d really like to hear your voice occasionally.”

“We can absolutely stay in touch,” I said, trying not to grin like a stupid idiot. I’m pretty sure I failed miserably.