My nails clawed at the back of his shoulders, and I leaned forward and fastened my lips on the skin just beneath his neck. Little mewling sounds came out of me as he impaled me over and over again. I grew taut, strung tight, as my body begged for release.
Both Gavin’s hands slapped the wall on either side of my head, and I tightened my thighs around him. My back slid up the wall as he surged into me, and a shout tore from his throat. God, the feeling of him quivering inside me was unlike anything I’d ever felt before.
I ground down on him, so close to release, but not quite there. Gavin sensed my desperation and reached between us, pinching my enlarged, throbbing clit, and I broke apart. My teeth sank into the flesh of his shoulder as I rode the wave of release.
I collapsed against his chest, my cheek lying flat against him as I gasped for precious breath. He chuckled and wrapped his strong arms around me, supporting all my weight.
I could still feel him inside me and I closed my eyes, trying to memorize the way he felt. I knew in just mere seconds he would pull away. He would likely act like nothing happened, like what we just did wasn’t a big deal.
It wasn’t.
Was it?
I think maybe it was.
I think maybe I wanted more.
Oh, hell. I didn’t think. I knew I wanted more.
To my intense surprise, he didn’t put me on my feet. He didn’t pull out of me. Instead, he walked over to the couch and sat down, keeping us connected. I kept my cheek on his shoulder, not ready to look up into his eyes. I wasn’t ready to confirm how little this meant to him, not after I admitted I wanted more.
His hand rubbed up my back and across the sunburn. I flinched. He stilled and I felt his head look down. He sighed heavily. “You got a sunburn?”
“It was an accident.” I defended.
“You really are a disaster waiting to happen,” he said. It was without heat, though, without malice. It almost sounded like it caused him regret. I started to lift my head to ask him what it meant when I heard him mutter, “I won’t be around to watch.”
He lifted me off him and sat me on the couch. In one quick movement, he yanked down my dress and covered up his privates.
The next sound I heard was the door closing quietly behind him.
15
Talie
Some jerk down the beach was teasing me with the scent of grilling meat. I mean, really. If it wasn’t bad enough, I almost caught myself on fire, had amazing sex with a guy who confused the hell out of me and then left, but now I had to be out here on this filthy deck, scrubbing up baking soda and whatever the hell the stuff was from inside an extinguisher.
I was pretty sure I owed Aunt Ruth a new grill. This one was toast. Literally.
Maybe once I was done, I would drive into Surf City to Island Delights and get a giant chocolate malt and a burger that I didn’t have to cook. “How was I supposed to know the interior of the grill would fill up with propane and then explode?” I muttered to myself.
Well, I sure as hell knew now.
As I cleaned, I kept my back turned to Gavin’s place. I didn’t need a reminder of our all-sex-nothing-else relationship. The satisfied ache between my legs was reminder enough. What did he mean by I won’t be around to watch? He acted like I had some kind of death wish. It was an accident.
“All I wanted was a stupid hamburger,” I muttered.
“Here,” a deep voice said from close by.
My head snapped up as Gavin came strutting across the deck, wearing a pair of navy-blue gym shorts and carrying a white paper plate. I stood up, brushing off my hands and glancing down at my soot-streaked dress.
“What’s this?”
“I was grilling out and figured I’d bring you a burger since, you know, you murdered that poor grill.” The affection in his tone caught me off guard.
I took the plate and looked down at the perfectly grilled patty on a fluffy sesame seed bun. “Thank you.”
“I got some sweet tea at my place if you’re interested,” he said, and I caught the flash of vulnerability in his eyes just before he turned and walked away.
I followed along behind him, so intrigued. Gavin was definitely a guy who kept his cards against his chest, and this was the first time he’d ever offered to spend any time with me beyond getting naked.
On his deck, he poured us both large glasses of sweet iced tea and then picked up a plate with two loaded burgers on it and swung his leg up over a nearby deck chair. I stood there holding a red solo cup and a paper plate, watching him, wondering what to do next.
He didn’t look over when he patted the seat beside him, but kept his eyes trained out to sea. I sat down and placed my cup on the armrest and plate in my lap. I didn’t realize how tired I was until I sat down. Too much sun followed by too much excitement turned me into an exhausted lady.
I watched the waves for long moments, staring off into the horizon and sipping the insanely sweet tea Gavin gave me. When I finally bit into the burger, I sighed in appreciation. It was so good.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him smile and then shove the remaining hunk of the first burger into his mouth.
“So how long have you lived here?” I asked around another bite.
The cup paused halfway to his lips. A muscle ticked in the side of his jaw. “Almost two years.”
“Do you like it?” Was it just me or did the air around us turn a little bit cold? I knew he said he was a private man, but my question seemed innocent enough.
“I like the beach,” he said, offering no other information.
Okay, so talking about him clearly was off-limits. Was I supposed to sit here and say nothing at all? If so, why did he invite me over?
Maybe if I told him how much of a wreck my life was, he wouldn’t feel like his was so bad it had to be kept secret.
“So before I came here, I got fired from my job,” I blurted.
He shook his head. “Did you set the place on fire?” He joked.
“I wouldn’t sleep with my boss.” I picked a couple seeds off the top of my burger while I spoke.
He made a choking sound and for the first time since I got here, he looked at me. His intense eyes met mine. “Are you serious?”
I nodded. “Well, sort of.” I began. “I’m trained in medical billing and coding. I worked for a doctor and when he took over the practice, he hired all new staff but me. All the girls were gorgeous, well-endowed, and all too willing to work after hours.”
“And you wouldn’t,” he said, his voice flat.
“No. So when one of the regulars at the practice came in and made a big stink over her bill, he took that as his opportunity to fire me for not being a team player.”