Home Page 5

  “Yeah,” I say, speechless at what we’ve just watched.

  I look down at my watch and see it’s late. “I should walk you home,” I tell her.

  She doesn’t protest and takes my hand as I help her up. She trips and grips onto my upper arms.

  “You OK?” I whisper as I pull her against me to steady her.

  “Yeah, sorry,” she mumbles, but then she looks up at me, and I can’t stop myself. Maybe it’s the beauty of the dolphins glowing in the dark, or being out in nature together, or the way she smells, honestly, I’m not sure. I lean down and gently press my lips to hers, asking for permission. She stills for a moment, and I don’t move, but I keep my lips lightly touching hers. Then she responds with hurricane force, launching herself against me tightly, her arms wrapping around my neck, and I lift her up, so I don’t have to crane my neck down to her. Her lips part and I take the invitation, plunging my tongue inside, tracing her teeth, her tongue, and every crevice of her mouth. She responds in-kind. The kiss goes from gentle and sweet to something quite hot in a matter of seconds.

  I feel her shiver against me, and I realize the temperature has dropped. “Let’s get you inside,” I say to her, pulling back and staring down at her swollen lips. She nods, and I keep her hand in mine as we climb back up to the stone wall. I climb over first and help her do the same.

  We walk quickly back to her apartment. Her hand trembles as she unlocks the door. I take her hand in mine and turn her around to face me.

  “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, Melissa,” I murmur as I run my hand down her cheek. Her skin is so smooth and soft, and I see goose bumps pop up all over her.

  She shakes her head. “Sorry…I…it’s just been awhile,” she whispers, and I can see the blush creep across her cheeks.

  “We’ll take it slow then,” I say to her, and she takes my hand and pulls me inside her apartment. I look around. It’s a small first-floor apartment. We’ve entered a living room, and I can see an eat-in kitchen behind it and a hallway in front of us.

  “Would you like a drink?” she asks me.

  “Sure,” I say as I follow her into the kitchen.

  “What’s your poison? I’ve got port, scotch, red wine, and I think…yep, I have two Duvels left,” she says as she opens her refrigerator.

  “I’ll have a port,” I say. It’s not my usual style, but when in Portugal.

  She pours us both a small glass. “To dinoflagellates,” she says as she clinks glasses with me. I smile at her and nod.

  Her hand trembles as she sets her glass down, staring into it as she does so. I know she’s looking for liquid courage in that glass. I take her hand and gently bring it up to my lips and plant a soft kiss on the back of it.

  “I don’t usually…I mean…” She trails off as she stares at the ground, suddenly the vivacious and funny woman I’ve spent the last few days getting to know is bashful. I place a finger under her chin and tilt her head up to look at me.

  “We don’t have to do anything,” I repeat myself. Although, for fuck’s sake, I am really hoping she’ll say yes because if not I have an appointment with a cold shower pronto.

  She shakes her head, and I don’t know what she wants, but when she locks eyes again with me I see her steely resolve. She reaches up and touches my jaw with her fingers, running them along it as she steps forward. I stay completely still, leaving the next move in her court. She wraps her hands around my neck and pulls me down toward her lips. She kisses me, slowly and gently at first. I can taste the port on her lips, and I run my tongue over them. And that’s all it takes. The next minute is a wild frenzy of clothes flying in every direction. We make it as far as the sofa in her living room.

  We’re down to our underwear, and I pull back and gaze at her under hooded eyes. I’ve been imagining seeing her naked for several days, and I want to savor this moment. I watch as she unhooks her bra and lets it fall to the floor. Yep, not disappointed, not at all. Then she shimmies her panties down to the floor, and she stands looking at me intently.

  “You’re beautiful,” I whisper. A blush crosses her cheeks. Her body is perfect. Her muscles are defined, but not overly defined. Her breasts are a handful at most but perfectly proportioned to her body. Her nipples are tantalizingly erect at this moment, and I can’t help myself. I reach out and run a thumb across one, and she whimpers. I step forward, closing the gap between us and take her face in my hands. I kiss her lips, her cheeks, her nose, her jaw. She sighs against me.

  She touches me through my boxer briefs, and I thrust against her hand. She pulls down my boxers and my erection springs free. Her eyes widen, and I smirk a little. I’ve gotten all the comments, hell, I was in a fraternity in college, and I played rugby and soccer for fun. Yeah, women make comments, and I may have let that go to my head, which one is questionable.

  She doesn’t say anything, but I can read her expression like it’s a neon sign. She’s wondering how the hell we’ll mechanically work because she’s pint-sized, and I’m…well, not. As she stands back up, she looks at me with wide eyes. I smile at her and pick her up so that her legs have to wrap around my waist. She can’t weigh much more than a hundred pounds. She feels like air, and I suddenly want her, just like this. Holding her in one hand, I reach down between her legs and run my fingers back and forth over her silky skin. She’s wet, so wet. I feel my dick harden further as I gently prod her open with my fingers, working her tight channel, in and out, over and over. Her body involuntarily thrusts against my hand.

  I come to my senses long enough to put her down and take a condom out of my wallet. It’s there for emergency purposes and this definitely feels like one. Once I’m sheathed, I lift her back up and slowly guide her down onto my cock, taking her one inch at a time, letting her body conform to mine. She’s tight, so very tight. I go slow, pulling out and pushing in farther until I’m completely inside her. I kiss her, tugging gently on her bottom lip. She groans and rolls her hips. I momentarily feel a bit weak, but I quickly come to my senses as I start to thrust against her. I use my hands to pick her body up and slam it down on me, over and over. I’m sweaty and so is she from the sheer force of our physical exertion, but I don’t want to stop. But I also know that I can’t maintain this position any longer, the feeling of her has my knees going weak.

  I sit down on the sofa so that she’s straddling me. I let my hands explore her body as she continues moving up and down against me. Her skin is so incredibly soft, and my senses are in hyper-drive. She feels so incredible, and I can’t stop touching her. I can tell she’s getting close, as she begins to pulse around me. I grab her hips and flex mine so that I go even deeper and then I bring my thumb and forefinger to her clit circling it and pinching it which sends her over the edge. She throws her head back and cries out my name, but I’m not done yet. Once she finishes quaking around me, I lay her down on the sofa and wildly thrust against her as I spread her open farther to take me as deep as I can go. I grind my pelvis against hers, and she moans. I know this angle stimulates her swollen clit, and I keep doing it, over and over until her entire body begins to quiver beneath me. She’s gripping my cock so tightly now, on the verge of a larger orgasm than the last. I force myself in as deep as I can as she explodes around me, and it triggers my release. My mind goes blank, and I see white from squeezing my eyes shut too tightly.

  When I open them, I’m rewarded by her big green eyes staring up at me in wonder, and I smile and kiss her before pulling out of her and going to deal with the condom. She winces slightly as I exit her heat. I know she’ll feel me there tomorrow and something primal about it makes me smirk. I don’t know how long she’ll be mine, but for the moment she is, and I like that.

  I come back In and she’s lying back on the sofa, exactly where I left her.

  “I don’t think I can ever move again,” she groans as she turns to smile at me. I laugh.

  “Well, I can help you with that,” I say, and I pick her up in my arms as she leans her head
against my shoulder. I kiss her forehead and carry her to her room. I have one more condom and I want to make it count. I toss it on the bedside table and crawl in beside her.

  “Again?” she asks, looking at it with an almost horror in her eyes. I can’t help laughing.

  “Not yet, beautiful, but soon,” I say as I pull her against me. “I think we both need a breather.”

  “I should say. I’m either losing my stamina or you are porn-star status,” she laughs.

  I shrug. “I’ve been called worse things,” I add with a chuckle.

  She slaps my chest, and I roll over so she’s beneath me. She sucks in a breath and looks into my eyes.

  “Hi,” I say as I trail a finger over her cheek and jaw.

  “Hi,” she breathes back. Her eyes are large, and I can tell she’s deep in thought.

  “Don’t think so hard,” I say to her as I kiss her nose.

  “Can’t help it,” she whispers with a smile.

  “I guess I need to work harder to make you stop thinking,” I say. I lean down and kiss her jaw, sucking gently at the skin as I trail down her neck. Her whimpering tells me she’s enjoying my explorations. I continue down to her clavicle and then the top of her breast. I latch onto her nipple and suck at it very gently, testing her. She pushes against my lips, and I smile as I graze her with my teeth. I hear her breath hitch, so I repeat the action with her other nipple.

  I slowly work my way down her abdomen, swirling around her navel. She bucks against me as I trail south. I use my hands to force her hips to stay firmly planted on the bed. My chest is lodged between her legs now and I follow the small strip of blondish-red hair down to where I really want to go. I breathe against her sex, and she squirms in my hands. I run my nose lightly between her folds smelling her. She smells of honeysuckle, and I can no longer wait to taste her. I run my tongue over her clit, and she thrusts up against my mouth. I begin to suck on her while alternating it with running my tongue down her slit and just inside of her. She tastes so sweet and salty. In fact, I swear I can taste a little sea water on her. I release my right hand from her hip and gently glide two fingers inside of her while I run circles around her clit. I can tell she’s close to coming, and I want to taste her so badly, but I pace myself and slow down. She bucks against me, eager to find her release. I smile. I can’t help myself, I love to drive women wild, always have. Maybe it was trying to live up to that Latin-lover reputation I got in high school, but there’s nothing like taking it slow and savoring a woman.

  I’m rock hard again, and I know I’ll need to bury myself inside her sooner rather than later. I speed up my ministrations once more, and I feel her clench around my fingers. I continue until she cries out, her whole body trembling beneath me. I lap up her juices as they coat my tongue and fingers. I can’t help it as I pull my fingers out, I suck them clean. She moans as she watches me, and then I put on another condom and pull her to the edge of the bed. I grip her ankles, spreading her wide open for me. I watch as I slowly sink into her. Both of our eyes are locked on where our bodies are now joined, and we watch as I slowly start to work in and out of her.

  This time I take it slow, savoring every ripple of her muscles around me. Her legs start to tremble in my hands. I bring them down to the bed and slowly push up until we’re lying missionary style. I gaze down at her, and she tilts her head up so that our lips meet. I kiss her slowly and languidly, taking my time to explore her mouth and her lips, leaving her taste on her tongue. We’re building again, but I keep the pace slow wanting to draw this out as long as possible. She groans in frustration, and I laugh.

  “Slow down, beautiful. I’ll get you there,” I say to her. I get her to the edge once more, and then I thrust in deeply, grinding against her until she grips me so tightly I’m taken aback by her strength. She cries out as she comes hard, her body convulsing as she does. But I’m not done yet. I keep going and going, she feels so good, I don’t want to stop. In fact, I think I say that out loud because she giggles.

  “Then don’t stop,” she encourages.

  I pull out of her and flip her over and pull her hips up to just the right angle before sinking down again. She moans as she thrusts back against me. I’m so close now I can feel my cock enlarging inside of her. She thrusts faster against me, and I make a circling motion with my hips and it puts her over the edge once more and that is my undoing. I call out her name as I collapse on her, rolling us over so she’s on top of me.

  She lies there, my cock still buried inside of her. She’s panting and so am I. We’re both a sweaty mess, but I don’t care.

  “Shower?” she says after a minute; her head is lying on my chest and I hold her tightly.

  “Sure,” I say slowly, wanting to draw out the time I have with her, in her.

  She sits up on me, and I swear I could go again, but I’m fucking out of condoms. I reach down and hold the condom as she lifts herself off me. I follow her into her bathroom. It’s small, but the shower is large enough for the both of us. We scrub each other with her soap, which explains the honeysuckle smell, and she brushes her teeth and hands me her toothbrush. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but I go ahead and use it anyhow.

  Then she takes my hand and leads me back to her bed. I pull her against me as she pulls the sheet up over us and settles herself against my body. I run my hand through her silky hair, over and over.

  “Good night, beautiful,” I whisper. I realize from her deep breaths that she’s already passed out on me, and I grin and close my eyes.

  The next morning comes way too quickly. I groan as my phone alarm sounds. I reach for it and silence it. I’m momentarily confused as my eyes open, and I realize I’m not in my hotel room. Oh fuck, I think to myself. I look over, and Melissa is passed out next to me. She’s adorable, curled up in a tight ball, her back against my side, a pillow tucked against her belly. A sheet, with dolphins on it, covers us both although it’s tangled, and it leaves the upper half of her body exposed for my viewing pleasure.

  “Wake up, sleepyhead,” I whisper in her ear as I turn and pull her back against me. I pepper the back of her head with kisses, and she groans. “Wake up,” I say again.

  Her eyes blink once and then twice, and she turns her head and focuses on my face. “Good morning,” she says quietly in a raspy morning voice that has me wanting to stay in bed with her all day.

  “I have to get back over to the hotel,” I say as I plant a chaste kiss on her lips.

  “What time is it?” she asks as she begins to sit up and pulls the covers up over her delectable breasts.

  “It’s almost six thirty,” I say to her.

  I crawl out of bed and begin finding my clothes, which are scattered about her apartment. It takes a few awkward minutes, but eventually, I locate them all. Melissa meanders out from her bedroom wrapped in a plush bathrobe.

  I walk over to her as I button my shirt and pull her to me. I don’t say anything but, instead, kiss her.

  “Sorry I can’t stay,” I say as I pull on my jacket.

  “That’s alright. I have to meet Marco in an hour for the morning tour,” she says. “Can I offer you coffee or something?” she asks.

  “I’m good,” I reply. I secretly want to get back to my room to shower and change before Cody and Garrett head downstairs. The last thing I want is to hear them harassing me all day long.

  “Oh, OK,” she says, and I can see she thinks this is it.

  I pull her back against me. “I’ll see you tonight,” I state, and I watch her eyes widen. “Meet me for dinner tonight?”

  “Sure,” she says, but her voice picks up an octave, and I know she’s more than pleased.

  “I’ll meet you at the dock at six,” I say as I give her another slow kiss and head back down the cobblestone street toward town. I feel a little collegial as I do my adult walk of shame back to the hotel. I smile though as I think of her. Yeah, I’m not ashamed at all.

  Chapter 5

  Nick’s Playlist: “Try Everything�
� by Shakira

  I find myself smiling all the way back to my hotel room. I shower and change and head to breakfast. Garrett and Cody are waiting and watching as I enter the room.

  “Soooooo?” Garrett says.

  “So,” I say as I sit down and ask for a coffee.

  “Uh huh,” Cody says with a smirk and takes a drink of orange juice.

  I roll my eyes. “We ready for our meeting today?” I ask them.

  After an exchange of looks, they let it go and launch into details for the meeting. While the day goes by slowly, I ponder what the fuck is going on between Melissa and me. I’m not sure why. I’ve never had a problem with a vacation fling before, although I guess this would be a work trip fling. There’s just something about her. She is fun to talk to, and she’s drop-dead beautiful, and I want to spend more time with her.

  As soon as we get back to the hotel, I tell Cody and Garrett that I’m taking Melissa to dinner, and I’ll see them later. I nearly sprint out the door. I’m at the dock as the boat comes in, and Melissa jumps off the boat and grabs her gear.

  “You’re early,” she says with a frown.

  “I am,” I state.

  “I-I was going to grab a quick shower,” she stammers.

  “That’s not a problem,” I say to her and help her hoist her gear into the tour hut while making small talk with Marco, Ava, and Peter. I take her hand in mine, and we walk back to her apartment.

  “I’ll just be five minutes,” she says as she closes her bedroom door and leaves me standing in her living room. I look around for the first time since last night I didn’t exactly peruse much beyond her body.

  There’s a sofa, which I am well-acquainted with already, and an oversized chair and coffee table. There’s a small table with a TV on it. And there are two bookshelves. I walk over to them. They have a ridiculous number of nonfiction marine biology books, but there’s also some classic novels and a few New York Times bestsellers. On the top shelf, there are a few photos. There’s one of three young children. I can tell that one of them, the smallest one, is Melissa. The other two look related to her, perhaps siblings. Although Melissa said she only had an older brother. I look again and wonder if the other girl is a cousin perhaps. There is a second photo of the same three children with I’m guessing their parents. I find it odd that this other child is in both photos. Melissa looks a lot like her mother, and her mother is also beautiful. I decide there must be a logical explanation and decide I’ll ask her about it some other time.