Silver Lining, page 10
My nipples beaded as he framed my cheeks, pulling me to him, flattening my breasts as my soft met his hard. Meeting him with equal parts desire and attraction, our lips again united. Unlike moments earlier, there was nothing chaste in this kiss. Possessive and heated, our heads turned as our tongues danced. Breathing was overrated as his hands roamed down my arms and curves.
My hands explored too—the definition in his muscles, broad shoulders, and strong arms.
Step by step we moved, our connection unsevered until my shoulders collided with the wall. Lifting my ass, CJ pressed against me. I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck, holding on, yet knowing he wouldn’t let me fall. The longer we kissed the more aware I was of the hardness at my core, the more desperate my desire became as I wiggled against him with need, wanting a connection with what our clothes were preventing.
“Lena, are you wet?”
“Yes.”
Our words were breathy and barely audible.
He began bunching the hem of my dress as his fully blazing gaze met mine. “I want to find out for myself.”
I nodded as I was lost in the blue flames within his orbs.
When I was only a girl, my mother told me that blue flames were safe, meaning you were protected. She would say that seeing a blue flame in a candle was a good sign. It meant your guardian angel was looking over you. After her death, I searched for the blue flame, and now, decades later, I saw it.
My breath caught as CJ’s fingers found my core.
With my hands on his shoulders, our stare-off continued as he found a rhythm. My lips pursed as he added another finger, and his thumb circled my clit.
“Come on my hand.”
I wanted that, more than I wanted anything else. “Don’t stop.”
Lowering his lips to my neck, he continued his ministrations. The scruff of his unshaved face tingled my sensitive skin.
My body bounced and my core contracted as the synapses exploded, setting off fireworks through my circulation. There was no stopping the overwhelming escalation in endorphins. Holding tighter to his shoulders, I collapsed in his arms.
Holy shit.
Kissing wasn’t CJ’s only talent.
When I lifted my face from his shoulder, I was met with his stunning smile.
“You’re absolutely magnificent, Lena.” He laid a kiss on my forehead as he gently released his hold, and my feet found the floor.
Still holding his shoulders, I prayed my wobbly knees wouldn’t give out. Looking up at him, I smiled. “You are. That was…” I let my forehead drop to his solid chest. My question was muffled against his soft shirt. “Are you a fireman?”
His chest vibrated with his laugh.
I looked back up at his mesmerizing stare. “Is that funny?”
“It’s random.”
“Yeah.” I shrugged. “You see I just had a fantastic orgasm, and well, words were failing me.”
CJ lifted his fingers to his lips and sucked. “Fantastic? You taste fantastic.”
Reaching for his hand, I opened my lips and slowly sucked his fingers, while swirling my tongue.
“Fuck, Lena.”
Feeling this was too one-sided, I dropped to my knees and peered up at him. “My turn.”
He reached for my chin. “We have pizza.”
“I like cold pizza.”
Chapter Nineteen
CJ
Lena was a vision, sitting back on her heels, staring up at me with those amazing light-chocolate orbs. “It’s your turn to tell me to stop.”
I would bite off my own tongue if it even considered taking her up on that offer.
Her lips curled as she sat forward, her fingers nimbly working the buttons on my shorts. When she discovered my lack of underwear, her smile widened. “I see you were prepared.”
Her touch was tender and controlled with absolutely no hesitancy. She pushed my shorts down to my knees and with one last veiled glance my direction, held my cock and using one finger, wiped the come glistening at the tip. My heart beat in double time as she put her finger between her lips, as if she were tasting the icing on a penis-shaped cake.
A satisfied hum filled my ears seconds before she opened her lips.
Fuck.
My eyes rolled back as she took me deep, her fingers running the length of my shaft.
Pushing my shorts down, I stepped out of one leg, spreading my stance before reaching for the wall to keep myself upright. I couldn’t recall being this hard. It was painful and sensational at the same time.
My knees locked and my thighs tensed as the pressure built.
“Jesus, Lena.”
I was in the hands of a master, the way one hand now rolled my balls and the other hand worked in tandem with her exquisite mouth. It was as Lena swirled her tongue at the sensitive tip that I knew I wouldn’t last much longer.
I tried to take a step back, but Lena wouldn’t break our connection.
“Shit, I’m going to come.”
My comment only increased her speed and conviction. Before I realized, I was rocking with her, her head in my hands. Everyone and everything else ceased to exist. Completely lost in the moment, the finale came much as an explosion of fireworks on a summer night. Releasing her head, I concentrated on standing. Lena didn’t stop until I was cleaned.
“That was phenomenal.”
She placed one last kiss on the still-erect cock and stood with a grin. Without a word, Lena reached for the hem of my shirt, and lifted it over my head. With a hum, she walked around me, circling me as her fingertips left a ghost of a touch and her gaze scanned every inch of me. On her second pass, I reached out, pulling her close.
“Do you approve of what you see?”
“Very much.” She took a step back, looked at my cock and back to me. “It seems that didn’t fully resolve the issue.”
Lena was right. The way she was looking at me had me back to rock hard.
“Do you have any suggestions?” I asked.
Her chocolate eyes opened wide. “Wait, you didn’t take a blue pill, did you? I mean do we need to start a timer. Over four hours requires medical attention.”
Wrapping my arms around her, I lifted her up and spun her around. Her laughter filled the air. I lowered her feet to the floor, thinking how light she felt in my arms. And yet as petite as she was, there was nothing frail about this astonishing woman.
“I don’t need a pill, and you can start the timer, but I guarantee if your bodyguards don’t kick me out, I can last longer than four hours.”
Her eyebrows danced. “That sounds like a challenge.” She lifted my shorts from the floor and handed them my direction. “Would you like to dress for dinner?”
I slowly turned a circle, noticing that her suite was similar to mine. There was one difference. Out on her balcony was a private pool, not large, but easily big enough for two.
Shaking my head, I let the shorts drop to the floor and stepped closer, teasing the spaghetti straps of her green dress. “No, Lena. I want you to join me on the balcony, stark naked, to watch the sun set.”
Her lips curled upward as soft pink filled her cheeks.
“Lose the dress.”
“I just bought it.”
“Then you probably don’t want me to rip it off you.”
“Hmm.”
As she’d done to me moments ago, I circled her, looking for buttons or a zipper. There were none. Once I was again facing her, she crossed her arms, taking hold of the dress, and pulled it upward. I watched with bated breath as the hem rose higher, revealing her scant panties and to my utter delight, no bra.
When the dress joined my shorts and shirt, I took her in. “You’re still overdressed.”
Without hesitation, Lena pushed her panties down and stepped out.
“You are exquisite,” I said, scanning her from head to toe.
She turned toward the balcony. “We’re about to miss the sunset.”
I reached for her hand and led her out onto the balcony. Before us was the water. Above, dusk fought with the daylight as vibrant colors filled the sky. We weren’t visible to anyone from this height and still, I asked, “Is this too public?”
Lena shook her head. “Private indecency. My bucket list.”
Holding her in front of me, we both watched as the sun met the horizon. “Did you hear it?”
She craned her neck back to me. “Hear what?”
“The sun. It sizzles when it touches the water.”
Smiling, she shook her head and looked back at the water. “Some say there’s a green flash when the sun fully submerges below the horizon. It’s kind of like the aurora borealis, depending on the perfect atmospheric conditions—the sun interacting with the earth’s magnetic field.”
“Have you ever seen it?”
She shook her head.
With my arms around her, we stood in silence until the sun was gone. At that final second, I swore I saw what she described. “I think I saw it.”
“That was beautiful,” Lena said.
I spun her around again, circling her waist with my arms and tugging her flesh against mine. “You’re beautiful.” I looked down at the pool. “My suite doesn’t have a pool.”
“It’s not very big.”
“It’s plenty big for the two of us.”
She tilted her head. “I like the way you think.”
“Let me get the pizza.” As I started to pick it up, Lena carried a few candles out to the balcony. “I should have brought wine,” I called out to her.
Her perfect silhouette appeared in the open doorway. “I have two bottles, white and red. I didn’t know what you liked.”
“Right now, it’s both.”
“I’ll get the wine and glasses.”
The pool water was warmer than I anticipated. An old episode of Seinfeld came back to me. Shrinkage shouldn’t be a problem. I encouraged Lena to sit in front of me, between my legs, both of us facing the sea. As the warm breeze blew over us, Lena laid her head back against my chest.
Distraction.
I could be a distraction, and I could be distracted. If I gave that more thought, I’d admit that there was more I wanted. In two short days, I’d found this woman addicting. If she were a drug, I’d use my newfound fortune to buy a lifelong supply.
Sitting up, Lena reached for the two glasses of red wine and handed one to me. This time she settled facing me. “Thank you, CJ.”
“I am most certain after what happened in there, I should be thanking you.”
Hiding her grin behind the rim of the glass, Lena shook her head. “When I agreed to get away for a week, I chose here hoping that with the climate and security, I could take a break from real life. Honestly, I never thought it would happen. I’m pretty much a type-A personality. This week is the result of me losing control, and if it weren’t for meeting you, I’d be like a caged animal in paradise. A lion in a zoo is still caged.”
I took a drink of the red blend, pleased that it wasn’t too sweet. “That’s good.” I lifted the glass toward her. “The only one who can cage you, Lena, is you. I hope this asshole is found and you can break free to be the predator you are. She’s there. I sense her in you.”
“I’m not prey.”
“No, you’re not.”
As we spoke, the sky darkened, and stars began to appear above the endless water. I opened the pizza box to exactly what Lena had asked for. My quest wasn’t an easy one. I found getting New-York-style pizza in this resort a challenge—I didn’t back away from challenges. After offering a rather large tip to the chef of the Italian restaurant, I convinced him to prepare a special order, one not found on the menu.
Taking out a large triangular slice, I moved to Lena’s side. “Open.”
Her eyes sparkled. “I can feed myself.”
“You can. I’m pampering you.”
Her lips opened as I placed the end of the pizza in her mouth. After she bit down, I shook my head. “I’m glad you didn’t bring out those teeth earlier.”
For long enough to have our skin prune, we sat, ate, drank, talked, and kissed. A crescent moon hung over the sea. It was after the bottle was empty and the box had only the grease stain to hint at what it had contained that I offered Lena my hand. “I want a tour.”
We both stood, the water dripping from our bodies.
“Tour?”
“Of your suite.”
She took my hand and stepped out of the pool. The candlelight flickered in the breeze, and the suite within was dark with only a few candles. With her in the lead, I followed into the living area. One by one she blew out the candles, her lips pert and her ass on display within the moonlight streaming through the glass. Searching my discarded shorts, I found the three packs of condoms.
“Three?” Lena said when I opened my palm.
“Four hours, remember.”
Passing a small kitchen and the door to the bathroom, we continued through the darkness until we were both standing in the bedroom.
The only illumination came from the starry and moon-filled sky beyond another set of French doors. With her face tipped up to mine, I cupped her cheek. “I’ve wanted to be inside you since I saw you at the pool.”
Lena nodded, her face rocking under my touch.
“You are not prey. You’re fucking strong. I can’t promise I’ll be gentle.”
“I don’t want gentle, CJ. I want to forget everything except the here and now. I want to scream your name.”
My erection was back to full staff.
“Walrus,” I said as I led her to the bed.
She pushed me to the edge of the mattress. As I sat, Lena reached for one of the condoms and opened the wrapper. Slowly, she sheathed my cock, taking her time as I doubled in size under her touch. Climbing up on my lap with her hands on my shoulders, Lena straddled my legs and lowered herself.
My back arched as her body squeezed my erection.
Lena didn’t stop until she had all of me. Her chocolate gaze met mine. “I hope I can walk tomorrow.”
Holding her, I stood and spun, lowering her to the bed and following her so as to not break our connection. Her squeal filled the air. Pushing her knees up, I moved in and out. “You won’t be able to if I can help it.”
Chapter Twenty
Lena
Stretching, I opened my eyes, waking for the fourth and final morning with CJ. I could extend my stay, but real life had responsibilities. One was my sister. Her attorney called two days ago wanting to discuss something. Adam asked if it was urgent. The attorney said it could wait until Monday. That was only one of the appointments on my long list.
I ran my fingers through CJ’s hair. His eyelids blinked as the tranquil blue within shone my direction.
“Good morning,” I said, landing a kiss on his lips.
CJ reached for my waist and lifted me over him. His grin grew, revealing his dimple, as he leaned forward capturing one nipple and then the other. “I’ve changed my mind,” he said. “I don’t want real life. I want to wake every day with your spectacular breasts in my face.”
They weren’t spectacular. They were small. That’s what happened when someone worked out each morning. Lately, my workout had changed forms and partners.
Sitting up on his stomach, I was well aware my bare core was exposed as well as the large erection against my back. Pushing his long hair away from his face, I stared. Next, I ran my fingertips over his shoulders, collarbone, arms, torso, and designs of his tattoos. “I want to remember every defined line—everything about you.”
“We have each other’s number. I’m open to learning more about Missoula.”
I tilted my head to the side. “I’m not really who I’ve been this week.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“You don’t?”
CJ shook his head. “You’ve shown me the woman you are, Lena. A hunter, a lioness, an absolutely insatiable lover, and a carnivore. You can’t convince me that isn’t the real Lena.”
“Who are you when you’re you?”
“This is me. Yes, there’s shit in real life, but this is me.” He tucked my hair behind my ear. “I’m real. For this week you’ve reminded me that life does exist beyond work. I’d like to see you again.”
Leaning toward the bedside stand, I reached for another condom. Tearing the package with my teeth, I flipped back the covers, revealing the stark beauty of the man in my bed. “I want to see you make love to me.”
Taking the condom, CJ covered his erection. Before I realized what happened, he had me on my back, staring up at him. “Hey.”
“You like it, Lena. You can’t hide that from me. You like to take charge, but you wouldn’t want a man who would bend to your every demand.”
I swallowed, thinking about what he was saying. “I am a take-charge person. I’ve had to be.”
“I believe you. I bet you’re damn good. I know you are. You don’t have to be that woman with me. With me, you can enjoy having a man bring you pleasure. You can admit that you like to give up the reins every now and then.”
I could admit it. I could confess my desires because at the end of the day, I’d be back in Missoula, and CJ’s number would be blocked from my phone. I wasn’t happy about either of those decisions, but that was what would happen.
“Tell me what you want,” CJ said, his body positioned between my knees, his hardened cock teasing my core.
“Take the reins.”
And take them he did.
I couldn’t recall a time I’d felt as free as I did, relinquishing control to CJ. He took that power and showed me what it felt like to be thoroughly loved. That wasn’t to say I loved him, or he loved me. It meant attended to and cared for. While he wasn’t exactly gentle, he in no way abused the power I’d conceded.
On the contrary, he used it wisely and liberally.
When we made the decision to spend our last day somewhere other than the bedroom, I was completely satiated. With his handsome face over mine, CJ smoothed my hair away from my face.
“How was it?”
I stared up into his turquoise orbs. “Awful. I hated every minute.”
