Lorelie Brown - Riding the Wave

Still, he couldn’t stop his mouth. “You don’t have to do this. We don’t have to.”

The second he said it, he could almost kick himself. Because really, what normal-in-the-head red-blooded man turned down a blow job—and he hoped like hell that was where this was going. But he didn’t want it from some weird place or some . . . odd sense of daring.

He wanted Avalon. That was all it came down to.

He wanted more time with her. More opportunities to figure out what was going on in her head.

She laughed a little bit, her teeth flashing white in the dim light of the moon. Her head tilted. “We don’t have to what?”

He opened his mouth, but then shut it again as quickly. Looked past her head to focus on a tiny bush clinging to the rocks fifteen feet up the cliff. Then he looked back down at Avalon. Her eyes were huge, and they seemed to be asking him for something that he didn’t quite understand.

The skin over her bare upper arms was softer than down. He couldn’t stop touching her, it seemed. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my school idea.”

Whatever she’d been looking for, that was the wrong answer. Her lips pulled up into a smile again. A false, plastic smile. “It’s okay,” she said. He didn’t believe her. “It’s not a big deal, really.”

She stepped even closer, into his space and breath. So close they were almost one. She rose on her bare toes, until she skimmed over his chest. Her lips brushed over his jaw. “More than that . . . I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

He didn’t know how to explain the tumult that had him so confused at the edges, so he let it go. Felt the mixed-up words tumble through his head . . . then opened his mind and let them fly away. His worries piled up one on top of the other. He had her for now. That would have to do.

Their kisses were always intoxicating and gave him an extra rush, like floating a barrel twice. The extra bonus no one had expected.

He figured it was her enthusiasm, which was out in spades tonight. Her grip wound through his hair, only to change directions. He sucked in a deep breath when her touch dove down again. Straight for his cock. The pressure was dulled through his slacks.

She ended the kiss only to skate her lips over his neck. “Someone wakes up quick.”

“Vitamins.” He swallowed the hard rock that had wedged in his throat and looked up toward the top of the cliffs. Nothing. No one watching.

For now.

A hard shudder worked through him and only got worse when her wicked little fingers went to work on his fly. Two seconds later, warm sultry air brushed over his exposed shaft . . . and her fingers wound around him. Hot brands of intent.

His fists locked at the base of her spine. He wanted to grab and take and snatch.

But she’d do this all on her own if she wanted to.

Like the siren she’d seemed a few moments ago, she sank out of his grip with eternal grace. Her bare knees went to the sand and she looked up at him with a mischievous smile. The curve of her cheek had always seemed innocent to him, a reminder that no matter what they did together, she was still a good girl at heart.

Until she rubbed the head of his cock against that curve.

He bit the inside of his cheek as a hard jolt of lust went through him. Jesus, she looked dirty. Kneeling in front of him, all perfectly styled and beautiful . . . but ready to suck him off.

The first flicks of her tongue over his head were almost enough to undo him. A hot rock of pleasure jolted down his spine to lodge behind his balls. He’d give up anything for her, for this moment, if she only realized.

But she didn’t know. She glanced up at him again as she opened her lips over the tip. Wet and heat had his heart thumping into a ridiculously fast rhythm. The power she had over him at that moment could have levered the world into a different orbit.

She sucked him deeper. Laved over his whole length. The tips of her fingers played low on his body, adding in an extra thump of pleasure he hadn’t expected.

She knew exactly what she was doing. The looks she aimed up at him were half laughing at him, her eyes glimmering. He didn’t care. She could laugh at him forever if she kept making him feel that way. Like his body was going to flip inside out. He wasn’t even sure what she was doing, some flickering action of her tongue over the underside of his cock, but then she did it again.

And Christ, he was going to lose it. Soon. The bone-stomping rush had started in his spine and was promptly sweeping over every bit of him. His orgasm gathered. Grew imminent.

He wrapped his hands around the curve of her neck, the angle of her jaw. Her cheeks had hollowed with filthy intent. He tugged, which was about as close as he could make himself come to giving up watching her swallow him down. She wouldn’t be put off her prize. Even as she shook her head, making his shaft rub over the tender roof of her mouth, she took him deeper.

He brushed across the back of her throat and goddamn, but that was all he needed. Let go. The orgasm tingled down his cock in a hot rush and he’d be damned if she didn’t take every bit.

She eased back on her heels, delicately wiping at the corner of her mouth. “Now, that,” she said around a bit of a happy sigh, “is how to wrap up a party.”

By the next morning, Avalon had almost managed to convince herself that it didn’t matter that Tanner had failed to include her in his plans.

She’d also almost made it out the front door when a creaking stair made her look back over her shoulder. She smiled weakly. “Hi.”

Tanner stood at the top of the stairwell. Wearing only a pair of boxer briefs that clung to his narrow hips, he looked delicious. He had his arms crossed over his wide chest, and it only made him seem bigger. More impressive, with the way it bulked up his shoulders and made his biceps stand out in lovely relief. He lifted an eyebrow. “Going somewhere?”

She leaned backward against the door. She only had her tiny clutch purse, which wasn’t great for fidgeting with. Her trusty camera bag was at home since the party last night had been a nonpress event. Even if she had been hired by WavePro.

Which meant that coming back to Tanner’s place last night had been all booty call.

She’d never been one to feel shameful about sex, but something sickly and chilling wove through her guts. She flattened her hands against the cool wood behind her and made herself shrug. “Home.”

He smiled. The hand he held out was big and strong and she wanted to feel it on her. So she held still. “The sun’s barely up.”

True. A skinny window next to the front door didn’t have much hope of lighting up the room at this hour, not when the sun was still struggling to get its head up over the houses across the street. The foyer was shadowy, the light of the sun only sending a couple tiny tendrils of yellow across the tiles.

It only made it more apparent that she shouldn’t be there. She had no purpose. Nothing she was doing there, beyond putting out. Without her cameras, she was no one. Not to Tanner, at least.

Not the way it was rapidly becoming apparent she wanted to be someone to him. Someone special.

Because he was special to her.

She made herself smile and hoped the dim dawn light didn’t give away the tiny prickle of tears in her eyes. “Don’t you have somewhere to be soon?”

He leaned a nearly bare hip against the railing, then ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. “I’m meeting my trainer in an hour.”

“I thought so.” She wanted to go to him so badly, it was an ache inside her chest. Wanted to bury her face against that wide expanse of chest and let her tears go. Let everything go.

But it had become increasingly apparent that wasn’t what he was in for.

She’d known this would happen. Somewhere during the last few weeks, she’d lost her heart. Dropped tiny pieces of it into his hands, bit by bit. Until she had nothing left for herself.

Her breathing was shallow, rapid. A wispy darkness licked at the outside edges of her brain and she tried to make herself calm. Focus. Find that Zen place she’d always been seeking.

She failed miserably. Of course.

Her insides were as tumbled as her mind. “See?” she said, carefully modulating her voice. The fierce rush of pride that she managed to keep the tears away almost drove off the fear that somewhere she’d fallen in love. “It’s best that I go. I have to go get my cameras.” She ran a hand down the side of her tiny skirt. “And get changed.”

“You’ve got clothes here.”

She did. When the hell had that happened? So gradually, she’d lost sight of what she was bringing to their half-assed relationship. It had been easier to keep stuff here than explain why she was making six a.m. walk-of-shames into the house she shared with Tanner’s sister. And mother.

God, what had she done?

Her heart tried to kick its way into her throat. She’d lost her mind. That was the only possible option.

Because holy Jesus and the seven sacraments, she had to be freaking nuts to get herself in this situation. In love with a man who didn’t love her back. Whom she’d have to see again and again for the rest of her life. Because his sister was her best friend and his mother was her biggest source of support and love. Have to see his face in theirs over and over again. Never get away from him.

Her fingernails curled into the tender meat of her palms, sending a short spike of pain up her forearms. She forced a long, slow breath out. Maybe she wasn’t screwed.