Anything but Vanilla (11 page)

He hadn’t. Not really. Kara squeezed Robin’s arm twice.

‘OK,’ Robin hissed between her teeth. ‘With his lips then? Did he lick you?’

Closing her fingers around Robin’s arm made the confession easier. She could answer without divulging any real details, which Robin could then interpret as she chose.

Meanwhile, the soap continued to glide in short swift strokes that focused on Kara’s clit, making her back arch against the enamel. A buzz began to build behind her clit, the pleasure radiating outwards, like white noise from a radio. It intensified each time the caress swept the underside of her nub, and caused her inner muscles to clench tight.

Kara squeezed Robin’s arm again, not really caring what sort of admission she was making.

‘Did he put his cock inside you?’ Robin asked. She said it in a way that seemed to amplify the question.

Of course he had. He’d fucked her long and hard and she’d adored it. He’d filled her up in a way that knocked the breath out of her. He’d made her pant and cry out, not to mention beg him for more. Kara didn’t divulge any of that, even though she knew it was what Robin really wanted to hear. Robin wouldn’t be content until she knew how long Ric had fucked her for and in what positions, and the minutiae of every act. Even then, she still wouldn’t be entirely satisfied. Only actually having Ric would ensure that. And after years of frenetic masturbation and imagining, it was likely to result in disappointment.

‘Face to face?’ Robin asked. She thrust two fingers into Kara’s cunt as a substitute cock. ‘Oh, man! You’re so ready for him, all plump and needy. I bet he stretched you real nice.’

Heaven – it had felt like heaven. Even this felt pretty good. Kara lifted her butt up to meet Robin’s thrusts, no longer concerned about whose hand she rode. Only the buzz mattered, that magical rise into oblivion, and the final moment when all existence coalesced before it blew apart again.

Rather than explaining what had happened, Kara rolled over in the water. It meant disengaging briefly, but Robin quickly obliged again. Things became more lewd once Kara rested on all fours. Her rear poked up clear of the water so that her arousal was clearly visible as the engorged pink lips of her slit.

‘Oh, yeah. I can totally see him doing this. Lift that bum up a bit, so that I can reach.’

Robin slid three fingers back into Kara’s cunt. She worked them like a short stubby cock, perfectly matching Kara’s rocking motion. ‘Oh, honey, think of him. Remember him for me. I can feel how wet you are. I bet he shafted you long and good. He’ll be here with you again later too. He’s going to put his long cock into you and fuck you right up to heaven. Do you think you can take another finger?’

Apparently she could. The walls of her sheath clasped tight at the intrusion, milking pleasure out of it, while her clit, which had been neglected a little, became painfully tight.

‘Tell me when you need to come, honey. I know what to do. I can satisfy you like he did.’

‘Now,’ Kara gasped. Enough waiting. She was going to have to frig herself if Robin didn’t deal with the ache.

Robin found the soap again and then, moving both her hands in unison, speed gradually increasing, raced Kara towards her climax.

Kara’s orgasm flashed like lightning engulfing a hillside. The quake of thunder followed, making her shake and call out. She glowed, heated all over, before sinking back into the still warm water. Her hot cheek pressed against the sloping side of the tub. Eyes closed, she lay still, just breathing.

‘Thank you for allowing me to share your time with him like that.’ Robin leaned over her, briefly blocking out the light from above. She dropped a chaste kiss upon Kara’s lips. ‘You’re so lucky. He won’t even look at me.’

‘People don’t appreciate what’s there for them every day.’ One had to wonder what Ric’s object was. Given the ‘take me now’ vibes Robin had to be giving off, it was a damn miracle he hadn’t taken her up on the offer. Maybe he just didn’t mix work and pleasure.

‘I’ll catch you about,’ Robin said. Her pretty eyes twinkled in the growing gloom.

When Kara next opened her eyes, her guest had departed. She cleaned herself with shower gel and then rinsed off under the shower. It’d been fun, but she hoped Robin didn’t think they were going to make this sort of thing a regular date. She’d spent too long relating the facts of her whereabouts and life to Gavin; she wasn’t about to start relaying everything to an obsessive friend instead.

Kara woke to the twilight of her laptop screensaver. She’d spoken to her brother, but that must have been some hours ago. The creaky, tapestry-strewn master bedroom lay in almost total darkness now, with only a trace of moonlight visible through the circular stained-glass window set at knee level in the wall. Someone – oh God, was that Zach? – was banging on the door. Judging by his impatience, he’d already been out there some time.

Kara hopped off the bed. She fastened her bathrobe tight around her waist as she ran for the stairs. Honestly, she ought to give lessons on how to make a poor impression. She’d have to make it clear once she’d invited Zach in that he’d caught her out and that she hadn’t dressed this provocatively on purpose.

‘Shit – oh, shit! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you wait. I fell asleep, you just woke me.’

Only it wasn’t Zach idling on her porch with his feet planted on her doormat and his bum resting against the wall – it was Ric.

His flaxen hair framed his narrow face as he turned to her. His hands were pressed prayer-like to his generous lips. He’d dressed almost entirely in black, which by moonlight gave his skin a luminous pallor. Kara’s heart did a sort of hiccup, while her feet glued themselves to the spot. Speechless, she blinked at him. Heaven help her, but she’d forgotten exactly how striking he truly was. She’d given in to lust last night for a very good reason: he was magnetic. Suddenly, his offhandedness in dismissing her after sex seemed a minor issue. He was here after all, come to claim his prize, and not even twenty-fours had passed.

The outline of the thickly bunched muscles that made up Ric’s torso showed briefly through his ribbed cotton top as he shifted slightly on the spot. He hadn’t given her an opportunity to explore his body. That had to be rectified immediately. A smile tugged its way across her lips. How glorious he’d look stretched out in her bed with only a sheet to cover him. She was going to spend hours doing just that, stroking him, teasing him, until he was quaking and desperate for release.

‘I wasn’t expecting you.’

‘Evidently not.’ His pale gaze swept across over her body, dwelling briefly on the hasty knot she’d made in her belt. Kara returned the look with an equally salacious one of her own. His jeans were low-slung, and pleasantly tight around the thighs. They also fastened with a button fly, perfect for teasing open slowly.

‘I’m not interrupting anything, am I?’ He straightened up from his slouched position.

Kara swept the horizon behind him, wondering if Zach were about to arrive too and what would happen if he did. God forgive her, but she couldn’t help fantasising about an arrangement in which she got to have them both. Zach claimed that he and Ric had been lovers. They both seemed open-minded. A threesome wasn’t such an enormous ask, was it? Perhaps it was. So she kept her mouth closed about Zach. What was the point in stirring up trouble unnecessarily?

‘You got my note?’ Ric asked.

Kara tugged the handwritten card out of her bathrobe pocket. Got it, thought about it and hadn’t quite believed in it. ‘You were a bit sparing with the details. So, you’re here to claim your prize?’

He had a nerve. Boy, did he have a nerve. She didn’t hate him for what he’d done, but he did owe her an apology, and he was outright presumptuous turning up like this.

Ric tilted his head so that his hair shadowed his face. His luminous eyes grew dark. ‘Actually, I wondered if you fancied coming for a walk.’

‘In the dark!’ Was he for real? Who the hell invited their neighbours out for an evening stroll any more? The human race had just about forgotten how to walk. Another few years and they’d be zipping about on floating motorised pedestals.

‘I often walk in the dark,’ he elucidated, evidently prompted to speak by her silence. ‘There are fewer people about, and since I was coming this way –’ of course, he had his dogs to exercise, though, curiously, they didn’t seem to be with him on this excursion ‘– I thought you might like to see the beach. I didn’t think you’d have been down there yet. It’s really pretty.’

Kara stepped out on to the garden path. Above them, the entirety of the Milky Way was strung across the night sky like a glittering stream. The reflection of all those lights upon the water would make the ocean seem vast and magnificent. Ric’s notion remained questionable, though. ‘It seems awfully romantic. I didn’t have you pinned as that type.’ He hadn’t done anything up to this point to suggest it, quite the opposite in fact.

‘Well, don’t come out if you’re expecting odes and sonnets. I like the stars, but I’m not much for flowery sentiments.’

‘Likewise.’ She’d been taken in by a heap of romantic nonsense in the past. Then she’d woken up and realised Gavin’s romanticism and coddling were simply designed to keep her in her place. The crunch had come the day she’d lost her job and she’d caught him smiling because she was finally dependent upon him. ‘Very well, I’ll come. What should I expect?’

Ric’s brows briefly furrowed. ‘A scramble down the cliff face followed by sand between your toes.’

That’s it? He had to have an ulterior motive. ‘Did you bring your camera?’

‘No.’ He quizzically cocked an eyebrow. ‘I’m sensing disappointment.’

‘Well, after last night, I’m not sure what to expect. I thought perhaps you were going to spring some ancient tithe on me?’

‘Oh!’ His mouth rounded. ‘I wasn’t planning to. Besides, none of the ancient documents refer to photography. Maybe I ought to add a codicil.’

God, he both vexed and charmed her. It wasn’t as if she wanted lewd photos of herself floating about the place – the locals were gossiping about her enough – although the idea of having a permanent record of some of her experiences did kind of appeal. She had always loved the more visual aspects of sex.

Actually, she’d like to turn a camera on Ric. He’d make for a far more evocative picture than she would, with his silk-like hair and pale hypnotic eyes, not to mention that feral, fox-like smile. Plus, she liked to see muscle and cock, not feminine curves.

‘Clothing recommendations?’

‘Thigh-high boots and nothing more.’

Kara gently tapped his cheek. ‘It’s a little nippy for that, don’t you think?’

‘You asked.’ His lips pursed. ‘And I’m sure I could dream up ways to keep you warm.’

Blazing, she imagined. Unfortunately, she didn’t own such footwear. Maybe Ric did, amongst his studio props. If so, perhaps she could play dress-up next time she dropped by the fort. ‘I thought you said we were going on a stroll.’

Maddeningly, he just grinned.

‘OK. Look, come on in.’ Kara pushed the door wide, making space for him to cross the threshold. With any luck, Zach had already come and gone, and she’d slept through it. She liked Zach, and didn’t want him stumbling upon her engaged with Ric. Right now, it seemed sensible to keep her options open.

Ric flicked on a lamp in the lounge, saving Kara the bother of stumbling around trying to locate the overhead light switch. She left him to make himself comfortable and trotted upstairs to pull on some clothes. Five minutes later they were back on the doorstep, her in jogging pants and a zip top worn over a sports bra.

Ric tweaked the sports ensemble with a pout. ‘I preferred my suggestion.’

They headed straight across the heath to reach the cove, where the moonlit water lapped quietly at the shore. The crisp, salty smell of seaweed drifted up to them as they scrambled down a narrow gorge that was cut into the rock face and zigzagged its way down to the shingle-covered beach. Only near the water’s edge did the pebbles give way to sand. They stood on the wet shore, letting the tide pull the ground away from beneath them.

‘Thank you for the scones,’ Kara said, as she watched him skim stones across the waves. ‘Robin found me and let me know you’d sorted everything.’

‘I’m sure she did.’

The sharp edge to his voice made Kara’s attention perk. ‘Sorry, I thought you’d sent her.’

Ric shook his head. He began to walk again, following the line of the surf. ‘I figured you’d go home eventually.’ He stuck his hands in his pockets and focused his attention out to sea. ‘I sent Zach a text, in case he ran into you again.’

‘You didn’t send Robin?’

‘Didn’t I just say that? Why would I? She’s nothing to do with me.’

‘She’s not your PA?’ Kara hurried to keep pace with him. That’s definitely what Robin had implied.

‘She’s not my anything.’

Alarm bells started ringing in Kara’s brain. She’d allowed Robin to … well, to masturbate her, having accepted her for whom she claimed to be, when apparently it had all been lies. What, if any of it, had been the truth? ‘Then why would she say that?’

She didn’t need Ric to answer. Not that he did. Robin’s obsession had been apparent from the outset. She’d latched on to Kara deliberately so she could get a vicarious kick out of reliving Kara’s night with Ric. She’d probably seen her leave the fort first thing, or, hell, just made an assumption based on her knowledge of Ric and the rights he claimed over those resident on his island.

‘You didn’t speak to her about us?’

‘I haven’t spoken to her in years.’

Kara stopped walking and watched the space between her and Ric grow. ‘That’s odd,’ she called, ‘because she seems very fond of you.’

Ric’s back immediately stiffened. He stopped and turned, and then swallowed up the space between them in five long strides. ‘Fondness isn’t really the right term, is it?’ He looked her hard in the face, bending to do so. His expression had become brittle and tiny crow’s feet creased the corners of his eyes. ‘Go on, ask. Most people want to know why I don’t oblige her.’