His Kind of Perfect (Sugar Bay #1) (14 page)

Music drifted from the sound system and
Anabelle looked full, relaxed and content, as if she could fall asleep.

“I don’t know if I can move, Derek.”

“Then don’t.” He met her gaze, enjoying a relaxed
Anabelle. If he had his way, he’d see her looking relaxed on a constant basis. “Why
don’t you sit on the balcony while I finish cleaning up.”

“I can help.”

It was on the verge of refusing her, but
she took the dishcloth and began wiping the counters so he shrugged and let her
help. The sight of her in his kitchen helping with domestic chores filled him
with a sense of contentment. Strange, since he wasn’t one of those people who
got off on cleaning. But it was something about getting chores done with
Anabelle at his side that gave the mundane tasks a whole new spin. Whistling, he
went back to the dishes while Anabelle wrapped and put away the leftovers. She
shouldered past him to wash her hands and he “accidentally” sprayed her. In her
thin wet, peasant blouse, Anabelle was now a contender for a wet t-shirt
contest.

“Oops.”

Fire shot from her eyes and the next few
minutes were spent splashing one another in retribution.

After he wrestled control of the spray and
finished loading the dishwasher, he slid the door closed and turned it on. Derek
grabbed her hand and pulled her to the balcony, stopping only to tumble her
onto the chaise.

She squealed and pushed back hair from her
eyes. She held him off with a hand against his chest when he cornered her against
the cushions.

He eyed her sprawled form. She looked warm
and flushed, perfect for her next lesson. “We have some time before the parade.”

“Yeah? What’s on the agenda?”

“Ever sunbath nude before?”

Her eyes rounded like an owl. “Absolutely
not.”

“Why not?”

She sputtered while she searched for an
answer, her face turning an adorable shade of pink.

“Perfect segue, I think.”

“No.”

“Come on,” he said, trying to capture her
embarrassed gaze. “You know you want to.” Her blush deepened and he knew he had
her.

“Nope. Not gonna happen.”

“I dare you.”

“Nice try but people stupid enough to
accept dares are the ones with their tongues stuck to a frozen pole while their
classmates laugh from inside.”

“Come on.” He rubbed his nose against hers.
“Trust me, no one here would dare laugh. Leer in a lustful manner, definitely.”
He bumped her with his erection.

She grabbed a throw pillow to bash his head
but he dodged her.

“Pervert.”

“Not even close. Just a red-blooded All
American guy.”

He tugged on her wet shirt.

“Topless then.” He glimpsed reluctant
eagerness on her face and coaxed. “No one will see you. It’s private. Look
around.”

She didn’t deny him directly so he pulled
her close and nuzzled the sweet smelling juncture of her neck and shoulder. “No?
We’ll start first by changing into our suits to relax. We can take a dip in the
plunge pool or hot tub, your choice.”

He stood and pulled her to a standing
position before nudging her towards the guest room where he’d put her bag.

“Last one out is a rotten egg.”

That had her moving. He enjoyed Anabelle’s
competitive streak, no doubt.

Minutes later after he stripped, changed
and almost killed himself juggling the towels, sunscreen and drinks he spotted
her standing where at the threshold and almost dropped his load.

“Have mercy,” he said under his breath and
swallowed hard.

She flushed a deep red, looking like she
wanted to bolt. The second she turned away as if to bolt, he snapped out of his
daze. “I like your suit.” An understatement if ever there was. The black triangles
ensured modesty but there was something about the sight of her lush side breast
he glimpsed through her netted cover-up that made him rethink his stance on going
topless.

The pressure of keeping his hands to
himself may prove to be too much. Discreetly, he checked for drool.
Get a grip man
. Acting like a hormonal
lust crazed person wouldn’t help the image of a mature man he wanted her to see.

He motioned her to turn and uncapped the
sunscreen. The peekaboo cover-up came off and his gaze was drawn to lush twin
handfuls down south.

Ah
fuck.

Focus,
man. Focus.

She looked at him over her shoulder. “Derek?”

He shook himself out of his stunned daze and
poured sunscreen in his palm when he wanted to grab her and throw her down to
have his wicked way.

At last, progress.

Her shoulders seemed like the safest place
to start. Mentally, he ran through a list of wood species. He categorized each
and tried to ignore her soft skin as he rubbed.

Softwoods. Pine. Cedar. Spruce.

Hard woods. Oak. Cherry. Maple. Teak.
Walnut. Basswood.

His wood.

What?
No.

Shit.
His
shoulders dropped. Not helping. No more thoughts about wood.

He lowered his body, poured more sunscreen into
his hand and like the coward he was, skipped her bottom, worked instead on her
legs and calves. The rub turned into a massage and she moaned her appreciation.
“That feels so good, Derek.”

“Yes,” he said in complete agreement.
Too good.
Control
was tenuous, at best. With his forearm, he wiped away the sweat on his
forehead.

This
was a test, he reminded himself.

A shitty test that served as torture
because next came the hard part, when he moved north again. His hands skimmed
the back of her knees, grazed her taut hamstrings towards perfect globes that had
starred in many of his fantasies.

His hands hovered over her bottom while his
mind raced. In his fantasy, he’d grabbed the luscious globes, kneaded the
fullness, kissed it then bent her backwards on the chaise lounge where he pounded
her with his hard cock.

Sweat trickled down his face.

“Everything okay back there?”

He pulled his gaze from her bottom and
looked up to meet her look of uncertainty. He also read an answering hunger and
was grateful he wasn’t alone in this need. He stood and rubbed her shoulders.
The sight of her goose bumps soothed his ego.

He fingered her bikini top. “Take this
off.”

“Pardon?”

He kissed the top of her shoulder, brushed
his lips back and forth and played with the loosely tied bikini strings. She
reached behind between them and grabbed his hand. The position emphasized the
arch of her back and thrust her chest out.

“Come on,” he whispered. She shook her
head. As punishment, he gently bit her neck. She rolled her neck to improve his
access so he sucked away the hurt in reward.

“Let go.” The air was still as Anabelle
struggled with her decision. Slowly, he tugged and waited to see if she’d stop
him.

This time, she didn’t.

At last, both ends were loose.

Anabelle stood still, her bikini top
dangled from her neck, as she waited. Derek skimmed a line down her back with
his fingertips sending her nipples into painfully hard points. If he sought to soothe
her, he’d failed. The discrepancy in their experience wasn’t forgotten.

He rubbed her shoulders as if he wanted her
to know he wouldn’t do anything she wouldn’t like. But she already knew
hew
wouldn’t.

The bikini fabric shifted, scraped across
the sensitive tips, and she sucked in a breath. Hot hands skimmed along her
ribcage and snuck under the triangular fabric. He cupped her flesh and her head
dropped as she shuddered at the pleasure.

Derek feasted along her exposed neck, nibbled
the length, scraped his teeth along the nerve endings, and sent shudders of
pleasure through her. With his hands he massaged the aching fullness of her
breasts, strummed and squeezed her nipples. She fell back against his chest,
and reached up to hold him to her.

“Derek.”

“Shhhh…it’s okay. I’ve got you.”

His hard length brushed her lower back. It
felt thick and hard. She wanted to press against it. Wanted to rub back and
forth. Wanted to turn and sink to her knees in front of him.

All morning she’d been certain the
feelings, the pleasure she’d found last night had been an illusion. It can’t
have been that good. But she was wrong. Thank goodness.

Hot, wet liquid flooded her girl parts.

“It feels so good.”

He lowered her to the lounge.

“I’m going to make you feel even better.”

And he did.
A whole lot
better.
The screaming kind of better.

“You awake?”

“No.” Anabelle’s voice was muffled but he heard
the exhaustion in her tone. He lifted his head and saw her on her stomach, half
off the edge. He pulled her back to his side, tucked her in the crook of his
arm.

“Ok, then.” He brushed a kiss on her head
and let her slumber, content to pet her soft skin. On the streets below, the crowd
noises grew. It wouldn’t be long before the parade began but he’d let her rest a
bit more.

Guilt reared its ugly head. He’d worked her
hard but he couldn’t help it. Each time had been better than the last and she’d
matched him in every possible way.

Already, he was hungry again. He opened an
eye to peek down at her. She was out cold. His heart squeezed in his chest. He wondered
if the feeling would go away, the gasping, overpowering need to inhale her, to
absorb her.

 
He had the uncomfortable feeling this
desperate helplessness, so unlike anything he’d felt before, wouldn’t disappear
anytime soon. She didn’t have his experience so she couldn’t appreciate the
difference.

But he knew.

He knew it was different and he had a bad
feeling, he wouldn’t be able to repeat it with another.

Fuck.

It had taken a long time to convince her to
see him on a social level and he had a bad feeling convincing her that this
thing between them was more than a student/tutor would be even more difficult.

Fuck
.

The sounds of revelry and carousing pierced
the floating sensation Anabelle hovered in, a product of multiple orgasms. She
grinned, content to snuggle, sprawled on her belly under a chenille throw he’d
thrown over them. She fought through the languor, opened her eyes and noticed
two things at once; Derek was awake and he was studying with his head propped
on a hand.

“Hey.” His voice was quiet and rough from
sleep.

“Hey yourself.” She wiped her mouth,
checking for drool, and found some. Yikes. To cover her embarrassment, she
said, “Sounds like people are having a good time down there.”

He smiled. “Yep. People are having a good
time up here as well.”

She felt her face turn red, recalling her
moans and screams from before.

“Did you know you snore?”

“What?” She jerked up, forgetting she was
naked, then dropped back down.

“Don’t worry. It’s cute. Like I’d imagine a
baby bear.”

She groaned. First drool, now snoring. “I’m
too weak to deal with this.”

He flipped her on her back and lowered his
face to hers.

“Can’t have that.” He kissed her and she
responded, maybe she wasn’t as tired as she’d thought. The fact they were naked
under the throw with people near made her feel decadent.

He pushed hair out of her eyes, his gaze intent.
His touch lingered on her as if he was searching for a specific reaction. He
seemed disappointed and she couldn’t figure out why.

He stood and pulled her up with him. “Come
on, let’s get refreshed.”

He led her to the outdoor shower and turned
on the system. Water traveled along a series of split bamboo poles that filled
and lowered until finally gushing from a waterfall over their heads.

“Clever.”

He grinned and produced a bar of soap. With
a brisk and efficient manner, a far cry from earlier and his sensual
lovemaking, he washed her.

She stiffened.

They hadn’t made love.

This was sex between two consenting adults.

Her attempt at happily ever after had been
a disaster. This, whatever this was, was her very own sexual revolution. She
was sowing her wild oats and making up for lost time. Not falling in love. Love
was for idiots with ideals left, her mother’s favorite motto and one she’d mentioned
many times before.

She’d been conventional before, been the
good girl, but this time wasn’t about convention. Her mother would keel over if
she ever found out. This time was all about Anabelle and the expertise Derek
offered.

Simple as that.

There would be no happily ever after. No
emotional attachment. If she let emotion come into play, he’d be embarrassed
for her vulnerability and she’d be mortified.

She pushed his hands away and finished the
task on her own, ignoring the questioning look he sent her. He shrugged and
grabbed a fluffy, white towel to wrap around her.

“Why so quiet?”

“No reason.” There was no need to discuss
unimportant things like emotions.

He pecked her on the nose. “I’ll start
dinner and we’ll watch the parade, hmmm?”

He walked away and she followed at a slower
pace. She glanced back at the
shower,
feeling like she’d
missed a sensual opportunity. He hadn’t wanted to linger and she wasn’t certain
how to initiate matters yet but maybe it was time to take the lead.

She entered the kitchen, mulling over
possible lesson plans. Her teacher might not like her revised lesson plans, but
this was her sexual revolution, wasn’t it?

The rowdy crowd below held an assortment of
crazy ass people in various states of inebriation. The night was dark, the
weather clear and Anabelle stood with Derek on his balcony, watching the
antics.

A lusty pirate held a wench over his arm
and kissed her in front of a cheering crowd. The lady took exception to the
treatment and beaned the pirate with his plastic cutlass. The crowd roared with
laughter but unfazed, the pirate grinned and bowed with a flourish.

Anabelle’s husky laughter danced across his
skin and his groin tightened. Emotions didn’t want to dissect hovered on the
periphery of his conscious but he pushed them back and pulled her against his
chest.

He wrapped his arms around her and tightened
his arms, enjoying the sight of her breast plumping over his arms. The contrast
between her pale cleavage and his tanned forearms clear even under the low
light. Music blared from an electric float while revelers threw beads and
candy. This was the adult part of Halloween Sugar Bay enjoyed.

He felt her relax into his embrace and he
wondered if the wine she’d consumed at dinner had anything to do with her mood.
Minutes later, the brush of her bottom against his groin took him from semi to
hard in seconds. He glanced at her but she looked absorbed in the parade so
probably hadn’t realized what she’d unintentionally done.

He shook his head.

It wasn’t her fault he remained in a half
aroused state in her presence. But still, he didn’t need additional temptation
so he shifted his hips and left space between them.

The Sugar Bay Chamber of Commerce float
rolled by and Mayor Thomas waved to the crowd. Anabelle waved back. In her
enthusiasm, she brushed against him again.

Damn.

She was killing his good intentions and if
she didn’t cut it out, he’d lift her skirt here and now. He squeezed her in
warning.

She looked back and smiled. His heart
skipped and he knew he wore a shit-eating grin because the wicked look in her
flushed face told him she’d known exactly what she’d done.

“Naughty.” He chuckled. “I like it.”

She faced forward and he crowded her against
the railing, slipping a hand under her skirt to touch her smooth, hot skin.
Slowly he moved higher, lifting the skirt from behind.

He encountered a silky thong. “Nice,” he
said into her ear and lifted the string aside. He rubbed along the seam, moving
his finger forward.

Her head rolled back and she moaned.

“Keep your attention forward,” he whispered.
“No one can see.”

He worked his fingers against the apex of
her thighs where she dripped with excitement. There he played, sliding his
fingers in and out, glancing around the bundle of nerves that controlled her
pleasure. Her hips rocked back and forth, he knew where she wanted him but he
liked teasing her.

“Spread your legs.”

She obeyed and he went back to playtime. He
brushed the underside of her breast and she shuddered. He loved how responsive
she was so he tweaked her nipple and was rewarded with a moan.

To the world below, they looked like an
embracing couple swaying to the music, but with every brush against her flesh,
she shuddered, moaned and rubbed against his cock, leaving him in a painful
state.

He pressed forward. No longer swaying to
the music, their new rhythm was geared along a different pace where he flicked,
rubbed and caressed until she fell apart in his arms with a drawn out moan. Tomorrow
he’d find badges of her sexual satisfaction in the crescent shaped indents she
left on his skin but he continued to stroke her until she came down from her orgasm.

“Shit.” He groaned into her hair. “It
wasn't supposed to get out of hand. I’m sorry.” If the crowd bothered to look
up, they'd see a different sort of show. The thought of being featured on a viral
X-rated video clip forced him to step away even though his body screamed for
him to finish.

“Do you really want to see the rest of the
parade?”

“No,” she said, still out of breath from
her release.

He exhaled in a rush. “Good. If we make it
onto YouTube, my sisters will never let me live it down.”

He pulled her behind the green wall and she
followed, laughing. The lush wall held vertically climbing vines and plants
that created privacy, separating them from prying eyes, while muting the sounds
of the crowds.

He pressed her against the adjacent
concrete wall, still warm from the daytime heat and leaned into her. Their hips
pressed together and she grinned. He shook his head. While he was in agony, she
looked pleased with herself.

“What?” he said against her lips before he
took a sip from them.

“Nothing.”

He bit her lower lip and she gasped.

“It's not nothing.” He pulled back and
watched her. Had she decided to change the terms? He wanted her to give them a
chance. They were only a day into the month long time frame and he felt a sense
of urgency, a need for her to give in to him, to be his, for more than a month.

He brushed his lips against hers. Her eyes were
dark with desire. He wondered if she knew her hazel colored eyes turned a smoky
green when she was aroused. She licked her lips and he wanted to nibble them.
Damn, she had the most kissable lips, plump on the bottom. It begged to be
nipped now and again.

"I wanted a chance to play today,” she
said and he reared back.

Fuck.
So
that was what the teasing earlier was about, she was testing her power.
Initiating sex play was one thing, but he wasn’t sure if he could handle her
completely taking control. As it was, he was already on edge.

She squinted at him and he grinned. He
could see she wasn’t happy with his delayed response. She looked cute as hell
when she was irritated with him but decided against telling her. She didn't
need any more advantages.

“Here’s the thing, Anabelle. As the resident
expert, I have to be in charge so you can fully understand the possibilities between
a man and a woman, so I don’t think—“

“Stuff it, Derek.”

Their gazes battled, neither blinked.

Finally he sighed and stepped back. He lifted
his arms in surrender. There hadn’t really been a choice, Anabelle looked mutinous
and he sure as hell didn’t want her practicing on anyone else.

He was glad he’d braced himself because
when she lowered her body and focused on his zipper, she was fierce.

“Have mercy,” he muttered, his eyes rolling
back in pleasure, when she released him and opened her mouth to take him inside.

But she didn’t have any.

Not for him.

Not today.