Rip Current (10 page)

***

Cole was trying to go slow. After all, how could you tell a woman that if she touched him, the evening would end too soon. He held back a chuckle. This had never happened to him before. He’d always been suave in bed before her. Now, however, if she did manage to pull his shorts off, he knew that would be that.

He looked up at her and groaned. Her breasts had seemed perfect when she was lying there in front of him, but hovering above him they were even better. He closed his eyes and felt himself get even harder than before, which was something he hadn’t ever experienced.

“
Wendy,” he croaked out between clenched teeth, “if you don’t let me lead, this isn’t going to lasts long.”
 

She chuckled. “Lie there and take my punishment.” She ran her hands up his sides, setting off his tickle spots, but he bit his tongue and held back the chuckles. “You think it’s okay to torture a woman like this, well, let me give you a taste of your own medicine.” She pulled his arms above his head and then held them both with one of hers. “Don’t move,” she warned.

His eyes were closed, so he just nodded.

“
Look at me,” she said against his skin. “Watch what I do to you.” Her mouth was on his chest, along with her free hand. His eyes zeroed in on her mouth as she ran her tongue over his flat nipple. He felt her hips pinning his down and couldn’t stop the desire from flooding into each and every vein in his body.
 

“
Mmm, I love these.” She ran her fingertips
over his pecs, then down his arms, and continued past his stomach. “And here…” Her mouth replaced her hands as she ran her lips over his hip then lightly tugged on his shorts. When he moved to stop her, she pushed his hands away gently. “Remember, it’s my turn.”
 

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes and tried to think of a million things other than what she was doing to him so he would last longer. When her mouth hovered above his cock, he felt his entire body shiver with desire. Then her lips touched him and he was sure he’d never experienced as much want as he did right then. His hands went into her hair, holding her, guiding her as she took her time pleasing him. When he didn’t think he could stand it any longer, he hooked his hands under her arms and pulled her up his body as she smiled down at him.

“
Enough,” he growled as he flipped their positions. When he had her back underneath him, he felt a little more centered. Then she wrapped her legs around his hips and he felt himself pressed up against her core. His sight actually went a little gray around the edges.
 

Reaching over, he pulled his wallet from his shorts and had the rubber on himself quickly. He came back over her, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He kissed her until he felt her own shiver of desire. When he slid slowly into her, he couldn’t stop the moan from escaping his lips or the growl that came after as he heard her own moan of delight.

“
Hold onto me,” he said as he started to move. He watched her blue eyes open slightly and then focus on his face. He hadn’t known what it would do to him, seeing her eyes go soft as he moved inside her. When they slid closed a few moments later, he watched her throw her head back and lose herself and quickly followed.
 

L
aying there looking up at her ceiling, with Cole breathing lightly in her hair, she started wondering just what the heck she’d done. Her mind kept playing over how she’d gone from hating him, to bringing him home and… she closed her eyes and held back a groan.
 

When he moved, she thought he would roll off the bed to leave, but instead, he snuggled next to her, pulling her closer to his chest. She had to admit, it felt pretty damn great. Her arms went around him as her face was buried in the hard muscles of his chest. He smelled like the ocean, which only reminded her of who he was.

Sighing, she closed her eyes for just a moment and heard her stomach growl. Then he chuckled.

“
I guess I pulled us away from the food. Hang on.” He rolled away from the bed and she instantly missed his warmth, the feel of him, and even the subtle scent of the surf.
 

She reached down and pulled up the covers until her shoulders were covered as she heard him banging around in her kitchen. When he walked back into the room completely naked with a large plate balanced on each hand, her mouth went dry. How could any woman ever say no to a man like Cole?

“
What?” He stopped half way across the room and looked down at her.
 

She shook her head and chuckled. “I’ve never had food served to me in bed by an underwear model in the buff before.

He chuckled and walked over to sit next to her on the bed. “Well, then we both are doing something new since I’ve never served food to anyone in bed before.”

She reached up and took a plate from him. He moved over and sat next to her under the blankets.

“
Too bad you don’t have a TV in here.” He frowned, checking out her blank wall across from her bed.
 

“
The bedroom is for sleeping,” she said between bites.
 

He chuckled. “And other fun things.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her, causing her to laugh.

“
Besides, I spent almost an entire month’s worth of tips on the one out there.” She nodded to the living room where her big flat-screen TV hung on the wall.
 

He frowned for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders. “I guess it’s better than the one I have.”

She chuckled. “You don’t own—”

“
I know.” He interrupted and smiled at her.
 

She thought for just a moment that she saw something sad cross his eyes, but then he was cracking a joke about something else and the moment was gone.

“
So, are you going to tell me what’s really up?” She leaned back against her padded headboard and glanced at him.
 

“
With what?” He frowned a little.
 

She smiled. “So, you’re keeping two secrets then.” She nodded when she saw the truth in his eyes. “Spill.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“
I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He took her plate and set it, along with his own, on her nightstand. Then he leaned in and started raining kisses along her shoulder blade.
 

She chuckled. “Trying to get out of telling me what you forgot to mention to your family tonight?”

He shrugged his shoulders and looked up at her. “Is it working?” he asked as he pulled the sheet away and placed his mouth on her. She felt her eyes roll to the back as her body started responding to him.

When she moaned and grabbed his hair with her hands, he chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

This time, however, she wasn’t willing to wait and pulled him down and fused her lips to his. Her hands rushed over his body, feeling every strong line, every strained cord as he tried to control himself.

When she pushed his shoulders, he fell back and let her slide over him. This time, she reached in her nightstand and enjoyed watching his face as she slid a condom slowly on him. When she moved over him, his hands went to her hips. His nails dug into her as she started to move her hips slowly. She threw her head back and let the rhythm build until he pulled her down to him and his mouth covered her cries of pleasure.

“
That’s it,” he moaned against her lips. “Come for me.”
 

She couldn’t have denied him, not when he was holding her and kissing her to oblivion. After she convulsed around him, he moved until she lay underneath him and then continued to use his mouth on her until she felt herself building again.

When his hand moved down between them, she fell over the edge and marveled at the sound of him calling her name.

***

 
When Cole woke up, his senses and thoughts were instantly flooded with Wendy. His face was next to her hair and with every breath he took, he could smell her sexy scent. Her naked, warm back was pressed up against his front, making his body ache.
 

He pulled her closer and could tell the moment she started to wake up. He felt her shoulders tense, and she sighed and relaxed back into him.

“
Having regrets?” he asked as he ran his hands over her skin.
 

She shook her head no. “You?”

He chuckled. “Does this feel like I’m having second thoughts?” He pushed himself closer to her and heard her moan.

When he moved her leg higher, exposing her to him as he ran a finger over her sweet spot, she cried out and started slowly grinding her hips. He loved the way she responded to his touch; he was completely addicted to her. Her taste, her smell, the feel of her body wrapped around his. When he slowly pushed inside her, her hands fisted in the sheets as she gasped.

He couldn’t have known that making love to Wendy would have touched him so much. To see and hear her responses to him… it was beyond anything he’d ever imagined.

When he felt her release, he joined her and then lay there holding her until he felt her drift off again. His mind refused to shut down, especially since he could see the sun trying to break through her thick curtains.

He knew she probably wasn’t a morning person—how could she be, working the hours she did?—but Cole lived for the early mornings. His body called for him to move, but his mind and heart wanted to stay in bed with Wendy all day.

A few minutes later, it was his stomach that finally pulled him away from her sleeping body. He showered quickly and then walked into her kitchen with one thing on his mind. All of the Grayton men knew how to cook; their mother and Julie had seen to that.

Moving around in her kitchen quietly, he made scrambled eggs, French toast, and bacon. It must have been the bacon smell that finally caused Wendy to walk out of the bedroom wearing a tight little shirt and shorts, making his mouth water.

“
Morning.” He smiled over at her while trying to keep his eyes from zeroing in on her breasts. Man, why had he believed he’d been an ass man before?
 

“
Morning.” She groaned and glanced up at the clock on her wall and groaned again. “It
is
still morning.”
 

He chuckled. “I know. Sorry.” He scooped a spoonful of eggs onto a plate for her. “You can go back to bed.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Not knowing there’s bacon in here.” She sat down at the table and tucked her legs underneath her.

He smiled and set a plate in front of her. “There’s more than just bacon.” He leaned down and kissed her until he felt her melt under his lips. “Mmm, now that I’ve had dessert.” He smiled, then made himself a plate and sat next to her.

“
This is really good,” she said after a bite.
 

“
Thanks.” He scooped up some eggs and enjoyed the spicy flavor. He loved adding salsa to almost everything.
 

“
I have never had salsa on eggs before.” She glanced at him.
 

He chuckled. “My brothers got me started on it years ago.”

“
Oh?” She glanced at him in question.
 

He smiled. “Marcus decided they were going to play a trick on me. One morning they piled a heap of salsa on everything on my plate.” He shrugged his shoulders. “They had no clue that I’d love it.”

She smiled. “Backfired, didn’t it?”

He nodded. “So, now they even have it on their eggs and fries.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “I’ll have to try that too.”

He smiled. “Better than ketchup.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m a ketchup-aholic.” He chuckled. “So, what are your plans for the day?”

He thought about it. “First thing I’m going to do is turn off my cell phone.” Her eyebrows shot up in question. “So, Marcus can’t recruit me again today.” She smiled. “Second thing, I’m going to grab my paddle board and head out.” He looked over at her. “Want to join me?”

He watched her head tilt and her eyes move back towards the clock. Then she sighed and looked around. “Sure, why not. I’m not working until six tonight.”

He smiled. “Perfect. I’ll clean up while you get ready.” He reached over and took her empty plate.

“
You’re going to do dishes?” She shook her head as she got up. “I just can’t get used to a man who does dishes,” she said as she walked out of the room.
 

He smiled and watched her leave. Maybe he hadn’t completely changed from an ass man yet, he thought as he watched her walk away from him in the tight shorts.

***

By the time, they hit the water it was almost eleven. The sun was high and the heat level was higher. He carried the long board through the hot, white sand as Wendy followed him with the paddles.

“
It’s a green day.” She nodded to the beach flag. “I love green days.” She sighed and jogged a little to catch up with him.
 

He looked over and frowned. “Yeah, I guess.”

She chuckled. “I bet you love seeing the red flag fly.” She shook her head.

He smiled. “Red means waves.”

“
It also means dangerous currents.” She shook her head. “You know, the kind that can drag you under or out to sea.”
 

He shrugged. “Green is boring.”

She chuckled as he set the paddle board down next to the calm water. “Not everything boring is bad.”

He shrugged his shoulders and took the paddles from her. “I suppose.” He set the paddles down and then pulled her next to him. She looked sexy as hell in a green bikini with cut-off shorts. She’d pulled her hair back and it hung over her shoulder in a sexy twist. “But I live for danger.” He leaned down and kissed her lips, feeling the familiar zing jump through his body. He usually got the same feeling riding down a big wave during a storm. Smiling, he pulled back and picked up the paddles. “Well, come on.” He handed her one. “Let’s get out on the calm, boring water.”