9
Ram
The next day I pick up Tim and we head to work. I’m all smiles after my time on the beach with Cadie. He knows something’s up and won’t stop staring at me.
“You’re giddy as a school girl, Ram,” he says with a smile in his voice.
I shrug. “You know how these things go.”
“I’ve never seen you light up like this after being with one of your lady friends. Maybe she’s the one that’ll finally be able to tame you.”
His words startle the smile right off my face. He laughs. “Scared you, did I?”
Well, yeah, he did, actually. Not just his words, but also the fact that I haven’t even thought of a single other woman since that night she invited me over. Just the thought of being near her again brings a knot to my stomach and I forget to breathe. After the time we shared on the beach, I might be addicted. And it’s not just the sex, which is even more concerning. I realize I would be perfectly content just to curl up on the couch and watch TV with her. I’d rather spend a night rubbing her feet than go hook up with some chick and have empty sex.
Jesus, I’m screwed. I want to hate this new me, but that would mean hating the idea of spending all my days and nights with Cadie, and I can’t manage to convince myself that it’s a bad thing.
Tim’s laughter roars in the cab. “You look like a buck stuck in the headlights. Relax, I was just kidding.”
Maybe he was, but I have a terrifying feeling that he might be right.
I pull my truck into the parking lot of the same building where I ran into Cadie. I see her standing next to a car, trying to find something in her purse, and my heart nearly stops. How does she manage to look radiant in stretch pants and an over-sized t-shirt? That’s not fair to other women. No one stands a chance when she’s nearby. I take in an audible breath that doesn’t get passed Tim.
“Better go say hi,” Tim says in that conspiratorial tone of his.
I get out of the truck and follow her, not wanting to call out and embarrass her while there are other people in the parking lot. I don’t know if I’m a secret she wants to keep from from her friends. For some reason that thought bothers me. I don’t want to be her secret.
I slip into the building and stay a few paces behind her. She hasn’t noticed me yet and I don’t want her to. For just a moment I want a private glimpse into her world without interference. I want to see what this girl is all about.
I realize the building is some kind of studio. We pass rooms with stages and dance floors and mirrors covering the walls. She’s either an actress or some kind of dancer. This intrigues me. She definitely has the body of a dancer, and those long legs …
Come to think of it, she picked up on surfing almost instantly. Her balance was the best I’d seen out of all my students.
She disappears into one of the rooms. It has a stage and a small audience in the stands— it looks like other dancers from the way they’re dressed. I slip inside undetected and slouch down in the back row. The only light in the room comes from a spotlight on the stage, so I’m fairly certain I won’t be caught.
She walks toward a woman in the front row of the stands and talks to her for a moment before setting her things down and taking the stage alone. I sit up straighter and lean forward, resting my fist and chin on the back of the chair in front of me.
Music comes on. It’s a slow, haunting song that gives me chills. Then she starts to dance. She’s all long, extended limbs that stretch and contract, a powerfully built machine. Extraterrestrial. She moves her body in ways that don’t seem humanly possible. She’s grace and strength, a horse charging through a field, a crane barely moving water when it lands. I’m captivated and for a moment, I forget about Tim waiting for me at the jobsite.
Shit, I have to go, but I don’t want to. I could watch her move like that every day of my life and never get bored. The song comes to a smooth end and so does her dance. I slip out of the room.
As I’m walking back out to the truck I hear the light patter of bare feet behind me.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
I know that voice, warm whiskey on a cold day, sultry, sexy. I turn to face Cadie and put my hands in my pockets. “Working.”
“I just saw you slip out of the audition room. You were watching me,” she says, her words clipped with anger.
“You’re beautiful on that stage, and powerful. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Her cheeks turn a pretty rose color and she looks at the tile on the floor. “I’m not that good or I would’ve landed a gig by now.”
I frown. How could people not want to watch her dance? How could that creature I saw on the stage not captivate everyone?
“I’d give anything to watch that again,” I say in all honesty.
When she looks up, that angry furl of her brow is still there, and something else—shock, maybe. She strides toward me, and at first she looks pissed, like she might hit me. Her hands reach out. She grabs the sides of my face and puts her lips to mine. As soon as I open my mouth to say something, her tongue slips in and whatever words I was about to say are forgotten. We’re tangled in a passionate kiss and it seems neither of us cares who sees.
Reluctantly, I pull away. Her lips are raw and pink, her eyes drunk with lust. “I have to get back to work. Meet me tonight at my place. I’ll text you the address,” I say.
She looks as reluctant to walk away as I feel, but nods.
* * *
I buzz around my house, getting everything just perfect. I set out wine and also water just in case she’s still having flashbacks and doesn’t feel like drinking. I’ve never been the host before. It’s always me going to women’s houses. Mostly so I don’t get stalkers. I rarely even give them more than my first name.
Everything looks to be in place. Why the hell am I so nervous?
The doorbell rings, giving me a start. Taking a deep breath, I open it and my jaw nearly drops. Cadie stands in the doorway wearing a body-hugging mini dress that might appear modest on some women, but Cadie is all legs and so it seems as though there’s a whole lot of skin showing—which there is. I drink her all in and swallow hard.
Speaking of hard … Fuck, why can’t I contain that beast when she’s around? I shift my stance so it’s less noticeable.
“Hi,” I say.
Her smile is as blinding as the sun shining through storm clouds. “Hey.”
“I hope you like pasta.”
She looks confused and I realize with a sudden crushing of my lungs, that she wasn’t here for pasta. She wasn’t considering this a date. This was just supposed to be a hook-up. I wanted to get to know her. She wanted something else.
I recover quickly. “You should eat something. You’ll need your strength.”
She doesn’t look relieved, just less confused. She nods and says, “I love pasta.”
“Dinner on the patio?”
She nods again, and that confused, almost disappointed look doesn’t go away.
I dish out our plates and we head out to the patio. The ocean provides a soothing soundtrack for our meal, and the bioluminescent algae, a brilliant light show. All in my back yard. I love this place. It’s small and quaint and rustic. It was barely a shack when I bought it. Mostly, I bought it for the beachfront property. I got it at a steal and have been building it up for years. Now it’s my sanctuary.
“Your home is amazing,” Cadie says, her eyes lit up as she looks up at the full moon. “I bet it drives the women crazy. It’s very romantic.”
I shrug. “Wouldn’t know. I’ve never had a woman over.”
She looks over at me, a suspicious eyebrow quirked. “Why not?”
“I’m sure you’ve seen the crazy comments on my Instagram. Would you want that following you home?”
Her smile lights up the night and I’m dying to take her in my arms. “Gotcha. Why let me come over then? What if I’m one of those crazies who made the comments?”
“You’re not.”
I don’t tell her that I’ve been watching her account too and would recognize her the second she posted.
She takes a bite of pasta and her eyes practically roll in the back of her head. She lets out a moan that sounds slightly sexual, but probably wasn’t meant to be. I’m sure that’s just where my mind will go any time she moans.
“This is amazing. Did you make this?” she says, pointing down to her plate.
I nod. It’s seafood linguini, a specialty of mine. Living on the ocean has its perks. One of them is the seafood is always fresh.
I smile and watch as she enjoys her meal. My stomach is too tangled in knots to eat. But she looks like she’s starving. I imagine all that dancing builds up an appetite. I like watching her eat. I suspect she could be doing anything right about now and I would enjoy watching it.
The wind pulls dark strands of her hair out of her ponytail and they get trapped in the gloss on her lips. With long, delicate fingers, she tucks it behind her ears. As she enjoys her food, my mind is racing for anything else I can offer her that she might enjoy because it gives me a thrill to bring her any kind of pleasure. Usually the only kind of pleasure I know how to give a woman is sex. This is all new to me. Her happiness is like air to me. I need it. I want her so bad right now. I ache for her.
“You’re staring,” she says.
I blink several times to break the spell she has me under. “Was I? Sorry, I was spacing out.”
“What are you thinking about?”
“You, in that dance studio, on that stage. I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind.”
She looks down, hiding her shy smile. “I didn’t take you for a fan of the arts. You seem a bit rugged for that.”
“I’m not a fan of the arts normally. But you …”
You’re different, you’re not like anyone I’ve ever met and I can’t get you out of my mind, I want to tell her, but I hold my tongue, afraid anything I say might scare her off again.
“You’re very talented and I enjoyed watching you dance,” I say instead.
“Thanks. I’ve been dancing since I was little. It’s been my passion for as long as I can remember. It never really went anywhere, though. Not until now.”
“Until now?” I say, confused.
Her smile beams. “They called me this evening. I got the job.”
I’m up and out of my chair before I realize what I’m doing. I’m lifting her out of her chair, her arms wrap around my neck, and she lets out an adorable happy squeal as I spin her around.
“Congratulations. I knew someone would appreciate your dance as much as I did. How couldn’t they?” I say.
She leans back and looks at me, the smile gone from her face. Her eyes bore into mine and there’s a need there that’s familiar. She crushes her lips against mine. When I lift her off the ground again, her legs wrap around my waist and I carry her inside. I know my way around my house well enough that I can kiss her and carry her to my room without looking up. I lay her down on my bed. She keeps her legs around me. When I push my hips into her, she arches her back and moans into my mouth.
Her lips are warm and delicious. Whenever I stop kissing her, she pulls me back in. We kiss until my lips are raw. I open my eyes to watch her face. I want to see her reaction when I reach for the hem of her dress to make sure there’s no hesitation this time. There isn’t. Only pure, unadulterated passion. She sits up and I pull her dress off in one swift motion.
She’s a vision in a black lace bra and panties, but I don’t have much time to take it all in before she’s pulling me back to her, her tongue finding its way back to mine. Eager little thing, I think with a smile.
She pushes up to grind against me. “Wait, wait,” she says, breathless. She stops grinding, and I feel the loss of her heat instantly. “I don’t want to come yet.”
Her words send the blood in my head straight down to my cock.
She peels my shirt off. I take off her bra. She takes off my shorts, and we keep removing each other’s clothes until we’re both naked. As soon as my dick springs free from my boxers, Cadie gasps. Her eyes go wide, and she tentatively reaches out as if she might touch it, but pulls her hand back.
I laugh. “You can touch it. It won’t bite.”
She smiles, embarrassed. “It’s intimidating.”
I cock my head. Maybe this guy she’s trying to forget about isn’t some well-hung Thor-type after all. I swallow back the jealousy that creeps into my thoughts and force the image of her with another guy out of my head.
“Not as intimidating as it is to be with someone like you.”
She looks surprised. “Please, I’m sure you’ve been with plenty of women more beautiful than me.”
I shake my head vehemently. “Never. I’ve never met anyone like you in my life.”
I kiss her before I say something stupid, before I unfurl all these new feelings I have for her. She doesn’t want to hear that. It will just ruin the mood.
Burying my face in her neck, I lick and suck at her beating pulse. She pulls in a breath and whimpers. I make my way to her breast and flick the hard nipple with my tongue. A surprised sound escapes her lips. Then I take the whole thing in my mouth, rolling my tongue around the soft mound of flesh. When I’ve given it thorough attention, I do the same with the other.
Cadie reaches between our bodies and cups the shaft of my cock in her hand, and I lose focus for a moment, overwhelmed by the amazing sensation of being in her grasp. Seeing my pleasure, she starts to stroke. My breathing quickens, and I too stand on the edge of coming. I quickly pull out of her grip and she lets out a small laugh, knowing the effect she’s having on me.
“Looks like we’re both on the edge,” she says.
“It’s a good thing we have all night to do it over and over again,” I tell her.
I didn’t get the reputation as the Bed Shaker by shooting and leaving. I can get off and five minutes later, I’m ready to go again. Normally it takes me a lot longer to come the first time, but I’m so turned on by Cadie that I have a feeling I’m about to be a two-pump-chump. There’s a first time for everything, I suppose.
“I want you inside me,” she breathes.
How can I say no to that?
Since I don’t bring women to my house, I don’t have condoms lying around my bedside table. I have to fish through the pocket of my jeans and grab one out of my wallet. I slip it on and hover above her, resting on my elbows. She looks at me with a hint of nervousness. I soothe her by touching her cheek and gently kissing her lips.
“I won’t hurt you,” I promise her.
“You might,” she says.
My brow furrows. “No. If you feel any pain at all, I’ll stop.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
I’m confused and she knows it. When I start to ask questions, she silences me with a kiss. “No more talking,” she says when she pulls away. But I can’t get her words out of my head.
If she wasn’t talking about me hurting her during sex, what did she mean? Could she be feeling something for me too? I don’t want to get my hopes up, but it might be too late for that.
I watch her expression as the head of my cock meets her slippery warm opening. I can feel the heat of her radiating through me.
As I start to push into her, her mouth parts and her breath shivers out. Her eyes grow big. I slow down. “No, don’t stop,” she says.
I do as I’m instructed and she makes all kinds of delectable noises until I’m fully enveloped inside of her. Her muscles clinch around me, and I let out a moan of my own. She fits me like a glove, hot and wet. I pull out and push my way back in. She claws at the sheets. I do it again and she growls at me to go harder. My lips turn up in a smirk, and I push hard into her. Each time I drive into her, I push harder than I did the time before until she’s screaming for it, begging me not to stop.
I lift her legs, nearly folding her in half. I’m able to go deeper in this position. She screams louder and her eyes roll back in her head. “God, yes, right there. Please don’t stop,” she begs.
I wouldn’t dream of it.
I fuck the breath from her lungs. She’s gasping, begging. By some crazy miracle, I’m able to hold on. I’m on the verge of climax, but with sheer determination, I’m able to keep it in. Then suddenly her body bucks and she’s holding her breath, making choking sounds. Her legs are rigid, her toes curled. Her tight muscles clamp down so forceful on my cock that I’m trapped inside of her, unable to move. My gaze shifts between her tortured face and the junction between her legs where I watch her muscles moving around my cock that’s still buried to the hilt inside of her. I don’t know which sight turns me on the most. I don’t think I can choose between the two. I want to bend down and take her hard little clit in my mouth, but I’m still stuck between her thighs.
My own orgasm rushes toward me, curling up in my balls before bursting through the length of my dick. I bite my lips and close my eyes as I’m rendered temporarily brain dead.
We lay there, taut and unmoving for nearly a minute before her body starts to relax and she releases me from her cushy prison. But I don’t want to leave her warmth yet. It’s like my dick has Stockholm syndrome and wants to be trapped inside her forever.
I open my eyes and look down at her serene expression. She’s sweaty and flushed, and if I thought she was beautiful before, she’s truly radiant now.