Zac Read online

  It does look refreshing, but I want to keep my head clear to think things through.

  “She might be the one to take the risk on. That is a question that only you can answer. Don’t be a fool. You don’t have to get caught up in the past. Don’t let what your parents did to you define you. Stop holding onto the man you were. Change is a good thing - embrace it before it’s too late.” He is quite convincing, and he could probably write a song that would become a chart busting hit on the country circuit.

  I stand up and dust myself off, but I’m still going to find sand in places it shouldn’t be.

  “You have given me a lot to think about. I’m sure the answer will come to me. She does make me think about the future and how much I would love for her to be a part of it. I’m just not sure how to say this to her without making it sound insincere,” I say while standing here, with the beer in hand, until I kneel down and let it sit there in the sand, abandoned.

  “It looks like we have an audience. This is your chance. Don’t blow it,” he warns, and I turn to watch him leave with my eyes focused on Emma.

  She raises her hands with a bottle of champagne and two glasses clutched between her fingers. “Did you mean everything you just said? I came looking for you to tell you something similar. We both come from broken homes; my parents fought endlessly until their divorce, so it makes us hesitant to admit there is somebody special waiting for us. I would like to see where this goes, though.” She stands in front of me, with her natural perfume making it hard for me to keep my thoughts straight.

  I take one of the glasses and she pours me a liberal amount of the champagne. Taking a sip has me downing the entire thing in the hopes of the liquor giving me the right words to say that won’t make her run in the opposite direction.

  “I honestly don’t know where we go from here. This has never happened before. You’re going to have to bear with me while I get my head straight. I can’t speak for you, but I know that sex was more than physical. It feels like we have a connection. Correct me if I’m wrong.” I’m getting a little defensive but talking about my feelings isn’t my strong suit.

  She touches my chest with the palm of her hand. It feels nice to extend the intimacy. That is the one thing missing in my life...someone to share it with. Bachelor life is nothing more than painful memories of watching old movies on television. I had never brought a potential conquest back to my inner sanctum.

  “I felt it too, but we need to be entirely sure about this. There has to be a way we can get to know each other without this wedding influencing us.” She takes a drink, but she is pacing herself so that she doesn’t overdo it.

  I turn my back. “I didn’t mean to leave you hanging back there. I didn’t know what to do with these feelings. It’s comforting to know that you are struggling with the same thing. I guess misery does love company,” I tease, with a deep breath and a strong temptation to turn around and drop down to my knees and wrap my hands around her waist.

  “Zac, I couldn’t agree with you more. I admit that I knew your game when you came on to me. I guess I thought I could turn the tables. Something happened and maybe it’s because I saw a good heart underneath the not-so-innocent smile.” She holds my hand to her chest, and we share a moment of solitude where the only thing we can hear are two hearts beating as one.

  The backdrop of the ocean and the full moon are perfect to keep us from coming back to reality.

  I don’t want to lose her, but I also don’t want to appear needy. “I have an idea. It’s a little crazy, but no more crazy than what we’ve already done.”

  “I want you to come to Tampa with me. I leave on Sunday. It’s a business trip but will only take me a few hours, and then the rest of the time is ours,” I propose, and she readily agrees with a nod of her head, which is more than enough confirmation for me.

  Ch 5 – Emma

  I’m not sure why I agreed to accompany him, but he was very convincing. My business can take a backseat with me delegating a little bit of my authority to someone that is looking for more responsibility.

  Derek is sending me progress reports daily. I’m learning that I don’t have to be there to oversee every single detail. That is a little obsessive-compulsive. There is this freedom in relaxing my guard that I really like.

  His business didn’t take long and it’s only a been few hours before he is walking through those doors.

  I’m here to take his breath away in something that I acquired down at one of the boutiques. Everything is better in red.

  “I don’t know where you got that, but it is worth every penny. You have gotten my attention. Talking with you on the plane has made me realize you are what I have been looking for all of my life. The love you have for old movies is something we have in common. Driving fast is my guilty pleasure. Who knew that you would have the same need for speed?” he says, while stalking up to me until he has his hands around my waist.

  “I have never considered myself normal, but normal is overrated. We can be weird and wonderful together. There’s no reason to put a label on what we have. The only thing I know is that I want to spend as much time with you as possible. That could translate to walking down the aisle together, but there is no pressure for that. I don’t want to see a cardboard cutout of you running for the hills through the door,” I mock, until he is grabbing my hand and bringing me out onto the balcony overlooking the ocean.

  I do feel a little vulnerable and exposed in something this scandalous. There isn’t much to it, including the black mesh garters attached to a red teddy.

  He is behind me, kissing my neck with his hot breath, trailing down my spine, until he is on his knees in a compromising position. The feel of his finger pulling the saturated material of the transparent underwear away from my glistening mound is almost too much for me to take. The cherry on the cake comes when he inserts his tongue past those quivering lips into the heated core of my desire.

  “I feel like I’m walking on cloud nine. You have what it takes to bring me the kind of pleasure women dream about in those romance novels. You know the ones I’m talking about. The man standing there muscled, with long flowing hair, holding onto a woman with a bodice overflowing with her flesh.” It is interesting for me to make that kind of comparison when I’m wearing something that isn’t very subtle either.

  The ocean is right there but I can’t concentrate on the beauty of nature when he is stripping away what is holding back the orgasm from crashing over me. The man has what it takes, and it isn’t long before I’m teetering on those four-inch heels.

  There is no need to censor what is coming out of my mouth. I let fly with a litany of curse words and then his name follows, giving my voice box a workout. I strain the chords in my neck until he finally comes back up for air once again, standing with his lips on the nape of my neck.

  This is a great thing and I’m going to make it last for as long as possible.

  “I hope you don’t think that you’re done...I do believe you have something that I want. It looks like somebody is happy to see me, unless that’s a gun in your pocket,” I tease before he produces a handgun which makes me burst out laughing.

  His insistent hands on my shoulders have me getting into a position where my fingers can do the work on his pants. The zipper comes down, with each track revealing a little more of his anatomy. I fight my way through the jungle of his underwear until I have my hands wrapped around him in a tight fist. The head is already weeping with that salty goodness.

  My lips claim him as a victim and slowly slide down those inches, which are throbbing against the surface of my tongue. I’m quite good at pleasing him this way. I know what little things can make the biggest difference, including cradling his family jewels in the palm of my hot hands.

  “I have come to care for you more than any other woman before. They are nothing but pale substitutes compared to you. They don’t even come close to your league. You make me feel important and loved. It’s amazing how one brief meeting can change
everything for us,” he exclaims with his hands running through my hair while I’m going down on him.

  My lips are making him feel good, but it is my tongue that knows how to concentrate on the top part of his manhood.

  My heart has been severely damaged by too many men promising something and never delivering. Zac isn’t like that; the past doesn’t define him. He is learning to see things from a different perspective with my help.

  I don’t have to say anything while I’m pleasing him with my mouth. It isn’t until he is reaching the end of his rope that I slow down my momentum. Releasing him from captivity comes with me standing back up into the same position as before, looking out at the ocean.

  This time his actions consist of kicking my legs apart. The panties are pulled down until they are around my ankles. His hands come around to pull down the cups of my teddy to excite me on a different level with his fingers pinching my nipples.

  He is not just placating me with unnecessary foreplay. This is a man attuned to my senses who understands how to bring me to that fiery discharge of pleasure. There is that one second before he attempts to bury his love staff inside of me. The feel of his over-inflated knob pressing against me has me remembering the last time with vivid clarity.

  The explicit detail is making me wet and ready for him. The feeling when he starts to slide between my legs from behind with his hot breath in my ear has me at a loss for words. I wallow in the debauchery of using his body for my pleasure. The strength of his thrusts has me staring straight ahead at the crystal blue water of the ocean.

  I know we will never be domesticated; we are both wild and untamed animals.

  “I don’t know how I was able to keep my hands off of you on the plane. There’s a certain club I want us to both become a part of...so I arranged a chartered flight without a destination in mind. We can be on the plane this evening for parts unknown,” he announces with a whisper of encouragement in my ear, to send a chill of excitement running down my spine to my lower extremities.

  He propels himself forward and then back at a steady pace. His thumb circles the forbidden zone, adding an extra bit of stimulation. He is gauging my reaction until I’m throwing my head back with his teeth biting my neck at the same time.

  Pushing back against him is my response to the overwhelming sensation of orgasmic release. Those intense sensations grab me and won’t let go. It causes me to grip him tightly and squeeze until he has no other choice but to let the flood burst from the dam of his loins.

  We might have come from different worlds, but we have collided in the most pleasurable way possible.

  “I’m sure I don’t have to say this, but I’m going to anyway. I feel alive for the first time in my life. Just when I stopped looking for anything serious, you show up in my life to prove that cupid’s arrow can strike at any time. We certainly didn’t go looking for this but there’s no denying that we’ve found something special.” I don’t want to put too much emphasis on it, at the risk of scaring him into thinking he is a trapped animal.

  “The only thing I know for certain in this life is that I want you next to me,” he says while wrapping his hands around my waist in this post-orgasmic aftermath, with light tremors still vibrating through my body.

  Epilogue - Zac

  It has been a whirlwind romance with several ports along the way to excite her palate for adventure. Introducing her to some of my favorite places has turned out to be a stroke of genius. She has taken a sabbatical from her job to spend three months sailing with me over the open seas without a destination in mind.

  I don’t know what came over me to buy something sight unseen. It was impulsive and reckless, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

  Sailing is a talent I learned during some of my youthful indiscretions. The plane is nothing compared to rocking back and forth to the motion of the ocean. She embraces the unknown aspect, and we have found unexpected friendships along the way.

  My short-sleeved Hawaiian shirt is open, and I can hear her down below in the galley rummaging around. She doesn’t know it, but I have seen her conspiring with a young local woman in the market in Jamaica. There is no doubt she is going to introduce me to something to whet my appetite.

  Emma emerges from the galley carrying a tray of different cheeses and crackers. Her body is tanned from spending many hours lying out on the deck, completely naked. It has led to some very passionate impromptu marathon sex sessions. The strapless summer red dress gives me thoughts that will be shared physically with her during the night.

  There is nothing more romantic than lying in bed making sweet love underneath the stars. I can’t seem to get enough of her in and out of the bedroom. I actually find myself enjoying browsing different markets, watching the enthusiasm in her eyes when she finds some local treasure.

  “It’s going to be an amazing sunset,” I point to the horizon where the different splashes of color are simply astonishing.

  She gives me the chance to breathe and enjoy the simple things like a sunset. These are things that I have taken for granted, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

  The world is our oyster and money isn’t an object. My position within the consulting company is rather lucrative, but I’m not the only one with a retirement nest egg. She has confided in me that her construction company is doing amazingly well with several different contracts. We both have a reputation, but we also have people to do some of the dirty work for us.

  My boss is still calling me to do jobs on the side. It meant deviating from our course, but it wasn’t like we had a planned itinerary. We are free to make those decisions.

  Provisions can be found whenever we dock. It also gives me the chance to sneak away for a couple of hours while she is enjoying the local cuisine.

  One hand is behind her back and she produces a bottle of champagne.

  “Emma, do we have something to celebrate?” I question with a cock of my eyebrow.

  She offers me the appetizers and I gladly accept. “Every day is a celebration when I’m with you. I’m glad I took a step back from the business to be with you.”

  “I’m sure they’re missing your expertise, but I’m guessing they can muddle through without you for a few more weeks,” I tease with a few more ports to visit.

  “Zac, I could say the same thing about your work. Don’t think you’re fooling me for one second. I know you have been working on the side. It’s in your blood and I don’t blame you. You’re still here with me to enjoy the little things. You always go out of your way to make each day something more special than the previous one. I appreciate your patience when I go treasure hunting. I found this in Jamaica. It’s not traditional, but nothing about our relationship has been traditional,” she announces, and my curiosity gets the best of me, until I’m turning my head to see her on one knee producing a different kind of ring.

  “This is so sudden,” I feign surprise by fanning myself with my hand.

  I like playing this game and she seems to enjoy my attempt to introduce some humor into the conversation. I have to admit what she has in her hand is unique. It’s not mass-produced. There isn’t another one like it. That is true love right there.

  “This is what the Jamaican locals call a promise ring. It’s made of a stone that is indigenous to the island. I saw it and thought about you. I want to spend the rest of my life getting to know you. There’s always something more to learn. You have to leave them wanting more. There are still things in my past we haven’t discussed as well. Don’t worry; there are no secret marriages or children I’m going to spring on you.” She is asking me to marry her in a backhanded way, but I understand the underlying meaning of her words.

  “I promise to give you the life that you deserve. My heart will always be yours. I never thought in a million years I would say something like that...but look at me now.” I lift her into my arms and swing her around, with the sun making her face glow with this brilliant light of joy.

  We have found each other, and nobody
is going to take that away from us.

  THE END

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  Paula Ridge writes short, sexy, fun romances about exotic women and the delicious alpha men that steal their heart.

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