Keeping Mr. Right Now: A Kisses in the Sand Novel (Entangled Bliss) (20 page)

She tossed the packaging aside, and then because she wanted to feel him before he slid inside her, she wrapped her hand around the base of him and moved up and down, careful to avoid the tip so she could drive him just a little bit more crazy. “Mmm,” she purred.

“Sophie,” he warned, jerking into her palm. His eyes closed and she noticed his jaw clench. “Get that on me now. You can touch later.”

“Promise?” A thrill of excitement shot through her, knowing she had so much power over him.

“Sweetheart, you can do whatever you want to me as long as I’m buried deep inside you in five, four…”

She rolled the condom on.

“Three, two…”

And fell back against the pillows, unbelievably aroused again. He opened his eyes and stared at her like no man had ever done before. Like she was special. Like this was definitely more than just a physical release.

“One…” He thrust inside her with one swift upward glide and she was lost. Lost in the way he filled her so completely she was certain
she
had died and gone to heaven. It took all of two seconds for her to adjust to having him inside her. Coils of pleasure at the base of her spine and deep in her womb unfurled in slow, delicious waves. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and matched the rhythm of his hips.

Raking her nails down his back, his muscles jumped under her touch. He bent his head to kiss her and she sighed with pleasure at the slow, sensual tongue kisses he gave. God, she loved kissing him. Loved being naked and entwined with him.

His mouth turned greedy; his hand slid down her side and held on to her hip. He moved inside her with incredible strokes. Buried himself to the hilt, pulled back, drove into her again. She wrapped her legs around his thighs.

“Beautiful,” he told her, lifting his head. His hot gaze moved from her face to her breasts. “You are so beautiful.” His hand cupped her, his fingers tweaked her nipple, and the simple touch pushed her higher.

She lifted her hips, pressing tighter against him. He growled and bent to lick her nipple. Sensations hurtled from her breasts to low in her belly and back again. His mouth moved to her other nipple. He nipped and teased and sucked and she moaned. No, she whimpered. So close to coming again, she dug her fingers into his skin.

“Zaaane,” she called out as she exploded, wave after wave of pleasure flowing through her body.

He lifted his head and she watched his face tense just before a harsh groan of masculine satisfaction tore from his lips. He shuddered and collapsed on top of her.

His stubble tickled her skin. She felt his heart in cadence with hers. A smile took hold of her face and stayed as he dropped gentle kisses behind her ear, on the curve of her neck, on her shoulder, and then rolled over onto his back.

“Don’t move,” he whispered sweetly. He got up and she watched his very fine butt walk to the bathroom where she assumed he was taking care of the condom.

He came right back and gathered her into his arms. She snuggled against him with her head on his shoulder, her arm draped over his chest, and closed her eyes in contentment.

Chapter Eleven

Zane woke with Sophie’s warm, naked body tangled around him. She had her leg over his, her head on his chest and her palm on his stomach. The soft swell of her breast pressed against his side and her even breathing filled him with calm.

He usually couldn’t wait to get out in the water on Sunday mornings, but not today. The beautiful redhead in his bed was all he wanted at the moment.

Last night, he’d made good on his promise to make her feel more than she ever had. What a rush to know he was the first guy to get her there. The affectionate look in her eyes, the flush in her cheeks, the way her kiss-swollen lips parted, filled a space in his chest he hadn’t known was there.

And the things she’d done to him with her hands and her mouth and hell, a simple look, had him standing at attention just thinking about them. Her response to his attentions had been hotter and better than any other woman he’d been with. When she turned the tables,
his
response had pulled the air out of his lungs, drained all his self-control. He’d never felt anything better than Sophie.

When she’d arrived last night looking so sweet and beautiful and sexy, it had taken all his willpower not to take her immediately. He’d promised himself he’d treat her like more than a hookup.

Because she meant a whole hell of a lot more to him than just a roll between the sheets.

He’d wanted her to feel safe with him. Cherished. Different from anyone else he’d been with. Last night when she’d gazed into his eyes with tenderness and devotion, he’d flirted with the idea of telling her how much she meant to him. But what good would her knowing he’d fallen for her do when they were jetting off to different parts of the world?

Tomorrow.

“What are you thinking about?” she whispered.

Her angelic voice startled him, but the fact that she knew he’d been thinking scared the crap out of him.

“You,” he whispered back.

She lifted her head. The pair of emerald morning-after eyes that gazed up at him blew his mind. His heart knocked, and for the first time ever, he wanted to answer it.

“What about me?” She rolled on top of him, lining up their naked bodies in just the right places. She wiggled, dropped a kiss to his chest.

“What are you doing?” he asked hoarsely, on the rise for anything she had in mind.

Her mouth kissed lower. “Thought I’d give you a proper wake-up.” She scooted down.

He flung the covers off them. “Oh yeah?”

“You good with that?” She shimmied on down and then glanced up at him from under long, dark lashes. “I see you are.”

Very good with that. She gave him the best morning wake-up ever, and a few minutes later, he absently rubbed her back as she lay cuddled against him, her hand on his chest. “So the closing reception is this afternoon,” he said.

“At three.”

“And today’s your last day in the Cove.”

“Yes.”

“It’s early. Not even seven.” He took his other hand and linked their pinkies. “Name how you want to spend the next few hours, and we’ll do it. Anything you want.”

“Hmm…” Her lashes fluttered against his side. “Will you take me surfing? I want to be in the water with you again.”

“I’d love to.”

“I’m really going to miss the ocean.” She laced the rest of their fingers together.

“It’s pretty awe-inspiring, isn’t it?”

“Yes. And I know they say the ocean makes you feel small, but when I’m in it and look at it, I don’t feel that way at all. I feel, I don’t know, honored and lucky and really, really happy. Like
laugh until my stomach hurts
happy.” She looked up at him, gave a crooked smile. “Except for that moment when I thought I might drown.”

Zane winced. “That won’t happen today. Not even close.”

“I know,” she said, her voice tender. “Has there ever been a moment when you almost drowned?”

“Yes. I was surfing Pipeline. I’d been sick, had like a hundred and two temperature and was bone-tired, but went out anyway. There were massive waves that day and I got disoriented. For the first time ever, I lost my balance and the water swallowed me. Holding my breath seemed impossible. Two of my buddies pulled me out.”

“Oh, Zane.” Her hold on his hand tightened. “Were you worried about going back in the water after that?”

“Not at all. Fear isn’t real. It’s something we create when we think about what could happen. Out in the water, I’m in the moment. Always.”

“You’ve trained your thalamus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex to work well together. I’m impressed.”

His mouth stretched into a huge grin before he let go of her hand. “I love when you use brain words. So you ready to do this?” He wanted another moment with her in the surf. Wanted to get her standing and riding her first wave.

She ran her fingernail down the middle of his chest. “I am. But before we go, do you think you could do that thing you did to me last night one more time?” Her voice had that kittenish quality that drove men to their knees.

“Which thing would that be?” He slid his arm down to cup her bottom.

Her breath hitched and she crawled on top of him. “Any of them. All of them.”

He put his finger gently on her chin to guide her mouth toward his. “Guess what?” he whispered. “There’s one I haven’t shared yet.”

When she raked her hands through his hair and murmured, “Show me,” he got such a rush he showed her twice.

They got back from surfing an hour later, showered, and he left her to finish up while he went downstairs to make coffee. His cell phone jingled the tune Julia had programmed so he’d know it was her calling.

“Hey, sis.”

“Guess what?” She sounded happy and excited and Zane pictured her bouncing up and down. “Mark and I got married last night!”

“What?” He pulled the mug from the one-cup coffeemaker and headed to the patio.

“Zane, it was so romantic and wonderful and—”

“Hang on. Start at the beginning. I thought the wedding was in January? Wasn’t I supposed to be a groomsman?”

“It was. You were. But Mark wanted to make it official before my surgery. We’re still on for a big reception in January, though, and you better be there.”

With the phone in his hand, he rubbed at his chest, disappointment settling there. He’d missed out on a lot of important events in his sister’s life and had been looking forward to being there when she tied the knot.

“You know I will be.” He sat in a cushioned chair on the private patio. Another cloudless day and the sound of water cascading down the large concrete fountain in the corner filled the space.

“So he showed up at the house yesterday with roses and a limousine and asked me to wear the pale pink sundress that he loves so much and said he wanted to make me his wife and would I please give him the honor of escorting him to the park where we had our first kiss. I cried and said of course and then I got changed and he had rose petals all over the limo
and
all over the grass at the park. Mom and a minister were waiting there. Mom had a bouquet for me and the minister said some really awesome stuff and then pronounced us husband and wife and we kissed and it was all so wonderful.” She sighed over the phone line.

Her words had come out in such a rush of excitement, Zane couldn’t help but smile. “Congratulations. Mark’s a good guy. And very lucky to have you.” The ache in his heart grew. He’d missed all that. Missed standing beside his mom and watching Julia have one of the best days of her life.

But he couldn’t fault her that. She had a life of her own, and just because he wasn’t around didn’t mean she should put it on hold. He swallowed the lump in his throat. His baby sister had always been there for him, but he hadn’t always been there for her.

Julia sniffled. “Thank you. How are you? How’d the screening go?”

He cleared his throat. “I’m great, and the screening couldn’t have been better.” Reviews of the film had been amazingly positive, and the fans seemed in awe.

“Sounds like it’s been a nice ending to your film career.”

“Yeah. It definitely was.” No one besides those closest to him knew that
Isolated Warriors
was his last film. He almost hadn’t done this one, what with the time it took on top of his regular schedule.

“And how’s Sophie?”

He took a sip of his coffee. If he hadn’t made the film, he wouldn’t have met Sophie. “She’s great, too.” Maybe better than great since he’d had his way with her all night and this morning.

“I really liked her.”

“Yeah, she’s pretty likable.”

“
Zaaaane.
”

“Why are you Zaning me?”

“Why do you think I’m Zaning you?”

“To annoy me?” he teased. Or tried to. He wasn’t sure it came out that way. Suddenly, he had a picture of Sophie in a pink dress with rose petals all around her and wanting to be swept off her feet.

And he realized he wasn’t the guy to do that.

He’d known all along he wasn’t, and he’d taken advantage of her anyway. He’d been caught up in feelings he’d never had before, but surely they weren’t the forever kind.

“You
like her
like her, right? Because you’ve never brought a girl home before. And it’s just plain rude to do that if we never get to see her again. Especially because she totally rocked.”

“It’s not like that,” he said.

“Do not give me the bullshit that she’s too good for you. Maybe a few years ago that was true, but it’s not anymore.”

Only it was.

Sophie should have all her dreams come true, and how could a guy like him do that when he traveled constantly? Even if they did try to work something out, he’d miss important events in her life just like he had Julia’s, and he couldn’t do that to her. She needed to be with someone stable, dependable. Smart.

How long before she realized the only thing he truly was smart about was surfing?

How long before they ran out of things to say to each other?

“She’s not the type of woman I picture a future with,” Zane said. It was true. He hadn’t pictured a future with
any
one woman. “We’ve been hanging out because of the film festival, but that’s the only reason. And you know I’ve always preferred blondes with big tits.” He forced those words out, knowing the cruder he was, the quicker he’d get Julia to drop it and believe him shallow again. “Plus, her intelligence is beyond me. She’s smarter than everyone, and no one can live up to those kind of expectations.”

“Zane—”

“I shouldn’t have brought her home to meet you and Mom.” The ache in his chest twisted, pinched. Made it difficult to breathe. Sophie had fit in with his family too easily.

“Something’s wrong,” Julia said. “Talk to me, Zane. You’re not still letting Dad get to you, are you?”

He put his coffee mug down on the tiled ground before he crushed it with his hand. He wasn’t good enough for Sophie and never would be. “I don’t need to talk,” he ground out. “Sophie was a convenience this week. Bryce and Danny put me up to it to help with my reputation. It was just a way to pass the time, and now it’s over. I doubt I’ll give her a second thought when I get on a plane tomorrow.”

“Okay then.” Julia’s voice was small, weak, and Zane hated having lied to her.

“Listen, I’ve got to go,” he said.

“Sure.”

“Say hi to Mark for me.” He pressed end and dropped the phone in his lap. He felt like a total shit. His head filled with images of Sophie from the last seven days. Arguably the best seven days he’d ever had, and he wished things could be different.

“I so wanted to believe you weren’t playing me.”

Zane twisted. Sophie leaned against the doorway, the coffee cup in her hand shaking.

“I thought you cared about me and I really thought I was…” Her lips trembling, she squeezed her eyes shut.

But not before he saw the love shining there.

Shit. He got to his feet. “Sophie—”

“Save it. I don’t want to hear any more lies.” She stood there quivering in nothing but his T-shirt, and his heart split in two.

“W-We both knew what this was,” he said. It killed him to see the pain creasing her forehead and clouding the brightness in her eyes, but it was better to end things now than disappoint her later. And he
would
fail her later, just like he had his sister. He loved Sophie too much to do that.

Her life and happiness were what mattered, and while it felt incredibly wrong to lie to her about his feelings, her needs came before his. “A fling,” he added. “A fun way to pass the time, but I’m not a guy who cares about anyone for the long haul. We come from completely different worlds, and meeting this week just happened to help both of us.”

“Well, you got exactly what you wanted. Your reputation’s improved and SHE’s chosen you to be their ambassador.”

“And you got more events under your belt. I’ll be sure Danny lets your boss know how happy we were.” It physically hurt to sound like an ass. Sharp, unrelenting daggers pierced his heart over and over again. But he’d suffer it a thousand times to make sure Sophie ended up with the kind of man she deserved.

“For your information,” she paused as a swallow worked its way down her throat, “what this was was the best week of my life…and now you’ve ruined it. You couldn’t have pretended just a little longer?” She lifted away from the doorway. “Word of advice. Wait for the girl to leave before you knock her down.”