The Education of Sebastian & the Education of Caroline (61 page)

My heart gave a quick, unhappy flop. My poor boy had never had parents who cared that he was good at something.

He sat down on the towel next to me, his skin glistening with drops of seawater. Trying not to get distracted, I showed him the shots I’d caught, and he raised his eyebrows.

“Wow! You’re a really good photographer, Caro.”

“I have excellent subject material,” I said, then snapped a close-up of his exquisite face and chest.

“What’s that for?” he said, blinking in surprise.

“Just so I know you’re real,” I told him. “I think you’re a figment of my overwrought imagination, and you might disappear when I wake up. But now,” I said, waving the camera at him, “I have proof.”

He grinned and shook his head, as if I was a little bit crazy. Which I was. Like he’d said: crazy in love.

He pushed me down onto the beach towel with his damp body, and kissed me in a way that told me how he felt. I stroked my hand over his wet hair and smiled up at him.

“You’re so cute when you’re wet.”

“So are you,” he said, with a leer.

We ate lunch on the beach, panini from the shop and some fresh fruit sold by a bored teenage boy, who was slouched under a sunshade.

Sebastian continued to flirt with me, tease me, and toy with my bikini straps, which I found ridiculously adorable. It was all I could do to stop myself from leaping on him there and then. But we were both enjoying just touching each other, playing and spending time together, without having to worry about what anyone else thought, said or did.

In the afternoon, he fell asleep in the sun and I lay watching him for nearly an hour, almost unable to believe my luck: that he was really mine, and that I was his.

We spent the rest of the day on the beach. Sebastian even persuaded me to go for a surf with him, although I thought the water was really too cold to be pleasurable.

“Come on, Caro, I’ve wanted to try this for a long time. Let’s take the board out and catch a wave together. I’ll do the paddling and I can stare at your gorgeous ass while I’m doing it.”

Which was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

I lay on the board first, and Sebastian jumped on behind me. He couldn’t resist giving my ass a quick bite.

We paddled out to just behind where the waves were breaking, then as the water started to rise, Sebastian turned the board around and we began to speed down the front of the wave.

“Get ready to pop up!” he yelled, above the crashing surf. “Go!”

I scrambled to my feet and felt the board wobble slightly, then Sebastian was behind me, one hand steadying my hip as we raced down the face of the wave.

It was the most extraordinary feeling, riding that wave together. In some ways it was a metaphor for the life we were starting out on. Who knew when we’d fall off? But by trusting each other and moving as one, the ride would be longer.

Eventually, Sebastian conceded that I really was cold, and we belly-boarded back into the beach.

“Your nipples are hard,” he said, pointing out the darned obvious.

“Well, what a shocker,” I said. “I’ve never seen them like that before.”

“Is that right? I’ll see what I can do about it later.”

“Promises, promises,” I sighed.

His eyes widened and his nostrils flared with the challenge.

“Bed, woman. Now.”

“Don’t you want to find somewhere to have dinner first?”

He shook his head. The Chief wanted sex, not food. I really, really wasn’t going to argue.

We booked the room behind the beach shop, but were interrupted en route to our sexcapades by the owner, who was desperate to talk to Sebastian about surf spots in California. I left them mulling over whether San Diego or Monterey had the better breaks, even though I could feel Sebastian’s eyes following me across the beach.

I collected our overnight bag from the bike and carried it into the small room.

It was like being in a log cabin: wooden walls, wooden floors, wooden furniture. But Sebastian was right—the bed was huge. I tested it out gingerly. Nope, no creaking springs to distract us tonight.

While I was waiting for him, I checked up on my emails. I was surprised to see that there was one from Nicole.

To: Lee Venzi

From: Nicole Olsen

Re: WTF

Venzi! WTF are you doing in Italy? How come I had to hear about it secondhand from Jenna? Don’t you think it’s time you had mindless sex with an Italian stallion? Call me for tips. Have fun. Nx

That was so like Nicole. If only she knew. I decided I’d send her a photo of Sebastian to cheer up her gray, New York morning.

I picked the one of him sitting back on the beach towel, his beautiful face and divine chest in full view. I wasn’t going to send her the one where his board shorts showed the ammo he was packing: Nicole would probably implode.

To: Nicole Olsen

From: Lee Venzi

Re: Re: WTF

Am thinking about your advice ;) Traveling through Italy with an old friend. Thought you’d like this eye candy to brighten your day. Lx

I was still smiling to myself about Nicole’s message and my reply, when Sebastian strolled in.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, I just had an email from my friend Nicole in NYC. She wants me to have mindless sex with an Italian stallion.”

Sebastian didn’t look amused. “Why is she saying stuff like that to you?”

“Oh, don’t be such a prude, Sebastian! It’s just a joke. She’s always nagging me to find a man.”

“What about me?” he said, sounding ridiculously hurt.

I rolled my eyes. “I haven’t told anyone about you. I like having you to myself. But I will, if you want me to.”

“I want to know your friends, Caro. Although I’ll fucking tell ‘Nicole’ that she can keep her comments about ‘Italian stallions’ to herself.”

Uh-oh, the Chief was riled
.

Now
that
was going to be an interesting meeting—Sebastian and Nicole were both pretty fiery. I wasn’t going to place bets on who’d win that encounter.

Suddenly my phone rang. I stared at it in amazement, as if it had suddenly grown wings. Why on earth was Nicole calling me?

“Nicole, hi! Wow, it’s great to hear from you. How are you?

“Don’t give me that, Venzi. Where did you get that smokin’ hot picture? Have you turned into one of those women who ogles younger men?”

“Like you, you mean?”

Nicole snorted. “Exactly! Since when did you start taking photos of hot guys? And who’s this ‘old friend’ that you’re suddenly traveling around Italy with?”

“Nicole, I sent you a picture of him. His name is Sebastian.”

Sebastian glanced over at me, a smile on his face.

“Come on, Lee. Why won’t you tell me who you’re traveling around with?”

“No, seriously, Nicole. That’s a photo of my friend.”

“The Stud Muffin is your ‘old friend’?” she yelled down the phone. “You’re bullshitting me, Lee!”

I laughed. “I promise you, Nicole.”

“Have you been holding out on me? Where did you meet him?”

Her words poured out in a torrent.

“I’ll tell you some other time,” I said, shaking my head, as Sebastian gazed at me quizzically.

“No! Tell me now!” she shrieked.

“I can’t. Later.”

“Why not now?”

“Because he’s standing right here, Nicole.”

Sebastian raised his eyebrows.

“Bullshit! I don’t believe you.”

“It’s true.”

“Put him on the phone then.”

“What?”

“I think you’ve been without sex too long, Venzi. You’re hallucinating.”

I handed the phone to Sebastian. “She wants to talk to you.”

He took the phone, looking amused. “Hi, Nicole. This is Sebastian.”

I saw him listening intently, a slight frown on his face. I wondered what on earth Nicole could be saying to him.

“You don’t want me to use her?” he said, glancing toward me. “Well, Nicole, I was planning on taking her to bed and using her in ways that aren’t even mentioned in the Kama Sutra, but now you’ve told me that, I think I should go take a cold shower instead.”

I snatched the phone back, glaring at him. Sebastian just smirked at me.

“Sorry about that, Nic!”

There was a long silence at the other end.

“Nic?”

“Fuck me!” she said, huskily. “Don’t be sorry, Lee. That is the hottest thing I’ve heard in years. He sounds like a sex machine! Look, I think you should write a sex manual with this guy, but you’ll have to take photographs … lots of photographs.”

I laughed. “I’ll get back to you on that, Nic.”

At which point, restive and impatient, Sebastian started untying the straps of my bikini. I tried to shoo his hands away, but it was awkward, what with trying to hold onto my phone and continue the conversation. I gasped as he tossed my bikini top onto the floor and massaged my nipples with his
fingers.

“Oh my God, Lee! Are you guys doing it right now? Can you put the speakerphone on?”

“I’ll have to call you back, Nic,” I said, breathlessly.

I cut the call while she was still yelling, and launched myself at Sebastian.

My phone clattered to the floor, and one part of my brain was already assessing what damage that might have caused; but the greater part of my brain, by far, already had Sebastian stripped and ready for action. My fumbling fingers had to play catch up but, even so, my tackle had knocked him backward onto the bed.

I straddled him and pinned his wrists back with my hands, my mouth crushing his, my breasts forcing themselves into his chest.

He could easily have overpowered me, being about fifty times stronger than I was, but he seemed content to let me have my wicked way with him. I had some serious catching up to do, and he had rain checks that needed cashing.

Our tongues were gliding together, our teeth clashing, and I could feel Sebastian getting aroused beneath me.

He sat up suddenly, cradling his arms around my waist, as mine flew up in surprise. He kissed my neck, running his hot tongue over my throat.

“You taste like the sea,” he murmured, “and your skin smells like sunshine.”

He ran his fingers up my back, and let them tangle in my hair, pulling my face down to his.

“I want to be inside you, Caro.”

I smiled against his lips, and then rolled off him, scooting down to the bottom of the bed.

“Raise that glorious ass,” I said, tugging on the hem of his board shorts.

He grinned at me and lifted his hips from the bed. I pulled off the shorts, threw them behind me, then sat back to enjoy the view.

His legs were long and tan and muscled like a runner; his thighs and hips pale; and his rich, pubic hair was light brown. My eyes wandered up his body, taking in his erection that hovered above his tight, toned stomach, where his skin turned to gold again. He propped himself up on his elbows and smiled at me, his head on one side, as if he was asking what I found so fascinating.

“You’re beautiful, Sebastian. I love to look at you. I love to see you like this, when it’s just the two of us. Why does it feel so right?”

He shook his head slowly.

“Maybe it was just meant to be. I mean, shit, could we have had any more challenges thrown at us?”

I could think of one big challenge that we still had to face, but I refused to let that spoil the here and now.

“We’ve certainly had our share,” I sighed.

He sat up and held my cheek with his hand.

“Don’t be sad, Caro. We’ve got our second chance … or maybe we’re on our third … I kinda lost count already.”

“That is very true.” I laughed, lightly. “Now you seem to have a very desirable hard-on there, so what say we have some fun with that?”

“I’m all yours.”

I grinned and jumped off the bed. “Are the condoms in your toiletry bag?”

“Yeah, baby.”

I rooted through the overnight bag until I found what I was looking for.

“Sebastian, there’s only one condom left in here,” I said, shaking the now empty box at him.

“Shit! You’re kidding! Fuck, how did I … ah, crap. Give me that fucker—I’m going to make the most of it.”

“Oh no, Hunter,” I smiled, waving the foil packet at him, “this one is all mine.”

His eyes heated instantly and his cock twitched.

“Feeling a little needy, baby?” I said, continuing to tease him, as I walked around the bed.

“Fuck, Caro!”

He lunged for me but I danced away.

“Dear me, someone is impatient.”

“Yeah, very!” he said, sounding both amused and slightly annoyed.

I stood at the end of the bed.

“Would you like me to take these off?” I said, tugging gently on the delicate laces of my bikini bottoms.