Between Us: Sex on the Beach (8 page)

He ripped off my bra as his mouth crashed down on mine, and I trembled from the force of the desire that tore through me. He kept kissing me all over, intoxicating me, as he slid down my body. He grabbed one of my ankles, and his mouth left mine. He removed my shoes, one by one, then kissed the spot right next to my knee.

Holy freaking crap that felt
good
.

It felt even better when his hands skimmed up my inner thighs, and he followed them with his lips. He gripped my underwear, tugging them lower, even as he moved his kisses higher. By the time I was naked, I was already halfway to an orgasm, and he’d barely even touched me.

My reaction to him was off the charts. Ridiculous is what it was.

And oh-so-delicious.

He knelt between my legs, lifting my hips higher. I knew what he was about to do, and I tensed in anticipation. I’d had it done to me once before, at Heaven when I’d been caught naked, and it had been okay—even without the orgasm. I had a feeling that with Austin it would be more than okay.

And boy, I was right.

The second his tongue touched me, my entire body quivered with pleasure and need and something I couldn’t quite describe. Almost a too-intense feeling that threatened to take me over if I let it. And I wanted it to, because it felt that good.

I arched my back, giving myself over to him, and he rolled his tongue over me again, his hands gripping my butt and holding me in place. This was what I’d been missing out on. This is what I wanted.
Him
. I latched on to the pleasure spreading through my veins. My stomach tensed, squeezing so tight I could barely breathe. Just when I was sure I would never catch my breath again, something snapped inside me, sending me spiraling over the edge.

Another mind-blowing orgasm, of course.

He let me fall back down on the mattress and shoved off the bed, stalking to where I’d told him I had the condoms. He ripped the drawer open, grabbed one, and opened it. As he rolled it on his erection, he watched me with hooded eyes. The second it was on, he laid on top of me, his lips meeting mine forcefully.

I spread my thighs wider for him, letting him anchor himself inside my legs. When I felt him at my entrance, I tensed, unable to keep myself relaxed. He didn’t seem to notice. He kept kissing me, his hands reaching beneath me to tilt my hips upward.

I broke free of the kiss, taking a gasping breath. Maybe I should warn him I was technically still a virgin. Guys could tell that stuff, right? I licked my lips and gripped his shoulders. “I—”

He kissed me again and thrust inside me, hard and sure. I cried out into his mouth, feeling like I’d been ripped in half. He froze, his mouth still on mine but no longer kissing me. Then slowly, oh so slowly, he reared back, his eyes wide and his face pale. “Mackenzie? You are…you were…a…?”

I blinked back tears, biting down on my lip hard and nodding. “Y-Yes.”

“Hell. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was going to. Just now.” He started to pull out, but I closed my legs around him and shook my head. “No. Don’t go.”

“But you’re fucking
crying
,” he gritted out, his muscles flexing in his arms as he held himself above me. His hard features cracked a little bit. He made a broken sound and kissed me gently. “I’m so sorry I hurt you. I would’ve been gentler if I knew. I just thought…”

I flinched. “The whole world thought, but they kind of stopped it from happening, ironically enough. I got branded a slut, and I was still a virgin.”

He pressed his lips together, his eyes flashing. “You’re not a slut, and you’re not a virgin anymore.” He moved inside me, slow and gentle. He kissed me tenderly, his lips lingering over mine. “How’s that feel?” he asked, his voice tense and strained against my mouth.

“Good,” I breathed. “Do it again.”

He let out a strangled moan and moved inside me, in and out, slow and easy. “Fuck, you feel good. Too good.” Sweat broke out on his forehead, and he dropped it to mine. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I know.” I closed my eyes and lifted my face to his, wanting another one of his magical kisses. “You won’t.”

He melded his lips to mine, his tongue slipping easily inside. The pain gave way to the need he brought out in me, and I clung to him, lifting my hips to his when he moved inside me again. Each time he thrust, he went deeper. Harder.

And within mere moments, I was as desperate for him as I’d been before the pain. I raked my nails down his back, begging for more. Needing the release only he could give me, but scared to grab it at the same time. “
Austin
.”

He reached between our bodies, pressing his fingers to my clit. “I’ve got you. Just let go.”

I arched my back, pressing closer to him, and the pressure built higher and higher until I knew I was about to crash and burn. He held me close the whole time, saying naughty things as he moved inside me. The tightly wound string snapped, and I came, stars bursting in my vision.

My entire body went limp, and he thrust one last time, his body stiffening. He collapsed on top of me, burying his face in my neck and whispering, “Mackenzie.”

I closed my eyes and held him close, my racing heart gradually slowing to normal speeds. By the time he lifted his head and looked at me, I was almost ready to come back down to earth…even if I didn’t want
to.

M
Y ARMS
tightened around her, not wanting to let go. My mind was reeling over the fact that she’d been a fucking virgin, of all things. How could Mackenzie Forbes have spent the last, I don’t know, five years a virgin? Hell, I’d lost my own innocence at fifteen and I hadn’t been in the spotlight.

Maybe that’s what had held her back. The scrutiny.

For the first time in my life, I had questions about a girl I’d spent a handful of hours in bed with. For the first time in my life, I needed to know more. I wasn’t sure what to do with that, so I went with it. I opened my fucking mouth. “Mackenzie…?”

“Yeah?” she asked, her voice dreamy.

I lifted up on my elbows, my eyes searching hers. She nibbled on her lower lip. “So, uh, the paparazzi strikes again with their lies? There were all those stories about you...”

She huffed out a breath. “Yeah, they were obviously lies,” she drawled, her Southern twang a little more pronounced than before. “Except the one where I was found in that club. That was real, but they kind of interrupted us. The rest was pure fiction.”

I shook my head. “Unbelievable. Can’t you do something about that? Sue them for libel or something? That doesn’t seem like it’s legal.”

“I could, but why bother? They’d just come up with more stories. It’s a never-ending fight. One I don’t have the time or energy to deal with.”

She might not have the energy to deal with it, but
I
did. And I wanted to bash their fucking skulls together for making up lies about her. “But—”

She covered my mouth with two fingers. “It is what it is. It’s how the world works.”

“The hell it is,” I growled. “Let me spend a few minutes with the dickheads making this shit up and I’ll get them to stop.”

Her lips twitched, and she smiled up at me. “It’s sweet of you to offer, but no thanks. You can’t win. Everyone loves to see how messed up people like me are.” She lifted a shoulder and the smile faded away. “Even if it’s not exactly true.”

I kissed her forehead and hugged her close, a surge of protectiveness coming over me. I couldn’t help it. I kind of had a knight-in-shining-armor complex going on. I tried to fight it, but it wouldn’t go the fuck away. Knights were tricky like that. “I’m sorry.”

“Thanks.” She let out a half snort-half laugh. “But it’s hardly a tragedy. So people think I’m a little slutty while I’m really a virgin? There are worse things in the world. Poverty. Sickness. Death. I hardly have room to complain, ya know?”

Well, she had a point. But it still sucked. “For what it’s worth…I’m glad you chose me for this, uh, thing.”

“Why?” Her brow rose, and the solemnity left her eyes. She trailed her fingers over my chest, making me suck in a deep breath. Already, I wanted her again. What the fuck was up with that? “You got a thing for virgins, Austin?”

I snorted. “I wouldn’t know. You were my first one.”

“Not even your first time?”

“Nope. She was my tutor, and a grade above me. Let’s just say…she taught me more than math.” I grinned. “Much more.”

She rolled her eyes. “Why am I not surprised by this information?”

“Hey, what can I say? I was irresistible even back then.”

“Oh God.” She swatted my arm. “Get off me, you big oaf.”

Laughing, I rolled to the side and watched her climb out of bed. She quickly wrapped herself in her silk robe, her cheeks pink. She was still embarrassed by her nudity. How refreshingly charming. Most of the women I spent time with walked around naked more than they did clothed.

“Do you have security here?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t let them come. I wanted to be normal for a little while.”

“What about at school?”

She scrunched her nose. “Yeah, but only one. It’s more of a precautionary measure. Most of the people there don’t give a damn who I am. There’s been a few pictures here and there of me, but not much. I keep to myself.” She paused. “Well, me, Quinn, and Cassie do.”

I had the feeling they were very close, those three girls. Which made me wonder… “Why aren’t they in the same room as you?”

“We all wanted to be free to bring guys home. It’s kinda hard to do if you’re sharing rooms.”

I laughed. “You have a point. Are they up here, too?”

“Nope, they’re a floor lower, in separate rooms. They wouldn’t let me book the penthouse for them. That’s where they drew the line when it came to me paying for them, but it worked out. There’s only one more up here as it is.”

“Wait.” I sat up straight. “You paid for them to come here?”

“Yeah, of course.” She looked at me, her forehead creased. “Why wouldn’t I? I can certainly afford it, and they’re my best friends.”

Respect swept over me, even more so than before. She was so damn generous and didn’t even realize it. “Why did you come here, of all places, and not somewhere less crowded? Aren’t you worried you’ll be spotted?”

“I was hoping to blend in with the crowd since it’s so crazy. It’s worked so far. Between the darker hair and no makeup, I’m just another girl.”

When she turned back to me, her dark hair framing her face, I almost forgot to breathe. She was so fucking gorgeous. So fucking different. “Speaking of which, I love those freckles you hide in your videos. They’re adorable, like you. You’re beautiful.”

Where had that sappy statement come from? Must be that damn knight again…

“Uh, thanks.” Her wide eyes met mine, and her cheeks flushed even more. She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “So are you.”

No one had ever called me beautiful before. It made something inside me shift or stop blocking the way to my heart. I didn’t like that. “Thanks, I think.”

“Why do you
think
you thank me?”

“I’ve never been called beautiful before. Hot. Sexy. Fuckable.” I shrugged. “Sure. Lots of times. But never beautiful. It doesn’t seem to fit me.”

“Well…” She bit down on her lower lip. “I think it fits perfectly.”

A fist punched my chest. I’d swear it had. I opened my mouth to scoff at her reply, or to retort I was scarred, broken, and ugly. But nothing came out. I didn’t want to argue with her. If she thought I was beautiful, maybe that was a good
thing. So I didn’t say a word. Just stared at her, speechless for the first time in my fucking life.

“So, uh, now what?” She shifted her weight and wrung her hands in front of her. “I’m obviously not accustomed to what happens next, since I never got this far before.”

There it was again. That adorable innocence she had going on. It was irresistible to a messed-up guy like me. I smiled and stole a quick glance at the clock. I had another hour before I had to be home. “What do you want to happen?” I asked softly.

“I…” She bit down harder on her lip. “If you’d like to, I’d like to spend the rest of my time here with you. When you’re free, of course. I know you have a job and everything. Unless you’re a one-time guy. That’s fine, too.”