The Arrangement Anthology (19 page)

Smacking the kite into his back, I giggle, saying, “Bear attack! Bear attack! Rwoar!”

Sean’s jaw drops open. He lets me smack him with the kite at least three times before he tackles me, and knocks me back into the sand. Sean’s fingers find my bare skin under my sweater and he tickles. I laugh and continue to taunt him. “Next time we should get a bear kite. That way it’s more believable. Millionaire, Sean Ferro, attacked on Jones Beach, by a bear. Channel 12 will come running out if we call that in.” I reach into my pocket, or rather I try to, but Sean yanks the phone away.

“I’m not a millionaire and Channel 12 doesn’t cover bear attacks—too exciting.” He pins me down, and manages to straddle me. Sean’s breathing hard. He looks down at my face and I go still.

“You’re not rich?”

“I didn’t say that. I said I’m not a millionaire.” Sean has a strange look on his face.

“Ah, since we’re playing coy, I’m not a millionaire, either. I’m a twentyaire. I have twenty-five bucks in my pocket until I get paid.” I try to pull my wrists free, but Sean doesn’t budge. “So, come on. What are you? I told you how much I’m worth.” I smile at him, laughing. “By the way, I’m paying for lunch. The $1 menu at Wendy’s has some bitchin’ chicken nuggets with your name on them.” I waggle my eyebrows at him, not expecting him to tell me anything.

“You’re treating me?” he asks, surprised. I nod. Sean pauses for a second. Then he licks his lips and leans down and whispers in my ear. “I’m a billionaire, maybe a few times over.”

I giggle when he pulls back and say, “Like the Monopoly man?” I stare at him. Holy shit. Sean watches me, waiting to see how I take it. I act like I’m going to be serious, and ask, “Do you have that kickass top hat? Nah, I bet you’re more of a monocle man.” I reach into his pocket and Sean squirms.

He grabs my wrists and pins me again. “Seriously? That’s your reaction? You ask me if I dress like a cartoon character?” My eyes shift back and forth between his. Sean seems surprised.

I’m more distracted by his eyes. I shrug. “Money’s money. You need it to live, but beyond that, I don’t care. You can’t take it with you. Hey, and this doesn’t mean that I’m going to stiff you on lunch. Don’t worry. I’ll get you a drink and some fries, too. What’s mine is yours.” I grin at him, expecting him to laugh, but he doesn’t. The pressure on my wrists disappears as Sean sits up. He slips off of me and I sit up next to him. “Did I say something wrong?” I ask, tucking my hair behind my ear. “Because I do that a lot. I didn’t mean to be ass-y Avery.”

Sean glances at me. “You seriously only have twenty bucks?” I nod. “And you were going to spend most of it on me, today?”

I nod again. The way he’s acting makes me nervous. I try to play it off, like it’s nothing. “It’s not rocket science, Sean. We’re hungry. We eat.”

Sean’s eyes scan my face, like he can’t believe what he sees. “You really don’t have any desire to be rich?”

“There’s a line between being piss-ass poor and having enough to get by. I want to hit the get-by line, maybe a little bit more.” I shrug and pull my knees into my chest. “More than that just fucks things up. Life isn’t about money. It’s about the people you love—the relationships you make. Maybe I have that once poor always poor thing. I don’t know, but I don’t really care, Mr. Jones. If you have a problem with it—”

Sean stares at me like I have two heads. “I don’t have a problem with it, not at all.”

I wiggle my toes in the sand and say, “Can’t buy me love.”

To my surprise, Sean says the next line of the song. I smile at him. Sean continues to recite the verse and soon his words turn to song. The velvety sound of his voice sounds perfect. Sean pulls me to his chest and sings just for me. I relax, looking out at the ocean and watch the waves. His fingers smooth my hair as his breath warms my cheek. It makes that feeling in my chest stir, the good one. For the longest time, the only thing I could feel was that hollow ache.

CHAPTER 7

Sean nuzzles his chin to the side of my face and holds me tight. I’m sitting between his legs on the sand. The way he breathes makes me feel peaceful. It’s strange. I don’t understand why or how. I don’t question things like that anymore. I just take it for what it is—I feel at ease around him. Sean rubs his hands over my arms. The chill in the air numbed my skin a while ago. It feels good to have him sitting so close, to warm me up.

I tilt my head back to ask him something, but never get the chance. When our eyes meet, something shifts. All day Sean has acted more like a friend than a lover. I’ve convinced myself it’s because that’s what he is. I’m his paid lover. It’s not the same. But that look in his eye ensnares me. It pulls me to him, making the butterflies in my stomach flutter to life.

Sean watches my lips with a hungry intensity that sends sparks through my body. Through lowered lashes, his eyes never stray from my mouth. I’m pulled to him. With everything in me, I try to resist, but I can’t. I’m barely breathing, hardly holding on. Sean gives me something to hold on to, at least for now.

The space between us closes. Sean’s lips are right there. I feel the magnetic pull and before I know it, his lips are brushing against mine. I suck in air, trying hard to control myself. I don’t want him to know how enamored I am, how much I want him. It has nothing to do with contracts or money. It’s Sean. I want him, I want to be around him and taste his lips because I want to.

The kiss is a breathtaking tease. When he pulls away, Sean’s blue eyes are blazing like twin flames. I can’t look away. I twist in his lap and turn to my side. Leaning into his chest, I lift my hand to his cheek. Leaning in slowly, watching his beautiful lips, I close the space between us. My heart pounds harder as I feel Sean’s hands in my hair. He doesn’t pull me forward, but he doesn’t push me back.

Something inside of me is screaming for me to stop. It’s the voice that tells me to hold on, that I can survive this. When every other thought falls silent, it’s always there. I don’t understand the warning bells going off. I just know how Sean makes me feel and I need to feel something that I understand right now. That night on the motorcycle, the night he helped me chase my car down, there were no voices telling me to beware. He could have ridden off with me and dumped my body at the Captree boat docks. No one would have known what happened to me. There was no little voice in the back of my head then, so it’s totally weird that it’s there now.

Breathing in deeply, I ignore the warning and press my lips to his. The uncertainty fades as Sean kisses me back. His tongue sweeps against the seam of my lips, gently, asking me if I want him. When I let him in, Sean holds me tight and leans us back into the sand. He rolls so that I’m under him. The cold air and the hot kisses crash together. My pulse pounds harder as the kiss builds hotter and hotter. Sean keeps his lips on mine the entire time, not stopping for breath. His hands touch my face, gently stroking my cheek as the kiss intensifies. My heart thuds inside of me like it’s been sleeping and suddenly startled awake. My body is hot and cold, my mind is swimming in sensations that conflict.

Sean knows how to draw me out of my despair. His touch is like magic. Everything that was crushing me is gone, temporarily held away. I lose myself in his lips. My eyes are closed and I focus on the feel of his lips on mine. Every time he sweeps his tongue over mine, my insides flutter. It’s magic.

After a moment, Sean pulls back. His eyes sweep my face before locking with mine. Reaching toward me, Sean tucks a dark curl behind my ear. “Your kiss is addicting,” he says, his voice a little too husky from a kiss. I smile at him and touch his cheek and feel the light stubble under the pads of my fingers. Sean’s eyes lower as I do it. He takes a slow, deep, breath like he’s savoring my touch. When his eyes open again, he takes a jagged breath. My gaze drifts to his lips. I can’t stop staring at his mouth. “If you keep looking at me like that, I’m not going to be able to stop.”

An awkward smile spreads across my face. My fingers twirl the hair at the base of his neck. “You’d have sex in the sand, when it’s freezing outside?”

“If it meant that I could be with you,” his hands strokes my cheek, “then, yes.”

I stare into Sean’s eyes, unable to blink, unable to breathe. This feels real. I don’t know what to say. “You get to be with me as much as you want. You bought me, remember?”

Sean’s eyes dart back and forth between mine. His hand strokes my cheek again. The sensation makes my eyes close briefly as his warm fingers trail across my chilled skin. “But it’s not like this.”

Before I can ask him what he means, Sean’s lips are on mine. He kisses me fiercely, pressing his mouth firmly to mine. His hands rove my body, carefully moving over areas that no one is supposed to touch. His hands slip over the curve of my hips and under my sweater. I feel Sean’s cold fingers press against the small of my back. I arch toward him and Sean pulls me tighter. He kisses me like he’s never going to get another chance.

My fingers tangle in his hair. I find the bottom of his sweater and slip my hands underneath. I slide my palms along his toned body, feeling the warm skin on his back. Sean reacts by moving onto me. My knees part and I wrap my ankles around his. The kisses grow more passionate. My heart pounds harder. I don’t understand how he does this to me. In that moment, there’s only him and me. I don’t hurt. There are no memories to repress, no thoughts to hold back. There’s only Sean and his hot lips.

Without realizing it, I pull his hair. Sean gasps and breaks the kiss. His eyes are dark with desire. He’s breathing hard and so am I. Watching me closely, Sean reaches for the button on my jeans. He flips the button with his thumb and lowers the zipper. My pulse is thundering in my ears, waiting to see what Sean wants to do. His blue eyes are locked on mine. Sean presses his hand to my stomach and slips his fingers into my panties. My mouth falls open into a little O. I make a sound at the back of my throat as his fingers touch me. Sean watches me and gages my reactions to his touch. He moves his hand in a way that makes me hot even though it’s cold.

Sean’s fingers tease me, pressing and flicking the sensitive flesh. I gasp and push my hips to his hand, wanting more. He watches me move. Our eyes lock. There’s something about his gaze that captivates me. I never thought I’d want someone to do this to me, and watch me so openly, but with him it feels right. When I can’t stand the teasing anymore, I wrap my fingers around Sean’s neck and pull him back down. Kissing Sean fiercely, I feel his hand shift lower. His fingers push inside of me. Gasping, I rock my hips against his hand. Sean dips his fingers in and out, rocking with me. The movement makes me feel like I’m floating. I never want it to end. I feel his eyes on me, watching me. My heart pounds harder. I feel what he’s done to me, how my body responds to him. The heat between my legs warms my entire body.

Sean’s lips press against my cheek and then dip to my neck. I hear voices coming from somewhere behind us on the boardwalk. Sean hears them, too. He stills for a moment and the people walk past. Sean is breathing hard when he looks at me.

“Tell me what you want,” Sean says, his voice filled with need.

“You.” It’s the only thing I want. I want to feel Sean inside of me. I want to lose myself in him.

I reach for his jeans and undo the button. When my hands are on the zipper, he stops me. Sean’s fingers hold mine. There’s a slight tremor to his hands. When I look at his face, Sean won’t return my gaze. I can barely breathe. Sean seems like he’s frozen. I must have done something, but I don’t know what. Taking his hand, I lift it to my lips. I kiss each one of his fingers, gently pressing my lips to the soft pad. Then, I take the next finger and do it again. When I finish, I reach for his waist again.

This time, Sean lets me. I lower his zipper and slip my hand below his jeans. Sean sucks in the cold air as my fingers wrap around his hard, hot shaft. I free him from his cloths without undressing him, and then pull him onto me. Sean adjusts my jeans, lowering them. When the cold air hits my warm bottom, I think I might die. But then Sean is there, hot and hard.

I feel his body against mine. Sean pushes into me slowly and then pulls nearly all the way out. Then he repeats it. My hands find the skin on his back. Every time he pushes into me, I dig my nails in wanting more. Every moment that passes is filled with pure bliss. My body responds to him, but it’s so different than the other night. I feel different. My core is hotter than hell and that delicate throbbing starts somewhere inside of me. Sean thrusts into me in rhythm with that pulsing. As he takes me higher and higher, the throbbing becomes more demanding. When he can’t take it anymore, Sean thrusts into me, pushing harder and faster, until I shatter. Gasping, every inch of my body feels incredible. I’m so high, so intoxicated with him.

Sean stays there, on top of me, breathing hard. His fingers brush my hair out of my face. The look on his face is pensive. Sean’s gaze sweeps over my eyes, cheeks, and lips. His mouth parts like he wants to say something, but he doesn’t. A shiver slips down my spine. Suddenly I feel the cold sand and damp air. I’m still warm, but my senses are returning. I’m falling back to earth, becoming more aware of what we did.

Sean rolls off of me and helps me get my jeans up without filling them with sand. As it is, there’s sand stuck to my cheeks and the small of my back. We wiggled too much to be sand-free. After he buttons my jeans, Sean lays back down, pressing his body to mine. That distant look in his eyes is gone, replaced with something that I don’t recognize. There’s a softness there, a vulnerability that makes me want to hold him forever. Sean presses his lips together. I think he’s going to say something, but he can’t seem to say it. I start to speak, but Sean leans down and presses his lips to mine, silencing me. The kiss is small and chaste. His mouth drifts to my cheek, and then my eyes and nose, leaving a trail of light kisses in his wake. The last kiss is on my forehead.

I watch him, wondering what he’s thinking, wishing that I knew. I finally ask, “What are you thinking?”

Sean sits up on the sand and lets out a rush of air. He pushes his hands through his hair and looks down at me. “I wish things were different. I wish I...” He sounds tense, like he made a mistake. The muscle in his jaw tightens like he can’t swallow.