Under the Surface (18 page)

Chapter Nineteen

Emilie

Twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six…I
continue to count the time I spend at the bottom of the pool in my head. I
briefly open my eyes to take in the glow of the dimly lit water.

Thirty-five,
thirty-six—
flash.

What was
that? I close my eyes for a moment then open them again. I could have sworn I
just saw a flash of light.

Thirty-seven,
thirty-eight—
flash
. There it was again. I release the remainder of air
in my lungs and push my body upwards. I wouldn’t have lasted much longer in the
water anyway. I needed to take a breath. I inhale deeply and restore my
breathing as I take a look around to catch what that light was.

Flash,
the light comes from my left and is nearly blinding in the
darkness of the night. I turn to my left and see a man standing by the side of
the pool holding a camera. Who the hell is taking pictures of me right now? I
swim forward and squint my eyes to get a better look.

Ren.
Of course it’s
him
.

And there he
is with his camera that’s glued to his fucking hand. How did he know where I
was? I didn’t say anything about where I was going before he left my apartment.

He squats down
by the side of the pool while I swim to the side and grab hold of the ledge.

“Well hello,
Emmy,”
he says with the stupidest smile on his face.

“Stop calling
me that!”
He shakes his head back and forth and continues to laugh at me. He
knows I don’t actually want him to stop. I love his nickname for me, I’m just
pissed at him. “And what are you doing here taking my picture? How did you find
me?”

“I followed
you,”
he states.

He says it
just like that, like its nothing.

“You followed
me? From my apartment here, you followed me?”

“Yeah.”

It’s during
this exact moment that I picture myself taking the band connected to his camera
and choking him with it. Or at least splashing water on his face. One of the
two.

“Why?”

“When I left
you were upset. After I got in my car I was going to head back inside and try
talking to you, but I got nervous. I didn’t know what to say since everything
I’ve said to you tonight has either pissed you off or made you freak out on
me.”

“I did not
freak
out
on you.”

“Well
whatever you want to call it, you did. Anyway, after I sat in my car for a
while I saw you leave. It’s almost two in the morning. I knew you didn’t have
work so I wondered where you were going this late, alone. So I followed you. I
was worried since you were walking, so I stayed close.”

“If you saw
me walking by myself, why didn’t you offer me a ride?”

“If I
would’ve offered you a ride, would you have told me where you were going? Or
asked me to take you home?”

Oh I would
have definitely asked him to take me home. I don’t want anyone knowing about me
going here. It’s private, just the way I like it. “Good point.”

“Exactly. And
when I saw you getting into the water and swimming around I knew I had to take
a picture. I’ve got some good shots of you sitting on the bottom of the pool
with your hair flaring out and the light shining into the water. And of course
I had to get a shot of you in a bikini,”
he winks.

I roll my
eyes at that last statement. My body also starts to shake a little. The pool is
hardly heated so I’m beginning to freeze from the differences in temperature.

“Come on,
I’ll take you home. It’s too cold to keep swimming.”

“Fine, but
only because I’m freezing.”

“Right,
only
because you’re freezing.”
He reaches his hand out to me
and I take it. My body easily lifts out of the water and I kneel on the
concrete before Ren pulls me to my feet.

“
Thanks,
”
I say.

“Don’t
mention it.”
He continues to smile at me while taking in my barely covered
body. My black bikini is pretty small and barely covers me up. If he wants to
look I’m more than happy to let him. Make him see what he’s missing out on.

I continue to
stand there, not even bothering to cover up my body.

Soak it in,
Ren. Soak. It. In.

He grabs my
towel and looks like he’s debating whether or not to hand it to me. Deciding on
yes, he moves forward to wrap it around me and rubs his hands up and down my
arms to warm me up. It’s comforting, and I miss his touch when he bends down to
pick up my discarded clothes off the pool chair.

Chapter Twenty

Ren

I grab her grey sweatshirt, flip flops,
and black leggings? Tights? Whatever they are, off of the chair. All I know is
that I can’t stop looking at her ass when she wears them. “You want to put this
stuff back on or keep the towel?”
I ask.

“I’ll put the
sweatshirt on, but I’ll never get those leggings back on when my legs are wet.”

Leggings
.

“Here you
go.”
I reach out and hand her the sweatshirt. She drops the towel and I
regret ever handing it to her. But I felt like I needed to cover her up to
avoid her seeing how much her naked body was turning me on.

She places
the sweatshirt over her head and slides her arms through. She then starts
wrapping the towel around her waist.

I get an
idea. “Wait, let me do that.”

She looks at
me in confusion. I walk over to her and begin to wrap her large beach towel
around her as tight as possible. Leaving her arms straight and flat against her
body. The end result is a very pissed, burrito-style wrapped Emmy.

I know she
said earlier for me to stop calling her that, but I know she didn’t mean it.
She loves her nickname, almost as much as I love calling her it.

“There, all
done.”
I bend and grab her at the waist and hoist her over my shoulder.

“Ren, what
the hell are you doing?”

“I’m taking
you home. I already told you that.”

“Was it
really necessary to cocoon me?”

“Absolutely,”
I say with a laugh.

I open the
gate that surrounds the pool area and head out towards my truck, being careful
not to drop Emmy on the way. It’s a little difficult the way she’s flopping
around like a fish out of water.

“Stop shaking
around like that, Emmy. I’m going to drop you.”

“I’m
attempting to break free.”
She squirms around more and I
can’t help but laugh. I look around, hopefully no one can see us because it
probably looks like I’m kidnapping her.

I finally
reach my truck and pull my keys out of my pocket to unlock it. But before I do
I jokingly pretend to try throwing her into the trunk.

She gasps,
“Don’t you dare, Ren, or I swear to god when I break free I’ll take that camera
band and choke you with it!”

“You sure are
feisty tonight, Emmy. I have to admit, it’s kind of turning me on.”

“Quit fucking
around.”

I may be
joking about tossing her in the trunk, but I’m not about her turning me on.
When Emmy gets like this, I fucking love it.

“You’re too
pretty of a girl to have a mouth that filthy,” I say.

“Well maybe
if you took me off your shoulder and unwrapped me, I would be a little more
pleasant.”

“Ask me
nicely,”
I tease.

“
Hell. No.
”

I step away from
the passenger side and return to the bed of the truck lifting her ever so
slightly off my shoulder.

She kicks
around a bit before giving in, “Ugh fine! Please, Ren, will you gently place me
on the ground and unwrap this towel from my body. Pretty please.”

Every word of
that was dripping with sarcasm. I pinch her ass in response.

She shrieks,
“Ow, dammit!”

“Try again,
princess.”

She blows out
a loud exaggerated breath. “Ren, can you please put me down so I can get in the
car.”
Surprisingly it sounded pretty sincere.

“See, now was
that so hard?”
I toss her leggings and shoes into the back, and I gently lift her
off my shoulder to place her on the ground.

“Thank you,”
she says.

“Don’t
mention it,
sweetheart
,”
I say with a little sarcasm of
my own. I untuck the towel and start unwrapping her, dropping my keys in the
process. I’ll pick them up when I’
m done.

Emmy stays
surprisingly silent during the whole routine. Once she is unwrapped she’s left standing
there in nothing but her slightly damp sweatshirt. The only damp spots are
around her chest.
Fuck.
She also doesn’t have any pants on and her naked
legs are another distraction.

What happens
now is a complete shock and occurs almost too fast for me to process it. In the
blink of an eye Emmy leans forward and
pulls down my pants
, managing to
knock my body over in the process. As my frame hits the ground, I luckily land
on my back and not my front, so my camera is in tack. She picks up my car keys
and hops into the truck.

Fuck no.
She
wouldn’t fucking dare. Then I realize, oh yes,
she
would.

I quickly
pull up my jeans and try opening the passenger side door. Locked. And she’s
sitting in the driver’s seat.

I slap my
hand on the window in frustration. “Dammit, Emmy! Unlock the doors!”

Her only
response is one of the evilest smiles I have ever seen on a woman.

It freaks me
out so much that it causes me to take a step back.
That
is the moment
she chooses to drive off.

Chapter Twenty-One

Emilie

I can’t believe I just did that. I stole
his truck, his fucking truck. Grand theft auto, I’ll be sure to add that to my
next resume. I’ve only managed to make it out of the parking lot of the motel
and onto the main road. I check the rearview mirror and notice a very angry
looking Ren headed my way.

I decide to
pull over and stop. What I did was stupid; I blew my anger out of proportion. I
unlock the doors when I see him walk up.

The door to
my left flings open and Ren looks furious, like about to explode furious. He
says nothing but raises his eyebrows ever so slightly. I realize I haven’t
moved and remain in the driver’s seat. I quickly scoot over to my right to make
room for his large frame.

He enters the
cab and his heavy pants ring loudly in my ears. He takes his camera off from
around his neck and places it on the dashboard. Ren grips the steering wheel
tightly and I debate what to say.

Sorry,
obviously. But I can’t get the words out. I’m afraid of his reaction because
I’m having trouble placing his emotions right now. I move a little closer
across the seat towards him and prepare for my apology.

He turns when
he notices my movement and we take this moment to just look at each other.

His heavy
breathing hasn’t stopped and I can’t help but take in how attractive he looks.
His green eyes look dark under the yellow tinted street lights. His chest is
rising and falling and his lips are parted. What would it be like to kiss him?
His lips look so soft and inviting—I can only wonder.

“
Look Ren I
’m—”
and in this moment he crashes his lips onto mine. We’re both
frantic in our movements. I, shocked by what is happening, close my eyes and
relish in the feel of his lips on mine. I break away for a moment to gasp in a
breath of air and then Ren in on me again. The kiss isn’t tender or sweet, but
demanding. His hands begin in my hair, cradling my head, then make their way
around the torso of my body, feeling and exploring.

I decide to
do the same. I grip his firm arms and savor the feel of his tight muscles
contracting beneath my hands.

He takes his
right hand and begins to slide it beneath my sweatshirt. He places it over my
left breast and squeezes lightly. It sounds like a muted growl escapes his
lips. “Emmy, you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this.”

His words
surprise me. He’s right, I had no idea. No clue at all that he had any type of
sexual interest in me. I thought I was alone in harboring feelings of
attraction towards him.

We continue to
kiss and his tongue gains entrance into my mouth. I love the way it all feels.
My body, so tiny and small when pressed against his.

I’m panting,
my lungs taking in erratic breaths that match the fast beat of my heart. Ren
slowly leans forward, giving me time to rest my body
backwards
onto the
seat. I continue to keep my hands on Ren’s biceps while he moves his left onto
my waist, and his right hand plants firmly on the seat beside my head.

He lowers his
body onto mine and grinds his hips against me. I can feel his erection through
his jeans, and the rubbing back and forth of our bodies causes a moan to escape
my lips.

Ren’s mouth
moves down to my neck then up to my ear where he roughly pulls the lobe into
his mouth and bites. I close my eyes and take in a gasp of air. He kisses a
trail down my neck again. He’s moving his hips faster against mine and my
breathing is out of control, and the noises coming out of my mouth are a
mixture of pants and moans.

“Keep making
sounds like that, Emmy, and I’
m gonna lose it.
”
Ren almost growls into my ear.

“Sorry,”
I say, but the word sounds more like a gasp.

“Don’t
apologize. I wasn’t complaining,”
he says, continuing to
kiss me.

The feeling
between my legs is building, my body climbing higher and higher, now desperate
for release. I need more.

Ren’s body
slows down and he pushes his torso off of mine.
Why is he stopping?
“What
are you doing?”
I ask.

“I just want
to see more of you,”
he says, then grasps the hem of my sweatshirt
and pulls it off of me. I raise my hands in assistance and soon my sweatshirt
is off and tossed somewhere on the floor.

I’m left in
nothing but my black bikini, and if I’m this naked it’s only fair for Ren to
be, right? I quickly grab onto his shirt and franticly pull it off his body.

His chest is
firm and his abs defined. His rich, tan skin is flawless all over. I could
stare at his body all day and never tire of looking at it. Not too thin and not
too muscular. The perfect lean body, exactly what I like. I run my hands across
his chest then downwards to his stomach. The tips of my fingers graze across
his abs, and I bite my lip in approval.

Delicious,
I think.

A subtle
laugh causes me to tear my eyes away from Ren’s torso and focus on his face. “Delicious,
huh? Why don’t you have a taste?”
He asks.

My face
flushes. Hopefully the darkness disguises some of the tint. I didn’t realize I
said that out loud. I can only laugh shyly. Next time I’ll try to keep my
embarrassing assessments in my head. But a taste? That doesn’t sounds too bad
to me. I grab Ren’s body and hook my leg around his waist. I pull his body down
while I flip mine on top of his.

“What and
excellent idea, Ren.”
My mouth starts on his, then begins a
sensual descent. I kiss his neck, the hollow of his throat, and his left peck.
When I reach the tight ridges of his abs I can’t resist myself any longer. My
tongue snakes out of my mouth and I lick his stomach, one delicious ridge at a
time. His body is so sexy, so absolutely perfect, I still can’t believe this is
happening right now.

“Alright,
Emmy,”
Ren pants,
“My
turn.”

Suddenly my
body is pulled up and flipped back onto the seat.

He’s on me
again. Ren runs his nose along the swell of my breasts and inhales. He repeats
the trail with his tongue.

Sweet mother
of God.
His tongue is hot and searing on my skin.
My hands reflexively move to his head and grip his hair.

His hand
moves to my breast. Ren pulls aside a triangle of my top and rubs his thumb
back and forth across my nipple. “
Oh
,”
I breathe.

“
That feel good?
”

“Yes. Don’
t stop.
”

“Wasn’t
planning on it.”

Ren’s mouth
moves its way down my body. I know where his lips are headed and I don’t think
I can wait any longer.

How long have
I wanted this? How long I’ve waited to experience this with Ren?

Too. Damned.
Long.

He tucks his
fingers under the bands of bikini bottom, and his eyes go to mine, asking
without saying words. I nod and he tugs them downward. They slip off easily
down my legs before being tossed to the floor.

“The top
too,”
Ren says to me before staring down at my spread apart legs.

I pull it off
and revel in the
look he
’s giving me. Ren’s stare makes me feel desirable and sexy. Like
he’ll die if he can’t get his hands on me.

“Absolutely
perfect,”
he says while running both his hands up and down my thighs.

He leans
forward and grabs the back of my neck, pulling me in for another kiss.

“Do you want
this, Emmy?”
Ren asks against my lips.

“Yes.”
More than anything.

Taking my
confirmation Ren grips my hair and deepens the kiss. I bring my hands down to
unbutton his jeans and pull them off him. He sits up momentarily to take over,
and I move up to my elbows to watch.

“And the
underwear too,”
I say, mimicking his earlier request for
me to take off my swim top.

A wicked
smile plants on his lips, and he takes his own sweet time to remove his boxer
briefs.

“Ugh,”
I drop my head back and groan. “You’re purposely dragging this on
to torment me.”

“Good things
come to those who wait.”
His underwear is yet to come off.

“I heard that
was a myth. If you make me wait any longer, nothing good will come to you. I’ll
make sure of it.”

I level my
stare at him, proving to Ren that I’m serious. Sort of.

“Lose the
panties, Renald. I won’t ask again.”

He barks out
a laugh at my use of his full name.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Finally he
pulls them off. And I’m nearly panting at the sight of him sitting up on the
bench seat naked. I sit up and lean forward. I look down at his firm erection
then start stroking him.

“
Fuck
,
Emmy,”
Ren says while gripping his left hand to the steering wheel.

I stroke him
faster and firmer, loving the throaty moans coming from his mouth.

He leans his
head back on the seat and turns to me. “Emmy,”
he says while
grabbing my thigh. “I need to be inside you. Now.”

Now it’s my
turn to moan. “Yes.”

“Condom,”
he says. “Glove compartment.”

I let go of
him and open the glove compartment. I rifle around, looking for a condom, and
finally find one at the bottom. I toss it to Ren and he rips it open with his
teeth before sliding it onto his thick erection.

I move to
straddle him, shifting around awkwardly in the tiny confinement of the car.
When I finally get into a comfortable position my knees are resting on the
outside of Ren’s legs on the seat.

I kiss him
again, and feel Ren’s hand slip between my legs. He uses his thumb to rub
circles on my clit before plunging two fingers into me. I gasp as a response,
and my hips shift forward when I feel his fingers dive deeper inside of me.

Ren takes his
hand away and I move mine to his shoulders—using his body to push myself
upward. When we line up our bodies, I slowly sink down onto his erection.

Oh my god.
“Ren,”
I say when I feel myself stretching for
him.
Once seated, I start to move, pushing up and down.

Ren grabs onto
my hips. He uses his strength to lift my hips faster. The closeness of our
bodies is heady. I can taste his breath when he exhales, and I know he’s
feeding off the lust filled sounds I’m making.

A thin sheen
of sweat breaks out over Ren’s skin, and he pushes his hair out of his eyes. I
can see the strain in his face, a vein throbbing in his neck, and I know he’s
getting close.

“God, you
feel so good. I can feel you squeezing me. Fuck, Emmy, you’re going to make me
come.”

That’s exactly
what I want. I want to make him come. I push my hand against the apex of my
thighs and start rubbing my fingers against my clit. Ren watches me, almost
hypnotized by the motion. My body is so close, right on the edge of release.

Ren sucks one
of my nipples into his mouth. He bites down with a rough pinch and I come. My
head drops back and my eyes shut tightly. Ren doesn’t stop moving, only thrusts
harder into me, prolonging my release. Just as I’m coming down from my orgasm I
hear a strangled moan, deep in the back of Ren’s throat. The sound is so sexy,
so full of desire, I know I’ll never forget it. I’ll catalogue it forever into
my brain under things I love about him. He buries his face into my neck as he
comes and holds my body close to his.

I close my
eyes and steady my breathing. I open them when I feel Ren tucking my hair
behind my ears. He’s looking at me, desire still fills his eyes, or maybe it’s
something more?

“Emmy, I…”

I think I’m
falling in love with you, Ren.

But I know
that’s not what he’s going to say.

“Stop,”
I say while moving off his body. “Please, Ren, don’t say
anything.”

He looks on
the verge of speaking again, but closes his mouth.

Ren gets rid
of the condom and we both slip back on some of our clothes. I put on my
swimsuit and Ren puts on his underwear and jeans.

“Emmy.”

I don
’t
look
at him. I know it’s rude, but for some reason I’m afraid to hear what he wants
to say. I’m worried it’ll be along the lines of
this won’t happen again
or
I think we just made a mistake.

I don
’t know why I’m suddenly
so insecure around him. I’ve never had a problem with my confidence around men
in the past. I think it has something to do with my fear of losing Ren. How I’m
so worried I’ll mess up my only chance to be with someone who for the first time
makes me happy.