"Or something. I watch Shark Tank."
I rolled my eyes. He was infuriating. "I don't understand you."
"I just don't want to see you taken advantage of. Study the market, because this can be a turning point for your career."
Hmm. I was torn on whether or not to believe him, but the waitress came over to ask about a refill, and I got distracted. "Design isn't going to be my career," I finally said. "My family owns Drink It In Style vineyards, and I'll be expected to work there."
"Why?"
I tilted my head. "Because I have to."
"Why? Is it not your life? If you want to be a fashion designer, just do it and tell your parents you're sorry, but you need to follow your own path."
It sounded so simple. How many times had I tried to dialogue with both of them, only to be dragged into a huge guilt trip about the family heritage I'd be leaving behind? About their sacrifices so I could have a solid future? "It's not that easy," I said softly. "I'm an only child. My parents are overprotective, and the vineyard has been in our family for generations. If I don't take it over, we'll lose our heritage. Sometimes there are bigger things to think of."
He studied me in the bright light, his emerald gaze probing deep beneath the surface and seeing every writhing, messy, selfish emotion I kept under lock and key. "I don't think it's easy, Storme. I just think it's necessary. If you don't, you'll lose something more important."
My fingers shook. We'd slipped into dangerous territory. The safe conversation had disintegrated, leaving a vulnerability I rarely showed and a raging attraction I'd never experienced. "What?"
A faint smile curved his lips. "Yourself."
We stared at each other in thunderous silence. My fingers clenched the stem of my wineglass, and I fought desperately not to go to him and climb on his lap, and beg him to show me things I'd only dreamed about. "I should go," I said softly, not moving.
"What if you could do both? Work at the vineyard and do design?"
"I don't know if I could have both."
He seemed to catch the double meaning in my statement and leaned over the table. Slowly, his hand slid across the Tuscan tile and touched my fingers. My heart thundered from my chest, and goose bumps broke out on my skin. I couldn't remember wanting someone as much as I did in that moment.
"Maybe you can." He paused. "Maybe you can have both and nobody gets hurt. Isn't that what you really want?"
My honest invitation to have an affair suddenly seemed too much to handle. In theory, Phillip's insistence for me to experiment and be free was the perfect solution. In reality, I was terrified Holden Fox would become so much more than a summer fling.
Maybe I shouldn't risk it.
Swallowing hard, I broke the contact between us, grabbed my bags, then stood. "Thanks for the drink," I said, "but I've got to go."
"Storme?"
"Yeah?"
His eyes were full of intent. It looked like he had made a decision, and now I was the one completely chickening out.
"I'll see you soon."
The words, along with my spit, dried up in my mouth. So, I did the next best thing I could do under the circumstances.
I ran.
Chapter Fourteen
HOLDEN
I COULDN'T STOP THINKING about our impromptu cocktail.
Somehow, our exchange bothered me even more than our sexual attraction. She wasn't the rich, spoiled princess I'd assumed. She had goals. Dreams. Instead of sitting back and spending her parents' money, she seemed genuinely concerned about their approval and running the vineyard.
What struck me the most was the passion in her voice and on her face when she'd spoken about design. It was more than a hobby to her, no matter how she denied it. It was easy for me to judge, but if my parents had committed me to a future they counted on, would I have fought them as hard as I imagined?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
After Storme left, I looked up Drink It In Style vineyards and Googled her family. Situated in Suffolk County, the vineyard seemed pretty well known with some solid varieties of wine that sold well. There were even some pictures of them together, Storme's arms linked with her parents', a genuine, loving smile on all of their faces.
Was this where the fiance came in? A business arrangement? She seemed insistent that it was mostly a friendship grown from childhood. I hadn't wanted to believe it, but it was definitely possible.
Not that anything was going to happen between us. The way she ran away like I was some type of serial killer told me what I needed to know. She may have propositioned me, but she wasn't ready to dive into an affair. Storme would avoid me at all costs, and if I continued to pursue her, I'd be left miserable and aching until I got my ass to New York and tried to get on with my life.
In a pissy mood, I decided to go for a run. Glancing at my watch, I figured the paths along the beach would be mostly empty since a major thunderstorm threatened.
I tied up my sneakers, grabbed a windbreaker, then headed out. Taking a few moments to warm up, I began with an easy jog and left Brian's house behind. Forgoing my iPod for my own thoughts, I let my body take over as my feet pounded the pavement, weaving toward the beach until I was running parallel to the waves.
Cranky clouds hung heavy in a muddy sky. The tang of salt water filled my nostrils. The air was muggy, so sweat beaded on my skin within minutes, but I embraced the discomfort, knowing I'd finally get to the part where the fog lifted and my body and brain became super sharp and clean. By the time I'd gone a mile, the rain began. Water pelted my face while I ran, and then I began furiously blinking as the torrential downpour began. It was gonna be a hell of a storm.
Lightning cracked, and the wind tore at my jacket, trying to rip it off my body. Within minutes, nature's violence had whipped itself into a fury, and I realized I needed to take cover. I picked up my pace. Puddles soaked my shoes, water streamed in my eyes, and I ran faster, my instincts taking me down the hill, past familiar landscaping, and up a brick path I'd been on before.
To Storme's house.
Thunder boomed like Zeus throwing a temper tantrum. Soaked to the bone, shivering, I climbed the steps. She probably wasn't home. And if she was, she probably wouldn't answer the door. Why should she? Still, I rang the bell.
The door flung open.
Her eyes widened. She took in my dripping form, and without pause, grabbed my arm and dragged me inside.
The door closed behind us.
A pool of water gathered at my feet and seeped into a large circle on the shiny, dark wood floors. The rain belted the windows, and the wind screamed in rebellion, and we just stood there staring at each for a long, long time.
Finally, I said the only words I could. "I can't seem to get you out of my head." I watched a mingle of raw lust and fear flicker over her face. "I've been going nuts thinking about your offer. Thinking about what would've happened if I'd backed you up against those dunes, slid my fingers into your sweet pussy, and made you come for me. Thinking about you screaming my name, about making you mine." I growled low and furious, leaning in but refusing to touch her. "It was a mistake to let you walk away. I won't fight this anymore. I want you. I fucking crave you. I'm willing to do whatever I need to get you."
Her eyes half closed as if she were fighting something deep inside, and then suddenly she was in my arms, wrapping herself into my embrace, her fingers threading through my wet hair. I looked deep into her eyes and drowned in a seething pit of coal black.
"I can't fight this, either," she whispered. Her breath struck my lips, scented faintly of coffee and mint toothpaste. I shivered, afraid if I said anything I'd break the spell. "I want you."
I groaned, pressing my forehead to hers. My body was barely in control, my dick rock-hard, my heart beating crazily in my chest. I hung on for the last few moments of sanity. "Are you sure?"
"Yes."
I grit my teeth. "I'm soaking wet."
She tipped her head back. "So am I."
Oh, fuck. I was a goner.
I uttered a vicious curse, lowered my head, then kissed her. Something inside me broke loose, mirroring the creaks and roars of the wind and rain and lightning, taking us both in its merciless grip.
My tongue surged inside and drowned in her taste. Thrusting in and out of her sweet, hot mouth, I rocked my hips against her and swallowed her throaty moans. She hung on tight and gave it back to me, digging her fingernails into my shoulders, tangling her tongue with mine. I picked her up, so she wrapped her legs around my hips, and our bodies were plastered together. Panting for breath, I ripped my mouth from hers. The front of her T-shirt was now soaked, and her nipples jutted out with frank invitation. Her lips were swollen like ripe Red Delicious apples, and she tugged at me, eyes reflecting a drugged frustration.
"Don't stop."
"Not gonna. Bedroom?"
"Second door on the left."
I walked with her still wrapped around me then kicked the door open with my foot. I'd fantasized a lot about this, and most of the time, I figured I'd leave her begging and helpless beneath me, but I couldn't do it. I was too damn hungry to be inside her, so I embraced my animal instincts and tugged off her clothes with little build-up or seduction.
Thank God she seemed to be in the grip of the same lust, because she went to work on my wet shorts, which clung fiercely to my hips. She gave a sexy little growl and finally managed to pull the soaking material down my thighs. In moments, we were both naked, and I tumbled her on the bed and devoured her whole.
I didn't give her the chance to change her mind. Caught up in a frenzy of need, I palmed her gorgeous breasts and sucked on the tips, scraping my teeth gently across until she scissored her legs and hissed. "Stop fooling around," she demanded, her hands tracing the muscles of my chest and stroking my stomach. Moving lower. Then cupping my dick with both hands, squeezing and rubbing up and down the shaft until my eyes rolled in the back of my head, and I bit her nipple in sensual warning. "I can't take it."
"I can't, either." I feasted on those plump breasts, admiring the wet shine of her ruby nipples. "I wanted to feel you come against my tongue, taste you, make you crazy, but I'll lose it if I don't get inside you."
She wriggled, opened her legs wide, and arched up. "Yes, do it, do it now."
I almost came in her hand from her raw, honest reaction, but I wasn't about to lose it this early in the game. "Ah, shit, condom. In my wallet, stay." I jumped off the bed, wrestled the condom out of my pocket, then sheathed myself quickly. Seeing her splayed open on the bed, listening to my command, made me groan with need. Her pink, gleaming pussy demanded attention, but I couldn't feast on her right now. I was too close. Instead, I lifted her knees upward, settled myself between her thighs, then pushed in.
Ah, fuck.
I gritted my teeth in pure ecstasy as her tight, hot flesh closed around me in welcome. She made a little noise in the back of her throat and thrashed her head from side to side. It took all my strength to keep the entry slow and measured so she could get used to my length.
"Sugar, you're so tight," I groaned. Sweat pricked my forehead. "Let me in."
Her broken moan ripped past my ears. I placed my palms on her breasts and rubbed, flicking her nipples with my thumb and rocking my hips back and forth in slow motions, making sure to hit her clit with just enough pressure.
A rush of liquid warmth soaked me, and I slid home.
"Oh, God! More, Holden, I need more, please--"
I pulled all the way out then slammed back in, moving my hands to cup her ass and lift her high to receive each deep thrust. Each time her pussy clenched around me, I lost more of myself to her, steeped in her open reaction to our fucking, from the shocked joy on her face, to the shaking of her thighs, to the guttural moans from her throat. I quickened my pace, reached around, then pressed my thumb over her hard clit.
Then watched her fall apart.
Her screams were music. Her entire body went into spasms as her pussy milked me, and still, I couldn't stop fucking her, taking her completely until there wasn't anything left of me or her, there was just us.
My balls tightened, and the climax shot through me. I called out her name, jerking my hips and coming with almost violent spasms until I collapsed on top her, wrecked, sated, done.
Chapter Fifteen
STORME
I ROUSED MYSELF ENOUGH to notice Holden had rolled to the side and brought the sheet up over us. Our legs intertwined. The scent of sex and musk and rain clung to our skin. His hand was buried in my tangled hair, and my mouth was pressed to his chest.
And I knew in that moment I'd never be the same again.
It was more than sleeping with a man other than Phillip. It was more than a release of sexual frustration and of pretending I didn't miss a physical connection with a man.
No. This was about me. The shifting of something deep inside, a blossoming and hope of being the woman I always knew I could be. How would I ever settle for anything less than this gut-wrenching connection? This passion that defied the physical and touched my soul? Holden had unlocked a deep, dark box inside I had never really wanted to open. And, like Pandora's, it could never be undone again.
And it may destroy me.
"Do you have regrets?"
I jerked at the sound of his husky voice in my ear. Did I? Yes. No. Did it matter anymore? I had chosen my fate the moment I'd invited him into the house, and if I needed to choose again, I wouldn't change a thing.
"No." I couldn't lie. How could I ever regret the explosive way he'd made my body light up, and the earth shattering orgasm I'd never before experienced? "I've never--I've never felt that way before."
He tugged at my hair and stared down at me. His face was relaxed, with just a hint of sexy stubble hugging his jaw. Bold, black brows made his emerald eyes stand out and shimmer with a colorful depth that pulled me in deep. "Like what?"
I squirmed. No way was I going to tell him my heart was already in danger. I was such a simpleton. Falling for the first guy to wring out an orgasm. Still, I'd already done the damage, so I decided from now on, I'd be truthful. Give him everything and let the future figure itself out. "I never had an orgasm. Well, with a man before."
He pulled back, frowning, as if he were deciding whether or not to believe me. "Are you kidding me? He never got you to orgasm? Even through foreplay?"
I tried to roll away, but he caught me, pinning me beneath his hard length to the mattress. "It's not like that between us," I said. "We began dating when we were sixteen. We were each other's first at seventeen. But we don't have that kind of attraction to each other. We're best friends."
"Then be best friends, sugar. Not husband and wife."
"It's complicated."
"Life always is."
"Fuck you." I struggled harder to free myself, but he cuffed my wrists and held them to each side of my head.
"You already did. But I'm ready to go again."
"Why do you have to be such a jerk?" I hissed. I hated that my body was already softening and getting aroused minutes after my orgasm. This was crazy.
Holden cursed and closed his eyes. When he reopened them, I caught a glimpse of something deep and raw and all truth. "Because I'm jealous," he finally ripped out. "Because I've only had you once, and already, my head is wrecked and my body wants you again. Because you scare the living shit out of me."
I trembled, arching into him, accepting the words I knew had been so difficult for him to utter. "Good. Because I feel the same." I lowered my voice and parted my lips. "Now fuck me."
He did. This time, a little slower, but still with the same power that shot every nerve ending to fire and made my body weep. I cried out as his tongue swept my dripping slit, his hard hands holding me open to his wicked ministrations. He devoured and tasted and teased, nudging my aching clit with the steady pressure of his fingers, curling them and pumping in and out until I came hard, shaking in tiny fits as I was hurled out into space and consumed in pleasure.
> When we collapsed on top of each other, I began laughing. Panting for breath, he tugged my hair playfully and nipped my shoulder. "Hey, what's so funny? If you say my technique, you may break me for life."
I smiled up at him, caressing his face. "Definitely not your technique. I was just thinking how truly stupid I was for thinking something."
"Thinking what?"
"That orgasms were overrated and not really necessary."
He grinned with a wicked intent. "I intend to put those thoughts out of your mind permanently."
I laughed again and cuddled into him, feeling happier than I'd ever felt before. I knew there'd be consequences for my actions...for my sins. But for now, I was safe in Holden's arms, and the world seemed a distant place.
Much, much later, we sat on the deck overlooking the beach. Kelsey was at Sean's, and Leigh had to drive home to check on her father and grandfather. Wrapped up in a blanket, we ate cold spring rolls leftover from dinner last night, and sipped a ruby-red Merlot while we watched the sun set. The rain had passed, leaving that refreshed, wrung-out feeling in the world, as if everything had a brand-new start.
"Tell me something about you," I demanded. I watched him bite into the roll with strong, white teeth, imagining that same set of teeth closing over my nipple. His smug laugh told me he knew what I was thinking. I fought the blush with all my might.
"Men don't like to talk," he said. "Actions are so much more fun."
I shook my head, fighting my smile. "I'm serious. We've been naked together all day, being really intimate, and I just want to know more. I'll take anything. A story from childhood. Your dreams and fears."
He lifted his brow. "My favorite color is blue."
I rolled my eyes. "Boring. For instance, I told you about my passion for design. Do you have a career you imagined for yourself? Or a hobby you love?"
Hmm. He looked a bit uneasy, as if deciding how much to spill, but I couldn't expect him to open up after jumping into bed. "I like stocks," he finally said.
"Like in the stock market?"
"Yep. My father liked to dabble and used to lecture me at the kitchen table. At first, it was all a bunch of gibberish and felt like a punishment to sit and listen to his lectures, but one day he gave me all this analysis and told me to pick a stock, and he'd buy some and see how I did. I made my pick, and my choice netted me five hundred bucks." His lips curved up slightly. "I was so damn happy, and then I got hooked. Dad and I would spend countless hours together going over stock reports and analyses on television. It drove my mom nuts."