That One Summer: A Collection of Steamy Contemporary Romance

Chapter 4

Soft and comfortableand cool. I slept for hours, not caring I was sleeping away my first day. I wanted to take this bed home with me. It was like being enfolded in a cloud of heaven. I knew Nico left at some point because I heard the door click, but a second later I was dreaming again. Three guesses for what—no, who—I dreamed about. I woke up jetlagged, dehydrated, horny, and hungry. My dreams had been a mixture of what did happen and what my body clearly wanted to happen.

I had more important things to worry about than a phantom desire for the hot guy who’d thought he was saving me. Like a killer headache and a growling stomach. I flopped back onto the pillows, wincing as my head protested. When was the last time I ate? Yesterday? The day before? I’d ignored the food on the plane. I’d have to go find something to eat before I passed out.

When was the last time I’d felt hungry as this? Since Mick dropped his bombshell, I’d barely eaten. First, I was angry, then miserable, then so busy canceling everything because he wasn’t going to lift a finger to help. No, I had to go through the misery of telling everyone I’d been jilted. I suppose at least he hadn’t done it at the altar.

I felt the anger bubble inside me again. “Enough!”

It was time I got over moping about my very ex-fiancé. I was better off without him.

First, I had to get rid of this headache. In my travel bag, I found an unopened bottle of water from the plane. It was kind of warm and a little gross, but between that and a couple of Tylenol, and another short nap, I’d be on the way to recovery. I collapsed on the pillows and closed my eyes.

When I stirred again, my head had quit doing the tango. Time to find something to eat, via the bathroom.

I pushed back the covers and padded into the bathroom. The small black bag was still in its corner.

Nico would be gone tomorrow, and I couldn’t help the disappointment that shot through me. I didn’t want him to leave. Which was ridiculous. He’d been imposed on me. I should be pleased at the thought of having the suite to myself.

“Gah!”

I threw my hands in the air. I didn’t need to be dependent on a guy for entertainment. I used the bathroom, then contemplated my next move. Time for a late lunch. Room service or exploration? It was tempting to hide, but I had Miriam on my shoulder, telling me to get off my butt.

I dressed in a bikini, threw a pink sundress over the top, picked up my shades, a hat, and a beach bag in case I wanted to swim or read, and headed for the door.

Thirty minutes later, I sat under an umbrella gazing at the sapphire and emerald colored sea. A waiter brought me a large soda and a salad that tasted as if it had just been picked. I was glad of the shade as the sun burned bright. The nearby pool wasn’t as busy as I expected, and I remembered Nico saying families were returning home today. A few kids yelled as they jumped into the pool. I loved their fun and enthusiasm. I needed to find that again. Find the old Cassie. I placed a hand over my heart. She was in here somewhere. Maybe I needed to jump in the pool a few times like the kids.

The last time you did that, a naked stranger jumped in and rescued you.

My mind wasn’t going to let me forget that in a hurry. I flushed all over at the thought. I swear my face probably matched my sundress. I took a long swallow of soda to cool down. Hey, I even managed not to choke! Go me!

Thinking of Nico, I wondered how he was getting on at his conference and whether he was still sleepy. I had no idea how much sleep he’d actually gotten.

I read for a while, then napped. By the time I woke, the sun was lower in the sky. I was still tired. Maybe I’d have another nap in my bed before the evening. I vaguely remembered Nico offering to take me out to dinner.

When I got back to my room, I heard Nico already in his room, talking in rapid-fire Greek. No English this time. I felt self-conscious about going back to bed and wandered out onto the balcony. It was still warm and on impulse I decided to take a swim. I stripped off my dress, throwing it on a chair, and dived into the pool. I rose to the surface, spluttering and shaking my head. A shadow cast over me.

“Feeling better?” Nico asked.

“Cooler now,” I said, swimming to the side.

“At least this time you didn’t scare me.”

He was dressed in a white cotton shirt open at the collar, a dark curl of hair peeking over the vee, and black dress pants, but his feet were bare, as if he’d kicked off his socks and shoes as soon as he walked in.

“I envy you,” Nico said. “I’ve been roasting all day. I’m going to have a swim before we go out to dinner.”

I looked up at him. “Aren’t you supposed to network with the people at the conference?”

He waved a hand. “I did that earlier at lunch. Today finished early. Now I’m free.”

He bent down and held out a hand. I took it and he hauled me out of the water again like I barely weighed a thing. I stumbled against him, blushing as he righted me until I’d gotten my balance.

He whistled at me. “Nice bikini.”

I blushed again at the open admiration. My new hot pink bikini barely covered my nipples, but at least it wasn’t transparent this time. Miriam had forced me to buy it, insisting at the time that Mick would love it. I’d nearly burned it when I packed, but my navy-blue practical swimsuit I used to swim in the local YMCA pool didn’t exactly scream vacation. Now I was glad the bikini hadn’t met a fiery end as Nico’s gaze raked over my body.

“Have you given your speech?” I took the towel he offered me and dried off, although it was so warm I didn’t need it.

“I have and they laughed in the right places and clapped politely.”

‘Did you tell them about last night?”

“They laughed like a drain when I told them about begging for a room. I didn’t mention the naked shenanigans in the pool.”

“There were no shenanigans,” I said primly, then giggled. “And you weren’t the one begging.”

I’d thought I’d never be able to look Nico in the eyes again, but he was so easy to be around.

“Such a shame,” he said huskily.

He was going to make me blush from head to foot if he kept looking at me like that. I turned and dove into the pool again before I did something stupid, like jump on him and beg him to take me.

When I broke the surface again, Nico smirked down at me.

“Didn’t you just get out? You just want to be rescued again, don’t you?”

I grinned at him. “You know me. Come on, get into the water.”

He hesitated. “You don’t mind me swimming here? I could use the main pool.”

“I don’t mind,” I assured him.

“Five minutes and I’ll join you. I’m just waiting for one more call.”

“I’ll be here,” I said and pushed off to swim lazy laps of the pool.

Nico grimaced. “Dammit, the phone call can wait.”

My eyes widened as he stripped off, his clothes joining mine on the chair down to his birthday suit, then he joined me in the pool.

“Ah, this is so good,” he sighed as he floated on his back.

“Aren’t you missing something?” I suggested pointedly.

“I always swim like this, and it’s too late to be coy. You’ve seen me naked already.”

I could have pointed out I didn’t necessarily want to see him naked again. I’d be lying, but I could say it. Instead, I snorted and turned to swim again.

As I reached the end Nico did too. I misjudged my turn and collided into the wall of muscle. He grabbed hold of my arms to steady me, and we sank into the water, wrapped around each other. When we broke the surface, we were kissing.

I don’t know how long we kissed for, but at some point, we ended at the side of the pool, my arms around his neck, my legs around his waist. He cupped my ass.

“You taste like sunshine and salt,” he muttered against my lips.

“You taste like coffee and salt.” I thought about it for a moment. “Good coffee though.”

“I should hope so. I paid enough for it. Life is too short for bad coffee.”

Then he kissed me again, his tongue exploring my mouth, and I forgot all about coffee. The man could kiss like an angel and his mouth sent sparks through my body. He was aroused too, it was hard to miss when he was pressed against my pussy, just the thin layer of fabric between the two of us.

He pushed me against the side of the pool, a muscled thigh holding me up, his hands sweeping down my sides, then he cupped my breasts, his thumbs caressing my nipples. Dipping his head, he sucked on one nub through the thin fabric. Impatiently, I shoved aside the bikini top, I needed his mouth on me.

His gaze heated as he stared at my breasts. I arched up, needing more than heated looks, pressing my breasts into his hands, my pussy harder against his thigh. “I want...”

“What do you want, baby?” Nico’s warm breath blew across the shell of my ear.

“You, inside me, now,” I begged.

If I had regrets about this later, so be it. All I cared about was this man inside me.

“Open your eyes,” he growled.

I didn’t even know my eyes had closed. I opened them up to stare into the deepest brown depths that seemed to go on forever. The man had the thickest lashes I’d ever seen.

“I’d kill for your lashes,” I murmured.

He chuckled as he pressed inside me, filling me up.

“You’re so big,” I moaned, my body sliding around his thick cock.

He groaned in my ear. “You’re made for me, sweetheart.”

I wasn’t his sweetheart, but I didn’t care.

He thrust again, the water lapping around us, and I forgot about anything except the need to feel him inside me.

“Rub my clit,” I ordered, leaning back against the wall of the pool, thrusting my hips up.

“Yes, ma’am.”

He rubbed his thumb over my clit until I was a mess, moaning in his arms, his wicked mouth urging me on. I had one coherent thought, that Miriam would never believe this, before I came apart in his arms.

* * *

How many times hadhe taken me? I’d lost count. We’d gotten out of the pool to entwine on the couch on the patio. More kissing, more orgasms. I’d never...I lost the end of that thought as he brushed my nipples, sparks flying straight to my clit as he tugged on them. My hair fell around my face as I leaned forward, hands on his chest, grinding down on him. I needed him inside me now.

“That”s right, sweetheart,” he crooned, his face scrunched up as if he were trying hard to keep control. “Slide down me. Let me fill you up. You can do this.”

I straddled his hips, wearing nothing but a light sweat from the late afternoon sun. I wrapped my hand around his cock, kissed it to my wet pussy, and slid around him in one swoop until I rested against his fuzzy thighs.

“Hot damn,” he yelled out, gripping my hips.

“Good?” I gasped.

“Stop overthinking,” he ordered.

I was sure that meant he didn’t have the brain power to give me a review. I ground down on him, making him yell out my name. We were going to get complaints from the way we both yelled out when he thrust up into me. All the windows and doors were open. Then he thrust up hard enough to make me forget my name and I didn’t give a damn about the neighbors.