13. Sex On The Beach
Chapter 13
Sex On The Beach
Ash
“T
hat’s it. I’m never leaving.” Ori stretches out on the lounger, basking in the eighty-five-degree heat, her skin glowing under the sun.
I lower my sunglasses, letting my gaze sweep over her with zero subtlety. “As long as you keep dressing like that, we can stay here forever.”
Her blue bikini, though thicker than dental floss, covers just enough to fuel my imagination. She knows exactly how to work those curves, too, adding an extra hip shake or ass wiggle every time we stroll along the beach. She’s trouble, and she knows it.
Hell, I nearly came to blows with some asshole at the bar last night when he thought it was a good idea to get a little too friendly with her.
But Ori just grabbed my hands, pulling me onto the dance floor, her lips finding mine as if to remind me—and everyone else—exactly who she belongs to.
Trust me, I didn’t hesitate to return the favor.
I damn near lost it right there on the dance floor, in front of the entire crowd. It’s insane how much I want her, every second of every day.
Back home in New York, it’s easier to keep my emotions in check. I stay guarded, determined not to let myself get swept away by what I feel for her. But here, surrounded by sun and strangers, I don’t need the mask I wear to protect myself.
Here, I can just be me.
And allow myself to feel everything for her.
Ori reaches over, her fingers brushing against my arm as she flashes me that soft smile of hers before returning to her book. That single touch sends a jolt through me, the kind that lingers even after her hand is gone.
I lean back, close my eyes, and let the sun warm me down to my core.
Damn, but I needed this trip. And there’s no one I’d rather be here with than Ori.
She’s the perfect traveler—never complains, always ready to try anything. I’ve got the photos of her kite sailing to prove it. She makes even the smallest moments feel monumental.
All the little things mean the world to her.
Like this morning, when I ordered breakfast delivered to our room. Sure, on its own, it’s hardly noteworthy, but I made sure it included all of Ori’s favorite treats—fresh pastries, fruit, and cappuccino. They set it up on the suite patio before she even stirred from the bed.
But when Ori woke up and saw the table laden with goodies, she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me like I was the most incredible man on the planet.
And in that moment, I felt like I was.
I excuse myself and duck inside our suite to call my brother. Look, I know the man’s totally capable, but I worry. There’s a lot happening back in New York.
“You’re the worst,” Braden says as soon as he picks up.
“Shit. That bad?”
“No. Everything’s fine. But you’re in paradise, and we got ten inches of snow yesterday. So yeah, I hate you. Nothing personal, of course.”
I chuckle, leaning against the sliding glass door to watch Ori wade into our private pool. The sunlight catches the curve of her shoulders, making it impossible to look away. “I can lie and tell you it’s terrible. Does that help?”
“No, because I know it’s a lie. Are you two having fun?”
“Best time ever.”
The second I say it, I know it’s true.
“Anything I need to know about?” I ask.
“Contractors are waiting on some custom tile to arrive so they can finish the floor, and Ori got a massive shipment of inventory yesterday, but other than that … oh, wait.”
My stomach tightens. “What’s up, Braden?”
He sighs into the phone, and I can already tell I’m not going to like this. “Fuck, I don’t know if I should tell you this.”
“Now you have to tell me.”
“Lucille’s been calling almost every day. She’s relentless. I told her you’re on vacation, and she keeps hinting around, asking where you are and if she can have the number.”
“Please tell me you didn’t.”
“Of course not. But prepare yourself for when you get back.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to stave off the irritation building inside me. “I’ll set her straight. Sorry that she’s bugging you.”
“Nah, I enjoy telling her to fuck off.”
I laugh, shaking my head as I grab two bottles of water from the fridge. “I’ll bet you do. Alright, I’m out of here. See you soon.”
What is it about my ex? The woman seems to know, intuitively, that I’m ready to move on and decides now is the time to throw a wrench into the process.
Not happening, Lucille. You will not screw up what I have with Ori.
But, like an earworm that won’t relinquish its grip, thoughts of my time with Lucille flood my brain. It’s not a fond mashup of memories, but rather a comparison of the two women who have turned my world upside down.
Not that Lucille and Ori are similar in any fashion.
Lucille was, in many ways, a female version of me—enjoying the motorcycle and tattoo life—a bit raucous and extremely raunchy. Especially between the sheets.
She was adventurous but not cultured. Lucille didn’t give a shit about designer names or labels. She was fringe and proud of it.
Actually, I don’t know who the hell she was. And now, I never will.
Then there’s Ori. I never saw her coming. She’s a tiny powerhouse with the biggest brain I’ve ever seen and a mouth that is as talented at telling you off as it is at sucking you off.
But there’s something so fragile about her, too. Ori truly believes in fairytales and happy endings, and not just in her books. She believes in them in everyday reality, for everyday people like us.
Hell, she’s making me believe it, too.
“I wondered where you’d gone.” Ori looks up at me, shielding her eyes with one hand, her lips curving into a soft smile. “Thought you might be planning your escape.”
“From you? From here? Not a chance.” I sink into a shaded lounger, my gaze raking over her, lingering on every sunlit curve.
“Good answer, sir.” She pulls her legs from the pool, water trickling down her skin, and saunters toward me, her fingers slowly loosening the strings of her bikini top. “See something you like?”
“Everything. Every damn inch of you.”
That sex kitten smile of hers? It wrecks me every time.
She straddles my lap, her bikini top sliding down as her bare skin presses against me. Her hands tangle in my hair, her lips brushing my ear as she whispers, “Show me.”
I’m with Ori. We’re never leaving.
Today is our last full day here, and somehow, each moment outshines the last.
The food. The sun. The cocktails.
The sex.
Holy shit, the sex is out-of-this-world phenomenal .
There’s something about this place—the tropical air laced with the scent of jasmine, the sun melting into the horizon, the way Ori looks at me like she’s daring me to give her everything I have and then some.
The rules feel different down here.
Or maybe it’s me who’s changed.
Ori told me she loved me the other day. It was barely a whisper as we drifted off to sleep, so faint I almost convinced myself I’d imagined it.
But her words have been on a constant loop in my head ever since, haunting me in the best and worst ways.
And just as I started to believe it was nothing more than a dream, she said it again.
This time, it was undeniable—her voice soft but certain, her breath warm against my ear as I collapsed on top of her, our bodies tangled in sticky, sated bliss.
Once again, I stayed silent.
I don’t know what’s stopping me. Maybe it’s the way she looks at me, her eyes so full of trust and hope. She believes in all of it—love, forever, happy endings.
I want to believe in them, too.
Am I chicken shit? Maybe. Probably. Hell, I’m a whole lot of things, including scared shitless of what those words mean and everything they demand.
What’s next after I love you ? A ring? Marriage, if we get that far? A baby?
Ten years ago, I wanted all those things more than my next breath.
But Lucille cured me of that delusion. She ruined me for other women—and not in a good way.
“Hey, no scowls today. Only smiles for our last day in paradise.” Ori settles next to me on the edge of the pool, her hand tracing a gentle path along my spine.
“I seriously get why people move to Florida now,” I smirk, skewing my mouth as I shoot her a look. “Think I might invest in a place down here.”
Ori nods, her lips pooching slightly as she gazes over the private pool area. “Can I come visit?”
“Damn straight. Open invitation.” I nudge her shoulder gently.
She sighs, her expression turning wistful. “Look, I’m just going to say it again, even though I know you heard me the last few times. I love you.”
Well, that’s direct.
My heart races into my throat as I glance at the water and nod. “I did hear you, but I don’t say those words, Ori.”
She cups my chin, forcing me to meet those dark, soulful eyes. “Doesn’t mean I don’t. Doesn’t mean you can’t acknowledge that I have.”
I drag a hand through my hair, my thoughts knotting into a mess I can’t untangle. “How the hell am I supposed to respond without sounding like a total asshole? Thanks? I know?”
Ori smirks, her eyes sparkling with humor. “All valid responses.”
I blow out a breath, shaking my head. “None of them are, and I don’t want you angry that I don’t say it, because I care about you. You know that, right?”
“Ash,” she whispers, her voice steady but unyielding, “I’m not saying it because I expect you to feel the same. I know you don’t, and trust me, the day I can’t handle that anymore, I’ll walk away. But today’s not that day. Right now, I’m embracing all these overwhelming emotions and felt like sharing them with the man who made me feel them. That’s all.”
Instead of answering, I slip into the warm water and wrap my arms around Ori’s waist, pulling her into me.
Her curves melt against me as I tease her lips, coaxing her to grant me access to her talented mouth.
With a soft sigh, she relents, and I slick my tongue against hers, tasting her sweetness, her fire—everything that makes her Ori.
She smells like sunshine and a hint of everything I could have been had I not given my heart to the wrong person the first time.
I wind one hand into her hair, tilting her head to deepen the kiss, my mouth never straying from hers as I lift her effortlessly out of the pool. Her breath hitches, her nails grazing my shoulders as I carry her inside, dripping water onto the polished floor.
She told me she loved me.
I couldn’t say it back.
But as I gaze into her deep brown eyes, I know I feel so much for Oriana.
I’m lost in her and I never want to be found.
I lay her gently across the bed, our skin still damp and glistening in the filtered light.
I pull the strings free on her bikini top, tossing it aside as I lower my mouth to tease her pert nipples, my hands gently cupping her firm breasts. My tongue drags along her slick, sun-kissed skin, and I press kisses down her abdomen, desperate to map every inch of her body as mine.
Only mine.
Ori moans softly, her back arching beneath my leisurely exploration, her body yielding to my touch.
I stand at the edge of the bed, hooking my fingers into her bikini bottom and dragging it down her legs, revealing the delicate curves I crave. Grasping one shapely leg, I press a soft kiss to her instep, letting my lips linger.
Higher and higher, I climb, my mouth depositing soft kisses along the smooth curve of her thigh, my breath warm against her skin.
Our eyes lock, and I see the hunger radiating in her gaze—a reflection of the need burning through me. But I won’t rush.
Not this time.
This time, she needs to feel everything I can’t say.
My cock aches with the sharp pang of restraint, every nerve in my body screaming for release, but I can wait. Ori reaches forward and wraps her fingers around my length. The sensation almost undoes me, but I catch her hand and gently press her back to the mattress, asserting my control.
Leaning forward, I spread her thighs wide, my mouth descending as I drag my tongue along her pussy in a long, deliberate lick.
She tastes like heaven. Every time, it’s better than the last—like honeyed perfection meant only for me.
My hands slide under her ass, lifting her closer as I devour her. Her sweet moans fill the room, blending with the faint crash of waves outside. Her fingers tangle into my hair, holding me tight, and I swear she’s the most addictive thing I’ve ever known.
She’s everything.
She’s fucking everything.
Ori whimpers, her thighs trembling as she chases her release. Her nails scrape down my shoulders, her body arching closer to mine, but I keep her teetering on the edge. Every time she gets close, I shift just slightly, slowing the rhythm and drawing it out.
She deserves every ounce of pleasure I can bring her.
“Please,” she begs, her voice a whispery velvet, beckoning me closer. “I need you.”
And I believe her. I trust in that need—that quiet desperation. But there’s something more as my gaze locks onto hers, so vulnerable and full of trust.
Huffing out a breath, I glance toward the nightstand and the box of condoms. It’s within reach. My safety net—our safety net. But when I look back at Ori, everything changes.
Her trembling fingers trace the planes of my face, her touch tentative yet sure, as if she’s memorizing me. Her body quivers beneath me, completely open, completely mine.
“I need you,” she whispers again, her voice a soft, desperate plea.
God knows I need her, too.
I know the risks. I know what this means. But in this moment, it feels like more than just skin against skin—it feels like giving her a part of myself I’ve never given anyone.
She loves me, even though I can’t say the words back. Maybe this is how I show her I’m trying, that I’m hers in ways I can’t articulate.
With my heart pounding in my chest, I toss the condom aside, letting it hit the floor. My mouth crashes to hers, a kiss full of everything I can’t yet say. My entire body trembles as I let go of my last reservation.
“You’re so beautiful, Ori,” I murmur against her lips. “How did I ever get this lucky?”
I pull her slight frame closer, sliding into her warmth, burying myself to the hilt. A low moan rumbles from my chest as I feel every inch of her connecting to every inch of me.
Her body welcomes me, wrapping around me as I pause, overwhelmed by a bevy of emotions.
I damn near lose it right then, as her tight pussy clenches around me.
But there’s no way I’m caving—not yet.
I move slowly, pulling almost all the way out before sliding back in, building a torturous, sensual rhythm.
Over and over I plunge into her heat, her pussy growing wetter by the second, her back arching as she meets each thrust.
Fuck, nothing has ever felt so good.
My cock threatens to override my brain, but I hold back, tamping down the need coursing through me.
Right now is all about Ori.
Feeling her.
Feeling us.
Feeling everything.
Call me shallow, but this is my love language—an unending adoration of her body that is so much more than just a physical act.
It’s how I share everything I feel—the emotions, the need, the fears.
I pray Ori understands. Even though I don’t believe in love as a concept, I believe in her.
I believe she might make me whole someday.
I want that with her.
But saying the words, breathing life into them, feels like jumping out of a plane with a parachute I know is faulty.
The last time I did that, I crash-landed in a brutal reality my heart didn’t want to see.
Even now, Lucille’s specter lingers—not because I want her back, but as a reminder of what happens when I entrust my heart to someone. Chances are, they won’t want it.
Even if Ori claims otherwise.
After all, Lucille said all the right words but never meant them. If she had, she wouldn’t have spent months lying to me.
Every time I step forward with Ori, it’s like the universe waves a red flag, warning me to stay on my guard.
But when I look at her, feel her wrapped around me, I want to give her everything .
More than I ever wanted with Lucille.
That knowledge terrifies me because if Ori has the power to love me, she also has the power to destroy me.
The only thing tethering me at this moment is Ori’s legs wrapped tightly around me as she urges me on, demanding more.
My time. My body. My loyalty.
I pray it’s enough—because it’s all I have to give her.
My heart is off-limits.
“Hey, where did you go?” Ori whispers, her voice soft and searching.
Smiling, I shove my jar of doubts onto a shelf deep in my mind. “I’m right here, beautiful. You okay with this?”
She nods, her lips curling into a gentle smile as she pulls me into a kiss. “Are you?”
“You’re perfect. How could I not be?”
I start moving inside her again, losing myself in the connection—the purest, rawest need imaginable.
Ori wants me in this moment, and at this moment, I can give her everything.