4. Reid
CHAPTER 4
Reid
I was never one to enjoy or decide on going on a picnic. The concept itself seemed preposterous—deliberately sitting on the ground to eat when perfectly good tables and chairs existed in the world. Yet here I was, hauling a wicker basket filled with sandwiches, fruit and wine up the winding path to Starlight Bay’s lighthouse all because Lilian had mentioned offhandedly that she’d never had a proper picnic there despite living in town for years. That’s right I wanted to please her…
“Are you sure this is necessary?” I called ahead to her as she bounded up the path with far more enthusiasm than the steep incline warranted. Her auburn hair with blonde streaks shimmered against the sunlight as she turned around to look back at me.
“What’s wrong, counselor? Can’t keep up?” she teased me as her eyes sparkled with mischief. “I thought lawyers were supposed to be sharks, all predatory and full of endless amounts of energy and endurance.”
“That’s in the courtroom, my dear.” I replied back, adjusting my grip on the basket. “Not when we’re scaling cliffs with perishable goods and trying to keep our balance intact.”
“It’s hardly a cliff. And the view is worth it, I promise.” She responded laughing loudly as the breeze carried the sound in waves back to me. “I could always take you mountain climbing if you’d prefer. My cousin’s best friend has an obsession with hiking.”
I slowly paced behind her watching her come alive in the open surroundings knowing that I would never admit it out aloud but I was beginning to think doing anything would be worth it if it made her smile like that. Over the past half week of our relationship together, I’d found myself increasingly looking forward to our arranged public outings. What had started as a strategic ploy was becoming something I genuinely enjoyed and looked forward to even though I was hoping the meal with the mayor and his wife could be avoided if possible. We reached the top of the path and I had to concede that Lilian was right about the view. The lighthouse stood tall and proud and its white exterior gleamed in the sunshine. The grassy area near the lighthouse offered the perfect vantage point for a picnic with Starlight Bay visible in one direction and nothing but endless sea in the other.
“See? It was worth it,” Lilian said smugly, taking the basket from me and setting it down on the grass as she pulled out a checkered blanket from her tote bag she’d brought with her.
“I’ll reserve judgment until after I’ve recovered some feeling back in my arms,” I replied even though there was no real bite to my words. If I was honest, it was becoming harder to maintain my usual grumpy facade around her and all I wanted to do was allow her to see some of the cheeky, fun Reid that I had buried in the past. As Lilian arranged the blanket on the grass, I couldn’t help noticing the way the breeze was picking up and tugging at the corners of the fabric. The weather forecast had mentioned increasing winds in the afternoon, but I’d assumed we’d be done with our little charade by then.
“Here, let me help,” I said as I moved to hold down the corners of the blanket as Lilian tried to smooth it out.
“Thanks,” Lilian replied, flashing me a grateful smile that did something strange to my chest. “I think we may need some rocks to weigh down the corners. I could use the picnic basket to help too.” She uttered as she began rearranging the set up. I quickly found a few suitable stones nearby while Lilian began unpacking the food so that all our hard work coming here didn’t go to waste.
“You didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” I said as I set the rocks on the corners of the blanket, moving the items she’d used temporarily in my absence to keep everything in place.
“Trouble? This is nothing,” she replied as she waved her hand dismissively at me. “You should see what I do when I’m really trying to impress someone. I would have made?—”
“And you’re not trying to impress me?” I asked her, raising an eyebrow as she gave me a look that was both playful and challenging.
“Why would I need to impress my fake boyfriend?” She replied back as the word fake hit me hard with a sharp reminder of the reality of our situation. Before I could dwell on it, however, a particularly strong gust of wind sent one of the napkins flying out of Lilian’s hand. “Shit!” she exclaimed, lunging for it, but the wind carried it just beyond her grasp. I moved to help, but as I stood, another gust tore across the hilltop, this one strong enough to dislodge one of the rocks and send a corner of our blanket flapping upward and knocking the bottle of wine across the spread of food she’d laid out. “No, no, no!” Lilian cried out reaching for the bottle, but it was too late. The golden liquid was already seeping into the bread and soaking through the paper wrapping of the sandwiches.
I grabbed the bottle, setting it upright but the damage was already done. If on cue, the wind picked up even more, now whistling around the lighthouse with determined ferocity.
I found myself laughing harder as the blankets as if on cue flew away. The thing was Lilian’s laugh made everything feel so effortless all at the same time as she chased after a wayward sandwich that was tumbling across the grass as her hair whipped across her face. Despite it all though there were no tears—no anger—she was pure and full of life and laughter. Not a polite chuckle or a restrained giggle, but a full-bodied laugh that seemed to come from somewhere deep within her.
“We should have checked the weather!” Lilian shouted over the wind before she made another dive for the sandwich only to miss it by inches as it continued its journey toward the cliff edge. My heart leapt in my stomach knowing she could potentially get hurt.
“Let it go!” I called back to her trying to salvage what I could of our picnic and to reign in the pain that was rising within me. “It’s a lost cause!” I couldn’t help but continue watching her in that moment as realization set in that I was right. Her safety was paramount and it was too much of a risk to push further—the last thing we needed was someone getting hurt. The nearby animal wildlife would be grateful of the food I was certain of it. It made me certain though even though I wasn’t willing to admit I wanted to protect that smile. I wanted to make her feel safe, happy, and cared for. I wanted to be the reason she laughed like that.
“Reid!” Lilian’s voice broke through my thoughts. “A little help here!” I rushed to her side, grabbing a corner of the fabric and helping her fold it against the persistent wind. “This is a disaster,” she said even through her bright beautiful smile somehow, still finding joy in the chaos that had awakened around us.
“A complete catastrophe,” I agreed as I secured the folded blanket under my arm. “I think we might need to admit defeat.”
“Never,” Lilian stated with such determination that my spine instantly prickled at the force of her tone. “But maybe we should relocate. The car?”
I nodded at the idea she suggested before the two of us gathered and packed what remained of our picnic—soggy sandwiches, wind-scattered fruit and the mostly empty wine bottle. As we collected the remnants of our ruined picnic, I found myself gazing at her more than I intended. The pull between us was growing stronger by the second as our fingers kept brushing against each other as we secured the final items away. I wrapped my arm around Lilian and attempted to protect her with my body as much as possible from the elements as we braved our way back towards the car we’d left at the bottom of the path.
“No one’s watching, you know,” Lilian said softly, though she didn’t pull her hand away as I placed the basket in the car. “You don’t have to keep up the act here.”
I glanced around the deserted beach sheltered at the bottom of the lighthouse realizing she was right. There was no audience here and no one to perform for. In hindsight I had no reason to keep on holding her hand except that I wanted to.
“Maybe I’m not acting,” I replied back, unable to stop the words from escaping. I glanced up at her angelic face as her lips parted in surprise and her features flashed with surprise at my truth to her before she just as quickly schooled them and instantly became guarded.
“Reid…” she hesitated for a second before taking a sharp breath.
“Forget I said anything,” I quickly said as I dropped her hand from mine and shoved it into my pocket to stop me from automatically reaching for her once again. A habit which was becoming like a drug—addictive, pure and destructive. “The wind’s making me say crazy things.” I sniped out.
“Right. The wind. Makes sense.” She let out a short, sharp laugh before turning on her heel as the two of us walked in tense silence.
I couldn’t help but drift off into deep thought mentally kicking myself for letting my guard down and for revealing too much. This was supposed to be simple—a mutually beneficial arrangement with clear boundaries. But somewhere along the way those boundaries had begun to blur for me. When Lilian stopped to admire the view for a moment, I couldn’t resist moving closer to her. The wind had tangled her hair and I couldn’t help but reach out to brush the loose strands away with my fingers allowing them to linger against her cheek. Our eyes locked and in that singular moment the world around us seemed to disappear—the roaring wind, the crashing waves all of it fading into background noise. There was only Lilian and her questioning wide eyes with slightly parted lips pleading me to like a whisper to listen carefully. I leaned in and tentatively pressed my lips against hers giving her a moment to respond. It was gentle at first, exploratory but as I deepened it, I could feel her responding as her body pressed closer to mine and her hips ground against my hard length. My hand cupped the back of her neck as I held her as close to me as possible allowing her to take from me before the hunger and desperation snapped and I dived and succumbed to her as if only the two of us existed.
Fuck!
I broke the kiss for a split second, my forehead pressing against hers as we both gasped for air. There was no pretense now, no town to fool, no dare hanging over our heads. Only raw, blinding need. My self-control shredded apart with one look into her wild, beautiful eyes. I crushed my mouth to hers again, deeper this time, my hand fisting in her hair as I tilted her head to get better access. Lilian moaned into my mouth, that soft, broken sound snapping the last fraying threads of my restraint.
I couldn’t stop myself even if I wanted to. And God help me, I didn’t want to.
"Get in the car," I growled against her lips, the roughness of my voice shocking even me. She blinked up at me, cheeks flushed, lips kiss-swollen, her chest rising and falling in rapid pants.
Without a word, she turned and all but stumbled toward the passenger door. I followed, heart hammering like a war drum as I threw open the back door instead. No way in hell was I going to cram her into the passenger seat like some rushed teenager.
We needed space. I needed all of her.
The second the door was open, I hauled her against me again, lifting her clean off the ground. She wrapped her legs around my waist instinctively, her hands threading into my hair, tugging hard enough to make me hiss through my teeth.
“Reid,” she gasped against my jaw as I carried her into the backseat, slamming the door shut behind us.
“Tell me to stop,” I rasped, even as I pressed her down onto the seat, caging her body with mine. “Tell me now, Lilian.”
Her eyes locked on mine, wild and shining.
“Don’t you fucking dare.”
That was all I needed.
I captured her mouth again, this kiss messier, hungrier. My hands were everywhere at once skimming under her shirt, tracing the delicate lines of her ribs, palming her breast through the thin lace of her bra. She arched into me with a desperate whimper, her nails dragging down my back through my shirt.
“Off,” I grunted, yanking at her top. She wriggled out of it, tossing it somewhere into the front seat. I shoved the cups of her bra down, baring her to the cold air, and the sight of her —flushed, needy, shivering slightly from the chill—nearly undid me.
I dipped my head and took her nipple into my mouth, sucking hard enough to make her cry out, her hands clutching at my shoulders. I bit gently, then soothed the sting with my tongue, lavishing attention on her until she was writhing underneath me.
“Reid,” she gasped, her voice breaking. “Please.”
“I’m right here, sweetheart,” I murmured, moving to her other breast, giving it the same attention until she was trembling.
I trailed kisses down her stomach, savoring every inch of exposed skin. Her jeans were in my way, and with a low growl of frustration, I popped the button and dragged them down her legs along with her panties in one rough motion.
“Fuck, Lilian,” I rasped, staring at her, bare and perfect and spread open for me.
She reached for me, tugging at my shirt. I stripped it off quickly, baring my chest to her roaming hands. When she pressed her palm to my heart, feeling how wildly it was beating for her, I damn near lost it.
I kissed her again, slower this time, drinking her in, letting her feel every ounce of the need pounding through me. One hand slid down between us, finding her soaked and ready.
“You’re so wet for me,” I groaned against her mouth.
“Only for you,” she whispered, bucking her hips into my hand.
I slid one finger inside her, then two, curling them to find the spot that made her gasp and cling to me. I pumped them slowly at first, savoring the way she clenched around me, the way she begged for more with every desperate whimper.
“Reid, please,” she sobbed against my neck. “I need you.”
“You have me,” I growled, reaching blindly for my jeans, shoving them down just enough to free my cock. I fumbled for my wallet, yanking out the condom I’d stashed there out of pure habit. I tore the wrapper with my teeth, rolling it on with shaking hands.
When I pressed the thick head of my cock against her entrance, we both groaned at the contact.
“Look at me,” I demanded.
She forced her eyes open, locking onto mine.
I pushed in slowly, inch by inch, enjoying each and every agonizing second as she stretched around me. She gasped, her nails digging into my biceps, her whole body tensing before melting into mine.
“Fuck, Lilian,” I hissed. “You’re so damn tight.”
I gave her a second to adjust, then pulled back and drove into her again, harder. She cried out, her legs tightening around my waist, pulling me deeper.
“More,” she begged.
I gave her more.
I set a brutal rhythm, pounding into her with every ounce of pent-up hunger I’d been suppressing for too long. The car rocked with every thrust, the windows fogging up, the air filled with the sounds of our bodies slamming together, the desperate cries falling from her lips, the guttural curses ripping from mine.
“You’re mine,” I growled against her neck. “Say it.”
“Yours,” she gasped, her nails raking down my back. “I’m yours, Reid.”
I shifted, hooking her leg higher over my hip, driving into her even deeper, until her cries turned into helpless sobs of pleasure.
“Come for me,” I commanded, slamming into her one more time.
She shattered around me with a scream, her pussy clenching so tight around me that it dragged my own release out of me. I buried my face in her neck as I came, emptying myself into the condom, feeling like I was losing pieces of myself with every pulse.
I stayed buried inside her for a long moment, our bodies shaking, our hearts hammering in sync.
When I finally pulled back to look at her, Lilian was watching me with wide, dazed eyes, her lips parted, her cheeks flushed.
“Holy shit,” she whispered.
I couldn’t help but laugh, low and rough.
“Yeah,” I rasped, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Holy shit.”
I kissed her again, slower this time, taking a moment to commit the way she tastes and the way her body was still trembling underneath mine to the back of my mind.
This wasn’t pretend anymore.
It never had been.