24. Griffin
TWENTY-FOUR
Eliana sitscross legged across from me at the foot of her bed as she reads through her campaign plans, using a red marker to mark up the notebook, her brows pulled together in concentration. I still haven’t told her or the team that I won’t be surfing in the Qualifiers in two weeks. I know I should, but I’m just not ready to accept it yet.
Just give yourself this weekend and then tell everyone on Monday.
I feel my anxiety crawl up my throat at the thought, so I push it to the back of my mind. Now isn’t the time to worry about this.
“We should go away this weekend.” I trail a finger along her knee.
She looks up at me. “Where are you thinking we should go?”
I shrug, my finger moving up to her thigh, goose bumps appearing on her leg. “We could take my boat out for the weekend, and just spend some time away from all of this.”
“Hmm,” she purrs, moving her notebook to the side and crawling on top of my lap, “that does sound like it could be fun.”
Her eyes sparkle as she grinds atop me, my dick springing to life. I grab onto her waist, holding her in place.
“Sunshine,” I warn through gritted teeth, “don’t tease me right now.”
She grins at me mischievously. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She grinds her hips again and I suck in a shaky breath. We haven’t had sex yet because I don’t want to rush her into anything. I want her first time to be special, memorable, but with the way she’s been pushing me these last few days I get the sense that she’s tired of waiting.
“So, is that a yes to a boat trip away?” I ask.
She rolls off me, laying down next to me instead. “When would we leave?”
“As soon as you pack a bag.”
She jumps up, flustered. “Like, today?”
“Yes, today.” I chuckle.
“Right now?”
I nod. “Right now.”
I cross my arms behind my head and watch her run around her room in a frenzy grabbing everything she’ll need for the weekend and throwing them into her duffle bag. Twenty minutes later, her bag is packed and we’re in my jeep driving toward the boat dock.
She plays with my radio stations as the wind blows our hair around, settling on a station that’s playing Taylor Swift. I groan as she cranks the volume higher and starts to sing, horribly, at the top of her lungs. When her voice cracks for the third time I can’t hold in my laugh, throwing my head back as the sound bubbles out of me.
She stops singing and watches me, her lips slightly parted, and her eyes shimmering in awe. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you laugh a real laugh.”
I clear my throat. “Well, if you plan to keep singing like that then you can expect to hear my laugh more often.”
She giggles and hums along to the song instead as we pull into the parking lot of the boat dock. There aren’t many cars parked here today so I find a spot quickly. We unload the car and make our way towards the dock, hand in hand.
“We should’ve bought food before coming here.” She places a hand on her stomach.
“Are you hungry?” I ask, a smile pulling at my lips.
I had the fridge on board stocked with pre-made meals so that we wouldn’t have to stop anywhere for food this whole weekend, but I want to surprise her with a special dinner tonight, so I don’t tell her about that.
“Yeah, starving actually! I skipped lunch today.”
“Let’s move the boat further out to sea and then I’ll prepare us something quick in the kitchen,” I say, helping her onto my boat.
“You’re telling me your boat has a kitchen too? Is it even supposed to be called a boat? It looks more like a yacht to me,” she rambles.
“Boat…yacht, same thing.”
We go downstairs first and toss our bags on top of the bed before going up to the bridge and starting it up. It doesn’t take us long to move the boat to an empty spot further out in the water.
“Do you want to shower before dinner while I get it ready?” I ask as I lower the anchor.
She yawns and stretches her arms out. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea. Maybe the water will help wake me up.”
She stands up and walks down the stairs, disappearing into the lower level. I quickly stomp my way down the stairs until I’m on the main level, sprinting toward the kitchen area. I grab the large container of spaghetti out of the fridge and toss it into the microwave to heat up while I set up the foldout table and chairs that lean against the wall. I light two candles and then rush back into the kitchen to plate our dinner, adding a salad to the side and bringing both plates to the table.
As I’m bringing the bottle of wine that was chilling in the fridge to the table, two glasses tucked under my arm, I hear her calling my name.
“I’m over here,” I call out as I place the glasses on the table and meet her at the stairs as she walks down from the bridge.
“I was looking for you,” she frowns and pouts as she meets me at the bottom of the stairs.
Her hair is damp and tied into a tight bun above her head, strands of her wavy dark hair sticking out of each side. She’s wearing black leggings and a navy hoodie from my dresser. I never would have thought I’d enjoy seeing her wear my clothes as much as I’m enjoying it right now. I don’t even want her to return the hoodie to me after today, I would love to see her wearing my clothes everyday if I had the choice.
“You look beautiful.” I pull her in for a kiss before I pull out a blindfold from my pocket and tie it over her eyes.
She holds it in place just above her nose as I secure the knot behind her head. “Why do I feel like you’re going to make me walk the plank?”
I move her hair away from one side of her neck, kissing a trail up until I reach her ear. “No plank walking tonight.” I whisper, noticing how her breathing has shallowed.
I take her hand and escort her to the front of the boat where the table and chairs are set up and help her into her seat before I gently remove the blindfold. She gasps and brings her hands to her mouth as she looks at the table setting.
“Griffin,” she says my name breathlessly as her eyes begin to sparkle, “this is beautiful.”
I round the table and take a seat in front of her, smiling as she brings her watery eyes to mine.
“Do you like it?”
“I love it.” She picks up her napkin and dabs at the corners of her eyes before spreading it out on her lap.
I pop the cork of the wine bottle, Eliana squealing when it flies into the water, and pour us both a glass.
“I want to know more about you, how did you and Gabriel cross paths? How did fate bring you to me?”
Her features soften as she takes a sip of wine, eyeing me over her glass.
“Well, it all started with Zalea Evans.”
“What was she like?” I ask, picking up my fork and eating a mouthful of the best spaghetti I’ve had in my life, “I only surfed alongside her for about four months before she left our team.”
“She’s amazing. I drank with her, and she popped my tequila cherry. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to drink that stuff again after the hangover I had the next morning.”
I choke when she says the words popped my tequila cherry, but I quickly recover. I spend the rest of dinner eating and listening to her tell me how Gabriel found her photography page online and reached out to her to photograph Zalea’s competition.
I knew Gabriel had been searching for a photographer for quite some time. Running the team’s social accounts had always been the one thing that drove him crazy. I remember many nights, leaving him at the kitchen island, only to find him still sitting there the next morning trying to write a caption. He would have paid Eliana a million dollars a year to take the job if it meant he no longer had to do it.
Once we finish eating, she helps me clean up our plates and put away the table and chairs before we make our way to the lower level.
“Wait here,” I say, stopping her in front of the bedroom door.
I walk in, closing the door behind me, before I sprint to the bottom drawer of my dresser and pull out the bag of twenty flameless candles, turning them on and setting them up around the room.
As I open the door, she peaks past me, and her jaw drops for the second time tonight as she spots the candles. I run my hand down her arm, interlocking our fingers, as I pull her inside and close the door behind her.
“I think this has to be the most romantic thing ever,” she whispers, looking around at the lights before her shimmering eyes land on mine. “Did Kairi give you some pointers from one of her romance books?”
The tips of my ears turn red. “She may have helped me plan some parts,” I admit, “but I left out the playlist she made for us. Thought it would be too weird.”
She throws her head back and laughs before grabbing on to my crewneck and pulling me towards her for a kiss. I lean down and kiss her, my tongue sliding against her bottom lip until she lets me in. I grab onto the end of the sweater she’s wearing, breaking our kiss to tug it over her head.
I realize she isn’t wearing anything under the sweater and my mouth instantly waters at the sight of her pebbled nipples. I guide her to the bed and sit her down on the edge before helping take off her leggings. Tossing them over my shoulder, I return my attention to her black lace panties before I rip them off her.
She sits in front of me, naked now. Her big doe eyes staring up at me as I admire her body.
“Your turn,” she says, reaching forward and unbuttoning my jeans.
I remove my crewneck quickly and help her with my pants. I shuffle them, along with my boxers, down my legs and kick them to the side. My cock springs free and I watch as her eyes focus on it as she licks her lips. She reaches out and grips it, a bead of precum forming on the tip.
“Tonight is supposed to be about you,” I say.
“It can be about us both.” She takes my full length into her mouth, my cock hitting the back of her throat.
She starts off slow but takes it deep, a sweet torturous rhythm. It takes everything in me not to plow her mouth until I explode. I feel her hand reach out and grab my balls, massaging them, the feeling insatiable. My eyes roll back, and my mouth is slack as I roll my hips along with her, matching her rhythm.
“Your mouth feels so good, sunshine,” I mumble.
I glance down at her and watch as she keeps sucking, her expression pure bliss, bringing me close to the edge. When her eyes find mine, I quickly pull out of her mouth to stop myself from coming. She whimpers in response and pouts as she looks up at me.
“I was having fun,” she whines.
I smirk down at her, my thumb dragging her lip down and releasing it. “I know you were, beautiful, but it’s my turn to have fun now.”
I gently push her backward so that she lays on her back and lean over her, my hand wrapped around her neck, as our lips start their familiar dance. I use my knee to spread her legs apart, lowering my free hand to her clit and working it in circles until she’s wet enough for me to push a finger into her tight cunt.
“You’re so wet for me, sunshine,” I say, breaking our kiss.
She lets out a low groan as her face flushes and her eyes look up at me, heavy lidded. I lower my mouth to one of her nipples, closing my mouth around it, licking and sucking harder so that I can hear more of her sexy moans.
As I move on to her other nipple, I slide my finger out of her and feel her slick wetness drenched all over it. I slide it back in, along with another finger, and watch as she arches her back and moans again.
“Fuck,” I groan, “I could come just from watching you.”
It’s true. I’ve never seen anyone look as mind-blowingly sexy as Eliana does right now. She whimpers when I pull my fingers out, but her eyes track my every movement as I slide those two fingers into my mouth, tasting her sweet release.
I reach into my pocket only to realize I forgot the condoms in her room. She must read my expression because shortly after she comes up with an alternative.
“I’m on the pill,” she says breathlessly, desperately, “it helps with my period cramps.”
“So, no condom?” I ask.
She nods. “No condom.”
I reposition myself so that my lower half is nestled between her dripping thighs, but when she tenses, I freeze and study her face, noticing how she nervously chews at her lip.
“Are you okay?”
She nods. “Just a bit nervous, but I’m ready.”
“This might hurt a little,” I say, staring into her eyes, “If at any point you want me to stop then say the word and I’ll stop. Understand?”
“Yes,” she says, relaxing into the sheets.
I reach down and slide my hard cock up and down her wet folds, spreading her slick juices around before I lower it to her entrance and gently push myself inside.
She gasps and squeezes her eyes shut, her pussy holding my cock in a vice grip.
“Look at me,” I say through gritted teeth.
She opens her green eyes and locks them on mine, her lips parted.
“Breathe,” I remind her as I push myself in deeper.
She takes long breaths as her pussy relaxes, allowing me to slide all the way inside. I pause and wait for her breathing to return to normal, her eyes finding mine again. I’ve never taken anyone’s virginity before, and I’m terrified I’ll hurt her and ruin this experience.
“Are you okay?” I ask again, stroking some of her loose strands away from her face and tucking them behind her ear.
She nods. “It doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it would.”
“I’m going to start moving now, but if it hurts tell me to stop and I will.”
She nods before I start to slowly pull out and then push back in, adjusting to the feel of her tight pussy around my cock. Once she feels fully relaxed and she’s moaning with each stroke, I pull back slowly before slamming into her.
Her eyes widen as her mouth falls open, a breathy moan escaping from her parted lips. I bunch the bed sheets in my fists as I slow my pace, trying to draw out the pleasure, but her nails dig into my arms as she brings her hips up, meeting me thrust for thrust. I want to be gentle with her and take it slow for her first time, but the sound of her moans filling the room pushes me over the edge and I thrust harder, faster.
Each whimper and plea for more that falls from her perfect mouth feels like a drug, and I’m the addict.
“Oh my God,” she whimpers breathlessly, “Please don’t stop! It feels so good.”
“Fuck,” I growl through clenched teeth. I sit back on my knees and grip her hips, holding her in place as I relentlessly pound into her. “Sing for me, sunshine.”
Her eyes roll back as her mouth falls open, loud moans escaping from her lips. I watch her breasts bounce as I increase my pace and her pussy clenches around me as her body erupts with pleasure as she orgasms for the first time.
“You might be my favorite distraction,” I whisper as she slowly stops trembling.
A lazy smile spreads across her face. “I thought I was your only distraction.”
“You and your ass,” I correct, as I start pounding into her again.
This time, I let myself have my release at the same time as her, pulling out as it shoots out onto her stomach. I thought she looked perfect before, but seeing my come painted on her olive skin has reset the standard of perfection, because in this moment she looks absolutely perfect.
After I help wipe her clean, I roll us over to our side and pull her into my chest to cuddle. She intertwines her legs with mine and wraps an arm over my waist.
“How was that?” I ask, inhaling the strawberry scent of her hair.
“Everything I ever wanted.”
Warmth explodes in my chest at her admission, and I can’t hold back the satisfied smile that forms on my face. It doesn’t take long for her breathing to slow as she falls asleep in my arms. I hold her for another hour, basking in the electric charge of her body and wondering how I ever wanted to get rid of her.
I’m buriedinside of Eliana for the second time this morning. She’s addicted but I’m not upset about it, being inside of her and making her come has quickly become one of my favorite things to do.
“I’m so close,” she whispers in my ear.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand and I pound into her relentlessly. Her moans filling the silence of the morning calm until we’re both laying breathlessly in tangled sheets, my dick limp.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get enough.” Her fingers trace over my abs.
“I’m pretty sure my cock is broken,” I mumble, as my eyelids grow heavy, but the sound of her growling stomach has my eyes snapping open and I quickly sit up, her body rolling off me.
“Are you hungry?”
She laughs, burying her face in her pillow. “A bit, but I’m too comfortable to get out of bed. Plus, I don’t think I’ll even be able to walk right now.”
I smirk, my eyes trailing over her exposed skin. “Stay in bed, I’ll bring you breakfast.”
I stand, leaving her tangled in the sheets, as I throw my sweatpants on and head upstairs. The cool morning air causing goose bumps to appear across my skin. I open the fridge and grab the breakfast burritos from their container, tossing them into the microwave before I run up to the bridge to check that everything is still okay with the ship.
Up here, I notice a few nearby boats. There usually aren’t this many in one spot and it sets off alarm bells in my head, especially when I spot someone pointing a camera in my direction.
Fucking paparazzi.
I take the stairs two at a time, snatching our breakfast burritos from the microwave just as the timer goes off, along with two bottles of water from the fridge, and I retreat to the lower level.
“We’ve got a few media boats surrounding us,” I mutter as I crawl into bed beside her.
She sits up abruptly, pushing her hair out of her face so that she can stare at me with wide eyes, stretched to their limits.
“You’re joking.”
“I wish I was, sunshine,” I say, handing her the burrito, “eat up while I think of a way to get us out of here.”
For the next fifteen minutes we eat in silence while I run through the scenarios. All of them involve me getting to the bridge, which means they’ll be able to snap pictures of me. It’s my boat, so it wouldn’t be weird for me to be on board, certainly nothing special to write about. But if they spot Eliana, we’ll be on the first page in tomorrow’s paper.
“I don’t think there’s a way around this,” I finally admit, “I’ll go back out and turn the boat around so that we can get to my car and drive back to the house.”
She nods. “I’ll come up with you.”
“No,” I shake my head, “we’ll end up in The Coastal Times if they see you.”
She shrugs. “I’m bound to make it in there at some point, might as well face the music sooner rather than later.”
My brave girl.
“They can get brutal, are you sure?” She gives me a small nod, her eyes lingering on her water bottle.
“We should get out of town later this week and buy ourselves disguises so that we can actually go out and have fun without worrying about them,” she says.
I snort, taking a sip of my water. “What, like baseball caps and fake moustaches?”
“Yes, to the baseball caps but we can probably leave the fake moustaches out of this one.”
I throw my head back and laugh, her eyes lighting up in response. “Okay, let’s do it.”
Before we head upstairs, we jump into the shower together and I sink myself inside of her warm tight walls once more.