Summer Break on the Beach Read online

  “Let’s go tomorrow,” I say. “Better make it afternoon. Who knows how long Jared will sleep?”

  “Good luck getting him to eat,” she says, gesturing at the to-go box I’m carrying.

  “Eh, once he smells it, it won’t be a problem,” I say.

  “How about one o’clock tomorrow?” she says.

  “Works for me. I’ll see you then.”

  We stand there awkwardly for a minute. She’s looking at my mouth, and I think it’s an invitation, but I’m not positive. We’ve had such a good night, I don’t want to do anything to make her uncomfortable with me—no matter how much I want to start kissing her and never stop.

  “Sleep well,” I say.

  “You too. Sweet dreams.”

  No danger of that not happening—not with a girl as gorgeous as her on my mind.

  3

  Nora

  The morning after Ash and I have dinner, I wake up feeling all sorts of confused.

  Our dinner was wonderful. By the end of the night, I felt so comfortable with him.

  Then the awkwardness at the door happened.

  I wanted him to kiss me. God, did I want him to kiss me. But I chickened out.

  He’s given me no indication that he has any interest in me aside from the purely friendly kind. And why would a guy like Ash be interested in me? He’s a professional athlete. I’m sure he has his pick of women. He’s not going to go for a chubby woman who took a vacation just to spite her cheating ex.

  I’m not exactly a catch.

  But he’s the nicest guy I’ve met in I don’t know how long. And I’d rather be friends with him than nothing. So I better just keep my feelings in check and not screw this up by thinking it’s more than it is.

  And if I spend a little extra time on my hair and makeup? I’m on vacation. I’m allowed to look my best, right?

  At one o’clock on the dot, there’s a knock at my door. I open it to find a smiling Ash and a groggy-looking Jared.

  “How are you feeling?” I ask.

  Jared groans. “I’ll be fine after I get another couple drinks in me.”

  Ash rolls his eyes. “He’s a big proponent of hair of the dog.”

  His eyes lock on mine, and we share an amused look. Everyone has to learn that particular lesson on their own.

  “So Jared would like to make lunch our first stop,” Ash says, “and, in return, I’ve made him promise that he’ll eat a meal before he starts drinking.”

  “It’s like having my mom along on vacation,” Jared mutters.

  “Coach’ll destroy me if you get alcohol poisoning during break,” Ash says. “So you better just suck it up and let me keep you from killing yourself.”

  “Fine,” Jared says, rolling his eyes. “You think they have good hot wings on this island?”

  Ash raises his eyebrows skeptically. “I don’t know, but we’ll see what we can find, ok?”

  We find a brewpub that serves chicken wings. To Jared’s further delight, the bartender is young, gorgeous, and knows exactly who he is. He wolfs down his wings and a side of fries before abandoning Ash and I to go sit at the bar and flirt.

  “Looks like I’ll be sleeping with earplugs in tonight,” Ash says sourly. “He’s doing pretty well with her, and he’s not a big believer in being quiet.”

  “What does that have to—oh!” I say, as I belatedly realize what he’s implying.

  “We got a two-bedroom suite, but past experience tells me that won’t be nearly enough. I knew I should have pushed for separate rooms.”

  “You can stay with me.”

  I don’t know who’s more shocked when I say that—Ash or me.

  “I mean, my couch is pretty comfy,” I say. “I know it’s not ideal, but it might be better than dealing with that tonight.” I glance over towards the bar. The bartender is leaning forward on the bar, her cleavage on full display, and Jared appears to be more than ok with that.

  “Are you sure I wouldn’t be imposing?” Ash says.

  “No, not at all.”

  “I might have to take you up on that, then,” he says, giving me that easy smile of his. I find myself desperately hoping that Jared has good luck with the bartender. Hell, I might be more invested in it than Jared is.

  “Want to take a walk on the beach?” Ash asks. “I suspect Jared’s going to be awhile.”

  “Yeah, that would be really nice.”

  “Let me tell him we’re leaving.”

  He walks over to the bar and speaks to Jared, who turns and gives me a friendly wave.

  “All set,” Ash says, putting his hand on the small of my back as if to direct me towards the door. It sends chills up and down my spine, and if he can do that just with a hand on my back, what could he do if he really tried?

  “Cold?” he asks, frowning at the goosebumps on my arms. “Do you want to go back and get a sweater or something?”

  “I’m fine. Sorry, just got a random cold chill,” I say.

  “Well, let’s get you out of the A/C and see if we can’t get you warmed up,” he says, still directing me towards the door.

  I try not to think about all the ways I’d like him to warm me up. I fail miserably (or not-so-miserably, depending on how you look at it).

  We head down to the beach. I don’t know that I’ll ever get used to how clear-blue the water is. The only vast stretches of water in Iowa are the lakes, and they’re deep and murky compared to the ocean. It’s impossible to be upset with the water on one side of me and Ash on the other.

  He reaches down and takes my hand, his fingers weaving through mine. “What are you thinking about?”

  “Lakes,” I say before I have a chance to think. I’m still in shock over the fact he’s holding my hand.

  “I know what you mean,” he says, glancing at the ocean. “It’s hard to believe that this beach has anything in common with the lakes at home.”

  “How does it compare to Halifax?”

  He shakes his head. “Northern beaches, even the ones on the ocean, they’re just more complicated than the beaches here. Rougher, somehow. This water doesn’t look like it could have any secrets.”

  “That’s poetic,” I say, smiling at him.

  He glances down at me and blushes a little. “Nah, I’m not a poetic kind of guy.”

  “I don’t know. I think you’re doing just fine.”

  I’m walking down the beach with the handsomest man I’ve ever met, he’s holding my hand, and we’re flirting.

  There’s a really good chance I’m dreaming.

  “What are we doing?” I say, looking down at where our hands are clasped.

  “Too fast?” he says. “I don’t want to rush you.”

  “No, not too fast. Just really unexpected.”

  He laughs. “It shouldn’t be. You’re the prettiest girl on the island, by a long shot.”

  I shake my head. “That’s not true.”

  He stops and turns to face me. “I’ll be the judge of that,” he says. “I happen to have excellent taste.”

  My laughter bubbles up in me before I can stop it. “Now I feel like I’ll offend you if I disagree.”

  “You will,” he says, “so you may as well just live with the fact that you’re gorgeous.”

  We don’t say anything for a few minutes as we walk.

  “Wait a minute,” I say, breaking the silence. “You’re not an actor hired by my friends to pretend to like me, are you?”

  He laughs. “The fact that you’re even considering that means you’ve got some great friends. I mean, that’s a hell of a scheme to cheer you up, right?”

  “That’s exactly what an actor my friends hired would say.”

  “Google me,” he says. “See if you think your friends could afford me.”

  I snort at the fact we’re talking about him as someone to be hired out. But I can’t resist pulling out my phone.

  He’s trying to look at the screen as I’m typing. “Do you know my last name? Did you already look me up?” />
  No and no, although I can’t believe I didn’t think of it. “Um,” I confess, “I just typed in 'Ash hockey’ and a bunch of stuff came up.”

  And damn, that’s an understatement. There are all sorts of photos of Ash on the ice, as well as posed pictures, some of which show him without a shirt. I look up at him and raise my eyebrows.

  He shrugs. “When Sports Journal Weekly tells you to take your shirt off, you do it.”

  “Is it that easy?” I tease.

  “For you? Hell yeah,” he says, whipping his shirt off.

  Let me tell you, the photo online doesn’t even begin to do him justice. He’s all long lines and hard muscle, and I have to work hard to keep from reaching my hand out to trace his obliques.

  “Damn,” I whisper. “Hockey does a body good.”

  Ash laughs, low and warm and intimate. “You should see what I can do with it,” he says with a grin.

  “On the ice?”

  “Well, that too.”

  “Mr. Kiplinger, you’re terrible.” I put my hand on his chest, and he feels even more amazing than in my imagination. Which I didn’t think was possible.

  “You figured out my last name! I’d love to give you a private show of just how bad I can be,” he says. “I’d invite you to my room, but I suspect Jared’s already there with a sock hanging off the doorknob.”

  “Good thing I have my own room,” I say. Later, when I remember this conversation, I’ll shiver with the boldness of my words, but in the moment, I’m filled with an unfamiliar confidence.

  “Want to get room service and spend the night in?” he asks.

  “Sounds perfect.”

  Ash pulls me against him, and I wrap my arm around his waist, my hand on the defined muscles of his lower back. He cups my cheek and bends down to press his lips to mine. I’ve spent a lot of time since I met him imagining what it would feel like to kiss him. My fantasy was woefully inferior to the real thing. His lips are warm, and I open for him when he traces the seam of my lips with his tongue. He sucks my lower lip gently into his mouth and then nips it softly before he slides his tongue against mine.

  I have no idea how long we stand there, on the beach in paradise, lost in our kiss. All I know is we’re both breathing hard when we break apart.

  “Baby, I don’t know if I can wait until dinner,” he says. “The things you do to me.”

  “No one ever said we couldn’t have dessert first, right?”

  “I like the way you think,” he says. “Give me a second to get myself calmed down a little, then we can go back to the hotel.”

  He presses his hips against me, and I can feel that he’s hard already. I’m not sure how much longer I can be appropriate in public when all I want to do is drop to my knees and swallow his cock.

  “I’m thinking of the time we lost our Cup run during semifinals,” he says. “It’s normally enough to deflate both my ego and everything else.”

  After a moment, he sighs. “Let’s go. I need you in private now.”

  He grabs my hand and tugs me along. He’s nearly a foot taller than me (not to mention a professional athlete), so I don’t have a chance at matching his pace. He seems to realize that and slows down for me.

  “I probably shouldn’t just pick you up and carry you, should I?” he says.

  I imagine what it would be like to be in Ash’s strong arms as he strides through the lobby to the elevator.

  “Probably not,” I sigh, “Not unless we want to risk not making it to the room.”

  He raises an eyebrow like he’s considering.

  “We’re making it to the room,” I say firmly.

  “Not into doing it in public?” he asks teasingly.

  “Well, at least not for the first time.”

  He groans. “That mouth of yours.”

  “I haven’t even shown you what I can do with it yet.”

  We’re back in the hotel and he pulls me into the elevator as soon as the door opens. He presses the Close Door button so we’re alone. He punches the button for my floor and then he’s got me pressed up against the side of the elevator, kissing that spot right under my ear that drives me crazy. I grind against him and I can feel him getting hard again.

  “Looks like your problem is back,” I say to him.

  “That’s it,” he says, scooping me up in his arms. “Better get your key ready.” He claims my mouth in a bruising kiss as he carries me down the hallway. My hand explores the hard expanse of his chest as we kiss.

  Grace isn’t my strong suit in regular circumstances, much less when I have a hot hockey player’s tongue in my mouth. I fumble in my bag until I finally find my phone, unlock it, and open the app. A second later, Ash is carrying me through my door and setting me down on the bed.

  “Hold on,” he says, returning to the door and flipping the deadbolt. He then returns to the bed. He lets himself fall on top of me, bracing himself with his arms so he doesn’t hurt me, and goes back to that spot under my ear.

  “God, I’ve wanted you underneath me since the first second I saw you,” he growls, nibbling on my earlobe. “Just sitting at the bar, waiting for me. I almost punched Jared when he made that threesome suggestion. I knew he was joking, but I didn’t want him thinking about you that way.”

  “What, only you get to think about me like that?” I tease.

  “Damn right. And if other people are fantasizing about you, they better hope I don’t find out. You’re mine, Nora. Every delicious inch of you.”

  With that, he kisses his way down my neck.

  4

  Ash

  I hope Nora’s not especially fond of the shirt she’s wearing, as I wind up popping the buttons off in my haste to get it off her. By the way she’s writhing beneath me and making hot little noises, she doesn’t seem too concerned.

  Once her shirt’s off, I have access to her gorgeous breasts, which have been driving me nuts since the first second I saw her. I gently kiss the tops of them, revelling in how soft she is, then unsnap the front closure of her bra to find her nipples are already hard. I bend and take one in my mouth and she arches up towards me, her hand flying to the back of my head.

  “God, yes, Ash,” she pants. “Feels so fucking good.”

  I add a bit of teeth to what I’m doing and she wraps her legs around me, grinding herself against my rock-hard cock. I’ll take that as encouragement to keep going.

  “So fucking beautiful,” I say as I drop one nipple to pay equal attention to the other. “Your body, Nora. Jesus.”

  I kiss my way down her stomach as I fumble with the button and zipper on her shorts. I get them undone just in time, and she untangles her legs from me long enough to kick the shorts off. She looks so fucking sweet in her pink lace panties that I just have to sit back on my heels for a moment and admire her.

  Her cheeks flush. “Am I okay?” she whispers. I can’t believe any guy in his right mind could ever give up a girl like her, and I feel a flash of anger at her ex for making her feel less-than.

  That anger is quickly smothered by desire. I ruin yet another article of her clothing as I tear the panties off, leaving her deliciously naked and waiting for me.

  “You’re so fucking hot. Made for me,” I say as I return to kissing down her stomach. This time, I keep going. I can feel her thigh muscles trembling around me as I kiss lower. When I gently spread her legs and flick my tongue over her clit, she cries out.

  “That’s it, baby,” I tell her. “Just let me make you feel good.”

  I return to her clit, licking and sucking her until she’s a mess. She’s so fucking wet for me, and I can’t wait to just slide into her. But first, I need to make sure my girl’s taken care of. I slide a finger into her and quickly add a second, looking for that little bundle of nerves I hope will drive her crazy.

  It’s clear when I’ve found the right spot because Nora lifts her hips off the bed and moans my name. I work her clit and her g-spot at the same time, and I can feel her muscles tighten around my finge
rs as she comes.

  “Please, Ash,” she says. “I need you to fuck me.”

  I get my shorts and boxers off in record time, and I’m back on top of her, the head of my cock at her wet entrance.

  “Ash,” she begs.

  I push into her, feeling how tight she is around me. She’s so worked up that she’s taking me easily, but I can tell she’s not used to a guy as big as me.

  “Are you all right?” I ask, looking into her eyes to make sure she’s telling me the truth.

  “You feel amazing,” she says. “Please. I need more.”

  And who am I to deny her? I pull out and thrust back in again.

  “Keep going,” she moans.

  I set a steady pace, the feeling of her wet pussy driving me crazy. I definitely wasn’t a virgin when I came to Pole Island, but this is the first time that sex has transcended the purely physical. Her eyes meet mine, and I know we see each other for who we really are.

  I know I only met her, but I’m in love with this woman.

  “So good,” she says as she moves beneath me.

  “Gonna come for me again?” I ask her.

  She nods and then moans as I hit just the right spot. I focus on that, speeding up until I feel her explode around my cock. She cries out and I can feel the spasms of her pleasure. It sends me over the edge and I’m pumping into her. It feels like I’m flying—then it feels like I played four quarters and OT on the ice. I’m exhausted, overwhelmed, and happier than I’ve ever been in my life.

  I slide out and pull her into my arms. She’s flushed and breathing fast, but she’s got a satisfied smile on her face.

  “That was perfect,” she says.

  “You’re perfect,” I reply, meaning each word.

  Epilogue

  Nora - Two Years Later

  “The view’s better this time,” I say, walking into our room from the balcony.

  “We didn’t have the honeymoon suite last time,” Ash says.

  Other than that, the resort hasn’t changed much in the past couple years, which is fine with me. Ever since I met Ash, Pole Island has been the place where my fairy tale came true.