AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Audrey
Wesledmethroughthe narrow walkway to the beach. His house was only a mile from the bar. Neither of us wanted to take the longer route back to my condo. As we trudged through the sand, my mind reeled. How could our timing have been so wrong, not once, but twice?
If only he’d gotten over his hang-up about dating me while I was still in high school. If only I’d known why Seth had wanted to go out with me so bad. If only I’d told Wes I’d overheard what he said to Seth, or understood why he had said the things he did. If only. The two saddest words in the English language.
I squeezed Wes’s hand. His thumb stroked the inside of my palm, as if he needed that continuous touch. It felt good. Right. Like this was how we were always supposed to be. A full moon hung over the ocean, painting silver streaks over the dark blue ripples. The scent of coconut sunscreen lingered in the air. Puffy gray clouds gathered above my head, but my magic held still, content to let me be in the moment.
Once we reached the water, the sand became firmer and easier to navigate. Waves lapped against the shore, teasing our feet before receding into the body of water that stretched on for miles. The clear night exposed an endless sea of stars. Somewhere up there, the gods and goddesses of the zodiac watched over us. I had no idea if they were proud or horrified by the choices we’d made since they retreated into the sky.
Far behind us in the distance, a small orange light flickered from a bonfire at the opposite end of the cove. Otherwise, the beach was deserted at this hour. It felt like we were the only two people in the world. At the pier, he stopped to kiss me under the clouds that had been following us since we left Leo’s parking lot, as if he couldn’t go another second without having his lips on mine. A light sprinkle of moisture gathered in the air. Now that we were outdoors and alone, I let my magic go. Thick droplets of warm summer rain rolled over us. I plunged my hands into his hair, pulling him down to me. His tongue stroked mine, possessive and hungry, like he wanted to own every part of me starting with my mouth.
I pressed my body so close to his, not even air could get between us. He hoisted me up, setting me on the wooden rail. Grasping my thigh, he held one of my legs against his hipbone and devoured me. I clutched him tighter, building, wanting more. My breath came out in short gasps as he ran his hand under the skirt of my dress.
He teased his fingers under the lace strip on my thong, pulling it tight, until the fabric tore. The quick sting of having my underwear ripped off sent a flood of heat rushing through me. He balled the ruined scraps of cloth in his fist and held it to his nose, breathing the scent of my arousal before tucking it into his pocket. “It’s mine now.” He spread my legs open and ran a finger up my exposed seam. “This is mine too.”
“Wes.” Rain turned to ice as I let out a frustrated groan when he teased me, rubbing the pad of his finger back and forth, just shy of my clit. “Please.”
“Please what, baby?”
I clawed at his neck as he continued that maddening sweep of his finger. “Fuck me right here. Now. I can’t wait any longer.”
He crushed his mouth over mine, using his tongue to show me exactly what he planned to do with his cock. Ice melted back to an intense rain. Hard, punishing rivulets of water washed over us. Lightning cracked on the beach, turning sand to glass. Sensations crashed over me. I thrust forward and cried out as he thrust two fingers into me, curling them as he pushed in deeper.
“Yes. More. Just like that.” I pumped my hips hard against him.
“You are so fucking wet for me.” He added a third finger and I clenched around him as he pushed in further. “Squeeze me tighter. Show me how bad your pussy needs me.”
“So good.” I was building, so close to coming. “It’s only like this with you.”
“Goddamn. I need more of you.” He dropped to his knees, the pier railing shaking from the impact. “Open those gorgeous legs wider for me.”
I gripped the wood with one hand and the back of his head with the other. He kissed his way up to my center. The stubble along his jaw left a delicious burn in his wake.
Spreading me wider, he inhaled deeply, then swirled his tongue around my swollen bud in tight little circles before sucking it between his teeth. The sounds he dragged out of me got lost in the crash of waves on the beach. I reeled my magic back, letting a misty drizzle continue to fall as he plunged his tongue inside me, lapping me up like I was a feast and he’d been starving for weeks. His thumb flicked over my clit and white spots appeared in my vision.
“Come apart for me, baby.” His tone was rough, demanding, and it built me up impossibly higher. “Let me taste how good I make you feel.”
I was lost to the feel of his fingers and tongue working in tandem, driving me closer and closer. It started in my toes, then traveled upward at lightning speed. Sparks of electricity danced on the sand. My thighs quivered and I let out a few small gasps before the white spots exploded to bright lights and my whole body shook with the orgasm that rocketed through me.
“Wes.” As soon as I said his name, his lips covered mine. I could taste myself on him, our flavors creating a heady mix. Tremors continued to move through me as he rubbed my clit until I came all the way back down.
“Fuck. I need to get you home.” He wrapped my legs around his waist and lifted me off the railing. Both of us were soaked and I was still trembling. I clung to his shoulders, letting him carry me the short distance across the beach to his house.
Wes had built his place next to the low cliffs at the crescent point of the cove. Grainy sand gave way to sun-bleached shale. This side of the beach didn’t get as much tourist traffic, aside from the odd shell collector, due to the stony shore. The scent of sea salt and sunbaked sand drifted in the air. Punishing waves beat against black-tipped rocks jutting out of the ocean. It was wild and turbulent, but underneath the harsh landscape, there was a beauty few appreciated. It suited Wes perfectly.
Still holding on to me, he dug his keys out of his pocket and unlocked his front door. He flipped on the lights, illuminating a wide foyer that opened to his cavernous living room. Large beams of sand-weathered driftwood crisscrossed the ceiling. He set me down and I slipped off my shoes and my toes curled over the heated sandstone floors. Fifteen-foot windows faced the ocean. Dark furniture and simple lines gave the room a masculine feel without being imposing. Black and white photos of the island from decades gone by hung on the light cream walls.
I stepped up to the fireplace and ran my finger over the teakwood mantle, stopping at the picture of me and Wes about a year after I graduated high school. I was well into an established relationship with Seth at that point, but this picture was taken the day Wes picked me up from the ferry because Seth got stuck at work. I’d just come home from my first year of college after deciding it wasn’t for me. I was worried about disappointing my grandma and stressed about what I’d do with my life and not in the nicest mood.
Instead of snapping back at me, the way Seth would’ve, Wes wrapped me in his arms and asked what he could do to make it okay. I needed that. Needed someone who would listen and wouldn’t judge me or offer up patronizing non-solutions. I unloaded everything on him, my doubts about the future, my insecurities over not being cut out for school, and how my grandma had never gone to college and always wanted it for me. How she cried the day I got my acceptance letter. I was terrified to tell her I’d dropped out.
Wes bought a cheap bottle of wine and took me up to the high cliffs. He handed me rock after rock and told me to fling my frustrations into the sea, claiming I didn’t have to hold on to the things that tried to drag me down. The waves would carry them away.
We stayed up on that cliff all night. At some point, I’d taken a selfie of us with his phone. We’d been so carefree and full of ourselves, before life got complicated.
I pulled the picture off the mantel. “I can’t believe you kept this.”
His warmth seeped into me and he stood at my back, rubbing firm hands over my shoulders. “It’s always been you, Audrey.”
