::A//N::
I am so sorry for the long wait, there were some things that I had to take care of that took longer than expected. Thank you to all that are still wanting updates and saving/voting! Here's a good, long (eventful) chapter with some visual inspiration that fueled me to write this part. The next chapter will be published next Sunday and every Sunday after that. Comment and vote!
°°JaneDoe0°°
\♡/
He was so fucking irritated.
All Joshua wanted to do was spend his Saturday relaxing at home. There were things that had to get done, like fixing the automatic garage door and finish painting the basement, things he enjoyed doing but had no urge to start. All because of her.
He looked at his phone for the hundredth time. As a way to further prove to himself that he was staying home he texted her this morning saying good luck at the event today. She responded not long after asking what he had planned for the day and he quickly told her of the updates needed to his house. She sent him a music video, Work by Fifth Harmony, as something for him to listen to while he did so and he lost count of home many times he played the song. He didn't listen to much music, especially girl bands, but watching the video that conveniently took place on a construction site and listening to the suggestive lyrics had him hot and bothered for the last few hours.
A dip at the beach would help you out.
He laughed out loud at his subconscious thought. That's exactly what Lilly wanted. If he showed up that would just feed the ego that was nonexistent to the young Lilly he was used to.
He glanced at the time, the event only had a few hours left before it was over and he dropped himself to onto the couch, closing his eyes. What's wrong with wearing regular clothes while playing with dogs at the beach? A t-shirt and some jeans seemed more reasonable than a bikini when walking a dog along the shore. Who cared about tan lines. His mind began conjuring images again and it was those images that fed his annoyance. Lilly standing in the sand, light eyes matching the color of the sky and a shy smile on her lips. That's it. That's all he was able to see. Just like his freakishly real fantasy during his shower, he couldn't see the rest of her. It was like a blockage in his head that stopped him from seeing what her body could look like. Knowing that she was most likely walking around in a bikini currently and other people were able to see her while he struggled to even come up with a thought only bit at his frustration more. The chorus to the song that has been playing on repeat brought him back.
"Let my body do the work."
"Fuck it." He closed out of the video and stormed up his stairs. Let her get a little confidence boost when he showed up, she'll need it when she realizes she was no match for him. Besides, she said she had to prove something to him and he wanted to see what that was.
~~
The sandy parking lot was packed with cars and he was grateful for finding a spot not too far from the beach. He jumped out of his car and a sense of excitement filled him the moment his feet hit the pavement. He was here and he was going to see her. He actually checked his reflection in the shine of his car. Red trunks and a black t-shirt that he knew fit him tighter than his other shirts, a suitable outfit for a day at the beach. Following the grassy path, his anticipation grew when he saw a large gathering of people further out in the distance. A large bus with the shelter's name and logo on it was parked right in the sand and a canopy was put up where he saw cages settled in the shade of it. His eyes scanned the many bodies and suddenly he was jogging, needing to reach them faster because he couldn't see her.
"You made it!"
He spun around in time to catch someone leaping into his arms. Kassie pulled away from her surprise hug and bounced in front of him with sparkling eyes and the widest of smiles.
"Hey Kass," His impatience yielded at the joyous girl in front of him. She wore a red tank top with the shelter's logo and her name on a nametag on it. "You look happy."
"I'm ecstatic! Four of our dogs have been adopted, we ran out of applications for volunteers and my mom found a family to foster one of the cats whos about to give birth soon!" Her ponytail also bounced as she couldn't keep still from her excitement. "I stepped in dog shit earlier, but everything else is going so great!"
"Stop cussing." Duncan appeared beside her wearing a matching red shirt that also had his name written on a volunteer tag and a blue baseball cap. The getup made the larger man look less authoritative than when he was in his all-black uniform. He nodded at Joshua in greeting. "I didn't know you'd be here."
He glanced around the crowd again. "Spur of the moment thing."
"In that case, you can help." Duncan looked at Kassie. "I'll go take him to your mom, meet me at the bus so we can start loading the donations."
Kassie jumped up and snatched the cap off Duncan's head, threading her ponytail through the hole before beaming up at him and flouncing away. Duncan glared at the retreating girl before leading Joshua near the canopy.
"Where's Harley?" Joshua asked, expecting the German shepherd to dash out of the crowd to be with her master at any second.
"At home, this is too much commotion for her. I have to leave soon for work."
"You're here when you work tonight?"
"I like to come and help from time to time. The Clare's are a nice family and have a great thing going on with the shelter. This is one of the biggest events they've had and with being short on volunteers I'll help for as long as I can."
They reached the canopy where the dog cages were set up and a petite woman with her long hair braided down her back was taking a lab mix out of one of them for a young couple to play with.
"Mrs. Clare, this is my friend Joshua Thomas, he's here to help." Duncan introduced after she was done helping the couple. "Josh, this is Kassie's mom Miranda Clare."
The woman beamed brightly at him and it was easy to see she was a warm-hearted person. She also wore a red shirt, nametag, and a white visor. Her tan capris were covered in pawprints, but the joy on her face made it clear she didn't mind what so ever. "My daughter told me a little about you. Duncan's best friend who moved back home from college and now Kassie and Lilly's teacher at the school. Lilly used to have a crush on you."
Joshua nodded sheepishly while he heard Duncan choke on a stifled laughter behind him. "You're daughter told you more than I expected." He took her outstretched hand and returned the smile. "What can I do to help?"
Duncan left to help Kassie and Mrs. Clare found a shirt for Joshua that he quickly changed into it. He waited while she helped an elderly man with a smaller dog and when she knew everyone was taken care of, she waved for Joshua to follow her.
"You can help Lilly at the activity table with some kids. They're making homemade treats for the dogs, but there were a lot more kids that showed up than expected." Mrs. Clare said with a smile.
A long table filled with bustling children came into view and Joshua saw Lilly trying to help each little hand that reached for her help. Her red shirt was streaked with the ingredients they were using and her khakis also had a mixture of food and pawprints. Her hair was in a ponytail at the nape of her neck and when he came closer, Joshua could see that it was damp as if she had just got out of the water. That realization caused a boulder to smash his insides. She had already been swimming, already had her clothes stripped off around all these people.
And he missed it.
"Lilly honey, look who's here to lend a hand." Mrs. Clare called over the commotion of the kids.
Lilly looked up and her mouth dropped open when her eyes landed on Joshua. "Mr. Thomas! You showed up."
He raised an eyebrow when she acknowledged him by his surname. "Don't be surprised, you invited me."
"Joshua is going to help you with the kiddos," Mrs. Clare said. "If you need anything, use the walkie to page me."
She left and Joshua went to stand beside Lilly. She looked everywhere but at him as she helped a little boy smoosh together what looked like peanut butter and oats. "We're making peanut butter and banana treats for the dogs. Its just three ingredients with the third being oats. Just mix it all together and they can roll them into little balls for they can give to the dogs later. You can start with the pair of twins over there Mr. Thomas."
"What's with the formality? We're not at school." He said and walked around the table to where the twins were. He smiled and squatted between them, catching a nervous look from Lilly.
"I'm out of peanut butter!" Calvin came running from the opposite far end of the table where Joshua hadn't even noticed he was sitting in a chair mixed in with the children. He came to a halt in front of Lilly, standing shirtless and just a pair of green trunks on. His hair clung around him in wet strands. "And if I don't hurry back to the kid I'm helping, she's going to cry because she thinks no dogs will like her treat without the right amount of peanut butter."
"There are a few jars in the crate over there, would you grab me another jar too please?" She pointed a finger where said crate was a few feet away, throwing Joshua another look.
He mentally cursed himself for being so stupid and forgetting Calvin would also be here as a volunteer.
"Hey, Mr. Thomas!" Calvin greeted with a confused smile as he saw his teacher across the table. "What the heck are you doing here?"
Joshua gave him a wave. "I saw a flyer posted on the school bulletin board and Kassandra mentioned they were short on volunteers. I like dogs, so here I am."
"That's awesome of you Mr. T.,"
Joshua was beginning to feel guilty for always being on edge when the boy was around Lilly. He was a nice person, passing Joshua's class with flying colors and never causing any problems. Calvin passed the jar to Lilly and took the opportunity to reach out and smear a glob of peanut butter left over on fingers onto his cheek before running back to the child he was helping. Joshua's stomach knotted.
He just didn't like it when Calvin did things like that.
A little girl had just rolled her treat into a ball when it slipped off the table and plopped into the sand and a screech of despair sounded not a second later. Before he could react, Lilly hurried to the girl and began speaking softly, smiling warmly despite the high pitch wails. Joshua watched as she was able to calm the little girl down by making a new treat ball with her and when the girl was giggling again, Lilly tended to a boy who poured too many oats in his bowl. Joshua managed to look away in time when one of the kids he was sitting next to was about to fling a chunk of banana across the table. As he made the gooey treats with the children, he found that he was enjoying the shrills of laughter and the amazed gasps from the children when he rolled a uniformed treat ball.
He was having fun, but it was difficult to keep his eyes off Lilly from time to time. With a small handprint of peanut butter on her arm and loose strands of hair falling from her ponytail, she still had so much patience with the children and his body warmed as he admired her from where he was. Lilly was young, but she worked harder than many bums he knew twice her age. Her commitment to the shelter was unquestionable and Joshua knew how well she was able to look after things at home from what Duncan shared with him. Her light eyes fluttered his way, connecting with him. He was staring again, but he didn't give a damn. Peanut butter stained and all she was beautiful. He smiled at her, making her cheeks turn pink and the same warmth spread through him.
By the time they were cleaning up, the event was ending and the sun was beginning to set. The families gathered their children and Kassie came with her dad with the remaining dogs for kids to give a treat to. Joshua watched as Lilly helped a nervous little girl hold her hand out to a silvery-blue pitbull.
"You don't need to be afraid of Samson," Lilly told the girl with a confident smile. "He's the friendliest dog here and peanut butter is his favorite!"
The child clung to Lilly with one arm but kept her other hand steady as Samson stepped forward, wagging his tail and sniffed the treat in her palm before gingerly taking it with his teeth as if he sensed the fear the girl had. He gulped it down in one bite and licked the small fingers in gratitude, making her giggle with glee. She ran to her mother, proud of the accomplishment she had just made and the mom gave Lilly a grateful smile before leaving.
"That was the sweetest thing I've seen," Joshua said as Lilly praised the dog. "Samson huh? How were you not adopted."
Lilly sighed a very sad sound. "He's been returned to us twice. Once for the owner getting pregnant and the other for pitbulls not being allowed where they lived. Samson is actually not up for adoption, after the last two fails Mr. and Mrs. Clare want to make sure it doesn't happen again and are more thorough for his next home. He's such an amazing dog though that we wanted him to enjoy this special day with us. Applications are still being accepted to adopt him, but with his age and looks, we don't get many in."
Joshua bent down in front of the dog and allowed him to sniff him before sliding his hand down the animal's smooth back. It was then he noticed a jagged scar running from his left shoulder and along with his side. His ear was also torn and there were flecks of gray on his muzzle from age.
"Mr. Clare rescued him from a kill shelter outside of town. The shelter there said Samson didn't get along with other dogs and was petrified of any noise, causing him to snap frequently." Lilly said when she saw Joshua studying the dog's scar. "Mr. Clare thinks he was used as a bait dog and abandoned on the streets once he was useless and that's where animal control found him. He needed some one-on-one time, but Samson loves other dogs and still gets nervous around loud noises but hasn't snapped once."
"You poor old man," Joshua mumbled to Samson and was answered with a gentle lick on his arm. He raised back on his feet to let Lilly lead the dog onto the bus where the cages had been loaded. She beckoned him where the rest of the staff had gathered at the front of the bus and he uneasily went to stand beside her as Kassie's father addressed the small group.
"The event was a huge success. Nine dogs have neem adopted and the bus is packed with donations from the community, Miranda received plenty of volunteer applications. Seeing all of you work together to help make this happen means a lot to me, my family and every waiting pet at the Ark. Times were a bit hard in the last few months and I am grateful and very proud of all of you."
Kassie lunged herself into her father's arm once he finished speaking, hugging him tightly to her and Joshua glanced down and saw Lilly grinning from ear to ear as she swiped a tear away from her cheek in time before her best friend raced to her for another hug. Joshua felt pride swell in him as he watched the two girls congratulate each other with teary eyes and saw how seriously they wanted their shelter to succeed. He looked away at a tap on his shoulder and saw Mr. Clare standing behind him.
"My wife told me you're Duncan's friend, Joshua Thomas, now a teacher to Kassie and Lilly. I'm Henry Clare."
Joshua took the man's outstretched hand. With black hair that was slightly receding, a beard long enough to have a tug on and brilliant green eyes that matched his daughter's.
"I met Kassie a few times before my leave for college. I like to know I'm a friend and not just an authoritative figure to her and Lilly."
"I'm an authority figure to Kassie and she still gives me problems," Mr. Clare chuckled warmly. "Thank you for helping today, Duncan speaks highly of you and I trust his word. I hope my girl doesn't bother you too horribly at school."
Kassie popped up behind her father and looped her arm through his, still wearing Duncan's hat as she beamed at him. Lilly joined beside them as the last of the people and volunteers left. "Of course I do daddy, he gives me homework, I give him hell."
"I can still give you detention," Joshua said in a threatening tease.
She stuck her tongue out then tugged her dad towards the bus. "Come on pops, we gotta get the dogs back home."
"Are you ready Lilly?" Mr. Clare asked.
Joshua spoke before she could respond. "Actually, I was going to ask if she would like to go home with me."
"Go home with you?" Mr. Clare asked in a questionable tone, casting a wary look between him and Lilly.
"Dad, Josh bought the house on the same street as Duncan and Lilly. They are literally four homes apart, even I have been over to help him when he first moved in. Her and Duncan are there all the time." She huffed loudly. "I told you all this already."
"Sorry, that came out wrong," Joshua stepped in at the horrid look on Lilly's face. "I've been tutoring Lilly in math and we put it on hold while she helped prepare things for this event. I was wanting to start it back up as soon as possible she doesn't stay behind."
"Lilly, I told you time and time again." Mr. Clare said turning to face her. "School always comes first. The rule applies to both you and Kassandra. The shelter is mine and Miranda's responsibility, school is yours. You and Kassie can't take over in the future if you don't do well in your studies."
"It's nothing to worry about," Joshua chimed in, a heavy guilt falling on him as Lilly hung her head low. "We agreed to pick up the tutoring once the event was over, she's doing just fine and I don't have any concerns to work interfering with her studying."
"Please let me know if it does, for both the girls." Mr. Clare said, shaking Joshua's hand once more. "It's fine for her to leave with you, we can wrap things up at the shelter from here."
Lilly scrambled to get her bag off the bus and gave quick hugs to Mr. and Mrs. Clare and Kassie, who she shoved when Kassie whispered something to her with a grin. She waved as the bus drove off the beach before she angrily stomped up to Joshua.
"I thought we weren't telling them about my problems in your class." She said fiercely.
"I wasn't planning on it, but Mr. Clare looked liked he was ready to shoot me when I said I would take you home."
She waved him off, still annoyed as she started heading to the path that lead to the parking lot. Joshua looked around. The sun was setting, but there was still light out and the beach was nearly empty with just a few families further down the shore. He looked at Lilly's retreating figure, she shook her hair free from the ponytail, sending it cascading down her back, her hips swaying slightly as she walked. He gripped the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head.
"Let's go for a swim."
Lilly stopped, turning when he called out to her. Her mouth had opened to respond but the moment she saw him without his shirt. She gazed at him with such awe that he wanted to bask in it. The way she couldn't hide her amazement as she stared at his hard body was cute and he couldn't remember any woman that took as much time to study him as she did. Even his longtime girlfriend Natalie never showed as much appreciation to his body as the single look Lilly currently was giving him.
"You- You said we were going home." She finally managed, her eyes back on his face.
"I'm not ready to go yet." He said walking backward until his feet touched the water.
"I am, let's go."
"Didn't you say you have something to prove to me?" He held his arms open still wading into the water until it was waist deep. "I'm waiting."
She stood still for a moment and she was too far now for him to make out her expression, but then she started stomping in his direction, not stopping until she was just where the tide ended on dry sand. Joshua grinned, he was still cocky from her checking him out a few seconds ago and damn did he like the feeling. That was until she yanked her shirt over her head.
"Oh, fuck."
He couldn't stop the words from leaving his mouth but he was dumbfounded as Lilly tossed the shirt to the sand, then untying the string to the khakis she wore and stepping out of them when they fell at her ankles. Leaving her in nothing but a dark blue bikini and him with a rock in his throat.
How?
How did she grow to become so... perfect? The gentle dip of her neck, the curve of her waist, her smooth bare legs that looked like they could go on for miles. He knew he was staring at her, at her body that was casting a hot spell on him, but he didn't care because he finally could see. For the longest, he was tormented by these images of Lilly, her beautiful face filling his mind while her body always remained hidden from view. He was staring, fuck that, he was ogling at the curves of her body. Eating her with his eyes as if he were a starving man.
And he was starving. Each inch his gaze traveled made the hunger in him grow and only one thing could satisfy it.
"Lilly," He managed to choke out. He didn't even know why he spoke because he couldn't think of what to say.
She stepped into the waves, slowly making her way until she was in front of him where the water reached her pretty bellybutton. Joshua never thought a bellybutton could be pretty but damn it her's was just gorgeous. He wished that was the most ridiculous thought to go through his mind but his head was too hot to think clearly. His eyes studied the exposed skin that gleamed where the water brushed against her and he wanted to know if she felt as soft as she looked.
"By your loss of words, I think I have proved my point." She said, her cheeks pink despite the boldness in her voice. "You said you weren't coming to the event, why are you here?"
She was trying to coax it out of him, to admit that everything he told her when she was in the fitting room was a lie. She was just an arm's length away, the water reaching just beneath her breasts. The blue bikini top was tied in the front by a dainty little bow. One pull of the strings and he would see the full beauty of her. His spine tingled. Damn, he never felt so weak, never so flustered like a boy just hitting puberty. Control was never a problem for him, not even losing it when his parents hounded him for every move he made to be sure he didn't let the family's dark secret out.
But it had been so fucking long since he's been this close to a nearly naked woman.
"Cat got your tongue, Joshua?" She egged on. "Or am I so uninteresting that you're bored?"
You know what, he could lose control a little bit. He kept it this long, he deserved a little dangerous living.
She was inviting him to a deliciously dangerous game that he never lost to any woman, and he was going to teach her how to play.
"I want my attention on your body instead of trying to make pointless conversation." He said his voice like gravel.
Her lips parted slightly, but it was when he advanced on her, stopping just a breath away that she let out a little yelp. All the confidence she had was wiped away as his hard chest was in perfect level with her eyes. He grinned a toothy predator grin as he saw her battle with maintaining eye contact with his gaze and not staring at his body.
"You invited me here Lilly, and not to pass out dog treats. Tell me why."
She shook her head, her throat bobbing as she swallowed hard.
"You bought this bikini for me, I know because of the color. A secret I only know." He tilted her chin up to meet his eyes, the reason for her favorite color. "You're wearing it for me."
"I'm wearing it for me. Because I know I look good in it because you knew I would look good in it despite you declaring you weren't interested in what my body looked like. I wanted to prove you wrong."
"And you have."
She blinked, clearly surprised by how easily he admitted. "I have?"
His hand released her chin and dipped back in the water, raising it again to her bare shoulder and letting the water from his fingers trickle onto the dry skin. She sucked in a breath when the cold droplets landed on her, but he watched as each drop made a wet trail down her smooth shoulder, along the delicate collarbone and sliding over the curve of her breast until it disappeared in the cleft between them.
As long as he didn't physically touch her, this was fine. He was still in control.
"I've been very interested in you since I came back." He finally said after each drop finished their way over her.
"But you said-"
"What I told you on the phone that day was what I was supposed to say. But it wasn't true."
Her cheeks had turned the prettiest pink in color since he came close to her. He wanted to reach out to see if the burning he felt in his core radiated off her face, to glide his thumb over the faint path of freckles. That was an innocent enough gesture, he touched her face before, he could do it again. Every nerve, every instinct was roaring for him to feel her. She was so close, looking at him with those light eyes, her breathing so shallow that her breasts were just centimeters away from brushing against his chest with each rapid breath.
I touched her before, I can do it again. I can keep control.
He reached out, his hand cradling her face and his world went up in flames.
She was so damn soft, like silk against his calloused palm. His thumb passed across her cheeks and he knew she was burning just as much as she was. Lilly looked at him in shock, but she leaned into his hand as if it were her body's automatic response to be closer to him. And he felt the same reaction within him. He glanced down again where her breasts were almost pressed against him and his veins felt like they were on fire. Blood rushed to his ears, blocking ever rational thought he had. This was wrong, he knew it was but she gave into him so easily, so willingly and it was so tempting, she was so tempting.
"What is true is that my mind can't leave your body alone." His hand firmly cupped her head, bringing his gaze to lock with her so she can see what she was doing to him. "You've been torturing me since the day you helped me unpack. Then you send me these songs that put images into my head, tell me you're standing in just a bra and underwear when I tried to plan a tutoring session with you. I fantasize about you, Lilly."
She listened to every word he said with hundreds of emotions crossing her beautiful face. "You what?"
"Don't pretend you didn't hear me, sweetheart, because I know damn well you did." His thumb moved from her cheek, tracing the arch of her brow. "Each time I close my eyes, all I see is you. These eyes, your mouth, but that's all I was able to see. Your body was always hidden from me, as if I wasn't allowed to know what you looked like, to keep guessing how your form curved like, it was madness."
"What did I do in these fantasies?"
He was going to hell. He bought his one way ticket there the moment he checked Lilly out for the first time so he might as well keep the ball rolling.
He dropped his hand from her face and reached beneath the water until he found hers. Gripping her wrist, he brought her hand and laid it directly on the center of his chest and the impact was like a train hitting him with full force. She gasped and he swore he could hear hissing from where the cool water of her palm sizzled against his ignited body.
"You touched me. Like this."
He dragged her hand down. Slow and agonizingly her palm slid down his body, like velvet smoothing over rock, her fingers splayed as they went over each ridge of muscle. Lilly followed the movement, her stare glued to the slow trail her hand explored and he kept his gaze locked on her. The sight of her feeling him made him both terrified and wicked. He knew damn well who she was, his best friend's little sister, his student.
My Lilly.
It was that thought that made him devilish inside. His Lilly who he knew since day one, his Lilly that declared him as her first love. His Lilly who looked fucking beautiful running a dainty finger down the deep lines of his chiseled abs until they disappeared beneath the surface.
This wasn't another hot and heavy mirage from his subconscious. This was real. And it was better than anything his brain had conjured up.
He held his grip firm, stopping her hand just above where his swimming trunks hung low on his hips. She looked at him, eyes wide and glazed with slightly parted lips.
"This is where it stopped." He said thickly. "I was never allowed more nor was I never allowed to see your body, a cruel punishment for indulging in erotic dreams I knew full well I shouldn't be having."
She breathed in a shaky breath before pressing her mouth in a determined line despite her hand just inched away from something she never experienced before. "That's what this is all about. Why I wanted you to come today and why I am wearing this sorry excuse of a bathing suit. I wanted to prove to myself that I can wear this stupid thing and that I can get under your skin the way you have with me. I wanted you to see me."
A splash of waves and her hand was released from his grip and held his, gliding it through the water until his palm curled over the dip at her waist. He cursed through gritted teeth as he felt himself starting to cave into the starving beast that demanded to take Lilly for himself.
"It's getting dark and I can't see through the water," He tightened his hold, pulling her to him and she slammed into his chest. "I'm going to have to feel for a visual."
Finally. Those breasts were finally against him.
But he'll tend to that fact later, right now he had to know how her body curved.
His arm wrapped around her waist, holding her to him because by the whimper she made he knew she was probably struggling to keep afloat on wobbly legs. The hand she placed on her glided up her side, his thumb smoothing over her flat stomach before curling behind to follow the dip of her back. She was like a fragile doll in his large hands, one rough move and he could break her. He had to be careful, take his time with handling her.
And he was more than okay with that. Because for the first time in a long time he was finally getting what he wanted. Her.
He felt her stiffen when he grazed the shape of her shoulder blade a little too harshly with a finger and he stood still, guilt flashing through him momentarily as he realized he was only thinking for himself.
"We need to stop," He said, flinching at how cracked his voice sounded. "I've crossed a line, you're not comfortable."
"No," Her tone was hushed by the sound of waves being pulled by the tide and he had to strain his ears to hear. She didn't look at him, but she rested her hands on either side of his shoulders. "I don't- I have never been this close to a man."
Those words should have made him toss her back onto shore and then let himself be carried off by the ocean for him to drown in self-loathing, but the fire in him only burned hotter.
He growled. "That should make me turn tail and run for my life, instead I want to run away with you."
"Joshua..."
"You bought this bikini for me?" He demanded to know, his hand brushing over the thin strap across her back. "You thought about me while you were trying it on."
"You said some mean things on the phone, I wanted you to choke on every single one of those words when you saw me in this."
"Answer my question, Lilly."
"Yes, I bought it for you. All I pictured was what kind of reaction you would have when you saw me in it."
"And what kind of reaction were you wanting me to have?"
"Anything remotely similar to what I have been going through few weeks since the night you were in my bedroom." She looked at him then and memories of her laying in her bed under dim lights flashed through his mind. "Since then I feel like I have lava for veins, my skin gets goosebumps at the thought of you and my whole body turns to a boiling pot of mush. I don't know what you've done to me, I just know I want to make you suffer too."
Suffer? He chuckled darkly, an angry sound. Oh if she only knew.
He'd been suffering for years. To keep his father's secret hidden from his mother and then to live like it never happened when it became known. To be nit-picked and hovered over to be sure he told no one of the secrets that could destroy the family company. Moving thousands of miles away from his home he never wanted to leave and choose a different path for a career he never wanted. Meeting each of his woman's need in a relationship he took seriously and still failing. Spending nights alone for years with a raging hard-on and a craving for a woman's touch.
He would be damned if she just stood before him and claimed he wasn't suffering. The statement alone pissed him off.
He gripped her waist. Lilly only had a second to shriek with surprise before it turned into a shocked gasp when he closed the slim gap between their lower halves, pulling her in until the apex of her legs pressed against his hard cock that throbbed the moment she revealed this damned bikini under her clothes.
Stars flashed behind his vision and he swore at the most intimate contact he had in years. Lilly's hands clung to his forearms, nails digging into his skin as she took in a shaky breath and eyes shining with wonder at the new position she was in.
"You... you're-"
"My dick is hard as steel." He said when she stumbled over the words. "Something you've been doing to me for the last few weeks. You think I'm not suffering? I've had to fight myself from giving into the inappropriate thoughts I've had of you."
"How long?"
"That I thought about you like this or how long my dick is?"
She gulped, the bob of her throat a visible sign of her nervousness. "The first one."
"Hell if I know for certain, not long after my return."
"You said you never thought of me in that sort of way."
"Fuck what I said, what do you feel Lilly?"
Another breathy gasp when he pushed her harder against him. "You."
"I think its time for another lesson," He said through clenched teeth and one hand moving from her hip then sliding up her side. "You said you don't know what's happening to you, this effect I have on your body when I'm around."
"Joshua," She whimpered when his hand made it to just below her breasts, his fingers playing with the front bow to the thin bikini.
"You're turned on my sweet Lilly." He murmured, allowing his arousal to feed into her's. "Your body is screaming for attention in any way it can. From the goosebumps on your arms to your pebble hard nipples." The pad of his thumb skimmed over the soft underside of her breast that was exposed to him.
She arched into his touch, a delicious movement that had her grind against his pulsing cock and he grunted like a wounded man. Just one touch. One touch for him to satisfy the burning curiosity of how she felt under his palm. So he wouldn't have to lie awake at night with tortuous images and not really knowing. Her hands trailed up his arms, feeling every sharp ridge of muscle until they rested on top of his shoulders and sucked the remaining strength from his body.
He loved every second of it.
Joshua dipped his head low until his mouth was just a hair away from tasting the sleek flesh of her neck and inhaled deeply. He growled as the strawberry scent filled his lungs, drowning the saltiness of the sea and not any hint of dog on her despite spending the day with them. His breath blew against the damp skin along the crook of her neck, a cocky satisfaction washing through him when she shivered in response.
It was a reaction he had before with his last relationship, but that fleeting thought quickly vanished from his mind. He didn't want to think of anyone else because all his attention deserved to be on Lilly. He only then realized he couldn't even remember the name of his last girlfriend. Lilly consumed his mind and soul and he gladly let her take over his senses.
"Please," She whispered to him and he could see desire taking over her face.
His thumb slipped under the fabric, the rest of his fingers following suit until his hand cupped the swell of her breast. He didn't bother to hide the deep groan that escaped him and shut his eyes tight as he tested the weight of the soft mound in his palm. For the first time ever, Joshua was on the verge of coming before he even saw the naked body of a woman. It was a low blow to his ego and yet a sense of relief was also there because he couldn't remember when was the last time he came where his hand was on a woman and not jerking off his own cock.
The bottom of his thumb found the hardened bud of her nipple and she jerked at the erotic touch, a sharp cry between her lips as he slowly swirled it around. Her nails dug into his skin, a sweet pain that brought an animalistic sound out of his throat to show his approval and she ground hopelessly against his stiff cock. He knew what she was doing, what she was searching for and without stopping his work on her nipple, slid his opposite hand under her bottom, hoisting her up until the center of her legs were pressed against him.
"Wrap your legs around me." He demanded in a voice he hardly recognized as his own.
She obeyed, her thighs hooking around his waist and bringing his erection firmly against her core. He thought he heard his teeth crack with how hard he clenched them at the feel of her heat on him. He moved again until her ass rested on his forearm and his hand gripped a shapely thigh all while his other fingers pinched the sensitive bud under the bikini top. Lilly threw her head back, eyes closed as she took in the sensation he knew was building within her. He almost started praying as she looked like a goddess, blessing him with each agonizing roll of her hips on him.
"That's it, baby. Ride me." He coaxed her, no longer giving a damn about his own release.
Joshua added a little more force to the squeeze of her breast. Her head fell forward and hair draped over them to create a curtain to hide behind. She was close, her body trembled with need against him. He did squeezed again, this time flicking the tightened bud and was rewarded greatly as she cried out his name, her thighs locking around his narrow hips, grinding once more against him until the waves of her orgasm subsided and she pressed her forehead in the crook of his neck as she caught her breath.
His hand slipped from her breast and brushed the disheveled hair away from her face where he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her delicate temple.
Only then did he allow the shame to seep into his bones.
\♡/