Off Chance (35 page)

I glance at Rowan, because I am curious as to what she considers romantic. She gives him a wry smile and holds her hand to her chest, “My heart just went pitter-patter when you said ‘some shit like that’, Linc. Very romantic.”

A bark of laughter escapes my mouth and Linc punches me in the shoulder. “Dude, not funny. Seriously, what do you two think? Because I really wanted to do something huge and over the top. Let her know how much I love her... you know, sort of like what Ryan did for Danny.”

Rowan looks puzzled so I take a minute and explain how Ryan proposed to Danny on the big Jumbotron at Madison Square Garden before a Rangers game. She’s dutifully impressed and a fleeting thought goes through my mind... I wonder what type of proposal it would take to get Rowan to agree to marriage. I have no clue what her views are, but I know her ideas of parenthood are skewed based on her family experience.

Turning to Linc, I tell him, “Look man... I don’t really know Ever all that well, so I can’t say for sure what she’d like. But I do know you. And you’re the low-key, subtly romantic type of dude. You’re not an over-the-top, in-your-face, shout-to-the-world-my-feelings kind of guy. So I think this beach dinner sounds perfect. What I do know about Ever is that she loves you... just the way you are. So she’d much rather have something that reflects the real you.”

“But what if it’s not enough? I’m so nervous, I’m practically sick to my stomach. What if she says ‘no’? I don’t think I’ll be able to handle it.”

“She’ll say yes, man. Trust me,” I assure him.

“Really?” Linc asks and he sounds so pathetically miserable over this whole proposal not working, I start to feel really bad for him.

“Absolutely,” Rowan chimes in. “No woman could resist that.”

I stow that piece of information away for future reference. I also add, “Quit stressing, Linc. I swear she’ll say yes.”

Linc lets out a huge sigh and flops back on his towel, eyes raised to the sky. “God, I hope so. I’ll be miserable if she says no. I’ve never been so stressed in my life.”

“Stressed over what?” Ever asks as she walks toward us. She’s wearing a red bikini top that looks perfect against her pale skin and dark hair, with tiny, white shorts. Yeah... she’s beautiful, but she’s got nothing on Rowan.

Linc sits up ramrod straight and his mouth hangs open like a dead fish. I can see panic on his face, having no clue what to say. Before I can even swoop in to save him, Rowan says, “Linc was worried about his toast at the wedding dinner. Says he’s a bit of a pansy-ass when it comes to public speaking.”

I snicker and Linc turns a stunned face toward Rowan. Ever drops down in Linc’s lap and his arms wrap around her waist while he rests his chin on her shoulder. He looks at Rowan and mouths the words,
Thank You
to her, relief swimming in his eyes.

“That’s true. Linc hates being the center of attention like that. But you’ll do great, baby.” Ever leans her head back to look at Linc and he kisses her temple. When she straightens back up, she looks at us. “What do you two have planned today?”

“Just relaxing... but we’re actually going to go swimming right now. You want to join us?”

“Nah,” Ever says. “I think I just want to lie out here for a while.”

Linc chimes in, “What she said.”

Standing up from the towel, I hold my hand out to Rowan. She takes it and I tug her up from the towel. When she’s standing, I bend over and catch her legs with my shoulder, tossing her over me as I stand up. She squeals as I start walking toward the water.

“This is what is known as a fireman’s carry,” I tell her.

She squirms as she laughs and I pop her on the butt. “Don’t do that. I might drop you.”

“As if,” she giggles.

I walk straight into the warm water and when I get waist deep, I let her slide down the front of my body. The contact of legs gliding over my crotch starts my dick twitching.

Rowan wraps her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist, and I walk out until the water is just lapping over my shoulders. She has to hold on to me now, because she can’t touch the soft sand from where we are.

I lean my face in and give her a soft kiss. “Are you having a good time?”

“The best,” she says and she kisses me back.

When she pulls away, she dips her head back into the water to wet her hair. The move pushes her breasts up, and I stare down at the creamy swells just inches from my mouth. My dick raises its head up with genuine interest.

When she pulls back up, water runs down her face, making her skin glisten like dew drops on spring flower petals. The sun reflecting off the water lightens her eyes to a shimmering silver and I’m stunned for a moment by how gorgeous she is.

“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

Her cheeks actually get pink and she smiles at me shyly. “I don’t know. I don’t think anyone’s said that to me before.”

“You steal my breath sometimes,” I tell her.

Laying her head on my shoulder, she says softly, “You’re too good to me, Flynn. I don’t deserve it.”

I reach my hand up and grab her hair, pulling back so her head rises up. I look at her somberly. “You deserve the world, Rowan. The entire fucking world should belong to you.”

Her mouth opens like she’s going to say something, and then it snaps shut. Whatever was going to come out is locked away, but she speaks to me in another way. She lays her lips against mine, opening her mouth, and I slip in. Our tongues touch each other with confidence, and I let myself get immersed in the feelings of desire and affection I have for her.

She pulls her tongue back, just enough so she can speak, but never letting her lips leave mine. “Touch me, Flynn.”

My face jerks back in surprise and the thought of all the things I could do to her in this water gives me an immediate and full-blown, raging hard on.

“Right now?” I ask, disbelieving.

She stares at me, her eyes hooded and unblinking. “Right here,” she whispers.

I shoot a hasty glance at the beach and Linc and Ever are both on their backs, faces tilted up to the sky. They’re not watching us. I look down the beach to a young couple that have been out there all morning, and they’re actually making out pretty hot and heavy. I’m assuming honeymooners.

Scanning the area, I notice that the family of four that I had seen earlier are gone, maybe to get an early lunch?

Who gives a fuck?

It appears right now, I could probably have my way with Rowan and none would be the wiser.

Keeping my eyes locked on her, I remove one of my hands that were wrapped around her waist, dragging my fingers over her hip and down between her legs. I brush my fingers lightly over the material separating me from my goal and the contact causes Rowan to jerk almost violently as she throws her head back.

I pull my fingers back slightly and grin at her. “Uh-uh. Can’t have that. You need to hold still, okay? Can’t give away our secrets to anyone on that beach.”

Bottom lip firmly gripped between her teeth, just so her front two teeth peep out, she nods at me.

“Okay,” I tell her. “Let’s try this again. And you need to behave. Just keep talking to me like we’re just casually hanging out in the water.”

“Okay,” she pants. “But I hope I don’t scream.”

I chuckle over the thought and dip my hand back down again. I test her out, grazing my fingers over her lightly and, to my respect, she keeps absolutely still, although her eyes flutter close.

“Good girl,” I tell her before pulling her bottoms to the side.

I tease between her legs for a few minutes, taking my time and making sure she can handle what I’m doing to her. She remains perfectly still, although her breathing is getting faster.

When I dip one long finger inside of her, her breath rushes out in wave of peppermint breath and she gasps, “Oh, Flynn, that feels good.”

“Going to feel better,” I promise her.

I lean in and grab her lips in a kiss, just as I plunge another finger inside. She lets out a tiny cry into my mouth and I start moving in and out of her in a consistent rhythm.

“I can’t take it,” she whimpers.

“Yes, you can. You can take anything I hand you... then you can take some more.”

I add a third finger and she’s so fucking tight around me I hope I’m not hurting her. I go a little slower, just in case.

When her head starts falling backward, I have to remind her to get back on track. “Eyes to me, baby. Gotta act normal.”

Her head snaps up, her eyes locking with mine. I swear I can see flames dancing in them, and a rose blush is staining her neck. “Finish me off, please.”

“Anything for you,” I say as I remove my fingers and change the tempo and pattern of my movements. She bucks against my hand with a whimper and leans her face forward. Her teeth sink into my shoulder, and if anyone is watching us right now, I think they’d know what we were up to. Another quick glance to the beach tells me no one is paying attention.

I slip my index finger back inside her and use my thumb to continue my strokes. Immediately, her body starts to tremble and she bites down on me hard. That’s definitely going to leave a mark, but I could care less.

With only a few more touches between her legs, Rowan groans and her body convulses. She cries into my shoulder as the spasms fire through, and when they die off, she lifts her face to mine. I remove my hand and pull her bottoms back in place.

“That was some kinky shit,” I tell her with a grin.

She smiles back and kisses me. “Yes, it was. Now I want you to take me back to the room and make love to me.”

I kiss her back. “There’s nothing I want more but you need to give me a few minutes. I can’t get out of the water until my hard on disappears. Don’t want to frighten everyone.”

Rowan’s eyes light up with a mixture of mischief and desire. “I have a better idea,” she says.

“What’s that?”

Moving one arm from around my shoulder, she drops it below the water. With just a few efficient moves, she’s pulled the front of my swim trunks down and I spring free. I suck in a deep breath when her tiny hand curls around me. She places her lips near my ear and says, “How about I take care of you right now... then you don’t have to worry about it?”

“Oh, God... please tell me you’re not joking around?”

Her laugh is husky and rich as she strokes her hand against me. My toes curl down into the sand and I hope my knees don’t give way, drowning us both. My head falls back it feels so fucking good, but she says, “Uh-uh, Mr. Caldwell. Eyes on me.”

I raise my head and hold her eyes. Her hand moves along my shaft in the warm water, her thumb rubbing around the head every other stroke. She is like a siren rising from the sea, seducing me beyond my will, and I give surrender.

“You’re amazing,” I whisper to her.

She answers by increasing the pace and my body can’t remain still. My hips start moving and I hope to God no one glances our way. But the truth of the matter is, I don’t give a flying fuck. Right now, I’m a slave to Rowan’s hand and the explosive orgasm that I can feel firing up.

I try to fight it off because I want to stay like this for eternity, but it’s too overpowering. Stars burst inside my head as I shoot out into the warm Caribbean waters, and I have no choice but to kiss Rowan or otherwise I might scream from the intense pleasure.

The sun hangs low over the water as we wait for Emily to arrive. The ceremony is taking place on a grassy, seaside cliff overlooking one of the blue lagoons. I’m amazed at the simplicity with which this wedding is taking place. As the daughter of a U.S. Congressman, I guess I sort of expected more.

More guests, more flowers, more everything.

Instead, the Caldwell and Burnham families stand in a semi-circle around Nix with the minister beside him. At Emily’s insistence, everyone was to dress casually, preferably with a tropical print. Nix has on a pair of khaki pants and a white linen shirt. He’s not wearing any shoes.

I chose to wear a yellow sundress with a white, palm-frond pattern along with a pair of gold sandals. Flynn stands beside me with his hand resting on my back. He’s wearing a pair of white shorts, a navy and white tropical print shirt, and flip-flops. His skin is bronze from just one day in the sun and his hazel eyes are shining almost green in the sun’s glow.