Stripped (20 page)

“That was just an assist. Won’t happen again. How
can I make it up to you?”

“That may be the best question anyone’s ever asked
me.” Chris pulled Abby to him and was about to kiss her when the door opened
and they both looked over to see Ty, Kelana and Jen coming in.

“When are we going to dinner?” Ty asked. “I’m
starving.”

“You guys go ahead. We’re going later,” Chris said.
Abby pressed her cheek to his chest as he held her, liking the feel of his warm
skin against hers.

“I thought you guys weren’t together,” Kelana said,
looking confused.

“We’re not,” Chris said. “Hey, we’re heading out to
the beach.”

“Actually, it’s a little cold,” Abby said in his
ear. “The bikini was just part of the assist.”

“Go get dressed,” Chris said, smiling down at her.
“We’ll walk on the beach.”

Seeing Abby with his friends felt good, Chris
thought as they all finished dinner at a small beachside bar. She and Charlotte
had hit it off, which didn’t often happen with women he dated. He usually did
things with Reed and Charlotte alone, and he never felt like a third wheel.

But tonight it was great to be part of a foursome.
To hear Abby’s carefree laugh, and wonder what she was thinking when their eyes
met. When he’d rested his palm on her thigh, she’d leaned in against his
shoulder, and Chris had thought, for the first time ever, that maybe it was
possible for his feelings for someone to grow deeper with time.

He had dated women for a few months at a time, but
he’d never felt increasingly into them like he did with Abby. It had always
just
worked
for those months, and then when it didn’t anymore, he was
fine with it.

It had been so easy to leave behind his reservations
about their relationship for this trip. He and Abby were together, with no
jobs, no schedules and no commitments. For the few days they were here, there
would be nothing to focus on but each other.

But wouldn’t that just make it harder when they
returned to reality Monday morning? Was this a taste of what they could never
have? He thought it probably was, but he pushed his doubts aside. Tonight, he
just wanted to think about tonight.

The beach house was empty when they returned from
dinner, and Abby looked longingly at the couch. It had been a long day, and she
wanted to lay there, preferably with Chris, and relax.

“Everyone else must be in the hot tub,” Chris said.
“You want to?”

“Sure.” A hot tub sounded pretty relaxing too, Abby
thought. By the time she changed back into her swim suit and made her way to
the patio, everyone else was already out there.

The hot tub, which was built into the ground, was
large and round. Abby wanted to sit by Chris, but Jen was on one side of him
and Reed was on the other, so she slid in next to Charlotte instead.

“So much for our blow outs,” Charlotte said.

“But this feels so good,” Abby said, sinking into
the warm, bubbling water. She had piled her hair on top of her head, but the
humidity would still get to it.

Jen rose to get beer from an ice bucket on the
patio, and Abby noticed that her bikini top was a size too small for her large
breasts. It left little to the imagination. Jen handed Chris a beer and sat
down a little closer to him than she had been before.

Abby knew her flare of jealousy was irrational.
Though Jen was attractive, with blue eyes, long dark hair and a nice body,
Chris had shown no interest in her. He had asked Abby to come to the beach
house with him. But she still didn’t like seeing another woman flirt with him.

“So you’re still single, Chris,” Jen purred. “Still
enjoying the fun of being unattached?”

“Something like that,” he said.

“Me too. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want,
with whoever I want.” She gave him a quick look and Abby sighed. Charlotte
rolled her eyes in Abby’s direction.

“What’s up tomorrow?” Ty asked.

“Whatever,” Reed said. “I just want to relax.”

Abby’s eyes met Chris’, and she enjoyed the look of
intensity that passed between them. She wondered what he was thinking. His eyes
widened suddenly and she became even more curious.

“You ready for bed, Ab?” he asked.

“Sure.”

“You haven’t even been out here five minutes!”
Kelana protested. Chris said nothing, and Abby gave him a puzzled look as she
dried off with the towel she’d brought. She passed it to him when she was done,
and he dried off quickly. He raised his brows as he reached into the ice bucket
for another beer, but Abby shook her head.

“’Night, guys,” he said, steering Abby to the door
with a hand on her back.

“Is everything okay?” she asked when they got
inside.

“Yeah. Jen was getting a little too friendly.”

“I know! She was practically on top of you.”

“No, I mean under the water. She was trying to give
me a hand job.”

Abby stopped, her eyes widening.

“She touched you?” she said angrily.

“More like assaulted me, but whatever. Let’s go
upstairs.”

“No, I don’t want to. I’m pissed, Chris.”

“Don’t sweat her, Abby. She does this every time
we’re both here. It hasn’t worked yet, but she still tries.”

Abby looked away, embarrassed at the tears pooling
in her eyes.

“Hey, don’t,” he said softly, stroking her cheek.
“She’s less than nothing to me.”

“You know what?
I
haven’t even touched you
there, Chris. She just did something that I haven’t even done.”

“It was unwanted, Abby. And I want it badly from
you. Come on, don’t get upset about her.”

“I’m sorry, but I am.”

“You want to go back outside and fight her or
something?” he teased, tossing his unopened beer to the couch.

“No,” she sulked. “But I want you to sit with me if
we’re in the hot tub again.”

“I like seeing you so possessive of me. It’s kinda
hot,” he said, sliding his hand around the back of her bare neck. “God, I’m so
glad you’re here.”

“Me, too.” She reached toward his chest, her fingers
exploring the lines and curves of it. She had never touched him there, and she
felt a burn of arousal between her legs at the way he looked back at her. Her
fingers lightly traced up to his wide shoulders, down his biceps, and back to
his chest until they slowly slid down – to his stomach, past his navel.

A low groan escaped Chris’ lips before Abby made it
as far as she wanted, and he swept her to him so quickly that she gasped in
surprise. He covered her mouth with his, kissing her with more fervor than ever
before. Without thinking, she returned his passion, winding her fingers into his
hair as her other hand gripped his back tightly.

His hand slid smoothly down into her bikini bottom, clutching
her against him, and her squeal was a mixture of surprise and longing.

The fire burning inside her was new, and she found
it intoxicating. Chris’ body was hard, powerful and charged with sexual desire,
and she didn’t think she could pause for the trip upstairs. Whatever was about
to happen would happen right here, in the living room.

The sound of the door opening broke the reverie, and
Chris and Abby both snapped their heads in that direction.

“Sorry, guys,” Ty muttered, looking away. Chris
exhaled deeply, sliding his hand out of Abby’s bikini.

“We were just going upstairs,” he said with a grin.

Other than the crashing ocean waves outside the open
doors to the balcony, the only sound in the room Chris and Abby were sharing
was her panting. He had peeled the wet swimsuit from her body and was running
his fingers along the curve of her hip.

She stood, frozen, as his lips caressed her stomach
lightly. She shivered from the warmth of his breath below her navel.

“Lay down,” he said in a low, sexy voice. She
complied, and his eyes moved reverently down her body. Countless men had seen
her naked, but Chris seemed to see more of her than any of them ever had. He
was looking past her features to what incited her, and it filled her with a
hunger to see him in the same way.

“Chris, I want to see you,” she said as he leaned
down toward her. “Please. Let me see you.”

His eyes never left hers as he pushed off his wet
swimming trunks, and she inhaled sharply as she saw his entire body for the
first time. He was beautiful; all smooth lines of muscle and hard with
excitement.

A rush of desire to feel him inside her filled Abby,
and she reached for him. He gently eased her back and returned to kissing her
slowly, tantalizingly, from head to toe. His hands stroked her everywhere but
the one place she was desperate for him to touch. She arched her back and snuck
her own hand onto one of her thighs. Though she was too self-conscious to ask
him to touch her, she was okay with doing it herself if it came to that.

“Abby,” he said, admonishing her with a wicked grin.
“While I would love to see that, it’s not happening. Keep these hands on this
bed or I will tie them up.”

He pressed her palms to the cool sheet of the bed
and Abby gave a small moan of excitement. He wouldn’t have to tie her up, but
she liked thinking that he would. The way he was making her wait, building her
excitement only to leave her wanting, was the sweetest torture she’d ever
experienced.

As he kissed his way up her stomach to her breasts,
Abby gasped as she felt his erection brushing her thigh. She was nearly
throbbing with desire, and she wanted to beg him to satisfy it, but words
failed her in her deep state of arousal.

He wound his tongue in long, slow circles across her
nipple, and she moaned loudly when his teeth closed around it gently.

“Chris,” she breathed. “God, Chris, please.”

“Please what?” he asked lightly. She exhaled,
embarrassed.

“All you have to do is say it,” he said, moving to
her other nipple. Abby moaned again, needing the release that only he could
give her.

“Please make me come,” she whispered.

“God, I love the sound of that. Of course, baby.”

He pushed her thighs apart and Abby was dizzy with
anticipation. She knew it would take nothing to send her over the edge. When
Chris eased his tongue between her legs, she cried out loudly from the deep,
overwhelming sensation. In just a few seconds, she arched herself into him,
seized by a deep orgasm that spread through her entire body.

She was breathless as she came down from it, still
panting as he settled next to her in bed.

“You’re incredible,” she said. “That was…”

“You’re so sexy when you come. It’s like you’re
trying to fight it off or something.”

“But I never can with you.”

He smiled and she reached for his face, running her
fingers over the line of his jaw.

“Can I try to impress you now?” she asked.

“I already got everything I wanted tonight. Do you
mind if we leave the doors open?  It’s nice waking up to the sound of the
ocean. It might get a little cold in here, though.”

“We have covers. Let’s leave them open. If you’re
not wearing your t-shirt to bed, can I have it?”

“Sure.”

As she snuggled against Chris, Abby was content. The
longer she spent with him, the less she felt like an imposter. Here, away from
the club, her mother, and all the other distractions she usually had, she felt
like she was right where she belonged.

“You look a lot better in that shirt than I do,”
Chris said as Abby brushed her teeth at the bathroom sink.

“I don’t know about that.”

“What do you want to do today?”

“We’re in Malibu. I’m good with anything.”

“We can go out and see the town if you want, or stay
here and do nothing.”

“Nothing sounds nice. I brought a book I’d like to
read,” she said, putting down the toothbrush and turning her attention to
brushing her hair.

“We’ll spend the day on the beach, then.”

“Great,” she said. “But I’m not wearing a bikini. I
about froze yesterday in regular clothes.”

“I think you’re hotter in my shirt than a bikini,
anyway.” Chris took the hairbrush from her hand and put it down, turning her
around to face him. His hand moved up her thigh to her bare hip, and she felt
him hardening against her. He leaned down for a kiss, and a surge of wanting
passed through Abby. She slid her hand down the back of his boxers, willing him
to move her onto the bathroom counter and give her what she wanted so badly.

“We’d better get dressed,” he said in her ear.

“That’s what you want right now?”

“You know what I want. But not yet, Abby.”

She spent most of the day sitting between Chris’
legs in a big lounge chair on the beach, reading while reclined on his chest.
He browsed the Internet on his tablet, playing with a section of her hair. As
their feet wound together, Abby realized that this felt more intimate than what
they had done the night before. The familiarity they were starting to feel for
each other was something she’d never had.