Page 24

Chapter Twenty-Three

“S o, you’re telling me you almost orgasmed when Dr. Super Soaker put clothes back on you?” William said and took the last bite of his cheesy enyucado . We sat on a bench at a small park we’d found in town, looking into the distance where the afternoon sun glinted off the ocean. I went over my night with Andrew, listing out all my confusing emotions and, of course, giving him the most precise body part measurements and all the sex tricks.

“Yep.” I set my half-eaten dessert between us and raised my phone to snap a picture of our view. “I have to say I never thought I would enjoy visiting Colombia as much as I am. It’s a beautiful country with friendly people.”

“You’re riding high on an orgasm overdose,” William said around a straw in his mouth, as he slurped on limonada de coco . He bumped his shoulder into mine. “So, is this a one-time thing between you and Dr. Indiana Bones or…”

I sighed. “I don’t think so.” The way Andrew’s lips had pressed to my head as a goodbye was a promise of something to come. “But it’s definitely a one-trip deal. A memorializing fling.”

A hollow feeling grew inside me. It wasn’t just about sex now. Jesus, my heart would have a difficult time getting over Andrew. We were two lonely people connecting, and this connection would never progress to anything else because we had no future. Too many factors pulled us in opposite directions. And I had my entire life waiting for me in Atlanta. I had a business to run. This was the fifth day of our trip and—per wire transfer notification emails I received each night—Andrew had kept his word. I already earned enough money to renovate my store. It felt wrong to ask for more.

“I’ll tell Andrew to stop paying me.” I blurted out before my brain could process the thought. Damn those wonderful commotions Andrew’s voice or touch created in my soul.

“What about your store? Are you giving up?”

A few more days and I could have ordered inventory without the need to look for an investor. I could be the sole owner of my dream. Stupid conscience.

I shook my head. “I’ll figure something out.”

William poked me in the thigh. “You’re totally smitten with him.”

“I’m not smitten with anybody.” I peered at him over my sunglasses.

William laughed. “Oh my god, you so are!” Then his mouth dropped into a flat line. He squeezed my hand. “I think you’re in love. I want to see you like this all the time. When we go back home, you and Andrew need to date.”

“Are you stoned?” I stared at him with a mildly horrified expression. “It’s not possible. With all the work waiting for me, I doubt I’d have time, and Andrew never said he wanted this to be something more.” Did he? “And I’m perfectly okay on my own.”

“Again, my dear, you’re wrong. We already went over this. It is possible if you give it a chance. And you think you’re okay, but all these years I’ve done nothing but worry about how lonely you are.”

“I’m not lonely. I have you, and I can get a cat.”

“No. There’s a difference.” He frowned. “There is alone, and there’s lonely . You, my dear, are lonely. You think your monthly prime delivery of double AA batteries for your Captain America and unlimited Kindle pile of romcoms would keep your soul fulfilled, but you’re wrong.”

My mouth dropped open. “I don’t read rom?—”

“Stop it.” William put his hand on my mouth. “I saw the smut you read. You can’t hide that from me.”

“But my Kindle is password protected.”

“Please.” He rolled his eyes, brushing out the crumbs off his shirt. “You use the same numbers. My birthday. Sometimes with a year, sometimes without it. It takes me one to four tries.” He placed his hand on his heart. “I’m so glad I got it off my chest. I discovered it the first day you moved in with me. Let me tell you, I was so relieved you’re a human being who believes in love. So, you and Andrew are going to long-distance date until we all figure something out.”

“It would not work.”

He gave me a stern expression. “It will.”

I let out strident laughter. “Like it worked with you and Rai when he moved away? You guys were together for four years. Planning to get married. And you still called it quits. How do you think it will work for Andrew and me only after maybe another week?”

“You’re wrong,” William said calmly, but I could hear something—maybe hurt or maybe controlled anger—in his voice.

“I’m not wrong.”

“Oh my god! You’re so fucking stubborn,” William yelled.

WTF? Were we actually arguing about this?

“You’re yelling at me again,” I whispered—my brain was in shock at his behavior.

“I’m sorry. But you’ve started pissing me off. You have something good here. You guys have this great chemistry. Why push it away?”

“Because we’re too different!” I shouted. Twisting, I checked that nobody had heard us. Thankfully, most people had their noses in their phones, minding their own business. “I’m a girl from a trailer park,” I hissed. “His family will never accept me. You know what? I’m done talking to you about this.” I jumped to my feet ready to leave, but William grabbed my hand, reeling my ass back down on the bench.

“Adriana, I don’t want you to make the same mistake I did.”

I turned. “What mistake?”

“It was me. I broke Rai’s heart.” William glanced up at the blue sky. “He begged me to go with him, but I said no. I was afraid. When he told his parents he was gay, it didn’t go well. They were hoping for a nice Japanese girl and not a white boy.”

“I remember that, but it happened in like the first few months of your dating,” I said in a low voice. “And they were fine afterward.”

“Yes, they were, but they wanted him to have a partner from the same culture. When he moved, I let him go because I was too chickenshit, worrying his family wouldn’t accept me. And guess what? Rai is now married to a Turkish swim instructor. Very much not Japanese.” William sighed. “I came across his Instagram account several weeks ago. Rai’s mom and dad were on either side of them, smiling and hugging. That could have been me.”

My heart was breaking all over again over what William had gone through. I looped my arms around his frame. “I’m sorry, handsome.”

He leaned his head to mine. “It’s water under the bridge. Please don’t let your fears get in the way of something that could be wonderful. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out, but you shouldn’t give up without a fight. You want Dr. Thor Hammer, don’t you?”

Of course, I did. Who wouldn’t?

“Yes. He’s like nobody I’ve ever met.” The last part came out with a dreamy sigh.

Could it work out between Andrew and me? Him living in Cambridge and me in Atlanta? Could we find a way to be together? The first year would be challenging since I would be busy with my store, but it would get easier once I got a grip on things. We could spend the holidays together. He could visit me, and from time to time I could get away to visit him. Money would be tight for a while, but I was trained to save. Each month I could put cash aside for an airplane ticket. A small hope slowly rose in my chest, the same sensation I’d felt when I received the UGA acceptance letter, got an offer at Salzburg Wine Distributing, bought a building in Roswell downtown, and when Andrew kissed me for the first time. The hope that something great was about to happen in my life.

It was hard to believe that two weeks ago, I had sworn off all men, and now I was falling in love like a complete fool with a man after just a few days.

“I must be seriously deranged to say this, but fine, I’ll give it a try.”

William kissed my temple. “I shall thank Andrew for finally breaking your dry spell and reminding you how nice it is to be in love. Now, are you going to finish your cake?”

I pushed my sunglasses further up on my nose and passed my cheese and coconut dessert to him. “It’s all yours.”

* * *

Andrew was in the center of a paper mess on the floor when I returned to his room.

“I brought you food,” I said, closing the door behind me. I wore a floral cyan blue sleeveless dress I’d bought earlier that day while strolling the streets with William. It had a deep V halter neck and was smocked snuggly through the bodice, with a wide circular skirt.

Andrew smiled, and my heart felt as though it might burst from my chest. I put the food on the desk and walked over to him. He reached his hand out to me. In one motion, he caught my wrist and pulled me down into his lap. His soft yet firm lips found mine and warmth ran down my spine at the contact.

“I missed you,” he said, his mouth against mine.

I smiled and drew back. “You did?”

His eyes skimmed over my face, and he scooped a lock of hair off my cheek and looped it behind my ear. “Yes.”

“After dinner,” I said, trailing kisses down his neck, “will you show me how much you missed me?”

His hands squeezed my ass, his erection growing beneath me. “Gladly.”

I climbed off him and went to the desk. Out of the bag, I withdrew a bottle of water, a brown paper box with rice and grilled vegetables, and a fire-grilled beef tenderloin.

Andrew took a seat on a chair. “Thank you.”

“I need to make sure you have a lot of energy.” I kicked off my shoes, nestled on the bed, and crossed my legs at the ankles. My heart racing, I waited a few seconds before I said, “Andrew, I need you to stop sending me money. Starting today.”

He glanced at me with a question in his eyes. “But we agreed on?—”

I raised my hand to stop him. “I know, but I have enough now, and I’m grateful for what you already sent. From now on, I just want to be a part of this search. No more payments.”

“Are you sure?” His eyebrows grew together.

I nodded. “Now tell me, any progress on the location of the palace?”

He watched me for a moment longer, a smile growing. “I have several likely locations.” He cut into the steak. “But I need to narrow it down to maybe two.”

“Can’t you cross-reference it with the records of the properties Augustine owned?”

Andrew shook his head, mouth full of food. I studied the bracelet, my fingers rotating it. Augustine cared about his wife. He poured his love into his letters, brought her things from every place he visited. He wanted to build her the palace of her dreams, and he died heartbroken after her death.

“You stated that after Maria had her first son, she developed severe motion sickness,” I said, and Andrew nodded, chewing. “I was thinking, if she couldn’t ride even a short distance before she had to throw up, as a loving husband, Augustine wouldn’t build a palace somewhere too far away from where they lived. He wouldn’t make her walk across the country, and he wouldn’t put her through the torturing misery of a long ride.”

Andrew’s eyebrows pulled together as he took a sip of water. After he swallowed, he said, “Go on.”

“You mentioned those who worked on the second villa were brought in carriages blindfolded to the location and were not allowed to leave. When construction stopped, they were taken back again blindfolded. Your notes suggested that rumor had it that Augustine started a palace in Brazil with a large cellar and an elaborate security system. What if drivers rode for days in circles over the mountains and through jungles making men believe they were in another country? Jungle here and jungle there most likely looked the same.” Andrew stopped eating, and I knew I had his undivided attention. “I think if we were to look for possible places, our center point should be where they lived, and from there we should draw a short radius, and increase little by little as we exhaust our options. We’ll avoid any overpopulated or popular hiking areas because obviously by now the unfinished large building would have been discovered. Can’t the Octavian Global group contact NASA or somebody and request mega-clear satellite photos of Colombia? I understand that after three hundred years the jungle might have swallowed it whole, but we could analyze images, search for the outline of a structure.”

“They’re not the United Kingdom’s foreign intelligence agency.” Andrew chuckled, scooping rice with the fork, but then he paused and looked at me. “Your brilliance is limitless.” The corners of his mouth turned upward, and then he was full-on smiling. “I love working with you.”

Undeniable happiness twined in my heart. The feeling was so real that I could reach in and touch it. As I watched Andrew eat, the most delicious images materialized in my mind: me parking in a secluded spot in the Atlanta airport on the day I picked up Andrew; me wearing a dress no matter the weather; us loading into my car, and me climbing on his lap and hungrily welcoming him inside me; us having late dinners that we made together in my home; us making love in the shower, on the couch, on the kitchen countertop; me falling asleep on his chest, in my bedroom with window curtains wide open and a bright moon in the velvet skies. Something dominant—and alarming—swelled in my chest. And I couldn’t ignore it anymore. My entire body vibrated with the desire I felt for those images to become reality.

Collecting the empty container, Andrew got up, dropped it into the paper bag, walked to the door, and set it on the floor. When he turned, his hand went over his shoulders, and he pulled his shirt over his head. I had seen him naked already, but my breath caught anew. He was devastating. My eyes roamed down his broad chest, a well-defined six-pack, and a distinct V disappearing into his pants. I had a strong feeling we were done talking about his work, and a filthy smile pulled at my lips.

“Come here,” Andrew said, his voice husky and deep, his eyes dark, holding mine and warming my blood.

No need to ask me twice.

I sauntered to him, wetness pooling and excitement already moving over me. Looking up at Andrew, I ran my hands up his torso, his abs flexing under my touch, over his chest, over the wide planes of his shoulders, coming to his neck and finally looping them around it. He framed my face with his large hands and dipped his head to mine.

Andrew kissed me deep and hard, just like he would fuck me soon. His mouth tasted of the salt and sweetness of his meal. My body ached, wanting him to repeat the things he had done last night. He was like heroin, and I was addicted to him.

His hand slid down my back, down to my ass. He cupped it, pressing his dick into my stomach. Then his hands traveled lower, and he bunched up my skirt, exposing my bare bottom. A surprise groan rumbled deep in his throat, and he squeezed harder.

Andrew walked me backward to the desk. Pressing his large palms on each side of my waist, he lifted me and set my ass on it.

“This dress is beautiful on you,” he said, his lips against my mouth, “but it will look better on the floor.” His fingers pulled on the bow at the back of my neck, undoing the knot and letting the halter-top drop. Andrew trailed kisses on my jaw, down to my collarbone, his hand gently massaging my breasts, simultaneously squeezing my nipples between his thumb and index finger. He caught one with his mouth and sucked it, before biting. I moaned, sifting my fingers through his hair.

Switching his attention to the other nipple, his hands gripped my ass, and he brought me closer to the edge of the table, my wet center soaking the fabric of his pants where his rock-hard cock pressed. My finger fumbled with the zipper.

“Not yet.” Andrew snatched my wrists and sat my palms flat on the table on each side of me.

His teeth sank gently into my shoulder, and I shifted my hips, desperate to find more friction against him. Andrew’s lips found mine, and his tongue swiped across, his hand clenching my throat with just the right amount of pressure. He broke our kiss, his lips swollen and red. We were both silent, breathing as if we’d just come up from a deep dive. His gaze coasted over my face, his expression unreadable. There was lust and hunger, but there was also something else tender and timid, and he looked like he wanted to speak but couldn’t form words.

“What?” I murmured.

A playful smile tugged on his lips, but his gaze was earnest and direct. “Just you,” he said, leaning in again to kiss me.

His hands brushed over my breasts, over the bunched fabric on my stomach, until they reached my sleek sex. A satisfied hum resounded in his throat when he slid two fingers inside me and dragged a whimper out of me. He broke our kiss again and pulled his fingers out, this time my moan was because of raw disappointment.

“Why… stop?” I found words, exasperated.

Kneeling, Andrew widened my thighs. He lowered his face to my center and dragged the flat of his thick tongue from the base to the most sensitive point. My eyes rolled, and my head fell backward.

“Christ, you taste like honey,” he drawled before repeating the slow lick.

“Do I?” I whispered.

The two wet fingers he’d had inside me nudged my lips to open. He engulfed them in my mouth, letting me taste my sweetness. I sucked them. He licked me harder. My body convulsed, and he pulled his hand away from my face and pressed it onto my lower stomach to keep me steady. My orgasm rushed towards me like a freight train. So sudden. So powerful. Andrew’s tongue circled my sensitive clit again, making my hips jerk, sending a blend of pain and pleasure through me.

“Andrew.” His name was a needy sound on my lips. “Get insi?—”

He licked my sex again, and a hot white agony shot through me. I gasped, gripping his hair and yanking his face away. “You’re a fucking menace.” He grinned like he was drunk. “You’ve had enough of tasting, now fuck me like a gentleman.”

He wiped his mouth on his shoulder and got to his feet. “I don’t want to be a gentleman tonight.”

Andrew withdrew a condom from his side pocket and unzipped his pants. As he removed his last clothing item, I pulled my dress over my head and tossed it on the floor. It did look better there. Instead of leaving his pants near his feet, Andrew folded them and tucked them under my lower back and ass.

Clenching a silver packet corner between his teeth, he ripped it open and offered it to me. “You do it.”

Before rolling it on his length, I wrapped my fingers at its base and dragged my hand up to its head, drawing hasty breaths out of Andrew. My thumb circled the tip of his cock, smearing silky precum. My mouth salivated, and I played with the idea of letting him stand while I sucked on his glorious dick. I arched an eyebrow and bit my lip.

Placing the condom on the table, I moved to get off. “I have a better idea.”

“No.” Andrew pinned my hips back. “I appreciate your intentions, but I’ve thought about you on this desk over a million times…” He picked up the condom and rolled it on. “You need to lay back.”

I obliged, the cold surface of the table a refreshing touch on my overheated skin. Holding my gaze, Andrew glided into me with one thrust, stretching me and making me cry out his name. He gripped my hips, his fingers digging into my flesh as he buried his cock even deeper. Without breaking our gaze, he moved in and out with a steady, deliberate rhythm, telling me I was beautiful, telling me he was grateful I put on the bracelet, telling me he didn’t want this to end. I couldn’t get enough of him. My hand found a wall behind me, and I pressed on it, pushing my pelvis more into Andrew, my inner muscles tightening, seeking a release.

“More,” I commanded and took a deep breath.

He let go of my hips and brought my legs up, resting my ankles on his shoulders. Locking his muscular arms over my legs, veins in his forearms bulging, he lifted me and began driving his cock fast, thrust after thrust, hitting me in just the right spot. The wooden desk’s creak, our mingled groans, and the sound of his body slapping into my wetness pulsated through the air. Every muscle inside me coiled around him, and a colossal star explosion set off inside me, unhinging me and making me come hard.

“Fuck,” Andrew grunted and plunged one more time before surrendering to his orgasm. His movement slowed down, and he let go of my legs, allowing me to embrace his waist with them. He leaned forward until his chest pressed into my hot sweaty breasts, and he rested his face on my shoulder, his fast breathing matching mine.

I wanted to laugh or maybe cry, I was that giddy with happiness. When I got home, I’d need to buy William a huge thank-you gift for bringing a semi-truck load of condoms. And for convincing me to put my guard down and allow myself to fall stupid in love.

“Was this everything you hoped for?” I asked, my fingers gliding over Andrew’s damp back.

“No.” Andrew perched on his forearms and grinned. “It was much better.”

* * *

The next morning, the early sun hues were blooming in the sky when I tiptoed across the creaky wooden floors out of the room, leaving Andrew asleep, mansprawled in the bed, sage cotton sheets partially covering his glorious naked body. It was my turn to serve breakfast in bed. It took me longer than I’d expected to pick us food because I wanted to find a vendor cart or a shop that sold flowers, but alas it was too early.

When I returned with a greasy bag and two coffees in my hands, Andrew was dressed and clean-shaven, talking in Spanish on the phone by the window. I loved his voice even when I couldn’t understand a word he was saying. He stood tall, his shoulders square, with his right hand on his hip. Confident and so impossibly sexy. Something powerful inside me expanded. Only god knew how much therapy I’d need if he didn’t want to continue whatever this was between us.

He glanced over this shoulder and then held his finger in just a minute gesture.

“Yes, that would be helpful,” Andrew switched to English. “Not right now. Today we’re going to árbol Hueco Isla. It’s an island about a thirty-minute boat ride from the local marina.” He went quiet, listening to… Dr. Garcia, I assumed? He laughed, nodding as if in agreement. “Yes, I believe we’re getting close. Yes. Will do. Thanks.” He hung up and walked to me. He cupped my face with his hands and kissed me, the taste of his minty breath mingling with the sips of coffee I’d had earlier. My knees went weak, and I had to lean into him. He broke the kiss and gave me the most devastating smile. “Ready to go on a short trip with me?”

I would travel to the moon with him if he asked.