Page 93 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 10

"Just a business call,” I lied. I grabbed her hand again and we took the few steps down to the beach. Her hand felt warm in mine. And there was something so comforting about it. Like she was holding me here in the present. Grounding me.

"Something with your tech company?"

"Well, it's not mine anymore. But yes." I looked out at the ocean. I thought it would be strange being here with someone else since I usually came here to clear my head. But I felt as comforted by the sounds of the waves as always. Penny had this way of making my mind stop reeling.

We walked toward the water. There wasn't anyone on the beach down here this time of year except for the occasional passerby.

"Professor Hunter? You didn't answer my other question."

I ran my hand through my hair. "I'm sorry, what was your question again?"

"Why do you have a hard time trusting people?"

I took a deep breath, my mind returning to my phone call with Isabella.

"People have a tendency to wear many different masks.

I've been bad at seeing people for who they really are until it's too late.

" I don’t want to talk about this. I put my towel on top of the sand and sat down, pulling her on top of me.

I needed her body against mine. I needed her to make me forget.

"I barely know anything about you," she said breathlessly.

"You know that I like you and that you like me.” I stared into her blue eyes. “What else does anything matter?" I wanted her to believe that as much as I did. Nothing else mattered but this moment.

I lightly tugged her hair so that our faces were only an inch apart.

She immediately leaned down and kissed me.

I thought it was easy to breathe when I was around her.

But when we were kissing? I was pretty sure I could live off her exhales.

And every time we kissed I felt myself slipping even more.

I wasn’t sure how I was ever going to come back from this.

And all I could think about was how much I could take.

I rolled over so that she was beneath me.

We were all alone on the beach. If I wanted, I could have her right here.

And the way her hips moved beneath me made her desire evident.

But she wanted romance on her perfect date.

I reluctantly gave her one last kiss and then sat up, pulling her into a seated position next to me.

"So I couldn't bring the real thing, but.

.." I opened the cooler and brought out two bottles of pina colada cocktails.

They looked disgusting, but I was sure Ellen had tried her hardest to find something good.

"I guess these are the next best thing." I popped off the caps and handed her one of the bottles.

"Cheers," she said and clanged her bottle against mine.

I watched her take a small sip and her eyes lit up. "This is so good."

Thank you, Ellen. I took a pull from the bottle and started coughing. "Ugh! It's disgusting."

"What? It's delicious."

"It tastes like the lovechild of a coconut and a bottle of Nyquil."

She started laughing. It was starting to become one of my favorite sounds.

"You can have mine too. I brought backup for myself.” I handed her my bottle and pulled a beer out of the cooler.

"So pina coladas and getting caught in the rain aren't your thing?" She smiled up at me.

"I'm all about getting caught in the rain. But I prefer scotch."

She looked down at her drink. "I like how sophisticated you are."

"Penny, nothing I'm going to do to you here is sophisticated."

She gulped. "What do you have in mind?"

I reached over and touched the strap of her tank top. "Well, I don't think you need this anymore."

She put down her drink and pulled her tank top off over her head.

Her bikini pushed her breasts perfectly together.

I wanted to press my face between them and never move again.

What happened to romance? Screw it. I reached over and unzipped her jean shorts.

She lifted her hips and I slowly pulled them down her thighs and off her legs.

My eyes roamed from her breasts down her tiny waist. Every inch of her was perfect.

And if she wasn’t careful, she was going to be filled with every inch of me in a few minutes.

I’d make it romantic enough. I stood up and took off my shirt, savoring the feeling of her eyes on me.

I offered her my hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Want to go for a swim?" I asked.

"Yes, just let me put some sunscreen on first."

I laughed. "It's almost the end of September. I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Stop being a bad influence for one second. I get burnt crazy easily." She plopped back down and pulled the sunscreen out of her bag.

I knelt and took the bottle from her. "Let me do it for you then. Lie down." As long as my hands were all over her, I was happy.

She lay down on her stomach and I froze.

Her back. There were small cuts all over her back.

They had to be from the tree’s bark on the golf course.

I lightly touched her skin. This was what I was worried about.

That I ruined everything good that I touched.

"Penny, I'm so sorry." I wasn’t good for her. I’d ruin her. I’d ruin everything.

"The risks of having sex on a golf course, I guess. It doesn't hurt though."

I wanted to believe that she was fine. But the cuts proved otherwise. I gently started to massage the sunscreen onto her shoulders and arms. "Are you sure it doesn't hurt?" I’m so sorry.

"I'm sure.”

Her skin was so soft and delicate beneath my fingers, though, and I had a hard time believing her words.

My thumb traced along one of the cuts. I’d overindulged in her and this was the proof.

But she wasn’t squirming from pain. She did seem fine.

So sweet and innocent, but tougher than I was giving her credit for.

“You know, when I was younger I used to be so envious of all the girls on the boardwalk that had boyfriends,” she said. “I couldn't wait until I was older. Holding hands on the boardwalk seemed like the epitome of romance."

I smiled as I listened to her. So the whole beach thing was real, even if the song lyrics had been a joke. I rubbed the lotion underneath the strings of her bikini and began to massage her lower back. "So did you force your high school boyfriends to take you here? To show all the other girls up?"

"Yes. I mean, no. I'm sorry, what did you say? I wasn't paying attention."

I laughed and continued to massage the sunscreen onto her skin.

Knowing that my touch distracted her was satisfying.

"So you must have brought all your high school boyfriends here.

Turn over." I wanted my hands everywhere on her all at once.

There was nothing as soothing as my skin pressed against hers.

When I touched her, it was like I stole a little of her warmth.

Like maybe she could keep my demons at bay.

"No. I wish." She rolled onto her back and propped herself up on her elbows.

"Couldn't get them to take you here, huh?" I rubbed my hands across her tight stomach. Then dipped them slightly below the top of her bikini bottom. Not yet. I moved them back to her stomach.

Her gaze was following the trail of my fingers. "No, I mean I didn't have any boyfriends in high school." She immediately closed her eyes like she was embarrassed.

No boyfriends in high school? I had skipped a lot of the early information in her background check.

Had that tidbit been in there? I was having a hard time believing it was even true.

How had no one asked her out in high school?

Were all those horned up teenagers she went to school with blind to perfection?

Maybe she’d actually attended a school for the blind.

When she opened her eyes again, I smiled at her. She had no reason to be embarrassed.

"I wouldn't have guessed that, Penny. But I find it incredibly adorable.

" My fingers wandered lazily across her collarbone and then right above her breasts.

My hands lingered for a moment. I would have taken the opportunity to massage her tits, but I was distracted by her heartbeat.

"Your heart's beating so fast." I locked eyes with her.

She sat up, making my hands fall from her skin. "You make me nervous."

It was the opposite feeling she gave me. Whenever I was with her, I felt calm. And hopeful. So fucking hopeful. "Ready for that swim?" I asked.

"It'll take a minute to dry."

"Okay, then do me."

"What?"

I laughed and tossed her the bottle of sunscreen. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Penny. I'm trying to be a good influence here." I lay down on my stomach.

Her warm thighs straddled me and she began to massage my back. Her hands on me felt fucking amazing. Her fingers dipped ever so slightly below the waistline of my shorts.

"You're getting a little frisky there," I teased.

"I just don't want you to get burnt," she said. Her hands moved to my shoulders and then down my arms. I couldn’t help flexing my biceps under her touch.

"Okay, roll over."

I followed her instructions and put my hands under my head so I could watch her.

I liked her straddling me. I liked everything about this actually.

She squirted some more sunscreen into her hands and massaged it onto my chest. Her cheeks were starting to get rosy, and I had a feeling it was from my gaze and not the end-of-summer sun.

She slid her hand down to my abs. Her touch was definitely doing something to me. My cock started slowly pressing harder against her. I knew she thought this was hot too, because she was starting to squirm above me, making me harder.

The tip of her finger slowly traced down my happy trail. She looked up at me and I swallowed hard. She gave me a playful smile.

"Enjoying yourself?" I asked.

"Very much so. I like being responsible."

She dipped her hand below the waist of my shorts, inches away from my hard cock. Grab me. She inched her hand a little lower but then immediately pulled back.

"Ready for that swim?" she asked.

What a tease. A beautiful, perfect, exhilarating tease.