Page 6

Chapter Six

T he water cascaded down my body as I repeatedly splashed handfuls against my face in a desperate attempt to rid myself of the unadulterated need pumping through me.

Unexpected and most definitely problematic need.

Tonight was not the homecoming I was expecting.

I thought I would come home to the predictably familiar routine which seemed to follow Win and I like a shadow. The initial excitement, followed by the verbal diarrhoea while we recapped anything and everything we’d missed as we shared an easy meal. What I was not expecting was to arrive and see Winter in the pool in the tiniest bikini I’d ever seen. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy watching her in a way I hadn’t ever done before and I was most definitely not expecting her to launch herself at me, those fucking tits consuming my vision, before kissing me.

Kissing me.

The most enlightening part of all – I fucking loved it.

The faint flicker which crept to life as I stood by the pool spread, each quick glance feeding the flame, until I stood mere centimetres from her as she recounted her ideas for a story which grew in her mind. By then, the fire was roaring with confidence and the sparks were sending unbidden messages to areas which now were making themselves known.

Taking my angry cock in my hand I began stroking to a plethora of new images.

The sight of that body gliding through the pool so effortlessly.

The beads of water dripping down her back and over her black bikini, showcasing a fucking wet dream.

That arse – entirely visible courtesy of her high-cut swimwear.

Her smile when she eventually turned and saw me.

The way her tits felt, warm and wet against my chest.

The innocence in her voice – do you trust me? – and the way the slightest touch of her lips against my own sent a current through my body like never before.

I’d wanted to thread my hands in her hair, tilt her head back and fuck her mouth with my tongue. Trail a finger down her throat and over her succulent chest.

At the mere thought of my hand against her bare skin, my pumping increased, the pleasure sizzling under my skin and my balls tightened when I imagined those plush lips around my cock. Somehow I was certain that mouth would suck me perfectly. Those tits would feel flawless – the perfect size for my hands.

I envisioned sliding her bikini top off, her nipples hardening under both my gaze and the breezy night air.

Smearing the pre-cum around my length, I stroked myself harder when I pictured taking one of her nipples in my mouth. The sound of my name leaving her throat in a breathy sigh when I used the other hand to slip below her thong and reach for her bud, the warmth of her swollen cunt beyond ready.

That’s it, baby, spread those thighs so I can see how wet you are for me.

She would do as I asked because she always had, but never like this. Never like the filthy thoughts I was enjoying more than I could ever admit.

What I wouldn’t give to see her swollen lips after emptying my cock of all it had to offer.

Fuck.

I couldn’t stop the groan when my pleasure shot out of me with the finishing thought of how much I’d love to see her glistening pussy laid bare before me.

Fucking hell.

It was not a new phenomenon that Winter Lennox was hot. You’d have to be a complete fool not to notice, and most people did – although her lack of reciprocation meant they would turn on her fairly quickly. But never me. Although the pull was something I had always known but never needed to acknowledge.

She was my friend.

The one who was always there, in my corner, through the good times and the bad. The first person I called because she was the only one who could tell me to pull my head from my arse without offending me. Because she knew me better than most. It didn’t matter how many months went by between visits, when we were together, it was easy and there was no need to pretend or be something everyone wanted or expected.

When everything turned to shit last season, she was the first person I called because she would be the one who would settle me. And she had – with a few home truths and a whole lot of love.

There were no expectations or pressures with her.

I was and she was Winter. And it was exactly as it should be.

But something shifted tonight and there were feelings long ago buried which were now vying for the surface.

Washing away the evidence of those salacious thoughts, I turned the shower off and reached for my towel – I was still fairly drunk which was weird considering I didn’t have that many drinks.

Maybe it was just Debbie’s orange magical liquor making me fantasise impossible things. I’d have to get Win to ask her mum where she got it because it was definitely potent if it was causing my mind to wander the way it had.

My quick getaway was a dick move. I could picture her pacing in her room, viciously seeking a calming texture, possibly freaking out over my Usain Bolt style departure. Which was incredibly selfish of me. Because, while I didn’t stick around to clarify exactly what she meant, I was fairly certain I knew what she was implying. Subtlety was never a strength of hers and even when she floundered, I could read her like a bolded and underlined headline. Because she was suggesting a friends with benefits style agreement. A mutual deal which would help her with her writing and as a red-blooded single male, be more than beneficial for me too. Hence, I was actually considering saying yes. We were adults now. Gone was the ridiculously hormone driven teenager who found any excuse to swim with her in the hopes of seeing her in her swimwear. Things were different and it would keep the holiday interesting, right?

I shook my head trying to get my mind out of the gutter, I needed hydrating before I went to bed or I would be waking with a hangover and that was not what I wanted on my first day out in Willow Bay.

I paused at the closed door of Winter’s childhood bedroom. The beaded seashell curtain she’d begged her parents for on her tenth birthday, still hanging and probably still just as annoying. The rhythmic clatter of keys from inside the room broke the silence of the night and my face split into a smirk. The heavy metallic taps were the exact opposite to her previous assertions of writer’s block, and it was with a smug confidence that I headed to the kitchen for a drink and something to eat.

Maybe there was merit to creating these scenes with her. Our friendship had withstood many storms. A friendship forged in trust and tested by the complexities that the years brought with them. And it was as sturdy as ever.

The mechanical slide and click of the carriage resetting was evidence that our little role play appeared to have helped her. Ultimately, I knew as well as she did, if she asked something from me, I would do it. I couldn’t say no to her – I never had been able to. And maybe, selfishly, I pondered if this was just another hill to climb and I needed to fuck whatever this was out of my system so we could move back to being the platonic friends that we were.

Her earlier words uncoiled like ribbons, taunting me to agree.

Help me with the spicy scenes — we would have rules — use that experience of yours to show me what passion really is.

The soundtrack of her voice accompanied by images floating around my mind like leaves in the wind. Innocent eyes begging for my help. Hungry, slightly parted lips, her demeanour tense, clearly affected when I moved into her space. A space I had entered hundreds of times before but never with a proprietary hand on her back and an unspoken intention in the alignment of our bodies.

Even after a drink, I fought the urge to take another shower to re-live everything I couldn’t forget.

And when I finally did drift off to sleep, it was to visions of just how different this summer could be.

The sun was high in the sky when I eventually woke from a fitful sleep. The few hours I did manage consisted of a patchwork of uneasy dreams showcasing a deep brunette goddess with dark eyes and a full and generous body. A figure I could paint from memory alone, although now with far more skin and new angles – areas a younger me dodged at all costs. There was no avoidance last night though, because Winter refused to be ignored with her wet body and devastating mouth.

The smell of a cooked breakfast awakened my stomach and I didn’t bother reaching for a shirt, instead padding into the kitchen in my sweats with my hat thrown on backwards just to cover the state of my hair. I was not prepared for the smorgasbord of food scattered on the bench and table. My girl was still a morning person it seemed. Flashbacks to a scrawny twelve year old with braces waking me up at nearly lunchtime, desperate for someone to hit the beach with, while I fought for just another hour of sleep.

“Hey.” I greeted on a yawn which indicated, regardless of my fractured rest, I was still not a morning person.

Winter was already dressed for the day, her orange swimmers visible under a white kaftan and I speedily averted my gaze knowing lingering would result in nothing good.

“I couldn’t decide. Hence the food massacre, which also means we need to hit the store today.” She replied with a flick of her hand to the numerous dishes which evidenced this.

“You have too much energy.”

“Coffee is over there,” she said, pointing to the machine, before flipping the eggs onto two plates.

“I heard you writing last night.” Turning to lean against the bench, I watched her finish plating the food.

“I think I wrote for three hours straight. Do you know how long it’s been since that has happened?” She asked incredulously. “Forever.”

I took a sip from my mug to hide my self-satisfied smirk.

She glanced over at me for the first time and if I wasn’t watching her, I might have missed the way her eyes raked over my bare chest. Was this a new thing too or was I now just more aware of her after last night?

“When did you get that?” She asked, pointing to the tattooed compass I had on the right-hand side of my chest.

Taking a seat at the table I reached for the salt and pepper.

“Last season, I think. Haven’t you seen it before?” I asked already knowing she hadn’t.

“-a-doodle, this is the first time you’ve been home in two years and the last time I came to Sydney it was friggin’ freezing. We definitely weren’t swimming.” She bit into her toast, humming her enjoyment.

I nodded. It had been a rough couple of years and after the media shitstorm surrounding us after Andy’s brother and I were seen taking drugs, I’d kept a very low profile. Including avoiding coming back to Willow Bay to the faces of my parents who had likely fielded questions from the entire town.

But never because of Winter. She’d been in her car and at my doorstep the next day. A warm shoulder of comfort and the first to offer me a verbal berating with the unembellished delivery only she could bring.

Well here come the consequences of your actions, Jumping – a nd through a tornado of feelings swirling between responsibility and regret, she made me smile and I knew it would be okay.

“I got it just after you left last time actually. Thought I’d shown you.” I swallowed my lie with a mouthful of toast. I’d never been intentionally evasive with Win and despite the revelations of last night this secret had to stay. The ramifications of the truth too much at any time, let alone over breakfast on my very first day here.

She eyed me suspiciously, ripping a piece of her bacon and stared at me, likely until I cracked. She had a habit of opening me up like a long-awaited birthday gift but this time there was no cracking. Buried it must stay.

“What?”

“We need to finish our conversation from last night.” You’d think I would be used to her pragmatic manner, but the juice I was sipping lodged in my throat and I choked like an absolute buffoon.

I reached for a serviette and wiped my mouth, doing my best to organise my thoughts. Although I was glad she didn’t press me on the tattoo, I was unbelievably torn. Torn between what I wanted, what I thought was best and what certain parts of me really wanted.

“What do you mean?” I asked before my laughter quickly followed at the narrowing of her eyes. “Okay. Okay, I know what you meant. I didn’t answer because I need more details.”

Her thumb moved to her ring – the twirling a sure sign she was anxious about the things she was about to say. I was keen to hear whatever these rules were because heck if I knew the right way to do this without fracturing our current unshakable bond. And if I knew anything about the woman sitting across from me, it was that she loved nothing more than a good set of rules.

“I have a lot of thoughts and rules, obviously.”

“Obviously.” I grinned at what was becoming a new little taunt between us. Something else which was ours alone.

“Last night I wrote more than I’ve written in weeks. Weeks ,” she emphasised. “Which tells me you are the cure for my writer’s block. I don’t ask lightly, . I know this could get weird – I mean, I’m asking you to cross every line we have in our friendship and I may sound confident but really, I’m terrified.” She paused, visibly swallowing and I couldn’t have spoken if I wanted to, because she was nervous. The flickering of her uncertain eyes and chewing the inside of her cheek was evidence of this and I felt everything she said.

“But this book is really important to me and I’m trying to write about relentless fervour and an intense, unstoppable heat between these characters and I’ve never even come close to feeling that.” She ran her hands through her hair, tucking both sides behind her ears. “Maybe I can’t feel those things. Maybe I’m defective. Who knows. But if I am going to be comfortable enough to try with anyone, it will be you. So, I’m thinking. You’re here for eight weeks. And in that time, I’m proposing ,” she said with purposeful articulation, “That we come to some kind of an arrangement.”

She stood flicking her hands up and down her body. “You can use me for anything you like –” she stopped, cupping a hand around her mouth she lowered her voice, “S-E-X-ually. But in return, I want you to give me all of the moves Grant has to offer. I need the angst. I need to see what it takes to make my toes curl, if it’s possible. Show me what all of these women feel in the movies and the books I read. Show me what it’s like to enjoy my body with someone else. So I can maybe bring it to life for Summer and son.” She paused, finally looking at me, and I was frozen. Well every part of me other than my dick which couldn’t have remained still even if it tried after hearing that .

“Then, after the eight weeks, I will hopefully have a successful romance novel and you will have had a fun holiday…with benefits.” She finished with a shrug as if the offer she just put down on the table was the simplest thing in the world and the most normal conversation for us to have over breakfast on my first morning back in the Bay.