Page 32 of Over the Moon (Rosewood River #3)

twenty-two

. . .

Eloise

“You cheated!” I shrieked, as I reached for the edge of the dock and pushed the hair out of my face.

“Don’t be a sore loser, Weeze.”

Damn, the sexy bastard even managed to be attractive when he was irritating me.

“You took off before me.” I feigned irritation.

He reached for my hips beneath the water and pulled me close. Being a tall man worked to his advantage in the river because he could stand with ease, while I had to tread water to stay afloat. My legs came around his waist, my arms around his neck.

“Listen, a bet’s a bet. So I get to choose something I want you to do.” He smiled.

When Clark Chadwick smiled at me, I felt like I was the only girl in the world. Like he only had eyes for me.

I mean, we were alone out in the water with no one around, so technically, there was no one else to look at in the moment.

But I felt it even when we were out in public or at Sunday dinner or at Booze and Brews with a group of people. Even though we kept our relationship private, Clark’s gaze would always find mine. And he’d smile like we had this secret that no one else was privy to.

Because we had this secret that no one else was privy to.

Well, sort of.

I confided in Emilia, Henley, and Lulu. I’m sure Clark’s brothers had a clue that there was something going on.

We’ve spent every night together over the last ten days—ever since we agreed to just enjoy this time together.

“Please, no pull-ups. My arms are still sore from the last challenge,” I said.

His grin widened, water droplets falling from his hair down his face, and his green eyes glistened with pops of gold as the sun shined down on him.

“No pull-ups, Weeze,” he said, his voice deep and gruff. He walked forward, and my back bumped into the dock. He glanced around and then looked back at me. “We’re all alone out here. It’d be a shame not to take advantage of that.”

My chest raced at his words. “What do you have in mind?”

“Put your hands on the edge of the dock and hold on.”

I reached up, finding the groove between the slats of wood and locking my fingers there. He stepped back, raised my legs, and hooked them over his shoulders. And before I could even speak, he pushed my bikini bottoms to the side and buried his face there.

I was in the midst of my sexual awakening with this man.

I’d gone from never having an orgasm during sex, to having multiple orgasms a day now. He explored every inch of my body and made me feel things I never knew possible.

I nervously glanced around, making sure no one was there. He lived on a large lot, and his neighbors were set pretty far apart.

He looked up as if he knew exactly where my mind was. “Baby, relax. I wouldn’t let anyone else get a glimpse of your beautiful pussy. I’ve got you. No one is coming—well, aside from you.”

I nodded, and my stomach fluttered with his words.

We were crossing so many lines that I couldn’t keep track of all the ways I’d broken the ethical contract.

But I let my eyes fall closed as my body floated in the warm water, with the feel of his tongue on me.

He had magic lips. A magic tongue. He knew just where to touch me. How to make me feel good.

I was panting shamelessly as my hips bucked wildly, and I wanted to reach for his head, but I was holding on to the dock.

It was erotic and sexy, and I was lost in the moment.

His lips sucked hard on my clit, just as a finger slipped inside me, and then another. He pumped faster now, and every inch of me started to tingle. White lights shattered behind my eyelids as I exploded on a gasp.

“Clark,” I cried. “Yes. Oh my god.”

He stayed right there, letting me ride out every single bit of pleasure.

My neck strained against the wood dock as my body went limp.

Clark pulled back, his mouth wet with my release and a sexy-as-sin smile on his face. He adjusted my swimsuit bottoms and moved me down to his waist, and I sat forward and tangled my hands in his hair before leaning down and kissing him.

His tongue slipped between my lips, and we sat beneath the sun, the warm water all around us, making out like teenagers.

I couldn’t get enough of this man.

I’ve never cared for sex before. It had always been sort of uneventful and fast. But this was the opposite.

My body was drawn to his in a way I couldn’t explain.

This connection was intense and undeniable.

Like there was no option but to be attached to him when he was near.

When we were in public, it had grown painful to keep my distance.

He pulled back to look at me. “Goddamn, I want to be inside you right now.”

I ran my nails along his scalp. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. You’re so fucking beautiful, Eloise.” His voice was just above a whisper.

“I’m on the pill. I’ve never been with a man without a condom.” My tongue swiped out along my bottom lip.

His eyes widened. “I’ve never not used a condom either. I’ve also been tested, and I’m clean.”

“I want to feel you. All of you,” I said, my gaze locked with his.

“Are you sure?”

I nodded, my teeth sinking into my bottom lip.

This relationship was undefined.

There was a looming expiration date.

Yet this was the man I was willing to go all in on.

It felt right. He felt right.

Maybe it was infatuation or lust, but I wanted this.

I wanted him.

“Hold on to my shoulders,” he said before his hands left my hips.

He must have pushed his swim trunks down because I felt his skin against mine.

He untied the two bows on each side of my hips and pulled off my bottoms, tossing them onto the dock.

He walked forward, turning so his back pressed against the wood, and then he lifted me just enough to settle me above the tip of his dick, his hands back on each side of my hips.

“Take your top off,” he commanded, and it was sexy as hell. “I want to see your tits bouncing when I fuck you bare.”

I untied my top and tossed it onto the dock beside my bottoms. His lips came down over each of my nipples, and I gasped at the feel of his mouth there.

I slid down, slowly at first.

Taking him in and loving the way he felt.

The water, the sunlight, his mouth on me, while he filled me inch by glorious inch.

My head fell back on a gasp once he was all the way in, as it always took a few seconds to adjust to his size.

He shifted me so I moved up and down his shaft, and his head tipped back to look at me.

My fingernails dug into his shoulders as my gaze locked with his.

“You feel so fucking good, baby. So fucking good.” His voice was gruff. “Nothing has ever felt this good.”

My breaths were coming hard and fast, and my body trembled as he pumped into me over and over.

Every inch of my body tingled in a way I’d never experienced.

I gasped as the most powerful orgasm ripped through me, just as Clark groaned in pleasure, and we tumbled into oblivion together.

And I wished like hell that we could stay right here in this moment forever.

“Guess who made the Taylor Tea today?” Lulu said, as we sat at the Honey Biscuit Café sipping mimosas as she leaned in and whispered. “At least it’s safe to say that no one suspects anything about you and Clark.”

“What? I’m in the Taylor Tea ? For what?”

“Ugh,” Emilia groaned. “I’m sure Bridger will blame me for writing this one, too.”

“Read it to us. I haven’t seen it yet,” Henley said, glancing over her shoulder at the paper in Lulu’s hands.

“My pleasure. I live for this small-town pick-me-up.” Lulu cleared her throat.

“ Hey there, Roses. It’s been a busy week in Rosewood River.

On top of our favorite silver fox knocking up his much younger lady friend and the two of them going public with their relationship, Booze and Brews had a sold-out line dancing night this week, and the Honey Biscuit Café had an hour-long wait just to get a seat despite the fact that they still haven’t updated their menu, per many requests .

” Lulu’s head fell back on a chuckle. “Shots fired.”

“This is so good. Continue,” I said.

She cleared her throat and waggled her brows before looking back down.

“I digress. We had some out-of-towners here to see Rosewood River’s favorite hockey star this past weekend.

Were they here to see if he is really healing as well as he claims he is?

Or is there more to the story? What some observed was one particular man who seemed awfully interested in our newbie visitor, who’s just here to train our superstar for a few months.

But she showed him around town, and the good-looking billionaire looked as smitten as a kitten.

” Lulu paused and raised a brow. “It’s not Clark they’re referring to. ”

“Don’t leave us hanging, go on,” Henley said, her eyes wide with curiosity.

“ Maybe the sports healer will get tired of running alongside her sweaty athletes, and she’ll run off with the wealthy prince and live happily ever after ,” Lulu said dramatically.

“Ack! Why do they print this crap?” Emilia grumped. “I’m sorry, Ells.”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for. You didn’t write it.” I sipped my bubbly. “Well, it makes sense why Oscar snipped at me when I came in. I’m sure he didn’t appreciate the dig about the menu,” Emilia laughed.

“Well, then he should take it up with your parents, not you,” Henley said. “And the good news is, no one suspects anything with you and Clark.”

“Yeah. That’s a relief. But also, it’s super awkward that they’d insinuate that about Sebastian.

He’s the owner of the team that I work for.

Talk about a power imbalance right there.

” I shook my head in disbelief. “I don’t know why everyone thinks he was interested in me that way.

Clark has been over-the-top ridiculous about it, and now this.

I didn’t get that vibe from him. I think he’s just a super flirty guy. ”

“Girl,” Lulu said, as she set her mimosa down and quirked a brow. “That man might be flirty by nature, but he was definitely looking at you like he wanted to see you naked.”

The table erupted in laughter.

“I noticed it when you came by the flower shop. He just stared at you when you were talking to me,” Emilia said.

“I could feel Clark’s irritation during dinner. I mean, even though I had whiskey oozing out my pores because I drank so much, I noticed all of it. And Sebastian Wayburn is definitely interested in you, and it’s not in a professional way.” Henley waggled her brows.

“Well, I didn’t notice it, and hopefully, I don’t see him very often when we go back.”

“Speaking of that… You’re down to ten days until you guys head back to the city. How is this all going to play out?” Lulu asked.

I fidgeted with my napkin.

“I just don’t know. I thought it would fizzle. I actually hoped we would not be into it and lose interest, if I’m being honest. But it hasn’t. It’s good. No, it’s great. It’s the worst-case scenario.” I covered my eyes with my hand because the stress was definitely getting to me.

“Why is it the worst-case scenario? You like him. He likes you. You can keep it between the two of you and just see where it goes.” Emilia squeezed my hand.

“I didn’t expect to like him this much,” I whispered. “And there is no way this works when we leave here. I cannot date a player on the team.”

“Listen, I went through something similar with Rafe. I moved to Paris, and we called it done. We couldn’t date and live on opposite sides of the world. Yet here we are. It all somehow worked out,” Lulu said, her eyes filled with empathy.

“But you guys made it work because he moved to be with you, and then eventually, you both came back here.” I shrugged.

“We live in the same city. We work for the same team. I would lose my job, which would mean disappointing my father and moving to a new city for a new job, if anyone would even hire me after a scandal like this. Clark’s name is one of the biggest names in professional hockey right now.

This would be big news. My reputation as a professional in this industry would be ruined. ”

“Why couldn’t you fall for an unknown, unimpressive player?” Emilia teased.

“I mean, the owner of the team is clearly hitting on you. How would that be okay and this be a problem?” Henley asked.

“I don’t think he was actually hitting on me. But that wouldn’t be okay either,” I said.

“I’m sure he’d make it okay and bend the rules if he wanted to. He owns the team. He makes the rules.” Lulu arched a brow. “Maybe they could do that for you and Clark.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think so. It would be bad, and we both know it. I feel like a black cloud is hanging over my head, reminding me that there is an expiration date soon. And I’m not ready for it to end.”

“Listen, speaking as someone who had a workplace romance with my mentor, at a company owned by my father, it will all work out the way it’s meant to.

Just enjoy these last few days, and when you go back, you can keep it a secret for a few months and see how things are once you’re back in the city.

Back in your regular lives. If the feelings are still there, then you come up with a plan,” Henley said.

“That’s a good idea. And Clark might just want to call it done when we leave here. He’s got his superfans back in the city, and he’ll be getting a lot of attention. He might be over this quickly.” I reached for my drink because I needed a distraction.

The thought made me sick to my stomach.

I knew in my gut that this wouldn’t end well.

And my heart ached at the thought because I never wanted it to end.