42

Maximilian

“Jesus Christ, man, the whole beach must have heard you out there this morning,” Nick grumbles after I finally leave Cadence to find coffee.
After the balcony, I took her back to bed. And after a suitable period of rest when I may have fallen back to sleep, I took her again.
I wanted a third round, but Cadence escaped to the shower.
With a pretty big smile on her face, I noticed.
Not as big as mine, though.
“No one heard us because there was no one out there,” I correct. “I don’t know how you did.”
“I had the misfortune to get up to pee at the wrong moment, and my bathroom is beside that balcony, or wherever you were having that monkey sex. You might have been hanging from the building for all I know,” Nick gripes. “By the way, those windows aren’t as thick as you’d like.”
Despite the grumbles, he gives me a slap on the ass as I pass en route to the coffeemaker.
“Don’t tell Cadence,” I say. “I don’t want to embarrass her.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it. Hey, remember in second year when we met those girls at Marco’s cottage? They were so wild—perfectly cool with us hanging a rope with towels in the room so we’d have our own space. Yours was a screamer.”
I wince at the memory. “I like girls who vocalize, but that one gave me a headache.”
“And you made sure there was no mention of it the next morning, so she wouldn’t be embarrassed. Although I don’t think she would have cared. She didn’t care about fucking you six feet away from her friend.”
“I always thought she might have been into a foursome,” I muse. “She kept saying they’re over there? They’re staying over there?”
Nick throws up his hands. “Lost opportunity, dude. That’s something we’ve never done.”
I slap his shoulder. “And never going to.”
He laughs, his face softening as he studies me. “You got it bad for her?”
“Bad enough.”
“So this isn’t just a weekend thing?”
“I told you last night, I don’t know what this is. I hope maybe, but I don’t know what she wants.”
“Well, we’ve got the wedding tonight and those things always get women weepy and in the mood for looove.” He drawls the word, before looking up with an expression of horror. “Holy shit, you’re red, dude!”
Cadence walks into the kitchen, hair pulled up onto the top of her head, wearing the loosest thing in her suitcase, which is a voluminous dress that does nothing for her figure.
I’ve seen it, so I know what’s under there. The thought stirs my cock, even after two go- arounds, so that must mean something.

Still—the sight of Cadence’s sunburnt shoulders makes me grimace with guilt that I should have gone easier on her this morning.
Not that she complained about anything.
“If you haven’t noticed, I’m not a dude, and yes, I’m well aware of the colour of my skin,” she says dryly, looking for a kettle.
“Does it hurt?” I ask.

“More than wiping out from the wave, less than the jellyfish sting,” she says with a rueful grin.
“You’re really getting pounded this weekend,” Nick says slyly. “In more ways than one.”
“Dude,” I cry, but Cadence’s lips don’t even twitch.
“You must have heard the thunder from the storm,” she says, straight-faced.
“That was no thunder.”
“Jeez, enough! Where’s Dex?” I ask. “Maybe he can control you.”
“Many have tried, but there is no controlling me,” Nick shouts as he takes his coffee and plate of eggs out to the balcony. “He went for a walk on the beach. I’m gonna grab some chairs for us down there, so eat up boys and girls, and let’s go sit in the sun. Not you,” he throws over his shoulder at Cadence. “You, little miss, will be shaded at all times today.”
“Duly noted,” she says with a surprised smile. I doubt she’s used to being given orders.
“Are you hungry?” I ask as the door slides shut behind Nick.
“Starving. I only had a little snack in the night and that wasn’t nearly enough.”
“Little?” I clutch my chest, and she laughs.
She’s so pretty when she laughs. She’s pretty all the time, but to see her laugh is to get a glimpse of the woman behind the money, who she might be if she lived a different life.
I’m proud that I get to see it.
So proud, that I take the moment and wrap my arms around her.
Cadence stiffens in the hug. “You don’t hug either?” I ask warily.
“No, I hug.” She relaxes a fraction, but not enough. “I just—I wasn’t expecting it.”
“You can expect it,” I tell her. “You can expect hugs, and kisses, and lots more. Whatever you want.”
Cadence tips her head to look up at me. “I’m not sure what I can have.”
“You can have whatever you want.”
“I don’t know what I’m capable of,” she confesses.
“We can figure that out,” I suggest, trying to sound cool, but well aware Cadence can feel the pounding of my heart. “If it’s something you want.”
“I don’t want to hurt you…”
“Cadence, you walking away from whatever this could be is going to hurt. Giving it a try? That might be the easiest thing you’ve ever done.” I press my lips against her forehead. “No pressure. Never pressure.”
“I know.” Her eyes look troubled.
“Let’s just have a good day,” I tell her. “We’ll go sit at the beach and you can start that book you’re threatening to read, and I can slather you in sunscreen every five minutes, which I’m sure will excite you enough to drag me back up here for more vigorous sex, so much vigorous sex, and with so much vigour that Nick will hear us from the beach and be insanely jealous.”
“You want to make your best friend jealous?”

“Have you seen what the guy looks like? Damn straight. And after that, I will need a long nap before the wedding.”
“And that’s at six?”
I nod. “It’ll be a fun time, and then after, there’ll be more sex.”
“You think so?”

I reach down and squeeze that ass, pulling her into me. “Oh, I know so.”