Page 44 of The Butterfly Effect
I bit my lip, warmth growing between my legs. “Show me?” I moved to press my lips to his neck, and he shuddered, grabbing my head in his hands and slamming his mouth to mine.
He growled against my lips. “Yes, ma’am.”
Wakingup with Julianna tangled in my arms was only made better by the salty, floral air floating through the open room. It mixed so well with the honey smell that always drifted off of her. She breathed so gently when she was sound asleep, and the even rise and fall of her chest against my arm didn’t change when I buried my nose in her neck and inhaled.
I looked around the room, taking in the tropical furniture and the intricate art and knickknacks. The wall that should be separating the room from the private patio was folded to the side, leaving the room open. The patio was its own paradise, complete with the private pool and incredible view, and imagining Julianna wrapped around me in that pool made me harden. She looked so peaceful sleeping, though, that I didn’t want to wake her.
She didn’t stir when I slipped out of the bed and into the bathroom, and I turned on the rain-style showerhead. The tiles on the shower formed a picture of the ocean with swimming sea turtles and a bird of some sort watching above the surface, and the large window let in enough natural light that I didn’t bother turning on the overhead. I climbed into the shower and let the hot water hit my skin. It was nice to wash the travel off of me, but I only stayed in the shower long enough to wash quickly. I dried off with one of the towels folded on the counter and walked into the bedroom to pull on a pair of shorts.
Julianna had rolled onto her other side, but she was still asleep. The content smile on her face made me ache to touch her, and I crawled gently back into the bed. I positioned myself behind her, hooking my arm around her waist and tugging her against me so her back was flush with my chest. I nuzzled her hair with my nose, breathing in her scent and planting light kisses on her shoulder and neck. She rustled against me, her eyes slowly flickering open.
“Itwasreal. You’re not just a dream.” Her sleepy voice sounded pleasantly surprised. Had she dreamt of me in the past week?
I pressed my lips to her cheek before moving closer to her ear. “Yes, baby. I’m really here.” When I said it, she sighed happily and nestled her body closer to mine. The memories of last night came back to her as she moved from satisfied to grinning to aroused, and then her stomach gurgled. “I’m going to order some food. You need to eat.” I kissed her lips and climbed out of the bed.
She whimpered and rolled her eyes at me when I insisted I order her breakfast, but when room service showed up with a tray full of food, I could almost see her mouth water. I uncovered plates of local favorites, like green figs and saltfish, fried plantains, breadfruit, and pastries they called bakes, but I’d also ordered bacon, eggs, and pancakes in case she preferred that. Before she even looked at the food, she went straight for the carafe of cocoa tea that sat by the tray and poured two mugs.
Julianna sat across from me, tossing fried plantains into her mouth and picking at her second bake with a smile on her face. She had tried some of everything, but only the fried plantains and bakes made her let out a theatrical moan to emphasize how delicious she thought they were. I laughed as she pushed another piece of pastry past her lips, forking a piece of salt fish from the plate in front of us and bringing it to my mouth. She followed the fork with her eyes and licked her lips.
“These aredelicious.” She licked her fingers clean after eating the last plantain, and I chuckled at her emphasis, drawing a small pout from her. “What?”
I smirked, trying to hold back a loud laugh. “Nothing. You’re adorable.” The blush that instantly tinted her cheeks and neck was worth the cliché, and when she shoved the last bite of pastry into her mouth and moaned, the laugh I’d tried holding back rolled from my chest.
She stood up from the table and put her hands on her hips, trying to look stern. “I’m going to go take a shower,naked, andyoucan stay here.”
I raised my eyebrow at her, picturing her milky skin sliding against the bright colors of the tiles and her legs wrapped around me. “That’s okay. Like I said, we’ve got all week. I’ll get my turn with you in that shower… and in that pool.”
She bit her lip, clearly having to pull herself together before turning to walk into the bathroom. Julianna intentionally swayed her hips, and I sat back in my chair and took a long sip of the cocoa tea. It was sweet, and I made a note to order regular coffee the next day. I gathered the empty plates back on the tray and set it outside the door, placing theDo Not Disturbhanger on the handle.
I turned and made my way to the open patio, taking in the view of the mountains against the wavering ocean and the tropical flowers. It was beautiful and quiet, and as I stared, I didn’t hear Julianna approaching behind me. She slithered her small hands around me and up my stomach, resting them on my chest before pressing her lips to the center of my back. I grabbed her arm and tugged her around me so she was facing me, her naked face staring up at me. She was as beautiful without makeup as she was with it, and I ran my fingers through her damp hair. The woman in front of me was raw and bare, and I couldn’t help but want to keep her trapped away with me.
“What are you thinking about?” She raised an eyebrow, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. She was pressed against me, clothed in nothing but a thin pair of cotton panties and the shirt she had pulled off of me last night.
I met her eyes and held them as a smile pulled at my lips. “Mostly thinking about this,” I said, lifting her and kissing her as she wrapped her legs around my waist. I wrapped my hand around the back of her neck, running my tongue along her bottom lip, and she moaned quietly against my mouth.
When I started to move, she didn’t immediately pull herself away. She widened her eyes when she realized I wasn’t going in the direction of the bed, and she put her hands on my chest and pushed.
“No, William. Please. Ijustshowered!”
Her whine shot straight to my dick, causing it to twitch in my shorts, but I didn’t stop walking or respond. I wrapped my arms around her back and held her tightly against me as my feet left the deck and we both went into the water. Julianna squealed before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. When I stood up in the pool, lifting us both above the surface of the water, she gasped for air and swatted at my chest.
“I’ll help you shower again.” I winked and reveled in the blush that started on her neck. Could I ever get tired of seeing the rosy pink on her? Not likely.
We’d spent the morning and most of the afternoon alternating between the pool, the shower, and the bed, consuming every desperate inch of each other. The sun reflected off Julianna’s milky skin as we lay on the swing above the pool. She let one of her legs lazily drag in the water, resting her back against my chest and curling her face into my neck. I brushed my fingers along her back and side, leaving a trail of goose bumps behind.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked her, mimicking her question from earlier in the morning and smiling when she laughed. It was a languid giggle, followed by a comfortable sigh.
Julianna nuzzled her face further into my neck, running her hand across my beard and planting a quick kiss to the spot just under my ear. “I love you too.”
I chuckled at the almost-shy tone of her voice, wrapping my arm around her and holding her tightly against my chest. She pulled her foot from the water, folding it with the other and cuddling into me. I kissed her head and held her there, reveling in the way she felt comfortable.
From where we lay on the swing above our pool, we could hear the slightly distant crash of ocean waves with the rustle of the breeze in the trees and flowers that surrounded us. Still, the only thing I could focus on was Julianna’s even breathing and the feel of her body in my arms. If you had told me four months ago this would be where I’d be today, I wouldn’t have believed you, but in this moment, I couldn’t imagine being anywhere but curled up in this swing with her.
“I’m going to take you to dinner tonight,” I hummed against her.
“Like a date?”
I chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Yes, baby. Exactly like a date.” I couldn’t help but humor her, knowing exactly where she was going with this. She stifled a giggle.
