Page 4 of Sugar and the Skeptic
Filling a glass of water at the faucet, I down the cool liquid before moving onto the coffee maker, adding an extra half-scoop of ground coffee to level up the strength a bit.
Despite the alcohol, I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night. I’d like to play dumb and pretend that I didn’t know what was keeping me up, but that would be a lie. I know exactly what—orwho—plagued my dreams all night. A certain woman with ridiculously long hair and smile so sweet I’m not surprised they named her Sugar. I don’t think I’ve ever looked at a woman and wanted her as intensely as I want Sugar, but there’s just something about the way she looks, the way she moves and the way she speaks that gets every one of my senses going.
But this isn’t a soulwink.
What I feel toward Sugar is nothing but lust. Pure, unbridled, want-to-fuck-her-so-hard-she-screams lust. But since she’s close friends with my sister-in-law, Serenity, I’m going to have to take a hard pass on this one or I’ll probably find myself rushed into marriage before I’ve even finished getting my dick wet. And I’m not about that life.
Sure, marriage probably wouldn’t be so bad if both parties were really into each other and knew each other well enough to feel sure they could cohabitate. But for me, I couldn’t think of anything worse than sharing my space. Growing up in a house with three older brothers and another four cousins who were constantly over and taking up room meant that solitude was an oddity. When I finished school and started working odd jobs around town, I stashed all of my earnings in a savings account with a view of moving to the city and getting a place all of my own. But as my brothers started moving on and our parents decided they wanted to retire somewhere warm, I came to enjoy the quiet and solitude of remaining in our childhood home. Mom and Dad were more than happy to sell it to me for a good price, and it’s here I’ve stayed, relishing in the simple life with a beautiful view of the lake and a headful of childhood memories to go with it. Turns out having a noisy upbringing is a lot to smile about as the years creep up on you.
When the coffee maker beeps to signal it’s finished brewing, I pour myself a cup then move over to the kitchen window, taking my first mouthful while surveying the glass-like water of lake. Sometimes, there’s a duck or two swimming in it. And other times, there might be a local fishing. But today, there’s something rather…unexpected wading in my lake that sends that first mouthful of coffee spraying all over my window and down my chin.
“Holy fuck,” I gasp, grabbing a dish rag and mopping myself up while simultaneously looking through the now streaky glass to make sure I’m really seeing what I think I saw.
Yep.
That’s what I saw, all right.
And if she were standing in a shell, it’d be like witnessing a real-life version of Botticelli’sBirth of Venus. Because wading through the shallows of my lake is a very beautiful and verynakedSugar. The only thing protecting her from looking like the latest magazine centerfold is those long tresses hanging damp and tangled over her shoulders.
What in the world is she doing here?
“Don’t you dare get any ideas,” I tell my dick as I dump my coffee in the sink then head past the bathroom to grab a towel.
No. I’m not going to join her.
I’m going to get her the hell out of the water. While I’m not opposed to her using the lake—or watching her do it for that matter—I am confronted by the idea of that fisherman who’s sometimes hanging about seeing her in all her glory. That kind of feels like something I’d like to keep for myself. Suddenly I feel like erecting a fence and a few ‘No Trespassing’ signs around the property. Then maybe I wouldn’t feel the need to put a stop to this.
“You need to get out of the water,” I call out as I approach the water’s edge, finding I have to clear my throat and repeat myself to make the words come out clear.It’s a better view out here…
She straightens and looks over her shoulder, grinning as the water laps delicately at her rotund rear. “Good morning, Rafe. Surprised to see you out here so early in the morning.”
“Why wouldn’t I be here?” I ask with a frown, quickly holding the towel up to block my view as she turns to face me. “Oh my god. Do youhaveto be naked right now?”
She laughs. “It’s just a body. We all have them.”
“Yeah, well, we don’t all have a body quite like yours,” I mutter under my breath.
“What was that?” she asks as she takes her time walking out of the water.
“Nothing. Just…come and get this towel. Someone might see.”
“Like who? There’s just us as far as I can tell, and you’re not even looking at me.”
“I don’t have a fence around my property. So, sometimes I get hikers or locals coming up here to fish in my lake.”
“Your lake?” she starts, reaching the side of her parked van and picking up a turquoise robe with flower patterns and draping it over her wet body. It leavesnothingto the imagination, clinging to her curves like a second skin and somehow turning me on even more. “I thought this place belonged to Dylan and Millie? Serenity said there was a vacant cabin I could use while I was in town.”
I quickly drop the towel and use it to cover my unwanted arousal as I focus my gaze past her into the water. “That cabin is the driveway before mine. You probably missed the turn.”
“That’s a shame. I’m guessing there’s no lake there.”
“Nope.” She sighs and looks out at the water while wringing her long hair over her shoulder. She looks like a wet dream come to life, and I’m so hard right now I can barely think straight. “Would you just put some proper clothes on!” I snap.
She pulls her head back. “I do have clothes on.”
“Yeah, and I can seeeverything,” I say, gesturing wildly toward her divine figure.
“Do you have something against women’s bodies, Rafe?”
