Carolina Breeze, #1 Page 2

  His pants tightened thinking about her. He needed to calm down. Closing his eyes, Calen took several deep breaths, while trying to visualize anything but her milk-chocolate skin. It took him a few minutes, but he finally felt his manhood shrink. Should he go with a burger or engulf himself in the coastal culture and get authentic, straight from the ocean seafood?

  He decided on the latter. But which place?

  It didn’t matter; the first place in the guide would do just fine.

  “Breakwater Restaurant. It’s as good as any.” He grabbed his wallet and keys from the table beside the door and headed out.

  It was four forty-five when he arrived at the restaurant. He stepped through the door and was immediately greeted by a smiling, eager hostess.

  His eyes wandered around the room, taking in the atmosphere, pleased at what he saw. However, the tabletop lanterns were a little too romantic for a single man, but the mood was relaxed and laid back. It was exactly what he was looking for. He thought the bay windows and bamboo was a good touch, though. Not the traditional sports bar, but it would do for him. Nodding to the hostess, he headed straight for the bar to enjoy a beer before he ordered his food.

  It didn’t take long for him to guzzle the first beer down, easy when the Tar Heels and Clemson game was on. The Tar Heels were up by five. There was nothing like good beer and good entertainment to cap off a night.

  He ordered another one and turned on his stool to check out the comings and goings of the restaurant. The atmosphere of this place was remarkable. Anytime you could sit and enjoy a great game, it was a win. Although a little intimate, he didn’t mind it at all, enjoying the chance to rest and heal from his shoulder injury.

  He turned and noticed someone familiar and graceful. And he still claimed her beauty was unlike anything on this planet. Her. The woman from the patio. He inhaled quickly and wondered if she had noticed him. If she did, she didn’t let on otherwise. It gave him the opportunity to observe her, to learn more about her. Being in the military, it was in his nature to gather intelligence, then formulate an opinion. Although he already skipped ahead to the opinion portion, he still needed to gain the knowledge of how to approach her. His last attempt failed miserably.

  She looked wonderful, albeit uncomfortable. She wore a yellow sundress, which hung a little off her beautifully, rounded shoulders. The fabric clung to the curves of her breast and sides, flaring slightly at the hip, and even though he had caught a glimpse of her lusciousness earlier, he remained even more captivated with the prospect of taking off the garment that covered her succulence.

  His eyes moved with her as she strolled with all the confidence in the world behind the hostess to her table. With her back straight and her chin held high, she seemed to glide across the room. He couldn’t tear his eyes away. The way she moved, the alcohol he consumed, and his vivid imagination lead to an awakening of his body.

  He glimpsed the fire from earlier in the way she carried herself, and he admitted that fire made him want her even more. He sensed himself push up against his slacks. How could the reaction be so strong when all she did was waltz through the damn door? He recovered, although with some effort, as his food arrived.

  He could barely eat because his mind constantly wandered to the mystery woman slightly at his back. At one point, she almost caught him staring at her. She piqued his curiosity with the show he stumbled upon this morning as well as her feistiness at the museum. He wanted to know more about her, about what she liked, her personality, and what made her tick.

  “Okay, that’s it! Gotta know more about her,” he said between bites.

  Calen signaled for the waitress who waited on his mystery woman.

  He leaned into her hoping she could hear his whisper through the din throughout the bar. He pointed to his mystery woman. “What is the woman in the yellow dress drinking?”

  “Oh,” she said quizzically. “You mean the lady sitting over there alone? White wine if I’m not mistaken.”

  “Okay, thanks. Will you take her another one and make sure she knows where it came from?” Calen smirked. “And can you ask her if it would be all right if I joined her?”

  Calen watched as the waitress put in the order at the bar, then, a few moments later, delivered the wine. His mystery woman turned slowly and made eye contact with him. Recognition filled her eyes, all he needed as an invitation. He got off the stool and made his way to her table. They had gotten off on the wrong foot, and he meant to rectify it.

  3

  Shayla

  My God, even the way he took a seat exuded sexiness. She watched the tautness of his muscles, the way they bunched under his clothes as he sat at the table across from her. She knew it from their first meeting, and he confirmed it. He could be trouble.

  “Thank you for the drink, it was incredibly kind of you.” A quiver she hoped he didn’t detect filled her voice. He made her nervous, especially after their encounter at her villa and the museum.

  He nodded, but he never took his eyes off her. She felt him staring straight into her soul. It made Shayla uncomfortable. She cleared her throat and squirmed a little in her seat.

  “Calen, Robert Calen, nice to meet you… again.”

  “Shayla Blackwell. Nice to meet you. Officially,” she said with a smirk.

  He paused, then spoke in a deep voice, “We got off to a bit of a rough beginning. I wanted to make it up to you. I apologize for this morning.” He waited for her to acknowledge.

  When she nodded, he continued, “And also for following you at the museum. But to be honest, I wanted to get to know you.”

  His eyes never left hers. She made it hard for him to read her. Her face gave no indication she accepted his apology or considered it bullshit. The lone indication she let loose was the slight tremble of her hand as she raised her glass of wine to her lips, which he couldn’t help to track.

  She really didn’t know what to say to him, and she certainly didn’t expect to meet him here or get an apology for watching her this morning. The shock of it all she knew was on her face, including the fact of him sitting across from her right now. Her mind kept flashing back to what happened this morning, her reaction to him, the erotic scenario of this morning, overwhelming. She took another sip of the crisp white wine.

  “Yes. We did.” Her belly warmed up from the wine, removing the tension and relaxing her, relaxing her enough so she actually could hold a conversation with this beautiful man.

  Averting her eyes, she said, “I apologize for being rude this evening at the museum.” She sipped. “I was way out of line.”

  His hand went up, waving off the apology and her rudeness. “No, no need for you to apologize.”

  Her eyes finally reached his.

  “I’m the one who was in the wrong, especially this morning,” he continued in a sincere tone.

  She knew he meant what he said about her not needing to apologize for anything. The mischievous smirk formed on his lips confirmed it.

  She was comfortable with most men, except those with hypnotic eyes, gorgeous smiles, flawless skin, and muscles on top of muscles. But with him, for some reason, it was different. Perhaps because of the incident this morning, a connection forged between the two of them. She couldn’t quite figure it out.

  He ordered another drink for both of them and smiled. Those hypnotic eyes once again gave her the sensation he was staring into her soul.

  “So how about we start this thing over?” he asked, the same smirk showing on his face to let her know something was brewing.

  “Okay.” She offered her hand.

  When he caressed her hand and brought it to his lips, she became tongue-tied. The heat from his kiss traveled through her body and straight to her center. She took another drink and retrieved her hand.

  She cleared her throat. “Now, tell me what brings a handsome fella like you to a place like this?”

  Yeah, she had a buzz from the wine.

  He let out a hearty laugh. “Wow, how cliché,” he a
nswered her anyway. “Recuperating.”

  She watched as the jubilance present moments ago fell away. There was a story behind it. Would she be privy to it? Even though he didn’t seem like he planned to elaborate, she prodded a little.

  “Recuperating? From what? What woman in their right mind broke your heart, causing you to run away?” She chuckled as she took another sip of her wine. She had never been so bold. She liked this Shayla.

  She watched as his shoulders bounced, indicating he was amused by her summation. “My shoulder actually. No woman I’m afraid,” he offered, then picked up the drink he nursed and gazed into her eyes, watching her reaction.

  She chose to ignore the insinuation, however, he was intrigued. As an awkward silence fell between them, she waited for him to continue. She guessed that was all she would get and decided to lighten the mood. She didn’t like the somber side of Robert Calen or the awkwardness taken over them getting to know one another.

  “You enjoying yourself?” she asked.

  “Immensely.” His gaze moved from her eyes to her lips.

  His gaze drew her in like a moth to a flame. She cleared her throat again and drained the rest of her glass. She was getting warm but didn’t know if it was from the wine or the smoldering look of desire in his eyes. Shayla couldn’t break his hold and wasn’t sure she even wanted to.

  Some pop song played on the radio. The game was long gone, and the night crowd poured in. The restaurant’s atmosphere turned into a party one.

  “Would you like to dance?” Popping up from her chair, the sudden movement of the legs screeched on the hardwood floor.

  Her abruptness surprised him. She could tell by the way his eyes widen at her attempt to quell her desire, but he complied and joined her on the makeshift dance floor.

  With two songs down, they were laughing and twirling, and she was enjoying the best date of her life. The music slowed, and as a result, their movements did too. He pulled her closer, and their bodies joined like a puzzle piece. Her heart beat out of her chest. She could pick up the whoosh, whoosh, whoosh of her blood racing through her body. Could he hear it, too?

  “I meant what I said earlier today.” He put some space between them to be able to look her in the eyes. Shayla leaned into Calen’s hand as he caressed her cheek. “You are really beautiful when you come.”

  Her steps faltered, and before she could even utter a reply, he gathered her back against his chest. All too abruptly, the song ended.

  She rushed off the dance floor, determined to get as far away as possible. He did things to her, made her want things she never made time for.

  She gathered her purse and signaled for her check. The waitress brought it right over. To her surprise, Calen grabbed her bill as the waitress laid it on the table. She was used to paying her own bill. The men she usually dated worked within the same realm as her and naturally expected her to pay her half. Yes, they were jerks.

  Briefly, their hands touched, and an electrical current ran from her hand to right between her legs. Shocked and startled by the effect from a touch, Shayla snatched her check from his hand. As soon as she snatched the bill, she instantly regretted it. Embarrassment ate her.

  “Sorry.” The quick apology came out a whisper. “I need to go.” Eyes pleading for understanding.

  “Wait.” He grabbed for her elbow, but she stepped out of reach as she threw cash on the table. His check lay on the table as well. While he dug out his wallet, she fled.

  “Shayla wait, please,” he begged as he followed her out.

  She twisted to glance back at him but must have moved too fast because she almost toppled over in the parking lot. The feel of strong arms and hands righted her, keeping her from a face plant. Her saving grace. She didn’t need to turn to know who caught her; she could tell by the waves of electricity flowing through her body.

  “You’re okay. I’ve got you.” His grip on her body remained gentle but firm to ensure she didn’t fall.

  Aware he watched her, she slowly turned to him. Once again, their eyes locked, and the familiar tingle she attributed to him traveled to her center. “I believe I’ve had plenty to drink.”

  Calen offered to drive her home, but she insisted she could make it accident-free. She only stayed two miles from the restaurant. However, his hand remained outstretched. He expected her to comply.

  Shayla knew how wrong drinking and driving was, but she couldn’t be in the same car with him, afraid she would not be able to control herself and would do or say something really stupid.

  “Please. I don’t believe you should drive,” he persisted. When she made it obvious she would not budge, he gave up with a deep sigh. “Well, at least let me follow you.” Shayla contemplated his offer with suspicion in her eyes. “To make sure you make it home safely,” he said, raising his hands to show he didn’t mean any harm by the offer.

  She relented and hoped she wouldn’t regret this.

  In no time, she reached the villa.

  Shayla stepped out of her vehicle and whirled around to wave at her escort to find he was already out of his car and at her side, his outstretched arms offering her support up the front steps.

  She gladly leaned on him. “Thank you. I won’t be able to make it up the steps,” she admitted. “My head is spinning.”

  When they reached her door, she fumbled in her bag to find her keys and tried several times to get the key in the lock before Calen gently pried the keys from her hands and unlocked the door for her.

  When he spun around to hand them back to her, they came face-to-face, and once again, Shayla found herself staring into those clear, brown eyes, admiring how sure of himself and confident Calen seemed. She melted into his gaze, lost. She could spend the rest of her life starring into those dark, beautiful eyes of his. Her desire flowed between her legs, and she involuntarily wrapped her arms around his neck. He, in turn, wrapped his arms around her waist.

  She stretched up on her toes to whisper into his ear, “What would you do if I kissed you?”

  “Kiss you back,” he said simply.

  “And what would you say if I told you my thoughts were of you when you caught me playing this morning?”

  He cupped her face and revealed some of his own intimacies to her as well. “I would say I almost joined you instead of walking away. And I’ve been hard since the moment I caught a glimpse of you.”

  He pulled her closer, and she could sense the effect she bore on him. The bulge he professed constantly existed since he met her, now pushed against her stomach as if searching for a place to settle.

  “I’m going to kiss you now.” Where this confidence came from, she didn’t know, but she would make the most of it.

  The kiss, a desperate, deep, longing one, came from her innermost workings. The kiss he gave back to her was right and urgent. Lost in one another’s touch, she grabbed for his manhood, caressed it, then worked on his belt. He leaned her up against her front door, not worried about who may happen upon them, see from their windows, or walk by. This was their moment frozen in time. His hands traveled all over her body.

  “I can’t get enough of you,” he said between soft pecks on her neck.

  He slowly caressed her shoulders. The kisses lingered as he moved down her back to gently stroke her firm buttocks, completely consumed and lost in each other.

  “Never”—kiss—“has a woman”—kiss, kiss—“affected me like this before.” He captured her lips with the last words.

  Shayla never expected someone to stoke her desires the way this man did.

  “Great chemistry,” she said against his lips.

  She was right they did have great chemistry, and she wanted to explore where this experience would go. Shayla could sense the heat emanating from their bodies. Euphoria, the only word to describe it. She continued to kiss him with him giving kisses in return.

  His hand moved up to her breast and released one of them from its confinement to unite with his waiting mouth and tongue. She allowed him to ta
ke his fill of her, to touch every inch of her and to caress the V between her legs. She became feverish.

  A cool breeze swept across her face, snapping her back to her senses.

  “Oh, my God, sorry. Sorry. What am I doing? I… I have to go. Thanks for everything,” she managed to tumble out.

  Mortified, she ran into the villa and locked the door.

  “What in the world? I must be crazy! We barely know one another,” she berated herself.

  She stumbled to the couch, flung herself down on it, and put her hands over her face to compose herself. Shayla hoped he wouldn’t knock on the door. A few seconds passed without sound.

  When she stood to peek out of the window, Calen was gone.

  “I am never drinking white wine again,” she proclaimed and headed off to the bathroom.

  4

  Calen

  As he turned and walked away, Calen adjusted himself and headed to his car. It would take him a while to get over what happened between him and Shayla.

  On the ride home, he couldn’t stop thinking about her and the effect on him. He had never experienced this strong of a sexual connection with anyone before. Could he be dreaming? He guessed it could be a dream, but deep down, he hoped it wasn’t. He hoped all this was real.

  What the fuck happened? He knew she experienced the same connection he did. The way Shayla responded in his arms was unlike anything before. Why walk away from him? Shayla enjoyed herself. Hell, she came onto him. No doubt the way the evening unfolded for them was interesting, to say the least.

  She was the most beautiful woman he had ever known. Fantasizing about her made him hard, and it was all he could do to stay focused on the road and make it home safely.

  Calen struggled not to release the restraints confining his dick and caress it to find sweet release while driving. He wanted his hand on her curves once again as they were while she was pushed up against her front door. He wanted to see once again the passion etched on her face, as it was when she pleasured herself that morning. He squirmed in the seat and altered himself as he pulled into the driveway of his villa.