Carolina Breeze, #1 Page 3

  Entering, he didn’t bother to turn the lights on; he plopped down on the couch wondering what all this meant.

  Did he really want to get involved?

  Hell, what even made him certain he would go out with Shayla again? He wouldn’t deny he was not opposed to it. He would love to view Shayla’s passion burst from her as he made her come beneath him. He knew nothing about her except she aroused him, and he liked the way she molded to him while in his arms. She ensnared him; every inch of his mind and body felt in tune with her.

  The possibilities for them, endless. His erection screaming, Calen finally released the pressure caused by his slacks. He closed his eyes and gently but firmly began to stroke.

  Visions of his lovely lady filled his head. His pulls became longer as he tried to ward off the inevitable, but it felt too good. He tugged faster, his breaths shorter. Tingles started at the top of his head. His face became flush as he continued his long strokes.

  He found himself thrusting to the rhythm he set as he moved against his hand. The sensation coursed from his head through his body. Calen felt the tightening in his thighs and butt; the caresses became faster as visions of Shayla pleasuring herself flashed through his mind.

  His dick swelled, and the closer she got to her climax, it seemed the closer he got to his own. Two more thrusts of his hips with even rapid jerks, he exploded with a groan he was sure his neighbors could hear.

  Calen laid his head back against the couch to catch his breath. He had never come so hard in his life. He definitely would explore making those fantasies about the beauty he met today come true.

  But would he meet her again?

  He hoped. He believed the two of them together could be special.

  “Tiny steps first,” he said pushing himself up from the couch.

  They had not exchanged numbers, but he knew where she was staying. He would start there.

  SHAYLA

  When she pulled back the curtain, Calen was nowhere in sight. Part of her wanted to run out the door and wave furiously after him; the other part of her, woozy because of the white wine, knew there would definitely be no running.

  She grabbed hold of the windowsill to right herself and turned, heading to the bathroom. She desperately needed a warm bath. It would help her calm her fears, her nerves and would reduce the ache she was currently experiencing. One of the amenities, which sold her on this villa in particular besides the access to the beach, was the bathroom.

  Luxury at its finest, nothing simple except the color scheme, but relaxing all the same. Rust-colored walls bled into a stone layout, giving way to floor-to-ceiling frosted windows, which let the sunshine pour in. The left wall boasted an open-air walk-in shower with the same stone layout of the wall covering the partition. A two-bulb hanging chandelier and wall sconce over the lone mirror above the sink provided enough light to keep the atmosphere of the bathroom relaxing. The tub, heaven. The same stonework on the walls and shower partition covered the outer skirting of the tub. Easy to reach shelves, complete with all the toiletries she could need as well as her own she brought with her, was also adorned with a small potted plant. An outcrop with a glass top for storage of towels and more toiletries to cover the top was built out from the tub.

  Lying in the water felt like euphoria, causing her mind to drift off to former events. She couldn’t believe he had found her.

  “Who said he was searching,” she said mockingly.

  Weird, they traveled places in common the way they did. She didn’t know anything about him, but she wanted to know. She didn’t know where he was from, what he did for a living, if he was married.

  Oh God, what if he is married?

  Frustration overwhelmed her as the what-ifs continued to swirl in her mind and from her lips. Got to stop lingering on about him, this relationship… The possibility dropped out of her mind before she could finish the sentence.

  “What are you talking about girl? You can’t begin a relationship with this guy. You don’t have the time, when would you be able to get to know him?”

  As she toweled off, she decided to let her mind rest for the remainder of the night. She neither had the time nor energy to put into a relationship, let alone begin one with a man she barely knew for a couple of hours.

  Settled, she drifted to sleep, with the words, “Never work,” on her lips.

  5

  Shayla

  For the next two days and two nights, Shayla stayed inside.

  Although she loved the beach and liked the shopping at the Banks, the prospect of running into Calen terrified her. She deliberately avoided stepping out onto the balcony at what she assumed was his running time for fear of spotting him, making eye contact, and reliving how ridiculous her actions had been since meeting him. She waited around noon or late in the evening when the breeze stayed a little cooler the way she liked it to do anything or go anywhere at all.

  Shayla didn’t go out to eat; instead., she ordered in. She found a restaurant right around the corner for deliveries. She didn’t really mind staying in. She liked her exceptionally elegant and graceful villa.

  The villa had soft coffee walls all around, Luscious, deep blues and creams used as accent colors, crown molding on all the walls, and hardwood floors throughout, except for the master bedroom, which boasted a white, soft, shaggy carpet. She especially liked the carpet because she could walk around her bedroom with bare feet and not worry about walking on a cold floor when she got up at two in the morning to use the bathroom or for a drink of water.

  However, her vacation, which was supposed to be full of excitement, was quickly turning out to be dull and depressing because of her self-imposed exile. Those represented her life and what she was trying to avoid by going on vacation in the first place, the normality and monotony of her real-life back in Denver.

  She needed to call Tela and tell her the goings-on.

  Tela happened to be Shayla’s best friend since high school and the total opposite of Shayla. Where Shayla tended to be more reserved and constricted, Tela was laid back and loose. Where Shayla remained timid and quiet, Tela lived boisterously and confident.

  Tela was a no-nonsense kind of person, which enabled her to dominate in a corporate setting. A woman who remained unafraid to tell off the corporate gods was extremely rare. Some of the things she did and said, Shayla would never do or say, in the office or in her personal life, not to anyone for any reason.

  Although Shayla made a lot of money for her company, she stayed too afraid to jeopardize her career. Nevertheless, it was Tela, who forged ahead with her own agenda and not the corporate agenda. The two of them were total opposites and incredibly unlikely friends.

  She found herself smiling as she dialed her best friend’s number, hoping Tela would answer quickly.

  Tela answered on the second ring. “Hey girl, how’s the vacation goin’?”

  Shayla let out a long sigh before she feigned cheerfulness, saying, “It’s great! Everything’s great…” She let the sentence trail off.

  “What’s with the sigh then,” she asked. “I can tell something is wrong.”

  “I don’t know what you mean, Tela. I’m good. Been having all kinds of fun. Going shopping, trying new foods, going to the museums. A really relaxing and well worth it time for me,” she carried on.

  Tela listened, a rare commodity for her. Usually, Shayla would need to interrupt to get a word in edgewise. This time was different.

  When Shayla finally finished, Tela said, “So if everything is great, then again I ask about the sigh? Sounds to me like you’re keeping busy, staying entertained. What’s up?”

  Finally, Shayla began to tell Tela about Calen. “I met a man.” Then, she hesitated, wondering if she should tell her everything.

  “Well, that’s good, right? Any other time you would be doing nothing but working. No play at all. I don’t understand what the big deal is?”

  She moved to the kitchen table, another selling point for this villa, and flopped down i
nto one of the dining chairs. She gazed around the room, smiling thinking how her mother would love this kitchen. White and beige, usually boring colors to most, boasted around the room. Honeycomb design highlighted one wall, giving way to pastel yellow wall paint. The window seat with black and white decorative pillows provided comfort as she watched the water rush and retreat on the shore. The shelves over the sink boasted small potted plants such as cacti, which Shayla knew she would be able to take care of while she was here. The appliances, all modern and white, matched the rest of the décor. Possibly her most favorite in the kitchen was the splash of color in the form of a round rug sitting under the table she now sat at.

  “Okay, so this guy, I watched him on the beach the other morning. And Tela, when I tell ya he was fine… girl, he held me from first sight,” she said shaking her head as if Tela could see the gesture “Nice toned arms, chest defined, and tattoos. You know how I love tattoos.”

  Tela laughed. “Yeah, you and me both. Please continue.” She heard the mischievousness in Tela’s voice.

  “Anyway, watching him I got…” she cleared her throat and closed her eyes. She didn’t even know how to say it. She could sense the heat of embarrassment caress her cheeks as she remembered what she did. She summoned her courage. It was Tela, her best friend. They probably talked about this kind of thing a million times since high school. “Tela, I was ready, watching him, I had to get myself off.” She rushed the last part.

  She opened her eyes when Tela gave a hearty laugh into the speaker. She couldn’t help but laugh with her.

  “Oh my, no, you didn’t!” she exclaimed.

  “Yes, I did.” She put her hands over her face, shaking her head. “And that’s not the end of it.”

  “No?” Tela was still laughing. “Well, please continue. I want all the sorted details.”

  “You won’t believe it, but he watched me.”

  The sharp intake of breath on the other end let her know Tela couldn’t believe what she was saying. “He watched you come? Oh, my god,” Tela whispered.

  “Later, I ran into him at one of the museums I visited. He actually said to me that I was beautiful when I come. Can you believe it, Te? I could have died. I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me right then and there.”

  “What did you say? What did you do?” Tela hung on to every word.

  The whole situation was unlike Shayla, certain Tela sat with her mouth wide open as she listened.

  “I ran. Went to the souvenir store to get away, but of course, he followed, which for some reason completely annoyed me, so I whirled on him. Tried to get him to leave me alone, but at the same time, definitely flattered,” she said this at the same time the revelation came of actually being flattered by Calen’s actions.

  No man ever pulled a reaction from her the way he did.

  “Anyway, later I went to a restaurant for dinner and guess who I run into there?”

  “Ha! It’s fate. So did you talk to him at the restaurant?” Tela seemed excessively enthusiastic about this.

  “We did. He bought me a drink. Got to know each other a little. He apologized for watching me earlier. We danced, then he followed me home.”

  “You invited him back home.” Clapping came over the line.

  “I didn’t say anything of the sort. I said he followed me home. Inebriation and driving do not mix. I know it’s wrong to drive and drink before you say something, but I couldn’t get in his car.” She did not elaborate on why she refused to let him drive her. However, if Tela could see him and smell him, she would understand her plight.

  She continued, “The crazy thing though, once we got there, I didn’t want him to leave, so much so, I kissed him. Tela, you know me. Never have I come onto a man the way I did this guy. He had my head spinning. If I hadn’t snapped out of the sex haze when I did, I would’ve asked him in, then no telling what would’ve happened.”

  “I can’t believe it.” There was a split second of silence then, “I’m so proud of you, Shay.” A peel of laughter over the receiver. “Sounds like you enjoyed yourself so what’s the problem?” Serious again.

  “I might have slammed the door in his face,” Shayla said in a teeny voice.

  A sigh.

  “I know, I know, Te. But I got scared of what was happening, and I didn’t know what to do. This all-encompassing need to get away came over me. And so I did.”

  “Girl, what’s wrong with you? This guy must be something if you’re actin’ outta character. I can’t believe he has affected you like this! You guys met up since then?” Tela asked.

  “No. Been hiding out for the past few days. Scared of running into him, and he’ll want to pick up where we left off.”

  “Why not though? You’re on vacation. Not like you’ll ever meet him again after you leave,” she explained.

  “I’m just so embarrassed by the way I acted. You know, it’s so unlike me,” she whined into the phone to her friend.

  Exasperated, she asked her friend for advice, knowing that as soon as the words left her mouth she would regret them. She would regret asking Tela for advice because she already knew what Tela would say. She would say she would be crazy to let him slip through her fingers, and she should try to find him and settle whatever is between them.

  And she would be right.

  “Girl, you need to jump on that! You might not find another man to getcha juices flowin’ like he can. If you don’t want ‘em, I’ll take him.” Her best friend chuckled.

  As she hung up with Tela, she reflected on what they discussed and if she would take her advice.

  Truth be told, she really didn’t know what stood between them or even if she wanted to find out because of the fear as to where it would lead. She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall nearby, three in the afternoon, the coast would be clear. Instead of moping around the villa, she decided to take a walk on the beach.

  As she stepped out onto the sand, she chastised herself for being cooped up for two days and missing all this beauty. A walk on the beach would be therapeutic; it would help her clear her head.

  6

  Calen

  She was avoiding him. Two days passed since he had talked to or laid eyes on Shayla. Saying her name caused a stir in his groin. Calen planned his daily runs to coincide with the time and place where he had first laid eyes on her, standing on the balcony. He visited the restaurant every evening since, but to no avail, she was nowhere to be found.

  Finally, hoping she had not left for home, he decided he would drive by her villa.

  Calen wondered if his actions seemed borderline obsessive and warranted a restraining order, but he didn’t care. All he knew was his need to see her, to talk to her.

  He slowly pulled up to the lot. Her car was there, but what was he going to do? Go up and ring the bell you idiot. But what if she was ignoring him? If that was the case, she wasn’t going to let him in because he showed up at her door, then he would be an even bigger idiot than he already believed.

  Therefore, with reluctance, Calen put his car in reverse and backed out of the parking lot. As he came up to his villa, he decided he would relax for a change. After all, that is why you are on vacation right? To relax.

  He walked out onto the patio and breathed in the ocean breeze; as he opened his eyes, he could not believe it. She was here, on his beach.

  She walked near the water, letting the surf washing up on her feet.

  “Shayla,” he yelled.

  As if unsure where his call came from, she head lifted and glanced around in all directions.

  Then, suddenly, she recognized him.

  Calen stood on the patio of a villa to her right, then hopped over the railing, running toward her.

  She appeared ready to bolt again, her muscles tense, but she stayed in place.

  As he neared, she muttered to herself, so quietly she didn’t expect him to overhear. “Oh, no, this can’t be. Oh, God, he’s coming this way. What should I do?”

  All he managed to ge
t out… a rapidly, “Hello,” before she cut him off.

  She could barely make eye contact with him, but timidly said, “Hello, I’m sorry for my behavior the other night. It was rude and forward of me to come onto you like that. And I’m sorry for slamming the door in your face. I won’t say it was because of the alcohol, there’s no excuse for how I behaved, and I apologize.”

  As far as he saw it, she didn’t have any reason to apologize. He had gone through the same thing.

  After her sincerest apology, he asked her the question that had burned in his mind for two days, and the one he knew she absolutely, didn’t want to answer.

  He waved his hand. “You have nothing to apologize for, really. But I do want to know why you’ve been avoiding me.” He gazed straight into her eyes as if he would get his answers from there. He most definitely got an answer, but not one he hadn’t been contemplating himself.

  He was shocked at her words, as she admitted, “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you, which is really out of character for me. I know whatever this connection is between us can never work, so to keep from embarrassing myself any further, I stayed away.”

  Shayla stopped. Calen could see the tenseness in her shoulders as if she clearly said more than she may have wanted to.

  He also believed it would never work. Obviously, she had weighed the same pros and cons as he. She looked so incredibly innocent as she struggled to explain herself.

  He couldn’t help himself, so he gathered her into his arms and kissed her, immediately cutting off any other explanation she could think of or one that just tumbled out.

  He was rewarded with her body melting against him. His lips soft against hers pressed firmly, as sweet moans released from her. He felt her heart pound profusely in her chest as he deepened their kiss. She closed her eyes and gave way to the feel of his lips moving against hers. His tongue played with the seam of her lips, asking for permission. She gave it to him. Their tongues met in a collision course. He enjoyed as her tongue matched his tongue stroke for stroke, each stoking the flames threatening to engulf his body if he didn’t have her soon he would explode. They both gave in to the passion.