Carolina Breeze, #1 Read online

  After what seemed like hours, they finally broke their kiss, both standing on the beach trying to catch their breath. He reached for her cheek and drew his fingers down it, causing her eyes to flutter closed and shivers to run down her body.

  Calen cut through the thick heat first. “We need to talk about what’s happening between us. Let’s go to my place.”

  SHAYLA

  Shayla absently followed Calen down the beach and up the path leading to his villa, still dazed from their shared kiss.

  He invited her to sit down on the couch. “Would you like a drink?”

  Shayla nodded, and she tried to gather herself. As he meandered to the kitchen, Shayla took the time to peruse the room. She noticed the setup was much like her own. Where her villa boasted colors of warm blues and creams, this villa was completely opposite, not at all what she expected from such a man who oozed masculinity. She scooped a decorative pillow up from beside her to study it. Were those peacock feathers? She moved to the edge of her seat to study the egg chair posted under the desk in the corner. Sure enough, the cushion boasted a cluster of feathers. She examined the woodwork, which made up the main wall in the living room. She wondered if it was real wood. She had never seen wood on a wall before, but it was a beautiful, ash gray color. With solid turquoise pillows, interlaced with those feathered pillows, the white couch she sat on complemented it perfectly.

  Shayla sat back and continued to scan the room. Polished wooden shelves donned the wall over her head. The end tables to the right and left of the couch she sat upon were made of the same polished wood, rounded so you were still able to see the rings on them. The end tables separated the couch from the two living chairs that both had nestled in their corners matching peacocks.

  He sat on the other end of the couch as he handed her the drink he made for her. Some type of whiskey or maybe it was scotch she was not sure. She normally liked the fruity stuff.

  “So,” he said, “Who goes first?”

  Shayla took a deep breath. The drink really hit the spot, smooth going down her throat and loosened her tongue a little. “Well, my first question is: are you married? Any kids?”

  He chuckled. “No, no. I’m not married.” He held up his finger to show her there was no impression of a ring on his ring finger.

  “I’m so glad to hear that,” she said shyly, relieved.

  “And what about you? Tell me about yourself,” he said.

  “Well, not too much to tell, really. I’m thirty years old.” She held up her left hand. “Not married, nor do I have any kids.”

  “Where are you from? I’m stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina,” he offered.

  “Wow, we live, like, a million miles away from each other.” She giggled.

  “Oh, really.” He chuckled. “Where?”

  “Well, I’m from Denver. I’m in business marketing and acquisitions for the company I work for there.”

  “Beautiful and smart, a good combination.” Desire flashed in his eyes; he didn’t hide it. Calen wanted Shayla to know he wanted her.

  “Thanks.” She took a sip of her drink. “You know my best friend told me I would be foolish to give up the opportunity to get to know you.” Another sip.

  “Well, your best friend is smart, too,” he said with a smile in his voice and on his lips.

  “She is. One of the top executives in her company as well. If it wasn’t for her, I would’ve fallen by the wayside in high school,” she revealed.

  “I’m sure there’s a story somewhere.” He reached for his beer and finished what remained while he waited for her to divulge.

  Shayla took another sip of her drink. She stalled because she didn’t like to talk about that particular time in her life. He watched as she continued to worry her bottom lip between her teeth. She refused to look him in the eye as she contemplated whether she would let him be privy to the story. She was nervous. She took a deep breath before her eyes finally met his, ready to reveal her story. “I used to be ashamed of what I was, but now, I tell my story in case I’m able to help someone else.”

  “That’s admirable,” he said and let her continue.

  “When I was in high school, I had an eating disorder. Bulimia. Of course, I was in denial about it. My mother was in denial as well. The only person who knew what I was going through was Tela, my best friend. Of course, we weren’t friends at the time. That came later.” With a smirk on her face, she lifted the bottle of whiskey he left on the table in case she wanted a refill.

  “That must’ve been hard to handle,” he said sympathetically.

  “At first, I didn’t want to consider anything Tela had to say. She was from the projects, and I didn’t know her and didn’t know anything about that kind of life. When I kept ignoring her, she started leaving pamphlets in my locker.” She chuckled and shook her head. “Yeah, I fought her for a long time, but she didn’t give up. Then, finally, I gave in. She even got my mom to see the truth. Since then, we’ve been tight.”

  She finished off her glass of whiskey.

  “And there you have it. The life and times of Shayla Blackwell.” She gazed at him; her life exposed wondering what he thought of her now. “Okay, your turn. Tell me about Calen.”

  CALEN

  “First, as I said, I’m not married, no kids. Second, my name is not Calen,” he revealed. “Well, it is, but it’s my last name. My full name is Robert Omar Calen.”

  To his disbelief, he found himself wanting to tell her why he was here, it was only right after she told him about her struggles with her eating disorder.

  “I came to the Outer Banks to recuperate, as I said the other night at dinner. I recently returned from Afghanistan. I took a bullet in the shoulder, lodged near my joints. I was given leave so I could recover.”

  She watched him intently, hanging on every word as if she listened to an audio version of Saving Private Ryan.

  “We were pinned down by heavy enemy gunfire.” The room faded around him as he relived everything all over again. “I was shot and two of my unit and good friends had gone down. I wanted to go back, to help them, but I knew it was too late, they were already dead. That split second of hesitation almost cost me my arm,” he snapped his fingers. “My men came back for me. They saved me.”

  As he told his story, he involuntarily rubbed his wound.

  “Are you all right?” She reached out as if she wanted to touch his shoulder, then let her hand drop when he shrugged away from her.

  “I apologize,” he said, catching her hand when he glimpsed a flash of hurt in her eyes. “It’s a little sore.”

  Gently, he moved her hand to his shoulder, to let her know it was okay to touch him. She closed the distance to place sweet kisses over his hidden wound, kisses designed to take the pain away and heal.

  When he caressed her face, she stiffened, as if afraid he would reject her again. Instead, he caught her lips in a feverish kiss.

  “I love the way you taste.” He sipped her bottom lip. “Are you sure this is what you want? Do you want me?” he asked, knowing what her answer would be.

  “Yes,” she whispered, and that was all Calen needed.

  Hungry for another taste of her, he shifted closer, drawing her into his arms as he devoured her mouth once again. He was thrilled to discover her hunger was even greater than his was.

  She kissed him back more urgently as if trying to gather him into her very being. The heat inside him traveled farther down as he undressed Shayla. He absolutely wanted to know what she looked like with her clothes off.

  He unbuttoned her crew shirt and slowly pulled it over her head. His lips traced the direction of her shirt and made a trail of their own up her arm and across to her neck. His hands reached around her back and unclasped her bra, letting it slip from her shoulders and onto the floor beside them.

  He caressed her full breasts and guided her nipples to his mouth, paying sweet attention to both of them. She moaned, succumbing to caresses. His kisses started from her breast, down to
her stomach, and hovered just above the button of her jeans.

  Calen knelt and unbuttoned them, pulling them down all in one motion to reveal a beautiful pair of Victoria’s Secret underwear. He gasped and let out a shudder as he took in how beautiful she truly was. She was everything he imagined.

  Her skin was creamy milk-chocolate, and she had an hourglass shape just like he knew she would. He withdrew from her only for a moment as he hurriedly threw away his clothing. Shayla let out a soft groan at the loss of his body heat, shivering from the sudden chill.

  He returned swiftly and continued to kiss her. He took in all the new sensations only being new lovers could give.

  Through hands and lips, he became familiar with her scent, what she liked and disliked, as he explored her body.

  Calen scooped her up from the couch and headed for the bedroom, where he laid her gently on the bed, careful not to break their kiss. He reluctantly pulled from her lips to take a moment to look upon her beauty before he could no longer contain his fire. He wanted to explore her body and taste every inch of her.

  He kissed a trail from her neck down to her chest, paying special attention to her breasts and nipples before he continued to lower himself down her body. He went farther, down past her belly, before he found what he longed for between her legs.

  She was ready, which aroused him even more because he made her that way. She needed him, wanted him. Moisture glistened in the trimmed hair between her legs. He used his tongue to lick the length of her, causing her to retreat with a gasp at the unexpectedness of the sensation. She needed to get used to his tongue on her.

  He licked her once more, encircling her clit and catching it between his teeth to apply just the right amount of pressure to cause Shayla to rock to his rhythm. He made his tongue ridged and thrust it into her while massaging the nub above her treasure.

  Shayla let out a lusty moan, her ecstasy exciting Calen even more.

  He tried to contain himself long enough for her to find release, but it grew harder for him to hold back. He continued to work magic with his tongue, causing Shayla to rock against his mouth and pull him farther in.

  “Yes, yes,” she moaned into the blissful night air. “Don’t stop, please don’t stop, Robert.”

  Calen became even more assertive as her pleasure-filled cries resounded in his ears. He applied more pressure with his tongue and inserted two fingers inside her. Her body embraced them, and she let out a fulfilling breath. Her rocking became faster, more urgent.

  This was the sign he looked for; she was about to explode on his tongue.

  Calen gave one last lick before he captured her clit again between his lips and sucked. Shayla’s legs clamped around his head as she trembled and let out a moan that was absolute music to his ears.

  When she was spent, he lifted his head and licked a trail up from her navel to a shared kiss so she could taste his prize.

  She grabbed his erection, and he groaned. He was so hard. Eager, she pumped his length and kissed him deeply.

  Already worked up from witnessing her release, he couldn’t take the sensation. He wanted inside her with urgency.

  Calen lifted her leg for deeper access and entered her sex. He almost melted. Calen watched as Shayla’s eyes fluttered shut and released a moan of satisfaction. He fit inside her nicely. Her inner walls hugged him as he thrust in and out. The sensation was about all he could take.

  “Oh, you feel so good, Shayla,” he whispered into her ear.

  “You do too,” she moaned. “So good.” Shayla moved her leg to his shoulder. The adjustment pulled another moan from her as she began to circle her clit. Calen’s hand moved to cuff her ass and grind. The move had Shayla meeting him thrust for thrust. He tried to slow, to prolong the inevitable, but with every gasp, moan, and groan Shayla gave to him, Calen’s pleasure intensified.

  With every thrust, a tingle reached from the top of his head all the way to his feet. It traveled between his legs, gripping his balls and pushing him further toward climax. His breathing became deeper, more ragged, and eventually pulled a moan up from the depths of his throat.

  With three, final, hard, deep thrusts, he released into her. As he did, she called his name and climaxed again, this one more intense than the one he gave with his tongue.

  A smile reached her lips as they lay in each other’s arms, catching their breaths.

  For a moment, Calen wondered if this may have been a mistake and regretted what just happened between them. They didn’t even use a condom, one thing definitely out of character for him. He never slept with a woman he just met, and he never had sex without a condom. Ever.

  His mother taught him better than that. How could he be so stupid?

  But when he gazed at Shayla, lying in his arms, his regrets fled. This was not a mistake, and what little doubt he held went away the moment she whispered his name in her euphoric haze.

  Just maybe, this thing could work. At least for now, anyway.

  Long-term commitments would be discussed later, but for now, he’d bask in the afterglow of the most wonderful sex he ever had. He stared down at the beautiful woman who laid peacefully in his arms, stroking her hair and shoulder as sleep overtook them, dreaming of what the morning would bring.

  7

  Shayla

  For the next few days, they were inseparable.

  When he took his run in the mornings, she would meet him out on the beach and continue the rest of the way with him.

  When they were finished, they would come back to her villa and they would make love, each time more explosive and intense than the last.

  Later in the evenings, either they would meet or one would pick up the other to have dinner at the restaurant where they had their first drinks, talking about politics, business, and what might hold for their relationship in the future.

  After a few days and steamy nights together, she had done something she never imagined she would ever do, especially with a man who she really just met. But truth was, she’d never felt like this before with anyone.

  Oh sure, all of it was sudden, but they had only been seeing each other for a little while. It felt right to her; she believed they could be something special. She muttered those three words, as she lay saturated and satisfied in his arms.

  “I think I love you,” she said. Then she immediately wished she could take them back. But she couldn’t, she was out there. The ball was in his court.

  Calen glanced down at her, obviously stunned. Emotions flickered across his face, too fast for her to pinpoint. His mouth opened, but just when it looked like he would speak, his cell rang.

  He rolled over to check the ID, and things instantly became serious.

  By the frown etched upon his face, Shayla could tell something was wrong. She not only saw it, but also felt it as his body stiffened when he answered the phone. She only caught bits and pieces of the conversation, mostly limited to his side of the conversation. She tried not to listen, but the intensity which shown on his face had her worried. She knew something was wrong.

  “When did this happen, sir?” he said into the receiver. “When do we leave?” he asked as he threw the comforter back and sat up in the bed.

  Shayla listened patiently but didn’t like at all what was happening. What probably would happen. He was leaving, and she would never see him again.

  She watched him until he finally said, “Yes sir, my unit will be there.”

  By the time he said those words, he was out of the bed and out of her arms, searching for his clothes and heading for the shower.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked, the weight of those three little words she uttered and the somber news he just received hung in the air. She tried to lighten the mood and lift the burdens that all of a sudden were placed on both of their shoulders. “I could join you in the shower, if you want,” she called after him, trying to add amusement to her voice.

  He answered with an emphatic slam of the bathroom door.

  CALEN

&nb
sp; Calen wondered what could be going on. It had to be something urgent for him to get called off medical leave.

  He let the water run down his face from the top of his head to help him shake the haze from his and Shayla’s lovemaking.

  God, she loves me. The thought astounded him.

  A smile started to form on his face as he imagined how her body shook underneath him as she came for him. He’d never slept with a woman before whose body he was so in tune with. He loved her too, chuckling at his shocking revelation.

  He ended his shower and stepped out of the bathroom to get dressed. He found her pacing in front of the bed, her luscious body now hidden by her nightgown. Her nervous anxiety squeezed at his heart, but he would have to address their relationship later.

  Right now, duty called.

  “I’m sorry, but I have to go. My unit has new orders. We leave at 0200. I have to get back to Fort Bragg,” he told her. He hoped she could see the sympathy in his eyes and knew there was no way he wanted to leave.

  Her pacing stopped, and the trepidation in her eyes, the questions were present on her face.

  “I don’t have a choice. It’s an emergency. I don’t want to leave you here right now.” He went to her, lifting her chin so she could see the truth in his eyes. Relief washed over her features.

  The weight lifted from her shoulders. Her body language told Calen so much of what she was thinking without her uttering a word.