Head Over Wheels (Steamy New Adult Romance) (28 page)

I was a figurine made of clay, turned and twisted, undressed and stretched across his lap. A damp breeze grazed my bare breasts; I shuddered, not from the chill, but from the ecstasy of it all. My Capris hugged my ankles and my thighs were urged apart. "I want to taste you again," he whispered. "Then I want to be inside you."

My voice was so fragile, I never thought he would hear my body's response when I whispered, "I want you to fuck me."

"I want to fuck you so bad ... but not yet," he panted.

I was cradled and kissed and backed against my lover's chest where my head came to rest on his shoulder. My eyelids involuntarily fluttered, and when I gazed up stars spiraled through the sky in glittering whirlwinds, or was it my head that was spinning like a cyclone?

Indigo's arms were around me, the fingers of his one hand circling my aching breasts, teasing my rigid nipples, while his other hand fed the storm between my legs. All the while, his breath blew over my face, his mouth trailed my neck, nibbled my ear, as he whispered his intentions. "I want to do so many things to you ... make you scream all night."

His fingers felt urgent, delivering inconceivable delight; again and again I screamed his name. In a state of frenzy, my head rolled from side to side. My body lurched. Bracing for an orgasm, I covered his hand with mine, doubling the pleasure. "Oh ... oh ... oh my God." Sucking in a breath, limply I fell against him, groaning, drawing out the sensation for as long as humanly possible. “Oh God. It feels so good. Don’t stop. Don’t stop.”

“I won’t stop. I’ll never stop.” His words were fierce. “Tell me what you want. I’ll give you anything ... anything you want.”

“You ... I just want you. I want to kiss you. I want to be in your arms. I want you on top of me. Feel you inside me.”

"I don't have any condoms."

"Really?"

"I didn't plan on us screwing on the beach. When I make love to you, it's not going to be a quickie ... it's going to be special. Slow and beautiful. It'll take all night."

"Night and day."

"Forever."

His chin rested on my shoulder. Reaching up, I pulled his face to mine, straining for his lips, whispering, "Baby. I need to be in your bed tonight." His body tensed. A sigh burst from his parted lips. He felt so hard behind me, I thought he'd explode. How he could practice that degree of self control was beyond my comprehension.

“I want you more than anything, Jewel, more than anything else in my life. I want you so badly, but I need you to be certain it’s what you really want. That it’s not just in the heat of the moment. I know how I feel. You have to be sure. No regrets ... not now ... not ever.”

“You make me so crazy, I can’t think straight. All I know is, I could never regret anything I do with you, Jimmy.”

"Baby, you make me want things I thought I'd never be able to have."

This wouldn't be like other nights ...This was different. We were alone on the beach, surrounded by raging tides, darkness, and I was drugged by rapture.

The salted air made me dizzy, drowning my sense of right from wrong. Regaining my strength, I turned in his arms, pulled him to his knees. I was the victim of starvation, and I couldn't seem to get enough of him. I was feeding off his body, my hands greedily heating his back, squeezing his buttocks, making their way up the inside of his thighs. I needed to experience his release as much as he did.

I pulled his shirt up over his head, raked my nails across his skin. My naked breasts ground into his chest, my nipples like burning embers, embedding in his flesh. The throb between my legs was relentless. I brought his hand back to me, guiding his fingers to the ache deep inside, bearing down, moaning.

My palms stroked the heat that pulsed beneath his pants. My fingertips locked on his fly, unzipping, slipping inside, stroking. Then he was suddenly the clay, and I began clutching, rhythmically pumping, molding his burning skin with my slippery palms.

Indigo held my face in his hands, the pressure of his palms growing desperate. I felt his groan against my throat, inhaled his guttural, "Oh God." He kept calling out my name, his breath on my face coming in gasps. My hands worked harder, faster, while I blindly imagined him thrusting inside me, filling my emptiness instead of the air. I wasn't sure if the wind ruffled my hair, or perhaps Indigo's final sigh, but my lips found his and remained there until I heard distant voices grow near.

W
e scrambled for our clothes, giggling like adolescents as we brushed sand from our bodies, hopped from leg to leg, bracing one another as we quickly dressed. "Hold on, you." Indigo stopped me before I could face the beams of flashlights pointing in our direction. "One more kiss."

"You're insatiable," I whispered, happily obliging.

"But only for you." While his lips caressed mine, I kept my eyes open, watching the softness of his face, wondering when he would tell me he loved me.

Fingers locked, arms swinging, we met up with my friends who had patiently partied without us. I felt a twinge of guilt when I looked into Emma's eyes. "Sorry," I whispered, "We kind of got caught up in things."

She smiled, her expression knowing. "It's your mission, Jewel. Enjoy it." She winked.

With Em and me lagging behind, Indigo showed everyone to the guest house, which was an adorable stone cottage surrounded by walls of hedges. In the distance, I could still hear the thundering breakers crashing on shore.

"It was absolutely amazing," with a hushed voice, I confided.

"You didn't actually ..." Emma's eyes caught the moonlight, sparkling like chocolate diamonds.

"No, but almost." I squeezed her arm. "He's just too perfect to be true, Em. I'm so gone, it's pathetic." I groaned into her shoulder.

"Did he tell you he loved you?"

"No." At that moment, I hated the word, hated to admit it. At the concept that my entire world was beginning to revolve around this man, fear took hold. Then at the possibility that my universe could come crashing down at any moment, my stomach sank. "I should pull back," I said to Em so quietly, I barely heard my own words.

"Ride the wave, Jewel. There's really only today."

Gone was the psychologist I relied on to lift my mood. Standing before me was a pessimist. I recoiled. But, she was right. No one knew what tomorrow would bring, but whatever it was, it would have to be dealt with. Just as I'd dealt with losing my grandma ... being abandoned by Nikos. With each loss, I'd thought I would perish, but life went on, and I was stronger.

With everyone settled into the cottage, arms secured around one another, Indigo and I went back to the main house, which by then was deserted. The patio lights were dimmed, and only two interior lamps glowed, lighting the path to the second floor.

We crept up the stairs and stood before the doorway to Indigo's room. On the beach we'd been wilder than the ocean. But in the sobriety of the surroundings I suddenly fell subdued. I stared at Indigo, reliving the intimacy we'd just shared, the pleasure our hands had provided. My eyes questioned his.

"I have something for you," he said softly, opening the door and leading me into his room. Moonlight filtered through the tailored curtains, but when he clicked a wall switch, a table lamp stifled the glimmer of the outside world that I longed to sink back into.

He brought me to his bed, where I sat at the edge. "Close your eyes," he said.

My lids shut obediently, and through silence I heard the faint creak of polished hardwood as his bare soles crossed the floor. I heard a drawer slide open, quietly close. Then he was on his way back to me, and I felt the rate of my heart increase, my fingers twist nervously in my lap. The next thing I felt was Indigo as he knelt before me, his hands sliding over my thighs.

"Okay. Open your eyes."

I looked down at his face. His eyes were glistening. Dear Lord. Was he about to propose? My breathing grew faint. He must have noticed my confused expression, because he quickly slid onto the bed beside me and placed a small box into my trembling hands.

Speechless, I simply stared.

He smiled. "It's your graduation gift."

"Oh, Jimmy. I didn't get you anything ..." My bottom lip rolled down.

He gripped my chin, his thumb soothing. "Believe me. You've given me all that matters," grinning, he added, "and I'm not referring to sex, either."

"I know you're not, baby." I held his face in my hands, my heart filling with emotion.

“Go on, open it,” he said excitedly. “I hope you like it. Believe me, it took me weeks to find the perfect one for you.”

With watering eyes I gazed down at the box, which was now a red velvet blur, and when I lifted the lid, gathered tears tumbled down my cheeks.

Indigo plucked the heart-shaped rose gold ring from the plush lining, and slipped it on my right pinky. He dabbed my face with a tissue from his nightstand, then kissed each cheek.

"There," he said, "now you can see."

"Jimmy," I cried. "It's so beautiful." I held my hand out before me, tilting and leveling, watching the sparkle of the centered diamond. "Now I have a pink heart right beside the rose from my dad." I brought my hand to my breast.

"
Mi corazón es tuyo
." Indigo whispered the words, "My heart is yours," directly into my ear, as if sharing a secret.

"Oh, God, baby ..." My eyes burned into his. I almost said: "I love you ..." but with trembling lips, the sacred words remained locked in my throat. I threw my arms around him, knowing I was the luckiest girl in the world. "Thank you, Jimmy," I covered his face with a flurry of kisses, "for the party ... for the gorgeous ring ..."
And for being you
... something else I locked inside.

The clock on his nightstand read four-thirty. The night had been magical, unforgettable, absolutely overwhelming. Despite my happiness, I was about to fall over with exhaustion.

"Come on, honey," he said, tugging me to my feet. "I'll tuck you in next door."

Standing before the open door of what would serve as my room for the next several hours, we paused for one more kiss. "I don't want to let you go," he murmured against my hair. "I've never felt this way before ... I know now, I can't be without you."

I cradled his face with my palms, whispering, "I'm not going anywhere ..." My eyes searched his, bewildered by the staunch determination staring back at me. Was he trying to convince himself? I was tired. I was insane. It was all in my head. I shook free of the concern that gripped my midsection, making a mental note to have Emma analyze me during the bus ride home.

"I hope not." Indigo had barely spoken when my ears rang from an annoying pitch.

"James," Elizabeth's voice was sharp, instantly parting us. "Are you just getting in?"

"I better make like a ghost and disappear," I said, thinking,
before she gets her broom
. We were like two kids, snagged by the shrew who was about to lock them in her tower. On the verge of laughter, I almost fell into the guest room.

Indigo rolled his eyes. "See you soon, chica," he whispered, planting a kiss on my forehead.

I heard him say, "Good night, Mom," and listened to the snap of his door.

I wanted to dance around the room, scream to the world, but sank against a gleaming mahogany armoire, recovering my breath, my fingers caressing the ring he'd just placed on my finger.

A
salty breeze burst through the open window, filling the room with aromatic sunshine; with the help of wavering daggers, I was prodded to a semi conscious state. Grudgingly, I opened my eyes, squinting through halos of brightness. Drugged by exhaustion, for a moment my thoughts were fuzzy, and I had to scramble to remember where I was. Then reality shook me to my senses. Smiling with contentment I stretched and burrowed into the queen sized mattress, bringing my hand to my face to admire my ring.

I'd left my cell phone on the nightstand. The LCD said it was after nine. I also found his message:
You're probably sound asleep right now, dreaming about me, I hope. I already miss you. -J.
   Sighing, I held my phone to my chest, then replied to his text: Just woke up. I'll be thinking about you while I shower. xoxo

I lounged for a few minutes, considering our plans for the day, and what I would wear. I wondered if Indigo was awake, thinking about me ... about the romantic night we'd spent in each other's arms, growing closer than I'd ever imagined.

I rolled out of bed, bundled my arms with towels, and headed for the connecting bathroom. Discarding my clothes on the floor, I stepped into the shower, luxuriating as I twirled in the stall, indulged by five surging streams of pulsing water that hit every single part of my body at once. It felt delicious. Still reeling from the night, I imagined Indigo beside me, replacing the showerheads with his hands.

I brushed my teeth, dried my hair, then rummaged through my backpack, pulling out navy shorts and a crimson top. My sandals were nowhere in sight, so I stuck my feet into a pair of running shoes and exited on tiptoes.

I looked down the hall, at the rows of white painted doors, at the peacock window exploding with sun, edged with clear blue sky.

"Sneaking around the halls?" Indigo came up behind me, squeezing my shoulders. "It's about time you showed up, sleepyhead." His breath washed across the back of my neck, followed by a trail of kisses.

I almost jumped out of my skin. "Hey!" Turning, I held my voice low. "I just woke up."

"I know that. I've been waiting for you for hours."

I sank against his chest. "You scared me."

"I'd never want to do that." He nuzzled my neck.
"I thought about you the entire time ... just down the hall ... all alone in that nice soft bed. I was kinda hoping for a wakeup surprise."

"Believe me, I would have loved to ... if your mother wasn't right across the hall." I stole a peek at her closed door. Imagining her ear glued to the other side, my whisper grew fainter than a breeze, "I thought about you too," I gazed into the intensity of his eyes, "and that nice beach down there ... where I must have lost my sandals."

"We'll have to retrace our steps then ..." He looked so sexy with partially lowered lids, the mint shirt he wore faceting grays and blues in his sleepy eyes. "Maybe reenact ... would you like that?"

He lifted my arms over my head, a strong hand pinning me to the wall while he teased my lips with the tip of his tongue.

We'd come to know each other's bodies beneath the clothing we wore, and the precise targets that would elicit a groan, which I attempted to restrain when his hand ran across the front of my shirt, then tried to slip between my thighs.

"You know I would, but baby," I breathed into his ear, "not here." My knees were locked tightly together.

"Why so tense," he whispered. "They should all be downstairs by now. This is a house of early risers."

"How long have you been up, anyway?" I noticed he looked well rested, wondering how he managed to look so handsome with so little sleep.

"Since about seven." His breath minty, he blew a stray lock of hair from my forehead.

"We didn't get to bed till almost five. Don't you sleep?" I ran my fingers around his collar, down the buttons of his shirt.

"I told you. I don't need much ... just short naps ... and you." His lips played with mine.

As much as I didn't want to, I squirmed. "To be honest, I'm not comfortable here."

He angled his head. "You're trembling ..."

"I just need a cup of coffee ... maybe some breakfast?" Smiling, I squinted up at him.

I didn't mention that part of the reason my body pulsed was because half of my mind was waiting for his mother's footsteps on the stairs, or even worse, Vanessa's. The thought then struck. Where was she? I braced for her intrusion, her creepy, smirking glance.

"I'm sorry, honey. I can understand how you feel." He ran his tongue along my throat. "I'll have to sneak you into the E.R. one of these nights. We've got these great padded examining tables." He sucked my neck so hard, I swore he was drawing blood. Did the hospital have that effect on him? If so, I definitely needed to be admitted.

"Maybe I'll pay you a visit ... when you're on duty ... and it's dark ... and sexy." I nibbled his bottom lip, moving to his neck.

"I'll be sure to text you when a room is free." His throat vibrated beneath my lips.

"Don't tempt me." I giggled. "I might just turn up in admitting."

"I wish you would." His fingers kneaded my ribcage.

I screeched, but his mouth silenced mine. Right after I moaned as loud as I had the night before, I heard a door creak open and wallop shut. I instinctively jumped from Indigo's embrace, in time to face the source of the slamming door. Vanessa brushed by us, nose in the air, eyes focused straight ahead.

"Hey, Ness," said Indigo. "Get a good night's sleep?"

"Just fine." Her words were clipped. "And you?" She paused, faced us, shot him a bogus grin. When her lime green gaze shifted to me, she looked demonic. Her demeanor sent a chill down my spine. Did she really hate me that much?

If Indigo noticed, he didn't mention it. In silence, we followed her down the stairs.

Someone had cooked up a breakfast fit for a king, and we all gathered around the banquet table in the formal dining room where we were served. Apparently the caterers hadn't yet left ...

We spent the day touring the Atlantic on Indigo's boat. Derek blasted a portable radio, and we all drank the beer we'd stocked in coolers. The girls and I had packed leftover party goodies, so we snacked, enjoyed the sun, now and then dipping our hands and feet over the side of the boat into the water.

Around us gulls swarmed, ducking into the waves for fish, or the bread we tossed overboard. Derek caught the first buzz and dove in, yelling, "Roast bird for dinner."

"That's disgusting, Derek," said Emma with a grimace while she held out spoonfuls of mousse to Bill who lounged on a padded bench at the stern, dangling a leg over the side.

"Derek, get your brown ass back into this boat," Yvonne yelled, turning to me with frustration. "I don't know what's wrong with that man. He's got a career in his sights, and he's being stupid with the fish. Suppose he drowns?"

We all laughed at the fuss she was making, but when she panicked and started screaming, "Shark!" Indigo threw Derek a life preserver and against his will, we dragged him back onboard.

Pete and Casey brought a deck of cards, and became caught up in a poker marathon. As if the only ones on the boat, they ignored the rioting taking place around them, even when Yvonne and Derek's dancing threatened to overturn it.

“I just know the summer is gonna be over in the blink of an eye,” I complained to Indigo.

“Yeah, but look at it this way, honey. By August, you’ll have a spot in the academy, and I’ll be starting my residency. Aren’t you excited?”

“Of course I am. But our time is gonna be so limited.”

"We have a lot of good times ahead of us. Patience, my little tamale." He kissed my pout. “I can see it now. I’ll be patching up the criminals you arrest and send to the E.R. before they even get a chance to see the inside of a jail cell.”

“They’ll need a lot of patching up after I get through with them.” I laughed.

For as hard as we tried to stop time, the day flew. After paying respects to his mother, we all left the main house, ready to amble down the driveway, sad to be leaving, but anxious to get home.

"Thank you so much. I had a wonderful time," I said to Indigo as I gathered my belongings, taking a last look around the barn. "I can't believe the weekend's over. It's so hard to say goodbye," I complained as we walked out the same door we'd entered only twenty-four hours earlier. On our way down the driveway he carried my backpack in one arm, the other was around me.

He fell out of step, walking backward, shushing me with a finger on my lips. "I'm coming back to the city with you." His smile filled my stomach with butterflies.

"On the bus?" I thought I'd explode with joy.

"Right next to you." He nuzzled the front of my throat, which almost seized beneath his moist mouth. "How could I go home without me?"

"What about the Wrangler?"

"It's home in Manhattan. I hitched a ride out here with friends."

I was thrilled. I threw my arms around his neck. We'd soon be back on friendly turf, and all would be well once more. I wanted to tuck the Hamptons into the back of my mind: remembering the beach, forgetting Elizabeth and Vanessa. Theirs was a world I wasn't a part of ... with no desire to be.

Before we made it to the end of the driveway, to where our taxis filled the pristine street with fumes, two distinct voices rang out. In my peripheral, I glimpsed the shrew and her disciple.

"James ... Where are you going?" Elizabeth's words flew through the air like a flock of squawking birds.

"Home to Manhattan. I'll call you during the week." He tossed a wave into the air, his head barely turning as we continued our stride, somewhat faster after his mother's voice broke the calm.

"Jim Jim," Vanessa nasalized, "you mother's car absolutely has to be in Briar Ridge by tomorrow for service. You were supposed to drive it back after the weekend. Have you forgotten?"

"Christ ..." I'd never heard Indigo sound so annoyed. He stopped and spun. "You can't drive the car to Westchester, Ness?"

"I don't drive standard," was her whiny reply.

"How did you get here, anyway?" He lashed out at her.

"I drove out with your parents." At first she looked stunned, then became defensive. "My car is at the house." Her eyes blinked furiously, then she seemed to gain control. "I'll take you back to Manhattan tonight ... unless it's late and you want to spend the night in Westchester with me, which would be nice."

Why was she addressing Indigo but looking straight at me? My stomach churned.

"I'm not an errand boy for you, Vanessa," he jerked his hands in the air, then shot a defiant look at his mother, "or for this family. You think nothing of inconveniencing anyone."

"Jim Jim," Vanessa's face flushed, "what's wrong with you? I've never seen you act this way before." She looked daggers at me.

"James," Elizabeth interceded, "I can't leave tonight." With narrowing eyes she threatened, "You have obligations, and I'm about to tell your guests exactly what they are."

The exasperation in Indigo's eyes subsided when he turned them on me. "I'm sorry, Jewel." He shook his head. "I guess I did promise ..." He let out a sigh of defeat. "They're helpless ..."

I wanted to throw myself at both of the bitches, scream at the top of my lungs to let Indigo live his own life. I wondered why he caved, then assumed he had his reasons. "It's okay, Jimmy. Text me when you can. I don't want to miss the charter. The others are already in the cabs," I pitched my head toward the exhaust fumes that were burning my throat, "I better run." I absolutely had to get out of there or Lord knows what might have spewed from my mouth.

The brilliant sun heated my face, giving me reason to pull my sunglasses down, cover the disappointment pooling in my eyes.

Instead of meeting us halfway, Elizabeth stood her ground and insisted on screaming, "Derek. I'll phone you when the ensemble is ready for fitting."

"I've got your number too, Mrs. Ballou," his reply was obedient, and loud.

"You'll have to drop whatever you're doing when I call. You understand, correct?"

"I'll be there, ma'am, at the drop of a hat," he replied.

"Does this mean another trip out here?" I asked Indigo before climbing into the taxi. The thought weighed heavy on my mind. For as lovely as the home was, the atmosphere was depressing. No wonder Indigo preferred his apartment in Manhattan. No wonder Indigo had his brooding moments.

While he worked his jaw, his face became wrought with frustration. "I doubt it. The show's on Fifth Avenue. They'll more than likely get together at the house in Briar Ridge." When he said,
the
house, it told me a lot about his childhood, and his adult emotions.

We shared a discreet kiss. Waiting for me to settle in, he shut the door.

You should be sitting beside me ... my mind cried.

An awkward barrier stood between us. I held up a hand as the taxi pulled away. As he waved goodbye, Indigo's face looked worn, watching our departure like an abandoned soul, unsure of which side of the road he belonged on. I knew he was struggling with something  monumental, and suddenly his struggle became mine.