“Did you now?”
“A girl always knows. We can tell a dud from a stud a mile away. You are definitely… a… stud.” Carson barely heard her as her voice trailed off, and a second later he knew only the darkness of sleep that came from the exhaustion of a good fuck.
Chapter 7
Awakenings
Carson spent a couple of seconds trying to make sense of his gritty bed and pillow before he passed from that brief, foggy state just after sleep ended to real consciousness. Even as he woke, it took him a second to realize the noise was the surf and his head rested on the sand of the beach.
He opened his eyes to see Katie breathing deeply, also realizing it was still dark out. He turned his wrist to see it was past midnight, meaning they had been here for almost three hours. Carson took a moment to savor and bask in the memory of the magnificent passion and beauty that had brought them to this moment before rubbing Katie’s shoulder to wake her.
Her body jerked as she woke, and her eyes opened, wide and confused, for an instant before seeing Carson. She relaxed then, but still scanned the area, looking just as Carson figured he had a few seconds ago.
“Hi. It’s OK. We’re on the beach, remember?” She nodded, giving him another look, and then her soft smile crept back over her face.
“Yeah, I remember. Wow, do I remember.” She raised herself slightly, brushing some sand from her cheek, before leaning over to kiss him. “I hope I wasn’t too forward.”
Carson shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I don’t want to sound crass, but that was something I needed – but only with the right person. You are that person, and I hope you know it’s more than just the physical part.”
The way Katie looked down in minor embarrassment told Carson she understood. He didn’t want it to sound like their sexual encounter had been some sort of stress relief, that he had used her for such a petty purpose. It had been so much more than that, and he needed her to understand how meaningful it had been – and how he hoped it would lead to better things.
Finally, she returned his gaze. “Good.” They shared a look before Katie blinked. “What time is it? How long have we been here?”
“It’s after midnight. We should get going before some cop finds us.”
“Yeah.” They pulled themselves awkwardly to their feet, grabbing at clothes they had scattered across the nearby area. They dressed as fast as they could with their tired and sore bodies, sometimes hopping on one foot, leaning on each other to get legs into pants. Finally, they started back up the beach.
The fire was out and the area was deserted. It took them a moment to find the beach chairs and get them loaded in the car before getting on the road. They said little during the trip. Words felt inadequate to Carson right now, and Katie didn’t seem to disagree. They just held hands like teenagers as he drove inland. It seemed very right to him, although he had no issue when she snuggled closer to him on the bench seat, moving their still-connected hands to his lap.
When they reached her house, it was past 1 a.m. and Carson wasn’t sure how to proceed. He didn’t want his time with her to end tonight, but felt uncomfortable assuming he would be invited in. Should I just ask? He didn’t have to ponder long.
“I don’t know about you, but I’ve got sand in places that a young woman shouldn’t have sand. I could really use a shower,” she said before changing to what Carson had come to recognize as her come-hither tone, “and I could use some help getting clean.”
Carson was relieved, amused, and excited all at once. “I’d be happy to help,” he said, climbing out of the car and walking around to open her door. “Please, lead the way.”
Once inside, she led Carson right to the bathroom and started the water running. The shower was well appointed and very spacious, with a showerhead at both the back and front and another mounted in the ceiling.
“Holy shit, Katie,” he gaped. “Did you steal this shower from the Waldorf-Astoria?”
“Ha! This shower is way nicer than the ones at the Waldorf.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’ve stayed there a few times. Honestly, the Plaza is better. But, anyway, this is just perfect. I really, really enjoy a good shower, so I spent some money and had it designed the right way. There’s something so soothing about all that water coming at you from all different directions… mmm.” She stuck her hand in through the glass door. “OK, it’s hot. Now strip!”
“You first,” he said, crossing his arms in front of him in playful stubbornness.
“OK, then,” she responded, “if you insist.” She started with the button-down top, peeling it slowly from her body, before tugging the t-shirt up until the bottom of her breasts were just barely exposed. She wiggled it this way and that, making Carson think she’d make him pull it off, before lifting it over her head. When she tossed it aside, Carson couldn’t stop his eyes from fixating right on her full, beautiful orbs, at least until Katie demurely covered her nipples and turned around.
“Awww,” he protested, at least until she gave him a rather fetching look over her shoulder as she unbuttoned her chinos and started gyrating her hips to shed them. As the material dropped below her knees, Carson couldn’t believe she looked even sexier from this vantage point. Her panties barely covered her ass cheeks, and when they fell to the floor, he knew he was addicted to everything about her, her shape, her movement….to her.
“Now you,” she said, facing Carson in all her naked glory without
