Page 16 of Delicious

“What’s wrong, Daddy?” I allow that word to drift between us like bait on a hook.

A hook we are both tempted to bite, knowing once the barb finds its place, we will forever be slaves to its power.

Erik’s dark eyes light as though there is a fire behind them. He looks strange standing there to his chest in the water in his suit, his hair still dry, his hand hanging between us.

“I can’t swim, babygirl. If you were sinking to the bottom of the pool, I would dive in and try to save you, but I’d likely die with you. Don’t ever do that again. Don’t scare me like that.”

His voice is thick with sincerity and truth, and the rawness of his admission makes my clit throb.

I find myself swimming his way, closing the space between us in two long breast strokes.

I slip my wet hand into his and his fingers immediately clench around mine, tugging me the rest of the way toward him until I’m pressed against his chest, my body buoyant, my legs finding their place around his waist as his slide down my back, locking me against him.

My barely-there wet bra has turned translucent, my nipples clearly visible through the damp flesh-colored fabric, like deep pink pebbles demanding attention.

“I'm beginning to wonder if you’re a dream, Tootsie Pop,” he grumbles, his lips finding the sweet spot on my neck, making me shiver and press my sex against him as he bobs my body up and down while walking us toward the stairs.

“I hope you don’t think it’s a nightmare,” I counter on a tense smile.

I’ve not been this close to him before. The lines at the corners of his eyes are deeper than I noticed before. There’s a ruddiness about his skin and the unruliness of his beard that makes that Viking part of him come alive right in front of me.

This is not a game anymore, and part of me wants to retreat back to the toying text messages and the feeling I had that this man was unattainable. Untameable.

Then, something dawns on me I can’t believe I didn’t realize before.

“Were you texting me and acting like you care because you knew I was the niece of the lady whose house was holding up your big money-making project? Were you trying to manipulate me?”

I suddenly want him to let go.

What if I see something in his eyes that confirms my new suspicion. My heart is already crawling its way into his pocket, and as turned on as I am, it is preparing for a fatal injury.

The water sloshes around us as Erik ascends the few stairs onto the pool deck, his hands moving to grip my ass as though he’s saying, no matter what his answer, he’s still intent on taking me up on my offer of giving him anything in exchange for his help.

Something twists inside me as he shakes his head, the cooler air raising goosebumps on my wet flesh.

His giant body makes me feel small and fragile. My breathing picks up as I wait for his answer, his eyes offering no clues.

I fight the urge to wrap my arms around his neck and curl my head into his shoulder. When the tension is ready to break me, he stops.

“I was texting you because I wanted to know everything about you. I was texting you because the idea of not being wherever you were was driving me crazy. I didn’t know anything about you being connected to that house until you came to me yesterday.”

I believe him, although there’s still a part of me that tells me this is all too good to be true.

“You have dangerous business associates,” I start, as he lowers me to the pool deck, stepping back so his eyes can feast on me for a long moment.

“I’m not one of them. But I’m not Mr. Rogers either.” His hand works the knot of his lavender and black-striped tie, tugging at it until he whips it off, dropping it to the ground with a wet smacking sound. “There’s been a darkness inside me. It’s served me well, kept me at a distance from anyone outside of my family.”

He strips his suit jacket, then starts on the buttons of his shirt, and I fall into awe-filled silence. His chest is decorated with rich dark hair, a few shades darker than his beard. It’s curly and wild, like a man from another time. The lights from the ceiling cast down his body, making him look surreal as he strips off his shirt, peeling it from the bulk of his arms as his eyes stay locked on mine.

His forehead is knit together as I suck in a sharp breath. His fingers work his belt, then the button on his drenched dark gray slacks. Finally, the zipper goes down with excruciatingly slow clicks, and my heart sticks in my throat.

He stops after his pants fall in a soaked heap at his feet, bending down to free his feet from the squishy socks and shoes, until he’s standing there in just a pair of plaid boxers the color of the fall leaves outside.

I don’t realize my hands are on my breasts, fingers slowly rolling my nipples, until his eyes sweep over me, going wide when they reach my chest.

“Do you feel like there’s distance between us?” I whisper, again afraid his answer will break my hopeful heart.

He shakes his head, stepping my way until we are barely an inch apart, but he doesn’t touch me anywhere. The heat between us catapults down into my core, the buzzing energy between our wet bodies enough to run every streetlight in the city.

---