Chapter 22 A part of adulting is telling your parents stories and no longer skipping the parts that were illegal. -Creole to Audric CREOLE Life was good. I stared at the Pacific Ocean, or, more specifically, my man that was slicing through the waves of the Pacific Ocean. Once he was where he wanted to be, he popped up to sit on his surfboard and waited. And waited. And waited. I pulled my phone out and clicked the camera app, then zoomed in on him. His hair was slicked back, his beard was absolutely wild, and his light-green eyes were so damn happy. We'd been in paradise for a day, and it was like the weight of life literally slid right off of Audric's shoulders. Here, in Oahu, he could be himself. Here, he could sink back into his skin and be who he was always meant to be. A droplet of water slid down the plane of his chest, starting at his hairline and dribbling all the way down into the waistband of his shorts. His Chubbies shorts that I'd made him buy that were black with hundreds of colorful jellyfish all over. They fit him like a glove and were short, leaving nothing to the imagination. His thigh muscles twitched as he moved with a wave that rocked him from side to side. Something caught my eye in the distance, and I grinned like a lunatic when I saw a pair of dolphins jump up just beyond where Audric was resting on his surfboard. He turned his head, and the smile that lit his face was perfect for the photo that I took of him. His eyes traveled along the waves as the dolphins jumped and did acrobatics in front of him. He was so immersed in what they were doing that he almost missed the monster wave coming his way. His head turned just in time to see it, and I watched as a different joy lit his face. I got that picture, too. He leaned forward on his board, belly pressed to the length, and he started paddling with his arms. I switched to video and started recording, watching him through the camera of my phone so I could get a better view. His board dipped down into the wave, and suddenly he was up, riding the wave like he was born to do it. His abs flexed as he twisted and turned with the wave, and the muscles on his arms tensed as he ducked low to go under the curl of the wave. Eventually, I could no longer see him. Shortly after that, the tip of his board went straight up in the air, and I knew that he'd fallen. I stopped recording on my phone, used to his routine now, and placed it in my lap as I watched for him to come back up. He surfaced and then did that sexy man hair flip thing to get his wet hair out of his face. It was then that I realized how lucky I was to have him. Logically, I knew that the man was special. But I hadn't let myself feel how special until this very moment. Instead of turning around and paddling back out, though, he paddled in until he was able to walk. I watched him come the whole way, taking in his sun-bronzed skin and his ripped abs. The man was deceptive. One wouldn't think a plumber in Dallas with his loose t-shirts and baggy jeans had all this to offer. "Done?" I asked as he walked right up to the beach chair I was sitting at and leaned over me. Droplets of water dripped onto my hot skin as he leaned down to give me a kiss. I offered my lips up to his and moaned when his tongue dipped down to lick at my bottom lip. That kind of kiss, was it? I opened for him, my hand going up to his wet jaw, and moaned. The kiss went on so long that I was a panting mess when he finally pulled away and said, "If we weren't on such a public beach right now, I'd turn you over and fuck you on your knees." I swallowed. "The porch is close." His eyes gleamed. "That was impressive," I breathed, trying to get myself under control. "That wave was slightly scary, though." "It was a baby wave," he snorted. "If you want to see a monster wave, you should come during the winter. That's when all the badasses come out to surf." I couldn't imagine a bigger wave than that one. I might not be able to watch him surf if they were any bigger. I'd be terrified. "Don't worry," he said as he read the look in my eyes. "I'm not good enough to play with the big boys. I only do it recreationally." Relief hit me at his words. But before I could ask him anything else, he bent down, and I was all of a sudden upside down, staring at those wet shorts clinging to his shapely ass. "Audi!" I laughed as he carried me through the sand. Effortlessly, might I add. I'd gotten out of breath just walking down here while he carried my chair, my drink, my towel, and his surfboard. Now he was carting me around like I weighed nothing. "Where are we going, sir?" I teased as I tickled his butt. "Taking you up on your earlier offer," he said as he got to the porch steps. I giggled as he punched in the gate code, then laughed when the gate nearly slammed behind us. He took the steps two at a time, and seconds later, I was on my knees in the lounger with my ass in the air, and my head resting on the cool material. "Fuck, you're pretty," he said as he smoothed his hand over my ass, stopping when his thumb swept over my pussy lips. I bit my lip and wiggled my hips, begging for more. His thumb dipped inside, testing my readiness. I hissed out a breath, pushing against him, getting just a little bit more of him inside of me before he pulled away. "Audi," I moaned. "Calm, princess," he said as he lined his cock up with my pussy. "I'll fill you up." That he did. He pressed forward, and damned if he didn't fill me up so nicely. "Yessss," I hissed out as he pushed and pushed, until he was finally bottomed out deep inside of me. "Oh, god. Yes." "That's it," he said as he dragged my hips back toward the saddle of his hips. "That's right, princess. That's so good." He groaned when I squeezed my muscles around him, begging him without words to move. He didn't, but what he did do was pull me up, hand around my throat. When I was where he wanted me, he twisted my chin toward him and kissed the hell out of me. Only when he was satisfied with the kiss did he start to move, but he kept hold of my neck, keeping my head turned, as we breathed each other's breath. He fucked me hard then, pummeling inside of me until I couldn't breathe. The orgasm exploded out of me with very little warning, and I was crying out into his mouth as he once again slammed his mouth down onto mine. He gave two more shallow thrusts, and then he was following in my footsteps. His growl into my mouth sent tingles down my spine. I cried out as his hand tightened around my throat, and god help me, I came all over again, surprised by the aggressiveness of the act. I liked it, though. I liked it so much that when he pulled away, eyes wide, I said, "That was the best orgasm I've ever had in my life." His eyes studied me, taking in every nuance of my expression, and his muscles loosened. "Fuck, that scared me," he said. "I don't want to ever scare you. I think I might die if you looked at me like that." I patted his chest and said, "Let me clean up. Your phone's ringing inside." He chuckled as he pulled away, and I was very aware of his release running down the inside of my thighs. As I got up, I gave him a sultry look, then headed for the shower so I could wash away the sun. But I did stop long enough to say, "Hey, don't forget about my chair!" He winked at me and headed back down the porch steps, ignoring his phone. I did, too, and headed for the shower. When I was halfway through with my hair, he came into the room talking on speakerphone, but his eyes never left me as he placed the phone on the top rail of the shower and entered the shower.