His Royal Pleasure

In between filling the balloons with water, Chad was inciting the crowd to all kinds of watery violence. When they saw Katherine with more balloons, they cheered. Katherine and Al filled the rest of the balloons while Chad divided the group into teams.

“That should be enough,” Katherine said, and began to put the balloons into two separate piles. “If you don’t want to play, you’d better—”

Splat.

Alex jumped as the balloon burst against his back, cold water seeping into his shirt and pants. He looked over his shoulder at the culprit, a pigtailed little girl. He was so shocked, it must have shown on his face. Her eyes grew huge with fright, and she began to run away.

“Stacy!” Katherine caught her and handed the little girl another balloon. Uncertain, Stacy looked from Katherine to Alex. Katherine gave her a nudge of encouragement, and little Stacy heaved the balloon smack into the side of his head.

Alex took it like a man. With water dripping off his nose and eyelashes, he even managed a smile for the little feminine warrior. “This is fun?” he asked Katherine when Stacy ran off yelling in victory. “Am I supposed to thank you?”

Katherine didn’t bother hiding her laughter. “Well, I bet you’re cooler now.”

There was another splat. Katherine shrieked, snatched up a balloon from the rapidly depleting supply and threw it at her attacker.

Catching the spirit of the event, he took a balloon, testing its weight in his hand. Katherine turned, laughing, then shaking her head when she saw the balloon in his hand.

“No,” she said, backing away.

“I owe you.” Going against every rule he’d ever learned about how to treat a woman, he threw it and scored a direct hit.

“Al Sanders!” she yelled, clearly torn between laughter and indignation. “You’ll pay!”

But the balloon she tossed back barely fazed him. He was too busy looking at Katherine. Her eyes were full of laughter. Her wet shirt stretched like a second skin across her breasts. Her nipples strained against the drenched cloth, begging for a man’s hands and mouth, he thought, and felt a corresponding thickness in his loins. Suddenly he understood the appeal of a water-balloon battle.

Katherine sat on the beach at midnight wearing a flowing blue dress that dropped off one shoulder. She was waiting for something, somebody, as she dug her bare toes into the cool sand and lifted her head to the breeze.

She closed her eyes until something soft brushed her cheek, and the scent of a rose reached her nostrils. She looked up, and he was there.

He smiled and drew her to her feet. “Where have you been hiding?”

Her heart sped up. “I haven’t been hiding. I’ve been waiting.”

“For me,” he said with customary arrogance.

“Maybe.”

He pulled her close. “Who knows you like I do? Who knows what pleases you?”

She felt a wave of uncertainty. “Sometimes I don’t even know me.”

“Yes, you do.” He rubbed his thumb over her lower lip. “And what you don’t know, I’ll teach you.”

She shivered at the intensity in his dark eyes. What if he tried and found her lacking?

He must have read her mind. “Never.”

Holding her gaze, he continued to rub her lip. Hesitantly, Katherine stroked his thumb with the tip of her tongue. He tasted warm and a little salty and male. Something dipped and swayed within her at the small intimacy.

“Good,” he said. He glazed his thumb over the edge of her lower teeth, and she bit down gently. She saw the approval in his eyes and felt a rush of pleasure. She’d pleased him. Then she pleased herself and suckled. The heaviness in her abdomen surprised her.

“You make it difficult to wait, Katherine,” he muttered in a strained voice. He pulled his hand away and brought hers to his mouth. “But turnabout is fair play, no?”

He kissed the palm of her hand. Then he sucked a finger into his mouth. The sensation drew her nipples tight. Embarrassed, she wondered how to hide it.

“There’s no need to hide your desire, chеrie. It pleases me.” He gave her finger a playful nip and placed her hand on his shoulder. Then he touched one of her nipples.

She gasped. The gentle caress stung. She was too needy, too soon. It made her feel weak and vulnerable.

He seemed to understand. “How long have you been this way?”

“Too long,” she breathed. “Much too long.”

Anger flashed in his eyes, then passed. He pulled her into a comforting hug. She sighed against his white shirt. Beneath her cheek, she felt the beat of his heart, the hard, warm muscle of his chest.

“I’m not like other men. Are you ready for me, Katherine?”

She wasn’t sure, but was it a matter of choice? It felt inevitable. She lifted her head. “I don’t know what to tell you.”

“What do you want?”

She swallowed and somehow found the courage. “I want to feel your mouth against mine. I want to taste you. I want you to taste me. I want you to want me,” she whispered, realizing she’d made herself completely vulnerable.

“If it’s in my power, I will always give you what you want,” he said in a deep, rough voice.

He lowered his mouth, and she waited and wanted. The music began. She felt the first brush of his lips and melted. The wanting got worse.

She reached for him, but her fingers were suddenly empty. He was fading.

She panicked. “No!” she cried, but he’d turned into mist. “Don’t go.”

The dampness from her eyes woke her. Her breath backed up in her chest, and she blinked hard, staring at her ceiling. “Oh, God.” She threw an arm up over her eyes. “It was just a dream.”

Katherine rolled onto her side and curled into a ball. The anguish still flowed through her. It was worse than a nightmare. Her subconscious had played the most cruel of jokes on her this time. That she could please a man was impossible. God knows, she’d tried every trick in the book with her ex-husband. Making love had been the most awkward, humiliating experience of her life.

Twice now, she’d dreamed of Al and heard that damned music in the background. It was because of that kiss this afternoon. Her lips tingled even now at the memory. She touched them.

Unsettled, she kicked off the covers. She was too warm, yet goose bumps stood up on her skin. Why was this happening to her? What did it mean? She took a deep breath, fighting and accepting the crazy truth. It meant she was vulnerable to Al Sanders, and she’d best watch her step if she didn’t want heart trouble.

After a busy Saturday spent checking in the new week’s campers, Katherine was glad to escape for a late-night swim. She took a little extra time in the ocean, knowing she’d pay for it tomorrow morning. Finally, she reluctantly left the warm, caressing waves.

There was Al standing on the sand, next to her T-shirt. The crazy dream flashed through her mind, and her heart tightened in her chest. Willing herself to relax, she made her way to his side and reached for her balled-up T-shirt. She’d forgotten a towel again.

Al’s gaze lingered on her wet, scantily clad body for a long moment, then he draped a towel over her shoulders. “I brought this for you.”

His kindness made her contrite for being so guarded. “Thank you. It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Al sat down and patted the sand beside him. “Join me.”