Alex had moved from the quarterfinals to the semifinals. And Victoria was in awe. It was as if he was one with both his board and the monstrous waves.
She'd never seen anything like it.
By the end of the day Alex was tied at the top of the leaderboard with two other surfers.
Ben gathered up some paperwork. "There's a party and bonfire on the beach again tonight for the surfers and other attendees, sponsored by the promoters. With food and drink. Alex and I want you there with us."
She linked her arm with his, feeling warm and cared for again and happy that Ben had told her he wanted her there with them. "I wouldn't miss it."
"Good. Alex is going to spend some time in post-competition meetings. How about you and I go surf for a bit?"
She cocked a brow. "Seriously?"
"Yeah. You know you want to get out in that water."
She pointed to the high-rolling waves. "I do not want to go out in that water."
He laughed. "I'll take you to another beach. One that has smaller waves."
She had to admit that watching the guys surf made her itch to try it. It had been years since her last attempt. "Okay."
He took her hand and led her through the hotel and out front. "Wait here and I'll get the boards."
He stopped to talk to the valet, then disappeared. By the time Ben returned with two surfboards, the valet had pulled up an SUV. They strapped the boards to the top of the vehicle, climbed in and they were off.
She hadn't left the hotel area since she'd gotten here, but now she was eager to see more of the island.
She'd almost forgotten it was the holiday season. Sure, the hotel was decorated thematically with trees and garland and seasonal wreaths, but the lack of cold weather--and snow--made it feel a lot more tropical and much less like the holidays. Just the way she wanted it.
But now as they drove past decorated homes and buildings, she started to feel the holiday spirit. Green and red decor abounded.
"Christmas is coming," she said.
"Yeah. Alex and I will hang out here until after the holidays. What about you?"
"I'll be here."
He gave her a quick look. "We should spend Christmas together."
She smiled, again a warm feeling suffusing her. "I'd like that."
He pulled down a narrow street and parked in front of a beach.
"The waves here aren't as high," she observed when they got out of the SUV.
"Yup. It'll make it easier for you to catch a wave."
She pulled off her sundress and kicked off her sandals, leaving both in the car. Ben drew off his shirt and tossed it inside as well.
"I can carry one of those boards if you'd like."
He gave her a look. "Why? You've got me."
She leaned into him and brushed her lips across his. "Okay."
He wrapped his arm around her and tugged her close, kissing her back, letting that kiss simmer, turning it into one that made her boil.
When he pulled back, she was breathing hard. "Now I need to cool off."
He looked around. They were alone, so he took her hand and placed it on his erection.
"So do I."
"Too bad we're not in the hotel room. I could take care of that for you."
He backed her against the car and kissed her with a hard, driving passion, his body pressed against hers, his erection rubbing her clit. Passion exploded and she suddenly wanted him inside of her.
The beach was deserted and there were no other cars around.
"I need you to make me come, Ben."
Without a moment's hesitation, he said, "Hang on."
He reached inside the front of the SUV, grabbed something and then shut the door, locked it and said, "Come on. I know a private place where no one can see us."
He left the boards stowed and took her hand, leading her down the walkway a short distance to what looked like a lifeguard shack. There was another one a ways down the beach, manned by a lifeguard. This one was older, bleached out and seemingly abandoned.
He shoved a shoulder into it and the door gave with a creak and a groan.
"Are you sure about this?"
"No one uses it," he said. "And trust me, I'm going to get you off fast."
"I like the sound of that because I need to come."
He shoved the door closed and there was a hook to lock it, which he used. Then he turned to her and kneeled, drew her swimsuit bottom down and put his mouth on her pussy.
Shocks of pleasure ignited her like a fast-moving wildfire, taking her from a frenzied passion to out of control in seconds. She tethered her fingers in Ben's hair and held on while he licked and sucked her sensitized flesh, making her gasp and writhe against him, pushing her sex against his face as her orgasm hit.
"Yes. Oh, Ben, yes, I'm coming."
Her climax was wild and made her legs tremble. Ben wrapped his arm around her and held her close to him while she bucked against him, still quivering from that epic orgasm.
He stood, grabbed a condom out of his pocket and dropped his board shorts. She wrapped her fingers around his cock and stroked the hot, heavy shaft in her hand.
"That's it," he said. "I like your hands on me, Victoria."
She stepped back so she could wriggle out of her swimsuit bottom while he applied the condom.
He backed her against the wall, lifted her hands above her head and slid into her, then took her mouth in a blistering kiss while he thrusted and grinded against her, rubbing her clit in a perfect way that made her temperature rise in the hot shack.
His tongue warred with hers, a perfect thrust and parry, matching the movements of his cock, which seemed to swell even larger inside of her.
He pulled his mouth away and laid his forehead against hers.
She was panting, hot and sweaty, fired up and filled with Ben. And the way he moved against her made her tighten around him, her pussy quivering.
"Are you gonna come for me again?" he asked as he drove deeply into her.
"Yes. Oh, yes."
"I'm so ready to shoot hard into you, Victoria. Make us both come."
She moaned at his words, and when he pulled the cups of her bathing suit top aside and sucked her nipple, she orgasmed, her pussy gripping his cock in a tight vise as contractions rippled through her.
With a loud groan, Ben drove hard into her. She held tight to him as he came, giving her everything she could possibly want at that moment. And when he kissed her, it was fierce and passionate as he rode out his orgasm.
His lips gentled on hers, his hands stroking down her slick, sweat-soaked back.
She pressed a kiss to his chest. "That was . . . everything."
His tipped her chin so she met his gaze. "Jesus, Victoria. I lose myself when I'm inside of you. And all I can feel is you and me--like we're one."
She shivered at his words. Powerful words that she wanted to contemplate, but not here. And not now.
"Come on," he said, his lips curving in a teasing smile to break that suddenly serious mood he'd created. "Let's head out before someone finds us in here fucking like teenagers."
She laughed.
They righted their clothing and Ben unlocked the door, took a quick look outside, then they exited the shack. He disposed of the condom in a nearby trashcan, then they made their way back to the SUV.
"I'm really looking forward to the water now," she said.
He grinned. "Me, too. You made me sweat."
He carried both boards down to the edge of the water, then handed her one of them. She attached the surfboard leash to her ankle.
"Need any instructions?"
"It's been a while. The last thing I remember is to stay balanced and don't fall."
"Okay. We'll go through a few things to remind you. Which foot do you put forward if you were on slippery ice and you were going to fall?"
She thought about it for a minute and put her left foot forward.
"Okay, so you'll want to use your right foot to steer, so when you po
p up on the board, slide your left foot forward and your right foot back."
He worked with her on the sand, making sure she had an understanding about how to pop up--first crouching, then standing--once she caught a wave.
Once she had enough confidence, she was ready for the water.
"Remember to use your back foot to steer," he said.
"Got it. Let's do this. I'm hot."
"Yeah, you are."
She shook her head, but smiled at him. Ben took the lead and she paddled out behind him. He was the expert and she intended to let him show her the right waves.
They finally got to where Ben wanted them, water-wise and she turned her board around and sat up next to Ben, the waves undulating underneath them.
He passed up a few, explained that some were too rough, some too high, some too puny.
"Good wave coming up," he said, pouncing onto his feet in a crouched position. "Get ready."
She did the same, and when the wave hit, she tried to balance herself and ride it.
This was not like riding a bicycle. She had forgotten how to surf, so while Ben rode the wave easily, she only made it a few feet before she tumbled off the board and had to pull herself up and try again.
And again.
And again.
It was exhausting, but Ben came back out each time and rode with her, giving her encouraging words and telling her she could definitely get up.
When she fell again, she was pissed.
"You can do this," Ben said. "Balance is the hardest thing. Try just going up on one knee first. Once you grab your balance that way, you'll be able to stand."
"I'll try."
She was determined to succeed, so next time she did the one knee thing, and got up that way. She didn't make it all the way into the wave, falling off halfway, but it was something.
Ben caught up to her and smiled. "See? Progress. You'll get there."
"Yes, I will."
She was nothing if not determined. She'd stand on this damn board. Sometime today. Maybe.
After several more attempts, she finally stood, on a very small wave that she rode all the way onto shore. It was the most exhilarating ride she'd ever taken.
She raised her arms in triumph. Ben was there to swoop her off the board and plant a hot kiss on her lips.
"I did it."
He grinned. "Yeah, you did. I told you that you could."
She swept her hair off her face, staring out at the water. "It was work." She blew out a breath.
"It always is."
She patted his chest. "You looked magnificent out there."
"Thanks. I'm hardly competitive, but I can still surf."
"You sure as hell can. And I really had forgotten how damn hard surfing is. I have a new appreciation for the sport."
Now that she'd managed to master a wave, she wanted to do it again. They surfed awhile longer, then called it a day. Ben packed the boards up on the SUV and they drove back to the hotel.
"I need a shower and a change of clothes before tonight. And quite possibly a nap."
He laughed. "Okay. I'll see you tonight."
She kissed him good-bye, then went up to her room and stripped out of her sundress and swimsuit.
She thought about taking a shower, then yawned.
Surfing was exhausting. She should consider doing it more often. Holy crap, what a workout.
She yawned again and stared longingly at her bed.
Okay, nap first. Shower later.
She shut the drapes, climbed into bed and closed her eyes.
Chapter Eleven
It had been a damn good day. Alex rode the elevator up to the hotel suite with a grin on his face.
He'd scored high today. He was primed and ready for tomorrow's competition.
Tonight, though, he was ready to kick back and relax.
He slid his key in the door, breathing in a sigh of relief at the cold air-conditioning. Leave it to Ben to know he'd be hot and tired after a long day and he'd need the A/C cranked to arctic.
Now all he needed was a cold beer and a hot shower. He stripped out of his board shorts and headed straight for the shower, letting the hot water rain down on him for a few seconds before grabbing the soap and scrubbing the salt water from his body. After his shower, he put on a pair of a shorts and a T-shirt and grabbed a beer from the wet bar.
The door opened and Ben walked in, giving him a smile.
"You did great today."
"Thanks. The waves were killer. Not too hard to command, but high enough to give me a challenging ride, which gave me a scoring advantage."
Ben went to the wet bar and pulled out a beer, then sat across from him on one of the leather sofas.
"I didn't see much of you today after the competition," Alex said. "Did you hang out with Tori?"
"I took her down to one of the other beaches where the waves were smaller so she could surf."
Alex nodded. "What a good idea. I'm sure she wanted to get in the water and try out her skills. How'd she do?"
"She did well. Fell the first several times, but she didn't give up."
Alex grinned. "That's our girl. I knew she wasn't a quitter."
"She's going to meet up with us tonight at the bonfire and dinner. I know she's anxious to see you."
"Good. I want to see her, too."
"Then finish your beer and let's go get her."
Alex downed the contents of his beer then tossed it in the trash. He and Ben headed over to Tori's suite and knocked on her door.
She answered, wearing a red sundress that outlined her killer curves. And her smile always kicked him in the gut.
"Hi, guys."
"Hey, yourself," Alex said. "You look beautiful."
"Love that red on you," Ben said.
"Not even in the door yet and you both have me blushing," Tori said. "Come on in."
He and Ben stepped inside. Alex pulled her into his arms and kissed her. A nice, deep long kiss that told her how much he'd hated being apart from her today. When he stepped back, Ben did the same.
"Whew," she said, fanning her face with her hands. "Any more of that and we won't make it out of the suite tonight."
"And that's a bad thing?" Alex asked.
She laughed. "Normally I'd say no, but I'm hungry and I know you have to put in an appearance at tonight's event, right?"
Alex shrugged. "Maybe."
"Maybe yes?" she asked.
"Okay, fine. I do. But I'm not letting you out of my sight tonight."
"Deal."
Ben laughed. "Come on. Let's go. I'm hungry, too."
They headed downstairs and outside. Tables were set up with plenty of food and Alex was hungry, so he guided Tori to the plates so they could get started. He loaded his with chicken and fish and plenty of vegetables, then grabbed a bottle of water and they found seats at one of the nearby tables.
Whitney and one of the other surfers, Cade, sat at their table, along with some of his surfer friends, Matt, Silas, and Zane.
"This your girl?" Zane asked him.
"Yeah."
Victoria shook his hand. "I'm Victoria Baldwin.
Alex introduced Tori to all the guys at the table. "She's a sports agent."
"Is that right?" Matt asked. "Who do you rep?"
She told them about some of her clients.
"No kidding," Silas said. "Garrett Scott is one great pitcher. I'm from Saint Louis originally. Well, I was born there anyway. So the Rivers are my home team."
Alex listened while Silas and Tori talked baseball. He was fascinated by her knowledge of the sport. And when she got into a football discussion with Matt, she knew more players than Matt did. She knew more football plays than Matt did. And Matt knew a lot about football.
His woman was impressive.
His woman. Huh. He'd never once thought of a woman as his. But he couldn't deny Tori had gotten into his blood. He thought about her all the time. Other than when he was competing, when his focus was entirely on the wa
ves, on his board and the skill it took to do his maneuvers, his thoughts had been on Tori.
Just a holiday fling, right? Nothing more than that. It was just hot sex. Amazing hot sex.
But as he watched her laughing and talking with his friends, their gazes met.
Heat and sexual chemistry, definitely. But something else, for sure.
He had to admit right from the start there had been something special about Tori, an instantaneous connection he'd never had with any other woman.
His gaze drifted to Ben. Ben watched her the same way, took every opportunity he could to run his hand up and down her back. Ben liked touching her, liked being with her. Ben was more animated with Tori than any other woman he'd been with before. He'd never known Ben to take such an active interest in a woman.
Interesting.
Alex's entire career had been spent analyzing everything. The height and velocity of the waves, the water temperature, the wind, the way his body moved on the board. His success or failure depended on his ability to step back from emotion and let his analytical ability come into play.
But with Tori, he felt a fierce rush of emotion whenever he was with her, and that was something new. The thought of walking away from her when this was all over seemed . . . unsettling. And that had never happened before. He'd enjoyed women his entire life. He'd treated them right, had always been up-front and honest with them, and had never led them on. But when it was over, he walked away without a backward glance.
He'd also shared women with Ben before, and that had never been an issue.
As he watched Ben slide his fingers into Tori's hair, he waited for any jealousy to creep in.
No. Not there. He liked Ben. Though there was the age difference, they were and had been best friends for years. Ben touching Tori made him feel closer to both of them, so that wasn't an issue.
The only issue right now was with how he felt about Tori. That was something he might have to analyze further. Only this time, he'd leave the emotion in the mix and see what came of it.
*
It had been a fun night. The food had been amazing, the company even more so. Victoria liked all these people. Some were a lot younger than her, but they were smart and savvy and their entire lives weren't focused only on surfing.
She and Whitney had sat next to each other and caught up. Whitney was having a hot fling with Cade, but Whitney was also smart. She knew it wasn't going anywhere beyond the time Cade was going to spend on the island.
"I know not to get emotionally invested in him," Whitney said as the guys had temporarily left to help build the bonfire. "I'm smarter than that. He's leaving, and I'm staying put. We have no future together. But right now? We sure are having fun."