STORY EXCERPT

“I wanted to introduce myself. I’m Jayden Preston. I live over there.” He pointed. “My roommate, Brian, owns the place.” Jayden extended his hand.

“I’m Ella Rowen. It’s nice to meet you.”

Their fingers threaded together, her skin like a brush of silk. Jayden didn’t want her to have to wrestle with the thought of whether to invite him in or not.

“Wanna take a walk? The sunset’s amazing.” Jayden checked her expression. Her lips eased into a welcome smile.

“Sure, let me get my sandals,” Ella said.

“You don’t need them. See?” Jayden pointed to his feet. “Sand’s nice and cool now.”

“Okay.” She turned and slid the door closed. Jayden waved her on, following her down the stairs and onto the beach.

A cool breeze blew off the water, lifting her hair. Jayden snuck in as many sideward glances as he could, hoping he was getting away with it. Her skin was gorgeous, so milky it glowed, and those eyes. They were a pale blue. When he looked into them, he felt an intense pull. As they trudged through the sand, Jayden eyed the curved flexing of muscle on what he noticed was a fine pair of legs. His insides quivered with excitement.

Wow!

Damp, salty air coated his hair, weighing it down over his brows. He searched his thoughts, needing to engage in some get-to-know-you conversation. Her beauty was hindering his skills. All the rehearsing he’d done had been blown to pieces two seconds after she’d opened the door.

“So you just moved in…Where’re you from?” He slowed his strides, wanting her body aligned with his.

“I’m from Bangor, Pennsylvania. I’m just about settled in,” she told him. “It was sort of a spur-of-the-moment thing.” Her eyes danced around him, lowering back down to the sand.

“How do you like it so far?” Jayden dipped his toes into the water. Ella did the same, meeting his eyes.

“It’s beautiful here.”

“It is.” The lapping water filled the pause for a moment. Her next question caught him off guard, teasing an eagerness he felt he should restrain. He’d been noticed.

“I saw you the other day. You train dogs.” Ella smiled. Her lower lip was full, tempting enough to bite.

“Yeah, I work for The Seeing Eye. You must’ve seen me downtown?” Jayden felt his mouth pulling into a smile. His eyes sank into hers, taking a casual cruise down her sensual neck. Jayden fed his urge as nonchalantly as possible. He drank in the flesh of her chest and the slight pillows of her breasts. I’m gonna have to tie my hands together.

“Yeah, I was on my way to apply for a job,” Ella said. Her voice had a raspy tone to it, very sexy.

“You landed a job already?” Jayden faced her, the wet sand grainy between his toes.

“I was surprised, too. I got a job answering phones and making appointments at Brahman Restoration.” A wide smile spread across her lovely mouth.

“How do you like it?” he asked.

Ella lifted a shoulder. “It’s okay, but I’d rather be taking pictures,” she confessed.

“You’re a photographer then?” Jayden moved away from the waterline and sat down, gesturing to a spot on the sand. Ella sat next to him. Her hair blew back off her face, giving him a clear view of her angled cheekbones and arched brows.

“It’s a hobby, but…”

“Hey, a lot of people who claim a talent’s just a hobby wind up being quite good at their craft.”

Ella reclined back in the sand, crossing her shapely legs. Darkness bled across the water, turning the bay into a shimmering pool of ink.

“What’s your specialty?” Jayden asked, his inquiry hesitant. He didn’t want to push, but his mind was running. All of a sudden he wanted to know everything about this girl. She looked to be his age, midtwenties. She shifted in the sand and faced him.

“I snap everything.” She grinned. “Tell me about the dogs. That’s so cool.”

Jayden explained what it was that he did with the dogs—how he trained them, and how people in the community fostered the puppies until they were a certain age, preparing them to become a Seeing Eye dog.

“The dogs have to be a certain age before you can begin training them. They also need to have the right temperament. That’s huge.” Ella’s eyes narrowed at the gust of wind that rushed off the bay. Her light laughter tickled his insides. Her next statement had his dick jumping with glee.

“I have to confess that I did see you my first night here,” she admitted, chewing her lower lip, her expression worried. “You were playing Frisbee with your dog. The lighting was too perfect. I just had to…”

Jayden laughed. “You photographed me?” He felt his jaw fall.

Ella nodded. “I did. I’m sorry. If you want the pictures, I’ll give them to you,” she said, her voice wavering.

Jayden couldn’t help but laugh as Ella vacillated after conceding to her indiscretions.

“I’d like to see them, but you can keep them,” he insisted.

“It’s not polite to photograph subjects without their consent. I do have ethics,” Ella told him, her tone now serious.

“Hey.” Jayden lifted a hand. “No problem. I’ll pose for you anytime.” His mouth went dry, her presence intoxicating.

“Really?” Her face lifted, her eyes widening. “I got some great shots that day,” Ella said, tracing her finger through the sand.

“Which dog did I have?” Jayden soaked up her animation.

“It was a black Lab. I’m guessing that you can’t keep the dogs at your house?”

“No. If you want to join the puppy-raising program to prepare them for training, you can. You get to keep them for up to eighteen months,” Jayden explained.

“Giving them back must be hard,” Ella sighed.

“It can be, but you know that going in. Just think of the disabled person you’ll be helping, that helps. The older ones stay at training headquarters. Those are the ones I’m allowed to play with. They need to get out and run. I can’t have any animals at the house because my roommate, Brian, is allergic to pet dander.” Jayden laughed. “It’s sort of ironic. I find the perfect roommate, but can’t bring in a dog.”

“That’s too bad. At least you get to work and play with them. To give someone that gift must be an awesome feeling.”

“It is. We’ve helped a lot of veterans as well. That was Jordan you photographed, the black Lab. We just placed her. That was our swan-song romp. She’s a great dog.” Jayden glanced away, feeling the emotion grip him for a moment. Ella’s soft voice washed it all away, healing him like a homeopathic tonic. Her beauty and grace was all natural. He was smitten already, and all it took was one fucking walk through the sand.

ADULT EXCERPT

His balls were begging, his cock straining against his zipper. There was no way to control it. This was something he’d never experienced. It was so erotic. The sedated haze in Ella’s eyes had him panting like one of his dogs. She was into it, into him. It was like some sensual acid trip. Ella knelt before him. When her fingers smoothed over his housed cock and fingered the buttons on his Levis, Jayden thought he was going to blow his load. Air congealed in his lungs. Her soft voice drifted through their heated atmosphere.

“I’m not into anything distasteful. I just want you to know that.” Her gaze was sharp with seriousness.

Jayden framed her face with his hands. “I know that. You’re too classy for that,” he told her.

The touch of her delicate fingers on him made him shiver. Need shot through his limbs like an electric current. His balls were throbbing. His cock was so hard, his skin stretched and burning. Jayden shifted it to the side. Ella unbuttoned his jeans and slowly pulled the zipper halfway down, tucking his boxers underneath. The tips of her fingers combed through his pubic hair as she arranged the material the way she saw fit. His bare chest gave way to a narrowing path of flesh that led to his groin.

Cool air washed over his exposed skin. Jayden extended his legs and tipped his head back. The statement flew from his mouth like a caged bird. He was tapped out.

“Ella, I…my God,” he huffed, blowing the fringe of hair out of his eyes. Her coaxing voice soothed him.

“Just a few more, okay? Then I’ll go,” she told him.

Can she feel my ache? “I’m so hot for you right now,” he gasped. “I’m sorry. You’re so pretty, and I’m so keyed up.” His laughter was dark, laced with timidity.

“When I get these photos back, you’ll be amazed,” she said breathlessly.

“That’s because you’re amazing.” Jayden looked down at his elongated body, his dick curling beneath his jeans. He gnawed on his lip.

Ella stepped back, the shutter clicking. Silence fell around him, her breath in his face again. He looked at her through lowered lashes. Ella’s hands were on the arms of the chair, her elbows locked, her face close to his. Her lips touched his, slowly mating with his mouth. Jayden groaned, allowing her to pilot the kiss. Ella’s hot tongue slid through his lips, tracing the lines of his mouth. His fingers curled into a fist, not trusting the intensity of this urge he’d never felt before. She angled her mouth, pulling him in deeper. Jayden joined her tongue in the slow, seductive tango and painted it with the moisture of his.

She moved away abruptly, her eyes startled, their chests heaving. “I’m gonna go,” she told him, her lips bruised.

Jayden nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” His statement was phrased like a question.

Yes,” she said quietly. “I’ll show myself out.” She rose to her feet.

Thank God. If I get up, my dick might snap off.

* * * *

Sleep evaded her, her libido wide awake and acute. Ella was adamant on not screwing things up with Jayden, but the draw was magnetic, a force that was pulling her. She wanted to be sensible and think, but when she was with Jayden, all she wanted was to feel and connect with him. Ella looked at the glowing numerical display. It was 3:40 in the morning. She got out of bed and stood in front of the scenic windows that overlooked the bay.

The water was dark. A partial moon glinted through a hazy night sky, the swells like curling, silver ribbons. Ella leaned into the glass, seeing the lines of a shadow standing on the shore below. Ella darted downstairs and got her camera, having already uploaded her smoldering photo shoot with Jayden, anxious to see the pictures. She attached the telephoto lens and opened the sliding glass door. Peering through her hands, she gripped the camera. Her body began to shake. It was him.

Jayden was down below, standing on the sand. He glanced up at the house. Ella wasn’t sure if he was able to see her spying from her post. The dark night soaked the air between them. He strolled back and forth along the shore, his jeans cuffed above his ankles. His bare chest glittered in the milky wash of the moon’s glow. Ella set the camera down on the end table. Should I go to him?

A wave of arousal rippled through her belly, her breasts sprouting into stiff peaks. Ella took in the faint silhouette of her reflection in the glass. She was in a short nightshirt and panties. Ella slipped out of the panties and kicked the silky fabric in the corner near the door. She stepped out onto the deck and quietly slid the door closed. The balmy air settled on her legs, drifting underneath her shirt. Her breasts were painfully sensitive, her pussy creamed with the notion of now having him. Is this too good to be true, or so good it’s right?

The air was heavy, moist, and full of humidity. She slowly descended the stairs and stepped over the cool sand. The peacefulness of the early morning darkness surrounded them. The water lightly sloshed onto the shore in a hypnotizing rhythm.

Jayden’s back was to her. Tall spears of beach grass swished in the sandy brush. Her head was clouded with desire. She wanted him. There was no way she could contain it any longer. The toned skin of his back beckoned her, the ink of his tattoos glossy. Jayden’s jeans hung from his waist, draped like an expensive garment meant to entice. She was almost there, three feet away, when he suddenly spun around, his eyes lit. Her breath escaped with a rush. His stare glowed, locked on hers. His voice was rough, laced with an ache she already felt.

“Where the hell did you come from?” His eyes went wide, searing into her. “You got me all fucked up,” he said. Nervous laughter spilled around his words. Ella forced back a choking sob, engulfed by emotions that’d come out of nowhere, knitting around them with something neither of them could diagnose.

“I so don’t want to screw this up, this thing…” Ella told him.  

Jayden slowly shook his head. “Not gonna happen,” he told her. He reached for her, pulling her into him. Their bodies came together. His hands gripped her, sliding over her buttocks.

“Oh God,” he growled. He kneaded her ass. His pliant fingers moved over her skin, priming her. Her nightshirt was lifted from her body. Ella grabbed the waistband of his jeans, fighting with the heavy, wet material. The stickiness of the salt water had them struggling to undress him. Jayden’s gaze was hard, his eyes glassy with a ravenous sheen.

“Fuck, Ella,” he whined. “I want you so much.”