Crowne Plaza Hotel Downtown
11:33pm Seattle, WA

"We're not going to get caught, Lydia."

I doubt it, I thought for the tenth time as we headed for the pool at our hotel. It was past closing time, so no guests allowed. Our dinner date was crashed by one of my old high school "frenemies". She was one of the constant sources of me being bullied. I was a foster student at the time and didn't handle it very well.

I was just relieved when I finally graduated. I was surprised at dinner, however. I didn't feel the usual fear or self-loathing that I used to around her. Nope. What I felt tonight was pure anger. And jealousy. She was one of those perfect cheerleader types. Blonde hair, perfect body, most likely to get whatever she wants. Tonight, she wanted Sean. Honestly, I couldn't blame her. He was tall, handsome, and those baby blues were easy to get lost in.

To my surprise, he actually looked repulsed by her. I believed him when he told me how he felt about me. I've gotten to know him well enough that I didn't doubt it. I still had some self-esteem issues. Hence, why I'm nervous about this pool idea.

He wanted to make the dinner disaster up to me and do something with just us. Something fun and exciting. To him, that entailed sneaking to a closed hotel pool late at night. I loved swimming, but Sean has never seen...me. The most he's seen of my body was the few occasions I wore a dress. I usually wore jeans and a t-shirt. I was a big fan of layers. Right now I was wearing a black bikini underneath the towel I had wrapped around me.

"Come on, Lydia," he coaxed me as he held the gate leading to the pool open for me.

"Fine. But if we get caught, I'm pointing my finger at you," I replied with an arched eyebrow.

"Deal."

My heart started doing the normal flippity-flop it did when I was nervous. More like petrified, I thought.

I watched as he put his towel on one of the lounge chairs. With him only wearing swim trunks, my eyes were locked on his fit body as he walked to the pool. When he got to his knees and leaned forward to test the water, my eyes shot to the tattoo he got on his back.

"Lydia?" He called. By his tone and the "caught ya" smirk he had on his face, he knew I was ogling him.

"Yes, sorry."

He rose to his feet and walked up to me. The way he was looking at me made my body shiver with excitement. He kissed me and any sense of reason left my mind.

"Join me for a late night swim, beautiful."

He turned back to the pool and dove into the water. Thankfully, I got the all clear it was okay to go swimming after my injury. Sean broke through the water and wiped his face before giving me a knowing smile.

"Whenever you're ready."

Even though I was scared about this...very intimate interaction, deep down, it was something I really, really, wanted to do. I took off my towel and put it on the lounge chair next to his. I walked to the edge of the pool and felt his hot gaze go over my body. When he got to that butterfly tattoo, he paused and his expression turned hungry.

I slowly dipped myself in the pool and couldn't hold back my sigh of bliss.

"Told you it felt good," he said with a deep chuckle.

He started a splash fight that I really enjoyed. I couldn't remember a time I laughed and played with someone else. We ended up in the shallow end of the pool and he was leaning against the edge. I was standing across from him on the other end.

"Come here," he beckoned.

I walked towards him instantly, my feet moving on their own. I stopped in front of him and he has a guilty look on his face.

"I have to confess something," he said.

Oh, fuck, I thought. A million different things ran through my head at what it could possibly be. Secretly married? Kids? Murder? Gay?

"I did a dine-and-dash."

"Wait, what?" I asked with confusion. Clearly I didn't hear him right.

"With Ally. She shouldn't have treated you that way. She made you uncomfortable and-"

"I can't believe you did that! Sean, that's horrible. It's wrong and it's--" I paused and stepped closer to him. "It's the sexiest thing anyone has ever done for me." I don't know who was more surprised at my words, him or me. But Ally was a real bitch to me in high school and I wasn't the only one she bullied.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and his hands went automatically to my waist.

His smirk was devious as he said, "Well, no one messes with my girl and get away with it."

With an overwhelming need I didn't know I had, I crushed my mouth to his. He let out a satisfied moan as he entwined his tongue with mine. In this moment, I felt like I couldn't get enough of him. When I felt his hand go from my waist down the side of my leg, I gave into the sensation and wrapped both legs around his waist. I could feel the hard length of him against me. A twinge of fear shot through me but was quickly overridden by desires I never felt before.

"Wait," Sean said when he pulled away from me, his breathing labored. "Maybe we should stop."

His concern for me was one of the reasons I trusted him over anyone else. "I don't--"

"Excuse me, this pool is closed," came an angry female voice.

Our heads shot in the direction of the hotel employee. He let go of me and my feet when to the bottom of the pool.

When I couldn't think of anything else to say, I pointed at Sean. "It's his fault."

"I can't believe you actually sold me out."

"Hey, I warned you," I told him as we stood outside our hotel room doors. "Thank you, Sean."

His brows formed a deep V as he frowned at me. "For what?"

I traced the line of his jaw, getting lost in his eyes. "For everything tonight."

I leaned in for a kiss and he reciprocated. I loved what his kisses did to me. When I went to deepen it, he pulled away. "Get some rest, beautiful."

I watched as he went in his room and I couldn't help but think: Is this what sexual frustration feels like? I know he was trying not to rush me, and I was thankful for it. But I couldn't let my life be controlled by my past any longer. With a sudden rush of desire and the need to conquer this fear, I knocked on his door.

He had a look of surprise when he saw me. He wasn't expecting me to knock on his door. He also wasn't expecting me to pull his lips to mine and kiss him a need I didn't know was possible.

He clutched me to him, pulling me back so he could shut his door. I led him in the direction of the bed and he left my mouth to kiss a path down my neck. "God, you're amazing."

"I want you," was my throaty confession.

He pulled back to meet my stare and let out a long breath. "I want you, Lydia. More than anything. But--"

"No buts. I'm not saying I'm ready for...everything. But I need to feel something with you." I kissed his neck before lightly taking his ear lobe between my teeth. "I need you."

His head fell back with a groan of defeat and I couldn't help but smile at my small victory. Okay, maybe I wasn't ready for sex, but there were...other things.

With a desperation that matched my own, he captured my mouth with deadly talent. It was like he couldn't get enough of me, and I reveled in it. He pushed me back against the bed, and I sighed as I sank into the plush mattress.

He cupped my face when he said, "If at anytime you want me to stop, just say the word. Okay?"

I worried my bottom lip between my teeth as I nodded.

He traced the outline of my butterfly tattoo and my body shuddered in response. His gaze met mine and he had that same sly smile I loved.

"I have another confession to make." He glanced back to the tattoo then to me. "Remember the night in Tijuana? When you got a little drunk?"

A lot drunk. "Yes," I answered breathlessly.

"Well, there was one thing I left out when I was telling you what happened."

God, my body felt like it was on fire. He held my stare as he continued to trace the butterfly.

"I told you I laid beside you, and I did. But, you said something to me. You said that my smile...gives you butterflies."

My heart quickened at his confession, but I kept a straight face. "Really? That doesn't sound like me?"

He raised a brow. "Oh, no?"

I shook my head since talking seemed impossible.

"Well, then," he said and moved his hand from me. "I guess we should stop."

"Yes! It's true," I said with a laugh. I wanted him to keep touching me so badly, I probably would have told him anything just then.

He leaned down over me, kissing the hollow of my neck. I instinctively tilted my head to the left, wanting more.

I felt his fingers trace the strings of my bikini top when he asked, "May I take this off?"

When he asked me that question, I got that same feeling of fear. No one had ever seen me this naked, let alone completely naked. As I thought about his question for a few minutes, he held my gaze with patience. He didn't rush me or seem annoyed that I was unsure. When it came down to it...He was the one person who made me feel that it was okay to be me. That I was beautiful.

"Yes," I said finally.

He pulled the strings loose of my bikini top and threw it to the floor. He leaned forward and kissed me again, deepening it as his hand moved up from my waist. When he closed it over my breast, I gasped into his mouth.

"That feels amazing," I moaned, unable to stop myself.

He gave me a wicked smile when he said, "How about this?"

When he took my nipple into his mouth, I couldn't think clearly. When he sucked at the sensitive bud a little harder, I gripped his shoulders.

"Yes. Much better," I said between pants.

The vibrations of his chuckle sent new waves of pleasure through me. He switched to my other breast, giving it the same attention. My grip on his shoulders got tighter as I gave myself over to the pleasure.

He started kissing his way down my chest, then my stomach, and when he got to the butterfly, he traced the outline with his tongue.

I felt myself getting wetter by the second with what he was doing to my body.

Those baby blues met mine when he asked in a throaty voice, "May I?'

He had his hands on the top of my bikini bottoms, and I knew what he was asking. It wasn't even a second before I moaned, "God, yes."

A corner of his mouth lifted. "Not God. Sean, remember?"

I laughed as the memory of the night we met went through me. He said that same thing. "Oh, I remember," I answered breathlessly.

He held my stare as he slowly slid my bikini bottoms down my legs. When I was completely naked in front of him, fear started to creep its way back inside. My heart started pounding even harder, bad memories were flashing through my mind. Just as I was about to jump off the bed and leave...

"You. Are. Exquisite."

He was positioned between my open legs, and he leaned forward to kiss me. It was slow, as if he were trying to savor me.

Just like his voice, his kiss and his touch seemed to soothe the monsters in my head. "Are you okay, baby?"

Whenever he called me that, my heart did a little squeeze. "Yes," was my honest reply. Because, as freaked out as I was, I felt safe with him.

He crushed his lips to mine before he started working his way down my body again. I closed my eyes as he got closer and closer to where I secretly wanted him.

When I felt his hands spread my thighs a little farther apart, I tensed up. I was worried once I felt the intrusion of his fingers, it would ruin the moment.

All that tension was released into a long, deep moan when I felt the first touch of his tongue at the center of me.

He hesitated before he continued. I opened my eyes to look down at him. Complete adoration covered his face. He read my silent plea for more. He put one of my legs over his shoulder and put his mouth to me again.

By back arched off the bed as I lost all train of thought. There was only feeling. I had no idea where it came from, but I heard someone saying: "Please don't stop", "More," and I realized it was me.

I clutched the sheet in my hands as I felt my body getting close to climaxing. One second later, I felt him suck at my clit and I exploded. I called out his name as I rode the orgasm. And he didn't stop there. He kept going until I climaxed a second time, then a third.

It felt like hours went by for me to come back to reality. I had no idea it would be like that. I looked down at him. I rather enjoyed the sight of him there.

Sean lifted his head up to meet my gaze. I licked my lips and said two words...

"My turn."