Chapter 117 - Truth and Dare

Cate’s gaze lingered on Jon’s perfect navel as she considered his query. Her hands trembled slightly as she traced her fingertips lightly over his abdomen. Without realizing it, she let out an audible little groan as she watched his muscles contract at the tickle.

Jon watched Cate’s expression with an eager gleam in his eyes. She wanted to let go, to free herself, to act with wild abandon. He could see it in her eyes. She was almost there. She just needed one more little nudge…

“Go ahead, Cate,” Jon purred. “Take ‘em off.” He smirked wickedly as she raised her face to look at him. “I dare you.”

Cate’s eyebrows arched in surprise as she gave him a defiant stare. “You dare me?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Jon grinned, shuffling a slight step closer to her and leaning down until they were practically nose-to-nose. “I triple-dog dare ya,” he challenged again.

Cate’s eyes narrowed as she regarded Jon for a moment, then pulled her hands away from his stomach. She took a step back from him, opening space between their bodies. She fixed Jon with a challenging stare, then her lips curled upward into a self-satisfied smirk. “Take ‘em off yourself,” she replied, her hands moving to her chest.

Still staring directly into Jon’s shining indigo eyes, Cate nimbly unhooked the catch between her breasts and shrugged her bra off her shoulders. She smirked more broadly when Jon’s eyes widened and his Adam’s apple jumped as he swallowed hard at the sight of her bare breasts.

Cate pursed her lips into a teasing pout and looped her thumbs into the sides of her panties. She pushed the red lace downward, wiggling her hips slightly until the slip of crimson slid down her thighs to puddle on top of her shorts around her ankles. Cate stepped one foot out of the garments then kicked them aside with the other. Then she stood still, her naked body awash in the glow of the moon and the soft breeze rippling through her hair.

Jon grinned broadly at Cate’s response to his challenge. “I meant mine.” he chortled. “But that’s good, too.” His hands went to his waist and he shoved his shorts down over his hips without bothering to unfasten them. He kicked them aside and stepped boldly forward, grabbing Cate and yanking her against his hard body. “You naughty minx,” he growled before attacking her mouth.

Cate pulled her lips away from Jon’s with an audible gasp. “You dared me,” she replied breathlessly before mashing her mouth back against his.

Jon rumbled out a chuckle and kissed her hard, then swiftly backed away. Cate squeaked in surprise as Jon bent down and grabbed her legs around her knees, hoisting her up off her feet. “Jon!” she squealed between giggles as she found herself bent over his shoulder, her hip at his cheek. “Put me down!”

“Nuh uh!” Jon declined. “You’ve been kicking my ass all over the place the last week and a half. If I put you down you’re gonna brachial stun me or hit me with a peroneal kick or some shit. I’ve got you right where I want you now… well, almost.” He chuckled. Actually he wanted her on her back on the sand, under him, his cock deep inside her.

“You’re at my mercy,” he continued. “No way am I gonna let you turn the tables on me!” Jon waded into the water as he spoke, carrying Cate with him.

“Damnit, Jon!” Cate squeaked, her girlish protest ineffective between her giggles and the rush of the water against the shore. She squealed even louder and clutched at his strong shoulders when Jon turned his face and bit her gently on one bare ass cheek. “OWW!!!” she fake-whined.

“Want me to do it again?” Jon warned with a smirk, rocking slightly as the waves pushed at him. He was now waist-deep in the warm surf, the water just high enough to lap at Cate’s painted toes as her shapely legs dangled down his front.

“Yes, Please!” Cate chirped saucily.

Jon stopped on the spot, holding her firmly, then turned his face to again press his lips against her flesh. Cate groaned as she felt the soft stubble of his cheek, then his chin scrape against her hyper-sensitive skin, sending little lightning bolts of pleasure straight to her core. Her groan turned to a yelp as Jon sucked hard on the side of her buttock, purposely marking her.

“Oooh!” Cate growled in response, sucking in a sharp breath. “You’re gonna pay for that, Rock Star!”

“Promise?” Jon purred silkily. He took a couple more steps forward, pushing against the waves, then grinned naughtily. “What’re you gonna do to me for this?” he asked, then suddenly pitched forward, dumping Cate from his shoulder into the water with a loud splash.

Cate shrieked in surprise, then quickly regained her footing. “Oh, you’re DEAD!” she spluttered, spitting sea water out of her mouth.

“Gotta catch me first!” Jon taunted as he dove away from her and started to swim away from the shore. He evaded her lunge for him and got a few strokes ahead of her before she recovered from her lurch and dove after him. Soon she was matching him stroke for stroke. After only about ten yards Jon felt Cate’s hand close around his ankle and yank hard, impeding his forward progress.

Grinning, he willingly gave up the fight and turned to face her, treading water as he bobbed with the gentle waves. “Alright,” he conceded. “You got me.” He grinned as Cate swished her way through the water, closer to him. “Now what are you gonna do with me?” he asked naughtily.

Cate smacked the surface of the water with her hand, splashing him in the face. “I oughta kick your ass, underwater,” she teased.

Jon sent a splash back at her. “Try,” he retorted playfully. “I DARE ya!”

“Oooh, Rock Star…. You’re really pressing your luck, aren’t ya?” Cate observed with a little smile.

“I like to live dangerously,” Jon replied as Cate floated in front of him, her arms moving gently through the water at her sides. He reached out and captured her wrist, pulling her closer.

Cate smiled and kicked her feet, propelling herself through the water toward Jon until their bare bodies bumped together. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled at him, touching her nose playfully to his. “Yeah, I can see that. Look at what I’ve let you talk me into,” she chided gently.

“It’s fun being bad, ain’t it?” Jon purred back at her as they bobbed with the gently rolling waves, their eyes sparkling together.

“Yeah,” Cate admitted in a husky whisper before brushing her lips across his. “It is with you, anyway.”

Jon grinned. “Follow me,” he commanded, disengaging Cate’s arms from around his neck and scissoring his legs through the water as he turned and swam toward the shallows. Cate followed until they reached a spot where their feet could touch the sandy bottom. Back on firm footing, Jon pulled Cate toward him again, growling softly as she let her body float to him then mold itself against his. Again Cate’s arms went around Jon’s neck as her legs wrapped around his waist. She felt Jon’s hands cup the globes of her ass as she took his mouth, her tongue probing and tasting as she hummed happily.

Jon smiled against her kiss and raised his feet from the sand, allowing Cate and himself to sway together with the gentle tide as they kissed for a long time. He was so blissfully happy at this moment he could hardly believe it. It had been a long time since he had felt this connected to anyone, especially a woman. He felt young again. He chuckled deep in his throat at the realization.

Actually, he didn’t just feel young, he felt like a horny teenager. Since their ferocious reconciliation on the hood of the cruiser last night, Jon had been able to think of little else but making love to Cate. Right now his libido and emotions were raging because of their sexy skinny-dip; only simple biology and the slightly-lower-than-body-temperature water were preventing him from doing what he really wanted to do—fuck her right here in the ocean.

He chuckled again at his horniness. Jon knew he would have his chance later, but he couldn’t help himself. All he wanted to do was make love to Cate over and over again, for the rest of the night, the week… his life.

“Let’s go to the house,” he finally suggested, after they had explored every millimeter of each other’s mouths and lips while they rocked gently in the rhythmic tide. “I have something to show you.”

“I think I’ve already seen it,” Cate purred coyly, nipping at Jon’s ear.

He laughed at her dirty tease. “No, not that. Something new. For us.” He kissed her again. “Or we can just stay here in the water until we get all pruney.”

“No thanks!” Cate replied quickly, with a little grimace. “I have enough wrinkles and sags already. Don’t need to let you see more of ‘em on me.”

Jon laughed again. “Baby, don’t talk to me about wrinkles!” He gave her a big grin, the lines around his mouth and eyes crinkling.

“Yeah, but yours make you look sexy,” she countered. “Mine just make me look old.”

Jon shook his head. “Baby, you do NOT look old,” he argued sincerely. “Those little lines on your face, which I can barely see, by the way, are nothing but evidence that you’ve lived life. Shit, since when is forty-two old, anyway?” He leaned forward to touch his lips to Cate’s forehead, then to the tip of her nose. “You are gorgeous, and you’re real,” he continued, his voice soft and earnest. “That’s one of the many things I love about you.”

Cate gasped slightly at Jon’s words. She couldn’t have heard him right. Oh my God…he LOVES about me? She quickly pulled Jon into a closer embrace, moving her cheek to brush against his so he couldn’t see her expression, trying to hide her surprise. Wait… no, he couldn’t have meant that like it sounded. It was just a figure of speech... wasn’t it?

Jon could tell from Cate’s reaction, from the way her body tensed against his, that he had startled her with his words. But he meant them. He wasn’t about to qualify them or take them back. The truth was, he did love her. He couldn’t honestly say that he was IN love with Cate, but he definitely felt the overwhelming emotion for her that he considered to be “love.” But he wasn’t going to press the issue right now. If she wanted to ask him, she would.

“Cate,” he murmured gently in her ear. “C’mon. Let’s go back to the house, okay?”

Cate pulled back from him and gave him a long, searching look before replying. “Okay,” she agreed softly.

Jon smiled and dropped another kiss on her lips, then slipped his left hand into her right. Together they waded in toward the shore and emerged from the ocean, water streaming down over their bare skin like liquid silver in the bright moonlight. Jon couldn’t resist taking a long, admiring look at Cate’s body. She returned the favor, her eyes hungrily scanning his chiseled form.

“We don’t have any towels,” she observed quietly as they stood facing each other on the sand.

“Guess we’ll have to drip-dry,” Jon teased with a grin, then leaned in to kiss her sweetly. “C’mon. We’ll get towels inside.” He tugged lightly on her hand and together they started to wander up the beach toward the deck. “I’ll come back and get our clothes in a few minutes.”

“We have to shower again, anyway,” Cate observed as they walked. “Don’t want your sheets to smell like sea water.” She wrinkled her nose at the thought. “And that scent doesn’t stay nice and fresh,” she added.

“We don’t have to shower just yet,” Jon countered. “I still have plans for you, Baby.” He shot her a sideways smirk, then turned his head to look down the beach, toward the other buildings of the resort. “Shit. Hey, is that someone coming up the beach toward us?” he asked her, knowing full well there was no one about.

“Fuck!” Cate swore. “Where?” She anxiously turned her eyes in that direction, scanning the beach for signs of movement. “C’mon!” She began to stride quickly toward the villa, tugging Jon along behind her.

Jon chuckled smugly to himself; he had successfully diverted her attention from his surprise. As Cate led him up onto the deck, Jon glanced at the grove of palms separating the villa from the adjoining property, noting that the items he had requested were in place. Cate was so concerned about getting inside that she had hurried right by them, not even noticing.

Jon pulled open one of the French doors and held it for Cate to pass through. He followed her inside, then stopped cold as she turned and gave him a stern look. “You didn’t lock the door when we left? Don’t value your security much, do you?”

Jon shrugged. “Hey, if somebody decided to come in and steal all my shit, it would be no big deal. It’s all replaceable.”

Cate raised an eyebrow. “What if somebody came in and hid, waiting to attack you? That would be a big deal, don’t ya think?”

Jon smiled and reached for her waist, pulling her against him. “Yeah, I guess that wouldn’t be good.” He paused and raised an eyebrow at her. “Am I replaceable?” he queried softly.

Cate blinked back at him, her eyes locking with Jon’s. “No,” she replied honestly. “You’re one of a kind.” She paused for a moment, then added in a whisper. “I know I could never replace you.”

Jon’s heart did a little flip at the soft emotion of her words. He gave her a brilliant smile, then lowered his mouth to hers for a soft, long kiss. When their lips parted he smiled down at her, then tipped his head toward the bedroom. “Go throw on some clothes, then I have a surprise for you.”

Cate cocked her head inquisitively. “Clothes? I assumed your surprise involved some sort of nakedness.”

Jon grinned. “Well, eventually. But you can be dressed at the moment.”

“But I don’t have any more clean clothes, except for my work clothes,” Cate protested gently. “Can’t wear them. I don’t want to have to go home before work in the morning.”

“Ah,” Jon nodded, then took her hand. “Come with me.” He led her across the tile floor of the living room and into the master suite. Jon’s leather and spandex lay on the floor where they had dropped them prior to their earlier shower. Several feet away a soft lump of white fabric lay balled up near the nightstand.

Jon reached down and retrieved his cotton oxford from the floor, shaking it out then holding it open for Cate to slip into. “Here you go,” he said softly. “You don’t need anything else.” He grinned playfully. “Hell, you don’t even have to button it if you don’t want to.”

Cate shook her head and smiled as she pulled the soft cotton up over her shoulders, then fastened the three middle buttons. “I think I will, just in case,” she teased. “Never know who may show up in here, since you keep leaving the doors unlocked.”

“True, true,” Jon agreed contritely. Cate couldn’t help but stare at Jon’s glutes as he turned and made his way over to the closet, then disappeared inside. He emerged seconds later with a pair of elastic-waisted board shorts, which he quickly donned.

“Now, where did that thing go…” he mumbled to himself, looking around the room. His expression brightened almost immediately. “Ah, there it is!” Jon moved over near the fireplace hearth and retrieved a black-and-white piece of cloth from the floor. It took Cate a second to recognize the bandana.

Jon shook out the square of material, then held it by its corners and folded it diagonally. Cate watched, expecting to see him tie the scarf over his damp locks as he promised earlier he would. Instead Jon paused and gave Cate a naughty smirk.

He slowly strolled over to her, folding the scarf several more times in his hands until it was a long, narrow strip. He stopped in front of Cate and smiled down at her. “Do you trust me, Cate?” he purred sexily.

“Yes… why?” Cate asked warily, her eyes on his hands. She inhaled as Jon raised the scarf so that it was chest-high, between them.

“Because…. I’m going to blindfold you,” Jon whispered.