If you follow my other stories you know why I've been out of commission. I appreciate the reviews and everyone reaching out. My life is still a mess right now but thank you for the support. I updated two of my stories already this week and will try to update another tomorrow.
"Sweetheart. Sweetheart, we have to get going soon." Luke's low voice was slowly waking Penelope. He heard her murmur, but her eyes were closed as she wiggled around. She turned around when she felt the dip in the bed from him sitting down. "Baby, we have to get going. It's after ten already. You still have to shower. We need to grab breakfast, and then we have to head to town soon, if you still want to make it to the beach for a bit."
She sleepily opened her eyes, peering up at him. She gave him a flirty shy smile. "Or we can just cuddle for a little while."
"Mi amada, you know I'm not going to say no to you, but you also know that we won't make it to the beach if we start out too late." He was rubbing her shoulder.
She bit her lip. "Oh well, the beach is overrated. Your abs aren't." She smiled as she saw him lift up the covers and get in the bed.
"How long do you want to stay here?" He asked. He'd hoped she would want her morning cuddle. She always loved it, and they were able to with all the privacy and time they had.
"Just until I wake up." She settled her head on his chest, wrapping her arm around his waist as he pulled her close.
"Whatever you want."
"You still have your sweats on. Don't tell me you were ready to go. You knew I was going to drag you into bed." She yawned as she snuggled into his chest.
"I had my suspicions, but I did shower already. I just didn't put on real pants, but I'm only wearing shorts today anyway since we are at the beach." He started rubbing concentric circles on her back.
"That makes sense. I guess I should put on a summer dress, or, if we think we'll make it back in time, I can put on my swimsuit and cover up." She was thinking out loud.
"I don't think they're staying at the beach until evening, Carina."
"They can walk there. It's literally right there." She peeked over her shoulder. "I bet they stay the whole day. The majority of the kids are at camp, and heaven-sent Amanda will wrangle the others."
"Whatever you say, so you better wear that swimsuit then and the coverup that basically just lets your boobs fall out. I think that's your best bet." He said casually, but he caught her eye when she looked up to him with an eye roll.
"Sure, that's an appropriate outfit on a public beach."
"Baby, you realize that, when anyone goes to the beach, they're basically in underwear just made from different fabric." Luke ran his hand down her arm.
"Yeah, yeah. Okay, but I mean everyone we work with is basically going to see the entire top side of my boobs. Like it stops at the nipple and not a centimeter higher. It's a lot of flesh, and it's unapologetic."
"That's the best part." He assured her as he glared down at her chest happily snug in his shirt. He watched as her nipples pebbled under his gaze and then smirked at her.
She pushed at his chest. "Shut up. You remember how sensitive they are. You did that on purpose."
"Damn right."
"Anyway, we'll get some breakfast, and then we'll head into town. We should be back by four, and we can lounge with them out there until Phil and Lay get here." She was alert now and picking at the invisible lint on his shirt.
His wide grin was plastered on his face. He loved that she was making plans for the both of them. He accepted that, if she were going to town with anyone else, she'd still need a plan, but for them, it wasn't even an option to split up the whole day. It was a given that they were a team in this. "You wanted to wait on purpose to avoid the breakfast club downstairs, didn't you?"
She pulled his wrist towards her to check his watch. "I was trying to be discreet, but yeah, I guess you would know that. I just don't want to see all of their questioning gazes staring at me all at once."
"Well, assuming they stick to schedule, they should all be headed out within the half hour, so it will be just you and me here." He didn't try to disguise the lust in his eyes, but he was also aware it would go unrequited.
"Luke, you know you can easily seduce me if you wanted to, but that's unfair." She gave him a pout.
"That power goes both ways, as you are fully aware." He lowered his voice as he spoke. She simpered, which made him groan, "Penelope," he said in warning.
She started to tangle her leg with his. "Sorry, I was just thinking, and you know what happens when I start thinking."
"Yes, I know." He brought her hand down to brush lightly against his erection. "So please realize what you are doing right now."
She gave a wistful sigh, wanting nothing more than to take care of what she had just felt, what she missed about him, or at least one thing that she missed about him. "I know, I know. I'm not there, and this would be creating a problem, and we agreed not to create a problem," she said sadly. If only things were simple.
"We need to get going then. I'll go downstairs and get some breakfast for us while you get ready, okay?" He leaned in and kissed her hairline.
She nodded against his chest and pushed the blankets down as she flipped her legs off the bed. Luke was laying still as she started rummaging through her bag to get out the swimsuit and coverup. She knew he hadn't moved. She could feel his eyes watching her. "You cooking that breakfast long distance?" she asked teasingly.
"No, I was going to wait until my hard-on went down to go downstairs in case anyone is still here, but now I'm watching your butt in those panties, and I'm going to have to wait another minute or two," he answered honestly.
She had all her stuff in her hand. She saw him unabashadley laying back against the pillow with his head resting on his hand that he'd brought to the back of his head, his erection very evident in his sweatpants. She stared at it. It was impossible not to, and then she took a deep breath. "I'm going to take that cold shower now, and I better have some type of decent breakfast when I get out."
He waited until he heard the bathroom door close across the hall before sitting up and sighing. He wiggled his toes around and then stretched his neck and his arms, letting his erection dissipate before he changed into his swim trunks and headed downstairs.
….
Penelope came down not too much later. She had avoided washing her hair, so instead all she did was put a few curls in it. She had put on her halter top swimsuit that was white and pink. It dipped dangerously low in the front and pushed her breasts up impeccably high. The bottoms were more revealing than she'd remembered. When she bought them, she was trying to get Luke to stare at her ass so he would drag her off the beach and back to the house. So on top, she put a thigh length cover up over it. It was netted and was a nude-pink-colored long sleeve. She would almost look naked if you couldn't see the slightly darker pink color underneath. She dropped her bag on the stool next to where she took a seat at the kitchen. She grabbed a piece of toast from the plate Luke had obviously made for them to share off of. After a sip of her orange juice, she looked up at him. He had been pulling something out of the fridge when she came down, but now he was staring at her.
"What?" she questioned him a little worried.
"You know I love that cover up. Maybe it was bad advice I gave you." He reached down and adjusted himself in his white board shorts.
She giggled. "I think you like a bit of torture."
"So we're heading to the bakery and the market, is that it?" He grabbed some fruit off of the plate that he had filled.
"Yeah, I think so. There's enough food and alcohol. We don't need any supplies since we're fully stocked."
"Okay, and then I get to stare at you while you lay on the beach?" He smirked at her.
"Oh please, those hotties out there always hit on you, and you're allowed to stare back now." She informed him.
"I don't want to stare back," he sighed exhaustedly.
"Really? Not sure you made that clear," she chided. Then she saw him lean back against the fridge, frustrated. "Sorry. I know we agreed not to do that to each other."
"We did, Penelope. We're not together, but we're not apart either. It's like we're exclusively single or something. I get you don't want to be together right now, but you know I do. I promised not to pressure you, but I will not let you push me away either, so don't play any games with me, Chica. I'll call you out on them." He grabbed the piece of toast she had in her hand and took a bite before handing it back to her.
She gave a resigned sigh. "I know, I'm just a little insecure and fragile still. You can't blame me for that, and I act out sometimes, but you know I don't mean it." She turned her lips in as she examined the counter.
"I know." He brought his hand up to her head and brushed a piece of hair back before giving her a forgiving smile. "Let's get going. I am getting you on the beach today." He picked up the plate and started walking it to the sink.
"I am not walking around in my swimsuit in front of my coworkers." She told him matter of factly.
He spun around to look at her. "Are you seriously going to act shy in front of them?" He leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Luke, I only took my cover up off last time we were here because people in your family and their spouses are different sizes and colors, and I knew they didn't notice details. But these people are trained to see details, and I have to see them all the time at work. I do not want them knowing about stretch marks that peek out between my bottoms and my top," she explained.
"We went over this. Since when are you insecure? You're not. Everyone knows that, so why?"
"Luke, they haven't seen you with your shirt off. I know that for a fact because, if they had, all the girls would have fainted by now." She winked at him making him shyly chuckle.
"But they will see me today. I'm taking off this shirt once I get to the sand," he told her.
"Yup, and then they'll all be even more confused about us dating," she said casually.
He pushed off from the counter and paced a little bit clenching and unclenching his fists. "Penelope," he gritted out through his teeth, "you're insulting the person I love, and I don't like it."
"Oh come on, Luke. Look at the other girls you've gone out with, classic beauties with beach bodies to match." She knew he loved her, knew he was turned on by her, and so were a lot of men. Men liked a lot of things. But if they didn't meet at work, she had seriously doubted he would've seen her somewhere, with a huge feather in her hair and a loud dress on, and stopped in his tracks to stare at her in awe.
"Penelope, sometimes you just date, to date. If you look different than someone I've dated, it doesn't mean I find you less attractive. Have you seen me ogle you?" He was leaning across the counter looking at her sternly.
She shrugged. "Yeah I guess but that girl you-"
He held up his hand to make her stop. "I couldn't have picked her out of a line up at the time, Penelope, and I'm the fucking agent. That's how drunk I was. I have no fucking clue what she looked like until I realized who it was the next day."
Penelope bobbed her head. She knew the story. "I know, but, Luke, even before - look what I mean - I know I'm attractive. Derek, Rossi, and Matt have complimented me in the the past twenty-four hours. Being attractive is not the same thing as drop dead gorgeous, and, believe me, you are." She wasn't sad. She was factual.
"You have no idea what you're talking about. When we first met, I looked at your legs, and I definitely checked out your cleavage. I remember," he told her.
"Yeah, and people do that at first meetings. You trying to tell me you've never looked down JJ's shirt when you're working out together." She arched an eyebrow.
"No, not like that. You could probably describe her body better than I could. We're all human and notice each other, but I don't check out my colleagues like that. I can probably describe Matt's arms as well as I can describe Prentiss'." He tilted his head in contemplation. "Actually, probably better.
"So what you're saying is I'm not professional enough for you to respect at first glance." She was egging him on, but she couldn't stop herself.
"No, what I'm saying is that you are my type. You were confident, individual, and surly. We had chemistry the moment we met; you just decided to make it angry chemistry for a while. Your exes all look different, don't they? So maybe you don't really like my body type. Ever thought of that?"
"Have you seen your abs? Everybody likes your body type." She tilted her head to indicate she thought he was full of shit.
"Whatever. Do what makes you feel comfortable, but I guarantee you those people that love you enough to take their vacation with you don't actually care about your barely-there stretch marks all that much. Which by the way, a lot of people have." He shook his head, not believing he was having this argument.
"Honey, I am confident. I am. I know that I can get a date at a club if I felt like it. I know men check me out but, seriously, Babe, I just can't let people I know see me in only spandex underwear. I'd probably let them see me in lacy underwear. That's my sweet spot." She giggled.
His face broke out in a smile. "So what you're saying is it's just the swimsuit, not the body confidence?"
"Yes. I can look pretty seductive in my lingerie or a short dress, but swimsuits are another animal, so just leave it." She gestured to her chest. "Look at this coverup. It doesn't cover much at all, it's short, and my legs and thighs are on display, but the way it curves in makes my long legs look really nice. I'm confident in this outfit, okay?"
"Alright." He nodded, and his body language relaxed.
"But you know if you want me to walk around in my underwear and that black lace bra, then I will. I know everybody would like that." She smirked at him.
"Okay, you've made your point. Different fabrics and situations make you feel different. I understand. I am rarely confident in that ugly sweater and khakis my abuela insists on me wearing to church." He nodded.
"Okay, so can we go?" She watched him pick up her bag preparing to carry it for her. She put a hand on his chest as he came around the counter. "Luke, I didn't mean what I said about them wondering why you dated me. I was just being obnoxious. I know that you and I match pretty perfectly. I was just- all I'm saying is that if there were a model on your arm, nobody would think twice about her being there. I'm not selling myself short. I'm just saying, well I don't know what I'm saying." She gave him a sad smile.
He put his hands in her hair again and kissed her forehead letting his lips linger. "I still lo- still care about you, so please just don't make problems that don't exist." He felt her nod and let his chin brush against her forehead. "Let's head out."
She followed him through the kitchen and living room, and then, when they got to the porch, she switched out her regular glasses for sunglasses before hooking her arm through his. "One request though. Can I rub the sunscreen or oil or hell, butter on you? When we get to the beach later?"
He threw his head back laughing. "I'm going to require that or else you won't get your foot rub tonight."
She gasped in mock horror. "You wouldn't."
"Better not to test me." He winked as they made their way to the car to start their first full day of vacation.
I still have a crapload of stuff happening in my personal life but I will try to get updates out in a timely manner. However, I might try to get to my stories that have more follows or favs, first, so I make fewer readers wait that way. This one and Signals don't seem to be as popular so might be a longer wait than When or Cash. Thanks for reading! Sorry I've had no time to reply lately. I appreciate all of you.
Thanks BookDragon2013 for reading through a bunch of my stuff lately!