One Hot Secret by Sarah J. Brooks

Chapter 21

Grace

Every time I take a break from my work and look around, I smile at my surroundings. The sunroom is perfect for painting. The light is unbelievable with the sun casting gold rays into the room. I take a look at the progress I’ve made on the piece I’m working on, and satisfaction settles in me.

My muscles are achy, though, and I stand up to stretch. As I do so, I catch a glimpse of my phone blinking with a message. It has been on silent. I wasn’t expecting any calls or messages from Kyle. He and Chris were going to meet Damon King, the guy that Kyle is playing in his next movie. I’ve heard of him, and so has every firefighter. It’s a sad tale and a reminder of how dangerous our job can get.

It’s already one o’clock, and the beginnings of hunger pangs come over my stomach. I swipe to read the message and smile when I see that it’s from my mom. My smile turns into a frown when I see that it’s not in fact a message but the URL of a website. She has sent me several of them ever since she learned that Jack was Kyle Bryce, and I can’t think of a nice way to tell her to stop. I click on the URL, and it takes me to a celebrity gossip website.

Movie Star dating twins!the headline screams, and it goes on to describe how Kyle was having an affair with identical twins. It’s the most ridiculous story, and I don’t give it a second thought as I return my phone to the stool and head downstairs.

The house is quiet, but as I near the kitchen, the sounds of clinking dishes and running water replace the silence. Maria is in the kitchen, and she smiles at me when I enter.

“I was hoping you would come down for lunch,” she says and opens the oven.

The scent of grilled fish leaves the oven, perfuming the room.

“Thanks for making lunch,” I tell her as I slide onto a stool. Guilt suddenly comes over me. Maria’s job is to look after Kyle, not me. “You don’t have to go to the trouble, though. I could have grabbed a sandwich.”

“It’s no trouble. I cook lunch every day, and I love it. It’s the main part of my job, you know,” she says.

Lunch is a green salad and baked salmon. I fork my salmon, and it flakes. It’s the most perfectly cooked salmon I’ve ever tasted. It’s moist, and it melts in my mouth. Meanwhile, Maria is watching me to see my reaction.

“Perfect. Maria, you ought to be in the kitchen of a five-star hotel.” I’m not flattering her. She’s an awesome cook.

She beams. “Thank you. I’m glad you like it. There’s nothing like cooking for someone who appreciates good food. My husband Carlos doesn’t care what I cook as long as it’s edible.” She shakes her head sadly, and I laugh.

We chat easily as I eat. It’s a hot day and filling my belly with food makes me feel even hotter. Remembering what Kyle said about privacy, I decide to take a swim after lunch. It also helps that only Maria is in the house.

I thank her again and return upstairs to grab a bathing suit. I choose a rather daring hot pink bikini, and minutes later, I’m headed downstairs. There’s a changing room by the pool, and I strip off and change into my bikini. I grab a towel and head to the pool.

The water is as blue as the sky, inviting me to sink my hot body in. I slowly go down the steps that lead into the shallow end, and inch by inch, my body is submerged in the cool water. Heaven. I swim lazily along the pool’s length, and with every stroke, tension leaves my muscles. I could get used to this, I think to myself, as I swim back and forth. My mind is empty of all thought, except for the movement of my hands and feet.

After my swim, I lie down on my towel by the side of the pool, and as I’m dozing off, I sense a presence. Startled, I open my eyes and see a shadow over me. I’m about to scream when I recognize Kyle’s face.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to frighten you,” he says and squats. He kisses me on my wet lips.

“It’s fine, as long as it’s you,” I tell him, inhaling the scent of him. “I expected you a little later.”

“We finished earlier than expected,” Kyle says. “It was an emotional meeting, and afterward, I just wanted to come home.”

I peer into his face. He does look exhausted. “Join me?”

He glances at the pool and then back at me, his gaze rippling down my bikini-clad body. “That’s the most tempting offer I’ve had all day.”

“I hope it’s the only offer of that nature that you’ve had,” I tease him.

“If there was I’d not have noticed. The moment I left this morning, all I could think about was coming back to you,” Kyle says.

My breath hitches. The things he says. They make me want to give all of myself to him, but the part of me that’s been careful all my life reminds me of the danger of loving him.

He kisses me again and heads to the changing room. Happiness buzzes through me. For once in my life, I feel as if all the parts are coming together. My career is beginning, something I didn’t expect to happen for the next five years. My love life is the most exciting it’s ever been, and I feel as if I’m finally confronting my past and coming to terms with it.

Heat sizzles over me as Kyle returns wearing a pair of black swimming trunks that outline his cock as he walks. He arranges his towel next to mine, but instead of joining me, he goes to the edge of the deep end and dives neatly into the pool. I sit up to watch him as he does several laps.

His stroke is strong and sure, and it’s a treat to watch him move effortlessly through the water. Ten minutes later, he swims to the edge and lifts himself out of the pool.

Kyle collapses beside me, drapes an arm on my waist, and pulls me close.

“You’re cold,” I shriek and try to pull away.

Kyle is too strong for me, and despite my wriggling, I’m soon squashed up against his hard body.

“And you’re hot,” he murmurs before bringing his lips to mine.

I forget how cold he is as his tongue coaxes my mouth open, tangling with mine, and shocks of pleasure go all the way to my toes. Arousal floods me, but I keep my hands on his shoulders, aware that we are not enclosed by four walls.

Kyle pulls his lips away and stares into my eyes. “I’m so glad you’re in my life, Grace.”

“I’m glad you’re in my life too.”

He plants a noisy kiss on my nose, and his ticklish mustache makes me giggle.

“Tell me how the meeting went,” I asked him.

“It was … sad. Damon King still carries this aura of sadness,” Kyle says, a thoughtful look on his face.

“I bet the whole town does. Maybe this movie will help them bury the ghosts of the past.”

He tells me about the conversation he and Damon King had and the impact meeting him would have on his portrayal of the firefighter. It’s intriguing to listen to the process that culminates in his spellbinding performances on screen.

“Which reminds me, there is an awards ceremony coming up in a few days,” Kyle says. “I’d love it if you were my date.”

I go still and stare at him questioningly. Has he forgotten what he said about keeping our relationship under the media’s radar?

He reaches out to caress my cheek. “I want to share that moment with you.”

Everything in me rebels against the idea. I don’t want to be at an awards ceremony with Kyle. That feels like playing with fire, and I want the anonymity we’re enjoying to continue as long as possible.

“Can I give you an answer in a few days?” I ask him, buying time.

A look of disappointment flashes in his eyes, but he nods. “Fair enough.”

I remember the link my mother sent me containing Kyle’s alleged affair with twins. I tell him that story hoping to make him laugh at the ridiculousness of it.

“It’s crazy,” he says. “They write it and pass it off as facts. I have lawyers on monthly retainers to take care of all the false stories that appear in the media about me. Some can be pretty harmful.”

“How do you rise above it?” I look at him in admiration.

“I focus on things I can control, like my performance. Anything else, like negative comments and the hatred, I toss out the window. It’s noise.”

I nod, but I seriously don’t get how he can be so casual about it. I imagine untruths published about me, and I know I wouldn’t be so gracious about it.

“Let’s go for one more swim before we go in,” he says and jumps to his feet. He offers me his hand, and I take it.

We pad to the steps of the pool, and Kyle lets me go in first. I shiver at the shock of the cold water, having become completely dry. I let out a little yelp as Kyle jumps into the water, splashing me.

He comes to me and pulls me against him. His hands drop to my hips before going to cup my ass and grounding me against his very obvious arousal. I run my hands over his barrel of a chest, loving the ripple of muscle underneath his skin. I raise my head, and his lips meet mine in a sultry kiss that makes me forget where I am.

Underneath the water, his hands cup my breasts and squeeze them. I moan into his mouth and arch my chest into his hands. I’m overwhelmed by sensations as he kisses me with a hunger that leaves me breathless. I kiss him back with wild abandon. He dips his hands under my bikini top and rolls my nipples between his fingers. I cry out from the almost unbearable sensation. “Kyle!” I want more. I reach between us and cup his steel-hard cock over his swimming trunks.

One hand drops from my chest and pulls his cock from the confines of his swimming trunks. He returns his hands to my achy nipples, and I greedily wrap my hand around his massive cock and stroke it.

I love the tortured sounds that are coming from him. “Fuck, Grace, this is so hot. I want to fuck you. Now,” he growls.

I’m feeling daring, and like Kyle, I can’t wait. I want to feel his huge thick cock inside me.

“I want you to fuck me now,” I tell him.

I wrap my legs around him, and he moves us to the edge of the pool. He kisses me again, and with his hands, he pulls my bikini bottom to one side and brings his cock to the entrance of my pussy.

Madness, my voice of reason says, but I don’t pay any attention to it. I can’t pay any attention to it. I need him too much. Then he plunges his cock inside me, and it is heaven. I whimper into his mouth and cling to him as if I’m drowning, and he’s the one keeping me afloat.

He thrusts into me hard, pushing back my walls and filling me completely. All it takes is a few hard thrusts, and we’re both coming, all without moving our lips from each other.

When it’s over, we gaze at each other and laugh. Then he brings his forehead to mine, and we sit like that for a few minutes as we catch our breaths.