“God, I’m so sorry. They never told me about the marriage stuff either. Not outright anyway. Not until I turned sixteen. And then that’s all they talked about.”

“But your brother made sure that day never happened. Well.” James stops to correct himself. “No, that’s not true. You took care of it yourself, really. But either way, the gloomy sunset day was like… an ending to the bad things. That’s what I told myself. And then the day I finally decided to ask you your name, I wanted it to be dawn instead of dusk. I didn’t want it to be an ending, I wanted it to be a beginning.”

I picture him in his sorrow on the beach. “I was sad too. Missing my brother so bad my chest hurt all the time, and I used to hold that bottle of pills so tightly in my hand, I’d have sore arms the next day.”

“But you never took them. I used to count them every night.”

What? I’m back from the moment and I need more answers about this surveillance he was doing. “Who sent you to the beach?”

“Your father.”

“So he was watching me.”

“Probably.”

“You were watching me for him?”

“I guess. It was not a job. I was on leave. And I never reported to him. Not one thing I did on that beach was reported.”

I’m silent for a long time. Long stretches of minutes go by and the only thing that registers is the feeling of James playing with my ni**les. Every now and then he squeezes a bit and the now-familiar wet feeling between my legs makes me squirm.

“Do you want me to keep going?” he finally asks.

“Will I want to hear the rest?”

“I’m not sure, to be honest.”

“Do you want me to know the rest?”

“Yes, I do. I have wanted to say these things to you since the day under the pier.”

I tip my chin up so I can see him better and nod. “OK.”

“I followed you home after the sunset. I broke into your apartment that night. And every single night thereafter. I watched you—” And as soon as he says this part, his hand slides into my shorts and slips down to play with my pu**y.

“Did you touch me?” I ask, my breath becoming faster as his fingers begin to explore my folds. “Or did you just watch?”

“I touched you.”

“Where?” I slip my hand inside my shorts and begin to caress my clit in slow circles. “Here?”

“No,” James says softly. And then he pulls his hand out of my pants and brings it to my lips. “Here.” His fingertip traces the curve of my lip again, like he was doing earlier. But this time it’s slick with my own juices.

“Did I suck you?”

“I wish,” he laughs. “No. I was afraid to wake you, so it was a very small touch.”

“Did I ever moan?”

“Yes. It drove me crazy.”

“Did you want to f**k me?”

He slides his hand back into my shorts and leans down to whisper in my ear. “I dreamed about f**king you. Every night.”

“Did you masturbate as I slept?”

“Yes,” he whispers.

“Show me,” I whisper back.

He draws in a sharp breath, staring down at me. “Sit up on your knees,” he commands.

I get up, my heart beating faster at the prospect of watching him.

“Take off your shirt.”

I grab the hem of my shirt and pull it up over my head as he unfastens his pants. His dick is so hard it springs forth once the confining fabric releases it.

“Take off your shorts.”

I stand up, unbutton them, and let them slide down my legs.

He takes his shirt off and then stands up next to me and lets his pants drop before sitting back down. “Kneel and put your head here,” he says, patting the top of his thigh. I never stop looking him in the eyes as I kneel and lay my head on his leg and my hands automatically begin to stroke his muscled calf. His c**k is only a few inches away and I want to put it in my mouth so bad I tremble.

But then his large hand grabs hold of the shaft and begins to pump. I watch as he grows even bigger and it scares and excites me at the same time to think of that inside me. After a few strokes he stops. “Get it wet for me, Harper.”

I raise my eyebrows.

“Suck it.”

OK, sucking I can do. I lean forward and touch the tip of my tongue to his head, licking off the pearl of wetness that has already gathered there.

“Deeper, baby,” he says through a moan.

I open wider to take in more and then his hand is on my head, forcing his c**k down my throat. I breathe through it like he taught me last time he did this.

“Good girl. You’re a very good girl.” But his pressure increases as soon as the words are out and I gag. He doesn’t let up and my mouth fills up with saliva. He grabs my hair and pulls my head back. “Make my dick wet.” The pooling saliva drips out of my mouth and onto his cock, then slides down towards his balls. “Rest your head back on my leg, Harper. Relax now, and watch.”

I do relax. His c**k is slick with my saliva and he pumps it in long strokes. I can tell he’s squeezing hard by the way he groans when his hand fists the top of his head. When I look up at him, he’s staring at me. “I did this in front of you when you slept sometimes.”

“Did you want to stick it in my mouth?”

“No.” He smiles when I have a look of surprise on my face. “No, I always fantasized about you waking up and watching me and then you’d stick your fingers in your pu**y and we’d masturbate together, coming at the same time.”