Page 87 of Ask Me Something

Chapter Eighteen

Icouldn’t believe we had finally escaped to paradise. Ever since booking this vacation, I’d felt the weeks drag while waiting for it.

My parents had come up for their weekend in New York, which had been a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the weather had been brutally cold, so most of our activities had been indoors. Ironically, after my speed dating disaster that had included the man who wanted to be a flying monkey in Wicked, we’d gone to see that very Broadway musical.

The best news came during the week before my vacation when my team got called in for a final pitch with Tryon Pharmaceuticals. In my opinion, it had gone great, but we awaited their final decision. This trip was near perfect timing since there was nothing to do but wait anyhow.

Brian and I scheduled our flights to arrive twenty minutes apart. Once we met up, we made our way to a beautiful resort in Aruba in the back seat of a sedan. The sun felt good after a particularly long, cold winter in New York. The calendar might say spring, but the city had yet to recognize the fact that in a week we’d be heading into April.

“What did you want to do first?” Brian asked, massaging a finger over my knuckles while holding my hand.

“Hmm, the pool looked amazing online, or we could check out one of the four restaurants, or…” I purposefully played coy, enjoying the flirting.

“I vote for or….” he replied playfully.

I laughed. Brian and I had been consistent in seeing one another every two weeks, but those had been short meet ups. The thought of a full week together left me feeling anxious. I’d never spent this amount of time with a man and wondered if we’d run out of things to talk about or would end up on one another’s nerves. Although a full week of having sex could be interesting, as three months in our appetite for one another only seemed stronger.

He was of like mind, leaning in to whisper, “Oh, do I have plans for us this week.”

His promise gave me goose bumps, and I found myself buzzing with anticipation to get up to the room. Maybe I really could put work away for a few days, and we’d be able to decompress and relax.

Once we arrived, we were whisked to the front desk, given a couple fruity cocktails, all-inclusive bracelets, and then shown to our suite. The moment the door closed, he was on me.

“These last two weeks have felt like two months,” he muttered, unbuttoning my blouse.

My hands skimmed up his chest; I was anxious to feel his skin. “I’m guessing you don’t want to go to the pool first?”

He smiled. “You are as smart as you are beautiful. Now wrap your legs around me.”

* * *

We showeredafter our quickie and then took time to explore the room, which was a spacious one-bedroom suite. There was a beautiful view of the ocean and a balcony on which I couldn’t wait to have coffee in the morning. The large tub held promise for how we could spend an evening or two as well.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to wait for you?” Brian hesitated after grabbing his sunglasses and tablet, ready to go to the pool.

I had a surprise for him and figured the best way to pull it off would be for him to go down before me.

“No, no, go on. I’m finishing up an email to my sister about my parents’ anniversary party in a few weeks. I need to send her money for my half. Then I’ll meet you out there. Get a good spot and a margarita for me.” I fired up my laptop to prove my intention.

He gave me a quick kiss and stopped at the door. “See you down there.”

The minute the door closed, I sent my reply to Addison and used PayPal for my half of the party to be held at her husband’s country club. It was going to be pricey, but I wouldn’t expect anything else from my sister.

After that was finished, I jumped up and pulled the barely-there bikini from my suitcase. I couldn’t wait to see Brian’s reaction to this number. It was a bright coral with gold rings between the cups of the bikini top and on the sides of the scraps that made up the front and back. I looked one last time in the mirror, thinking my ass looked exceptionally good in the low-cut back. Throwing on a white mesh cover-up, matching wedged sandals, and sunglasses, I pulled it all together.

Arriving poolside, I grinned when I saw him across the way. He was under a beach umbrella with his back to me. He was so handsome, I thought, approaching him from the side and looking at his body in only his swim shorts. His chest and arms looked exceptionally good. I walked over and slipped into the seat beside him.

“That was quick,” he said, barely looking over while fiddling with his tablet, most likely trying to get the Wi-Fi to work.

I got settled in my chair. “Yes, easier than talking to her. Thanks for ordering my drink.” I sipped the margarita that was waiting on the small table between us. “Did you want to do a snack, too?” I glanced over the little laminated menu.

He shrugged. “Sure. I made dinner reservations for seven o’clock this evening. A snack in the meantime would be good. Do you want me to go over to the grill and get it?”

“Nah, I’ll do it. Be right back.” I stood up, angled behind his line of sight, and tugged off my cover-up.

Smiling, I bent down briefly and kissed him on the cheek. I then sashayed over to the grill across the pool. I hoped by now he’d noticed. If I wasn’t mistaken, he wasn’t the only one. Swallowing down the unease of having the attention, I reminded myself this was for him. I placed my order and was told they would bring it to our chairs soon.

Making my way back, I kept my eyes on Brian, who clearly was no longer reading his device but was watching me intently, his face completely unreadable. Well, that was disappointing. But as I got closer, I could see his eyes, and those told me all I needed to know. Taking my seat beside him, I saw lust, appreciation, and a heavy dose of irritation.

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