Page 16 of Faking It at Sea

Oh, no. There was no way I was letting that attitude stand. I gripped her hips tighter and slid forward on the seat, pressing the undeniable evidence of my attraction against her backside.

Her soft gasp was the best sound I’d heard all day.

I leaned in, bringing my lips close to her ear. “Now do you understand my dilemma?”

Her head bobbed up and down twice.

“If this makes you uncomfortable?—”

June shook her head. “It’s fine,” she rushed out. “We’re both adults.”

True, but I was apparently more primitive than she was, judging by the way my hands itched to explore her luscious curves. I swallowed hard and tried to think of anything that would return the flow of blood to my brain.

A cold shower? Nope, because then my gutter-bound mind just pictured her naked with water cascading down her body.

Baseball? I couldn’t even remember the rules of the game with the sweet, green apple scent of her shampoo invading my senses.

What about numbers? That was one thing that used to help, about a million years ago.

I started listing off prime numbers in my head.2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19...I made it to 223 before the tour guide finished his safety brief and everyone fired up their engines.

It got easier after that, thankfully. And since I wasn’t the one driving, I could distract myself with our surroundings rather than focusing on the need coiling inside me.

Nassau was crawling with people, as was every place we stopped, but it was also vibrant and steeped in history. We visited an old rum cake factory, a small stone fort on the eastern shore, and the Queen’s Staircase, a structure dating back to the 1700s in which every step was carved out of solid limestone.

In truth, it was an interesting tour. After our first stop, I offered to drive so June could check out the scenery, but she refused. She also didn’t seem as interested in sightseeing as I thought she would be. Tension had her shoulders pulled tight, and every time we climbed back on the four-wheeler, despite my warning before I reached out, she jolted at my touch.

Was it a flinch or something else? I couldn’t tell and getting that reaction from her more than once did more to quell my hunger than anything.

It was entirely possible the woman wasn’t interested in me at all. She was stubborn, independent, and I was just a means to an end. A tool to keep her blonde bestie from playing matchmaker.

That was what I’d convinced myself of by the time the tour left the paved and cobblestone streets and hit the dirt. After that, I found myself gripping her hips not because the tour guide said I had to and not because I wanted to. It was because the sight of the dirt flying past, along with the rest of the lush landscape, reawakened a fear that had lain dormant for years.

My chest tightened like everything inside was being squeezed by an invisible fist. I broke out in a cold sweat despite the heat. And I ended up focusing on the back of June’s neck and the way her off-white bikini top tie dug into her tanned skin just so I wouldn’t have the visual reminders of my crash.

This was precisely the reason I built road bikes and stuck to the pavement.

The steady growl of the engine slowed, and June turned to look over her shoulder at me. “Hey, are you okay?”

I gritted my teeth and forced my gaze up. “Peachy.”

“Wow. You suck at lying. Are you going to be sick?”

I shook my head. At least, I was pretty sure my anxiety wouldn’t get that bad. I just needed a minute to get my shit together.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, worry lacing the question.

“Nothing. I’m good.”

She brought us to a stop and twisted around to get a better look at me. “If it’s nothing, then why are your fingers digging into my hips hard enough to leave bruises?”

Shit.

I loosened my grip the instant the words were out of her mouth. She was right. From the twinge in my knuckles, I’d been holding onto her for dear life. “Sorry. Just having a moment.”

She eyed me for a beat before understanding rearranged her delicate features. “Your accident,” she breathed. “Jesus, I am such an idiot. I’m so sorry.”

I let my gaze dip to her lips without answering. It was too hard to look her in the eye. No one wanted to admit to weakness like this.

---