Page 15 of Nothing to Do

“No!” she said, pushing her upper body away from the lounger.

“I trust my instincts. I believe a relationship should progress, decisions should be made because they feel right and both parties are ready, not because of some arbitrary timeline.”

“I agree completely,” she said, her lips curling. “She loved you. I can feel sorry for her without judging you for your choice.” She laughed. “I have a lot of respect for her, for what it took to be with a man like you. You probably did her a favor.”

“Oh, did I?”

“Sure,” she said, appreciating the warmth he exuded. “A man like you in a place like this. Out in the middle of nowhere, sparse phone signal. I don’t know what the island is most of the year, but there’s a hotel, an exclusive, like seven-star hotel… I bet it’s filled with gorgeous, rich women all the time. It would take a very secure woman to be with a man living in the ocean surrounded by sirens.”

He laughed again. She adored the sound. Every single time she heard it, more of herself surrendered itself to him.

“Something you haven’t figured out about this guy yet,” he said, sitting up, pushing the table aside to set his feet on the terrace beneath them.

She sank onto her back. “What’s that?” she asked, arching her body, working her muscles.

Relaxing, she tilted her chin his way when he swooped over to sit on the edge of her lounger.

“When he commits, he goes all the way.”

Seductive claim. Either completely true or absolute bullshit, but he sold it well. He pinched her chin between a curled forefinger and the pad of his thumb. Before she could process, he bowed, and then…

His lips met hers, gentle; a delicate meeting, he gave her time to get used to him being there. And what did she do? Froze. How did—what did—oh, damn, she hadn’t expected this. Imagined it? Maybe. In her head. Not in reality.

Angling his head, he pushed harder, asking for more in the way his lips moved, beckoning hers to reply to his want.

He wanted her. That’s what he revealed. Exactly what she’d thought that morning he hadn’t shown her. His mouth. That mouth.

Dismissing her overthinking, impulse took control. No permission needed. Not from her consciousness. The texture of his shirt under her fingertips registered first. They slid up his chest, toward his throat. As she grazed a button and found his tee-shirt, she slipped her hand flat under his outer layer, testing the resistance of his chest beneath.

His muscles might be hard, yet there was a heat within him, passing her a soul-deep glow.

Oh, his mouth. It was hers. Right there, in that moment, it belonged to her. For those seconds, they were each other’s. Shewas kissing him back. More. She wanted more and didn’t want to sacrifice him to the world again. As soon as they stopped kissing, as soon as he took his mouth back and her hand slipped away, he’d be his own man again. Thea didn’t want that. She wanted—

When the truth hit her, she pushed him back. Goddamnit. She couldn’t even look him in the eye. Searching her own insanity, she pushed him further and jumped off the chaise.

“Thea,” he called. Grabbing her bag, she didn’t care about her shoes or the things she’d left behind. “Thea!”

She kept on going.

She snagged her laptop and left, Honi was waiting and didn’t ask any questions when she requested a ride to the hotel. Dinner was only a half hour away, time to get it together. Alessia would want to talk about her day with Roman.

Worrying her sister was the last thing she wanted. If she couldn’t get the incredulity from her head, Thea would be a walking billboard. She wanted him. Damn. Her attraction was obvious, and allowed, but to act on it…

A vacation fling would be one thing, but it hadn’t been that. The stirring in her gut evoked an awareness beyond basic sexual attraction. He was hot, a lot of women would be attracted to him. Why couldn’t she be one of those women who could use a guy for sex, then walk away without a second thought?

Casual sex. She had never been good at it. In college, she’d tried it. Even had a couple of one-night stands. After the initial thrill, it was horrible. Everything about it. From the awkward lying there pretending to sleep, wondering if she should leave, to the uncomfortable morning after and creeping home, she hated it.

People who could do it, great, well done, she didn’t judge. Many folks could go through partners and live it up, be spontaneous. She just wasn’t one of those people. She’d rather go without sex than do it just to pass the time.

A tropical island in the middle of the ocean was not the place to consider rethinking a life choice she’d stuck by for years. Dating was fun. Conversation great. Who didn’t like flirting and playing? And sex, yeah, she even liked sex. Often, when she was with someone.

She couldn’t do it. Already captivated, not only did she want to get physical with him, feelings were creeping in too.

Damnit. She should’ve known better than to spend two days talking and playing with such an alluring guy. What did she think would happen? They were supposed to work. Supposed to be focused on their occupations, not each other. What was with the food and the drinking? The laughing and sharing. It was nuts.

It took her a second to get out of the cart at the hotel.

Before she got up, she decided. That was it. She’d go back the following day to pick up her things and from then on, she’d work in her room. Alone. Without distractions… Without Zane.

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