Page 20 of Nothing to Do

It took him a second to catch up after she laid one on him. In true Zane fashion, he got with it quick smart. Stooping, he hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her body to his, taking control, giving her his confidence.

That was it there. The pressure of his mouth, the joining of their tongues, right there in his kiss was all the optimism she’d ever need.

Planting her hands, she pushed him away. “Thank you.”

Leaping backward, she slammed the bedroom door in his face and ran over to grab her mini wrap dress from the hanger. It had spaghetti straps, and the chiffon was just transparent enough to tease what was beneath. Not that she had much left to tease, he’d just seen her underwear.

Dating on a practically deserted island had its perks. No need to worry about cash or a purse. There was nowhere to spend money and no cellphone signal. She could take one for lip gloss, but that seemed ridiculous. A whole purse for one tube? Hmm, if there was a chance her bra would come off, she couldn’t just slip it into her cleavage.

Almost at the door, she paused and whirled around to rush back to her cosmetics. Grabbing for her lip gloss, she stuffed the tube into her cleavage. Bra was staying on. Decision made.

In the hallway, she caught the bewildered Zane’s hand.

“Ready?” he asked, a glimmer of amusement behind his confusion.

“Yes,” she said, smiling up at him like she hadn’t done anything peculiar at all. “Let’s go.”

One step forward, he pulled her back.

“Not that way,” he said, drawing her away from the typical route to the main hotel. “Down here.”

“I have never been this way.”

“Dating me, you’ll get to know all the secrets,” he said, guiding her to a door at the end of the hallway she’d never noticed.

Unlocking it with his thumbprint, he led them through foliage encroaching on an external path to a small concretesquare. Ah, hmm, a bunch of carts were parked in rows like this was their depot area.

Zane led her to one and helped her into the passenger side. It was thumbprint enabled too and started without a hitch. When he drove them out of the lot onto the road, she had to grab for the frame. This guy liked speed, apparently.

“You know, I could just loop around and take you home. Unless you want me to take you out some time.”

“What?”

He flashed her a grin. “I’m asking you out. Everything’s backwards, so I figured that’s where we’re at.”

“Backwards?”

“I saw you naked, then kissed you, then I got to pick you up… so it must be time to ask you out.” Yeah, well, when he put it that way. “Are you okay?”

“Am I…? Yes. I’m okay… Why do you think I’m not okay?”

“You came out in your underwear and asked me to kiss you.”

At the time, he didn’t seem to have a problem.

His query put a smile on her face. “And you’re complaining about that? What kind of date are you?”

“Is that what you were doing? Getting the awkward doorstep moment over with?”

“Awkward?” she asked, playing to his teasing. “I’m never awkward on the doorstep.”

“Never?”

“No.”

“What if you want a guy to kiss you and—no, wait, scratch that. I’ve experienced what you do if you want it and a guy isn’t delivering.”

“I’m not shy in asking for what I want. Any man is at liberty to say no.”

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