Page 62 of Nothing to Do

“I don’t think you’d have to tell her anything,” she said, lifting her head enough to brush her cheek back and forth against him. “If the Great Zane Dyce—”

“I’m not the Great anything.”

Pushing higher, she met his eye. “I disagree.” Boosting a little more, she kissed him. “It’s kind of becoming my catchphrase but…”

Concern met his expression. “But…?”

“I have to apologize to you again.”

After an inhale of laughter, he sighed. “No more apologies, please. You have nothing to be sorry for.” He tucked her hair back from her face. “You never have to be sorry.”

“I blew you off earlier.” Nice as it was to say there was no need, she wouldn’t settle until it was out there. “You said you can live and work anywhere.”

“I did.”

“And I guess an alarm went off in my head.”

“An alarm?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to talk about the future or that I don’t want us to have one…” She squinted. “That was what you were talking about, right?”

Another laugh. “Yes.”

“Good, okay.” She puffed out a breath and sat up. “We live like two thousand miles apart. And that’s if you’re in California. It’s probably twice that if we’re talking about here.”

“Distance doesn’t matter.”

“Exactly,” she said, laying both hands on his chest to keep him still when he shifted. “I’d like to…” And this was the crescendo moment, that had to be why her pulse kicked up again. “Maybe see where this can go.” It took a few seconds, but he did smile. Wasn’t exactly an exuberant response. Huh, maybe she’d overplayed the hand. “If… you want to…”

And if he didn’t, she was the fool who’d just embarrassed herself by stalking him to his bed and declaring her commitment. Crazy person. She’d be shuttled off the island probably as soon as the sun rose.

“Thea—”

“Do you think I’m a money-grubbing slut?”

His lips thinned. “Do you want money?”

“No!”

“Then how can you be a money-grubbing slut?” He wasn’t making this easy on her. Linking their hands, he sat up with her.“I’m okay if you’re a slut, because I’m one. Or I will be with you. As long as we’re talking about being exclusive sluts.”

His twist of amusement relaxed her.

“And they say romance is dead.”

He laughed and drove his fingers into her hair. “Wanderer, I want to see where this goes too. This doesn’t end with the island, we’ll figure it out when the time comes.”

Plans for real life back on the continent were a world away. For the time being, this was their domain, and it gave her everything she needed… everything she desired.

TWENTY-ONE

SO THEY DID get to the corporate suite, but only because she snuck out while he was on a call.

Being with him, being his, it was a dream, so normal and natural while at the same time the most exhilarating period of her life. Sinking into him, losing herself in them, might be tempting, but losing her job to lie in bed with her super-hot guy might be more than a little stupid.

She didn’t see a whole lot of Alessia, but Roman was keeping his distance, or so she’d been told. Four days and nights went by. No, there wasn’t a whole helluva lot of work done, but she made progress, which was something. Or so she told herself.

That night they were having dinner on the beach. Not alone. A cookout on the largest beach beckoned all. Equidistant between the corporate suite and the resort hotel, they hadn’t visited there before though Zane said it was one of the most popular spots.

---