Page 16 of Six Nights in Paradise

“Don’t play dumb with me. Ninety percent of your ass is on display for anyone to see.”

His chest was heaving and so was mine, but his breath was coming hard and fast from anger, mine from arousal. Or maybe it was the other way around. He looked at me like he wanted to spank my ass and send me to bed for being defiant.Or so he could ravage me.The heated look in his eyes had my thighs clamping together, but his words made me spitting mad.Who the fuck does he think he is?

“It’s a bathing suit,” I seethed.

“It’s a thong,” he snapped.

“Wrong,” I countered. “They’re Brazilian cut,” I corrected him.

His eyes flashed down my body and I knew what he was thinking. Was there anything else on my lower body that wasBrazilian?

“You’re practically naked,” he growled, and the sound sent a pulse of arousal straight to my core. He leaned in closer, bracing his palm against the wall behind me. My heartbeat skyrocketed, the anticipation of a kiss stealing my already panting breath. “The only thing Ican’tsee is your ass crack.”

His crass statement should have smothered the flames of my lust, but all it did was fan them. I had to bite my tongue so I wouldn’t ask if he wanted to see that, too.

His eyes moved to my mouth and I realized it wasn’t my tongue I was biting, but my lip. He closed his eyes and leaned away from me, removing his hands from the wall. Taking a step back, he let out a pent-up breath and scrubbed his hands over his face.

“I thought after what happened the other day, you’d be more careful about how much of your,” he stumbled for a second, swallowing thickly against what he wanted to say, “body you put on display.”

I scowled and shoved past him. I wasn’t going to let him shame me for wearing what I wanted. It didn’t matter what his reasoning was, whether it was because of my brother or his misguided need to protect me. There was no way I was changing for him. If someone wanted to look at the perky little ass I worked hard for, let them. Look, but don’t touch. That was my policy.

Except when it came to Dalton.

I flopped back down in my chair and shoved my sunglasses back down over my eyes. I was pouting. He made me feel small and self-conscious, and damn if that didn’t turn me into even more of a brat. Maybe tomorrow, Iwouldwear a thong. And go topless. See how he liked that.

He sidled up next to my chair and stared out at the ocean. I sat as still as a statue waiting to hear what he had to say. He took in a breath like he was preparing to speak, then let it out on a long sigh. Shaking his head, he walked into the ocean and dove under the water.

I adjusted my chair so it was flat and flopped over onto my stomach. It was time to turn over anyway, but it was also a satisfying way of giving him the middle finger by showing the barely covered ass cheeks he was just complaining about.

***

Dalton

I screwed up. Son of a bitch, I couldn’t get anything right. Why did I have to open my big mouth and criticize Taylor’s swimsuit?

I supposed because it was either that or rip it off her body and bend her over so I could see what lay hidden beneath that tiny scrap of fabric.

Why was I suddenly acting like a close-minded caveman? That wasn’t me. I didn’t tell women what they could and couldn’t wear, so why was I treating Taylor like that? Maybe it was because I felt responsible for her. Aiden asked me to look after her and keep her safe, and I was afraid some dirtbag would get the wrong idea and try something with her if she was too exposed.

The more likely explanation was one I didn’t want to admit. I wanted her for myself. I wanted to be theonlyone who got to see her like that. I wanted to be the only person with access to her most intimate parts. But she was off limits. Aiden made that perfectly clear.

When I saw that little bikini, I almost crossed that line and kissed her. With the tension between us multiplying every day, we would never make it through the rest of this trip without either killing each other or ending up in bed. I was screwed. We needed to put some distance between us. Maybe I could fly home early and let her enjoy the rest of this trip in peace.

Scratch that. I’d never leave her by herself in a foreign country. I’d already tried sleeping somewhere other than her bed, and all that accomplished was giving me a daily case of blue balls as a wake-up call. She invaded my dreams every night, so I couldn’t even get a reprieve when I was asleep. Something had to give.

I was afraid we would explode like a firecracker shot into the air on the fourth of July, arcing until suddenly there were sparks and the night sky was momentarily on fire.

Taylor

I was being sneaky.

Dalton was in the shower, so it was the perfect time to slip out of the villa undetected to do my own thing. After our heated conversation about my choice of swimwear, I stayed out on the beach most of the day, alternating between sunbathing and prancing around in the sand and water. It may have been a teeny, tiny bit intentional just to get under Dalton’s skin, but I was still a bit salty about the whole thing. I finally came inside in the late afternoon, took a shower, and got ready. I spent a little extra time on my makeup and slipped on my favorite sundress. It was time to go exploring without my warden, and I wanted to look nice in case I encountered a man less concerned with policing my wardrobe and more concerned with getting underneath it.

I slid my feet into my sandals and grabbed my wristlet, slipping quietly out the door. My first stop was to the little shop with the shoes I was gushing over last night. I went inside, found my size, and bought them along with some locally made, handcrafted jewelry. When my stomach started to growl, I stopped at a little shack-like restaurant and ordered shrimp tacos. My phone buzzed with a new message and I glanced at the screen.

Dalton: Where are you?

Me: Out.

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