Page 9 of Six Nights in Paradise

We were both exhausted from our flight and decided to turn in for the night. I let my gaze travel over Dalton’s bare back when he removed his shirt for bed.Dear Lord, he sleeps shirtless?I noticed his skin was tinged pink and I frowned.

“It looks like you got a little burnt today.” He twisted around, trying to see his shoulders. He pressed a finger to his skin and it blanched.

“Huh, guess I did,” he agreed. “We were only out there for an hour or so.”

“We’re a lot closer to the equator down here so it doesn’t take as long. How does mine look?” I turned my back to him and swept my hair over my shoulder so he could examine my skin. I could hear his sharp intake of air even from across the room and quickly realized my mistake. He padded over to me, the soft thud of his bare feet audible in the otherwise silent room. Goosebumps pebbled my arms as he brushed a few stray pieces of hair I’d missed over my shoulder.

“Looks okay to me.” His voice was low and full of gravel. “How did you manage not to get burnt when I did?”

I kept my back to him, unable to look him in the eye. I knew he’d see the desire in mine, and I wasn’t interested in being rejected by the same guy twice. “I’ve already been out in the sun quite a bit this year. I have a pretty decent base tan,” I explained, hoping he couldn’t hear the shaking in my voice. He was standing right behind me and his close proximity was doing funny things to my insides. “We’d both better wear sunscreen tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” he agreed absently.

“I have some aloe gel in my bag if you’d like to use it,” I offered once he finally stepped away and the scent of his skin wasn’t invading my nose and subsequently turning my brain to mush.

“Thanks. That would be great.”

I retrieved the big bottle of blue goo and handed it to Dalton. He applied it to his shoulders and the top of his back, but kept missing a deepening pink area between his shoulder blades.

“Here, you missed a spot.” I held out my hand, requesting the bottle back. He turned and looked at me quizzically before passing it to me. I squirted a little onto my fingers and pressed them to the tender skin. He hissed from the cold gel, but it warmed quickly from the heat radiating off his body. I reveled in the sensation of his smooth skin under my hands, the muscles of his toned back flexing and stretching. I wanted to keep touching him, but I had no reason to. His entire back was coated and now it was time to let it absorb. I reluctantly pulled my hand away and took a step back.

“There,” I announced with finality. “Should be all better by tomorrow.”

“Thank you.” His soft, appreciative eyes landed on me and I gulped. His torso was perfection. He was all hard slabs of carved muscle. His abs flexed as I raked my gaze over them before locking on the grey sweatpants settled low on his hips. My mouth watered and I yearned to run my tongue over every deep-cut ridge of his stomach.

“No problem,” I mumbled absently. His soft chuckle pulled me from my perusal of his body and my face flamed. He caught me. I was totally just checking him out and I got busted.Shit. “I’m gonna get changed for bed,” I said quickly, grabbing my clothes and escaping to the restroom. I washed my face and brushed my teeth before slipping on my yoga shorts and my brother’s decade-old debate team tee shirt. It was several sizes too big, the cotton extra soft from years of wear and multiple washes, making it more comfortable than any pajamas I’d ever owned.

I slipped under the covers quickly upon my return to the bedroom. Dalton had turned out all the lights except for the lamp on his bedside table. He was reading something, but set it down when I came in. He walked silently to the bathroom, returning a few minutes later. He switched off the lamp and slid into bed.

“Goodnight, Taylor.” The minty scent of toothpaste wafted across the bed and I licked my lips, wishing it was his lips instead of mine.

“Goodnight,” I whispered and pulled the covers up to my chin. I could do this. I was a mature adult sharing a room with another mature adult. He didn’t think of me like that, so I had nothing to worry about.Yeah, right.

***

A warm hand slid beneath the loose material of my shirt and splayed across my stomach. My synapses fired to life and my eyes sprung open. I was still in the villa and there was a hot, hard body pressed against my back.Dalton. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to wake up from this dream. There was no way this was really happening, and I didn’t want it to go too far because I’d just be disappointed when I awoke.

He groaned and dug his erection into me, the hard ridge pressing against the soft globe of my ass. A soft moan fell from my lips and I couldn’t decide if I wanted him to slide his hand higher or lower. He made the decision for me. His fingers brushed the underside of my breast and I bit down on my lip to keep from making too much noise. He buried his nose in my hair and kissed my neck, his hand coming up to fully cup my breast. He squeezed and rolled the nipple between his thumb and forefinger and I arched into his touch.

“Dalton,” the whisper fell from my lips and he froze. He didn’t move for several seconds. Then he cursed and scrambled away from me like he’d been burned. like I was made from lava. I sat up on my elbows, watching him in confusion.

“Shit, Taylor. I’m so sorry!”

What?!

“I was dreaming,” he blurted out frantically. “I didn’t realize it was you.”

My heart sank. He’d been dreaming of someone else, probably his ex-fiancé, while he was touching me. I sat up all the way as he jumped out of bed, pulling frustrated hands through his hair. He was distraught. He was distraught because he felt me up and ground his rock-hard cock against my body, imagining I was someone else. An ache settled into my chest. He would never see me as anything other than Aiden’s little sister. Nothing about me did anything for him. I would never be good enough to garner his attention.

I got out of bed, intent on escaping to the bathroom before the tears began to fall, but Dalton’s voice stopped me. He came up behind me and placed his hands on my arms. I fought back the urge to throw them off and storm out.

“I didn’t mean to do that. I really am sorry.”

I took a deep breath, regained my composure, and turned to him. “Not a big deal,” I assured him falsely. “It happens.” I shrugged and turned my back on him, finally escaping to the bathroom.

When I emerged, Dalton was in the kitchen slicing up fresh mangoes and pineapple for breakfast. I eyed the white bag resting on the counter that wasn’t there last night.

“What’s that?” At the sound of my voice, his head shot up and he immediately looked apologetic. I wanted to slap that look off his face. It was a reminder that I could never have him.

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