Page 39 of Arrogant Arrival

Jolene

Having the worst case of gastrointestinal issues is a sure way to win any man over, right? This is hands down the most mortifying moment of my life. I’d rather fall down the stairs and flash his family my ass again than this. Should I even come out of the bathroom? I don’t know how much longer I can remain trapped in here with the smell. Oh, my God. The smell. Why couldn’t there be a window in here? This room is so small, we are going to smell this all night long. Fuck. My. Life. I ease the door open just enough for me to slide through and quickly close the door behind me in hopes of not releasing the smell into the room.

Jim is lying on the bed in only black briefs watching television. His sculpted abs are on display. His dark hair is messy, making him look sexier than should be legal. Those blue eyes that rival the blue of the Mediterranean Sea sparkle at me. And that smile that would make any red-blooded human drop their pants is turned up to full panty-melting mode.Great. This gorgeous man just heard me fart…several times.It could’ve happened to anyone. It’s probably happened to him. I hold my head up high as I make my way to my suitcase for absolutely nothing other than to get out of making eye contact.

“Jo.”

“Yes?” My voice comes out high.

“Jo.”

I sigh and turn around to face him. He stares at me with serious eyes and not a trace of a smile on his face now. Then, he lifts his leg up and farts. Slowly, he lays his leg back down and stares at me. I burst out laughing, but he doesn’t even crack a smile. I walk over to the bed and place my hands on my hips. “Was that just for me?”

“I’ve been holding it until you came out.”

“That must’ve been painful.”

“You have no idea. I had to turn the tv up louder to mute my cries of gas pain.”

Taking my hand, Jimmy kisses the knuckles, and then in a voice of mock seriousness says, “I’d endure any pain for you. Anything. I’d birth a child for you if you needed me to. But you don’t have to torture me. Can you go open the balcony door? Some of the smell is seeping from the bathroom.” My jaw drops, and Jimmy bursts out laughing. He pulls me down on top of him and holds me to him. “Just so you know, this has been the most romantic night I’ve ever experienced.”

“It started out romantic with dancing under the stars by the ocean, but I don’t think hearing me in the bathroom was a recipe for pure romance.”

“That’s just us being open and comfortable with each other.”

“No, that’s because I was beyond uncomfortable that I was forced to endure that. You should’ve left the room!”

“Besides what we’ve just lived through the past twenty minutes, did you enjoy the rest of the night?”

“Sadly, this was the most romantic night for me, too.” We take a moment to simply gaze into each other’s eyes. Then, Jimmy brings his lips to mine. He rolls us over to where he is on top of me. I suck my lips under my teeth and then whisper, “Even after all that, you still want to…”

“Are you kidding? You’re so gorgeous and incredibly sexy.” He begins removing my clothes and then growls, “Besides, in all honestly I’m impressed with what you were packing. You’re a real woman. There was none of those pansy little airy toots. You farted like a beast.”

“Stop! I’m going to die.”

“You most certainly are going to think that because I’m about to take you to heaven.”

I bring my hand to Jim’s cheek and, while looking into his gorgeous blue-green eyes, ask “The cheesiness. You’re something else. What am I going to do with you, Jimmy?”

“Anything you want. Just don’t leave me too broken.”

Jolene

The next morning, I’m surprised when I wake up and Jimmy isn’t in bed. I go ahead and shower and then get dressed. When I walk out of the bathroom, Jimmy is back in the room like he’d never been gone.

“Good morning,” he comes up and kisses me on the forehead. “What do you say to exploring some of the island? There’s a cave I want you to see. We can take a boat ride through it. But we have to be there by noon to get the full effect. Also, I was thinking ice cream on the beach?”

“That sounds fantastic!”

“Great! Let’s get going.”

We walk outside and Jimmy goes to a four-wheeler. “Hop on!”

“Why did you get this?”

“Well, you can’t see as much with the car, and it is nice out. But then I thought, what if we had any issues and needed to get back to the room quickly? So, your carriage awaits.”

Too moved by his thoughtfulness to be embarrassed, I walk over and wrap my arms around his neck. “You know, you can be pretty charming when you want to be.”

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