Third Chances - Chapter 17
Daphne
Oh God, what am I doing? But even as I thought it, my fingers just gripped his shoulders tighter.
He gently kissed my neck, his tongue tracing my skin.
And all I could think about was how amazing that tongue would feel between my thighs.
He had taken sex off the table and now I wanted it more than ever.
My friends were swimming just on the other side of the waterfall, but I was seconds away from begging him for more. How could he be doing this to me? How could I have this reaction to him?
He was right, I was scared. I was so scared of him. Why was this fear so damn intriguing? It was like opening Pandora's box. He was going to ruin me. And a part of me wanted him to ruin me.
I spread my thighs a little farther apart. My body was uncontrollable. I was pretty sure I was losing my mind. I was definitely losing my last ounce of restraint.
And it wasn't just physical. I liked talking to him. There were so many layers that he seemed to be hiding. I wanted to know more. I wanted to know everything. Oh God. I moaned as his lips moved to my collarbone.
"Whoa," Kristen said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."
Rob laughed. His warm breath against my skin made me tingle. "That's okay," he said. "I'm just trying to prove to your friend that she wants to do more than just kiss me."
"Oh, she definitely wants more," Kristen said.
"Kristen!" I hissed. "That's not true."
Rob let go of my waist and my feet sunk to the muddy bottom.
It felt like my heart sunk too. Had I just hurt his feelings by denying that I wanted more?
And not just denying, but lying about it.
I rolled my eyes at myself. Why do I even care if I hurt his feelings?
Absolutely nothing is going to happen between us.
"Of course not, Momma Bear. Our tour guide said he has a schedule to keep. But if you'd like to stay with Rob..."
"Momma bear?" Rob said with a laugh.
I was so glad I couldn't see his face. Was he going to call me that now too? I was mortified. "It's a long story," I mumbled. "And no, I'm coming with you guys." I started to swim away from both of them.
"I'll see you tonight," Rob said from behind me. "Try not to run into any crocodiles on the way back!" His voice disappeared as I swam underneath the waterfall.
***
I ran my hand through the fog on the bathroom mirror and stared at my reflection.
My thoughts had been consumed by Rob the rest of the afternoon.
I couldn't explain it. I couldn't stop thinking about him when I told myself I should.
And I still couldn't believe that he had noticed me.
Not just here, but back on campus. He remembered me reading in the grass.
Of course I had wanted to talk to him back then, but I wasn't in a good place.
I had sat there reading every afternoon to escape.
Maybe I had been focusing on the wrong thing, though. Maybe he could help me escape.
I sighed and stared at my reflection. I was pretty in a high school teacher kind of way. I wasn't beautiful. It was unnerving that Rob kept calling me that. It wasn't that I wasn't confident. I was. I took care of myself. I was independent. I had my shit together. Kind of.
So why can't I stop thinking about Rob? I looked away from the mirror and twisted my hair into a bun to dry. There was no use combating the Costa Rican humidity. Loose waves were the only style this climate could handle.
I was the last one to take a shower, which meant my friends would all be ready and eager to go. I quickly applied some foundation, eyeliner, and mascara before leaving the bathroom to find out what they were going to force me to wear tonight.
"No," I said when my eyes landed on a dress laid out on the bed.
Alina laughed. "The green matches your eyes. You're going to look so pretty."
"I already told Rob I wasn't sleeping with him. This will give him the completely wrong impression."
"Why did you tell him that?" Layla asked. "We could all see your chemistry."
"Chemistry? Yeah right," I said. "Guys like him didn't pay attention in school, they were too busy hitting on cheerleaders. He probably flunked chemistry."
Layla laughed. "I've heard that all the Hunters are geniuses. And I'm pretty sure Rob went to Harvard like all the rest of them."
"Most likely not from his grades but from his lineage."
"Harsh."
I paused in my onslaught. Why was I being like this?
I was judging him again before I really knew him.
He seemed smart. We easily held a conversation.
Why was I trying to prove he wasn't a good guy?
Because you like him, you idiot. Because he's leaving tomorrow.
Because you can't afford to get attached.
"Sorry. I'm just...frustrated." There was the understatement of the year.
Frustrated that all my friends had found their soul mates?
Frustrated that I was falling behind? Frustrated that I couldn't have Rob?
Because I wanted him. I really, really wanted him.
But it went against every rule I had ever made for myself.
I couldn't have him. Not the way that I wanted, which was the only way I knew how.
"You're just horny," Kristen said. "You need to tap that while you can. Rob Hunter is a catch."
"I don't do one night stands."
"Who says it only has to be one night?"
"He's leaving tomorrow. He's literally here for only one night. Thus, it's a one night stand."
"Then get his phone number."
"What, so I can text him and he can wait at least two days and then text back some generic message that just leads me on? No thank you."
"You don't know that."
"Yes I do. He's a player. I don't want to date a guy like that. I want something real. Like what you guys have."
"I'm just saying...if you date Rob Hunter, we'll all be the ones that are jealous of you.
Do you know how hard it was for us to get into this resort?
And Layla and Alina are famous. It should have been easy, but it wasn't. And Rob probably got in just like that.
" Kristen snapped her fingers. "He's got connections.
And he's hot. Like almost as hot as James. Which means he's above a ten."
"I don't care about those things. Looks are fleeting. Money doesn't make you happy. I'm not looking for any of that."
"Mhm. Then why can't you keep your hands off each other?"
I sighed in exasperation. "I can keep my hands off him."
"Mhm. The hickey on your neck says otherwise."
"What?"
Layla laughed as I ran back into the bathroom.
Sure enough, there was a hickey on the left side of my neck.
And not just a little one, but one that was prominent enough to be almost impossible to cover with everything I was trying to put on it.
Was I so turned on that I hadn't noticed him do that to my neck?
Just picturing him kissing me behind that waterfall made me start to get wet.
He could have done whatever he wanted to me.
But he chose to brand me like some...hooker. That bastard.
I walked back out of the bathroom, trying to keep my head held high.
"Layla's right you know," Alina said. "You look happy when you're with him. And it was pretty clear that you couldn't keep your eyes off him."
I was trying to be discrete about that. Was I really that open of a book?
"What Kristen is trying to say is that you should give him a chance. Because he's been looking at you the same way you've been looking at him. Plus, it was really adorable that he showed up at that waterfall to surprise you. I don't think players put in that much effort."
I knew she was right. Yes, Rob had the dirty mouth of a sailor. But he was also sweet and thoughtful and protective of me for some reason. He had gotten all the bracelets off of me after all. Not that I'd go so far as to say he was a gentleman.
"You aren't really going to stand there and deny that you like him are you?" Kristen said.
I scrunched up my face. They had cornered me. "Of course I like him. I'm just trying to say that it isn't worth pursuing."
"Momma Bear, happiness is worth pursuing." Her words made me feel cold. I knew that. I loved teaching. I loved living in New York. I was actively pursuing happiness. Wasn't I?
"Why are you guys pushing this so hard?" I asked.
"Because we want you to be happy," Alina said.
"And wearing this dress and flirting with a rich playboy is going to make me happy?"
"In the case of Rob Hunter, absolutely."
"I don't know." I sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Are you going to make me pull out my Bridezilla card, Daphne? Because it is my bachelorette party. And there is nothing I want more than to see you hook up with Rob."
"Ew. Why do you want to see that?"
She laughed. "I don't really. But I want to know it's happening somewhere in the hotel."
"You're all so bossy."
"That's because we love you," Kristen said. "Now, throw this on. Boys love when girls show some skin."
"He's already seen me in a bikini all day."
"Mhm. So don't disappoint him by wearing one of your parka-esque dresses tonight."
"Sundress. They're sundresses. Normal people wear them."
"Whatever. Tonight you're not being normal. You're being sexy Daphne. Who loves flirting with handsome bachelors and not fucking it up for her friend that is in love with Professor Hunter."
"You're not in love with Professor Hunter. You're such a psychopath."
"Why do I have a feeling that you're all going to embarrass me tonight?" Layla asked. "Fortunately I don't work with Mason anymore or this would be a nightmare."
Alina laughed. "Welcome to my life."
I scoffed. "Like what you did in Brazil didn't embarrass us," I said under my breath.
"I asked you not to talk about that. Ever. Now put on your whore dress and let's go. I warned you," she added when she must have seen my expression. "You've unleashed the Bridezilla within."
Kill me now.