Chapter Thirteen
Jace
Leaving is sounding like the best idea in the world because spending another second with Zoe in public is dangerous. I fought the pull to drag her onto the floor and devour something besides a strawberry with so much intensity that I have crescent moons in my palms from my fingernails and a raging headache. We won’t talk about what else is screaming at me.
But I had to push her away. The desire in her eyes was nearly my undoing. Her father will be here in days, and there’s no way he has a different opinion about me than he did two years ago. Being here with her like this is dangerous enough. If he suspected it was something more, that we were intimate, I don’t know what he’d do.
“Don’t forget your assignments.” The perky, annoying coach says into her microphone. “There will be a prize tomorrow for the couple that knows the most about each other.” She smiles as she takes in all the couples.
Well, all the couples except for me. Zoe dashed out the door ten minutes ago, telling her mom she had her own headache and needed to lie down. The fact that spending time with me gives her a headache should overpower the image of her now sprawled on her bed with her hair splayed on the pillow. Feet from my bedroom. But it doesn’t. It’s enough to drive me insane.
“What is it?” Carly claps her hands and grasps Landon’s forearm. “I love a prize and a competition.” She glances up at his smiling face. “Do you remember that Christmas we played board games all night?”
“Yes, dear.” He kisses her temple. “I do. It was a beautiful holiday filled with family and fun.” He turns his attention to me. “Right, Jace? I believe you and Zoe were a force to be reckoned with that night.”
“Yes, it was great. One big happy holiday.” Shit. I don’t want to think about that Christmas. That was the holiday I realized Zoe had turned into a woman, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. The weekend she kissed me under the mistletoe. Her soft lips against mine when I leaned in to offer her my cheek. It was over as quickly as it started. But it didn’t matter. That one touch seared her to my soul, and I’ve never been able to wrench her free.
We were paired together at those times also. Zoe has a competitive streak strong enough to challenge her mother’s. We always came out on top. We won’t this time.
“The prize is a snorkeling trip with a picnic on the beach tomorrow in the late afternoon and into the early evening. It’s on our private beach that costs 5k to rent for the evening. And one lucky couple gets it for free.”
“Oh, Zoe would love that. She’s never been snorkeling.” Carly frowns. “It’s too bad she’s not feeling well. But….” She shrugs as her eyes dance. “That means we’re going to win.”
“No, you aren’t.” Violet pipes up.
“Please….” Carly rolls her eyes. “You two just met. There’s no way you’re going to know more about each other than Landon and I do.”
They continue to banter as I survey the questions.
What are you afraid of? What is your biggest regret? Who do you wish you could meet again under different circumstances?
Jesus. Let’s use an ice pick and stab it into my heart. I can’t answer those questions. Not and keep my pride. Where is, what’s your favorite color, or if you could be any animal, what would you be types of questions?
“All right, folks. These are only a sample of the kinds of questions that I’ll be asking, so the more you know about each other, the better off you’ll be.” The woman claps her hands. “Have a fabulous night, and I’ll see you bright and early at 9 a.m.”
Moments later, I step into the bungalow and shiver. The temperature is not that cold, but to go from the heat and humidity of the island to the dehumidified building is a substantial change.
It’s quiet, with no sign of Zoe. Did she leave? It wouldn’t surprise me if she grabbed her gear and caught the next flight off the island. I wouldn’t blame her. Not 15 minutes ago, I was contemplating the same thing. I walk around the common space and find nothing of hers.
She left. My heart drops to my gut. Fuck. As much as it pains me to be near her and not touch her, the alternative is excruciating. I need to be near her to breathe.
I turn the knob to her empty room and step inside. It still holds the faint scent of her perfume. The bed is made with the comforter pulled tight, and the complimentary chocolate pieces adorn the white cushioned pillows. That’s a waste. No one’s going to eat it. When the maid comes back tomorrow, she can toss them.
After turning on my heel, a shriek from behind me causes me to jump. I spin back around, and my mouth drops open. Zoe stands on the bathroom threshold without a stitch of clothes on. My eyes rake over her curves, from her shoulders to her perfect breasts and down to the soft roundness of her hips. The woman is breathtaking.
“Shit!” Her skin tinges with pink as she attempts to cover her chest and apex, but all it does is make her look more appetizing. My mouth waters as her tight nipples poke out from over the top of her forearms.
“I’m sorry.” My hands ball into fists as I rock back onto my heels. I want to toss her onto the bed and feast on every inch of her body, starting with her plump lips and trailing down to her toes before returning to devour her sex until she screams my name. “I thought you left.”
She blinks as if she’s struggling to focus on my words. Her eyes bounce from my chest to my eyes, down to my crotch, and finally to the wall behind me. The movements are as fast as a pinball machine.
“No.” She licks her lips as every inch of my skin tingles and my dick strains against the thin fabric of my swim trunks. “I didn’t leave. Even though I want to.”
Her eyes finally meet mine again, and I groan in frustration. Why does life have to force us apart? Why couldn’t I have met her before my brother met her mom? Why did I have to drop out of school and run off with the band to try and make it big? Why does her father have to hate my guts?
Right–that’s easy. I’m too old for her. My life is a mess. I’m not good enough for her. It doesn’t matter when I met her because Fletcher would still accuse me of trying to use her to get a record deal. I straighten my shoulders. I’m not singing anymore and haven’t written in over two years. Why would he be opposed to us now? I could explain to him that I’m sober, working a solid job, and have no interest in music anymore.
“Umm….” She shifts from foot to foot. “My robe is behind you. Do you mind getting it? I wasn’t expecting to find anyone in my room.” She shrugs. “Especially you.”
“Right.” I cough and quickly grab the white silk robe off the hook. But it catches as I try to retrieve it, causing the wooden hook to snap off and fall to the floor. “Shit,” I groan, bending down to pick it up. “This day keeps getting better and better.”
She laughs and snatches the robe from my hand. “You could say that again.”
“I’m sorry.” I straighten and worry the piece of wood in my hand as she puts on the robe and cinches it together tight and double knotting the sash. “I thought you’d left, or I wouldn’t have ever come in here.”
The emotion on her face slips from mild humor to stone in a fraction of a second. “I understand. Now that you’ve seen that I’m still here, you can go.”
I want to explain that’s not what I meant, but it doesn’t matter. “Yeah, right.” I rake a hand through my hair. What in the fuck am I still doing in here?
From the nightstand, her cell phone rings. “I need to get that.” When I don’t move, she waits and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s my dad.”
“I’ll go.” As I twist the doorknob, I glance at her over my shoulder. “Don’t tell him I was here.”
Her forehead wrinkles as her eyebrows arch upward. “Why?”
“It’s just better if you don’t.” The phone continues to ring as she eyes me without moving. “He doesn’t like me, so it’s best if you don’t mention we’re sharing a suite.”
The phone rings again. “What do you mean he doesn’t like you?”
“He….” I shake my head. “Never mind. Just answer the phone.”
She races to the end table. “You’re being dramatic. I thought it was women who were dramatic,” she mutters, “But no, it’s all the men in my life.”
The phone stops ringing. “When you get off the phone, we need to talk about our homework.”
Her hand falls to her side as she studies me, the silent phone in her hand. “What homework?”
“We’ll talk about it later. Just call your dad back before he sends the cavalry down here to save you.” If he knew I was in her room and what I wanted to do to her, he’d magically discover the ability to teleport and cut my dick off.
Go. Take a shower. Cool off. Forget what you saw.