Chapter 4
My stomach had no business rumbling as soon as I stepped foot into one of the fine dining restaurants the resort had to offer.
I’d been snacking and eating all damn day.
The pool offered several grills with delectables to choose from, and there was a full-service poolside menu as well.
Apparently, my stomach grew double in size when I was on vacation.
As soon as I got back home, I knew I needed to get my ass in the gym to work all this food off.
Not to mention the drinks that I was sure had a ton of calories.
But since I was on vacation, I decided calories didn’t count.
“I told you we’d be seeing each other again.”
The deep voice came from behind me as I stood at the hostess stand waiting for the host. With a smile, I slowly turned and looked up into the eyes of Azari. My heart galloped against my ribcage.
I’d spent the rest of the day laid out by the pool before heading back to my room and taking that cold shower I’d promised myself.
The entire time, though, I’d thought about Azari.
I didn’t know what it was about him, but he had me intrigued.
It had been a long time since I gave a man a second thought, but Azari could get third and fourth thoughts as far as I was concerned.
“Azari.” His name came out in a breathy whisper as I gazed up at him.
“Indira.” He bowed his head and kissed my hand. “I’m assuming you’re about to grab dinner?”
“I am,” I replied with a smile.
Azari took a small step closer to me, and my cheeks flushed again. Damn, he had some type of hold on me. There was no way every time he was close to me my ass got to blushing like a schoolgirl.
“So am I. How about we dine together?”
My hand was still in his, and when he asked his question, his thumb caressed the back of my hand.
“I’d love that.” The words left my mouth without thought, but I wasn’t even mad at them because having dinner with Azari sounded like the perfect way to end my night. Actually, I could think of something better, but I opted to keep those naughty thoughts at bay.
The hostess walked up to the stand with a smile. “Dining for two?”
I looked up at Azari, who nodded. “Yes.”
The hostess led us to a table in a quiet corner of the restaurant. When we sat, she placed the menus on the table and walked away.
“Have you been here before?” I asked, meaning the restaurant, since I knew he frequented the resort.
“I’ve been to all the restaurants on this resort. This one is one of my favorites, but they’re all good.”
I looked over the menu to keep from staring at him. “What’s good here?”
“I like the surf and turf, steak, shrimp, and lobster, but everything is good.”
My stomach grumbled and my mouth watered. I closed my menu and smiled. “That’s what I’m going to get.”
Why not? I deserved to treat myself.
“Me too,” he said as he slid his menu away from him.
He looked at me, and I squirmed. This man was so fine.
I couldn’t decide if he looked better shirtless and in swim trunks or in the blue slacks and white short-sleeved shirt he currently wore.
We actually kind of matched. I wore a blue two-piece set; a bandeau-style top and skirt that went down to my knees and hugged my curves.
“How did your tour go earlier?” I finally asked.
“It was good, actually. They ended up signing the lease.”
My brows rose as I smiled. “Oh, so we have something to celebrate?”
“I guess you could say that.”
“Don’t be modest,” I joked. “It may be a small win for you, but it’s still a big deal. Treat it as such.”
He nodded slowly. “You ain’t wrong, lil mama.”
I adored the way he talked to me… how he looked at me… shit.
I cleared my throat and thanked God the server stopped by for our drink order, giving me some time to respond to him and cool down a little.
I ordered a rum punch. He looked at me and said, “Fuck it. Give me one of those, too.”
We placed our food orders, and when the server left, I asked, “Decided to turn up tonight?”
“Can’t have you getting lit by yourself.”
“I suppose not.” Flirting with him felt easy. Something about this island had me feeling so free.
“Tell me more about you,” he insisted, his gaze never leaving mine. The chemistry between us was insane.
I shrugged. “You know I’m a lawyer. I work a lot, so there isn’t much to tell, I guess. I’m a loner. I have a best friend who just had my godson a few months ago, and me and my family get along well, but on a day-to-day basis it’s just me and my work.”
“Damn. You sound like me, for real. All I do is work. I don’t have much family, so I’m pretty much a loner. The streets made me that way.”
I grinned. I knew his ass was in the streets. “What you smilin’ for, lady?” he asked with a chuckle.
I shrugged. “I grew up in Jacksonville. In the Fountain Projects, to be exact, so I figured you came from somebody’s hood.”
He chuckled. “Damn, not you profilin’ me. Nah, it’s all good. I ain’t ever been ashamed of where I came from. I used to run the streets until I lost my best homie to the shit. I turned my life around after that. Got my real estate license and never looked back.”
I nodded. “I respect the hell out of that. When I was young, I knew I wanted more out of life. I worked hard and got a full ride to college. I haven’t really looked back, either, but I feel like I’ve been missing something…”
I sipped my water again, feeling like I shared too much too quickly. I couldn’t help it that he was so easy to talk to.
“Nah, I feel that. The older I get, the more I feel like I’m missing something, too.”
“How old are you?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.
“He chuckled. “Thirty-five. You?”
“Thirty-one.”
“Oh, you a baby.”
I giggled. “I wish. I feel like an old lady.”
“It’s a mindset, love. Something tells me there’s a young lady in there dying to let her hair down.”
He bit his bottom lip as he stared at me, and I had to refrain from fanning myself.
“How long are you here?” I asked, looking for anything to say.
“Another week. You?”
“Same,” I said as I eyed him. Some understanding seemed to pass between us at that moment, and I instantly understood that for the next week, I would see a whole lot of Mr. Azari.
We fell into a comfortable silence for a little bit as we listened to the island music playing softly through the restaurant.
When our drinks finally came, I grabbed mine quickly, desperately needing something to take the edge off.
“Let’s toast,” he suggested, picking up his cup.
“To?” I asked, lifting my glass in the air.
“To an unforgettable drink.”
“I’ll definitely drink to that.”
We clinked our glasses together before I took my first sip of the night, looking forward to seeing where I ended up before I closed my eyes to go to sleep tonight.