31. Jeanie
31 /
jeanie
Shaken, Stirred, and Glass Licked Clean
In the morning, I draw shapes on Nathan’s back with my fingertip. At my touch, he yawns and burrows deeper into the fluffiness of the duvet, appearing unwilling to wake.
I don’t blame him.
The ocean breeze rushes in through the open doors. Sheers dance in the sparkling sunlight. Beyond, waves crash and seagulls squawk. With us snuggled, relaxed, and wrapped together, everything about yesterday and last night was paradise.
“It’s a beautiful day,” I whisper near his ear and kiss his shoulder. Even with his face hidden, I can see the edge of his mouth crack into a smile.
He rolls over. His scruff has filled in, and his tan is deeper from yesterday’s outing. Even his poufy hair is heart-stoppingly adorable. When his sleepy gaze lands on mine, his eyes squint in their own radiant smile. He kisses me good morning as he outlines the roundness of my breast .
“You’re a little red.” He studies my chest where there’s a tiny patch of burned skin.
“My lotion boy did a bad job,” I say.
“Maybe your lotion man was too distracted by your milkshake in that bikini.” His hand slides around my hip, reaching for my backside.
I grin. “If you give my milkshake some attention, maybe I’ll forgive this one oversight.”
“Client happiness is our number one goal.”
He rolls me over, gathering me in his embrace. When he’s done, my milkshake has been shaken, stirred, and the glass licked clean.
After showers, we dress in terrycloth bathrobes and find our way to the terrace. Stretched out on loungers, we bask in the morning sun and our post-sex bliss.
“Look at you two lovebirds.”
Behind my sunglasses, I open my eyes to Mom’s voice. She stands on the terrace beside ours with a smug expression. I’ve been living so rooted in the land of Jeanie and Nathan, I forgot anyone else existed, which I admit is a nice change.
Nathan waves. “Morning, Betty.”
“Morning, Wolf Boy.” She lifts her sunglasses and waggles her brows.
I raise my sunglasses and mirror her expression.
“I see you two making faces,” Nathan says, though I don’t understand how because his eyes are closed, his face tilted toward the sunshine like he’s recharging.
“You guys weren’t exactly quiet last night. The entire floor heard your mating calls. Horny bitches,” Mom says .
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Wearing a content smile, I sink deeper into my chair.
Nathan reaches for my hand until our arms form a swinging bridge between our loungers.
“When you two come off your sex-high, join us for brunch on the pool deck. Your son and his sidekick will be there, so try to control your hormones.”
“We make no promises,” Nathan says with a grin.
A new man appears behind Mom and slides gentle hands down her arms. He says something in what I suspect is Portuguese and slips back inside.
“I’ve gotta go do Alfonso before we leave.” She disappears. A few moments later, giggles emanate from her open terrace doors.
“Hypocrite!” I holler over the railing.
Nathan and I reluctantly dress for brunch when our need for food outweighs our need for sex. In the hallway, we bump into Roman and Sophia. Sophia immediately wraps her arm around mine and leads me ahead, while the men trail behind.
“You guys disappeared on us last night,” Sophia sings.
“We were exhausted,” I say with a shrug, playing it off.
“Right. Exhausted ,” she teases, then swoons. “He’s so in love with you.”
In love with me? This is the second time she’s mentioned love.
I laugh at the impossibility of someone falling in love in a matter of days. Nathan is a phenomenal actor, so I don’t believe he’s in love with me, but he could be in lust. Very deep, very sexy, very, very fun lust.
Am I in lust too? I glance over my shoulder. Nathan and Roman walk side by side. It allows me a moment to compare my first love with my new one.
One man I came here to steal back. The other man appeared out of nowhere and gave me the confidence to do something for myself. I hang on to this thought for several moments, studying all the implications.
“We just started dating,” I say to remind Sophia, though who knows what we are right now. Yesterday was our first official date, and we agreed our fake-dating charade would resume today.
Do I still want to sabotage the wedding?
“Doesn’t matter. Everyone can see it, even Roman,” Sophia says.
“Roman?” My head swings in her direction.
“This morning, he said, ‘I think Jeanie’s really dating that guy,’ like he couldn’t believe it. Then he mumbled something about love. He’s been so grumpy. I think it’s wedding nerves.”
“Yes, wedding nerves,” I say.
I glance back and see Nathan pat Roman’s shoulder. It causes Roman’s nostrils to flare. If I’m not careful, he’ll pull Nathan into a headlock.
Not that Nathan can’t handle himself, but I’d feel bad if things escalated. Or maybe I’d be jealous. I’d rather be the one to take down Roman.
In the elevator, we chat about the upcoming day. Sophia has an appointment with the catering company, while Roman has his own wedding errands. We part ways in the lobby when Nathan and I stop for a coffee at the café.
“What were you and Roman talking about earlier?” I ask Nathan as soon as we finish our drinks. He grabs my hand and pauses in an alcove, his expression turning serious.
“Where are we today? Are we back to making Roman jealous or are we being real?” he asks.
I shift from foot to foot, unsteady, not expecting to face this question yet. I’m only starting to figure things out for myself. Placing my apprehensions aside, I decide to give Nathan my honest assessment. I owe it to him and to myself.
“Would it be weird if we continued this?” I wave a hand between us. “For now, I’d like to keep things real.” I stumble over my words, unsure how he’ll take this development.
I’m not ready to give up what we had this morning, last night, yesterday, or even the days before. I haven’t felt this alive in years.
What Nathan does to my heart and my body breathes hope into my broken soul.
Imagine what this relationship would feel like when I’m whole again. It’s hard to fathom, but after sampling what could be , Nathan has convinced me that some form of relationship with him would be life-altering.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Way, way ahead.
“Until further notice?” He tilts his head, appearing elated .
“Are you available for that job?” Feeling flirty in his acceptance, I sway my hips in my new sundress.
“I’ll have to check my calendar.” He places a finger to his ear like he’s making a call to his internal secretary. “Ah, yes. Can we clear my schedule? Something’s come up.” He looks down at his shorts.
I snort.
“Looks like it’s you and me, twenty-four seven.” He pretends to hang up.
“What would you be doing right now if you weren’t here?” I ask.
“Jacking off while thinking of you.”
“Stop it. For real.” I nudge his arm.
“Technically, I should be on my way to Tallahassee. Then I’d be traveling to New Orleans and then Dallas.”
“Tallahassee!” My jaw drops.
“My agent shifted my schedule.”
I frown. “Your fans, though, they’ll be disappointed.”
“There’s only one person I care about disappointing.” He places a gentle kiss on my cheek.
Somehow, everything between my thighs throbs again, and I sigh.
“If we keep this up, we’ll never make it to brunch.” I tug him toward the food.
“You’re all the food I need.” He hugs me from behind and snaps his teeth.
I wiggle out of his grasp with a yip and quickly make my way through the corridor toward the poolside restaurant. Nathan follows, playfully grabbing at my behind.
Before we pass through the parting glass doors, though, we halt in our tracks. Tucked into a nearby alcove, we discover an irate Roman yelling at someone.