Chapter 14
JAXON
After our encounter with the sharks, I figured it was time to dial the day down a notch. Lindsay was ecstatic about everything we’d done and kept telling me how much it meant to her that I’d pushed her out of her comfort zone, but I doubted we needed any more excitement today.
We spent the afternoon strolling through local markets, examining handcrafted trinkets, and ended up walking past an ice-cream shop on our way back to the resort.
“We have to get some,” she insisted. “There’s nothing that rounds off a perfect day like a good ice cream.”
“Perfect day, huh?” I smirked as I followed her into the shop. “What about plans and scheduling? Have I converted you yet?”
“Nope. I’ll just have to broaden my horizons when it comes to activities to include in my plans.”
I laughed as the bell above the door signaled our arrival. An older woman came walking out the back, clasping her hands in front of her as she eyed us.
“Ah, young love.” She smiled softly. “How would you like to try my Salted Caramel? It’s a new recipe and honeymooners are always so forgiving because they’re so happy.”
“We’d love to try it,” I said before I could give too much thought about why she’d made the assumption she had when we weren’t even touching each other at the moment. “Anything else you’d like us to sample? We’re very willing guinea pigs.”
Her smile spread wider. “Excellent. I haven’t had enough of those recently.”
She ushered us into one of the small booths, promising she’d be back in a minute with a tasting plate for us. Lindsay looked at me with excitement shining in her eyes as she clapped her hands.
“I didn’t think this day could get any better, but clearly, I was wrong. We’re about to be treated with an entire tray of different kinds of ice cream. Stuff like that never happens to me by chance.”
“That’s because you’ve got to give fate the opportunity to let stuff like this happen to you. If we were on a strict schedule today, we never would’ve stumbled across this place, which means we never would’ve been told to sit down and eat.”
“You may have a point there.” She tilted her head after getting settled on her side of the table. “Maybe I’ll think about leaving some space open in my planner for spontaneity.”
“Planning for spontaneity might not work so well.” I stretched my legs out under the table, not moving them when I felt her calf brushing against mine. “Maybe just try letting go every once in a while. You might be surprised what you find out about yourself in the process.”
“How did you get to be so wise?” she asked in a teasing tone, the corners of her eyes crinkling even as she tried to hide her smile. “You’re not that much older than I am, yet I feel a little bit like you’re my spirit guide or something today.”
“I could be your spirit guide,” I said. “But only if you keep doing what I tell you to. No more schedules for the rest of the trip, for starters”
She laughed. “No deal, but we can have another planless day sometime. It really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Have you always been like this?”
I nodded. “My mother has always told me to follow what my heart tells me and so I have.”
“Seems like a good thing to have been taught. My parents were a bit lackadaisical in their approach to life. I think that’s why I’m such a stickler for rules and planning.”
“You got annoyed with them being scatter-brained?” Even just knowing what little I did about her, it made perfect sense that she’d have tailored all her own habits around what had irritated her as a child.
“Exactly. I don’t think either of them ever owned a diary, a planner, or a calendar of any nature. It used to drive me nuts that we were always late—and that was when we didn’t entirely miss an event.”
“I can imagine how that must’ve gotten to you.”
“It really did.” We thanked the owner when she brought our ice cream and tucked in without hesitating. “I took over the family planning duties just after I became a teenager. I went out and bought a calendar, hung it next to our front door, and marked everything on it.”
She licked her spoon clean after taking her first bite, and my dick started hardening at the sight of her pink tongue wrapping around the silver. The entire day had been a struggle, but no more so than that very minute.
Even when she’d finally removed the cover-up on the boat and I got my first good look at her luscious curves without any obstructions to the view, it’d been easier to tear my eyes off her then because I’d been supremely aware of the other man on the boat also looking at her.
I’d wanted to stab his eyes out with the wrong side of a fork for getting to see her body, but I couldn’t blame him for looking. Lord knew it’d been impossible not to take notice when she stripped down.
The more time I spent with her, the more I wanted her. But I couldn’t think about how much I wanted her and all the things I wanted to do to her while sitting half naked in front of her.
Luckily, since it was an island, lots of people walked around in beachwear and I wasn’t even the only shirtless man in the ice-cream shop, never mind on the street.
I probably wasn’t even the only one fighting against an imminent erection, but just that thought was enough for me to get it under control.
“It sucks you had to get your parents organized when you were still so young,” I said. “My mother still buys me a planner every Christmas. She says she’ll never stop trying to get me to keep one.”
“I thought she wants you to follow your heart.”
“She does, but she also wants me to start remembering people’s birthdays. Apparently, she raised me better than being a forgetful idiot.”
Lindsay chuckled. “She sounds like quite a woman if she’s the one who raised you.”
“She’s formidable all right. I’ve told her that I keep my work stuff on my phone and that I have all the important birthdays on there too, but she won’t have it. Ink and paper are the only way to go in her opinion.”
“Smart woman. I completely agree.” She popped another heaped spoon of ice cream in her mouth, and this time, I kept my fucking eyes off her lips when she did. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“Nope. I’m an only child. It was just my mom and me growing up.”
“Are you close to her?” she asked. “My brother and I used to be close to each other even when we weren’t close to our parents, but that ship seems to have sailed.”
Again, I wanted to ask about her brother, but I didn’t. We were still in the process of getting to know each other and she volunteered information easily if it wasn’t a difficult subject for her to talk about. Obviously, her brother wasn’t an easy subject.
“Mom and I are very close. Always have been and we always will be.” My mother was my rock of stability growing up, and that had never changed.
“She was the one who encouraged me to come on this trip. Her only condition was that I wasn’t allowed to fall in love with a local.
She claims she’s not moving here to be close to me, but I think she’d love it if she gave it a chance. ”
“Anyone would.” Lindsay smiled as she turned her gaze to the window and the forest covering the hill in the distance. “It’s gorgeous, but the heat might get to her.”
“She lives in Houston. If she can manage that humidity, she can manage any heat.”
Her eyebrows went up. “You’re from Houston?”
“Yep.”
“Me too.” She grinned. “Think we’ve ever walked past each other on the street and not known about it?”
“Maybe, but probably not.” I had a feeling I would’ve remembered someone who looked like her, but that was a really douchey thing to say, so I kept it to myself. “I haven’t been around much for the last two decades or so.”
She snapped her fingers. “That’s right. I suppose we could’ve run into each other when you were there, though. It would be interesting if we were able to go back and see how many run-ins or almost run-ins we’ve had.”
We talked a little about home while finishing up with our ice cream, then headed back to the hotel. As I was unlocking the bungalow door, I heard my phone ringing inside.
Kavan’s name came up on the screen when I finally located the device in our kitchenette, and I held it up to Lindsay. “I have to take this. Think about what you’d like to do for dinner in the meantime. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“What’s up?” I asked my friend when I picked up, closing the bungalow door behind me. “You should’ve come with me, man. If you could see the view I’m looking at right now, you’d hop on the next flight out.”
“I’m assuming the trip is going well then?”
“Very well.” I laughed and rubbed the back of my head as I walked down to the hedges. “It was almost a disaster that would’ve ended with me on the streets, but then I met this woman, and with her help, I managed to get us a suite for free.”
“Us?” He scoffed. “Do you honestly expect me to believe you’re sharing a room with a woman you met while trying to find someplace to stay?”
“You don’t have to believe it, but it’s true. The hotel was trying to tell her they had a double booking. She would’ve been shit out of luck too. I threatened to fuck my brand new wife right there in the lobby, and lo and behold, they have a room available for us.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
“Thank you.” A smirk formed on my lips. “I really appreciate the compliment.”
“It wasn’t a compliment,” he said, sounding like he was biting back laughter. “Who is she? Is she hot?”
I groaned. “You have no idea. Her name is Lindsay and she looks like my walking wet dream.”
“Dark hair, blue eyes, curves for days?” He didn’t have to guess. There wasn’t much we hadn’t shared over the years. He whistled under his breath. “You hook up with her yet?”
“No. She’s going through some stuff. I definitely wouldn’t object if she was down for it, but I’m not sure where her head’s at.”
“Jesus, I wasn’t suggesting you ask the girl to marry you. Have a little holiday fun. It’ll be good for you. You don’t have to do anything with her after. Just enjoy your time together.”
“You’re suggesting a fling?”
“Why not?” I could almost hear him shrugging. “It’s not like you’d be doing anything wrong. I really think it’d be good for you.”
“So do I.” I would definitely make it good for her, but I wouldn’t make a move unless I got a clear sign that she wanted me to. She’d been through way too much, and even I wasn’t that much of an asshole.
Kavan and I talked a few more minutes about the island and his daughter’s arrival in a few weeks. When we hung up, the sun had almost set completely and I was looking forward to getting something to eat from Big Mac.
Walking into the hotel room, I noticed the bedroom door was closed. I hadn’t moved far away from the bungalow and I hadn’t seen Lindsay leaving to go to dinner yet, so she had to still be changing.
“I’m proud of you for today, you know?” I called, knowing she could hear me through the door. “Maybe tomorrow we should look into quad biking in the forest. Have you thought about what you feel like for dinner?”
I rummaged through my bag, searching for a shirt when I heard the bedroom door opening. She didn’t answer my question, so I looked at her, wondering if maybe she hadn’t heard me after all.
My breath froze in my fucking lungs at the sight that greeted me when I slid my gaze to her. She was standing in the bedroom door wearing nothing but powder-blue lingerie.
The lace bra plunged between her creamy breasts while the panties were so small I could see she was completely bare. Swollen too.
All my blood rushed south, leaving me instantly hard as a fucking rock as I straightened up slowly. “Lindsay?”
She lifted her hands to free her hair from a tie, sending it tumbling down past her shoulders as she shot me a sensual look. “I’ve thought about what I want for dinner. You.”
I would’ve pinched myself if there weren’t far more pleasurable ways to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Closing the distance between us in two purposeful strides, I cupped her face in my hands and slammed my lips down on hers.
No. Nope. This is definitely not a dream. It’s really happening.
Sliding my arms around her without hesitation, I lifted her off her feet and carried her into the bedroom. I kicked the door shut behind me because I suddenly couldn’t even remember if I’d closed the outer door.
I interrupted our kiss only to whisper with my lips still against hers. “I want you too, baby. Let me show you how much.”