Jewel
Chapter five
“Is this your room?” I ask, my voice low and sounding a lot steadier than my wobbly legs feel holding me up. I stop at the large windows that form the room’s corner walls and offer a panoramic view up and down the white sandy beach. But the sight barely registers.
The look on Will’s face before I turned away, one of shock and maybe something like disappointment, is emblazoned on my retinas.
What the hell was I thinking? Instead of demanding more of his kisses and sinking into the sexy scratch of his chin against my neck, I walked away. Seriously, I’m tempted to bang my head against the wall to knock some sense into it.
I like Will. He’s shown me repeatedly that he’s a good man. And all that kindness comes in a sexy-as-hell package that I’m drawn to, linked magnetically like electrons spinning around the nucleus.
Wrapping my arms around my waist, I try to focus on the view and what Will is saying.
“Sorry,” I say, and it’s unclear whether I’m apologizing for not hearing him or for being a fool and not welcoming his advances.
There’s no doubt that I’m physically attracted to him; it’s just my head that hasn’t gotten the memo.
I turn around before quickly adding, “I was too caught up in this spectacular view, and I missed what you said.”
His brows are drawn low into a frown, but it does nothing to detract from his rugged good looks.
If I had to list the kind of man I’m attracted to, Will would tick a lot of the boxes. A strong jawline covered with thick stubble, firm lips, and eyes I could drown in, never wanting to surface again.
“I said that there’s more.” He peers at me through narrowed eyes like he can’t figure me out.
Flustered, I direct my gaze away from his, landing on the massive brocade-draped bed that dominates the wall opposite the windows.
This isn’t the more he meant, and my cheeks heat with a pink flush.
I should give myself a kick in the butt for making this even more awkward than it already was.
But that one light kiss has sent my imagination skipping off to places where it shouldn’t be going.
“Come on, let’s continue the tour,” he suggests before turning and walking away.
Of course that’s what he meant by more.
He leads me downstairs in silence, and instead of turning back toward the open-plan living area, kitchen, and dining where we started, he goes the other way.
“At this end of the hallway is a home study and a gym.” He stops at a set of paneled doors. “But this is the room I want you to see.”
This time, he stands back and leaves me to open the doors myself, and I do. A large game room lies beyond. He flicks the light switch.
My eyes grow wide when I catch sight of the full-size billiards table that dominates the space. “Wow, this really is next level.”
He grins. “I’ve spent a few weekends over the years at the beach house with Blake and our former teammates, and this room is where the guys and I spend most of our time. Playing billiards, drinking whiskey from the well-stocked bar over there, or watching the latest game on that flat-screen TV.”
Will’s face lights up as he talks about spending time with his friends, and I can’t help returning his smile.
“Sounds like guy heaven.”
He chuckles. “The only time we’re not in this part of the house is when we’re out on the deck grilling or playing a game of football down on the beach.”
“Now, that sounds fun. Growing up, I played a lot of beach football with my friends.”
“You’d be squashed in one of our rough games.”
“Huh. Are you doubting my ability to hold my own? You should know that I’m pretty nimble on my feet,” I joke, glad that we’re slipping back into our comfortable banter.
I stroll over to the billiard table and trail a finger across the blue felt.
“Do you want to play?” he asks, coming to stand beside me.
“Another thing I occasionally did with my friends. But the tables we played on were nowhere near as pretty as this one.”
He walks over to a built-in cupboard that holds the cues and billiard balls, passing me a smaller cue before setting up the balls in the triangle rack. My eyes follow him as he circles the table.
“So you know how to play?” he asks.
“A little, but it’s been a long time, and we didn’t play a lot because we liked being outside.”
“Well, show me what you’ve got.” The way his mouth ticks up in a lopsided grin is cheeky. “You can break.”
Trying to remember how to hold the cue, I stroll to the end of the table. Then, wrapping my fingers around each end of the cue, I bend at the waist, my chest to the table.
He coughs out a laugh, and I straighten again, glaring at him.
“Hold up,” he says, joining me. “It’s easier if this hand here is used to form a bridge, like this.” He reaches around me from behind, placing my left hand at the tip of the cue and my right about two-thirds of the way along the stick.
The heat from his body warms my back, even though our bodies aren’t touching.
“Now bend over.” His voice is a husky rasp that I feel all the way to my core.
I bend again, though not as deeply, then glance over my shoulder, looking for encouragement. His body hovers over mine, so close that I want to arch up into him.
“Smooth moves you’ve got there, mister,” I whisper with a flick of my hair that brushes across his jaw. He leans closer, lightly covering me with his chest to my back.
Oh my. The breath leaves my body in a whoosh, and when he places his hands over mine, I swear it’s all that’s holding me up.
“My moves are very rusty, so be gentle. I’m out of practice.” He adjusts his stance behind me, and I drag in my next breath. “This was very successful fifteen years ago.”
“What, back in high school?” I continue to tease with a wiggle of my hips. “Will, if you want to wrap your arms around me, you only had to ask.” I release my hold on the cue and turn within the circle of his arms. “And if you want to kiss me again, that’s okay too.”
“Are you sure?” he asks, holding his face just out of reach.
“Just kiss me, Will,” I say, clearing up any remaining doubts he has about what I want. I was a fool not to take my chance upstairs, and I won’t make that mistake again.
His head dips, and mine tilts up, our mouths meeting somewhere in the middle. A soft sigh escapes as my lips open to him, and the tip of his tongue slips between them. This is no tentative first kiss; it’s passionate and demanding in equal measure.
With one arm hooked around his neck, my other hand tilts his jaw down so I can delve deeper. He lets me control the kiss, and it’s so damn sexy. I’m lost in a maelstrom of feelings as my body ignites at wildfire speed.
The pool cue caging me against his body slips from his hands with a clatter onto the hardwood floor. But those calloused fingers don’t stay empty for long as he slips them under the hem of my bulky sweater, finding a home on my hips.
Gasps fill the space around us. As his palms trace a path down to cup my butt cheeks and he lifts me onto the edge of the table, my legs fall open to wrap around his waist.