Chapter 5
Brynne
Despite the saltiness of the sea, this man is the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted. I tighten my arms around him and inch closer until there isn’t a breath of space between our bodies. I deepen the kiss and slide my hands through his wet hair. I hear a moan, and I don’t know if it’s him or me, but I know in this moment I never want to let him go. I’m only here for three more days and will do something I’ve never done. I’m going to let my guard down and be with this man. Whatever that entails, I will do it for the next three days.
If it leads to nothing more than sharing a few meals and kisses, I will enjoy every moment of it, but hopefully, it will lead to more than that. It will lead to us in bed and me fully seeing and feeling what’s currently hard against my stomach.
I drop my hand and slide it down his back until I get to his ass. I’ve never cared about a man’s ass before. I’m more invested in a man’s smile, eyes, and personality, but his ass begs to be squeezed, and so I do. I must shock him because he breaks the kiss and looks down at me. His eyes widen before he bursts out laughing. He kisses me again. Slowly and thoroughly this time, and I sigh into his mouth. We go back in the water and splash around like a couple of kids. At one point, I jump on his back and he takes us deeper into the ocean. We let the waves crash on us, but he’s never far from me. He never stops touching me, and he makes sure I never fall.
Two hours later, we put our clothes back on and leave the beach. He holds my hand until he helps me back on the motorized scooter, but instead of dropping it off where he rented it, he drives us back to our resort. This time, I’m more relaxed, and when I wrap my arms tightly around his waist, I rest my head on the back of his neck. He parks the scooter in front of his townhouse, and he takes my hand and walks me back to mine.
When we find the downstairs empty, he cups my face and kisses me again.
“So, seven?” he asks. “We’ll have dinner and go out?” I look into his blue eyes and nod.
After another passionate kiss, one where he grinds on me, he pulls away and walks out the front door.
I stand there until he closes the door behind him. Then I sigh until I glimpse myself in the mirror on the wall.
“You look a mess, girl,” I say as I run my fingers through my messy hair. The saltwater has left it tangled and rough, but I have a few hours to make myself look presentable tonight.
“Look who’s back, Amira,” I hear Raven say. She comes to the top of the stairs and looks down at me. Amira rushes past her and down the steps, probably eager to hear how my impromptu date went. Raven is much more contained. She takes her time down the stairs.
After pulling out a fruit platter, we follow Raven outside and sit by the pool.
“You look like shit, by the way,” Raven says. “Your hair’s a mess.” She runs her fingers through it and makes a face. “Did you fuck him?”
Amira gasps as if the thought of two grown people fucking is somehow shocking.
“Have I ever just fucked a random dude?” I ask my friends before I pop a green grape into my mouth.
“Time to start,” Raven says. “You’re on vacation. Let loose and enjoy yourself. You too, Amira. Cozy up to that Malcolm.”
Amira rolls her eyes. “I’m kinda over him,” she says.
“Tell us everything,” Raven says to me, ignoring Amira’s comment.
I sit back and tell them about our walk, the ride on the scooter, and finding the beach.
They all give me a high five.
“Is it big?” Amira asks, and Raven chokes on her food.
“I didn’t fuck him, Amira.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t see it or at least feel it.” Raven arches an eyebrow and waits.
“Well, I didn’t,” I say, deliberately leaving out the part where he did grind against me.
“That’s disappointing,” Amira grumbles.
“Well on that note, I’m gonna shower and do something with my hair. Then I’m gonna nap before tonight.” I stand and start back to the sliding glass door.
“Don’t wear any panties,” Amira yells to my retreating back.
“And she ugly cried for twelve minutes straight,” Amira says as we walk to the townhouse next door. “Thank goodness I didn’t have her on FaceTime because I did not need to see that. I tried to be empathetic but didn’t know what to say. I told her to leave him two years ago. I told her not to marry him, but she didn’t listen and said I was jealous because she was getting married and I was alone.”
I snort at that. “Being alone is better than being with a cheater,” I add.
“Then, I warned her that having a baby would not fix her marriage. The man is a serial cheater. There’s no cure for that.” She sighs, and I almost feel bad for her sister, Ashley, but I can’t find the strength.
I also don’t want to give energy to Ashley because she sucks up enough from her mother and sister.
“Well, that’s too bad,” Raven says, “but why does she keep calling you? You’re thousands of miles away.”
“Because whenever Ashley has a problem, it’s everyone’s problem,” I say before I can think better of it.
“And don’t forget you got your ass whooped by your cousin because of your sister. I still haven’t forgiven her for that.” Raven purses her lips but doesn’t say more.
“Well, we’re not cousins,” Amira says. “Cherry makes sure to let us know that.”
After how her mother and father treated Cherry and her side of the family, I don’t blame the girl, but I do blame her for attacking Amira when Ashley and her mother caused the entire mess.
No one says more because the door swings open as we approach the house, and Brody, the guy with the glasses, gestures for us to come in. He’s a handsome guy with dark hair and a slim build. He’s tall, but not as tall as Colin.
“Come in, ladies,” he says. “Killah’s mixing drinks by the pool.”
We walk through the spacious first floor and go through the sliding glass door. Colin’s in yellow shorts and no shirt. He looks great. When he sees me, he smiles, puts down the shaker, and jogs over to me. He cups my face to give me a not-so-chaste kiss, and by the time he pulls away, I’m blushing.
“You look great, Honeybee,” he says before taking my hand. I look down at my short green dress that comes to mid-thigh and flares, and my chunky white sandals as he escorts me to the loveseat by the pool. “I’m mixing Mai Tais.”
“I’m not the best dancer,” I yell in Colin’s ear over the loud music.
After having drinks at their place, we walked to one of the many restaurants at the resort. They made a reservation, and the seven of us shared a secluded table toward the back. We didn’t get to dinner until nine, and afterward, we came upstairs to the rooftop deck club.
“I don’t believe that,” he says, looking down at me.
This is the first time I’ve seen him in a shirt, and I think he only put it on because it’s required at the restaurant and club, but he leaves it unbuttoned. He moves close to me, and I put my hands on his stomach.
“It’s true. I’m one of those rare black people who can’t dance.”
He smiles down at me. “You’re rare, alright,” he whispers. “You can’t be smart, beautiful, and a good dancer. That’s too much for one person.” I giggle at his words. He takes my chin in his hands and says, “Come on. We can slow dance.” He takes my hand and pulls me to the middle of the dance floor.
Raven and Amira are already to the side, shaking their asses with Brody and Ian. Malcolm is by the bar, flirting with a random woman.
“But this is a fast song!” I yell.
In response, he pulls me to him. Despite the fast Bruno Mars song, he takes me in his arms, and we move slowly together.
“Perfect,” he says, running his hands down my sides.
We stay like that, just swaying slowly to the fast beat. Then he turns me around and pulls me into his broad chest. Both arms wrap around me, and I don’t remember a time when I’ve ever felt so secure. Then I remember I’ve only known this man for two days and that I don’t really know him at all. I don’t know his full name, what he does for a living, or his domestic situation. I believe he’s not married, but how do I know that he’s completely single?
This is only going to last for a few more days, though. I’ll get on a plane, and he’ll do the same. The odds of us living in the same or even neighboring states are slim to none, and whatever his domestic situation is, it won’t affect my life. I’m enjoying my vacation and coming out of my comfort zone. This is about me, not him.
Three more days. No one is in any danger of catching feelings in three days. No one’s life is going to change in three days. No one is capable of falling in love in three days. I’ll fly home and return to my life, which is great, by the way. My career has taken off. I have money. I not only have my own home, but I’ve invested in a rental property.
Now, I’m going to have a tryst with a man I barely know and will likely never see again.
“What are you thinking about?” he yells in my ear. “And your friends are going to give Ian a heart attack.”
I giggle when I see that Amira and Raven have sandwiched him. They’re not pressed against him but dance wildly and wave their arms while he does a basic two-step. I catch Raven’s eye, and she tilts her head at Amira. Raven mouths, three, two. She doesn’t get to one before Amira starts to do the robot. You can set your watch by it. She does this every time she dances. It doesn’t matter what the situation or the song is; she will do the robot.
I notice Malcom watching her. He subtly copies her moves. I’m glad Amira doesn’t notice, because if she did, she’d be too self-conscious to continue. When Malcolm sees me watching him, he abruptly stops and resumes his conversation with the random woman.
I turn away and face Colin again.
“I’m thinking you’re gonna get bored with me. I don’t love clubbing,” I admit. I’d rather be at home reading a good book or watching a movie.
“Honeybee, you couldn’t be more wrong.” His hands caress my sides and land on my ass. “Tell me what you’re really thinking.”
I slide my hands from his lower abs to his naval, all the way to his pecs. I imagine going home with him, stripping him out of those clothes, and climbing into bed with him. I imagine a night in his bed where we get little to no sleep but wake up happy and satisfied in the morning.
He’ll make me a latte or a cappuccino, which I would love to sip while sitting on his lap, against his bare chest, while he rubs his beard on my shoulder.
“I’m thinking I’m ready to leave,” I admit, looking him in the eye.
“You want to go get a drink at a quieter place?”
“No. I want to go back to your place.”
He raises his eyebrows, and I nod to confirm what I said.
“Are you sure?” he asks.
“I’m positive.”
He takes my hand and leads me off the dance floor, but I pull him toward my friends. I tell them goodbye. I don’t know if they understand I’m going to Colin’s place, but they’re not surprised I’m leaving. They both know I don’t love nightclubs, but I text them that I probably won’t see them again until morning.
Colin holds my hand all the way back to the house, and when we get in, he lifts me off my feet, and I wrap my legs around him.