Chapter 2 #2
Damn, he’s hiding some muscles under that dress shirt.
I could tell he was fit, but this… I want to stand here all night and feel him up.
I don’t know what’s going on with me, but I’m acting so out of character.
Maybe it’s the wedding. Perhaps it’s the fact that we’re both here, in a neutral location away from the reality of our real lives.
Whatever it is, I’m here for it, at least for tonight.
“I’m good here,” I tell him. His deep, husky laugh wraps around me as his body shakes with laughter. “Fine,” I concede, pulling away. “I’d like to walk the beach a little more. Join me?”
He nods toward the wide-open beach. “Lead the way,” he says, never letting go of my hand.
I should pull away. I shouldn’t let myself pretend for a single second that this man could be different from the others.
Different from my father. Whether it’s the alcohol or the atmosphere, I’m throwing caution to the wind for one night.
When the sun rises, I’ll never see this man again.
Besides, it’s just a little walk on the beach; what can it hurt?
“Favorite color?” he asks, swinging our joined hands between us. It’s an innocent gesture, but my body still heats from the contact of his calloused hands.
“Green. Not just any green, emerald.”
“That’s very specific,” he teases.
“Can’t blame a girl for knowing what she likes. What about you?”
“I don’t know. Blue.”
“What shade of blue? Royal? Baby blue? I need particulars here, mister.” He releases another laugh that washes over me. It’s almost as comforting as the hug he just wrapped me up in.
“Navy blue.”
I nod. “Navy blue it is. Okay, music?”
“All of it. I can’t pick a favorite. What about you?”
“Same. Why choose when there are so many good options out there?”
“You’d fit in just fine with my friends back home. We play Name That Tune a lot when we’re just hanging out, sitting by the fire.”
“Is that what you do for fun?”
“Mostly. I have four best friends back home. Two of whom just recently got married. Another who just became a dad, a single dad. Well, kind of. They’re not together. It’s a long story, but they’re co-parenting and making it work.”
“He sounds like one of the good ones.”
“Yeah, our job schedule is hectic, but he does what it takes to make it happen.”
His words just confirm what I already knew. My dad didn’t want to do what it took to make it happen. He was selfish and chasing his career, and he forgot that he had a family at home who missed him.
“You two work together?”
“We do. All five of us work together. They’re my family.”
He says it with such conviction that there’s no room to guess if he’s telling the truth. His four best friends are his family. “They must be good people.”
“The best. What about you?”
“I work a lot. I have a best friend named Amanda. We met in junior high and have been thick as thieves ever since. Then there’s my mom. She’s been my best friend my entire life.”
“Lucky girls,” he says, his voice husky.
I stop walking and peer up at him. There’s a part of me, a very large part, that wants to rise on my tiptoes and press my lips to his.
It’s the smaller part, the rational part, that keeps me from acting on that particular impulse.
“I think I’m ready for that drink.” My voice doesn’t sound like my own.
He bends down, his lips barely an inch from me. “Drink it is,” he says huskily. Without releasing my hand, we turn and head back to the oceanside bar of the hotel to grab another drink.
We take our same seats in the corner. It’s intimate, something I try not to think about. Our conversation never ebbs, and the drinks keep flowing. I’m once again reminded that I’ve never had this kind of instant chemistry with a man.
“Last call!” the bartender hollers.
No. No. Time went too fast. I’m not ready to leave him. Perhaps I should ask him to come up to my room. I’ve never had a one-night stand. I’ve always been someone who needs to be in a relationship, or at least dating, for a while before I fall into bed, but apparently, Reid is my exception.
“You want another?” Reid asks.
“No, thank you.”
He nods. “Can I walk you to your room?”
He knows I’m staying here; we both are. That’s something we’ve already discussed tonight. “Yes, please.”
When we get to my room, I’ll invite him in.
I’m not ready to say goodbye. I know we’re both not from here, and once he walks away, I’ll never see him again.
I need something more than just our conversation to remember this night.
To remember him. I want to know what it feels like to have his lips on mine.
I want to know how far those tattoos go up his arms. Are they anywhere else on his body?
I need to know everything before we say our final goodbyes.
I can hear Amanda’s voice in my head telling me to live a little. She’s married to her college sweetheart, Ethan, and she claims to live vicariously through me. Much to her dismay, it’s not a very vibrant life—more work, and not much play.
Reaching for my purse to pay for my drinks, Reid stops me, placing his hand over mine. “Drinks are on me.” He gives me a look that dares me to argue with him, so I nod.
“Thank you, Reid.”
“I should be the one thanking you. I got to spend the evening with a beautiful woman.”
“Flattery.”
He leans in and presses his lips to my temple. I freeze as he whispers, “Truth.” He pulls away, signs his receipt, shoves his wallet back into his pants, and offers me his hand. “Shall we?”
I nod, not trusting myself not to beg him to spend the night with me. Instead, I take his hand, and together, we make our way to the elevators. Once the doors close us inside, he wraps his arms around me from behind. It’s a simple gesture, but my body heats up having him this close.
The doors slide open, and we step out, hand in hand. When we reach my room, I turn to face him. He steps in close, which has me moving until my back hits the door. His hands rest above my head, caging me in.
“I don’t want to say goodbye to you.”
Yes! “Then don’t,” I breathe.
“I need you to lay this out for me, Bellamy. I need your words. There are no expectations here.”
“Pity.” I smile up at him. “I was expecting an orgasm.”
A slow, sexy smile pulls at his lips. “Just one? You can do better than that.”
“Can you?”
“Is that what you want? You want me to follow you into your room and show you how many orgasms I can pull from your sexy body?”
“That.” I nod.
He chuckles. “You sure this is what you want?”
“Yes.” I don’t hesitate with my answer.
His lips press to the corner of my mouth before he drops his hands. “Unlock the door, Bellamy.” His voice is gritty with desire, and my panties are ruined.
I do as he says and turn, giving him my back. My hands tremble as I swipe the keycard and push open the door. I’m not scared. I’m turned on.
Once we’re in the room, the door closes behind us with an audible click. Reid turns the lock. I face him and find him leaning with his back against the door. “What’s wrong? Change your mind?” I tease.
He reaches down and grips his hard cock through his pants. “Never,” he assures me. “Just trying to take this slow.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want tonight to end,” he confesses.
There is so much sincerity in his words that it has me swallowing back a lump of emotion. This man is not afraid to speak his mind or ask for what he wants. I barely know him, but I feel it in my bones that if he says it, he means it.
“We have all night,” I assure him, kicking off my shoes. Reaching up, I start pulling pins out of my partial updo.
“Bellamy?”
“Yeah?” My eyes collide with his.
“Strip.”