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I didn't want me to get the wrong idea either...but even that couldn't make me stop watching her.
I often had trouble sleeping when I was in a new place. That was accompanied by another, more troubling kind of restlessness tonight. The kind that kept images repeating in my head. Things that had really happened – the smile she'd given me – as well as things that hadn't – her body beneath mine.
Every inch of me was tense. My cock had been hard for what seemed like years. I'd been running my hands through my hair so much that it was standing up all over the place. I'd already drunk enough of the Corzo from the mini bar to know that if I took any more tequila, I'd regret it in the morning.
Not knowing what else to do, I decided to head outside for a walk, hoping the night air would help me out.
Without any intention on my part, I found myself outside her door, hand already halfway to knocking. I stopped before I made contact. It was past midnight. She was probably sleeping. And besides, what would I do if I did knock? Ask her if she wanted to go for a walk on the beach? Ask if I could come inside for a nightcap? She'd get the wrong impression.
Or maybe she'd get the right impression, though not one I should have been giving.
I headed down to the beach alone. I'd missed the ocean while we were in Vegas even though there was a huge difference from the Atlantic Coast I was used to and the Pacific here. It was even different from LA to Hawaii. But it didn't matter where I was. The ocean soothed me.
Here was no different.
The frothy waves tumbled as they neared the shore, hissing and spitting in an endless cycle of approach and retreat. The sand was still warm, and it felt like absolute heaven against my bare soles. I held my shoes in hand as I walked down the sandy stretch, thinking about everything from the business to what time I had to get up in the morning. All of these mundane thoughts were designed to keep my mind from where it really wanted to go – Briana.
I turned my attention to the sky as I made a loop to stay on the hotel's private beach. The lights from the hotel cast an odd sort of glow over everything, different from anything I'd seen aside from here.
It wasn't until I was halfway back that I realized I wasn't alone. A figure just ahead of me, silhouetted by the distant lights of the resort, stood and looked out over the breaking waves. My heart skipped a beat as I approached, some deep part of me knowing that it was Briana before I could see her.
“What are you doing out here?” I called out when I was close enough.
No point trying to avoid her, not when I'd been secretly hoping for this moment all day. Hell, before that. I'd been waiting to get her alone from the moment I first met her.
Her head came up, surprise on her face for a second before she smiled. “I don't sleep well in new beds.”
I laughed, the sound coming much easier than I expected. “Me neither.”
I stopped when I was close enough to reach out and grab her if I wanted. And I wanted to. Fuck, I wanted to so badly that it hurt. But instead, I turned and stared out at the waves again.
“I suppose this must be a welcome change from dusty Las Vegas.”
“You have no idea.” She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.
The blissful smile that crossed her lips made me wonder how old she really was. Some moments, she seemed to be around my age. Other times, I wondered if she was even old enough to work in a casino. And how much had she been through in her short life? It couldn’t have been easy, being a single mom, especially at her age.
“I grew up in Tulsa,” she said. “Moved straight to Vegas from there, and I've never been anywhere else. The air tastes different out here.”
I let my gaze trace along her features. “I know exactly what you mean.”
She opened her eyes and caught me staring at her. I forced myself to look away.
“You're enjoying your stay so far, then?”
Fortunately, she let the subject change. “It's been a bit of a whirlwind meeting all your family, but they've been nice.”
“But are you enjoying it?”
“I am.” There was truth in her tone. “I have to admit that I was a bit relieved when Enzo didn't try to put me in the room next to his. I thought for sure it wouldn't matter to him that I was supposed to be your...date. That he'd expect...more.”
Her eyes widened, and I thought she was probably surprised that she'd revealed so much. But I laughed it off.
“I enjoy your candid moments,” I admitted. “Especially when they involve my brother.”
A gust of wind picked up her hair and sent the strands skittering over her face. Without thinking, I reached out to smooth a lock behind her ear. My fingertips brushed her cheek. It was soft and cool despite the heat of the day. I couldn't resist running my thumb over it when I was finished.
Her eyes caught mine, blue as dark as the ocean in front of us. I couldn't have mistaken the desire there if I'd been blindfolded. And I couldn't have resisted if my hands were tied behind my back.
I caught her wrist and pulled her to me. She let out a surprised gasp, which I quickly muted by crashing my lips down against hers. For a moment, her body went stiff, and I waited for her to push me away.
Instead, she melted in my arms.
Her lips were cool, with just a hint of sea salt from the mist blowing inland. I teased my tongue against the seam of her mouth until she sighed and granted me entrance. Her arms snaked around my neck, and she pushed up on her toes, straining to get more of me. I moaned as I pulled her lower lip between my teeth. She tasted heavenly, and the way her body pressed against mine made me want to throw her over my shoulder and carry her back to my room where I could devour her completely.
But that little voice of common sense in the back of my head wouldn't shut up, and it convinced me to stop. It was one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do, but I knew it was right.
Still, I couldn't look at her as I walked away. I knew if I met her eyes, I wouldn't be strong enough to keep going.
