“I’m ready,” she said as the door opened. She stepped out and it was as if I’d slammed into a brick wall, or been punched right in the gut. She was so fucking beautiful. She moved around the room, gathering whatever she needed, but I was transfixed by her, simply mesmerized.
Her hair was loose, but she’d curled it so the straw-colored strands were winding around each other. A few locks at each temple were pulled back and pinned on the side with something that sparkled. Her gorgeous skin was only complemented by the white of her dress, her breasts only held in by the straps that tied behind her neck. I could tell she wasn’t wearing a bra, as I could see the deep valley between her breasts, and my mouth watered to kiss her there. The white dress cinched right below her breasts and then flowed all the way to the floor in a goddesslike spill of delicate, soft fabric. My hands itched to run along her dress, to see if it felt as soft as it looked.
“You look beautiful,” I managed to force out, my words almost inaudible they were so quiet. She gave me the most brilliant smile I’d ever seen and even through the new bronzing of her skin, I could see a blush creep over her cheeks. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Really, Kalli, you look incredible.” I walked toward her and held out my hand, pulling her to me when she gave me hers.
“Thank you. I was hoping you’d like this dress,” she said shyly, her eyes dropping to the fabric draping so beautifully over her body.
I brought her chin back up with a gentle finger. “It’s not the dress,” I whispered. “It’s you.” I leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss against her lips, but then pulled away because I knew if I kept kissing her we’d end up back on the bed. She was a masterpiece and I didn’t want to mar her.
I interlaced our fingers, leading her toward the door. We walked slowly down the wooden path that took us from our private cabana to the shore. It was late and the sun was nearly completely set, so the pathways were all lined with tiki torches, casting an orange glow over us.
When we made it to the restaurant we were seated immediately and enjoyed one of the best meals I’d ever had. The food was spectacular, as I expected at the five-star resort we were staying at. But Kalli was everything during that meal. She was funny and sweet, flirting with me over cool, crisp white wine. She was supportive and attentive, listening to me as I worried about work and life, holding my hand from across the table.
At one point I asked her to dance, so we spent a few songs swaying back and forth to a tropical rhythm. I couldn’t help but kiss her bare shoulder as I trailed my fingers lightly down the naked skin of her back, watching as her skin pebbled with goose bumps.
“I want to take you back to the room,” I whispered into her ear right before I kissed the skin below it.
She pulled away and gave me a nervous smile.
“Okay, but, give me a ten-minute head start, okay?”
I tilted my head, confused by her request. “You want me to wait ten minutes to go back to the room?” Suddenly it dawned on me that she was planning something. “What have you done?” I had so many wonderful images of Kalli’s body adorned with sexy lingerie.
“You’ll have to wait and see,” she said, trying to sound coquettish, but only coming off as ridiculously cute and a little silly.
“Is it sexy?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
“I’m hoping that when you find out, it will lead to a lot of sex, yes.”
“Fuck,” I groaned.
“Ten minutes,” she repeated, then kissed me quickly right before she turned and walked away. I watched her leave, her dress even stunning from the back, and decided to take a walk on the beach to waste the required ten minutes. I grew impatient during those minutes, wondering what I would find when I went back to the cabana, what kind of surprise she was planning for me.
Finally, when I reached our private walkway, my heart rate sped up, and I could feel the pulse in my neck. I wanted to get to her, to hold her again. I’d been with her for nearly a week uninterrupted, and ten minutes seemed to be too long to be apart any longer.
When I made it to the door, I found a piece of paper taped to the front with Kalli’s unmistakable handwriting on it.
The door is unlocked. Come inside. Follow the trail and meet me at the end.
I opened the door slowly to find red roses everywhere. There were so many roses, I couldn’t contain the laugh that bubbled up in my throat. It was beautiful, but I couldn’t imagine how she’d pulled it off.
A path on the floor was lit with candles with red rose petals scattered all around. I suddenly remembered how I’d done this exact same thing when I brought her to the house for the first time. The pulsing in my neck turned to thundering as my heart accelerated. She was up to something, and it wasn’t just lingerie.