I remembered the taste of him, regardless of my alcoholic haze at the time. The feel of him as he pushed me up against the wall and claimed my lips.
“Gone on a booze cruise, yes,” he said, his voice husky and his steps slowing as we neared the corner. “Carried a woman to one…no.”
“It’s your fault,” I whispered. My cheek grazed his, scratchy with his stubble. Fire coiled in my middle. “You are bad luck where my shoes are concerned.”
His hand splayed across my back. His chest rose and fell before he stopped and let me slide down his body. Was it just me, or was there hardness pressing against my legs as they moved over his groin?
His eyes dilated. His gaze roamed my face. Water swirled around my ankles, but I didn’t notice it. All I could focus on was his head, slowly bending. His lips, so close.
“Brad,” someone barked.
Brad’s head jerked up, and then he blinked rapidly. He pushed back from me, only leaving a hand on my upper arm for stabilization. “Yeah,” he called, eyeing my feet.
The chill of the water finally bled through the heat of Brad’s presence. The hem of my skirt sagged, dripping. He’d put me down right before the corner, but we hadn’t gotten out of the way of the surge of incoming water.
“You coming?”
“Yeah.” He motioned for me to move. “We’re having technical difficulties.”
Sucking in warm air, I tried to clear my muddied thoughts. With or without alcohol, something about this guy made me hazy with desire. From his deep voice that vibrated through me, to his hard body, to his witty banter, I was lost.
“Your plan was to make sure I got wet, then?” I asked lightly as I rounded the corner.
“Yes.”
That sexy tone sent shivers through me. His assurance. It didn’t sound like he’d meant what I had meant. Namely, my clothing.
His plan worked on both levels.
He stopped me before joining the group, letting us remain just a little removed as everyone waited on an empty beach. No catamaran in sight.
He dug his hands into his pockets while angling away so that he was facing the ocean.
“Doing cool-guy code?” I asked with a smirk. A rock jabbed my foot as I shifted to look out at the water, angling like he was. I kicked it away.
“What’s cool-guy code?” He glanced over.
“This.” I drew a circle in the air with my pointer finger, taking in his body. “This pointing your shoulder at me and directing your chest away…thing. You know, the ‘I’m here with you, but I’m not here with you’ routine. I had a boyfriend who was very advanced in cool-guy code. A master, really.”
“And you tolerated it, I suppose.”
I frowned at his tone, slightly tinged with disappointment. “What was I supposed to do, reposition his body in the way I wanted it? A bit heavy-handed, that.”
“I’m facing this way to remain professional. If I were your boyfriend, I would be touching you. Making sure everyone knew you were mine.”
A shiver bomb exploded inside me. My foot wiggled a little before I could stop the jig in progress.
The man knew all the right words. Which he probably said to all the ladies. Why wouldn’t he? If I had that much game, I’d play it all over town.
Which was why one-night stands were wonderful in this situation, made even better while in paradise. Get the goods, then get outta town!
“Well,” I said as a large vessel with two points of flotation touching the water glided toward the beach. A mast with a large sail was being pulled in. There was a sort of webbing connecting the two sides, surrounded by barriers to keep people from walking off the edges and falling into the water. “The ex didn’t know what he was messing with. I have a slight social-insanity problem, it seems. When we fought, he often gave me the silent treatment. Then I’d freak out and do something drastic to get him to speak.”
“Like what?” he asked, shifting a little so he could look down on my face.
I shrugged, getting uncomfortable. “I sat on him once.”
“You sat on him?” A smile curved Brad’s lips.
I shifted, but his smile was infectious, and I found myself returning it. “Yeah. I was pissed about him flirting with my friend, and when I tried to talk to him about it, he shut down. He wouldn’t speak to me past saying I was being…irrational?” I thought back. “Was it irrational or paranoid…” I shook my head. “One or the other.”
Brad’s tone darkened. “He flirted with your friend?”
I shrugged, the feeling of inadequacy I’d felt so often with said ex-boyfriend hovering over me like a cloud. “Yeah. He was…a real treat. Anyway, c’mon. Teddy is loading up. I want to distract him so he falls in the water.”
“So, besides sitting on him to get him to talk, what else did you do?” Brad asked, following.
“Meh. Crazy stuff. Like…just nuts stuff.”
“Examples.”
“It’s embarrassing.” I brushed my hair away from my face.
“Sounds like he deserved it. A fiery girl like you shouldn’t be provoked. He should’ve known that.”
“That’s a nice way to put it,” I said.