I did know. We hadn’t used protection. Which was a single girl’s no-no.
I seemed to be racking up a bunch of “oops” with this guy, and that last one could’ve been a real bad situation. “I’m not sexually active at present—you excluded, obviously—so if you’re lying… Well, I know where you work, and I know how to blog. Kind of. I’d figure it out to ruin you, at any rate.”
He chuckled. “Pregnancy?”
“Covered. I don’t leave that up to condoms.”
“You use birth control even though you’re not sexually active?”
“The birth control I use isn’t like condoms. You don’t just go on and off of it. It’s a decision to stop using it…”
“So green light for later? Because condoms suck, and I haven’t been without one since…” He thought about it for a moment as the elevator dinged. “Since I started making big money, I guess.”
“Because of the ol’ ‘trap him into loving me’ maneuver, huh? I hope you rely on more than just a condom, because women can be crazy.”
“I haven’t been dating, actually…”
An older woman entered the elevator with a younger one—they looked related. The younger one glanced back, caught sight of Brad, and then did a double take. Her gaze flicked to our hips.
Add another oops to the growing list.
Brad shuffled me around to hide the fact that we were technically still having sex. I bit my lip to hide a smile as best I could, but I still had to look away. The woman’s scoff wasn’t long in coming.
They got out at the lobby, and before more people could enter, Brad pulled himself out of me. He wasn’t the only thing exiting. The aftereffects of sex without protection used my inner thighs as its path toward the floor. He hadn’t gotten the bathing suit bottoms in place in time.
“This might be a bit…messy for you,” he said into my ear as a family entered the elevator.
“Just another gross thing to add to my day,” I said as I adjusted my wrap.
“I’ll make it up to you.”
“I don’t see how.”
“I don’t either, but it sounded better than, ‘Sucks to be a girl in these situations.’”
“It’s the thought that counts.”
“Touché,” he said with a chuckle.
Ten
I came awake slowly, wrapped in Brad’s strong arms.
Bradley Resslen.
I still couldn’t really believe it. The man was a legend. He was also incredibly sweet and funny, and I loved being with him. I loved being snuggled up to his warmth.
“Good morning,” he murmured as I wiped hair from my face. His lips pressed to my temple. “Did you sleep well?”
“Really well. This bed is comfortable.”
“Lying with you is comfortable. The bed needs a refresh.”
“Okay, Mr. Snooty.”
He laughed softly and kissed my head again. “I don’t want you to go back, Delilah. Stay here with me. I’ll be here another few days.”
“I have to go back to work. I can’t just take off at a moment’s notice. And before you say it, I’m not going to quit. At least not like that. And honestly…I also have to work off a little community service because of…an episode with the ex.”
His arm jerked around me. “Community service?”
“Yeah. He pressed charges. Not that I blame him, but…well, I’m thankful the judge was a woman.”
“What did you do that he pressed charges?” he asked. I couldn’t read his tone. It was a reminder that I didn’t know him all that well.
I shrugged and sat up, pulling out of his arms. “It doesn’t matter. Do you want to shower with me, or…”
“Yes.” Thankfully, he didn’t press.
When he entered the shower, I recognized the look of sadness and disappointment on his face. A weight settled on my chest.
He really did want me to stay. This guy, who could honestly have anyone, didn’t care that I was cracked—that I fell off stools and said crazy things and acted on impulse. He wanted to share paradise with me.
The weight was replaced with a budding softness as his hands moved over my skin, lathering me up with suds.
If someone had asked me on Friday what my chances were of meeting a handsome, intelligent, and awesome guy on my work vacation, I would’ve said negative three percent. Not a chance. Stuff like that didn’t happen to me.
Yet here I was, with Mr. Handsome.
I took a chance. “Is this the end? Is this only a Hawaii fling?”
His fingers slid along my jaw and applied pressure. I angled my face up to meet his sea-foam eyes. “No. This isn’t the end. We can call, text, Skype…”
“So we’re going to keep talking after today?”
“Well, I am,” he said with traces of humor. His eyes didn’t lose the seriousness. “I’ll leave messages all day long. You gave me a green light to be creepy, as I recall.”
I mock-grimaced. “Not too creepy, though, right? No skin suits or anything…”
“I haven’t forgotten Frank’s warning.”