“Not just any mind. Yours,” he said as held his hand out for her. “Ready?”
Chance was no less of a gentleman as they toured St. Lucia. Claire could tell he had been there several times and might as well have been her private local guide. When they got hungry for lunch, they stopped at a seafood spot; he told her to order the steamed fish in curry and coconut sauce. She had initially hesitated, but when she tasted it, she wiped the plate clean.
They toured the coast, stopping at the local farmers’ market as well as the craft store, and Claire felt like a queen next to him. She was determined to live in the moment, aware of the fact that this was another world and she couldn’t get attached to it.
By the time they made it back to the hotel, they were both tired. Chance stood outside her door, leaning against it and beckoning her to kiss him. Claire did kiss him, but instead of staying in the hallway, Chance stepped inside and kicked the door shut. He led her to the bed, and in minutes, he was thrusting into her, faster and harder than last time, both of them moaning and groaning their heart’s pleasure. They orgasmed simultaneously and fell asleep right after. The last sound Claire heard was his light snore next to her, and a smile curved her lips as she closed her eyes and dreamed of the perfect day she had shared with him.
CHAPTER 12
The next morning, Amy’s banging on the door woke Claire up. Chance flew out of bed, unsure what to do.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “It’s just Amy.”
“She’s persistent,” he mumbled as he looked around for somewhere to hide.
Claire cracked the door and stuck her head out. “Yes?”
“Claire, I’m sorry for abandoning you the last few days or so, but Mario and I have been having so much fun, and I know how much Chance wanted you more than me, so I thought…” she paused when she saw Claire mouthing shut up to her. “What?” she asked as she tried to look past her.
“Sshh,” Claire said.
“Is he? He is!” she screamed and tried to push past Claire.
“Amy, get away from my door,” Claire said and pushed her away gently.
“Wait, so how about a double date? Mario and I were going on a little hiking expedition.”
“Goodbye, Amy,” Claire laughed and closed the door.
“Hiking might not be too bad,” Chance laughed too when she finally got the door closed. “I didn’t make an itinerary for today.”
“Hiking? Ugh! I don’t think I’m ready for that,” she said, and fell back against the bed.
He smiled and hovered over her. “There is a lot to see in the parks and gardens here.”
“I guess,” she said. “Fine. I’ll go over to her room and make final plans, then.”
“And in the meantime, I need to take a shower,” he said. “Though I hate to wash the smell of you off me.”
“Go wash up, you slacker,” Claire said as she raised on her tip toes and kissed him. “I need to shower as well.”
“Okay, see you in a little while. If I take too long, you know where I am.” He grinned as he walked out.
Claire fell back on the bed with the pillow on her chest, feeling light and blissful. If she had known she would feel this good, she would have listened to Amy’s coaxing on Chance’s island. But when she rolled over and allowed her thoughts to probe the future, the smile completely disappeared. What reason did she have to hope he would return with her to Miami? He was wealthy and had girls chasing him all over the world. And he had already conquered her, so what was left besides the rest of her vacation? And his? She was still deep in thought and dragging herself around the room when Amy returned.
“Knock, knock,” her best friend said as she burst inside. “I can see he isn’t here or the door wouldn’t be open.” Claire smiled at her. “So, you sneak.” She walked over to knock Claire on the shoulder. “You have been seeing him the whole time.”
“Not the whole time; you and Mom left me with nothing to do. Chance was there, so I passed the time with him,” Claire blushed.
“Passed the time? Hmm, I’ve never heard it called that before,” she laughed.
“Knock it off, Ames,” she laughed. “This is just for a time. We go home in three days, and Chance and Mario will be no more.”
“Maybe Mario won’t be, but why not Chance? The man has money coming out his ears. He even has his own private island. What’s to stop him from coming to you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe all the other women who have his attention,” Claire reminded her.
“Claire, he wants you for a reason, and that’s because you aren’t anything like those whores chasing him,” Amy told her.
“You mean like you?” Claire teased.
“Yeah, like me,” Amy laughed. “But I came around to invite you guys to hang out with us.”
“I was just about to come up to your room.”
“Mario is coming by in another…” she paused to look at her watch, “half hour, so get ready.”
“I don’t have a choice, right?”