All I Wanna Do Is You: A Road Trip Rom-Com

by Dylann Crush

  18

  Crazy for her? Where had that come from? Zach sat on the bench seat as the boat approached the dock and bit his lip, wishing he could take the words back. Not because they weren’t true, but because he didn’t want to admit how attached he’d become to the woman beside him. He convinced himself he’d been caught up in the moment. She was buzzing so high on the adrenaline rush, his admission probably didn’t even register.

  He tugged his T-shirt over his head and grabbed Reagan’s hand. “What are you in the mood for? Cuban sandwich or fresh fish?”

  “As long as I get my mojito, I don’t care. Surprise me.” She laced her fingers through his and slung her purse over her naked shoulder.

  He relaxed at her carefree attitude, glad she had embraced his suggestion and rolled with it. Not sure how she’d react when he handed her the bikini and dragged her to the dock, he’d been a little bit afraid of the repercussions if his little stunt had backfired. She rose to the occasion, though. And parts of him rose just seeing her in the itty bitty bikini he’d selected. If luck was on his side, she might be as willing to roll around in the sheets with him later as she had been conquering her fear of heights.

  Brody eased the boat back into the dock slip. Zach hopped out to tie up the lines. He held his hand out to Reagan and helped her step out of the boat and onto the wooden planked walkway.

  “Brody, my man. Thanks for a great time.” Zach clasped his friend’s hand and slapped his other hand on Brody’s shoulder.

  “Always glad to help an old friend. Lake, it was a pleasure meeting you. Don’t let this guy scare you off,” Brody said.

  Reagan wrapped Brody into a hug and let out a laugh. “I think I’m the one who usually scares people off.”

  “Like two peas in a pod. You two are probably meant for each other.” Brody winked at Zach as he squeezed her back.

  The twinge hit Zach’s gut again, but this time it had the dark edges of jealousy as opposed to the knifing guilt he’d felt before. Seeing Reagan in Brody’s arms inspired an unusual feeling, especially for a guy who prided himself on his no-strings attitude. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s enough fondling, dude.”

  Reagan and Brody broke apart. “If you get sick of this guy, give me a call,” Brody joked.

  Zach landed a playful punch to Brody’s concrete gut. “You done hitting on my girl?”

  “Your girl?” Brody raised an eyebrow. “This is serious.”

  Reagan’s cheeks tinged pink. “It’s not like…I mean…I’ll wait by the car.” She wrapped her arms around her waist and padded down the dock toward the parking lot.

  “What the hell was that?” Zach asked.

  “Bro, I’ve never heard you talk about a chick like that before. You got it bad for this girl or what?”

  Zach gave a half-hearted shrug. “It’s complicated. I don’t know. We don’t exactly run in the same circles.”

  “No kidding.” Brody checked the lines and stood up. “Maybe she felt like slumming.”

  “Nice, douchebag. Real nice.” Zach shook his head. “Thanks for the trip. I owe you one.”

  “You bet. Anytime. And Zach?”

  Zach eyed Brody with suspicion. “Yeah?”

  “She seems great. It’s okay to let someone in. Not everyone has it out for you.”

  “Thanks, oh-wise-one. You should set up a stand on the beach and charge suckers for your sage advice.”

  “Later, asshole.”

  The men grinned at each other. Zach thought about Brody’s insight as he climbed out of the boat. Was he ready to let Reagan in? All along he’d been the one trying to breach her impenetrable defenses, not willing to admit that he’d been living behind a fortress of walled-up emotions as well. Would she be the one worth fighting for?

  Before he let himself go there, he’d promised himself he’d get her out of her comfort zone. Reagan needed to cut loose…needed a reminder of the fun they’d had together back when they didn’t have a world of conflict between them.

  So Zach ambled down the dock toward the car, toward Reagan, toward a night that would hopefully be full of the kind of wild abandon that being in Miami required.

  “Everything settled?” Reagan asked as Zach walked toward her on the dock. She’d been shocked by how much she’d enjoyed his surprise. He’d known just what she needed to face her fear of heights. After the adrenaline rush, she wanted a way to calm down so she had found a bench and parked herself on it, immersed in the oceanfront view.

  “Yep. Sorry about Brody. He can be a real ass sometimes.”

  “I thought he was nice.” Reagan stood when Zach reached the bench. “What next? Where’s this mojito?”

  “Only a few blocks down. You want to walk?”

  “Sure.” It would feel good to use her legs after being in the car for so long.

  “Let me throw my towel in the car and grab my camera. Never know what you’ll see on the boardwalk of Miami Beach.”

  She followed Zach to the car, still hyped up on their parasailing flight. “Do you get up often?”

  He let out a laugh and shook his head. “You mean parasailing?”

  “Yes, I meant parasailing. What did you think…?” Her cheeks flamed as she realized how Zach must have interpreted her question. “You pervert.”

  A gorgeous smile flashed across his face. “I get up every chance I get, cupcake.”

  She screwed her mouth into a frown and bumped him with her hip. “Does your mind live in the gutter or just visit often?”

  Zach slammed the trunk and slung his camera bag over his shoulder. “Hang out with me a few more days, and you’ll find out for yourself.”

  Flying high over Miami Beach had freed something inside her. Reagan felt like playing along. “Is that an invitation?”

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and she let him pull her against his side. His lips brushed her temple as they walked toward the boardwalk. “An open invitation, Reagan.”

  Giddiness rose in her chest, like she’d been sprinkled in pixie dust and her feet were floating two feet above the ground.

  Zach matched her stride. They walked in silence as Reagan let herself imagine what life might be like with Zach by her side. Never a dull moment. The man lived for adventure. Parasailing over the open ocean? No problem. He’d probably been swimming with sharks and gone skiing in the Alps too. She could use a little more adventure in her life. More than, say, eating an entire pint of Ben & Jerry’s and watching a movie on a Saturday night.

  She risked a side glance at Zach. His lips curved into a slight, sexy-as-hell smile. The setting sun cast his profile in shades of pink and orange, picking up the highlights in his hair. Hard-earned highlights from hours spent photographing beach shoots. Beach shoots where he flirted with tall, gorgeous models.

  She pulled herself up to her full height, the top of her head aligning with his chin. She wouldn’t let herself go there tonight. This was her last night with Zach, her last night as Lake before she had to switch into perma-planner mode. Sure, she’d been upset they couldn’t get everything done and make the charter boat. And she had no idea how they were going to get to the island tomorrow. When she’d called to cancel, the yacht company said they were fully booked for the next day. Her mind ran through the list of “to-do’s” and she let out a large sigh.

  “Everything all right?” Zach asked.

  “Yes. Just thinking of everything I need to do tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow is a whole night away.” He stopped, forcing her feet to stop moving as well. “Promise me something?”

  “What?”

  “That you’ll let yourself have a good time tonight. There’s nothing more you can do from here. You’ll be in the thick of things when you get there tomorrow, and my guess is that it won’t let up until Sunday. Let’s just enjoy tonight.”

  The gleam in Zach’s eye promised his kind of adventure—far more than ice cream and a movie. The kind of night she’d probably replay in her mind for years to come. Tomorrow she’d
be Reagan Campbell, conservative senator’s daughter. But tonight… tonight she’d be Zach’s.

  A shiver ran down her spine as she considered what that might entail. Could she do it? Could she let herself go for once? She wanted to try. Her gaze danced over his face, taking in the days of scruff, the golden tint of his sun-kissed skin, the way his hair blew over his eyes in the light ocean breeze. Before she let herself make the list of pro’s and con’s in her head, she nodded in agreement.

  “Yes.”

  “Yes to what?” Zach asked, his voice taking on a husky vibration that caused goose bumps to pebble her skin.

  She went up on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. Pulling back enough so her words filled the space between them, she said, “Yes to everything.”

  His gaze searched hers then he wrapped his arms around her and drew her close. Their tongues tangled. He tasted like mint and the scent of his skin filled her nose. The kiss deepened. Her heart swelled with sensation, like tiny pinpricks tap dancing across her chest.

  A group of guys passed them on the sidewalk, whistling and hooting. “Get a room!”

  Reagan twisted away from Zach. She ran a finger over her lips, the scruffy stubble of Zach’s beard had scraped against her skin in a most delicious way, and it still tingled.

  “Ready for that mojito?” His teasing eyes matched the smirk on his lips.

  Reagan shrugged. “Sure. You lead, I’ll follow.”

  He winked then took her hand and pulled her alongside him. “I’m counting on that.”

  She’d heard the expression “hole in the wall.” The beachfront restaurant Zach selected was more like a crack in the wall. A hole in the wall would probably have actual walls. This place had tables set up within a roped off section of the beach. The “restaurant” was covered with palm fronds, giving the impression it had sprouted up from the vegetation. The hostess led them to a table in the sand. Reagan took a seat and lifted her feet to shake out her flip flops.

  Zach ordered two mojitos and slid the votive candles to the side of the table so he could reach across and take her hands. “You like Miami so far?”

  “Absolutely. Miami has a flavor all its own. There’s no place like it in the world. The color, the character, the people.”

  At that moment a woman walked past them on the beach, her body painted to look like a mermaid.

  Reagan leaned toward him and whispered. “Is she topless?”

  “Pretty sure those shells are painted on. I think I see a nipple.”

  “Anything goes around here, huh?”

  The waitress set two enormous drinks down in front of them. More like a fishbowl with a stem than a beverage glass, there had to be at least fifty ounces of cocktail in front of her. Reagan’s eyes widened, and she shook her head. “This is a drink? I’ll never be able to finish it.”

  Zach leaned back in his chair, breaking their touch. He lifted his glass. “To new adventures with old friends.”

  Cradling her massive goblet with both hands, Reagan clinked her glass against his.

  “Hungry? They serve some awesome Cuban food here. Broiled plantains, the best Cuban sandwich in Miami…what are you in the mood for?”

  “Sandwich sounds good.”

  Zach motioned to the waitress. He ordered two Cuban sandwiches with sides of sweet potato fries. When the waitress left, he took another deep draw on his straw.

  “What do you think about the drink?”

  Reagan toyed with her straw. “Best mojito I’ve ever had.” The alcohol flooded her bloodstream, heating her cheeks and hurtling her thoughts to later when she and Zach might be tangled in the sheets back at their beachside bungalow. The more sips she took from the monstrous beverage in front of her, the more her muscles relaxed. Her body molded against the back of her chair; her feet ceasing their relentless tip tapping on the sand. She crossed her legs, causing her cover up to slide up her thighs. Zach glanced down through the mesh table toward her legs. A half-hearted tug at the hem successfully covered about an inch of skin.

  “After dinner, do you want to walk up the beach a bit? Maybe see who’s playing on that stage?”

  She couldn’t remember ever being so accommodating, but Zach’s words and the sexy low-pitched tone of his voice tugged at the loosening knot in her chest and it unraveled like her favorite sweater had when she snagged it on the zipper of her coat.

  “Sure. I’m up for whatever.”

  Zach’s hand paused in mid-air, his glass still inches away from his mouth. “Careful. Whatever covers a lot of ground.”

  She shrugged, letting her eyes drift half-closed into what she hoped was a seductive grin “Call me Lake tonight, yeah?”

  His mouth closed around the straw. She bit down on her lower lip, thinking about his talented lips and tongue. Would he be up for a repeat performance? Or maybe something else.

  “Don’t look at me like that, or we’ll have to get dinner to go.”

  “Is that a threat or a promise?”

  “Neither. It’s a fact.”

  She smiled to herself as the waitress set two platters of food down in front of them. Her attempt at turning up the sexy had worked. Maybe she wasn’t as big a dork as she thought.

  19

  Zach tore into his sandwich, letting the sweet taste of ham mingle with the spicy sauce they used to differentiate their Cubans here. Something in Reagan had changed. Odds were it wouldn’t last. But maybe, just maybe, she’d really let her hair down tonight. He’d love to see her kick off her shoes and let loose. Under the tailored blazer and impeccable manners, he’d bet there was a wild child waiting to come out. He’d seen glimpses before, but she always pulled back into herself like a turtle ducking back into its shell.

  “How’s your sandwich?” he asked.

  Her tongue slipped out and caught a glob of sauce from the corner of her mouth. “Delicious.”

  He lowered his head and looked up at her through half-closed eyes. “Doesn’t taste half as good as you.”

  Reagan snorted and almost choked on a sip of her drink. “So that’s how we’re going to do this tonight?”

  Zach mumbled through the giant bite he’d taken. “What?”

  “Dirty talk?”

  “Cupcake, I haven't even started.”

  She swallowed hard, and a warm glow burned low in his belly. This would be fun. She seemed willing, but he didn’t want to push too far, too fast. No rush. They had all night. And all morning. He swiped a fry through some ketchup and stuffed it in his mouth. Reagan nibbled at her sandwich and toyed with her fries. By the time he’d finished his dinner she’d barely eaten a third of her sandwich and only a few fries.

  “Don’t you like it?” he asked.

  “It’s really good. I'm just not hungry.”

  His brow furrowed. “You feel okay?” Maybe the stress had finally caught up to her.

  “Yeah, I just keep thinking of everything I have to do when we get there tomorrow.” Her gaze cut to the beach where a group of teens horsed around in the surf. A guy tossed a girl over his shoulder and ran through a few waves. Her shrieks reached their table and the guy dipped her down so her tush touched the water.

  Zach gestured toward the couple on the beach. “Do you need a dip in the ocean to clear your mind?”

  “Uh, no. Definitely not.”

  “Then you better loosen up or you’re going in butt first.”

  She narrowed her eyes and took a sip of her drink. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “You sure about that?”

  Reagan didn’t say anything, just studied him with her unnerving hazel-eyed gaze. He matched her stare for stare. She finally caved and looked away first.

  “Fine. Whoo hoo.” She picked up the umbrella from her drink and twirled it around in the air. “This is me, officially cutting loose.”

  “Don’t hurt yourself there.” Zach signaled for the check. “Tell you what. Why don’t you take a quick stroll, see if you can clear your head, and I’ll catch up
to you after I pay?”

  “You trying to get rid of me?” She’d already pushed back from the table.

  “Hardly.”

  Reagan nodded. “I’ll see if I can find any shells.”

  As the waitress dropped the check off at the table, Reagan stood and walked toward the water. Zach kept his eyes trained on her retreating backside while he reached for his wallet. He passed off his credit card and finished his drink as Reagan’s amazing ass moved further down the beach.

  “Sir? Do you have another card?”

  His attention snapped to the waitress standing next to the table.

  “This one’s been declined.”

  Shit. He’d been waiting for payment to come through on a job he did in Belize the month before so he could pay off his card. Adding the charges from his detour with Reagan to his already close-to-the-max credit card must have pushed him over his limit. He reached into his pocket and slid out his wallet, glancing over the options.

  “Here, try this one.” He handed her a card he didn’t use often. That one should have a few grand left on it.

  She took it and headed back to the register. He tried to spot Reagan, but she’d disappeared among the tourists milling around on the beach. Probably best to give her some space. He wasn’t used to spending so much time around one person. The fact he hadn’t left her somewhere along the way surprised him a bit. But he couldn't deny the feelings she awoke inside him. He’d never felt the fierce need to protect someone before. Or the fear of losing someone he cared about. At least not since eight years ago. Before he’d broken her heart.

  Watching his dad morph from a fun-loving, big-hearted man to a shell of his former self when Zach’s mom left made him swear he’d never let another person have such a hold on him. But Reagan got to him in ways he’d never let anyone else reach him before.

  His heart skipped a beat as he thought of her rushing toward the giant beast on the side of the highway. He’d been so scared she’d get hurt. Or the look in her eyes when she realized she’d unintentionally issued a bomb threat at the airport. He would have done anything to make her shame and embarrassment disappear. He’d let her get under his skin and infiltrate his heart. It was too late to go back. The only option he had now was to move forward and see things through, even if he lost his heart in the process.