by Lyssa Layne
Still talking to her brother, Sloan reaches her hand out and slides it on my thigh. My body tingles, her hand so close to my manhood, but more so because I’m special to her. I never thought I’d be someone’s special anything again and I never thought I’d find one for me, too.
Sloan
My fingers search for Smitty’s and I smile when our hands lock together. I lean back, relaxing as I grab another strawberry and take a bite. A smile creeps over my face as I recall the kiss Smitty just gave me. Totally uninhibited, not caring what anyone else thinks, and leaving me wanting more, so much more than he’s able to give me.
Cooper used to kiss me that way. We never hid our love for each other, not even when he was my client. He’d finish fifty box jumps, huffing and puffing, and still kiss me the exact same way when we’d make love. Maybe he knew that we wouldn’t have much time together so he took advantage of each moment we shared. Maybe Smitty’s doing the same thing, because we only have four days left. With that thought, my heart skips and I force my attention on my family that happens to be interrogating Smitty.
“So Smitty, you a sports fan?” my father asks without making eye contact. He stares into his cup of coffee cup as though there’s something fascinating at the bottom. I fight the frown that creeps on my face. My father loved Cooper and I know this has to be hard for him.
“Yes, sir. I’m a Cards fan. Looks like they’re going to have another great season this year,” Smitty answers, squeezing my hand gently. I lean over and kiss his cheek, my frown disappearing as the two men begin chatting about ERAs and RBIs.
Completely content for the time being, I nibble at the fruit on my plate. Looking around the table, my entire family appears to be happy, me included. Smitty pulls my leg over his thigh and I grin. Yes, I’m definitely happy. Wait, this is the first time in five years I’ve said that in reference to a man. And like that, guilt pangs me and my body goes rigid.
Am I using Smitty to replace Cooper? I turn my head to take in Smitty’s angled cheeks and nose, his fit physique, and the sadness in his eyes. In some way, maybe I am, but Smitty is definitely not Cooper in the physical sense. However, both men can make me smile without trying and I never want to be without either of their touches. Too bad, I lost Cooper’s a while ago and I’ll lose Smitty’s in just a few days.
Smitty’s hand now rests on my thigh and he doesn’t let me move away. Slowly, his finger moves along my inner leg and my whole body is on high alert at his touch. His finger spells out R-E-L-A-X on my leg. I look over at him, surprised that he recognized the shift in my body language. I hadn’t even noticed how much I’d tensed up. Cooper was always attentive to my needs, but not so much my actions, not like Smitty is. His eyes meet mine and he gives me a soft smile while his fingers lightly drag up and down the most sensitive part of my leg.
Ever so slightly, I relax and shake my head. How? How does this man who barely knows me, know me better than I know myself? Better than Cooper did? That guilty feeling rushes over me again, but I don’t tense up. I don’t want Smitty to worry. I swallow the lump in my throat. This is getting too real, too fast. I need to stop it, not let him out of bed. If we keep this to a purely sexual relationship then I’ll be able to walk away, unhurt.
Gavin’s chimed in on the baseball talk by now and Smitty is leaning forward with his elbows on the table, all three men in deep discussion of their predictions for the post-season. My hand slides along the inside of Smitty’s thigh and my lips dance across his neck. Taking my time, ever so slowly, I trace the letters N-E-E-D on his leg. Smitty turns to me, his eyebrows raised and I finish my writing, Y-O-U. My lips brush over his ear and I pull his lobe down between my teeth and add N-O-W. I can feel him moving beneath his shorts and know he understands exactly what I want. As politely as he can, he stands up and quickly excuses us. Taking me by the hand, he pulls me out of my chair and I begin to giggle. When we’re out of the dining area, he picks me up and throws me over his shoulder.
He slaps my ass playfully and growls, “You don’t play fair!”
I laugh and pat his firm backside in return. “I know!” And that’s the idea, keep his mind preoccupied so I don’t fall for him more than I already am, or worse, he falls for me.
CHAPTER 10
Smitty
Our paddleboat drifts with the waves of the ocean. My gaze is fixated on the volleyball game back on the shore. Sloan’s lean, athletic body capturing my attention more than anything else. She’s got a competitive edge that makes her hate to lose. The way she stuck out her bottom lip, pouting when I told Sissy I’d go for a paddleboat ride, was almost as tantalizing as the look she gives me when she gets out of the shower.
It’s not that I wanted to leave her, but we’d creamed every possible team combination, including Will’s family that has now arrived, and Sloan refused to let us be on separate teams. I figured our opponents would welcome the break and maybe I could find out more about Sloan from her sister.
“Isn’t love amazing?” Sissy asks, breaking me out of my Sloan-induced world.
My legs start pushing on the pedals, guiding us toward the dock. “Sure, I wouldn’t know,” I blatantly lie. Of course, love is amazing. To be fully and unconditionally desired by one person, what’s not amazing about that?
Sissy frowns. “You wouldn’t?”
I shrug, shifting uncomfortably.
“Oh, I’m sorry then,” she apologizes. “I just thought— Oh, never mind what I thought. Well, if you haven’t been in love, you should,” Sissy says and giggles.
I laugh with her, knowing the feeling all too well. I remember being exactly like her and Will. Caroline and I unable to keep our hands off each other, our always-present smiles, much like Sloan and me this week. My feet stop moving as that thought crosses my mind. Sloan and me? Sure, there’s definitely something there that’s more than sex, but it’s not what Caroline and I ever had… is it?
“I mean Will’s right there playing volleyball and I’m not even a football field away from him, but I want him closer. I want to see his face first thing in the morning, smell his stinky morning breath. I want to smile when he’s happy and I want to hold him when he’s sad.” Sissy breaks so she can let out a dreamy sigh. “Smitty, if you’ve never felt that way about someone, you’re missing out.”
I look in the same direction she is and we both sit silently as we watch the objects of our affection. Sloan spikes the ball over the net, Will’s siblings not standing a chance of returning it. Sloan jumps up, excited for her point, but then reaches under the net to help her opponent up. I smile at the compassionate move on her part. Something deep insides me stirs and it’s not the desire to take her…again.
“Tell me about your sister,” I say to Sissy, not taking my eyes off the volleyball court.
Sissy pats my leg. “She really likes you.”
Now, she’s got my attention. I turn to her with a lifted eyebrow. “And why do you say that?”
Sissy giggles again. “Maybe because it’s the first time in five years that she’s brought a man around.”
This is the second time this sort of comment has been made about Sloan surprising her family with her interest in me. I mean granted, we are on vacation and have only known each other four days. So sure, it probably is a bit of shock that the two of us have clicked so fast, but what has happened to this woman in the past five years?
“So, there’s been other men in the last few years, she just hasn’t brought any around?” I ask. That makes more sense, I doubt Sloan’s ever been single a day in her life. And, while Elaina and Sissy are trying to make it out to be a big deal that she’s brought me around, it’s kind of hard for her not to when we’re all staying on the same resort.
Sissy snorts as she laughs, shaking her head. “No! What kind of girl do you think she is?” As soon as she speaks the words, her face drops. “Oh my gosh! You think my sister is a slut since she jumped in bed with you!”
“Whoa! No, no, no!” I object, shaking my hands. “N
o, that’s not what I’m implying at all. Sloan is…” I trail off, unable to put into words how extraordinary she is. Gorgeous doesn’t even begin to touch her looks. Understanding, merciful, kind—they don’t begin to explain the kind of woman she is. Honestly, I don’t even know where to start. Then, it hits me like a ton of bricks—I’m falling for her, hard and fast.
Sissy clicks her tongue and when I look at her, she’s shaking her head. “You get it. You know what love is.”
My jaw drops at her words, but I can’t object anymore. When Caroline left, I thought she’d taken everything of mine. My will, my dignity, my ability to love, and maybe she did take just a little bit of all of that, but Sloan Talbott walked into my life four days ago and gave it all back.
Sloan
Towel drying my hair, I walk into the chilly suite of Smitty’s room. Despite having stayed here, basically since day two of arriving, I still haven’t called it our, or even my room. I stop in my tracks when I see him leaning over the balcony as the sun sets. I smile to myself as I take in his perfect, muscular body under his khaki Chinos and baby blue Polo shirt. The man is perfection no matter what he’s wearing, or not wearing for that matter.
Wrapped in just the small hotel towel, I slip my arms around Smitty’s neck and kiss his skin softly. “Why are you so dressed up? I thought we were staying in for the evening.”
Tomorrow is girls’ day and I’ll be spending the morning in the salon while Smitty will be playing golf with the men. We’d agree to another night of staying in bed, soaking in as much time together as possible. And I mean that in a purely sexual way, at least that’s what I keep telling myself. Despite my best efforts to keep him at bay, every time I turn around, he makes it harder for me to convince myself of that.
Like this morning when Sissy wanted to ride paddleboats and Smitty stepped away from our volleyball game to go with her. I hated losing such a stellar teammate, but after breakfast with my family and now this gesture, I saw he had a genuine interest, not only in me, but my family as well. But it’s only sex, Sloan. Don’t let your heart get hurt.
Smitty slowly turns to me, letting out a low whistle and shaking his head. “Change in plans, I’m taking you to dinner.”
I scrunch up my nose, despite my mother always warning me it will leave wrinkles. “Dinner?”
Smitty laughs and lightly touches the end of my nose. “Yes, dinner at Otaheite. I want to take you on a date.”
Otaheite is the five-star restaurant at the resort. My parents ate there a couple nights ago and have raved about the excellent cuisine, mentioning a chilled watermelon soup I want to try. The restaurant is set apart from the rest of the resort to give more of a secluded, romantic setting aimed at the newlyweds that make-up the majority of the guests.
Smitty’s hands lightly rub my biceps and he kisses my nose. “I’ll meet you in the lobby so you can get ready without me interrupting you.” My wrinkled nose drops into a frown and Smitty laughs. “Hey now, don’t do that. I don’t want to see you frown.”
I sigh and kiss him softly. “Maybe I like the interruption…”
Smitty shakes his head, a smile still on his face. “Aren’t you the one that told me not to get attached? Ironic now that you’re the one that doesn’t want me to leave for you to get dressed.”
Wow, is it that obvious? I take a step back, turning before he can see my face and walk toward the bathroom. “I’ll be ready in twenty minutes,” I call to him over my shoulder, quickly trying to escape.
I spend the next twenty minutes trying to figure out what he meant by his comment. Was he making fun of me or does he feel the same way too? There’s no telling how he feels, we’re in paradise, there’s no escaping each other so, of course, everything is hunky dory. So stop looking for it to be something more, Sloan.
I walk to the lobby in my mint striped maxi dress, the sides and back cut out, showing off the Jamaican sun that’s kissed my skin. I haven’t even spotted him yet when I hear his familiar whistle. I turn in his direction and a smile creeps over my face. When we reach each other, his hands are all over me, sliding over my bare back and I’m thinking we might skip dinner and go back to the room.
“Damn, how did an ‘ole country boy like me score a hottie like you?” Smitty asks, kissing my cheek, taking me slightly by surprise that he didn’t kiss me on the lips.
I take his arm that he offers and my nerves start to get the best of me as it really feels like a date. Flirting back and pushing my nerves aside, I answer, “Pure luck.”
Smitty shakes his head, laughing and walking us toward the restaurant. The sun has set and the restaurant ambiance is every bit romantic, from the faint Jamaican love tunes playing to the dimly lit tables and seating only on one side of the table. The waiter seats us and takes our order right away. Smitty turns to me, holding my hand instead of my leg like he normally does. I mentally laugh, we already have a “normal” in just a few, short days.
His thumb rubs over the back of my hand as he speaks. “I want to spend some time getting to know you. We’ve spent almost thirty-six straight hours in bed together and I love hearing you orgasm, but I want you to know that you’re more than just sex, Sloan. You deserve so much more than that.”
My hands get clammy at his words and my stomach sinks. My feelings toward Smitty are scary enough alone. What is he trying to imply? The waiter brings us our appetizers of nut crusted crab and cherve cakes. Flipping my hand over, Smitty takes his finger and writes in my palm R-E-L-A-X.
The waiter walks off and Smitty picks up the fork. Holding a bite of crab cake in front of me, he says, “For instance, I need to know if you have any allergies. I’d hate to feed this to you and then you swell up like a balloon.”
He’s grinning and I raise my eyebrow, smirking as he mocks me and I let my muscles relax. I open my mouth and take the bite off his fork, shaking my head. Over the next five courses, we spend our time devouring our delectable meal and finally taking the time to get to know each other outside the sheets.
The waiter clears away our dessert plates and Smitty moves his arm around the back of our booth, his fingers dragging lazily over my shoulders. I snuggle against his arm and nod. “Good idea tonight. I really enjoyed dinner and getting to know more about you, Mr. I Don’t Mix My Food Together,” I tease.
“Alright, Miss Butterfly Tattoo—”
“Hey, hey, hey!” I cut him off, laughing, before he reveals the secret location that he knew long before dinner tonight. “Don’t mention mine and I won’t mention yours.” His tattoo has much more meaning, although I haven’t figured out exactly what and he hasn’t given me any clues. I once thought that arm band tattoos were such a turn-on, showing off a man’s muscular bicep, but that was until I saw Smitty’s thigh band and if my panties weren’t already off the first time I saw it, they would’ve been after that sight.
He laughs and nods. “Fair enough.” His finger rubs over the small flaw on my chin and I flinch ever so slightly. “Tell me about your scar.”
My stomach drops. How could he even see it in the dark? It’s maybe an inch long. I underwent plastic surgery, more so to hide the memory, not the defect. My hand instinctively covers the blemish, pushing his hand away.
Thinking quickly, I shrug. “Clumsy,” I answer, but it doesn’t look like he’s buying it. “What about yours?” I question, trying to deflect. I reach out and touch his cheek.
His hand moves over mine, but he doesn’t push me away like I did him. Instead, he slightly turns his cheek and kisses my palm, melting away my nerves and making me want to crawl in his lap. Not for pleasure, but to be enveloped by the comfort he makes me feel.
He smiles when he answers. “Jules’ brother, J.P., elbowed me during a Thanksgiving football game. We tend to get pretty intense, we call it a sibling rivalry since we’ve all basically been brothers and sister, for almost twenty years now.” When I mistaked Jules for his ex, he told me the whole story about how he and his friend, Doug, helped Jules’ brother to raise her
when their parents died and she was only twelve at the time. I can’t imagine being in college and helping raise a teenager, it speaks for his character and it doesn’t surprise me. “When J.P. married Bri, she insisted on playing, unlike Doug’s wife so it threw off the teams. It’s nice now that Jules and Bentley are together so we can play three vs three with evenly matched teams.” He drops our hands to his lap, not letting go.
“Sounds like a fun time.” I take a sip from my water glass.
He grins. “It’s a blast and the guys will be fighting over you to be on their team. They’ll love your competitive streak.”
I almost choke on my water and for a split second, I swear my heart stops beating and from the look on Smitty’s face, I’m betting his does, too. The entire restaurant goes eerily silent, but before he can take back his words or I can run out the door, Smitty leans forward, pushing his lips against mine and pulling me onto his lap. Too scared to think about his comment, I focus on the kiss, letting pure pleasure take over my body. I shiver when I feel his finger on my bare back. B-E-D-? his finger spells out.
In turn, I jump up, pull him out the door and down the beach to an isolated area. The walk back to the room is too long, I’ll drive myself crazy pondering his intentions and I’ll never make it in the door. It’s probably the best thing to do, but I’m not ready to let him go, not yet. So instead, I push him down on the sand and crawl on top of him. Sex, Sloan, keep it to sex.
CHAPTER 11
Smitty
Sloan’s slender body moves silently in the dark of the room, only lit by the small amount of light from the rising sun. I lay on my side, one arm tucked under my head as I watch her pull her hair into a bun and wrap a scarf around it. If I didn’t know she had plans with her mother and sister, I would have thought she was making a run for it after last night. Things were going perfect until I opened my big fat mouth and we ended up fucking on the beach.