by Aimee Duffy
Gem smirked. ‘The man for you probably has a private investigator following us and making sure we don’t get into any trouble.’
‘Define trouble,’ Rye said, squeezing her closer – if that were possible.
‘Ugh, Ciara. Really?’ Elle asked.
Her cheeks flamed and she nodded.
Elle sighed. ‘Well, Matt. Looks like we’ll have to find you some company.’
Matt didn’t seem too put out by Ciara’s rejection. Then it clicked and she blinked. Had Elle really given her the ‘all clear’ to go seduce her cousin?
Gem giggled and since Ciara couldn’t see Rye’s hands, she didn’t ask why. ‘Have fun, C. Don’t wait up for us.’
‘Have a good night guys.’
‘We will,’ they said, giggling.
***
The taxi journey took forever during rush hour but the jitters in her stomach made it feel like no time at all. She hadn’t even planned what she was going to say when the car pulled up at the condo and she was handing the driver a note, telling him to keep the change.
Her legs were unsteady as she made her way up the path to the pool. She wondered if he was still there since the place was tidy and all traces of their afternoon beers were cleaned up. But when she slid the doors open the sound of a familiar English band filled her ears. She hadn’t pegged Zack as an Arctic Monkeys fan, though she didn’t really know much about him did she?
Maybe she shouldn’t. Weren’t flings supposed to be on a need to know basis? She wished she’d asked Gem and Elle.
She wandered through the house. The lounge, kitchen, gym and every bedroom she walked past were empty. Then she stopped outside a closed door and reached for the handle.
The thought of finding him with someone else had her snatching her hand back like the thing was on fire. This was a really, really bad idea. The cocktail she’d drained before she left the bar was weaker than the one Gem had bought her last night and she could use some courage about now.
Then the door opened. Zack stood there in nothing but a towel and a few drops of water around his shoulders from his still wet hair. His eyes widened for a second, then narrowed suspiciously. ‘What’s up, Ireland?’
He had to raise his voice over the music, but that made him sound angrier than before.
‘Can we talk?’ When he just frowned, she tried a little begging. ‘Please?’
He came out of the room, nodding for her to go ahead of him and when they reached the kitchen he picked the remote off the breakfast bar, switched off the music and then took a seat. ‘You wanted to talk?’
She stood at the opposite side, fidgeting with a loose gem on her purse.
‘Is your offer still open?’ she asked, unable to meet his eyes.
‘That depends,’ he said and she couldn’t keep her gaze off him any longer. He was back to folding his arms. ‘Who was that poser you were with?’
She told him everything in a rush, the football game, the way he was too into himself and how he bored her to tears, then came the hard bit. ‘He suggested something that I never thought of, actually. He thought I was looking for a … holiday fling.’
‘And you weren’t?’ Zack asked, still not relaxing his rigid pose.
Time for brutal honesty. ‘No. Not with him, anyway.’
He put his elbows on the table, leaning forward with a slight grin. She relaxed a bit now that he had. Had he’d been jealous of Matt?
‘With me?’ he asked.
Nerves made her mouth go a million miles a minute. ‘Well, I said what happened in LA was a mistake and it wasn’t, not really because I wanted it but I was scared I’d get in too deep and end up hurting you and you’re my best friend’s cousin and she’d hate me forever but I never thought of a fling, you know, something with a time limit so now I thought I’d see if it’s something you wanted.’
He surprised her by laughing. ‘I barely understood that, you know.’
Her cheeks burned.
‘But I got the gist. So, you want a short term thing with a time limit?’
Ciara nodded. ‘We’re leaving for Paris in a few days which isn’t as easy to get to as Miami.’ Then she blurted out a question without thinking. ‘Why are you here?’
His jaw set. ‘I saw the pictures Elle put up on Instagram. You looked smashed, Ciara. I was worried you would all get into trouble again.’
She squeezed her eyes shut and hid her face with her hands. ‘Oh god, I knew they’d be bad.’
He was in front of her then, pulling her hands away. His grin just made her face get hotter. ‘Hey, everyone has been smashed at some point in their lives. Don’t worry about it. Anyway, I can see you got home unharmed.’
‘We’re big girls you know. We can look after ourselves,’ she insisted, using irritation to hide the mortification.
‘Definitely grown up,’ he agreed, placing his hands on her hips and sliding them up to rest just below her breasts. She trembled, wishing the cotton dress wasn’t in the way. ‘But not big, not at all.’
She smiled, remembering when she thought he called her fat.
‘And I’d like to be with you while you’re here. I have a condition though,’ he said.
Frowning, she asked, ‘What condition?’
‘If I only have you for a few days, then I want all the perks of a fling.’
She agreed straight away, happy for them to start having all those perks right now.
***
‘Some perk,’ she grumbled as Zack muscled a moped out of the massive garage.
She assumed he’d drag her straight to his bedroom since he was half naked already, but as soon as she’d agreed he’d kissed her nose, told her to wait there and then returned from his room fully dressed, saying he was taking her out.
‘Dates are perks,’ he said, climbing onto the moped and handing her a helmet.
‘Where’s your helmet?’ If she was wearing something so hideous, she wasn’t doing it solo.
‘My head’s hard, just ask Elle.’
She smiled a little, but still… ‘Unlike Elle, I can’t afford the bail money if you get busted.’
Zack laughed. ‘I won’t, I have the right medical insurance policy to get away with it, but you don’t.’
She frowned at the lumpy thing in her hands, knowing she was going to look like the biggest eejit ever.
‘Here.’ He took the thing and slid it onto her head. ‘Even better.’
‘Now that you can’t see my face. Ha. Ha.’ she said, not impressed with the joke. Ignoring his innocent, would-I-say-that grin, she climbed on the little bike behind him. ‘Why a moped?’
‘It’s easy to get through traffic this way and you can see the city better. You ready?’
She wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly and feeling the outline of his thighs between hers. This part wasn’t bad at all, actually. He couldn’t see her and she could feel every lean muscle through his cotton tee-shirt. Every single one.
Zack patted her knee. ‘Take it easy, Ireland or I’ll end up wrapping us round a palm tree.’
Oh, maybe stroking him like her fingers were starved for him wasn’t the best thing for his concentration. She clasped her hands over his abs and resisted the temptation to outline the ridges with her fingertips. He chuckled and the sound vibrated through her, making the spot between her legs ache.
‘Let’s go before I drag you back into the house,’ he said.
She wasn’t adverse to him dragging her back, but they were off before she could tell him that. Nothing about the speed was scary at all, and she didn’t have much of an excuse for clinging to his back as tight as she did, but his smell was fabulous and she couldn’t get enough. It was better than the sights around them. After all palm trees and bars couldn’t compare to Zack.
She was blissfully unaware of anything until Zack said, ‘Look, we’re in South Beach.’
The sun was descending and the hotels were lit up in different colours of neon lights. They weren’t the fancy sky s
crapers she’d seen from the beach, this was more old fashioned, but somehow prettier to look at. ‘Wow.’
‘The buildings here are mostly art deco. At night they’re illuminated and completely transform,’ he said, sounding more excited than she’d ever heard him.
‘It’s beautiful,’ she agreed, glad she got the chance to see this before they left.
They kept going and this time Ciara paid attention to the scenery. Miami seemed to come alive at night and was packed with more people than were on the beach during the day. A while later they were passing through Ocean Drive with even more lit up clubs, restaurants and hotels, but they all looked more modern than they had in South Beach.
‘See, much more to Miami than the posers you find on the beach,’ he said, turning again and taking them away from the pretty restaurants.
After god knew how long, she reckoned she’d seen most of the city and her stomach started to rumble. She hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast and wondered if Zack would mind if she devoured a three course meal in front of him.
He must have heard or felt her stomach growl because he said, ‘Just a little further and we’ll stop for dinner, okay?’
She nodded against his back and closed her eyes again, just listening to his heart beat and inhaling his delicious aftershave. It worked, taking her mind off the hunger but built up a different kind. She couldn’t imagine what he had planned when they got back. More fast and furious? Or would they start slow this time, giving her the chance to savour every inch of his body before she enjoyed him thoroughly?
She was so caught up in the fantasies that she jumped when he said, ‘Look, Ireland. We’re here.’
She opened her eyes in time to see a sign welcoming them to Little Havana, USA. It was like they’d driven into another city altogether. The buildings were flat roofed and reminded her of Southern America. Since most shops and take-aways she could see had Spanish names, she guessed she wasn’t far off.
‘What is this place?’ she asked, then noticed a wall covered in graffiti. The paintings were cool but the word ‘Cuba’ confused her. She was pants at geography but not so much that she could believe they’d gotten that far already.
‘This is Miami’s slice of Cuba. I know a restaurant here that serves the best seafood I’ve ever tasted. You up for it?’
‘Any food would be good right about now. But I do love seafood.’
‘I knew you had good taste.’
She hugged him tighter but kept her eyes peeled wide so she didn’t miss a single thing.
***
After a daring calamari appetiser which was out of this world, their main courses arrived. Ciara avoided the lobster even though she wanted to try it, because she was going to pay for half of the meal. It was the least she could do after he had shown her the sights.
That didn’t stop Zack from getting it though and it looked much better than the jumbo shrimps she ordered.
‘I can’t believe you didn’t go with the lobster,’ he said, using a strange looking device to crack through the massive thing’s shell.
‘I wouldn’t have known what to do with it,’ she admitted.
His mouth tilted up at one side and her heart thumped. God, he really was gorgeous.
‘It’s easy, see.’
As he cracked his way into the tail she didn’t think it looked easy at all. She stuck to decapitating her shrimp and was pleased to at least find them the best ones she’d ever eaten. Zack used his fingers to strip back the shell and the movements transfixed her to the point she forgot how starving she was.
He put a chunk of the meat in his mouth then groaned. She watched him chew, her body heating with every clench of his jaw and his eyes were full of pure bliss. God, even watching him was erotic!
‘You have to try this,’ he said, picking up a piece of meat and holding it close to her mouth.
She was sure this moment had the potential for some sexy move she’d seen in movies, but of course she wasn’t that graceful when she opened her mouth and closed her lips over his fingers. She did suck a little though, just to get some of the juices off his digits and he groaned again, a deeper sound that made her cheeks flush.
He was right, the meat was delicious – better than anything she’d tasted. Taking her time, she chewed and savoured, never wanting it to end.
‘Good?’ he asked, his voice rougher than before.
‘The best.’
‘Let’s go half and half,’ he said. She frowned, not sure what he meant. Zack smiled. ‘We’ll share, like this.’
He swapped a couple of her shrimp for way more than half of his lobster and she was about to protest when he distracted her with a question.
‘How long are you traveling with my lunatic cousin?’
‘She’s not a lunatic,’ Ciara scolded, but relaxed when he laughed. ‘Not all the time, anyway. We’ve got about six weeks left.’
‘And then go home, get a job?’ he asked.
If only it was that easy. ‘Something like that. What about you? Why are you in the states? I thought the company was based in London.’
‘It is, but I needed a break. I’ve been redesigning the offices since I got my degree anyway, but our granddad needs someone to take over. He wants me and Elle to do it together,’ he said.
‘What about your parents?’ She knew Elle’s dad had died when she was young and her granddad had taken them in, but she didn’t know anything about Zack – she hadn’t even known he existed!
‘I lost them both a long time ago, in the same car accident that killed my uncle, Elle’s dad.’ He picked at a shrimp, not meeting her eyes.
She squeezed his wrist. ‘I’m sorry, that must have been hard.’
‘It was rough, but my granddad took me in too.’ Then he smiled, but it looked strained around the edges. ‘Growing up with a little, blonde dictator was almost worse.’
She got the feeling he was trying to lighten the subject so decided to help by steering it to something else. ‘Why architecture?’
‘Look out there, Ciara.’ He pointed out to Little Havana and she noticed what he meant.
There were buildings of all shapes and sizes, each one with its own unique stamp. So very different from Miami. Though he’d shown her just how diverse Miami was tonight.
‘You want to make something that’s unique?’ she asked, turning back to him.
He didn’t look away from the window. ‘Yes. But I don’t know where to start. Everything I do for the business is modern, to my granddad’s tastes. I’m given a project but I can’t put my own stamp on it. I’d love to be able to start up on my own somehow.’
‘But you don’t have the money?’ she asked, then bit her lip. Asking a guy how much he had in the bank surely broke some kind of rule.
He laughed. ‘That’s not the main problem. My granddad wants what’s best for me and Elle to the point he thinks he knows what’s best for us. I love him, don’t get me wrong, and for the most part he lets us do what we want which is how I got my degree, but he wants us happy, settled and to have something for ourselves.’
‘The business?’ she asked.
He nodded, but from the way he avoided her eyes and started picking at a shrimp she got the feeling he wasn’t telling her the full story. She didn’t push, just finished up her meal. After all, they were only having a fling and maybe they’d already passed the point of sharing too much.
Chapter Seven
After splitting the most amazing key lime pie ever, Ciara disappeared to the bathroom and sent Elle a quick text to see if they were okay. Elle replied in seconds, saying she was missing out on the best night ever by ditching them for her cousin, but the sickly, green faced smiley and kisses assured her Elle wasn’t pissed off.
When she got back, Zack was waiting by the door and held out his hand. She took it. ‘You’ve paid the bill, haven’t you?’
‘Guilty as charged.’ He lifted her hand and kissed the back. ‘Where to now?’
‘Zack, I wanted to halve it,
’ she said, but she wasn’t miffed enough to snatch her hand back.
‘Ever heard the saying, you can’t always get what you want?’ He winked at her and opened the door.
‘Yes. But I don’t feel comfortable letting you pay,’ she admitted.
The sun had set by the time they got out, but the air wasn’t chilly like it would be back home. Zack pulled her to a bench not far from where he’d parked the moped and sat her on his lap, despite the fact the thing was big enough to fit her bum five times over.
‘I wanted to take you out, so I pay this time. If you want to cook me breakfast as a thank you, then I won’t stop you.’ He grinned.
Luckily she could manage breakfast. If there was anything decent in the fridge. ‘I might have to treat you, since Elle doesn’t believe she needs to eat when there are bikinis to wear.’
‘A healthy appetite boosts stamina, don’t you think?’
Without giving her a chance to voice her agreement, he pulled her face to his and kissed her. It was much, much better than the assault from earlier. Zack’s lips were soft, but demanding. She answered, opening to him and when he slid his fingers into the hair at her nape, the whole combination became electrifying.
Molten blood rushed through her veins and her breath came in gasps as she twisted in his lap until she was straddling him. He grabbed her bum with one hand and pulled her so close that his erection was lined up perfectly between her legs. With her whole body aching with need, she thrust her hips to find some kind of friction and was rewarded with little currents of pleasure.
He let her lips go and trailed kisses down her neck while his hands slid under her dress. She wished her knickers weren’t from the bargain bin, but it was too late to worry about that now. Unable to wait, she shoved his tee-shirt up and her fingers tingled with bliss when they connected to his warm, smooth skin.
‘Ciara, we need to stop,’ he said against her throat, still not slowing down with his kisses.
‘I don’t want to,’ she said in a voice she didn’t recognise.
Instead she went for his belt and managed to unbuckle it before he caught her wrists. She pouted at him, but then the breath was kicked out of her lungs at his expression. It was carnal, erotic and full of the need she felt.