We rode for twenty minutes or so before we turned off the road onto a dirt path and then we were climbing, a steady incline of several hundred yards, deeper into the forest. He turned right as though coming back the way we came, but I saw that we were perched on the edge of a rock jutting out into the night. He switched the engine off, and the bike dipped to the right. He kicked out the stand and turned his head to look at me over his shoulder.
“You all right?” he asked.
“Sure,” I said, unclasping my hands from around his waist and realizing from the marks I’d left on my own arms that I’d been holding onto him a lot tighter than I thought. “Do you know where we are?”
“Sure. I’ve been looking at maps of the island,” he said. “I knew that this little place was here, and I heard it had amazing views of the ocean. Also, the stars are really clear because there’s no air pollution.”
He looked up, surveying the night sky and frowned. “It’s a little cloudy,” he observed. “If those clouds pass, though, behind them there’s a whole blanket of stars.”
With his hands on his hips, looking up, he looked like an explorer, navigating by the stars. All I wanted to do was sit there and stare at him, but I had to avert my gaze so I didn’t look like a drooling idiot. After all, he was my brother’s best friend. It would just make for a silly situation.
He stood up and hopped off the bike with one effortless move. He turned towards me, and before I could do the same, he grabbed me by the waist and lifted me off the seat, picking me up high into the air without much effort. I let out a little cry and grabbed onto his shoulders. He slowly lowered me until my feet touched the ground. As he did, I slid against his hard body, my hands still holding on to his broad shoulders. He didn’t let go of me. Instead, he slowly leaned his head down, and I held my breath.
“I think you’d want to pull down that little dress of yours before I move away, love. I don’t know you well enough to see that much of you, yet,” he whispered, the soft hair of his beard tickling my cheek.
God, please don’t feel the shiver that just racked my body!
I swallowed and quickly wriggled my dress down, which had now bunched up high around my hips. I could feel my cheeks warming as the color undoubtedly flushed my cheeks.
“All done?” he smiled, clearly amused at my little situation.
“Yeah… thanks,” I whispered, clearing my throat and tugging my hair behind my ears. “All done.”
“Cool. Now, come with me,” he said as he moved away from the bike. “There’s a little flat area of rock over on this side if my map-reading skills serve me right. We can sit on it. Just watch your step.”
My pumps weren’t made for late-night forays into the Hawaiian wilderness and, as I stumbled, I reached out my hand. He caught it and he didn’t let go. Instead, he walked me carefully over to the flat rock he promised was there but that I could barely see in the darkness. Gradually, though, my eyes adjusted to the low light. He crouched down and shuffled forward so that his legs dangled over the edge of the rock. “Come on,” he said, wiping clean the area next to him with his one hand. “Join me.”
“Aren’t you scared you’re going to fall off the edge?” I asked.
“Of course not,” he chuckled. “Come on. I won’t let you fall, don’t worry. Only, you might want to kick off your shoes. There’s a good chance you’ll lose one of them and knock out a wild goat or something.”
I laughed and then had to stop laughing and concentrate on not falling over the edge of the rock and plunging… oh, God only knows… how many feet to the jungle below. But, once I was perched comfortably, I could look out properly for the first time, and the view took my breath away.
“Oh, Jake. I can’t believe how beautiful it is up here,” I murmured. “I mean, we already have a great view from the villa, but this is seeing everything in a completely different way.”
“The villa?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “It seems some of us are getting the five-star treatment.”
“We’re the family of the groom,” I reminded him. “Clea’s dad really went to town booking us all into the villas.”
“Yeah, makes sense. I can’t really complain about the accommodation, though. I’m up at the main hotel in one of the suites and, unlike some of the privileged few, I had to pay for my own room,” he jabbed.
“Oh, please. I’m sure you can more than afford it. And, by the way, why aren’t you Brandon’s best man? I really thought that you would be his first choice. He’s not that close to Chester, I know that much.” I was curious about that and asked before really considering that it might not be the best question to have asked him, but I was relieved when he gave his answer.
“He did ask me, but at the time I wasn’t sure that my work schedule would allow it. Since I came back from Thailand, and even though it was agreed that I’d take some time off, my boss has been pushing me to take on another assignment. I wasn’t sure at the time what the hell was going to happen, and I didn’t want to keep Brandon waiting. So, I made the call, and he asked Chester. Besides, I don’t like wearing suits. They tend to make me sweat like a politician on Election Day,” he chuckled, making a deep throaty sound.
Another question plagued in my mind, and I cringed inwardly for even asking it, but I had to know.
“So, did you come here alone?”
“Either that or I left my girlfriend back at the club to take you out for a spin,” he joked. “But, if you must know, I don’t have a plus one.”
“So, you left her at home?” I wanted to slap myself on the forehead for being so damn obvious, but the words had tumbled out of my mouth before I’d even had a chance to stop them.
I couldn’t see the expression in his eyes as he turned his head to look at me, but I could tell that my question amused him as he smiled before answering. “No. There’s no one special back home, either,” he drawled. “I’ve been traveling for so long that I’ve never really thought about settling down with anyone, so there’s never really been anyone serious in my life. What about you?”
“No. Same as you. There’s no one. Mia’s my guest,” I said. “I guess I’m like you in that I’ve been too busy focusing on my career to think about my love life, so, I settled for asking my best friend to come instead. Much to the disappointment of my mom, of course.”
“Oh, your mom!” Jake’s face lit up. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen Caroline. And, I was truly sad to hear about your dad, too. I’m really sorry.”
His voice was soft, and I knew he meant the words of condolences. I suddenly thought of all the times Jake had been over at our house when we were all younger and how my dad was the one to drive him home when his mom called to wonder why on earth her son hadn’t come home yet because he’d spent all day out with Brandon on their bikes. My dad was the one to take him to his first ball game after his own dad had left the family when he was still young.
I was suddenly nostalgic for the old days, the times of our lives when we were so young and carefree that we didn’t have to worry about death, or dying alone, or being a disappointment to our parents because we’re not providing them with grandchildren as quickly as they’d like.
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” Jake said, placing his hand on mine, linking our fingers together. My heart began to race at his touch. “I’m sorry for making you think about your dad.”
“It’s okay,” I smiled. “It’s just that sometimes I still don’t believe how we all grew up so fast, that’s all. I’m fine, really.”
“Well, let’s change the subject then,” he said briskly, letting go of my hand again when all I wanted to do was have him hold onto it for a little while longer.
“Look. Up there,” he said, pointing up at the sky. “You can see the constellation of Scorpius setting in the southwest.”
I squinted my eyes and scanned the skies, but I couldn’t see what he was trying to point out to me.
“Not getting it?” he asked.
I shook my head. He
moved closer, bringing his one arm around my shoulders and pulling me against his chest with the other. His mouth was next to my ear and his breath was warm against my skin as he spoke.
“Look at where I’m pointing. See the pattern of stars curving like a Scorpion’s tail?” he asked softly.
Shit, how could I concentrate on spotting an arachnid’s tail in the early morning sky when Jake was this close to me? Frankly, I couldn’t give a rat’s ass, leaning back against his rock hard chest and breathing him in. He smelled of sandalwood and leather. I felt lightheaded.
“Nicole. You see it?” he asked again.
His question pulled me back to reality, and I blinked as I tried again to see what he was trying to show me. I found it. ‘Yes,” I nodded, feeling like an ass for being so distracted by his closeness.
“It really does look like a Scorpion’s tail,” I said, stating the obvious.
“Sure does. It also really looks like Maui’s Fishhook,” and before I could ask what that was, he explained further, “It’s the hook that Maui used the pull the Hawaiian Islands from the bottom of the ocean.”
We sat there as he spoke about more of the constellations, and I could hear how he clearly loved it. But, I didn’t take much in. I was just too distracted by the sound of his deep voice next to my ear, the heat of his body warming mine and the feel of his hand around my waist.
God, I could have sat there like that forever, listening to his deep voice. It was like a slow caress.
When he pulled away, I nearly fell backward but, thank God, he didn’t seem to notice. I felt cold as his warmth was no longer there against my back. He got to his feet and dusted off his jeans.
“Come, we need to be heading back. It’ll be sunrise soon,” he said, holding out his hand and helping me to my feet.
“Gosh, have we been out that long?” I asked, looking at my watch.
I slipped my feet into my pumps again and then we were back on his bike, my dress hiked up again, my arms once more around his waist. Maybe it was tiredness, or maybe it was simply because it was the end of an amazing night, but I rested my head on his shoulder as we rode back to the resort. He left the bike near reception and we walked along the path to my villa although his room was closer to the parking lot.
“So, here you are, young lady. Back home, all safe and sound,” he smiled.
“Thanks for walking me all the way down here. You know I could have made it here on my own,” I said.
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He moved forward and cupped my face on either side with both hands. He lifted my chin up slightly, forcing me to look him straight in the eye.
I couldn’t breathe.
“I know that, but what would that say about the kind of man that I am,” he said before he slowly started to lower his head. He stopped just inches away from my mouth and I could feel my lips parting in anticipation of him closing that tiny gap before taking my mouth. My eyes drifted shut.
“Get some rest,” he whispered, and my eyes flew open. His mouth twisted into a smile, and I could swear there was a twinkle of amusement that flashed in his eyes just before he tilted my head downwards just enough to plant a light peck on the tip of my nose. He winked, and then he was gone, leaving me there.
You could have knocked me over with a feather.
Of all the places he could have kissed me, he picked my damn nose! What was wrong with the man?
The soft pulsating between my thighs mocked me as I stood there shaking, my skin still tingling where he touched my face. I closed my eyes and cursed under my breath before turning on my heel and heading towards the villa.
I took my shoes off at the door and tiptoed to my room, the tiles cold beneath my feet. I quickly popped my head into Mia’s bedroom. She was there, sound asleep and, with relief, I closed the door again and slipped into my own room.
I took off the peach dress, hanging it over a chair. It was too hot to put on anything else. Instead, I lay naked under the thin sheet on top of the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Why didn’t he kiss me?
Surely he could see I was more than willing to let him. I felt stupid. There was no logical explanation for it, but I wanted to cry. I felt so alone, so childish when I really should have been grown up, dating, sleeping beside a man. Sleeping beside Jake.
I imagined him lying next to me, lazily stroking my body, and I ran my own fingers across my stomach, my breasts, down to my thighs. I couldn’t resist placing my hand between my legs and thinking of Jake as I did so, remembering the way he felt as I held onto him on the bike. I allowed my imagination to wander further, seeing the two of us in bed, him taking his time with my body, kissing my mouth, my neck, my breasts, making his way downwards…
I didn’t stop myself, allowing my hands to go where I imaged his fingers would tease. My relief was quick and powerful. I moaned into my pillow, desiring it to be him giving me the pleasure that I just experienced.
God, how could he have this effect on me after just one night?
Afterward, my eyes felt heavy and, within a few moments, I drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER EIGHT
JAKE
†
NICOLE.
These days, she was Nikki. Not Nicole, Brandon’s little sister, the one who was a little annoying, pestering us to drive her to school or take her to the mall on the weekends.
Nikki. A beautiful woman and someone I definitely wanted to see more of.
We spent all of the early hours of Wednesday morning sitting up near Kalalau Point, and it felt like we’d only just sat down before the sun came up, and it was time for me to take her home. Any other time, if she was any other girl, I’d have taken her up to my room, slipped that little orange number off her body, and spent the whole day in bed.
But she wasn’t just any other girl, and this wasn’t just any other time. She was still Nicole Thomson, my best friend’s sister. I cursed that fact as I lay in bed after those hours we spent together, especially when sitting up on that rock.
Look, don’t get me wrong, if I want to be with a woman, I’ll be with her. I don’t need anyone’s permission. And, I’d already made up my mind about Nicole; she wouldn’t be leaving this island before I’d tasted that sweet mouth of hers, at least, that was for goddamn sure.
But, I’d just met her, again, and I needed to remember why I was here in the first place. It was about Brandon and Clea, not about me or Nikki. The last thing I wanted to do was create a situation that might potentially lead to unnecessary drama. I was sure as hell not going to mess up his wedding weekend; I wasn’t that fucking inconsiderate.
Even so, if anything did go any further with Nikki beyond this week, well, let’s just say Brandon would need to get over it once he eventually found out. I love my friend, without a doubt, but we’re all adults here.
I got up to get some water as sleep eluded me, my mind trailing back to Nicole. The thought of her body against mine kept me from relaxing enough to get some much-needed rest.
God, would she taste as sweet as she looked?
I groaned as I fell back onto the bed again, turning around and propping my head up with one of the pillows. My cock was so damn hard, throbbing with want for her; making me regret that I didn’t take what I wanted earlier that evening.
†
I didn’t see her at all the following day even though I made a point of walking down to the beach via her villa. I figured she was out with the family because, when I went down for dinner in the restaurant that evening, she was still nowhere to be found. The day was cloudy, overcast and dark, and I felt it reflected my mood a little, disappointed that I did not see her the whole damn day.
Thursday morning opened to the bluest skies imaginable without a single cloud to obstruct the sun. I took my notebook and pencil when I went down to the beach. It was still early, around seven. I settled myself in a hammock and lazily wrote in my journal. Nothing beats a piece of crisp paper and something to write with.
I then
made a few sketches of the beach, and I had my camera on me, as always, so I snapped a few exotic birds in the tree above my head and got a couple of good frames of a stray dog that wandered over and sniffed my hand.
It was as I had the camera to my face and was looking down the beach through the lens, that I saw her. She was walking on her own along the surf, kicking playfully at the sand. I knew immediately it was Nikki, knew the shape of her body from only a few hours with her, only this time her hair was pulled back. I thought about how it had looked so much better when it was down, softly draped over her shoulders.
She wore a sarong around her slim waist with large sunglasses that shielded her eyes from the light, which was already bright at barely eight in the morning. She bent down to pick up what I could only think were some pebbles, before she turned and tossed them back into the water.
She was oblivious to me watching her through the lens. Maybe it was a little weird for me spying on her like that, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
Shit.
The other morning I could see that she wouldn’t have resisted when I lowered my head and I could see she thought I was going to kiss her, my mouth only inches away from hers. But, for some reason, I wanted her to not just want me to kiss her, but crave me to do so. There was just something different about her I’d not experienced before.
What was even more disturbing was that we’d only spent a few hours together and she was already having quite an effect on me.
She took off her sunglasses and untied the sarong from around her waist and threw it down onto a towel that was already laid out on the sand behind her, drawing me from my thoughts. I held my breath. She was stunning.
She wore a white bikini that looked incredible against her tanned skin. Her limbs were long and lithe, and just the sight of her round ass in the tiny white briefs made me hard. I had to shift my weight in the hammock and turn over a little; the last thing I needed was for someone to walk past and see me spying on her, pitching a tent and breathing heavily. I’d have looked like a real creep.
Wanting It Page 5