He could still see her body frozen in pleasure as she came, could still feel the orgasm rushing out of himself. Jesus. If she only knew. He’d been in the friend zone for so many years he knew she didn’t think of him the way he did her. He might as well have been one of her girlfriends. She could have asked any of them to join her on the honeymoon trip, but she’d picked him. Her best friend. Friend. He suddenly hated the word.
He took a quick shower and headed back into the room in search of clothes. Shari was lying on the deck on a lounge chair, huge sunglasses covering half her face, her hand making a lazy trail against the arm rest. His body responded, reminding him that he was wearing just a towel. He quickly dressed in cargo shorts and a t-shirt and grabbed his own sunglasses out of his bag.
“Come on,” he said, shoving his wallet and the keycard in his pocket, glad for the roominess of his shorts. “We need hangover food, stat.”
The reservation package came with the breakfast buffet. After the hostess seated them at a table in the shade, Jon made his way through the extensive selection of offerings. He saw Shari make herself a plate of fruit and return to the table. He headed straight to the omelet station and ordered two, then loaded up an additional two plates with bacon, Danishes and sautéed potatoes. When the omelets were ready he balanced the plates along his forearm and headed toward Shari.
She smiled the second she saw him. “All those years of waitering sure paid off. Look at you.”
“I’m a pro.” He set her omelet down in front of her. “Ham and swiss with sautéed mushrooms on top, not inside.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You remembered.”
“How could I forget? That was your hangover cure all through college. I don’t think you’d have graduated without a couple of these each weekend.”
He placed a cherry Danish on her plate, knowing they were her favorite. She took a bite, wiping a bit of sugar glaze from the corner of her mouth as she chewed. He wanted to lean across the table and kiss her. To lick his way into her mouth and pull her down on top of him on the patio floor. Instead he took a huge bite of his ham and cheddar omelet.
They ate in silence. He was thankful for his dark glasses, which allowed him to watch her without it being obvious he was staring. Her see-through white cover-up did little to conceal the black bikini top she wore beneath it. Her breasts were round and full; the gold clasp between them seemed to be begging his fingers to flick it open. You need to hold it together. He shifted in his seat.
“What’s on schedule for the day?” he asked.
Shari picked up her water glass and took a sip, leaving behind a pale red lipstick imprint. “I was thinking we could head into town and walk around. Unless you don’t want to.”
He wanted to do whatever would make her relax. “Sounds great.”
She smiled and he felt pleased. Maybe if they had some time together with no interruptions he could finally get up the nerve to tell her how he felt. Who knew what would happen if Phil contacted her? Or how many guys would be waiting in line to call her when they got home. This trip felt like his one opportunity and he didn’t want to blow it.
* * * * *
An afternoon of shopping was exactly what Shari needed to lift her spirits. She bought a new sundress, a pair of beaded sandals and a silver cuff bracelet, all of which she planned to wear to dinner that night. She couldn’t help but notice the approving look Jon had given her when she’d tried on the sundress. It was white and clung to her in all the right places, showing off her boobs and the tan that was already glowing from the few hours they’d walked around in the Aruba sunshine.
She talked Jon into some new clothes as well. A blue linen shirt that she was hoping he’d leave unbuttoned a bit if he chose to wear it later. She handed a second shirt into the dressing room just for a chance to have a glimpse of him changing again. Watching the muscles across his broad shoulders sent ripples of pleasure through her. Has he always been this hot? How could I not have noticed?
The more she thought about it, the more she realized she had noticed. She’d caught herself staring at him more than once over the years. When he was helping her plant her garden last summer, shirtless and sweating in her backyard. When he’d helped her move, his arm muscles flexing each time he’d carried another box into her house. Running her fingers through his thick hair whenever he’d convince her to give him a haircut when he’d waited too long to get an appointment at the salon. She’d always brushed it off as a passing attraction, never giving it more serious thought. Now all of a sudden the thoughts seemed quite serious. She found herself wanting him in a way she’d never wanted anyone.
“You okay?” he asked, slinging an arm around her shoulders as they walked down the street. His touch made her legs feel loose and rubbery.
“I’m fine. I’m guessing this is much more fun than my actual honeymoon would have been.”
His lips pulled into a smile and he shot her a sideways glance, his hair sweeping low over his eyes. Her insides started to liquefy. He tugged her closer and kissed the side of her head, nearly causing her heart to stop. She imagined his lips elsewhere, everywhere. The thoughts had her so flustered she tripped on an uneven bit of sidewalk.
Jon caught her mid-fall. “Whoa.” He gripped her around her waist and she considered turning in his arms and kissing him.
Her cheeks flushed at the idea. What if he pushed me away? Sure, she’d caught him looking at her from time to time, but not once had he ever made a move on her. It seemed unlikely he thought of her “that way” and the last thing she wanted to do was fuck up their friendship.
“I think I need some coffee.” She pointed to a café on the corner.
While they were on line, she stared at Jon as he craned his neck to read the chalkboard menu that spanned the rear wall. He still hadn’t shaved and his stubbly face looked incredible. She imagined rubbing her cheek alongside his.
“You ready?” he asked.
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“To order. Do you know what you’re having? We’re next.”
She shook her head to clear it and noticed the woman behind the counter was looking at her impatiently. “I’ll have a large iced latté and the fruit salad.”
Jon had a small smirk on his face as he looked at her and she wondered what was going through his mind. Probably that she was behaving like a total ditz. “I’ll take a large iced coffee and a Cuban sandwich. And an order of sweet potato fries.”
“You like it spicy?” the girl asked, her eyes not leaving his.
Shari felt instantly annoyed at the woman. What if he were here with me? Wait, he is here with me. Who is this bitch to flirt with him so openly?
“The hotter the better.” He threw the counter girl his winning smile.
Did she actually just wink at him? Shari felt her nostrils flare as she headed to the other end of the counter to wait for their coffees.
Jon noticed the pissed-off look on Shari’s face the moment they sat down. “What’s wrong?” he asked, handing her two sugar packets from the white box on the table.
She tapped the small bags against her finger then ripped them open, dumping the contents into her coffee. “I can’t believe she flirted with you like that.”
Jon’s eyebrows popped up. “Why not? Is it so hard to imagine a woman being attracted to me?”
Shari’s mouth twisted into a grimace as she poked at her ice cubes with a straw. “What? No. But how did she know I wasn’t your girlfriend or your wife for that matter? I was standing right there.”
Is she jealous? He couldn’t keep the smile from creeping across his face. “Maybe she just couldn’t control herself.” Shari’s brow furrowed further and he laughed. “She was probably just hoping I’d toss some extra coins in the tip jar. What’s gotten into you?”
“Nothing.” She took a sip of her coffee and reached for a third sugar packet.
The thought of her being jealous gave him a renewed sense of hope. Maybe she was finally starting to look at
him differently. Maybe. His chest tightened as he thought about taking her hand. Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her purse. A dark shadow passed across her features. She looked up at him, eyes round. “It’s Phil.”
He wanted to tell her not to get it, to ignore him, to pretend she didn’t get the call, but before he could say anything he saw her slide open her phone. “Hi.” Her voice was so quiet he could barely hear her and he was right across the table.
Jon’s leg bobbed up and down as he stirred his coffee, attempting to guess how the conversation was going. Shari had pulled away from the table and had her head down, shoulders slumped, as if she were trying to disappear.
The waitress brought their food.
“Is there anything else you’d like?” she asked, an expectant look in her eyes.
Jon just wanted her to go away so he could hear what Shari was saying. “No, thank you.” He leaned closer, pretending to be interested in his fries but straining to hear her soft voice.
“Fine. Okay. Whatever. I should have known.” She slid the phone closed without looking up and slipped it back into her bag.
Jon’s heart was pounding. He reached across the table and touched her arm. “You all right?” She raised her eyes and he saw that they were full of tears. His stomach turned inside out. “What’d the asshole have to say?”
She took a deep breath and shuddered as she blew it out. “He thanked me. Said I’d saved him the trouble of a costly divorce a few years down the road.”
Fucking bastard. Jon’s jaw ached. “It’s his loss, you know. He’s never going to find anyone better than you.” That woman doesn’t exist.
“He already has. He’s back with Tina.” Tears slid down both her cheeks.
Jon reached over and swiped them away with his thumb. He didn’t know what to say.
Shari sniffled and wiped her nose on her napkin. “He didn’t skip a beat. He’s already moved on. He doesn’t want me.”
“Do you want him?” Jon’s heart beat unevenly as he awaited her answer.
“No,” she said. Her voice was stronger, adamant. “But he could have had the decency to at least be upset.”
Jon felt his shoulders relax. “You can do so much better than Phil. Trust me.”
“We’ll see.”
He hoped to show her, the sooner the better.
Shari poked at her salad. Her appetite had disappeared the moment she saw Phil’s name on caller ID. The conversation left her nauseous. He didn’t even have the decency to be pissed-off that she’d deserted him. She wondered if he’d fucked Tina right there at the church while still wearing his wedding tux. It wouldn’t surprise her. Jon’s words echoed in her head. “You can do so much better.” She hoped he was right.
Jon devoured his sandwich. She watched as he chewed, the muscles contracting around his chiseled jawline, his long fingers plucking sweet potato fries off his plate.
“Want one?” he said, holding a fry out for her.
She shook her head.
“They’re really good.” He wagged it temptingly close to her face.
She opened her mouth. His eyes darkened as he slipped it between her lips. The combination of sweet and salty against her tongue tasted delicious. He withdrew his hand, looking flustered. “Help yourself if you want more.”
She snuck a second off his plate as he took an enormous bite of his sandwich. Two red spots appeared high on his cheekbones. Is he blushing? “What do you want to do tonight?” she asked.
The red patches spread across his cheeks. “You wanna have dinner at that place down by the beach?”
“Sure. It looked great.”
“Cool. I think I’ll go for a swim when we get back to the hotel. This heat’s a bit much for me.”
That explains the flushing. She couldn’t help feeling disappointed. She’d hoped maybe he was reacting to being with her. Because I’m so attractive right now. Sniveling into my napkin and crying over another guy. I’m sure he can barely keep his hands off me. He looked distracted. She knew it was every guy’s least favorite question but she asked it anyway. “What are you thinking?”
“That I’d like to kick the crap out of Phil for hurting you.”
Jon had never made a secret of the fact that he hated Phil, but she’d never heard him talk like that before. The conviction in his voice made her stomach flutter. It was passionate and more than a little sexy. “Thanks.”
His eyes met hers. “I’d do it, you know. It kills me that he’s hurt you.”
She reached out and curled her fingers around his hand. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
He rubbed his thumb against her wrist. “Well, that’s one thing you don’t need to worry about.”
Chapter Three
Jon dove into the deep end and swam along the bottom of the pool. The cool water was a welcome relief, quieting the heat in his body and the noise in his head. He exhaled slowly as he made his way back to the surface. Between his seething anger toward Phil and his ever-expanding attraction to Shari, he felt as if he was about to boil over in every possible way.
He swam laps until he felt calmer, then floated on his back, slicking his hair off his face. The sun was starting to set but still glared brightly enough that he couldn’t make out which balcony was theirs. He shielded his eyes as he counted windows. There she was. Stretched out on the lounge chair. He wondered if she was still in her bathing suit or if she’d already changed for dinner.
The pool attendant handed him a towel as he climbed out of the water. Shari had certainly picked a fantastic resort. Jon was glad Phil wasn’t going to get to enjoy a minute of it. He quickly toweled off and made his way to the concierge desk.
“Can I help you, sir?” the gentleman asked as soon as he saw Jon standing there.
“Yes, could you arrange for a delivery to room 614 while we’re at dinner tonight?”
“Certainly, sir. What would you like?” He handed Jon a menu.
Jon ran his finger down the list, wondering what Shari would enjoy most but trying to keep it from being too over-the-top romantic.
“Can we get an order of chocolate-covered strawberries, a pint of Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream…?” He paused. Champagne seemed inappropriate, particularly if things were still just friendly. “Is it possible to get a bottle of rum and some Coca-Colas?”
“Absolutely. Would you like ice and fresh limes?”
“That would be great. Can it be delivered around eight? No one will be in the room.”
“Certainly. I’ll note the order. They’ll place everything in the mini-fridge for you. Is there anything else I can assist you with?”
“No, thanks.” Jon headed back up to the room feeling hopeful. Now all he had to do was get the nerve to make his move.
He keyed into the room and saw that Shari was still out on the lounge chair. She stood up as soon as she heard him come in. She’d changed into the new dress she’d bought. It was long and flowing, the delicate white fabric framed her curvy figure. A trail of buttons ran enticingly from her impressive cleavage all the way to mid-thigh. His stomach tensed as he imagined undoing each of them and kissing a path down her body.
“How was your swim?” she asked.
He kept the towel draped over his arm, grateful to have it in front of him. “Great. What’d you do?”
“Just relaxed. It’s so beautiful. I watched you doing laps. I had no idea you liked to swim so much.”
He shrugged. Swimming wasn’t his favorite activity, he’d just needed to blow off steam and release some tension.
“What time is our reservation?” she asked.
“Six thirty. What time is it now?”
“It’s a little past six.”
“Shit. I didn’t realize it was so late. Give me five minutes to shower and we can go.”
Shari had indeed watched him swimming laps, marveling at how long and lean his body was as he skimmed through the water with perfect form. Now she couldn’t help imagining that same body latheri
ng up beneath the shower spray. Her pulse quickened. She grabbed the room service menu off the desk and fanned herself.
She sat on her bed and rummaged through her makeup bag, looking for perfume. She spritzed some on her pulse points, rubbing her wrists together. Just as she dabbed a little extra between her breasts she heard the bathroom door open. Steam swirled out as Jon emerged from the room, wrapped in a towel.
“Two more minutes,” he said, grabbing clothes from his suitcase. “Hey, where’s that shirt I bought today?”
“Right here.” She reached for the bag and handed it to him.
He leaned forward to take it. “You smell fantastic.”
A smile crossed her face. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had said anything like that to her. Phil was not big on compliments. She was glad she’d remembered the perfume.
Jon disappeared into the bathroom and returned minutes later looking devastatingly handsome in his new blue shirt and a pair of khakis. His hair was still damp and fell in jagged spikes down to his eyes. Shari stood to meet him at the door, catching a whiff of his aftershave, a musky, masculine scent that sent shivers straight through her. “Hey, you shaved.” She reached out and ran the backs of her fingers over his smooth, angled jaw.
Jon’s eyes looked black as night and for a moment she thought he might kiss her. She held her breath but he pulled away. “We’d better go, we’ll be late.” He held the door open.
Disappointment washed over her. She bit her lip as she walked out of the room. He wasn’t going in for a kiss, he’s just anxious to get to dinner. He’s hungry for food, not me.
She could hear the beat of the reggae music as soon as they walked out of the hotel. They made their way along the wooden boardwalk toward the restaurant. Jon’s hand knocked into hers every few steps and she wished he’d slip his fingers between hers. Instead he placed his hand on her lower back, guiding her up the steps to the hostess desk.
“Six thirty reservation for Jon,” he said to the hostess.
“Right this way, sir.”
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