“I can feel your eyes on me,” he said, making her jump.
“I…was just wondering if you were asleep.”
“I am not,” he said, opening his eyes. “I was just thinking. Daydreaming.” He turned to look down at her, his gaze full of meaning. She needed to get his focus off her.
“When was the last time you had a vacation?”
He thought about it for a second. “Five years ago. I was away on holiday when my father died.”
“I’m so sorry, Niall.”
She wanted to know more about him, but she didn’t know how to respond to that revelation, especially as she still felt the separation of her parents like a dull ache in her heart.
“Thank you.” He slanted a sweet smile her way. “He had been very ill for almost a year, but had managed to hold on through two crises. No one expected him to die when he did, because he had been doing so much better than the year before.”
“Did you get along better with him than with your mother?”
“Only marginally, because he believed that us boys should always stick together. So his support, when he was able to give it, was based more on male solidarity than father-son affection.”
Willa Mae couldn’t imagine growing up in a household like that. At least her parents had managed to present a united and loving front to their children. That was probably the only thing that they had wholeheartedly agreed on for all their years together, and it had been to the benefit of their sons and daughter. And while they were no longer with each other, they both still had their kids’ backs always.
“I think you need another one now, then,” she said, going back to their vacation discussion. “Especially with all the drama surrounding your plans for Bannock Castle.”
“I’m not sure I remember how to be on holiday,” he admitted ruefully.
“Well, we’ll practice together, then.”
After dinner, where they shared a table with an older couple who thought they were in love and kept making sly comments about it, they returned to their seats, and true to his word, Niall spent the next two hours entertaining her with stories of his early childhood, before things became strained in his house. He had been a rambunctious boy, but it also seemed that he had been lonely. There had been a sibling between him and the twins, but he had died in a skiing accident when the children were all still young. He had become the one on whom the mantel fell, especially once his father became ill when he was away at graduate school.
“What about you? Any siblings?”
“Yes, two brothers, one older by a year, one younger by two. They’re both in the military now, because they had both been a handful like you, and they loved to break things and blow things up. Military life is just what they need.”
She very rarely saw her brothers, both of whom were Special Forces soldiers, and when she did, the times were bittersweet because she knew they would leave soon again and be gone for long stretches of time. She felt like an only child, and even more so since her parents divorce.
She yawned, and unzipped her pillow, which opened into a blanket. “I’m sorry, but I’m tired. I’ll say goodnight, in case I fall asleep.”
“Come here,” he said and pulled her into his arms. “Good night, Willa Mae.”
She could feel his heart beating steadily against her cheek, and smell his cologne, faint but still there. It must be some expensive brand to have lasted all day. His breathing was regular, unhurried, even as her pulse quickened at the thought of sleeping in his arms. She wasn’t sure whether to be happy or sad that they were on a train instead of in a bedroom. Despite the restrictions she had placed on him, she knew that she was so far gone down the road of attraction that if he asked her to, she would fall into his arms without a second thought.
This level of awareness of a man was not something she knew how to deal with. It had never happened before, and she had only ever read about that happening in romance novels. She had always taken those instances with a pinch of salt, but now it seemed she had been wrong. She wanted the man who held her gently, and it didn’t help that he was more than just a pretty face. In fact, the more she discovered about him, the better she liked him. He was alluring and irresistible. She would never get to sleep if she couldn’t shut down her brain.
“Your shoulders are too tight, lass. You will never fall asleep if you don’t relax.”
He tilted her head up and looked deeply into her eyes, and then he lowered his head and kissed her. “Go to sleep.”
She pulled away reluctantly. “I can’t, Niall. Not with you wrapped all around me in a train.”
Pulling her blanket around her shoulders, she turned away and let the back of her seat down so she could recline even more. Then she put her feet up and closed her eyes. Sometime during the night, light snoring woke her and for a moment she thought it was Niall, but it was the passenger behind her. The next time she woke up, the sun was brightening the sky and her head was against Niall’s shoulder. His head angled toward her between the seats. They were leaning together like two old sacks, their blankets wrapped around them. Niall’s eyes opened as she took in her surroundings.
“Good morning, Willa Mae.”
“Good morning.” She moved away, worried about her morning breath.
“You snored all night,” he said, straightening beneath the blanket. His face was expressionless.
She looked at him in horror, and then saw the twinkle in his eyes. “You’re mean!” she exclaimed, laughing.
A sudden awkwardness overtook her, and she moved as far from him as she could, pulling her blanket off. Grabbing her makeup bag, she excused herself and went to take care of business in the minuscule train toilet. Wrinkling her nose, she wondered what Niall, who was filthy rich, thought of the condition of the space. This was definitely slumming on a level he might not otherwise expect. She knew he would have chosen the sleeper car, but she couldn’t afford that, and she wasn’t about to let him spend any more money on her under the guise of paying his share for the holiday.
When she got back to her seat he was gone. She was hungry, and decided if he didn’t return in five, she’d go get breakfast in the dining car. He appeared almost immediately, and she smiled at him.
“I’m going for breakfast. Are you coming?”
He nodded and they made their way back to the dining car and had a proper breakfast while the scenery outside the windows changed and the sun rose higher in the sky.
“What’s our second stop, after we get to the hotel in Orlando?” he asked.
“I’ll call my grandmother and let her know I’m there, and she’ll probably tell me to come tomorrow. Which is fine. I’ll be tired from this train ride, anyway.”
“So, will you have dinner with me again this evening? My treat. I’d like to take you to see a show first.”
“Where are we going?”
“How about the circus?”
She grinned. “I’d love that. As long as we’re not too near to the clowns.”
Maybe this vacation wouldn’t be so bad after all, she thought as they detrained in Orlando. She would try to let go just enough to have a good time. And as she would be on the arm of a handsome man, it couldn’t get too bad, could it? If they were having fun doing innocent things, they wouldn’t have time to fan the flames she was trying to keep contained. At least, that was the plan…
Chapter Ten: Foreplay
Niall went to retrieve their luggage, and then got them a cab to their resort. The heat was oppressive, and he was glad they didn’t have to spend too much time in it. Willa Mae looked ready to wilt as he checked them in and once in her room, she threw herself across her bed and said,
“Give me about a half hour to catch my breath, please.”
She didn’t seem aware of the effect she was having on him. The last twenty-four hours had been pure, unadulterated torture for him, as he had suspected it would be from the moment she told him they’d be taking the train. He didn’t mind traveling by train, but he had never had to
do it in quite such conditions as the one he had endured with the woman who was daily easing her way further around his defenses. Now she was lying on her belly on the queen-sized bed, arms flung wide, unwittingly begging to be ravished.
“Okay.”
That was all he could manage by way of a response as he backed out of the room and went to his own space. He felt completely out of sorts. He wanted to go back to Willa Mae, to lie with her, to hold her while she dozed, to listen to her breathe. She had talked in her sleep on the train, though nothing had been intelligible, but even that he had found endearing. He had discovered that his new favorite scent was Willa Mae Jamison, asleep and awake. She was his new favorite sight, sound, and taste as well. And he loved the silky smoothness of her skin against his own. She was a sensory overload all on her own, and he was ready to tip over and pour lust all over her.
Maybe he’d take a shower and purchase the tickets for the Cirque du Soleil show. The nine o’clock show would give them time to have a meal first. He stripped and walked into the shower, not waiting for the water temperature to be regulated. He needed the cold blast to help him get back some measure of control over his raging body. His cock remained at half mast no matter what he did, but he wasn’t prepared to seek his own relief. He wanted Willa Mae…his body said it needed her. For the time being, he would listen to it. He was sure by the time their work together was over, this unexpected lust would have worn itself out.
Slipping on a pair of boxer briefs, he let the cold air of the air conditioning keep his body temperature low while he paid for two tickets to the show later. Then he searched for a restaurant close by, and found a sushi place that seemed to be highly recommended. He hoped she wouldn’t mind the lighter fare there, and made a reservation for six. It was two thirty. He’d give her another couple of hours. Maybe he’d go for a workout and a swim. That would work out the kinks from his night sleeping upright, and hopefully dissipate some of the lust that was pooling in his belly.
He put on a pair of running shorts, slid a t-shirt over his head and was sitting down to write her a note when he felt her eyes on him. He was at the dining table.
“Hi. I was just going to leave you a note,” he said. “I’m going to the gym and then to the pool for a swim.”
She smiled at him, making his pulse quicken. “That sounds like fun…well, the pool part, anyway. Mind if I tag along? I’ll be quick.”
Niall’s heart lurched, but he nodded. “Take your time. I’m in no hurry.”
What would she look like in a bathing suit? Would she be daring or demure? Or something in between? He imagined that anything she wore would only add to the chinks in his armor where she was concerned. Maybe he’d skip the gym and spend the afternoon at the pool with her. Rushing to change, he heard her call his name as he was sliding the black racing trunks over his hips. He hurried back to her.
“Sorry…I’ve changed my mind. I’ll accompany you to the pool instead.”
He hadn’t missed the way her eyes had followed the line of his body from the waist down, and he knew he was half hard. There was nothing he could do about the bulge, so he forced his desire from his mind, and tried not to ogle her in the red coverall that hid her swimsuit from his gaze.
“Let’s go, then.”
“I have a key, so you don’t need to take yours with you,” she said.
“Thanks.”
He slid his key out of the swimsuit inner pocket, slipped his sunglasses over his eyes, and they went down to the pool. Thankfully, there were a few palm trees to help mitigate some of the heatwaves pulsing over the ground. She sat on one of the lounge chairs, and set her bag on the one next to it while he went to snag some towels. When he got back, she had removed the coverall and was smoothing sunscreen over her arms. He hadn’t even thought about that, and he felt his face heating at his behavior. He took in the black one piece swimsuit. It had no straps, but there were flirty red stripes running down its sides, and a black frill of cloth ran down the center in front. Her breasts were high and full in it, not quite spilling over, but luscious enough that his cock tightened some more behind the placket of his swim trunk.
“I’ll help you with your back,” he offered, needing to touch her, and anticipating feeling her hands on him as she returned the favor.
She lowered her eyes as she nodded and he waited impatiently for her to be done with the parts she could reach. Then he took the bottle from her and squeezed a generous amount onto his palm. Rubbing his hands together, he slid them over her shoulders and down her back as far as he could go, kneading her flesh just a little bit, stroking the muscles in her shoulders where he could feel how tense she was.
“Relax, lass,” he whispered, leaning in to her ear. “I promise to do nothing more scandalous than drink you in with my eyes.”
She hissed as she looked up at him and he chuckled. Then he relinquished the bottle, saying, “My turn. I forgot about sunscreen, so I’m glad you remembered. Could you do my back for me, please?”
His heart rejoiced that she would be spending much more time on him than he had on her. It was selfish, he knew, but he needed her to feel the ragged edge on which they both stood, precariously balanced, using the pool, the train, the restaurant…any public space as a deterrent from acting on their desires.
Her hands were soft and warm, her touch gentle, and he could feel the slight trembling that she was no doubt trying to hide from him. He held back his moans of pleasure as she stroked and rubbed his flesh, but when she reached the top edge of his swim trunks, her fingers slid a little under the waistband. He groaned and turned his head to look at her.
“If you’re not careful, you’ll force me to do something quite ungentlemanly, lass,” he warned her. But he smiled, and was glad when she smiled back at him.
“I’m done,” she said. “It’s hot, so I’m going in.”
He knew she was running away, but he grinned and let her. She walked to the shallow end and stepped in, making her way to the middle of the pool and sinking below the surface. She turned as though she knew he was watching her and blinked. Then she sank again, submerging herself fully before swimming away for a short distance underwater.
He hurried through putting on sunscreen so he could join her, but he went to the deep end and dove in, surfacing right next to her. She splashed him in the face and swam away, but she wasn’t a strong swimmer, and he caught her easily. He sank below the surface and grabbed her ankle, pulling her under with him for a moment before surging back up with her, laughing as she sputtered and hit him in the chest.
“You’re exactly like my brothers!” she exclaimed, pushing against his hold.
But Niall had fallen over the edge, and there was no turning back this time. The feel of her soft curves, with only the thin layer of her swimsuit between them, had taken his breath away. His body was hard for her and now he had to kiss her, no matter who was watching. But he needed her consent.
“Kiss me,” he growled, “unless you want me to misbehave even more.”
He knew it was an idle threat, because he would never do anything to embarrass or hurt her, and when he looked into her eyes, he saw that she knew it as well. A slow smile worked its way across her lips as she shook her head and ducked beneath the surface, taking him by surprise and swimming away from him. He laughed and chased her, and for the next half an hour they played and swam together until she hauled herself out at the side and went to their lounge chairs. He stayed in, needing to get his erection down before he got out.
He watched her dry off, and lie back, and when she pulled the straw hat she had worn down to the pool over her face, he swam away, doing a few laps until his body calmed enough that he could follow her back to the chairs. He dried off and lay back, his head turned to the side, watching her sleep. Something in his chest broke open, some realization that what he was feeling for her was unlike anything he had ever felt for another human being in his whole life. It was a scary feeling, and it was exhilarating at the same time.
&nb
sp; Rubbing a hand idly over his chest, he looked away, trying to settle himself, to ease his thoughts, to find an answer for the emotions rolling through him. There were a few other couples at the pool, one an older man and woman, holding hands as they lay side by side on the other side of the pool from him. They were talking to each other, and smiling at shared jokes, and the familiarity and intimacy of the moment struck a chord of longing inside him. That’s what he wanted to have when he was their age…and he wanted it with Willa Mae. That last thought was a shock to him, because the last thing he had ever imagined wanting was a long term relationship with anyone.
He closed his eyes and tried to empty his mind of any thoughts. He felt squirmy, like a child being held indoors when all his friends were out playing. He couldn’t settle his mind, and eventually he gave up and went back into the pool, swimming more laps to wear himself out. When he returned, Willa Mae was reading. She put the tablet down on her lap as he approached.
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