by Noelle Adams
She’d almost drowned a man and had embarrassed herself in the process all in the name of fitting in. Somehow it didn’t seem like it had been worth it. And what a man she’d picked. He was obviously not like the fun-loving guys who had fallen prey to her friends’ pranks. This one obviously did not appreciate being jumped. She should have known that from his posture. He was no college kid, that was for sure. More like some big shot businessman. A really hot businessman.
Her mind rushed back to the feel of his muscled torso pressed against her breasts and her breath quickened. Even now, just at the memory of it, a delicious shiver coursed through her body.
But the man was a jerk for dunking her like that. Attraction or no attraction, he was the kind of man to stay far away from. She just prayed that for the rest of her week on the island she would not run into him again.
“Come on, Erin. Get out of that funk. Let’s take a dip in the ocean.” Maria took her by the shoulders and began steering her toward the French doors. “The day is young. We’re bound to find some hunks lounging on the beach.”
That did it for Erin. She’d had enough of hunks for one day. “You guys go on ahead. I’ll just catch up on some reading.”
“On spring break?” Tisha huffed in disgust. “You never know when to quit, do you?”
Erin smiled ruefully, not wanting to dampen their high spirit. “Yeah, that’s me. Got to get my daily fix or I’ll have withdrawal symptoms. You guys go on and have fun. I’ll see you later.” And before they could object she turned and headed for her bedroom, closing the door firmly behind her.
That evening Erin woke to the sounds of the girls returning from what must have been an exhilarating day at the beach. They were even louder than usual, giggling and screaming as they burst into the villa. Could she survive another three days of this? She wished Robyn’s parents hadn’t bought the airline ticket for her. She would have gladly remained behind at the college, locked away in the library, absorbed in a stack of books.
She sighed in relief when they didn’t bother to knock on her door but instead showered and dressed to go down to the garden for the buffet style dinner that was usually served there. She wasn’t hungry and worse, she didn’t want to take the chance of running into that man again.
Erin was deep into the history of medieval European art when the girls returned.
“Give it a break, Erin.” Robyn walked over to the sofa and grabbed the tome out of her hands. “You do know how to kill a party. Why do you have to study all the time?”
“I’m not studying. For me that’s fun reading.” Erin forced a smile, not wanting to dampen their mood. “So how was dinner?”
“Good food, like always.” Tisha kicked off her sandals and walked over to turn on the TV. Then she flopped down onto the couch across from Erin. “I ate so much fried fish and tacos I feel like I’m going to pop.”
“I’ve got the perfect way to work off all this food.” Robyn’s eyes sparkled.
Erin’s heart sank. What weird scheme was she cooking up now?
“There’s a new DJ coming to the resort nightclub. He’s from Japan and word is he’s really good. Keeps the dance floor hopping, is what I hear.”
“Does he play salsa?” Maria swayed her hips to imaginary music.
“He can play anything. All you have to do is request it.”
“So what time do we hit the dance floor?” Tisha looked more than interested. She was always one for a good dance party. She could dance all night and not break a sweat.
“What time can you be ready, Erin?” Robyn gave her a pointed look.
“Me? I didn’t say I was going.”
“You’ve been hiding out in your room all afternoon and you’ve been studying on spring break, only heaven knows why. I’m not leaving you in here to take the color of the walls.”
“It’s okay, I’m fine…”
“No, it’s not fine. My dad didn’t fly you down here so you can be a drag and spoil all the fun. We’re all supposed to be having fun together.”
Erin’s smile froze and she stared back at Robyn’s determined face. She hadn’t just thrown that in her face, had she? But one look at the girl’s unapologetic glare said that she had, and she was not taking it back.
So that was it. Because Robyn’s father had paid for her trip to Santa Marta Erin was beholden to her and was supposed to follow her every command. She was here to make sure Robyn had fun.
Obviously that was what the redhead thought or else she would not be staring back at her so smugly after making a comment like that.
Okay, now she knew where she stood and she could not wait for the week to pass. In the meanwhile she would play along with Robyn’s game, humor her if that was what she wanted, then when they got back to Vancouver she would go back to her life on the college campus, far away from Robyn and her demands.
By the time they were ready to leave at about nine o’clock that night Erin felt a little better. She might as well try to have some fun. After all, she might never have the opportunity to have an island vacation again. She’d spent a lot of time trying to look good. Her normally curly hair had been brushed straight and swept up in a chignon high on top of her head. The new look made her feel sophisticated, confident. She’d picked a black dress with a flared skirt that fell just above the knees and she was wearing her favorite high heeled sandals, the one with the rhinestones on the straps. She might not be the best dressed in the group but she could stand beside any of them.
As they walked along the cobbled pathway leading from their villa to the main building of the tropical resort Erin breathed in deeply, savoring the fruity smell of the flowers that lined the path. It was a balmy, tropical night. The gentle breeze from the ocean wafted over her skin and the sound of the rolling waves was soothing in her ears. Despite the problems, she’d been enjoying her stay on the island and didn’t want to think about leaving all this to go back to cold Vancouver just yet.
They knew they were close to the nightclub when they heard the horns, trumpets and steel pans of the island music.
“Hey, I don’t know how to dance to that kind of music,” Tisha said with a pout.
Maria laughed. “You? You can dance to anything, girl. I’ve seen you on the dance floor.”
Tisha looked pleased and started to sway her hips to the liquid sounds, her gold dress floating around her athletic legs.
“That’s not how you do it,” Robyn chimed in, obviously determined to turn the spotlight back on herself. “When you do these island dances you have to be real sexy and twist your hips like this.”
She started to gyrate in tight circles and soon had her friends dissolving into helpless laughter. Dancing was definitely not one of Robyn’s talents.
By the time they entered the nightclub Erin’s mood was much lighter, even carefree. The enthusiasm of the girls was rubbing off on her and she was ready to dance.
At first they all four danced as a group, forming a tight little circle in the crowd of people. When the DJ switched from merengue to the steady rhythms of reggae they kept on dancing, bobbing to the sounds of Bob Marley’s “We Jammin’”.
Tisha really showed her moves when the DJ began to play dancehall music. The deep, gravelly sound of Sean Paul’s lyrics filled the room and she began a slow, sexy movement of the hips that had Erin staring in fascination.
The people dancing closest to their group were watching Tisha too and soon they were cheering her on, clapping to the tune of the music while she danced. When the song ended they all clapped and she curtsied cutely in appreciation.
Erin was not surprised when a handsome, honey-colored man approached her friend and asked her for a dance. Tisha gave him a brilliant smile, obviously flattered by his attention, and sauntered off to the other end of the dance floor.
Maria, who loved attention, began a sexy Latin dance, no matter that the music had no Latin flavor at all. She was not used to Tisha usurping her position as the most visible and most attractive member of the group. S
he wanted to win her position back.
As she danced, her body-hugging red dress glittered under the strobe lights, emphasizing her voluptuous hips and ample curves. Her long hair swayed, tickling her bottom like a scarf of jet black silk.
Maria now began to get the attention she craved, with the crowd giving her the cheers and claps they’d just showered on Tisha. This only spurred her on to more risque moves and Erin stared in surprise as the Latin beauty suddenly dipped to the floor and came back up, sliding her body up the length of a thin, brown-haired man who’d been watching her in fascination. She began dancing close to the man, rubbing against him, teasing him then pulling back only to press into him again.
He was obviously loving it. He slid a tentative arm around her and then as she pressed into him he became bolder, matching her dips and sways with jerky movements of his own.
Soon the crowd closed around the dancing couple. And then there were two. Erin rocked to the beat of the music and smiled over at Robyn, wondering how soon it would be before she found a partner and disappeared, too.
She did not have to wait long. Apparently getting bored with Erin as her dance partner, Robyn gave her a little wave and pushed through the crowd toward the bar. Robyn could never go too long without a drink.
Now Erin was alone. She pasted a fake smile on her face and continued to bob to the music that had suddenly become tedious.
But she couldn’t go running off the dance floor like a frightened doe so she stayed there, alone in a sea of people, rocking to the steady rhythm of the music.
When the DJ switched to slow music it gave her the perfect excuse to finally exit the dance floor. She slid through the mass of dancing couples and headed in the direction of the bar. At least Robyn would be there.
But she was not.
Erin’s eyes skimmed the bar, searching for the emerald green dress, but it was nowhere in sight. She sighed. Robyn must have found a guy and gone back to the dance floor. She would just have to entertain herself for a while.
“Hey, baby, you look hot.”
Erin turned and came face to face with a bespectacled man, probably in his late forties, with receding brown hair and a wide grin.
“Want to dance?”
“I…no, thank you. I’m taking a break right now.” Erin smiled as she spoke the words, not wanting to hurt the man’s feelings.
“Aw, come on. I saw you on the dance floor. You’re a great dancer. Come show me some of your moves.”
The man reached out and put a hand on her shoulder and she felt a shudder go through her. He had some nerve. She jerked away from his touch.
“I really don’t feel like dancing right now,” she said, her voice firm. “I’m thirsty.” As she spoke she was sidling away, trying to get closer to the bar and away from the man.
“Oh, so it’s a drink you want. No problem, honey. That’s what I’m here for. Then we can have some fun.” The man reached out again and this time he grasped her upper arm.
“Let go of me.” Wrenching her arm from his grasp, Erin lurched backward and came up hard against a man’s solid back.
Now look what the idiot made her do. She gave him a withering glare.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, turning around to face the person she had stumbled into, and her words of apology died on her lips. The man from the pool. She was staring up into his cool gray eyes and she could see he was not amused.
“Still at it?” he began, brows drawing together in a frown. “Why don’t you-“
“Darling, there you are,” she gushed, cutting him off.
His frown deepened but before he could say another word she put her arm around his shoulder in a quick hug.
“I’ll have that drink now,” she said loudly, with a little giggle as she took his arm and tried to turn him back to face the bar.
He did not budge.
Her heart skipped. He was going to blow her cover.
She stole a glance up at his face and his eyes bored into her. She could not read his expression but she knew he was angry.
She made one last try. “A pina colada would be lovely.” Erin gave him her best flirtatious smile and her heart melted with relief as a slow if cynical smile spread across his lips.
In one fluid movement he slid off the bar stool and stood before her and for that moment she was very close to him, so close that she could smell the spicy fragrance of his cologne.
She breathed in then gasped as his big hands spanned her waist.
He lifted her effortlessly and set her down on top of the stool he had just vacated. He spun it around so that she was facing the bar then leaned in beside her.
“A pina colada for the lady.”
“Coming right up.” The bartender gave him a nod and within seconds was sliding a frothy glass in front of her.
Not knowing what to say next, she dipped her head and took the straw between her lips. She sucked the sweet, foamy liquid into her mouth, glad for the way it soothed her parched throat.
Finally, she looked at him. His face was so close she could see the faint shadow on his chin. The slight stubble gave him a rakish air and, for some reason, her breathing became ragged.
“Th…thank you,” she said then licked her lips that suddenly felt so dry. She glanced back into the crowd for the man who had made her flee but he was nowhere in sight.
She glanced back at the man from the pool and he was watching her, so intently that she dropped her eyes back to her glass. Her fingers trembled as she cooled her palms on the cold glass. Bending her head, she took another sip of her drink, glad for the excuse to break eye contact with him while her mind raced to find a way to get out of this mess.
“Let’s dance.”
Relief flooded through her as she realized she would not have to make conversation with this man who probably thought she’d been stalking him. They could dance for a minute and then she would thank him and disappear into the crowd. Then hopefully she would never have to see him again.
Now why did that thought make her heart slide down to her toes?
She slipped off the stool and took the hand he offered. A quiver went through her and she bit her lip.
His was a large hand, warm and strong, and she could imagine such a hand sliding up her body, cupping her breasts in a bold caress.
Erin, stop it. She gave her head a quick shake and focused on her new dance partner as he led her toward the dance floor.
Once she was safely hidden in the crowd Erin gently pulled on her hand, wanting to break contact as soon as possible. To her dismay, instead of releasing her the man pulled her closer to him and began to sway to the sounds of Boyz II Men’s ‘I’ll Make Love To You’.
Erin wanted to resist. She really did. But his hard body felt so good against hers as he held her close, and the music was so sensual that she felt her reserve melt like the ice in her pina colada. She relaxed as the music pulsated around them. She closed her eyes and let him lead, swaying her hips and matching his every move.
His hand slid to the small of her back and a delicious tingle ran all the way up her spine.
Now was the time to thank him for the dance and make a hasty exit but her tongue felt heavy in her mouth. She closed her eyes. She could not speak.
“What’s your name?”
Erin jumped. The man had bent his head and his lips were close to her ear, so close that his warm breath tickled the fine hairs on her skin.
“I’m Erin. And…and you?”
“I’m Dare,” he said softly into her ear, and the way he said it made her shiver.
Dare. What an unusual name. But it certainly seemed appropriate for this man holding her close on the dance floor, so bold and unapologetic.
The strains of the song died away and Erin took a deep breath. This was her chance. She cleared her throat.
“Thank you for the dance,” she began then gasped as the man, Dare whatever his name was, grasped her hand and started walking off the dance floor, pulling her along with him.
&n
bsp; She looked around frantically. Where were the girls? She needed to be rescued. Now. Her eyes skimmed the sea of people but in that mass of bodies there was hardly any chance she would find her suite mates.
Tugging her arm, Erin blurted, “Where are you taking me?”
Dare spared her a backward glance. “This place is getting too crowded for me. Let’s get out of here.”
Get out of here? To where? He was forgetting that they hadn’t arrived at the nightclub together.
“Excuse me,” she tugged again, “but I’m not going anywhere with a stranger.”
The man ignored her.
By this time they were out a side door and onto a terrace surrounded by an abundant tropical garden. Dare let go of her wrist and leaned his shoulder against a cast iron trellis through which flowered vines twisted and coiled. As he lounged he folded his arms across his chest, watching her.
“So what was that about us being strangers?” He gave a dry chuckle. “After all we’ve shared – a hug, a dance, a dunk in the pool. I thought we were more than that?”
She bit her lip and looked away. She could understand how it all looked. As far as he was concerned she’d been the one doing the pursuing. She could only guess what he must think of her.
She took a deep breath, thinking fast. Should she tell him the truth about the stupid dare or would he think her a crazy college student who would do anything for kicks? Maybe that wouldn’t paint her in such a good light but she could at least tell him about the stalker in the nightclub. He would surely understand her actions then.
She opened her mouth to speak and the man chose that moment to reach out and pull her to him. Caught off guard, she tilted into him. He took the opportunity to turn with her then backed her up against the trellis, pressing her into the flowery metal frame.
Dare raised one arm and rested it on the metal bar above her head, effectively trapping her between himself and the wall. His eyes glinted in the moonlight as he stared down at her.
Erin’s heart thumped and she swallowed hard. Goodness. How was she going to get out of this predicament in a dignified manner?