*Chloe
He collapses on top of me and I accept his weight with welcome arms. His solid body feels unbelievably good to hold onto. It anchors me into the moment and I soak it all up like it’ll be our last. Our bodies are a slick mess and the scent of chlorine sticks to my skin. I rock my hips against his and he mumbles something against my shoulder.
“Wanna take a shower with me?”
He lifts up enough to peer at me contemplatively. “As long as you wash my back.”
I laugh. “Deal.”
We untangle ourselves from his sheets and stumble blindly into the bathroom. The water heats and then we shift under the spray, expressing twin moans of delight as the hot water beats down upon us. I gather his body wash and squeeze some on a loofah. As I scrub his back, I giggle at the fact that this badass man has a loofah in his shower. He can cook and he takes care of himself. The twinge between my legs reminds me that he can also take damn good care of me.
I trace the lines of his body absently as I consider that thought. We hadn’t talked about where the attraction between us was leading. Now that sex is off the table, what else is there left to say? I have a job, a life to get back to. He has his life here. Neither of us have mentioned anything long term and isn’t that the number one thing you don’t do with a man? Smother him?
Gabriel turns in my arms, but I’m not able to look him directly in the eye for fear that I’ll give my thoughts away. Even if this is just a one-time thing, it’s the best thing to happen to me in a long time. I don’t want to ruin it by forcing seriousness on the situation too early.
I busy myself with thoroughly washing his chest. I ditch the loofah to pay homage with my hands. There are some things that I just can’t resist, and a set of powerful shoulders and a non-manscaped chest are two of them. My fingers spread suds over his light dusting of hair and I play with the trail leading down to his cock. He makes a strangled sound in response and I grin inwardly.
“What are you thinking so hard about?” he asks.
“Hmm?”
“You’ve got that crease between your eyes. I’ve noticed it means you’re thinking hard about something. To be honest, it kind of pisses me off—if I had the energy to be pissed off that is.”
I smile up at him. “You’re always pissed off.”
He slaps my ass and I squeak. “I am not. I just have a low tolerance for bullshit. In any case, don’t try to distract me. The fact that you even have energy leftover tells me that maybe I didn’t do a good enough job. Do I need to give you something else to think about?”
His fingers glide up my thigh and he plunges two inside of me. I’m so sensitive that their soft intrusion has my vision flashing to white.
“Now I’ve got your attention,” he murmurs, slowly fingering me into complacency, “tell me what’s wrong?”
“N-nothing!” I gasp as his fingers surge inside of me.
It takes no time at all for my body to shake with an impending orgasm. I grip his shoulders and roll my hips in an effort to bring me to the edge.
But instead of going faster, harder, his fingers retreat and he touches my folds softly, delicately and asks me again, “What’s wrong? And don’t lie to me.”
“I was just thinking about how sad I’m going to be when I go home tomorrow.”
He cups my cheeks in his hands. “I’m going to miss you, too,” is all he says.
Then he pins me against the wall and there is something about being near helpless and vulnerable to him that makes me come harder than I ever have in my life. It’s not until I’m near sleep twenty minutes later, wrapped up in his arms, that I realize he never gave me any assurances one way or the other.
*
The next morning, I wake to the sound of rain again, except this time when I open my eyes, there is no Gabriel with heated eyes to snuggle with. A little deflated, I hunt around the room but am unable to find any of my clothes. Instead, I shrug on one of Gabe’s t-shirts and make do with the comb in his bathroom.
I follow my nose to the scent of coffee and find him in the kitchen making breakfast. When he notices me in the doorway, he shoots me an encouraging smile and my heart takes that as a good sign.
I accept his proffered cup gratefully. “Thanks. A girl could get used to this kind of treatment, you know.”
He smiles. “Good timing, your food is ready. Have breakfast with me?”
“Sure. Do you know what time it is? My boat leaves at four.”
“It’s only ten. You have plenty of time.”
We take seats at the table, though unlike dinner the previous night, I’m not floating on too many Piña Coladas or the anticipation of a night of great sex. Instead, I’m faced with the chilling reality that maybe this is all there is.
In an effort to ignore my increasingly morose thoughts, I stuff my face with scrambled eggs and the most perfect bacon I’ve ever had in my life. He makes polite conversation, but I detect a thread of awkwardness and curse inwardly. So this is it. A semi-vacation that started out miserably, improved to phenomenal, and seems to be heading on a fast track to heartbreak.
I’m so engrossed in my own thoughts that it takes a while for me to notice an envelope sitting propped against the catchall bowl in the center of the table, an envelope that has my name on it in a thick scrawl.
Gabriel pauses his conversation when he notices where my attention has strayed. Instead of explaining, he just smiles.
I take the envelope with trembling fingers and open it. Inside, I find a round trip ticket dated next weekend. My heart stutters at my chest and I look up to find Gabriel by my side.
“I figured since we never finished your tour of the island that it was my obligation to make sure you got your money’s worth. So I want you to come back.” He lifts me from the chair and cups my cheeks with his big hands. “And maybe the weekend after that.”
I manage to overcome my shock. “You want to see me again?”
“Princess, if I had my way, I wouldn’t let you leave.”
My heart swells at his declaration. I’m momentarily rendered speechless, so I do the only thing I can think of which doesn’t need words. I lean toward him, a smile sitting on my lips, and kiss him.
The End