Page 7 of Game Change

“Sounds good,” Raven says. “And I’m not feeling this buffet. Mimi, let’s go back to the house and order room service. We’ll see you later, Bee.” Raven stands, grabs Mimi, and practically pulls her out of the restaurant.

And I’m finally left alone with the only person I want to talk to.

She picks at her food but doesn’t eat any of it.

“So, you want to go for a walk?” I ask. I decide to be bold and throw my arm across the back of her chair.

She slowly drops her fork on her plate and looks at me. I hold her brown-eyed stare while she studies me, and when she tilts her head to the side, I do the same while smiling at her.

“You want to take a walk?” she asks.

“Yeah. By the beach. We can rent one of those scooters if you want.” Her eyes light up for a fraction of a second, but she looks away.

“I don’t know how to ride that. It looks dangerous. And I’m just here on vacation with my friends.” She eyes me again. “I’m not looking for a hookup.”

I raise both hands. “Me either. I don’t want to go back to the house with Malcolm and Ian at each other’s throats.”

She remains quiet while she studies me, and I wish I knew what she’s thinking. She’s not easy to read; I’m usually good at reading people. Other than knowing she’s attracted to me, she doesn’t give anything else away, and I’m not naïve to think that her attraction to me will lead to anything.

She picks up her glass and slowly sips her water, then nods as she puts it down, and I think she’s made a decision. I don’t think the nod is a yes, but just that she’s decided. “Let’s go.” She stands and waits.

I toss my napkin on my plate and stand with her. I extend my hand, and she looks down at it for a few seconds before she says, “Fuck it,” and takes it.

I like the feel of it, the feel of her. We don’t speak again until we get to the beach. There are large groups of people close to the water, including several families, but we stay on the boardwalk, where it’s less crowded.

“Are you going to tell me what state you’re from?” I ask.

“Nope,” is all she says. She’s playful now and smiles wide while she shakes her head. “Are you married?” she asks, surprising me. I stop walking and pull my hand away. I lift the left one and turn it like I’m in the Miss America pageant.

“No ring. No tan line. I’ve never been married, and before you ask, I don’t have a girlfriend. I just got out of a relationship a year ago. Now, areyoumarried?” I ask, turning the tables on her.

“Never been married. Never even come close.” I retake her hand and intertwine our fingers. “Haven’t had a relationship in a while, and I’m not looking for one.”

“Are you closed off to one?”

“No. I’m just not actively searching. If it happens, it happens.” She shrugs as she walks. “So, why did you and your girlfriend break up?”

“Oh, boy,” I say, shaking my head. “I’d rather not get into that.”

She stops and looks up into my eyes before dropping her gaze to look at my chest. When she licks her lips, I flex my pecs for her, and she lets out a giggle.

“You’re right. This is vacation, so no serious questions. I’m leaving everything in the real world out and focusing on having fun. I only have a few more days, so I’m going to enjoy all of it.”

We stop walking again, but I don’t let go of her hand. I lift my free one and stroke her cheek with my thumb. She looks down, and I sense a bit of shyness from her. I drop her hand, throw my arm across her shoulders, and pull her close. We stay like that and walk until we reach the area where we can rent scooters.

“Oh, no,” she says as she backs away.

“Come on. It’s vacation mode. I’ll drive, and you sit behind me.” I don’t allow her to reply and request one motorized scooter with two helmets. I help her put her helmet on and tap the tip of her nose with my finger.

“I’ll get on first, and you slide in behind me. You have to wrap your arms around my waist. I promise I won’t go too fast.” She looks around nervously but nods before getting on and wrapping her arms tightly around me. She pulls herself up, and I run my hands along her exposed thighs before I start the engine. “Hold on,” I yell and press on the gas.

“Whoa!” she says with a giggle. Right now, I’m cursing the helmet because I want nothing more than to feel her breath on my skin, but having her arms wrapped securely around me feels good. The wind whips around us as we ride off the boardwalk to the street.

“You didn’t say anything about going on the street!” she yells in my ear. Her arms tighten, and I speed up. She screams a little, but that turns to laughter.

The wind hits my face, and I curse not having my sunglasses, but I don’t focus on the negative for too long. I have a beautiful girl with her arms wrapped around me. Life is good. I take her away from our resort, but the entire area is filled with nothing but resorts. Ours just happens to be the most exclusive.

After about fifteen minutes, I see a man selling coconuts on the side of the road, so I pull over and park. After helping her with her helmet, I take her hand. I buy one for each of us, and we find a secluded area by the beach to sit. I sip the juice out of the straw, and despite having the exact same thing, I offer her some of mine. She takes it and gives me hers.

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