Page 45 of The Butterfly Effect
“But you don’t date.” Her voice was playful, like she couldn’t help but laugh. She nipped at my neck, following it with a light kiss and nuzzling her nose against my skin on an inhale.
“I guess I do now. Lucky you.”
She swatted my chest, shaking with laughter. “Yes, lucky me.” She yawned, a quiet squeak slipping from her, and I held her while she dozed off, letting her rest.
* * *
Julianna stood in front of the mirror, running her fingers through her hair before turning to face me. “Okay, I’m ready for ourdate.” She was giddy like a teenager before a first date with her school crush.
I chuckled and couldn’t help but stare. She was a sight to behold in the short, slightly fitted dress that hung just right off of her curves. The light-blue fabric had a slight shine to it and brought out the blue in her eyes. It ended above her knees, and paired with the heeled sandals she wore, it made her legs look longer than they already did. Her ashy-blonde hair hung in loose waves over her shoulders, and she had a glow to her skin from laying in the sun for half of the day.
“You look beautiful.” I narrowed the distance between us and grabbed her hand, pulling her against me. She blushed at the compliment but didn’t resist, letting her body melt against mine as if they hadn’t been connected since I’d arrived last night.
She leaned up and kissed my cheek before stepping back and looking at me from head to toe. I’d put on a pair of khaki pants and a button-down white shirt with the sleeves rolled partly up. Her eyes caught on the tattoos peeking out of the sleeves. Likely without realizing she was, she licked her lips and raised her eyebrows.
“Like what you see?”
She nodded, meeting my gaze. I took her hand, leading her to the door of our room and stepping out. We walked to the restaurant, her hand in mine the entire way. I listened to her point out aspects of the resort she had found on her first day, like the pool and the shuttle to the beach. She had booked a variety of activities for her trip, including snorkeling and some spa services. While she’d napped, I called and added myself to each of them to match the itinerary I had gotten from Andy.
We were seated quickly when we got to the restaurant, and I slipped some cash to the host to seat us with the best view in the house. I pulled out the chair for Julianna to sit before moving to sit in the seat across from her. It felt comfortable like it did when we went to dinner on Thanksgiving, and I almost laughed at how adamant I had been that it wasn’t a date.
Julianna smiled across the table, not noticing when the waiter walked up behind her. When he spoke, she jumped, a startled expression lighting up her face, followed quickly by a hearty laugh.
“Jesus, you startled me,” she panted, pressing her hand to her heart.
He glanced at her apologetically, and I couldn’t help but be amused watching. “Sorry, ma’am,” he told her, his accent thick. He turned to me. “Your love is very beautiful, sir.” He nodded at Julianna, as if to clarify which woman he was referring to.
“Hmm, she is, isn’t she?” I said, enjoying the blush that rose on her neck and tinted her cheeks.
Julianna ordered a rum punch, specifically asking him to make it strong. I laughed and had him double the order, turning my attention to the woman across from me when he walked away. She stared off at the sun setting behind the mountain and the bright colors in the sky reflecting off the ocean, and the content look in her eyes made my heart stop.
“It’s funny, you know?” Her voice was almost in a daze. “Twenty-four hours ago, I was watching the sun set over this same mountain and trying to convince myself I hated you.” She turned to me with a soft smile, anxiously running her finger in circles on the table.
I reached across the table and took her nervous hand in mine. “Would it have worked?”
She tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow, shrugging. “No, probably not. Maybe I would’ve eventually convinced myself it didn’t hurt so badly that you didn’t want me, but I don’t think I could ever hate you.”
Relief filled my face in the form of a smile, just as our waiter returned with two light-pink drinks. There was a wedge of pineapple on the glass, and I already knew it was going to be too sweet. Julianna took a long sip, followed by a delicious moan, and she licked the sweet liquid from her lips. Even though I had spent half of the day inside of her, I wanted to take her again now.
We watched the sunset in a comfortable silence, finishing our drinks before our food arrived. The waiter set plates decorated with local foods in front of us, and the way Julianna went immediately for the fried plantains made me laugh. She threw one into her mouth before groaning with her approval.
“I swear, these are likecrack,” she said, grabbing another one. I made a mental note to learn how to make them for her.
“Have you ever actually tried crack?”
She raised her eyebrows and looked at me, biting the inside of her lip to try and keep a straight face. “No…” As if that was an unusual answer to the question, a deep blush rose on her throat. “But I smoked pot in college once!” She shrugged, erupting in a bubbly fit of laughter.
“Who knew you were so bad.” I winked at her, and she shimmied her shoulders at me slightly.
When the food on the table was gone and we had found the bottom of our fourth drink, Julianna licked her fingers clean. I followed her lips as they trailed across her skin, making a small pop when she pulled each finger from her mouth. I was instantly ready to rush her back to the room and taste her fingers myself.
I threw money on the table to cover the bill and stood up, grabbing her hand and lightly pulling her after me. We came to a fork in the path, and she continued to move to the left towards the room until I tugged her hand, making her stop. “Not yet. We’re not done.”
Pleasant mischief and curiosity flashed across her face. “Oh yeah? Where are we going?” She nestled her body against mine and wrapped her arms around my waist as I breathed in the scent of her hair.
“We’re going dancing.” I pointed down the path to the right to the bar I had found her in the night before.
She gasped and clapped a couple of times. “But you don’t dance…”
