Page 100 of Along Came Amor
Fuck her rules. Figuring out how to break things off after they got back to New York was a problem for Future Ava.
Present Ava was going to enjoy every single second they had together.
Chapter 30
Roman had initially suggested they visit the beach because he needed Ava out of the house so he could implement his next surprise, but once he saw her clad in nothing but a pink bikini, he forgot about everything else. The high-waisted bottoms laced up the sides and emphasized her rounded hips, and the top consisted of some string and two tiny scraps of spandex that highlighted her pert breasts. She’d braided her hair back in two neat plaits.
“You are a goddess,” he breathed.
She ducked her head like she was hiding a blush. “Not looking too bad yourself.”
“This old thing?” He glanced down at the black swim trunks he’d found in the dresser upstairs. They were a little big on him—apparently he’d slimmed down since he’d last been here, a result of the PT regimen he was actually sticking to these days—and he knew his abs were more defined than they’d been since... well, probably since he’d starred on a telenovela.
Thinking about Ava in that swimsuit was going to make it difficult for him to go out in public, so he cleared his throat and gestured toward the front door. “Your chariot awaits.”
They left their phones behind, and Roman switched outhis smartwatch for a waterproof one that only told time. The car drove them to Bellísima, which had a pool deck that led right onto the beach. The deck had a bar, rows of white lounge chairs with golden yellow cushions and navy-blue umbrellas branded with the resort’s logo, and an aquamarine pool shaped like a kidney bean. They claimed two lounge chairs far away from the other guests, and an attendant brought over mocktails made with coconut water, seltzer, mint, and lime.
“Drink this,” Roman said, passing one to Ava. “I won’t chance you getting dehydrated again.”
“Yes, sir,” she said with a cheeky grin that made his groin tighten. She accepted the drink and took a sip. His gaze zeroed in on her lips where they wrapped around the end of the straw, and he forced himself to look away.
He didn’t think he was imagining the shift in her energy. She’d been cautious around him in the morning, like she expected him to talk over her again, but she’d gradually loosened up. During the distillery tour she’d been curious and attentive, taking in the information with genuine interest. They’d had fun during the mixology class, joking and inventing ridiculous names for the drink, like “Telenovela Foreva” and “Jashton in Love,” and he hadn’t been able to resist giving her a teasing glimpse of her panties in his pocket. Her face had flamed red but she didn’t appear scandalized.
Estrella had pulled him aside afterward and whispered, “I like her.”
“Me too,” he’d answered truthfully.
Ava had been quiet on the ride back, and then she’d surprised him by strolling out in that sexy pink bikini. He couldn’t have said exactly what he’d expected her to wear, but it wasn’t that. He’d never been happier to be wrong.
Then she pulled a bottle of sunscreen from her tote and he stopped thinking altogether.
After pulling off the gauzy white cover-up she’d worn in the car, she squirted sunscreen onto her palm and began to smooth it over her arms.
Roman froze with the glass halfway to his mouth as he watched her work the lotion onto her shoulders. After a moment, he realized his jaw was hanging open, and he took a long pull on the paper straw.
Damn, he had to get a hold of himself. It wasn’t even like she was applying the sunscreen in a sexy way. He just found everything she did appealing.
She moved to her legs, and when she saw him watching, her lips curved in a coy smile. Her movements slowed, becoming more like caresses. Roman swallowed hard and took another gulp of his drink.
Then her hands went to her breasts, slipping beneath the fabric of her bikini top. With her eyes on his, she worked her fingers over her skin, and Roman realized she was tweaking her own nipples under the pink spandex.
He groaned and tunneled his fingers through his hair, which was damp with sweat. From her or from the humidity, he wasn’t sure. “Ava, what are you doing to me?”
“You’re right, how selfish of me.” Was it his imagination, or did he detect a breathy little purr? She drew her hands away from her breasts and held up the sunscreen. “Want me to do your back? We don’t want you to burn.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying I’m pale?”
“I don’t need to say it.”
He choked out a laugh and stretched out on his stomach. “Do your worst.”
He’d been kidding, but there was nothing innocent about the way Ava buttered up his back. She slid her hands up and down his skin in slow strokes. Her thumbs and fingertips traced the contours of his muscles and the ridge of his spine. She tickled his sides and dug into the tension he perpetually carried in his traps. By the end, he was putty in her hands and his dick was hard as a fucking rock.
“There,” she said, easing back. “You’re ready.”
“Fuck yeah I am,” he muttered under his breath. “Give me a second, or I’m going to cause a scandal.”
She let out a husky chuckle and stretched her long body out on her lounge chair. “But you have to do me next. My back, I mean.”
