Page 36 of Blue Hawaiian
“Lost your key card again?” he said. “Maybe you should wear it around your neck.”
“Can I come in a second?”
He gestured for her to enter, then closed the door behind her. “What’s up?”
“I wanted to say something. If I’m out of line, then I’ll leave, I promise.” She licked her lips, tasting brown sugar from the coconut candy she’d eaten on the drive back. “I know we aren’t enemies anymore. But is there a chance we could be something else?”
He stepped closer and brushed his hand across her cheek. “Oh, Jess. This is such a bad idea.”
That should have been her cue to leave. But his touch weakened her willpower. She stood frozen in place. “I know. Gabi made me promise I wouldn’t hook up with you.”
“Same with Marc.”
“Are you kidding?” She could understand the request coming from Gabi, but not from Marc. “Why did he care?”
“Because of Gabi. He doesn’t want her dealing with any drama—not from either of us. She’s already under a lot of stress.”
“Makes sense.” She gnawed at her lip. She shouldn’t give in to her impulsive side. Not with so much at stake. But she couldn’t make herself turn and walk away. “The thing is—I still want you.”
He smoothed the wayward curls from her face and kissed her forehead. “I want you, too. But I just got your friendship back. The last thing I want to do is hurt you again.”
His reluctance gave her pause. But only for a second. This wasn’t like last time. She didn’t delude herself he’d ever fall in love with her. And she wasn’t the same starry-eyed eighteen-year-old who still believed in soul mates and happy endings. This time, they’d set rules right from the start, knowing their fling had a definite end date.
“Right now, my life is as uncertain as yours,” she said. “I don’t want commitment.”
“What do you want?” His fingers traced the curve of her lips, making her shiver.
“You. From now until we leave Maui, we make up for the five years we lost.”
“And when we leave?”
“Then we say good-bye. No declarations of love. No tears. No frantic texts. Besides, I’m going back to Chicago, and you’ll be in California. There wouldn’t be any pressure.”
The lie rolled off her tongue far too easily. But if she told him she was moving home in a month’s time, she might scare him off. Since her mom’s apartment was only an hour’s drive from his condo, he might worry she’d be too close for comfort once she was back in Riverside. Back when she was eighteen, she’d brought up their proximity in a desperate attempt to sway him. It hadn’t worked.
But now, if he assumed she was still living in Chicago, he’d have an easy out. And he wouldn’t feel any guilt when they parted.
He kept his gaze fixed on her. “I can’t promise you anything.”
“I know. I don’t want promises. No commitment and no regrets. Just great sex.”
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. Gently at first, and then deeply. The sensation of his tongue against hers sent spirals of heat through her whole body. Her legs trembled, but not out of exhaustion from the day’s hike. She ached to touch him, to reach into his shorts and stroke him until he was rock-hard, but that wouldn’t be fair. He had to make the choice on his own, without any coercion.
“You’re sure?” he whispered.
“I’m sure.” Even as she said it, she knew she was crossing the point of no return. By becoming his lover again, she was setting herself up for another heartbreak.
It won’t be like that. I know what I’m doing.
He undid the belt of her robe and eased it off her shoulders. She sucked in her breath as it fell to the floor, leaving her naked. Exposed like this, her insecurities eclipsed all rational thought.
When he frowned, she snatched up her robe and held it against her body. “If you’re not sure, then I can go and—”
“No. Stay.Please. It’s just…I didn’t exactly plan for this.”
“You don’t have condoms? How is that possible?”
He chuckled. “I told you I was trying to clean up my act.”
