Chapter Four
By the time she pulled the last bite of succulent Bahamian crawfish, subtitled spiny lobster in the menu, from its shell, Will had managed to order enough alcohol for Earl the poor man could barely conduct a coherent conversation. As he slid lower in his seat, she and Will had talked over his head as if he weren’t even there. She felt a little guilty.
But she couldn’t be sorry.
Earl remained in no shape to take advantage of her almost-agreement to spend the night with him. She questioned his ability to even return to his room unassisted. Right before he landed face-first in his plate, she flailed a hand. “Will? Grab him.”
He reached across the table and lifted his friend’s head from his plate of fish stew. “He’s going to smell pretty bad by morning.”
“Someone has to take him home and get him cleaned up.” She grabbed her napkin and moved around the table to do what she could. “And I think it’s the guy who got him like this. Not nice, Will.”
He sighed. “Yeah, I know. But I couldn’t help myself. He told me you two had plans tonight.”
She shrugged. “For dinner together.” What else had Earl told him?
“No.” He cupped her chin and looked into her eyes. “He said you were going to spend the night together.”
“He did, did he?” She winced. “I never said that.”
The intensity in his stare turned her spine to water. “I don’t want you to sleep with him.”
“W-why not?”
A slow grin upturned his lips. “I’d rather take you to bed myself.”
Her breath caught. “So you figured if you got your poor friend drunk on his ass, you could take his place? With a desperate woman who would settle for any guy sober enough to get it up?” Her voice cracked. “Is that really what you thought?”
“Oh, no, sweetheart.” His voice was rough, like coarse velvet over her ragged nerves. “Never settle.”
He touched only her face, but he could have been caressing her entire body. She came to life as his lips met hers. Hot and smooth. Her eyes closed, the better to focus on his kiss. It was like the first kiss ever, so different from any before. When he prodded at her closed mouth with the tip of his tongue, she opened for him, welcomed him inside.
His hand moved to the back of her head, holding her in place then adjusting the angle for deeper penetration. Her nipples peaked under the sundress, as if begging for contact, but they sat in a restaurant with her date passed out on the table across from them. She went back and forth from ecstasy to panic and back again, until finally a groan from across the table penetrated the fog of lust.
Arabella planted both hands on his chest and gave a little shove. “Will, we can’t do this. Earl is my date. You are his friend. And we’re in a restaurant. Everyone will see.”
“Everyone, who?”
Opening her eyes, she peeked around. “There’s nobody here but Earl.”
Will stroked an escaped lock from her forehead. “Do you ever wear your hair down?”
“What? No, not really.”
“Would you?” He rubbed his knuckles down her cheek.
She shrugged. “I think right now we need to worry about getting Earl to his room. Can you help me move him?”
“Maybe we can get someone else to do it.”
“Nobody’s here.” And she needed to take it all in and figure out what to do. Sure, she’d hop into bed with Will in a heartbeat, but something about going out with one guy and ending up in bed with another felt marginally icky. And she didn’t want anything unpleasant to come between them. Even if it was only a vacation affair with a bartender, she had to stay true to herself. “I’ll take one arm, you take the other?”
He wound his fingers tighter into her hair and pulled her close again. “What’s in this for me?”
“A little redemption for the sin of getting your friend drunk and stealing his date?”
He grazed her lips with his thumb. “Have I stolen you?”
“You know you have. But I’m not going to bed with you at the end of a date with someone else.”
“Why not?” He kissed her again, softly sucking on her tongue until shivers ran up and down her arms and legs. “I think it’s been our date most of the evening, anyway.”
“You’re grasping at straws.” Pushing her chair back, she stood. “If you’d like to ask me out for tomorrow, I might say yes. Of course, the only place to go is…here.”
“Tomorrow, I’m tending bar, but I’m free in the evening.”
“Oh great, the bar is opening. That’s somewhere new to go.”
Will approached Earl and threw one of the man’s arms over his shoulder. “Come on, buddy. Time to go home to bed.” He pulled him to his feet. “If you want to stop by the bar tomorrow, we can do something after I close.”
“Will there be anything to do then? Once the bar closes, won’t everything else be closed?”
They started back along the dock to shore, Arabella slowing her steps to stay with the men.
“I thought we could go to my place for something to eat. Maybe dance a little.”
Why not? I’m planning to have a vacation fling anyway. Although if I keep going from guy to guy, I may not find time to actually fling.
“So, dancing at your house?”
“Right. In the garden, under the full moon.”
“Will we turn into vampires or werewolves or anything?” The way this trip was going, she only half joked.
“I can’t promise, but we can try.”
A startled snort of laughter escaped her. “I guess it’s a date, then.”
“It’s a date.” They walked along the beach. Will shifted Earl higher on his shoulder. The man’s eyes were closed, and his feet no longer even shuffled, just dragged along, leaving furrows in the sand. “We’ll drop you off at your gate. Like gentlemen. Right, Earl?”
“He can’t answer you. He’s completely out of it.”
“What a shame. And on a beautiful moonlit night, too. I’m sure he’ll be disappointed to have missed it.”
She tried not to laugh again and encourage his bad behavior. “You don’t set out to get a friend drunk so you can steal his date. It’s not nice.”
“I thought I was helping him get you safely home after he overindulged.”
She stopped and faced him, hands on her hips. “You thought no such thing. You had that waitress…Melissa?...refill his drink when he went to the bathroom.”
Will let his burden slide to the sand at their feet. “He’s a big boy. Nobody bent his elbow and poured those Goombay Smashes down his throat. Or had him change his order to straight shots of tequila.” He shuddered. “We’re lucky he’s not throwing up on our shoes.”
She glanced down. “You’re not wearing shoes.”
“No.” He’d had them on earlier, right? She couldn’t remember noticing.
“I left them back at the restaurant, under the table. Nothing will happen to them before tomorrow. I’m surprised you’re still wearing yours. Doesn’t the sand in them bother you?” Dropping to one knee, he held out his hands. “Give me your foot.”
Why was this so sexy? Swallowing hard, she lifted her foot, and he placed it on his thigh and undid the strap over her instep. Everywhere his fingers brushed nearly burst into flame. Arabella rested a hand on his shoulder for balance when her legs went weak. Will slipped the sandal off and set her bare foot on the sand then her other on his leg and removed that shoe.
While she braced herself, he stroked her sensitive arch and massaged down to her toes then back. Muscles tortured by years of high-heeled everything melted into comfort. And sensual pleasure. Her pulse pounded in her ears, drowning out the sound of the waves rolling up the beach. “I…we should go.”
He tilted his face up. “We should? Why?” The bright moon lit his features, emphasizing the strong bone structure and creating a landscape of light and shadow. “I like it here.”
Why? There had to be a good reason. She just couldn’t remember what it might be. Because standing here, on the beach, with a cool breeze ruffling her skirt and a man devouring her with his gaze while digging strong fingers into a sore spot in her arch pretty well rocked her world. The last of the ever-present headache disappeared. A shuddering sigh escaped her. “I like it here, too. You give a great massage.”
“I do,” he said, closing his hand around her ankle. “Would you like to try one of my full-body specials?” Dear god. What will he think if I have an orgasm from this?
She trembled, tried to still the reaction. “Oh, are you also the resort masseur? I guess everyone has more than one job here. The waitress told me she fills in when the guy in the gift shop takes divers out. Can you fit me in your schedule this week?”
He shook his head slowly, skating his hand up her calf, working the knots out of each spot as he went, somehow managing to create a whole new kind of tension in her core. “I’m not a professional, sweetheart.”
“No?” Breathe in. Breathe out.
“I’m a talented amateur. At least I like to think I’m talented.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “You’re talented. And I’d like a massage.”
Will set her foot on the sand next to the other one. “Those shoes are going to wreck your feet.”
“I’m short.”
He rose to stand and brushed the sand off his pants. “I can think of some ways that can be a real advantage.”
Oh come on. I’m only human. “I think I’d like to hear about those ways.”
Will wrapped an arm around her waist and ushered her down the beach toward her place. “I can’t tell you about them.”
“No?” Disappointed, and a little confused, she pouted. “Oh well. I guess I’ll never know.”
His hand slid up her back to her hair. “I can’t tell you. But I can show you.” A quick yank freed her hair from its ponytail. “I’ve been wanting to do that all night.” Her scalp tingled with the release. “You need to let loose.”
“I do,” she agreed. “Want to help me?”
“Nothing I’d like to do more.” He bent toward her, lips a whisper away. “Want to start tonight?”
She opened her mouth—to reply, to kiss him—but a pathetic moan echoed from behind them, and they jerked apart. Oh damn. “We forgot Earl.”
He shrugged. “He’s above the high-tide line.”
“Will! You’re a really terrible friend.”
“Yeah. Probably. But better than he deserves.”
She studied his face to see if he was joking but saw no signs of humor in his tight mouth and furrowed brow. “He seems okay to me. A little pushy, but some might say the same about you.”
“He is okay. As a friend.”
Arabella waited, but he said nothing else, so she nudged. “What are you not saying? That he’s no good in the sack? I should have sex with you instead because you’re better at it?” All the easy, smooth eroticism of their moments under the moon evaporated, and her headache returned with pounding enthusiasm. Even her toes tightened again.
He shook his head. “No. From what the women he slept with once and tossed aside reported back when we worked together, he’s actually pretty good. If that’s what you’re going for, he might be your man. I’ve heard him described as athletic, flexible, and ‘a real stud muffin.’”
“Quite the recommendation.” Probably put him out of her class in sheer technique, too. “You worked together? But he’s an attorney.”
He shrugged. “Long time ago. We’ve both changed since then.”
Must have been in college or something. “So he’s a real love ’em and leave ’em type. In the extreme if he only ever goes to bed with someone once.”
“Sometimes twice.”
The breeze kicked up, blowing her hair in front of her face. When she’d managed to get it out of her mouth, she continued. “Is that why you got him drunk? To keep him from seducing me and walking away? I thought you liked me yourself. You could have told me.”
Another moan, but this time they ignored it.
“I am starting to realize I behaved badly. I’ll have to apologize to Earl tomorrow. For now, I’d better go back and get him.”
“And my shoes.”
“And your shoes.” They turned and trudged back in the direction they’d come. “And for the record, I do like you. Very much. I didn’t want Earl to hurt you, but I was afraid if he laid a hand on you, I might hurt him myself.”
“For hurting me?”
“For touching you.”
They came up alongside the blond man lying in the sand, eyes open now, and Will bent to haul him to his feet. “Come on, buddy. Let’s pour you into bed. You’re probably going to be off rum for a while after tonight.”
“Need more tequila,” he muttered. “Lesh go to the bar.”
“Bar’s closed, Earl. You’re going home to sleep it off.” Will succeeded in getting him upright and shuffling along. “Got your sandals, Bella?”
“Yes.” She scooped them up and dangled them at her side, thoughtful. Will and his swaying friend moved out, and she followed. Nothing that happened between them this week could lead to more. She was an executive in the city, Will, a bartender and amateur masseuse who probably seduced a visitor every week or two with his charm and amazing physique. The thought of his applying those magic hands to someone else made her so angry, she refused to think about it. But he was perfect for a vacation fling.
Like she’d thought of Earl. But, she could walk away from Earl without looking back. Will had occupied her thoughts for days before she’d even exchanged a word with him. Perhaps she should reconsider. She’d had casual dating relationships but never slept with someone with an end date to the whole thing. And never reacted so strongly to another man’s touch.
She might be in danger here.
Trailing after Will and Earl’s zigzag path down the beach, she fought an internal battle. Of her three options, Will, Earl, and solitude, only two remained. Even if she’d been able to consider sleeping with Earl after meeting Will, she didn’t want someone for a night. No matter his skill at the erotic arts, she had no time for who treated women like toilet paper. Unless Will had lied about him?
No. She’d seen no signs of dishonesty in his expression or body language. And she hadn’t come so far in business without recognizing a liar. God, she wanted to go back to work. A personal life was far too much trouble.
As Hibiscus Cottage came into sight, she had not arrived at a decision. Maybe she’d flip a coin.
Heads, Will. Tails, no Will.
No Will. Eleven more days of running and staring into space. Except now she’d be doing it while trying to avoid both men.
“Okay, here you go.” He propped Earl on the white picket fence surrounding her patio. “Say good night, Earl.”
“No, I’m spending the night,” the blond man protested, awake again. “She promised.”
Will arched a brow. “True story, Bella?”
She shook her head slowly from side to side. “No. And even if I had, I think his current condition would preempt those plans. Sorry, Earl. Go home and sleep it off.”
“Tomorrow, then?” He stumbled free and held out his arms. “How about a kiss good night?”
She tried not to grimace, but from Will’s broad grin, she failed. “Answer a question for me, first.”
“Shureee.” He frowned, eyes bleary and blinking.
“Is it true you sleep with women once and then never call again?”
He smirked then. “Not you, Arabellie.”
“Really?”
“Nah, I’d do you two or three times. You’re a real hot chick.”
Will chuckled and grabbed his arm. “Alcohol, the honesty drug. Night, Bella.”
“Night, guys.” They stumbled away into the distance before she thought of something. “Will?” she called.
He turned, nearly letting his blitzed buddy fall to the sand again. “Yeah?”
“Want to run with me in the morning?”
“See you at seven?”
“Perfect.” They’d have a good run, then who knew? Choices didn’t have to be hard.