Princess…

He called me princess.

Hunter and I were putting on a show for the resort, but when he leaned forward and gave me that kiss…

I melted. I promise, I melted.

This experience was something like a dream come true. No, I didn’t come here to fall for anyone. I was even scared that Hunter would be nothing more than a semi-slimy old geezer friend of Axel’s. I thought I would be looking for places to hide on the resort, to avoid having to be super-affectionate with him.

When I saw he was hot, I was intimidated. I didn’t think I met his expectations of beauty. I figured he was into tall, super-hot models, used to partying and drinking and having wild sex orgies all night.

He was nothing like I expected. Yet he was everything I dreamed of. Tall, tanned, and handsome with all the charm to match.

I never really indulged myself in the idea of a relationship. School was my primary focus; my goal was to get a degree in business. I wanted to open my own business one day.

My other focus was my mother. She became sick after Rose moved out; I made it my priority to ensure she had everything she needed. Men were fleeting; a mother’s love was forever.

My last boyfriend was a guy I dated off and on throughout senior year. We lasted maybe one or two semesters into college before we decided to go our separate ways.

Nothing bad happened; we simply grew apart and decided we were better off friends. And friends we were.

Friends with benefits.

He was actually the guy I hooked up with last summer, at least while he was home.

Now that Mom’s health was improving, I felt it was safe to begin dating again. I just didn’t know how. Guys asked me out all the time, but my interests had changed.

I didn’t want to date someone young and fun, who didn’t have any concrete plans for the future. I desired a man who was ready to build a foundation. A solid man with goals who invested in making sure he was connected to the lady he laid with.

… A guy like Hunter, who invested his time and attention with me at the bar, and listened to me with compassion as I revealed my battle with my mother’s health.

We made our way back to the room at a leisurely pace. He allowed me the courtesy to shower first, which I appreciated. Jamaica’s weather was warm and sticky; the breeze was nice, but I needed to wash off the day in order to sleep peacefully.

When I was done with the shower, I was surprised to see his laptop was open.

“I set it up for you to call your mom.” He gave me a sweet, sheepish smile. “Go ahead and call her. Take all the time you want.”

“Thank you.” My voice was soft, shy. I was genuinely touched by his concern.

Unfortunately, Mom hadn’t answered. I simply sent her an email letting her know I was okay, and begging her to send me a message back letting me know she was too.

I settled in bed, underneath the covers, and closed my eyes. There was a long day ahead of me tomorrow, and I wanted all the rest I could get.

* * *

There must have been something in the water, because my dreams were vivid.

First, I had a dream I was drowning. I could barely get to the surface of the water, because the heavy, colorful ball gown I wore prevented me from seeing the direction I was floating toward.

My second dream involved being trapped in a fun house. There were all these crazy colors, vibrant music, and a lot of weird characters. It was a literal circus.

My third dream was sexual. I was making love to a masked man under the moonlight here in Jamaica. He wouldn’t show me his face, but he penetrated me and it felt like my soul recognized him. As soon as he came inside me, he started to peel off his mask - and that’s when I woke up.

“Argh.” I groaned when I opened my eyes. Nothing ruined your sleep more than weird dreams you couldn’t explain. I felt even more exhausted than I did when I fell asleep.

The darkness of the room indicated that I’d woken up way too early. I started to adjust myself; I wanted to move into a new position that I felt would help me sleep.

I stuck out one of my feet to cool my body some. (Weird habit, but I swore it worked.)

That’s when I noticed my position. I was spooned, and there was a heaviness around my waist. Hunter had wrapped his arm around my body. The gesture wasn’t intrusive or disrespectful. He had it laid across my midsection, and by the sound of his heavy breaths, he was facing in my direction.

I froze as I registered the warmth of his breath against my ear. I hadn’t even realized that I’d fallen asleep before he got out of the shower. I never even stirred when he cuddled me.

My heart leapt through my chest. Spooning was something you did when you were in love, right?

We weren’t in love. We just met. But we were pretending to be in love.

What did this mean? Did he know he was spooning me? If not, would I need to tell him?

So many questions ran in my mind. I replayed our interaction, the conversation we had at the bar. From what I could tell, he liked me enough to listen to my troubles. He was respectful enough to ask for my hand in pleasure this weekend as we made use of his couples package.

… But was that enough for him to spoon me, wrap me in this panty-melting embrace while we laid together and slept through the night?

Such an innocent act should not have my body so alert. My nipples tingled and sprang to life. A moist pool began to fill between my legs. My heartbeat sped up as the fragrance of his aftershave tingled my nostrils.

I felt woozy in such a good way. It had been so long since I was in the presence of a man, and much less felt comfortable around him. In twenty-four hours, he’d already leaned on me, fed me dinner with my own fork, called me love, kissed my forehead…

And spooned me like his woman, instead of rolling over to the other side of this big, huge bed, and facing the other direction.

My heart beat triple time. I was excited. Utterly excited. But I didn’t want to think too deeply about this. We were here on an assignment, playing a role, but my body was eager to experience the reality of the situation.

Lord… I hadn’t even thought about sex since last summer. My pussy was experiencing an awakening and she gave a low purr to let me know she was ready to experience the passion again.

I stirred lightly, releasing a low groan as I pushed myself back into him, allowing myself to revel in the delicious feeling of his body molding itself against mine.

He snored and moved closer, his hand finding one of mine and grabbing it. My soul felt a blush of warmth. He was knocked out and unaware of what he was doing.

48 hours.

I was technically his woman, the love of his life, for another forty-eight hours. I couldn’t lose my mind and overanalyze his behavior when this came with the role.

I needed to enjoy this while it lasted.

Two more days and it’s back to reality. Classes, care taking, and figuring out what I really want to do with my life. At home, I’m boring, single, and don’t have any rich, loaded hunks paying me to be in love with them. I have a mother who needs me, and a life to sort out.

Geez, Chanel, I thought to myself. Just close your eyes, melt into his body and go back to sleep.

* * *

I fell asleep and had the cakiest of dreams.

Hunter and I were walking on the beach, barefoot, holding hands. The sun was beginning to set. He kissed me, and it wasn’t a safe practiced kiss. It was a genuine, passionate, open-mouthed kiss. As his tongue entered mine, my heart nearly leapt into my throat.

“Chanel, you’re so beautiful,” he breathed. “I’m not going back to the States. I’m staying here in Jamaica. And I want you to stay here with me.”

In my dreams, I say, “But my mother…” He interrupts me with a knowing smile and points. My mother walks from the opposite direction, fully recovered, smiling and healthy. She has a man she loves with her too.

“We’re all here,” she said. “We’re all staying here. There’s no need to go back.”

Hunter looks at me, and kisses my cheek in adoration. He gets down on one knee as the waves spill onto the shore around us, and pulls out the most beautiful engagement ring.

“Would you mind spending forever in paradise with me?”

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

I jerked out of my sleep. “Huh?”

Hunter cleared his throat. The bass of his morning voice sent a sensual tingle down my spine as he growled. “Room service. I forgot Samantha was an early bird. I never changed our breakfast preferences.”

The knocks continued. He growled, “I’m coming.”

My gratifying state of relaxation shifted a few notches down when he removed his arm from around me, and lumbered to the door. I looked at the clock; it was 9:40 AM. Sheesh. I was usually up at 6:00 AM most days, 7:00 AM on the weekends. I’d never slept this long.

Room service pushed in the cart, loaded with fresh fruit, pastries, eggs, and meat. There was a carafe of orange juice, and another of cranberry juice.

Hunter tipped the attendant appropriately and closed the door behind her.

“There’s breakfast, if you want it.” He gestured. “I didn’t realize it was almost 10 AM. I’m not a morning person…”

“It’s okay,” I said. “We’re on vacation. I didn’t expect any room service. I was having a great dream as well…”

“The way you were moaning, it sure seemed like it, love.” The sparkle in his eyes was undeniable.

“Moaning?” I croaked.

He nodded, scratching his head. For the first time, my eyes focused and I saw he was indeed shirtless, and that was indeed a 12-pack sculpted on his torso. Damn, he was hot. I had that spooning me all night?

“Yes, whatever you dreamt about, it certainly made me jealous.” He smirked as he ate a fresh muffin from the breakfast tray.

“Oh, Lord. I’m sorry.” I nearly died of embarrassment to hear this about me. I could only imagine how I sounded.

“You moan, I snore. We’re even.” He waved it off so casually. “Have you determined whether or not you want to attend our couples massage today or tomorrow?”

“Today.” I stretched my limbs in every direction, fluttering my legs lightly as I prepared to sit up and eat.

“Very well.” He nodded. “Let’s eat, and then find your sister.”