I’m glad there are a couple of hours left before dinner. I’m not sure how much later Will had in mind, but I’ll be damned if I’m not going to arrive at dinner ready to rock his world on sight.

I swap my tourist clothes for my magical teal halter dress. I sent it off with the hotel’s cleaning service thinking I’d re-wear it for the bachelorette excursion, but right now this seems a more fitting occasion. Then I spend an eon in front of the mirror trying to decide what to do with my hair. It’s a casual dinner. An up-do would be over the top, wouldn’t it?

Finally I simply rumple a little extra volume into my bob and leave it loose and free. Perfect for someone to run his fingers into. I dab on a tiny bit more makeup than usual, enough to give me just a hint of sultry, and smile at my reflection. Perfect. I don’t have the stature to pull off full-on femme fatale anyway, but the cute plus flirty combo has always served me well for hailing suitors.

I want Will’s eyes glued to me. I want him spending all of dinner imagining the things we could get up to afterward. If all we have is a few days, let’s cram as much passion as we can into them, to make up for lost time.

The tables are half full when I make it to the restaurant. To my surprise Will is already sitting down, leaning back in his chair like he really needed the break. And not only that, there’s an empty seat beside him. I plunk myself down in it with a careful smoothing of my dress during which the back of my hand might accidentally brush his thigh.

“Well, hello again,” he says, straightening up. His gaze takes a quick jaunt over me before rising to my eyes. The look on his face says my time primping was worth it.

Definitely worth it.

I focus on unwrapping my utensils from my napkin. “Emergency averted?”

“It really only took a couple of phone calls to settle everything in the end. They just had to be from the right person. I’m sure you’re familiar with that sort of scenario.”

“Uh huh.” And if one of my clients calls me tonight, I am going to throw my phone out a window.

“Have I mentioned before how stunning that dress is on you?” Will leans closer to murmur in my ear.

“You might.” I toy with my empty glass. “Should I hold it against you if you have?”

Will’s smile broadens at my double entendre. Then Brooke drops into the seat across from me with a sigh.

“Music finalized,” she says. “Dress ready. Cake concerns addressed. No more wedding planning for the rest of the day for me. Woohoo!”

Trevor ruffles her hair as he passes behind her. “Just a couple more days, and we can get on to the fun part.”

She groans. “If we ever do this again, let’s just pop into City Hall, all right?”

“And miss out on this relaxing vacation?” I tease.

Brooke laughs. “I’m going to need a honeymoon to recover!”

The rest of the wedding party drifts over to the same table, chattering about what they got up to today. Brad sits down at Will’s other side and nudges him with his elbow.

“Where were you all day?”

“Ruby ended up in the lurch, so I took a break to play tour guide,” Will says.

“Yes, it was quite the ride,” I say innocently. “You really should take me for another sometime.”

He shoots me a sizzling look. But he’s game. “We’d probably want to head down some different paths,” he suggests, as his hand rests lightly on my knee beneath the table. “Switch things up.”

I suppress a snicker. “Oh, definitely. There’s so much to explore. I’m very flexible, you know.”

“Really?” Will grins, his hand casually sliding higher. “I’ll have to remember that.”

I cough into my water glass.

“What is there to do around here off the resort?” Lulu asks, oblivious. “I’ve been enjoying this place too much to think about going anyplace else.”

“We visited a few local spots,” Will says. “My favorite coffee place, a local restaurant for lunch. Most of the morning we were snorkeling.”

“On a day this hot, it’s nice to have a chance to get wet,” I say cheerfully. Will’s hand tightens on my thigh. I quickly add, “And you wouldn’t believe how many fish you can see even from the surface. Who needs nature documentaries when you can take all that in firsthand?”

Will waits until the conversation moves on, then leans in again. “We’ll definitely have to take another dip,” he murmurs, tracing a circle on my thigh that makes me shiver.

“Just a dip?” I counter. “I prefer a longer swim . . . All the way in.”

The smolder in his gray-green eyes is hot enough that it’s a miracle I don’t catch fire. He just shakes his head. Then he adjusts his napkin on his lap, and I have to hide a smile.

I’m not the only one getting hot under the collar.

Somehow we make it through the rest of the conversation around the meal and the leisurely dessert that follows without either of us spontaneously combusting. Will’s hand stays resting on my leg, out of sight beneath the tablecloth, driving me crazy with his gentle caress. I tease him more about “being on top of things” and his “penetrating” insight, knowing I’m pushing him to the edge until finally, everyone’s done. As everyone finally gets up, Trevor thanks Will for another great meal.

“You do know how to leave your guests satisfied,” I say, and I think Will almost chokes on his last sip of wine. He gives me a wicked look.

“You have no idea.”

He breaks from the group for a moment as we meander out into the lobby with the vague intention of making it to the bar. I pause as if to examine the sarongs hanging on a rack outside the gift shop and watch him chat with the maître d’. Whatever feedback he’s giving, it’s obviously positive. The man’s face lights up. He nods enthusiastically, and Will gives him a companionable pat on the arm. His own expression is warm.

Seeing him acting in his benevolent monarch capacity turns my stomach into mush. Doing this work, bringing this resort to life, it brings out everything good in him too. And there’s obviously a lot of that.

I jerk my eyes away. I’m not supposed to be thinking about all the good in Will. The plan is to focus on how good I’ll feel when he’s inside me. Mushy is not on the menu.

Headboard-banging, mind-blowing sex is.

Maggie waves me over. “Are you coming, Ruby?”

If I’m lucky.

“I’ll be right there,” I say brightly. “Just got to pop into the ladies’ room.”

Heading to the restrooms, I replay all the juicy little moments from dinner in my head. I’ve only had one glass of wine, but I feel light-headed. Brooke and Maggie were right. I should just enjoy this ride while it lasts. I have no doubt at all it’s going to be a fantastic one.

I walk back into the hall, wondering exactly how and when we can take this teasing elsewhere and onward. Just how blatantly obvious would we be if we simply never made it to the bar? I could text a little invitation . . .

I’ve only made it two steps back toward the lobby, my hand reaching for my phone in my purse, when Will comes around the bend. We both stop.

There’s no one else around. He steps toward me, and every inch of my skin tingles with anticipation. “You,” he mutters, “have been driving me insane all evening.”

“Sorry.” My voice comes out a little breathless. “I have been told my flirting lacks finesse.”

“Fuck finesse.” His head dips, his lips almost brushing my temple. “I want to touch you until the only word you know is my name. I want to fuck you so hard you forget that too.”

Holy shit.

I grip the front of his shirt. “So what’s stopping you?”

Will lets out a growl and pushes me back against the wall. It was only this afternoon I was last kissing him, but it feels like forever, and I let out a sigh of pleasure when his mouth finds mine in a long, molten kiss. He pulls my body tight against his. He’s hard, his cock pressing into me. His mouth plunders mine, darkly sweet from the chocolate cake. I can’t think of anything except kissing him back with all the pent-up hunger in me.

His hands drop to my hips, his thumbs tracing a teasing line along my waist. I shiver into him and his lips break from mine with a smile. He kisses my cheek, my jaw, the side of my neck in seductive succession. Then he draws back. His hands stay on me.

“Your room or mine?” he demands. “Or does that break your first date rules?”

“Oh, this is definitely the second date now,” I say breathlessly. “Everything goes.” I detach one hand from my waist and wrap my fingers around his. Then I step away to tug him toward the elevators. “Ready?”

His grin is full of promise. “Never been more.”