Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
It’s a question that reads like a dare and a challenge, as if he wants me to prove to him I’m all in, as if he needs me to be all in. I simply don’t know him well enough to be certain, but I don’t think a lot of men as rich, powerful, and good-looking as he is, would care if I hesitated. They’d just herd me to a hotel room. But not him, and it’s contrary to who I’ve assumed him to be, a bit confusing, and yet charming. Especially since I don’t believe he’s a man who holds back, to want and not take, and yet, he seems to need to know I’m all in, as well. These observations only make me want him more. “Am I sure? Yes,” I reply. “Am I nervous? Absolutely. I don’t do this kind of thing.”
“Then why now, why with me, tonight?”
“Honestly, I really don’t know. You make me want to. And we’re on a tropical island where seduction seems to sing with the waves.” I laugh and press my free hand to my face. “I’m not as drunk as that cheesy statement sounded. Okay, maybe I am drunk, but it’s liquid courage and—”
He cups my face, the intimacy of touch between us growing comfortable and right, and he leans in and kisses me, a slow slide of his tongue that I feel in every part of me. When his lips part mine, I’m breathless, and my teeth scrape my bottom lip. “If I take you upstairs, Zoey, you need to know that I’m going to fuck you every which way you’ll let me. I’m going to take advantage of you in every possible way. And yes, I’m going to make you say please, more than once.”
I suck in a breath, and my belly clenches. No one has ever talked to me like this man, and all I can say is exactly what he has made it clear he not only wants me to say, but expects me to say. “Please,” I whisper before I can stop myself, my hand pressing to his warm, hard chest as I say, “That’s a statement, not a question, and if I was too drunk to make up my mind, I wouldn’t even remember that fact.”
His eyes burn with amber fire, and his fingers catch my fingers. “Let’s go upstairs.”
I nod, feeling the rush of adrenaline consume my body, and we maneuver away from the table and exit our little hut, where the waiter greets us. Ethan takes the time to compliment his service, but I can feel the same pulse of urgency in him I feel in me. The tension between us has been building for hours now.
When finally we are walking again, I don’t look at him for fear I’ll melt right here in the middle of the restaurant. We say our goodbyes and exit into the main hotel, nerves fluttering like hummingbirds in my belly, singing a song of nerves. I’m all about the songs tonight. The waves. The birds in my belly, which, while sober, would most likely be butterflies. Everything has a different shade and shape when you’re well lubricated, which should warn me that this night will as well, but my body is not hearing it. It wants what it wants, and that means I want what I want.
Which is him.
He releases my hand, but his palm settles on my lower back, which is somehow lower and far more intimate—a branding, a promise of an exploration involving his hands and my body. My hands and his body, because I’m not about to be too shy to miss the chance to enjoy him in every way possible. We’re halfway to the elevators when a tall man, I guess to be mid-thirties in a power suit, steps in front of us. “If it isn’t the great white shark himself. How you doing, man?” He holds out his hand.
Ethan accepts his grip and greets him in a friendly way. “It’s been a long time, Casey.”
He’s no longer touching me, and I have this sense of him being uncomfortable. This man is from his world. I am not. The two don’t mix.
“What are you doing here?” Ethan asks.
“I’m working on a big investment deal related to the hotel.” The stranger, Casey, glances at me and gives me a once-over. “Who might you be?”
“Zoey,” I say, and the lie leaves my lips way too quickly. “A friend. But let me give you two a moment alone. I’m going to find the ladies’ room.” Before Ethan can stop me, I dart away, and the bathroom is not my destination. But the elevator is. I’m not with him. I don’t belong with him. Casey just saved me from me. I punch the elevator button hard over and over, but nothing happens. I lean against the wall and shut my eyes. “What was I thinking, considering a one-night stand? That’s not like me.”