"Doing it for me? It's your bachelor party."
"Yeah, but I've seen the way you look at Daphne. Like you want more than whatever disgusting things you're planning on doing to her tonight."
"Disgusting things? I'm a very giving lover, James. Unlike you." What look was he talking about? I was looking at Daphne like I wanted to fuck her. That was it. The humidity in Costa Rica was making everyone lose their minds.
He gripped my shoulder a little tighter. "Trust me, I give Penny everything she wants and needs."
Fuck, he had definitely overheard me and Mason talking. I shook his hand off of me. I knew James had a terrible jealous streak. I did not want to be caught on the wrong side of that. He seemed to tolerate my flirting with Penny because he knew it was a joke. And it was a joke. She was like a little sister to me.
"I know. I'm just messing with you," I said. "You're right. I remember her screaming Professor Hunter all night long when I lived with you guys." And jerking off to it, pretending she was my naughty student. Fuck, maybe he should beat me up.
Chapter 19
Daphne
My friends were right. Rob had even said we could just see how the weekend went. He had actually taken sex off the table. I hadn't agreed to his deal. But that wasn't because I didn't think it was a good idea. Having sex this soon in a relationship was disastrous. Relationships weren't built on physical attraction. Not having sex was a prime idea. Just fantastic, really. I certainly wasn't thinking about having sex with him.
I sighed. Even my mind was rambling. Could we really be more than a weekend fling? I didn't want to think about all the red flags. I just wanted to have fun. I wanted to feel alive. If even a little bit of Rob's energy rubbed off on me, it would be for the better. Now that sex was off the table, I wanted it even more though. Did he do that on purpose?
We walked into the restaurant and my eyes found his right away, like I could sense his presence. There was just something magnetizing that I was drawn to. I couldn't even control it. I should have been more relaxed entering a restaurant tonight since I didn't have any bracelets on my wrist. But I was more nervous than ever. Having Rob's brown eyes on me was the most nerve wracking thing in the world. I didn't understand him at all. I didn't know what he wanted from me.
I looked away from his gaze, taking in the ambiance of the restaurant. Unlike the Jaguar's Den, all the waiters and waitresses were dressed in normal clothes. This restaurant also had more of a casual vibe than a sexual one, which I was happy about. The far end of the restaurant was open to a veranda where couples were dancing. I could feel the breeze from the night air from where I was standing. There weren't any crazy decorations or anything, because the view was the only thing anyone was going to look at anyway. When my eyes found Rob's again, he was staring at me even more intently. I awkwardly tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
"There they are," Kristen whispered. "Awesome, there's one seat open next to Professor Hunter. I call dibs." She quickly brushed past me.
I saw James lean over and whisper something in Rob's ear. Rob immediately nodded and stood up. I felt frozen as he walked toward me, his eyes completely fixed on me. They traveled from my feet to my face in the most primitive way possible. Sex wasn't off the table despite what he had said. He was clearly undressing me with his eyes. Not that there was much left for the imagination. This dress was completely ridiculous. The fabric crisscrossed along the front and the back, leaving so much skin exposed I wasn't even sure it could be classified as a dress.
"He's totally checking you out," Layla said.
"Thanks, Captain Obvious."
Layla laughed. "I didn't realize how confident you were. Go get 'em, girl."
I wasn't trying to be rude to Layla. I just couldn't think of anything normal to say when I was staring at Rob the exact same way he was staring at me. He was wearing a freshly pressed gray suit. He wasn't sporting a tie and his light blue dress shirt had the top few buttons undone. Even though I had already seen him without a shirt, I found myself wanting to unbutton it with my teeth.
Get a grip. I had never been someone who wanted something just because they were told they couldn't have it. But right now, I wanted to jump him. He was like the forbidden fruit. And I knew he was going to taste so fucking good.
"All the niceties have to wait one second or else my brother is going to kill me. You might want to pull your dress down, gorgeous." He winked at me.
"What?" I put my hand over my chest. He seriously wanted me to reveal more of my cleavage? I wasn't even sure that was possible unless I didn't mind having a nip-slip. Which I did mind. We were in public. "What is wrong with you?"
Rob laughed. "Suit yourself." Before I knew what was happening, he grabbed me around the waist and lifted me over his shoulder.
"Put me down," I hissed and hit his back with my palm, while my other hand gripped the back of his suit jacket tightly so that I wouldn't fall headfirst onto the floor. Oh my God! Damn it! He meant pull down the bottom of my dress so I wouldn't be showing my ass to the entire freaking restaurant. I was a mooner. I was a public menace! "Please, Rob, put me down." My voice was more desperate now than upset.
I felt him pull on the bottom hem of my dress. He kept his fingers on the edge of the fabric, ensuring that it wouldn't ride up anymore.
"Is that better, beautiful?" he asked in his stupid charming voice.
"Don't call me that." I tried to squirm out of his grip, but it just made him hold me tighter.
"Beautiful?"
"Yes, beautiful. It's unnerving."
He laughed and placed his hand firmly on my ass.
"What are you doing? You can't just touch my ass without my permission."
"Well, if you're okay with mooning the whole restaurant..."
I lifted my head to see people staring at us from their tables. I knew what he meant. If he didn't hold my dress, it would lift up when he set me back down on two feet. Bastard.
"Fine."
"So, let me just make sure I get this right. You're giving me permission to touch your ass?"
"It's not like an ongoing invitation. It's just this one time so I don't moon everyone."
"I'm going to need to hear you say I can touch your ass at least two times tonight before I agree to these reckless shenanigans."
I was beginning to realize that not only was Rob the sexiest guy I had ever met, he was also the most exasperating. "Fine. Whatever. You're such an asshole." I needed his hands off of me immediately. When he touched me, my whole body felt alive. Knowing my luck, my desire for him was dripping down my exposed thighs for the whole restaurant to see.
He laughed and placed his hand on my ass again as he bent down and set me into a chair. Rob's face was an inch from mine, but the distance didn't last long. He placed a soft kiss against my lips. "I'm afraid I can't stop calling you beautiful. It's just a fact, Daphne." He sat down in the chair next to me as I tried to even out my breaths.
I wish I just felt light headed from him holding me over his shoulder like a terrible two year old, but it wasn't that. He made my heart race. And my stomach churn. It was like I was on a terrifying rollercoaster and I was getting close to the part of the ride where they make you freefall hundreds of feet to what sure seems like your death. Please don't let Robert Hunter be the death of me.