***
A warm hand slid beneath the loose material of my shirt and splayed across my stomach. My synapses fired to life and my eyes sprung open. I was still in the villa and there was a hot, hard body pressed against my back. Dalton. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to wake up from this dream. There was no way this was really happening, and I didn’t want it to go too far because I’d just be disappointed when I awoke.
He groaned and dug his erection into me, the hard ridge pressing against the soft globe of my ass. A soft moan fell from my lips and I couldn’t decide if I wanted him to slide his hand higher or lower. He made the decision for me. His fingers brushed the underside of my breast and I bit down on my lip to keep from making too much noise. He buried his nose in my hair and kissed my neck, his hand coming up to fully cup my breast. He squeezed and rolled the nipple between his thumb and forefinger and I arched into his touch.
“Dalton,” the whisper fell from my lips and he froze. He didn’t move for several seconds. Then he cursed and scrambled away from me like he’d been burned. like I was made from lava. I sat up on my elbows, watching him in confusion.
“Shit, Taylor. I’m so sorry!”
What?!
“I was dreaming,” he blurted out frantically. “I didn’t realize it was you.”
My heart sank. He’d been dreaming of someone else, probably his ex-fiancé, while he was touching me. I sat up all the way as he jumped out of bed, pulling frustrated hands through his hair. He was distraught. He was distraught because he felt me up and ground his rock-hard cock against my body, imagining I was someone else. An ache settled into my chest. He would never see me as anything other than Aiden’s little sister. Nothing about me did anything for him. I would never be good enough to garner his attention.
I got out of bed, intent on escaping to the bathroom before the tears began to fall, but Dalton’s voice stopped me. He came up behind me and placed his hands on my arms. I fought back the urge to throw them off and storm out.
“I didn’t mean to do that. I really am sorry.”
I took a deep breath, regained my composure, and turned to him. “Not a big deal,” I assured him falsely. “It happens.” I shrugged and turned my back on him, finally escaping to the bathroom.
When I emerged, Dalton was in the kitchen slicing up fresh mangoes and pineapple for breakfast. I eyed the white bag resting on the counter that wasn’t there last night.
“What’s that?” At the sound of my voice, his head shot up and he immediately looked apologetic. I wanted to slap that look off his face. It was a reminder that I could never have him.
“I ran out to the little cafe we passed on the way in and grabbed some pastries.” I hadn’t realized I’d been holed up in the bathroom that long. I lost track of time standing in the shower, letting the hot water pour over me in an attempt to loosen my tightly wound muscles.
He placed several chunks of fruit on two plates and added a danish to each. We sat on the covered patio facing the ocean and ate our breakfast in silence. Maybe now that I knew without a doubt where I stood with him, firmly in the friendzone, I could stop feeling so tense around him. I just had to keep telling myself that.
Dalton
I am an idiot.
Why did I think I could share a bed with Taylor and not have my hands all over her? Her body felt fucking amazing. Her skin was smooth as silk and smelled like vanilla. Her breasts were full and heavy, her body responsive and needy when I touched her. I haven’t seen her nipples, but I could tell how perfect they were just from feeling them.
“Fuck,” I grumbled to myself as I leaned my head against the shower wall, the hot water stinging the already tender skin on my back. I didn’t know if I could share that bed with her again. We had five nights left. Five more nights of painful restraint and torture. What would happen tomorrow morning? Would I slide my hands down instead of up next time? Would my fingers slip inside her panties and find her wet and ready? Shit, I had to stop thinking about her like that. She was going to catch me with a hard-on I wouldn’t be able to explain away. Next time, I wouldn’t be able to lie and make her believe I was dreaming about someone else.
Taylor was already in the ocean when I returned to the bedroom. She was wading around, skimming her hands over the water, with her face tilted toward the sun. I took a moment to just watch her. She looked so serene, her honeyed hair hanging down her back and dipping into the water. She wore a coral bikini this time, the bright color accentuating her deepening tan. I knew from years of experience that her freckles would become more prominent the more bronzed her skin became. I wanted to join her, but I already had a slight sunburn and didn’t have any sunblock. I turned to head for the kitchen and caught sight of a tall, bright yellow can. Taylor had left her spray-on sunscreen sitting on her nightstand. I figured it was still pretty early in the day and since the sun hadn’t reached its peak, I could go out this morning as long as I liberally coated myself with the white mist. Just for good measure, I threw on a light-colored tee shirt to give my back and shoulders extra protection.
Sunscreen in hand, I gathered up a couple beach towels and headed out the sliding doors. It took Taylor several minutes to realize I had joined her, but she immediately got out of the water when she saw me.
“Hey,” she greeted breathlessly, wringing the saltwater from her hair.
“Hey. Did you need this?” I held up her sunscreen and she shook her head.
“I put some on already. I should be good for a little while longer. How’s your back?”
“Still a little pink,” I admitted. “I’m not going to stay out here long, and I’ll keep my shirt on while I’m in the sun.” Her lips pulled into a pout, aggrieved at my refusal to bare my torso, and I grinned. That shouldn’t have made me so happy.
“Okay.” She plopped down into the beach lounger. “I’m just going to read my book for a bit while I soak up some sun.”
I settled into the chair next to her, taking in the scenery as I tried to relax. This place was beautiful. Crystal blue waters, lush palm trees, stuccoed villas with roofs that mimicked the tops of straw huts. It was stunning. I tried my best to look at everything but Taylor. As gorgeous as our surroundings were, none of it could hold a candle to her.
It wasn’t long before the heat started to become unbearable, so I stood and walked to the water. I spent several minutes in the shallows, enjoying the coolness of the waves lapping around my hips before saying “screw it” and submerging my whole body. I came back up and rubbed my hands over my face and scalp before shaking the excess water from my hair. The dip was refreshing and the wet material clinging to my body helped cool me down. I looked up as my feet hit the dry sand and my step nearly faltered. Taylor was staring at me with her lips slightly parted and one hand pressed lightly against her chest, just under her throat. She looked at me like I was a tall glass of water and she was a woman dying of thirst.
She quickly shook herself from her reverie and picked her book back up. Her cheeks were red, and I couldn’t tell if it was from the temperature or from embarrassment. “You look hot.”
Her head snapped up. “What?” she gasped, and I almost felt bad for the double meaning.