Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
I check my phone one last time before slipping it into my purse. I’ve already let my family know I’ve arrived safe and sound, otherwise they would be blowing me up all night or hopping on a plane and heading down here to check on me.
The battery is only one tiny slice of red, but I forget all about that when I step onto the pool deck. The warm humidity sweeps around me as I come face to face with a wall of a man wearing a black t-shirt with the word ‘security’ in yellow over his left pec.
It’s a party atmosphere, people are dancing and drinking out of coconuts and pineapples with little umbrellas. A group is cheering as they down shots at the massive swim-up bar along one side of a pool as big as a lagoon and just as blue.
A Jimmy Buffet song blares on the surround-sound speakers, and my resolve to sally forward through this evening quickly starts to dissolve.
But all the noise and revelry is sucked into the abyss as I stand gape-mouthed, looking at the man-god in front of me. He’s a devastating combo of Dwayne Johnson’s body and some dangerous tattooed outlaw but with way better hair. His skin is tanned to a warm toasty-brown, paired with these wild, almost reddish-black eyes, and I wonder for a second if he’s real.
He’s standing so still he could very well be a statue, except there’s a hardening of his jaw muscle as he regards me and I drop my eyes to the pool deck as I hear my name called from near the bar.
I shift by him with a muttered, ‘s’cuz me’, daring one more look and an awkward smile. I know I must look like a crazy woman with my wild twisted hair and mismatched flip-flops, not to mention the cloud of perfume that’s likely setting fire to his eyes and his lungs.
I nod, adding a weird two-fingered wave when his gaze catches mine. He’s got a scent like trouble and lust, and it feels like every inch of my skin flickers to life.
There’s a warmth down between my legs that starts to pulse, and if I didn’t know better I’d swear my pheromones were sending up smoke signals, because his eyes dart to my crotch and I think I hear him groan.
“Excuse me,” I hear as a trio that looks like they could be from the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills shuffle up between us.
I’m barely breathing, sucked into his wild, penetrating eyes as one of the women pushes by, spinning on her stiletto sandals to get a better look at him, and I get a solid smack from her enhanced triple-D’s right in my face.
“Jesus,” I mutter. “A little too much cement in that silicone, you practically gave me a black eye.”
“What?” She turns, narrowing her eyes, false lashes brushing her eyebrows with her overly-plumped lips pursed in a dismissive smirk. “Did you say something?”
“Yes,” a low rumble comes from Mr. tall dark and tropical, “she said something.” His eyes shift to me. “You want to file an assault report?”
He leans around her, looking beyond her blonde extensions, aiming his gaze at me with a twinkle in those burgundy-rimmed black eyes.
“Assault?” I ask, as the Barbie Doll trio tries to piece together enough brain cells to figure out what’s going on.
“She hit you, didn’t she?” he says, brushing his fingers over his sexy as hell lips, trying to cover a smirk.
“I didn’t hit her.” Cement boobs scrunches up her face as her friends stare me down.
“I think your eye is starting to swell.” Sexy man brushes his thumb under my eye, and God, he smells so good. Even over my own thick layer of perfume, my mouth starts to water.
“Ouch!” I feign a wince as he touches me, lightning bolts of desire darting outward from below my belly button all the way into my toes.
“You want to press charges?” Security man gives me a wink.
All three of them gasp, their attention back on me.
I don’t bother fighting off my own smirk, shaking my head as I answer, “No. As long as she can control…those. I’ll let it go.”
“Maybe time for you three to go find another pool. I think we’re at capacity here anyway.” He nods toward the exit doors. “Move along.”
The Botox, silicone trio hiss and shoot me ten kinds of dirty looks before they work their way back through the doors, leaving me standing there wondering what just happened.
“Thanks,” I manage as I hear my name called again and look over to see Harold making lewd hip thrusts toward the hulking man in front of me. “I should go. My friends…”
He snaps his tongue along his sexy white teeth as his eyes narrow. “I’ll be here. Waiting.”
Chapter Two
Chance
Well, the night is looking up. There’s a twitch down low in my belly and my senses are on high alert.