Still, her words play in my mind the entire bus ride back to the resort.
Use me for your vacation fling. You came here for an escape, and I can give you that.
It’s not just the idea of a fling. I felt somehow…calmerafter I confessed a bit about my recent history. I’m not sure what it is about her, but I felt compelled to open up in a way I usually don’t.
She’s sitting right beside me again, of course, since it was the only open seat. Her sweet scent wafts to my nose, pulsing a tender ache inside. And then there’s the rolled ankle, the lady in distress that I swooped in to save like the hero we all know I’m not. Still, I can help her back to her room. It would be the gentlemanly thing to do. And if we happen to hook up while I’m in there, that doesn’t mean feelings have to get involved.
I should avoid her at all costs, but this fucking island keeps thrusting us together, and it’s only been a couple days.
How the hell I’m going to get through an entire month of this remains to be seen.
The bus doors open to the front of the hotel, and she’s struggling to stand on her sore ankle.
“Do you need some help?” I ask.
She shoots me a glare, but she winces when she puts weight on her ankle. I sigh softly, and then I sweep her up into my arms and carry her into the lobby. We’re getting some looks, but she’s wearing that straw hat again, and I’m wearing a ball cap turned forward now, so hopefully we’re both going unrecognized for the moment.
One of the hotel hosts who clearly recognizes us both rushes over toward us. “Can I give you a ride to the Beachfront Towers?” he asks.
“That would be great,” she says.
“Is there a hotel medical team who can take a look at her ankle?” I ask.
She glances at me. “I thought you said it’s just a roll.”
I nod. “I’m fairly certain that’s all it is, but I’m not a medical professional. Either way, they can get you an ice pack and tape it up so it’s not so painful for the next couple days.”
“Yes, sir,” the host says. “We have a medic on staff that I can send up to Ms. Monroe’s room.”
“That would be great,” I say, and we follow him back out front toward a golf cart to head toward our tower.
The host stops in front of our tower, and I get out first and help her out. When she starts hobbling and it’s clear it’s going to take an hour just to walk from the entrance to the elevator, I grab her into my arms.
“I’ll send our medic right over,” the host says, and he takes off for the lobby while we head inside.
“What’s your room number?” I ask.
“Nine twenty-three.”
I tap the button to head up, and we wait. People are looking at us in here, too, but honestly, it’s not all that uncommon to see a guy carrying a woman in his arms here. Lots of honeymooners in the adults-only tower, exclusive of us, obviously.
We’re not the only ones on the elevator, but as is customary for elevators, nobody talks. We get out on the ninth floor, and I carry her down the hall to her room.
Her room’s a one-bedroom suite, nice, but much smaller than mine, and I deposit her on the couch. I’m heading toward the door when I hear her voice.
“Will you stay with me?”
I can’t help but glance over at her. She looks nervous.
“You know, just so someone’s here to get the door when medical gets here,” she adds. She snags her bottom lip between her teeth, and I fight the overwhelming urge to kiss her.
“Yeah,” I grunt. I sit on a chair fully across the room from her. “How’s it feeling?”
“Like I’ll live, but ice and a wrap are probably a good idea.”
“How are you going to do your posts if you’re not out getting new material?” I ask.
“I guess I’ll have to take a break. I can spend the day going through my B-roll.” When my brows draw down with the question I don’t have to ask, she adds, “You know, the background film I take to put behind quotes about the hotel, stuff like that. I can edit my photos from today’s excursion. Hopefully this’ll only keep me down a day or two, and you know what? This is content, too. People roll ankles on vacation. They should know what to do in case of an emergency, right?”
