Page 47 of What I Like About You

Chapter Sixteen

When they got backto the resort, everyone quickly dispersed, looking to shower and change before dinner. Coming up from the storage area below deck, Dalton found Zara leaning against the bar talking with Drea. His heart gave a squeeze as he watched the two women chatting and laughing like they were old friends. This was a sight he was pretty sure he could get used to.

“Hey there,” Dalton said, sliding up behind where Zara stood at the bar. Curling his arms around her middle just as he’d done earlier, he pulled her flush against him. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to get addicted to holding her like this. The feel of her soft curves against him sent a rush through him, and he suddenly wished they were alone on the boat. Zara giggled lightly as his lips met the nape of her neck in a series of light kisses. “Whatcha talking about?”

“You,” Drea answered, sticking her tongue out at him.

“That does not seem like a good idea to me.”

Both girls looked at each other and burst out into laughter, like somehow what he’d said made them think of an inside joke. Yeah, he could get really used to this.

“Drea was just telling me about a purple bikini,” Zara said, turning in his arms to look at him with wide eyes, almost like he needed to defend himself.

“Now that,” he said, stepping to the side of Zara and leaning against the bar, “was one of my better moves.”

“I prefer the red one,” Kyle said, coming down from the captain’s chair and joining them.

“Of course you do,” Drea responded, rolling her eyes slightly, before she and Zara burst into giggles again.

“Did you have fun today, Zara?” Kyle asked when their giggles subsided.

“I did! I haven’t been sailing since high school. Not since…” she paused to think. Turning toward Dalton, she continued, “You know, I don’t think I’ve been sailing since Labor Day of senior year when we made off with Big D’s sailboat to go watch the fireworks over Tybee.”

“Your dad has a sailboat?” Drea asked.

“Two,” Dalton offered up. “Although one is technically mine. It was a birthday present in college.”

“Someday I will know all your secrets, sir,” Drea said.

“Yeah, good luck with that!” Kyle responded, as he disappeared below deck.

“I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, Drea,” Zara said.

“No, you won’t!” Dalton exclaimed as Drea simply answered, “Yes!”

“Well, I should finish cleaning up. I’m so glad you had fun!” Drea said, walking out from behind the bar and toward the front of the boat with a trash bag.

Slipping behind Zara again, he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tight. She let out a giggle, and he loosened his grip slightly but didn’t fully let go. Placing another light kiss to where her neck met her shoulder, he inhaled her sweet scent, letting it fill his nostrils.

“Tell me you don’t have dinner plans, Zara.”

“I don’t have dinner plans,” she replied. He didn’t even need to see her face to know that she was smiling. He could hear it in her voice, and it was music to his ears. “Why? What do you want to do?”

Bringing his lips to her ear, he simply whispered, “You.”

Dalton felt her shiver in his arms, and his dick hardened in reaction. He loved knowing that he had that kind of effect on her. Hell, he loved being able to say things like that to her.

“Then let’s go.”

Without saying goodbye to Drea and Kyle, Dalton grabbed Zara’s hand and hopped off the boat. Her giggles rang out the entire walk back to the main part of the resort as he lightly tugged her along, rushing off to a destination unknown. When they reached the fork in the path that would lead them either to the guest rooms or staff housing, he paused, not sure which way to turn.

“Your place or mine?” he asked, trying to sound suave, when in actuality what he was feeling was anything but. Leaning down, he gave her a light kiss, hoping it felt as natural to her as it did him.

He knew she was sharing a room with Antwan in Purple Rain, and while that meant they would have separate bedrooms, he wasn’t sure how comfortable either one of them would be knowing that someone else was a shared wall away. Not that his room in the staff dorm was all that different, but at least there were fewer prying eyes. Maybe.

“Yours, if that’s okay,” she answered, biting her bottom lip. The gesture sent another jolt to his dick, and he had to bite back a moan. She was so fucking adorable, and she had no idea. Everything about her set him on fire. “I’m curious to see where you live.”

“It’s not that special,” he said, gesturing toward the path that would lead the way to his building. “The staff dorm is the original tower of guest rooms and suites that were renovated to be more like efficiency apartments.”