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“Why do you care how I listen to my music?” Self- conscious now, I pull my headphones off and drop them in my lap. As soon as I do, he grabs them and swipes a finger across the leather-bound cushioning that had been pressed to my ears.
"I knew it," he declares triumphantly. "They're wet."
“So, what?” I put my hand out for them. He hands them over, but peers at me curiously.
"Your head is sweating, your hair is stuck to the side of your face. Though that might be due to the fact that you're dressed for autumn instead of the heat. You know, they invented these things called swimsuits. If you look around, you'll see it's what most people wear to sunbathe.”
I shove my headphones into my beach bag and grab my phone. I swing my legs over the side of the chaise and slip my feet into my sandals.
"Where’s Bambi?" he asks, sounding more amused than anything, but he sits up, too.
I almost respond with "who?" before I remember our stupid name game. Porsha would murder me if she came back and found me gone.
Even though it’s hotter on the beach than the pool, I decide I’ll go join her there after all. I’d rather risk a sun burn than try to contend with him and his looks, innuendos and infuriating smiles.
"She's on the beach, getting a massage. I’m actually supposed to go join her," I say, annoyed that I’m letting him drive me away.
He puts a hand on my arm, and I freeze.
Oh God.
His touch is so gentle.
But, I don't let men touch me. Unless we’re fucking. And even then, I'm firmly in control. Always on top. Always.
I stare at his hand, and his thumb brushes short, slow strokes on my forearm. Each gentle swipe creates small ripples of heat that I feel straight to the tips of my toes.
So, this is instant, animal attraction. Unbidden and unruly — a law unto itself. I've read about it, dismissed it as a flight of fancy, but now I'm feeling it.
I don’t want him to stop.
I look up at him then, and he's taken off his sunglasses. As soon as our eyes lock, I fall into the chocolate depths of his. His thumb comes to rest on the pulse point on my wrist and his eyes widen as if he can feel the increase in its pace.
His eyes soften and roam my face briefly before he makes eye contact again.
"Listen, I didn’t mean to run you off. I’m sorry I poked fun at your headphones. And I'm sorry about last night. It was an accident, but my apology was lacking.” His voice is gentle but gruff and I can see that even though he’s been teasing me since he sat down, he’s sincerely trying to make amends.
Oh, no.
I don’t want him to make amends. It’s bad enough that he’s handsome, and determined, but now, he’s being nice too? I need to leave.
I clear my throat and pull my hand away. "Fine. Thank you." I snatch my arm away and stand up, almost knocking the chaise over in my haste.
"No, I'm just going to find P--Bambi. She's been gone a while."
He swings his legs around to stand up, too.
“Where are you going?” I ask. Alarm widens my eyes and makes my question come out like a squeak.
“Calm down, I’m not following you,” he says with a dry smile and stands all the way up.
"I only came out here because I saw you. I’m pretty tired. I didn’t sleep well last night. So, I'm going to my room for a bit before dinner."
“Why don’t you just sleep for as long as you need? We can do dinner another time,” I say hopefully.
“Oh, no. Kojo’s excited to meet Bambi. And I’m excited too,” he says slowly, his smile positively sinful.
That stops me in my tracks. I forget my desire to flee, and with my hands on my hips, I scowl up at him. “Why? I don’t understand it. We’ve done nothing but argue since we met,” I say, feeling exasperated but also truly curious.
