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But Marlee lingered in my mind. I thought of her lean body, with just the right feminine curves that I wanted to trace with my fingers. The way her brown hair framed her face. I wanted to touch it, to see if the silky strands were as soft as they looked.
But what really lingered in my mind was her great smile and the way it lit up her face. Her hazel eyes seemed to shine when she laughed, and the sound made my chest ache, but not in a bad way. It was a longing that was quickly becoming an obsession. I wanted to hear that soft voice of hers moaning in pleasure. I wanted to see those eyes filled with nothing but passion as she looked up at me in this very bed.
Slipping a hand under the covers and inside of my boxers, I kept my eyes closed and let a fantasy play out. Marlee on her back, completely naked for me. In my mind she was panting and moaning, running her slender fingers over my chest and back. She couldn’t get enough of me, just like I couldn’t get enough of her. She writhed beneath me as I pumped myself in and out of her tight body.
As all of this took over my mind, I fisted my aching erection and started to pump my hand up and down. Electricity raced through my veins, a blistering arousal that was all-consuming. I imagined Marlee on her knees now, her lips wrapped around my cock as she looked up at me through those dark eyelashes.
The image I created in my mind was fake, but the raw pleasure radiating through me was very real, and I felt myself barreling toward an orgasm. I breathed hard, moaning her name in the dark of my hotel room as I came onto my stomach.
It was fast and intense and most importantly, it took the edge off. Jerking myself off would never be as satisfying as the real thing, but it would do for now. I grabbed the towel I dried off with from the floor, where I’d carelessly discarded it after getting dressed, and wiped my stomach clean before collapsing back onto the bed.
Just before sleep took me, I had the realization that a woman had never gotten under my skin this quickly before. Marlee was special, but I didn’t know if she realized that or not.
CHAPTER7
Marlee
Igroaned as I came into consciousness with a pounding headache. I hadn’t even opened my eyes yet, but they already felt dry and scratchy. I was hungover.
I knew I overdid it yesterday during the winery tour. I was trying to force myself to forget my troubles with alcohol. It didn’t really work, and now I felt like crap. There was a bitter taste in my mouth, which made me cringe as I rolled over in bed to face away from the sunlight streaming in through the window.I should have pulled the curtains last night…
My eyes were blurry as I cracked them open. Blinking a couple of times, I sat up slowly, my fingers on my temples, where I was sure I could feel my heartbeat. I glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand and saw that it was late in the morning. Another hour of sleep and I would have missed the morning altogether. I couldn’t remember the last time I slept in until the afternoon. Maybe when I was a teenager.
I got out of bed and realized I was still wearing the shorts and tank top I wore yesterday. I barely remembered coming back to the hotel, so it was no surprise that I basically passed out without even changing my clothes. I made a mental note to thank the best man the next time I saw him. Even with my foggy memory, I knew that he was the one that made sure all of us got back to our rooms safely. That couldn’t have been a fun job, but thank God someone did it.
Going into the bathroom, I opened the small makeup bag that I had on the sink. I had tossed in a small bottle of Ibuprofen when I was packing just in case I needed it, and now I was glad I did. I took two pills with water from the faucet, which I then splashed onto my face. It was cold and refreshing, making me feel a little better and awake. Next, I brushed my teeth. That went as far as making me feel human. It was the little things that mattered.
Shedding my wrinkled clothes, I pulled on a pair of leggings and a racerback tank. Part of me just wanted to crawl back into bed until this headache passed, but I had a routine of working out every morning that I rarely skipped. I was overweight in high school, and it was hard to deal with the judgement from my classmates, so I started going to the gym every morning before school. Not only did I gain confidence as I lost the weight, but I felt so much better too. And, I was so much healthier now.
I stopped at the vending machine next to my room and grabbed a bottle of water, drinking half of it immediately. It soothed my parched throat, and I started to feel my headache ease.
As I walked to the elevator, one of the hotel room doors ahead of me opened and Faith walked out. She was also dressed in workout clothes, with earbuds already in her ears as she scrolled through a playlist on her phone. Coming up behind her, I tapped her on the shoulder. Faith jumped and whipped around, the startled expression on her face making me chuckle lightly.
“Oh my God, you scared the hell out of me,” she said, pulling the earbuds out.
“Sorry.” I was still chuckling, so it didn’t quite sound sincere, but Faith was smiling now too. “Are you heading down to the gym, too?”
“Yeah. I’ve been working out like crazy the last few months to make sure that I look good in my wedding dress. I have to keep it up, even with everything else I have going on.”
“You look great. Have you been tanning too?”
“Yeah, just once a week in the tanning bed. I didn’t want to look washed out in my white dress.”
I smiled at her. “You’ve put a lot of thought into all this.”
We reached the elevator and I pushed the call button. It opened almost immediately, and a couple of people got off on our floor. They all smiled at Faith, and few said hello, so I assumed they were either relatives of hers or Michael’s. I was standing in front of the panel so I selected the second floor, where the hotel’s gym was.
Faith stepped into the elevator with me. “Planning a wedding takes much more effort and planning than I ever realized. Today, Michael and I are taking our families out for a day full of events here on the island. Golf, spa time, dinner, and a show. I just hope that everyone is happy.”
“Do you remember in high school, when you wanted to become an event planner?” I asked.
“Of course. Then, I went to college, and I was just scared that it was too much of a risk, you know? Much safer to become a nurse.”
“And you like doing that?” I asked. “You work in a hospital, right?”
“Yeah, I guess I like it. I’m in the labor and delivery department, and it’s rewarding, but to be honest, I’ve never really forgotten my dream of event planning. Michael thinks I should pursue it.”
“Then you should.”
