AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Staring straight ahead at the lounge chair I abandoned, I weigh my options. The consequences. The potential outcomes.
If I go out with Eli tonight, have a drink, talk, and get to know him better, I might actually like him. That would make this decision ten times harder. Because I’m not ready to be honest with him about why I’m hesitant even though there’s no hiding how I feel about it.
More so, I can’t get caught up in the drama that revolves around someone in his position. This movie is going to be huge. It’ll be his big break. With that comes a bigger spotlight. More press. More magazine covers. More speculation about his life … professional and personal. That spotlight wouldn’t just be on him, it would be on me, too.
Or I could avoid him the way I’ve been doing the last few weeks. Feel sorry for myself. Wonder what he’s really like. Dream about him at night.
I can only imagine how much more vivid my dreams are going to be now that I know what it’s like to kiss him. To be owned by that kiss. To be embraced in his arms the way he’s holding me right now.
As if he cares. Not about who might see us together but about me.
And if I were to never experience that feeling again, I’d be living a life filled with regret. For not taking a chance. For giving up. I’ll be left wonderingwhat if.
“Fine,” I finally say, stepping out of his embrace.
He releases his arms as I move toward shore, but I don’t get far before he grabs my hand and laces our fingers together.
“Nine o’clock?”
“That’s kind of late, don’t you think? I have to be on set at six in the morning.”
“I’ll steal you away now if you let me.”
Rolling my eyes, not caring if he sees me or not, I nod. “Nine o’clock. I’ll meet you in the lobby, sound good?”
“Or I could pick you up at your room like a gentleman,” he suggests as my feet hit the shoreline, water barely covering my ankles.
“It’s not a date, Eli.”
“If that’s what you want to believe,” he states, tugging my hand and pulling me against his body with ease. “This is the first of many dates I plan to take you on so be prepared. I will pick you up at your room. I’ll open doors for you, escort you with my hand on your back, pull out your chair. My mother raised me right, to cherish a woman and show her respect. Can you handle that?”
Staring straight ahead at the rise and fall of his chest, I find myself nodding my head. When I feel his lips kiss my temple, I sigh. Then, I’m standing on the beach alone, breathless, looking like an idiot as Eli walks away.
A little boy runs behind me, startling me, the string of his kite wrapping itself around my body. That doesn’t stop him from continuing down the beach. Quickly twisting out of the line before it cuts into my skin, I find myself laughing at the boy as I watch him sprint along the shore.
After gathering my things, I head back inside of the hotel, stopping at the front desk to make myself an appointment at the spa. If Eli is treating this as a date, it’s probably a good idea to at least have pretty toes. And a massage sounded like a good idea when the receptionist suggested it.
I’m still curling my hair when there’s a knock on my door at six-thirty. Dressed in only underwear and a strapless bra, I wrap the nearest towel around my body and rush to the door just as my visitor knocks for a third time.
When I pull it open, I’m surprised to find Eli resting against the doorjamb looking dashing in black dress pants and a light blue Oxford shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The color of his shirt brightens his eyes and accentuates his bronzed skin. If I thought he looked hot shirtless in only basketball shorts, a well-dressed Eli does so much more to me.
Locking my knees, I press my thighs together, momentarily forgetting I’m practically naked.
“Hi.” The single words is barely audible as I let out a shallow breath.
Pushing off the doorjamb, Eli stands to his full height and smirks at me. When he takes a step in my direction, I step back, releasing the hold I had on the door. It slowly starts to close in his face. Eli’s hand flies out, catching the door at the last second, opening it wide enough for him to step inside of my room and close it behind him.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, tightening my hold on the towel wrapped around me. Not that the bathing suit I was wearing earlier offered much more coverage. But this feels intimate. We’re alone. I’m wearing underwear, not a bathing suit, and for some reason that heightens my awareness of his proximity.
“I came to pick you up.”
“I thought you said nine.”
“Since you’re going to the dinner, I figured I would, too. Which means our date starts now. Well, as soon as you finish your hair. And put on clothes. I have no doubt you naked is a beautiful sight, but I can’t risk getting in a fight tonight.”
I’m about to ask what he means when I notice the intensity in his gaze. The heavy rise and fall of his chest. The way he’s clenching his fists at his sides as if he’s angry. But I know the truth. He’s needy, and the expression on his face says it all.
He’s trying not to reach out and pull me close.
