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Rainey
I really didn’t expect to see Zack this morning, at least not here this early. Marsha had muttered something about a few hours in the casino last night, and I swore she said Zack had been there too. If I was right, I was probably the only one without a hangover—which was fine by me.
Although Zack seemed to be doing pretty good—okay, damn good—as he removed his shirt and took a seat. I felt slightly uncomfortable as I removed my shirt. Zack turned away right after I did so I didn’t need to worry about him checking me out. He hadn’t been interested in high school, so I doubted he would be interested now—despite what he had said and done last night.
As I slathered on the sunscreen, we started to talk, and he told me about his night in the casino and how Mark and he had won, but the other two hadn’t.
I held my sunscreen out to him. “You might want to put this on. The sun is pretty strong out here.”
“Thanks. I didn’t even think about that when I came up.”
I tried not to watch him put it on, but it was hard not to. Finally, I flipped my sunglasses up, and that forced me to close my eyes to the bright sun. Within the next twenty minutes, the pool area began to fill up, and I had three people ask me if I was using my other lounge chair. Luckily, Marsha finally showed up and claimed it.
She was in her chair for less than ten minutes before she dozed off on her stomach and started to snore. Zack and I chuckled together, and my stomach growled.
“I think I’m going to grab some food. I’m pretty sure the burger place is open one deck down now.”
“I’ll come with you. I could use some water.”
I pulled my lacy wrap out of my bag and pulled it on before I slipped my feet into my sandals. As we walked away, Zack put his hand to my lower back, and I had to admit that I sure liked it there. One thing that I realized last night before I drifted off was that my little crush on Zack was still there and raging.
After we ordered, we stood off to the side, and Zack stood close to me. So close that as I turned, my shoulder brushed his naked chest, the light covering of hair tickling my skin. The two of us glanced at one another for a moment, and Zack winked before he turned to look away. That might have been a great moment to steal a kiss, but did I seriously think that Zack might want to kiss me?
His hand shifted to my lower back again, curling around my hip slightly and tucking me closer to his side. Well, maybe he did want to kiss me again. If he tried, would I let him?
Oh, hell yes, I would! I had wanted Zack to kiss me since I was eleven years old and played with his sister.
“You never told me how your family was,” I stated after I thought of Valerie.
A shadow passed over his face momentarily, and he looked away, dropping his hand. Oh, no! Something wasn’t good with his family. I faced him. “Zack? What’s wrong?”
“Rainey.” He sighed and then touched my face briefly with two fingers. “Let’s just say it’s not a great story, and I don’t want to ruin a beautiful day thinking about it.”
“Okay,” I said slowly. I knew his family. I had been to his house many times when I was young, and his parents were kind, generous people. His sister, Valerie, and his brother, Jake, were so fun when they were younger, although both had become snobbier as they grew up. Zack was the only one who hadn’t been snobby—well, not as much.
We collected our food and drinks and returned to our seats without another word. Zack seemed distracted the entire time we ate, and I was sorry that I had asked about his family.
Two of his friends wandered past, said hello, and talked to Zack for a few minutes before moving on to find food for themselves. After they left, Zack seemed a little more relaxed and even suggested we visit the pool to cool down.
At the edge of the pool, I stopped and dipped my toe in. Zack stepped right over the edge and dropped into the five-foot-deep area. He shook the water off his head as he came up and squinted at me. “Get in here. It feels amazing.” I went to sit down, and he stopped me. “No! Just jump in!”
I laughed. “I don’t just jump, Zack.”
He came to the side. “Try something new. It will make you feel good.”
I sighed but then took his advice and jumped into the water. I let myself go all the way under and allowed the refreshing water to cool my hot skin. When I came up for air, Zack was right there.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?”
A slight wave to the water pushed me forward and into his body, and he chuckled. Oh, it felt good, but I wasn’t just talking about the cool water.
“Yes, it feels good,” I said as I moved away from him and against the wall to hold on. There was a little more motion at the back of the boat, and the water rocked from side to side steadily. It might make a few people seasick, but I enjoyed it.
Occasionally, Zack or I would lose our footing as we talked about our favorite movies, music, and foods, and we’d end up bumping into one another. At one point, I lost my balance entirely and crashed into him. His arm came around my body and held me tightly. Once I had my feet back under me, he kept his hand on my hip, and I remained close to him, enjoying the feel of his touch.
The water would rock us closer to one another, and from time to time, our bodies would be pressed against one another briefly. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but he had grown quiet, and I had grown—well, slightly turned on by it all. I might not like people, but I did enjoy sex, and it had been a long time since I’d had any.
“I’m going to go lie back down,” I told him, and he nodded and said he’d be there in a few. I was pretty sure he was hanging back to get something back in order, as the last time we’d come torso to torso, I’d felt something hard under his shorts bump into my hip.
