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Her feet carried her to the elevator faster, her legs rushing to bring her back to the hotel room. A shoulder slammed into her side, forcing her to twist around. Her feet stumbled over each other as she struggled to maintain her balance. Her arms splayed out at either side and grabbed onto the nearest thing she could—a man’s arm.
Kate felt his hands grabbing onto her and pulling her up, supporting her weight as she struggled to find her feet. When Kate felt steady, she glanced up at the man that had bumped her off-course. His jet black hair was covered in gel and smoothed back over his head, with a couple of strands falling down over his deep, brown eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his plump lips widening to reveal his white teeth. “Didn’t mean to send you flying.”
Kate couldn’t recognize his accent but it certainly wasn’t European. It sounded like the man was from South America, the beautiful lilted tones accentuating his English.
“Are you okay?” He asked, raising his eyebrows as he stared at her.
Kate looked over his face and couldn’t help but smile. He had a crooked nose that was rather large for his face, and a wide, chiseled jaw that stuck out on either side of his face. Thick, black stubble covered his cheeks and jaw where he hadn’t shaved in a couple of days.
As Kate looked him over, the only thing she could think was that he was certainly more age-appropriate. He looked to be at least in his thirties, maybe even forties. Totally acceptable and experienced enough for Kate. A smile burst out onto her lips as she thought about how great his face would look, shoved between her legs.
“It’s fine,” she said sweetly. “Thanks for catching me.”
She wasn’t about to stand around and talk to him, though. As much as she was attracted to him, she knew that she was too ashamed to even bother trying to pick him up. The best she could hope for was that she’d see him around some time.
Kate nodded to him before making her way to the elevators. As she waited for them to come, she tried not to look over her shoulder to see if the man was still there.
Just thinking about him set her heart thumping hard in her chest. The elevator doors opened and Kate rushed inside. As she turned around to press the button, she saw the black-haired man standing in the middle of the lobby, his eyes focused on her.
Kate felt the heat rush up into her cheeks as she covered her smiling mouth and turned her eyes down to the floor. As the doors closed, she felt butterflies erupt in her stomach just thinking about that beautiful, black-haired man.
Chapter ten
Like an animal
WhenKateawokeinher bed the next morning, she instantly felt disappointment wash over her. Her eyes hadn’t even had enough time to adjust to the bright light, or to blink away the blur. It was harrowing and heavy, weighing down on her shoulders like a weighted blanket wrapped around her neck.
The worst part of it all was that Kate was starting to doubt herself. Every choice she’d ever made, every man that she’d ever slept with, it was all flashing behind her eyes as she constantly thought about it.
She threw her legs over the side of the bed and rubbed her tired eyes. Nothing would stop the thoughts rushing through her head, no matter how much she tried not to think about them.
What she really needed was a distraction, something to get her out of the hotel and away from her mistakes. Since she was on vacation, she knew she wouldn’t have to deal with the mistakes forever, but the quicker she could get out and about and forget all about Gerard, the better it would be for her.
Kate turned on the small, flat-screen TV at the end of her bed as she tried to find clothes, listening to the English weather channel. She had no idea what she was going to do, but she knew she had to do something and get away from Gerard.
He was just a boy, there was no doubt in her mind that he would just sit around by the pool and drink himself into a stupor. She needed to go out into the world and explore a little.
The weather channel told her it was going to be a blisteringly hot day. Kate found herself a wide-brimmed hat and all-white clothes that were breathable and comfortable. Another shirt, this time it was made of linen, with her swimsuit beneath. She paired it with patterned pants, cut off just below her knees.
It wasn’t the style she usually went for—making her look like she was from Spain or something—but she just needed something comfortable to wear. She wasn’t used to the heat.
Kate didn’t even want to stay in the hotel long enough for breakfast, scared she’d run into Gerard somewhere along the way. Instead, she made her way to the back of the hotel and onto the beach.
The last time she was there, she’d seen a small pedestrian path leading up to a market. Kate meandered up the hilly path and let her eyes drift over the sight.
Dozens of stalls covered with canvas roofs were scattered around the area. Most of them were selling clothes, hats, and sunglasses, but some of them were selling American magazines and even books. Kate let herself wander around for a while, staring down at the wares.
The farther into the market she got, the more she managed to see of it. At first she’d thought it was only this area, but she could see stalls lined up for miles, all of them standing on the edge of the beach.
It was a prime location for it, after all. People would come up off the beach having forgotten something important and they’d instantly be drawn into the market stalls. Once they started spending, it would be impossible to stop. Before they knew it, they’d have spent hundreds of dollars, all on junk.
Kate allowed herself to peruse the stalls but she knew she wouldn’t buy anything. Half of the designer items were fakes and she wasn’t about to waste her money on that, especially not considering she could buy the real thing at home if she really wanted it.
It was just nice to get out, to be around people, and not wonder if they were staring at her. Gossip spread quickly—she was all too aware of that—but she hadn’t expected to be on the wrong end of gossip on vacation.
Kate sighed as she walked through the stalls, touching the scarves and hats as she passed. The crowds were growing thicker as it grew closer to lunch. Desperate, hungry eyes were all looking for a good deal.
