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“We’re so far away from it all. From everyone. From responsibility and expectations. From family and our jobs. I had no idea it would be so freeing.”
Freeing.This scenario they’d found themselves in should’ve felt freeing, but they didn’t have true freedom, and they wouldn’t unless she finally shook loose the words buzzing in her head and forced the conversation. “We could do whatever we want, you know. Nobody can say a thing.”
Zane was quiet for a few heartbeats, and Allison braced for a reprimand about being suggestive. “So true. We are the extent of the society on this island.” Just then, an iguana jumped up onto a rock a few dozen feet away. “Well, us and that guy.”
“He won’t care what we do. We could scream at the top of our lungs if we wanted to and nobody could say a thing.”
“Or you could sing too loud. It might drive out the wildlife, but you could do it.”
She smacked him on the arm. “Hey. I’m not that bad a singer.”
“Let’s just say that fifty percent of the people on this island disagree with that statement.”
Allison swiped at him again, but this time, Zane ducked away before her hand could connect with his arm. He popped up onto his feet. Allison did the same. He ran into the water up to his knees and she followed in close pursuit. Before she knew what was happening, he turned and, with both hands, delivered a tidal wave of a splash, dousing her.
“Hey!” Allison protested, but she loved the playful turn Zane was taking. “That’s not fair.” She ran into the surf up to her waist, furiously broadcasting water back at him. He joined in and they splashed each other like crazy for a good minute, laughing and trying to outdo each other. “Okay. Okay. Truce.” Allison sucked in frantic, deep breaths.
Zane relented and straightened to his full height. He was like a god standing there in the crystal clear sea, tanned and glistening with water. “I’m officially soaked.” He walked several steps into the shade of a palm tree over the water, still standing in it up to his knees.
“Me, too.” Allison was determined to not make the first move, even when ideas of what do with wet bathing suits were whizzing around in her head. Still, she wasn’t going to avoid him. She inched closer, stepping out of the sunlight. Their gazes connected, and she reckoned with how apparent his inner conflict was. It was all over his face. It hurt to see it—he had good and valid reasons for not wanting anything physical with her. She admired those reasons. She also wished they didn’t exist, or at the very least, that they could set them aside for a while.
“You’re pretty when you’re wet.”
Something in her chest fluttered—the physical manifestation of years of wanting to hear words like the ones he’d just uttered. “Thank you. You don’t look bad yourself.”
He cleared his throat, and a blush crossed his face. He looked down at the water. “Your brother would kill me for what I’m thinking right now.”
Her heart galloped to a full sprint. “And he’s not here.”
Zane returned his sights to her and tapped his finger against his temple. “Unfortunately, he’s here.” He then pointed to the vicinity of his heart. “And in here.”
“That’s so sweet. And I get it. I do.” She shuffled her feet ahead on the sandy bottom.
“Do you? Really?”
“I do. You love my brother. He loves you. I admire the hell out of your friendship.” She sucked in a deep breath, hoping that she could summon the courage to say what she would always regret if she didn’t let it out. “But I also know that I’m incredibly attracted to you, Zane. And judging by what you just said about the thoughts going through your head, I’m reasonably sure you’re attracted to me. If I’m wrong, you could save us both a lot of time by saying it. Then we can go on with the rest of our vacation as nothing more than friends.”
“I’m attracted to you. A lot.”
She was thankful for the forward progress, but she wanted more. She needed to seize this moment. “I’m glad. Relieved, actually.”
“You had to know that.”
She shrugged. “A girl likes to hear that she’s pretty. That a guy is attracted to her. It’s not rocket science, Zane. I’m glad you confessed what you’re thinking.”
“Do you want to know what I’m really thinking?”
Words seemed impossible. All she could do was nod enthusiastically.
Zane then did the thing she’d been waiting a decade for. He gave her a sign that he wanted this, too, by taking a single step closer. “You’re so beautiful. I just want to see you. All of you.”
Goose bumps blanketed her arms and chest, even in the warm breeze. She swallowed hard. Without a word, she reached back and pulled the string on her bikini top. As the knot fell loose, she lifted the garment over her head and tossed it up onto the sand. “Like this?”
It was his turn to move closer again, his eyes first scanning her face, then shifting to travel all over her body, looking hungry, but he would likely never know that whatever lust he was feeling for her wasn’t even a fraction of what she felt for him. “Yes. Like that.”
She took another step. Mere inches separated their feet. Their legs and stomachs. Her breasts were only a whisper away from his unbelievable chest. “Do you want to know what’s going throughmyhead?” She loved the way his lips twitched at the question.
“It would make my life so much easier if you told me.”
