Page 17 of Secret Offer
And after that, I’m going to get my head on straight, put my nose to the grindstone, and pretend I won’t miss the fun, laid-back guy I pretend to be when I’m with her.
6
BLAIR
“I’m goingto miss you, Blair! Thanks for an amazing time.”
Brooke hugs me tightly. I can’t believe our week together is already over and she has to head back to New York, where her new job awaits.
“I’m so glad we got to do this,” I tell her. “I’ll text you as soon as I’m back in the city.”
“Definitely. We’ll do a girls’ night.”
I give Brooke one last squeeze and then she grabs the handle of her rolling suitcase and scurries toward the glass doors of the small airport. As I duck back into the cab, I watch her go with a sigh. I wish she could have stayed to be the buffer between me and my parents.
They’re arriving today, and that means I have to pack up all my things and move to the members-only resort where they’ve booked us rooms for the next seven days. I’m supposed to meet up with them later. I’d be perfectly happy staying at Espadrilles, of course, but it would never meet my mother’s standards. The place she and my dad picked is going to be ritzy and luxurious, I’m sure, but I’m also sure I’ll be the only person there under the age of forty. There probably won’t be a 24-hour buffet, either.
My heart suddenly feels heavy. I’m glad that I took this time for myself, but now it’s back to reality. Unfortunately.
Staring out the window on the drive back to my hotel, I think back over the last week and can’t help but smile. Snorkeling, Mai Tais, souvenir shopping, beach days, nights out dancing. Brooke and I hadsomuch fun. Especially Brooke—particularly in the hot guy department. She claimed this was her last hurrah before she has to buckle down at work and stop chasing men, but I’ll believe it when I see it.
Although I can’t say I didn’t have my own perfect summer fling. I haven’t heard from Scowl since that day we had sex on the beach, but I have no regrets about the time I spent with him. Nobody has ever made me come like that before. I’ll probably be touching myself to those memories for the rest of my life. Who cares if I didn’t meet any other guys on this trip? I’m more into quality than quantity anyway.
I still haven’t told Brooke. Not because I’m ashamed or anything. I’m sure she’ll 100% approve. The fact that I didn’t get his name is probably a gold star in her book. But I guess the secret just feels sweeter when I get to keep it to myself. Plus, gossiping about Scowl and turning him into a spicy little anecdote doesn’t appeal to me. What we did meant more than that. I felt like we connected in some unspoken way. Or maybe I’m just romanticizing the whole thing.
The cab pulls up outside Espadrilles and I pay the driver in cash and hop out. It’s hot today, the breeze tossing my long hair every which way and blowing my skirt against my legs. Check out isn’t for another few hours, so that means I can take my time packing my suitcase. Maybe order one last round of room service before I have to go. The hotel’s lobster mac and cheese is to die for.
I’m just finishing zipping up my makeup bag and texting Brooke about the contact lens case she left behind when I get an incoming message on my phone.
I need to see you again. One last time, before the real world eats my soul.
Heat instantly floods my core, my heart starting to race, and my legs go out from under me. Luckily, my ass lands on the bed. I don’t even have to think about how to respond.
Yes.
He must be leaving the island today. Maybe that’s for the best. My mom already texted to say she and Dad had landed and to remind me about our early dinner reservations this evening—as if I needed another reminder—and I had planned to make my way to their hotel once I checked out of Espadrilles this afternoon. I’m not going to be able to sneak off for beach sex whenever I feel like it anymore.
But I still have a few hours before my parents will be expecting me. More than enough time for a final farewell fuck with my mystery man.
I’m free right now.
I’m in my room.
I reply, hoping he knows exactly what I plan to do with him when he gets here.
On my way.
A shiver of excitement races through me, and I rush to finish up my packing and straighten the bed. Urgency fills me as I dig out my toiletry kit and frantically brush my teeth, imagining himsprawled out naked in my sheets with his cock hard and ready for me. We’re going to destroy this room.
Wow, Brooke really has rubbed off on me.
Giving myself a once-over, I hurriedly touch up my lip gloss and then smooth down a few flyaway hairs, my heart leaping in my chest as a knock sounds at the door. He’s here. And I’m ready for him. God, am I ready. My whole body is buzzing.
I pull open the door and find him standing there in gray slacks and a cream linen button-down that pops against the golden tan of his olive skin. He looks positively mouthwatering. Being this close to him makes my brain malfunction, and I can’t get a single word out. Not that I need to.
Stepping into the room, he cups my face and draws me up for a dizzying kiss. His fingers move through my hair, wrapping it around his fist, and when he tugs hard enough to make my scalp tingle, I let out a low moan. I start to unbutton his shirt, but he gently pushes my hands away.
“What are we waiting for?” I ask breathlessly.
