Page 16 of Resorting to Love
“Fuuuck…” he groans, holding me in place as he floods my throat with salty warmth. His muscles twitch beneath my palms, and a shiver runs through him. “Sweetheart, you’re amazing,” he says, sliding free of my mouth, then helping me to my feet. “So fucking amazing.”
Logical me knows it’s a reference to my amazing blowjob skills. Post-orgasmic euphoria, nothing more. But when he pulls me into his arms and kisses me until I lose myself completely… The romantic part of me I’ve spent my lifetime burying wishes his words meant more.
six
eli
Fameand its accompanying money have allowed me to take luxury vacations around the world. Hawaii. Antigua. Bora Bora. Everything five stars, with every extra perk offered. Hell, some that weren’t.
Mountain Ridge Resort is nice enough. There’s plenty to do, the food is great, and the surrounding mountains and lake are breathtaking. None of those things make this the best vacation of my life.
It’s Chloe. A woman I wouldn’t have met if my assistant had booked my usual preferred vacation. Still probably wouldn’t have met if the flustered front-desk clerk hadn’t set me up in the wrong cabin. Every day, every night, every minute I’m with Chloe… She doesn’t just make this the best vacation. I’m starting to feel like it’s the best week of my life.
I don’t want it to end in two days. I don’t want it to end, ever.
She steps out of the bedroom, cocking her pretty head when our eyes meet. “Everything okay? You look so serious. Serious is my role, Dr. Famous.” Five days in, and she still pokes fun at my celebrity status. It still doesn’t impress her, either.
I’m just a man to her.Her man, for this week. I’m enjoying the hell out of that. The freedom to hold her hand, hug her, kiss her. The opportunity to explore every inch of her sexy body all night long. The hours we finally stopdoingthings and justbewith each other—talking, listening, sharing peaceful silence.
Smiling comes easily to me, and one hundred percent naturally around Chloe. Even now, with what feels like the weight of looming doom on my shoulders, I know I’m grinning like a fool in love. Because, fuck, I might just be.
“All good,” I say, dropping a kiss on her strawberry lips. “We’ve spent the last five days ziplining, mountain biking, horseback riding, and paddleboarding. What are the odds I can convince you to slow the pace today? Do something less active?”
“Am I wearing you out?”
“No, sweetheart.” I love our banter, but right now, I just want to savor her. I slide my hands over her sun-kissed skin. Her shoulders slope to toned arms and soft hands that have the strength to force life back into a human being. Still can’t believe I saw her do that.
She’s firm from fitness, but soft too. Her tits, hips, ass…every part of her made for my hands to touch. My lips to kiss. My tongue to taste. So that’s what I do, starting with her mouth, then working my way down.
“Mmm… I like where this is going,” she says when my knees hit the floor and my lips graze the top of her low-rise, cutoff shorts. “But as good as it feels, it also kind of feels like you’re trying to distract me from whatever was on your mind when I walked in here.”
I stop, but not because she’s right. As much as we’ve done and shared, she’s always holding something back. Not physically. Total openness in that department. But the emotional part, the deep-down, heartfelt stuff—she keeps that behind a well-guarded wall. And that wall isn’t only keeping me out, it’s keeping her in. Until now.
“You caught me thinking about what happens when we check out of the resort tomorrow.” I run my hands up, from her ankles to her waist, which I cup as I stand. “Have you thought about it?”
“Of course. How could I not?”
I want to think she’s talking about me, about us, but she hasn’t given me a hint of what that looks like to her. Since she didn’t take the opening to dive deeper into my thoughts on the matter, her wall appears to be firmly in place—and in my way.
“If I were to agree to a slower pace today, what would you choose? Please don’t suggest anything spa-related.”
“Too relaxing?”
She makes that adorable, angry-kitten sound I’ll never get tired of hearing. “Yes, but it’s not that. It’s the touching.” She shivers, screwing up her pretty face as if she just drank a jar of pickle juice. “I can’t stand people touching me. It makes me twitchy.”
Fuck, I love her crusty exterior. “Then you deserve anOscarfor your performance last night, sweetheart. And every other night this week too.”
“Look at you, venturing away from your award-winning, primetime, medical drama roots to attempt comedy. Notice I saidattempt.” She shrieks when I lift her off her feet and twirl her around, knocking a small lamp off a side table in the process. “Stop before we wreck the place, and they don’t let us come back.”
I stop in my tracks, holding her tight against me as I look into her eyes.
“Individually, I mean,” she says, before I can get a word out. “Obviously.” She shimmies out of my arms, then busies herself collecting the ceramic shards. “Would a drive into the little town nearby count as less active? We can take my car.”
Her car, shit. In my mental countdown of our remaining time together, I’d planned on a late checkout. Sharing the car service that’s taking me to the airport. Neither of those things are going to happen because Chloe has a ten-hour drive to make. She’ll want to get an early start.
“Eli?” The softness in her voice snaps me back to the moment. “It was just one idea. We can do something else. I’ll even go to the spa with you if you want.”
“That’s true love right there.” I wink when I say it, eliciting an exaggerated eye roll from across the room. But there’s hope in my joke. In my heart. “Going into town sounds fun.”
