She’d never had a one-night stand. All throughout the trip, Camille had been pressuring her to “let her hair down,” but Narelle hadn’t even given it a thought until now.
Could she do it? Could she do something risky like take a total stranger to bed?
That was something she still didn’t have the answer to. A simple touch of hands might have her body singing, but she wanted more than that when she went to bed with a man. Most of her sexual encounters had been with guys she’d been in a relationship with.
The humidity hit her as they exited the bar. “Ugh, I’m not going to miss this,” she mumbled.
Andy chuckled. “This is mild in comparison to some places I’ve been.”
Once again, his answer intrigued her, like she’d been when he said he’d come to Bali for work. Who did that, unless it was for a work conference? But there hadn’t been any signs of a conference happening in the hotel. That didn’t mean there wasn’t one someplace else. Perhaps that hotel hadbeen full, and that was why Andy was staying at the same one as her.
Or maybe he did business with a local artisan and imported their products. Now that she thought about it, there could be many reasons why he was in Bali for business.
There was a chance he wasn’t even staying at this hotel. He could’ve just stopped by to have a drink.
More to the point, why was she giving this so much thought when it didn’t even matter? He was here, and now she was with him.
Her feet sunk into the sand as the sun was beginning to set, casting a golden glow around them. Like he had at the bar, Andy expertly steered her toward a couple of free loungers on the beach. They could sit and watch the day drift into evening.
“Hope this is okay?” Andy waited for her to sit before he did.
“It’s nice. Perfect way to end my holiday.” Even though she hadn’t really done much, the break was exactly what she needed. She hadn’t known how stressed she’d been until the day she’d arrived and the gentle swish of the waves against the shore had soothed her. Tension seemed to seep out of her with each wave rushing back out to the sea.
“Have you had a fun time?” Andy’s attention was on her, but his eyes were now hidden behind black lensed sunglasses. He could be looking anywhere, but she suspected his gaze was trained on her. He had an intensity about him that should’ve frightened her, but didn’t.
“It’s been relaxing. I haven’t done much more than get up and laze by the pool. I did a tour to an animal sanctuary one day. That was fun.”
“Did anything of yours get swiped by a monkey?” His smile below his glasses was bright and happy.
Narelle laughed. “No, everything of mine was safe, but I did see a monkey swipe a woman’s hat. Her shriek set off all the other monkeys. It took a while for them to calm down.”
Andy chuckled as well, the sound deep, and a shiver rippled through her again.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
Of course he noticed her reaction to his laugh. “No, I’m fine. You said you were here for work. Was it a conference?”
She wanted to get the attention off her. Would he run with her change of subject?
“No.” For the first time since they sat down, he turned his focus off her and towardthe ocean.
Clearly, the subject of his work was something he didn’t want to talk about. She would respect that and not bring it up. It wasn’t as if she’d see him again.
Why am I sitting on the beach with him then? A total stranger. Am I safe?
Narelle mulled it over as she tapped her fingers on her leg. Her instincts had gotten her out of trouble on a few occasions in the past. She’d been on a date, and the guy had been giving off a bad vibe. The feeling had proven to be correct, and she’d escaped what could’ve been a dreadful situation. She wasn’t getting anything like that from Andy—even with his intense aura.
They sat in silence and watched the sun dip lower and lower until it slipped below the horizon.
“There’s no green flash,” she murmured, referring to a movie series.
“Not tonight.”
What happened now? Did they go their separate ways? It would be the sensible thing to do, seeing as she still had to pack for her flight the next day.
Yet somehow, even though they hadn’t really had much of a conversation, she didn’t want the time with Andy to end.
“Do you want to have dinner?” Narelle pressed her lips together, shocked she’d blurted out the invitation.
