“You won’t let it.” I completely believe that. And if she does anything to break his heart, I’ll deal with her myself. Nobodyfucks with Mike. “You only live once, mate. If you see something you want, you’ve got to take it. That’s my advice.” I flip my sunnies back down on my face and fall back into the hammock, hoping he’ll take the hint.
“I appreciate your wisdom.” I have no idea why Mike is smirking so much, but I blame it on him being newly crushed out. Good on him, but I’m ready to be left alone with my thoughts. “I’ll let you get back to it. Enjoy your day off.”
“Yeah, right. You know I’ll be by to check on things later.”
“You need a life.” Mike grins as he walks away. Almost as an afterthought, as he turns to close the gate behind him, he calls, “By the way, we have a new volunteer starting today.”
“Great,” I say, although I don’t really care. Managing volunteers is his thing. Interns are mine.
The moment he’s out of sight, I rub at my dick, pushing painfully against my daks. I’m fighting a losing battle against the memory of bare tits beneath my singlet.
Maybe an ocean away, she’ll wear it to bed and think about me while she touches herself. That’s the most I can hope for, but it gives me a pleasurable ache.
The seabreeze blows through the palm trees and my forearms erupt in goosebumps as I check to either side. My front garden is mercifully private, though I’ve never done what I’m about to do.
I can’t fight it anymore. I unbutton, freeing my cock from its strain against the zipper. I’m hard and hot, still ready to go after jacking off several times since the party last night.
She did something to me. Her laugh was like a siren call. The bounce of her wavy hair, brushing the tops of her breasts. Iwonder how it would feel in my bed, breathing her in, tickling my skin.
I stroke my shaft, rolling my hand over the head and across my weeping tip. Of course I have urges, I’m still a man, but fucking tourists got old quick. Pretending like we’d keep in touch, knowing I was just another part of their wild holiday yarn, made me feel empty. Temporary. Useless.
I can’t touch her, but I can imagine. She’d gotten under my skin in a way no one has in years. I tug on my cock as I picture her in my bed, spread open and ready for me.
My lips part on a groan as I fantasize about sliding into her wet heat. She’s wearing nothing but my shirt, nipples pebbled against the fabric like they’d been on the boat.
Fuck, what has she done to me? I could’ve taken her right there on the deck, in front of everyone, the sun shining down on our bare asses. If I were a few years younger, I might’ve lured her away from the party, back to her room, and feasted on her folds until she was begging for my cock.
The thought of her on her knees for me is my undoing. I shoot my load with a strangled groan. I pump my shaft, breathing hard until the shudders are gone, relaxing back into the hammock. I’m spent. Wrecked. All over a woman who is already on a flight back home, never to be heard from again.
I tuck myself away and lie back with my arms crossed behind my head. There’s no chance of relaxation today. I can’t sit around, alone with my thoughts. My dick will start chafing if I’m left to my own devices much longer.
With a grunt, I climb out of the hammock and go back into the house to clean up and change. I'll just throw myself into physical labor—it’s always worked before. Surrounded byanimals, rubbish, and bright-eyed interns, there’s no chance of growing another unwanted boner.
Probably. I hope.
Chapter 10
Junie
Last night is a blur of celebratory beers, darts, and prawn crackers. I’d been so afraid of Eva’s reaction, but I should have known better.
Other than a quiet, “Are you sure about this?” as I drop a few hundred dollars to change my flight, she hasn’t questioned me.
“No,” I reply. “But I’m not ready to go back to that empty house. There’s nothing waiting for me there. I guess that’s the beauty of ending a relationship with no kids and no pets. There’s nothing tying us to each other any more.”
I thought David and I were endgame, but it turns out that unraveling our lives had been startlingly easy. I should be grateful, but a deep, keening part of me yearns for entanglements. I want love to be messy and complicated and to change my life.
“I think this could be great for you,” Eva nods, as if it’s decided. “I like seeing this side of you. I know this wasn’t how you imagined your trip, but thank you for inviting me with you.”
I reach for her hand and give it a squeeze.
“Thank you for coming. It was perfect. I’m sorry you have to suffer through like 18 hours of flights on your own.”
She shrugs and tries to hide a mischievous smile. “Oh, don’t worry about me. Jake’s coming to the airport, remember?”
What did I do to deserve such a supportive friend? Can I really just give work the middle finger and tell them I’ll be back in four weeks or not at all? Can I really just extend my visa and stay in Bali another month, scuba diving and watching baby turtles hatch?
Eva leaves on the morning ferry and I see her off with a tight ball of anxiety in my chest. As the boat pulls away, it loosens. The only person on this side of the world who knows me at all is gone; I’m more free than I can ever remember being.
