“I didn’t expect this,” I whispered. “Not like this.” It was true. I knew I was attracted to him. I’d had sex before. I’d imagined it would be like that.
But it wasn’t. It was new and exciting, and I couldn’t wait to do it again.
He smiled. “Neither did I.”
He rolled onto his side, pulling me with him until I was tucked against his chest, my leg tangled with his. His hand rested on my hip, thumb moving in slow, thoughtful caresses that made me feel warm and strangely safe.
We were wokenup by a forceful knock on the door. My heart raced for a second, slowing down when I saw Colin throw a pillow over his head.I was waking up next to a very naked Colin.
He shouted, “I’m not going fishing!”
“Meet you downstairs in half an hour, ready to go,” said a deep male voice from the other side of the door.
“Is that your dad?” I asked Colin.
He groaned. After a moment, he removed the pillow, leaned on his side to face me, and grinned. “Now this is how I should have woken up—with your lovely face as the first thing my eyes see, your voice the first thing my ears hear.”
My heart soared. “That’s so sweet, Colin. I’mveryhappy to wake up next to you this morning. I actually got a good night’s sleep! I haven’t slept so long in ages.” Maybe it was a little silly vocalizing my every mushy thought, but I figured that if he wasdoing it, it was only fair that I reciprocate. I wasn’t used to this, but with the way the endorphins were coursing through my body and brain, it would be easy to get used to it.
“I’ll simply text my father and tell him I won’t be going, and that’s that,” he said, reaching for the phone on the nightstand. His back was facing me, the muscles stretching and growing as he moved. I reached out and ran my hand along his back.
“I don’t want you to miss out on precious time with your dad,” I said. “We can hang out when you get back.”
With one swift motion, he reached back, grabbed my hand, pulled me over him, and suddenly I was on top of him, straddling him.
“I’ll go on one condition,” he said. He put both hands on my thighs and slid them upward, his thumbs getting dangerously close to my panties, before moving back up my thighs.
“What’s that?” I asked, closing my eyes while he did it again, this time not stopping when he reached between my legs. Both thumbs slid under my panties and roamed in various achingly wonderful ways.
“You’ll come with me,” he said.
“Oh, I’m definitely going to come if you keep at this,” I said.
A groan escaped his lips, and in a blur, I was on my back, the lace of my panties ripped, and Colin was poised above me.
“I can make you come in many ways. If you’ll let me.” His eyes danced with mischief and promised untold delights.
I nodded, biting my lip eagerly.
He entered me with a quick and forceful motion.
I cried out (I hope no one heard) and bit my lip again, trying not to scream each time he thrust inside me with that perfect, punishing rhythm. He grunted my name against my skin and pushed me closer to the edge.
“Kate,” he said again, holding my breasts as if they were his only anchor to reality…
We rushed to get ready.I had no idea what clothes were appropriate for going fishing. I had brought a pair of jean shorts, and I paired that with a loose lavender T-shirt. Colin similarly wore khaki shorts and a white T-shirt, though I’m pretty sure that he made that decision when he saw my choices of clothing were limited.
I picked up my phone on the way out, glancing at the many notifications I’d missed throughout last night’s ordeal. Several texts from my mother and a video she said was of her singing karaoke (I’d watch that later). Work emails that never stopped. Memes from Angie, along with questions about what Brightwater Island was like.
And two missed calls from Grant.
I put my phone away when Charles Gordon appeared at the doorway to the dining area. He said nothing before walking back out, but I assumed his presence meant that he was waiting outside because Colin grabbed the bagel from his plate and stood up. I did the same, and soon we were outside with Stephen, Landon, Martin Flame, another board member (Ron?) and two other guys I recognized as groomsmen. I was relieved when I saw that another woman was part of the group as well, and since she was standing closest to Ron, I assumed she was his wife.
She had rich, dark brown hair and a large sunhat that matched her oversized straw-colored bag. Her sunglasses dwarfed her face, but her big smile was visible underneath when she saw me. She took two enormous steps in my direction.
“Another woman!” she exclaimed. “I’m so relieved. All of this testosterone on the boat was making me nervous. But I told Ron—I told him, ‘You can’t go on a boat without me.’ What would I do by myself at the hotel? The pool is under renovation, can you believe it? If I’d known, I would have picked another hotel. Can you imagine? I was upset, but I didn’t let on to the worker at thefront desk. It wasn’t her fault, of course. We should have been informed some other way before, though. It’s onlyright, isn’t it?”
“It doesn’t seem fair not to give notice,” I agreed when I found she’d stopped speaking.
