I nod, holding in my breath until the door to the bathroom closes behind him, and only then do I sag onto the edge of my bed.Damn, that was hot.
Once we’re both dressed, we make our way to the hotel’s main restaurant, armed with the voucher they insisted on giving Ronan as compensation for having to share his suite with me. To my surprise, he doesn’t mention my little underwear stunt even once.
“Does it count as you taking me to dinner if the hotel’s footing the bill?” I tease as we enter the open-air space. The atmosphere is heavy with a luscious tropical aroma, the firelight from torches lining the walkway adding to the romance. “God, how is everything just so beautiful here?” I blurt out, coming to a stop. The ocean is directly in front of us, and it’s so picturesque, I just want to stare at it forever.
Ronan’s hand finds my lower back, a light touch, but one I feel down to my toes. “It’s stunning. And so are you if I haven’t made that clear.”
I angle my head to look up at him, once again marveling at how it feels to be with a man taller than me, even in the strappy heeled sandals I’m wearing. “Charmer.”
He grins. “Honest.”
With a slight shake of my head, I let him guide me over to a table overlooking the ocean, right on the edge of the terrace. He pulls my chair out, something a man has never done for me before, and I’ll be damned if it doesn’t make me feel good.
A server comes over, holding a tray with two tropical drinks. “Our signature cocktail, compliments of the hotel. We call it ‘mango fire’ for the slight spice note you’ll get at the end. It’s a combination of mango and pineapple juice with dark, spiced rum, a splash of grenadine for colour, and our secret sugar and spice mix on the rim.” They set the drinks down along with two menus. “Our special tonight is a coconut crusted mahi-mahi with a citrus infused vinaigrette, served alongside rice pilaf and roasted vegetables.”
I give them a smile, murmuring my thanks, and Ronan does the same. After the server leaves, he raises his glass, tipping his head toward me. “To beautiful views.”
We clink our glasses together and I take a sip. “Mmm,” I moan as the cold, fruity, and slightly spiced drink hits my tongue. “That’s incredible.” Glancing down, I smirk and fish out the neon red cherry by the stem. “These are my favourite.”
Ronan’s chuckle is relaxed and warm. “I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who actually likes maraschino cherries.”
I pop it in my mouth, stem and all, and raise my eyebrows. A few seconds later, I open my mouth, and hold out my tongue.
“Holy shit, did you just tie that with your tongue?” He laughs as I lift the knotted stem off my tongue and nod.
“It’s a fun party trick.” I set it down and take another sip of the cocktail. Ronan shakes his head, then carefully fishes his own cherry out, holding it toward me.
“Want another?”
I briefly debate taking it from him the normal way, but no.Let’s have some fun.Lifting slightly out of my seat, I lean over the table and open my mouth slightly. There’s no mistaking the flash of heat in his eyes as he places the cherry on my tongue. I sit back down and make quick work of tying another knot before popping it out with a smirk.
“That’s a talented mouth you’ve got there,” he says, innuendo heavy in every word.
Lifting my eyebrows and shoulders in unison I give him an impish smile. “I’m a woman of many talents.”
Ronan settles back in his chair after the server has taken our dinner order and picks up his drink. With the warm glow of the setting sun behind him, he truly does look like a god. His light-coloured shirt molds to his body, showing off his strong arms. The top two buttons are undone, letting me see the light smattering of hair on his chest. His face is relaxed, but those eyes. Those eyes are full of dirty promises, just waiting for me to say yes to him. To what is feeling more and more like a foregone conclusion.
Neither one of us will be on the couch tonight.
“What do you have planned for the rest of your time here?” he asks.
“Absolutely nothing.”
He chokes out a small laugh in the middle of taking a drink and swallows before answering. “Nothing at all?”
I shake my head. “Nothing. For once, I have zero plans, zero commitments, zero responsibilities. I wanted a week of following every whim and only doing what I want, when I want.”
“Sounds amazing.” Our eyes are locked on each other, saying more than the words we’ve spoken can do. “Think you’ll want some company for following your whims?”
I can feel a smile creeping across my face and don’t bother trying to hide it. “I think I might, if the company is good enough.”
God, his laugh does things to me. “It’ll be better thangood enough.”
After that promise, I barely remember dinner. The food was delicious, I’m sure, but all I can think of is the inferno building inside of me. The moisture dampening my panties with every deep chuckle, every smirk, every peek of the dimple in his cheeks. This man is potent. Devastatingly alluring. I never thought I would let myself get intimate with a baseball player, but the truth is, there’s no way I can resist Ronan Sinclair any longer.
When we leave the restaurant, it’s unspoken but undeniable that we’re going back to the room. It takes a ridiculous amount of self-control to keep my hands to myself the entire ride in the elevator. When his hand finds my lower back again as we exit the elevator and walk down the hall, I want to lean into him, feel more of his warmth. All of it.
We arrive back at the room, and instead of reaching around me to open the door, he slides his hand down to take mine, turning me around to face him. “I want to make this very clear because I feel like we’ve been dancing around each other all week. But I’m done dancing, Willow. If we go in that room together, I’m going to fuck you. I’m going to devour you and make you see fucking stars. If that’s not what you want, if you haven’t been growing more wet and more desperate for me with every goddamn minute, I’ll stay in my buddy’s room tonight and you can have this one, no questions asked.”
