“Shouldn’t that be my line?” she said.
Lucas drove until he found a part of the beach with a deserted kiosk. The new moon seemed bigger in the star filled dark sky. He parked the car in the empty lot, and she got out of the car. He put his hand on the small of her back, and guided her to the kiosk area. She imagined during the day it served yummy seafood appetizers, beer and refreshing coconut water.
“I’m not going to say I’m sorry. I enjoyed it,” he said, flecks of defiance illuminating his eyes.
Her stomach sank to the ground, and she wished she knew exactly what to say. Hadn’t she enjoyed as well? Why deny it? “What does that mean?” she asked, deciding a safe question would be more cautious than admitting she agreed with him. Hell, she knew how many women he’d been with. Well, thankfully, not exactly. Lucas probably heard all kinds of compliments about his sexual performance and well-endowed cock. She didn’t need to add to his ego.
“Means I propose we indulge in this attraction during this trip.”
Blood pounded hot and hard in her veins. “Why?”
“Because I can’t think straight with you by my side and this deal means a lot to me. I don’t want to not focus on it because I’m trying to get into your pants.”
Practicality. That made sense to her. That she understood. “Why would this change once we go back?”
He slid his eyes off her for a moment. “Reality always changes things.”
Her shoulders sagged. Vacation Crystal with the fancy clothes and easy sex was more exciting to him than real-life Crystal. “You mean I used to dress shabbily, and you took me on as your charity case and all of a sudden I’m hot stuff?” She’d meant to sound like a smart ass, but hated the pang of self-defensiveness in her voice.
“You’ve always been hot stuff,” he said, lifting her chin so she’d stare at him. “You hid that side of you well under clothes that didn’t flatter you, and honestly, I was glad because I didn’t want to mess things up.”
“What about now?”
“We’ve messed up. If this is just some fling, let’s live it, let’s enjoy the rest of this trip and once we set foot in New York we go back to being who we were.”
What if it’s not just a fling?The words burned at the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t say them. Lucas was an expert in compartmentalizing, and she knew he wouldn’t lose sleep getting over her. A part of her deflated a bit at the realization he only found her suitable for a weekend—because she was dressed like someone else and frankly, acting like a bolder version of herself. Who would be interested in boring Crystal? A loser like Davey hadn’t. Why would a guy Lucas?
Crystal stood a little straighter. “I don’t want you to fire me when you don’t want to see me anymore. It’s not like you can send me flowers and I’ll go away,” she said matter-of-factly. A weekend of fun with him sounded irresistible, but she needed some ground rules.
His eyebrows furrowed together, and a serious expression washed over his face, almost as if her assumption offended him in a way. “Do you really think I’d do that?”
She worried her lip. A woman only really knows a man after a break-up. Or rather, the first break-up, her mother always said. Yet her mother always believed the next man would be better, and things would work out. Davey had screwed around on Crystal’s ass. At least Lucas wasn’t going to be around long—romantically—to do the same.
He angled closer to her, and her heart flipped in her chest, her body making the decision for her. Why not? Why wasn’t she entitled to some temporary sexual fun with the man who was an expert at it?
I’m not like my mother. I’m a realist. She lives in fantasyland. “Fine. The duration of this trip. I’m in.”
“You won’t regret it,” he said and swept her off her feet in a passionate kiss. God, she hoped he was right.
