Читать книгу Just As You Are - Kate Mathieson - Страница 7

I ordered another whisky to celebrate The Plan and was about to slide onto the bar stool, in case I got too tipsy downing another Scotch, when I dropped my room key on the sand. I stepped back to try and look for it, at the exact time someone was stepping forward, because I felt my body slam into something hard – like a wall of cement. I tried to right myself, but my shoe went one way, and my foot went another and, before I knew it, I was on the ground in a heap, my knee-length dress hiked around my upper thighs.

‘Sorry, are you OK?’ A hand appeared in front of my face. It was a rather nice hand, square and large and quite like you’d imagine a tradie’s hand to be, but without the rough bits or anything covered in grime or paint.

When I looked up, a very good-looking man with his good-looking hands was standing above me. ‘I’m Nick,’ he said in a broad Australian accent. He had kind chocolate brown eyes that crinkled when he smiled. He was admittedly gorgeous, with blond hair, a dark sandy colour, and tanned olive skin. He was about six foot, with broad shoulders. He was wearing dark blue shorts, a fitted blue plaid shirt and white slip-on sneakers. The cool kind.

‘And I’m better when I’m dressed,’ I said, grabbing on to Nick’s hand and letting him pull me up. He looked away like a gentleman whilst I straightened my dress and brushed the sand off. I could feel the heat of the blood, still in my cheeks. Had I shown my bum to the world? To Mr Gorgeous? My knickers?

‘That was some tumble.’ Nick stared at me.

‘Yes, I’m training for the Worlds. Floor is my best. I was about to do a back flip, but you got in my way.’

‘Funny that, I thought you were looking for something in the sand. A room key perhaps?’ He opened his palm and there was my white room key.

‘How did you—?’ My heart was beating so loudly, as if it were trying to escape my chest. At any moment, this gorgeous guy would make an excuse to leave. To go back to his girlfriend. Or wife. I bet he had a lovely, pretty woman, beautiful and slim with blonde hair, who went to the gym more than three times a week. She was probably an Instagram influencer or model, because they mostly were nowadays.

‘Stealth.’ He smiled. ‘Is that whisky?’ He pointed to my glass.

‘Single malt.’

‘I’m impressed.’

‘Are you?’ I could feel him staring at me.

‘A girl that drinks whisky? Absolutely.’ I tried to hide my smile. Was this gorgeous man flirting with me? Stuff like this didn’t ever happen to me. Broiled chicken cheaters happened to me. Vanilla guys who were into computers happened to me. Hot men on islands did not happen to me.

Nick smiled at me, and his eyes crinkled in the most adorable way. I opened my mouth to say, Well, have a good night, expecting he was just being pleasant because he was on holidays, and his wife was probably eyeing me up and wondering why her wonderful husband was talking to the awkward girl at the bar who’d just fallen in the sand. But then I stopped myself. There are times in your life when there is a moment. A moment that presents itself as a possibility. The universe had conspired to plant this man right in front of me. Bumping into me. Literally. And it had to be for a reason.

Ask him to have a drink with you.

This was one of those moments when the man in front of you is gorgeous, and maybe he’s not living in a granny flat with his parents, or a workaholic with a heart problem, and it’s not a weird blind date, and he might be taken, or not, but still, you think – just go for it.

Ask him to have a drink with you, I thought again. I mean, it’s just a drink. Why not? Why the bloody hell not!?

I took a deep breath, smiled and said, ‘Well, I was about to have a shot too. Are you up for it?’ I held my breath and waited for him to respond.

‘I am,’ Nick said, laughing. ‘But none of that girly shit.’

My heart did a little cha-cha. ‘You mean, no Cocksucking Cowboy?’

‘Slippery Nipple,’ he chimed in.

‘Jam Donut?’ I teased.

Nick held up his hand. ‘OK, that’s the only one I’ll let you consider. Because it tastes like—’

‘Gummy snakes!’ I interrupted.

‘Exactly!’ He laughed and nodded at the bartender. ‘Two Jam Donuts, please,’ Nick ordered. The bartender had no idea what that was, so in the end we got two shots of Baileys with a dash of chambord. We cheers-ed and tossed them back quickly.

‘Ugh, that was sweet.’ I shuddered.

Nick ordered two whisky chasers, and paid for both rounds. A true gentleman.

‘So, what are you up to tonight?’ he asked. ‘Did you watch the game?’

‘Game? No.’ I almost snorted. ‘I hate sports.’ I thought it best to be honest, and not pretend I was really into cricket or rugby, and then have to listen to him prattle on about his team for the next thirty minutes.

‘All of them?’ Nick asked.

‘Well, except that Japanese show of people falling into the water whilst trying to balance on slippery apparatus.’

‘Oh, Kamikaze! I love that too.’ Nick grinned.

‘Were you here watching …’ I put down my whisky to use air quotes ‘… the game?’

‘No.’ Nick leaned in. ‘Don’t tell anyone, but I kinda don’t like sports either.’

‘What?’ I feigned shock and horror. ‘How un-Australian!’

‘It’s true. I think I was dropped on my head as a child.’

‘Your head does look a little lopsided.’ I grinned.

Nick laughed. ‘So, what brings you to Fiji’s top sports bar, then?’

‘This is a sports bar? I thought it was welcome drinks.’

‘It’s both.’ Nick smiled. ‘But mostly a place where guys get to hang out all day, every day.’

I nodded. ‘Ahh, a man-cave. A male den. A place to grunt away from the ladies.’

‘Yes, we’re on our best behaviour right now,’ Nick teased. ‘How’s our English sound to you? Can you understand us? I’ve been really practising losing my grunt accent.’

‘Hmmm.’ I squinted at him, feeling my heart beat faster. He was cute and funny, and had great banter, and he didn’t seem to have anywhere to go. He was staying longer than a man who was here with his girlfriend or wife would stay. And in an instant, I knew – I kinda liked him. There was something so likeable about him, something so easy, something I felt I could trust.

‘Better keep trying,’ I teased.

‘So, what brings you to Fiji, to the land of snorkelling and sun? Kids? Husband?’ Nick asked casually.

‘None of the above. I’m just here for the weekend and I thought I’d try my luck at winning big on the turtle races. Mumma needs some new shoes.’

Nick looked down at my black Havaiana thongs on my feet and said, ‘Yeah, I wasn’t going to say anything, but—’

‘Hey!’ I slapped him playfully on the arm. ‘Don’t get me started on your shirt.’

‘My shirt? What’s wrong with my shirt?’

‘Um, I could lay it out and have a picnic on it.’

‘Wow. Are you asking me to take my shirt off? You move fast. I don’t even know your name.’

I laughed and blushed. ‘Emma.’

‘So, Emma, besides trying to update your wardrobe at the local ocean bar, what brings you to this island?’

‘Just a few days in the sunshine.’

‘Same as us,’ Nick said.

‘Us?’ I looked around. ‘Seeing imaginary friends now, are you?’

He chuckled. ‘The boys, Brett and Mark, headed back to the villa. I’ve got a timeshare unit down by the beach so we fly over from Sydney as much as we can, especially since the summer is almost over.’

‘And Fiji is so warm, thank goodness, warm enough to swim.’

‘You going swimming later, then?’ Nick asked.

‘Maybe.’ I laughed. My head was saying yes, yes, YES, but I was trying to play it cool.

‘Well, this bar closes soon,’ Nick said. ‘Did you aim to be so fashionably late?’

‘Are you saying I’m fashionable now?’ I teased.

Nick laughed. ‘Not quite. We can talk more about your clothing choices later, as it may take some time.’

Just then the lights flicked on and off. Welcome drinks were over.

‘Shall we?’ Nick said, pulling out my chair for me.

I followed him down a side pathway through a row of huts and bures. Down at the beach the entire place was quiet, except for the small whoosh of waves lapping at the shore. Everyone else was tucked in their beds. The moon was full and round. A white streak of moonlight flashed across the water. The tide had gone out, and the waves were soft and round, gliding without any mermaid froth.

Nick grabbed my hand and pulled me until my feet hit sand. Soft, cold sand. He seemed to hold my hand for a beat, but then let me go.

‘How good a swimmer are you?’ He looked at me.

‘I’d beat you in an eggbeater contest.’ I could feel the warmth of the whisky flushing through my veins. It made me feel like being reckless on my last few nights of freedom.

‘You’re on!’ Nick said, unbuttoning his shirt.

‘I’ll have you know,’ I said, pulling my hair from its bun, ‘I’m an avid aqua aerobics-er. Is that a word?’

He looked at me curiously. ‘Aren’t you a bit young for that?’

‘Ageist.’ I threw my sandal at him.

He laughed and ducked. ‘Oh, man, do you wear one of those cap things?’

‘Those caps are kinda cool, I’ll have you know. Possibly ironic. Maybe even hipster?’

‘Yes, possibly cool for the mid-seventies age range. Thankfully you are cap-free tonight. Just so you know, I bet you look better without it.’ He winked.

He took his shirt off, revealing a taut chest, tanned and smooth with not an inch of hair. Yikes! He looked even hotter than I imagined. There were curves of muscle around everything. His shoulders were like boulders. His chest broad and smooth, and his stomach muscles, without an inch of fat, were etched deep. He had the defined diagonal hip muscles of swimmers and runners. I could see every pair of muscles that made him up. I tried not to look, but kept stealing glances.

‘Emma, are you OK?’

‘Huh? Yes, yes, I’m good.’ I’d stopped undressing, and was standing there, my mouth open. My eyes wandered all over him as I took off my other sandal.

Nick was now taking off his shorts and his boxers. Wait. What? His BOXERS?

‘Wait, what is happening here?’ I said, trying to suppress my laughter.

Suddenly Nick was standing in front of me and, oh, my God. He was naked.

I burst out laughing. ‘Why are you naked?’

‘Why not? Aren’t we swimming?’ Nick said, not making a move to cover himself up. This guy had confidence.

‘I want to tell you something,’ he said.

‘That we’re naked?’ I laughed.

‘Yes, Emma.’ He smiled.

‘Are you a nudist?’ I couldn’t stop laughing.

‘No, Emma. Actually, I want to tell you something else,’ he started.

‘I’m sorry’. I could hardly breathe I was laughing so much. ‘Can we have a serious conversation while you’re naked?’

‘Can we?’

‘I’m really not sure.’ I tried to stop laughing and compose myself. ‘Wait, is this the way you get girls back to your villa?’ I said, trying not to look there. His package.

‘It’s not about sex, Emma,’ Nick said.

Oops. It wasn’t? Because I was still sneaking mini-glances at his nether regions.

‘It’s about just being comfortable with who you are.’

Clearly this boy was very comfortable.

‘You can go in with your underwear on,’ he offered.

‘Now where’s the fun in that?’ I laughed. I would never see this guy again, it was Fiji, why the hell not. I took my dress off. And stood in my black lace bra and lacy bottoms. At least someone was seeing my French lingerie! Hurrah! I hadn’t bought them for nothing. I shimmied off my pants. And unclasped my bra.

Naked. I was bloody naked! I gave a quick glance around to make sure no millennial was hiding in the bushes, filming us – I’d be on YouTube in no time, going viral. Doing it for size fourteen women everywhere.

I felt totally exposed. But surprisingly good. Also, I wanted to sneak a little glance at him down there. But that felt wrong. And weird. And he was looking at my eyes. And not at any other places on me.

He was staring at me intently. I held my breath. I thought he was about to lean in and kiss me. I started to close my eyes, thinking, yes, please kiss me, but he said, ‘I want to tell you …’ he paused ‘… first one in is the winner!’ and started sprinting towards the ocean.

‘Not fair!’ I gave it all my might, running as hard as I could. Running made my boobs jiggle, and then I wondered how my stomach looked so I snuck a glance to see. It looked OK. A bit soft. And white. But OK.

Nick was athletic as well as muscular, and he got there yards ahead of me, diving into the cool ocean. I splashed into the sea after him. The water was warm and soothing, and felt amazing. I waded out to my thighs and dived in. I closed my eyes, and felt the water rush over me. It felt strange to be in the salty sea, without any clothes. And rather great too.

When I emerged, Nick was a few metres away, gliding over the small waves.

‘So what do you win?’ I asked, swimming closer to him.

‘That’s up to you. Loser gets to decide.’

I splashed him with a huge wave of water. He was surprised and made a few choking noises. ‘OK, nice, death by drowning to the winner.’

‘Well, it wasn’t a fair race. You had a head start.’

‘You want another challenge?’

I laughed. ‘I do.’

‘Wow, I think it’s too early for “I do’s”, Emma. Now you’re practising for our wedding. You do move fast.’

I sloshed more water his way, then turned onto my back, kicking as hard as I could so all the water would go in his direction.

When I stopped, I expected him to complain again. But he’d disappeared.

‘Nick?’ I turned to my right, to my left. I couldn’t see him at all. The sea flattened out.

‘Nick?’ I called out, spinning around. He hadn’t come up to the surface yet. I hesitated. I swam a little further out, to where I couldn’t stand, but it was as black as black further out, and scared me.

‘Nick!?’ I counted to five. Now I was getting worried.

Something tugged at my leg. I’d heard about this, that most shark attacks happen at night and close to the shore. I thought I’d dreamt it at first, but there it was again. Tug. I gave a loud squeal, convinced it was a shark that had taken Nick and was now coming from me, then swam as fast as I could back to where I could stand, in the water reaching my hips, my heart beating out of my chest. Where was Nick?

Something tugged again at my leg. I yelled out, ‘Help!’

Suddenly the shark emerged from the water laughing, stood and splashed me. ‘God, Emma, you’ll wake the entire hotel of people trying to sleep.’

‘What … the …? You …’ I was so mad, I tried to push him away, but he grabbed each of my wrists in his hand. He had nice hands, and now they were pulling my hands towards his chest.

‘Were you going to try and hit me with your tiny, ineffectual fists?’ He had a twinkle in his eye.

‘Not ineffectual. As you may likely find out.’ I could barely speak. I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t. My body seemed to crave his; it was all I could do not to grab him and kiss him. I’d never wanted someone to touch me, to kiss me so much. I could hear the blood pulsating in my ears.

Suddenly he reached out and pulled me into him. Our bodies pressed together. I felt his warm skin against mine, his breath hot on my neck, and a delightful buzz spread out across my chest. My mind ticked over. He was a stranger. And this was a naked hug. Was that weird? Should it be? Oh, God, was he getting excited? Um, down there? Before I could think of anything else, he’d put his hand on my right cheek.

‘Emma,’ he said in a soft, serious voice.

‘Nick,’ I whispered, staring into his chocolate melt eyes. The entire beach disappeared from sight. It was just him and me.

He leaned forward, smelling of warm whisky, and ocean water; his lips found mine. I closed my eyes. He gently kissed me, no tongue, but I felt breathless. My body shuddered.

‘Emma.’

‘Yes?’

‘You’re shivering.’

‘Well, I’m cold.’ And this situation is making my body quiver in ways it never has.

‘Let’s get you back.’

‘But I—’ I wanted to stay out there and kiss him all night.

‘We can go swimming again later.’ He stepped back.

‘OK,’ I said, and was glad he kept holding my hand, feeling the warmth tingle up and down my arm.

‘Can you wait here a second?’ he asked. ‘Just stand in the shallows.’

‘A naked girl by herself at the beach? You better be quick.’ I turned to face the ocean, so no one could catch a glimpse.

He dashed off before I had a second to watch his body. I couldn’t believe this was happening. My last travel hurrah, and I was going to return with this story. What a story. My friends would never believe me.

In a few minutes he was back with two fluffy towels, one already around him, and a jumper for me.

‘Oh, and this.’ He held up a bag of chips and a bottle of whisky. ‘I nicked it from Brett’s stash.’

He held the towel around me, and then handed me my black dress, underwear and his jumper – which smelt like the ocean, and felt so warm. He took a sip of whisky and handed it to me. The liquid warmed up in seconds.

‘C’mon,’ he said. Dragging a few logs together, he started to make a fire. It was crackling in no time, and he laid out the towels for us to sit on.

‘Well, this is quite nice,’ I murmured, sitting down in front of the fire. ‘I didn’t realise it got this cool in the evenings in Fiji – isn’t it meant to be summer here all year round?’

‘Sometimes it gets cool, which is nice, because then you can cuddle up by a beach fire.’ He sat next to me, near enough to touch me. I could see the flames and reflection dancing on his face, in his eyes.

‘So, what’s your story, Emma?’ he asked.

I felt my body leaning slightly towards his. ‘Well, I’m a retired aqua aerobics World star, who’s bringing pink petal caps to the masses. And you?’

‘I’m a retired picnic rug, who got tired of people walking all over me.’

‘That’s terrible!’ We both laughed.

He paused. ‘Now, truthfully?’

‘Well, I’ve been travelling around the world for seven years, working here and there, and now here I am in Fiji.’

He gave a low whistle. ‘Wow. Seven years. I’m impressed. I think I’m heading back to London for work. Maybe via France. And Austria. Don’t tell me you’ve been there too?’

‘Why, yes, I have,’ I said and realised he was leaning close to me too. A burst of warmth and excitement spread across my chest. I wanted him to kiss me, and I didn’t even know what I was saying. I felt tongue-tied and nervous, and when I do that – I talk.

‘In fact, it sounds like you need travel advice, and, wouldn’t you know it, besides specialising in petal caps, I am a great travel guide and know lots of random facts about all kinds of things.’

‘Like?’

‘Like it would take one million two hundred thousand mosquitoes, each sucking once, to completely drain the average human of blood.’

‘Morbid, but interesting.’ He chuckled.

When we stopped talking, there was only the sound of the breeze through the palm trees.

‘How great would it be to do this, and travel, for the rest of our lives?’ I said.

‘Depends how you travel,’ he pointed out.

‘Good point. How about hiking in the wild, the mountains, waking up to fresh air and trees every morning, then a few nice hotels thrown in so you can remember what it’s like to wear a bathrobe, rather than a scratchy towel the size of a postage stamp?’

He laughed. ‘Yep, I know all about those towels. I spent some time on a boat travelling around Antarctica.’

‘Antarctica! What were you doing there?’

‘This sounds cheesy – but I took some time to volunteer with seals and penguins.’

‘Yep, you’re right, sounds very “I’m a dolphin trainer” to me,’ I said, trying not to laugh.

‘Do dolphin trainers even exist?’ he teased.

‘In every woman’s fantasy they do.’ I winked.

‘Oh, we’re sharing fantasies now!’ He laughed. ‘You do move fast.’

I playfully swatted his leg. ‘Well, right now, my fantasy would be to live by the ocean, perhaps in a palm tree.’

‘I hope you’ll wear clothes,’ he teased. ‘Could get sore.’

I suddenly became aware that I’d been completely naked before – it was strange to think that I hadn’t felt that awkward, that embarrassed, in fact I hadn’t really given it a thought.

‘I’m not the crazy idiot that decided to take off my clothes.’

‘Aren’t you?’ he asked with a smile.

‘Well.’ I nodded. ‘Perhaps I’ll call it peer pressure from a picnic rug.’

‘I’m not sure anyone would believe an inanimate object made you take off your clothes.’ Nick laughed then took a swig of whisky. There was a moment of comfortable silence between us, before he looked over at me with his gorgeous chocolate eyes. ‘So, if you could, would you stay in Fiji for a while, then?’

‘Why not? Sun, sand …’ I paused. Was it sex? God, was that the perfect trilogy?

‘And?’ he teased.

I waved my hand as if I were shooing away a fly. ‘You know the answer to that.’ Then I changed the subject. ‘So, what’s every man’s idea of a woman’s fantasy job?’

‘Well, personally speaking, I go a bit crazy for someone trekking up a mountain or taking photos in a double barrel wave.’

‘I’ve trekked through a jungle in the Amazon. Does that count?’ I asked coyly.

‘It sure does.’ He leaned in, putting his hand lightly on the small of my back. My stomach did a small flip as he asked, ‘Can I get you another whisky? Water?’

I couldn’t breathe for a second because he’d got too close, and now I could only smell the wonderful scent of his aftershave. Up close, I noticed he hadn’t shaved in a day or two and I wondered what his stubble would feel like. His perfect jaw line, his full lips.

‘I … I’ll just have a water,’ I stammered. ‘Actually, no, I’ll have a whisky.’

‘Both?’ He dug around in the bag in front of him. ‘I don’t want to get in trouble for looking like I’m trying to get you drunk.’

‘Are you?’ I teased, still thinking about his lips.

‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘Yes? But more no. I mean – how can I answer that?’

He handed me the bottle of whisky. I took a sip and let the warmth flush around my body. He pointed at the stars.

‘That’s Sirius there; look closely, can you see it flashing? It’s one of the nearest stars to us, but if you are patient you’ll see it has flashes of green and blue.’

‘Now, Mr Penguin Trainer, you’re just showing off,’ I said, my head tilted to the sky, trying not to look at him.

‘Am I?’ He was staring at me, instead of the stars.

He took a deep breath and looked back at the stars. ‘Where are you headed next?’

‘Who knows?’ I shrugged, trying not to think about kissing him. ‘Alaska,’ I said dreamily, thinking about my list of places to travel next. ‘Or the Galapagos Islands.’

‘I hear Alaska’s beautiful, but expensive.’

‘Kinda like Antarctica.’

‘Will you be volunteering with penguins?’

‘Maybe wolves.’ I smiled. ‘But they’re not as high on the totem pole as dolphin trainers or penguin volunteers.’

‘I’ve heard. Sadly, wolves are down near otter trainers or snake collectors.’

‘Well, I’m going there determined to bring the sexy back to wolves. Correction, sexy wolves back.’

He chuckled. ‘You’re bringing sexy wolves back. Where? In your suitcase?’

I laughed. ‘No, I meant … it was … a Justin Timberlake reference.’

‘Yes, I got that. I’m not that much older than you.’

‘Really?’ I teased. ‘Could have fooled me. Since you’ve got a lot more grey hairs than I do.’

‘Hey!’ He leaned away from me and covered his hair. ‘The truth doesn’t always need to be pointed out.’

I giggled and reached to point them out, but he ducked away. ‘And what do you have planned next, Mr Penguin Trainer?’

‘Well, me and my grey hairs may decide to step up on the career ladder, and earn lots and lots of money. Or just quit and travel. Or live somewhere near the beach. Or the country.’

‘That sounds wonderful,’ I said, thinking of my perfect place. ‘A little white country cottage?’

‘With a veggie garden,’ he added.

‘An apple orchard and a bunch of chickens.’

‘Definitely chickens. Some dogs too.’

‘A chocolate Labrador!’

He laughed. ‘How good would that life be?’

I sighed and took another sip of whisky. ‘I’d give up anything for some space and wildness out of the city. But how would I make money?’

‘How do you make it now?’

‘Oh, you know, bits and pieces.’ I thought back to my Mexican burrito days. Do not talk about them, they’re as sexy as mentioning that you wear granny panties three days in a row. ‘But I really like to paint and draw.’

I couldn’t believe I’d just said that. I’d always wanted to be an artist. But I’d never actually sold a painting; in fact, showing my paintings to people made me feel awkward and unsure, like I was handing them my baby, and asking was it ugly? For that reason, I hardly showed anyone my paintings Right now, in my backpack was a rolled-up wad of landscapes – the turquoise seas of Cyprus, a piece of Dubrovnik coastline, an old door I couldn’t stop looking at in Venice. They’d probably end up shoved to the back of my wardrobe. I hadn’t divulged my secret passion to anyone.

So, I couldn’t believe I was telling Nick this fact about me. I was used to meeting travellers, and going out with them for the night, sharing silly stuff, but this felt different, it felt much more personal.

‘I’d like to see one.’

‘Maybe one day.’ I smiled at him, and was surprised to realise I meant it.

Nick took the whisky bottle, which was dug in the sand, and took a swig. ‘I’ve been focused a lot on work these last few years. Working really long nights. It’s the same thing day in and day out. Deadlines. And appointments. And bills to pay. Being single, sometimes I’m not sure when to leave the office. Nothing to go home to, you know?’

I nodded. I did know that feeling.

‘Maybe you don’t, because you’re always travelling, being a free spirit, you probably have no idea what it’s like for us nine to fivers.’

I was about to let him know that I knew all too well, when he leaned in closer to me, and I could feel the warmth of his body. The smell of whisky and ocean salt on his lips. I forgot all my words. He paused for a second. ‘Do you ever get lonely, travelling by yourself?’

I swallowed as he leaned in closer, inches from my face.

‘Maybe,’ I said, then admitted, ‘sometimes I think that’s part of the reason I keep moving around the world so much.’

He looked into my eyes, and traced his finger along my cheek. The sound of the waves against the sand was a soft lull, like someone whispering. He leaned towards me and brushed a piece of hair back from my face. My stomach flipped. I could smell sea salt on him, and mint aftershave; his lips were close. He kissed me softly and I melted slightly. His lips were soft on mine as he held my face in one hand. I lost all track of time and the night. An hour could have passed. Or a second.

Finally, he broke away. ‘Wow.’

‘A lot, wow.’ I felt light-headed and dizzy.

‘Do you want to go home and warm up?’ he said, looking into my eyes, then he held up his hand. ‘And before you ask, this is not how I get girls back to my villa. This is how I hopefully get you back to my villa.’

I nodded quickly. He put out the fire, grabbed towels and my hand and led me across the soft white sand. His villa was about fifty metres further down the beach. A white stucco town house, with white tiles inside, an open-plan kitchen, a long, carpeted corridor, and a small plunge pool at the back in a green-grass courtyard.

‘You own this?’ I think my mouth was hanging open.

‘Part own it. It’s a timeshare.’ Nick threw the bags down on his blue striped couch. ‘C’mon, let’s get warm.’

He disappeared down the hall to the right. I peered in the doorway just in time to see him stepping naked into the shower, and letting out a sigh.

‘It’s hot! And feels so good,’ he called out, leaving the shower door open.

‘Um, both of us?’ I asked from the hallway.

‘Sure, why not?’ Nick shrugged. ‘Don’t you want to warm up?’

Despite the rivers of alcohol pumping around my body, I was still shivering and cold. I caught a glance of myself in the bathroom mirror; my bottom lip looked almost blue.

‘OK, then.’ I took a deep breath, peeled off my dress and underwear and quickly stepped carefully into the shower. Nick guided my shoulders and moved me until I was in the middle of the water. My ice-cold feet and hands started to tingle as the blood rushed back into them. I paused at this point, aware of him being naked, standing behind me. I imagined him getting closer, whispering in my ear, and it shot a tingle down my back.He squeezed a line of body wash across my shoulders and started to massage it deeply into my neck, my shoulders, my arms, down my back. Warm water. Suds. He turned me to face him. Fire curled around my belly, and I wanted him to kiss me.

As if sensing my thoughts, he leaned down and brushed his cheek against my lips. I could feel the tiny stubble against my skin, his square jaw. My stomach fluttered. He cupped both my cheeks with his hands and kissed me, gently. It wasn’t the type of kiss where I was thinking, where should I put my hand? Which way do I tilt my head? Tongue? Or no tongue? We just came together, and my brain thought of absolutely nothing except how amazing it felt to kiss him. It felt right.

When we broke away from our kiss, I was so light-headed I almost needed to put my hand on the shower glass to steady myself. I closed my eyes and felt as if I were floating. When I opened them, Nick was looking at me intently.

‘Are you warm?’

I laughed. ‘Um yes.’ Because I couldn’t be warmer, but he was turning off the shower. The water stopped running, and he was stepping out and handing me a towel, and as I stepped onto the fluffy white bathmat and dried off, I thought, oh, that’s it?

And I felt disappointed by that. Not disappointed like I’d felt with Norse God – because that had been nothing. But disappointed because I liked Nick, in a way that I probably shouldn’t. I liked him more than any of the guys I’d been on awkward dating app first dates with. I liked him enough to want to see him again. I liked him in a way that made me not care about what I ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’ do, because I knew what I wanted right in this moment – to be with him, to sleep with him, to stay here, and wake up next to him.

As if reading my mind, he waited until I had dried off, and wrapped the towel around my body. ‘Do you want to stay?’

I nodded.

He led me down the white-tiled hallway to his bedroom. Without saying a word, he leaned down and lifted me up – effortlessly – his muscles flexing, he slid me onto the bed. I’d always dreamed of an amazing man, a sexy, wild version of me, a beach hut somewhere, but nothing like this.

Was this happening? My stomach fluttered and I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his face towards me. He kissed me again, passionately. ‘I like it when you do that,’ he said.

He traced his lips over my lips, then my cheek, following the line of my neck down the right side, leaving soft kisses that gave me goosebumps, then licking in long strokes, and finally tiny bites. He tugged gently on my hair, then a little stronger, pulling my head back, and exposing my neck to his kisses.

He moved his hands to cup my breasts. I arched my back, and he sucked my right nipple in his mouth. I moaned with intensity, all other thoughts immediately leaving my head.

‘I thought you’d be the noisy type.’ He licked between my breasts and looked up at me.

‘Do you like noisy?’ I asked coyly, letting my fingers float across his perfect chest and abs, honed to perfection, smooth and taut.

‘God,’ he moaned, ‘I love it.’

I’d always dreamed of a summer fling, but nothing like this.

I curled my legs around his back, locking my ankles, pulling him closer to me. Without thinking, I leaned forward, licked his neck, then whispered in his ear, ‘I want you.’

His hot breath was on my chin, on my neck, as he ground into me. Our bodies rocked against each other. He grabbed onto my thighs where he was holding me, so hard, that he left fingerprints. I scratched my fingernails down his back. The pain and pleasure pushed us both over the edge in a large shudder. He groaned and fell into me, gently placing me back on the bed, kissing my lips gently.

We stayed there for a minute, not moving.

‘I did not know this was going to happen,’ I said, panting from the effort.

‘Why are you panting? I did all the work!’ He laughed.

I swatted his arm. ‘I was doing a lot of hip action there too, buddy. It takes yoga classes to get that flexible.’

He leaned back and looked into my eyes. ‘That was amazing.’

‘Sleep time?’ I asked, suddenly exhausted and wanting to feel his warm body pressed against me all night.

‘Sleep time,’ he said, kissing me gently on the tip of my nose. ‘My bed is king size. It’s comfy, I promise.’

He tossed me a T-shirt and shorts from the top of the wicker basket. ‘I only wore them earlier today for ten minutes – they’re clean.’

When I put them on, they smelled of him slightly, his minty aftershave. I collapsed onto the bed and yawned again, almost slipping instantly into sleep.

Nick crawled on the bed next to me, one arm around me, tucking my hair away from my face. I wanted him to kiss me, but before I could do anything, I fell asleep feeling his soft warm breath tickling my skin and listening to the sounds of the ocean in the distance.