“Okay,” she said. “I’ll go.”
“Great. Why don’t you go take some time to yourself today? I’ll play with the kids, call and set up the nanny, and all you have to worry about is being ready to go by six.”
“Fine,” she said. “Six, it is.”
I spent the afternoon playing with the kids, but when I broke the news to them about my plans for the evening, they were not happy. First, they begged us to stay home, then they begged us to let them come along. I explained to them that I wanted some alone time with Miss Brooke, and that sent Sydney to her room in tears. Daniel stomped up after her and I sighed, exasperated by the mood swings of my children.
It was just one of those days.
The ringing doorbell sounded and relief flooded my veins. Finally, someone else to deal with their tantrums. I walked the nanny through the house and showed her where things were, but the moment Brooke stepped into the kitchen, my jaw went slack.
She had on a beautiful teal and yellow dress that fell over her body. It clung to her breasts and dipped salaciously at her waist. The fabric fluttered around her knees with every step she took, and the heels she had on flexed her calves in a way that made me want to sling her over my shoulder and take her into my room. The valley of her breasts housed a necklace that almost disappeared into her soft skin. Her hair was piled on top of her head and her earrings dangled from her ears.
She was drawing me in, like she did all those years ago.
I offered her my arm and the two of us walked to the cab I had called. I was worried about my kids, but I was determined to give Brooke a night away. I had dinner reservations for us at the best restaurant on the island, and the dimly lit atmosphere cast shadows along her skin that made me want to run my fingertips along every surface of her body.
There wasn’t much talking over dinner, but I got the sense that Brooke wasn’t in the mood to talk. The only reason why I didn’t break the silence was that I felt her foot resting beside mine, gravitating toward me like she had in bed, and resting against my warmth.
I caught her staring at me every now and again, and it sent shockwaves of relief through my veins.
Maybe that was all it was.
Maybe she was simply overwhelmed and needed an evening away.
We wrapped up dinner and I escorted her back to the cab, then we set off to the other part of our journey. There was a dance club on the other side of the island. There would be drinks and bonfires, good music, and sand beneath our feet. We removed our shoes and held them in our hands as I twirled her around. She laughed and spun around as our bodies moved to the beat of the music filling the air.
She looked happy.
Beautiful.
Radiant in the firelight.
At one point, I grabbed her hand and spun her into me, but she stumbled somehow. She fell into me and I caught her, our eyes connecting underneath the Caribbean moon. The wind kicked up and pulled the hair from the bun on her head, and it began whipping around both of us. Closing us off from the crowd as I steadied her on her feet, I wrapped my arms around her and drew her nearer to me, basking in her warmth as her breasts pressed up against my body.
I could feel her breathing shallow, and a tint come to her cheeks. I reached down and took a chance, nuzzling my nose against hers.
And I felt her sigh against my lips.
Grazing my skin against hers, I felt her lips puckering to meet mine. Her hair was fluttering about and her dress was rising up the backs of her legs as each song flowed into the next. I cupped her cheek, my thumb grazing her chin before I grasped it.
I tilted her lips into mine, with only millimeters of ocean air between us.
“Kevin.”
“Yes, Brooke?”
“I—”
I waited for her words and hung on her every breath as my hand fell to her lower back. I pressed her hips into mine, closing the only other gap we had between us. Her eyes were dancing along my face as my thumb stroked her skin, waiting for her to finish her statement and open herself up to me again.
But before she could finish, my phone buzzed in my pocket.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Hold on.”
I heard Brooke let loose the breath she was holding and the moment was lost.
“What?” I asked.