She smiles like a woman who's thoroughly satisfied and relaxed. "That was amazing. Thank you."
"No, thank you. I've never shagged a woman on a patio chaise, and I've never come so hard for any other woman."
"Mm, it was mind-blowing for me too."
I brush sweaty hairs away from her cheek. "Stay with me all night. Please. I need to enjoy your body several more times before I leave for the airport."
"Love to stay." She catches my bottom lip between her teeth and teases it with her tongue, then lets it go. "Can we have more champagne?"
"Absolutely. And I'll order dinner for us." I trace a fingertip down her cheek. "We'll eat in bed."
"Yes, definitely." She sits up and stretches, giving me a lovely view of her tits from underneath. "I need the bathroom first, though."
While she wanders off to do that, I marvel at what's happened to me today. I'd been ready to take a swim, alone, and then embark on my pointless trip to a different beach where Dexter would stand me up. After that, I would've hidden in my suite all night. I'm still leaving at six o'clock in the morning. I will never see this woman again. It's for the best since my life leaves no room for a relationship, and besides, no decent woman would want to get entangled in the mess that is my world.
But for tonight, I have a passionate angel in my arms.
That's right, you arse, so enjoy it.
Yes, I mean to do that all night. Who cares about sleeping? I can do that on the plane.
Chapter Three
Maddie
I wake up in the morning alone in an enormous bed, tangled in the sheets. If I'm going to wake up hogtied by Egyptian cotton, I want to feel a hot man lying beside me. But no, I don't get to do that. My mystery man skulked out while I was asleep, though I probably shouldn't characterize it as skulking since he told me he would leave at six o'clock. I tried to stay awake to say goodbye, but my brain had other ideas. It said, "Sleep." So I slept.
The reason I got wiped out involves more than hours of fantastic sex. My companion fell asleep first, so I took the opportunity to, um…snoop. What? He wouldn't tell me his name, and my scientist brain needs to know. I thrive on facts, not cloak-and-dagger stuff. So yeah, I poked around until I found his wallet with his UK driver's license tucked inside it. It looks a lot like an American license, though they format dates a little differently. The license has his photo—and of course, he looks gorgeous in that picture, unlike everyone else in the world who looks like a depressed criminal in a driver's license photo. Well, I look that way, at least.
The most important fact on his license is his name. Last night, I slept with Richard Cornelius Hunter. He lives in someplace called Colchester. I hadn't brought my phone with me to this rendezvous, so I can't google the name of that town to find out where exactly it is. I'll do that once I get back to my room.
Does it even matter now? He's gone. We had mind-blowing sex, I snooped in his wallet, and he sneaked out while I was asleep. End of story. I need to move on and forget about Richard Cornelius Hunter, though I plan to hold the memory of last night in my mind forever. I'm not a sentimental idiot. It's like a mental souvenir, that's all.
I file that memory away in my mind, stretch, and swing my legs over the bed's edge. My soles meet the cool wood floor, and I wiggle my toes to enjoy the sensation. My gaze drifts to the side of the room that's completely open to the outdoors and the fiery glow of the sun rising behind the building where I can't see it. I raise my arms high above my head and stretch again, sighing with contentment. Maybe I should be embarrassed by what I did last night, but all I feel is good. For the first time in ages, I did not think about work for almost an entire day.
Even during the hours between when I met Richard and when we spent the night together, I did not think about my job. I strolled along the beach, enjoyed the scenery, had a fabulous massage in the resort spa, and read a book. Yep, I did that. The workaholic scientist read an entire romance novel in three hours. Sure, it had been a short book. A novella, I guess they call it. Still, I read it in one sitting, taking breaks only to pee and to get a bottle of water. I sat on the resort veranda and read.
That book had been hot, but nowhere near as scorching as last night.
How many times did Richard and I have sex? I lost count. We enjoyed each other in the pool, on the sofa, and finally in bed—twice. We also made inventive use of our mouths and hands to make each other come, so yeah, I can't say for sure how many orgasms were involved. I've never had that much sex in one night. It's left me a little sore, but in a good way. The soreness will be a temporary memento of the best night of my life.
I get up and find my bikini, then put it on and slip the gauzy shirt on over it. Now I'm at least presentable when I walk back to my room on the discount side of the resort building. Richard paid for one of the luxury suites, which makes me wonder if he's rich. Or maybe the company he works for gave him a luxury vacation as thanks for his hard work.
Yeah, right. Employers do that so often.
Maybe his family gave him a Caribbean vacation as a present, but none of that matters because I will never see him again.
I hunt around for a few more minutes until I find my sandals, then I slide my feet into them and head for the door, swinging it open.
A woman with dark, curly hair yelps. She's standing right outside the door holding a keycard in her hand like she was about to open the door herself. Since she's wearing a maid's uniform, I figure this isn't another woman Richard seduced during his stay here.
"Sorry," I say. "Didn't mean to scare you. I was just leaving."
"Don't worry," she says in her lovely Caribbean accent. "I'm used to meeting guests while they're sneaking out of someone else's room."
I don't take offense because she doesn't sound annoyed or disgusted. She sounds like she's had this same experience many times before. And she smiles, which makes me feel less like last night's lover who got caught by the maid.
"Have a good morning," I say while I hurry away.