“Yeah.”
I close my eyes, and we both go quiet. The next thing I know I’m waking up, confused. Where the hell am I? My brain kicks into gear, and that’s when I realize one arm and one leg are thrown over Wes.
“Ohmigod,” I say, and I’m about to pull away but he holds me to him. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You were tired. It’s no big deal.” He brushes my hair from my face and smiles. My heart misses a beat as his warm gaze moves over my face. “You don’t snore, but you kick around a lot in your sleep.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not a big deal, not out here in this wide-open space, but if you’re in that small bunk bed above me, you might hurt yourself, or worse, fall overboard and land in my bed.”
I take in his playful look, the mischief dancing in his gorgeous eyes. “What…what are you suggesting?”
“That maybe you should just start out in my bed. Either way, you’re probably going to wake up in it.”
Did Wes just come right out and ask me to sleep with him?
9
Wes
“We need to get you warmed up,” I say to Charlie as she continues to shiver, her body shaking as she drives us back to our dome. I reach out and rub her arm to create heat with friction, yet her teeth continue to rattle. If I had it my way, I’d take her into the back seat and use my body to warm her properly, not to mention my mouth or my cock. My dick twitches, liking that idea.
“How are you not cold?” she asks through chattering teeth as she casts me a suspicious glance. “You have zero body fat, and that water was below freezing.”
“You think I have zero body fat?” I ask and she rolls her eyes. “For the record, I am cold, and that water was a balmy minus two at the most.” It’s a fib. I’m not cold. I’m downright hot. Seeing her in her sexy one-piece bathing suit heated the blood in my veins, and not even the cold Atlantic waters could douse the fire singeing my skin. I peel my T-shirt off and hand it to her. “Pull this on.”
“I don’t believe you,” she grumbles. “You’re not even shivering. Maybe all that muscle keeps you warm.”
“You think I have a lot of muscle?” I tease, just to get a reaction out of her and she rewards me with a shake of her head.
“It’s a simple observation. Save your charm for the whales. It’s lost on me.”
I laugh at that and take the wheel from the passenger seat, enjoying the easiness between us. While I want to spend time with my friends, I’m grateful for this time alone with Charlie. I like getting to know her. I steer as she tugs on my big shirt and hugs herself.
“What about being a gentleman? Is that lost on you too?” I ask.
“No, I really appreciate the shirt.” She flashes me a grateful smile and my heart skips a couple beats. She is so freaking sweet and gorgeous, and I don’t even think she knows it. I like that about her. She’s a natural beauty, doesn’t have to work at it, and is less than interested in impressing me, even though everything she does is highly impressive.
“I think I’m going to have to get into the hot tub,” she mumbles.
“Yeah, me too.”
She casts me a quick glance. “You’re not cold.”
“I am.” I hug myself. “Freezing.” She rolls her eyes at me and continues to drive. I turn the air conditioning to heat, and roll my window up as a breeze washes in. “Better?”
“I don’t think I’ll ever get warm again.”
Her teeth continue to chatter as she drives and a few minutes later we pull up to our dome. Nothing is too far on this island.
“Come on,” I say, and circle the car, and put her under my arm as I lead her to the hot tub, which is nestled in between domes one and two, so all guests can enjoy it. “I shouldn’t have coaxed you into the water. My bad.”
“I wanted to go in. Besides,” she casts me a fast glance. “It’s my job to ensure my guests are having fun, remember?”
“So you’d do anything to make it a good guest experience, huh?” I ask, a leading question, I know.
She eyes me, like she knows exactly what’s going through my lust-rattled brain. “Define anything?”