“Youjumped? That’s a pretty impressive vertical leap. Have you ever played basketball?”
“Don’t make fun of me,” she warned, pointing the frying pan at my face. “Or you’ll be sleeping outside with the millipedes.”
I stepped closer, glancing at the empty floor before I held out my hands. “The bugs are a definite downside of the tropics, but you can get down now.”
She didn’t move. In fact, she tightened her grip on the pan. “I’ll squish you. You’ll drop me.”
“What?”
“If I panic, I might kick you. Or hit you. Or both.”
“I can take it.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I,” I said, taking another step closer. “Just get down. Unless you’re going to stay up there for the rest of the trip.”
She hesitated, but reluctantly shuffled closer to the edge. “Fine, but if I die, it’s on you.”
“I’ll take that risk.” I reached up with my hands settling under her arms to lift her down, but as soon as I touched her, I regretted every choice I’d made that had led to this moment.
Jacqueline was only wearing a shirt, long and worn out, but it did absolutely nothing to hide the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra. A fact that became painfully obvious the second my hands made contact.
Naturally, my body reacted accordingly, once again not giving a shit that we were faking it. I set her down as fast as I could, letting go as abruptly as if she’d burned me. The last thing I needed to do was have sex with my girlfriend.
“See?” I said, stepping back as she smoothed her shirt like nothing had happened. “No injuries or deaths required. You’re welcome.”
Without waiting for her to respond, I turned away and made a quick, strategic exit back to my room, shutting the door behind me and bracing my hands against it like that might somehow fix the situation.
“Fuck,” I breathed. “I should have picked someone less hot to fake it with.”
I stared at the wall for a long second, trying to get a handle on myself, but when I glanced down the length of my bare abdomen, my boxers were still tented.Motherfucker. You cannot not do this, body. Behave.
Forcing myself to move, I pushed off the door, making myself think about literally anything else as I got dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. I considered another shower, but that would make it too tempting to release the pressure I was feeling.
No. Nope. Just no. Not going there.
It took longer than usual before I had myself together again, but by the time I got back to the kitchen, I was okay. Jacqueline was leaning against the counter now, no longer armed even if she still looked mildly offended by the existence of tropical wildlife.
She glanced up as I walked in, her gaze flicking over me before a slow, teasing smile pulled at her lips. “Well, that was informative.”
My eyes narrowed, but my heart started pounding.She noticed. Fuck, of course, she noticed. I was only wearing underwear. “What are you talking about?”
“I didn’t realize you were so committed to the wholebeach lifestylething, but the boxers really sold it.”
I pursed my lips, grabbing a glass of water just to give myself something to do, and I tossed her a hopefullynotflirtatious grin over my shoulder. “You’re obsessed with me.”
“Hardly.” She smirked as she turned back to the espresso machine. “At least I finally know now how you manage to bag so many models.”
Everything in me slammed to a stop.Oh, come on. I’m trying here, universe. I’m really, actually trying, but just give me a break already. “I’m sorry?”
She didn’t look at me, too busy fiddling with buttons and settings. “I’m just saying. It’s no mystery.”
I stared at the back of her head, trying and failing to see straight into it.Wait. Just wait a fucking second. Is she attracted to me too? That’s going to be a problem. For real.
Suddenly, I became very aware of her, right there, and me, right here, in this kitchen together, alone in an excruciatingly empty house. Far, far away from everyone and everything. I knew I was toeing a line I probably shouldn’t even be looking at, but…How bad is it, really?
I felt my forehead crease when I realized I didn’t actually know. If anything, giving in to temptation might make things easier. Usually, I lost interest in women after a night or two of fun. Maybe the pattern would repeat itself with Jacqueline. All I had to do was put my arms around her and kiss her. It might not solve all my problems but it might take care of one burning need.