“Sí, sí. Hablamos pronto, cariño.”
“Talk soon. Love you.” I tell her, feeling only slightly guilty for not telling her the whole truth.
After leaving Airlie Gardens, I took Teagan back to his apartment but didn’t go inside this time for fear of jumping his bones. The goodbye kiss he gave me was long, deep, and sinful. Leaving me breathless, he promised he’d pick me up in the morning and drive us to Avon for our getaway.
Now I’m stuck staring at the pile of clothes on my bed, trying to decide what to pack. It’s cooler on the East Coast this time of year, so I’m not expecting us to be beach bums, but I’ll still bring a swimsuit. I’m well aware of my figure, having come to terms with the fact that I will always be considered plus size. It took me a long time to learn to love myself and my body, and while I’ll never get to live out my ultimate sexual fantasy of being picked up and slammed against a wall, I love the way I look—inandout of my clothes. So I pack the white bikini with high-waisted, lattice-side bottoms.
I start a load of laundry before making my way to the shower. It’s safe to assume that Teagan and I will beup close and personal,so shaving and exfoliating is a must. My heart races every time I think about the possibility of sleeping with him. The last time I had sex was three years ago, and otherthan my vibrator, I’m out of practice. But the drive is in no way missing. Kissing Teagan has proven that.
* * *
¡Carajo!.
I overslept and forgot to put my clothes in the dryer last night, so the underwear I was going to wear won’t be dry in time. Teagan will be here in about thirty minutes and I’m not fully packed. Looking into my underwear drawer, the only clean panties and bra I have are a red, lacy set I bought on a whim. Whatever. It will have to do.
There’s a knock on my door just as I’m zipping my bag. Taking a deep breath, I glance in the mirror hanging in the hallway and give myself a reassuring smile. I’m an independent woman capable of making decisions, of taking control of my life. With that, I open the door confidently.
“Morning, Lovely,” Teagan says in a low voice, eyes roaming from my head all the way down to my feet.
“Buenos dias,” I murmur as I check him out in return. Why is a tight, black t-shirt so hot? And that ball cap?
“Like what you see?” His lips pull up into a knowing smile and I don’t even want to deny it.
“I do,” I tell him. “You look good in a hat.”
“Fan of the cap, are ya?” When he lifts a hand to pull on the bill of the hat, his shirt raises, showing off a sliver of skin. “I’ll wear one every day if you want me to.”
“I might let you.”
He chuckles before asking, “Ready?”
“Yeah.” With a nod, I say, “Let’s do this.”
Teagan
It’s late afternoon by the time we reach the rental. The drive took about five hours, but passed by in a blur thanks to easy conversation with Layla. We talked about nearly everything, except that we are spending nearly a week alone together—and the elephant in the room that is our physical attraction to each other. I want her. Christ, do I want her, but the last thing I want is for her to feel like the whole reason we’re taking this trip is so I can fuck her. She’s calling the shots. If she wants to spend the entire time binging her favorite TV show, that’s fine with me. I’m delighted just to be able to have a conversation without Rowan interrupting.
Following the prompts from the SatNav, we find the rental with relative ease. The property sits right on the beach, with a small wooden walkway that leads from the porch to the water. I park the car in the drive and we exit, stretching our limbs from the long drive.
“This is adorable,” Layla says, eyes roaming over the sage green exterior.
“Aye, looks really nice. Well found, Eamon.”
She turns her eyes towards me and smiles sweetly. “I hate that they weren’t able to come here. Norah would have loved this.”
I nod in agreement, though I don’t think I know Norah well enough to make that assumption.
“Shall we?” I gesture towards the door.
“Sure. I think I’m going to walk the beach as soon as we unload though. Would you like to join?”
“‘Course I would,” I tell her as I unlock and open the door.
The space is clean and cozy. A big, over-stuffed couch and chair with soft-looking pillows and blankets fill most of the living area. There’s a small fireplace in one corner, and an entire wall of windows facing the ocean. Connected to the living area is an eat-in kitchen and a small, round table with two chairs. On the other side is a short hallway with three doors. The first turns out to be a linen closet, and the second is the bathroom, which leaves the last door—the bedroom. One bedroom with one bed. I’m just about to call out for Layla when she comes to stand next to me.
“Oh.”
“I’ll take the couch,” I say quickly, not wanting to put any pressure on her.
