It’s time to take my woman back to our room.
21
Nikki
“Despiértate, corazón,”Tony whispers in my ear.
I slowly blink and try to orient myself to my surroundings. I’m covered by a towel and wrapped in Tony’s arms while sitting on his lap.
“You fell asleep on the ride over. We’re docked now.”
Oh, right. Guess dancing to Daddy Yankee really does take it out of a girl.
I yawn and stretch before attempting to stand. Tony takes that as his cue to carry me bridal style as he carefully steps off the boat and onto the dock.
I wrap both of my arms behind his neck as I say, “You don’t have to carry me. I can walk, you know.”
“I know I don’t have to, but I want to.” He smirks down at me. “By the way, you were humming to ‘Gasolina’ in your sleep.”
I gasp. “I was not!”
His chest rumbles with laughter. “No, you weren’t. But it’s only fair I mess with you after that stunt you just pulled on me.”
I shrug. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I was just doing what you told me to do. Plus, I don’t see why it would be a slight to you.”
His hand carrying my leg gives me a quick pinch. I squeal, shimmying higher into his hold.
We hop on an awaiting golf cart and ride in companionable silence to our bungalow.
Once we arrive, Tony offers to let me use the bathroom first, and I don’t hesitate to run upstairs to wash all of the sand and sea out of my hair. I let the warm water cascade over my body as a highlight reel of our day plays in my mind. I don’t even realize I’m smiling until I turn in the shower and face the massive mirrored wall opposite me. Rich people must be very conceited to want to shower while staring at themselves, but now I’m glad I caught a glimpse of myself in this moment.
A moment of happiness.
Lost in my thoughts about Tony.
I shut off the water and wrap one towel in my hair and another around my body. I take the stairs down to the main floor. I almost miss the last steps as Tony walks in from the patio. He’s dripping wet with a towel hanging dangerously low on his hips.
“I used the outdoor shower. Didn’t want you to feel rushed up there.”
I simply nod, since words would take too much effort at this time.
Tony and I are frozen in place with just a few flimsy towels standing in the way of us being completely naked. The look on Tony’s face tells me that the same thought has just occurred to him too.
He shakes his head but doesn’t hide his small smile. “Go ahead and change in the closet. I have my clothes out here.” He points to his clothes folded on the bed.
Our bed.
“Yeah. Right. Sure. On it.” I scurry past him, and only once the closet door is closed behind me do I allow my brain the much-needed oxygen it was lacking in the past few minutes.
My face feels like it’s on fire. One look at Antonio post-shower and all that ground we gained today as friends has vanished.
Because friends don’t look at friends like that.
Friends don’t picture each other naked.
And friends most certainly don’t make you hornier than you’ve ever been in your entire life.
I pick out a black spaghetti-strapped cotton pajama dress. My skin is still hot from the sun, the shower,andthe naked man in my room. I need a material that will at least let my skin breathe, even if I cannot.
