I didn’t like it. Not at all. It made it feel … well, real. And that scared me because despite wanting this to work, I was ready for it not to. I had to prepare myself for the worst because the worst always knocked at my door. I knew how to handle it if I kept my emotions hidden. The problem was Ream knocked loud, and with Ream I was afraid he would bust right through. He was right, this wasn’t about sex.
No sounds came from the kitchen, so I walked out the screen door and peered down at the dock. Ream sat with his feet in the water, a mug beside him. He hadn’t noticed me yet, so I stood and watched as he swirled his feet back and forth leaning back on his elbows, his face tilted toward the sun.
Wow. There was nothing of the man I knew down there. Even when we had the two weeks at the farm, he had an edge to him. This was a part of Ream I’d never witnessed. He looked completely relaxed and content, and I suspected if I were closer, I’d be able to witness the tension gone from his face.
Was that why he brought me here? So I could see this side of him? Why did he look so … at peace?
I went back inside, careful to quietly close the door so he wouldn’t know I was awake, then I went in search of my cell phone. It had to be here somewhere.
I went through the kitchen drawers and cupboards, then the dresser in the bedroom, messing up all the neat piles of clothes he’d placed there last night. Then I looked under the bed, in the nightstands, went through his pockets, and even searched the fridge, which surprisingly was full of food. He had someone come stock the place before we arrived? How long had he planned on bringing me here?
“Find what you’re looking for?”
I bolted upright from looking in the bottom drawer of the oven and smashed my head on the corner of a cupboard I’d left open. “Oww. Shit.” I rubbed the spot and then closed the offending cupboard door. “Where’s my phone? I need to call, Emily.”
“I already did. Next.”
I clamped my jaw and glowered. “I need to know the time. There isn’t a clock in this place.”
“Where are you going that you need to know the time?”
I had no answer. I just wanted to know.
And Jesus, I really wish he’d put on a shirt. Ream watched me, the corners of his lips curved up. I pursed my lips together and glared back. He knew exactly what he was doing.
“I need to call Matt.”
“Matt knows we went away.”
“Yes, but he needs to know where we are.”
“You mean you need to know where we are.”
Shit.
“Babe, enough of the fuckin’ needs and get your suit on and come down to the dock.” He walked to the coffee maker and poured two cups. His tats glistened with sweat, and the ones over his shoulder blades expanded as he picked up the mugs. “And stop thinking about everyone else for a change.” He paused then added, “Except me. You can think of me deep inside your pussy anytime.” He hesitated and I saw a flicker of unease in his eyes as he said, “Or would you like to suck me off again?”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
He turned and leaned up against the counter, steaming coffees in hand, chest staring at me like a beacon for my fingers to trail over the contours of valleys and hills. He raised his mug and took a sip, his eyes never once leaving me. “Guess that’s a no?”
“Yeah, it’s a no. It’s your stupid rule about the no sex.”
He shrugged. “Haven’t you ever broken the rules?” He paused then he did the sexiest move ever, eyes intense and smoldering, slightly lazy. He slowly trailed his gaze from the tips of my toes up to my mouth, hesitated, then locked on my eyes. “Mmm, you’re right. We can’t break the rules. Meet you down at the water, baby.”
I noticed my fingers were pinching my arms, and I quickly let them fall to my sides as he nonchalantly brushed aside his obvious sexual perusal of my body. Christ, I needed a cold shower. I crossed my arms over my breasts where I knew my nipples were erect as shivers trickled across my skin. “I don’t feel like putting on my bathing suit.”
“You want to find out what happens if you don’t?” The playful tone was gone and the scary, dominant ass returned. Shit, I couldn’t figure out what turned me on more.
I glared and he met it head-on with his annoyingly hot, sexy expression of a man brooding.
“If you’re not dressed in five minutes, I’m coming back up here.” He strode to the sliding door and opened it with his foot. “Wear the red one.”
I gawked. A red bathing suit? I didn’t own a red bathing suit.
I wore my white and gold bathing suit that was packed along with a red one that I’d never seen before. I tossed it into the bathroom trash and then proceeded to tell myself that this was a good idea. Then I wrapped my soft white sheer wrap around me and made my way down to the water.
Ream stood on the edge of the dock, his tall lean form a picture of perfection. Suddenly, he threw his arms forward and dove into the water. I stopped dead in my tracks, my breath caught in my throat while I watched him surface and shake his head, water droplets dispersing into the air. He ran his hand down his face, and from the side profile I could see the usual tightness around his mouth was gone.
And I liked it. What was I doing? What were we doing? What we needed was to fuck and get it out of both our systems. This ridiculous idea of no sex was just that—ridiculous.
Ream disappeared beneath the surface again and reappeared several feet farther out. Then he began swimming, his muscular arms rhythmically pulling him through the water easily.