“Ashley thinks we should keep pretending to have a relationship.”
Huh. Ashley actually had a point.
“Ashley wants us to pretend to have sex.”
“I don’t think pretend was what she had in mind. Ashley’s open-minded.”
And then some. Ashley had a one-night rule herself. Levi had bitched about it more than once.
“I’m not pretending to have sex with you.”
“Wow,” she said. “Thanks for the confidence booster.”
Was that hurt in her eyes? Because he wasn’t that much of a dick. Not intentionally. “I definitely want to have sex with you. Real sex,” he added softly, when she didn’t say anything. This was why one-nighters were simpler. More sex, less talking.
She pursed her lips. “Ashley made this sound easy.”
There wasn’t a single easy thing about them. He knew that. And so did she.
“It would bolster my cover story,” he said helpfully. Honestly, he had no idea if Marcos had spies on Fantasy Island. If he did, it seemed even more far-fetched that said spies would be less inclined to spot Gray for what and who he was if he was having sex with one of the resort guests. However, he was still selfish. And he wanted Laney Parker. So...he’d run with it. “If you pretended to be my vacation hookup.”
She nodded. “Pretend relationship. Real sex. I can work with that, but just for the record, I still think having sex with you is a bad idea.”
“But?”
“But I’m going to do it, anyhow.” She sighed.
“Tonight. My place.” He forced himself to step away from her, before he did something really stupid, like gather her up in his arms in the towel hut. Her soft protest followed him as he left.
“Wait. We should set a time.”
He wasn’t scheduling sex with her. He wanted to be more than another to-do in her phone. “When you want me, come and find me,” he said and slipped out into the rain.
11
LANEY STEPPED ONTO the path leading to the resort’s employee housing. This was crazy. She should turn around and go back to her bungalow. But anticipation fizzed through her, and she knew she wasn’t going anywhere but forward. To Gray. The sun had set and the lights lining the path had come on. Since he had refused to pick a time for their date—and she’d decided to call it a date rather than casual vacation sex hookup—she’d waited until night fell. Fantasy sex and darkness seemed to go together.
In addition to being unsure of the time, she wasn’t sure of the dress code for an early-evening sex date. In the end, she’d gone with a red-and white-striped sundress. The dress tied around her neck with two delicate strings that ended in tiny brass beads and brushed against the bare skin of her back. It made her feel sexy, and sexy was good. Heels weren’t happening with the resort’s gravel path, plus, she clumped ungracefully in anything other than flats, so she’d settled on a pair of cute sandals. And she’d gone all out and added lip gloss. Woo-hoo. Her feminine arsenal definitely needed restocking. As a newbie surgeon working eighty-hour weeks, she hadn’t had time for date clothes.
Not that Gray seemed to mind.
He seemed to like her just the way she was. Although he definitely had a preference for naked.
She liked him naked, too.
Someone stepped out onto the path behind her. She didn’t hear him move. One second, she was alone and the next, a big, hard body pressed up against hers. Maybe they included ninja classes at BUD/S training. Even as she recognized him, her heartbeat picked up in anticipation. Her imagination immediately kicked in, too, suggesting all sorts of naughty possibilities.
“If you give me a heart attack, neither of us is going to enjoy tonight,” she said lightly as Gray set his hands on her hips and tugged her back against him. Where else would he put his hands? He wasn’t an ask first, act second man and, as un-PC as it was, she loved that about him.
“Tonight’s my turn,” he growled.
Ooh. He was as good at being cryptic as he was at super stealth.
“And hello to you, too.” She wriggled backward and, yep, he was definitely glad to see her even if his verbal greeting left something to be desired. She could feel his mighty impressive erection through his pants, and that part of him was definitely perfect. She also liked the way he held on to her. Okay, she liked it a lot. She wasn’t going anywhere until he said so, and the feeling of powerlessness was an unexpected turn-on.
“Your place?” She prompted, when he didn’t move. She definitely wasn’t doing it on the path. Not only were they in a very public spot, but there would also be insects. Crickets or mutant jungle bugs whined from the dense screen of palm trees nearby. No way she was exposing flesh around them.