in this moment, with his eyes on me, none of that actually matters, and for the first time since I arrived on this island, I’m really happy that I am alone.
West pushes his sunglasses up onto his forehead, showing me those gorgeous gray eyes of his.
“Hey,” I say. God, I’m so cool and sophisticated.
His lips quirk into a full smile. “Well, hey there, Double D.”
I sigh. “Didn’t we already have this conversation?”
“Which conversation?”
“The one where I told you not to call me that and you agreed.”
“Did we?”
“Yes.”
“Huh. I must have forgotten that. Speaking of forgetting things … I am surprised to see you here.”
It’s my turn to say, “Huh?”
“Well, I figured you’d be nursing your hangover today after your drinking binge last night. You know, the night you don’t remember.”
“Oh, well, I would have been, but I’d already booked this trip. Although I didn’t remember that until an hour ago, when Najam gave me my itinerary.”
“Were you also drunk when you booked it?”
I give him a humored look, and he chuckles. “Surprisingly, no.”
“You know though … you didn’t actually have to come.”
I give him a confused look. “But it was already paid for.”
“Yeah, but if you hadn’t been given your itinerary in time, you would have missed it anyway.”
“But then I would have been pissed off that I’d paid money for something that I didn’t use and/or experience.”
“And/or?” His lips spread into a grin.
“Oh, I don’t know, dude. I’m hungover, remember?”
Our eyes meet and connect. I feel a quick rising of dancing heat in my belly. Unsolicited thoughts about him and me flash through my mind.
What the hell is wrong with me?
I’m fresh off heartbreak of the worst kind, and here I am, mooning—okay, perving—over him. It’s just not like me. I’m not like this in normal life.
Sure, I had crushes when I was a teenager. I’ve fawned over gorgeous celebrities. I thought Tim was attractive when I first met him. But I didn’t get an instant hit of lust with Tim like I seem to have with West. With Tim, it was more like … I was taken by how much he seemed taken with me. I got swept up in his feelings. I just didn’t know at the time that Tim was well known for getting swept up by women. The workers at his family company had a nickname for him—Fast Love. He’d been engaged three times before me, and I was number four, which I found out after the affair with my mother came to light. Clearly, Tim’s “fast love” with me had died out the second his interest transferred to my mother.
To be fair, they’re perfect for each other. Both inconsistent, lying, cheating, will shit on anyone—even their own children—scumbags.
But I’m not thinking about either of them today.
I’m thinking about West and these sexual feelings between us… well, they’re all my own. He’s done nothing to ignite them. Except for look so frigging gorgeous, of course. Oh, and the flirt he was giving me this morning … which I’m not actually sure was him flirting with me or just me interpreting it that way. God, I’m so off-balance at the moment; I can’t even tell if a guy is flirting with me or not. I didn’t used to be this bad with men. I’m hoping it’s only a temporary glitch.
And I’m not normally an instant-lust gal.
Maybe it’s because I’m on this island, where every fucker is in love, and it’s addling my brain. Or it could be his American accent that has bedazzled my hormones. And his face. And his super-hard, insanely fit body. And—
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Stop thinking, Dillon. It’s bad for your health, and it’s all inconsequential bullshit.
You fancy the guy. End of story.
Admitting it doesn’t mean I have to do anything about it.
Wow. I feel so much better now.
Okay. Cool.
I have the hots for West, and it’s okay because nothing is going to happen.
And I’m spending way too much time in my head and not in the real world. Meaning talk to the guy and stop staring at him like a numpty.
“So—” I start.
“Right, people!” A happy-sounding guy dressed in shorts and a T-shirt with the resort logo claps his hands, getting everyone’s attention, cutting off whatever shite I was about to say to West. “Good morning! I’m Aden, and over there is Zaim.” He points to the other guy, dressed in the same clothes as him, who is standing by the boat. “Zaim is our boat captain, who will take us