was her boss, I lived in Jersey, and she was brand new in the job.
But as an awkward silence stretched between us, I suspected Lara’s mind had also wandered to our time together. Just as I cleared my throat to speak, she offered a quick wave with claims she had to get ready for the guests to arrive.
“What was that?” Rebecca asked the moment we were alone.
“Nothing.”
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Coop.”
I groaned before fessing up. “She and I had a thing—”
“You slept with her?” she whispered, although rather loudly.
“No. We messed around, but nothing else.” I waited as Rebecca processed my admission. “Oh, relax, Becks. Nothing happened and nothing will.”
Her frown smoothed out. “Okay. I’m sorry. I just know that you’re upset about Ree, and the electricity crackling between you was unmistakable,” she said, misinterpreting my discomfort as electricity. “I just don’t want you to mistake loneliness for something else… and then regret it.”
“No worries.” I bent at the knees until we were eye level. “I meant it when I said I need to be on my own for a while.”
“What a waste.” Our eyes cut to the left to see Ricky hovering with a dazzling grin on his smug face. “Cooper Stanton off the market? That’s a travesty.” But right before I had the chance to tell him to fuck off, he looked at my sister and said, “Hey, cookie puss… Marco is looking for you in the dining room.”
“Okay, I’ll be right back.”
And just as Rebecca walked away, a sliver of the dream I’d had last night slammed into my thoughts like a train wreck. From the perfect wave of his thick blond hair, to the way his designer T-shirt and tailored shorts molded over every muscle on his torso, to his cocky smirk, the real Ricky before me now was an exact match to the one in my dream.
Reaching over, he took the bourbon from my hand and placed it on a small table behind him. He then stepped closer, so close I could see the vibrant blue flecks in his eyes despite the dim.
There wasn’t a soul around. The silence became deafening, and I couldn’t tell if it was the sound of my heartbeat pounding in my ears or the surf. When he slowly raised a hand toward my face, my flinch caused it to pause, suspended in the thick air between us. The more his eyes drilled into mine the more irritated I became.
“You might like it,” he said through that cocky smirk.
“I won’t.”
“Let’s see.”
I remained stone still, the only movement coming from the flare of my nostrils with each heavy exhale.
My subconscious screamed to run.
But I didn’t.
Not even when his hand slid around the back of my neck.
Not even when his head came closer.
Not even when his lips pressed against mine.
The kiss lasted for a fleeting flash of time, no tongue, no real passion behind it. Yet, when he pulled away, the lasting effect traveled straight through me. He smirked at my catatonic state so intently I hadn’t realized he’d removed his hand from my neck until I felt it mold over the fabric covering my hardened cock.
“No,” I said, rushing back a few steps and raising my hands in defense to put distance between us. Or was it to hide the evidence of my body remembering what my thoughts just had? “Don’t.”
Ricky tilted his head curiously. “Don’t what?” he asked, humor crinkling the corners of his eyes. “Is something on your mind, Cooper?”
Not trusting my voice to appear unaffected, I slid my head from side to side.
“Yes. Something is bothering you.” He then casually slid both hands into his pockets while leveling me with the exact same heated expression he’d had in my dream. It was as though he knew what I’d dreamed about… and as though he knew that a few seconds ago it had vividly replayed in my mind.
What the fuck was his game?
“Just stay away from me.” I didn’t give him a chance to respond, taking off in the opposite direction from where he stood. And I didn’t stop until I reached my cabin and quickly ducked inside.
It felt as though every part of me was in on a sick prank. My body betraying me in the way my heart pounded erratically as nerves twisted in the pit of my stomach, the way the back of my neck beaded with sweat, and the way my cock remained heavy and aroused behind the linen fabric of my shorts. The pull