Lag (The Boys of RDA Book 2) (3 page)

“I’m not big on games, but does your company have any I’d know of?”

“We’re creating a few small in-house apps right now and looking to enter a few new fields. We’re probably most known for Dragons Reborn. Have you heard of it?”

Now it’s my turn to laugh at him. “Heard of it? Yeah, my little cousin refused to eat Christmas dinner last year because he was playing the game. It was quite the topic of discussion for my family. He uses his allowance every month to pay for the subscription cost. My aunt was not happy when my dad gifted him a free year.”

“I can’t think of a better Christmas gift.” Trey’s lazy smile is back. “Anyway, we sold Dragons Reborn last year and moved on to smaller projects. This vacation is my reward for getting the company finalized and running smoothly. It’s been hard on all of us.” His head falls back to rest on the leather couch as he looks to the darkened sky.

His mention of selling the game sparks another memory from Christmas. I don’t remember the exact number, but if Matt, my cousin, was right the game sold for over a billion dollars. Maybe more. The most for any game in the history of gaming. Whoever owned the game rights when the sale happened is now a very rich man. Or maybe the company in general, but they can definitely afford to send Trey on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas.

My fingers twitch to grab my phone and search Trey’s name, but I still them by asking the question I’ve had on my tongue all day before I think better of it. “You came on vacation alone?” I immediately regret my word choice, but I’ll feel better when I know one way or the other.

By his laugh he doesn’t take any offense to my quest for more information. “Yes. I think Finn, my best friend and company owner, wanted me out of his hair for a while. But I’ll admit it’s nice here. I’m not sure I’m ready to go back to the cooler temperatures yet.”

A silence settles between us and I want to chase it away before it becomes awkward, but of course the only topics I think of revolve around how much his company’s game sold for. I don’t care about the money. You can’t get much farther away from New York than San Francisco, so I’m not worried he’d think I’m some kind of vacation gold digger, but the unspoken facts of his story seem to share the space between us.

Trey lifts his glass to his lips to take a drink, and a tail on one side of the neon green cup catches my eye. It takes me longer than it should, but I finally put the pieces together and practically shout at him once I figure it out. “Is there a cat on your cup?” I lean closer and turn his cup slightly to see the full image. “It is!”

I glance to the fire pit and retrieve my own matching cup to get a better look at the image. In the middle, two pieces of text arch to form an almost circle. The top piece reads “Tom’s Tiki Lounge” while the bottom lists a website for Tom’s. The middle of the circle is the most amazing. Smack dab between the two font arches, in full color, is a picture of a grey striped tabby cat sitting upright.

Trey turns his own cup to see what I’m so excited about. “It’s a cat?”

“Yes. Isn’t it the most random thing you’ve ever seen?”

He takes a drink from the cup and shrugs, I assume saying the liquor is fine. “I guess Tom likes cats.”

His easy acceptance of the situation makes me giggle and we spend a few minutes making up new, more fitting names for the bar. “The Cat’s Meow” the most suitable. Trey promises to find a comment card and make the name suggestion before our trips end in three days.

**

“So we agree then. I’ll pick you up here at 10 o’clock tomorrow morning.” Trey’s body leans toward me closing the distance as we stand in the hallway outside my parents’ suite.

“Agreed.” The words are quiet, but he tilts his head in acceptance at them.

Trey steps the final length to stand beside me as I lean against the green wallpapered hallway. His arm, from wrist to elbow, props him next to me holding his cat glass as his other hand settles on my shoulder. “And you’ll wear the same cute little black bikini you had on this afternoon?”

I giggle at the way his eyes roam over me with the question. It’s the alcohol. I would never giggle like this if I wasn’t under the influence. “That was yesterday. It's definitely past midnight now.”

“Just say yes, Simone,” he makes my name sound sexual again as his tongue rubs the corner of his lips.

I tilt my head up to get a better look at him. Most of our time tonight was spent sitting on the white leather couch outside, so it isn’t until now that I clock how tall he is. When I have to look up at someone, you can guarantee they’re over six feet.

Trey moves his head to lock eyes with mine and his arm swivels to move his body closer. He peers down at me and the new position lines up our lips. One quick move and I’d easily be kissing him. I’d rub my hand along his jaw and let the small beard he's maintained bite into my hand. I want to do all of those things, but something holds me back. Could a simple kiss change it all?

Neither of us moves. My body screams for me to inch forward a little bit and close the space between us, but I continue to hesitate, for all those unknown reasons. As un-feminist as it sounds, I want Trey to make the first move.

“God, I want to kiss you, but it would never work between us. I’m in San Francisco and you’re in New York.” Trey’s body leaves mine and I want to cry out at the loss of more than just body heat.

I wrap the blanket tighter around me before I sip the last of my third Long Island from the cup in my hand. “So? Let’s make it a vacation fling. We won’t even exchange phone numbers,” I suggest to the wall behind Trey’s back. No eye contact will make it easier in case he turns me down.

I can’t believe I just suggested that, but then his face perks up and the light in his eyes returns before they meet mine with skepticism. “You’re okay with that? A vacation fling? Nothing more? Are you sure?”

I’m not sure. In fact, the only thing I’m sure of is that I’ll probably kick myself for my earlier suggestion when it comes time to board my flight. But at the moment, the tequila and I think it’s a great idea. We’ve decided it’s better to have him for even a few days than not at all.

I nod my head and promise I’m perfectly fine with my own suggestion. Trey’s mouth is on mine before the final words move across my lips. His body comes to rest on top of mine with one leg between my thighs. It happens so fast there's no time to prepare for his advances. I relax into the kiss as his mouth opens seeking entrance to mine. As our tongues duel, I let go of my death grip on the blanket and wrap my hands around the back of his neck, pulling him closer to me.

Trey’s head falls to my neck and he begins to plaster kisses from my ear to my jaw. Then he licks a small line with the tip of his tongue on the way up. My body shivers from the contact and I push a little closer to him.

“Damn! That’s some kind of kiss.” My sister’s voice carries across the empty space in the hallway, jarring us from our moment.

Trey steps back and I flash my sister the best pissed off look I have in my arsenal. “Elena, what the hell?” I try not to screech at her, but the words still come off a higher pitch than my normal voice.

She shrugs and then leans her body against the door frame, obviously not going anywhere. My left hand still has a piece of Trey’s blue shirt firmly in its grasp and I reluctantly release it, unsure when I grabbed it in the first place. My blue blanket lays on the floor around my ankles and I reach to pick it up.

“Trey, this is my annoying little sister, Elena. Elena, Trey.” I move away from the wall and stand in the middle of the hall with my back to Elena.

Trey chuckles once, but it’s humorless. “I should go anyway.”

His hand slides across his jaw and he steps away from the wall. I sigh, not wanting the night to end. Is it so much to ask that a hot guy be allowed to ravish me in the hallway on vacation? Isn’t there some island Goddess I could pray to? Sacrifice a little sister? I have one available.

I struggle for something to say so I can prolong the moment. “I’ll throw away your cup.”

His eyes move to the cup in question as it now rests on its side. “Don’t worry. I’ll toss it in my room.”

He quickly steps forward and places a kiss on my cheek on the side away from my sister. “I’ll see you at ten, Simone.” And then he turns on a heel and walks back to the elevator leaving me with Elena.

CHAPTER FOUR

The white sand from the open beach in front of us crunches under my feet with each step, my flip-flops sending the tiny shell particles flying behind me. Trey walks a few steps in front with my big white SeaBag tote slung over his shoulder, and a pink beach towel flops against the blue and green stripes on the bag with each of his steps.

We continue for a few more paces before Trey stops and turns back to me. “I’m pretty sure our guy will meet us along the beach over there.” He points to his right at some unknown landmark in the distance. We hit the edge of the water and begin to head in the direction he pointed, my steps easier now on the dense wet sand.

“A pretty ride for a pretty lady?” A heavily accented voice comes from behind causing Trey and me to turn together.

Behind us a shorter dark-skinned man stands a few inches into the water. The surf pushes past his calves as each wave comes ashore. His jean shorts are wet on the hem, but the bright blue Hawaiian button up shirt he wears is dry. Noticing our interest, his hand shoots out pointing farther into the water where a yellow jet ski bounces along the waves. “Take your lady on the ride of her life.” He nods in Trey’s direction. “A hundred bucks for an hour. You won’t get a better deal.”

Trey takes a step closer to the beach salesman and shifts the beach bag to his other shoulder. “Not today, thanks.” He calmly rejects the offer and makes to turn, but not before he reaches out and grabs my hand in his, our fingers wrapping together.

Headed back in our correct direction, Trey continues to hold my hand. His fingers are larger than mine and feel thick, possibly callused in the way that only men’s hands tend to be. I like their rough texture next to my own overly lotioned skin. The gold watch on his wrist rubs at the contact point on my arm.

“Do you want to ride a jet ski?” he asks without slowing his pace. I’m thankful my long legs can keep up.

I hesitate in my answer. “I’ve never ridden one before. They look like fun, but that guy was two steps down from a used car salesman.”

Trey laughs at my answer and pulls us to a stop on the beach. “Well then you’ll like what I have planned for today.” He doesn't say more and we both stare out into the ocean where a few people play in the water. Farther out jet skis crisscross back and forth over the open space. At no point does he make an attempt to release my hand. I don’t either.

My free hand reaches up to play with a few loose pieces of my hair. The thin blonde strands look almost white in the sunlight.

“Ah, here they are.” Trey pulls me closer to the water’s edge where two bright orange jet skis with Sea-Doo scrawled across the side come to a stop a few feet away. He lets go of my hand and I want to protest for a moment until he wraps his fingers around the hem of his grey shirt and pulls it up, leaving him in only the same green swim trucks he had on yesterday. His solid chest flexes with his movement, and I wonder how it would feel to slip my hand up and down it.

Not wanting to be caught with drool on my face, my eyes scan across the matching vehicles as their riders jump into the water and walk toward us.

“We get to ride them?” My question stops Trey’s forward movement, but is answered by the first of the riders to make it to the beach.

“Have you ever ridden one before?” the taller of the two who comes to stand by me asks. His black swim trunks hug his hips and showcase a muscular physique, but it doesn’t appeal as much now that I get to ogle a shirtless Trey all morning.

The snaps from a life jacket being undone catch my attention while the guy next to me passes off the jacket he’s wearing. He pulls on the straps to tighten the vest around my midsection. To my left, Trey receives the same attention and I frown at the loss of my prime chest-viewing area.

Trey’s head pops up to mine and he questions the look I’m giving him. “What?”

Last night we agreed to make this a vacation fling. In three more days I’ll never see him again, and while the thought already makes me unhappy, I also use it as my reason to throw caution to the wind.

“He’s ruined my view.” My hand moves up and down to encompass his midsection. New York Simone isn’t so brazen, but vacation Simone is sexy and flirty.

Trey and the guy suiting him up both laugh. “Mine too, baby.” His head tilts to indicate my own lifejacket now in place across my chest.

I shake my head at his forlorn look and follow the guy to the jet ski where he gives me instructions on riding the beast. After I know the basics of how to gas and brake, he wraps the safety pull string around my wrist in case I fall off and need to emergency stop. I have no plans to take a drop into the water, but I’m glad someone thought of this.

To my right Trey gets the same safety speech, and then both men begin to point in different directions in front of us, giving Trey directions I assume. My striped bag still hangs over his shoulder as he keeps it up and out of the water. He passes the bag to the taller of our new companions.

Trey walks through the water to the machine next to mine and jumps on. “Are you ready?” He grins from his seat, but it looks a little mischievous.