Chapter 8

“Wow!” Amy stood in the middle of the bungalow and looked around. She was standing in the living room area, which was fully furnished with a plush, blue couch and two matching recliners. A glass coffee table was positioned in the middle of the room and smaller, round tables were scattered in between the furniture. Each smaller table held ornately decorated lamps. There was no TV, but there was a small radio mounted into the wall above the fireplace.

To her left was a small, fully equipped kitchen complete with a table and four chairs. To her left was a spiral staircase. Her gaze followed the stairs up to an open landing that appeared to be the bedroom.

“C’mon, let’s go check it out,” Brett said, heading for the stairs.

Amy followed him up and was shocked to find the bedroom was almost as big as the entire downstairs. There was one king sized bed in the center of the room. She stared at it for several moments before looking at Brett. “Um, I can sleep on the couch downstairs,” she said.

“No, you take the bed. I’ll sleep on the couch,” he said.

“Are you sure? This is your honeymoon. You’ve paid for all of this.” Amy glanced at the bed again. What a shame. It looked so comfortable, and she bet it felt just as good, too.

“Yeah, you’re right.” He laughed. “That bed is big enough for twelve people. I’m sure we can manage to share it without any issues.”

Amy cleared her throat. The last thing she wanted to do was share a bed with Brett, but she didn’t want to seem ungrateful, either. He had generously dragged her along on his honeymoon to the beautiful, tropical island of Tri Pinnae, which was a secluded island in the Caribbean. It was absolutely breathtaking. Ignoring his comment for the moment, Amy walked toward the glass double door and swung them open. She was met with a balcony that offered them not only a hot tub, but also the most gorgeous view of the ocean. The lights of the resort below lit up the otherwise dark sky.

“Wow,” she said again.

Brett came up behind her. “Wow is right. The brochures didn’t do this place justice,” he said with a laugh.

With her hand propped on the railing, she turned to look at him. “You’re in a surprisingly good mood considering…”

“I’m trying not to think about it.”

“Right.” She nodded. “I don’t know about you, but between the time difference and the jet lag, I’m exhausted.” Amy yawned.

“Me too.”

* * *

Amy was in that glorious state of sleep where she was half awake and half dreaming. Consciousness was slowly returning to her, but she couldn’t be sure what was a dream and what was reality. So, when she felt an arm drape over her and pull her across the bed, she attributed it to a dream. She sighed and snuggled closer to the hard, warm body behind her. The arm tightened around her, and she felt hot breath on her neck. And then she felt the unmistakable hardness of an erection pressed against her ass. Hmm…this was turning out to be one hell of a good dream.

The hand splayed against her stomach and pulled her tighter against the body. Lips brushed against her earlobe. A low “Mmm” sounded behind her and her eyes snapped open. Her heart raced and thundered so loud in her ears it was deafening. That voice…that was…Oh, God! That was Brett’s voice. Amy jumped out of bed and gasped. Sure enough, there he lay in just a pair of boxer shorts, his erection prominent. She forced herself to tear her gaze from him, but not before she got a good look at what he was packing. Holy hell! If she thought she wanted him before, it was worse now.

“Amy…I’m…God, I’m sorry, I didn’t…I was…shit,” he said.

“I know. It’s okay, you were probably thinking about Vanessa. You thought I was her. That’s all.” Amy’s hands shook. She didn’t know if what she said was true, but she had to believe it. Otherwise, things were going to get super weird between her and Brett.

“Yeah…yeah, of course. That’s all it was,” Brett said, nodding as he got out of bed.

Ouch! It hurt to know that while she’d been in his arms, he’d been thinking of another woman. Granted, she was the one who immediately jumped to that conclusion, but that didn’t mean it still didn’t hurt. No matter what happened, Amy couldn’t stop hoping that someday, Brett would see her as a woman and not just his best friend.

Thankfully it was morning and Amy didn’t have to get back in bed or try to fall back asleep—

both of which would be impossible at the moment. “I’m gonna go shower.”

* * *

Brett watched as Amy walked into the bathroom. When she closed the door, he blew out a breath and rubbed his hands over his face. Holy shit, what the hell had just happened? Amy was right—he had been thinking about Vanessa, but he knew it wasn’t Vanessa he’d reached for. Brett hadn’t expected Amy to respond like she had, which made what he did all the more awful. He was sad and lonely—and horny—and he needed someone to be close to. Amy was here. What he’d done just now, that wasn’t fair to her. He knew she hadn’t wanted to come here with him, but he’d guilted her into it. Yet, he had to admit, he liked how she’d felt pressed against his body, the way she’d wiggled her ass into his erection, the sigh of pleasure that escaped her lips when he’d pulled her closer. But…did she know that it was him? Or was she dreaming of another man?

“Fuck,” he muttered. Not more than twenty-four hours ago, he was jilted at the altar. The very last thing he needed was to piss off Amy and have her turn her back on him. He honestly didn’t think she ever would, but he didn’t want to chance it by doing stupid shit like he just did.

Several moments later, Amy emerged from the bathroom dressed in a simple blue sundress and white sandals. She looked refreshed. “I’ll take a quick shower, and then we can go get some breakfast,” Brett said as he passed Amy on the way to the bathroom. He didn’t give her a chance to respond. Doing so would only lead to him saying something he probably shouldn’t say. Regardless, he knew he had to apologize. Again. And he would, over breakfast.

When he came out of the bathroom, Amy was no longer in the bedroom. He went downstairs and found her in the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets and the refrigerator. He stood and watched her for a few seconds, wondering if it was a mistake to bring her here. In his mind, his intentions were crystal clear: he wanted her. At the very least, he wanted to explore the possibility of more than just friendship. It would be difficult to broach the topic with her, though, and he’d been wracking his brain non-stop since the wedding trying to figure out a way to bring it up. Somehow, saying, “I want to fuck you, Amy, and then I want to be your boyfriend” didn’t seem like a good idea.

“Finding anything good?” he asked.

“This place is fully stocked.” She smiled as she turned to face him. “So, what are you thinking for breakfast?”

Brett hadn’t really thought about it. In fact, he hadn’t spent much time planning anything in the way of meals or activities, because it had been his plan to spend a majority of the week in bed with Vanessa. He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess we can just start walking until we find a place.”

“Sounds good. I can’t wait to get out there and see the island.”

He nodded and took a deep breath. “Look, Amy, I’m really sorry about this morning. I—”

“Let’s just forget about it, okay?”

With a smile, Brett said, “Already done.” There was no way he’d ever be able to forget how she’d felt in his arms.

* * *

“This island is a lot bigger than I thought,” Amy said with a laugh.

“Yeah, no kidding.” Brett wiped sweat from his brow. They’d spent the last four hours walking the entire island, getting a feel for where things were and ideas of things they could do for the week. It was a nice walk and all the awkwardness from earlier that morning had vanished. They were Brett and Amy again. And it felt damn good, even though he really wanted more.

“Were you serious about scuba diving?” she asked.

“You really don’t want to?” He held open the door to their bungalow and motioned for her to go first. “It could be fun.”

“What if we get stung by a jellyfish or something? Or we encounter a shark? I’ve seen that movie Open Water. I’m not going to get stranded in the middle of the ocean.”

Brett laughed and followed her inside. “We’re not going to get stranded in the ocean.”

“Okay, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be eaten by fish.”

He laughed again. “I think you’re overreacting a little.”

“I’m not overreacting.” Amy tossed her hair over her shoulder and shot him a sideways glance. “I’m being cautious.”

That look nearly killed him, it was so damn sexy. “Well, if cautious is what you’re being; then we probably shouldn’t go swimming right now, either.”

Amy’s eyes widened. “You don’t think there’d be jellyfish where we’re swimming, do you?”

“Uh, you realize we’re going to be swimming in the ocean, right?” He winked, knowing his response would get a rise out of her.

“That’s it,” she put her hands in the air, “I’m not going.”

“Oh, yes you are.”

“Oh, no I’m not.” Amy crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at him.

He grinned. “You are not going to spend the entire week holed up in this bungalow. This is my honeymoon and if I can’t spend it having sex; then I’m damn well going to spend it having fun with my best friend.”

Reluctantly, she smiled. “Fine. I’ll go change.”

Ten minutes later they walked toward the area of the island that was designated for swimming. Brett was having a hard time keeping his eyes off of Amy and his erection concealed. That thing she called a bathing suit was nothing more than a few scraps of material held together by a couple pieces of string. Don’t get him wrong, she looked fantastic, but therein was the problem. He wasn’t the only one noticing her. Brett frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Amy asked.

“The beach is packed.” He thought this island was small, allowing only a certain number of guests at a time. It was the primary reason he’d chosen to come here. “Let’s go back to that place near our bungalow.”

“We’re not allowed to swim there. Won’t we get in trouble?”

“Only if we get caught.” He smiled. “Do you really want to swim there with all those people?” He nodded toward the beach.

“You’re right. Okay, let’s go.”

As they turned to walk back the way they came, Brett wondered why he had really suggested they go somewhere else to swim. Was it truly for the reason he gave her? Or was it because he didn’t want other men staring at her? Who the hell was he kidding? It was because he wanted her all to himself. Just knowing other men were looking at her irritated the shit out of him.

“I can’t get over how beautiful it is here,” Amy said as they stopped at a secluded spot of beach. She kicked off her sandals and headed toward the water. He was right behind her.

The water was warm and crystal clear. He dove underwater and swam a few feet out before surfacing. Amy was still standing near the shore. “Are you coming?” he shouted.

“Do you see any jellyfish?”

He smiled and shook his head. “No. Now get your ass in here before I have to drag you in.” His cock jerked at the thought of grabbing her ass and forcing her into the water with him. He mentally groaned. Get a grip, Hudson!

“If you’re lying to me, I’m going to kill you.” She slowly made her way further into the water until it was up to her belly button, and then she went under, swimming toward him.

When she surfaced, he said, “See? No jellyfish. No sharks. Just you and me.” Those words, just you and me, sent his stomach into a flutter. He shook it off and tried to focus on what she was saying. “What?”

“I asked if you were ready to talk about Vanessa yet. You haven’t said one word about her or what happened.”

“What’s there to talk about? She left me.” Talking about Vanessa would lead to Brett confessing the truth about how he felt about Amy, and neither of them were ready for that yet.

Amy sighed. “Okay, you’re not ready, I get it.” Then she smiled. “I’m here when you are.”

“Thanks.” He really had no idea what he’d do without her. And he couldn’t believe he’d been so willing to give her up to marry a woman who obviously didn’t love him. Vanessa leaving him was a blessing. “So now that you’re in the ocean and haven’t been eaten by fish, will you consider scuba diving?”

“Maybe, but if I do, you cannot leave my side while we’re down there. I mean it, Brett.” She pointed her finger at him.

He laughed. “You can tie a rope to my waist if you’d like.”

“Yeah, you’re laughing now, but I’m seriously going to do that.”

His laughter died and his expression turned serious. “Um, Amy,” he reached for her arm, “don’t move.”

Her body tensed and her eyes widened with fear. “Why?” she whispered.

“There’s something behind you.”

“What?” Her voice cracked and it sounded like she was ready to cry.

He was so going to hell for this, he thought as he fought to keep his smile hidden. “I think it’s a jellyfish.”

Amy screamed and swam in the opposite direction. Brett clutched his stomach and laughed hysterically. “I’m kidding,” he choked out the words in between bouts of laughter. “Amy, come back!”

He swam after her and when he caught up to her, she splashed him in the face and smacked him on the chest. “That was not funny,” she screamed.

Brett noticed she was shaking. “You’re right, I’m sorry.” He hugged her, and to his surprise, she wrapped her arms around his back and buried her face in his chest.

“I hate you,” she mumbled.

Her lips tickled his chest as she spoke, and he had that same feeling from this morning—the one where his body felt like it was on fire, and he had an indescribable need to be closer to her. He put a finger under her chin and tilted her head back so that he could look at her. His gaze lowered to her trembling lips and lingered there for far too long. What the hell was he doing? He certainly wasn’t standing here thinking about what it would feel like to kiss Amy. Just like he wasn’t thinking about how great her breasts felt pressed against his chest. Or how he desperately wished she’d wrap her legs around his waist so he could sink his cock into her warm body.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing.” He shook the thoughts from his mind. “I’m sorry I scared you like that.”

“Yeah, well, don’t—”

“Hey! You, you no swim here. You swim over there,” said an employee from the resort.

“Looks like we’re busted,” Brett said, releasing his hold on Amy. “Play dumb, it always works.” They made their way out of the water and onto the beach. “Sorry, we didn’t realize we couldn’t swim here,” Brett said to the man.

“You swim over there,” the man repeated, pointing toward the opposite side of the island.

“Yes sir,” Amy replied with a smile. She slipped her feet into her sandals and giggled when Brett took her arm and led her back toward their bungalow. “Play dumb? That was real smooth, Brett.”

“Hey, it worked didn’t it?”

“I think the guy took pity on me because I have to put up with you.”

“Put up with me? Is that what you’re doing?” He grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder.

“Brett!” she squealed. “Put me down.”

“Uh-uh. I’m going to show you what it’s like to have to put up with me,” he said, laughter in his voice.

“You forget I’ve known you a long time. I already know what it’s like to put up with you.”

“That’s what you think.” With one hand, Brett opened the door to their bungalow, carried Amy inside, up the stairs, and dropped her onto the bed. Then he proceeded to tickle her.