“I thought you didn’t understand Spanish.”
“I don’t, but I understand the word, loco. And I know you’re talking about me.”
Paul chuckled and embraced her. “I didn’t tell him you were crazy. I told him I was crazy about you.” He kissed her nose, and when he thought she’d bought it, Paul turned to the man and made a wide-eyed, crazy face, drawing circles in the air around his ear with his finger and pointed back at her.
“I saw that. You are such a liar.” She huffed a quiet laugh, shaking her head in disbelief.
oOo
“A week from today!” Paul said to the salesman as they walked out of the jewelry store. Paul had progressively switched his communication with the salesman to more and more Spanish as the time went by. The frustrated couple finally decided to take a break and try again the following week.
“That was a bust,” she said. “All that time and we still didn’t agree on rings.”
“Well, if you weren’t so stubborn.”
“Oh, my gosh! I am nawt the stubborn one here.”
Paul stopped and looked into the window of the building they were walking past.
“What are you going to wear?”
She didn’t dare mention how she thought her bone-white clubbing dress would be a good option. He hadn’t let her wear it since that night and she wasn’t sure if he thought she looked too good in it, or if it brought back too many bad memories for him.
“I don’t know.” She finally looked into the window to see what had caught his attention. The area seemed to have more than a few wedding-related shops, like a one-stop, all your wedding needs are concentrated here, type of thing. Paul stared at a display of wedding dresses.
“Oh, no,” she rushed to say before he had enough time to formulate an opinion on the matter. “I’m not wearing something like that. I’m not one of those girls who want all the attention to be on her. I want something simple.”
He sighed in exasperation. “I’ve given you simple every step of the way.”
“No, you haven’t! You’ve bamboozled and bullied me every step of the way to get exactly what you want.”
“Okay. That’s a fair observation.”
She laughed and the mood lightened immediately.
“Who says bamboozled anymore?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Okay. I’ll admit you’ve given a few inches,” she conceded. “—But nowhere near, ‘Every step of the way’.”
“Thank you.” He beamed at her concession as if she’d just told him he was better looking than Robert Redford and Paul Newman. He’d made it his mission to get her to admit it.
“How about we just take a look?” He tossed his head toward the dress shop.
She closed her eyes and groaned to let him know her submission was under duress before she walked through the door he held open for her. An hour and a half later, they walked out empty handed. His mood had soured, hers had too.
“You’re just going to have to trust me on this one,” she said.
Before she knew what happened, he’d picked her up and had her pressed against the building with his body.
“Are you doing this on purpose?” He searched her eyes, his own so serious, almost severe. “Do you know what you’re doing to me?”
“What are you doing?” He’d taken her by surprise. Her eyes darted nervously down both sides of the street, sure a dozen people had to be gawking. “You going to do me right here, in public? Now?”
“You don’t think I would?”
“No. I don’t think you would.”
“You have a short memory, Dani Girl. I’ve shown you how fast it can happen. You’ve seen me in public. How many times have you watched me on Frock?”
“Not once!” She squirmed uncomfortably. “I always walked away. I didn’t want to see it.”
He studied her face carefully. She scanned his as well. She couldn’t tell how serious he was, or if he was just being playful. She wrapped her legs around his waist to make it easier to hold on, instead of being suspended there, her legs dangling off the ground.
“I wanted to find a Justice of the Peace, remember?”
“Is that what you’re doing? Trying to get me to give in?” His crooked grin was as beautiful as ever.
“Is that what you think—that I’m bamboozling you?” She smiled, but she thought she probably shouldn’t. “Is it working?”
“You’ve been doing contrary better than usual, Dani Girl. You’re turning me on. Are you doing it on purpose?”
Her mouth opened and then closed again. She didn’t know what to say.
“I’ve shown restraint . . . for you, but the closer we get—it’s getting harder, Baby. Please, watch which buttons you push. You may not like the results.” He closed his eyes and pinched his lips tight. “I wouldn’t like the results. I don’t want to mess this up that way. I’m really trying here.”
“Paul, I’m sorry.” She ran her hand lovingly along his jaw and rested it on his cheek. “I’m not trying to be contrary, or feisty, or goad you into anything, or turn you on—wait, that’s a lie. I’ve tried—I tried to seduce you on Duna and at Christmas. Apparently, I don’t know how.” She sulked. “If I did, I wouldn’t still be a virgin.”
The look on his face—she felt bad, wondering why it was so hard for him. She didn’t understand.
“Bamboozled? Who says that?” He rattled his head, and then suddenly, his lips smashed into hers. After a long few seconds of one of the hottest kisses he’d ever shared with her, he said, as if he hadn’t just kissed her silly, “Damn, Rhees. You turn me on just by opening your eyes in the morning. It comes perfectly natural for you. The second we’re married—”
It took a second to regain her senses, but her unsuccessful attempts came to mind. She rolled her eyes, displaying she didn’t believe him. The look in his eyes changed as he let her slip down a few inches and he pressed himself into her where her legs straddled him.
“Feel that?” he breathed into her ear. “That is proof. You more than turn me on. I could take you right here, right now.” He smashed his mouth into hers again and kissed her like he was about to. He felt so warm, tasted so good—she forgot everything, all about being on the street, in public, their argument, her name . . . and she wilted.
The smile that slowly swelled over his whole face was the warmest, loveliest, sexiest smile she’d ever seen on him, but the magnitude of it broke their kiss and the loss of heat left her body protesting. She was speechless, left searching his eyes for an explanation of how he’d found the strength to stop when she didn’t believe she could have.
“That’s the first time.” His eyes looked shiny, touched, hungry, yet sated at the same time. “You wilted. You’ve never wilted on me before.”
He kissed her again but it felt more like being worshipped than the raw, impassioned kiss of before. He let out an animalistic groan and broke away again.
“But we’re waiting! I’m nawt messing this up, Dani Girl. Not when we’re so close.”
oOo
A little over a week before the wedding, the girls at the shop approached Paul and Rhees, who’d just finished lunch under the gazebo.
“We need to talk about the bridal rain—”
“You mean bridal shower,” Tracy interrupted. “—But I thought it was a bachelorette party.”
“Tracy, I thought we all agreed. I am the one to be doing all the talking.” Regina seemed nervous about the conversation they were trying to have with Paul.
“But you said it wrong. There’s no such thing as a bridal rain.”
“All right.” Regina turned her attention back to Paul. “We want to be throwing Rhees . . . a party, two days before the wedding. We wanted to make it a shock—”
“Surprise,” Tracy interject
ed again and Regina’s frustration grew.
“But we decided we should like to go to the mainland, and spend the night, so making it a shock—” Regina held her hand up to silence Tracy before she corrected her again. “I mean, a surprise, becomes an impossibility.”
Paul laughed as though he thought Regina had just told a joke.
“No,” he said. “She’s not going to the mainland without me. You’re all going to drink, and get careless—”
“Paul, don’t.” Rhees shot him a threatening look. Tracy and Regina weren’t the only ones standing there, ready to plead their case. Krista, Dorene, and a few other girls from around the island, basically the remnants of the Coitus Club, had banded together to convince him. Rhees felt genuinely surprised to see so many girls planning to throw her a shower, but she had no doubt Paul was about to embarrass her in front of all of them. She turned to face him directly to be sure he saw the warning expression she wore.
“No!” he said, not only ignoring her warning glare, but sending her one of his own. He flashed back to the group of girls standing before them. “Whatever you’ve planned to do on the mainland, you can do here. I’ll pay any added costs if you have to have things brought over.”
“We can’t bring the male strip club to the island, Paul,” Krista said.
Paul’s stern glare snapped from Rhees to the girls.
“We figured Rhees wouldn’t go for the happy ending massage, but we think she should, at least, see a few other men before she settles down with the only man she’s ever been with.” The girls broke into a round of laughter.
“Even if she did score the best, her first try,” Kelly said with her hand over her mouth, aiming to be heard by only the girls, but Rhees heard. Paul, most likely, did too.
She felt her face grow hot, but Paul actually went a little pale as he turned his head back to look at her. She didn’t understand his expression. He just stared, as if in a stupor.
“We were never intending to be taking Rhees to a stupid male strip club.” Regina finally pulled the plug on the joke when she saw the look in Paul’s eyes.
“Right. No strippers. Some of us are disappointed about that.” Tracy gave Regina the stink-eye.
“I told them you would not like that,” Regina jumped to her own defense, trying to assure him she was on his side. “I knew you would never like that.”
“We really plan to do some shopping, make sure she has something to wear on her wedding night, if you catch my drift.” Tracy flashed her eyebrows up and down.
“Then we’ll go to a club for a while,” Dorene added. “A social club—not a strip joint, and just hang out, nothing wild. We promise.”
“Paul, please,” Rhees whispered as she leaned into him. It worried her that he’d get fatherly in front of the girls. They’d already accused her of being his lap dog. “I want this.”
“Rhees.” Paul finally blinked out of his daze with a scowl on his face.
“Paul,” Rhees mouthed as she squirmed nervously, imploring with her eyes, and then she blurted, “twenty!”
His shoulders drooped with a defeated sigh. She’d used his own measurement tactic against him. He hadn’t planned on asking how badly she wanted this, because asking would have sounded like he was considering it. He didn’t want Rhees going to the mainland without him, period.
However, Krista’s comment had thrown him. She’d only meant to tease him, not knowing the truth, but it hit, full force, and he couldn’t quite get his head wrapped around it. He would be Rhees’ one and only, forever. He couldn’t take his eyes off of his girl, his girl, feeling like the last man in the world to deserve such a gift, a gift he was so far off from being able to give in return.
“I mean it!” Rhees insisted again. She had no idea how humbled he felt at the moment. He frowned, knowing he didn’t deserve someone as special and perfect as Rhees.
“Okay,” he said, a little breathlessly.
Rhees couldn’t believe Paul had given in. Not only did he yield, but to her relief, he didn’t rattle off a long list of conditions in front of the other girls. She slipped her arms up and around his neck and looked into his eyes as if searching for something.
“What?” Paul looked so distracted, and . . . compliant.
“Who are you, and what have you done with the real Paul?”
Paul cinched his arms tightly around her, pulling her in close so she wouldn’t see the frown on his face. He held her like he never wanted to let her go. He didn’t deserve her, but doing the right thing could go to hell, he was keeping her anyway.
“Oh,” he said. “He’s right here, as Paul as ever.”
oOo
The next day, Rhees kissed Paul on the cheek as he and Mitch prepared to take the wave runners out for some fun.
“I’m going to head over to Dorothy’s while you’re out trying to kill yourself.”
“Why do you have to spend so much time with the seamstress? Don’t you just tell her what you want and let her do the rest?”
“I’m actually doing most of the sewing. Dorothy’s helping me with the fittings and some of the detail work. She has the machines and materials, but I designed the dress. I don’t trust that she fully sees my vision.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to just buy something?” The worried look on Paul’s face made her smile.
“Stop worrying. I promise my dress isn’t going to fall apart, piece by piece, as I walk down the aisle.” He still didn’t look comforted. “Oh, ye of little faith. You didn’t think I could cook either.”
“Sorry. My mom did a good job of convincing me no one can cook unless they’ve trained for years at culinary school . . . except for Carmen.”
“I made the orange, floral shirt you love so much.” She offered bouncy eyebrows, awaiting his endorsement.
“Oh.” He suddenly perked up, but he seemed thoughtful, as if checking his memory to make sure he’d never noticed any flaws. “I trust you. I just hate all the time you’re spending with Dorothy and not me.”
She glanced at the watercraft he was about to climb onto and laughed. “You won’t even notice I’m gone.”
“I’ll notice.” He wrapped her into his arms and kissed her with more fervor than he usually dared. “Be careful on your way there.”
“Dorothy lives a block away.” She slid an arm around his neck and put her other hand on the side of his face.
“The only reason I’m letting you go alone, but stay alert and remember the self-defense I’ve shown you.” He tapped his finger a couple of times on her chest near her heart but above her breasts. “You won’t use the moves on me but I’m counting on that Rhees-has-been-pushed-too-far instinct you have inside here. When you insist on going places without me, my only hope is it’ll kick in if someone decides to try anything.”
“It’s broad daylight. Everyone knows you’d kick their bottoms if they tried anything. I’ll be fine.”
“Says the creepazoid magnet.” He kissed her one last time before pulling away with a smirk firmly in place. He climbed onto his machine. “And I’m sure everyone’s quaking in their flip flops. I’m such a kick-bottom, bottom kicking kind of guy.”
“You can’t make me promise not to swear, and then make fun of me for keeping said promise.”
“Yes, I can.”
“No, you can’t.”
“Just did.” He winked and gave the watercraft some gas as he sped away, throwing a splash of water up onto the deck. She jumped out of the way of the big wave, avoiding getting completely drenched, barely.
“You’re such a bottom-hole!” she yelled after him with a giggle. He stopped, offered smoldering eyes back, and then blew her a kiss from lips set in one of his glorious smiles.
“Be careful!” He pointed at her as a stern warning and then he and Mitch zipped awa
y.
“Oh, my gosh,” she said with a whimper. “I need that man to marry me already.”
oOo
“Okay. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.” The soon-to-be-wed couple kissed, and Paul stood on the dock, watching as Rhees and nine girls from the island boarded the ferry for Rhees’ shower. They climbed the stairs to the top of the big boat to the open-air seats instead of sitting in the stuffy main cabin.
Rhees still couldn’t believe Paul had agreed to let her go and that he hadn’t given her a list of conditions. She’d expected a long one, but the days went by and he’d said nothing about it. The leg bouncing, the pacing, the throat clearing—as if he’d wanted to say something—but thought better of it. And then of course, the mouth tic had been in hyper-drive, all indications of the anxiety tearing away at his high-strung soul, and she’d half-expected him to explode at any point.
“Have fun,” he yelled. He waved as the ferry pulled away from the dock. She couldn’t believe he’d done it. He’d let her go, unconditionally, and it warmed her heart.
“Claire!” Paul barked from the pier and some unspoken message passed between them, but then Claire acted all too innocent when Rhees gave her a questioning look.
oOo
The girls stepped off the ferry, excited for the activities they’d planned. As they hiked the distance from the ferry to the taxi waiting area, they noticed two big, burly men in suits, standing next to a large stretch limo, holding a sign that said, “For The Beautiful Girls of Paradise Divers and Friends, Enjoy your evening, Paul.”
“A limo,” Regina said as though she’d expect nothing less from the most wonderful man on the earth.
“Oh my!” Maya yelled. “Paul did this.”
“Oh how sweet.” This from Krista. “He hired chauffeurs.”
“He’s so thoughtful.” Dorene swooned.
Wet Part 3 Page 4
