3. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

RILEY

M eira got out of the squad car and stretched her arms overhead, groaning when her shoulders popped. She really needed to stop scheduling redeyes to the next crime scene. The crisp Boston air had Meira zipping her coat up to her chin. She really hoped this wasn't a serial killer and she could head back to Louisiana soon.

I stopped typing. It definitely was going to be a serial killer because my character, Meira, caught serial killers across her now ten book series, but I needed to start laying the groundwork for that before she made the decision. I lifted my coffee cup to my mouth as I thought. I frowned into my mug. Damn, empty. I must have drank more than I thought.

"Out of coffee?"

Colton stood next to the table. My eyes darted down to the clock on my computer. Had that much time passed? I easily lost track of time when I started writing, but no he was early.

"Unfortunately," I answered him, waving my empty cup .

"How about I go get you a refill while you finish up. Payment for interrupting your flow."

"You don't need to do that, I can go with you." I said, "I'm not sure how much flowing was going on."

"No, I'm early. Do you know what you want for breakfast? I can go ahead and place our orders while I'm up there." The cafe was an order-at-the-counter type and then the food got brought to our table.

"Umm," I scanned the menu on the wall behind the counter. "I'll take the yogurt and fruit bowl, please. And another mocha. Thanks!"

He scooped up the mug I was using and dropped it in the dish bin next to the counter before starting to place our order. His back was to me so he didn't see me ogling him. He was wearing tan cargo shorts with a blue Hawaiian shirt that I bet wasn't his usual style but he filled it out nicely. He really did have a fine ass.

He turned back around, two mugs in his hand and I glanced down at my manuscript to avoid being caught staring. I think I half expected him not to show up this morning, that I had imagined how much fun we had last night, how easy he was to talk to. He seemed like the perfect package and I was… well I could be a lot as my exes used to tell me. Plus he looked like a god and I was… well, decidedly average. I mean, I would call myself pretty but there wasn't anything special about me. Curly brown hair that was a pain to take care of and a size 14 body. I had an ass and boobs but also a stomach. Guys that looked like him didn't usually go for women who looked like me. Especially not with a job as demanding as mine. But this was just a vacation fling. I should just enjoy it while it lasted.

I glanced up as he placed one mug in front of me. I flashed him a quick smile as I typed a note to myself to add the indicators of a serial killer to my manuscript before I closed my laptop.

"If you need to keep working, I really don't mind," Colton said, taking a sip of his coffee as he leaned back in his chair. "I know I'm early, a habit from my dad who drilled promptness into Justin and I. "

"No, it's fine. I hit a stopping point just when you got here. I need to go back and review some of my research notes before I can keep writing." I took a sip of my coffee. "Justin's your best friend, right?"

"That's right." Colton smiled softly, his eyes warm. "We've been best friends since kindergarten."

"And he didn't want to come on vacation with you?" I questioned. From some of the stories Colton had told me last night, the men seemed really close.

"Well, someone had to stay behind and run the business. We've got a good crew but no one who's experienced enough yet to do the job if we were both gone. Maybe one day."

Our food came at that point and we thanked the waitress. I shoved a spoonful of yogurt, fruit, and granola into my mouth and moaned. God, this was so good. I had it yesterday after I got in and I knew I was likely going to have it every day I was here.

Colton shifted in his chair across from me, eyes dark. "Fuck, Riley, warn a guy before you make that noise."

I grinned flirtily at him, leaning forward and scooping another spoonful into my mouth. My moan was louder this time and he laughed and shook his head even as his heated hazel eyes speared into me. He ran his fingers through his short blond hair. No baseball cap today, just a set of sunglasses folded into his shirt.

"So what's the deal with the shirt," I waved my spoon towards the bright blue print. "It doesn't really seem your style."

He looked down and laughed. "I forgot I was wearing it. It's a gag gift from my crew. I threw out the neon orange one. That one was an abomination for the eyes. But I promised them I would wear this one so you'll have to take a picture for me later or I'll owe everyone a case of beer."

I laughed. "We can definitely add that to the agenda."

"Speaking of the agenda, tell me about this jeep tour."

"Hold on, I think I brought the brochure," I said, leaning down and picking up the crossbody bag I brought with me. I checked the front pocket and found the glossy brochure that promised an experience of the island you would never forget. I handed it to Colton and slipped my laptop into its protective pocket in the bag.

"I meant to ask last night, but do you write every day?" Colton asked.

I grimaced. "I try to but my goal is to get about four chapters a week done. Some weeks are easier than others to make that happen but that usually translates to writing every day lately."

"Damn, that's a lot. How do you keep from burning out?"

I laughed. "Why do you think I'm on this vacation?"

He laughed. "Touche. Although you're still working on it."

"Touche," I grinned at him and he laughed. I probably wasn't helping the burnout. Okay, there was no probably about it. But I didn't know how to shut it off. Nor could I really afford to. Nothing was guaranteed for an indie author and the only thing I could do is just keep writing the next book. Maybe one day I would have a large enough backlist of books I would be able to take a break but for now, it was all on my shoulders.

He opened the brochure and we spent the rest of breakfast going over the contents. The brochure included a map of the self-guided tour you could take around the island that included secluded beaches, some villages, and a spot where you could view the wildlife.

"Any preferences on where we go?" He asked.

"Not really. My assistant booked this for me to try and get me to be spontaneous but I'm beginning to rethink how well he knows me."

Colton laughed. "Well, we can do our best to find an adventure. It says that the rental place where we pick up the jeep isn't too far from here. Do you want to walk there after breakfast and then we can drive it to our hotel and pick up some supplies for the day?"

"That works for me," I shrugged. It was kind of nice being with someone who took charge. I was so used to being in charge in my regular life that sometimes the weight of the decisions was exhausting.

We stood up from the table and Colton placed a hand on my lower back as we walked to the door. He opened the door for me and then walked on the outside of the sidewalk as we headed toward the rental place.

"Your parents must have raised a gentleman," I commented without thinking.

His eyebrows furrowed at my comment, but then he nodded. "My mom gets full credit on that one."

"Sorry," I covered my face with my hand. "I have this weird habit of noticing things and blurting them out without thinking."

"Don't be sorry, there's nothing to apologize for. It's what makes you a good writer I bet."

I shrugged, not sure what to say. I had a problem taking compliments, sue me.

He laughed at whatever he saw on my face. "Don't worry, I'll desensitize you to them."

"Desensitize me to what?"

"Compliments. I recognize that face. It's the same face Justin gives me when I give him a compliment."

"Sounds like Justin and I would get along well." I joked.

Colton looked thoughtful. "You know, I honestly think you both would."

"Then we could outnumber you." I teased.

"That's an excellent reason for you two to never meet. Between your creativity and his strategy I would probably have to sleep with one eye open." Colton joked as he held the door to the rental place open.

"We'll see," I teased like it was a possibility and not like whatever was between us had an expiration date.

Checking in for the rental was surprisingly easy and adding Colton as a driver was just a matter of adding a signature. He opened my car door for me and then we headed back to the hotel. I ran up to my room and dumped the stuff out of my crossbody. I threw on a swimsuit and a coverup over it and packed everything in my bag that I thought I would need for the day. I hesitated over my laptop. I shouldn't bring it but it was my safety net. What if we got bored and stopped at a cafe. No, Riley, you're being ridiculous. I locked it in the safe for safekeeping and snagged a beach towel from the shelf in the bathroom. Sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, towel, key, wallet, phone? Check. Mental sanity? Eh, probably not.

I tapped my foot anxiously as the elevator descended. Enough , a voice in my head that sounded dangerously like my mother said, pull yourself together. Don't be too enthusiastic. No one likes someone who can't control themselves.

When the doors to the lobby opened, I slid my sunglasses over my eyes as I headed towards the entrance. Out front, the muscles under Colton's shirt rippled as he placed a bag in the back of the jeep. He had changed into swim trunks but kept the bright patterned shirt. He turned when the doors opened and I was glad my sunglasses hid my staring.

"You look beautiful," Colton said, taking in my blue and white flowered coverup. He kissed my cheek in a smooth movement while sliding my bag off my shoulder and into his hands. He placed it into the back carefully and helped me into the passenger seat. I swore his fingers trailed along my arm when he let go but the touch was so faint I must have been imagining it.

"For our first adventure, I thought we might drive up to this beach here." He pointed to a spot on the map that was on the opposite side of the island. "Then we can make our way back along this route and hit this village for lunch and then the wildlife sanctuary here. How does that sound?"

"That sounds perfect," I said honestly. Colton stowed the map in the driver's side door and pulled out of the hotel parking lot. I could see why rental places didn't mind renting to tourists. It would be difficult to get lost on the island. There was just one main road that went in a large circle around the island. Almost tourist-proof but I was sure some of the rental places we passed could share customer horror stories.

I peeked at Colton from the corner of my eyes as he drove. Reggae music played on the radio as the silence stretched between us. It was a comfortable silence though and I didn't feel an awkward pressure to fill it like I usually did. I had been on several dates where I constantly got one word answers to any questions I asked leaving me to scramble to fill the silence. There was something about being with Colton that felt easy. Like I had known him for a lifetime instead of less than 24 hours.

I had texted Ryan last night that I was meeting with Colton the next morning and spending the day with him. You could never be too safe after all, even if I had taken lots of self-defense and martial arts classes for my book research. The emojis I got back had me rolling my eyes while my cheeks heated. I thought for sure he would tell me I'm crazy for going off with a man I barely met. I could practically hear my character Meira's voice in my head rattling off serial killer statistics. But there was something about Colton that made me feel safe and my intuition was rarely wrong. And besides, this was just a vacation fling. Even if it ended messily, we were each going back to our separate lives.

A half hour later, we were pulling off the side of the road under a makeshift wooden sign with the name of the beach scratched onto it. I carried the towels while Colton carried our bags. The sand was warm under our feet from the mid-morning sun and I quickly kicked off my sandals. Several leafy palm trees provided ample shade and we found a spot underneath one to stow our things.

"I'm not really a sit in the sun type of person," I admitted when Colton went to spread out our towels in the sun. "I'd rather walk along the beach and explore if that's okay with you?"

Colton paused his movements and looked up, a relieved look on his face. "Okay by me. Truthfully, I'm not really either but I wasn't sure if you might enjoy laying and doing nothing. "

I cringed and he laughed. I rolled my eyes. "I know, I know. It's probably something I need to learn but later."

"Of course," Colton said, his eyes still dancing with laughter.

We folded the towels back up and Colton pulled his shirt off, leaving him in just his swim trunks. I almost swallowed my tongue at his chiseled ab muscles. Guys like him were only supposed to exist in books, right?

I suddenly felt shy about taking my coverup off. My parents were big exercise people, waking up at ungodly hours of the morning to get their workouts in but that gene seemed to skip me. I enjoyed walking but hated most formal workouts and my body showed it. It was definitely much softer than Colton's own hard muscles.

Colton didn't seem to notice my hesitation and turned to grab the sunscreen out of his bag. I took the chance to whip my coverup. I had packed one of my favorite swimsuits, a high waisted navy blue bikini bottom that covered my stomach and a patterned navy blue and white halter top that didn't call attention to my broad shoulders. Still, I braced myself for Colton's reaction.

He turned around and I could see his eyes widen from behind his sunglasses. "Damn," he breathed. "You look beautiful." He repeated his words from earlier.

I looked away at the glimmering blue waves before looking back at him. "You don't have to say that," I teased, "I'm already spending the day with you."

Instead of responding to my teasing like I expected with some flirty quip, Colton's eyes darkened. "I'm serious, Riley, you're a knockout."

I brushed it off, not ready to process my body's reaction to his words. "Flirt," I teased. "Come on, I want to see if I can find any shells."

Colton thankfully let it go and we started walking along the beach. There were a few people off in the distance and some surfers out on the waves but we generally had the beach to ourselves .

"I promised Ryan, my assistant, some shells to prove I actually went to the beach." I admitted as we walked.

"I bet he doesn't know you can buy them in the airport gift shop just as easily," Colton grinned.

I laughed. "No but I have a feeling he would be able to tell and make me take another vacation to find him some."

"You've mentioned him a lot but haven't talked about your family much," Colton observed. I sighed. "You don't have to," Colton continued.

"No, it's fine. We're just not really close. They had a very specific idea of how my life should go and what success looks like and it's not the life I wanted for myself and they couldn't see that. We still talk but I try not to see them very often. A love them from afar kind of thing I guess."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Colton said, "but it sounds like you're doing what's best for you. Is it just you and your parents?"

"I have a younger brother as well. We have a complicated relationship. We're siblings but he's definitely an asshole. I don't know if we would talk to each other if we weren't siblings. It also doesn't help that I only hear from him when he needs something."

"Man, that sucks. I'm sorry."

I shrugged. "It's okay. You can't miss what you never had," I tried to play it off. I had made peace with my family. Or at least I tried to. The therapist I saw in college had helped me a lot with that. But Colton was right, it did suck.

"Still, I hate that you never got that from them. I can't imagine but I know I'm lucky with my parents. Justin didn't have the greatest home life so he basically lived at our house growing up. He's my best friend, I can't imagine not having him around. He's always been in my corner no matter what."

"That sounds nice," I said. And I meant it. I didn't begrudge people who had happy childhoods but I couldn't relate to them.

Colton changed the subject by pointing out some shells up ahead and the conversation drifted back to lighter topics thankfully. We gathered as many shells as Colton's swim trunk pockets could hold and even found a few shark teeth that made me shudder. He laughed at my reaction and vehement protests about swimming. The ocean was the sharks' home and I had no desire to swim in it.

By the time we got back to our stuff, we were starving. I pulled my coverup back on and startled when Colton took my hand as we walked back to the jeep. His grip was firm but gentle and the warmth from his palm had butterflies beating against the sides of my stomach. And all of this over him holding my hand.

He helped me into the jeep, his fingers squeezing mine before he let go. When he started driving again though, he grabbed my hand again and rested our clasped hands on his leg as he pulled out onto the road.

"Oh, is that a bamboo house?" I caught sight of a house that looked like it was built in the trees. "I watched a documentary on those not too long ago. It's apparently a super strong construction material."

"Really?" Colton asked, his eyebrows going up as we slowed down to get a better look at the house. "I guess that makes sense."

"Would you ever build a house out of bamboo?" I asked him, smiling.

"Only for you," he promised with a grin that had no business being as devastating on my insides as it was. His thumb brushed the back of my hand and I squeezed my legs together. It was a good thing I wasn't standing right now. I know he was probably only joking about the bamboo house but the most my previous partners ever did for me was buy me flowers and this man was offering, even if only jokingly, to build me a house out of some weird construction material.

"I'll hold you to that," I joked, squeezing his hand.

We stopped in the village and found a place selling street tacos that smelled delicious. We walked around the village as we ate. Colton pointed out a vendor selling sea shells for me to take back to Ryan and we laughed. I snapped a picture of him in his bright blue shirt at the village square for his crew back home, laughing when he scrunched up his face. He held my hand the whole time or had his hand on my back and it was both steadying and arousing. There was something about him that just felt safe but also turned me on in a way that I hadn't experienced prior. With past flings, I went into it knowing I wanted sex and almost convinced myself of it beforehand. I hadn't seen Colton coming but my body didn't seem to care.

At the wildlife sanctuary, I leaned back against his chest as we listened to the guide talk about the different animals that lived there. He traced his fingers up and down along my arm, goosebumps breaking out in their wake. I wanted to pull him behind some trees and jump his bones but I held myself together. He must have felt the same way as he was always finding some way to touch me as we walked through the sanctuary.

When we finally headed back to the hotel, I thought we were on the same page and fully expected to pull him into the elevator along with me. When we walked into the hotel, however, we saw the signs for the evening beach party and Colton suggested we go and grab some barbecue and dance. The food was amazing but dancing was torture with his body pressed against mind. I felt like a wild woman or like a character in a romance book but every inch of my skin he touched felt like it was on fire and I could barely think straight. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.

We were in a quiet corner of the patio that spilled out to the beach. I turned in his arms and placed my hands behind his neck. "Take me to your room." I practically ordered him. "Neither of us has been drinking tonight." When the bartender had asked what we wanted earlier, we both said water at the same time.

Colton's eyebrows shot up but he chuckled. "I thought you would never ask," he said, with the same confidence he delivered his words from last night.

I rolled my eyes but I bit my lip and grinned. "Time to see if you're all talk or if you can deliver."

"Oh, I can deliver alright. Hope you're ready for it, baby girl."