In Too Deep(7)

She started off slow, still self-conscious and awkward, but moved past it as I encouraged her, soon moving her hips and hands with the beat that gave her a hypnotic, sexy grace. I put a hand on her waist and she grinned, resting her hands on my shoulders as we moved in time with the beat. Her dark eyes and short hair lent an exotic air to her look. For a girl who worked in a pharmacy in Ohio, she had just a bit of natural tan, and her eyes had a beautiful almond shape that stirred within me.

The first time our legs brushed against each other, a surge of blood to between my legs made me gasp slightly, and from the smile Melina gave me, she felt the same. The music changed in tone, and a hip-hop beat started to infuse through the music. My hand wrapped around to Melina's lower back and she pulled me tighter, her body pressing tightly against mine.

"Guess you do like me,” she said, looking down at the tent now formed in my pants.

“Isn’t it obvious,” I asked in her ear over the beat. Our heads came closer, Melina's soft lips parting until we were only a mere breath apart, when both of us were jostled and knocked aside.

"Oops. Guess you should watch where you’re dancing," Tiffany said, the frat boy with her grinning after he'd shoulder-checked me. This place appeared to be an attraction for spoiled rich brats. “Really, you should be more careful."

I’m normally a pretty laid back guy, I've done enough things in my past that I don't get riled up by some idiot trying to provoke me, but I was sick and tired of this girl's shit. Now that she’d recruited a muscle-head to try and back her up, it was time to handle business.

Turning, I opened my mouth to reply when Melina laid a hand on my chest. "Cam, don't," she said, catching my attention.

When I turned back to say something to her, she grabbed my head and kissed me. Her lips were soft and wonderful, and despite the faint tang of wine, she tasted wonderful. When her tongue came out to lick my lips, I eagerly opened my mouth to join hers, momentarily losing myself in the sensation of her kiss and her hands on my chest before she broke it. She looked up at me with a smirk on her lips and looked at Tiffany. “He’s mine.”

Tiffany looked at her with open hatred in her eyes, then turned and stomped away, frat boy on her heels. I watched them go and turned back to Melina. "Now that was a solution I hadn't thought of."

"Once you lent me some confidence, I knew exactly what to do," she said. I don’t know what the hell her problem is. “Still, I think I've had enough dancing. Let’s get out of here, I’m kind of pooped. I think I'm a little jet-lagged."

We left the main building after I scooped up my jacket from the table, heading down toward the beach area. Reaching the sand, Melina pulled off her shoes and carried them in her hand. With her other hand, she reached out and took mine.

“You know, I’m starting to think this could be the start of a wonderful vacation. I was thinking about going parasailing tomorrow, have you ever been?"

"No, what's that?" Melina asked.

"Well, they strap you to a parachute and pull you behind a speed boat. The parachute fills with the air and you fly up into the sky. It looked like a lot of fun when I saw it the other day, and I’ve been wanting to try it,” I explained. “Want to come with me tomorrow?”

“Sounds like something I’d never agree to normally, but what the hell? What time?"

"I think I’ll need to make a reservation, then I can give you a call. How's that sound?"

Melina stopped and turned to me again, her pretty face lit by the glow from the hotel behind me. "I do believe you’re trying to find out what room I'm staying in, Cameron Swagger."

"Maybe," I said, "how's it going so far?"

"How about you be a gentleman and walk me back to my room," she said, turning and walking away. The look she gave me over her shoulder when she was a few feet ahead of me was smoldering, and for a moment, I wondered if she would actually invite me into her room. I could be hopeful, but I also didn't want to push my luck. On one hand, I didn't want just a one-night stand with her, she could be something more. On the other hand, I had to be careful. A serious relationship with me could put her very life in danger. Maybe it was selfishness, maybe it was confidence in my abilities, but I wanted more than one night with this woman. “You coming?"

I caught up, this time holding hands with her. It just felt right, like we were young sweethearts or something. The outside staircase to the resort was deserted, and we were able to walk up like we were the only people on the entire estate. Taking the door to the inside, I felt like things were magical as we went along the corridor. I was aware that we weren't in the same wing of the hotel as my room, but I figured that out earlier from the stairwell Melina came down. We finally stopped outside room 216. "I'm jealous," I said, looking at the door. "Even numbers get a view of the ocean. All I get is the mountain."

"Well, maybe sometime I might show you the view from inside,” Melina said softly. I could tell she wanted me, just like I wanted her, but both of us knew that the time wasn't right, for whatever the reason. "I had a great time tonight, Cam."

I pulled her in close. Our kiss, this time, was soft and gentle, with none of the staged actions of what we'd done in the club. There was real affection in it, and the way she felt in my arms was like caressing an angel's body. I felt myself growing hard again, and I pulled away before I could bump into her too much.