The Sweetest Fling Ch. 03

Jack had no clue what woke him the next morning, but when he opened his eyes, he had a feeling he was alone. He lay on his stomach listening to the quiet and swept his palm over the space beside him. The lack of warmth told him the other half of the bed had been empty for a while.

He lifted his head to scan the tiled floor, finding no sign of Meg's clothes. Jack glanced at his watch and dropped his head back to the pillow with a surprised huff.

Unless she'd gone out for a late-morning coffee run, Little Miss I-don't-do-one-night-stands had done a runner while he was asleep.

He rolled onto his back and scrubbed his hands down his face, blowing air through his fingers.

After the way they'd clicked last night, he expected to see her beside him this morning--and in a perfect world, she'd want to spend the next few hours making the most of the fact they were both still naked.

He'd had a good time with her, even better than he'd expected. Her smart mouth had kept him on his toes, her lithe body had driven him crazy in all the best ways.

Only one night in her company, and he felt like he'd known her a hell of a lot longer.

Thinking about her now reminded him all too clearly of what he was missing out on. Her smell, her taste. The way she'd looked at him when he hoisted her up against the wall, as if she had no experience with the position but couldn't wait to try it out with him.

He wasn't naïve enough to think she'd never been with anyone else--especially after the way she'd dived into his pants the second they got some privacy--but the thought of being her first anything had nearly made him lose it.

She'd been soft and warm and responsive. Pretty much his idea of perfection. Then after everything that went on between them, she'd snuck out of his room as if she couldn't wait to get away from him.

Jack remembered her awkward attempt to leave after the episode against the wall, and he wondered if she'd taken him literally when he said he wasn't looking for anything complicated.

He'd meant he wasn't interested in starting something that continued when he went back home, not that he was the type of asshole who liked to throw women out as soon as the fun was over.

He blew out a breath and told himself to let it go.

It didn't matter.

They'd had a good time. She'd moved on.

With no number to call and only a rough idea of which room was hers, Jack shoved the covers off him and made his way to the bathroom. Since the option for morning sex appeared to be off the table, he figured he'd head outside and find another way to entertain himself.

Maybe he'd catch up with her later.

Maybe he'd pass the time with someone else.

Whatever happened, he sure as hell wouldn't stay here moping all day.

~ * ~

Jack took a long swig from his bottle of Bintang and rested his elbows on the pool bar. The thatched roof overhead had taken most of the bite out of the midday sun, but the cold beer and water lapping against his thighs helped finish the job.

He'd been sitting here for about half an hour, occupying the last stool in the row to avoid being sandwiched in by strangers, just like he'd done last night at the bar. Normally he didn't mind meeting new people, but he hadn't been in the mood for small talk the last couple of days.

He hadn't seen Meg on the way down here, but that didn't surprise him.

She must have gone out for the day or decided to stay holed up in her room. What he didn't know yet was whether her behavior amused, confused, or disappointed him. The woman had him all mixed up, and he barely knew her.

He sipped from his beer and rubbed the damp label with his thumb, taking in the activity around him. A steady stream of guests walked the paths leading to and from the accommodation, while the lunch crowd overflowed from the restaurant behind the pool bar. He'd been checking now and then to see if she tried weaving her way through the mass of people, but so far, no luck.

Probably for the best.

Jack didn't know what he'd say if he did bump into her anyway.

Water splashed his thigh as someone moved in to occupy the stool beside him.

Anticipation rushed through him, and he turned his head half expecting to see the woman who'd been on his mind most of the morning. He found a young brunette making herself comfortable there instead.

Their eyes met briefly, then her gaze skated over his bare chest, and she fidgeted with the cups on her leopard print bikini even though they didn't appear to need adjusting. It did the trick, though. Jack's eyes dropped on cue, and he took in the shadow of her deep cleavage.

"Hiya," she said. "I'm Anna."

Her accent sounded like it came from somewhere in the north of England, and the husky edge to it appealed to him. She had nice eyes--ocean blue--but her heavy makeup just to hang out in the pool took some of the shine off the package.

"Jack," he said, keeping his tone neutral so she wouldn't misinterpret it as flirting.

She gave him a full smile, complete with blinding white teeth. "On your own then are you, Jack?"

He still had a vague hangover from last night and needed more sleep to reset. He slanted her a glance and smiled anyway because she seemed friendly, and he liked to think he wasn't a dick. "Pretty much."

"Well, that just made my day." Anna winked and pushed herself up to a standing position. She leaned against the counter to catch the bartender's attention, showing off a flat stomach, trim hips, and a nice, curvy ass. No chance in hell nature was responsible for that rack of hers, but he was a guy, it was right there, and he couldn't not appreciate the view.

The bartender must have known her because he nodded and began pouring her drink without saying a word. Anna sat back down to wait and returned her gaze to Jack. "Well then, Jackie, how long are you here for?"

He took a sip of beer to hide his grimace. It was too early for nicknames, and there was never a good time to be called Jackie. "Another week. You?"

"A day less than you. I'm with friends for an extended hen's party--and I'm the only one in the whole group who's single."

"Must be rough," he said. "Sorry to hear that."

She laughed and sent him a playful look. "Maybe I like it rough."

Jack smiled and glanced away, unsure if he wanted her to keep flirting with him or leave him alone.

If they'd met yesterday, he would have enjoyed the company of a woman who didn't seem to want much from him other than a little fun. Instead, he sat there like an idiot, all because a flighty redhead had got under his skin and taken his damn mojo with her when she skipped out that morning.

He returned his attention to Anna, watching as she accepted her drink from the bartender--something orange and fruity with a wedge of pineapple on the side.

She wrapped her lips around the straw, locked eyes with Jack and took a good, long suck.

Her cheeks hollowed out, her eyes sparkled with amusement, and finally, finally, he felt the first stirrings in his groin to remind him he was a man.

Jack bit back a smile and maintained eye contact with her.

Her forwardness didn't surprise him. Being away from home and around strangers tended to lower people's inhibitions. He guessed it was the main reason Meg had ended up in his bed last night after claiming she didn't do flings. She'd finally realized no one here gave a shit how she chose to spend her time.

"Do you have any plans tonight?" Anna asked, licking a drop of moisture from her lower lip.

"Why do you ask?"

She lifted her brows up and down in a comical way. "Because I want you to make plans with me."

Jack laughed despite his shitty mood and took another swallow of beer. He wasn't feeling any connection that went beyond the physical, but she had a likeable way about her, and there were worse ways to pass the time. "Maybe."

Her smile came easily, and she gave him another once-over, this one more thorough than the last. "If I sit here chatting with you long enough, I bet I can turn that maybe into a yes."

He shook his head and smiled at the line, twirling the neck of the beer bottle between his forefinger and thumb. Jack wondered why he was even playing coy with her in the first place. He didn't owe anyone his loyalty, and whatever he'd had with Meg was over and done with now, whether he liked it or not.

Anna may not have been his usual type, but he could see himself having fun with her.

Simple, straightforward fun.

So why bother stalling?

Jack scanned his surroundings, still hoping to find a certain someone who might give him a reason to turn Anna down, then he gave himself a mental kick in the ass for being so pathetic.

Time to focus on something more positive, namely the woman beside him who apparently liked his company and had no trouble admitting she wanted him.

He opened his mouth to suggest meeting up with Anna later when a movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. Jack turned his head, and his gaze zeroed in on a slender redhead strolling through the hotel grounds, looking very much like she didn't have a care in the world.

The sights and sounds around him faded to nothing as he took a slow drink from his beer.

"Jackie?"

He heard the confusion in Anna's voice, but he couldn't give her his full attention when someone else had hijacked it. His heart rate kicked up and a burst of adrenalin made him restless.

Meg made her way to the rear exit of the grounds, wearing a white bikini that showed off the sweet, sweet ass cheeks he'd gripped last night while he drove into her. A striped towel and matching bag hung from one arm, and her long hair flowed down her back in waves, the breeze catching some of the strands.

He watched as she pushed through the gate and disappeared.

Again.

A road ran along the back of the hotel. On the opposite side was Kuta Beach.

Jack suddenly wanted to feel the sand between his toes, taste the salt in the air, and watch Meg rub sunscreen all over her body. If he worked it right, she might even let him do it for her.

He tipped his head back and emptied his beer in three long gulps. "Sorry," he said, setting the bottle on the bar. "I'm heading over to the beach. Nice talking to you."

Anna frowned and glanced in the direction he'd just been looking. "Wait, I'll come with you!"

Shit. He couldn't talk to Meg with another woman beside him, but he had no control over where Anna chose to go. If he told her no, she was likely to follow him anyway now that she'd set her sights on him.

"I'm just going for a swim," he said, getting up from his stool.

"That's okay. I love the waves."

Jack groaned internally as he waded through the pool.

He tried to keep his urgency contained as he headed for hot sand, crashing waves, and sweet, freckled skin.

He only hoped he could find a way to ditch Anna when he got there. He'd never been into playing games, and he had a feeling if Meg saw him with another woman, it would all be over before he'd even had a chance to get started with her.

~ * ~

Meg sent the last of several texts to Allie giving her vague updates on her time in Bali, then dropped her phone into her beach bag, thankful her best friend had no idea what she'd been up to over the past twenty-four hours.

If she did her texts would be relentless, demanding answers at first, then switching to cajoling if that didn't work. On and on it would go until every dirty detail had been extracted from start to mind-blowing finish.

And there were a lot of dirty details.

Meg adjusted one of the straps on her bikini and tugged her sunglasses from her hair. She slid them over her eyes and stretched her legs out on the sun lounge that she'd rented for the next few hours.

Her gaze settled on the waves while she reminisced over the events of last night. She couldn't believe she'd slept with a man on the same day she met him. If her body hadn't ached in enough places to prove it was true, she could have almost convinced herself it had been some kind of crazy, erotic dream.

Just thinking about the time she'd spent with Jack had her skin flushing with pleasure. His skill, his strength, the feel of his mouth on her body--everywhere.

He'd kept her on edge all night, switching between relaxed and take-charge, leaving her breathless and aroused and unsure if she wanted to laugh or moan.

At one point, Meg remembered doing both.

She'd struggled to leave him after that. The temptation to curl up against him and stay there forever had been so strong she'd almost given in, but the thought of facing him in the bright light of day had just felt too awkward.

Now she'd had a chance to recover, it would be near impossible to turn down an offer of a repeat performance if one happened to come her way.

Meg smiled as she pulled her hair into a bun and secured it with the tie she kept on her wrist. She took in the view of Kuta beach from the shade of her umbrella, watching as couples strolled the foreshore and surfers rode the swell farther out.

Kids screamed and laughed as they whirled about kicking up sand, and a group of guys tossed a football back and forth at the water's edge. It was pure chaos and heaven for a people-watcher like her.

A shriek caught her attention.

Meg turned her head to find a woman trotting toward the waves with her hands flapping at her sides. Her dark hair flew out behind her, and her breasts bulged from a leopard print bikini that was so tiny she may as well have been naked.

No doubt the back of her bikini bottoms matched the front because the bare-chested man running behind her seemed more than happy to let her get ahead of him.

The woman splashed her way into the water with a surprising lack of grace and squealed again, like she was putting on a show for her boyfriend or husband.

Meg smiled and shook her head before shifting her attention back to the man. As he passed her by, a feeling of familiarity washed over her.

She pulled her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose, taking in his messy black hair, broad chest, and the way his stride effortlessly ate up the sand.

Surely it couldn't be...

Her stomach plummeted and the smile slipped from her face.

Jack.

He caught up to the brunette and overtook her, splashing water all over her as he raced into the deeper water. The woman let out another scream that now grated on Meg's nerves.

Meg held her breath and watched as Jack strolled into waist-deep water with his busty friend keeping close behind him. When he turned to face her, she snaked her arms around his neck--the neck Meg had kissed last night, the neck she'd dragged her tongue along as she reveled in his groan of pleasure.

The woman tried to press her mouth to Jack's, but he turned his head at the last second and presented his cheek instead.

Meg closed her eyes to block out the view.

She let out a long breath and pushed her sunglasses back on her nose. As her head rested against the lounge, her feeling of contentment faded. Maybe this was why one-night stands had never appealed to her before. She must have somehow known the feelings would be too complicated for her to navigate.

It shouldn't hurt, she told herself. He didn't owe her anything--and he'd made it clear what she was getting into while they were still just talking at the bar. So why did she feel this empty sense of loss, this feeling of betrayal? Why did she want to take the other woman down in a running tackle and demand she keep her hands off him?

Her eyes drifted open, her attention returning to Jack and his friend. She watched as he slid his hands down her hips and eased her away from him--probably to get a better view of the goods.

Meg had to admit the combination of their bronzed skin and dark good looks made them a striking couple.

So not fair.

She wanted to yell at them to get a room. Instead, she swung her gaze to the other end of the beach and pulled in long, calming breaths.

The sound of lapping waves would have been soothing if she could just take her mind off Jack for more than three seconds.

She remembered how he'd dragged her against him last night, keeping her close as if he wanted to make sure she didn't go anywhere. Seeing the softer side to such a masculine guy had generated a level of tenderness she hadn't expected, and yet if she approached him now, he probably wouldn't even remember her name.

As if her thoughts had summoned him, a shadow fell across her body and nervous excitement stirred in her stomach. Meg braced herself and looked up.

When her gaze met Jack's, her pulse jumped at the recognition she saw on his face, and happiness flowed through her stupid, traitorous body.

Droplets of water clung to his lashes and the hair scattered across his chest, and his stomach heaved with exertion, showing off the ridges of hard muscle there. He was just so... beautiful. The urge came over her to drag him onto the sun lounge and make him forget about the other woman, but she wouldn't compete for his attention.

"Meg." His board shorts rode low on his hips, highlighting the line of dark hair that travelled from navel to waistband. She'd traced her forefinger then her tongue over that trail last night.

She smiled up at him, and before she could think better of it, threw herself into a game she had no experience playing. "I'm sorry... I've forgotten your name?"

He flashed a smile and combed his hand through his hair, inadvertently spraying her with salt water. "Why doesn't that surprise me? You skulk out of my bed in the middle of the night, now you can't even remember my name. I feel so used."

Meg ignored his attempt to get a rise out of her. She flicked a glance behind him, taking in the dark-haired vision standing in the surf in all her bikini-clad glory. The woman bent at the waist and splashed her breasts with water, looking like she'd just tumbled from the pages of a men's magazine. A couple of guys even stopped throwing their football around to watch her.

"I'll bet. Who's your friend?" Meg asked as her gaze returned to Jack.

He sank onto the edge of the empty lounge beside her and rested his elbows on his knees. The warm smile he gave her made it increasingly difficult to keep up her façade of indifference. "Hmm. Not sure. I must have caught your amnesia."

"Never mind." Meg pushed her sunglasses on top of her head. "It won't matter tomorrow when you move on to the next one."

His eyes were alight with amusement, as if he'd figured out the reason behind her standoffishness and found it entertaining. Maybe even endearing. He leaned in and gave her leg a quick stroke, the touch so fleeting it shouldn't have made her body react the way it did. "I only met her an hour ago. She doesn't mean anything to me."

His closeness only brought back memories from last night and her skin prickled with goose-bumps. Meg shifted her leg and snorted to cover her discomfort. "I'm sure she'd be happy to hear that."

"I doubt she'd care." Jack glanced over his shoulder at the woman in question, who was now frolicking in the surf and giving surreptitious looks to the two shirtless guys headed her way.

When she jumped over an incoming wave and her breasts bounced, Meg couldn't bear to watch for another second. "She'll give herself a black eye if she keeps that up."

Jack turned back to her and smiled. "Probably. I'm sure those guys are enjoying themselves, though."

"Maybe you should get back over there and stake your claim."

So subtle, jealousy with a side of bitterness. One minute she'd been pleased with herself for the way she handled last night, now she wanted to stand guard over him and make sure no one else could get close.

Her tone only seemed to amuse Jack because he looked like he wanted to laugh. His gaze lowered to take in the soft swell of her breasts, lingering just long enough to get her stomach fluttering. When his eyes came back to hers again, they were glimmering with humor. "Think I'll pass. I prefer natural tits myself."