Page 7 of Fighting With Light

Aelia finally looks at me and her eyes drop to my lips. “I don’t like to go home often.”

Interesting.

“Why is that?” I ask, folding my hands, not wanting to seem too interested, but trying to make conversation.

“Honestly, it’s not worth wasting breath over. The better question is, why did you ask me out?”

I grin as our waitress sets the food down and walks away.

She unwraps her banana leaf and takes a bite. Her eyes widen for a moment then she takes a drink. “You didn’t say this was so spicy!” she says and takes another drink of water.

“The rice should help.” I gesture to the other part of her plate as she takes a bite and nods. My stomach grumbles and I take a large bite of mine. I love the spices and flavor combinations here.

“You didn’t answer my question,” she says, looking at me as if she knows something that I don’t.

“What do you want me to say? You’re pretty and I figured I’d give it a shot.”

She snorts and that makes me grin because it’s the most unladylike thing she’s done since I started interacting with her today. “That’s a joke becauseyouare beautiful.”

My lips thin, not sure how I feel about being called beautiful.

“Oh, come on, you cannot sit here and tell me some woman hasn’t called you beautiful before.”

“I mean, I’ve been called a lot of things.Beautiful, I have to admit, is not one of them.”

“Okay, fine, you’re insanely hot. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

I shrug and toss her a wink. “That’s more like it.”

She giggles and shakes her head. “Once you get over the spice, it’s delicious.”

“Told you,” I say, taking another bite.

Aelia’s eyebrow ticks up and she says, “I’m sure other women have told you how much of a smartass you are, too.”

I shrug. “I may have heard it once or twice.”

She laughs. “You are something, Tarzan.”

“Really?” I ask her, not sure how I like the nickname and simultaneously a little happy that we’re connecting so fast. But what I’ve learned so far is she’s normal and here for vacation. Rather, she’s avoiding something. I need to push harder.

After we finish our dinner and I pay, we walk back down towards the resort. She keeps stepping in and out of the waves, then she stops and looks both ways down the quiet beach. About a quarter mile down the beach is the resort, with people milling around on the sand and towards the bar facing it.

“I have an idea,” she says over her shoulder.

“I’m not sure if I should be concerned about this idea or not.”

“You strike me as someone who isn’t afraid of a challenge.”

My stomach flips. She’s right about that. “What did you have in mind?” I prod.

She grins like the cat got the canary and gathers the sides of her dress, pulling it higher and higher over her hips until she yanks it off her body, leaving her in a thong and no bra.

My mouth goes dry and I blink a few times. She is unlike any woman I have ever met.

“Let’s go skinny dipping,” she says, taunting me, and takes off towards the water.

Game on.I kick off my shoes, yank my shirt over my head, and push my pants down.