Free Player in Paradise by Rebecca Lewis Page B

turn to lean against his chest and he grabs onto my shoulders, guiding me to the elevator. “I didn’t know where you went,” he says quietly.
    “I went dancing,” I croak.
    My feet are throbbing and I kick off my shoes as soon as we get inside.
    “I thought…” he stares up at the mirrored ceiling and runs his fingers through his waves. “Nevermind.”
    I don’t respond. At this point, I can’t tell which way is up and which way is down. Not really the best time for a meaningful conversation.
    He assists me down the hall and searches my pockets for the keycard. I toss him my purse and place my hands against the cold, hard wall, trying to steady myself. He finally opens the door and I rush to the bathroom.
    I don’t want him to follow me in, but his footsteps are behind me and soon he’s holding my hair back as I kneel to the porcelain god. How embarrassing, but at least I feel a bit better.
    Taking a seat on the chilled tile floor, I wrap my arms around me knees and pull my legs to my chest. There’s no way I’m moving from this spot any time soon.
    Austin grabs a bottle of water and slides down next to me, forcing me to take a drink. He swings his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to his chest. I listen to his heartbeat and the steady rhythm calms me down.
    “You shouldn’t have left the hotel,” he says, rubbing his hand over my bare arm.
    Why does he care where I went?
    He stands and lifts me off the ground, carrying me to the bed. I close my eyes as he peels off my skirt and blouse, leaving me in my bra and panties. I feel his presence above me and instinctively reach out for his hand.
    The bed sheet moves and his warm body curls up against mine as he slips the covers over us. I face away from him and he kisses the back of my neck. That spark that was missing with Kai instantly returns when I feel Austin’s smooth lips on my skin. It feels so good, but I’m so exhausted.
    “I don’t know what you’re doing to me Olivia, but I don’t remember ever feeling like this before,” he whispers, moving strands of hair behind my ear.
    I smile to myself before slowly turning to face him. “I feel it too.”
    He unzips his jeans and tosses them out of bed before removing his shirt. His bare chest presses up against my back as his arms cradle me into slumber.

Chapter Fifteen
     
    The sun bursts through the window and I open my eyes slowly. My head hurts worse than when I fell off the Jet Ski. I try to move, but realize I’m stuck in the vice grip of Austin’s arms. I vaguely remember seeing him last night, but I can’t put all the pieces together on how we ended up here.
    As I try to wriggle my way free, he draws me closer and his morning wood presses up again st my backside. I giggle and he stirs at the sound. 
    “Good morning,” he says, placing a kiss on my cheek and releasing me from his clutches.
    “Morning.”
    I rush to get up and run to the bathroom. I don’t want him to see me with messy hair, bloodshot eyes, and smeared makeup. Plus, my breath must be awful.
    “Do I smell that bad?” he yells through the door with a laugh.
    “Sorry, had to pee!” I shout back. I flush the toilet and quickly run a brush through my tangled strands, gargle some mouth wash, and wipe my face with a damp towel. 
    Austin knocks on the bathroom door, but enters before I give him permission to come in. He looks like he just stepped out of an underwear ad with his hair perfectly tousled, a little bit of stubble lining his jaw, and nothing covering him except for navy boxer briefs. Why can’t I look like a model when I wake up too?
    “Are you feeling better?” He leans against the wall and cocks his head to the side. God, he looks concerned; was I really that messed up last night?
    I shake my head. “Yeah, I think so. Just have a little he adache, but I’m sure an Advil will take care of it.”
    He grabs a bottle of water that was left on the floor. “You should drink this, you’re probably