Falling for Autumn (13 page)

Chapter 14

T
he sun had just begun to set over the stunning Mount Otemanu and Autumn had been doing yoga in a reclusive part of the resort for the past thirty minutes. She really had no choice. Her body needed to focus on something other than how sexually frustrated she was.

After making out with Ajay for at least fifteen minutes last night, they had finally returned to the bonfire in time to catch the end of the performance and give their short welcome speeches. She'd had every intention of returning to her villa and giving Ajay an invitation to join her, but had gotten sidetracked by the surprise—Winter and Taheim had planned to take the group to a neighboring resort for a reggae concert that was going on.

The concert was great and everyone had enjoyed themselves. However, after the concert, the women and men separated. The women had found themselves in Summer's villa talking and drinking the night away. She had no idea where the guys had ended up.

The entire time she was with the women, she'd been checking her watch to see the minutes tick away, along with her chance to invite Ajay to her room. By the time morning rolled around, they were off to do another group activity, ruining any intention she had of presenting him with her idea in the morning. Clearly, Winter and Taheim were going to have them too busy to even think about getting freaky in paradise. So now she found herself attempting to use the remaining sunlight to relieve the tension in her body before they met the group for dinner.

After twenty more minutes of yoga, she felt better than she had since she'd arrived to Bora Bora. She was just making her way back to the path leading to the villas when she noticed a man running in the distance toward her direction wearing a white T-shirt and basketball shorts. She stepped back into the space she'd just vacated to wait for him to pass.

As the man got nearer, she stepped back even farther out of view. She knew that body. That swag. Even though she'd never seen him run before. Even if she hadn't recognized him, her lady parts were coming to life, indicating that there was no doubt Ajay Reed was the man jogging down the path.

His phone was in a sleeve tied to his arm, and even though she couldn't see headphones in his ear, she was sure he was listening to music. She found herself holding her breath as he approached, praying he didn't see her. She didn't really know why she didn't want him to see her, it was just that she preferred to view him from a distance.

She glanced down at her stretch capris and tank top and subconsciously brushed her hands over curlicues that had escaped her ponytail.
Definitely not cute enough to run into him.
Mind made up, she stayed hidden and waited for him to pass her, closing her eyes when he was close enough to spot her. She didn't open her eyes until she heard his footsteps pass. When he was out of sight, she finally got on the path and started walking in the direction of the villas.

I wonder where he was going...
She didn't know he was a runner, but that made sense. He had the body of a runner. Or a football player. Either way, running suited him and he looked damn good doing it.

Why did you close your eyes when he passed by you?
That had been a stupid move. She'd admired him from a distance, but closed her eyes out of nervousness when he had gotten close enough for her to really see him.

I should catch up with him.
She wasn't much of a runner, but she was athletic enough to catch up with him if she ran at a fast pace. Besides, she was in paradise and that meant she wasn't backing down to whatever Bora Bora had in store.

She turned around, clutched her purple-and-black yoga mat under her arm and started running in the direction that Ajay had gone. Within minutes, he came into view again. She yelled his name a couple of times and didn't get a response.

“He must have his headphones in,” she said to herself. She was about to give up when he stopped running but continued to jog in place. She started running again, confident that she could catch up with him this time. He glanced to his left and pushed a few plants aside. Next thing she knew, he was making his way through the plants.

“What the hell is he doing?” She caught up to the spot where he'd been standing and looked through the plants he'd just pushed aside, and kept pushing until she reached a clearing near a host of large trees. Glancing to her right and left, she wondered which way he went.

This is nuts
,
she thought.
Why the heck am I following him?
Even though she questioned her actions, now her curiosity was getting the best of her. She walked a few feet to the left and through another row of tall plants, and she spotted him standing near the water, removing his earbuds and phone holder before placing it on the ground.

She took two steps forward with every intention of making her presence known when he started removing his shirt. For the second time in ten minutes, her breath caught in her throat.

She'd never seen him bare chested before, and even with his back to her, she could tell he was a sight to see. His back and broad shoulders were so defined and structured. As if a sculptor had taken a piece of rock and chiseled the hard material into his delectable body. She could see more of his tattoos than before, but couldn't make out what they were.

He stretched his body to the left, then the right before he lifted alternating knees a few times and twisted his body. She became engrossed by his muscular biceps and powerful-looking calves. She already knew he had tattoos on his arms, but knowing that didn't stop her from salivating.

His hands went to the waistband of his gym shorts and boxers.
Oh, my word, what am I going to do if he takes them off?
She felt as if she was a teenager who wasn't old enough to get into a rated-R movie, but had sneaked in anyway. Without noticing what she was doing, she leaned closer, as if leaning closer would allow her to see something she couldn't quite see.

A plant that she'd been holding back before she leaned closer popped directly in front of her, blocking her vision. She didn't want to miss the show, so she moved it without thinking about the yoga mat that was tucked under her arm. It dropped with a slight thump, causing Ajay to turn around. She dropped to the ground, praying that he didn't see her. She could tell by the position of his feet he was still facing her direction. After a few more seconds, she finally saw his feet turn back toward the water.

Thank goodness. That would have been so embarrassing.
A part of her was embarrassed anyway. She'd never spied on a man before, much less chased him through plants and trees. Just as she crouched and picked up her yoga mat, preparing to vacate the area, his head tilted to the side in a slight smile and he dropped his shorts and boxers.

“Oh, shit,” she whispered, mesmerized by the work of art standing before her. She didn't curse a lot, but there was no other way to voice the way she felt upon seeing all six-foot-two of Ajay Reed. His ass alone was the kind that made women clench their thighs together and imagine what it would be like to squeeze it...bite it...slap it.

He stretched again and Autumn moaned at the way the sun setting in the distance cast a soft glow over his phenomenal body.
With a physique like that, who needs to wear clothes?
And Ajay was the type to wear three-quarter-sleeve shirts and jeans in the summer even though it was hot as hell outside. She made a mental note to contemplate sneaking into his villa and hiding all his clothes.

He finally stopped stretching and went into the water. When his head dipped under, she made a mad dash out of the plants, through the trees and to the path. By the time she made it to her villa, it had officially gotten dark and she realized her clothes were filthy from lying in the dirt when she was spying on Ajay. As she began taking off her clothes to take a shower and get ready before dinner, she imagined that he was there taking her clothes off instead.

She should regret what she'd done. She should feel bad for spying on him. She should confess and pretend as if she hadn't seen him get naked before getting into the water. But she wasn't sorry. Not one bit. And there was no way she was disregarding what she'd seen. If anything, it would be etched in her memory forever.

* * *

I would love to see this view every day
,
Ajay thought as he sat on his deck and listened to the calming sounds of nature. He was running late for dinner, but he didn't care. He needed a moment to himself. Ever since he'd arrived to Bora Bora, he had been doing a lot of self-reflection, and in doing so, he'd realized that his parents were right. He had to come to terms with his past.

Talking about it and not letting it define him was one thing, but he still had a few issues to work through. He'd always known that he wouldn't get over his past overnight, but being in a place that was closer to paradise than he had ever been was good for the soul. Good for the mind. His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts.

“What's up, Jaleen?”

“What's taking you so long to get here?”

“Don't get your panties in a twist. I'm coming.”

“Good, because your parents just got here, too.”

“Okay, I'm leaving my villa soon.” He went back inside and placed his leather wallet into the pocket of his slacks.

“I'll let Danni and Summer know. They were hounding me about you two.”

“Two? I'm by myself.”

“Well, Autumn isn't here, either, so we assumed you two were together. Since you're neighbors, can you knock on her door and see what's taking her so long?”

“Sure.” He hung up and took the short walk over to Autumn's villa. He knocked and there was no answer, so he tried a second time. By the third knock, she answered.

“Sorry, I fell asleep after I got out of the shower. I only woke up because I heard you knocking.”

Her mouth was still moving, but he barely comprehended her words. He was too mesmerized by the sight of her in a thin piece of white fabric that was clinging to all her soft curves. Her hair draped over her shoulders in tendrils of curls, evidence that she'd washed it.

“Can you wait for ten minutes while I get dressed quickly?” She moved aside so he could enter the villa. He barely recalled shutting the door. He was already following her to her suitcase located in the bedroom.

“I have several missed calls from the girls. Did they send you to get me?”

She'd asked him a question. He'd heard it, and by the look on her face, she expected him to answer it.

“No.” There, he'd answered. She looked at him inquisitively, oblivious to the inner struggle he was having. He could see the outline of her nipples through the material and wondered if she was wearing any panties since she wasn't wearing a bra. The fact that he didn't know for sure was driving him crazy.

“I should probably wear a dress.” She walked over to the closet and began shuffling through hanging dresses. Every time she moved, his eyes zoned in on the natural jiggle of her round, spankable butt. Then she had the nerve to slightly bend over and look through her shoes before returning to the dresses.

She was still talking, and he was pretty sure she was still asking him questions, but he couldn't stay focused. He'd only just noticed her phone was docked on a speaker and slow music was filling the room. “Are you doing this on purpose?” he asked, finally finding his voice. Her hands stopped moving and she peered at him over her shoulder.

“Not at first,” she said, turning around to face him. “I hadn't thought about my lack of clothing until you stopped talking and just stared at me. So I figured I could get embarrassed or do something about it.”

He swallowed hard. “Seeing you when you opened the door rendered me speechless.”

“You finally found your voice.”

“Barely.” His voice had gone from deep to downright husky. The catch in her breath proved she had heard it, too. He was done dancing around their limitless attraction. Done holding back on something he knew was meant to happen.

He walked over to her. Slow...purposeful. With each step he took, he kept his eyes concentrated on her, enjoying the way her chest heaved in and out the closer he got. From the start, timing had been everything for them, but right now he didn't give a damn about anything but her.

When he reached her, he dropped his forehead to hers and closed his eyes, relishing the way her clean scent filled his nostrils. He didn't want to rush this. He needed to savor her. Cherish her. She meant too much for him to rush. He lifted his forehead and gazed into her eyes. Her hazel eyes sparkled with light brown and gold flecks, potent arousal evident in the way she stared back at him.

Her hands rose to his shirt, and she unbuttoned it slowly. Every finger that grazed his chest left a hot trail where she'd just touched. She eased the shirt off his shoulders and let it drop to the floor. Next, her hands went to the belt of his slacks. He kicked them to the side to join his shirt.

She trailed a finger down his stomach before rolling her tongue over the crevices of his abs. Her tongue was hot and the moisture was causing him to become even more aroused. He couldn't wait anymore. He had to see her.

His hands reached the bottom of her nightie, and slowly he pulled the material up her body. Within seconds, he'd confirmed his suspicions. She wasn't wearing any panties, and the thin patch of hair leading to the object of his desire was so beautiful, his mouth dried.

By the time he pulled the fabric over her perfect breasts, he was sure he was already drooling. He yanked the rest off her body and tossed the nightie to join his discarded clothes. He wasn't sure what to expect when he had her naked, but he'd hoped that she wouldn't get nervous and try to cover herself. He was relieved when instead of being bashful, she let him have his fill. He watched the goose bumps rise on every part of her body that his eyes landed on. The fact that he could make her shiver just by looking at her made it even more impossible to take things slow.