Chapter 9: Reckless Temptations
615 Words
The boat ride back to the resort was a blur for Isla. Even as the wind whipped through her damp hair, and laughter from the wedding party filled the air, her mind was elsewhere—stuck in that fleeting moment in the water with Adrian. The way his hands had steadied her, the way his voice had dropped when he asked if she still thought about them.
Damn him.
She needed a distraction, something—anything—to push away the pull of old desires threatening to drag her under again. Luckily, Logan was more than willing to help.
“Fancy a drink, gorgeous?” Logan leaned in, his voice smooth, a teasing grin playing on his lips. “Or are you still too busy pretending you don’t want to drown your ex in that ocean?”
Isla let out a breathy laugh. “That obvious, huh?”
“Painfully.” He handed her a cocktail, the ice clinking against the glass. “But hey, if you ever need an accomplice, I do a mean distraction.”
She eyed him curiously. “And what exactly does that entail?”
Logan smirked, leaning just a fraction closer. “Let’s just say I’m very good at making people forget.”
It was a bold proposition, one that had Isla considering reckless decisions. Logan was attractive, charming, and—most importantly—not Adrian.
And maybe that was exactly what she needed.
She followed Adrian away from the crowd, toward the dimly lit pathway leading back to the resort. The sounds of the party faded, replaced by the rhythmic crash of the waves.
“Adrian, if this is another attempt to—”
“Are you serious about him?” he cut her off, his voice low.
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
“Logan,” he said tightly. “Is this just you trying to piss me off, or are you actually considering it?”
She crossed her arms. “Why do you care?”
Adrian let out a sharp breath, running a hand through his hair. “Because watching you flirt with him is driving me insane.”
Isla’s heart slammed against her ribs. “That’s not my problem.”
His jaw clenched, and then suddenly, he was closing the distance between them. “Isla…”
Her breath hitched as he reached out, his fingers ghosting over her arm. The warmth of his touch sent a shiver down her spine, but she forced herself to stay still, to not lean into it.
“You don’t get to do this,” she whispered. “You don’t get to act like you still have a claim on me.”
Adrian exhaled heavily. “I don’t want to have a claim on you.” His hand dropped, but his eyes burned into hers. “I just… I don’t like seeing you with him.”
Isla swallowed past the lump in her throat. “Well, maybe that’s something you should have thought about before we ended up here.”
A muscle in his jaw ticked, and for a moment, she thought he might walk away.
But then he did something worse.
He reached out, cupped her face, and kissed her.
It was desperate, raw, filled with frustration and longing. It shouldn’t have happened. It was a mistake.
And yet, Isla found herself kissing him back, her fingers tangling in his shirt, her body pressing into his like she was still his to hold.
When they finally pulled away, breathless and shaken, Adrian whispered, “Tell me this doesn’t mean anything.”
Isla stared at him, her heart warring with her mind.
And she had no idea what the answer was.
- Writer
