The Holiday Buddies (A Romantic Comedy)

Chapter 14

Joe

I'm not entirely sure what Sienna's playing at - apart from pool, obviously - but she has definitely upped the stakes tonight. And I'm losing against her. Both at pool, and at whatever this other game is.

I thought I was attracted to the cute, funny babbler who just says whatever the fuck is on her mind, cries at the drop of a hat, and looks fantastic in a bikini. But this has nothing on the goddess that has turned up tonight and appears to be doing her best to push every single one of my buttons. The fact that both of these personalities co-exist in the same petite blonde package is blowing me away.

She has potted all of her balls now and is onto the black. I'm normally decent at pool but I cannot concentrate at all on this game. I can't think why . . .

She's chalking up her cue but she's paying no attention to what she's doing. Instead she's staring directly at me, her gaze bold and unapologetic. She licks her lips, slowly and deliberately. That red lipstick is killing me.

"Prepared to lose?" she taunts. I can only shrug helplessly as she leans forward and sinks the black apparently as effortlessly as she's destroyed all my defences.

I want her so badly I'm shaking.

She walks towards me, hand extended. "Good game," she says coolly. "For me, that is." Her small hand slips into mine to shake it, her eyes challenging me. Good god, I almost lean in at that point, for the second time today almost kiss her.

But she pulls her hand away, picks up her drink and polishes it off. When she turns back around it's like her seductress personality never existed. "Dinner time?" She asks, raising her eyebrows at me questioningly. "I'm absolutely starving."

So am I, I think. But not for food anymore.

The babbler has returned with a vengeance as we walk down towards the strip. "What do you feel like eating?" she asks. "Something traditional or something else? I think I saw a pizza place, and there's a diner too. Although I really could go some more baked feta."

"What is it with you and baked feta?" I ask curiously, laughing. In the 24 hours we've been acquainted, baked feta has been mentioned at least 5 or 6 times.

She smiles, slightly embarrassed. "I just really like cheese."

She's just so fucking sweet. It doesn't matter whether she's talking about dairy products or trying deliberately to turn me on . . . Actually, she doesn't need to even try now, I'm too far gone. I turn away from her, swallowing a groan of frustration, and drag my hand down my face.

I need to cool down; I could seriously do with a cold shower right about now. And I had one already, less than an hour ago, trying to rid myself of the memory of that near-miss kiss in the sea earlier.

I hadn't known whether to be relieved or exasperated when that kid had screamed. I'd opted for a mixture of both emotions, telling myself it was for the best on one hand, while having to remain in the sea for a bit until I had - how should I put it? - visibly calmed down.

By the time I got back to my towel, Sienna was acting like nothing had happened, and I'm pretty sure she started talking about baked feta again, so there didn't feel any point in trying to broach the subject.

And how many times can I bring out that fucking platonic speech anyway? Especially when I keep contradicting it with my own actions.

In the short space of 24 hours this girl has wrecked me.

Although to be fair, if I'm being really honest, for me this has been building since I first saw Sienna on that airport transfer bus. Long before I even knew the slightest thing about her.

I remember the looks I'd covertly shot her at the bar later that same night; the feeling of intense disappointment when she left without even a glance towards me when I felt such a magnetic pull towards her.

Noticing her in the bar alone the following night, and then again last night.

I had been fully, painfully, aware of her presence on all of those occasions, but I hadn't approached her because I think, deep down, I knew she was going to test me to my limits.

And that's probably why, when she approached me, I had no choice but to offer to keep her company because I had been already thinking about her, wanting her, since the first moment I saw her.

I'm so tired of fighting my attraction to her.

"You okay?" Sienna asks. I drag myself back to the present and realise I've not yet responded to her cheese comment.

"Um, yeah. Just thinking how hard you're making it to resist trying baked feta for myself." I joke.

But, obviously, that's not all I'm finding difficult to resist.

So turns out Joe wanted Sienna long before she had even noticed him, he just hadn't admitted it to himself. . . Was that a surprise to you?

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