Jack had no clue what woke him the next morning, but when he opened his eyes, he had a feeling he was alone. He lay on his stomach listening to the quiet and swept his palm over the space beside him. The lack of warmth told him the other half of the bed had been empty for a while.
He lifted his head to scan the tiled floor, finding no sign of Meg's clothes. Jack glanced at his watch and dropped his head back to the pillow with a surprised huff.
Unless she'd gone out for a late-morning coffee run, Little Miss I-don't-do-one-night-stands had done a runner while he was asleep.
He rolled onto his back and scrubbed his hands down his face, blowing air through his fingers.
After the way they'd clicked last night, he expected to see her beside him this morning--and in a perfect world, she'd want to spend the next few hours making the most of the fact they were both still naked.
He'd had a good time with her, even better than he'd expected. Her smart mouth had kept him on his toes, her lithe body had driven him crazy in all the best ways.
Only one night in her company, and he felt like he'd known her a hell of a lot longer.
Thinking about her now reminded him all too clearly of what he was missing out on. Her smell, her taste. The way she'd looked at him when he hoisted her up against the wall, as if she had no experience with the position but couldn't wait to try it out with him.
He wasn't naïve enough to think she'd never been with anyone else--especially after the way she'd dived into his pants the second they got some privacy--but the thought of being her first anything had nearly made him lose it.
She'd been soft and warm and responsive. Pretty much his idea of perfection. Then after everything that went on between them, she'd snuck out of his room as if she couldn't wait to get away from him.
Jack remembered her awkward attempt to leave after the episode against the wall, and he wondered if she'd taken him literally when he said he wasn't looking for anything complicated.
He'd meant he wasn't interested in starting something that continued when he went back home, not that he was the type of asshole who liked to throw women out as soon as the fun was over.
He blew out a breath and told himself to let it go.
It didn't matter.
They'd had a good time. She'd moved on.
With no number to call and only a rough idea of which room was hers, Jack shoved the covers off him and made his way to the bathroom. Since the option for morning sex appeared to be off the table, he figured he'd head outside and find another way to entertain himself.
Maybe he'd catch up with her later.
Maybe he'd pass the time with someone else.
Whatever happened, he sure as hell wouldn't stay here moping all day.
~ * ~
Jack took a long swig from his bottle of Bintang and rested his elbows on the pool bar. The thatched roof overhead had taken most of the bite out of the midday sun, but the cold beer and water lapping against his thighs helped finish the job.
He'd been sitting here for about half an hour, occupying the last stool in the row to avoid being sandwiched in by strangers, just like he'd done last night at the bar. Normally he didn't mind meeting new people, but he hadn't been in the mood for small talk the last couple of days.
He hadn't seen Meg on the way down here, but that didn't surprise him.
She must have gone out for the day or decided to stay holed up in her room. What he didn't know yet was whether her behavior amused, confused, or disappointed him. The woman had him all mixed up, and he barely knew her.
He sipped from his beer and rubbed the damp label with his thumb, taking in the activity around him. A steady stream of guests walked the paths leading to and from the accommodation, while the lunch crowd overflowed from the restaurant behind the pool bar. He'd been checking now and then to see if she tried weaving her way through the mass of people, but so far, no luck.
Probably for the best.
Jack didn't know what he'd say if he did bump into her anyway.
Water splashed his thigh as someone moved in to occupy the stool beside him.
Anticipation rushed through him, and he turned his head half expecting to see the woman who'd been on his mind most of the morning. He found a young brunette making herself comfortable there instead.
Their eyes met briefly, then her gaze skated over his bare chest, and she fidgeted with the cups on her leopard print bikini even though they didn't appear to need adjusting. It did the trick, though. Jack's eyes dropped on cue, and he took in the shadow of her deep cleavage.
"Hiya," she said. "I'm Anna."
Her accent sounded like it came from somewhere in the north of England, and the husky edge to it appealed to him. She had nice eyes--ocean blue--but her heavy makeup just to hang out in the pool took some of the shine off the package.
"Jack," he said, keeping his tone neutral so she wouldn't misinterpret it as flirting.
She gave him a full smile, complete with blinding white teeth. "On your own then are you, Jack?"
He still had a vague hangover from last night and needed more sleep to reset. He slanted her a glance and smiled anyway because she seemed friendly, and he liked to think he wasn't a dick. "Pretty much."
"Well, that just made my day." Anna winked and pushed herself up to a standing position. She leaned against the counter to catch the bartender's attention, showing off a flat stomach, trim hips, and a nice, curvy ass. No chance in hell nature was responsible for that rack of hers, but he was a guy, it was right there, and he couldn't not appreciate the view.
The bartender must have known her because he nodded and began pouring her drink without saying a word. Anna sat back down to wait and returned her gaze to Jack. "Well then, Jackie, how long are you here for?"
He took a sip of beer to hide his grimace. It was too early for nicknames, and there was never a good time to be called Jackie. "Another week. You?"
"A day less than you. I'm with friends for an extended hen's party--and I'm the only one in the whole group who's single."
"Must be rough," he said. "Sorry to hear that."
She laughed and sent him a playful look. "Maybe I like it rough."
Jack smiled and glanced away, unsure if he wanted her to keep flirting with him or leave him alone.
If they'd met yesterday, he would have enjoyed the company of a woman who didn't seem to want much from him other than a little fun. Instead, he sat there like an idiot, all because a flighty redhead had got under his skin and taken his damn mojo with her when she skipped out that morning.
He returned his attention to Anna, watching as she accepted her drink from the bartender--something orange and fruity with a wedge of pineapple on the side.
She wrapped her lips around the straw, locked eyes with Jack and took a good, long suck.
Her cheeks hollowed out, her eyes sparkled with amusement, and finally, finally, he felt the first stirrings in his groin to remind him he was a man.
Jack bit back a smile and maintained eye contact with her.
Her forwardness didn't surprise him. Being away from home and around strangers tended to lower people's inhibitions. He guessed it was the main reason Meg had ended up in his bed last night after claiming she didn't do flings. She'd finally realized no one here gave a shit how she chose to spend her time.
"Do you have any plans tonight?" Anna asked, licking a drop of moisture from her lower lip.
"Why do you ask?"
She lifted her brows up and down in a comical way. "Because I want you to make plans with me."
Jack laughed despite his shitty mood and took another swallow of beer. He wasn't feeling any connection that went beyond the physical, but she had a likeable way about her, and there were worse ways to pass the time. "Maybe."
Her smile came easily, and she gave him another once-over, this one more thorough than the last. "If I sit here chatting with you long enough, I bet I can turn that maybe into a yes."
He shook his head and smiled at the line, twirling the neck of the beer bottle between his forefinger and thumb. Jack wondered why he was even playing coy with her in the first place. He didn't owe anyone his loyalty, and whatever he'd had with Meg was over and done with now, whether he liked it or not.
Anna may not have been his usual type, but he could see himself having fun with her.
Simple, straightforward fun.
So why bother stalling?
Jack scanned his surroundings, still hoping to find a certain someone who might give him a reason to turn Anna down, then he gave himself a mental kick in the ass for being so pathetic.
Time to focus on something more positive, namely the woman beside him who apparently liked his company and had no trouble admitting she wanted him.
He opened his mouth to suggest meeting up with Anna later when a movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. Jack turned his head, and his gaze zeroed in on a slender redhead strolling through the hotel grounds, looking very much like she didn't have a care in the world.
The sights and sounds around him faded to nothing as he took a slow drink from his beer.
"Jackie?"
He heard the confusion in Anna's voice, but he couldn't give her his full attention when someone else had hijacked it. His heart rate kicked up and a burst of adrenalin made him restless.
Meg made her way to the rear exit of the grounds, wearing a white bikini that showed off the sweet, sweet ass cheeks he'd gripped last night while he drove into her. A striped towel and matching bag hung from one arm, and her long hair flowed down her back in waves, the breeze catching some of the strands.
