A moment later, Noah was done, looking as perfect as could be. “Better?”
No. “Much.” She snatched up her dress and the rest of her clothes, and breezed past him into the bathroom. She took her shower, deciding to focus on the night ahead. It was better to worry about impressing the Hannaforts, rather than the endless cycle of Noah sex thoughts rifling through her brain.
Hair up in a towel, she slipped into her dress and turned in front of the mirror. Like Noah, she’d gotten a good amount of sun today. Quite frankly, she looked amazing in this dress. Such a waste. Noah wasn’t even going to notice.
* * *
Noah put on a pair of black dress pants and a French blue dress shirt. Keep it together, buddy. You can do this. Only he was sure he couldn’t do this. Being around Lily wasn’t merely a test of his willpower, it was the Iditarod of chastity. Spending the morning with her on the plane was one thing, but he had not been prepared for the moment she’d stepped out onto the patio in her bikini and he’d had no choice but to jump straight into the plunge pool with no warning.
“Really wanted to go swimming, huh?” she’d asked.
“It’s way too hot out here.” He’d looked at her for a few seconds too long, his eyes traveling the length of her body, up from her feet to the swell of her hips and the gentle nip of her waist, to the round lusciousness of her breasts. He would’ve given up a year of his life to have had the chance to kiss her and press against her while she was wearing that bathing suit, but he knew where that ended—both of them naked in that beautiful bed under the mosquito netting. If he was going to ruin everything, he might as well go down in a blaze of glory, but no. He had a lot to prove to himself. He wasn’t like his dad. He had to be strong.
“Noah?” Lily called from the bathroom. “I need help. I can’t get this necklace clasp.”
“Sure thing. Two secs.” Maybe she’d be wearing a frumpy Hawaiian muumuu to dinner. Please be frumpy. Please be frumpy. He stepped into the bathroom and got his answer. Her dress was flowing and delicate, with a low back and a slit up one leg. She had her hair pulled to one side, and was holding the ends of the necklace at the nape of her neck.
“I hope you can get it. The clasp is tiny and so is the link it’s supposed to go into. Your fingers might be too big.”
He stepped behind her, taking the silvery chain, fumbling like a fool as he drew in her sweet smell and wished they didn’t have to go anywhere tonight. Again and again, he missed with the hook of the clasp. His hands were slick with sweat. His pulse was thumping in his ears. His knuckles grazed the velvety skin of her neck, drilling electricity right into him. Finally, he hooked the clasp. He dropped the necklace like it was on fire, stepping back abruptly.
“Thanks,” she said, shooting him a quizzical look via the mirror.
“No problem.” He ducked out of the bathroom, thinking of icebergs and blizzards. That was the only way he’d make it through his evening with Lily.
They left their room and headed down the walkway, under the canopy of palm trees down to the main resort building. This was no high-rise hotel but rather three sprawling stories of exclusivity, containing a mere eight suites. Along with only twenty individual cabanas on the island, guests could enjoy a quiet and tranquil stay.
Noah and Lily followed the signs for the rehearsal dinner, which led them down a crushed stone path through a lush tropical garden to the pool area behind the hotel. The multilevel expanse of stone, water and plants seemed to go on forever, with waterfalls, spas and places to swim. A few folks were still partaking of the pool. Everyone else was milling about, enjoying a cocktail and the balmy night air. Noah took Lily’s hand and they walked over to where Lyle and Marcy were chatting with a small group of people. Still no sign of Charlotte, Michael, Sawyer or Kendall.
“There’s my favorite newly engaged couple.” Marcy practically squealed with delight. “Did you enjoy the champagne I sent to your room?”
“We haven’t had a chance to drink it yet,” Noah answered. It had been his call to stick the bottle in the fridge. Popping that cork could’ve led to any number of poor choices. “But thank you so much. It was very thoughtful.”
“Anything to make you all feel comfortable and welcome. I hope you enjoy what the staff has for you when you get back to your room tonight. I think you’ll find it very romantic.” Marcy nodded with a conspiratorial grin.
Lily looked at Noah, her eyes sweeping across his face as if she were trying to gauge his reaction. He had no idea how to respond to this revelation. He could only imagine what Marcy had in store, but one thing was certain—everything about their circumstances was made to sexually frustrate the hell out of him. “I can’t wait to see it.”