A Dare Between Enemies

Chapter 6

Just as Naomi clicked off the phone, she heard his approaching footsteps and smiled to herself. Turning around to meet Darryl's gaze her smile widened and her breathing shallowed when she saw him dressed immaculately in a white dress shirt that was unbuttoned enough to show the smooth, chocolate-brown flesh of his chest and black slacks that covered what she knew were a muscular pair of thighs.

She watched as his eyes unashamedly perused the length of her body in the same manner as she was, leaving a hot, blazing trail in its path. From where they stood on the expansive balcony, they had a beautiful view of the crystal-blue beaches of Aruba under a warm sunset. But instead, their only fascination was in each other.

Feeling her heart beat erratically in her chest, he approached her with even and measured steps. The skin under her white-laced dress burned once his hands gently but firmly gripped at her hips and before her next breath, he was kissing her.

She was drowning. Drowning in his taste, in his touch, and most importantly, in his love.

Reluctantly pulling apart, he raised his head just enough so that their foreheads touched. "Was everything okay with Jazzy?" Darryl asked in a hoarse whisper that sent shivers through her body.

Naomi blinked as she tried to think of an answer, but her thoughts were clouded. Darryl's kisses had their way of leaving her breathless, speechless and anxiously waiting for more. Staring into the dark pits of his eyes, she nodded her head as she brought her arms around his neck.

"Jazzy's fine. She said she'd finally listened to the voicemails I'd left her, asking where'd she and Nathan disappeared off to for the past week. She had an explanation, but I told her whatever it was, it would have to wait until we get back to the States."

Naomi grinned as she leaned in and pecked his soft lips once more. "We've been here for almost an entire week and I still can't believe you arranged this whole thing."

Darryl chuckled as he pulled her body even further into his embrace. "It wasn't easy. Your dad practically put up a fit when I told him about it. If it wasn't for your mother explaining to him that we are grown adults who are capable of making our own decisions, I'm pretty sure your dad would have shackled you to your bedpost to keep you from leaving."

He backed her into the stone ledge of the balcony, purposefully pushing his hips into hers. She gave a quiet gasp when she felt every throbbing inch of his thick arousal.

His warm mouth lowered to the pulsing vein at the base of her neck and suckled on it, until she was sure it would leave a mark. And she didn't care. She would give him anything he wanted because they were the same things she wanted.

"But what about the costs of all this?" Naomi asked in a voice so throaty, it was almost unrecognizable. "The airfare, the hotel, the food?"

"Don't worry about the cost, sweetheart. I used the money I earned working that office job I had during the summers of high school. Lodico had told me to save it for something important. So I chose to spend it on this occasion."

Naomi's heart squeezed, feeling her love for the man staring down at her grow. "You brought me out here for our anniversary?"

He nodded. "I had to ring in the five-year mark with a bang."

Smiling, she drew her face closer to his. "How did I get so lucky?"

The humorless eyes staring down at her mirrored his serious tone as he whispered, "I'm the lucky one, Naomi."

Suddenly, it felt as if something snapped inside of her. Like all the love she had for him that had been building for the past five years was spilling over into every part of her body.