Chapter 4: Jillian

The first sip of piña colada was cold and refreshing, flooding her mouth with the flavors of coconuts and pineapple. It couldn't overpower the taste of Zach's mouth that lingered on her lips though. She wanted to feast on him. His salty neck had been a delicious appetizer, but she wanted to indulge herself with his lightly haired nipples, down his muscled stomach to that mammoth lump tenting his board shorts.

He'd given her an orgasm within hours of meeting her and they hadn't even been naked yet. Both of them wanted more, but, in a perverse way, holding back had ramped up her desire even higher. She wanted to know him, body and soul. He whet her appetite for both sex and the sparking connection she felt growing between them.

He'd dug into the banana chips and salsa while she studied him. When he noticed, he scooped a dollop of salsa on a chip and leaned over to place it in her mouth.

"Good, huh?" he asked.

She nodded as the flavor of cilantro, garlic, tomatoes, and peppers exploded across her tongue. "Hot," she whispered and pulled a long sip up the straw of her drink. "But the balance of heat and flavor is perfect."

"Exactly," he said and offered her another bite.

Eating from his hand nearly had her panting from desire. As she took the bite into her mouth, she sucked his pointer finger between her lips briefly, swirling her tongue over his fingertip. She watched his eyes widen as she smirked and let go to finish eating her snack.

"Some salsa dripped on your finger. Didn't want to waste it." She shrugged as if what she had done was no big deal.

"W-well, of course, yeah," Zach stuttered out with a mesmerized gaze focused on her mouth.

Jillian had to stop thinking about sex or she would drag him back to his room. "So, I assume you're a black belt if you teach at your dojo, right?"

It took him a moment to respond as he shook his head and refocused his attention. "Yeah.", he said, then sipped his own frozen drink. "Some people make a big deal about achieving a black belt, but really that's just the beginning. The earlier belts mark that you've learned certain basics. The black belt just means you've learned all the basics and from that point on it's about growing in mastery, style, and skill. There are regional competitions and national rankings and stuff for people who care about proving themselves, but I just do it for me."

"That's really interesting. I guess I didn't understand it either. So you don't ever compete?"

"Don't get me wrong! I love sparring with the other guys in my dojo, but I'm just as happy when a really skilled fighter takes me down so I can learn something new. It's one thing Chloe never got about me. I don't need to win to be happy."

His face had hardened when he mentioned Chloe and Jillian thought she knew why. "She was your fiancée?"

He let out a long breath. "Yeah."

"Do you mind if I ask..." Jillian was still trying to think of a polite way to phrase the question when Zach gave her a crooked smile.

"We were together for three years and lived together the last one. She was an attorney and liked her life on a tight schedule with everything in neat little boxes. I only work so I can do other things. Like martial arts. Or trips like this." He shrugged. "I could usually deal with her hang-ups, but she decided she couldn't live with mine about three months ago."

His words made Jillian frown. Her life was structured by her vocation, the shelves of books ordered alphabetically. Was she too uptight for someone like him? "Thanks for sharing that with me. I know that probably wasn't easy."

He studied her for a moment with a frown, making her pulse race. "Don't worry, you're nothing like her."

"But I'm on vacation now," Jillian whispered, avoiding his eyes.

"Do you have a fixed agenda of activities for today?"

"No."

"Do you know where you're going to eat dinner tonight?"

"No."

"Did you pack a specific sequence of outfits you intend to wear? Will you get upset at me if my clothes don't match yours?"