Billionaire Boys Club 5 : Romancing the Billionaire(56)

 

 

Not that she wanted to, she assured herself. But if he wanted to, then at least she'd know he was still interested.

But Jonathan seemingly didn't care. He gave her a quick smile, told her he'd call her in the morning when he woke up, and headed down the hall to his own room.

And for some reason, that bugged Violet. It seemed like the more mixed-up she became emotionally, the more he retreated.

She hated that. She wanted him to be just as torn and confused as she was. She wanted him to think about their interlude on the plane when he laid down to sleep that night, because lord knew she was.

She dreamed about him, too. Dark, delicious dreams of his mouth and his hands, and him murmuring filthy poetry in her ear as he made love to her.

It was depressing to wake up and find she was in bed alone.

The next day went much like the first. They headed to the beaches, and when Violet protested that they probably wouldn't find any hints toward her father's poem, Jonathan suggested that they simply enjoy themselves. It would come to them at some point. They just had to be patient and wait, and until they came across it, they could enjoy the island paradise that Santorini had to offer. She just needed to think of it as a working vacation, Jonathan teased.

And Violet thought she was good at being patient, but she wasn't. She really wasn't. Because when they walked the beach and strolled in the surf, she wanted Jonathan to hold her hand like the other couples they saw. She wanted to run her hands over those flexing muscles and know that he belonged to her.

She was falling for him all over again, and that was dangerous. The harder she fought to pull away from him, the closer she was dragged.

It seemed to be the opposite for him. Jonathan was cheerful and friendly, but there was a definite distance between them. It was like he didn't care if he ever kissed or touched her again.

She should have been happy with that. Just like she should have been happy to have a few days of paradise on the beaches of Santorini, enjoying the sun and relaxing in a beautiful Mediterranean island.

But she wasn't. She was more tense than ever, and it had nothing to do with her father's silly scavenger hunt and everything to do with the gorgeous, sexy man at her side who was determined to just be her friend.

Why on earth had she ever said she wanted to just be friends? Worse than that, why was he okay with it?

Violet felt like she was in a hellish sort of limbo. A friendly, no-strings-attached, no-hearts-on-the-line sort of limbo. It was a limbo she would have been perfectly happy with two weeks ago, before Jonathan was back in her life.

But now that he was, it seemed her heart wanted all or nothing. And she was utterly terrified of that, just like she was terrified that he was no longer attracted to her. 

What if she fell for him again-a very real possibility-and he was no longer interested? She'd be left behind, hung out to dry once more.

And it scared the hell out of her.

But as day three merged into day four in the island paradise, business and pleasure continued to mix together. When Jonathan suggested that they check out the local scuba diving in case of any submerged wheels, Violet knew it was a long shot, but she went along with it, and they spent a day diving in the blue Mediterranean waters. Following that train of thought, they visited every tour of the ruins on the island, and Violet hated that she enjoyed it so very much. Each day was pleasant, and utterly, completely frustrating. She couldn't keep living in this wonderful, terrible limbo. She just couldn't.

Something had to be done.

It was clear that Jonathan wasn't pursuing her anymore. If she wanted him, she'd have to pursue him and make it obvious that she desired him. She'd have to put her heart out on the line and offer it up to him, not knowing if he was even attracted to her anymore. Maybe he was content with their now-friendship.

Violet would have to be the one taking all the risks. And it frightened her, but it didn't make her as miserable as the thought of more torturous days of a remote Jonathan who was cordial and polite and treated her about as intimately as he did the staff at the hotel.

She thought she'd wanted to be his friend.

She didn't. Not in the slightest.

So . . . Violet began to plan. If she was going to break through this friend-zone they found themselves in, she needed to go all out.

-

The next day, when Violet suggested they spend another afternoon at the beach, Jonathan was surprised. She'd been antsy with every day spent on the island. It was obvious to him from her frustrated body language, and from the way she kept frowning at him like he was doing something wrong.

But what exactly he was doing wrong, Jonathan didn't know. He was giving her space, just like she wanted. He didn't touch her anymore, even though it was f**king killing him. Every evening, he slept like shit because his bed was empty, and he spent hours in the shower each night, jerking off and trying to relieve his body from the endless, aching lust he had for her.