Meg flopped onto her back and stared at the ceiling with only the hum of the air conditioner keeping her company in the dark. She wished there weren't so many long, lonely hours left until morning.
If it had been closer to dawn, she could have walked off her frustration on the beach or comforted herself with a huge breakfast somewhere, but at this hour all she could do was lie in bed and think.
About Jack.
Why did he have to tell her his room number before she left--and in that husky voice of his with the yearning in it, too? It wasn't fair. If he'd let her go without a word, she might have been able to get some sleep instead of repeating the number on a constant, maddening loop inside her head.
By the time she'd made it back to the hotel, Meg had convinced herself that putting the brakes on with Jack had been the right thing to do. She didn't want to take it any further than a kiss. He had no interest in being her friend. The only way they could overcome the problem was for her to compromise on her principles.
It didn't seem right to have to give up something important to get what she wanted, and in the end, she realized there was no point wasting more of each other's time.
But that kiss.
Meg rested her arms across her forehead and sighed. She wished the right decision didn't have to feel so wrong.
It had been so long since she'd had that much fun with a man. All those looks he'd given her, the way he'd hung on her every word, teasing her and touching her in ways that made her body come alive... he'd become addictive in such a short time.
She sighed again, annoyed at him, at herself, and threw back the covers. Sleep didn't look like it was coming anytime soon, so she swung her legs over the side of the bed and flicked on the lamp.
Meg crossed the room and pushed through the French doors, stepping out onto the balcony.
With her arms wrapped around herself, she gazed into the darkness, listening to the crickets chirping below, the beat from a nightclub thump-thumping in the distance. There was a conversation taking place on the next balcony, and the deep, male voices reminded her of Jack.
Meg wondered if he was having trouble sleeping too, or if he'd forgotten all about her and carried on with whatever plans he'd made before she came along.
He might have met someone new and taken her back to his room. They could be together now doing all the things she'd only imagined.
Her stomach turned at the thought, and she rolled her eyes because she'd been the one to run away from him, too chicken to do something impulsive for the first time in her life. She could have been enjoying herself instead of pining away on her balcony like Juliet waiting for Romeo.
Even in a different country where no one knew her name, she couldn't find a way to overcome her inhibitions.
Meg took in the half-moon partially hidden by the clouds, wishing a man she barely knew would stop taking up so much room in her head. She remembered the way he'd looked at her, the regret in his eyes before she'd left him sitting there alone.
Never in her life had she experienced that kind of chemistry with a man--and she had a suspicion she might not feel it again.
Her pulse kicked up again, and her body became restless. She paced the length of the balcony, gazing up at the ceiling as she shook her hands at her sides.
She needed an outlet for all this energy or she'd never get to sleep.
Meg blew out a breath and shoved her hair back from her face. How would he react all these hours later if she suddenly showed up at his door?
Butterflies stirred at the thought, and the pull to do something about it gained strength. If she didn't take Jack up on his offer, she had a feeling the regret would taint all her memories of Bali, and it had taken so much organizing and shifting things around for her to even get here in the first place.
So, she was doing this--wasn't she? She had to do it.
Tonight.
Naked with a near stranger who looked like he knew exactly how to make a woman feel good.
Meg dragged in a breath to calm herself, but it didn't work. Her heart had started trying to pound its way through her ribcage the second she considered changing her mind.
With a breathless laugh, she hurried back into her room and all but slammed the doors behind her.
It only took her a few minutes to freshen up and throw on the clothes she'd stripped off earlier. She scooped up her room key and strode to the door, intent on finding him before she could talk herself out of this madness.
Again.
~ * ~
Meg checked the empty corridor one more time and returned her attention to the door. She hadn't expected to be this nervous, but on the way over here, her thoughts had taken a negative turn, gaining momentum until she became a walking wreck.
What if she'd given Jack enough time to have second thoughts?
What if he had another woman in there and knocking on the door interrupted their fun?
What if it ended up being the best night of her life?
She jolted at the sound of the foyer door opening at the end of the hall. If she wanted to do this without any witnesses around--the smartest idea given the potential for major embarrassment--the time had come to make a move.
