Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
A dam grinned at the waiting faces in his living room.
“Well?” Brandon asked.
“That’s a yes,” Flynn said. He pointed a drumstick at Adam. “That’s the face of a man about to get laid.”
“Shut it,” Adam told him.
“It’s about time.” LT held up a beer in salute. “Well done, man.”
Brandon high-fived Flynn. “Just call us the love doctors.”
“Okay.” Adam gestured toward the deck. “All of you get out. We’re leaving in thirty minutes and I don’t want you crowding around making her nervous.”
Brandon stood up and set his empty beer bottle on the counter. “See ya. Come on, Flynn, they said there’d be a dance tonight.”
Flynn waved a lazy salute at Adam, then stage-whispered, “Let’s hide out in the bushes and watch.”
“Out.” Adam gave them his best I’m-going-to-kill you look .
“No fun at all,” Flynn muttered as he and Brandon stepped out of the living room onto the deck.
“Later.” LT grinned and joined the other two.
Adam sighed in relief.
Cooper stared after the rest of the crew. “One of these days we need to get Flynn laid.”
Adam snorted a laugh. For all his bluster, Flynn had only had one serious relationship and very few casual flings. He had a girl who was a friend, but it hadn’t gone any further than that, as far as he knew. “Yeah. Hey, man, I’m sorry about Tina.”
Cooper shrugged. “I’m not. It’s been coming for a while. I should have known, right? Vacation is my relationship kryptonite.”
Adam drained the last of his beer. “Maybe next time you should try hooking up with someone who’s never heard of the band.”
Cooper snorted. “Where am I going to find that? Man, in case you haven’t heard, Delusions of Glory is an international sensation. Sen- sa -tion.”
Adam laughed. “True, but I bet you anything there’s a woman out there who would care more about you than she does herself.”
“Maybe.” Cooper set his bottle down. “Enjoy the picnic.”
Cooper walked out onto the deck.
Adam couldn’t see any of the others lingering out there, but it didn’t mean Flynn and Brandon weren’t planning some sort of prank to “help” the budding relationship along.
“Hey, Coop?” Adam called.
Cooper looked back.
“Don’t tell them where the picnic is.”
Cooper laughed. “I’m your wingman, not your cockblocker. I got you. Relax and enjoy each other. You two have a real connection. Don’t waste it. ”
Cooper faded into the tree line and disappeared from view.
Adam spun around and headed for the bedroom. If he was having a romantic picnic with Mattie, he needed to wear something better than the T-shirt and shorts he’d thrown on after his two showers.
It took him a lot longer to change clothes than he thought it should. He usually didn’t spend a lot of time second-guessing his appearance, but tonight he wanted to get it right. Problem was, they were in the tropics and his usual go-to date outfit of rocker leather and denim not only wouldn’t work, he hadn’t even brought it with him.
They’d be swimming, he hoped. The thought of doing that naked with her sent a flare of interest through his nether regions, but he shoved that thought aside and reached for bright aqua swim trunks and a white button-down shirt. He left the top three buttons strategically undone so the Delusions of Glory tattoo peeked out.
He shoved his feet into sandals and checked his hair. Not bad.
Adam heard the tiny beep of a golf cart horn from the front and strode out before he could rethink his outfit.
He hummed the song they’d been working on as he made his way to the cart until he saw Mattie and the song died in his throat.
She was radiant in a vibrant red dress that hugged her curves, then flared a little just at the thigh and stopped, leaving her luscious legs bare all the way down. She usually favored flowy skirts or long dresses, and the change turbocharged his adrenaline.
“Mattie. You look…damn.”
Mattie greeted him with a warm, amused smile. She shifted her beach bag from one shoulder to the other. “Thanks. It sounds really good. The song, I mean. You put a new run in there. I like it.”
“Thanks,” he managed to say without stuttering like a fool.
He’d been on hundreds of dates with women ranging from models to musicians, but none of them had prepared him for Mattie Bellamy in a little red dress.
Mattie climbed into the back seat of the cart. “Hi, Abayomi. Thanks for picking us up.”
“My pleasure, Miss Mattie. Always.”
Adam slid onto the back seat next to Mattie. The hem of her dress had ridden up an inch or two, maybe three. It made his heart race even more.
“Everyone ready?” Abayomi drove down the path to the right. “I take you tonight to Lanmou Bay. It will be a beautiful night. All the stars will be on display for you.”
Mattie looked up. “The stars shine just for us?”
“Always for the lovers at Lanmou Bay. You tell me tomorrow if you did not see more than you ever seen before.”
Mattie dipped her head at the word “lovers,” but Adam wasn’t sure if she rejected the idea or felt embarrassed, or maybe, just maybe, excited.
Abayomi turned down a path Adam hadn’t seen before and commented on all the plants and birds they saw along the way, as well as the beach they were headed toward.
“There is a small waterfall, but do not try to climb the cliff. The rocks are very wet and slippery, yes? The bay is protected, but do not go beyond the large boulder. There is a phone inside the hut if you need assistance. A buggy is waiting for you so that you may leave whenever you wish.”
Abayomi stopped in a small clearing between two enormous rocks. Next to them sat an empty golf cart. A footpath led through the rocks to a small u-shaped beach. Water splashed somewhere to the left, and the ocean washed the shore in front of them.
Two beach chairs and a small table with a bowl of flowers sat in the middle of the pristine beach, with two giant white umbrellas providing shade. The sun was low in the horizon, and the golden color turned the sand and trees into a surreal painting.
He silently thanked Cooper, the resort, and the stars themselves that Mattie had said yes to coming with him.
He expected Abayomi to lead them down the path, but the driver stepped back. “Here is where I leave you. No one will disturb you here, Miss Mattie, Mr. Adam. This time and this place is yours to discover.”
“Thank you,” Mattie said.
Abayomi grinned broadly and climbed back into the golf cart. “Enjoy.”
They watched him drive away, then Adam held out his hand to her. “Shall we?”
Mattie looked at his hand, and for half a second he thought she’d refuse. His chest tightened in anticipation. Then she linked her strong, slender fingers with his and smiled, and the tension vanished.
“Yes.” She nodded. “Let’s see what we see.”
They walked down the short stone path that ended in sand. Once they passed the two large rocks that formed a cliff face, the rest of the bay came into view.
To the left, water spilled off the top of the short cliff, smacked the sand, and rushed into the sea. The saturated rocks glittered in the afternoon sun. Many of them looked like tempting footholds. He could see why they’d been told not to climb.
A thatched-roof hut nestled against the cliff to the right of the path. Next to that, a white curtained cabana covered a wood deck that stepped up from the sand.
“Oh look, an outdoor shower.” Mattie laughed and whirled around with her arms stretched out wide. “I’ve never seen anything like this. Feel that air. This is pure magic. Who would ever want to give this up? Tina’s missing out.”
She looked so carefree and vibrant it was all he could do to keep his hands to himself instead of sweeping up and kissing her until they both ran out of breath.
There was magic in the air, all right, but he thought it came from the girl, not the place.
“Well, Coop’s the master of romance, so I’m not surprised he found this spot.”
“Shame he didn’t find the right person to share it with.” Mattie pointed at the hut. “What’s in there?”
“Not sure. Let’s check it out.”
They trudged through the sand and pushed the door open. A shelving unit along the back wall held stacks of towels, games, books, and supplies like bug spray and sunscreen. A battery-operated refrigerator was stocked with everything from water to a pitcher of something red. A door at the back led to a bathroom and shower.
“Look, they left paper and pens.” Mattie pointed at a writing desk in the corner, where someone had left a hand-bound notebook and several pens next to a hurricane oil lamp, a lighter, and one of the walkie-talkie island phones. “How sweet is that?”
“How did they even know to do that?” Adam stared around the small hut. Anything they could possibly want for a fun time at the beach was in here, along with other, more intimate things, like bottles of massage oil and several unopened boxes of condoms.
“I sang the second song to Abayomi. He likes what we have so far.” She flashed him a smile. “He told me to remember that every ending is a new beginning, which I think we should work in somehow.”
“Maybe.” He didn’t want to think about the song right now. He didn’t want Mattie slipping back into work mode. “Let’s check out the cabana.”
Mattie slipped her sandals off and dug her toes in the sand as they walked. Her honey hair glowed in the setting sun, her tanned skin glinted from the heat, and his eyes followed the sway of her hips.
The cabana provided an oasis from the sea and sun. A long white cushioned sofa looked out at the ocean. A polished teak coffee table, carved with vines and flowers, stood in front of it holding an enormous picnic basket. A small cooler that probably held drinks sat under the table.
Underneath the canopy behind the sofa was a queen-sized daybed made up with white linens and covered with pink and white flower petals. Tiki lamps provided light in the corners, while ocean breezes invited them to linger.
He glanced at Mattie, trying to gauge her reaction.
Mattie ran her hand over the top of the picnic basket. “I bet there’s chocolate-covered strawberries in here.”
Her expression was thoughtful and a little distant. He wasn’t sure how to interpret that look.
“You’re probably right. Bet there’s champagne and tiny sandwiches. Tina loved stuff like that.”
“Well I can’t fault her for that.” Mattie tapped the top of the basket and glanced at the ocean. “Want to go for a swim before the sun sets?”
He seized on that suggestion with a sense of relief. “That’s a great idea.”
Mattie set her bag and shoes down next to the sofa and reached for the hem of her dress. She lifted it up and over her head, revealing the colorful sports bikini underneath. Pink, blue, and yellow swirls burst like fireworks on a black background. It was bright and cheerful and perfectly Mattie.
Most of the women he’d dated wore the scraps-of-fabric variety that Tina favored. Instead of bits of string and goodwill holding it together, Mattie’s suit looked like something a professional surfer would wear.
Mattie dropped the dress onto the sofa, then caught him staring and laughed.
“Come on. The water’s waiting.” She took off running toward the water.
Adam ripped his shirt off so fast he thought he popped one of the buttons. He tossed it onto her dress and chased after her.