49. Ronan
“ S asha, anchor!” the driver of the pontoon boat shouts. He’s a stocky, dark-haired guy who’s been shooting daggers at us for the past half hour, since I left Sloane to appease Connor.
A decision I am woefully regretting, though I had no choice. I was seconds away from begging her for a blow job, nowhere near spent. I haven’t been able to shed the mental idea of having her lips around my cock since. I can’t wait until this cruise is over.
“Let me help you.” Connor hauls the cumbersome and hefty weight out of the water with one hand and climbs up the ladder on the back of their pontoon, to settle it in the corner where Sasha and Mira are perched, their backs arched so their barely covered tits are on display. “Dude’s an asshole, hey?”
“Ignore him. That’s my brother.” Sasha casts a dismissive hand toward the stewing chauffeur. “He has a thing for Mira, who doesn’t have a thing for him.”
No, she has a thing for me , if the overt flirting is any indication. Would she still be so friendly if she knew that before I came over here, I made our tiki boat captain come with the tip of my dick inside her ?
Sasha thrusts a business card at Connor, her heavy, dark lashes fluttering. “Call me. We’re here until Thursday.”
“I will. Definitely.” Connor drops back into the water, holding the card up so it doesn’t get ruined.
Her chocolate-brown eyes rake over his sculpted torso. “I’ll be waiting.”
Connor flashes his signature smile. “You know I will be.” The propeller suddenly starts, and he jumps back with a booming shout.
Yelling erupts as the pontoon pulls away, clumsily navigating around the anchored boats and people, nearly hitting another vessel in their hasty exit.
“Guy could have chopped me up with that stunt!” Connor growls, glaring after them. “Just for that, I’m going to fuck his sister.”
“You’re gonna do that, anyway.”
“True, but I’ll shout his name while I’m in there.” He pumps his hips to emphasize his words.
“You’ve got issues.”
“My only issue is how soon before I get to fuck that ass. Damn , did you see it?”
“Hard to miss.” It was on display like the centerpiece on a buffet table. But to be honest, I barely noticed, too busy searching for every escape route back to Sloane. “I need another drink.”
“Yeah, same. I’ll come with. Hey, guys! Bevvies?” He makes a drinking gesture and they all nod and begin moving back toward our bar.
I stifle my groan. I was hoping for alone time with her again. This is for the best, though. I can’t be trusted to keep my hands to myself.
“So, tell me.” Connor slaps his big mitt over the back of my neck, squeezing tightly as he slows our stride, letting the others get ahead of us. “How long has that been goin’ on?” He jerks a chin toward the tiki boat .
“It’s not.”
“Fuck off, man.” Annoyance laces his tone. “I’ve tried to be supportive through this whole monk-life thing you’ve got going on, but I am seriously starting to worry about you.”
“We hooked up once, weeks ago, and I haven’t seen her since,” I admit reluctantly. “It’s complicated.”
“Complicated how? Like, she’s married? Has a baseball team of brats at home? Or she has an army of creepy dolls that she talks to.”
I burst out laughing. “No, you jackass. None of those things. It’s just …
” There’s no point keeping Connor in the dark.
It’ll only make things more painful for me as he needles to get answers.
“You heard about the neighbor at the hotel, right? The one with all the ‘Fuck you, Henry Wolf’ signs aimed at our green?”
“Oh, yeah. Heard they’re a real whack-job.”
“She’s not.”
“ She .” Connor’s eyes widen. “Oh, wait. That’s her ?” He jams a finger in the tiki boat’s direction. “The crazy neighbor?”
I knock his hand down so it’s not so obvious that we’re talking about Sloane. “Yeah. And she’s not crazy. She’s just not happy about having a massive hotel next to her. I don’t blame her. I’d be pissed too.” Wolf Hotel has invaded her home and her livelihood.
Connor studies Sloane like he’s seeing her again for the first time and she’s suddenly grown a horn on her forehead. “Well, the signs are all down now from what I’ve heard, so what’s the problem?”
“She and Wolf have beef. It’s been goin’ on for years. And Belinda wants to mount her head on a pike at the front gate. They both warned me to keep my distance before I even met her.”
Realization dawns on Connor. “So, you fucked the one woman Wolf told you explicitly not to fuck. ”
“Basically.” He said she’s off-limits. It could leave room for interpretation. For an idiot.
“Not basically. Exactly . Because he knows you.”
“Yeah, well … fuck him. He doesn’t get to cock-block me.” Besides, he already has Abbi.
Connor seems to ponder this. “And what happens if he finds out?”
“He’ll fire my ass. Belinda will make sure of it.
” I’ll lose the job I’ve been killing myself to learn.
I know this, and yet I’m incapable of staying away whenever Sloane’s around.
The second everyone hopped into the water, I was moving for her like a kid slinking toward a cookie jar, desperate to get a taste of what was inside.
So, fuck Henry Wolf. What he doesn’t know can’t hurt me.
Connor hoots with laughter. “You’re right, man. That is way more complicated than creepy dolls.”
Tasha
Flights are booked! Oh my God, we’re so excited. Party of ten heading your way. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I can’t wait to see you! XOXO
Glad I could help. I’ll send you the codes tonight so you can register.
“So, how long have you lived in Mermaid Beach?” Ryan leans against the bar, gazing dreamily at Sloane.
I chuckle. She’s four margaritas and a tequila shot in and slurring her words. I’ve never seen her drunk before. It’s cute.
“My whole life.” Sloane tosses a used straw in the trash behind her. “It’s all I know.”
“That’s so nice.” Ryan studies Sloane’s tan, svelte body unabashedly.
There’s nothing but wistfulness in her expression.
She’s always been like that since I’ve known her—acutely aware of other female bodies.
At first, I wondered if she was secretly into pussy, but then I realized it was more about her obsession with anyone with a form that doesn’t match her compact, curvy one.
Either way, Ryan seems more confident in her own skin since meeting Kyle, which I’m happy to see.
She has a lot going for her—in beauty, brains, and personality.
But I guess it’s hard not to admire a figure like Sloane’s.
I know because I’ve been ogling her long torso and perky breasts since I parked my ass on this stool, counting down the minutes until I can touch her again.
This afternoon cruise feels like an eternity, and she’s been keeping her distance.
Probably smart. Just the thought of her coming on my hand makes my dick hard.
I’m going to have to go chill my erection in the Gulf again.
“Here, you should drink this.” Sloane cracks open a bottle of water and sets it in front of Ryan. “The sun’s extra hot today.”
“Oh, good idea. I don’t want to get drunk.” Ryan chugs from the bottle, missing Sloane’s smirk. “Where did Kyle go, anyway?”
“Up there.” I point to the top of the giant red inflatable jungle gym. “That’s him and Katie, about to come down the slide.”
“They’re so high up.” Her face is scrunched. “Is that safe?”
“Relatively. The water’s deeper there. Still, I’ve seen a few injuries.” Sloane stoops to join us in watching them teeter at the top.
Ryan squints. “Is it me or is Katie naked?”
Sloane chuckles. “A white string bikini. Imagine that.”
“Did you notice, Ronan?” Ryan asks.
“Nope.” Yes , but I’ve seen Katie and Rachel naked so many times, it doesn’t faze me anymore .
“Wait. Of course you ’ve noticed.” Ryan waves off my answer. “I forgot about you guys.”
“Forgot what?” Sloane reaches for her own bottled water.
Oh fuck . “Nothing?—”
“Every time those girls come to town, they end up in Ronan’s bed. Or my brother’s bed. Or all of them end up together .” Ryan’s hands splay overhead, her fingers clumsily intertwining, I assume to mimic a tangle of limbs.
Sloane chose the wrong moment to take a sip. Water sprays from her mouth, and then she’s choking on remnants that went down the wrong tube.
I take it back. Ryan is not cute when she’s drunk. I climb over the bar to slap Sloane’s back, sparing a glare at my friend.
“What?” She shrugs. “I thought you guys were open about that stuff.”
Ryan knows damn well I don’t talk about my business, unlike Connor who broadcasts to anyone who will listen.
Sloane’s coughing fit finally subsides, allowing her to swing heated, accusatory eyes on me. “So, have you already fucked them this weekend or is that tonight’s plan after you’re finished with me?”
I stifle my groan.
“ Oh .” Ryan presses a palm over her mouth. “Oh my God. I’m sorry. I didn’t know that you two”—she draws her fingers horizontally between us in a sloppy line—“were a thing.”
“We’re not anything ,” Sloane snaps, before taking a deep breath. “We’re not anything,” she repeats calmly.
Her words prick me unexpectedly. I don’t know if I’d go that far .
Ryan offers me a pained expression as she mouths “ I’m sorry .”
It’s not totally her fault, but I move her half-finished can of margarita out of reach, anyway.
“I haven’t been with Katie or Rachel in over a year, and nothing will be happening with them tonight, regardless of who else I’m with.
” Which is supposed to be nobody because I’m staying away from women, and especially not Sloane, who I have— had —plans on fucking in that little registration hut the second my feet touch gravel.
Sorry, Belinda, the bus is racing forward and all my extremities are hanging out the window, waiting for you to cut them off .
Sloane’s expression hasn’t softened with my assurances.