Chapter 8
CHAPTER
EIGHT
LINC
The sun is beating down on us the next morning, as the boat speeds through the sapphire blue water. I’m wearing a pair of swim shorts and aviators, my body warm and glowing. And I’m trying not to smile because Tessa keeps looking over at me then quickly looking away.
I work hard to keep myself fit. Traveling all the time for work is great, but it means I have to eat out a lot. Which means I have to hit the gym a lot more.
Plus I’m vain. And I like to look good.
There are twelve of us on the boat. All couples, apart from Tessa and me. We were picked up at seven this morning and taken to the little pier at the end of the beach, where we climbed onto this boat and were given coconut and melon for breakfast.
Carmichael is sitting next to a couple who can’t keep their hands off each other. I’m pretty sure the rings on their fingers weren’t put on by each other. He’s too old and she’s way too interested in him for them to be married to each other .
Yeah, I’m cynical, but I’m also a realist.
She’s got that stupidly adorable hat on again. And it took us an extra twenty minutes to leave the cottage because she insisted on covering every single inch of her body with factor thirty, while I just sprayed myself with whatever sunscreen I had in my wash bag. She’s also wearing one of those floaty short dresses over her swimsuit. And she’s holding her phone up, taking videos of the ocean, the boat, and the fish that swim up to the surface of the water every time we stop near a shoal.
So far we’ve seen stingrays, barracudas, and something called a drumfish, with black and white stripes that make it look like a relative of a zebra. And every time we look overboard, the woman next to me pushes herself against me. Her name is Maya and her husband has been constantly on his phone as we glide through the ocean. Even in his shorts and white starched polo shirt he looks like he’s in the office.
I guarantee he works on Wall Street. He just has that air about him.
“How long have you two been together?” Maya asks, shooting Tessa an interested look.
“We’re not together,” I say. “We’re co-workers.”
“You came on vacation with your co-worker?” Maya asks. “What does your girlfriend think about that?”
Tessa is pretending not to listen. She’s still filming but her eyes keep darting from the screen to us.
“I don’t have a girlfriend,” I say, more to see Tessa’s response than anything else.
“You don’t?” Maya asks. “What’s a gorgeous man like you doing alone?”
Tessa clears her throat. I try not to smile. There’s a tightness to her jaw that’s delicious.
Why is it I enjoy annoying her so much? I’ve no idea.
She’s kind of softer than I realized. Yesterday’s filming marathon around the resort was actually more fun than I thought it would be. I’m not used to getting involved in the nitty gritty of a campaign. I mostly wine and dine clients, and when they’re in trouble I get them out of it.
Seeing this side of our work is fun.
“My last girlfriend couldn’t keep up with me,” I tell Maya, and Tessa lets out a huff.
“Sexually?” Maya purrs.
I nod, trying to look sad. “She couldn’t take the pleasure.”
Tessa coughs loudly. Our gazes catch and she’s glaring at me. I shoot her a smile and she rolls her eyes.
“What a silly woman,” Maya says. “But she set you free to find somebody who appreciates your… skills.”
Her hand moves down my arm, tracing the lines of my biceps. And her husband doesn’t even fucking notice.
It’s not like I’m interested. Nor am I looking for a fight, though I’m pretty sure I’d hold my own against Mr. Wall Street.
I’m just wondering why the hell he’s come to the most beautiful set of islands I’ve ever seen for a vacation when all he’s doing is glaring at his phone.
And enjoying Carmichael’s frowns, of course.
“There it is,” the driver calls out, and we all follow the direction of his finger as he points at an island. A Cay, actually. The Exumas are surrounded by tiny cays and islands. According to Tessa’s research – which yes, I have read – there are three hundred and sixty-five of them. One for each day of the year.
The one we’re looking at is special. It’s called Big Major Cay, and like the others we’ve seen, it has pale golden sand that borders a green forest full of tropical trees.
But this island is different. Because it has swimming pigs that live there. I didn’t even know pigs could swim, but apparently these ones can and they’re a huge tourist draw.
The boat pulls up as far as it can, and one by one we climb down into the warm ocean. The water reaches my hips, the waves lapping at them as a couple of us help the ladies down.
I notice Maya’s husband doesn’t even bother to get off the boat, even though she’s stripped down to the tiniest gold bikini that hugs her every curve. So I help her down, and she hangs around me as I reach for Tessa.
And for a moment I’m struck dumb, because she’s taken off her cover up and looks hot as hell.
She’s wearing a two piece swimsuit. And though it’s no where near as skimpy as Maya’s bikini, she looks more beautiful in every way. Her skin is pale and glowing from the sunscreen she rubbed all over herself. And her hair is up, revealing the soft curve of her neck.
I try really fucking hard not to look at her chest. But I fail miserably.
Fuck, she has perfect tits.
Not too big, not small either. Just right. And I know they’d be soft, because there’s nothing about Carmichael that’s artificial. She’s so real she forgets who she is sometimes.
Fuck, I’m getting hard.
I swallow quickly, thankful for the ocean right now. Because if anybody sees me staring at her, I’m in trouble. Thankfully Maya seems to have gotten bored and is now talking to her husband.
Tessa lifts a brow as I offer her my hand, then takes it, looking a bit sullen. She climbs over the side of the boat and I steady her as she slides into the water.
“Okay?” I ask her. My hand is still on her waist. Water is lapping over it.
Her eyes flicker up to mine. “Don’t worry about me. Go spend some more time with your new friend.”
“Are you jealous?” I ask. Weird that I’m kind of hoping she says yes.
“Of you and a married woman?” she asks, looking over at Maya who’s currently hissing something at the guy she’s married to. “No, not at all.”
I tip my head to the side. “You sound very judgmental.”
Tessa shakes her head. “Affairs hurt people.”
It’s weird how her words feel like a bucket of cold water, even though we’re surrounded by the warmth of the Atlantic. “I’m not having an affair. I’m just talking to somebody who’s being ignored by the man she traveled with.”
Tessa lets out another huff. “I know how she feels.”
“Is that directed at me?” I ask, frowning. “Because you were the one ignoring me.”
“I wasn’t ignoring you. I was filming,” she says tartly, but there’s something more than that annoying her. I can tell. I can read people. It’s my superpower.
She pulls that stupid hat on and I fight the urge to throw it far, far into the ocean.
Before I can say anything else, there’s a squeal of excitement from a woman in front of us. And that’s when we see them.
What looks like forty hairy, massive pigs, all swimming toward us.
Maya screams, and runs away from the boat and through the water, jumping into my arms.
TESSA
My jaw tightens at Maya’s overreaction. Everybody knows there are swimming pigs here. They’re exactly the reason we all got in the boat and have sat in it for over an hour, so her screaming seems over dramatic.
But Maya is still clinging to Linc, who looks stupidly amused as I glare at him .
“It’s okay,” he says to her. “They’re veggie sauruses.”
“They’re what?” she asks, not getting his Jurassic Park reference at all.
His eyes meet mine again. And now he looks like he’s about to laugh. Against my will, a smile forms on my face.
And just like that, we’re on an even keel again. Or something approaching it.
The driver gives us carrots to feed to the pigs, which actually aren’t vegetarians. Like us, they’re omnivores, though their diet consists mostly of fruit and vegetables.
Linc puts Maya gently down into the water, then puts a couple of feet between them, but I’m too busy watching a huge pig swim up to me. He must weigh as much as Linc, and he’s got black and white hair, but his snout is perfectly pink as he eyes the carrot I’m holding.
He lifts his head out of the water expectantly, and I feed him the carrot, which he half-swallows between his teeth, before turning and swimming back to the shore with his prize.
And instantly, I’m in love.
Now that they know we have food, more pigs approach. I look over at Linc, who’s feeding a baby pig, and he looks just as enchanted as I am. Maybe Maya doesn’t like pigs, because she’s hanging onto the boat talking to her husband, who looks like he’s barely listening to her.
Another pig comes to me and I feed it, remembering the research we did about them when we were preparing our presentation. My phone is in a waterproof pouch around my neck and I lift it up to start recording the miracle taking place before me.
Nobody really knows how the pigs came to live on the island – which is uninhabited by humans. There’s a theory that they swam here after a shipwreck a hundred years ago, and learned to take care of themselves when all the sailors had died. Others say that a group of sailors brought them to the island to kill and cook them, but sailed off, leaving the pigs behind.
Whatever brought them here, they’re clearly thriving. And locals make sure they’re well fed and taken care of. They’re one of the most popular attractions in the Exumas and I can see why.
They’re enchanting.
When the pigs are fully fed, they swim to shore, their little legs paddling like crazy as they glide through the water. We follow them in, and sand coats my wet feet as we walk up the beach.
Most of the pigs trundle across the sand to a copse of trees and lay in the shade. A few of them are still huddling around us, clearly hoping for more carrots. And then I look over at Linc, who’s walking through the surf toward me.
The piglet he fed earlier is swimming beside him. He turns to look at Linc, as though to make sure he’s still there.
“Go in,” Linc says to him. “Go find your mama.”
But the piglet ignores him. And when Linc emerges from the water, the piglet continues to follow him like he’s Linc’s shadow.
“Seriously, I have no more food.” Linc holds his hands up, like he’s talking to a baby. “Shoo.”
I bite down a smile, because the little piglet has obviously taken to him. He slides his wet body against Linc’s legs, looking pleased as punch.
“Get off,” Linc mutters.
I grab my phone from the waterproof pouch hanging around my neck. Because some things have to be recorded for posterity. The pig gazes up at Linc, and I swear he has the same expression on his face that Maya had earlier.
Speaking of Maya, her husband has finally gotten out of the boat and the two of them are having a furious argument down the beach. Which is only adding to my good humor.
Linc walks away from the piglet. And the piglet follows him. Then the piglet starts scrabbling his paws against Linc’s legs, like a puppy wanting to be picked up.
“Can you help me instead of filming?” Linc asks, catching me holding my phone up.
“Nope, sorry.” I grin. “I’m busy. And you’re adorable.”
“I’m not fucking adorable,” he mutters, his jaw tightening.
“Language,” I say, really trying not to laugh now. “The pigs have ears.”
It’s his turn to roll his eyes, and I enjoy it way too much. Linc reaches down and picks the pig up as though he’s going to walk him back to his family in the trees. He cradles the tiny pink thing against his chest, and I swear everything inside of me combusts.
And then two seconds later, there’s a squeal and a huge pig thunders toward him, making Linc jump.
“Put the baby down. That’s the mama coming for you,” our captain shouts at him. “She’s angry at you.”
Linc’s eyes widen in fear. And I have to admit, I zoom in on his face for a moment, before zooming out to see him gently putting his new best friend on the ground, before he starts running for his life as the angry momma pig chases him down.
He races to the shoreline, his feet splashing in the ebbing waves as he attempts to evade the pig. As he turns around to check if he’s put enough distance between himself and the pig, one of his feet gets caught beneath the other and he does a magnificent face plant into the shallow water.
The pig, sensing she’s won, grunts and turns around, ambling back to her little piglet, who follows her as they walk to where the rest of their gang is sunbathing.
I can’t help it. I double over in laughter, because if I don’t bend I’m almost certainly going to pee myself. Through a veil of tears, I watch as Linc slowly gets up, his face crusted with sand that he tries – and fails – to wipe off .
At least I have the evidence recorded in case I need a future laugh.
LINC
“Seriously, I’m going to need you to delete that video,” I tell her. She hasn’t stopped grinning since I fell face over ass into the sand. She showed everybody in the boat on the way back to Grand Exuma, too. The only one who looked sorry for me was Maya.
“I’m sorry, I can’t do that.” Tessa puts her phone into her beach bag and turns to me with an eyebrow raised. “I’m keeping it as leverage.”
“Leverage for what?” I ask her.
“Any time you annoy me at work, just remember that video is one fingertip away from being sent to all of Hampshire PR.” Her smile widens. “Although I think they’ll be impressed by how fast you can run when you’re being chased by a mad mama pig. Thank goodness you went to the gym yesterday.”
We’re sitting in a cabana overlooking the ocean. She’s still in that bikini, which is very distracting, with her laptop on her knees as she looks through the shots she took yesterday and today.
Thankfully the hat is off. She’s put it on the sand next to her because the brim kept hitting the back of her sun bed. I keep willing a breeze to come along and spirit it away.
“I’ll find a way to delete it.” I know a few tech geniuses. Or is it genii? Whatever, they can probably break into it if I ask them nicely.
“My phone only opens with my fingerprint,” she says smugly .
“There are ways around that.”
“Like what?” She looks at me, interested.
“I guess I could chop your finger off,” I say, pretending to be serious. She rolls her eyes. “Or your phone could take a short walk off a long pier.”
“You wouldn’t.”
I lift a brow. “Wouldn’t I?”
Fact is, I wouldn’t. Growing up with five brothers, I’ve learned that being humiliated isn’t as bad as it sounds. Hell, I can easily swing it back my way if the whole office sees that video. Within five minutes of it being released, I’ll spin a story about me saving the others from the pig, and then get the sympathy vote from at least half of our co-workers.
But I’m not telling Tessa that. Because she’s more relaxed than I’ve seen her in years. Sitting with her laptop on the sun bed, her long legs in front of her.
Her phone starts to buzz.
“What’s that alarm for?” I ask.
“Time for more sunscreen,” she says.
“You just put some on.”
“An hour ago.” She reaches over to take the huge ass bottle out of her bag, dolloping a huge blob onto her palm.
“You’re gonna end up with a vitamin D deficiency,” I tell her, watching from the corner of my eye as she slowly slides the white lotion down her arms, on her chest.
On her stomach.
Fuck, I want to turn around and watch her fully.
“Better than looking like my skin has turned to leather,” she tells me. “You’re gonna regret not using more when you’re looking like Yoda when you’re forty.”
I start to laugh. “You think I’m gonna look like Yoda?”
She shrugs, sliding her palms down her thighs. I’m entranced by her movements. I can see the way her skin undulates beneath her touch.
“If the cap fits. ”
I tip my head to the side, watching as she finishes applying it. “Okay then, if you’re so worried, put some on me.”
“What?” The corner of her lip quirks up as she looks at me.
“Lotion me up,” I tell her turning around so I’m facing her.
“Lotion yourself up.”
“But you do it so much better.” And yes, I want her to touch me. Her eyes catch mine and she narrows them, as though trying to decide whether she’ll win this little battle by saying no or saying yes.
“Lay back.”
I’m trying not to grin as I do as she’s told. Her shadow passes over me as she stands and before I can say another word a dollop of lotion falls on my chest.
Followed by her soft hands.
I didn’t think this through at all. Because she’s rubbing her fingers all over my skin. Starting on my shoulders, making her way to my pectorals.
Her fingertips brush my nipples and I have to bite my tongue not to let out a groan.
I’m tense as fuck as she puts another glob of lotion on my stomach, rubbing it in gently. Her fingertips brushing the waistline of my shorts.
“Do my back,” I grunt out, turning over onto my front before she can see that I’m getting turned on.
“You’ll rub off the lotion,” she says. “You’re supposed to let it sink in before you touch the towel.”
“It’s fine,” I say tightly, as she slowly starts to massage the lotion into my back. If I thought I was hard before, I’m fucking painful now. I start to think of everything unsexy. The dollar rate against the euro. The way Roman always picks his teeth after he’s eaten steak.
The way my brothers threw me in the lake a few years ago before it had had a chance to heat up and I started worrying my balls would never drop again.
Thankfully I get myself under control before she reaches my calves. I let out a low breath.
“Your girlfriend’s here,” she says, her voice low.
“What?” I look up to see Maya walking along the beach, in another bikini – this one white and, if possible, tinier than the last one. A cabana attendant follows quickly behind her, carrying towels, a bottle of water, and her beach bag.
I sit up and shoot Carmichael a dirty glance. “Not my girlfriend,” I murmur.
“Sure.” She smiles at me, like she knows the effect she just had on me. “Whatever you say.
“I’d like this one,” Maya says when she reaches us, pointing to the cabana next to ours. “Oh, hello Linc.” She smiles at me, completely ignoring Tessa.
“Hi.” I nod.
“Are you going to the dance party tomorrow night?” she asks. “We have to have a boring dinner with one of David’s clients first. But after that, I’m letting my hair down.”
“Dance party?” I ask, trying to buy time. I’m so aware of Carmichael watching us. And I can still feel the way her hands felt on me.
I want to feel them again. Shit.
“At The Shack,” Maya says. “The next beach down. They have a dance party every week. There are prizes for the best dancer,” she says.
“We probably have to work,” Tessa says, looking at me, a frown pulling at her brows. “Though I might have to stop by to take a few shots at the start of the evening. When the light is still good.”
“Yeah, sorry. We have to work.” I flash Maya a smile. Because I really don’t want to dance with her.
“Oh come on, all work and no play makes Linc a very boring boy,” Maya says flirtatiously. Then her eyes land on Tessa. “Unless there’s something going on between you two and you want to be alone?”
“There’s nothing,” Tessa says so quickly it makes me blink. She looks at me. “If you want to go, then go. You can take some video and I’ll stay here and finish our presentation.”
Oh, I know that tone. I’ve heard it way too many times in my life not to hear the danger in it. My mom was the queen of it.
“Do you want me to go?” I ask her. Truth is, I like dancing. Almost as much as I like teasing this woman. And I’m still a little horned up after her touch.
“If you like.” She shrugs, doing her best to look nonchalant. But I grew up surrounded by people. Spent my life studying their moods. This woman is definitely not nonchalant.
“Come with me,” I say softly, my eyes catching hers. And the stupid thing is, I really want her to. I have no idea why, past the way she can put on lotion. “Your video skills are way better than mine.”
There’s a noise from the cabana beside us. Maya’s making the attendant roll all the sides up.
“I don’t really like dancing,” Tessa says.
“Why not?” I ask her, genuinely curious.
She shrugs. “I just don’t.”
“Like you don’t like running?” I ask her.
“Something like that. I don’t have the best coordination.”
“Practice makes perfect. And anyway, we’d get better footage between the two of us,” I point out. Because now I really want to dance with her. I bet she’s never had the right partner. “You should come.”
She lets out a long breath, but says nothing.
Maya is looking at Tessa again. “Are you sure there’s nothing going on between you two? Because I could go for a threesome if needed. ”
“Oh my God,” Tessa whispers, laying back on her lounger, covering her face with her hat. “Give me strength.”
Maya shrugs and asks the attendant to order her a cocktail, then proceeds to oil herself up, shooting glances our way. I lift the corner of Tessa’s hat up to catch her eyes.
“You okay there, Carmichael?” I whisper.
Maya’s phone starts to ring. She answers it then lets out a huff, standing up and walking away as she starts talking rapidly to whoever is on the line.
“I’m fine,” Tessa mutters.
She doesn’t look fine. She looks sweaty and uncomfortable. I know that feeling well.
“Is it about the threesome thing?” I ask her.
Her face reddens more. “Can we stop talking about threesomes please?”
“I wasn’t the one who started this.” For once.
“Oh my God,” Maya shouts down the phone. “I can’t believe this. Surely nobody’s that stupid. The pool is saltwater, not chlorinated.” She looks over at us. “I have to go. Our new pool boy at home is an idiot. I’ll see you at the dance party tomorrow.”
She flounces off, still shouting into her phone, and I lift Tessa’s hat brim higher. “You can come out, she’s gone.”
“I think I like it under here,” Tessa mutters. But I take the hat from her face anyway, frowning at her.
“I don’t think she was serious about the threesome,” I say consolingly.
Tessa looks at me. “You think I’d have a threesome with you?”
I blink at her tone. She sounds seriously annoyed. “No.”
“Would you have a threesome with me?” she asks.
I open my mouth and shut it again. What kind of question is that? Whichever way I answer I’m fucked. So I don’t answer .
“I wouldn’t have one with Maya,” I say instead. Tessa frowns.
“I wouldn’t have one with anybody,” she tells me.
“Why not?”
“Because I’m a mom.” She says it as though it explains everything.
“Moms have sex, right?” I reply. “They have to. Otherwise there’d only be single children in this world. As much as I hate to think about it, I have a younger brother. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t born via immaculate conception.”
Stop thinking about sex with Carmichael.
“Can we stop this?” Tessa asks.
But I’m on a roll now. “And Queen Victoria, look at her. She had to be doing it constantly. Didn’t she have about a dozen kids?”
“She probably lay back and thought of England,” Tessa says, shaking her head. There’s a hint of amusement in her voice and it feels like a victory. From salty to happy in a few sentences. “Anyway, I’m pretty sure Queen Victoria never had a threesome.”
“I’m guessing from your tone that you’ve never had one either,” I say.
Her whole face has turned red. “No. Have you?”
“You want to know?” I ask.
“Yes.”
“At college. Yes. Not since then. And that one was kind of alcohol fueled. And completely consensual.” I blink. “In fact, I was so drunk I was seeing double. It was kind of like a fivesome.”
“What about that text you got from those girls on the yacht?” she asks.
It takes me a minute to remember what she’s talking about. Then I start laughing. “Catriona and Liliana? They’re old friends from college. And happily married. To each other.” I run my thumb along my jaw. “Not that it matters. Sex is good. It’s designed to make you feel good. We shouldn’t judge people who have sex with two others. Or five others. Whatever…”
She looks embarrassed. “You’re right. And I’m sorry if you felt judged.”
I shrug. “I didn’t really.” I’m not easily offended. Even by her.
She starts to laugh.
I roll onto my side, facing her.
“Can you do me a favor?”
“I’m still not deleting that video,” she tells me.
I’d completely forgotten about that. “I know. I’m not asking you to. But will you come to the dance party with me?”
Her clear gaze catches mine. “Why?”
“Because I need somebody to protect me from Maya,” I say, though it’s a lie. Truth is, I want to dance with Carmichael. I want to feel her hands on me again, this time with my eyes on hers.
I want to hold her in my arms. Consensually.
She lets out a long breath. “Okay, but I can’t guarantee I’m going to dance.”
I grin at her, because it feels like I’ve won a prize. “I’ll take it.” And she is going to dance with me.
Even if it takes all my charm to persuade her.