Chapter 6 #3
She nudged me with her foot. “I wonder if he’s creative in other areas.” Then she turned back to him with another fucking wink. Are you kidding me? Next to her, Louis was asleep in his seat while she sat there flirting with my man. Hmm, nope. My boyf—fake significant other.
I shed my anxiety like a hoodie tossed on the ground. It was time to enjoy this day, sun’s out, guns out, and shut this woman up.
“Mmm.” I matched her purr as I crossed my legs and leaned toward Reed.
Probably the female equivalent of peeing on a bush, but who cared.
I was also probably showing sweat marks from the seat rather than anything remotely close to seductive skin, but still.
Carpe diem. “He sure has taught me a thing or two about the fine arts.” On the word fine, I wrapped my hand around the camera’s zoom lens, giving it a stroke while I aimed a smug smile her way.
She huffed and leaned back in her seat, sticking out her breasts. She was clearly looking for a reaction, but one look at Reed, and he was homed in on where I touched his camera.
Shit. I’m touching his camera. Am I smudging it? Crap, crap, crap.
But the look he shot my way read far from irritation. His green eyes took on a darker hue, and his lips pressed together as if he were holding back his words as he stared at me for a few intense, lingering moments.
He tugged on my arm a little, and I turned and rose, leaning against the side of the boat while floating my hand out over the mist from the wake. Wrapping his arm around my waist, he brought me in close. “Fine arts, huh?”
Wind whipped through my hair as I tucked my head down with a blip of a smile and gazed toward the approaching shore.
The boat rocked to a stop on the beach, and we all clambered out, stepping onto the shoreline, where the waves broke into the sand. Once we all exited, Jasper led us to a row of cabanas, one reserved for each couple.
Ours was fully enclosed by draping fabric, except for the beach-facing curtain tied to the side. Two cushioned lounge chairs sat in the center, with a circular table placed between them. A menu and a caddy with napkins and utensils lay on top.
I glanced Reed’s way, finding him peering at me expectantly.
He gave me an “after you” gesture, so I awkwardly sat on the edge of the lounger, stifling the involuntary knee bounce trying to kick into gear.
He chuckled and sat on his own chair, set his backpack to the side, and reclined.
The image of relaxed, he rested his hands behind his head and crossed his ankles, his sexy legs sprawled forward.
We sat silently, listening to the people around us and the waves crashing into the shore. The memory of our encounter with the lounge chairs last night popped into my head. And while the thought of being any closer to him terrified me at that particular moment, I much preferred sharing one.
Once we were settled and a waiter came to take our drink orders, Reed moved his chair from across the table to right next to mine, elbow to elbow. Excitement whirled through me, but it was soon doused when, out of the corner of my eye, I caught Vivian approaching our cabana.
“Oh, hello, sweethearts,” she sang. I scooted closer to Reed, practically crawling in his lap, and he clutched his arm around me, pulling me in.
“I was just making my rounds and giving out my phone number, in case anyone in our little group wants to get together for some drinks at the ship tonight.” She slid a business card forward. Right in front of Reed. Then patted his arm a little before walking away.
“Holy shit, she’s bold,” I spat out when she was out of hearing range.
“So I’m getting the vibe that you don’t want to go have drinks with”—he peered at the card—“Vivian Hux, Massage Therapist.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course she’s a masseuse,” I muttered as the waiter brought Reed’s Corona and my margarita to the table.
When he left, Reed nudged my shoulder. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”
“Well, if you weren’t walking around all sexy, showing off your—” I gave him a once-over, trying to find the most attractive part of him, and came up short in finding something specific.
Instead, I waved my hand up and down. “Showing off all of you.” He pursed his lips, listening to me as he squeezed his lime into his bottle.
“Then I wouldn’t have to worry about ladies on the prowl. ”
After taking a sip of the beer, he pulled me onto his lap, and I stilled as he held me, face-to-face. “But all of you,” he whispered, “is all I want.”
Silence stretched between us, along with a bit of glazed-over staring, though hopefully no drooling, as I grappled for a new topic that was less… intense.
Jasper’s chipper voice rang through the moment, slicing through the tension. “Lovebirds, hope you settled in. Up next is couples parasailing! Boat takes off in five minutes. See you there!”
My stomach dropped and then swooped before Reed grabbed my shoulders and spun me around to face him. He cupped his hands over my clenched fists. “You don’t have to go. It’s okay.”
The relief that washed over me was indescribable. There was no way in hell I was being dragged over the ocean from twenty feet in the air, but the panic that shuddered through me subsided at his words.
“I would never coerce you here just to force you into something that terrifies you. You can stay back.” He looked down at me, a smirk twisted on his lips. “I know you brought a book.”
I tore my gaze away from his. Hours before, reading a book was all I wanted to do for the day. My picture-perfect vacation spot was poolside, fully clothed, and reading in the warm sun.
But now Reed had pulled me into some daydream vortex that had me reeling from touches and winks and camera clicks. All of it. The thought of him being away, leaving me in this cabana, albeit a vision of heaven, created a floopy dip in my chest.
“All right, lovey-dovey parasailers, boat’s ready,” Jasper called over his shoulder, heading to the water.
Reed squeezed my arms one last time before standing and slinging on his camera bag.
The floop turned into a straight-up alley-oop as he leaned in and kissed my temple.
It was barely there. Like a whisper. But it shot through me.
“Aww, shucks. You’re not going, dear?” Vivian’s voice chafed, and I clenched my jaw before turning to face her. Her freshly made appearance, glorious two-piece suit, with a clearly fake tan, and again, that ginormous fucking purse. Did she have Louis in there? Because there was no sign of him.
Before I could respond, she was at my side, patting my arm.
“Don’t worry, sweetie, I can partner with him if you need to stay down here.
” The look she gave me contradicted her perceived comforting touch, her bright blue eyes now dark with the hint of a glare.
“Some of us just aren’t built for adventure.
” She clicked her tongue and adjusted her bag on her shoulder.
“Wait, Reed! I’m coming,” I called. He paused and turned with a big grin and his brows at his hairline. Blood rushed through my body, pulsing in my ears. I was fierce. Terrified too. But fierce. Yes.
He walked toward me, his eagerness contagious. “Your suit on under there?” He grazed the strap of my tank top. With a nod, I boldly pulled the shoulder of my top to the side, then tugged on my suit strap. He pointedly licked his lips, and that same pulsing charged through me.
“Got sunscreen on?”
I nodded again, and he grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the boat parked on the shore.
His strides were long, and I had to speedwalk through the sand to keep up.
Probably a good idea, considering I was .
002 seconds from backing out. The closer I got to the water meant less escape time to the cabana.
The boat rocked as familiar people stepped in. The sight of the contraption on the back, which I knew was for this particular adventure, made my heart race, but not in the giddy way I’d been accustomed to today with every flirty moment with Reed. The nauseatingly anxious kind of racing.
I focused on the warmth of his hand in mind.
The urgency of his walk, the excitement that hummed through him right to me.
And a bizarre thought shot through my mind.
Since the moment we first met a mere twenty-four hours ago, something about Reed made me braver.
If I held on to that feeling, I might willingly make it on the boat.