Page 5 of Doubly Claimed

Chapter 2

Ginger exited the stuffy plane, stretching her arms and back the moment she was clear to do so. The tiny airport was air-conditioned, thank goodness, but she was still warm despite the lightweight capri pants and loose-fit blouse she wore.

Must be a hundred degrees outside.

“Eeeeeeek!”

“I know that sound.” She smiled and turned to see her sister, Anise, screeching and running toward Ginger with her arms outstretched.

Anise, Sage, and Ginger had taken separate flights, but at the same general time. Ensuring their arrival would at least coincide with one another. She prepared herself for the impending bear hug from the littlest Freeman sister as best she could, but Ani was always stronger than she looked.

The ferocity of the embrace jostled Ginger’s face mask. Uh oh. She was probably about to get booted from the airport because of her sister’s shenanigans. But she missed Ani and would suffer willingly for one of her ferocious embraces.

“Ooof,” Ginger groaned when another sister tackled from behind her.

“Yay! We made it,” Sage sighed through her own paisley printed mask, and squeezed Ginger’s chubby middle, which made her giggle.

“No tickles!” she admonished, freeing herself of their silly attempts to make her pee her pants.

Fine. She admitted it. Her bladder was known to fail her during times of extreme glee, or tickle attacks from her siblings. The bitches. Sigh. But she loved them.

The three sisters stood in the tiny island airport and hugged each other for another minute before they separated and gathered their bags. Smiles wide, they looked for their hotel shuttle.

“Where is the shuttle bus stop?” Sage queried.

“I don’t know, but I am glad I wore these,” Anise pointed to her hot pink Crocs and her sisters groaned in unison.

She had no shame whatsoever when it came to her penchant for rubber footwear. Ginger shook her head.

“Where did you find this place?” Ani asked Sage.

“A co-worker turned me on to it. She’s a little strange, kind of new age mystic chick, but...” Sage’s grin was wide, and she waggled her eyebrows. “She told me to expect something amazing this weekend.”

“I bet,” Ani quipped and snorted. “Just don’t catch anything.”

“Ew, shut up!”

“Girls, remember your manners or I will have to separate the two of you,” Ginger admonished in her best teacher voice.

She rolled her eyes and kept pace with them while she perused the small airport lobby. Surely, there was a sign or something to point them to transportation to their hotel?

“Hey, is that our name?” Ginger stopped in her tracks and ignored Ani’s oompf as her sister ran into her back.

Her eyes were riveted to the tall, muscular, dark-haired man in the printed shirt with the word Stein over his heart and the rest of the hotel emblem beneath it. His sunglasses kept them from seeing his eyes, but there was no doubt he was attractive. And he was smiling at them. The small sign in his hand had the words “The Freeman Sisters” printed in bold black, and the three women wandered over to him.

“Hi,” Ginger said.

“That’s us.” Sage nodded at the sign.

“Whoa,” whispered Ani, and Sage elbowed her gently.

“Welcome, ladies.” The man smiled, showing off straight, white teeth. “My name is Jacob. I’m with Stein Luxury Hotel & Resorts. I am here to drive you to your destination. Please follow me, but first, allow me to carry your luggage.”

“Wow, this place must be really nice,” Ginger whispered to her sister who just nodded.

All three of them couldn’t help but stare at Jacob, their chauffeur. Holy cow. He lifted all three suitcases in one go. The smallest was tucked under one beefy arm, and the other two were competently secured in his enormous hands.

“Don’t you want a cart?” Ani asked.

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