Page 54 of Hot Saltwater Kisses

“Kyle!” Logan patted Kyle’s back, seeming thoroughly delighted to see him. “Should’ve told us you were coming—we’d have ordered some extra dinner for you.”

“And ruin the surprise? Fuck no.” Kyle’s gaze swept over the rest of us before it returned to Logan, keenly focused. I clenched my fingers around the bottle in my hand and looked away.

At Des, trailing behind Kyle with a suitcase and a sheepish expression. Well, fuck.

“My apologies,” Des said. If he was surprised to see Nia and me, he didn’t show it. “I wanted to call ahead, but the young sir would not be stopped.”

“I cannot be contained,” Kyle agreed proudly. He let Logan go—finally—and nodded at Tom. “What’s up, fucker?”

“Nothing much, dickhead,” Tom returned. Oh my God. At this rate, they’d start shotgunning beers to out-bro each other.

“And you are?” Kyle asked with an eyebrow raise at Nia and me, as thoughwewere the ones who’d barged in with no warning.

I tried to hold back a frown. “I’m Milo, and this is Nia.”

“We run the dive center here,” Nia said, voice light and pleasant, while Des pointedly didn’t react. The man was good. We’d have to catch him on the way out, tell him it was just a casual post-dive drink—nothing to see here, please move along.

“Ah.” And just like that, Kyle lost all interest in us. He turned to sling awaytoo familiar arm around Logan’s shoulders, dragging him into a broad laugh as though personal space was a foreign concept. “So, man. What’s a boy gotta do to get a beer around here?”

Hopefully nothing like what their closeness implied. Or did it?

I reminded myself that I didn’t do jealousy. That had been Michael’s domain—jumping at shadows and fighting windmills. Iwasn’t anything like that. Case in point? Some days ago, on the boat, a gay couple had obviously tried to chat up Logan and Tom—I hadn’t even twitched. And sure, I’d stepped in when that girl at the beach bar had sidled up to Logan, but that had been before I knew where Logan and I stood.

Which… yeah, fuck. Not like I was entirely sure of that anymore. What’s more, I wasn’t even sure of what I wanted out of this.

Abort.

“Sit down,” Logan told Kyle, waving at the outdoor lounge area. “Or jump in the pool, if you want to freshen up. I’ll get you a beer, and Des”—a smile directed at the very same—“can find us some sheets for the couch.”

Good. No sharing of beds—I wholeheartedly approved of this plan.

“Think that’s our cue to leave.” I extended a foot to poke Nia in the thigh, keeping my tone neutral. “New friends shouldn’t intrude on old friendships.”

“You sure?” Logan asked, his attention catching on my face. It eased the weight in my chest just slightly.

“Yeah.” I rose from the couch that he and I had shared—up until Kyle had crashed into our bubble, that was. “Got an early start tomorrow.”

Nia squinted at me, then nodded and set down her beer. “No rest for the wicked. But we’ll see you guys tomorrow, right? For the afternoon dive.”

“Make that all three of us,” Logan said. “Kyle’s an instructor, worked in Mexico for a year. You lot can talk shop.”

This was not a competition. Nope.

“Sure,” I said. “We’ll still need to see some certification, though.”

Kyle tossed me a superior smirk. “Sure, no problem. I’ll bring it along tomorrow.”

“Or you can clear it with Des, if that’s easier,” Nia said—right, dialing up the volume on customer service that had been missing from my tone. I both appreciated it and felt a hint betrayed.

We lingered while Des and Logan discussed some details in low voices. Then Logan walked us to the door, and since I brought up the rear, we had just enough time for a covert exchange of glances as his hand brushed my waist. The brief, light contact settled something in my blood.

Once Logan closed the door behind us, we quietly followed the gravel path from his cabin to the wooden boardwalk that curved through the resort. With dusk sinking between the trees, the first lights were just coming on.

Des spoke first, careful warmth edging his words. “I see you’ve had a chance to get to know Mr. Fox and Mr. Yorke better. They appear to enjoy their time here.”

“Well.” I glanced at Des’s profile. His white uniform, flawless in spite of the heat, contrasted with his skin—a true professional who knew his place. Unlike me. Or Nia, in this particular case. “You told us to go the extra mile for them, didn’t you?”

“They’re really nice guys,” Nia said lightly. “It’s no hardship.”

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