Page 79 of On The Beach

I looked up at him, unable to resist a grin. "You're welcome. That woman deserved a reality check."

He chuckled. "Remind me to never underestimate you, Belle."

"Oh, don't worry about that.” I smirked. "Underestimate me, and you'll regret it."

Anna and my friends were beaming like Cheshire cats when we went back to our table. Mick and Dan had decided to tag along. Mick slipped onto the bench beside me. I was barely seated when Dan, who was sitting next to Anna, leaned forward. "Belle, I want to say that I'm proud of calling you my sister-in-law." He wiped an imaginary tear off his cheek.

"Yes, Belle." Anna gave me a sideways hug. "So, proud of you."

"Charlie and Molly are going to be delighted," Jess said of my parents. "So, Mick, I'm Jess. I'm a cardiothoracic surgeon."

They shook hands.

"I'm an Ob-Gyn." Leela leaned toward Mick. "But I know the male bodyreallywell."

"Sitting right here, you skanky slut," I protested with a broad smile.

"Leela just got divorced and isveryhorny," Anna explained.

"True," Leela agreed. "And I've been told that you are very good with your handsand…tongue."

Mick flushed. Only Leela could embarrass a worldly man like Mick.

"Ah," he looked at me flustered, "these are your friends?"

"Nope. They're Anna's friends."

"Heart fucking broken." Jess put a hand on her chest and gasped.

"We're not yourfriends?" Leela exclaimed. "Excellent! So, if Mick and I get down and dirty, there is no moralconflict."

"Except for my being madly and irrevocably in love with Belle." Mick stroked my cheek, his eyes gazing into mine. "And, honestly, I can't see any other woman when she's there."

"All the good ones are taken," Leela grumbled. "Except my ex…he wasn't good when he was taken. The asshole."

We ordered drinks that I didn't consume. My alcohol tolerance was legendarily bad, so I stuck to a glass or two of wine, maximum; otherwise, Mick would have to carry me away fireman style as he had in Reef Harbor.

"Why didn't you say something when she was being such a witch to you?" I asked Mick.

"She doesn't matter." He put an arm around me and relaxed. "And I enjoyed you coming to my defense."

"I thought you could use backup."

Anna gave me a look that was so amused, it was borderline wicked. "Oh, of course. Verycasualbackup, where you swanned in and gave the ex the most perfect verbal smackdown any of us have ever witnessed."

"You even called him Captain Cuddlepants," Leela added, her eyes practically sparkling with glee. "And the way youmade your eyes go all innocent? I mean, Belle, that was practically Oscar-worthy."

I could feel Mick's eyes on me, and I resisted the urge to look at him, knowing he'd be grinning like the cocky fool he was.

"Gah! Can we let it go now?"

Jess raised her glass in a toast. "To Belle, defender of the downtrodden, fierce protector of the island beach bum."

Mick clinked his glass with Jess's, chuckling as he leaned over, his lips close to my ear. "Hear that, Belle? Fierce protector." He looked down at me, eyes sparkling with that infuriating mix of humor and smugness.

"Gotta say, you make a pretty convincing girlfriend," Anna said.

"Probably because she actually is my girlfriend." Mick's voice was soft, sultry, affectionate.

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