Page 54 of A Quick Stop in Paradise

He stared, blankly, between the two of us, for the longest time, before he laughed again, shaking his head. “Okay,” he said. “All right. You’re funny. Sure thing, Ryan. Well, come back to our room once you’re ready to be a fucking adult and talk about things.”

He tried to get it in as a parting shot, stepping back and turning, but Ryan wasn’t about to leave it at that—lowered her head, batting her eyelashes, and she spoke in a low voice. “I’m not going toyourroom, Shane,” she said, her voice dripping with innuendo, and it hit merightin the core. Damn, though, but I’d happily take her back to my room this instant if she’d asked.

Shane shot her a wild-eyed look before he shook his head, muttering something to himself and forcing a derisive laugh on his way out, storming away. Ryan watched him go before she glanced back at me, eyes shining.

“Well,” she said, “that’ll shut him up for a while.”

“That was… hot,” I said, halfway between wary laughter and wanting to kiss her on the spot, “but are you sure that was a good idea?”

She laughed, reaching back and adjusting her ponytail. “He’s not going to tell a soul. Admit that I left him for a girl? One that he tried to get but couldn’t? He’d die first.”

That was one way to reclaim her agency. I was proud of her. Also wanted to fuck her senseless, especially seeing her in that cute black two-piece swimsuit, the swell of her hip glistening with water droplets. “You know how to maneuver, huh?”

She laughed, turning to me with that look of adrenaline metamorphizing into, well… looking at me like she had this morning. “Besides,” she said, her voice low, “anything that you think is hot is a good idea.”

God, I wanted to kiss her. And do more than that. “So… done swimming?” I said, and she laughed, dropping her voice lower, looking at me through her lashes.

“What gives you that impression?”

“Oh, you know…”

A voice called, “Ryan?” and we both stepped back at the same time, turning to the last thing we needed right now—Stella coming around the corner, relaxing at the sight of us, confusion taking the place of worry. “Oh, there you are. What, are you done with the beach already?”

Ryan shrugged. “Sorry—I just forgot something I needed to do. Brooklyn and I will be back at the car for a minute, but we’ll be right back.”

Oh, so that was what we were doing. I didn’t mind. I smiled at Stella. “We’ll be quick,” I said. “Assuming it goes according to plan. It might extend longer.”

Stella’s shoulders slumped. “Ugh, donottell me you’re going to squeeze in random work again? At the beach?”

“Mm. Well, when things get urgent, pressing…” Ryan shrugged, putting a hand on my arm. “Enjoy flirting with the lifeguards.”

Stella sighed, turning away. “Fine, whatever. Have fun.”

Oh, we definitely would.

Chapter 15

Ryan

Stella dropped back down on the towel next to mine, a new drink in hand, even though she was still feeling the last one a little bit judging by the flushed cheeks, but hey. We were on vacation. Sitting on a beach watching the sunset over the ocean waves wasn’t the worst way to push your limit a little on drinks.

Of course, I’d had more fun on this beach trip. But I wasn’t going to start thinking back to Brooklyn’s and my… impromptu trip back to the car, not in front of Stella. I didn’t recognize this side of me, but if it got Brooklyn’s hands on me, I wasn’t complaining about it.

“Cheers,” she said, tapping her cup against where mine was nestled in the sand next to me, dropping back down. It felt right for the two of us—her polka-dot bikini with frilly edges on the top, and my simple black one. She’d always been like that, all… full of character. I’d always just brushed it off as that she hadn’t finished college and gone out to face the real world, but I was here having tried to polish myself down to a palatable blank surface, and the best thing that I’d managed, getting into bed with Brooklyn, happened when I’d let that polished façade down.

“Cheers,” I said, meeting her cup and sipping the remnants of the drink from among the ice cubes at the bottom, and she gave me a long look as we sat together there, the wind warm on our shoulders.

“Are you holding up okay?” she said. I shrugged.

“I actually don’t think I was that happy with Shane, either.”

She stared at me a while before she said, “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Even without the cheating. We just… never really had much going for us.”

She sighed, looking back out to the ocean. “Dating is hard… men suck.”

“How was your and Allison’s mission? Find any cute… insurance policies in case Jacob doesn’t work out? Any cute girls for her?”

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