Page 54 of Hunters and Hydrangeas

Mere seconds later, she replies.

Olivia: You found the bikini?

Piper: Part of it. Half the fabric appears to be missing.

Olivia: That’s the point. ;)

Rolling my eyes, I pull out flip-flops and jean shorts to go with the bikini top.

“How many vampires do you think will be nominated?” I ask Noah.

“It’s hard to say. Last time, I think there were eight.”

“Is that including Cassian?”

“No.”

“Do you think he could win?”

“Whoever is trying to keep him out of the running certainly does.”

I head to the bathroom to change. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

When I emerge, Noah has already changed into swim shorts, and he’s pulling a T-shirt over his head.

My eyes drift over his toned shoulders and back, and I make a soft noise of disappointment when he’s covered. Chuckling, he turns. But when his eyes drift over me, his eyebrows shoot up, and his amusement vanishes.

Mildly self-conscious, I cross my arms over my chest. But that doesn’t cover much. “You ready?”

A smirk crinkles his honey eyes. “I’ve decided we should stay in tonight.”

I scoff like he’s ridiculous, but the truth is, I’ll never be immune to the man.

“Your pulse just jumped,” he says casually, striding across the room.

“So did yours,” I counter.

He smirks, a touch wicked. “You look good enough to eat.”

My fangs press at my gums. “So do you.”

“Are you ready to go?” he asks.

“No. You?”

“Definitely not.”

And yet, that’s what we do.

Even though we both know we’d rather stay here and break all our self-appointed rules, we walk through the door and into the hall. Thankfully, when we reach the pool area, my excitement over finally walking on the beach trumps my disappointment. At eight-thirty, the night is still young, and people are enjoying the music and tiki bar. Suddenly, this feels like a vacation.

Noah slides his hand in mine as we make our way to the beach entrance. The sand is soft, and it shifts under my feet as we walk, still warm from the day. A breeze wafts over us, carrying the briny scent of the water. Though the fragrance is pungent, and not exactly appealing, it isn’t necessarily unpleasant, either.

Other people are out, sitting in small groups in the sand and walking along the shore. A few wade in the waves, lit by the light of the nearly full moon.

We reach the water’s edge, and the sand becomes firmer and easier to walk on. I think about taking off my flip-flops and letting my toes sink into the sand, but it’s dark enough I might have trouble seeing what’s hiding underfoot.

“Does venom affect us?” I ask Noah as we walk. “Like from a jellyfish sting?”

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