Page 34 of The VIP Package

“Nope.” I moan as he finds the sweet spot between my neck and my shoulder. “I just think ponies are adorable.”

“I certainly need more adorable in my life.”

I can’t tell if he’s joking or not. “Glad we agree.”

“Hmm.”

My gaze drifts back to his house. It’s huge but it really is lovely. I love how it blends into the landscape. “Your home is gorgeous.”

“Thank you.”

“It’shuge.”

“I believe you established that yesterday.”

Laughing, I squeeze my thighs around his hips. “How long have you lived there?”

“Eighteen years, give or take. I built it before I built Crystal Bliss.”

I wait for more details, but he doesn’t elaborate. There’s something in his eyes I can’t read. A distance between us. Something melancholy and tender.

As I open my mouth to ask more, there’s a sharp, painful zap on the side of my thigh.

“Ow!Holy shit!”Sucking in saltwater, I choke. I’m flailing and splashing and yelping in pain. “What the fuck was that?”

“What?” Ash pats my sides, eyes growing frantic. “What is it, what happened?”

I howl in reply, fighting to form words. Holy fuck, that hurts.

“Leg cramp?” Ash tries to grab me, but I’m shrieking and swatting at the water around me.

“Sting!” I’m screeching in pain, hoping he grasps that I don’t mean the English pop star. “Something stung me.”

“Shit.” His eyes scan the water. Then he mutters a long string of curses and something that sounds likePink Meanie.

“Who are you calling a pink meanie?”

“It’s a type of jellyfish.” Ash points to a spot over my left shoulder. “See that rose-colored shape over there?”

I squint through the water, my thigh still throbbing with pain. “The blob that looks like bloody snot?”

“Correct.” His hands stroke my thigh and I yelp.

“Ow! What are you doing?”

“Trying to see if there are any tentacles stuck in your skin.”

“It’s not fatal, is it?” I traveled to Australia once and heard horror stories about box jellyfish.

“Not fatal,” he confirms. “But it can be quite uncomfortable.”

“No shit.” It feels like someone took a cattle prod to my thigh.

“Come on.” Ash drags me into his arms.

“Where are we going?”

“Ashore.” He boosts my nude, flailing body into the boat and clambers in after me. “I’ve got a first-aid kit on the ship, but this is quicker and we’ll have more options.”

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