Page 55 of Get Lost

Chapter Twenty-One

Alex strolled out of the villa and down onto the beach. The sun had long ago set, but the moon was full and bright, and a row of lit torches placed a few yards apart drew a lengthy line between the estates and the sandy shore. He walked along the edge of the water, enjoying the warm temperature as it lapped at his feet.

Ten minutes into his wandering, he reached an expanse of boulders, with a wooden bridge placed in between a carved-out section of rock. He scanned the area for any warnings or ropes that would indicate this wasn’t a safe place to be, but found nothing, so he placed his foot on the wood and pressed down, testing the integrity of the path before him. He did this with each step forward, holding the railing and pressing the wooden planks to test their strength. He reached a carved-out cave within the rocks, and a torch burned brightly on a far wall.

The waves were loud in here, amplified by the rocky walls of the grotto, rushing in below his feet with a roar, then creeping out with a quieter retreat. In the corner of the cave, a hole was cut out of the wood, no larger than a half a foot in diameter. There was no railing around it, no indication of danger, just a six-inch hole in the wooden deck. He stepped carefully toward it, then jumped back as a spray of water shot up through the hole like a mini geyser.

His heart raced, but the event was over almost as quickly as it started. There didn’t appear to be much force from the water, but the wind and overspray was able to reach him even five feet away from the hole.

Alex laughed at the sight and the momentary startle it gave him, then walked over to inspect the hole closer, but the lighting didn’t do much to illuminate the interior of the cave. He’d have to wait for morning to get a closer look.

Maybe he’d bring Kelsey here.

Speaking of which, they had some things to iron out before the wedding weekend officially kicked off, so he headed back to the house to see if he could get her to come explore the kitchens with him.

He found Kelsey in their shared bedroom, hunched over the desk in the corner, her long, brown hair out of its ponytail and creating a curtain around Kelsey as she typed away on her iPad.

She’d changed her clothes, and Alex was pleased to see she now wore a bikini and a sheer white cover-up that did nothing to hide the curve of her hip as she sat in the chair. After a moment, Alex cleared his throat. Kelsey jumped, whipped her head toward the sound, then frowned when she saw him.

“Oh.” She looked him up and down before turning back to her work. “Have a nice swim?”

“I didn’t swim yet. I was hoping you’d join me.”

Kelsey swiveled her head back toward him. “And what on earth gave you the idea that I would do that?”

He debated telling her the truth, that every time she looked at him, he felt her gaze deep in his bones, and the lust in her eyes sent a direct message to his cock even when she was looking at him with poorly concealed disdain. That over the last two decades, every time he saw her, he felt something in his chest, and he had no doubt she felt something too. That touching her on the plane earlier this morning had been the single most exciting thing he’d done in some time and as such, he’d been able to think of little else but touching her ever since.

But instead, he said, “Because I thought you might want to pull that stick out of your ass.” He shrugged. “I’ve heard saltwater can work wonders on that type of thing.”

Kelsey held his gaze, straight-faced, for a long time. The silence stretched on between them until she finally looked down at her iPad again, resuming her work.

Alex frowned. He’d hoped for more of a response. What fun was instigating a fight with Kelsey if he couldn’t get a rise out of her?

He stepped into the room and plopped down on one of the beds, facing her. “I think we should work together on this.”

Kelsey sighed loudly. “On what?”

“Our plans.”

She lifted only her gaze. “We don’t have any plans, Alexander.”

“Call me Alex. No one calls me Alexander anymore.”

Kelsey blinked a few times, then repeated, “We don’t have any plans,Alexander.”

Alex smirked. “I have to prepare for a welcome lunch tomorrow, brunch for guests on Saturday, followed by a massive wedding dinner of four courses, as you know, then breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Sunday. Additionally, we need to find a place suitable for the local chef to come in and prepare the Caribbean-inspired meal for tomorrow night’s rehearsal dinner. While you were galivanting around the island earlier with your friends, I spent an hour and a half exploring the estates, checking out the kitchens…” Alex waved his hands in presentation. “And I have some ideas. I think we should hold tomorrow night’s dinner in one villa, and the goodbye dinner on Sunday night in another, then Saturday’s wedding obviously out on the beach near the main house.” He motioned toward the ocean. “And it has the largest kitchen, which would be great for me, so…” His words trailed off and he watched her expectantly.

“So…?” Kelsey lifted her head and leveled her gaze on him. “What do you want from me?”

Alex tilted his head and raised one eyebrow suggestively.

Kelsey’s jaw flexed.

There she is.

“You’re infuriating,”

Alex grinned. “I know.” He pushed off the bed, smiling when Kelsey’s gaze dipped down to his abs, then hovered a bit lower for a few seconds before rising back up to his eyes. “Why don’t you pause whatever you’re working on and let me show you what I have in mind.”

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