Page 45 of The Plus Ones
“I know. Chase told me. Poor guy.”
“You think he’s still hung up on her?”
She shakes her head. “No. Definitely not. I just think it’s a blow to his ego. He needs someone else to focus his energy on. He’s really sweet.”
He actually is, isn’t he?
“If you say so.”
Aimee smacks her lips together and says, “So you guys are just going to hang in your room for a while?”
“Yeah, I’m gonna see if they have any aloe vera at the front desk or something.”
“For Keaton?”
“Yeah.”
“Awww, Roxy. That’s sweet.”
“No it isn’t. It’s not anything.”
“Okay.” She grins. “If you say so.”
I carry our picnic basket of takeout food, dishes, and cutlery, going by the front desk on my way back. “Keaton already has a sunburn,” I say, rolling my eyes.
The lady points out all of the aloe vera plants that grow along the sides of the path and in the garden beds around the property. “You are welcome to them. But here, take this for your boyfriend,” she says, handing me a big, plump aloe leaf that has already had the serrated edges and the top skin removed.
I giggle, for no reason other than it’s so funny to hear Keaton referred to as my boyfriend. Giggling is stupid, and I’ve done it so many times since yesterday. I’m not even tipsy right now.
I can hear Keaton moaning from outside the front door, and not in a sexy way.
“I’m back, you big baby.”
He is lying facedown on the bed. He looks up at me and winces. “It hurts when I turn my neck.”
“I brought lunch. And aloe vera.”
“Aloe vera?”
“Yeah, it’s fresh. For your sunburn.”
He grunts. “Thanks,” he says into the mattress. “I’ll do it.”
“Do what?”
“Apply it to my shoulders.”
“You just said it hurts to move your neck.”
“I can do it,” he insists, lying completely still and facedown.
I place the picnic basket on the floor and straddle his back before he even knows what hit him. I hear another muffled grunt, but he doesn’t move. I let the exposed, gooey side of the leaf glide across the skin of his shoulders and upper back. He groans, in the good way. When there’s enough gel on his skin, I gently rub it around with my fingertips.
He’s in better shape than I thought he would be. He isn’t all bulked-up or anything, but he isn’t soft either. He takes care of himself. I wouldn’t exactly say I can’t handle his shirtlessness, but he ain’t bad to look at. Or touch.
“Feel better?”
He lets out a quiet moan. His arms are stretched out straight along his sides, and when I’m moving around to climb off him, his fingers graze my calves. I can’t tell if he did it on purpose or not, but it felt good. I hop off the bed.
