“Cottage four? I think we’re neighbors then. I’m in five,” I say, like I’m not fully damn aware she’s staying in the house next to me.
Her eyes narrow playfully. “Are you going to be one of those pesky neighbors who drops by unannounced to ask to borrow a cup of sugar?”
“Would you give me some sugar if I came by?” I flirt.
“I might, if you ask me nicely,” she shoots back, andfuck,I like this woman. Her eyes dart down to my forearm, which is resting on the table, and she scrapes her teeth along her bottom lip. I’m not ashamed to admit that I flex. Just a little bit.
Juliette continues staring, and I make a huffy noise in my throat. “My eyes are up here, sweetheart,” I say sternly, and those aqua orbs lift and widen into saucers before she picks up my teasing tone.
“Shut up,” she scolds with a giggle, throwing her napkin at me. “You shouldn’t just leave those things lying around where anyone could see.”
“So you’re into forearm porn?” I ask, catching a whiff of pomegranate on her napkin.
Her lips tip up into a smirk. “I’ve been known to appreciate a nice set.”
I hold one out for her inspection. “And are mine nice?”
Juliette drags a hand from my elbow to my wrist, and my blood ignites. “Hmmm, very muscular, and you have nice soft hair. Not too much like a Sasquatch but enough to be manly.” Then she traces a thickvein with a single fingertip. “Your veins are nice and bulging. I’d say you definitely have porn-worthy arms.”
My veins aren’t the only things that are bulging right now,I almost say, but instead, I nod to her empty plate. “If you’re done, I’ll walk you to your cabin and let you hold one of my veiny, muscular, hairy-but-not-Sasquatchy arms on the way.”
“That’s an offer I can’t refuse. You sure it’s not too far out of your way?” she asks with a sweet, teasing tone.
I rise and walk around behind her chair to pull it out. “I think I can manage.” Doing my best not to strut like a goddamn peacock when she wraps a cool hand around my forearm, I lead her out into the tiled corridor.
“There’s a side door that leads to our path over here,” she says, tugging me lightly toward a side hall on our left.
I resist, guiding her in the direction of the lobby. “Let’s just check the dining sign-up sheet. I hate to think of you eating in your room by yourself tonight.”And I want to spend more time with you before I leave on Wednesday.
“N-no, that’s okay,” she stammers nervously. “We can—” Juliette cuts herself off and makes a little squeaking noise before diving behind a large potted plant.
What the…
I spot one aqua eye peering between the wide leaves of whatever tree is planted in the green pot and think,fuck it.Ducking behind the tree, I squat down beside her, pretty sure the huge planter is not effectively hiding my large frame. I don’t exactly have the kind of body that can go incognito.
“What are we hiding from?”
“Shh,” she cautions, pressing a finger to my lips. I valiantly refrain from biting the pad of it, though I desperately want to.
“What are we hiding from?” I ask again, this time in a whisper. My eyes follow her finger as she points at a familiar figure tappingpast in a Pineapple Island uniform and high heels. “We’re hiding from Kat, the manager?”
Juliette nods vigorously, her gaze staying on Kat until she disappears behind a wooden door markedEmployees Only.Then she stands and lets out a sigh of relief that’s so heavy, it rustles the leaves on our hiding place.
“Come on,” she says, grasping my hand and dragging me toward the side exit. I have no idea what the fuck is going on, but I’m damn well about to find out.
Once we’ve made the turn to the narrow path leading to our cottages, I haul Juliette to stop and step in front of her. “What is going on? Did that woman hurt you or something?” My blood boils at the thought. They both wore the pineapple bracelets. What if they’d hooked up or something and…
“Nooo,” Juliette wails, covering her eyes with one palm. “I just embarrassed myself to death in front of her yesterday, and I’ve vowed to avoid her until I leave.”
I pull her hand away from her face and lift her chin with my knuckle. “Tell me what happened.”
She blows out a raspberry and rolls her eyes. “It was stupid. She mentioned the clothing-optional parts of the resort and pointed them out on the map.” Juli shakes her head. “It’s not like I’m offended by nudity or anything, but it caught me off guard. A bunch of naked people all walking around and just being all nakedly casual struck me as funny, so I let out this weird-ass fake laugh.”
She demonstrates, and I press my lips together to keep from busting a gut. It was a bizarre laugh. “Is that all?” I manage, and Juli winces and shakes her head.
“No. Then I started rambling on about sand in personal crevices and coochie chafing and ass rashes. Then I flashed her.”
I choke on my own spit. “You flashed her?”Lucky Kat.
