Page 89 of Revenge Honeymoon

Her ATV hit a patch of mud.

Water and dirt flew up on either side of her, creating a curtain of brown yuck. Her bare arms and legs were covered in mud.

For a moment, she wanted to cringe, cry out in disgust, slow down, and wipe herself off with the tail of her shirt. But then a rush of adrenaline hit her.

Whoosh!

Okay, that was kind of fun.

Why did she care about a little mud? Who was there to see her? Wasn’t part of the adventure accepting the mud and water and sweat that came along with it?

She pressed harder on the throttle.

“Bring it on, Cozumel!” She shook her fist at the sky and gave a feral grunt that came from deep within. Not very lady-like, but who cared?

Up ahead she could see an even deeper and wider puddle. A mini-lake in the middle of the trail. Wonder how high she could make the mud fly this time?

Just as she was about to enter the next puddle, an ATV flew past with two people astride it: Mr. and Mrs. Travel Blog. They whooped and hollered as they passed her. Their ATV spat a deluge of muddy water backward. It poured over Emily, like that girl inFlashdance, covering her helmet’s visor and obscuring her vision.

“Hey!” she protested, unable to see. She immediately pulled on the brakes. When her ATV stopped with its front wheels in the puddle, she flipped up her visor.

The bride on the back of the ATV looked back, waved, and said, “Last one to the beach is a loser!”

Her new husband poured on the speed, and they disappeared down the trail.

The joy that had flowed through her body like an electric jolt, evanesced like fog under a strong summer sun. Mud and water flowed down from her face to her shoulders to her legs. She shook out her arms and bits of muck flew in all directions.

Ugh.

Behind her she heard the unmistakable rumble of another ATV. Max’s ATV. He had been the last one to receive a helmet after the safety briefing.

Great.

She clenched her teeth and prepared for the mocking that would be sure to ensue.

* * *

Max rode down the trail lost in his thoughts. He hadn’t expected to see Emily again so soon. It had taken all of his self-control to tamp down his feelings when she’d shown up by the crab flag.

What a complete idiot he’d been last night. What was he thinking when he told Emily he loved her? She must’ve thought he was a clingy, bizarre weirdo. Her dispassionate response when questioned if they were a couple before they’d boarded the bus told him his suspicions were correct.

Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

Plus, she’d declared his lovemaking skills ‘nice.’

The death blow.

Everything he thought he knew about women and sex went completely out the window when she’d said that.

Guess Penny had been right. It was one of the things she’d dumped on him after the photography show failure. Sort of a last turn of the screw before she’d driven off in her Mercedes SUV. The words echoed in his head: “I’ve had better lovers, you know.”

He’d assumed she was angry and embarrassed for supporting his show and inviting all her rich friends. A few had come, but none had purchased anything. They’d drunk the champagne and scarfed down the fancy hors d’oeuvres she’d paid for, frowned at his work, and left in a hurry.

But Emily made him think perhaps Penny’s assessment had been accurate.

His mind went numb.

After one night with her, the differences between the two women had been night and day. Why had he ever been attracted to a spoiled rich girl who never accepted him for who he was? He’d let her change him, shape him, mold him into what she wanted him to be, and then, when she didn’t like the results, she dumped him. Without even really telling him it was over. He’d had to guess at the status of their relationship when she didn’t show at the ship.

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