Page 29 of Paradise Pride

“What about relationships?” Florence asked, embracing the opportunity to shift the topic to him.

“Never been in one.” He finished his last bite, then burped loudly.

“Gross. No wonder.” Florence rolled her eyes and laughed. “Do you do that in front of women you date?”

“Nah. Mainly just in front of you.” Manuel laughed too. “Look, I don’t really date, unless picking up women in a bar counts as a date?”

Florence grimaced. “Jesus, you’re such a caveman. I saw two women coming out of your room this morning, by the way.”

“I don’t care if you saw them, because unlike you, I have nothing to hide.” He shot her a smug look. “So, call me a caveman all you want, but at least I have no drama. I have no trouble getting laid and women come to me, so I don’t need to bother all that much. The best thing about sleeping with tourists is that they leave again.”

“Hmm…” Florence glanced up and thanked the waiter when he topped up her coffee. She was no saint herself; she regularly slept with tourists, but she was nowhere near as bad as Manuel, and after meeting Meghan, she felt sad at the thought of saying goodbye.

“You’re doing it again,” he said. “That look.”

Florence made a point of looking him in the eyes, but she was aware that she was acting out of character. The café was on a busy road, and they’d normally check out women together over breakfast, but she had no interest in that today. She hadn’t had any interest in women in general, not even during the Pride event.

“Okay, I do have a crush on her,” she finally admitted. “But it’s pointless.” She didn’t even know how Meghan felt this morning. Perhaps she regretted it, or perhaps she would decide being with women wasn’t for her, after all.

“Why is it pointless? Sure, she’ll go back to London, and even when you’re back there too, you may not ever see her again. But you enjoy being with her, so why can’t that be enough for now? If anything, make some memories together. Call her, see what she’s up to and have a good time. Sitting here and staring into space won’t get you anywhere, I can tell you that.”

Florence let out a deep sigh. Manuel made everything sound so simple and maybe it was. Either way, she needed to know how Meghan felt because she couldn’t wait until tonight.

“Fine,” she said, picking up her phone. “I’ll message her.”

29

Meghan

“Ilove this place.” Kim took the iced coffee Meghan handed her and sipped it as she sank back on her sun lounger. The bar on the small beach a ten-minute drive from the city centre was comfortable and stylish with white furniture, white parasols and sun loungers, and white daybeds under straw canopies surrounded by light, linen curtains. As it was a private beach, it wasn’t overly busy, and it would have even been romantic if it wasn’t for the DJ belting out mellow house tunes at eleven in the morning.

“Yeah, I’m pleasantly surprised too.” Meghan sat down in the lounger next to her and adjusted their parasol, so she’d be in the shade. She was supposed to meet Florence for dinner tonight, and she didn’t want to be sunburned. “This iced coffee is excellent.” Staring out over the sea, she laughed when a speedboat passed, dragging screaming tourists on an inflatable behind it. They barely held on, and it kept zigzagging until finally one of them slipped off. “You want to give it a go?” she asked. “We can book a ride at the bar.” She wouldn’t normally be tempted, but screaming felt like the only way to get rid of some of the pent-up energy inside her. She’d been fidgety and absent over breakfast and on the way here, and now she didn’t know what to do with herself.

“No, I’m good,” Kim said, lowering her shades to check out the drifting woman who kept disappearing behind waves. “It looks rough, and I don’t want to get bruised. Andres is taking me out for dinner tonight.” She turned to Meghan. “You’re welcome to join us.”

Meghan smiled and shook her head. “You two lovebirds have fun. I’m meeting him tomorrow, and anyway, I’m seeing Florence tonight.” She tried not to grin as she said her name out loud, because since this morning, ‘Florence’ was officially the most beautiful name in the world.

“Oh, yes, your date. I forgot about that.” Kim shot her a knowing look. “So, is tonight the night? Are you going to kiss her?”

Meghan shivered at that thought. They’d done a lot more than kissing, but yes, she couldn’t wait to kiss her again. Florence’s lips were so soft, and the way she held her while she kissed her was… She closed her eyes for a moment, composing herself. “Stop it, Kim,” she said, looking away as flashes of arousal hit her, one after another. It was intense; she felt like she was about to explode if she didn’t find some form of relief.

“You’re blushing,” Kim teased. “You’re so blushing and you know it.”

Meghan shook her head with a chuckle. She wished she could tell her best friend about her night, but now that it was real, now that it had happened, she was terrified of anyone knowing.Why is that?At the same time, she didn’t want to deny it entirely either, so she changed the subject. “Let’s talk wedding plans,” she said, knowing that was the only way to shut Kim up. “Where are you guys getting married? Here or in the UK? Or have you not decided yet?”

“Here, of course.” Kim gestured to their surroundings and smiled. “In summer, on the beach. It’s much more charming than having it in some sombre hotel in the UK, and the flights are cheap, so I’m sure most of my family and friends would be up for making the trip. In fact, this place seems great, but Andres has some venues he wants to show me.”

“On the beach sounds perfect. And what about your life? Where are you going to live?” When Kim shrugged, Meghan placed a hand on her arm and smiled. “I’m asking too many questions, aren’t I? You haven’t even had time to think about any of that.”

“No, I haven’t, and there’s a lot we need to decide on,” Kim said. “But we have time to figure things out before the wedding. We were thinking May or June, so that’s still a while away, but I’m sure the time will fly by.” She hesitated. “If I’m totally honest, I’d like to live here for a couple of years. It crossed my mind even before Andres proposed.”

“I’d be sad if you left, but I get it. I wouldn’t mind living in the sun either. If I’d be able to find work out here, I might even consider it at some point.”

“Work…yes, that’s an issue for sure. The salaries are much lower here than in London, but I suppose the rents are lower too.” Kim sighed as she brought a hand to her temple. “Oh, God, I hadn’t thought about that. And then there’s the living arrangement,” she continued. “Andres’ place is okay, but it’s a typical small bachelor’s pad, and I’m in a shared apartment, so that’s not ideal either, and—”

“Hey, deep breaths,” Meghan interrupted her. “There’s no need to stress about anything. Just take the time to talk while you’re here and you’ll figure it out. You could try different things together, right? Just because you’re getting married doesn’t mean there’s pressure to have the house and the car and the kid straight away. The only pressure is the pressure you put on yourself, so don’t do that.”

“That’s true…” Kim took her hand and squeezed it. “Will you please help me? You’re good at organising, and I could really benefit from your management skills.”

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