Page 30 of Love on Deck

The song came to a close. I pulled away from him. “Give me an hour,” I reminded him.

Jack nodded before I walked from the room. I was glad we’d already had that plan in place, because it was going to take at least that long for my body to calm down from the effects of being in his arms, from his whispers raising goosebumps on my neck, from his laughter slipping through my veins like lava. I was not unaffected by Jack, and I needed to find a way to reverse that very quickly. Starting with an icy, cold shower.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

JACK

“This meeting is called to order,” Kevin said, hitting his empty orange juice cup on the table. The wide windows behind him framed sparkling blue ocean as far as the eye could see. We were all gathered around the breakfast table while the groom waited for conversation to die down so he could address us. “My lady,” he said, giving his fiancée a flourishing gesture.

They were so sweet it made my teeth hurt.

Amelia rolled her eyes, but she was fighting a smile. “We have two days until the wedding. Since tomorrow is mostly snorkeling, today is prep work. Y’all have the morning free while Kevin and I get our couple’s massage, then the ladies are booked for facials and mani-pedis at two. Dinner together, then the hot tub tonight. Questions?”

No one had any. I peeked at Lauren, but she hadn’t paid me much attention since the dance we’d shared last night. I’d gotten back to our room to find her asleep—or faking it—with pillows halfway down the king-sized bed making a line of demarcation. A feather-filled wall. A Do Not Cross border.

She didn’t need to worry. The boundary was fine with me.

But now we were at breakfast and her hair was no longer in a tight knot. It had graduated to a low ponytail, running between her shoulder blades in smooth, honey-brown locks. She was so close to letting it loose. I was tempted to just hook the elastic in my finger and help her along.

Lauren turned toward me suddenly. “Oh, I don’t think we need to.”

Could she read minds? I’d been daydreaming about running my fingers through her silky ponytail, but her wide eyes were more aversion than disgust. I had no idea what she was trying to get us out of.

“Jack wouldn’t care, anyway,” she said. “We don’t have to do that.”

She spoke for me. That most assuredly meant I would care and we should do that, whatever that was. “Hold on, now. Don’t be hasty.”

Lauren’s eyes widened a smidge. “Really, Ames.” She turned toward her sister again. “We don’t want to take away from yours and Kevin’s special time.”

Amelia’s smile brightened. “Nonsense, Sissy. We want you there.”

Was I the only one who noticed Lauren’s cringe?

Amelia stood, looking from her sister to me. “See y’all in half an hour?”

“Yep,” Lauren said with resignation.

We all got up from the breakfast table and filed from the dining room.

“Thanks for nothing,” Lauren hissed when she reached my side.

“What did we sign up for?”

She shot me a glare. “You signed us up for a couple’s massage with the bride and groom.”

Oh.

“Lunch at that taco place by the pool?” Cara asked before we separated.

“Sounds good to me,” I called, waving.

She, Sydney, and Lucas took off—my guess was to spend the morning in the casino or poolside. Probably both. Which sounded so much better than being rubbed down by a stranger.

“I don’t really do massages,” I said, smoothing a hand over my chin while we went down the steps to the lido deck.

Lauren’s eyebrows shot up, and she tucked her chin. “Really? Because you seemed pretty eager back there.”

“I hadn’t been paying attention.”

---