Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“Do you like sushi?”
“I’ve only had it once, but yes, I enjoyed it. Even the raw stuff.”
Alex stands and holds out his hand to me. “The raw stuff is the best. Come on.”
I walk with him, and he grabs two porcelain plates, handing one to me. “Ladies first.”
The only thing I recognize is the tuna. I had tuna and salmon the one time Jazz and I went out for sushi, and I preferred the salmon, but I don’t see any here. I take a few pieces of the tuna, a filet of the poached mahi mahi, and a generous portion of fruit, which is a mixture of watermelon, strawberries, mangoes, and several things I don’t recognize.
A line forms behind us, and Emily ends up right behind Alex. Chills hit the back of my neck. Will I be able to smooth things over with her? I draw in a breath and I look over my shoulder. “Emily, please join us.”
She smiles, and relief sweeps through me. “Thanks, love, but I don’t want to intrude.”
“You’re not intruding,” Alex says. “Ariel and I will have plenty of time to get to know each other on our outing this evening. Please. Join us.”
Emily flashes a grin and nods, her blond ponytail bobbing. “All right, then.”
Alex grabs a beer out of one of the coolers. “Can I get you a drink?”
“I’ll stick to water, but thanks.”
We end up at the same table, and a moment later, Emily joins us, followed by Ginger and Rachel.
“Mind if we sit?” Ginger asks.
“The more the merrier.” Alex rises and pulls out chairs for both of them as he did for Emily and me.
Our table is now full, and I glance around, noticing Brett sitting with River, Misty, and Sienna. Sebastian, Heather, and June claim the third and last table, and Sebastian beckons Evangeline to join them.
“Any of you ladies up for snorkeling later?” Alex asks.
“Absolutely,” Emily says.
He turns to me. “Ariel?”
“I don’t think so. It’s not really my thing.” I smile and pick up a piece of tuna with my chopsticks. It falls back onto my plate.
“I understand. What about you two?” he asks Ginger and Rachel.
“Yes, later,” Ginger replies, “but what I really want to know is how Ariel here was able to pick out all the men by touch.”
Emily, of course, already explained how she was able to do it—her background in fashion gave her the edge.
Me, though? It was a pure fluke. The only one I knew for sure was Brett.
Do I tell Ginger the truth? Or do I say something amusing or flirtatious?
“You going to answer her, love?” Emily asks.
I draw in a breath, spearing my piece of tuna once more. “I honestly don’t know. I was totally guessing, except for Brett.”
“You’re kidding me,” Ginger says, her eyes wide. “And here I thought I had the advantage, knowing the muscle groups.”
“Maybe you haven’t given them each a good look,” Emily says. “Besides, aren’t you a dermatologist?”
“Guilty, but I had to learn all the anatomy and physiology in med school, and I worked many different clinical rotations during my intern year.”
“I can see the others and I are going to have to do a better job distinguishing ourselves.” Alex takes the last drink of his beer and rises. “Can I get any of you ladies anything?”
“Yes.” Emily smiles slyly. “You can lose the trunks.”
A spark hits me between my legs. After our brief chat, I like Alex.
A lot.
And yeah… I’d like to see him without the trunks.
EPISODE 28
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
Emily
Alex’s beautiful green-gold eyes widen when I ask him to lose his trunks.
“You are blunt, aren’t you?” Alex smiles and then clears his throat. “I’ll say it again. May I get you ladies anything? A beer? Another”—he points to Ginger’s drink—“whatever that is?”
“It’s a mai tai,” Ginger says, “and it’s sublime, but no thank you.”
“Water it is. The rest of you?”
Rachel and Ariel both shake their heads, but I cock mine. “Still waiting on the trunks.”
“Afraid you’ll be waiting a while, then.” Alex heads toward the front of the deck.
I watch his muscled arse as he heads toward the bar. He’s one fine-looking man, and I can’t deny how attracted I am to him. I’m dying to see him without his trunks—except I’d much rather see him fully erect, hovering over me.
Whew. The breeze has stagnated, and I’m hot as hell.
“Emily…” Ariel begins.
“Hmm?”
“I want to… I don’t know. I don’t know why I blurted out Sebastian’s name. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Nothing to worry about.” I take a sip of my sparkling water. It bubbles down my throat.
What a fucking lie, but I have no claim on Sebastian. He’s already made it quite clear that he’s made no choice, which of course makes sense. None of us know each other well enough to do that.
Still…I burn for him, and yes, a fit of jealousy surged through me when Ariel said his name, but I’m over it.