Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 73462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
“Do you really think I can eat?” She shakes her head. “My nerves are doing the bloody chicken dance under my skin. I’m certain I’ve ruined things with River, but on the other hand, he didn’t return my sentiment, so maybe it’s live and let live. Or whatever. I’m not sure I’m making a bit of sense.”
“You’re making more sense than you think,” I say. “Our men are off dealing with a ghost from their past, and we’re left trying to figure out if we’re still part of their future.”
She exhales sharply. “Exactly.”
I sigh. “I hate myself for even thinking this, Em, but what if Jake was never supposed to return? What if this upends everything?”
“Why would it?”
“I don’t know. I’ve got a bad feeling, is all. Don’t get me wrong. I’m thrilled their friend isn’t dead as they thought. But there’s a story there, and it can’t be a good one.”
“You’re bloody right about that.”
We walk in silence for a bit, just the soft crash of waves and the cry of gulls filling the space between us. The sun beats down, and sweat beads on the back of my neck. Emily and I don’t talk much more, but an understanding exists between us. We’re both in love…and we’re both frightened about what this revelation may mean.
Eventually, we round a bend in the shoreline where the beach curves sharply, and that’s when I see them.
Five figures—no, six—half-shrouded in shadow beneath the palms.
Four of them are sitting on the sand. Brett. And River. And Jake. And…Misty?
What the fuck?
My breath catches.
“Emily.” I gesture.
“Yes. There they are.” Then her jaw drops. “What the hell is Misty doing with them?”
“Her usual MO, apparently,” I say. “Right in the middle of the drama.”
We approach quietly, hesitant, almost like we’re intruding on something sacred. Brett doesn’t see me at first, or maybe he’s just too wrapped up in his own thoughts.
But then his expression changes. It’s subtle, but I notice, even from the distance.
He sees me.
Everything stills.
My stomach flips, hope clawing its way through the uncertainty.
River turns next, his gaze locking onto Emily’s. He doesn’t smile, doesn’t move, but she steps forward without hesitation.
I don’t. I stop as if my bare feet are cemented in the sand. I grasp at something—anything—as the earth seems to swallow me whole.
“River?” Emily’s voice carries on the soft breeze.
“Emily.” River’s deep voice. “And Sienna.”
“What are they doing here?” Misty demands.
“We’re taking a walk.” Emily looks over her shoulder and gestures to me. “Come on, See.”
But I can’t move. My feet feel like they’ve melded with the sand, my body paralyzed by the weight of my own uncertainty.
Emily steps closer to River.
“Sienna?” It’s Brett. His voice is low, just a tad shaky. Is he nervous? Scared perhaps? He stands, turns to face me. “Are you okay?”
I nod and swallow hard against the lump forming in my throat. “Yeah,” I manage. “I’m good.”
Relief sweeps through me when I see the love in his eyes—the silent vow that says I’m still here. I still choose you. I can breathe again.
But then he turns and looks at his long-lost friend…and his expression doesn’t waver.
EPISODE 205
HOT STUFF
Heather
June doesn’t know me—not on the inside. But she sees too much.
I first thought fooling around with her would be harmless. And damn, the girl can lick pussy like she lives for it.
But now…
The way she looks at me—and it’s not like she’s dying to jump back in the sack. Besides, I can be bi when men aren’t around, but we’re on an island full of billionaires—not to mention sexy-as-fuck staff members. I kind of let my horniness get the best of me.
“You think he’d do it?” June asks.
I jerk at her question. What were we talking about again?
Right. Ariel’s send-off. Marc, the delectable sous chef.
“Don’t know,” I reply. “Doesn’t hurt to ask.”
“Alex would probably pay him,” Darby says. “I mean, I don’t know him and Ariel very well yet, obviously, but the man is worth billions, and he wants his lady to be happy.”
June scoffs. “And it will make him happy for her to watch another man take off his clothes?”
“This isn’t about Alex,” I say. “It’s about Ariel. And no, we’re not going to ask Alex for anything. Certainly not to pay a stripper. This is on us.”
June gives me a look that I can’t quite read.
There she goes again. She doesn’t ask direct questions. Not yet. But I can feel her circling. The way her voice tilts when she asks me about my business, my clients. The way her eyes linger a second too long as I answer, like she’s waiting for something to slip out.
She’s careful. Friendly, even. But there’s weight behind her curiosity. A quiet calculation.
I know that look. I’ve worn it myself.
I brush it off, but inside, everything locks down.
I keep my voice light, my smile practiced. But the back of my mind is already running damage control. How much could she know? How far would she go?