Kendra glanced up at Lucas. Silently, they agreed that they couldn’t refuse without it being strange. Lucas let go of Kendra’s shoulders and rested his hands on her hips. Warmth blossomed from the places his palms touched, and Kendra’s heart began to race. She looked up at Lucas, unable to take her eyes away from his. He bent his head closer, gently capturing her mouth in a kiss, and for a heartbeat, everything else fell away.
It didn’t matter that Lucas was basically a stranger — and an annoying one at that. It didn’t matter that they were only kissing because Susie had asked them to. It didn’t even matter that Kendra had been supposed to get married to another man the day before. The only thing that mattered was the way her knees felt weak and her pulse raced as Lucas kissed her gently, as if she were someone precious. He tasted a little like the Mexican Coke they’d just drunk, and his hands were warm.
As quickly as he’d kissed her, they both pulled away. Kendra looked down at the sand beneath her feet. She could feel how warm her cheeks were, and she was worried that Lucas could hear her heartbeat. She was deeply embarrassed. Even though she barely knew Lucas, even though they’d done nothing but fight, that kiss had stirred her heart in a way that even Aaron never had.
“Aw, that one is amazing!” Susie showed them the picture, and Kendra could hardly recognize herself or Lucas. They reallylooked like a couple. A couple deeply in love. A couple on their honeymoon. She’d even lifted one foot off the ground without realizing. “Okay, let’s keep going. Next up is Divorce Beach!”
Susie headed off down the sand with a spring in her step, and Kendra followed. Lucas fell into step beside her, but Kendra didn’t look at him. She was still recovering from that brief but intense kiss.
“Did she say Divorce Beach?” Lucas asked, his voice low.
“I think so.”
“Sorry about the kiss, by the way. I didn’t see a way to say no.”
“Oh, it’s fine.” Kendra could feel her blush deepening, and she began to fiddle with a strand of her hair.
“I’ve never had my kissing skills described as only ‘fine’ before, but I guess I’ll take it.” His tone was teasing.
Kendra glanced at him, still blushing. “I’d say five out of ten.” It wasn’t true, not at all, but she wasn’t about to admit to him how much the kiss had made her heart race.
“You wound me.” Lucas clapped a hand to his chest dramatically, and Kendra couldn’t help grinning. “It’s a good thing we’re going to Divorce Beach now.”
“Because you’re going to divorce me?” Kendra asked.
“I would, but I think we’d have to get married first…” Lucas winked, and Kendra grinned. She hadn’t seen this side of him yet. He seemed more like a goofy guy than the distant jerk he’d been until now. Maybe the kiss had softened him a little, too.
“My question,” Kendra said, “is about what we’ll find on Divorce Beach. Lover’s Beach was full of couples, so will Divorce Beach be full of people who just ended their marriages?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Lucas said. “Let’s keep our eyes out.”
Divorce Beach, it turned out, was just a regular beach. A couple of kids played in the water, squealing with delight as the waves washed over them. There were people sunbathing while listening to music or reading, and a few families were barbecuing. The food smelled delicious, and Kendra realized she was getting hungry. The sugar rush from the Coke wouldn’t keep her going for long.
“Would you like to swim before we go back?” Susie asked. Kendra glanced at the water, which did look very inviting. Still, she wasn’t exactly excited to get back in the water after swallowing so much of it the day before. She shook her head.
“No, that’s okay,” Lucas agreed. “We can swim in the pool back at the resort. Right, babe?”
“Right,” Kendra said. It still felt very strange for Lucas to call her by a pet name, even though she knew it was all part of the show. “Honey.”
They got back in the car and headed toward the resort again. As they drove, Lucas pulled his phone back out and stared at it with a pinched, worried expression. Kendra wondered yet again what was so very fascinating. For her part, she was drawn to the view out the window of palm trees, resorts, and small houses with flowers in the yards.
When they got back to the resort, they had a quick lunch at one of the restaurants before heading up to their room to freshen up.
“I would call that a successful trip,” Lucas said, flopping onto the loveseat and taking out his phone.
“Me too,” Kendra said, images of their kiss flashing through her mind again. He’d joked with her, too, which was new. “But you seemed to be more focused on your phone than anything else.”
“Yeah.” Lucas glanced at the phone in his hand. “It’s important to keep up with things, you know?”
“Not really,” Kendra said. Her phone was still waiting in the drawer of the bedside table. By now, there were probably a dozen or more messages from concerned friends and family that she couldn’t deal with right now.
“That’s true.” Lucas frowned. “I’ve barely seen your phone.”
“There are more important things than being reachable all the time,” Kendra said. She didn’t really want to talk about why she wasn’t checking her phone, so she grabbed her e-reader and headed out onto the balcony. She needed a little space from Lucas, especially after their kiss.It was just for show,she reminded herself sternly. There was no point getting all swoony over a guy who was rude, selfish, and would only be in her life for a very short time. Things hadn’t even worked out with Aaron, and he’d been perfect — on paper, at least.
Kendra tried to read, but most of the books on her e-reader were romances, and she wasn’t in the mood right now to read about people falling in love and getting married. Not when her own love life was in shambles. Eventually, she gave up and went back inside.
“Want to go swimming?” she asked Lucas, hands on hips. “I would go on my own, but I’d get a bunch of funny looks.”
