ChapterNine
The next dayand a half sped by a glorious montage of kissing and fucking and generally avoiding the wedding party Quinn was ostensibly on Miralinda toattend.
Leah asked him about that on Thursday afternoon as they stretched out on lounge chairs on the beach at her resort after a leisurelysnorkel.
“I promise you, nobody cares that I’m pulling a disappearing act. Mick’s more my brother’sfriend.”
“You came all the way here for a holiday with people you don’t want to spendtimewith?”
“That’s not what I said. I’d put up with their ugly mugs. But I’d choose you in a heartbeat any day. You’re way prettier. And smarter,kinder…”
“Real winners, yourfriends?”
He snorted. “No, they’re good guys. But Mick only has eyes for his bride-to-be and my brother’s mooning over the bartender. Plus they’re all wound up in the business that they’restarting.”
“As long as I’m not making you miss anything you paidmoneyfor.”
“Not a worry.” He kissed her head and patted her bottom, and she pushed the thought fromhermind.
They ate at the middle resort that night, at a casual burger and fries place that overlooked the main pool. After she finished her burger, when she was just picking at her fries, Quinn picked up her foot and tugged it into his lap. They watched families splash together in the pool and talked about nothing andeverything.
It wasfantastic.
Quinn jokingly called it theirsixthdate.
She told him he couldn’t count all their meals as separate dates when they’d practically been inseparable for the last thirty hours. “Really our fourth, probably. It’s just a reallylongdate.”
“In that case, I’m heading back to my room before I pick you up for ourfifthdate.”
“And what is that goingtobe?”
“A moonlit walk on the beach? Midnight visit to the disco? Head into town and drink rum punch with thelocals?”
“I pick door number one, but it allsoundsgood.”
He squeezed her foot and released it. They paid their bill, then headed down the path to thebeach.
She headed a few steps toward her hotel when she realized he was following her. “Wrong way, Mr.Parry.”
“Let me walk you in that direction—” He cut himself off as her mouth dropped open in mock outrage. She didn’t need an escort and they both knew it. “And let me take back that offer,Master Sergeant.” Half of his mouth stayed seriously sorry. The other half quirked into a partial smile that should have annoyed her to the tips of her toes, but it only got under her skin and climbed up her body on the inside. Hot, prickly, and not annoying at all. Chivalry was an authentic way of being for him, and it looked good. “I’m sure you’ll decapitate anyone who interferes with your safe and secure passage back toyourroom.”
“Damn straight,” she said, but her words were soft and appreciative of histhought.
“I’ll be back in an hourorso.”
“Take your time, I’ve only made it three chapters into the first book of many I planned to readthisweek.”
When he returned, he’d dressed up a little, into soft-looking pants that she wouldn’t have picked out for him in a million years. A linen-cotton blend, maybe, they looked like something out of the pages of a Ralph Lauren catalog, and so did the light blue dress shirt he paired them with, the sleeves rolled up to reveal the edges of his tattoos creeping onto hisforearms.
He looked like really expensive sin, and she wanted to pull him straight toherbed.
On the other hand, he’d gotten all dressed up. Date five should probably involve more than just gettingnaked.
At some point, you should talk about why this little bit of casual fun is now being counted in terms of dates. Five dates is a serious relationship by either of your standards.Her inner cynical-best-friend had apoint.
On the other hand, how sad was it that the only best friend she had to express worry about a relationship moving too fast or getting too serious was a made-up one inherhead?
She needed a life beyond online kink boards and the occasional fet con. Date five with a hot guy? Major win in theget a lifecategory.
