She takes two pictures of us kissing, then tucks her phone back into the canvas cross-body bag that rests on her hip.
“That energy drink is really helping,” she says. “I could carry you the rest of the way to the top if you want me to.”
I smile and shake my head. “Yeah, good luck with that.”
It’s been five hours since the jellyfish branding, and the pain is finally manageable. This morning, we went to a rinsing station, and it helped, but Talia had to go buy more vinegar and pour it on the stings in our hotel shower.
I stood there in my underwear, and it took all my self-control not to bitch and moan the entire time. I’m not sure even Loki would’ve gotten himself stung by jellyfish on purpose. I was showing off for Talia, and I’m only functional because of the prescription-strength pain reliever she had in her bag.
Now we’re on a group hike with the bridal party, and the rest of them are doing a scavenger hunt. Talia and I just wanted to enjoy the scenery.
“So how did you two meet?” Audra’s bridesmaid, Kayla, asks us from nearby.
I smile at the memory of Talia scowling at me in her Unabomber hoodie at the bar where we met.
“I was hitting on another woman and Talia shot me down.”
Talia laughs at my description. “His pickup line was so cringe. He asked her if her name was Anesthesia.”
Kayla groans.
“I didn’t use that line, I said I had a friend who was going to use it.”
Talia gives me a pointed look. “But you didn’t. Which actually makes it worse.”
I grin and take her hand. “Yet here we are. You can’t get enough of me.”
“Enjoying my leftovers, Beaumont?” Kyle calls out from ahead of us.
Hurt flickers across Talia’s face and I release her hand. Kyle’s around twenty feet in front of us, and he doesn’t even know I’m coming when I slam into him from behind and we both land on the ground.
“What the hell?” Audra shouts.
I land a punch to his gut that makes him grunt. The pain from the jellyfish stings reignites, but I just keep punching. I roll so I can get on top of him and pound his face, more feral than I’ve ever been in any hockey fight. The punches he’s getting in don’t even register.
“Don’t ever talk about her.” I grab the collar of his shirt and pull him up from the ground. “If her name ever comes out of your mouth again, I’ll break your fucking legs.”
Something pummels into me, sending me flying. I’m buried beneath something heavy and I can’t breathe.
It’s not until Kyle’s groomsman gets off me that I realize it was him. His name’s Brad, and he weighs a solid two hundred and fifty pounds. Another groomsman is on the ground with Kyle, holding him back.
“Enough!” Audra yells, standing in the space between me and Kyle with her hands out.
She looks unhinged, a vein visible in her forehead. When she turns to face Talia, her expression is murderous.
“You brought him here to ruin our wedding, didn’t you? You can’t stand the idea that he’s happier with me and that you were rejected.”
I shove Brad’s arm off and walk away, my blood boiling. If I wasn’t the kind of man who’d never raise his hand to a woman, I’d be all over Talia’s bitch of a sister.
“I don’t care whether or not you two are happy,” Talia says, shrugging. “I’m with Lucien now, and that’s why I brought him.”
Audra stomps over to Talia, pointing right in her face. Hands on my hips, I watch her every movement. If she touches Talia, we’re going to have a problem.
“Everything’s been a goddamn disaster since you two got here! I’ve been puked on and humiliated! My fiancé has jellyfish stings all over and he’s going to have a black eye and a fat lip during our wedding ceremony!”
Talia raises her chin and fires back. “So you’re saying we made Kyle seasick?”
Audra scowls and stomps her foot. “No, but the jellyfish thing was him!” she points a finger with a long red nail at me. “And the fight!”
