“No, he totally could’ve stopped you.”
“Well, I went tohim,though.”
“Because you were scared. That’s not that crazy. It was your first time ever encountering something like that. I don’t seewhat you did as being anything other than completely human—including sleeping with him.” She pauses and then makes an incoherent grunt. “Honestly, I think the responsibility really falls on him. The two of you clearly have some sort of chemistry. He could’ve totally said no if he wasn’t into it.”
“Yeah, but…”
“Georgia,” Daisy’s voice grows stern. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
I nod. “Okay, okay.” I stare at the canned lights on the ceiling, burning little patterns into my eyelids every time I blink. “I just don’t know how I’m going to make it the rest of the trip. Maybe I should quit.”
“I think you’re overreacting.”
I gasp, though I feel a hint of a smile tugging at my lips. “You’re minimizing my feelings right now.”
I can pretty much hear the eye roll in her voice. “Look, Brody Wilder is a divorced, very eligible bachelor. I’m sure he sleeps with a lot of women. I mean, why wouldn’t he? I doubt he hasn’t done something like this before.”
“Okay, now you’re just making me feel gross.”
“The point is to play the game right back at him,” Daisy huffs. “You just act like it meant nothing to you. It’ll maybe get under his skin. Or you’ll know immediately what kind of guy he is.”
“A hot, older one.”
“Yeah, take a shower, wash the thoughts of him away, and go cook a phenomenal breakfast for the other two hotties. Fuck Brody.”
“Fuck Brody,” I say, my tone gaining some confidence. I push myself up to a sitting position. “I can totally handle his bullshit.”
“Yeah, you can! You’re Georgia Blake, and you have handled alotof bullshit in your life.” She bursts into a giggle, and I can’t help but join her.
Even if it doesn’t exactly feel natural.
“I’ll let you go,” I say, as the laughter dies down. “I don’t have long before I really do need to get in the kitchen.”
“Got it. Dress like the knockout you are. Love you, Georgie.”
“Love you.” I chuckle to myself as I hang up and then toss the phone onto my bed. I stare at the bathroom door for a few beats, and then force myself to stand up. Honestly, Daisy is right.
I need to just act like what he did doesn’t bother me.
I can totally have casual sex and it not get to me.
It doesn’t matter if I haven’t ever done it before, or if Brody is the epitome of everything I’ve ever thought is attractive. My mind flashes back to last night, my thighs clenching at the memory of coming undone around his face.
Fuck Brody.I push the thought away and strip out of my pajamas, tossing them straight into the hamper. I can still feel him lingering on my skin.
I have to scrub him off me.
I take a deep breath and head straight for the shower. I spend the next twenty minutes exfoliating until my entire body feels raw. I wash my hair twice, and then when I get out of the shower, I head for my dresser, digging out a pair of high-cut, faded denim shorts, and a crop top that shows off the effort of all those one-minute-long planks.
I dry my hair, adding nice beach waves, and then put on enough makeup to accentuate my cheekbones and lips, withoutappearingthat I’m trying too hard. But still, even as I’m happy with the way I look…
The memory of Brody between my legs still lingers.
Shit.My heart sinks in my chest. It’s so much easier said than done when it comes to outrunning the way I feel. Brody Wilder was my teenage crush. Iobsessedover him, even though he was married.
Now, I’ve had him, and I guess I can just mark that off the bucket list. I shake my head at my ridiculous mental pep talk,slip on my Converse, and then head out of my room, shutting the door behind me.
I make my way down the hallway, up the stairs, and to the main floor of the yacht. Emmett is sitting in one of the loungers already, sipping on his coffee and watching the sunrise. He glances over at me and gives me a soft smile.
