He hadn’t grown up by the ocean, but still, hearing the crash of waves on the beach managed to make his griffin stretch out its wings luxuriantly, reveling in the sense of space and light. Itstillhad problems understanding why it couldn’t just fly them anywhere they needed to go, and it didn’t like being cooped up in vehicles either – so this was a little treat for it, too, even if it in no way deserved it. He also suspected that the griffin was scared of flying in planes, though it would never admit it.
A sigh from beside him caught Rhys’s attention, and he glanced over to see that Maisie was walking with her eyes closed – just for a second or two, nothing that would see her wandering into traffic, but long enough that it was obvious she was also starting to feel the magic of the tropics.
A soft smile spread over her face, and Rhys was so entranced that he was starting to think that he was the one in danger of wandering into traffic. But he just couldn’t help but look at her. The thought that maybe she could feel the same way about him as he did about her was enough to make all this shitshow of the past few days worthwhile.
They wandered on for a while, happy to meander in silence along the hilly footpath, enjoying the fresh, clean island air, listening to the singing – or screeching – of the local birds and the distant sound of waves.
As they crested a rise overlooking the marina, suddenly the sparkling blue of the ocean was laid out before them, dottedwith yachts and small boats, and ringed by white sand and lush greenery cascading down rugged cliffs.
“This is… wow, this is gorgeous,” Maisie murmured, blinking in the brilliant white sunlight.
Rhys, his eyes still on her face, couldn’t help but reply, “It sure is.”
But thankfully, Maisie seemed too caught up in her surroundings to notice he hadn’t been talking about the island. It made Rhys’s heart sing to see her like this, the sun on her face, the wind in her hair, clearly simply relishing being in such a beautiful place.
We must protect her, no matter the cost.
The thought, shockingly fervent, rose up suddenly within him – and Rhys knew he would, even if right now, he wasn’t sure what exactly he needed to be protecting herfrom.
As they approached the resort, Maisie reached into her shopping bag. They’d been handed an envelope made from thick, creamy paper on the yacht, the attendant explaining it had a map of Burr Island as well as the keypasses to their room and some information about the entertainments that would be available for them to book during their stay. Maisie tore it open, pulling out the keypasses,Room 310printed on them in neat gold lettering.
There was also what appeared to be a little welcome note inside as well – Maisie unfolded it, read it for a moment, and then, to Rhys’s interest, started blushing.
“Uh,” she said, darting him a look as they walked, “did Michael happen to tell you that when he changed the hotel booking, he made both of our last names ‘Richardson’?”
Rhys felt horror simmering to life within him.
“Please tell me he didnot,” he said, as he reached over to take the welcome note from Maisie’s hand. But yes – he had.There, clear as day, was writtenWelcome to your relaxing stay on beautiful Burr Island, Mr. and Mrs. Richardson!
Rhys withheld the urge to groan.Fucking Michael!he thought, as he stared down at it. Heknewwhat he was doing!
“I mean, uh, not that I mind or anything,” Maisie laughed, a little nervously. “Um. You know. It’s probably just easier if they think we’re a couple. I mean, they probably assumed that anyway! We can just, uh, not tell them?”
Rhys swallowed. He wondered if now would be a good time to tell her that actually, he’d like nothing more than for her to be Mrs. Richardson in real life rather than just on a piece of paper and inside Michael’s sordid imagination, but…
“Anyway, we’re here!” Maisie said, a little too loudly… and, Rhys supposed, they were.
The resort was impressive – while Rhys could only see a small portion of the main building, its curvature implied that there was much more of it concealed from his view, hidden by the greenery of the mountain it was nestled beside. Palm trees swayed in the breeze, and vines tumbled down from the balconies. He could see stone curlews darting about between the plants of the garden on their long, spindly legs.
He always forgot just howgreenQueensland was – it was the complete opposite of where he grew up, on a cattle station in the middle of the country. And the vibe up north was definitely nothing like the hustle and bustle of Sydney. He took a deep breath of air, enjoying the absence of smog.
Okay, clearly I really needed this break.
Maisie swiped at the door with her keypass, muttering under her breath as the door beeped angrily at her. Rhys watched bemusedly as a peacock – apeacock?!– strutted past, until finally a longer, more drawn-out beep signaled the door’s cooperation.
“Let’s see what Michael’s done for us,” she said, as Rhys followed her in. “I’m still not thrilled about the idea of getting a hotel room from a hacker, but I’ve never gotten an upgrade or won a single raffle in my life, so maybe it’s –”
Her voice cut off suddenly in an agonized squeak, and Rhys very nearly ran into her as she stopped short.
“What is it?” he whispered, immediately on alert. His griffin, reassuringly, wasn’t squawking at him about danger, but itdidseem surprised. And then, almost…smug?
“It’s nothing!” Maisie exclaimed, still facing into the room, holding her arms out to her sides as if she could magically block his view. “Is it too late to call Michael and ask him if he can get my old room back?”
This was getting ridiculous – what could possibly be so bad about the room that it was making her react this way? She didn’t seem like the snobbish type, so he couldn’t see her getting worked up about anything minor. Certainly, the room smelt nice, so it couldn’t be that.
Gently, he nudged at her arm, and, reluctantly, she dropped it so that he could pass. He took a few steps forward, and…
Well, okay, now I see what got her so het up.
