“I like that there have been no sexy cowboys in Montana who have come and swept you off your feet.”
“Sexy cowboys?”
“You look hot dressed as a cowboy, you know how to wear a pair of jeans,” I ramble, lost in my dirty thoughts of him being a cowboy and tying me up.
“How do you know that?” he asks.
“First night I met you, I noticed right away. Those jeans, that ass, chef’s kiss.”
This makes his smile widen. “I appreciate the compliment.”
“I’ll compliment you a hell of a lot more if you keep wearing them.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” he teases. “Come on, we should head back.”
“Last one back to the villa is a rotten egg,” I say, sprinting off down the beach.
“Fuck!” I hear Charlie curse behind me.
55
DERRICK
“Aaaahhhh.” I scream as we zip line through the rainforest. I thought I was good with heights. It seems like no one told that to my brain or body because I’m freaking out, zipping through Jurassic Park. I force my eyes open to enjoy the breathtaking view of the bright blue sky and the endless blue horizon of the ocean. At least I’m getting a suntan while out here, so I’ll look glowy for the wedding. Got to count your blessings. We were up at the crack of dawn for fishing, of which I am not a fan. There was also some scuba diving, which was fun, especially when I got to see some turtles, and then we went ATVing in the mud, and bloody hell, those boys are competitive.
My mind wanders back to everything that happened yesterday.
“Hey, you’re Everly, aren’t you?” I ask, running into her at the buffet.
“Yeah, hi.” She smiles.
She is gorgeous, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and rosy cheeks. “I’m Derrick.”
“I know who you are,” she says before clamping her mouth shut as if she exposed a secret. “I mean, Jackson explained who you are.”
This makes me laugh. “It’s okay, I ran into Charlie this morning. We’re friends again.”
“You did?” This time her reaction is surprised.
“Did he not mention it?” I ask her. She shakes her head. Oh.
“I’m glad you’ve sorted things out. My brother is a good guy, he’s just … um …”
“Broken?”
Her brows knit together. “My brother hates pity, so please don’t think of him as broken. Charlie’s assimilating.”
That’s an interesting way to look at things, but it’s her brother, so I’m going to assume she knows what’s best for him, so I’ll follow her lead.
“How come he’s not here?” I ask, stacking my plate with salad.
“He’s not great in big groups. Last night was a lot for him, so he thought he would give it a miss tonight, recharge his social battery, so to speak. I’m making him a plate and was going to bring it to him.”
“Did you want me to do that?” The words were out before I realize what I’m saying.
“You want to take him his dinner?” she asks, seemingly surprised.
I shrug. “My social battery is draining, too, plus we have to be up at the crack of dawn for Finn’s bachelor day, and this way I can have an early night without looking like a flake.”
