“What?”
And before he knew it, she dipped under the surface of the water and re-emerged a few feet away, swimming back to the shore.
Simon followed close enough that his tattoo never yanked him, but still maintained a respectable distance. Chris waited for them on the beach and waved from the log Simon had previously been sitting on. “By the way, a bird came and took your clothes.”
“What?” Shanna ran to the bushes where she’d left hers.
“Yeah, I have it on video. It was really funny. Brown bird, long neck, about duck-sized. I don’t think it could fly. Just came and dragged off your stuff, one by one.”
“And you didn’t stop it?” Simon came onto the beach after Shanna, sprinting for the dark spot on the sand that was hopefully still his jacket. So much for salvaging his clothes.
“Then I wouldn’t get the funny video,” Chris said.
His shirt and one shoe were missing, but his jacket and pants were still there.
“It took my shirt! And my jacket! And my … bra,” Shanna’s voice came from behind the bushes. “Where is this bird?”
“Oh, it’s long gone,” Chris said casually.
“Here, take my jacket.” Simon moved sideways toward the bush, draping the jacket over it while making it obvious that he wasn’t, under any circumstances, trying to take a peek.
“Thanks.” Shanna emerged, his jacket zipped up to her neck, her cheeks red.
There it was again—that strange satisfaction, now at seeing her wear something his. In her usual bright and colorful clothes, Shanna looked adorable. In his dark, plain jacket, she looked … delectable. Possessable.
His mind was going completely berserk today.
His other parts, he preferred to not even think about.
“Uh, what will you wear?” she asked.
Right.“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.”
They looked around the beach and nearby brush but found no traces of their missing clothes, and soon after,Bellaappeared on the horizon. Alfie greeted them with an amused grin as he beheld Shanna, hiding in a too-big jacket, and topless and shoeless Simon. “Weka, ay?”
“I suppose that’s the culprit’s name,” Simon said.
“The two of you better get below deck for the ride back. It’s less windy,” Alfie said with a wink.
An hour later, they disembarked on the beach by the small resort town where they’d started their journey. As they walked down the gangway Alfie extended from the boat onto the beach, Shanna went last and paused by Alfie.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Yeah nah, I’m just a humble tour driver.”
“But thank you anyway. For this … and for Bella.”
Chapter 11
“You’re a nice girl and all.” Luke played with the napkin holder on the table, avoiding Shanna’s gaze. “But you’re so … zealous. We don’t have to spend every day together. A man needs some time for himself, you know?”
“I know,” she said, staring at the table.
“So it’s best if we call this off. It’s not easy for me. Trust me, I’ll miss you.”
“Don’t worry.” She sighed. “I’m sure you’ll forget all about me in a few days.”
***
