Though the men were wearing less—a lot less, since Jessie and Kincade only had boxers on, I was still self-conscious. I wasn’t used to people, men especially, seeing me without makeup and regular clothes on. With an inward groan, I ran a hand through my hair. Ugh, total bedhead. Curls didn’t respond well to being smashed against a pillow all night.
Jessie caught my eye and grinned. “Can I do that?”
I couldn’t help smiling back. He seemed to have a thing about my hair. Well, if he wanted to run his hand through my curls, then he could be the one to deal with the resulting tangles.
“Do what?” Kincade wanted to know.
“Inside joke,” Jessie said.
He winked, which made me smile. Then I looked up to check Brock’s expression. I wasn’t even sure if he’d known I was here until I awoke and made a clamor. Did he think I’d slept with his buddies? Well, actually, I was worried about if he thought I’d done more than just sleep with them.
But his expression didn’t hold any accusation. Just a cocked eyebrow, the kind that looked so hot on him. He looked the three of us over once more and then exhaled. “Anyone up for a morning swim?”
Kincade and Jessie agreed enthusiastically, but I hesitated. “I don’t have a suit.”
“Please tell me you didn’t come to an island with more pools than people without a swimsuit,” Jessie said with a groan.
“And an island with a huge, gorgeous ocean to play in,” Kincade added.
“I have a suit, but it’s back with my luggage at the other cabin.”
“Which is a five-minute walk,” Brock pointed out.
“Yeah, but… they’re there.” It dawned on me that Kincade and Brock didn’t know what had happened last night after the reception ended. I wasn’t in any hurry to tell them. In the clear light of day, I felt foolish that I’d run off like that. I’d just been so tired, and climbing up to that loft didn’t seem safe even when it was light out. The fact that the evil stepcousins might have purposefully set it up so I’d fall had been the last straw.
“They won’t be up yet,” Kincade said. “Not for another hour or two.”
I nodded, but I wasn’t entirely convinced. Brock had said last night that Kincade rarely went to visit his father once he remarried.
“Do you want me to go with you?” Jessie asked.
“No, I’ll be fine.” As long as they were asleep. Then again, maybe it would be nice to have a guy or two along. We could place that heavy, bulky ladder over the Annas and pin them down. Then they could lay there complaining to each other until one of them died from boredom.
“So it’s settled. Let’s meet at the pool in ten minutes,” Brock said.
Maybe that was enough time for a man to get ready, but it wasn’t a lot to me. But it wasn’t like Brock would be taking attendance and marking people tardy. “Which one?” I asked.
“The big one.”
“All right, see you there.” I got to my feet and looked for my shoes. They were right under Kincade. Since I couldn’t very well kneel at his feet, I asked him to get them for me. He retrieved one, but instead of handing it to me, he patted the bed next to him. A bit bemused, I put my foot up on the bed next to him. He lifted my foot easily, his grasp firm and steady. Then he slipped my shoe on and placed my foot to be floor. Then he patted the bed again and repeated the process on the other side.
Wow. Talk about full service.
When he was done, he smiled up at me. “There are your glass slippers, Cinderella. Watch out for the evil stepcousins.”
“I will.” I smiled at him—and all of them—and then left.
8
Maddie
As I predicted, the men beat me there. They were lounging in the shallow end of the large, Olympic-size pool. Kincade was in the corner, his long, tan arms spread out on top of the pool walls. His face was tilted up and his eyes were closed. He reminded me of a cat we’d had when I was a kid that had loved to lay in the sun.
Jessie was crouched down so that the water came up to his neck. He bounced up and down, like an astronaut trying out zero gravity. Brock was leaning against the pool wall with his torso out of the water, his arms crossed. He was the first to spot me. “There she is.”
“Hi.” I put my bag and towel down on a nearby chair. “How’s the water?”
“Nice,” he said. He had his aviator sunglasses on, which hid his eyes but looked super hot on him.
Jessie smiled up at me. “Speaking of water, there are some bottles of it over there.” He jerked his head to point it out. “Help yourself.”