Or, who knows, maybe they just liked joking around and tricking people. But it felt like more than one pair of eyes had lit up when I wasn’t engulfed by my t-shirt anymore. Of course, it probably wasn’t me they were interested in. Guys liked big breasts, and that’s what I had. Still, it had felt good when Jessie rubbed the lotion into my back while the other two watched his every move.
Gina’s mind was on the men, too. “So now that you’ve met them, what do you think?”
“They’re pretty damn amazing. I’ve never met men who look like that in real life.” I played back what I’d said in my head and hastily amended it. “Except Doug, of course. But he’s taken.”
“Damn straight.” Gina smiled. “But the other three are pretty easy on the eyes, too.”
“They sure are.” I sighed. No way guys that looked that good would be interested in someone like me. But astonishingly, Gina seemed to think the opposite.
“They keep looking this way, you know,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
She grinned. “You know what I mean. They keep checking you out.”
“No they aren’t,” I protested. Since we were in the shade of the umbrella, I was only wearing my one-piece suit, but Gina had on a bikini, and it looked amazing on her. “They’re looking at you.”
She scoffed. “No, they’re not.”
“Yes, they are.” For some reason, I was getting angry. She had no right to get my hopes up like that. Brock, Kincade, and Jessie were so far out of my league that they were practically on a different planet.
Gina gave me a sharp look. “You can be so dense sometimes. They’re Doug’s best friends.”
“So?”
“Do you really think they’re going to ogle his fiancée right in front of him, a few days before his wedding?”
My jaw dropped as the truth of Gina’s words sank in. “No, of course not. But… then that would mean…”
Gina grinned. “It would mean they’re looking at you. Unless a fleet of mermaids has appeared behind us.”
Reflexively, I looked over my shoulder. No mermaids. No topless women sunning themselves. No one at all.
Holy shit. Maybe they were looking at me.
11
Maddie
“Maddie! How’s the tropical paradise?”
I sat on a log at a spot where the woods met the beach. The surf pounded as I talked to my best friend, Emma. I hadn’t been sure the call would go through, but we’d gotten lucky. “Even more tropical and paradise-y than I was anticipating.”
“I wish I was there,” Emma said, and I could practically hear her pout. “It’s been raining for two days here.”
“Sorry I missed that,” I said with complete insincerity, and Emma laughed. “Tell me what’s been going on back home.”
“You’ve only been gone for two days,” Emma pointed out.
“Yeah, but I’ve been so busy for weeks, I’m behind on the gossip.” It was true. I felt like the last few weeks had been nonstop wedding plans, sewing, packing, etc. “How are your business partners?”
“Good,” Emma said. “Everything’s going well, but I want to hear about you. Tell me everything.”
I began by describing the gorgeous island. “We’re right on the beach, and there are a half dozen pools. This place is perfect for people who are into watersports.”
Emma giggled. “I’m not sure that means what you think it means.”
“What?” I said, confused. “There’s surfing and paddleboarding, and—”
“Maddie,” Emma broke in. “That’s all great, but I want to hear about the men. Those gorgeous ones you showed me online. You’ve met them, right?”
For a moment I could practically feel the two ripped bodies I’d been sandwiched between when I woke up. “Yes, I’ve met them.”
“And?”
“And… they’re unbelievably good-looking.” I said that last part in a whisper even though there was no one nearby.
Emma squealed. “I knew it! They looked so damn good online, I figured they had to be even better in person.”
“They do.”
“Which one do you like best?”
“All of them.”
Emma laughed. “I can understand that. Are they friendly?”
“Very. In a super-hot way.” I was being more candid with Emma than I had been with Gina. But Emma and I shared almost everything. I knew all her secrets and she knew most of mine.
“Have any of them made a move?”
That was hard to answer. “Kind of?”
She laughed again. “Wouldn’t you know if they had?”
Probably I should. “One rubbed sunblock on my back and shoulders today. He was really thorough.”
“That’s a good sign.”
A shiver ran through me as I remembered how it had felt to have Jessie’s strong hands caressing my skin. He’d seemed like he’d enjoyed it, too, judging from how long he took doing it. “He’s really nice,” I said. “They all are.”
Emma scoffed. “Nice has its place, but sometimes, you need a man who’ll put all that aside and make a move.”
“I wish,” I said.
“Then go for it. You’re on a vacation in a gorgeous place. Take the bull by the horns—or whatever part’s handy—and go for it.”