Page 93 of Booked for Summer

Jeremy pouted. ‘He told me the flamingos were my idea so I had to sort them.’

‘Ah, okay. And what, exactly, is the problem?’

‘The problem is the stupid things keep falling over on the sand.’

‘Right. And you need them to be on the sand rather than the grass because…’

‘Because we’re getting married on the beach.’ He looked at her likeshewas the crazy one. ‘That’s the whole point of a beach wedding. Otherwise, it would be called a garden wedding, or a wedding near the beach.’

At the scrunch of footsteps on the sand they both twisted their heads around to find Liam strolling up to them, shaking his head. ‘How many Haven Resort staff does it take to sort out a few pink birds?’

Her belly tumbled as his hot gaze fixed on her, the message clear.Sort Jeremy out fast or I’ll carry you out of here.‘Three…’ She cleared her throat, liquid warmth pooling between her thighs as his gaze darkened. ‘Three staff,’ she repeated. ‘That’s if you’re joining us.’

‘Oh, no.’ Jeremy looked horrified. ‘I don’t want him hanging around, smouldering at you like some sex-starved adolescent. I saw the pair of you rocking that yacht this morning.’

Liam pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘For the love of God, tell me the problem so we can fix it and I can get my girlfriend to myself.’

Jeremy frowned. ‘You do know I’m gay and about to be married? No need for the possessive he-man act.’

Liam let out an exasperated breath and Jade giggled. ‘You two should be on stage. You’re the best comedy act out there.’

Jeremy took a bow. ‘Thank you, but this situation is far from comedic. How am I going to make my flamingos stand on the sand?’

‘Move them to the grass?’

Jade burst out laughing and Jeremy glared at Liam. ‘We’ve been through this. It’s abeachwedding, not a garden wedding.’

‘Fine.’ Liam waved at the area they were standing in. ‘This is where you want to get married?’

‘Yes.’

He tapped into his phone and held it to his ear. ‘Mike, Liam here. Can you come and build me a deck on the beach this afternoon? Yes. Thanks.’ He slipped the phone back into his pocket. ‘Any more issues?’

Jeremy swallowed. ‘Nope, that’s it. I guess I’ll just wait for Mike.’

‘Right, good.’ Liam marched up to her and clasped her hand. Smiling deeply into her eyes, he whispered, ‘Grab your coat. You’ve pulled.’

The reminder of their early meetings, when they’d traded corny chat-up lines, elicited another bark of laughter from her. Immediately followed by a deep flip in her belly. ‘Oh, goody.’

She held tight to his hand, leaning into him as they began to walk away. Why did it always feel like this? Thrilling, butterflies flapping, all combined with a giddiness usually only achieved with several cocktails on an empty stomach.

Suddenly, Liam halted and looked over his shoulder at Jeremy. ‘By the way, you’re in charge.’

‘Yes, sir, Boss Man. Least I can do.’

Liam turned around. ‘No, I mean you’re in charge from now on. You’re the new Resort Manager.’

Jeremy’s jaw gaped open. ‘You can’t promote me just because you want to sneak off to do some horizontal tango-ing in the middle of the afternoon.’

‘I can do what I like. I’m the boss.’ Liam shrugged. ‘To be clear, I’m promoting you because you’ll make a damn good resort manager. I’m doing it now so I can fuck my girlfriend in the middle of the afternoon.’

Jade did not want to think of the state of her underwear after hearingthatstatement.

‘Well, that was super clear. Crystal.’ Jeremy still looked stunned. ‘Oh, and I forgot to thank you for the decking,’ he shouted as Liam started marching in the direction of the hotel again. ‘Enjoy your… ’lone time.’

Laughter vibrated through her. ‘Where are you taking me?’

‘Somewhere I can lock the door.’

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