Page 28 of Meet Me in Tahiti

Her eyes, so green, like the palms overhead, and he was melting right into them.

For one heart-stopping second, it felt like they were exactly where they were supposed to be. Like he could lift her up, twirl her around, and pull her into his arms under the afternoon sunshine. He wanted to. The feeling was almost overwhelming. His hand still held hers.

Then voices carried from the house—the others were coming outside, laughing and calling to one another.

He let go.

Tessa smiled knowingly. Unbothered, she turned and hurried toward them, waving excitedly at the treehouse.

Russ watched her go, his heart hammering in his chest. She felt the same way he did. Didn’t she?

A few minutes later, he made his way slowly back to the dock where Malik was leaning casually against a piling, arms crossed.

Malik lifted a brow. “Thought you said you’d tread carefully, boss.”

Russ blinked, playing dumb as a wave of anxiety shot through his veins. “What?”

“Looked pretty cozy up there with your… passenger,” Malik said evenly.

Russell shrugged it off, but the heat climbing the back of his neck said otherwise.

Malik shook his head, a warning clear in his easygoing tone. “You’re playing with fire, Captain.”

Malik’s job was at risk, too, if Russ broke the rules and Malik went along with it. And Russ wasn’t about to let Malik lose his job. “Everything’s fine, dude. You don’t have to worry about me.”

But he fixed his gaze on the horizon as he hopped into the dinghy, feeling the truth of it settle like a stone in his gut.

Chapter

Nine

How wasTessa supposed to pretend that nothing had happened between them this afternoon? Her impromptu visit to the treehouse with Russ had been almost magical. Like they were a brand-new couple on an adventurous first date. And now, an overwhelming sense of infatuation had started to consume her. Was it the tropical, romantic setting, or what? Because she could hardly stop thinking about him.

He obviously wanted to keep it quiet around the others, which she understood. And it was fine with her. But it left her wondering if she’d been imagining things.

They’d exchanged glances and remarks across the table, however, since Russ, Malik, and Jules had joined the group for a breezy dinner tonight. Tessa had enjoyed it immensely.

The conversation had been lively, and the three of them had contributed plenty to the fun and interesting banter of the group. But he hadn’t appeared to pay any more attention to Tessa than he had to anyone else.

Still, Tessa wasn’t upset about it. There were probably certain professional lines he couldn’t cross, unfortunately.

So, instead of focusing on it, she and the girls had helped Jules clean up as the sun had gone down, joking and laughing over wine as they made light work of the dishes. Russ and Malik had anchored the boat securely, closed things down for the night, and disappeared to their cabins.

Now, the last streaks of sunset faded into a warm indigo sky, and the stars blinked overhead. Tessa and her girlfriends gathered on the bow deck, glasses of wine in hand, while the guys set up a makeshift poker game at the main table on the stern where they’d had dinner.

Tessa curled up with her glass under a thin blanket, feeling the lazy glow of the day settle into her bones. The air was chillier tonight.

Marin stretched out beside her, while Jenna and Avery shared a blanket and whispered over a phone screen, probably sorting through the dozens of photos Jenna had taken that day.

Marin bumped her shoulder gently. “So,” she said, voice low, “what’s going on with you and Captain Hotstuff?”

Tessa nearly choked on her wine. “What?”

Tessa had to admit things had changed for her immensely since her first day on the boat. She’d relaxed and found her island-time pace. And going barefoot now seemed second nature. She might start kicking her shoes off more often when she got back to Miami.

Still, nothing was actually going on with Russ. She was just crushing—hard. But that was all.

“Rebound on the Reef,” Jenna said in a stage whisper, grinning. “I saw him throwing glances your way across the dinner table.”

---