Page 84 of Sunburned

She slipped out the door and I went to work, my fingers flying over the keys while Laurent watched, standing behind me with his arms crossed. I threw a glance at him.

“What?” he asked.

“You’re making me self-conscious,” I said.

He laughed.“Don’t be. I’m amazed by what you can do.”

I tried to forget he was there as I peeled back the front-facing part of the server and located the code within that would allow me to access the cameras from outside the system, leaving no trace. I would have to hack into the Wi-Fi from my computer as well so that I could connect to the internet, but in comparison to what I was doing now, that would be a cakewalk.

“Shit,” Laurent said when I’d been at it for about ten minutes, pointing at the feed from the camera in the hallway directly outside our door. “Someone is coming down the hall. I don’t know that guy.”

I glanced around the small room. There was nowhere to hide unless you crawled under the desk, which was in full view of the door, so not really a hiding place at all. “I’m almost done here,” I said, sending myself what I needed.

“He’s right outside,” Laurent whispered urgently.

In a flash, I’d restored the page, but it was too late. On the screen, I could see the guy just outside the door. Laurent grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the chair and spinning me until my back was against the wall.

Our eyes locked and my heart quickened as he slipped an arm around my back, drawing me closer.

This was exactly what I’d promised myself I wouldn’t do—but it was a ruse, I justified as our lips met, our tongues tangling as we made out with abandon, my hands in his hair, his pushing up my skirt. My body lit up like a phosphorescent sea as he pressed me into the wall. It was a tactic, sure, but I was enjoying every second of it, and I knew he was too as I wrapped one of my legs around his, my inhibitions negated by the need to put on a show for the guy I could hear pushing the door open behind me.

We didn’t stop when he stepped inside, pulling up short. “Oh,” he muttered, thrown.

Laurent and I separated, playing at being embarrassed. “Oh,” I said, still panting.

“This room is private,” he said.

“Sorry,” Laurent said. “We were just looking for a place to—”

“I see,” the guy said, looking away as I straightened my clothes. “Please.” He gestured to the door.

“Please don’t say anything to anyone,” I said, batting my eyes. “He could get in trouble.”

He nodded. “Please, go out.”

“You got it,” I said, threading my fingers through Laurent’s as we slunk out the door, acting sheepish.

In the hallway outside the room, he again pulled me toward him, playfully biting my earlobe. “You know he’s watching that camera,”he whispered, his breath hot on my neck. “I’m just making sure he believes our story.”

I knew it wasn’t necessary, that I couldn’t trust him and shouldn’t let it happen again. But what was one more kiss? I tilted my face to his and my body flooded with pleasure as our lips met, my reservations melting in the heat between us.

“We’re gonna be late for dinner,” I murmured into his mouth, breathless.

He took my lip between his teeth, teasing, before pulling away just far enough to lock eyes with me. “We could skip it,” he suggested.

I flushed as my body responded with a resounding yes. But we both knew skipping wasn’t really an option—not to mention the decision I’d made just an hour ago not to trust him. “Ha,” I said, pulling away. “We need to be there.”

A hint of a smile flickered across his face as he ran a hand over my hair, smoothing it.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing,” he said. “Let’s go.”

Chapter 30

We were anchored with the bow facing the island, which meant the view from the stern was of the open sea, punctuated by the jagged rock we’d stared at while we waited for news of Tyson—a stunning vista, if it were not for the morbid memory it now evoked. The table was situated at the end of the game deck, open to the tranquil evening, where the sun had melted beyond the horizon, leaving the sky awash in shades of pink and purple. A light breeze blew off the calm water, flickering the candles and fluttering the petals of the white hibiscus in low vases.

Rémy was alone at the table facing the view, playing some sort of game on his phone. He quit the game and gave me a brief smile as I approached, and my eyes caught on the glowing image on his lock screen: two pugs, one with a pink bow tie, the other with a blue one. A strange sense of déjà vu came over me as I stared at the image.

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