“Well, this is just embarrassing,” he replied out loud.

“Didn’t you get the boxes we sent up?” Kami asked.

“Clearly not,” I answered. “But it’s okay. I’m not exactly—”

“You’re not backing out, Brigeeta Posch,” she demanded. “Len, please go see why they didn’t get the boxes.”

Len, Brandon, and Rob strode over to the front desk, leaving us with an irate Kami. “Tell her, Sinjin,” she said. “Tell her this is the adventure of a lifetime. Emphasis onadventure.”

Sinjin snickered, looking from Kami to me. “You’re not wrong, Kami, but Geet lets me touch her while naked.”

Dion barked out his laugh. “He’snot wrong. You gotta go with the person giving up the booty.”

Kami threw up her hands exasperated as Len reached her side. “They missed a couple of the boxes, baby.”

“Oh for goodness sake,” I huffed. “Fine. Give us ten minutes.”

A bellhop followed us up to the suite carrying our boxes that should’ve come to us earlier. Sinjin tipped him and shut the door as I tore into the packages, holding the pink, stretchy spandex climbing pants up for Sinjin to see. “I’m not going in public in these. My butt—”

“Will look sexy, as always.” A smile spread across his face.

“What’s that look for?”

“Just picturing you bent over the bed, me behind you pulling them down enough to—”

“Okay.” I pressed my hand to his mouth. “I’ll put them on. But did you see Kami and Meredith?”

“Absolutely. Both beautiful women, but they don’t hold a candle to you, sunshine. A little too thin for my taste. I prefer a woman with curves I can grab hold of.” His voice dropped to that low, seductive voice he used when he wanted sex.

“Sinjin,” I whispered, swallowing hard. “They’re waiting for us.”

With hunger in his eyes, he stalked toward me, taking my mouth in a powerful kiss. Please and thank you. This kiss could’ve gone all sorts of wonderful places, but somehow he had the strength to end it before we got too hot and heavy.

Wow.

We joined the group after fifteen minutes rather than ten.

The shuttle waited for us, taking our group back to the docks, where we boarded a private boat. The wind whipped at us, chilling me to the bone. I could’ve gone inside the cabin, but the whole reason for our voyage was swimming and splashing their tails above the surf, spraying us with droplets every time a mighty tail hit the water. Whales.

I snapped so many pictures. Aside from regular humpback whales, orcas made an appearance. And these huge, blobby elephant seals that shot like rockets through the frigid water.

Eventually, we made land on an island with high, rocky cliffs. We disembarked with Len leading the group and Rob at the rear in case “something went wrong.”

That didn’t exactly fill me with confidence.

“Don’t worry,” Rob tried to assure me as Sinjin and I hung back. “Just precaution. Len and I are the most experienced. It’s just in case you twist an ankle or something, the group doesn’t get too far ahead to help.”

“Still not filling me with confidence,” I replied.

“Come on, Geet,” Sinjin said. “You know I won’t let anything bad happen. I’ve got too many plans for you. And you know he won’t.” Sinjin tipped his head in Rob’s direction. “Because your sister would never forgive him and I’m thinking that would ruinhisplans.”

Rob laughed. “Definitely ruin my plans.”

I huffed, feathering my bangs with my breath. Men. “Oh, okay. But fair warning, if I die out here for any reason, I’m haunting both your butts for a good long time.”

“Duly noted,” Sinjin answered, chuckling as he pulled me in close for a kiss.

We moved through the dirt and rocks and grasses, slowly ascending toward a bluff at the top of the cliff, and if Trevor were in front of me, I’d kiss him for making me do the burpees. Most of the others in our group proved nimbler than me, but I wasn’t huffing and puffing all red-faced when we reached the top.