Page 105 of Wayward
“What? I’m not mean.” Dante holds his hand over his heart, and the guys moan. “I’m not mean to Sassy.”
“True.” Sam nods. “‘A quick thinker in emergencies, able to adapt to any situation, respects boundaries, and thinks before acting.’”
“I’ve got to disagree with that last one, Haley. Remember when he dropped the WaveRunner off the side of theRock Candy? That wasn’t thinking,” Calvin says.
“I did the math, and it worked. We would have been a lot worse off if I hadn’t taken the risk.” Zane smiles.
“I’ll add 'risk-taker when it matters.'” I take the paper back from Sam and scribble it on the bottom and hand it back to Sam. Zane gives me a wink. And my stomach flutters.
“Brilliant. Here, Sam, let me read the next one.” Sam hands the paper to Zane. “‘Easton: vast medical knowledge that saved us over and over on the island. Brave, willing to stand up for what’s right. Smart, humble despite his accomplishments. Willing to work hard and get dirty. Compassionate and protective of his family and friends. Is more than his money.’”
“I put that in there because my dad is rather shallow. Honestly, you could be . . . well, let’s just say that more than once he told me I should seduce a guest on a yacht that I was working on.” I reach across Sam and squeeze Easton’s hand, but he leans forward and grabs my neck, bringing me in for a kiss while we’re stretched across Sam’s lap. His tongue sweeps through my lips. He tastes of whiskey and salt. And I end up moaning into his mouth.
“You keep making sounds like that, Sassy, and you’re going to be on the board of directors of the Mile High Club.” Dante’s fingers skim down my neck, and I pull back.
Dante’s not wrong. My heart races, and despite the insinuated warning from PR Mike as we got on the plane at the private airfield south of London, I’m a second from ripping off all of their clothes. I shake it off. Because the last thing we want is to be outed by the press and have that take some of the heatoff the Zambranos or Susan. They’d be chasing our story instead of our justice. Sex will sell more copies of magazines and boost more ratings of shows than greed. Though greed can’t be that far behind.
I take the list from Zane. “I’ll read Sam’s.” I know he’s already read it to himself. But I want to read it out loud to him. “‘Self-sacrificing—he was willing to give his life for us to get out a distress call.’”
“Didn’t work out, though,” Sam says.
“That’s not the point. ‘Smart and calm under pressure. Brother to Charlie.’”Ismile at Sam. “My dad met Charlie last—two years ago and said he was a stand-up guy. So I thought I should add it.”
“Charlie is a stand-up guy. And I’m happy to have it on my resume of assets.”
“Resume of ass.” Dante laughs.
“I’m not done.” I scrunch my eyebrows at Dante.
“Don’t give me the disappointed teacher look, Sassy. It makes me hard.”
I grab the list with two hands, fully aware that my face is turning crimson. “And . . . ‘Sam is thoughtful, considerate, loyal to family, friends, and his dog. He will always put my safety first.’”
“Like Superman without the cape,” Easton says.
Sam’s easy smile lights up his face. “And when I tell my family about you, I’ll say you’re passionate about life. Observant of others and their feelings. Funny and wise.”
“Detail-oriented,” Dante adds.
“Kind.” Zane grabs my hand.
“Modest. You still have no idea how amazing you are, do you?” Easton stands.
“Calvin?” Dante says.
“Right, my turn. I was going to say hot as fuck. But that’s not something I should bring up around the Sunday dinner table when we visit the fam. So I’ll go with being brilliant and resilient. You knowing so much about plants really helped us. But know when I say it to people it also means hot as fuck.” Calvin tugs on my short ponytail.
The flight attendant, who’s been giving us our space, comes out from the galley. “We’re getting ready to land in Miami.”
Sam leans over to me. “Thank you, Haley.”
“Thank you? For what?”
“For being you. This . . .” He taps the paper on my lap. “You don’t have to defend us to your dad. But that’s up to you.”
I nod and take Sam’s hand in mine. “You’re right. I’m an adult. He’s made a lot of choices in his life. Most of them didn’t include me.”
“That’s what you said on the island. You can hear him out, though . . . but your relationship with him isn’t just up to him.”
