Page 21 of Blue Hawaiian
“In the flesh.” He placed a lei around her neck. “You look even more gorgeous in person. Let’s hope this isn’t the only time you get lei’d tonight.”
Lei jokes? Really? What was this guy—thirteen? Connor tried to hide his disgust. What rankled him the most was the way Jess was staring at Lance, all starry-eyed, like he was the embodiment of her bedroom fantasies.
For a brief moment, Connor contemplated bailing on the cruise, using seasickness as an excuse. But his family would never buy it, given how much time he’d spent on the water at Big Bear Lake. Besides, he’d be letting Luisa down. He’d have to suck it up and be a good sport.
The shuttle took them to Lahaina Harbor. Marc led the group down the dock, past charter boats and smaller craft, until they reached Pier 11, where their boatThe Wind Riderwas waiting. Connor had expected a big party ship, with lots of guests and a live band, but this was a more intimate, private charter. In addition to the wedding party, a few other couples were present—all friends of Gabi and Marc’s who had come to Maui a few days early. All of them were paired off. No wonder Luisa hadn’t wanted to show up without a date.
Once everyone settled onto padded benches around the railing, the captain reviewed the boat’s safety features and pointed out the bar at the front of the ship. As the boat left the harbor, the knots eased from Connor’s shoulders. Even if he had to watch Jess swoon over someone else, he was out on the water, at sunset, on a perfect summer evening. It was a good place to be.
He turned to Luisa, who was seated beside him. Though the bar wasn’t more than a hundred feet away, her gravity-defying heels weren’t conducive to navigating a moving boat. “Would you like a drink?”
“Thanks. I’ll take a mai tai.”
“You got it.”
As he stood up, he made a mental note to limit himself to two drinks, max. Under no circumstances could he get wasted and lose control. He moved to the front of the boat, where Lance waited in line to place his order with the bartender.
“How’s it going?” Connor asked.
Lance let out a sigh of contentment. “Fantastic. I love weddings.”
“You do?” Connor did a double take. “Didn’t peg you as the romantic type.”
“Hardly. But I’ve never found anywhere better for picking up hot, desperate women.”
The guy had seenThe Wedding Crashersone too many times. “That’s your big move?”
“Hell, yeah. Take your average single woman. It doesn’t matter how much of a ballbuster she is in the boardroom. When she watches one of her friends get married, she starts feeling desperate, and the last thing she wants to do is go to bed alone. That’s where I come in.”
Connor was by no means a romantic, but he wasn’t a calculating douchebag like Lance either. “I wouldn’t call Jess desperate. She’s only twenty-three.”
“Right, but Marc told me she’s coming off a bad breakup. She’s vulnerable. So…” He grinned, showing perfect white teeth. “Shouldn’t be too much of a challenge.”
“It might not be that easy.”
Lance laughed. “Not for you, maybe. But I’ve got this move down.”
The urge to punch him in the mouth was so strong Connor had to take a few calming breaths. He didn’t have any right to Jess. And he couldn’t stop her if she wanted Lance.
But he damn well wanted to try.
Chapter 8
By the end of the sunset cruise, Jess had learned more than she ever needed to know about Lance Wilmington. At first, she’d been flattered by his attention, until she realized all he wanted to talk about was himself.
She’d heard not one, not two, butfourstories of his legendary escapades at the frat house. Then he regaled her with tales of his gap year in Europe, followed by a lengthy description of his triathlete training. But she smiled and laughed in all the right places, mostly because Connor was sitting on a bench across from them, with Luisa at his side. Though Jess had no idea if Connor was truly interested in her cousin, she retaliated by leaning closer to Lance, as though hanging on his every word.
Admittedly, her attempts to make Connor jealous were immature as hell. But she was still annoyed at the way he’d talked down to her earlier.
As they sailed back to the harbor, a bearded guitar player serenaded them with songs from the Jimmy Buffett canon. While Jess wasn’t a big fan of “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” anything was preferable to more Lance stories. With the sun setting, the air had grown cooler. She shivered, wishing she’d borrowed a wrap from Gabi.
Lance put his arm around her bare shoulder. “Aww, you’re cold.” His breath tickled her ear. “Don’t worry. We can warm up once we’re back in your room.”
She tried not to flinch at his touch. They’d been together for two hours, but she hadn’t felt a single flicker of attraction. “Slow your roll, sailor. We’re still at sea.”
“We’ll be back soon. Then the real fun begins.” He nuzzled her neck. “I can’t wait.”
She stiffened. “But…but it’s not even nine.”
