Page 15 of Beauty
Of course she sees right through my bullshit. Why the fuck would anyone dislike this room? It’s a gorgeous beachfront villa. There’s nothing to dislike. Now she knows I’m avoiding her.
Fuck.
“Well, I’ll see you boys around, then.” At least she sounds more upbeat again.
I rub at the ache in my chest, telling myself that this is for the best. But when the guys come inside, all smiles, ready to make the swap, the ache doesn’t wane.
“Great,” I say, even as that pain intensifies. “Let me just get my stuff packed up?—”
Ernie shakes his head. “We’ve got a snorkeling trip booked this morning. We can swap when we get back.”
I sigh. Dammit. I need to get out of here before I lose my mind. But it’s only a few hours. I can avoid Sienna for that long.
“All right, I can give you my number, and when you get back?—”
Bert is the one who shakes his head this time, the light from outside glinting off his bald head. “No can do. No phones. You’ll just have to come with us.”
I frown, looking from one man to the other. “Come with you?”
Nodding, Ernie slips his hands into his pockets. “Yup. Get changed quick. Otherwise we’ll miss the boat.”
“The boat,” I parrot. “You want me to get changed?” With every word, I’m more lost.
“We saw the girl,” Ernie explains. “She’s gorgeous. We don’t understand why that means you need to switch rooms, but obviously you’ve got your reasons, so?—”
“We’ll take you under our wing,” Bert chimes in. “You’ll snorkel with us. Then we’ll swap rooms. Deal?”
I do need to avoid Sienna for the next few hours…
“I guess we’re going snorkeling.”
Turns out there was a single spot open for the snorkeling trip. “This works out well,” the concierge said when Ernie put the phone in my room on speaker and called the front desk to get my name added to the list. “Another single booked last night as well.”
“Great,” I mumbled.
While it really was good news, since it meant I wouldn’t be the only solo snorkeler, my mood had tanked.
With any luck, I told myself that would change when we got out there. Bert and Ernie had dived headfirst into this “taking me under their wing” nonsense and refused to leave my side, so I wouldn’t have time to think about Sienna and the way she sounded this morning.
That one simpleohimmediately played on repeat, pushing out even the sounds of her moans and leaving me feeling like absolute dogshit.
At the marina, multiple boats bob in the water ahead, and a sign directs us to the large catamaran where we’ll spend the day.
A man wearing yellow shorts that come to his mid-thigh and a pink muscle shirt greets us with a smile. “Welcome aboard!” He’s probably in his mid-twenties, with dark hair, dark eyes, and an insanely muscular body. If I met this guy anywhere else, I’d assume he was a model. “We’re waiting on one more person, so we’ll be heading out shortly.” He guides us into the catamaran and shows us where the refreshments are, then quickly heads back to the dock, calling over his shoulder that he’ll make a batch of his famous Caribbean punch once the last person arrives.
“The punch is always my favorite,” Bert tells me.
“Don’t have too much this early,” Ernie says, pinning me with a look. “Otherwise you’ll end up belly up while you’re snorkeling like this guy did last time.”
Bert barks out a laugh. “I don’t see the issue. I didn’t have to kick my feet, and I made it back to the boat just fine.”
Ernie shoots him a glare. “But you missed the fish. That’s the whole reason we’re here.”
“No, that’s the reason you’re here. I come for the free booze and sunshine.” He bumps my shoulder and points to Ernie. “Definitely not the company.”
Their banter quickly eases my anxiety. It’s hard to focus on my intrusive thoughts when I have to use all my brain power to keep up with their conversation.
“Hi.” A woman in her late forties appears, taking a drink from the table. “I’m Leslie. Where are you guys from?”
