Page 13 of One Night in Hawaii

“Come on, don’t be such a stick in the mud,” Shiloh said, holding out her hand to me.

“No, thanks,” I muttered. “I’m not trying to be a shark’s lunch.”

“There aren’t any sharks.”

“No thanks.”

She looked at me and burst into laughter. I blankly stared at her. I wasn’t used to being laughed at. In fact, I was pretty sure I had never been laughed at. It was really very uncomfortable.

“Okay,” she said, grinning. “Stay up here and be afraid.”

“You think I’m afraid?”

“You just said you were worried about sharks.”

My eyes followed another droplet of water that found the perfect path between her breasts.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. “I just don’t feel like swimming right now,” I said defensively.

Shiloh shrugged. “Suit yourself, but you don’t know what you’re missing.”

I downed the last of my drink and thrust the glass at her. She could either take it or it would fall. I reached behind me and pulled my shirt up and over my head before dropping it on the deck. Then, I unzipped my shorts and let them fall. I didn’t care that I was in my briefs.

“Now, who’s afraid?”

I dove off the deck, hoping I looked as graceful and as cool as I thought I did. The water was cool against my skin as I sank several feet. I resurfaced and found Shiloh still standing on the deck and holding my glass. She looked properly shocked.

Penelope splashed water in my face. “Your underwear? Gross!”

I grinned smugly at her. “What? It’s no different than the bra and panties you guys are wearing.”

Penelope rolled her eyes, but Shiloh was still staring at me, a slow smile spreading across her face.

“You really know how to make an entrance,” she said with a laugh. She put the glass on the deck and dove in.

“I couldn’t let you have all the fun or have you laughing in my face.”

Penelope giggled and splashed me again. “Good thing you jumped in. I was about to come drag you in myself.”

“You wouldn’t have dared.”

“I would have,” Shiloh chimed in. She swam away from the boat and turned back to face us. “Well come on. You guys are in the water, let’s venture out a little.”

We followed Shiloh’s lead, swimming out further from the boat. The water was calm and it actually felt pretty damn good to be completely free. I couldn’t help but notice the way the water glistened against Shiloh’s skin. Every time she swam past me, I caught a glimpse of her lithe body. I understood why she didn’t wear makeup. She didn’t have to worry about her mascara running and making her look like a raccoon. My poor sister on the other hand was smearing her makeup every time she tried to wipe it away.

Shiloh was unlike any woman I had ever dated. None of them would be caught dead swimming, like actually swimming. They would be worried about the five-hundred-dollar blowout on their hair or their jewelry getting lost in the sea. Not Shiloh. She was as free as a bird and as at home in the water as a mermaid.

6

SHILOH

Damn. That was all I could come up with when I thought about the day yesterday. Archer Ryatt was both the biggest dick I’d ever met and the hottest man I had ever gotten to hang out with. He was this grumpy dude that had a perma-scowl, but on him, it was hot.

“Why?” I groaned and got up to dump out the rest of my coffee in the tiny sink in my even tinier kitchen.

I was supposed to be spending the next two weeks with the man. I had to do my best to remember it was a job. I was being paid to babysit the very grumpy billionaire who could buy anything he wanted—except happiness. I never truly believed money couldn’t buy happiness, but now I did. Penelope gave me some clues about her family and their wealth. She seemed happy as a clam, but her brother was miserable.

Then I remembered he did just get dumped on his ass. I supposed anyone would be a little miserable if they got stood up at their own wedding.

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