As much as Drea loved being busy, two tours a day meant that there was no breathing room, much less time to do anything more than steal a glance or two at Kyle as they moved around the boat helping guests. There were so many moments when Drea wanted to kiss him as they passed, or reach out and squeeze his hand, but she stopped herself, trying not to call attention to them.
When Tuesday evening finally arrived, she was so tired it was all she could do not to collapse on the boat. Walking to the front of the boat, she found Kyle and Dalton sitting on the trampoline, each one with a beer in hand.
“Where did you find those?” she asked, sitting down next to Kyle. He handed her his and she took a sip. It had started to warm from being in his hand, but still tasted okay.
“Down in the backup fridge on the lower deck. I’ll go grab you one if you want,” Dalton answered.
“No, I’m good,” she said, taking one more sip of Kyle’s before handing it back to him. She lay down and rested her head in his lap, before curling up like she was going to take a nap.
“Tired there, sweetness?”
“Exhausted. I could go to sleep right here.”
“Nope, not allowed,” Dalton said, popping up and heading toward the bar. “It’s bonfire night!”
“What has you all excited about the bonfire?” Kyle asked.
“For your information, there was a fiery little redhead from this morning’s tour I’d like to track down,” he called out.
Kyle rolled his eyes, looking down at Drea, and she just giggled in return. Some things never changed. They heard the opening and closing of drawers, and Dalton suddenly appeared from around the bar.
“You two got something you want to tell me?”
Drea sat up quickly and looked at Kyle with wide eyes. It hadn’t occurred to her that they would need to replenish the stash. Panic must have been written all over her face, because Kyle just smiled at her, raising one finger to his lips vertically, telling her not to say anything, before leaning in and kissing her. His lips felt so good against hers, and if she hadn’t known any better she would have thought it’d been days since they kissed rather than just this morning.
“Sorry, dude, I owe you,” Kyle said, pulling away from Drea. “I do need to know one thing, though.”
“No, I’ve never actually screwed anyone on the boat. Which is apparently more than you two can say,” he called out jokingly as he walked closer to them, adding a wink in. “The boathouse, however...”
“Not where I was going with this, but that’s good to know. What I do want to know is, just how do you know my girlfriend’s size?”
Drea blushed hearing Kyle use the term girlfriend. She liked the way it sounded on his lips and really liked knowing it was referring to her. It felt good to be open about it, even if it was just Dalton they were talking to.
“Oh, that’s easy. Leona.”
They walked through the woods toward the lobby to meet her family about as close as they could without touching. Every couple of steps or so, the backs of their hands would brush against each other and the slight contact sent a zing of excitement through Drea. She was already more excited than she figured she should be for Kyle to join in on the bets tonight, but attempting to keep a secret from her family had her buzzing.
Miller was leaning against the same pillar as always waiting for everyone else to arrive. He was always the first one there, no matter what. It was one of the things Drea had come to count on—didn’t matter how early she was, he’d be standing there waiting on her on Tuesday nights. The smile that spread across his face when he saw the two of them approaching warmed her heart. That wasn’t just any smile, that was his ‘everything is right in this moment’ smile.
“You ready for this, Kyle?” Miller asked, turning toward them.
“I think so.”
“Drea prepped you on how it works?”
“Yup, and I think I know what I’m going with.”
“Man comes prepared,” Miller remarked, turning toward Drea. “Think he has what it takes to avoid the shirt?”
“He won’t tell me his guess, so I guess we’ll see,” she said, shrugging.
“Who won’t tell?” Grayson asked, coming up behind them.
“Well, look who showed up on time!” Miller roared.
“Shut it,” Grayson responded, flipping his brother the bird.
Just as Miller was blowing Grayson a kiss in response, Vaughn and Simone came rushing up to the group. Simone was straightening out her skirt, and her lipstick was slightly smeared. Drea managed to catch her eye and motion to her to wipe her lip. Simone quickly did so, mouthing “thanks” to Drea in response.
“Too busy snogging in your office?” Grayson snarked.
“Please, our niece is present,” Vaughn said.
“Vaughn, she knows what snogging is. She doesn't live under a rock,” Miller interjected.
“And she was the one just now to let Simone know her lipstick was smudged,” Grayson added. “You’re still wearing some of that lovely color yourself.” He reached over to jokingly try and rub it off his brother’s face.
“Still, no need to be uncouth,” he replied, swatting his brother’s arm away.
Drea turned to Kyle and rolled her eyes. This is exactly what she had been talking about on the boat. It didn’t matter how old she got, she was to remain under the impression that her uncles were monks. Maybe someday she’d let Vaughn know that most of what she’d learned about sex as a teenager had come from his bride-to-be.
“Anyway,” Vaughn said, desperately trying to change the subject. “Everyone ready?”
The group nodded, but no one spoke up with their contribution.
“Age before beauty, so Vaughn, you’re up!” Grayson said.
“Fine. The old guy in room 531, you’ll know him by his ill-fitting toupee and blindingly bright tropical-themed shirt, will manage to hit on everyone here under the age of thirty by nine pm. So Drea, watch out.”
“Should I see him coming, I’ll just start making out with Kyle,” Drea said, trying to make it sound like a joke.
“No!” Vaughn shouted right as Grayson turned to high-five Kyle. “Don’t encourage that,” he threw in, glaring at Grayson.
“Give it a rest, Vaughn, she was making a joke,” Simone said, before turning to Drea. “Although at this point I’ll give you fifty bucks to do it if you see your uncle coming, just to give him a heart attack.” She reached out and high-fived Drea.
“Continuing on, Grayson?” Vaughn said, trying to change the subject again.
“I’m sticking with a staff hookup. May have failed me last week, but not two weeks in a row.”
“How very original!” Simone said sarcastically. “My money's on the elderly lady with the knitting needles following Dalton around all night trying to see if she can stick him with one of those needles.”
“The little redhead that is here celebrating her twenty-first with her parents? She can’t hold her booze as well as she thinks she can, so I say we’re gonna have a puker on our hands,” Drea added.
“Well, before she pukes, her dad is going to try to give a really embarrassing birthday speech, not that anyone around will pay him any attention,” Miller threw out there. “Kyle, you’re up, son.”
“Well, for my first submission, I contend that at least one of the women here for the divorce party will strip down to nothing and run for the water. But I’m pretty sure once one does it, they’ll all follow suit.”
“Good one,” Grayson said, high-fiving Kyle again. “You’re a natural already!”
“Great, then we’ll see everyone for breakfast!” Simone called out, pulling Vaughn away, back toward his office.
Drea shook her head, laughing at Simone, understanding exactly how she was feeling. It was taking everything in her not to do the same with Kyle. If it wasn’t for the fact that she’d promised Leona they’d all hang out together at the bonfire, she’d be tempted to try it. She waited until the rest of her family walked away b
efore turning to him, squinting her eyes in curiosity.
“Skinny-dipping, huh?” she asked, walking up to him until their bodies were all but touching.
“What can I say? I had a fantastic muse this past weekend,” he answered, winking at her.
Somehow the bonfire seemed bigger tonight. Kyle knew that wasn't possible, yet the more and more he looked at it, the bigger and brighter it seemed. Maybe it was just that all was right with the world as he and Drea made their way to find their friends at the weekly event. They weaved in and out of the crowd of guests, stopping briefly at the bar, before finally finding Leona and Dalton on the far side of the bonfire patio. The two of them were sitting in the new sling beach chairs that Drea and Simone picked out earlier this year, sipping bushwackers.
“Oh, gimme,” Drea said, reaching out for Leona’s drink.
Leona handed it to her, swapping it out for the margarita that Drea was holding. Looking around, Kyle found a chaise lounge and pulled it up so it was in line with the beach chairs their friends were sitting in. Plopping down with a thud, he sat all the way back, with the lounger’s back mostly upright, before pulling Drea down to sit in his lap. She let out a little noise as he grabbed her by the hips, trying to make sure not to spill the drink in her hand.
“Are we not hiding from the uncles tonight?” Leona asked, watching Drea as she settled in on the lounger.
“I’m protecting her from the creeper in 531,” Kyle answered.
“There’s a creeper in 531?” Leona followed up.
“According to Uncle Vaughn there is,” Drea told her. “He bet on this dude hitting on all of us tonight, so if you see someone in a bad toupee, grab on to Carlos or someone.”
“Ugh, Carlos can kiss my ass.”
“I’m pretty sure he got tired of that, Lee,” Dalton interjected.
“Bite me, Dalton.”
“Memory recalls you really enjoyed when I did that.”
Kyle just about spit out the beer he’d been sipping on. Ever since Drea confirmed these two had actually hooked up, and that Dalton’s comments like this weren’t conjecture, he found the level of cheek between the two of them even funnier.
“Do I dare ask what Carlos did now?” Drea asked.
“So, I got a list of demands, I mean, ‘requests,’ from my favorite guest for his stay in a couple of months,” Leona started. “And I made a comment about how that’s my least favorite two weeks of the year, because nothing is ever good enough for that man. And Carlos has the balls to go and say he is one of the best players to ever play the game.”
“That’s because Cullen Cruz is one of the best players to ever play the game,” Kyle said. Drea jabbed her elbow back quickly, nailing him right in the rib. “Ow.”
“Whatever, he’s not Ronald or whatever his name is.”
“Ronaldo,” Dalton and Kyle said in unison.
“Now he’s pretty,” Drea said, tipping her drink toward Leona.
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just call arguably the greatest footballer of all time ‘pretty.’ And by the way, Lee, arguments against CR7 being the best ever usually involve your boy toy, Cruz,” Dalton threw out. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, there is a birthday girl over there who I’d like to offer my birthday suit to.”
“Whatever, and he’s not my boy toy. He can ‘bugger off’ as he would say,” Leona said, trying to mimic a British accent, as Dalton got up and walked toward the redhead he mentioned earlier. “So, you two—happy as clams?”
“For as happy as shellfish can be,” Drea said laughing. “That phrase has never made any sense to me.”
“That’s because it got shortened. The whole thing is ‘happy as a clam at high tide,’ which is when clams would be protected from predators, so naturally, a happy time for them,” Kyle answered.
“How do you know that?” Drea asked, turning slightly in his lap to look at him.
“Mr. Willett, of course. He was a very wise old man.”
“You sound like Miller,” Leona said. “Speaking of which, there were some lightbulbs out in the kitchen. I should go see if those got replaced. See you tomorrow?” She pushed herself out of the chair and Drea nodded to her that they’d meet up after breakfast.
“Didn’t she just say she was mad at him?” Kyle asked, watching her round the bonfire heading toward the lobby.
“According to Leona, angry sex is the best sex,” Drea answered, taking Kyle’s arms and wrapping them around her, allowing her to snuggle into him.
“I’ll file that away under things I never needed to know.”
Shortly after Leona went to tend to her concern over light bulbs, the father of the redheaded object of Dalton’s attention stood, tapped on his glass, and tried to get the attention of those around him. While he managed to get a couple of glances, most of those around him paid him no mind. This, however, did not stop the man from trying to hold court and perform what seemed to be a rehearsed monologue. The redhead had been chugging something that appeared fruity and tropical since they arrived and about what Kyle assumed was halfway through her dad’s “speech,” started to wretch and ran off.
“Looks like you don’t have to wear the shirt tomorrow,” Kyle commented, whispering into Drea’s ear.
“Yes!” she whispered in return, shaking her fist in triumph.
They sat in silence for a long while, just the two of them curled up, watching the fire and the party that surrounded it. Kyle was a little surprised that no one bothered them over the course of the evening. In fact, they hadn’t so much as seen a glimpse of her uncles. Part of him thought maybe that should worry him, but a much bigger part was enjoying the freedom even more.
Right before Kyle was about to suggest they head in for the night, they heard a female voice yell “yee-haw!” Looking over toward the beach, they found the divorce party, circled around the guest of honor as she stripped down and started to twerk. No sooner had she returned to a fully upright position than she was taking off for the water. All but one of her friends joined in, slipping out of their shirts and shorts with ease and making a run for it. The one left behind just shook her head and started to pick up the clothing left behind.
“He shoots, he scores!” Kyle said, squeezing Drea in closer.
Drea giggled as he did so and Kyle’s insides lit up at the sound. Seriously, it was the greatest thing he’d ever heard. Trying to keep it from stopping, he reached down and tickled her sides lightly. Her reaction was exactly what he had hoped for, a burst of more giggles and some squirming from her, which set him off laughing as well.
“You did that on purpose,” she said in between gasps of air.
“Sure did, sweetness. Your giggle is easily the best sound there is. I could listen to it all day.”
“You could not.”
“Could too. ‘With mirth and laughter, let old wrinkles come,’” he recited.
“Wow, that’s poetic.”
Kyle laughed. “Should be, it’s Shakespeare. Kinda what he was known for.”
“You just happen to have random Shakespeare passages floating around in your head?”
He knew the quote like the back of his hand, since his mother had a framed art print of it hanging in the living room at home. He hadn’t counted on Drea not recognizing it—he’d always just assumed it was a quote that everyone knew. “Mom has that hanging in the living room, so I saw it every day of my life. But I did have to memorize a sonnet in twelfth grade English,” he noted.
“Yeah? Do you still remember it?” she asked.
Kyle froze. He did still remember it. Filed away in his head, like old song lyrics, he still knew every word to sonnet number twenty-three, like he’d had to recite it to the class only yesterday. He remembered why he chose it too. Mr. Willet had helped him pick it out and helped him rehearse it, telling him stories about how he understood exactly what Shakespeare was talking about. That when he’d met his wife he was so taken with her that he had frozen, just like an actor who had forgotten his lines. Kyle
remembered wondering if he’d ever find a woman who did that to him. Giving Drea a little squeeze, he realized he had found a woman who did that to him. A woman he loved like that. But he couldn’t bust out that sonnet right now, confess such an emotion. He’d tell her soon. This just was not the time and place to say those words for the first time.
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day...” he said, jokingly.
“You did not choose that one. I know you better than that!”
“No, but it was a good line. I thought I could try it out, be romantic.”
“Awww, you succeeded,” she said, turning and kissing him on the cheek. “I think I could get used to this, just me and you, curled up at the bonfire.”
“Me too, sweetness, me too.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
The sound of water running greeted Kyle as he rolled over in Drea’s bed, finding her side empty. A quick look at the little clock she kept on her nightstand let him know that it was late enough that she’d already been for her run and was getting ready for the day. A feeling of contentment washed over him as he lay there, listening to the sounds that wafted out of the bathroom. Last night could not have been better had he scripted it. They’d been left alone by pretty much everyone, staff and guests alike. Even the rest of her family hadn’t made an appearance after the bets were taken. After the divorce party decided to go for a late-night dip au naturel, and Dalton had nearly been puked on, Kyle and Drea had snuck away, back to her cottage. Despite her protestations that she’d gotten a second wind, Drea had fallen asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
Her bed was incredibly soft and comfortable, the kind of place you could easily cocoon yourself in for days. However, the idea of joining her in the shower beat out thoughts of falling back asleep. Throwing the covers off himself, Kyle got out of bed and slipped into the bathroom as quietly as he could. Knowing Drea wouldn’t expect him up quite yet, he undressed and slowly pulled back the shower curtain just enough to slip into the shower with her. She let out a little yelp of surprise as he did so, turning around so the water cascaded onto her back and her front pressed up against his.
Can't Fight This Feeling (Indigo Royal Resort Book 1) Page 21
