"Well, I do care. So you won't go to the tournament then. Right?"
His eyes told me the answer before he said, "I've already paid two hundred bucks to get in. But I'll come find you on the beach afterwards."
The coordinator called out, "Last chance for riding, folks," and I looked over to see her watching us in confusion.
I turned away from Owen, because I couldn't stand to see him right then, and stalked to the others. I heard his footsteps behind me but I didn't look back.
Wendy, looking angry on my behalf but clearly trying to hide it, threw her arm around my shoulder and muttered, "Staying with him or going?"
"Going. Definitely."
She nodded and guided me forward, toward the waiting bus and away from my approaching fiancé, saying in a louder voice, "Come on, pal. We're going to have a great time out there, you and me."
And Mark, of course. Melissa the third wheel. I'd spent a lot of time with the two of them and I didn't mind it ordinarily, but the sudden change of plans made me feel awful. Of course, it was only sudden to me. Owen had known all along that he'd be dumping me on my friends so he could gamble.
Someone moved up on my other side and I looked over to see Austin smiling at me with sympathy and a hint of heat in his eyes. "Mark and Wendy are together, and Nicky and Nicole." His arm tightened. "You and me are the odd ones out. Sit with me on the bus? And make sure my horse doesn't swim away with me?"
I so wanted to find out what riding a horse in the ocean felt like, and I didn't want to let Owen take it away from me, so I raised my chin and smiled at Austin. "Sounds good," I said, and climbed onto the bus without looking back.
Chapter Eleven
After a quick lesson on how to ride a horse, about twenty of us set off two-by-two, our little convey led and followed by guides to keep us heading in the right direction. I hadn't been on a horse for ages, but after countless tourists flailing around on their backs all of the horses were calm and unconcerned so even the people who'd never ridden before were fine.
"Why did they name an all-black horse Sunshine?"
I turned toward Austin, riding with ease on a reddish-brown horse whose coat shone in the sunlight. "Beats me." I patted my horse's glossy neck. "It suits her though, she's sweet. Why is yours called Sandy?"
He grinned. "Mystery of life, my lady," he said, imitating the way one of the guides called all of the women "my lady". He narrowed his eyes against the bright sun. "Having fun, I hope?"
I smiled back. "Yes, my lord."
He gave a low murmur, almost a purr. I'd heard him make that sound in bed, and such a shiver swept over me that I barely heard him say, "My lord? I like the sound of that."
"Don't get used to it," I managed to get out. Then I took a deep breath and added more normally, "When we get off the horses you'll just be Austin again."
Something in his eyes told me he knew how I'd reacted to him, but he didn't push it. Instead, he winked at me and said, "But you'll still be my lady. For today, anyhow."
"Until the riding is over. I make no commitment for after lunch."
He laughed and reached a hand across the space between us. "Deal."
I took his hand, warm and strong, and we shook.
He didn't let go, though. "I have to say, my brother is such a--"
I jerked my hand away. "I don't want to hear it." I didn't want to discuss Owen at all. When I didn't think about him I was enjoying Sunshine's gentle movement through the sunshine, but how he'd lied by omission made me so angry that even a brief thought of it made the day seem dimmer.
Austin guided Sandy a little closer to Sunshine. "I'm sorry. Forgive me? I promise I'll keep quiet."
"Unlikely," I muttered, trying not to smile at his over-done apologetic air.
He slapped me lightly on the knee. "Listen, my lady, I'm trying to be good. Work with me, would you?"
I looked into his eyes and knew he did regret his words. "Yes, my lord."
We didn't discuss Owen again. I didn't even think about him. We rode along, slow and gentle, talking and laughing and flirting. I didn't feel bad about flirting with Austin since he'd made it clear I was off-limits, and he was so good at it I didn't want to resist. Nothing overtly sexual, but whenever he looked into my eyes I felt like I was the only woman on the planet.
He'd always given me that feeling, at least until he looked at someone else instead, but it felt stronger now and I liked it. I certainly didn't get much of that from Owen. I knew he loved me but it wasn't the same. It was more grown-up and mature. Butterflies in the stomach and all that sort of romantic stuff was for dating, not for ever. But it was still a lot of fun.
Wendy and Mark moved up to join us when there was a little more room on the trail, then dropped back again when we couldn't fit four horses side-by-side. I was happy to have them with us and happy when they left too.
Nicholas and Nicole had ended up several horse-lengths ahead of us, so we didn't talk to them at all, and though I wished I could see more of him I didn't feel much of a need to see her. He and I weren't really comfortable with each other but when she was around what little connection we'd managed to regain was instantly severed.
When we returned to the stabling area, I slithered off Sunshine and gave her reins to a worker, then joined the others under some palm trees where we'd relax and have a snack while the guides unsaddled the horses and put rope bridles and what looked like fabric saddles on them.
"Wet leather, not a good thing," Austin said. "Can you imagine how bad that would smell?"
Wendy, leaning back on her elbows, said, "Worse than wet horse?"
"Oh, wet horses smell like roses."
We all laughed and she grinned at him. "Is that right?"
"Of course." He nudged me. "Right, my lady?"
I swallowed my bite of perfectly ripe fresh-cut pineapple. "Whatever you say, my lord."
He shook his head. "You're the perfect woman. You know that, right?"
I laughed. "Only because I'm not arguing with you."
"Exactly. No arguing equals perfect woman."
Wendy punched him on the left arm and I copied her on his right, but when I glanced at Nicole to see if she shared our mock outrage she was staring at Austin with unconcealed hunger in her eyes.
Anger snapped through me. Right in front of Nicholas?
I shot a quick look at him but he was sifting sand through his fingers and didn't seem to have noticed. Good.
The guides called us over to the water's edge, and when we all stood up Wendy took one step then froze. "Ack. My foot's asleep. Melissa, wait with me a second?"
"Sure," I said, though I'd have preferred to go right to the waterfront with Austin. He, and the others, moved on ahead, and Wendy murmured, "How're you doing?"
I looked at her and shook my head. "You're a lying liar, you know that? Your foot's fine, isn't it?"
She winked at me. "It seemed like the only way to separate you from Austin."
"Am I... is it too much?"
She frowned, confused, then her face cleared and she shook her head. "A little flirting never hurt anyone. Can't say I blame you, he's freaking cute. But I want to know about you. Are you okay?"
We began walking to the water, with frequent pauses for Wendy to shake her supposedly asleep foot, and I said, "I'm pissed at Owen but I don't want it to wreck this."
She nodded. "I feel the same way. He just does his own thing, doesn't he? Never considers what you want."
I took a breath to protest this, then realized I couldn't. She was right. From the very beginning, when he'd insisted I needed to drink champagne at New Year's even though I'd been in the mood for vodka coolers, he'd been in charge and we'd done what he wanted.
I stared at her, and she began backpedaling. "No, of course he does. I'm sorry, I'm just annoyed with him."
"My ladies, hurry up, please," the guide called to us in his beautiful Caribbean accent, and we picked up the pace. As we neared the group, Wendy muttered, "He's a good guy. Ignore me
."
He was a good guy. While my dating resume wasn't very long, I'd seen enough to know that single men who were also stable and well-employed didn't come along every day. "Fine, I will."
We laughed and she elbowed me, then we settled down to listen to the guide's instructions.
Since they basically consisted of 'wear this flotation belt, hold onto this strap on the saddle, and let the horse take charge', it didn't take long, and soon I was again on Sunshine's back and we were moving out from the shore.
The cool water rising up my legs made me shiver, then the guide said, "Here we go!" and kicked his horse forward. The other horses took off after him without waiting for a command from us.
Not realizing we were about to start, I'd only had a loose hold on the saddle strap, so with Sunshine's first bound forward I lost my grip on it and slid precariously close to her hind end in an instant.
Climbing back onto a wet horse that's thundering through the water isn't easy, but I managed to lunge forward and catch the strap with my fingertips, then haul myself back up to a safer position.
We only ran for ten seconds or so, but the feel of the horse leaping beneath me and the water swirling around us and the exhilarating fear of nearly proving why they made us wear the flotation belt combined into the neatest thing I'd ever done.
After the run, we were allowed to walk the horses around in the water for a few minutes. I rubbed between Sunshine's ears. "Good girl," I murmured. "You're awesome. Thanks for not killing me."
"I'm out of here!"
I turned to see Nicole steering her horse out of the water.
"That felt creepy," she said. "I don't trust this horse not to drown me."
Austin, between me and her, rolled his eyes at me and mouthed, "I'd drown her."
I burst out laughing and tried to hide it in a cough so Nicole wouldn't know, and he winked at me.
"Coming out, Nicky?"
Nicholas, a little further down the beach, followed his girlfriend's command and obediently began making his way to the shore.
Owen always took charge. Nicholas never did. I didn't much like either extreme.
Could Austin be the middle ground?
*****
Though I'd loved riding Sunshine in the water, I couldn't seem to get warm afterwards. Even sitting in the sun having lunch at a café by the beach, paid for by Nicholas wielding Linda's credit card, I still felt cold right into my bones.
When the others suggested we go swimming again, I had to say, "I'm still freezing, so no thanks."
Austin raised his eyebrows. "How can you be cold? You're baking in the sun." He laid a hand on my bare arm. "Roasting."
His hand, cooler than my skin because he'd been holding his beer bottle, sent a shiver through me.
He withdrew his hand and said, "Did you fake that shiver?"
Damn, he'd noticed. "Nope. I really am cold. I always am. I think I'll go back to the ship."
"But--"
Wendy cut herself off but I knew where she was heading. "I'm not staying here just because Owen might come back. I'll freeze. Freeze to death on a beach." I shook my head. "Only me."
She grinned. "Want me to come with you?"
"Of course not. Stay here and swim. I'll be fine. I may even come back later, but don't count on it. I'll probably just start reading and lose track of time."
She rolled her eyes but smiled at me. "I'm familiar with your work, yes. I'll hunt you down if you don't show up for dinner."
"Deal." I got up and gathered my bag. To my surprise, Austin got up too.
"Can't let you go alone," he said.
"I think you'll find you can."
He laughed. "Then let's say I don't want to. I have sand and horse hair in places I'd rather not have them. Private places. I need a shower."
I gave a pretend shudder. "I need you never to say something like that again."
He wrapped his arm around my shoulders briefly then let me go as he said, "Okay. Promise. As long as I can go back to the ship with you."
My shoulders missed his touch, and I mentally ordered them to smarten up.
"You don't want to stay?" Nicole smiled up at him. "It's a gorgeous view."
It was, actually, with the deep blue water and the clean sand and the big ship in the distance looking elegant and decadent.
"I'll look back at you from the ship," he promised, looking at the others instead of focusing on her as I was sure she wanted.
She reached out, past Nicholas, and patted Austin on the elbow. "It won't be the same here without you."
He curtseyed, somehow managing to look masculine, and I smiled at everyone and said, "Bye."
They echoed, although Nicholas didn't meet my eyes, and Austin and I headed back to the pier as Nicole's "Nicky, here, put sunscreen on me," floated after us.
"That girl," Austin said when we were well out of earshot, "is just plain awful."
I laughed and he said, "What? You don't agree?"
"Oh, I do. And you didn't even see her making sure he wore his scarf right. I just don't think I've ever heard you say 'just plain awful'. It's kind of... grandmother-y for you."
He grinned at me. "I was thinking other words, my lady, trust me. But they are too rude for your delicate ears."
"Give me the least rude ones."
He raised his eyebrows and I felt my cheeks go warm. "Sorry. I just don't like her much either. But I guess we should be nice, since she's with Nicholas."
"Don't have to be nice now, she's not here," he pointed out, then gave an exaggerated sigh of relief. "Can't say I'll miss her." Before I could agree, he added, "She is easy on the eyes though."
I blinked. "You think so?"
He shrugged. "Blonde, big boobs, and a sexy mouth? Sure. When she's not talking she's pretty hot." His smile was full of innuendo. "I'd just have to keep her from talking."
"How do I keep you from talking?" I wasn't entirely joking. Hearing him discuss Nicole's merits, merits I absolutely didn't share, was making my stomach twist.
He tapped his lips. "Right here, my lady. Plant one right here."
I slapped my hand over his mouth, a little harder than necessary.
Our eyes met and he winked at me and mumbled "I'll lick you if you don't move" against my hand, which I then tore away in mock horror.
"See, this is why you're more fun than her. You, I like to hear talk."
Because I didn't have any of Nicole's other attributes to entertain him.
Chapter Twelve
"So which color are we going with today?"
"I'm not sure."
I had planned to keep my nails the same two colors for days yet, but as I dried off after my shower I'd noticed how badly I'd chipped them riding Sunshine and on a whim I'd decided to see if I could get a fresh manicure.
The technician looked back and forth between my hands. "That red is nice. I do like French, though. Or you could get a totally different color."
I peered down at my toes, where the silvery-blue was still perfect. "True."
"What did people think? Red or French?"
"I think most people preferred the red." I frowned. "I think so, anyhow." I couldn't quite remember what anyone had said, except for Nicholas.
I'd shown my nails to Owen at breakfast but he had been too distracted to say more than, "Up to you, Mel." Probably too focused on his upcoming tournament. Of course, I hadn't known about that at the time.
I sighed. "Sorry. I don't know."
"Well, it doesn't matter," the technician said easily. "Don't worry about anyone's opinion. What matters is which one you like."
I remembered joking with Nicholas about the sparkles. "Let's go with the red."
"Deal," she said, and began stripping away the old polish.
I watched, comfortably warm after my shower and cozy in a long-sleeved pale blue top and jeans with a thin mint green scarf wrapped around my neck for decoration, and let my mind wander to memories of the morning and the feel of Sunshine beneath me in the oce
an and the sexy way Austin had said, "Enjoy your shower," before leaving me at my stateroom.
Fortunately I didn't get far along that particular path before I heard, "Hi," and looked up to see Derek standing beside me.
I smiled at him. "Hey there. Getting a manicure?"
He laughed. "No time. Jules is getting married in an hour and she's getting her hair done now." His eyes narrowed. "Did we discuss your wedding hair?"
"I was assuming up in a twist or something, but no, we didn't talk about it."
"We should. Or rather, you and Dimitri should."
"Dimitri?"
"Hair stylist extraordinaire," he said.
My nail technician giggled and Derek added, "A legend in his own mind. But he is good. I think he said he had time after he was done with Jules, so maybe after this you should go chat with him, or at least book an appointment for later."
"Got it," I said, then remembered 'the lobster' I'd met at the spa yesterday. "Did Jules manage to get rid of her sunburn at all?"
He shook his head. "Her fiance got himself burned too."
I blinked. "On purpose?"
He nodded. "So she wouldn't be the only red one in the pictures. She wasn't sure whether to hug him or hit him. I told her to hug him."
Something squeezed around my heart. "Definitely hug. That's so sweet of him."
"Yup. Goofy, but sweet. Anyhow, I'm off to make sure the wedding goes well."
"Good luck."
He thanked me and left, and I sat wondering whether Owen would deliberately get a sunburn to make me feel better.
Chapter Thirteen
Dimitri did indeed have time to see me, and he peered at me through tiny-lensed glasses and said, "It is good you have come. We need to work."
"It's just for my wedding," I said. "I'm okay with my hair otherwise."
His too-perfect-to-be-natural eyebrows went up far past the tops of his glasses. "Really? Well. We shall see. And Derek says also your bridesmaid Wendy will need a style. Yes?"
"Yes." I couldn't wait to bring 'Vendy' to meet Dimitri. He wore skinny jeans and a tight black v-neck top with a dark blue fringed scarf tied around his tiny hips, and hot-pink running shoes that I was sure were the height of style and equally sure looked ridiculous on everyone. "She'll be thrilled to meet you."
Toronto Collection Volume 2 (Toronto Series #6-9) Page 74
