Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 102071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
“Say it,” he demanded playfully.
“Say what?” I asked, splashing water at him.
“Say I caught the mermaid.” His smirk made me grab his waist and try to tickle him underwater. He was impervious, though, and instead he clasped his hands over mine and tugged me close. “Don’t drive me wild in the water,” he said, low and growly.
“What do you expect when you catch a mermaid?” I whispered, loving the way his fingers gripped my waist and his words were just for me. “That’s what we do.”
“I did catch her. I want her all to myself,” he said.
My breath caught. Was this all just innuendo? We’d admitted we wanted each other more than we wanted to keep things strictly business. But something had shifted when we’d talked on the beach and he’d told me about his parents and I’d told him about my mom and Eli’s cheating. Maybe his words were a sign I wasn’t overreaching with my plans to ask for more. Maybe they were a sign he was on board.
“I like when you have me,” I told him in a low whisper.
“Tonight,” he said.
That word thrummed through me like a promise as we swam and splashed some more, then climbed back up on the boat.
“I can see why you love it here,” Jake said, handing me a towel. “This place suits you. It’s beautiful, and peaceful, but also adventurous…like you.”
My heart gave a thump at the sweet compliment. That was a more-than-a-tryst compliment. Maybe? What would he say if I floated the idea of seeing each other again at home, without all the Eli stuff between us?
My name came across the water like a trumpet blast.
“Ruby!”
Delight and anticipation spun me around. I scanned the dock for a familiar face, then beamed when I spotted a woman with bright pink hair and tattooed arms cycling along the wooden dock toward me. Her ride was a mint-green cruiser and a golden retriever mix frolicked by her side. The ultimate island girl and her dog had resurfaced.
I clambered off the boat and ran to meet her. My friend stopped pedaling, let the bike fall to the dock and closed the distance between us. When she reached me, she hugged the stuffing out of me while the retriever bounded around us, looking for a place to squeeze in to our hug.
“Chase,” she admonished the dog. “Stop acting jealous. You know you’ll get your loving when we get back home.”
I wasn’t one for hugs, but I made an exception for Kalila—and Chase.
Laughing, I stepped back. “I see no one has replaced the golden retriever in your heart.”
“He’s still my main man.” Kalila’s gaze focused behind me. “And speaking of main men, who have we got here?”
“That’s my friend Jake,” I said, trying to keep my voice casual. “Met him snorkeling.”
As Jake reached us, Kalila eyed him up and down. “Hello, there. Glad you could join us.”
“Glad I could make it.”
“What are you up to these days?” I asked Kalila. “I heard you worked for Eli and helped with his club, but Devon said you’re using that green thumb of yours now at a flower shop.”
“I did a little bit for Sapphire, but I helped out at the gallery too. That place was crazy busy when I was there.”
“They’re expanding it now,” I said nonchalantly. I was getting good at this cloak-and-dagger stuff. Casual and cool were my new middle names.
“Probably because they need room for all their precious gems.”
I blinked in surprise. No way was it that simple. I faked a laugh. “You mean actual jewels? Not some kind of exhibit?”
Kalila shrugged like we were talking about the weather. “Nope. Must have been the real thing. Eli didn’t want to leave them at home. Said the gallery was the most secure spot for them.”
How was this happening? I’d endured the sex-toy party from hell, Jake had broken into Eli’s house, and now Kalila had simply handed me this info without me even prompting?
“Did the gallery have some kind of safe?” I asked. “Maybe it was hidden, and that’s why it was more secure?”
“Hell if I know,” Kalila said. “I just overheard them talking. Maybe it was behind a painting, like in the movies. He spent a lot of time picking the frames of the art in the gallery’s office.” She tipped her forehead to the boat. “Let’s get the party started.”
As Kalila walked ahead, I turned to Jake, who looked at me with a wide-eyed stare that expressed exactly what I was feeling.
“Was that too easy?” he asked in a low voice.
“Do you mean, don’t trust volunteered information?”
“Something like that.”
“I’d normally say yes, except this is Kalila. I’ve known her for a long time.” I gestured after her, encompassing her lack of artifice and her what-you-see-is-what-you-get-ness. “She’s kind of just like that. She…well, shares. She doesn’t hide things.”