Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 101254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
I expect to see fear in her eyes, but instead I see only jubilation.
She’s laughing. Tessa is laughing!
Our bodies are touching in an embrace, and her lips are mere inches from mine.
Kiss her, kiss her, kiss her.
That’s my body talking. My other head.
But I can’t, even though I want to more than I want my next breath.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Fine,” she laughs. “Are you?”
“Not my most athletic moment, but I’m good.” I let go of her except for her hand. “Ready?”
Is that disappointment in her eyes? Or relief?
Did she want me to kiss her?
Did I miss the right time?
She simply nods, and we make it the rest of the way down the falls. We’re soaking wet, of course, and Marcus hands us each a towel.
“You were the last ones down, Ben,” he says. “You must have enjoyed it.”
“You have no idea, Marcus,” I say. “No idea. Thank you for everything.”
Chapter Seventeen
Tessa
When we returned to the resort, Ben said a quick goodbye with a squeeze of my hand and left to meet with the resort coordinator about the festivities for this evening. I took a short nap and then reported to the spa where all the ladies were treated to a hot stone massage and a manicure and pedicure.
Afterward, I went back to my room to change for the bachelorette events. I brought a little red number that doesn’t leave a lot to the imagination, and for a moment, I consider dressing in something a little less risqué—especially since this dress has not-so-great memories for me. I was wearing it when I first met Garrett Ramirez.
I threw it into my suitcase on a whim, along with two black options and a blue strapless. I never wear white, and black… Well, I love a little black dress, but the red… It flatters me better than the others.
I stare at it laid out on my bed.
I’m safe here on this island. I’m safe with Ben. He’s made that clear.
But the men and women will be segregated this evening. Ben won’t even see me in the dress.
I grab one of the black dresses instead. If I get my courage up, I’ll wear the red one tomorrow evening, at the big party where all the guests—women and men—will be present.
It’s still on the bed, and every second it’s in my line of sight, I hear Garrett’s voice more loudly in my head. Feel him on top of me. Smell him…
No. I won’t wear this at all. Too many bad memories.
I toss the dress in the wastebasket. I’ll buy another red dress when I get home.
After a quick shower, I dry off and slide the dress over my body, paint my lips to match my newly manicured fingers and toes, pull my hair back into a sleek ponytail so it won’t hang on my neck and make me sweat, and head down to the bachelorette party, carrying my gift bag for Skye—a red satin nightie. She always says she can’t pull off the color red, but I’m sure she’ll look fantastic in it.
The women are on one side of the resort while the men are on the other, and I have to hand it to Ben—he did a fabulous job with the planning.
A table is set up beachside, and to our right is a full bar featuring two specialty cocktails—the Skye and the Braden.
Braden’s signature cocktail is a simple Wild Turkey on the rocks. From what I’ve seen, Ben and Braden both drink theirs neat, but apparently the barkeep was told to add ice. Whatever. I won’t be drinking anything anyway.
Skye is also a fan of Wild Turkey. She drank it at home in Kansas, so her cocktail also features the bourbon, and it’s a lovely sky blue.
“What’s in that?” I ask one of the bartenders, a muscular Jamaican man named Terry.
“Wild Turkey, simple syrup, lemon juice, and a touch of blue curaçao.” He gives me a wide grin. “Can I mix one up for you?”
“No, thank you. Sparkling water, please.”
“Of course.” He pours my drink and hands it to me.
“Thank you.” I take a sip and walk over to Betsy, who’s standing on the beach and looking out to the ocean.
She turns to me and smiles. She’s wearing her signature flowing Bohemian-style dress in light blue, and her feet are bare. Good idea. I kick off my sandals.
She holds a Skye cocktail in her hand. “You want to taste this? It’s really lovely. You can hardly taste the Wild Turkey.”
I shake my head. “No thanks, Bets.”
“Tess, come on. This is Skye’s bachelorette party. I’m not saying you have to get drunk, but you should taste her cocktail. It’s so very…Skye.”
I sigh. “Fine.” I take a sip of the light blue cocktail.
And shockingly…it’s good.
Not overly sweet, and I do taste a tinge of the bourbon, but it works with the blue curaçao and the lemon juice.