“Then get in the mood.” She bounces her eyebrows. “I’ve got a great idea!”
I raise an eyebrow. “Is it illegal?”
“Only if we get caught.” She grins. “It’s for Ariel’s bachelorette party.”
Now I’m listening.
“We do a full moon ceremony,” she continues. “Thinksexy witchy shit. Lace and candles. But here’s the twist… We invite the guys too.”
I shake my head. Is she kidding? “What the hell kind of bachelorette party is that?”
June waves me off. “Not the traditional kind. But come on, nothing about this is traditional. Ariel and Alex have barely known each other a week. I want masked dancing. Drums. Maybe some fire-spinners. We turn this island into a midsummer night’s dream and let whatever happens…happen.”
Yeah. Like we’re going to get fire-spinners in time for a party that’s supposed to begin in about an hour. “Ariel’s sweet as sugar,” I say. “You think she wants an orgy in her honor?”
“No,” June says. “But she does want to feel beautiful. Magical. And honestly? We all need an excuse to let loose. This event hasn’t exactly gone as planned.”
She’s not wrong. I cross my arms. “What do you need from me?”
“Hair. Makeup. You’re the beauty sorceress, babe. Make us all believe we’re goddesses.”
She hardly needs me. Evangeline has hair and makeup personnel on staff here.
But…
Damn June to hell.
Because the idea’s brilliant, and I’m in.
Because I’m good at transformation.
Because I need a distraction.
And maybe—just maybe—if I throw myself into building a fantasy, I won’t be so tempted by the one man who made me want to believe it could be real…until he said another woman’s name.
Ideas flow through my mind. “Lashes and glitter and highlighter that’ll catch firelight. Think seductive druids.”
“Yes!” June practically squeals. “Seductive music, moonlight, skyclad?—”
“Sky what?”
“Skyclad. It means naked.”
I nod. “O…kay.”
“And we just let things evolve.”
Full moon ceremony my ass. She wants a full-blown orgy. “You want me to paint the women into naked sirens so you can get your freak on.”
“Tell me it wouldn’t be hot.”
It would. Too hot. Dangerous. This whole island is a boiling pot of sex and secrets, and she wants to turn the heat up?
“We keep the ceremony elegant,” I say. “Candles. Maybe some chanting. But give them permission to go wild after.”
“Masks,” she says. “We need masks.”
“Where the hell will we get them?”
