“Don’t you dare.” He pulls the underwear out of his pocket, holding it between us. “These belong to me now. Finders keepers.”
As soon as they appeared, the garment is gone.Adiós, lace panties.
He’s looking at me as though he wants to devour me like a slice of his favorite German chocolate cake, and part of me wants to let him, to learn what he would do if I let him take charge.
I’m learning I might be a selfish woman for doing this, and I know I’ll pay the hefty price later, but for now, I’ll be greedy until it burns me.
“Hurry up, you two,” Molly yells. “The longer we’re here, the less time we have at the ice cream place.”
“Hear that? We have work to do.” I adjust his collar, clicking my tongue in faux disappointment. “And Molly agrees. Ice cream is better than sorbet.”
“That isnotwhat she said,” Jett replies, following me before snatching me by the waist again.
I squeal, clamping down on my lip to suffocate the sound. A bubble of pure joy bursts inside me, taking root as my feet return to the ground, Jett’s hand sliding down the curve of my spine.
“Cut it out,” I hiss. “We’re supposed to be working.”
The reprimand falls short, and any higher ground I have is swallowed when his addictive grin appears. “You started it.”
Hmm. That, I did.
I bolt away, jogging down the boardwalk, his laughter chasing me as we cross a small creek. Huge circular palm leaves block the sunlight, only thin rays breaking through the tree line.
“Here we have a cluster of epiphytes,” our guide says, pointing at a number of basket ferns and orchids clinging to the sides oftrees. “These are plants that live on other plants. The strangler fig we saw earlier is another type of epiphyte.”
Jett and Doug work together to collect what they need videowise. And I follow Molly to the beach at the end of the boardwalk, the dense rainforest shifting to bright verdant vines covered in purple flowers. One more shift, and it’s soft white sand leading to deep blue sea, the waves crashing against the shore.
Water laps against my ankles as I wade through the tide, pausing to examine seashells and small bits of fossilized coral. The air smells of salt and seaweed, and I find my thoughts flickering to Jett with each new discovery. One piece of coral is heart-shaped, and I slip it into my palm—a small treasure for him.
He stands at the edge of the forest line, pointing his camera at me. I wave, a soft flush warming my cheeks. The camera shifts away from his face to reveal him fully, and my heart stutters.
He beckons me, and I extend my palm, revealing the shard of coral. Bashful, I whisper, “I found this. It made me think of you.”
The smile he offers me—one of surprise and wonder—well, I could spend the rest of my life as a witness to it.
He plucks the gift, examining it. I’m stripped bare, like if he searched enough, he could uncover a trove of emotions I’m trying to hide.
“I love it,” he finally says, slipping it into his pocket. “Another treasure for me to keep.”
His smile morphs into a cocky smirk, and I grow flustered, something I think he enjoys far too much.
“I want those back,” I grumble. “They were a loan.”
He dips his head to my ear, a poof of warm air sending a wave of tingles down my body. “You can convince me to give them back later.”
The statement is pure suggestion, and I lose all function of my tongue. With the quirk of his brow, I melt further, unused to being so unraveled around someone. Desire blooms in my belly, and I do what every other woman performing a weird fake-dating dance with her boss would do: I run back into the forest, far away from the charming man.
Chapter 26
jett
“You know,” I start, unlocking the door to my room, “the soursop ice cream might be my new favorite flavor.”
The tart, sweet, citrusy ice cream reminded me of a creamier sorbet, and I’m already making plans to find a grocery store in LA that sells the flavor. It might take some exploration, but Iwillfind a retailer.
Sofía drags herself over the threshold, dropping her sneakers in the corner before slipping into the bathroom. “I liked the wattleseed,” she replies, unraveling her braid.
I lean against the doorframe to observe her routine, to mentally record these quiet moments with her. All of her skincare bottles stand in order on the counter, from the first step down to the last. The red-light mask sits beside it, surrounded by the rest of her supplies.
