Page 82 of Twisted Beauty

Both the pool and the spa looked like something straight out of the Flintstones, irregularly shaped and bordered by a wavy concrete rim. The pool had a large Baja shelf inside that was also an organic shape. Matt always loved those sun shelves, and wondered if he could manage enough privacy to get Liv naked on it. Maybe in the middle of the night when everyone else was asleep. Because apparently that was all he could think about today.

“At last,” Nate called out to them from a lounge chair on the far end of the pool. He set his beer on the ground and headed for the group. The hair on Matt’s arms stood up. He hated the idea of spending an entire weekend with that guy.

Nate sauntered up to them like he owned the place, and his eyes zeroed in on Liv. “Hello, love, good to see you again.”

“You too,” Liv said. She reached out her hand to shake his and he brought it to his lips. Matt grabbed Liv’s other hand, threaded his fingers through hers, and pulled her close.

Nate’s eyebrows shot up but he quickly recovered. “Zach. And Kat. Glad everyone could make it.”

“You remember my friend Jana, don’t you?” Katie shoved Jana out from behind her.

Nate nodded and took Jana’s hand, placing his other hand over the top of hers. “Of course. Elle texted to say she’s missed the boat. She asked me to tell you she’ll arrive first thing tomorrow morning.”

Holy fuck. Elle was coming. She just couldn’t leave it alone. Well, she wouldn’t be happy about seeing Matt with Liv, but there wasn’t much he could do about that now. He sure as hell hoped she didn’t try to interfere.

“Huh,” Jana tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Well, that’s—that’s news to me. But, um, whatever.”

Matt raised an eyebrow. If he didn’t know better, he’d have thought Jana was nervous, but he couldn’t imagine why. He’d never seen her anything but calm and confident. Maybe she didn’t like having Elle around any more than he did?

“I invited a couple of other mates as well,” Nate said. “They’re down at the beach surfing the nonexistent waves. Should be back by dinner.”

“Well, let me show all of you the different room choices so you can settle in,” Pedro interrupted. “There are two palapas here, one with three bedrooms and one with two.”

As they headed away from the pool, Matt pulled Zach aside. “Either we’re sharing a palapa, or you and Katie are sharing with Nate. No fucking way I’m in the same building as him.”

Zach laughed and patted him on the back of the shoulder. “It’s your funeral. Isn’t that what you said when I shacked up with Kat?”

“Fuck you. I just don’t like the guy. Nothing to do with Liv.”

Zach held his hands up. “Whatever you say, man.” But he clearly didn’t believe that, and Matt didn’t give a shit.

Pedro showed them where Nate was staying first—the larger of the two palapas that opened up to the view of the courtyard and forest beyond. Nate quickly suggested Jana and Elle stay with him and his two friends.

Thank fuck. Whatever it took to be far away from that guy.

The second palapa was slightly smaller, and opened toward the jungle out back, but otherwise seemed identical to the first. The moment they walked in, Katie took off to look around.

“Ooh, ooh, ooh. Can I have dibs on the room with the canopy bed?” she said as she came trotting out of one of the bedrooms.

Liv came up behind Matt and wrapped her arms around his waist. “So, Katie and I under the canopy, and you and Zach in the other room?”

She had to be kidding.

“Not a chance.” Matt slipped his arms behind him and wrapped them around her, pressing her soft breasts and slender waist into his back. “Sure, Kat, you and Zach take the canopy and we’ll take Door Number Two.”

Katie clapped and jumped up and down, while Liv laughed. “Good call,” she whispered in Matt’s ear.

She left to go check out the room and Matt started to follow, but Katie grabbed him by the arm. “Whatever you’re doing, Matt, cut it out.”

Either this was Katie being her usual pain-in-the-ass self, or she thought he’d done something else wrong. “Give me a little more to go on here.”

“You know full well what I mean. If you hurt my best friend, I’ll kill you.”

Fucking hell. One minute she was pushing them together, and the next she was warning him off. She was psychotic. But it didn’t matter. He hadn’t felt this way about someone in years, and a small blonde with a big attitude was not about to get in his way.

He was starting to think Liv wasn’t like the women from his past. She seemed different. Straightforward. Like everything she thought and felt was written all over her face. She never kept him guessing, she respected his heritage, and she loved Tito. Hell, she’d even encouraged him to pursue his dreams of opening his own restaurant. She didn’t seem to want anything from him except…his magic wand.

He chuckled at the thought.