Page 49 of Riptide

“You were doing a lot more than dating last night at the party.” Garrett laughed as he spun around in his chair to face Seth.

“Yeah, about that.”

“About that.” Garrett grinned as he sipped his coffee.

“It wasn’t planned.” Seth reached for a plate and set paper towels onto it. One by one he removed the bacon strips and placed them onto the dish. He continued cooking the eggs, mixing in spinach and cheese. “It just kind of happened.”

“Be careful with her,” Garrett warned with a raised eyebrow.

“Be careful with her? What about that asshole, Drew? He went too far last night.”

“He’s been a problem a few times but he’s good about doing the grunt work on the flights.”

“You need to get rid of him. He’s a walking lawsuit. Where did he come from anyway? I don’t remember how he even got into Club Altura.”

“He’s a friend of Chase.” Garrett shrugged.

“He’s a dick is what he is.”

“Seems clean. He’s got low level clearances. No arrests.”

“Not yet. Just a matter of time with how he was acting last night.”

“He used to work on planes down in Miami. Seasonal. He works at the airstrip during our summers. Winters down in Fort Myers.”

“Still a dick. I don’t like him.” Seth handed the bacon off to Garrett who set it on the counter. “Açaí bowl?”

“Yeah, sure. Selby ran to hot yoga this morning, so I went out for a run but haven’t eaten yet. I wanted to get over here to plan for LA.”

“I almost forgot I had this in the freezer. My strawberries are raging.”

“Strawberries?”

“Yeah, I started planters outside a while ago. Got a decent crop going. It’s not Hawaiʻi but they’re coming along. I’ve only got berries though. No bananas.”

“I wasn’t worried about bananas, but I am beginning to worry about you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to impress me.”

“Not you.” Seth laughed. “You’re pretty but not my type.”

Garrett sighed. “All I’m sayin’ is that you’ve been through a lot. Be careful. That cliff was one of the harder knocks you’ve taken in your life and it’s showin’.”

“I’m going to be fine.” Seth dumped the frozen mixture into the jar and fired up the blender. “Oh yeah. This is gonna be sweet. Can you get the fruit out of the fridge? It’s already cut.”

Garrett shook his head and laughed but did as he asked. “Nice spread.”

“You know it. Gotta eat right.” Seth froze as Kaimana walked into the kitchen, his words failing him. Wearing nothing but a towel, she shot him a shy smile. Her cocoa-brown curls brushed over her back as she stepped toward him. He reached for her hands, brought her into his embrace and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Lost in the moment, he breathed in her scent, present and aware of every curve of her body against his.

Seth’s eyes slowly opened, and he caught sight of Garrett shaking his head, wearing a grin.

“You’re going to burn the eggs.”

“Shit.” Seth pecked Kaimana’s forehead with a quick kiss and released her, tending to the food.

“I’ll be right back. Gotta get out of this towel.” She gave a quick glance to Garrett and headed down toward the hallway.

Seth quietly plated the food and set it out on the table. Kaimana was driving him mad with lust. He knew it and now Garrett knew it.

“You’re over the edge. You know that, right?”