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She’d call Isla later to try to build bridges. She didn’t want to do it too soon in case she interrupted Isla and Zac and angered Isla further.
They arrived at the villa. The opulence of the interior stuck Nina once again, despite only having been there the day before.
Cameron took the cool bag into the kitchen, turning back to ask if they wanted a drink.
“Beer, please,” called Ash. She nudged Nina. “You?”
“The same please, Cameron,” Nina said.
He smiled. “No problem. Head out to the pool and I’ll bring them to you.”
Ash pulled Nina onto the patio and they went down the steps. Ash collapsed onto a bed and covered herself with a linen. Nina stripped her sundress back off and jumped into the water, doing a few lengths. She submerged for a few metres and surfaced by the edge of the infinity pool to gaze at the horizon. She admired the twist and turn of the coastline. Living by the sea was her ultimate fantasy. She loved the water and the idea of stepping out of her house right onto the beach filled her with joy. It was such a pity that she lived in a rainy, land-locked city.
There was a gentle splash behind her and she looked over her shoulder. Cameron was making his way through the water, holding two bottles of beer. Ash was sipping hers, tucked under her blanket.
Cam handed her a bottle, and she admired the way the water droplets ran over his skin. She dragged her eyes away from his appealing body to meet his eyes, which were just as compelling. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, leaning on the shelf next to her. They both surveyed the view.
“I love this place,” he said. “It’s so beautiful.”
She glanced at him. “Do you spend a lot of time here?”
“As much as I can in the summer,” he said.
“And the winter? LA?” she asked.
He nodded. “Also by the beach. I love the sea.”
Nina studied him, her newly budding affinity toward him growing. “Me too.”
He met her gaze. “You do?”
She nodded.
“You love the water,” he said.
So he had noticed that about her? “Yeah,” she said. “Shame I live in a freezing cold, rainy city.”
He laughed. ”Yeah, I don’t miss that part.”
She smiled. “What do you miss?”
Cam sipped his beer. “Family. Friends. Sense of humour.”
She grinned. “Like how they call the Clyde Arc bridge the ‘Squinty Bridge’ because it’s at an angle?”
He laughed. “Yeah. And that the Southern General Hospital is nicknamed the ‘Death Star’ because it’s star-shaped.”
Nina laughed and coughed hard on her beer. Cam patted her back until she recovered. “Sorry,” she said. “That one always gets me.” She cleared her throat, finding herself reluctant for him to take his hand away from her skin. He paused to rub her back, sending a wave of heat through her core.
Ash sat up. “What’re you two braying about?”
“Nothing,” Cam called back, withdrawing his hand.
Ash shrugged, drained her beer and settled under the covers.
Cam smiled at Nina. “The culture just isn’t the same in the States, not that I’m knocking it. Breaking in America was a huge deal for me, and I do love being by the beach in the warm.”
