AllFreeNovel
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I hate how uncomfortable she feels. And the worst part is that I’m responsible for it. I was planning to wait to give her the gift later, but since we have a few minutes before the shuttle for our day trip leaves, I change my plan.
“Can we go back up to the room for a sec?” I ask her.
She furrows her brow. “Sure, why?”
“You’ll see.”
She’s back in a discreet one-piece suit today, her whole chest covered. Everything about her is on the opposite end of the spectrum from the carefree, confident woman I spent yesterday with.
“I need to grab coffee before we leave,” she says on the elevator ride.
“Yeah, we’ll still have time.” I chance a glance at her profile. “How are you feeling?”
She hums, sounding a little amused. “I’ve been better. I haven’t drank that much in one day since college.”
“You need Tylenol?”
“I took some.”
The elevator doors open and we walk to our room door. I unlock it with the key card, my pulse racing as I think about what I want to say.
“So...” My gaze locks onto Stella’s, about five feet between us. “I made you feel bad yesterday, and that’s the last thing in the world I’d ever want to do.”
She looks down at the floor. “You don’t need to apologize. I had too much to drink and I’m embarrassed by my actions.”
Damn. That’s not what I was hoping to hear. I clear my throat and continue.
“I’m sorry to hear that, because I was just telling Rowan that yesterday was one of the best days of my life. Up until, you know...right before we left.”
“Really?”
I reach into the bag and remove the Hawaiian shirt. “I wish we had more time to talk, but for now...I got you this, and I’d love for you to wear it today. Don’t ever doubt that I find you incredibly sexy, Stel.”
I set the bag on the bed, locking eyes with her for just a second before I say, “I’ll wait for you outside the room.”
It feels like forever, but it’s really only ten minutes until she emerges. Slouching against the wall, I stand up straight when I see her.
She’s wearing her swimsuit coverup, but beneath it is the bikini I asked Sean to help me pick out. And fuck me...for a man who doesn’t sleep with women, he knows their bodies well.
The bottom of the black bikini is held together at her hips by a silver circle on each side, curved to fit against her skin. The top is also held together by a circle, exposing the curves on the sides and tops of her breasts.
“Wow. That’s...just wow.”
“Thank you,” she says, her expression almost shy.
“Feels like you’re thanking me for a gift I gave myself.”
She laughs lightly. “We have to get going if I’m going to get coffee.”
Thirty minutes later we’re on the Paradise Palms shuttle to our hike, everyone making small talk about what they did on their free day.
“The poolside bar made a killing from the Washingtons yesterday,” Tre quips.
“We shopped every local boutique we could find,” Sean says. “Then we ate our weight in seafood at Mama’s Fish House.”
“Oh, I heard that place is amazing,” Stella says.
“Girl.” Sean gives her a look that says she heard right.
“We went to a nice little swinger’s club,” Cindy says.
Every head on the small bus swivels to look at her. I didn’t see that coming. Pervis and Cindy are like stock art people—average looking, average clothing, average conversationalists. Before now, anyway.
“Did we not mention we’re in the lifestyle?” She grins brightly. “We’re always happy to talk about it if anyone has questions.”
The van is silent for a solid thirty seconds.
“I’m all for exploring your sexual fantasies with a consenting partner,” Sean finally says.
“Hey, good for you, big dog,” Tre says to Pervis.
Tanisha gives him a death glare and his smile disappears.
The van turns by a sign for a trail head, where Marco is waiting on a bench with someone else. When we’re all off the bus, he introduces the woman.
“Everyone, this is Dr. Marcia Packard. She’s a sex therapist and she’ll be talking to us about nonverbal communication once we reach our destination today.”
Tre frowns. “Uh...is this a public hike? Should we be talking about sex in front of kids?”
“Most of the trail to the waterfall is public,” Marco says. “But we’ll be breaking off the trail onto property owned by the Paradise Palms. So it’ll just be our group at the waterfall.” He looks around at our faces. “It’s three and a half miles in and it’s getting hot. I recommend stripping down to as little as you’re comfortable in.”
I take off my shirt, as do most of the other men. Braden is the only one who leaves his on. The women strip down to their T-shirt tops. Pervis is down to a bright green Speedo thong and hiking sandals, his chest and thighs as pale and hairless as a newborn baby’s.
