I know what she means, and I agree. Sometimes letting go of inhibitions results in the best outcome.
“You want more lobster or something else?”
Kat shakes her head. “I think after all that rum, maybe not. Maybe chicken? You pick. I trust you.”
Her words I trust you hit me hard.
I have to tell her everything. It’s time.
As soon as I get back.
Chapter 23
Kat
Dane shuts the door, and for the first time since he dropped the bomb on me yesterday, I feel like we’re going to be okay.
Despite burying myself in work rather than facing the grief I’ve kept bottled up, I haven’t screwed this up beyond repair. I’m full of hope, and it’s not from just the pleasant hum of alcohol in my veins. I figure I’ve got at least a half hour before he’ll be back, so I laze in bed for a few more minutes, thankful that he managed to pull my head out of my ass before it was too late.
I can only imagine what the alternative would have been. Me coming home from a work trip on a Thursday night to find Dane’s stuff missing like my dad’s was . . .
My stomach twists, and not because of the rum. That could have been my reality too. I would have slid to the floor, tears streaming down my face as I realized that I’d chased away the best thing that ever happened to me.
But Dane didn’t do that, and now it’s time to woman up and get things back on track.
I tug at the hair tie in my tangled blond ponytail, trying to get it free. By the time I step into the bathroom, I’ve created an unholy mess on my head.
Reaching into the shower, I flip on the hot water before hanging a towel on the hook just to the left of the door.
After I strip off my clothes, I toss them onto the bamboo stool tucked next to the tub and step into the steam filling the glass enclosure. I let the water soak my hair before massaging in shampoo to remove the salt. The heat feels decadent against my skin as I lose myself in thoughts of how the rest of the night is going to go.
Dane’s going to come back with dinner, and by that time, it’ll already be pitch black outside. We’ll eat on our bed, be lazy, and hopefully have round two of the hottest sex of my life.
One round of shampoo barely touches the stickiness of the salt in my hair, and I’m lathering up again when I hear a noise.
Dane can’t be back already.
Can he?
“Babe? Is that you?”
With shampoo suds running down my face, I turn into the water to rinse when there’s no answer.
Maybe it’s the wind. Or the waves. Or a bird. It’s a tropical freaking island, so there’s guaranteed to be some sounds a girl from Texas isn’t used to.
My eyes pop open when I hear a thump, and I hiss at the sting when the suds hit them.
“Dane?”
Slicking the hair out of my face, I back up in the shower to get a better view into the bedroom.
With another swipe to clear the bubbles from my skin, I crane my head to the side, blinking several times to flush the soap from my eyes.
Nothing is out of place . . . except my towel is gone.
My heart kicks up again.
“What the hell?” My voice shakes as my gaze cuts to the floor.
Jesus, I’m an idiot.
My towel lies puddled on the tile.
I’m hearing things. Tripping myself out. There’s no one here but me.
With a deep breath, I reach for my small bottle of conditioner and load my hair up before reaching for my razor to shave all the important areas. I’m midway through the second leg when I hear a creak.
It’s just the bungalow. It’s on stilts. In the water. It’s going to make noises.
I’m not usually this paranoid, but something has me on edge. Maybe it’s the fact I escaped a freaking shark attack. Fair enough.
I hurry through the rest of my shaving routine, eager to be out of the shower and get myself fixed up before Dane returns.
Did I bring any sexy lingerie? The question enters my head as I rinse the conditioner from my hair and quickly wash my face.
I’m about to give up and admit I didn’t, but I remember the one sheer negligee I shoved in with my bras and underwear at the last minute.
Win.
I rinse and shut the water off before opening the door and reaching to the floor to pick up my fallen towel.
Except it’s not there.
Goose bumps that have nothing to do with being cold rise on my skin.
The towel was just there. I heard it fall. I saw it on the floor.
And now it’s gone.
“Looking for this?”
Vander steps into view of the bathroom doorway, my towel dangling from his index finger.
Chapter 24
Dane
There’s no such thing as fast food in Belize. I know this from the last time I was here, and it’s a fact that hasn’t changed, especially when you’re on a small private island.
With our orders handed off to the kitchen, I wait, a beer in hand.
Andreas let me know that two more couples will be arriving tomorrow, and the island will be at one-third of its capacity.
Although I couldn’t care less about having more people on the island, it will probably make Kat feel better if she’s not constantly faced with the threat of running into only Anya and Vander at every turn.
“Looks like you and I are on the same mission—retrieve food and bring it back to the room.”
Anya’s voice cuts through the reggae music in the restaurant as though I summoned her with my thoughts.
“Pretty much.”
She leans an elbow on the bar as Andreas hurries over to her. “Hey, Andre. Could I order some dinner to go?” She rattles off her order.
“Of course. Of course. Let me get this to the kitchen, and I’ll be back to get you a drink while you wait. Eduardo is on his break, so I’m a one-man show for now.”
He disappears into the kitchen.
“It seems crazy they don’t do room service. I couldn’t believe it when Vander told me that.”
“I assume they want to make sure we leave our rooms.” I take a swig of my beer.
“I hope he didn’t make you uncomfortable with his offer. I think we both assumed, given your question, that you might be into it.”