meet Celeste. She’s standing near a large fountain talking to the Roberts family as I approach. Matthew spots me first, a knowing smile appearing on his lips. He can’t see my eyes with my polarized sunglasses which is probably a good thing because if I could shoot lasers at him, I would.
“There he is. How’re you feeling, whiskey man?”
Gripping his palm, I squeeze a little harder than necessary. “Is that my new superhero name? I don’t think the studio would approve.”
Carrie giggles as her new step-daughter tugs on my arm. Looking down at her, I wait for her to speak.
“Carrie and Miss Celeste said you’re way hotter than on television. I don’t know what the TV has to do with it, but our room had air conditioning that made it so cold I needed a blanket. Maybe you should use our room.”
The adults around us bark out laughs, causing the pint size cutie to look at them like they’ve lost their minds before turning her attention back to me. I school my own laugh and say, “Thanks for the offer. I’ll see what I can do.”
Satisfied with my response, she skips away, and I look to Carrie and Celeste. Neither will look me in the eye as they suddenly find the water in the fountain much more exciting.
“Well, that was awkward. Ready, babe? We should claim our seats on the shuttle,” Matthew suggests as he snuggles into his wife’s neck, causing her to giggle. “You two play nice today. Hunter, I’ll be in L.A. next month for a seminar if you want to meet up. It’s for my day job so I’ll be more than happy to get away from the suits for a while.”
“Sounds good. Send me the dates and I’ll see if I’m in town.”
The happy couple strolls away, hand in hand leaving Celeste and me alone. This time, it’s me who takes the time to peruse Celeste’s body. The dress she is wearing should conceal her curves, but it doesn’t. Instead, the deep V at her chest gives me a peek at her cleavage while the thin fabric, skims her hips before stopping just above her knee.
“Ready for a day of fun in the sun?” I ask as I grab her hand, interlinking our fingers.
The smile she gives me in response is worth more than the contract I just signed for a new ad campaign. Together, we make our way out to the beach and a day with no commitments and nowhere else to be but with each other.
• • •
“A rubber band pulled tight and set on fire. That’s how my skin feels. I thought a cabana meant we would be shaded.”
She flinches as I rub the aloe into her skin. Her very pink and hot skin. Hours playing like a couple of teenagers on spring break, we didn’t do the one thing my mom always reminded me to do hourly—reapply sunscreen. What can I say? I was distracted by a hot blonde in a floral print bathing suit. While my dreams had Celeste in a tiny bikini, the real life version of her in a one-piece suit that hugged every curve and accentuated her lean legs was even better.
“It was all the time in the water that did us in.”
“Not us. Me. You and your perfect “I can tan and never burn” skin tone are barely pink. My white ass is burnt like a piece of bacon.”
Sitting before me with only a towel wrapped around her, I gently apply the aloe but watch as her warm skin absorbs it instantly. When we returned from the beach, I convinced Celeste to grab her belongings and move to my room. We’re both flying out tomorrow morning, coincidentally enough, on the same flight, so there’s no reason we can’t spend our final night together and share my car to the airport. I immediately directed her to the large shower and set the water to cool, hoping to pull some of the heat from her skin.
“Okay that’s enough for now,” I say, snapping the aloe vera bottle shut. “I think it’s just the initial burn, nothing major. It wouldn’t surprise me if the sting was gone by morning. Thankfully, we don’t have to leave this room. We can order dinner, cue up a movie, and never leave this bed.”
Turning around and searching my eyes, she lifts her lips into a smile. “I love when you talk dirty. Will it bother you if I slip between these cool sheets and