Remi didn’t say a word but tossed Cherisse a look heavy with questions. Cherisse rolled her eyes. She hadn’t specifically planned on any birthday sex, and it was probably for the best that she not reach out to her current supplier. Her plan tonight was to party with her girls and deal with Keiran later. “My after plans will probably be sleeping off a hangover,” she said.
Reba wagged a finger at her as they followed the guy helping them with their bags. “Never say never, and I noticed Remi isn’t saying a damn thing.”
Remi looked up from her phone. “I’m deep in birthday wishes. Look, I got the Twitter balloons and everything! We’ll see what goes down tonight, but good looking out, Reebs.”
Reba pretended to dust off her shoulder. “It’s just what I do. Okay, let’s get settled in our rooms, then meet up by the pool in twenty minutes.”
The room was a standard with one big bed and the classic Hyatt shower in the middle of the room. She’d always found the shower placement odd but figured it could be a good time with the right person. Refusing to dwell on that too much, she changed into a bright pink floral monokini and tossed a flowy cover-up over it before checking her messages. She had a couple across her platforms, mostly thanks to Reba sending out a blast on the Sweethand accounts that it was her birthday. She had a bunch on her personal account too.
She rarely did selfies—it frustrated her how many photos she had to take before being satisfied with one—but figured it was her special day. She looked and felt cute, so why the heck not? She took one of her lounging on the bed and played around with captions and tags before uploading to Instagram and sharing on her linked accounts.
Happy birthday to me!!! I think I make almost 30 look good, no? #birthdaygirl #29andfeelingfine #thefunnowstart
Remi, always on point with her posts and selfies, had already updated her Instagram with an adorable photo over breakfast with her parents and brother, Akash, and a tour of her hotel room on her story.
“So lovelies, me and the birthday twin bestie are about to go get our drink on by the pool. Then later, who knows what trouble we’ll get up to?” She winked and signed off with a peace sign, all while wearing a lopsided “birthday girl” crown. It seemed Reba had already given out one part of her surprise.
By the time they grabbed drinks and Cherisse had been presented with her own crown, they’d taken a multitude of photos—mostly shots posing with their drinks, the infinity pool in the background—and Cherisse had been inundated with more messages, likes, and comments on her pics. She noted that keirank had liked all of them. She’d gotten a happy birthday text too, had shot back with a quick “thanks!” and nothing else. Today was her and Remi’s day. No time to dwell on sexy men who made her moan and got her heart racing for non-sex-related reasons. Nope. No time at all.
WHEN AVA GOT TO THE Hyatt, Reba was sober-ish enough to meet her downstairs so she could organize a separate room key for her and get Cherisse a new one because her tipsy ass had already forgotten not to put her phone near her keycard. She’d only realized the thing had demagnetized when she’d tried to duck back into her room to grab the forgotten sunscreen.
At that point, Cherisse had said fuck it and not bothered, returning to the pool area, which was on their floor anyway. She wasn’t exactly steady enough to traipse downstairs for another card, and none of the others wanted to either.
Ava met them in the water with cocktail in hand, bright yellow bikini nearly blinding them as the sun glinted off her.
“Happy birthdaaaaaay!” She kissed Remi and Cherisse on their cheeks, and they toasted with their drinks.
Cherisse couldn’t recall what number cocktail she was on, only that it was delicious, and she was all buzzy, which was the perfect mix for bad decisions. She’d been itching to check her phone to see if a certain somebody had sent any more messages. Thankfully, her phone was on the lounge chair all the way over there, and they were in the water.
“We’re gonna need a nap before we go out tonight.” Remi yawned.
“I’m about that nap life,” Reba agreed. “Don’t listen to anyone who says naps are for babies and senior citizens. How do they think I keep going all night long?”
Cherisse raised a brow. “We still talking about dancing?”
“Yes, boss lady. Get your mind out the gutter! Although I do got that stamina.”
Everyone cackled at that. Remi swished her hand through the water as she slurped her drink. Cherisse had no idea what Remi’s drink was at this point, only that the glass was tall, the drink blue, and the garnish was a mix of pineapples and cherries.
“Oh, hey! I totally forgot!” Reba giggled. “I brought food and margarita cupcakes and rum punch! Surprise!” She clapped her hand over her mouth, looking around before whispering, “I hope no staff heard that.”
The bartender had been steadily supplying their drinks since Reba excitedly informed him about the double birthdays, but either he was too busy to have heard her loud outburst, or he really didn’t care. He didn’t even look up from the bar. By five o’clock, they all agreed it was time to at least sober up a bit then nap to reenergize for tonight. They were toasty and tipsy. The four of them weaved their way back to Reba and Ava’s room. Ava was the most sober, having opted to leave her drinking for tonight.
While Reba dished out what looked like an entire meal her mother would cook on a Sunday—Spanish rice, baked chicken, and pigeon peas with some fresh salad on the side—Cherisse caught up on her notifications, snapping some of the spread to post. She sent one to Keiran before she could stop herself.
Keiran: damn! On my way!
Cherisse: no boys allowed
Keiran: sigh. So cruel
This was safe. She could do this. Banter—without a side of talking about things better left said later, after she’d sobered up. Everything was way too sparkly anyhow. She was in no condition for serious conversations. Who knew what else she’d let slip? She didn’t get to respond because her phone was pulled out of her hand. “Hey!”
Remi held Cherisse’s phone over her head. Cherisse didn’t even try for it. Remi was too tall, even in flip-flops. “It’s time to eat, then nap, then ass shaking. All people with the last name King are banned today.”
“Seriously? When did we make that rule?”
“Just this second because you’re in no condition to be talking to Keiran.”
Reba looked between both of them. “What did I miss?”
Remi lowered her hand, grip tight on the phone as Cherisse reached for it. “There’s a lot of liquor sloshing around our insides right now. Trust me. We’re both guilty of texting while tipsy. So I gave Ava my phone so I wouldn’t drunk-text anyone.”
“I was just replying to birthday messages,” Cherisse lied, which was pointless because Remi was already on to her. She rolled her eyes and wiggled her hand. Remi released her phone, finger wagging.
“Don’t you do it!”
“Ugh, fine.” She stomped over to Ava and handed her sister the phone with no explanation. “Hold this for me ‘til later?”
Ava took it, brow wrinkled. “Um?”
“Same deal as Remi. Save me from myself.” She clapped her hands together, tummy rumbling as her eyes dropped to the plates. “Okay, let’s eat!”
Chapter 30
Keiran
THE TWINKLING LIGHTS of the city below were a contrasting background to the smoky smells of BBQ wafting over from the tents that covered the food stalls. The lookout was lined with other cars. Some families were chowing down on food, and a few couples were all snuggled up against each other, taking in the view. Others snapped selfies, trying to get the perfect angle to capture all those lights down below.
“Well, this is romantic, isn’t it?” Eric plopped down next to Keiran on the hood of his car, box of BBQ balanced on his lap. “I mean, I love you guys and all, but I wish Ava were here. No cuddle buddy to gaze at the stars.”
“Ha! I’ll have you know I give the best cuddles,” Scott announced.
&n
bsp; “That’s debatable,” Keiran said.
It was romantic, with the city lights glistening down below and the stars dotting the sky above. The lookout was well-known as a place for couples. Some food vendors had seized the opportunity and set up food stalls. There were more people coming just to get food and check out the view rather than only couples these days.
“Wonder how the ladies are doing?” Eric opened his box and took a whiff of his food. It overflowed with BBQ chicken, rice, and fries. The fresh salad was somewhere under all that goodness if the bit of green leaf that Keiran assumed was lettuce was anything to go by.
“Pretty damn good, I’d say.” Scott waved his phone. “The ‘gram don’t lie.”
Keiran had checked Remi and Cherisse’s posts all afternoon. His conversation with Cherisse earlier that afternoon had stopped abruptly after she’d sent the photo of their lunch spread, and he’d joked about coming down there.
There’d been a pre-nap selfie of Remi hovering over Cherisse, who had clearly succumbed to the itis—lying on her stomach, hair spilled around her. She was either asleep or on her way there.
remi_d: nap time before party time :P @cherrygoody #somuchfood #birthdaytwin
He always got a kick out of Cherisse’s Instagram name. She used the same name on all her social media and had mentioned how people kept thinking her accounts were porn sites when really, she only showcased food porn. The photo explained the aborted conversation.
He had to stop obsessively checking every update, but he was weak. He’d casually walked away from Eric and Scott as he scrolled, giving the illusion that he was taking scenery shots with his phone. Cherisse had posted a photo all dolled up, hair fluffed up in some kind of up-do, neck encased in a lacy black choker. He was so used to seeing her with her hair down that whenever she put her hair up, he zoomed right in on her neck. Knowing now that it was one of her zones didn’t help. The way she squirmed when he nibbled at her throat right there...
“Daaamn, face beat to perfection on this one,” Scott said, peering down at Keiran’s phone. Jesus, he’d been so engrossed in the photo he hadn’t even realized Scott had come up behind him to mind his business. Not that Cherisse was his business. But she could be. If she wanted that. But he didn’t know what Cherisse wanted. She’d admitted she didn’t know herself, and she’d all but ignored his request to talk. He shouldn’t have pushed.
He closed out of the app and frowned. “Personal space, man. It’s a thing.”
Scott deployed his epic eye-roll. “You just salty you got caught. Whatever, be less obvious then.” The words irked, but Scott was right. He hadn’t tried hard enough to be covert. He should work on that. He still hadn’t told Eric about the kiss or anything else.
“They just posting thirst traps for your ass, and you don’t even know. Sad,” Scott informed, cheeky grin plastered on his face.
“Oh, come on. There’s no thirst trap setting.”
“Maybe not intentionally by Cherisse, but when you have Remi “The Mastermind” Daniels as your bestie, I’d say trap’s being set.” Scott held up his finger. “One, I’ll bet my comic book collection that Remi knows all the dirty deets about you and Cherry. Two,” Scott carried on, a second finger joining the first one. “You’ve never been her favorite person because of that rivalry with Maxi back in the day, so I’m certain she’s out there having Cherisse dialing up the sexiness to maximum just to have you panting. You, my friend, are sadly obvious. And, I know you’re about two seconds away from driving to the Avenue to act like you just happened to casually be there to run into them.”
He wanted to deny it, but the thought had crossed his mind. He’d vetoed it, but the night was still young. It was barely ten now.
“I’m not going down there,” he insisted.
Scott looked skeptical, lips pursed, brow raised, arms folded in front of his favorite t-shirt. Grey and well-worn, the material of the t-shirt was so thin it molded easily to Scott’s build. He’d been leaner back when he’d been modeling more, but he’d packed on some muscle since then. The words on the front were starting to get a little patchy from where the print was scraping away, bit by bit. Keiran grinned as he read it: Part-time model. Full-time nerd. Scott had had this t-shirt forever.
In the past, the sight of his friend in it, short sleeves flaunting the muscles shifting beneath his toned deep-brown skin, would have Keiran feeling some kind of way. The flutters had long since dissipated, leaving affection and warmth whenever his best friend shook his head at him, the way he did now.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m rooting for you. I just worry that you’ll let her walk all over you just so you can be close to her. Not that I’m saying she’d do that,” Scott added hastily. “You know she’s my girl. Just be realistic about what your expectations are.”
“I know.” Of course, he knew all that. But Scott didn’t know about Cherisse’s confession. And Keiran didn’t feel right about revealing it when Cherisse was obviously torn up about it. He’d gone into this claiming he was fine with whatever when that hadn’t been the truth from that first kiss. He’d told her the power was in her hands. She could end this whenever she wanted. He’d been bracing since then for when she’d do just that. Could he take front and end it before he got any more caught up than he was?
“Why so serious?” Eric joined them, patting his belly, a satisfied, happy sigh escaping his lips. Clearly, the food had been tasty. “What’re we discussing?”
Keiran felt Scott’s stare on the side of his face. He could spill everything, let Eric into the loop. Eric was his boy, but he’d joined the crew later on after the Scott/Keiran duo had already been solidified. Back in school, when one was seen without the other, people would look at them funny, like something wasn’t quite right. That bestie bond was strong. Eric made them the Three Musketeers, but there were just some things Keiran had never told Eric about. Especially the whole “I tried to kiss my bestie and got rejected hard, and then I wanted to fade away into nothingness because it was so awkward” incident.
“Tell you later,” Keiran replied. “What’d you all think about a drive down to the boardwalk?”
THE CHAGUARAMAS BOARDWALK was the place to be on the weekend, it seemed. Well, for those who preferred to hang out away from the club vibes of the city. People walked about with families and friends as lights glinted off the dark sheet of the water. Some walked along the shore; others were set up on the beachfront walkway deck.
It was a chill atmosphere, one he hoped he’d get to walk with Cherisse sometime. He rubbed at his chest as if to keep the feelings bubbling up at bay.
“They’ve really fixed up this place,” Eric observed.
They were set up near the railing, arms draping over it as they looked out at the water. This area had seen some major development over the years. It was evolving into a full-on hotspot for locals and tourists.
“Nice spot.” Scott was on his phone again, and Keiran had a few guesses as to whose timeline he was checking.
“Anything interesting going on?” he asked casually.
Scott continued scrolling. “If by interesting, you mean all this thirst trap posting going on. Damn.” He stared down at his phone. “Who’s even allowed to have a face like that? Also, quit fishing.” He looked up at Keiran. “If you want to see what she’s up to, no one’s stopping you.”
Keiran rolled his eyes. He didn’t reach for his phone. Instead, he caught up with his boys—even though Scott’s eyes were still glued to his phone—and they talked about the wedding, work, anything that wasn’t related to the birthday girls’ current celebration.
The conversation was a good distraction from Cherisse and other things that were cropping up on the horizon, workwise. He’d finally spoken with his father because the track was officially done and ready to be teased to the public, except his father was being mum on exactly when they’d drop the teaser online.
They hung around the boardwalk until one in the morning when yawns started to break out, and tire
dness crept into Eric’s face. His friend was having a rough time at work with difficult clients and older employees who still felt he had to prove himself capable of running his father’s company one day. Keiran didn’t envy Eric in that regard at all.
They’d decided to call it a night after more yawns were deployed and were on their way to their respective cars when Keiran’s phone chimed. He nearly dropped it when he checked his chats.
“Jesus, fuck.” He skidded to a stop.
Eric and Scott stopped walking too. Damn, he’d said that out loud.
“Everything good?” Eric asked, concern clouding his face.
“Oh, yeah, just fine. Great.”
“You sure?” Scott prodded.
“Yes, was just caught off guard by a...thing. But it’s all good.” Caught off guard was really selling it short. He’d damn near bitten his tongue off at the photo Cherisse had sent him. They’d clearly returned to the hotel. She was on the bed, lying on her side, fluffy white robe on, the front of it gaping open to reveal her lacy bra, a hint of stomach, then a slice of her matching lace panties. The message read: make my birthday wish come true? Room 411
It was a booty call, plain and simple. He told himself to ignore it. Go home. They had so much to talk about, and this was clearly not an invitation to talk.
“Keiran?”
He looked up. Eric and Scott were still waiting. He’d forgotten about them. That damn photo.
“Sorry. I’ll catch up with you later. Message when you get home. I have to go meet someone to get...uh...something real quick, then home.”
“At this hour?” Eric asked, brow wrinkled.
Scott’s concern had vanished. He knew what was up. His arms were folded, eyes narrowed. Keiran stared back, challenged Scott to call him out, say something. Scott shook his head.
“Just be safe,” he said, tossing a wave over his shoulder as he headed for his car.
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