by Mila Nicks
“You look beautiful,” he said without filter.
“That’s sweet, Preston. You look great too.”
“We make a pretty believable match. Ready to sell it some more?”
She smirked, hoisting her beach bag onto her shoulder. “Only if you are.”
The beach festivities were already underway. Across the white sands, tiki huts and torches stood tall and proud. As both decoration and function, the torches would glow to light come nightfall. The charming little huts posed as cocktail bars, where party-goers could stop for drinks prepared by the Brosman’s staff. Popular tunes blasted from these same huts, played off top-of-the-line speakers rigged throughout.
The late morning sunshine showed no signs of slowing down, so bright the dozens on the beach armed themselves with some form of protection like umbrellas, hats and sunglasses. Regardless everyone welcomed the powerful rays and the gusty winds that whipped hair into their faces. Children ran across the grainy hills in games of tag and groups of friends rushed the shorelines waist-deep, laughing as a chorus.
Preston and Juliette kept their eyes peeled for a prime piece of real estate close to the party’s action but also far enough for privacy if desired. They wanted to be able to soak up each other’s company as much as everyone else’s. A spot opened up near one of the leafiest palm trees on the beach and they nabbed it, tossing down their things. She brandished the broad beach blanket across the hot sands and he staked their claim with the umbrella.
“I’m already prepared to not get up. I want to stay like this forever.” Juliette sprawled onto the blanket, laying on her back, knees bent and arm folded beneath her head. She smiled at him from behind her shades, glowing in more ways than one. The Florida sun bathed every inch of her body and gave her glorious dark brown skin a radiance so magnificent it bordered on unreal. Distracted by the sight of her laying like that, Preston questioned if his skin warmed from the summer heat or the effect she had on him. Considering his breathing shallowed, it was probably the latter.
Sure they’d agreed to go with the flow and that resulted in a new level of honesty, but he swallowed the urge to tell her how sexy she looked. Instead he admired the sight and saved it for his memory banks, sharing in her smile. Kneeling beside her, he searched for how to make her more comfortable.
“Thirsty? There’s a tiki bar over there. I’ll grab us some drinks.”
“That sounds amazing. Anything with fruit and rum. Extra fruit.”
Preston chuckled and said, “You got it. Rum something with extra fruit coming right up.”
He left her lying on the sands smiling after him. The closest tiki bar was only a quick jog away. He came up as two other customers waited for their drinks. The break cooled him off, giving him a chance to think about Juliette and the strange limbo they’d found themselves in. Last night he’d rolled with the punches as their teases and jokes shattered the residual tension from the impromptu kiss. He’d gone to bed content with burden-free shoulders.
But today?
The lines had blurred to the point that his thoughts constantly strayed to her perched in his lap. Those purring moans she’d let out as they kissed had him wanting to hoist her up into his arms and carry her upstairs for more. Hell, in the moment, logic abandoned, it had him wanting to flip her onto the sofa and explore the wonderland of her body, Lee and Mellie's presence be damned.
And that was the truth of it.
He couldn’t hide behind vague objective opinions anymore. The charade he’d kept up for years that nothing more than platonic feeling existed. He was attracted to Juliette and his desire long quelled under the surface had now begun to rise…
The two customers grabbed their drinks and disappeared out of sight. At first he didn’t notice being stuck in his thoughts, but then a female voice low in register spoke to him.
“Look who’s here to see me.”
The bartender was Natasia. For the beach party she and the other staff members had abandoned their polo shirts and neat khakis for swim attire like everyone else. In a seashell bikini top, she wore her signature amused smirk and eyed him from across the tiki bar counter.
“I’m here to order drinks. Can I have two hurricane punches?”
“Two,” she said, setting to work on the sugary cocktails. She retrieved the bottle of rum, syrup, orange slices and two tall glasses. “Is the other one for me?”
“It’s for my fiancé. Now mind if you hurry it up? I’d like to get back to her.”
“It’s sweet of you. Getting her a drink. No wonder she’s smitten. I hope she appreciates it.” Natasia rattled the cocktail shaker and then poured the sunset-hued liquid into the glasses. Again she seemed under the impression the longer she took the more conversation she could slip in. “It was real cute how you guys won the trivia game last night. You two answered every question right. But it can’t hurt to get to know other people too.”
Pinched by agitation, Preston glared and snatched the drinks off the counter. He skipped out on a thank you and headed straight for his spot with Juliette. She hadn’t moved, still lying but now with cell phone in hand. He walked up on her by kneeling and offering her the drink. Her mouth opened with a giggle and she gladly accepted the drink.
“Soo good,” she moaned, sipping. “Could this get any better? Look around us. We’re in paradise.”
“Literally.” Preston sat beside her, looking forward to the endless blue waters.
“I’m going to mute my cell phone for the rest of this trip. Alex’s called me three times, but I know her—it’s probably some mess she’s gotten herself into with that investment banker she’s dating. Then there’s Winston. He’s been messaging me from a dummy account. I’m not going to let him ruin this.”
“Doesn’t he always do that? The few times you guys break up or fight, he winds up weaseling his way back in.”
“Not this time.”
“Good. You deserve better.”
“Like who?” Juliette probed, lips on the straw again.
Like me? The thought popped in without control and Preston banished it immediately.
He’d owned up to his runaway attraction to her, but it ended there. They were friends. No romanticism existed between them. Any lovey-dovey behavior the past two days was an act. The sentimental words and adoring gazes were pretend. Besides, even if he saw her in that light, he was alone on that island. Juliette didn’t see him as a romantic prospect. She had no interest in dating him, no ruse but in reality. Right?
“Dunno,” he answered. “But I’m sure he’ll show up someday.”
“My parents already think he has.”
Preston cracked a grin as she swayed sideways into him. “I can call him Tom now.”
“F.Y.I., he’s never invited Dom to go camping.”
“It sounds like it’d be a good time. I like your dad—he’s got that warm fuzzy sitcom Dad feel.”
“Everyone says that about him. He’s a big teddy bear. I think it’s cute he’s planning activities for you two months in advance. Next thing you know he’s going to add you on MyFace.”
“Well…I wouldn’t mind. It’s kinda nice talking about it. Even if it’s only for this week.”
The friends drained their cocktails ’til there was nothing but ice and watery juice in the glass. Nearing noon the party had evolved, now in full-swing as more and more people turned up. They spotted Giselle, Dominic, and some of the others arriving fashionably late and decided they’d finally stop being greedy. No more holding alone time. They needed to socialize.
“But first sunscreen. You’re already turning pink,” said Juliette, sitting up on her knees. “Did you put any on?”
“I might’ve forgotten.”
“Preston, you are too pale to be that unprotected and you know it. Another hour and you’re going to be fried head to toe.”
“I’ll be alright. I don’t burn easily.”
Juliette burst into a laugh. “I don’t think you realize how white you are. Lucky for you I’m a woman who is a
lways prepared. I have SPF 50 in my bag. Sit still, I’m going to rub some on you.”
Preston couldn’t help it. He grinned and his mischief could be heard in his rasp. “Do I get to return the favor?”
“Unfortunately I put some on earlier.”
“There’s no such thing as too much. We wanna be safe, not sorry. I’d be happy to sacrifice myself to the cause.”
“Could you be any more obvious?” She giggled, squirting sunscreen onto her palm and slathering it across the expanse of his back. On her knees behind him, her hands kneaded the lotion into his skin like an attentive massage.
His eyes closed, savoring her skillful touch, slender fingers easing any knots in his muscles. He would’ve been happy sitting like that for the rest of the day. Screw the beach party. She worked his entire back in tantalizing fashion and then crawled around to finish his torso. Her hand smoothed across his chest, tickling the speckle of hair on his pecs, and he marveled at how her slightest touch devolved him into caveman-level desire.
“All done,” she whispered, fingers trailing featherlight on his abdomen.
Preston opened his eyes to find hers already fixed on him. The unmistakable heat sizzled at once. Layered between them thick enough it was to be felt in the air, neither could find the resolve to break the contact and look away. The temperature only rose higher and then higher again as the intensity became too much and they gave new meaning to go with the flow.
Their first kiss was a tipsy accident without intent. Their second kiss? A scalding hot craving too overpowering to pretend otherwise. They melted into one by the lips, Preston's arms under her in an instant to flip her back first onto the blanket. At his mercy trapped underneath him, she moaned into his kiss and raked her fingers down his chest. The light scratching, her nails descending lower and lower, kicked his senses into overdrive. Manhood now alert, hardening each second, his mouth sought her throat.
For a second time, the steamy make out session rendered them forgetful of their surroundings. They lay there curled up on the sand kissing, hands on each other’s body, lost in the moment. The crunch of approaching footsteps didn’t register, but the pointed cough that followed did.
Preston and Juliette separated looking like breathless lovers caught in a haze. Giselle and Elena had spotted them and walked over, clearly amused by the zealous display of affection. They sat up immediately and righted themselves.
“Lovebirds,” Elena said, hands on her hips.
“Jules, this is a new look,” Gigi teased. “You out in the open making out like a high schooler. A couple months ago, we couldn’t get you to bring the guy by for a cup of coffee. Now I know you’re crazy about him.”
Juliette owned the ribbing with pride. “If I’d known you two were going to show up, we’d probably have kept it to the bedroom.”
The bride and her friend laughed. Preston sat idly by, on one hand sure Juliette was kidding. But that other hand? What if she wasn’t? Thoughts about them alone, graced with as much time as they wanted in that room trickled in…
“Anyway,” Gigi said, “we were gonna play a girls versus guys game of volleyball. You two wanna join in?”
Juliette rose first, dusting sand off her sarong. “Sounds like fun. Let’s put the guys to shame.”
9
The girls versus guys volleyball game was livened up with bravado from both teams. The men gathered on one side, huddled in a small circle to formulate a plan. On the opposite end of the net, the women gathered too. At first Juliette didn’t notice the ladies deferring to her, waiting on as their unofficial leader.
Four sets of eyes on her, the hint was hard to ignore. Juliette slid off her beach bag and placed it against the nearby tiki hut with the others’ belongings. Hands on her knees, hunched close together, she proposed her game plan for beating the guys.
“Elena, didn’t you used to play volleyball?”
“High school and college varsity. I was a left side hitter.”
“Great. That’s you today too. Mellie, any gripe with being on the right side?” she asked to Mellie's head shake. “Tabitha, you’re the tallest so it makes sense for you to be the middle hitter. You have the best chance with blocks. I’ll be the setter since I can help direct the team. And Gigi? Do you want to be the libero? You stay in the back and focus on defense.”
“Cool. The back lets me run off if I’m feeling like I’m about to gag,” Gigi said with a clammy smile.
“Are you okay?”
“I drank a tequila sunrise earlier that did not agree with me.”
“Sit out any time, okay?”
“Not if I can help it. Time to shut shit down!” Gigi’s yell coaxed cheers out of the other women, high-fiving and fist-bumping. The confident show was for Dominic as she tossed a taunting glance across the net at her soon-husband.
Juliette didn’t need to ask if they’d patched things up. The open flirting from through the volleyball net told Juliette what she needed to know. She made a mental note to pull her sister aside later and ask for details.
The guys balked at their preemptive bragging and promised to prove them wrong. Juliette kicked the game off with her serve, silently amused by Preston playing the same position on the men’s team. She’d also noticed that today he bonded with Dominic and the groomsmen better than the past two days. Who knew it took a spirited men versus women volleyball game to get him to vibe with the guys?
Her first serve set into motion an engaging few hits across the net. Xavier swooped in and knocked the ball back to the women’s side. Covering the left, Elena returned the favor. That time the men missed out, Lee coming up short on the save, and the ladies celebrated with more cheers.
At some point they collected a small crowd of onlookers, interested in seeing the showdown match between team bride and team groom. Even the Brosman’s came out and watched as well as Trey and Natasia from inside the tiki hut where they served alcohol.
By the end of set one, the girls led the guys. They didn’t let that bring them down, serving up the next volley with unfaltering gusto. The second set was tumultuous, with Mellie hitting the ball out of bounds and Gigi’s strike hitting the net. The other three tried to save their team, Tabitha blocking several attacks and Juliette setting up two hits that scored, but it wasn’t enough.
“We’re just getting started!” Gigi called across the net.
The guys celebrated in similar flashy fashion as the ladies, chest bumps and fists pumps, and gloating grins sent their way. Juliette rolled her eyes pointedly at Preston, volleyball in hand. Without words she was challenging him and by the glint in his eyes, he understood.
Her mind was on more than the game and so was his. The game sparked the fun rivalry between the friends, but in truth, their thoughts had wandered to earlier. She couldn’t even articulate what was going on between them at this point other than that they enjoyed each other and agreed the vacation was their chance to blow off some steam. But she had never predicted that would include blatantly crossing platonic lines.
Last night could be explained as a one-off accident. Today? Less than twelve hours later? It seemed when going with the flow, their natural inclination was to gravitate toward each other. What did that mean though? Was it mere physical attraction or was there more she blinded herself to?
Juliette shook these thoughts away, diving for a save. Her hand connected with the ball, sending it careening back over the net. Dominic leapt for a spike, his long limbs aiding him to success. The ladies lost that square off and the men scored again.
They gathered again for another huddle between the third and fourth set. While they’d started the game on a high-note, they now trailed. Juliette led the game talk, theorizing that Lee and Theodore were their weakest players and they needed to tailor their hits strategically in their direction. The other four nodded along until Gigi’s face suddenly greened.
The active game had them each flushed under the Florida sun, but the bride was sweatier than anyone. She abandoned the huddle
and dashed for the closest trash receptacle. Juliette and several of the others scrambled in her shadow.
Gigi puked the tequila sunrise she’d mentioned earlier. Juliette and Dominic stood on either side, comforting the nauseous bride. Dominic with hand on her back, he smoothed circles and asked his fiancee if she wanted a break from the heat.
“How about we go in and relax for a while? We’ll call the game a tie.”
Adoration shone on Gigi’s already moist face. She let him escort her off the volleyball court, back inside the beach house. The teams broke apart after that. Xavier, Elena and Tabitha headed off to the patch of sand where a crowd of people danced to the music blearing from the stereos. Lee and Mellie separated as a duo for more drinks. Theodore seemed content joining others at another volleyball court.
That left Preston and Juliette. Juliette grabbed her beach bag from against the wall of the tiki hut and rummaged through.
“I have some medicine for nausea in my bag. Maybe that’ll help Gigi.”
“It might be the heat. Mix that with the alcohol and it happens sometimes.”
“That’s what I’m thinking. Here it is. I’m going to run this up to her,” said Juliette. She held the bottle flat in the palm of her hand and then frowned. “That’s weird.”
“What is?”
“Where’s my phone? I thought I put it in my bag…”
“You had it earlier when we were lying down. You go inside and get Gigi those pills. I’ll check the spot by the palm tree.”
Relief embellished Juliette's smile and she thanked him for his thoughtfulness.
Inside the beach house, she located Gigi in her bedroom. Dom had gone downstairs to grab her lemon water and a light snack. Changed out of her bathing suit, her younger sister relaxed in a satiny robe.
“Feeling any better?” Juliette joined Gigi at the armchairs by the window. She handed over the pills and explained they helped with upset stomachs and nausea.
“Thanks, Jules. I think I’m making myself sick with stress.”
“Is everything okay now? I haven’t seen you since last night.”