She saw a new wonder everywhere she looked. She was a strong swimmer, so she had no problem staying under for a good amount of time, blowing bubbles and swimming with long, smooth kicks of her fins to propel herself through the water. It would be easy to lose track of time down here, she thought with a start when she surfaced to get a few deep breaths, checked the time, and found that almost an hour had passed already. She'd swum quite some distance from the pontoon; looking back at it, she found Cory peering towards her. He gave her a wave and she waved back before popping her mouthpiece back in and going facedown in the water again, heading back towards the pontoon this time.
"Enjoying yourself?" Cory said with a grin down at her as she surfaced near his feet.
"This is incredible," Olivia gave him a glowing, happy smile, pulling her mask off. "I mean, I've seen pictures, but I always assumed they were the exception—selected highlights, you know. Not the norm. But it's just as perfect down there as in every picture I've ever seen."
"You really have to go diving with Bryce. The outer reefs have even more variety." Cory reached for a large cooler he'd brought from the boat. "Want to hop out and have a drink of water? We've got about another half hour."
She accepted his offer of a hand out and sat on the edge of the pontoon, dangling her feet in the water as she drained the bottle of water he gave her.
"Hand me the bottle," Cory requested as she finished. "Gotta make sure we take all our rubbish back with us."
"Of course."
"Going back in?" He'd stayed standing beside her, but he wasn’t looking at her, his eyes constantly scanning over the water checking on the other snorkelers instead. He took his job seriously, which Olivia genuinely appreciated. She wouldn't have wanted a man who flirted while he was supposed to be looking out for the safety of others.
She went back into the water for another swim and mainly floated along the surface this time, watching the schools of brightly colored fish darting among the coral and thinking that when she went into town to buy a new laptop, she'd have to have a look at waterproof cameras. An Instagram was just one of the ideas she planned to implement for Sunfish, and posting new photos from the Reef every day would be a big draw.
Chapter Seven
On the way back to the resort, everyone was quiet, tired from their exertions. Olivia sat staring vaguely out over the blue water, her mind whirling with plans. She barely noticed when Cory sat down alongside her, but when he casually put his arm around her shoulders, she flinched with sudden pain.
"Ouch!"
Startled, he pulled back. "Olivia? Are you okay?"
His arm had really hurt when it pressed against her, and now that she was thinking on it, the skin all over her shoulders and back felt sore and tight.
"Oh my God. I'm such an idiot."
He leaned back and looked at her, at the T-shirt she was wearing over her bikini. The white T-shirt, which was drying out now and was no longer quite as alluringly transparent as it had been earlier.
"You forgot to put sunscreen on under the T-shirt, didn't you? Forgot that you'd burn through it once it got wet."
"I'm such an idiot," she said again, tears starting in her eyes.
"Shush, it's okay. It happens. Look, when we get back, go straight to your cabin and take a cool shower, okay? I'll help Jodie clear the boat and I'll come straight over with a bottle of aloe. We'll get you through it." He pressed a light kiss to her brow.
"Olivia?" Cory tapped gently on her screen door. The glass door to the inside of the cabin was open, but the drapes were drawn behind it. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah," came the soft reply, and he opened the screen to enter, pushing aside the drapes.
She lay facedown on the bed, wearing only a pair of cotton bikini panties. Cory sucked in a breath at the state of her back, broken by the white lines where her bikini had covered her. The sunscreen had done its job on the backs of her thighs, and she'd obviously worked it up onto her shoulders as well, but her lower and upper back were an angry red.
"Oh, honey. You're gonna be really sore for a few days."
"Don't rub it in." She turned her head to the side, resting her cheek on the pillow, and stared at him. "Or rather, if that's aloe you've got in that bottle, do rub it in. Lots of it."
"Certainly is." She was in the middle of the bed, so Cory had plenty of room to sit down on the edge, crack open the bottle, and pour a generous amount of aloe into the middle of her back. "This isn't exactly the way I'd hoped to get my hands all over your beautiful body," he teased as he gently smoothed the thick gel over her burned skin.
"Wasn't what I had in mind either," Olivia griped, "but since it feels really good, I'm not complaining." She smiled crookedly up at him, and he couldn't resist leaning down to kiss her. "You'll need to do it at least a couple of times a day until I'm all better too," she added cheekily when he straightened back up, and Cory couldn't help but laugh. God, she was a delight; he'd been attracted to her from the moment he saw her, but in getting to know her, he realized she was so much more than just an admittedly very pretty face.
"I am your willing slave," he jested, pouring on some more aloe when he saw that her skin had already soaked in the first application. "You should really stay here under the air conditioner for tonight at least; can I get you something to eat? More water?" He saw an almost empty water bottle on the night stand; at least she was drinking. She'd need to.
"Both, please. I skipped lunch because I was worried about getting seasick and I'm starving," Olivia confessed.
"No headache?" A headache could indicate sunstroke as well as the burn, but she shook her head.
"Honestly, I feel fine apart from an extremely sore back."
He finished smoothing the thick gel into her back, then went into her bathroom to wash his hands. "I'll be back in a bit with some food. Anything in particular?" He recalled that she had a good appetite, having seen her eat lunch yesterday. He wouldn't skimp on the portion.
"Anything, I'm not fussy." Olivia shrugged and winced as the movement tugged at her sore skin. "Could you get me some more water? There's a jug in the fridge in there." She waved a hand vaguely at the door that led into the lounge.
"Gotcha." Cory picked up the near-empty bottle, headed into the next room, and came face-to-face with Suzannah. She raised her eyebrows, looking past him at Olivia lying facedown on her bed in only a pair of panties.
"Well, you certainly move fast, surfer boy," she drawled, looking amused and highly entertained.
"It's not like that. She's got a sunburn."
Suzannah's smirk vanished at once. "Merde, on her first day? How did you manage that, Olivia?" She pushed past Cory and bent over Olivia with a concerned frown. "Oh, that is going to hurt."
"Already does, but Cory's been generous with the aloe." Olivia gave her roommate a wry smile. "My fault. I forgot I'd burn through my T-shirt once it got wet, and didn't put sunscreen on my back before I went snorkeling."
Cory came back in with the water bottle and set it down on the nightstand. "I'm gonna go get her some dinner," he said. "Are you working tonight, Suze?" He suspected he knew the answer; the restaurants were just about to open and the chef would have already been in action for quite a while if she were on duty.
"No." Suze shook her head. "My night off. Which is good, I can keep Olivia company and we can get to know each other, yes? In fact, if you are going to be room service waiter, Cory, you could bring me some as well." She grinned at him, and he threw his hands up in surrender, laughing.
"I shall return!"
"You comfortable?" Suzannah asked as soon as Cory was gone. "Need more aloe?"
"Has it soaked in already?" Olivia groaned when Suzannah confirmed it had. "Yes, please. But just to clarify, I had no problem with Cory being here and rubbing it in for me."
Suzannah laughed throatily as she picked up the aloe bottle Cory had left behind. "Trust me, sugar, I wouldn't have a problem with that hunk of delicious man rubbing his hands all over my naked bo
dy either!"
Olivia couldn't help but giggle at Suzannah's remark, delivered in her thick French accent that could have made reciting the telephone directory sound unbearably sensual. Suzannah had brought in her laptop, and the two girls lay side by side on the bed, swapping favorite websites, when Cory returned bearing a covered tray.
"It's amazing what results I get when casually mentioning that this was for you, Suzannah," he said, hooking an ankle around a chair and pulling it up to the end of the bed. "Why do I have the feeling all your kitchen staff are terrified of you?"
"Because they are," she replied, perfectly unruffled. "If a chef's staff are not calling her a tyrant when her back is turned, she is not doing her job properly."
Olivia and Cory just looked at each other.
"You'll never understand, so don't try," Olivia warned. "I did some marketing campaigns for restaurants in New York. The chefs are a law unto themselves, and it's pretty much expected. I don't think they live in the same world as the rest of us."
"We live in the world of good food," Suzannah said regally, claiming the bags Cory had brought with him and opening them, sniffing inside each and wrinkling her nose. "Let us see what offerings my followers believe are fit for consumption tonight."
Cory tactfully headed into the lounge while Olivia sat up and pulled on a loose shirt. He returned with plates and cutlery, dragging the table over to the end of the bed so Suzannah could lay the food out on it. She sent him back to collect soda from the fridge, and he grinned at her.
"I can do better than that. I've got beer at my place."
"Fetch." Suzannah flipped her hand at him.
Olivia giggled as Cory trotted off to do Suzannah's bidding. "You are so bossy. Does everyone just ask how high when you say jump?"
"Why would they not?" Suzannah arched her brows curiously.
"Wow, I admire your confidence. Do you have a boyfriend?"
"Non. I intimidate a lot of men." Suzannah gave a very Gallic shrug. "But if a man is intimidated by me, then he is not man enough for me anyway. I'd prefer no man at all than a weak one." She slid a plate over to Olivia. "Here. Tell me what you think of these."
Cory returned with a six-pack of cold beers, setting one down in front of each of the two girls and twisting the tops off. "Would you like a glass?" he checked with Olivia, suddenly wondering if she would think they were uncultured for drinking directly from the bottle.
"No, it's fine." She smiled up at him, picked up the bottle, and took a long sip.
Olivia couldn't remember the last time she’d such an enjoyable evening. The food Suzannah's staff had sent her was absolutely amazing, the beer ice-cold, and the company excellent. They must have been making enough noise to sound like quite a party, because Rosie soon tapped on the screen door and came in to join them. Bryce, the dive instructor, followed not long after, though Cory promptly sent him back out for more beers.
"I think she's asleep."
Olivia roused enough to mutter, "No 'm not," and heard Cory's quiet laugh.
"Yes, you are, angel. Shh. I've kicked everyone out. Let's get that shirt off and I'll put some more aloe on your back before you sleep."
"I can do that," Suzannah's accented voice said, but Olivia waved her off, sitting up to fumble at her shirt buttons.
"No offense, but I like Cory's hands on me better."
Suzannah laughed, nudging Cory. "All right, but you, keep those hands on the burned parts only, hmm?"
"Scout's honor," he promised.
"Do you even have Boy Scouts here in Australia?" She was maybe a little bit drunk, Olivia realized, as her words slightly slurred. She'd only had three beers but that was a lot more than she usually drank these days. In her time at the center of the social whirl of New York, she'd probably had a much higher alcohol tolerance.
"Yes, we do. Need the bathroom? Come on, those teeth want scrubbing." Cory helped her up and into the bathroom, going back out to give her privacy but not quite closing the door, insisting she keep talking to him. When she came back out and gave him a grumpy look, he even managed to keep his eyes on her face and not her exposed breasts as he led her back to bed and helped her get comfortable on her stomach.
"You're such a sweet guy," Olivia mumbled as he poured more aloe on her back and smoothed it in gently.
"I'll be honest and say that my thoughts are not at all sweet at the moment." He lightly stroked the two dimples on either side of the base of her spine. "And that if you weren't so badly burned, me giving you a back massage would be a prelude to something other than sleep."
Olivia smiled into her pillow. "Can I get a rain check on that?"
"Anytime." She felt a gentle kiss on her nape, then Cory drew the sheet gently up over her. "Get some sleep, Olivia. And stay out of the sun tomorrow!"
"Stay," she said impulsively as his weight lifted off the bed.
"Hmm?"
"Would you stay? And just sleep here?"
"You sure?"
"Yes, please."
"Give me five minutes." He left her alone but was back in less than the time he'd promised, breath smelling freshly of toothpaste. Wearing a T-shirt and boxers, he slid into bed beside her. "This okay?"
Cheek turned towards him on the pillow, Olivia gave him a sleepy smile. "Perfect."
"Sleep well then, angel." He leaned over to kiss her lips gently before turning out the light.
Chapter Eight
Olivia woke with a sore, stinging back, and an exceptionally comfortable front. At some point during the night, she'd apparently migrated completely atop Cory and now lay with her cheek on his chest, head tucked under his chin, breasts pressed against his rock-hard abs, their legs tangled together. It could scarcely be a more intimate position.
Cory was still asleep, his broad chest rising and falling slowly. It was a comforting rhythm, and if Olivia hadn't been so sore, she'd probably have been soothed straight back to sleep. As it was, one of his broad hands was splayed across the small of her back and she felt hot and sweaty. Edging carefully off him, she headed for the bathroom.
"What time is it?" Cory mumbled sleepily as she returned.
"Almost six," she replied quietly, checking her watch.
"Ugh, I gotta get up. I'm taking a group on a rainforest hike." He sat up, eying her appreciatively in the early morning light filtering past the blinds. Olivia smirked at him as she sat on the bed, making no effort to cover her bare breasts.
"Getting a good view there?"
"Magnificent," he breathed, eyes riveted as she deliberately took a few deep breaths. Giving himself a shake, he reached to the nightstand. "But I know the back view won't be pretty. Down on your face, angel."
She lay down without a word, extremely keen to get another soothing layer of aloe on her back. The skin felt hot and tight; she hadn't gotten much of a glimpse in the dimly lit bathroom when she peered over her shoulder at herself in the mirror, but enough to know that her back was practically glowing.
"You should really stay here and rest today," Cory said, generously slathering the aloe over her back. "I'll get someone to bring you some breakfast and check in on you through the day. I've got a really busy one scheduled, unfortunately. I'll get some more aloe for you too."
"I don't want to be a bother, and really, I should get up..."
"You should absolutely not. I saw Luke last night when I was fetching dinner and told him you'd got a nasty burn; if he sees you around the resort today, he'll be ordering your ass back to bed, so you may as well stay here."
"I'll go mad with boredom!" Olivia protested mutinously.
"No, you won't, because Suze left you her laptop." Cory gestured to where it sat on the desk. "She'll have it connected to the resort's staff Wi-Fi too, so you can binge on Netflix all you like."
"Netflix and chill?" Olivia gave him a wicked grin as he moved away, heading for the bathroom to wash his hands.
"In the most literal use of the term, yeah." He grinned over his shoulder at her, so she knew he wa
s aware of the colloquial meaning. "But when you're better, I would love to Netflix and chill with you."
Cory dropped a kiss on her cheek and smoothed her hair before departing. "Try and get some more sleep," he said before closing the screen door quietly behind him.
Feeling wide awake, Olivia thought she wouldn't go back to sleep, but she must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew, there was a quiet tapping on the screen door.
"Olivia, you awake?"
"Uh-huh," she managed vaguely. It was a woman's voice, so she didn't worry about pulling a sheet over her, though she wished she had when the door slid open and Jill came in.
"Hey." Jill set a tray down on the desk. "How are you doing... oh wow, that is some burn. Cory wasn't exaggerating."
Her back felt sore again; too much so to hold on to her pride. "Would you put some more aloe on for me?" Olivia begged pathetically.
"Of course. Cory told me to bring more." Jill held up a fresh bottle. Her expression looked genuinely sympathetic, Olivia thought. "I'm sorry."
Did her words have more than one meaning? She sounded contrite rather than just sympathetic. "What for?" Olivia asked as Jill squirted a fresh glob of aloe onto her back.
"I've been a bitch, and you didn't deserve it."
Olivia lay silent for a moment before saying, "I feel like someone's read you the riot act. Was it Cory?"
"Rosie, actually. She said you were really nice and it's none of my business who Cory wants to date. Which is absolutely true." Jill's hands stilled on her back. "He's not really a player, if you hadn't figured it out yet."
"I was pretty sure."
"Yeah, it's pretty obvious." Jill sighed and got up, going to wash her hands. "I'm not really still in love with him," she said, returning and sitting at the desk, reaching to put the tray beside Olivia on the bed. "I was just... jealous that he's finally moving on. He hadn't so much as looked at anyone in ages."
Olivia said nothing, just picked up the sealed cup of orange juice on the tray and opened it. The tray held a covered plate that contained a still-warm croissant and a flaky Danish, a little pat of butter on one side. "I don't suppose your olive branch extends to making me a coffee, does it?" she asked hopefully.
Finding Cory Page 6