The Honeymoon Prize (11 page)

She nodded, noticing a burst of air bubbles rather than a steady stream from Wes. A sigh, perhaps?

Wes motioned to his air gage, then waved.

Yay! They’d outlasted the crew. Well, Wes. With a smile, Addie kicked toward the little fish Nick had pointed out.

She stared through her goggles at the fish, who stared back at her. The fish darted around the plant, then disappeared. Guess he didn’t want company.

Ready for a breath of air without the snorkel, she raised her head out of the water, pushed the goggles on top of her head and cleared the wet hair plastered against her face.

Nick joined her on the surface. His mask came up. The snorkel hung at the edge of his mouth. He hugged her. “A win for Team Cahill.”

“We work well together.” The victory hug felt pretty darn good, but then again, she enjoyed every minute and activity with Nick. “Now let’s call it quits. We’ve been in the water so long my wrinkles have wrinkles. And I’m thirsty.”

“Cosmopolitan time or another frou-frou umbrella drink?” he asked.

She raised her chin. “I happen to like umbrellas. I’ll be taking a collection home with me.”

“A good thing I’ll have room in my bag.”

The film crew’s dinghy motored toward them, cameras pointed their way.

Nick cursed. “They’re still filming us.”

Addie sighed. “So much for beating them.”

“Guess they want the money shot.” That was what Nick called their kisses. “How does short and sweet sound?”

“Good.” They’d named their kisses while floating on a raft for two and being brought an endless supply of Piña Coladas. Tried and true. Short and sweet. Passionate and prolonged. Long and lustful. Hungry and hot. Explosive and everlasting. Not that she could describe the differences between anyone of them, except short and sweet. That one she could handle, even if she longed for more. Addie wiped the water from her face. “Hard to do anything else while treading water wearing snorkel gear.”

The boat came closer.

“Ready?” Nick asked, his arms around her.

No, but she nodded anyway. “Showtime.”

Addie kissed him. Her mouth moved gently over his, the taste of salt and water and heat on his lips. She loved how he tasted, how he felt.

He tightened his arms around her, pressing his mouth against hers.

Sensations pulsated through her. She reminded herself to kick so Nick wasn’t holding them both up.

“I’ve got you,” he murmured.

He sure had. Addie would never get enough of his kisses. She clung to him, opening her mouth wider and deepening the kiss. He followed her lead, pulling her closer, until she felt his heartbeat against her breast.

Heat built within her. A growing ache, too. Need.

A warning bell sounded in her head.

Short and sweet.

Oops. She kissed him once more, then pulled back, expecting him to let go of her. He didn’t.

His charming smile made her want to kiss him again. But she knew that wasn’t necessary. The film crew had what the needed. Unlike her. She wanted . . .

Don’t go there.

Nothing more was possible.

Nick grinned. “That was more hungry and hot, than short and sweet.”

“You complaining?”

“Not at all.” His mouth slanted. “Looks like they got their money shot and are finished.”

Her lips throbbed from his kiss. She forced herself not to touch them. “I’m finished, too.”

“It’s been a long day.”

“I’m ready to go back to the
bure
and rest.”

“A nap is in order. Don’t forget. We’re having dinner at the resort, then drinks at the bar. Time to mingle and meet other guests.”

“Bored with me?” she joked, though she wouldn’t blame him if he were. Sleeping and shower time was the only times they hadn’t been together since they arrived on the island five days ago. “I won’t be offended if you are.”

“Nope.” His arms slid from around her, making her miss his warmth. “But if we tell the crew we’re having another private dinner, they’re going to want to film us.”

“Good point,” Addie agreed. She enjoyed their dinners alone, but not having to deal with the film crew while she ate would be a relief. “Getting out and socializing with the other guests will be fun.”

H
ours later, she stood at the bar next to Nick, wishing they’d eaten alone and were being filmed by the crew. Oh, she’d been having fun until five minutes ago when a beautiful, busty strawberry blonde woman in a low-cut blouse sat at the opposite end of the bar. Addie might have been out of the dating scene for a while, but she recognized the I-want-you signals being sent Nick’s way. She couldn’t believe the nerve of the woman.

Who flirted so blatantly with a guy’s wife next to him?

Addie’s blood pressure spiraled. She fought the urge to flash her wedding band and kiss Nick on the lips. Territorial, yes, but the need to stake her claim was strong, even if she had no more right to him than the flirtatious stranger.

Nick didn’t seem to notice the attention, but everyone else, including the staff, was staring at her. Maybe Nick was ignoring the woman or pretending not to see her. They were getting good at playacting, the line between real and fantasy sometimes blurred, but Addie hadn’t forgotten their agreement. Discrete affairs were okay. A reasonable request given this was going to be a five-year marriage of convenience.

So why did the woman’s blatant interest in Nick make Addie so uncomfortable and a little sick to her stomach?

Maybe she thought he’d take a break from flirting around during their honeymoon. Maybe she needed more food—a get-her-through-this chocolate something or other.

Addie touched his shoulder. “I’m going to see if any chocolate mousse is left.”

He picked up his beer. “I’ll come with you.”

She wanted him with her, more than anything, but this was part of their arrangement, for better or worse. Putting off the inevitable would only make dealing with women flirting and wanting to pursue Nick harder the next time. “Stay here and finish your beer.”

His forehead creased. “You sure?”

“I’m sure.” Well, sort of. She was curious to see if he flirted back.

He smiled at her. “Enjoy the dessert.”

Addie nodded again. She shouldn’t be upset or disturbed or anything. Yet she was.

She walked to the outdoor dining area, took a bowl of chocolate mousse from the dessert display, then sat at a table with a direct view of the bar where she could see Nick. Well, his backside. She kind of understood why a moth might dive-bomb a tiki torch. She couldn’t look away.

Before she stuck her spoon into the dessert, the strawberry blonde sidled up to Nick. She held a drink in one hand and touched his shoulder with the other.

Not wasting any time.

Addie shoved a spoonful of mousse into her mouth. The whipped chocolate went down smoothly, but she could be eating white rice for all she tasted.

Nick chatted with the woman. Addie could only see the backs of heads, but she imagined they were smiling, especially the woman. Addie stabbed her spoon into the mousse.

The woman flipped her hair behind her shoulder with a practiced flair, the kind reserved for actresses, supermodels, and socialites. Nick laughed. The woman pressed her chest against his upper arm. He didn’t move away, but downed the rest of his beer as if he wanted to get out of there.

Reality smacked Addie in the stomach. This didn’t look like flirting but wanting to fool around. She covered her mouth with her hand.

Darn him. Couldn’t he have waited until they were off the island? If he got caught, he would blow their happy couple cover. Would Nick think sex with a stranger was worth his job and Emily’s?

Yes.

The Nick that Addie had known most of her life was a lady’s man, player, heartbreaker. But here on the island, she’d forgotten. Forgotten about his dating habits. Forgotten about his reputation. Forgotten about women’s response to his good looks and charm.

She shouldn’t expect Nick to act differently. That went against his nature, but watching him now felt strange, almost . . . wrong. She didn’t understand why.

Back in high school, when Nick had asked out one of her friends, Addie had told herself being his long-term friend was more important than being his short-term date. When he was deployed, she’d understood and supported him when he proposed to Carrie, knowing his baby needed a father. But Addie couldn’t rationalize why she wanted to dump her bowl of mousse on the woman’s head. Or why Nick needed to do this
now
?

When Addie wanted him sleeping with . . .

Well, not with another woman.

The bartender placed a cocktail and another beer bottle in front of Nick and the woman. The strawberry blonde raised her glass in a toast, the way Addie had done with Nick on the airplane and their first dinner. The mousse hardened in her stomach like a leaden weight.

Okay, she didn’t expect Nick to be celibate for the next five years, but she hadn’t imagined feeling so conflicted over seeing him with another woman. And tonight was only the beginning.

Could she handle this for the next five years? Did she have a choice?

Addie had no idea, but she couldn’t watch any longer. She stood, then headed for a path that didn’t go past the bar.

Not that Nick would notice she’d left. He hadn’t glanced at her once. He was too preoccupied and enthralled with the woman to care about Addie.

And his not caring hurt more than she ever imagined.

N
ick took a swig of his beer. The woman named Chantal pressed her hip against his thigh. She bent to give him a better view of her breasts through her low-cut top. Sexy, but the executive assistant, on the island to attend a wedding, needed a lesson in subtlety.

“I went on a long hike today.” The your-place-or-mine gleam in her eyes suggested she would be open to whatever he wanted tonight. “My muscles are so sore.”

A week ago—hell, five days ago—he would have been all over Chantal, flattered by her interest and eager to see how far he could take this. Pretty far, given her touches and body language.

But tonight her attention annoyed him. He wasn’t interested in getting hit on or making any moves. The bartender had brought over another round of drinks when he finished his beer. Two sips and Nick was ready to get out of here. He’d seen Addie’s reflection in the glass artwork above the bar. He wished she would finish her dessert, come back and save him from Chantal. But he seemed to be on his own. “Those hikes can be tough.”

“Mmmm-hmmm. A back rub would be heavenly.” Chantal leaned closer, her breath warm against his ear. “How about you come to my
bure
and help me feel better?”

Talk about easy. None of the film crew was around to follow him. Nick could avoid being seen by the resort staff. He had Addie’s permission to do what he wanted. Nothing stood in the way of his having a night of hot sex in the tropics.

Except he didn’t feel like doing that.

Nick took a long pull from his bottle. The beer felt cool down his throat.

Why was he being so good tonight? Not his usual MO.

The gold band on his finger shone beneath the lights hanging from the bar. Years ago, Addie’s grandmother had told him the wedding rings symbolized a union—a lifetime of love with no end. He’d been a teenager, but had never forgotten her words, because they were the antithesis of his parents’ marriage. He’d thought of the words when he ordered an engagement ring for Carrie over the Internet. He’d remembered the words when he was buying two gold bands for him and Addie.

“What do you say?” Chantal’s tone sounded hopeful. “Ready to go?”

What the hell was he doing here with this woman instead of Addie?

“No.” The word was sharp and decisive, but he wanted Chantal to know he was serious. Real marriage or fake one, he wasn’t going to fool around on his honeymoon. Addie deserved better. He set his beer on the bar. “I’m married.”

“I know, but you’re so hot I don’t mind.” Chantal fluttered her eyelashes. “No one will find out.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Sex wasn’t part of his and Addie’s marriage arrangement, but he wanted to spend time with her, no one else. “I’d know.”

Chantal pouted. “But—”