Key West by Lacey Alexander (top android ebook reader .TXT) 📕

He motioned toward the big vat of red liquid next to him behind the bar. “Rum punch?”

“Sure.”

As he passed her a full cup, their fingers brushed and without quite planning it, he let the touch linger. “I’m Chris, by the way.”

“I’m Carrie.”

“Where are you from?”

“Maryland.”

He nodded. “So, Carrie from Maryland, are you ready to party?” he asked, unduly interested in her answer. He couldn’t explain why, even to himself, but something about a cute girl like her ending up in a wild place like Key West, alone—as she’d told him earlier—had him intrigued.

She looked pensive. “To tell you the truth, I’m not much of a partier. Or a drinker.” She concluded by taking a big sip of the rum punch and the irony made them both laugh. “It’s good,” she said, pointing to the cup.

“Mixed the tub myself,” he said, winking. “And our rum punch has been known to turn people into partiers, and drinkers. But…if you’re really not into that, this might not have been the best cruise for you.”

She raised her eyebrows in playful accusation. “You’re the one who picked it for me.”

“I know.” He flashed a sheepish, teasing expression. “But you looked like a fun girl. I went with my first impression.”

She stabbed her fists playfully at her hips. “I didn’t say I wasn’t fun. I guess I’m just…not sure what to expect from this.”

“Well, I could tell you, but that would ruin the suspense, wouldn’t it? And what’s vacation without a little taste of adventure?”

She looked only half convinced, even as she said, “I suppose.”

“And hey, who knows, maybe you’ll get into the spirit of things if you try. I’ll even help.”

“How will you help?”

“However you want me to.” He let the corners of his mouth curve into a thin smile as his eyes bore into hers. What the hell did he like about her so much? Maybe the fact that she wasn’t coming onto him from the word go? Again, not that he disliked forward women, but flirting with her was different—in a good way. More innocent, maybe, but that didn’t stop him from wishing he could push up her little angel shirt and take a peek at what he suspected were a lovely pair of breasts, didn’t stop him from wondering how it would feel to sink his cock into what was certain to be a pretty little pussy. Hell, maybe the air of innocence about her made him want it worse. “Tell me something,” he said, peering a little deeper into her eyes. “Are you really such an angel?”

She tilted her head, looking delightfully uncertain and making him wonder just what secrets she might have to hide. “If I’d known this shirt was going to…brand me, I’d have worn something else.”

His let his gaze dropped unabashedly to her breasts. “I’m glad you didn’t.”

“Why?”

He grinned. “Because you look hot in it.”

He enjoyed the thin veil of pink that suffused her cheeks. Damn, when was the last time he’d seen a girl blush just because he’d said she was hot?

She cast a shy smile. “You know, it was actually sort of a joke—a shower gift from my sister.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Shower? As in wedding shower?”

She took another long sip of her drink, which he thought might be starting to make her more relaxed. “Yeah—Diana’s the family wild woman, and I’m just the opposite, so she thought the shirt would be funny.”

He glanced down at her left hand, but no ring resided there. “So, are you married yet?” Don’t be married, he thought. He’d done a lot of wild things in his day, but he didn’t do married women.

She shook her head. “Not even engaged anymore. That’s why I’m here. I’m technically on my honeymoon, but I don’t have a husband.”

Thankful but curious, he tilted his head. “Uh, what happened?”

His angel sighed and lifted her gaze to his, suddenly looking frank. “Well, I was at the church yesterday, wearing my wedding gown, ready to walk down the aisle. But I misplaced my bouquet and when I started searching for it, I opened a door and found one of my bridesmaids giving my fiancé a blowjob.”

He blinked and pulled back, stunned, and hoped his eyes conveyed his condolences. “Damn, that’s brutal.”

She shrugged, now peering down into her drink as she swallowed another sip. “Yeah. It was pretty awful.”

“What did you do?”

She took another deep breath, and he felt sort of bad making her talk about it, but on the other hand, he wanted to know. “Well, it was chaotic, as you can imagine. I ran out, he chased me and begged my forgiveness, and I told him to go to hell. Diana threatened to kick him in the balls, and my other sister, Liz, took care of announcing that the wedding was cancelled.”

He set another drink in front of her, even though she wasn’t quite finished with the first. “Here. You need this. Hell, you deserve it.”

“Diana talked me into coming on the trip anyway, since it was already paid for.”

“But no one came with you? One of your sisters couldn’t tag along?”

She shook her head. “They both had to fly home for work tomorrow. But I thought maybe that was for the best, that maybe I could use the time alone to unwind.”

“You know, Key West is a great place to do that. A great place to just forget about your problems and have a good time.”

She gave a wry chuckle. “Well, I don’t think I’ll actually have a good time, but I can at least sit by the pool and clear my brain.”

He gave his head a knowing tilt and hoped she would take his next words to heart. “I seriously suggest you try to have some fun here. That’s the best way to get that jerk off your mind.”

She glanced down, looking slightly bereft, and Chris was trying to think of something else comforting to say when he caught sight of Scott waving him over.