Ginger laughed and pulled Carly along. “You’ll get used to it. I promise.”
“Look, if I decide not to take off the sarong, just shut up. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”
“Everyone else is in bikinis and you’re going to sit there all covered up?”
Carly glanced down at the brief strip of material tied around her breasts and ending at the top of her thighs. “All covered up? I wear more clothes than this to bed.”
“Yeah, but you usually aren’t looking to get laid.”
Carly’s gaze darted left, then right.
“Nobody heard me. Come on. If the guys left without us, I’ll be pissed.”
“What do you mean left?” Carly dug in her heels. Ginger had talked her into meeting up with the guy she’d been dancing with last night. He apparently had come with two friends, both of whom, according to Ginger, were gorgeous. “I thought we were just meeting them on the beach for a drink.”
“We were thinking we might go water skiing.”
“You know how to water ski?”
“No, that’s why I need you with me. So I won’t look so bad.”
“Thanks,” Carly muttered. She would have been better off hanging around the lobby hoping to catch Rick. She wanted to talk to him one more time before making any rash decisions. Maybe they could work something out…have a little fun.
She was still wildly attracted to him and there was the advantage that she knew he was safe, as far as not being weird or perverted. After a week, he’d probably be just as ready to move on as she would. Him back to his job and fast city life, and her back to Oroville.
As many downsides as there were to small-town life, she truly loved the pace, the familiarity, the safety. So she had to trade off some excitement. Heck, life was a tradeoff, wasn’t it?
“Come on.” Walking backwards as she tried to motion Carly to hurry, Ginger nearly ran into a guy with shoulder-length dark hair and orange swim trunks.
“Hold on there, sweetheart.” The guy grasped Ginger’s shoulders, preventing the collision.
With a startled cry, Ginger spun around. “What the—” Her voice died on the warm salty breeze when she caught sight of the hunk she’d crashed into.
Right beside him in red trunks with a smooth bare chest was Rick.
Carly’s breath caught.
Carly could barely keep her eyes off Rick. She’d seen him without a shirt before, but he’d been sixteen and a little too thin. Not anymore. Holy—
“Hey, Carly.” Rick smiled. “So we meet again.” Without taking his gaze off her, he inclined his head toward the other guy. “This is Tony Marretti, my buddy from college. Carly’s a friend from way back.”
A friend. She sighed to herself. That’s all he’d ever considered her, even when she’d had an impossibly mad crush on him for the entire summer.
“Nice to meet you, Tony. And the bulldozer is my friend Ginger Robbins.”
The guys grinned. Ginger glared at her. But only for a moment and then her attention was directed solely on Tony.
“You two just cruising the beach?” Tony asked, obviously interested in Ginger, as well.
“Yup,” Ginger said at the same time Carly said, “No.”
Seeing Rick in the flesh again brought on waves of second thoughts.
Last night under the covers in the dark it had been easy to believe they could possibly have a harmless little fling. But the way her stomach tensed and knotted just looking at him, maybe it wasn’t such a hot idea.
Ginger gave her the eye—one that said she liked this opportunity better than the one they originally intended to pursue.
“By the way, I’m Rick Baxter,” he said to Ginger. “An old friend of Carly’s.”
“Are you kidding?” Ginger grinned. “I know all about you.”
Carly groaned and took her friend by the arm before she said anything she’d have to kill her for. “We have to go now. We’ll see you guys later.”
“Hey, wait a minute.” Ginger jerked away. And took Carly’s sarong with her.
Carly tried to grab it, hold the fabric in place, but the knot over her breasts untied and the sarong slid to the sand. She stooped to get it but Rick was quicker, and snatched it up. But didn’t hand it over. Instead, he stared. He stared at her breasts, then roved her belly and lingered on her thighs. The look in his eyes was of raw desire and it made her so hot she thought about running for the blue Caribbean water.
But then he’d see the back of her suit. Or lack thereof. God help her.
“Thank you,” she murmured and held out her hand.
His gaze narrowed as though he didn’t understand, and then comprehension registered and he handed her the lime-green fabric.
“Don’t put that back on,” Ginger said, trying unsuccessfully to grab it. “Doesn’t she look good in that bikini? You’re fretting for nothing.”
That did it. She was going to kill her. Or better yet, tell her how much redder the sun made her hair. Ignoring them all, and keeping her gaze lowered, she retied the sarong over her breasts and then tugged at the hem to cover the tops of her thighs.
Tony noisily cleared his throat. “You two want to go have a beer or something?”
“Sure.” Ginger was all smiles.
Carly sighed. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“What?”
“Justin. Didn’t you promise we’d meet him?”
Ginger waved a dismissive hand. “It’s too late now. By the time you had to go buy a new swimsuit and all—”
“Fine,” Carly said, cutting her off before she said something Carly didn’t want to hear—and didn’t want the men to hear. “Let’s go have a drink.”
“Great.” Tony took Ginger’s hand. “The pool bar makes awesome pina coladas.”
Rick stared at Carly, a hurt look in his eyes. “Hey, if you don’t want to join us, no problem.”
“I didn’t say that.”
Ginger stopped. “Of course she wants to come. Why wouldn’t she?”
Rick’s gaze stayed on Carly. “Your call.”
Ginger gave her a private wink and then lifted a coy gaze to Tony. “Let’s go find some shade.”
“I agree.” Tony gave both Rick and Carly a puzzled look before steering Ginger toward the hotel.
Carly wanted to run after them. The sudden silence between her and Rick was awkward. “Come on, let’s go join them,” she finally said.
“Nah, I don’t think so.” He threw the towel he was carrying around his neck. “I think I’ll go for a walk. You go do whatever.”
“Rick?” She laid a hand on his arm when he started to turn around. “I know I hesitated. It’s just that I don’t want to intrude on your vacation. Ginger can be a little overbearing at times. Besides, last night I got the feeling you were trying to brush me off.”
“Hell, no.”
“You disappeared so fast. What was I supposed to think?”
“That had nothing to do with you. Anyway, you were acting a little weird yourself. I figured you came with a jealous boyfriend or something.”
“Nope.