Page 21

Chapter Twenty

“Y ou don’t really think I brought Richard’s crew to the waterfall?” William threw open his luggage.

We were sharing a room again at the only B&B in the first village we had passed. Our room was plain, with two double beds, a large nightstand in between, a comfy, stain-free reading chair in a corner, and a possibly working TV. Nothing fancy, but it had a bathroom. It was a clean place, but so different from the Erizo at Las Loma resort. But frankly, I didn’t care. I was glad we were away from Dr. Dickhead. What if we had found Augustine’s loot in the cave? What would have happened? Richard and Brie had armed guards with them, and it didn’t look like they’d brought them for protection from wild animals. I shuddered at that thought.

“I say and do stupid things when I’m drunk,” William continued, “but for your information, I wasn’t drunk yesterday. I only had one glass of rum.”

“One glass too many,” I said, pulling the cosmetics case out of my suitcase.

Thanks to all the Botox, William’s expression was unreadable, but the hurt in his eyes was unmistakable. “You were the one who drank a bottle of wine last night,” he retorted.

I slammed the door.

He was right.

I turned on the water, yanked my shirt over my head, and threw it next to my shorts on the floor. Arguing with William wore me out. I didn’t like it. I also was exhausted from wondering how Dr. Dickhead knew where to find us. I was dirty and tired. And horny. A tornado of sexual confusion swirled inside me, destroying any functional thought my mind developed. What was I going to do about Andrew? Was he still interested in me? I shampooed my hair, my nails scratching my scalp.

“Are you mad at me?” William asked from the other side of the shower curtain.

“I have so many other things on my mind that there is simply no room for me to be angry with you. It was my fault for drunk texting you. Brandon just saw it on your phone. The end.”

“You aren’t going to like this,” William said, “but I think you’re wrong about Brandon. I believed him when he whispered that Dr. Garcia works with Richard. This is how they know what we know.”

“I don’t care anymore.” I rinsed my hair. “Let’s forget this.”

He sighed. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Something is wrong. You didn’t eat much at dinner.”

While Andrew arranged the lodging, William and I had walked to a food stand and bought beef empanadas and plantain fritters for the three of us. The food tasted great, but I wasn’t particularly hungry. I turned the shower off, and William handed me a towel around the curtain. I dried and then wrapped it around my body.

“Andrew kissed me when we were behind the waterfall.” I stepped out of the bathtub.

“I knew there was something between the two of you.” He pointed his finger at me. “Details.”

I twisted the water out of my long hair. A drop ran down the nape of my neck, and it reminded me of Andrew’s fingers touching there. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment, relishing how his soft, warm lips had felt on mine, his hands sliding down my back, fingers pressing against the swell of my backside.

“It was better than I could have ever dreamed,” I said.

“I can believe it.” William dropped the cotton ball he’d used to clean his face into a garbage bin and waved his hand for me to follow him. “Come on. Spill the beans. What else did you guys do?”

In the bedroom, William plopped down on the bed and dropped his phone next to him. I tied a messy bun on top of my head and then out of my luggage I yanked a T-shirt with the words “I don’t need a mood ring. I have a face”, lacy panties, and my sleeping shorts. I dressed in the bathroom and returned to the bedroom, holding William’s body cream with a hint of shimmer. “Nothing. Richard ruined the moment.”

“I yelled to warn y’all that he was coming, but you probably didn’t hear me. Wait…” William sat up straight in the bed. “Are you planning to go to his room dressed like that?”

“I’m not planning on going to his room at all,” I lied and slathered a hefty amount of rich body butter on my hands and moisturized my legs, inhaling the soft powdery aroma. Of course, I was planning to see Andrew. But I wanted to look casual, like I didn’t plan to go there, but something came up, and I had to stop by. I just had to come up with the something .

“Why not?”

I shrugged. “I think the moment passed. He barely said a word on the way here. And you saw how he was when we got our rooms.” Andrew had grumbled good night and marched to his door.

“Riiiight.” William cupped his chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Then what’s up with the lotion?”

“Nothing.” I didn’t meet his eyes. “Just getting ready for bed.”

“You never put on lotion.”

“I do every night. I’m almost out of the one you gave me for Christmas.”

“Exactly my point.”

I rubbed lotion into my arms. “And what point is that?”

“It’s the middle of February. You should have been out of it by the end of January.”

I finished and threw the bottle into his open luggage.

Why was I putting on this show for William? He saw right through me. I was preparing to go to Andrew’s room, but I wasn’t one hundred percent convinced that tonight was a good idea. A small part of me tried to talk me out of it, and if I had known which part it was, I would have told it to back off.

William pushed off the bed, went to his suitcase, and rummaged in it. “Take these and go.” He grabbed a line of condoms, tore some off, and pressed the silver packages into my hand, then his hands went to my bun. He pulled on the hair tie, fluffed my hair up and cocked his head. “You need lip gloss. And slap your cheeks to bring color to them.” William was about to pinch my face, but I swatted his hands away.

“Stop it.” I stepped back. “I don’t need color in my face.”

“Do some crunches to give your stomach more definition.”

Seriously? Was that what he did before having sex? I mentally shook my head. I didn’t need to know.

“It’s flat enough. Why are you this way?” I was now hugging my midsection. “I wasn’t sure about this whole thing from the start, and you’re only making it worse.”

“You know I’m teasing. You’re in great shape and beautiful. But please change into a different shirt.”

“No.” I pulled my hair back into a messy bun.

“Why are you being so difficult? But fine! Fine. Just leave, please.” He took me by my shoulders, turned me around, and pushed me toward the door. “And don’t come back without details on how it went. I don’t want to see you before breakfast.” He opened the door and waited for me to exit. “Go.”

“What do I say to him?” The self-assured-thirty-something-year-old me vanished, and more panic threaded through my veins.

“Say, ‘I’m here to help you figure out the next clue.’” William leaned his head against the door. “But to be honest, hun, I don’t think you need to say anything.”

* * *

My heart hammered hard in my chest when I knocked on Andrew’s door. Some part of me hoped he was asleep and wouldn’t open it, so I could go back to my room and forget what had happened behind the waterfall. But the other part of me begged to break down the door and attack Andrew. I tugged down on my shorts. After a few more seconds, I admitted defeat. He either wasn’t there or didn’t want any visitors. Me in particular.

“Hello.” Andrew’s voice came from somewhere behind me. I turned.

He stood in the hallway holding a mug, dressed in a light green T-shirt and khaki pants. His hair was a tangled, wet mess, a five o’clock shadow covered his jawline, and the dark circles under his eyes were more noticeable than usual. He looked drained but sexy as hell. An electric current rippled through me. God, I wanted to fling my arms around his neck and press my lips to his smirk.

All I could do was stare at him, but eventually I said, “Hi.” I linked my hands behind my back and rocked on my heels. “Did you eat your dinner?”

“Yes. Thank you.” Andrew’s eyes landed on my chest, and his lips curved at the corners. He lifted his right eyebrow, dragging his gaze to my face. “What mood are you in?”

Jesus Christ. Was I that obvious?

I searched my mind for a reply, but my brain packed its bags and said, adios, amigo. You’re on your own.

I bit my bottom lip. I should have listened to William and used some lip gloss.

“Whaa-t do you mean?” I stammered. Now I stammer. For real?

“Your shirt.” He nodded at it.

Ohhhhh .

“Yes. My shirt. It’s my favorite. I like funny shirts. William got it for me. I don’t remember if it was Christmas last year. Or maybe my birthday.” First, I couldn’t talk, and now I word-vomited. Andrew’s eyebrow arched even higher, and his mouth stretched into a grin. “I was coming to check on you. To see if you… needed any help to… figure out clues and such.”

“That’s nice of you. Would you like some of my coffee? Or I can go downstairs and get another for you?”

I dropped my arms by my side, then crossed them over my chest. I had no idea what to do with myself. I shook my head. “If I have any coffee, I’ll be up until sunrise. So, unless you’re ready to be up with me all night…” My body went still and hot. Where was I going with that?

Andrew’s eyes made a slow slide up and down my body, and when they met mine, a thousand questions swirled in them. A shred of panic rushed through me. Was this my cue to saunter over to him, put my hands on his chest, and finish what we’d started?

“Well, then…” He stepped to his door and pushed the key into the lock. Metal clicked a few times, and the door opened. “Come in.”