Page 20

Learning

T

hey completed their walk along the beach and made it back to the pool about ten minutes before Anna and Avril reappeared. When they did so, looking similarly contented about the way they’d spent their past hour, Liam stood. It was finally his turn. To experience, yes, but also to learn. Tess’s compliments remained loud in his ears. He did want to be the best he could be. For them, for himself, and for those hopes he had, numerous as they were. They were multiplying too, proliferating on a rapid scale.

“Enjoy,” Avril said, brushing by him as they traded places. “We’ll be here, gossiping about you.”

“Have at it,” Liam said, certain they’d each have more positives to share than negatives. “I’ll see you when I get back. You too, Anna.”

Trotting past the resort, heading in the opposite direction of their bures, he passed palm trees and the small parking area, used only by the handful of vehicles the resort used to pick up passengers from the runway. Not long after, he saw the small building—very similar to the one he and Avril had fooled around in yesterday—where, at long last, he’d be the one lying on the table.

Litia, or who he presumed to be Litia, was the only employee inside. She was a pretty woman, closer in age to Victoria and Tess than the students, with a warm smile that appeared instantly when she spotted him. Her hair came down midway down her back, as dark as Anna’s, albeit wavier.

“Hi,” Liam said, stepping under the thatch roof. He was immediately grateful for the shade.

“Hello, Liam,” she said, dipping her head slightly. “My name is Litia. I’ll be providing you with your massage today.”

After a short explanation about what he could expect, his experience with massages, and some other small talk, Liam situated himself on the leftmost massage table in the cozy room. He kept his swimming trunks on, and Litia began to select her oils.

As Tess had suggested, she was more than happy to answer his many questions about her art. While she undid all the stress in his body, he received a masterclass on becoming a better masseuse.

Throughout his time with her, Liam sighed a good dozen times. Litia’s adroit hands moved down his body, judiciously eliminating the tension and knots in his muscles. He’d never felt so relieved in his life, and he wondered why he’d never gone and gotten a massage before. This whole time, he’d known how much Tess and the others loved them, so why hadn’t he assumed the same would be true for him?

And Litia did it all without any pauses or hesitation. That, he realized, was something he could work on, though he knew he’d need time to develop his muscle memory before he was anywhere near her level. She engaged him in almost an hour of conversation without missing a beat. Without missing a single muscle, too. By the time their time was up, Liam felt like a new person. Like he’d been a rusty piece of metal, yet Litia’s touch had worked out the years of rain and wind, making him shine as if he were brand new again.

“Thank you,” Liam said as the massage came to an end. Sitting up, he felt more fluid now than he could ever remember. “For the massage, of course, but also talking me through so much of your thought process.”

“You’re very welcome,” Litia said. “I’m sure your girlfriend will be very happy to have such a studious boyfriend.”

Hopefully, all of them will be, Liam thought. He smiled and thanked her again. It seemed she did assume that the many marks on his neck were due to a single woman. She’d obviously massaged those very spots, and they weren’t exactly subtle signs of the romantic behavior he’d gotten up to recently.

But hey, this island is known for its romantic getaways, he thought, eyeing the other table in the room.

“Enjoy it?” Avril asked once he returned to the pool. They were all still there, having waited for him.

“I feel great,” Liam said honestly. “I’m sold on getting massages, now.”

“Another hope?” Tess asked, which caused Avril to throw a confused look her way.

Liam nodded, looking at her and Victoria. “Definitely.”

“We’ll add it to the list,” Victoria remarked.

They didn’t spend too much longer at the pool. Deciding to have dinner back at Tess, Anna, and Avril’s bure, they left their orders and a request for a delivery time with the restaurant, then journeyed up the beach.

“This seems familiar,” Avril said, tapping her chin as she nodded toward the sun, which crept toward the horizon. Liam knew what she meant. They all probably did. It wasn’t there yet, but around the time their room service arrived, it would probably be pretty close to touching the meeting point between sky and ocean. A near replica of their first evening in Fiji.

Avril made a point of turning toward Victoria, who was relaxing at the deck’s circular table. The younger woman stared at her for a few seconds, then overtly lifted an eyebrow.

“What?” Victoria, who knew what, asked.

“We wait on your pleasure, Madam Champion.”

“You can keep waiting,” Victoria said coolly. “It’s been all of five days since we played. Strip poker is supposed to be a unique experience, not a rote thing that’s penciled in on the schedule every week.”

“I’d be down for a weekly game,” Avril said, grinning.

“We know you would,” Tess said. “But you set the rules. As the inaugural winner, Victoria gets to decide when—or if—another game occurs.”

Avril huffed and glared at the voluptuous brunette. “You winning is the worst thing that could have ever happened to us.”

Victoria lazily shrugged. “You didn’t seem so upset about it at the time.”

Avril rolled her eyes, yet four people could have called her a liar had she disputed Victoria’s claim. Her blatant stares had been as hungry as Liam’s on that night. Her hopes for the future were likely pretty in line with his own. Unfortunately, she hadn’t yet had a chance to turn them into reality.

She seemed to realize that, so Liam also received a glare from the beautiful redhead. He smiled and shrugged. He wouldn’t come to her aid this time. He already had evening plans, and he didn’t want to do anything that might disrupt them.

As it had been since the first night, the food they ate was excellent, the sights they saw were marvelous, and the company Liam enjoyed was better than both. Out on the deck, experiencing the cooling effect of twilight, Liam didn’t go a single minute without smiling, grinning, or laughing. It helped that he could now openly flirt with all four women—and sometimes multiple of them at once.

Early on, Avril teasingly commented on all his hickeys, leading him to offer her a spot on his neck that the older women hadn’t yet marked. Never one to be cowed by a bold offer, Avril slid over to him and brushed her lips across his neck, though, perhaps still as a way to get back at him for refusing to share what reward he had in mind for Anna and Victoria, she didn’t leave her mark. A few soft kisses were all he received.

He held Tess’s hand for a time, cuddling with her on the same lounge chair. Their love was as blazingly bright as the stars shining overhead, but only three could set their eyes on them. Later, he found a chance to end up alone with the woman of his dreams, where the softness of their love got a little rowdier for a time.

Victoria allowed him numerous chances to nestle up next to her. She even let him pull her onto his lap for a time, where he ran his thumbs across her smooth legs and arms. He could detect the scents of her shampoo—and that, of course, ignited a memory that he treasured. She glanced at him, aware of the object building in size and hardness beneath her butt.

“A little while longer,” she assured him.

Even Anna seemed pretty comfortable about his open signs of affection—toward her and toward the others. She let him kiss her several times, and she initiated the contact a few of those times. Her smile was breezy and relaxed, and her shoulders didn’t have any of the tension that he was used to seeing at times like these. It all helped him feel more confident about tonight.

It was getting closer. With the sun barely a wobbling sliver of orange-gold on the horizon, he still needed to count the time left in hours before he’d end up alone with Victoria and Anna. But this time didn’t pass uneventfully, and they didn’t just lounge about on the deck for the whole time.

After enjoying dinner, they relaxed with a good hour or so of relaxed company as they digested, and then they stretched their legs on the beach. Tomorrow’s plans, the penultimate day of the trip, came up swiftly, with the idea of a private picnic on Yawini Island rising to the top.

“We should see if it’s available,” Tess said. “We could even spend the whole day there. I saw it suggested as an option in the resort’s brochure binder. They’ll deliver us there, pack us food, even bring us food from the restaurant if we want.”

“We have to visit it at least once,” Avril agreed.

“Funny that you two should be the ones to push for this,” Victoria said.

“What’s that?” Avril asked.

“If we make a day like that, then Anna and I won’t have enough time left for our private picnics or dinner dates. Since Avril’s already claimed hers for the final day. Which will be your second.”

“Oh, please,” Avril said. “You’ve had more alone time with this lucky bastard than anyone else on the island. That more than makes up for things.”

“That was your doing, not mine,” Victoria said coolly.

Avril made a face. “Well, you can tell us to fuck off on your birthday whenever you want. So, you can have even more time alone with Liam.”

“And me?” Anna asked.

“You can also tell us to fuck off at some point. And you have to say that exactly. ‘Avril, my best friend, who I owe so, so much to, and Tess, Victoria, my respected professors—fuck off.’”

There was a glint of amusement in Victoria’s eyes as she nudged Anna. “Perhaps we can discuss our plans. When it’s just the two of us.”

Avril threw her hands up and loudly complained about having the worst almost-aunt on the planet.

The time on the beach whittled away the time until Liam would feel safe about faking a yawn or two. He knew he’d receive multiple eye rolls when he finally did so. As they’d done on the first night, they eventually looped back, though they returned to the resort to ask about their plans for tomorrow. Unfortunately, Avril brought back news that the beach was booked for tomorrow.

“How about on our final day?” she asked the group. “Close out our vacation the right way.”

No one objected.

So, with their plans for a blissful seventh day set in stone, Liam found himself bothered by only one question—one that had been on his mind for a while. Did that make it more or less likely that tomorrow was Victoria’s birthday?

A completely isolated day with the people she was closest to seemed like a perfect way to spend a birthday. Avril had wanted to set things up for tomorrow, but she, for once, didn’t get to have her way. So, didn’t that suggest that tomorrow was the day?

Unless it’s another of her ploys, Liam thought, kicking himself over his lack of vigilance.

He hadn’t been privy to everything Avril and Tess had discussed with the resort employee at the front desk, but they’d been there a while. It could have been that they were asking after decorations and the possibility of a birthday cake, but knowing Avril, she might have just talked about inane things, knowing that he might be scrutinizing how much time she spent making her plans.

And she might even be lying about the beach being unavailable tomorrow…

That was the problem with loving such a devilish woman. He could never be sure if she was sowing seeds for another scheme or not.

Instead of trying to figure Avril out, he ended up staring at the birthday-girl-to-be, which she quickly noticed. Reading his mind as if it were a poster hanging on the wall, Victoria smiled slyly.

Liam ground his teeth together. He knew she wanted him to get it right, as her pleasure was just as on the line as his was, so would it kill her to be a little less strict about helping him out?

But no, besides that coy smile, he received none of the assistance he wanted—and Avril was obviously a lost cause. He didn’t doubt her stubbornness in the slightest. Clearly, he had two types, not just one. Loving, kind, generous women like Tess and Anna, and then ones who confounded and grated on him with their headstrong natures.

Once their plans were set, the five of them headed back to their favorite hangout. Unfortunately for Liam, it was that time of the night, the one every vacationer inevitably experienced. Too late to find any meaningful activities to do, too early to tuck in for the night. So, he meandered around for a bit, spent some more time tiding himself over by nestling up close to four beautiful women, and tried not to get too impatient.

He failed. His eagerness to abscond with Anna and Victoria fell upon him like claws dropping from the night sky. He’d managed to distract himself for a couple of hours, but this final one really cut him open. He almost looked for an excuse to speed things along, because who cared if he grabbed Victoria and Anna by the wrists, then rushed them toward a bed he didn’t intend to sleep in for quite a while? Everyone knew something was going to happen tonight. It wasn’t like he needed to cover that up.

But then Anna answered a video call from her mom, and Liam found himself having thought about action for too long—the chance was gone, or at least delayed. Wisely, he stayed out of the camera’s focus for the most part, as even in the darkness, Evelyn Royce might have noticed all the marks on his neck. It was possible she wouldn’t have minded, but it was probably for the best if she didn’t assume that her daughter had worked over his neck like an insatiable vampire.

“Only a little longer,” Victoria said, gently bumping into him.

Before he could respond, Avril—a little harder—bumped into the opposite shoulder. “Be good to my best friend, you two. This’ll be her first sleepover.”

And probably a few other firsts, Avril seemed to be implying.

“We will be,” Liam said. “She’ll be positively glowing when you see her tomorrow.”

“Lucky her,” Avril said. “Not everyone gets an experience involving Liam Carr and Victoria Moreno. Well, no, everyone else has, seeing as what transpired at the pool today. Everyone except for…”

Liam rolled his eyes but seized the dangling bait. “You know, if you’d been a little more helpful yesterday or today, I might be more willing to see if we could work you into our busy schedule.”

Beside him, Victoria raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet. He took that as meaning she was willing to let him speak for them both.

“That’s cruel,” Avril whined.

“It’s exactly the same thing you did to me.”

“And I’m cruel. I thought everyone already knew that.”

Liam snorted and kissed the cruel, maverick, and oh, so beautiful woman. “You’ll just have to make a few moves tomorrow, or on our final day, while we’re all alone on that island. I’m sure you’re seductive enough to make something happen.”

Avril flattened her mouth into a fine line. “I don’t like this. You’ve become way too cocky. Now that you know there are three other busty sluts ready to drool on your cock, you’re feeling yourself way too much.”

“ Who’s a ‘busty slut?’” Victoria cut in.

“You’re the bustiest of them all,” Avril said, pointing at the obvious evidence presenting itself for all eyes to see. “Maybe the sluttiest, too.”

“Liam?” Victoria asked. “Do you agree?”

As hard as it was to detect anything in Victoria’s inscrutable expression, he finally pierced the ice. Grinning, he slung his arm around her waist and pulled her into him. She allowed it. She more than allowed it. Turning in, she pushed her amazing breasts into his side.

“Absolutely. The bustiest, the sluttiest, just the best. ”

Victoria didn’t say anything, but she remained in place against him.

Avril glared but didn’t stop doing pretty much the same thing to him on the other side. “If Anna and Tess were here, you’d think twice about saying something like that. You could make a woman weep, saying things like that in front of her, reminding her of what she hasn’t been able to obtain.”

“I don’t think you can do much about becoming the bustiest woman here,” Liam said, “but the other two?” He grinned as he shrugged. “You’ve been enabling everyone else so much on this trip, so I haven’t gotten to see Avril Knight at her sluttiest.” He looked toward Victoria. “Do you think that’s a fair assessment, Professor Moreno?”

Agreeing with a nod, Victoria measured her opponent with a cool look. “The Avril Knight I know was always pushing boundaries. She was always at the edge of the frontier. But on this trip?”

“Cruel, rude, hateful people,” Avril grumbled. “I don’t know why I hang around you two. But fine, I’m open to hearing criticism. Maybe I have been being too helpful, considerate, and wonderful lately. I can go back to being more selfish.”

“I’m not sure you still have it in you,” Liam said, which earned him looks from both women standing next to him. Okay, maybe he’d played things up a little too far.

“Liam,” Avril said dryly, “I will suck your cock right now, in front of everyone. Hell, I’ll start while Anna’s still over there on a video call with Evelyn. Give her a chance to see the total manwhore her daughter’s fallen for.”

Liam flushed slightly, imagining such an event. He also liked the idea more than he probably should have. Sans Evelyn finding out, of course. Yeah… of course.

“Not tonight,” Liam said, throat a little drier than it’d been a moment ago. “I need all my stamina for later.”

“Mmhmm,” Avril said, rolling her eyes. “You just be careful, young man. Now that all the secrecy has evaporated and we all know what’s what, I will strike back. That goes for both of you.”

“You and I still need to have a conversation or two,” Victoria said seriously. “And then… we’ll see.”

The peerless green of Avril’s eyes flared a little brighter. Everyone in their group knew that Avril was pining for the same woman that her brother had once intended to marry. And although that relationship was distant history, it had still happened. Liam didn’t blame Victoria for wanting to have a discussion about their relationship, which was far more complex than even his relationship with Tess.

“When you want it, my time is yours,” Avril said.

Victoria nodded. “We’ll have it soon.”

A handful of minutes later, Anna wished her mother a good night. At that point, Liam just couldn’t wait any longer. He announced that he was ready to split the group for the evening. Coy smiles and a few shared looks followed, but he ended up getting his way. Anna went inside and grabbed everything she needed for the sleeping portion of the night, which would eventually happen.

Just not for a while.