Page 84 of Tiger's Voyage

Kishan tugged my arm impatiently.

“Let’s go, Kells.”

“What’s the rush?” I teased.

He stiffened, and I heard a simpering female voice say, “Why, aren’t you the sweetest thing? Inviting me to spend a few days here with you!”

I peeked over Kishan’s large bicep and locked eyes for a split second with Ren, who had suddenly appeared arm in arm with a woman. His eyes widened briefly when he saw me and then tightened as he glared. I glared right back, but he quickly looked away and smiled at the curvy piece of insubstantial cotton candy that had attached herself like a leech to Ren’s arm. She pushed past Kishan and me and boldly made her way up the ramp.

“Oh! Isn’t the garage so huge! Is that a motorcycle under that cover? I justlovemotorcycles. Especially when they belong tobig, strongmen,” the voice purred.

“The garage is not very exciting,” Ren said. “Come on, Randi. Let’s check out the pool instead.”

The Barbie-shaped blonde turned to look at us. Her gaze flitted up and down my frame and, after quickly dismissing me, she turned her attention to Kishan. Her collagen-injected lips widened to something resembling a smile. “Wait a minute, gorgeous. You haven’t introduced me yet.”

Ren edged forward stiffly and said, “This is my brother, Kishan, and this is Kelsey.”

“Why, I’m charmed to meet you.” She brazenly sauntered over and put her hand on Kishan’s bicep. “My, my, they sure grow them big in India, don’t they?”

“This is Randi,” Ren finished.

Randi turned her attention to me when I asked if she was from America.

She blinked prettily. “America? Oh, yes. I’m from Beverly Hills. And where are you from?”

“Oregon.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I could never live in Oregon. I need to have the sun. Oregon’s much too cold. If I lived there, I’d never be able to lay out on the beach. But I can see laying out isn’t something you like to do, so Oregon’s probably the ideal place for you, then, isn’t it? I think everyone should know their place in the world and stay in it. We’d all be so much more comfortable then, wouldn’t we? It’s been so nice to meet you.”

Randi smiled at me evilly, the way the winner in a beauty pageant would smile at the runner-up. On the surface she was polite, but beneath the white smile was a layer of something very unpleasant.

“Shall we go then, handsome?” She winked at Kishan before following along after Ren. Randi didn’t walk up the stairs—she wiggled her way up them. As they left, she trailed a finger down Ren’s arm, pouting, “Are we going to swim? All I have is my one bikini, and I really shouldn’t be getting it wet.”

“I’m sure we can arrange to get you another one,” he said.

“Oh, aren’t you just the sweetest thing.” She leaned over and pressed a slobbery wet kiss on Ren’s mouth as the two of them disappeared around the corner.

Kishan and I stood there quietly for a moment, and then he said, “You might want to close your mouth, Kells.”

“What? Who? How?Whyis she here?”

He sighed. “She’s a girl Ren met last night. In fact, I was planning to talk with you about it right after Wes left.”

“You knew about her and that she was like …that?”

“Yes and no. I hadn’t met her yet. Ren just told me about her.” Kishan frowned. “Her parents also have a boat and are staying in Trivandrum. The good news is that theDeschensets sail again in a few days so she won’t be here long.”

“Well, I don’t like her.”

“Hmm. We’ll do our best to avoid them both. How does that sound?”

“Sounds good to me.”

But avoiding Ren when he didn’t want to be avoided was impossible. Later that afternoon, I was sitting in an outdoor lounge chair reading. A shadow fell across my legs. I finished my paragraph and leaned over to pick up my bookmark.

“Back already?” I asked, assuming it was Kishan.

“No.”