Page 56 of Caught Up In You (Indigo Royal Resort)
“Oh, trust me, that is not true,” he answered. He walked over to where she was sitting and crouched down in front of her. Placing an arm on either side of her, holding on to the chair for balance as he remained crouched, he closed her in so she had to listen to him. “Menina, you rescued me by showing up when you did. Promise. And I think you know me well enough by now that ‘promise’ isn’t a word I just throw around.” He looked her straight in the eye, hoping she was hearing him completely. “Tonight is about you and me, hanging out at the bonfire you enjoy so much, together. Or well, with your people, as it is.”
She held his gaze for a moment longer, as if she were searching his eyes for a sign that he was full of it. When it seemed like she was satisfied that she wasn’t going to find one, she smiled slightly. She started to say something, but was cut off by a voice that Cullen had heard before.
“Sorry to interrupt!” Maeve called out. “But I come bearing gifts!”
She sauntered over with a tray of drinks as if she were a member of the waitstaff. Cullen stood up so she could hand him a beer and a plastic cup filled with a frothy pale-brown frozen concoction that he assumed was meant for Leona. He looked at the drink and then her, raising an eyebrow in question. She reached for it, making grabbing motions with her hands as if she were a small child. He laughed lightly and handed the cup to her, but not before taking a gulp himself. Immediately his taste buds were flooded with a mix of different liquors with a slight hint of chocolate.
“Bloody hell, what is that?” he asked, shocked that someone as little as Leona would drink something as strong as that.
“That,” Drea said coming up behind him, “is a Bushwacker. Vodka, Kahlua, Crème de Cacao, coconut liqueur, triple sec, and a little bit of milk.”
“Christ…” Cullen swore. “How does that not knock you on your arse?”
“Oh, don’t worry, it does,” Kyle said, as he sat in one of the chaises and pulled Drea into his lap. “Very easy to make some really bad decisions after a couple of those. Just ask Dalton.”
“Do not ask Dalton,” Dalton drawled, referring to himself in the third person. “No one needs to relive some of those stories.” He grabbed the last beer off of Maeve’s tray and dropped into the sling chair on the other side of Leona.
The group laughed at Dalton’s response. However, it didn’t stop Kyle from offering up his favorite story of Dalton’s misadventures. According to Kyle, shortly after starting to work at the Indigo Royal, Dalton had gone out with a couple of the other employees and had been treated to his first Bushwackers. Drea and Kyle showed up to the boats the next morning to find Dalton passed out, naked as the day he was born, curled up on the bar.
“There was not enough disinfectant in the world that morning to clean off that bar!” Drea said. “It was quite the wake-up though, hopping on the boat and seeing his naked ass.”
“I was not naked, Drea,” Dalton corrected her. “I was nekkid.”
“Is there a difference?” Cullen asked.
“Naked is when one is sans attire,” he explained, playing up his accent. “Nekkid is sans attire and up to no good.”
The group burst out into laughter.
“Drea, I can promise that you won’t ever find me naked, asleep in the spa,” Maeve said.
“But what about nekkid?” Dalton asked.
“That either,” she remarked, smiling sweetly.
They’d continued on like this for a while, and Cullen found himself enjoying the relaxed, easy atmosphere, as well as the company, just as he had on the boat trip last week. It was a nice change of pace for him, being able to just be himself, easy and relaxed, hanging out with people who did not care that he was some household name. Even Maeve seemed more comfortable with the group and was actually participating in the conversation, rather than just hanging on the sidelines.
Cullen looked down at Leona, who was leaned over in her chair, whispering something to Drea. The smile on her face gave away just how happy she was too. She must have felt his gaze on her, because she turned to look at him, her smile growing wider when he didn’t look away. She winked at him, and then turned back to Drea.
“There you are!”
The conversation stopped abruptly as the voice stole their attention. Cullen turned toward the bonfire and the large group that congregated around it. Luckily most of the people were too engrossed in their own smaller groups to notice the angry, hulking man who was storming their way.
“You no good, lying, sack of shit,” Carlos spat as he approached Cullen. “Think that because you play football that rules don’t apply to you, huh? You worthless British bastard!”
Cullen had no idea what was going on, or why this guy was so upset. But he had no time to figure it out either. As soon as he opened his mouth to ask, Carlos took a swing.
Connecting full-on with Cullen’s jaw.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The crack that came from Cullen’s jaw as it made contact with Carlos’s fist seemed like it could be heard around the world. Maybe Cullen just felt that way since he not only heard that crack, but heard and felt his jaw rattle at the same time. It wasn’t the first blow to the face he’d ever taken. Hell, it wasn’t even the first one he’d taken this year, but it had caught him off guard enough that it felt like it. Stumbling backwards a step or two, he caught his balance and rubbed his jaw at the point of contact.
While he had no intention of retaliating—after all, that
wasn’t going to solve anything here—Leona was on her feet, stepping in between him and her colleague.
“What the fuck, Carlos?” she snapped.
