Her Perfect Getaway Read Online Free Page A

barely find the strength
to lift herself onto the board anymore.
    “We’re calling it for the day,” he
said. “You won’t enjoy yourself if you can’t walk. We’ll start over
again tomorrow.”
    She hated giving up but he was
right. “Besides, I’ve been hogging all your surf time this
morning.”
    He grinned. “Totally worth
it.”
    She backed toward the beach. “See
you at brunch, then.”
    “Wait.” He tucked the board under
his arm and headed in with her. “I should hit the showers before I
meet up with your friends.”
    Her heart kicked against her ribs.
“You want to use mine?” The minute she said it, she wanted to bite
her tongue. Too late.
    He lifted his eyebrows. “You don’t
mind? I have a change of clothes in the van.”
    Did she mind? He would be naked in
the bathroom of her tiny hotel room. If she was smart, she’d stay
down here and just let him have her key card. Instead, she led the
way back to the hotel, stopping at the van long enough for him to
get his clothes and secure his surfboard.
    No doubt the hotel staff was used
to people walking in from the beach in their suits. But she didn’t
imagine the second looks Sullivan got as he walked with her through
the lobby toward the elevator. The man was breathtaking, with those
broad shoulders and flat belly. And heaven help her, she’d never
noticed how sexy hips were before.
    God, please keep her friends in
their rooms until brunch.
    Right, because what was she going
to do with him? Tackle him to her bed? Seriously. She couldn’t get
past the memory of his brisk application of sunscreen. There was
someone in his life.
    The elevator was crowded with
people heading the opposite direction, out to the beach. She and
Sullivan were the only ones going up.
    “So what does the hibiscus mean?”
she asked, watching the numbers, though that didn’t stop her from
thinking about licking every inch of his skin.
    “This?” He touched his tattoo.
“It’s for my mom. Her favorite flower.”
    “That’s sweet.” And it deflated
her overactive sex drive.
    He chuckled. “Most girls don’t
think so. I got drunk after she died and had it done.”
    “She died?” And there went the
rest of her libido, like a sinking balloon. “A surfing
accident?”
    “Ovarian cancer.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    He lifted a shoulder. “It was three
years ago. She’s at peace.”
    The elevator doors binged and she
led the way down the hall to her room. Her hand was shaking with
nerves as she slipped the key card into the slot once, twice,
finally finding success the third time.
    “The bathroom’s there,” she
pointed needlessly past the messy bed. She hadn’t even thought to
make it.
    “Need anything out of there before
I go in?”
    “A towel, I suppose.” She wouldn’t
be able to sit on any of the surfaces otherwise. “What were you
going to do before I offered to let you use my shower?”
    “Just hose off in one of the beach
showers. But soap is better.” He winked as he handed her a towel,
then shut the door.
    She would not stand out here
listening as he stripped, as he turned on the shower. She would not
imagine him naked under the spray, though, God help her, she could
imagine him perfectly, thanks to those low-riding board
shorts.
    She pivoted from the door and
stalked to her carry-on. She pulled out her tablet to discover the
battery had died. So much for checking in on the sly. She plugged
the thing in, then went out to the safety of her balcony, where she
wouldn’t hear the water running, and Sullivan singing in her
shower.
    A knock sounded on her door. With
her luck, it wouldn’t be housekeeping. For a moment, she considered
ignoring it—after all, answering it would invite her friends to ask
why Sullivan was in her bathroom. But another knock was more
insistent, at the same time the water in the shower turned off.
Elizabeth opened the door a crack to glare at Joslyn.
    “Ready?”
    “ Not quite,”
Elizabeth said, praying Sullivan stayed in