Kalinda and I both look back at him, surprised.
“I’m not your manservant,” he says in an irritable voice. “Get your own bags.”
Shoving a hand through his sandy hair, he picks up his duffel and stalks past me.
Rolling my eyes, I head to grab my own bag. Kalindi trails after me as I follow Erik up to the front door and inside.
Everything is hushed inside the neatly decorated house. The clean, modern lines of the main living room are to my right. To my left is the formal dining room, it’s light oak furniture somehow still looking right.
Erik disappears down the hall and I can hear him clattering up the stairs. I follow him, hoping that a room that overlooks the ocean is still available.
“Are we the first ones here?” Kalindi asks as we climb the stairs.
“No. I think we are the last, actually. Stellan and Margot got here yesterday. The rest of my brothers and their guests came in earlier today.”
I sprint all the way upstairs and down the hall, pleased to find the room I wanted still open. I call down the hallway. “Come in here! There are two beds.”
Tossing my suitcase on an empty double bed, I go over to the floor to ceiling window and push the heavy privacy drapes aside.
The whole beach is right there below me, the patio the only thing separating me from the beach.
I see a clump of Løve boys down on the beach. Stellan stands and stretches. Margot’s bright pink hair bobs around next to him as she sits on a beach blanket.
“Whoa,” Kalindi says.
I turn to her with a frown. “You’ve been here before, Kal.”
She tosses her suitcase on the second bed, admiring the view. “That doesn’t make the view any less spectacular though, does it?”
A smile tugs at my lips. “No. You’re right about that.”
She tilts her head at me, an empath to her very core. “Are you still trying to figure out what cause to champion?”
I give her a rueful smile. “Yes. Everybody just expects me to know what charity to back. But none of them really make sense to me. Not even the fashion-based charities. Like… okay, your whole marketing thing is about how everything you make is made out of recycled plastic bottles. Good for you. But I’m not your shill.”
Her brow wrinkles. “I can point you in the direction of some great medical causes.”
Heaving a sigh, I turn back to the beach. “Maybe later. You know, it’s too bad we came down so late. The sun is already beginning to set.”
“Yeah. Wait… did you take your little green pill?”
I shoot Kal a look. “Yes, mother. I took my crazy pills this morning. No burgeoning mental breakdown on the horizon today. Besides, I’m at a lower risk for having panic attacks way out here. The press isn’t around.”
She smiles. “I’m just checking up on you. You know me. I’m a mother hen until my last breath.”
I shoot her a rueful smile. “Thanks. I mean it. But you can hang up your stethoscope for the weekend, Dr. Kal. It’s time to have fun and kick back.”
She wiggles her arched brows at me. “There is a hot tub, if I remember correctly. We should definitely get in that thing as soon as we possibly can.”
“Umm… we should definitely go do that, right now.” I change into my barely-there bright pink bikini and head downstairs. The hot tub is on the tiny back porch and currently unoccupied.
I lean down and turn on the levers controlling the hot tub. As I do, Erik strolls by on his way out to the beach.
Our gazes catch. His eyes widen a fraction as they slide down my body. He stumbles for a second, taking me in. Then he yanks his gaze away from me, scowls, and trots off.
My mouth opens. Of course, Kalindi wasn’t here to see what just happened, so there isn’t an easy way to know… but I’m pretty sure that Erik was just attracted to me. He may not like my personality, but my body appeals to him on some level.
I look after him, watching his tautly muscled frame. He’s wearing a sleeveless gray t-shirt and swim trunks that are clearly designed for men with normal proportions. His tanned knees and hairy, toned thighs are on full display.
I cock my head, thinking about it. I guess I feel the same way about him, now that sexual attraction bubbles to the surface. I know I like to tease him about it… but I think there might be a real spark between us, somehow.
I get the distinct feeling that he would rather die than admit it to me, though.
Kalindi comes out onto the back porch, two flutes of sparkling rosé clasped in one hand, a bag of snack chips in the other.
I take one of the glasses from her, taking a grateful sip. “Mm. Oh, this is just what I needed.”
She dips a toe in the now bubble-filled jacuzzi, letting out a loud sigh of pleasure. “Oh, that’s nice. I’m getting in.”
I climb in too, taking another sip of my wine. Copying Kalindi, I sit down facing the beach. My gaze slides over to the figures on the beach, finding Erik again without even really meaning to.
He stands away from the crowd, watching Stellan and Margot with a blank expression. I can’t help but wonder what is going on behind that placid mask he always puts on.
I lean back, enjoying the heat and the bubbles that surround me.
“What do you think of Erik?” I ask. It just sort of pops out of my mouth, unheeded.
Kalindi frowns as she opens the bag of chips. “What?”
I feel myself redden slightly. “I mean… you know. Do you think he’s attractive?”
She arches a slim eyebrow. “Do I? Of course. I’m not blind. He’s a true Scandinavian. That fetching hair of his. Well, he doesn’t have blue eyes. But his eyes are certainly interesting. They’re piercing. He has Viking blood, I’m sure of it.”
I push my cheek out with my tongue, setting my glass of wine on the deck. “I always wonder what he is thinking about.”
Kal looks thoughtful, turning her gaze to the beach. “Yeah, he is definitely hard to read. But that’s part of what makes him attractive, I think. He’s handsome and mysterious.”
She munches on a chip. I reach for one, crunching down on it. It’s salty and tangy and delicious, dissolving on my tongue.
“Hey, remember what we were talking about last weekend?” I ask.
She squints. “You’re going to have to be more specific.”
I bite my lower lip. “About… my… issue? I’ve been so coddled and protected my whole life that…”
Kalindi’s brows rise. “Are you talking about how you are still a virgin?”
I blush to the roots of my hair. “Ja.”
She sighs. “I’ve told you this a dozen times. I’m a virgin too. There is literally nothing wrong with it. I’m… saving myself.”
I pull a face. “For whom?”
She rolls her eyes. “I don’t know. For marriage, I guess. Anyway, that is not the point. The point is obviously that you shouldn’t be in a hurry to lose your virginity.”
I roll my shoulders, loosening some knots. “I wouldn’t say that I’m in a hurry… but don’t you think Erik would be sort of perfect? He’s hot. And I get the feeling that he’s been with enough women to do it right. Omigod, and can you imagine the look on Momse’s face if she found out?”