Page 39 of Special Delivery

Jordan raises a cynical eyebrow. “Did you? It’s so interesting to hear you love shopping. Dad certainly has a type.”

Roger glares at her, but Mom simply continues, “Yes. To be honest, I’m obsessed with collecting magnets from places I visit, so we spent half the day finding the perfect one.” She glances at Roger lovingly, and he smiles back at her.

“That sounds wonderful. I would love to see your collection one day.” Emma earns herself another point while her wife looks down.

“And you, Paige? What did you do?” Roger asks her.

She glances at me, panic evident in those beautiful blue eyes, before moving her gaze back to her dad. The fire show has started, but I’m fully focused on the woman in front of me.

“Erm… I wrote, mostly.”

“How’s your column coming along?” Mom leans in with interest.

“Oh, it’s coming… along.”

I inhale a sip of my drink and it sprays out of my mouth, drawing attention from everyone at the table. Paige’s eyes are wide and panicked, so I lift both of my hands in the air.

“Sorry. Choked on a sip.” Once my throat finally recovers, my lips pull into a smirk, one that makes Paige’s flushed jaw tick.

“How did you spend the day, Ryan?” Roger asks.

Well, I came in my pants after your daughter rubbed her sweet little pussy all over my thigh, sir. I opt for a politically correct answer. “Just went for a run in the morning and hung out on the beach afterward.” Because I love the way her cheeks look fully flushed, I add, “If you need any help with your column, Paige, let me know. Sitting around doing nothing isn’t my thing, I’d love to help.” I follow it with a wink reserved only for her.

“That’s nice. Isn’t that nice, sweetie?” Roger asks her.

Her throat bobs as she swallows, her bottom lip practically shivering. “Yes. That’s very nice of you, Ryan.” Our eye contact is very brief before she drops her gaze back down.

“Work will have to wait a bit, though,” Roger continues. “I gave you two days off, but we’ll be back on a boat tomorrow. We’re going snorkeling.” The excitement in his voice is practically palpable, and I can’t deny I feel I tiny sliver of it, too.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Paige

We’re entering the villa when Emma stops directly in front of me. “Are you feeling okay? Your face is redder than it was yesterday, and you seem off.”

“Well, thank you, my darling sister-in-law. You look great, too.” My voice is laced with sarcasm.

“I’m serious. Maybe you’re getting a fever? Or you ate something bad?” She presses a hand to my forehead before determining my temperature is fine.

Ryan retreats to his room with a parting smirk, and I barely suppress a growl. I’m angry with him. All throughout the show I was trying to keep my cool and fought the lunatic smile that wanted to break free. His little taunts didn’t help. Nor did the fact that he looked downright edible in the white linen shirt, with a dusting of chest hair peeking out.

Jordan closes the front door. “Is that why you left me all alone out there?”

“I’m fine. What do you mean?” I respond with a question.

Emma releases a loud sigh, glancing toward the hallway where both Ryan’s room and mine are. “Why don’t we go talk in our bedroom?”

The three of us enter the main bedroom, and Jordan drops to the bed. “It’s like you weren’t even there. We’re supposed to be finding intel to stop this wedding. Between making heart eyes at Ryan and avoiding us altogether, I’m not sure you remember that.”

“I don’t make heart eyes at Ryan.” She shoots me a pointed look. “But don’t you think we’re getting too old for this? Being a duo on a secret mission made sense when we were thirteen, but we’re twenty-eight now.” I sit on the bed next to her.

“Unfortunately, no matter how much older and more mature the two of us get, he’s still acting like an immature teenager. It will be our job to pick up the scraps when this thing inevitably falls apart.”

“Maybe she’s different. She collects fridge magnets, for fuck’s sake, not designer bags like Julia, or sports cars like Tiffany.”

“God, those bags were hideous,” Jordan comments, making me laugh. “Remember when we scribbled all over one of them?”

“What?” Emma asks.