STELLA

I was already slapping my hands to my very naked breasts, humiliation pouring over me in torrents.

Dear God, had I inadvertently become some sort of predator by flashing dozens of people, children included, on the beach? I groaned, wishing I could cover my face somehow.

"This is a family beach!" someone hollered indignantly from the sand.

Killian waded through the water that had receded to our hips and was being pulled further out, standing before me and quietly shielded me from the view of other people.

"My bikini!" I pleaded. "Can you see it?"

He scanned the water, frowning. I was silently grateful that he wasn't smirking or seemed to find the situation humorous, but I had little hope that the other half of my swimsuit would be found in the churning mess surrounding us.

"God, Stella..." Killian turned about slowly, sweeping the water with his hands. "I don't see it... hold on." Then he was moving, surging through the waves, and leaving me exposed.

"Killian!" I hugged my breasts tightly, cursing, but then he was returning to me with my black bikini bralette held like a trophy he had won, a wide triumphant grin cracking his cheeks.

"Got it!" The item was extended to me as if he expected me to simply take it from him. I quirked an eyebrow sardonically and his smile faltered. "What do you need me to do?"

"Come closer," I grumbled. He was unfailingly sweet, assisting me as he was. Lord knows what I would have done had I been alone. Killian moved forward until barely any space separated us and I turned around. By now the water had receded until it merely swirled about our calves, but I scanned the waves carefully, not trusting the ocean to remain calm as it was. "Can you put it round my front and do up the back?"

He obeyed the directive wordlessly and assisted me manoeuvre each arm inside the respective straps without being told before securing the clasps at my back. After a quick adjustment, I was decent once more and when I turned back to him, I found half a smile on his face.

I narrowed my eyes and poked my index finger into his chest. "Not a word," I warned, though my tone was lightened as appreciation and humour drifted through me. He'd always been thoughtful, and instead of guffawing outright at my predicament, he had wordlessly assisted me. My heart gave a pitiful squeeze, which I was determined to ignore.

I refused to allow him to wedge himself in there. No way...

My warning earned me a chuckle before he gestured towards the shore, back to where our umbrellas and towels were planted in the hot sand. "Come on, Stels. Let's get you outta here before someone calls the police on ya for indecent exposure."

"Har har."

***

The first and last time I travelled internationally with Mia Thomas, hotel security was called up to our room, armed with a complaint that loud squawking had been heard originating from our location in the early hours of the morning.

It had been, in fact, Mia's drunken ramblings after one too many buckets at a Koh Phangan Full Moon Party.

But that was simply who she was- loud.

Tenacious.

And rather highly strung, in my personal opinion, though I would never say it to her face.

Her voice could be heard through the glass sliding door that I had closed to give myself some privacy while I took a call from Zahra, an editorial assistant for a publication I wrote the occasional piece for.

"You'd need to document your stay daily on your social media platforms," Zahra was saying, "but we will have the contract drawn up and emailed to you by tomorrow."

"I've written a piece on the Maldives before," I hedged tentatively, eyeing the group behind the glass doors. I needed to conclude this call and join them, I admitted to myself. Business on a holiday was not my style, but it wasn't often an opportunity like this one was given to me. So when I saw I had a missed call from Zahra once I'd returned from my embarrassing ordeal at the beach, I knew it was something important. Normally, my freelancing gig was limited to a travel product I used during one of my trips, or self-publishing my blog pieces with revenue generated through the adverts embedded into the site. There was a small stream of monthly income from three travel guides I'd published, but ultimately the travel market was saturated with enthusiastic and unique voices. Being snatched up for a project this... big... wasn't something I had anticipated.

Dreamed about, sure.

"You wrote about doing the Maldives on a budget," Zahra huffed. "This is considered a promotional piece for the resort. Look, I'll email all the details for you to go over, this is primarily a courtesy phone call to ascertain your initial acceptance of the project. Oh, and we are still waiting on your blog piece about Mongolia, by the way."

Ugh, I would be burning the midnight oil tonight, in that case. It was for the best- the notes would still be fresh in my mind. The sooner I got the piece done, the better. Normally, after a trip, I would spend the subsequent week contriving and editing a written piece, along with social media posts that aligned with the content and promoted it. The detour for Sadie's wedding was hindering the progression of my routine.

"I'm working on it," I grumbled. "I am on holiday, by the way."

"You're always on holiday, Stella," Zahra pointed out wryly. "And I can't mention anything concrete yet but... well... let's just say that we are very interested in the Mongolia piece. There may be some big potential for you there- promotional, contractual... Look, can I tell Dylan that you'll take on the Maldives project?"

"Five days at a luxury resort in the Maldives? Ew, no thanks."

"Very funny. Is that a yes?"

"Yes, darn it, you can tell Dylan I'm in," I chuckled. Dylan, Zahra's superior, would probably just grunt and continue with his daily existence in the same, stone-faced manner he normally did once he heard of my acceptance.

The glass door slid open and Mia barrelled through it. Short, bossy, and tenacious came to stand near me, wearing an impatient look while I concluded the rest of the call.

"STELLA HUXLEY!"

"Are you standing near a parrot?" Zahra asked, perplexed.

"Look, I have to go. Email me the details, OK?"

"YOU BETTER NOT BE WORKING RIGHT NOW, STELLA!"

I gave Mia a speaking look as Zahra added her formal goodbye, and then I ended the call and clutched my phone to my chest. Almost immediately the device vibrated, and I wondered if the information had already been sent- which was a possibility. Zahra was the fastidious sort- she probably had the email typed up and ready to send before she had even called me. For now, I ignored the message and wrapped my arm around Mia, pulling her stiff shoulders in for a hug.

"Who, me? Never."

"Oh my God, it's so good to see you again!" Mia's voice dropped a few octaves now that she had acquired the attention that she desired, and the rest of the group piled out the door to congregate around the patio table. "Where the hell have you been? Did I see on Instagram that you were dogsledding in Mongolia?"

"Yup, you saw right. No need to get your eyesight checked." I grinned and released her, dropping into a nearby chair. Mia stood back and eyed me up and down in that discerning way of hers. She was in jeans and some sort of formal navy blazer, and I couldn't imagine that she was too cool in the outfit considering the blistering temperature outside. With her light-brown hair tied back, she looked officious... as if she had just stepped out of a meeting.

"Please tell me you packed something else to wear other than other bikinis this time?" Mia implored. She turned and addressed the other three people who had also taken seats around the table and passed around a few beers. "When we were in Thailand, she only wore one bikini the entire time. I'm not joking."

"Mia, we were at the beach." I rolled my eyes, accepting a beer that Killian slid to me from across the table. Thailand was years ago and the only holiday I had ever endured with one of my close friends. "I am at the beach. If I am not swimming now, I probably will be soon enough."

"Good point," Killian agreed, and I met his eyes from across the table. They were glinting with ill-concealed humour, obviously remembering the way I had exposed myself to families just a few hours before. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Anyway, everyone is in their swimming gear," I pointed out, gesturing with my beer to her jeans. "You're the odd one out here."

Mia sniffed indignantly and then joined us at the table, reaching for her own beer. "My point is that there is an entire itinerary that we will be following leading up to the wedding, and you can't wear a bikini to some of the places I have lined up."

I barely suppressed a groan. There wasn't a chill bone in Mia Thomas's body. She always needed a plan, a schedule, a routine to carefully coordinate her life. In Thailand, there wasn't a day that went by that she had not prepared for- from the very food we had to eat at breakfast to the jammed-pack activities we had to do throughout the day. She was the polar opposite to me, and it was anyone's guess how we had remained friends for as long as we had.

"Well, there is my bridesmaid dress I could wear out," I mumbled behind the narrow neck of the beer bottle. Only Killian seemed to hear me, determined by the faintest twitch of his lips.

"I hope that is for the girls specifically," Sipho remarked, cradling Sadie in his lap as he considered Mia.

"Of course." Mia lifted her nose in the air. "Your best man should be coordinating things for you."

Killian snorted.

"Perhaps Mia should make one for you guys, too," Sadie giggled.

"We're good, thanks though," Sipho said quickly.

"They'll be jealous once they see all the fun stuff I've planned," Mia remarked, brushing an imaginary piece of lint from the sleeve of her jacket.

"Like what exactly?" I couldn't help myself, I had to know.

"Tomorrow, we have appointments at the salon- waxing, nails, tanning- the whole package! And then we need to hit the shops- just you and I, Stels, to prepare for the bachelorette."

I took a sip from my beer, finding the less I said about it the better. If this holiday made me more exhausted than the one before it, I was going to push Mia off a boat at some point. My phone buzzed again, reminding me of the correspondence I needed to confirm, and I couldn't help taking a quick glance at the screen.

But it was not an email notification, as expected, but rather a private message from an unsaved number. I unlocked the screen and opened it.

Don't suppose you have any spare ear plugs? I think Mia's room is next to mine.

I glanced up at Killian with my brows raised in query. He merely leaned back into his chair, a bland smirk on his face.

The second message, from the same number, read:

Killian Beckett paging Stella Huxley.

The confirmation of who the number belonged to made me freeze, a strange sensation and tension unfurling across my chest. He'd... unblocked me. And I wasn't sure how to feel about that. Were things resolved between us then? It didn't feel quite finalised, but then how would something like this ever be finalised?

And why the hell did one message from Killian make me as excited as a high school girl receiving a text from her crush for the very first time?

It'll cost you, I typed back and then dropped my phone into my lap, swigging back at the beer in vain hopes that some of my nerves would settle.

What's your price, Huxley?

The message was instantaneous and I glanced at Killian sharply, who had just set his phone on the table after hitting send. There was a challenge in the way he quirked his brows, and I wondered if he was pressing to see how much I would respond to him, how far I was willing to allow this new vein of familiarity to stretch between us. Around us, Sadie, Sipho and Mia continued with the conversation- something about the wedding- but my attention was certainly diverted, no matter how hard I tried to look unaffected.

After several moments, I felt confident enough to send him another message.

You couldn't afford it.

I spotted a fleeting grin twisting Killian's lips when he read my message, and my phone vibrated with his response. It was ridiculous how overwhelming the urge was to check it instantly, but I fought it off with a willpower that I thought was rather commendable.

Try me.

My skin tingled. Was this flirting? I couldn't tell. Maybe he genuinely wanted the earplugs, which was an absurd request for a first-time excuse to message someone. Oh, God, this was confusing.

How can you be sure I even have extra ear plugs lying around?

I mean, I didn't have any earplugs. So if he wasn't flirting then this entire interaction would look awkward- for me, anyway. Leading him on with earplugs I didn't have- for what purpose?

I know you don't. I saw the entirety of your bag's contents thrown around that BnB's room.

Stella: It was NOT thrown around.

Killian: It looked like your bag had suffered some serious artillery attacks and exploded.

I snorted, smothering my smile with another sip of my beer. It had always bothered Killian how disorganised and chaotic I could be and, bless, once he had tried very hard to not outright lose his shit at my clothes draped all around the apartment.

"Don't you agree, Stels?"

My head snapped up and I realised I had been smiling stupidly at my phone. I hadn't paid attention to what the others had been saying, and especially not to what Mia was trying to get me to agree to. A few moments ago, it was something to do with the wedding and since this wasn't my wedding, I thought it best not to voice disagreements to other people's desires. So I nodded. "Yup, sure do."

Mia turned to Sadie with a wide, satisfied smile dimpling her cheeks. "See? It's settled then. Your bridesmaids can craft the favours, name placements and menus from scratch. It'll save you so much money."

I choked on my beer. "Wait, what?"

"Mia," Sadie said in a placating voice, "the favours were made by Sipho's sister, and the design for the placements and menus have already been done. I asked if you wouldn't mind collecting them from the print shop."

"Oh, thank God," I muttered.

"Well, what is there left for your bridesmaids to do?" Mia whined.

"Look pretty and get drunk!" I declared, toasting the air with my beer. "And occasionally hold Sadie's dress up while she pees."

I know I was being insouciant, but I also knew that Sadie didn't need the added stress of last-minute crafts. She was already stretched thin with her family politics, and she had confided in me numerous times that she simply wanted everybody to enjoy themselves.

And besides, she was tossing me a wry grin across the table. "There's also the bachelorette and a few minor tasks before the day," she added. "You'll be plenty busy. Besides, this time is for all of us to hang out again. We hardly ever see each other anymore, and certainly not altogether. That's why I have the house for the week."

"We will give you a few shots of tequila," I told Mia jokingly, "and you'll be stripping down in no time and running into those waves."

Mia's brow puckered. "I've never done that! That was you, Kills and Dom!"

"Oh, yeah."

My phone buzzed again. That was a... fun night.

He definitely was flirting- that message confirmed it. The night in question had culminated with myself and Killian alone in the frigid water, my legs wrapped around his waist, his cock pressed between our bodies...

Every part of me tingled at the recollection, feverish in the knowledge that he too was recalling it. I wasn't sure how I felt about it- the flirting, that is. What did that mean for us? And should it mean anything at all?

If I was any other person- a smart, sensible girl who didn't always act with the impulsivity of a toddler- I may put the idea of Killian and I to bed once and for all.

Because what second chance relationships ever worked out? There is a reason they ended in the first place. And there was no room for him in my life currently. I was almost certain of it.

But for some reason, I hesitated, gnawing my bottom lip while I stared at that phone screen as if a solution would somehow magically appear before me. I felt torn, a tug-of-war between my heart and my mind, and neither was willing to give just a bit.

My gaze unerringly dragged to Killian, as if he'd tossed a lasso around my eyeballs, and I found him regarding me intently. There was seriousness to his countenance, a pull at his sensuous lips, and I was sure he was battling the same sentiments that I was. There was almost an expectancy about him, too... as if he was simply waiting for me to decide where to lead us, to guide the way things would pan out.

Suddenly, it seemed impossible- not with his achingly handsome face right there before me. He'd been my first and last love- there had been nobody else emotionally after Killian. Six years apart hardly seemed long enough to transcend something like that- at least for me it did, anyway. And with constant reminders of how it had been between us thrown my way, I found myself teetering, unstable, plunging into depths that were unknown and dark.

I dropped my phone atop the table and hopped to my feet. "I'll get us another round," I announced and headed inside.

"I'll help," Killian said, and followed.