Page 96 of For Better or Hearse

She affects the cold expression she’s so fond of, her shield, as she settles beside him. She lifts the camera as they all crowd in tighter.

At the last minute, he wraps an arm around Ash’s shoulders. Pulls her close. All of his focus narrows when he realizes she isn’t stiff like he expects. She’s soft, leaning into him. Her breathing jagged. Swear to God, it turns him on. Ash, uninhibited. Because of him.

“Try not to look so miserable,” he whispers. It takes everything in him not to bury his face in that cloud of hair.

“Next to you,” she hisses back, “absolutely impossible.”

“Little liar.”

There’s a pinch to his ass, the sharp bite of pain making him jump. Beside him, Ash maintains her placid smile.

The camera flashes.

“You play dirty,” he tells her, rubbing his right ass cheek.

She bares her teeth. “That’s how I like it.” Then she gives him a wink. Drops her phone into his hands.

He dips his chin, his heart hammering in his ears as he looks at the photo.

Invisible claws dig their way into his lungs.

They’re both smiling.

That’s when he knows he’s in fucking trouble.

The dive bar is loud and sticky. It’s an on-the-side-of-the-road hole-in-the-wall box of a bar. Nestled in palm fronds and backdropped by thick, tropical jungle. Augustus wanted to see a local side of the Big Island, so she and Nathaniel offered to take him into town.

Being stuck with Nathaniel isn’t so bad. After what happened between them last night, it’s easy to convince herself that they got it out of their systems. That there won’t be another time, when in fact, she’s already thinking about it.

And it scares her.

Desperately.

The sex was too good. Too right. Their bodies fit. They fucked hard, into oblivion. Nathaniel never treated her like she was fragile. Waited for her to check her blood sugar without any annoyed sighs like Jakob used to make.

Her stomach flips over. He cares. And he’s showing that to her. Has ever since she met him. She just refused to see it until now. Bringing her that juice on their first day in Hawaii. Today, his pack stuffed with granola bars and glucose gels and her favorite snack. For her. Never limiting her or wondering if she should slow down. He’s been beside her every step of the way. As a doctor, he understands her condition. As Nathaniel Whitford, he sees that her diabetes is just a piece of her.

It means a lot.

It means everything.

Ash, Augustus and Nathaniel claim a picnic table beneath the lanai. Stretched out in front of them, the Pacific. The crash ofthe waves competes with the sound of the live band playing classic rock and ’80s throwbacks.

Here, Ash feels at home. While she’s enjoying the lavish hotels and opulence, this bar is more her vibe. Relaxed, unfettered, chaotic. A mix of tourists and regulars crowd the space.

Nathaniel sits across from her. He wears the sun, paradise like a second skin. Like it’s made for him. Breeze-ruffled hair. Handsome. So damn handsome. Ash catches herself sneaking peeks at him. Then curses her lack of self-control.

A week and a half. Get through it. Kiss the sexy doctor. Go home. Forget about him.

Easy.

Messy.

She should feel confused. Should feel guilt. But she doesn’t. Life is a short series of commas, and if you’re lucky, an exclamation point, and then you die. So yes, she will fuck Nathaniel Whitford. Happily.

Ash groans when she reads over the sticky menu. Laughing, she brings her hands to her face. “This is the worst city to be diabetic in. Mai tais and piña coladas and margaritas. My blood would explode with one drink.”

Augustus peers her way, curious. “What if you had one?”