Page 24 of Claiming Liberty
“Do you want to hear the advice my dad gave me when I was younger?”
My eyebrows pinch as I nod.
“If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.”
With that, she turns, leaving me with a hell of a lot more questions than I came with.
5
LIBERTY
Kingsley tugs at the collar of his yellow Polo shirt, his chin high like he’s having trouble breathing. Caramel locks of wavy hair flutter in the wind, and every time he looks over his shoulder, I wonder what he’s looking for. Either the engine of the boat or the ocean, or more likely, nothing. He’s more nervous than I am, and I’d find it cute if it didn’t increase our likelihood of getting caught.
“Relax,” I whisper, scooting closer to him. There’s a couple on the boat with us, a man named Malekai driving and a woman named Millie at his side. Apparently, Kingsley never shows up at Chaffer’s stag, so we’re under the ruse of tagging along with these two.
He glances at me, a vein popping from his forehead. He looks like he’s either holding his breath or about to vomit.
“It’s going to be fine,” I assure him.
He shakes his head. “This was a terrible idea.”
“We don’t have to stay long.”
He looks at me skeptically, then sits up straighter as he peers ahead. I follow his gaze, my eyes drawn to flames up ahead. I squint at them a moment before realizing the fire is contained. Four giant vases spit flames ten feet into the sky, and beyond them is a red brick mansion with seemingly every light on. String lights poke out from behind the house, and as bright as everything seems, I would venture to guess the backyard is lit up as well.
“Woah,” I say, my eyes pulled to the fire again.
Kingsley drums his knees without responding, but I catch his glance out of the corner of my eye. Malekai docks the boat, then takes Millie’s hand before twisting to face us. “You good, King?” he asks, his smirk falling when he takes in Kingsley.
Kingsley coughs and stands with too much force, sending the boat rocking. “All good.” He chuckles and gives the most awkward smile I’ve ever seen before extending his hand to me. I take it, smiling like this is a date, and let him help me up.
We all climb out of the boat, both couples hand in hand. Kingsley releases me to put his palm on my lower back as we walk up a concrete path toward the flames. The fire warms my skin even as we’re probably twenty yards away.
Malekai’s eyes light up, and he laughs. “Are you worried Layan’s gonna find out about your date?”
Kingsley shrugs. His hand dips a little too low on my backless dress, and I subtly reach around to lift it back up. He jumps at my touch and snaps his gaze to me, his expression guilty, like he wants to apologize for almost accidentally touching my ass.
I could slap him. Tell him to man the fuck up so we don’t look suspicious, but his good nature is a breath of fresh air here. I don’t know how a man like him ended up in a place like this.
“Come on, dude, Layan isn’t stupid. She knows monogamy isn’t a thing on the island.” Malakai slaps an arm around Kingsley's shoulders and chuckles. “Relax. It’s gonna be a good night.”
Did he really just say ‘dude?’
Malakai removes his arm and motions to me. “By the way, I didn’t catch your girl’s name.” His words sound like they’re directed at Kingsley, but he stares at me, so I answer.
“Hope.”
He grins and gives me a wink. “Nice to meet you, Hope.”
I face forward when a spark ignites in his eyes that I don’t like. My lip curls, but I try to flatten it.
“We should go back to my place when we leave,” he says, his meaning clear, probably even to the woman hanging off his arm. I sneak a peek to see her beaming up at him mischievously.
“Yeah, maybe,” Kingsley lies. Or at least it better be a lie.
I don’t bother adding anything, and my response is unnecessary anyway because they trail off into another subject I don’t care to listen to. Something about surfing. It sounds like Kingsley is an instructor or something.
We squeeze through a walkway that cuts through the middle of the vases, and it gets so hot for a moment, I’m scared I’m going to burn. I glance down and notice at the side of a vase are six nozzles sticking out that remind me of tiny shower heads.