“She talked you into taking a cruise and then ditched you?” Seemed like a shitty thing to do to anyone, especially a sister.
“No.” Avery shook her head. “She was never coming.”
“Oh.” Garrett made it sound like he understood completely, though he was confused as hell.
What’s confusing? Her sister talked her into taking a vacation, and she did. With someone else.
“Well, I’m sure whoever you’re with is missing you.” He sure as hell would be.
“I’m…by myself.” She glanced away as if she were embarrassed.
Garrett blinked. No way he’d heard her right. This gorgeous woman was on this huge ass ship…alone?
“It was a dare.” The blurted admission caused Avery’s skin to become flushed. “A really stupid dare that I never should’ve agreed to.”
“So why did you?”
“I don’t know. No, that’s a lie. I do know.”
She began talking a bit faster, and he couldn’t help but wonder if it was the alcohol or her nerves.Probably both.
“I wasn’t going to come,” Avery continued, “But my sister and I have always had this thing where we used to dare each other to do stuff. Nothing bad or illegal. Just crazy stuff we wouldn’t normally do. And we’re both too stubborn to back down, so I accepted the challenge. But then I changed my mind, and then later when I got home, I found out this lady in my building….Joan… She died, and her cat ate her face, and I didn’t…I didn’t want to end up like that.”
Garrett had no idea what she was rambling on about, and he didn’t care.
When she’d first approached the tiki bar, she’d been quiet. Reserved. But now that she was loosening up a bit, it was like a dam had burst free.
She was going on and on about her sister, and cats, and a dead woman. Shit, did she say the cat hadeatenher neighbor?
It didn’t even matter. Garrett was standing there, staring while Avery held her drink with one hand and that damn hat with the other, and all he could think was…
She’s fucking amazing.
“Fucking amazing!” Colt’s voice parroted his thoughts.
“What?” Garrett tore his gaze from Avery just in time to see his brother approaching with a plate piled full of food.
“These crab cakes. They’re so freakin’ good.”
Crab cakes. Right.
“I see you’ve made a friend while I was gone.” Colt gave him a sly look before shoving the overfilled plate in his direction. When Garrett took it, his brother switched his drink into his left hand and held out his right. “Coulter Morgan. My friends call me Colt.”
“Avery Webb.” Noticing the wind had died down, Avery let go of her hat and took Colt’s hand.
Garrett’s chest tightened with an unexpected rush of jealousy. The reaction was crazy. It was just a handshake, for shit’s sake. But still…
I want to be the one to touch her.
“Webb, huh?” Colt’s voice took on what Garrett referred to as hisget-a-woman-into-bedtone. “Guess I’ll have to watch myself around you. Wouldn’t want to get caught up in your…web.” With a wink and a grin, the idiot then said, “Get it? ’Cause your last name’s Webb?”
“Yeah, Colt.” Garrett slapped his brother on the shoulder and squeezed. “Pretty sure she gets it.”
“Easy, man!” Colt narrowly avoided spilling his drink.
Garrett shot Avery an apologetic look. “Sorry about him. I swear, he’s harmless.”
“I’m not so sure about that.” Her lips curved in the same, almost timid smile she’d worn before.