He opened his mouth, but she held up a hand, her expression stern and determined.
That look was sexy as hell. Everything about her in this moment made me want to fuck her right here in front of everybody.
"I never did a single crazy thing in my life," she said, "and that's the problem. I always did what was expected of me, living by rules you and Mom and other people made up for me. Of course I turned into a neurotic mess. I never had any fun."
Nico eyed her like she might kick him in the balls any second.
I would've loved to see that.
Mara jerked her hand free of mine, spreading her arms. "Look at me. Do I seem anxious or neurotic? No, I don't. Know why? Because I stopped caring about those stupid rules and started listening to my heart. I love being here at this 'nudie' resort. I'm not leaving, but you need to go. Right away."
"Mara---"
"No. I'm not listening to you anymore." She made a shooing motion with her hands. "Go. Get out."
He stared at her for a moment, his mouth open, then got a sneakily determined look on his face. "You can't make me leave. I paid for a room here. For a week-long stay."
"What?"
I glanced at Eve and Val. Eve shrugged and shook her head. Val bowed his head, scratching it.
"Why don't I show Nico to his room," Eve said, "and give everyone a little time to decompress."
Nico didn't look like he wanted to go anywhere, but Eve knew how to graciously force someone to get the hell out. She and Nico left.
"I'm sorry," Val said to me and Mara. "He made the reservation online, and we didn't know---"
"Don't worry," Mara said. "I know it's not your fault. Let him stick around. He'll realize eventually that I'm not going home with him."
"If he harasses you, let us know. We will evict him and ban him from the resort for life."
"Thank you, Val. I appreciate that."
He left too, no doubt heading for the guest house to help Eve.
Mara's parents stayed put. Sheryl still hugged herself, her head down.
Peter smiled at his daughter. "Good for you, Mara."
High-pitched squeals erupted outside the house.
What on earth?
I stayed confused for about thirty seconds, until the house phone rang and I picked it up.
Before I could speak, Ruth Norris said, "Dear, the Kitten Brigade is here. And they're swarming Val with even more enthusiasm than usual. Maybe you should get out there and save the poor boy."
Val didn't need saving, but with Eve escorting Nico to his room in the guest house, I was the only other employee available to greet the Kittens. Val preferred not to get involved in guest intake. His forte was organizing sporting events.
I looked at Mara. "Will you be okay if I go? The Kitten Brigade is here, and I really need to get them settled in. Val isn't good at that, since those girls think he's a walking lollipop."
Sheryl's head popped up, her eyes wide. "Lollipop? Kittens? What kind of perverted resort is this?"
Peter hooked an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Relax, Sher, I'm sure it's nothing like that."
"No," I said, "it's really not. The Kitten Brigade is our name for a group of women in their twenties who come here at least twice a year. They all have serious, stable jobs, but visiting the resort gives them a chance to cut loose. And I was joking about Val being a lollipop. The Kittens think he's the cat's pajamas."
Mara snickered at my bad joke, and Peter smiled, but Sheryl kept gaping at me.
Yeah, she'd need more time to adjust to the naturist thing.
"Go on," Mara said, "I'll be fine. Sounds like Val needs a little help."
More screams echoed outside, confirming her statement.
"Why don't you go with Ollie?" Peter asked Mara. "I'll take care of Mom. Honestly, I think she just needs to lie down for a while. We had a long plane ride to get here, and a long drive from the airport."
"Okay, if you're sure."
"I am. Go." He glanced at me, then Mara. "It's nice to see you having a good time, honey."
Mara smiled shyly, and I led her out of the house.
Chapter Nineteen
Mara
A throng of lovely women frolicked in the area between Eve and Val's little home and the guest house. Well, frolicking wasn't the right word for it. They jumped and danced and chest-bumped and spun around and around. Every single one of them wore a pale-blue T-shirt dress and sandals, though each had her own version of the footwear. Some wore sandals with sparkly decorations on them, while others donned platform sandals or flip-flops.
They shrieked and hooted too.
My goodness, those ladies had powerful lungs.
In the middle of the throng, Val Silva stood there seeming quite calm and somewhat amused by the antics of the ladies around him. None of them touched him, but they danced around the man like they'd never seen a hot guy before---or like they were performing a bizarre ritual.
Suddenly, they all looked at each other and tore their dresses off over their heads. They hurled the garments high in the air, letting them flutter down to the ground.
The Kitten Brigade pumped their fists in the air and whooped.
Ollie shoved two fingers from each hand into his mouth and blew hard, emitting the loudest, most piercing whistle I'd ever heard.
I slapped my hands over my ears until he finished.
The entire Kitten Brigade froze. They swung their heads in our direction, all gazes zeroing in on Ollie.
A blonde girl broke off from the crowd and approached him. "Hey, Ollie, it's been a while."
He stared at her, not blinking and apparently not breathing either. His jaw fell open, then clapped shut. His eyes rotated toward me only to veer back to the blonde. "Heidi,
