“I agree,” Stella leaned against my side with a serene smile on her lips. “Thank you,” she murmured before she kissed my cheek.
“It’s my pleasure, ladies.” Reaching under the table, I held Stella’s hand in mine. “It really is. It’s not often I get to be surrounded by two beautiful women making those kinds of noises.”
Penelope’s eyes narrowed on me, letting me know I’d said something wrong. “Oh, do you often hear those noises by multiple women at a time?”
“What?” I laughed at the awkward way our day had turned. “No, it’s not like that. I chose my words wrong. I was merely stating how I was enjoying spending my time with you and—”
“The enjoyment of our noises. Yeah, we got that. Watch out for him,” Pen interrupted and nodded at me. “He may be young, but he’s got experience.”
Stella bit her lip with a smirk on her face.
There was no way in hell I was going to admit to a threesome. Stella would probably run for the hills or think I wanted to include her friend when there was no way in hell I would share her with another.
My walkie-talkie beeped, letting me know someone was trying to get in touch with me. “Remy, Remy, Scout. The women are ready to head back to the boat.” Each word was said with a bite. What the hell had happened?
“Scout, Remy here. We’re finishing up our lunch and can meet you in twenty,” I replied back.
“No need since we’re docked. Enjoy your time on the island.”
I heard the implication that wouldn’t be the case on the boat. I wished I had an international plan. Instead, I used the boat’s Wi-Fi and an app when I needed to contact anyone, but if I wanted to message Scout, I’d need to find somewhere with Wi-Fi.
“Sounds like it was smart of us to break apart. Do you think Zelda and Reagan got into a fight?” Pen’s eyes lit up with excitement.
“It wouldn’t surprise me. Reagan has been a bitch the entire trip, and I’m just glad it wasn’t me this time. If we don’t have to go back, I say we enjoy ourselves. I doubt we’ll ever be on this beautiful island again.”
My chest felt heavy with the thought that I wouldn’t see Stella walk along these streets again.
“Yes, let’s enjoy our orgasmic food and the company of our young escort.” She could barely say the words without a smile splitting her lips.
“Why don’t you stop reminding me how young he is. I’d ask, but I don’t want to know. I like being blissfully ignorant in this instance.”
“I’m not that young.” She made it sound like I was barely legal, or I was a secret to keep.
“I know.” She tightened her grip on my hand. “We’re just having fun at your expense, and that’s not kind of us. I’m sorry. It’s been a long time since we could do this.”
Her words put me at ease—a little. Still, I had a feeling she felt it was wrong to be with me for some reason. Was it some residual effect her ex had on her?
“I don’t mind,” I lied to make her feel better. They weren’t trying to hurt me in any way, and I understood that. Still, it hurt, feeling like she was ashamed of me. I already had enough people ashamed of me for the actions of my life. I couldn’t imagine what Stella would think if she knew about my time in the military.
“We’re being mean and shouldn’t take it out on you. Sorry,” Pen gave me a half smile, half frown. “Where should we go after lunch?”
“Let me think,” I hummed. “The Catedral de Mallorca is a must. If we had time, I’d take you to all the little towns around here, but we’d need either scooters or a car to get to most of them. You need to come back so I can show you more.”
Stella placed her elbow on the table and rested her head in her hand. “Is that an invitation?”
“Yeah, I mean, it would have to be once the season’s over, but I’d love to show you around.”
“Well, if I get my life together by then, I might take you up on your offer.” She took the last bite of her croissant sandwich and closed her eyes. A dreamy smile filled her face.
“I hope you do.”
“And I have a feeling I should have left you two alone today. Maybe you could have gotten a hotel for a few hours.”
“While that would have been nice, I couldn’t have you wandering around by yourself.” Stella reached across the table and held Penelope’s hand for a moment. “If we’re meant to spend time together, we will. Hopefully, there won’t be interference by the crew tonight.”
“If you need the room, just let me know. I can sleep on a lounger.” Pen waggled her eyebrows at us.
“I’m sure we can find someplace else, so you’re not displaced from your bed.” I laughed. It was hilarious her friend was trying to get us to hook up.
“This is getting embarrassing,” Stella groaned.
“It’s all good,” I leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I think it’s cute.”
“It looks like it’s going to rain. Maybe we should start to head back to the boat.” Stella’s tone stated she wanted to do anything but go back.
“What’s a few sprinkles?” Pen blew her off.
“She’s probably right. The wind has steadily been increasing, and it might get nasty.”
“Fine,” Pen huffed. “You two are no fun, which means you’re perfect for each other.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what it means when two people have common sense.” Stella bumped her hip with her friend.
Linking her arm with mine, Pen winked up at me. “Thank you for being our tour guide, even if it was only for a short while. You made the day most enjoyable, and tonight you’ll make Stella’s night.”
“Pen!” Stella shouted, her eyes narrowing as she gave her
