Page 7 of Luck Be a Genie

Later, after a refreshingly bracing shower wherein the hot water heater had failed to kick on, I started getting ready for dinner. The failed water heater was a blessing though, because I’d needed the cold dose of reality.

Nick.

I sighed and sat down on the bed with a brush in my hand and tried to work the snarls out of my long, blonde hair.

I couldn’t fall for Nick, and therein lay the problem, because he made it so dang easy to fall for him.

It was diabolical, really.

Or rather it would be if I didn’t know that he was being one hundred percent genuine, and one hundred percent Nick. He wasn’t putting on a show, or trying to love bomb me. This was Nick. Genuine, thoughtful, affectionate, wonderful, Nick.

And he was going to be the death of me.

After applying very light makeup, I twisted my hair into a side braid that got it off my neck, stepped into a pretty dress with spaghetti straps and a colorful aqua tropical flower print, then slid my sandals back on.

Nick knocked on our adjoining door when I was putting my earrings and bracelets on.

“Come in!”

I nearly jumped when he was suddenly behind me in the mirror. His warm grey gaze grew appreciative as he took me in.

“You look beautiful, sunshine.”

“You do too,” I said, replying back without thinking. How many times could a guy short-circuit a woman’s brain? This had to be detrimental for my health.

Nick was dressed in light colored slacks that looked like they had been tailored to fit him perfectly, and a light blue, short sleeve button up shirt that subtly showed off his powerful arms and chest. He wasn’t about being flashy, despite being a genie. And he for sure wasn’t about wearing skin tight clothing just because he was built like a WWE wrestler, which I greatly appreciated.

His grin was tender. “I’m beautiful?”

I blinked at him in confusion.

His grin widened. “You said I look beautiful too.”

I felt my cheeks turning pink as I scooted past him to find my little clutch I’d already prepared with my room card, lip gloss, and wallet.

“I meant handsome.” Drawing in a large, silent breath, I turned, all business again. “Ready?”

His gaze was still tender as he held out an arm for me. “Ready.”

There were several restaurants on The Grand Makana’s property, but Nick had wanted to try Hibiscus Horizon, an upscale beachside restaurant that served a combo of traditional American and Hawaiian cuisines.

“Are you going to tell me what’s in your man bag?” I teased as we were seated at a table outside, with the wide expanse of the ocean and beach right alongside us.

“No.”

He slung it across the back of his chair, passed me a menu, then opened his to peruse our options. I bit my lip and did the same. I’d tried not to tease him about his man bag as we’d walked to the restaurant, but he was very protective of it, and very mum about what he was carrying.

I was kind of dying of curiosity because it was a large messenger bag and it looked full.

Blinking away my thoughts, I quickly found what I wanted, a grilled chicken sandwich and criss-cut fries, then set my menu down and lightly tapped the table with my fingers as I stared at his bag in deep thought.

Could it be medical equipment? Nah. He was a genie. They didn’t get sick. A change of clothes? That was possible. Maybe he wanted to do some swimming after and didn’t want to go back to his suite to change.

“It’s driving you crazy isn’t it?” Nick said from behind his menu. I could hear the slight smirk in his voice. He wasn’t even looking at me! How on earth did he know me so well?

“You don’t know everything about me,” I replied with a sniff, and he chuckled.

“Never said I did, sunshine.”