Page 66 of Fake It For Him

Thankfully, I didn’t give a damn. I had Polly as company and our bedroom had a view of the most gorgeous, luscious tropical garden I’d ever seen. Besides, I was on an unexpected trip to Maui, so I really didn’t care if they wanted me here or not.

As Polly and I left our bedroom, the suite already looked like a bomb had hit it. Polly and I glanced at the purses, towels, jackets, and other bits and pieces that were strewn around, and it seemed like she was just as taken aback as I was.

“Let’s hit the pool, ladies,” Freya cried as she emerged from the bedroom she was sharing with another friend. “Time to get our drink on and our tans back.”

A cheer went up, but I couldn’t get a sound out. I was too stunned that she’d already changed, shedding her winter gear in exchange for a gorgeous but skimpy black bikini, an opaque black cover-up with gold trim that matched her bathing suit, and a pair of golden gladiator sandals. Sunglasses sat on her head and she had a bag already packed with a towel and a bottle of sunscreen sticking out the top.

My head spun. How the hell did she do all that so fast?

I had no idea, but she wasn’t the only one. One by one, the other girls started walking back into the common area and all of them had changed as well. Within seconds, there were girls who looked like supermodels in the sitting and dining areas, spilling out onto the balcony with the gorgeous ocean view, and loud pop music started playing through speakers that had to have been built into the walls.

Meanwhile, Polly and I were still in jeans and sneakers, both of us having spent the last few minutes staring at the luxurious white furniture in the suite and the spectacular vistas outside. She glanced at me, her blue eyes as shiny with shock as I was sure my own were.

“We should go get ready,” she mumbled.

I nodded. “Let’s do it.”

Freya spotted us heading back to our room and grinned. “We’ll have a drink while we wait.”

I wanted to tell her that we’d just meet them there, but she’d already thrown her hand in the air and exclaimed that they were hitting the bar first. The other girls clamored around her and another cheer went up as they recited some kind of chanting toast by the time we got to our bedroom just a short walk down the hallway in the suite.

Polly chuckled. “They’re something else, those girls. I grew up surrounded by chicks like them, but I’ve never been part of the group like this. Something tells me we’re going to have trouble keeping up, though.”

Eyes wide, I nodded and started digging for the swimsuit Calan had insisted on buying me for the trip. It was a red one-piece that may as well have been a bikini for all the cut-outs, and nothing like I would’ve chosen for myself, but after having seen the others’ outfits, I was happy to have it.

Polly pulled out a stunning blue tankini and smiled at me. “I’ll change in the bathroom. Just let me know when you’re ready and I’ll come out.”

“Thanks.” Relieved that she wasn’t expecting me to change in front of her, I returned her smile and waited until the door to our adjoining bathroom shut behind her before I started stripping down.

As much as Polly and I had struck up a friendship, we’d only met each other on the plane and I definitely wouldn’t have been comfortable changing in front of her. Plus, if her brother was a Ken lookalike, then she was Barbie.

I hadn’t taken notice of their family at the engagement party since I’d been too busy trying to keep Calan out of trouble, but their parents had to be lookers to have produced offspring as beautiful as Polly and Jim.

Like him, she had blonde hair, but where his had been cut short, hers was long, thick, and shiny and it hung to just above her ass. She had these big, bright blue eyes, porcelain skin, and a killer smile. If I had to guess, I’d say she was about as tall as her brother as well—give or take an inch.

She was really nice, but that didn’t mean I wanted to get naked in front of a girl who looked like her. Then again, she was going to see almost every inch of my full figure in this swimsuit anyway.

I took a deep breath, doing my best to shake off the insecurities, and I quickly shed my clothes and donned the swimwear with the matching cover-up. As soon as I was ready, I called out to Polly. “I’m done!”

The door cracked open immediately and she smiled, looking gorgeous but still just so damn friendly. “Are you ready to go?”

“As ready as I’m going to be.”

She giggled, grabbed a beach bag, and tossed a few goodies into it before we left our room. Once we joined the others, Jägermeister shots got passed around and we tossed them back. Then we finally hit the pool.

Surrounded by all that gorgeous greenery and looking out over a private beach and the ocean, the pool was just as amazing as the rest of the hotel. Polly and I snagged two lounge chairs near the bar, settling in to do some sunbathing next to the pool after ordering two cocktails.

While we sipped them, Polly turned to look at me. “I’m going to apologize in advance for coming right out and asking this, but I’ve been wondering since we first started talking. You’re so nice, and so normal, and so sweet.”

“Okay,” I said, giggling, and took another sip of my tart Mai-Tai. “Shoot. What is it? You don’t have to apologize for anything with me.”

She arched an eyebrow. “You might change your mind about that in a second, but what on earth do you see in Calan? I mean, he’s gorgeous, obviously, but personally, I’ve always wondered how someone like Freya could have such a donkey-butt for a brother, and now I find out someone like you is dating him, and it just feels like I’m missing something.”

I laughed. “Yeah, I get this question a lot, so you really didn’t have to apologize.”

I paused for a moment to think it over, my straw between my teeth, and I stared at the azure blue sea behind her. Waves swelled on the sparkling surface and I smiled, doing my best to make it a soft, lovey one as I turned back to her.

“There’s a lot more to him than what you see at first glance,” I said, and I wasn’t lying. “Calan comes across as a donkey-butt. I wasn’t his biggest fan myself at first, but he’s layered and complex. Once I started getting to know him, I realized that under that bad-boy bravado, he has a pretty good heart.”