Page 95 of Twisted Beauty

He cleared his throat.

“Hey.” Liv looked up at the same time that she shoved the phone into her purse. “Time to go?” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes, and his jaw clenched.

He’d felt like a teenager in love for the last few days, but the reality was she was keeping secrets from him. And that felt so damned familiar.

Two years ago, he was blindsided by the divorce papers, and swore he’d never trust anyone again. Because Sadie had successfully hidden her desire to leave him, and her elaborate plans to take him for everything he’d ever earned. He knew Liv was nothing like Sadie. Not in the way she lived her life, the way she felt in his arms, or even the way she made him feel. Yet somehow this sinking feeling in his gut was the same.

“Tell me what’s on that phone.” He tried to keep his voice gentle. She was obviously going through something, and he didn’t want to compound the problem, whatever the hell it was. “What has you so upset?”

Liv shrugged. “Just reality. Stuff I was hoping to put off for the rest of my vacation. Apparently it’s hard to escape your life, even just for a month.”

So fucking vague. “Was it your ex?”

Liv nodded. “And my mom. But it’s not a big deal. Just threw me a little, that’s all.”

He sat down next to her and took her hand. “You can tell me anything. You know that, right? I want to help if I can.”

Liv leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

She lifted her head to kiss him, and he threaded his hand through her hair and pulled her close. She moaned into his mouth and he smiled against her lips. “Too bad we don’t have a little longer here this morning,” he said.

Still, he had that gnawing feeling she wasn’t telling him something important. He decided to ignore it for now, against his better judgment. Because fuck, he wanted to be here with her. To be here for her. He had no doubt he could help her through whatever she was dealing with.

“What time is our boat?” she asked.

“Eleven thirty. We should head out. There’s usually a line, and if we don’t get there early, it can fill up and we’ll be stuck waiting for hours for another boat. Even though we have tickets.”

“Kind of a strange system, isn’t it?” Liv stood up and pulled her camera out of her bag.

“For a place that didn’t have phones or electricity until 2001, it’s not bad at all.”

“You’re kidding me.” She stared at him for a moment. “You’re not kidding?”

“No.”

“That’s…crazy.” Liv dragged him over to the balcony for a couple of selfies with the forest in the background. “I’ll really miss this place.”

He watched the way her hair draped over her shoulder when she put away her camera, the way her body moved as she wandered through the room one last time, the way her cheeks flushed when his gaze roamed up her body and locked onto her eyes. He’d miss having her all to himself in a place where there wasn’t anywhere else for her to go, or any other life pulling her back.

She leaned over to lift up her bag, but Matt grabbed it and slung it over his shoulder before picking up his own. He took her hand and they left the palapa. The rest of their group was already waiting in the clearing out front, talking to Pedro.

“Thank you for everything, Pedro,” Matt said. “I left a special dessert in the fridge for you. Hope to see you again.”

“You’re most welcome. Are you sure you don’t need help getting back to the dock?”

“We’ve got it, but thanks.” Matt gave Toro one last pat on the head and steered the group down the dirt path and toward the pier.

The boat ride back was much smoother than the ride out, with almost no waves at all. Matt preferred the excitement of the choppy seas. He loved the feel of the boat bottoming out between swells, and the way Liv ducked into him to keep from getting wet. But everyone else seemed thrilled with the calm water. At one point a pod of dolphins swam alongside the boat, and Liv was so taken with them she didn’t even pull out her camera.

When they got off the boat they all walked north toward the Malecon. Matt’s plan was to stop in the square near the big stage, an open spot to say their goodbyes. But today it was crowded with so many people they could hardly hear each other.

Normally this area had a laid-back vibe. The sunken stage was surrounded by rows of cement steps, bench seating like a mini stadium. And there always seemed to be a smattering of people hanging out on those steps, drinking coffee, chatting with friends, or soaking up the sun. Occasionally the seats filled for some kind of music performance, but he’d never seen it quite like this. A horde of people stood several deep around the outside, so many he couldn’t see the seats or the stage below.

“Wow, what’s going on here?” Katie asked. “Maybe they’re filming a show. Ooh, I wonder who’s in it.” She shoved her way through some of the onlookers and disappeared. When she came back moments later, she pulled Liv out of Matt’s grasp to whisper something in her ear.

Liv’s face paled, and Matt reached for her hand. “Liv?”

“We actually need to go,” Liv said. “You ready, Katie?”