But will you? He’d been more of a nibbler. She snatched the linen square. His thumb brushed her. She flinched, hiding her reaction to his touch behind the crisp, white cloth. Needing support, she rested her hand over Woody’s. Something sounding like a growl came from Quinn. She chose to ignore it.
Woody lifted a small glass. “A toast to new beginnings, and to Cassidy, in the hopes she finds love again.”
She took the shot the bartender set in front of her and smiled in thanks.
“New beginnings, Cassidy? Last I heard you were married. Joining the single ranks again, like your sister? Or is she with someone special?” Quinn asked.
His presumptuous questions annoyed her. Was he searching for answers, interested if she was single, or wanted to throw her failing marriage in her face? Her temper grew on behalf of her sister, who had made the heartbreaking decision to separate from her husband of three years and start divorce proceedings.
Woody frowned. “Cassidy is getting over a painful divorce. She came here to recover. I’m glad she has familiar faces around to ease her.”
Quinn’s piercing glare turned darker. “Carly wasn’t into commitment back in college. Does she still play the field?”
She gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at the lout. “She dates.”
Quinn laid his palm on her back. She leaned forward, his touch a hot brand. “Problem?”
She curled her hand into a fist to quell the urge to slap the smirk off his face. “No, just jet lagged from my trip.” She climbed off the stool and gulped her shot. The sweet tasting alcohol landed in her belly and helped calm her fast-beating heart. She dropped the handkerchief on the bar. “I’m going to my room and take a nap.”
“There’s a barbeque on the beach tonight. You should come. I’ll be there.” Woody waggled his eyebrows, making her laugh.
“Maybe,” she murmured, glancing at Quinn from the corner of her eye.
Woody spoke close to her ear. “It would be great to catch up and hear how you and Carly are doing.”
“I’ll have to see. I don’t want to be up too late, right Woody?” she asked, patting his chest and grinning up at him.
He nudged her hip. “The best time to go to the beach is early morning.”
“What are you two talking about?” Quinn’s voice grew hard and he slapped his leg with the folder he held.
Why was he carrying a folder out by the pool? All business.
“We have a paddle board lesson tomorrow,” Woody said with a pleased smile.
Her cell rang. “I better answer this.” She slipped from between the two men. “Woody, if we don’t hook up tonight, I’ll see you tomorrow morning at nine at the bar.” She lifted her phone to her ear and darted away.
Chatting with the real Cassidy on her way out of the area, she caught Quinn watching her with a heated stare that went straight to her core.
She has the same walk and terrific ass wiggle she had in college.
He charted Carly’s movement, the boxy sundress downplaying her curves. No matter how hard she tried to hide her body, or acted like her sister, she couldn’t diminish her perkiness and sunny disposition. He was going to have fun breaking her down and having her spill her secrets, all of them….
“The one time I didn’t need you as my wingman,” Woody said in a disgruntled voice.
“You never complained about us tag teaming a woman before. Why’s Carly different from all the rest?”
“Don’t you mean Cassidy?”
“You were talking to Carly Kimball, undercover writer for Chit-Chat Weekly. She’s using her sister’s name as an alias in order to find dirt on Jagger and that 1Night Stand dating service.” He slapped his palm with the folder and set it on the bar. “Check out her file. She went pretty far with her deception.”
Woody released a low whistle, flipping the pages. “Carly has quite the imagination. Wonder if she’d get off on having two men. We can—”
“Stop right there.” Quinn held up his palm, running his tongue over his dry lips. “What we do together every once in a while with a female guest is something we won’t be doing with Carly. Even if I wanted to, which I don’t, it would give her ammunition for her sleazy article.”
Woody lifted a brow. “You never got over her, have you? That’s why you’re snarling at me. I don’t mind sharing, as you well know.”
A vision of his best friend and his ex-lover rolling around sweaty and naked on a bed made his head pound along with the need to punch something.
Quinn flinched when Woody’s hand landed on his shoulder. “I have a headache. I’m going home to lie down before tonight’s barbeque for all the new guests.”