Kai climbs off the Jet Ski and walks toward us. He’s naked save for his board shorts, and he has that slow, lazy smile that always makes me think of sex.

Kai slides his arm around me and gives John a look I can’t quite decipher. “Are you hitting on my girl?”

“You don’t want me to?” John says, happy to get into it.

“Not if you value your life,” Kai answers, and I can’t tell if they’re joking because Kai suddenly seems very hard, very male, very aggressive.

“He’s not hitting on me,” I say brightly between clenched teeth. “We were just discussing my career”—I take a breath, drop my voice—“and my age.”

Kai laughs and John walks away, heading for the Jet Ski.

I turn to Kai and whisper against his chest, “He thinks I’m twenty-eight.”

“I told you that you look young.”

“Kai, he’s twenty years younger than me. He could be my son.”

“Don’t tell him that. He thinks you’re pretty sexy. And if I hadn’t come to rescue you, he’d be making some moves right now.”

I groan. “You’re joking.”

“No. You’re hot, Jackie. Guys want you.”

“Even young ones?”

He laughs and pats my butt again. “Especially young ones.”

After dinner, they build the bonfire even bigger. A few more girls arrive, and one of them pulls out a joint. The joint starts getting passed around.

Some pass it on without smoking, others take a hit; but before the joint can be passed to me, Kai stands and takes my hand. “Let’s go.”

He lifts a hand in farewell and walks me to his truck.

“You don’t smoke?” I ask.

“I just had enough, that’s all.” He leans toward me, kisses my cheek. “Besides, this is our last night. I’d rather be alone with you than with a bunch of the boys. I can see them anytime. I only get to see you every now and then.”

We get back to Kai’s truck, and as he starts to drive, I pull my purse out from beneath the bench seat and automatically check my cell phone to see if I’ve had any messages since I left my purse in the car for the bonfire.

Six new voice mails.

Six voice mails in less than three hours.

I scan the list of missed calls, and it’s not good.

Daniel.

Daniel.

Daniel.

Lisa.

Daniel.

Lisa.

Something’s happened at home. I know it, know before I’ve even played the first message. Daniel never calls me, and he’d call that many times only if something had happened to one of the kids.

Chapter Fifteen

Fifteen

What’s wrong, girl?” Kai’s voice sounds far away to me, adrenaline making it hard for me to swallow, hear, think, feel. “Seven calls. Nearly all from Daniel.”