Beautiful Burn by Jamie McGuire

Author:Jamie McGuire
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Jamie McGuire, LLC
Published: 2016-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

My body jerked me awake, my eyes wide and staring at the ceiling above while I panicked for just a moment, trying to recall where I was, and whose arms were around me. In my dreams, I had been on a yacht in Sanya with Finley, feeling the hot sun on my olive skin and looking at the world through a pair of five-hundred-dollar sunglasses.

I touched the heel of my hand to my forehead, already mourning the carefree feeling I had on the imaginary boat with my sweet sister.

My cell phone buzzed, and I reached over to retrieve it from the wooden nightstand someone had cut from a log. Finley was texting me. The previous texts were of her looking bored on a beautiful beach, slathered in suntan lotion on the bow of Andiamo, or effortlessly beautiful while she shopped on Hainan Island. The last few texts were the increasingly impatient requests for me to contact her. I read over the saltiest one that she’d sent since she’d left, and couldn’t help but smile.

Ellison, text me back. I want proof of life, or else I’m getting on the next plane to Denver so help me god.

I typed a response but let my thumb hover over the SEND button. Sending I’m alive, I’m happy, I miss you wouldn’t be enough.

Tyler’s lips touched my temple. “Send it.” He cleared the hoarseness from his voice. “She’s worried.”

“She’ll want to call me.”

“That’s a bad thing?”

“She’ll know something’s wrong. She can read me, even halfway across the world.”

“Ellie,” Tyler said, holding my body against his. “You can’t duck this forever. You’re going to have to talk to her sometime.”

I sent the message, and then turned off my phone, sitting up. My muscles ached as I stretched, complaining from the strange position we’d slept in all night, trying to fit on a twin-sized bed.

“I got an invitation in the mail the other day. My brother is getting married again.”

“Again? He’s already divorced?”

“No, they eloped, so they’re making it formal so the family can attend. It’s going to be in St. Thomas mid-March next year.”

I sighed. “I love St. Thomas, but that’s not enough time for me to save.”

He touched my lower back with the tips of his fingers. “I’ve got it. Wanna go? With me?”

I looked over my bare shoulder at Tyler. “Like … as your date?”

He shrugged, stretching his arm above his head. “You can call it whatever you want. I just want you there.”

I looked forward, pulling the blanket up over my chest. “I don’t need a passport for St. Thomas.” I sighed. “I hate this. I feel like this,” I said, gesturing between us, “is paying for whatever.”

He chuckled. “It’s not. I had already planned to ask you to go.”

I offered him a small, regretful smile. “We can’t do this again.”

His sleepy grin was infectious. “You keep saying that. Why don’t you just admit it?”

“Admit what?”

He waited.

“Fine,” I said. “We have a … thing.”

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” he said, but

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