Free Island Fever by Shelli Stevens

 
     
     
Chapter One
     
     
    “Mel, you dirty bitch!” a voice rang out, followed by a high-pitched giggle. “What the hell are you doing out here alone?”
    Melanie took a sip of her Daiquiri and waited a moment to answer her friend. Taking a moment more to watch the Hawaiian sunset. The dramatic swirls of orange and purple clouds hypnotized her. Even after the sun melted into the water and the sky began filling with stars, the heat barely dissipated.
    This was paradise. No doubt about it. Almost every item had been scratched off her To Do List. Parasailing, snorkeling, a helicopter tour, and ingesting enough alcohol to maintain a decent buzz throughout the entire trip. There was just one item left. The one with a big honking question mark by it. A symbol in itself an admission that she wasn’t sure she had the nerve to go through with it.
    Melanie tossed back the rest of her drink before turning to face her approaching friend. Unlike her, Piper had absolutely no problem completing that last item. It showed in the glow in her face—not to mention the sexy Greek arm candy.
    “You remember Nikolos, right?” Piper clutched the bulky arm of the man next to her.
    “Mmm hmm.” Melanie glanced over the couple. God, they were disgustingly perfect people. Piper was tall, blonde, and gorgeous. Nikolos was taller, dark and just as pretty.
    Piper leaned forward, and in a bad attempt at a stage whisper asked, “You find someone to have sex with yet?”
    Melanie’s cheeks warmed. “Yeah, about that. I don’t know if I will.”
    “Excuse me?” Piper’s eyebrows shot up, and then she turned to Nikolos. “Baby, will you please get me another Piña Colada?”
    He nodded and gave her an intimate smile. “Of course.”
    After the sexy Greek had left them alone, Piper spun back to face her. “We had a deal.”
    “I know.” Melanie groaned and crossed her arms across her chest. She should’ve known it would come to this. “And I’ve been thinking about it, and well, I just don’t know if—”
    “No,” Piper interrupted. “No, no and no. We booked this vacation from school with three intentions. One: to have fun. Two: to get a great tan. Three: we each have a fabulous fling that we remember when we’re old, shriveled, and surviving on hormone pills. Remember that whole Mai Tais and Island Guys bit? Operation Get Leid.”
    “I know,” Melanie conceded. Piper had every right to be mad. They’d made a pact. A pact she was trying to weasel out of. “I just haven’t seen anyone worth flinging with.”
    “Hello there, beautiful.”
    Melanie turned to check out the beefy blond surfer who’d come up to hit on her. He was pretty cute, but probably more bronze than brains. “Not interested, thanks.”
    After he’d wandered off, Piper shook her head, looking at her as if she’d gone crazy. “Seriously? You said no thanks to that? You’re too picky. He had a great ass.”
    “I saw that, but I’m looking for more than a great ass.”
    “For a fling? Why?”
    Good Question. Melanie shrugged. When they’d made the pact, it had sounded so exciting and spontaneous. But now that she was here and actually contemplating the idea of throwing herself into bed with some stranger—
    “We have two days left, Melanie. Two days for you to find some yummy guy to hook up with.”
    Melanie nodded, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth. What should she do? Just say screw it? That guy a minute ago would have been perfect to have a fling with. Hell, he’d been a walking sex symbol. Her gaze drifted back to the surfer who was now walking down the beach away from the resort.
    “You’re going to back out on me.” Piper sighed. “I should have known. You’re way too straight-laced for this.”
    “I’m not straight-laced,” Melanie protested.
    Who was she trying to convince, though, Piper or herself? Tons of people had flings. There was no reason she shouldn’t do it too. Just as long as she took precautions and made sure