Free Beneath a Hot Tequila Sun by Catelyn Cash Page A

if I help myself to a drink?” she asked, indicating a case of plastic-wrapped bottles near the water’s edge. Without waiting for an answer, she bent to liberate a bottle. Dipping her hand into the water, she scooped up the thong, squeezed it out, and stuffed it into her pocket. Looking up, she saw the boatman watching her. His knowing grin left her face flaming.
    Thankfully an excited clamor among the students announced Jake and Seth’s arrival.
    “I hope you guys are here to work,” called Jake cheerfully.
    “Professor, we got stuck behind a mudslide.”
    “The bus slid right off the road.”
    “It was so cool.”
    “We could have been killed.”
    “And yet here you all are,” said Jake. “Right. Everyone start moving these supplies up. Seth and I will join you after we’ve had breakfast.”
    “You’re not coming? But we’ve already lost a day,” grumbled one of the girls.
    “ You may have lost a day playing in mud, but I can assure you Seth and I have been hard at it. Kayla here can vouch for our dedication and selfless toil. We’re having breakfast, and we’re cleaning up,” said Jake. “You guys make a start on yesterday’s work plan. And to save you the trouble of a fruitless trek across the island, I should warn you that your stash of illicit alcohol might have been washed away in the storm.”
    The students loaded up and trudged off, less spirited now they knew their beer was gone.
    The two boatmen had been chatting. Now, at a word from Jake, one slipped the rope free as the other leaped onto the boat.
    The narrow boat wobbled precariously as Kayla stepped on more cautiously and the man offered her a steadying hand, saying something that made the other boatman snigger.
    Jake and Seth leaped on board. “He hopes your ordeal on the island wasn’t too traumatic,” Jake translated.
    Head down, Kayla muttered her thanks for his concern. “They know,” she whispered to Jake as she took her seat.
    “They don’t know,” Jake soothed.
    She edged the wet thong out of her pocket and showed him.
    “Ah.” His eyes twinkled. “In that case, they probably do know. I think the temple still has a bit of a reputation locally.”
    Once on the river, the noise of the engine made conversation impossible. Kayla enjoyed the cool breeze. But she enjoyed looking at the men even more, and caught herself consciously memorizing everything about them, from the alert way Seth scanned the passing riverbank to Jake’s lazy dozing in the sun with his hat over his face.
    Two hot, sexy men. And they really seemed to be into her. Even if she never saw them again, Kayla knew she would never forget just how good she felt right now.
    Seth helped her out of the boat when they reached the mainland. “I don’t know about you, but I need food before I wash up,” he said firmly.
    A shower sounded good. But the men didn’t seem bothered by her appearance. “I’m in,” she agreed.
    Jake and Seth led the way to a tiny café on the riverbank, with a palm-frond roof, one table, and a few plastic chairs. From a griddle set over a charcoal fire, a bustling woman somehow produced an amazing meal of eggs, salsa, guacamole, and tortillas.
    “This is delicious,” Kayla said, only now realizing how hungry she was.
    “You like Mexican food?” asked Jake. “I mean, I know technically all the food here is Mexican, but you know what I mean.”
    “I love food in general,” she said. “Which I think is pretty obvious.”
    “Me too,” said Seth, happily stuffing his face.
    “You’ll have to excuse him,” said Jake. “He approaches each meal as if there is a famine coming.”
    Maybe he did, but Kayla noticed that each tortilla Seth assembled was piled with healthy choices. “You’re a soldier?” she asked him, remembering something Jake had said.
    Seth nodded. “I am. It’s a great life. I get to travel the world, all expenses paid.”
    “Don’t fall for that line,” said Jake. “He was born to protect. He’s like a