Benny looked back the way he’d come, expecting to see a giant resort of some kind. But what he saw was an all-white villa, more the size of a massive house than a hotel. It also seemed to sparkle a bit.
All the sparkling kind of made his eyes hurt.
Was Benny even still in Florida?
“You’re awake.”
Benny turned, and there was Helio, standing on the beach in another linen outfit. His eyes were even more intense in thedaylight, the ocean setting them off so they seemed to sparkle too. God, he was hot.
Benny relaxed, relief coursing through him.
Everything made sense now.
“Hey, man!” he greeted with a grin. “It’s you!”
Helio cocked his head, like he hadn’t been expecting Benny’s enthusiastic reaction. “Yes,” he said slowly. “It’s me.”
“I was wondering who I went home with,” Benny told him with a rueful laugh.
Helio stepped closer, still giving off the intense vibes from the night before. “You promised me a measure of your time,” he said. “You promised it many times over.”
“Yeah, cool.” Benny scratched at his bare chest. “Hey, we didn’t bang, did we?”
Helio stared at him for a long moment, then shook his head. “No.”
“Right on. I woke up naked, so…” Benny waved a hand.
Helio’s face sort of pinched up for a second. “You…insisted.”
“Yeah.” Benny laughed. “That sounds like me. Sorry if I got grabby or anything.”
“Benny.” Helio cleared his throat, then coughed, then cleared his throat again. “Do you know where you are?”
Benny looked around once more, feeling a little better now that his eyes had adjusted to the brightness. God, it was gorgeous. “This is your private island, right?” he guessed, proud of himself for remembering. “You were talking about it last night.”
“And you’re not…shocked?” Helio asked, looking at Benny like he was some sort of strange creature. Maybe he was, compared to someone as fancy as Helio. “Shocked to find yourself here? Perhaps…enraged? Overcome with despair?”
Benny shrugged. “I’m surprised, I guess. But I don’t drink that often. Guess I got a little wild.” He thought of somethingthen. “You did invite me, right? I didn’t just, like, follow you here?”
Helio was still staring at him like he was the weirdest thing he’d ever seen. “I brought you here.”
“Cool.” Benny’s stomach grumbled then, and he rubbed it with one hand. “I’m starving. And a little hungover, to be honest.”
Helio seemed to collect himself, straightening his spine and letting up the intense staring a bit. Maybe he wasn’t a morning person. Although, it looked more like late afternoon. Benny must have slept half the day away. “The food here will take care of that.” Helio was suddenly holding a tray of really delicious-looking fruit—slices of bright melon and juicy red strawberries and some seriously fat grapes. “But I should warn you.” Helio’s voice deepened. “Once you take even a bite of f—”
Benny grabbed a grape and tossed it into his mouth, groaning at the burst of flavor. “Damn. That is somefreshfruit.”
He grabbed another handful of grapes, shoving a few more in his mouth, smacking his lips after chewing. “Man. Perks of having your own tropical island, I guess. Got any protein though?”
Helio was looking a little shocked, his mouth open and his eyes all wide and his brows up at his hairline. Was Benny being rude? “Did you want some?” he asked, holding out his hand.
Helio’s mouth stayed slack, so Benny just slipped a grape in there, smiling when Helio started chewing mechanically, staring at Benny like he had three heads again.
“Protein?” Benny asked once more. The fruit was tasty as hell, but his muscles really couldn’t survive off grapes alone.
Helio was still looking dazed—maybe he’d been drinking more than Benny had thought the night before—but then he was holding another tray, one with slices of ham and salami and some perfectly cooked bacon. Who knew where the trays werecoming from—he must have, like, a personal chef on the island or something.
Benny grabbed four strips and began working through them. “Fank you,” he said through a full mouth. He was a guest here—he had to remember to be polite.
