The Summer Flings Travel Club: A Fun, Flirty and Hilarious Beach Read. Aimee Duffy

      Nerves made her mouth go a million miles a minute. ‘Well, I said what happened in LA was a mistake and it wasn’t, not really because I wanted it but I was scared I’d get in too deep and end up hurting you and you’re my best friend’s cousin and she’d hate me forever but I never thought of a fling, you know, something with a time limit so now I thought I’d see if it’s something you wanted.’

      He surprised her by laughing. ‘I barely understood that, you know.’

      Her cheeks burned.

      ‘But I got the gist. So, you want a short term thing with a time limit?’

      Ciara nodded. ‘We’re leaving for Paris in a few days which isn’t as easy to get to as Miami.’ Then she blurted out a question without thinking. ‘Why are you here?’

      His jaw set. ‘I saw the pictures Elle put up on Instagram. You looked smashed, Ciara. I was worried you would all get into trouble again.’

      She squeezed her eyes shut and hid her face with her hands. ‘Oh god, I knew they’d be bad.’

      He was in front of her then, pulling her hands away. His grin just made her face get hotter. ‘Hey, everyone has been smashed at some point in their lives. Don’t worry about it. Anyway, I can see you got home unharmed.’

      ‘We’re big girls you know. We can look after ourselves,’ she insisted, using irritation to hide the mortification.

      ‘Definitely grown up,’ he agreed, placing his hands on her hips and sliding them up to rest just below her breasts. She trembled, wishing the cotton dress wasn’t in the way. ‘But not big, not at all.’

      She smiled, remembering when she thought he called her fat.

      ‘And I’d like to be with you while you’re here. I have a condition though,’ he said.

      Frowning, she asked, ‘What condition?’

      ‘If I only have you for a few days, then I want all the perks of a fling.’

      She agreed straight away, happy for them to start having all those perks right now.

      ***

      ‘Some perk,’ she grumbled as Zack muscled a moped out of the massive garage.

      She assumed he’d drag her straight to his bedroom since he was half naked already, but as soon as she’d agreed he’d kissed her nose, told her to wait there and then returned from his room fully dressed, saying he was taking her out.