Safari Island Shifters: The Complete Collection(4)

They boarded the bus and she promptly fell asleep. Lily shook her awake an hour later. “You missed the whole ride. This place is better than any dream you were having.”

Addison looked around. “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

Lily shrugged. “You’re jetlagged and it’s warm outside. You didn’t stand a chance. At least that means we can head right to the beach.”

Lily never got jetlagged, a fact she frequently bragged about. Acclimating to the local time quickly meant she could hit the ground running on all her vacations.

This was the first time Addison had been able to see her best friend on vacation and she wasn’t surprised Lily was ready to party right away. During the school year, Lily was always very studious. Now that she was at her job, it was no different. Her motto was, “Work hard, play hard.” Now was the time to play.

Addison wanted to take a page from Lily’s book on this trip. She was going to let loose and have fun. Consequences be damned. She was going to throw caution to the wind and get into as many hijinks as possible. This was a once in a lifetime trip. There was no way she’d be able to afford to come back anytime soon, so she was going to take advantage of everything the island had to offer.

They got checked in and to their room pretty quickly. The resort was more beautiful than the pictures could show. Lily had won an ocean view bungalow and it was twice as big as their entire apartment at home. Decorated in oranges and teal with plush carpet, giant beds, a very modern bathroom with marble floors, and a terrace, it was the nicest place Addison had ever stayed in.

“I don’t think I’ll ever live in a place this luxurious.” Addison sank into one of the couch cushions as Lily tipped the bellhop.

Lily came over and sat next to her on the couch. “Ahh, this is great.”

They stared out the giant floor-to-ceiling window. The water stretched on for miles. Then Addison picked up the menu on the table next to her. “Are you hungry?”

Lily nodded. “Can they bring it to the pool?”

Addison checked. “Yup. It sounds like we have a dedicated butler kind of deal too. What do you want?”

“The fanciest salad on the menu and a giant margarita.”

“Okay.” Addison ordered two goat cheese and arugula salads, a margarita, and a strawberry daiquiri.

While she was ordering, Lily was going through their luggage. She tossed Addison her swimsuit. “I’ll take the bedroom on the left.”

“There are two bedrooms?” Addison was shocked.

“Uh, duh. This is their best cabana, girl. Did you think we were gonna share a room?”

Addison had thought the second door led to a bathroom but it was indeed a second bedroom. This one was decorated in deep greens and white. It was the mirror image of Lily’s room and had its own en suite bathroom. She would have been happy sharing a room, but this was so much better. This was like having their very own island home. Her room even had a door out to the pool. She changed into her monokini, put on sunglasses, and stepped out onto the deck.

There were four lounge chairs set up around the pool, a conversation area with outdoor furniture, and a fire pit. The kidney-shaped pool was pristine and they could still see the ocean from their room.

Lily came out of her room wearing a yellow bikini. She handed Addison a tube of sunscreen. “Get my back?”

Addison rubbed in the cream. “Do we have a private beach?”

“I think so. I don’t see anyone close to us, either. These trees are a great privacy screen.”

“I’ve been to a hotel that was this quiet before. This is seriously like having a beach house.”

“It really is. I’m warning you now, when I bring a hunky shifter back, you have to keep your curtain closed.”

“Shut up!”

“What? We have to bring guys home. This is a single ladies’ vacation. Live a little.”

A man in blue shorts and a white tank top walked around the side of the house. “Hey, ladies. I knocked a few times and figured I should just come back to the pool. I hope that’s okay?”

Addison nodded. “Whoops. I forgot to tell them that we were going to be at the pool.”

“No problem.” He flashed a brilliant smile as he put their salads down on the table. “I’m Brent, and I’ll be your personal concierge for your stay. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call the front desk.”

“Thanks.” Lily waited until he was out of earshot to whistle. “Wow. I haven’t seen one ugly guy since we’ve been here. They should just call this place Beefcake Island.”

Addison laughed and unrolled her silverware. “Reservations would skyrocket.”

“Want to head down to the beach after we eat?”

She nodded. “Sounds good.”

“And after a quick walk we can start getting ready.”

“Getting ready?”

“For tonight. I figure we can go scope out the place tonight. See what kind of talent we’re dealing with.”

“This salad is great.” Addison took a big bite of goat cheese. “What are you talking about now? Talent?”

Lily pushed her sunglasses up so Addison could see her roll her eyes. “How hot the guys are at Club Safari. We have to go there at least twice. And I want to check out the bar in Safari Town.”