Bliss by Shay Mitchell

everyone assume she was American? “I’m Canadian, actually. You sound Australian.”
    â€œI’m from Singapore,” she said.
    Singapore! A dot of an island off the coast of Malaysia, the epicenter of crazy rich Asians, where the streets were paved with gold and diamonds dripped from trees, or so she’d heard. “I’ve always wanted to go there,” said Leandra. “I hear it’s incredible, like the Garden of Eden.”
    Sari nodded. “It’s just home to me.”
    â€œOh, yeah, same for me with Ontario. People say it’s one of the most stunning places in the world, but I fail to see the appeal.”
    â€œFirst time in Thailand?” she asked.
    â€œFirst time in Asia,” said Leandra. “It’s incredible, obviously, and so spiritual. I counted like five hundred Buddhas just in the airport.”
    â€œDid you notice the Big Buddha?” Sari pointed down the beach to a mountain behind them. At the top sat a gigantic statue of Buddha in lotus position. It had to be a hundred feet tall.
    â€œHow did I miss that?” she asked, dumbfounded. She tried to imagine a colossal statue of Jesus, say, looming over Niagara Falls. Would never happen. Overt religiousness wasn’t the Canadian way.
    â€œAre you staying at Sawasdee?” asked Leandra.
    Sari looked taken aback, as if the very question were absurd. “No, my brother and I are at the Baray on Kata Beach, about a mile that way. We were walking along Karon and stopped for a drink here.”
    â€œYour brother?”
    â€œHere he comes,” said Sari.
    Leandra followed her eyeline, and saw a man emerge from the ocean. No, not a man. A god. His short hair was black and wet around an angular face, high cheekbones, a strong chin, and light blue eyes. Rippling abs dotted with seawater, a V-shaped hairless chest, leg muscles bunching and relaxing with each step as he strode along the sand. Leandra felt tased by the sight.
    Sari giggled. “I know. He’s a freak of nature.”
    â€œSorry!” Had her awe been that obvious?
    â€œNo worries. He has that effect on women.”
    He came to the lounge between Sari and Leandra and reached for his towel. As he dried himself, Leandra quickly assumed the position. Back slightly arched, one knee up, the other leg straight, toes pointed, an arm thrown over her head, the other playing with her bikini strap. She’d learned exactly how to hold her body to draw the male gaze.
    Sari said, “Nick, this is Leandra from Canada. She just arrived in Phuket and it looks like she could use another beer.”
    He smiled at her. “Welcome to Thailand,” he said, sounding like an Aussie god and looking like Sean O'pry. If he were rich, too, Leandra was madly in love.
    Nick signaled the roving waiter and ordered drinks.
    â€œHow long have you been in Phuket?” Leandra asked.
    â€œA few days,” said Nick. “We’re here for a family wedding.”
    Sari added, “Nick refused to stay at our cousin’s private island. Too much family togetherness, isn’t it?”
    â€œYou’re sharing a room?” asked Leandra.
    They laughed pretty hard at that. “It’s a villa,” said Nick, his onyx eyes sparkling. “Like a little house.”
    She got the feeling their digs were more like a little palace. Leandra smiled, laughed along, as if she knew exactly what they meant. “Of course. Because a sister and brother in the same room would be freaking weird.”
    When the waiter came back with their drinks, Nick gave him a thousand-baht note, which was the equivalent of thirty dollars. He said, “Keep the change.” Leandra bit her lip. Maybe she should have tipped the cabdriver? Oh, well. What was she going to do now? Hunt him down over five baht?
    Nick settled on the lounge between the women and closed his eyes. Sari lay back, too, giving Leandra the chance to study this dynamic duo. She