“Okay,” I murmur to myself. “Let’s be halfway decent today.”
Because yesterday? Yesterday I was not.
I hadn’t even said hello to the guys and that’s not who I am. Between trying to survive reptile terror and navigating sea sickness, I’d completely forgotten how to act like a normal person. My nerves were frayed as it was and the fact that West, once again, popped up out of nowhere, I could barely think straight.
Dammit Jovi! Why do I keep thinking about him? Can I just have one thought where he doesn’t worm his way into my mind? If I’m going to leave this trip without pulling my damn hair out, I’m going to need to keep a level head and for some reason, I can’t when it comes to him.
Decision made, I head downstairs, listening to the soft sound of the waves and distant laughter drifting through the open windows as the warm morning air brushes against my skin. I hadn’t had a chance to look around yesterday. I sort of beelined it to the nearest, empty bedroom and stayed there until now. But… wow. It’s next level. Open plan, light flooding in from every angle, overlooking the living and dining areas. And then there's the ocean. Ugh. It’s perfect. Marble floors shimmer beneath my feet, teak cabinetry gleams, and the benchtops look like they're made out of pieces of the moon. I brush my fingers over the smooth surface. Quartz? How… expensive.
My eyes wander before landing on the bar tucked into the corner of the dining area. I walk over, sliding open the small refrigerator built into the side of the bar and my jaw drops when I see that it’s full. Fresh fruit is lined perfectly in neatly displayed containers. Color-coordinated, each with its own individual row. They even have garnishes and basically everything you could ever need to make whatever the hell you’d like. This is my heaven. I grab a couple of glasses from the hanging rackabove the counter and, without overthinking it, start pulling ingredients together to make a breakfast smoothie.
Beau Baker might be an award-winning legend back home for his impressive bartender skills, but I don’t care. We got off on the wrong foot yesterday, and hopefully this can be enough to mend whatever impression they have of me. I know I shouldn’t care, but if I’m to survive being in their proximity, I’m going to need to show them a little more than the bratty, monster version of myself everyone witnessed yesterday. And I hope to the gods that Haze forgets seeing me drool all over him because I don't think I can handle him bringing it up.
Satisfied with my magazine-worthy peace offerings, I place them on a serving tray and follow the laughter and splashing sounds drifting from somewhere outside. If I’m lucky, we can all pretend nothing ever happened between West and me and just enjoy the vacation none of us expected to turn out this way. Even if it means ignoring the part of me still stuck on what we did and what I won’t admit I want to do.
I have no business feeling anything for Theo’s dad, yet every time he doesn’t look at me, I can’t help but feel that annoying little twinge of disappointment that follows. Like I want him to see me. To see that I am more than every single impression he’s had of me thus far and prove to him that I’m not what he says I am.Trouble.The thought of him having a nickname for me should enrage me, especially given the circumstances surrounding our previous interactions, but it does the total opposite. I can’t lie, it turned me on when he said it the other night and for that, I should be studied. I have no room for a relationship in my life right now, not if my last one is anything to go by. Not to mention the repercussions that would follow if we ever started something. Still, is that enough to put an end to my curiosity? No.
I take a deep breath and shove it down, pressing the tray of smoothies tighter to my chest. One step at a time. One day at a time. I can get through this, right? So why do I get the feeling that I’m about to walk straight into a den of wolves? And why is that thought as equally terrifying as it is intriguing?
CHAPTER 10
HAZE
THREE’S COMPANY, FOUR’S A CLIMAX
The water is way too calm for how loud the elephant in the room is. Shallow. Clear. Controlled. Nothing like the mess quietly unravelling inside our minds, caused by the beautiful woman sleeping upstairs in what was supposed to beourprivate island upgrade. I mean, what are the chances that things have unfolded like this? Well, I'm not mad about it. Quite the opposite, actually.
I’ve never seen West this wound up before. Not about anything. He’s always been solid and steady. The kind of man who carries the weight of fucking everyone without a single complaint about it. Sure, he can be broody, but never to a point he’d rather read a romance novel of all fucking things than watch Beau and I swim shirtless in a luxurious pool before breakfast. The man’s at war, and the look on Beau’s face tells me that he and I are on the same page.
West has it bad for Jovi.
He knows better than to deny it because we know him better than anyone. She’s gotten under his skin and he’s not sure whatthe hell to do about it. He’s got to get in line because at some point, we’ve all been there. Jovi wasthegirl back in high school. She was the star in every guy’s fantasy, though she’d never know it. She was always way too invested in her classes than to humor any of us assholes drooling over her from the sidelines or to notice us basically throwing ourselves at her feet. She was completely oblivious to how fucking beautiful she was, which only made us want her more. When it became clear to everyone with a dick that she wasn’t interested, we backed off.
I think Beau had it the worst, though.
Both he and Jovi were nerds, for lack of a better word, which meant they shared the same classes and were in study groups together. Yet, he was always way too chicken shit to talk to her. Not that it would have mattered, because Jovi would have rejected his ass faster than an arrow to the chest. The Jovi we witnessed yesterday, on the other hand, is very much interested.
I know what I saw in her eyes on stage with West the other night. It was the same look she had when she jumped into Beau’s arms and practically undressed me with her eyes. The shy teenager we once knew and obsessed over is long gone. In her place is a gorgeous fucking woman who knows exactly who she is and isn’t afraid to show it.
The woman’s got fire.
I like it. Beau likes it… West likes it, even if he won’t admit it.
We may as well be walking around on eggshells where West is concerned at the moment because there is one giant, self-sabotaging, fucking honor complex standing in the way of what he truly wants. We’re not idiots. He knows we see it. There’s something between him and Jovi. It’s as if his jaw is wired tight. He’s been this way since she showed up yesterday.Scratch that.Since the accidental handjob debacle the other night. Which, by the way, I’m both pissed and grateful I wasn’t there to witness, because… damn. Watching Jovi on her knees for our guy wouldbe a fucking dream. Only, that dream would have been short-lived because if the night played out the way West said it did, I don’t think I would have put up with any more of Theo’s bullshit.
I stay out of their family shit out of respect for West and to keep the peace, but learning that Theo was cheating on Jovi like that… I would have lost it. Or was he cheating on Tamika with Jovi? Those details are unclear. Either way, none of it is acceptable. Tamika and Jovi are good people, and they both deserve better.
There’s a good man buried in Theo somewhere. A version of him almost no one ever gets to see. Beau and I have seen it. But it’s hidden beneath a truck-sized chip on his shoulder and it’ll stay there until he decides to deal with his shit. In some ways, I relate to him. But only he can fix himself. Not his father and certainly not the trail of women he’s leaving behind. He’ll work it out. He’s just got to face himself first. Until that happens, our relationship with his father is not up for discussion. He’s not ready for that fucking bombshell.
In the meantime, my priority is West’s happiness. He comes before anyone else, and I’ll be fucked if I let him continuously deny himself the life he deserves. Sure, it’s not a perfect scenario where Theo is concerned, but like he really gives a fuck. His pride is wounded. That’s all there is to it. If this vacation pans out the way that I think it will, Theo will have no fucking choice but to get over it.
West wants Jovi. And if what I saw on stage has any fucking merit, Jovi wants him too. I sure as shit won’t stand in their way and neither will Beau. That’s just not how we are. Our love isn’t defined by stupid fucking titles or reduced to tiny little boxes. It’s raw. Free. Ours. And as long as we have each other, there isn’t a damn thing we can’t face together. They’re mine.Always.And if Jovi wants in, she can fit in however and wherever the hell she pleases.
I swim up to the edge of the pool, sprawling my arms out along the tiled ledge as I stare out at the endless view of water. There isn’t a single person in sight as I take in the different shades of blue, which is just my style. Private with no assholes around to bother me.
Beau glides up behind me, his chest pressing into my back, warm and so uniquely him I almost purr. His hands slide slowly down my arms as he starts to trail barely there kisses along my shoulder. My cock begins to harden when he leans in closer, brushing his mouth against the shell of my ear, sending a wave of goosebumps across my cool, wet skin.
“You look so fucking hot like this,” he murmurs. “Soaking wet.” I tilt my head back slightly, letting Beau’s heat settle over me, and a slow smirk pulls at my mouth when I feel his hard length brush against my ass through my shorts.
