by Olivia Evans
For everyone who waited 84 years for me to publish this book.
You guys rock.
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Books by Olivia Evans
Credits
Copyright
Chapter One
On the second floor of an exclusive resort hotel in Fiji, guests filed into a private room. Caterers bustled around them, carrying trays of brunch appetizers and filling glasses with champagne or rum punch. At the back of the room, Anders leaned against the wall. Beside him, white curtains billowed in the breeze. The floor-to-ceiling windows were open wide, allowing the smell of sand and salt to flood the room. The sound of waves crashing onto the beach echoed in the distance.
He moved his eyes over the room, watching as people chatted in small groups, their smiles wide and their eyes filled with excitement. He found Josie standing with her best friends, Madison and Chloe, her head thrown back in laughter, a glass clutched in her hand. His eyes traveled along the slope of her nose to the pout of her lips before dropping lower to the swell of her breasts. A small smile lifted one side of his mouth even as his body tensed, overcome with emotion. He wondered if this was how she’d felt that first night. The night she’d planned to have a reckless one-night stand.
Anders shook his head and pushed off the wall as he made his way toward her. He’d thought the same thing at the time. How wonderfully wrong they’d been. Stepping up beside her, he slid his arm around her waist, flexing his fingers into her side.
“Hey,” he exhaled against her skin, chuckling when she shivered and turned to face him. Her crystal-blue eyes shone with mirth as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Hey yourself,” she murmured, her gaze focused on his lips.
Anders leaned forward, his lips brushing against her ear. “If you don’t stop looking at me like that, we’re going to have to find an office with a sturdy wall.”
“Behave,” Josie laughed, giving him a quick kiss before spinning out of his arms and grabbing his hand.
He allowed her to pull him to the same spot where he’d been watching her earlier, all hope of finding an empty office for a little wall sex vanishing when another group of people walked into the room.
“I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” Anders groaned, his gaze sweeping around the room again. Beside him, Josie tensed. When he saw the look of apprehension on her face, he rolled his eyes.
“Not this,” he said, motioning between them with an expression that all but called her crazy. He sent a pointed stare toward the crowd before meeting Josie’s gaze once more. “That.”
Josie furrowed her brows. “Well, I’m not asking you to marry any of them—only me.”
“Always the smartass,” he chuckled, pulling her tighter against his side. “What I mean is, I don’t know if I can handle all these people at the same time. One-on-one, I’m fine…ish, but beyond that…well, I don’t enjoy hanging with people I mostly think are idiots. And let’s be real, Ivy. There are a lot of idiots here.”
Josie grinned and wrapped her arms around his waist. “You’ll be fine. The guys have all sorts of fun things planned.”
Anders scrunched up his face, his stormy blue eyes revealing every ounce of disdain he felt. He’d much rather be locked away in their villa having his way with her. “Do I look like a fucking five-year-old? I don’t need group activities. All I need is alcohol and air conditioning.”
“You’re so high-maintenance,” Josie sighed, draining the rest of her punch. “Just let me do the talking for now. You stand there and be pretty.”
Anders smirked. “You want me to be your arm candy?”
“Can you think of any other reason I’d put up with you?”
Anders leaned closer, brushing his fingers along the underside of her breast as he spoke. “I’m sure I can think of a few.”
“Anders,” Josie whispered in what he assumed was her pathetic attempt at scolding him. She was well on her way to a good buzz. It wouldn’t take much more to convince her to sneak away.
“If you expect me to believe you’re not interested, maybe you shouldn’t say my name in the same tone you do when my tongue—”
“Get a room!”
Anders released a harsh breath before turning to where Madison stood with a huge smile stretched across her face. One side of his mouth lifted into a devious smile, and his brow rose in amusement. “As a matter of fact, we happen to have one of those. I was just telling Josie about the things I planned to—”
“Mom! Dad! You’re here!” Josie yelled, her eyes wide as she jammed her elbow into Anders’s side.
“Fuck,” he whispered while shifting his weight, his mischief set aside. He didn’t know what it was about Josie’s dad that unnerved him so much, but never in his life had anyone intimidated him more. Anders shook his head. That was a complete lie. He knew exactly why that man freaked him the fuck out. The first time they’d met, Josie’s dad had shown Anders his “war room,” as he called it. Turned out, Josie’s dad was a retired Navy SEAL sniper. A detail she’d conveniently left out.
Anders felt Josie’s hand skim up his back. When he looked over his shoulder at her, the amusement on her face caused his lips to press into a thin line. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “Mom made him leave his guns at home.”
“I’m still pissed at you for not telling me about him. You know that, right?”
Josie laughed. “That was almost two years ago! How can you still be mad?”
Anders shrugged. “Holding grudges is kind of my thing.”
“I think,” Josie whispered, hugging him from behind, “you just like to bring it up because I always apologize in a very special way.”
A smile tugged at the corner of Anders’s mouth as he thought about the way she’d apologized that night and every other time the subject came up. He couldn’t help but wonder why he didn’t bring it up more. “Well, now that you mention it…” He turned to face her, making sure she felt his implication.
“I swear we’re going to have to hose you two off.”
Josie laughed, and Anders swore under his breath as he turned to Josie’s mother and gave her a stiff smile. “Mrs. Bane,” he coughed, his voice strained.
She waved him off and pulled him into a hug. Anders made sure to keep their lower bodies apart. The last thing he wanted was for his future mother-in-law to feel his erection. “I hope you put all this sexual tension to good use and give me a grandbaby soon.” Anders choked on a gasp of air at her whispered words. Josie’s mom pulled back and smiled, her face not giving away the fact that she’d just called Anders out for having a hard-on. “I’ve told you to call me Sonya.”
Anders coughed and nodded, his eyes darting around the room, unable to make eye contact with Sonya. Josie’s parents were fucking insane.
“Mom, are you hitting on my fiancé again?” Josie asked. Anders shook his head.
“Of course,” she answered at the same time Anders said, “Of course not.”
Josie laughed. “Mom, this is why I don’t invite you to visit more.”
“Is your mother hitting on Anders again?” Josie’s dad asked, causing Anders to drop his chin to his chest and sigh. Her dad laughed and clapped Anders on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, son. I left my guns at home.”
“
Dad,” Josie admonished even though Anders could hear the laughter in her voice.
Pulling in a deep breath, Anders lifted his head and extended his hand. “Keith, it’s good to see you.” He knew better than to call him Mr. Bane; he’d learned that lesson early on. Josie’s father gave him an approving smile.
“Good to see you, son. Are you ready for what we have planned today?”
Anders swallowed and looked from Josie to her father then to her brother Holden, who stood nearby with a wide smile that clearly conveyed Anders was most certainly not ready for what they had planned. “Yup.”
“If I could have everyone’s attention,” Josie called, pulling Anders from the seventh circle of Bane hell. “I just want to thank you all for coming. I can’t tell you what it means to Anders and me that you all took time out of your busy lives to share this special time with us.”
“We paid for it. What do they care?” Anders muttered, leading Josie to give him one of her top ten bitch faces.
Anders shoved his hands into his pockets and let his gaze drift over the people gathered in front of him. Holden and Maddie stood next to Chloe and her boyfriend Reid, their expressions ranging from amused to sympathetic. Beside them were Anders’s friends from LA, Owen and Walker, his agent, Nathan, with his wife, Elizabeth, Inky and Greer from Reid’s band, Chloe’s mother, and some chick named Lori who worked with Josie. It was going to be a small wedding. Anders didn’t want a big show of fake-ass people coming to their wedding for the sake of being seen.
That was especially true when it came to his parents.
These were people who were important to Josie and Anders. They were people who didn’t expect anything. For the longest time, he’d only had Nathan, Owen, and Walker—when he wasn't in rehab. Now though, there were others, and not because they had to be there or because they served a purpose. They were in his life because of Josie, and if he was honest, because he wanted them there.
Fuck, he was turning into a pussy. He’d make a point to piss them off at some point just to keep things in perspective. The thought made him smile. Not because he wanted to make them mad, but because Josie would be mad as hell, and they’d have killer angry sex.
“Stop thinking about sex,” Josie hissed.
Anders chuckled. “You might as well tell me to stop breathing.”
“Jesus,” Josie exhaled. “We’re going to have lots of angry sex this weekend, aren’t we?”
“Damn straight.”
“You realize we’re still standing here,” Keith said, causing Anders and Josie to laugh.
“Hush,” Sonya said. “All this sexual tension will lead to babies. Just let it happen.”
“Oh God,” Josie groaned as a warm feeling mixed with a heavy dose of nausea washed over Anders. He’d never given much thought to children, but suddenly the image of Josie, her belly swollen with their child, made a lump form in his throat. He wasn’t sure if it was desire or fear, but it was definitely something to ponder later—when her father wasn’t giving him a death glare and her mom wasn’t looking at him like she was willing to be impregnated.
“Anyway,” Anders said, clapping his hands together. “We’re going to do some dumb shit, drink too much, and regret most of what happens over the next four days, so you fuckers might as well prepare yourselves. That being said, I want to make it perfectly fucking clear that if any of you ruins a single moment of this for my girl, I’ll fucking kill you. Thanks for coming. Let’s get this shitshow on the road.”
Next to him, Josie gasped, her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide. “Anders!”
He shrugged, his brows raised and his expression conveying that he didn’t give a single shit if he’d offended anyone. “Ivy,” he said, his tone matching his expression. “This is our wedding. We paid for all these assholes to be here, even though some of them have more money than I do. The least they can do is not fuck up our wedding. Am I right?”
“He is right, baby girl,” Keith said, stepping next to Anders. “Although he could have delivered the message with a little more finesse, I think we’d be pushing it to ask for more than we got. In his own way, that was his effort to tell people not to fuck up your big day. You can’t be mad at the guy for that.”
“Did you just say fuck?” Josie whispered, her eyes widening when her mother wrapped her arms around her dad and winked.
“You should hear him—”
“Okay, Mom, that’s enough out of you,” Holden said, coming to stand next to her and pulling her almost-empty drink from her hand. Anders and Josie exhaled in relief as her dad smirked. Anders shook his head. He’d said it once, and he’d say it again: Josie’s parents were fucking insane.
“Are you ready for today?” Holden asked.
Anders narrowed his eyes as he looked between Keith and Holden. “That depends on what you guys have planned.” The truth was, he already knew, thanks to Reid, but they didn’t need to know that.
Holden laughed. “It’ll be fun, don’t worry. Although you might want to change before we go.”
Anders looked down at his slacks and button-down shirt. He knew he needed to change, but he might as well have a little fun playing dumb. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
Holden rolled his eyes. “Did you bring shorts?”
Anders scoffed. He wasn’t that uptight. Anymore. “Of course, I did. I have several pairs of athletic shorts.”
“And I assume you have T-shirts to go with those shorts?”
“Yes,” Anders answered with his own eye roll. Holden was totally busting his balls.
“Awesome. Put those on with a pair of sneakers and meet us out front in twenty minutes. And make sure whatever you put on isn’t expensive. It will likely be ruined by the time we get back.”
Holden and Keith turned away, yelling for the others, to give them the same instructions they’d given Anders. Anders turned to Josie. “What the fuck have I gotten myself into?”
“You’ll be fine.”
“You’re so full of shit. I can see it all over your face.”
Josie laughed, her eyes darting around the room. “Okay, I have no idea if you’ll be fine, but I can promise they won’t kill you. That’s something, yeah?”
Anders shook his head, amused. “You’re as bad as the rest of them. Away with you, she-witch. Have fun with your mom bringing up my dick impregnating you for the rest of the night. Rum punch is at least on my side for now.”
“Fuck,” Josie whispered, her cheeks pinking. “I’m going to have to cut her off. She’s out of control.”
Anders laughed. “Good luck with that, Ivy. I’ll see you later.”
Josie frowned and rocked up on her toes to give Anders a quick kiss. “This was such a bad idea.”
“Horrible.”
“What were we thinking?”
“I have no idea, but it’s too late now. Good luck to us both.”
Josie sighed. “Be careful, Asshole.”
Anders chuckled and pulled Josie against him, his lips lingering on her forehead. “You too, Ivy.”
With a deep breath, Anders headed toward their villa to change clothes before subjecting himself to an afternoon in the jungle.
Chapter Two
Under the blistering sun, Anders stared at the four-wheeled death machine before glancing at his friends. Owen and Walker were fucked. “Someone is going to die.”
Holden laughed and handed Anders a helmet. “You’ll be fine, I swear. My dad used to take me on these things all the time. You have nothing to worry about.”
“This is bullshit,” Owen said, his face twisted with disdain. “We have stunt doubles to do this shit for us. I can’t afford to wreck one of these. What if I mess up my face? Or end up paralyzed? What happened to a good ole strip club and booze?”
“And a little bit of coke,” Walker added, earning a disapproving glare from Anders. “We’re not cut out for this shit, Anders.”
“I have my camera ready,” Reid whispered, his eyes on Owen and Walker as he
moved beside Anders. “These are just like the ones we rented last weekend. Steer clear of those two, and you’ll be fine.”
Anders looked at Reid and grinned. “Thanks for the heads-up. At least now I have a chance of not crashing into a tree.” Anders chuckled when Walker swore as he climbed onto the four-wheeler. “Please tell me you plan to ride behind him and Owen. It would be a shame not to get this on video.”
“Damn straight, I am,” Reid laughed, clapping Anders on the back as he and Greer climbed onto their four-wheelers.
Anders wasn’t sure how it had happened, but Reid had somehow become his closest friend over the last year. Sure, he was still tight with Owen and Walker—well, as close as anyone could be to those two. But they still lived like bachelors, and as cool as Josie was about a lot of things, having half-naked women hanging all over him wasn’t one of them. While his relationship with Holden was definitely better, Anders knew he’d never come before Josie, and that put a barrier between them that would never diminish.
“Man the fuck up, assholes. Let’s roll.” Anders climbed onto the four-wheeler, making sure to keep his expression neutral when he noticed the smirks Holden and Keith wore. The half-day trip had been their idea. The plan was to ride inland, then have a short exploration of Naihehe Cave. After, they’d go back to the resort and drink on the beach. He was certain Holden and Keith had picked this particular excursion to get a few laughs at Anders’s expense, but the joke was on them. He’d need to buy Reid a new guitar for this one.
It took less than an hour for things to go south. “Shit!” Owen yelled as he dodged a tree branch. He hadn’t been so lucky the time before; the bright red mark on his face was proof of that. Anders had nearly hit a tree when it happened because he couldn’t stop laughing.
“Anders, I’m going to kick your ass!”
“You can’t even stay on the path!” Anders yelled. “You might want to concentrate more on not dying and less on trying to kick my ass.”
“Your face is fucked, man,” Walker said to Owen as he moved closer to Anders.