The Resilient One: A Billionaire Bride Pact Romance

by Checketts, Cami

  “We’ll just go to the top of the ridge and then head back to her,” Beck reassured Alyssa. “I don’t want to upset her, but I also don’t want to be gone too long.”

  “Thanks.” She appreciated his concern for Granny more than she could express. “She just seems so weak lately.”

  Beck’s jaw tightened and he squeezed her hand. “It’s hard watching people you love age. My mom’s parents have both passed and I miss them a lot.”

  They were both out of breath by the time they reached the dirt path.

  “You doing okay?” Beck asked.

  “I’m sweating more than my run this morning.”

  “We should’ve brought water.”

  “The tough hockey player shouldn’t need water.”

  Beck winked. “You assume I’m tough. I’m really a wimp.”

  Alyssa glanced at his broad shoulders. “Look pretty tough to me.”

  He released her hand and gestured ahead of him. “Thanks. We’ll have to go single file from here.”

  They picked their way along the path. The view of the ocean was magnificent, but as they crested the ridge line and were able to look down into the tropical valley Alyssa gasped and squeezed Beck’s hand. “Look at that. Wow. It’s beautiful.”

  She turned to see Beck staring at her instead of the scenery. “I’d say.”

  Alyssa blushed. Beck lifted his hand and slowly traced the line of her jaw. She trembled at his tender touch. Beck’s other hand wrapped around her waist as he cupped her cheek. He studied her intently before pulling her close and lowering his face to hers. Alyssa closed her eyes and savored the warmth of his mouth. He slowly increased the intensity of the kiss. Alyssa’s thoughts scattered, but she knew she’d never experienced this kind of joy and fulfillment just from being close to a man.

  Voices from behind pulled them apart.

  Beck smiled and clasped her hand in his. She started walking back down the trail with him close behind. The beauty of nature and the beauty of Beck. It was almost too good to be true.

  A single hiker approached from below. Beck moved to the side, wrapping his arm around Alyssa’s waist and directing her to the side of the trail. He smiled at her and she didn’t even notice the hiker until she heard a delighted squeal of, “Beck!”

  Alyssa’s head whipped up. Her jaw dropped open. It was the overly-dolled-up blonde from the surfing spot yesterday. Alyssa’s jaw about became unhinged when the woman threw herself into Beck’s arms and planted a kiss on his lips, effectively elbowing Alyssa out of her way.

  “Belle.” Beck released Alyssa and placed both hands on Belle’s arms. It moved the woman back a step, but Alyssa didn’t like him touching her at all. “What are you doing here?”

  “Vacation.” She smiled like the Cheshire Cat, completely focused on Beck as if Alyssa wasn’t even there. “You look fabulous, as always. How have you been?”

  “Good. This is my… friend, Alyssa.” Beck gave Alyssa an awkward half smile.

  How Alyssa wished she could claim a better title than friend, but really, she and Beck’s relationship was just too new to claim titles. Who was this woman? They seemed to be really… close. Alyssa swallowed down the jealousy that was threatening to choke her.

  “Alyssa.” Belle inclined her chin like she was the queen dismissing a pauper then focused back on Beck. Trailing her long, red fingernails down his chest, she smiled coyly. “I’m taking you to Roy’s tonight.”

  Beck looked at Alyssa. “Well, um.”

  “Oh, yeah, you should go,” Alyssa said, forcing a smile and scrambling for a reason to not tag along to Roy’s with them tonight. She couldn’t handle this woman looking at Beck like she owned him for ten more seconds let alone an entire dinner. If only Beck would tell Belle to get lost. Please, please let him tell her to get lost.

  “I want you to come with us,” Beck’s eyes begged her to agree, but the whole situation was too awkward and she did not want to go with them tonight.

  “No. You go… catch up with your friend.”

  Beck’s face seemed to pale and Belle smiled triumphantly at Alyssa, her look saying she did not consider Beck to be just a “friend”.

  “Granny has been wanting to go to Miso Phat,” Alyssa rushed on, speaking too quickly, “So we’ll do that tonight.”

  Belle arched an eyebrow. “Great.” She turned her fake-lashed eyes back on Beck. “I’ll meet you at six.”

  She blew a kiss and strode up the trail, her perfect little butt swaying in such tight workout pants Alyssa could see she wasn’t wearing anything underneath. Alyssa wondered what Granny would have to say about that.

  Beck didn’t move. Alyssa glanced at him and was surprised that his eyes were closed and he wasn’t taking in the view. Thank heavens. He opened his eyes. “Sorry, that was awkward. Belle is… a good friend of my family’s.”

  “You don’t have to explain it to me,” Alyssa insisted, though she wanted more than anything to know that Belle held no place in his heart.

  Beck squinted at her. “Really?”

  “I understand. It’s no worry.”

  He exhaled slowly and smiled at her. “I’d much rather go to Miso Phat with you and Granny.”

  Alyssa shrugged. “I’ve heard Roy’s is amazing.” And the most expensive food on the island. Not that she cared.

  “It’s on the golf course?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you into golfing?” he asked.

  Alyssa knew a change of subject when she heard one. He obviously wasn’t going to tell her more about the beautiful Belle and what their relationship was, but the woman had stinking kissed him on the mouth and now they were going to dinner. Alyssa’s stomach turned, but she forced herself to keep a neutral expression. She’d been the one to insist that she understood.

  “No. I hate it,” she said. Only because her father loved it. “You?”

  He shrugged and started walking slowly back down the trail. “It’s fine, when I’m having a good golf day.”

  They didn’t talk much on their way back to the car. Granny kept the conversation going throughout the interminable drive and lunch at Mama’s Fish House. The food tasted like sandpaper to Alyssa.

  Beck kept giving her these concerned glances, but she didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t stop worrying over what was going on with Granny’s health and remembering Belle kissing Beck and the fact that he was meeting her for dinner tonight.

  “You always a shrimp kind of guy?” Granny asked.

  Beck picked up a coconut shrimp and grinned. “Pretty much. Never met a shrimp I didn’t like.”

  Alyssa’s eyes narrowed. What was he saying? He liked really thin women, like Belle, but with the addition of a fake frontal alignment. Alyssa wasn’t overweight but she definitely wasn’t a “shrimp” kind of girl. “Do you just like shrimpy food or shrimpy other things?” She wished she could bite her tongue, what kind of a question was that?

  “Just food,” Beck said.

  “Hmm. Maybe you’ll like shrimp tonight?”

  “No.” Beck shook his head. “Tonight I’ll get steak.”

  “Ah, so you’ll look for something more… rich tonight.”

  Beck cocked his head to the side and studied her, his eyebrows dipping down. Granny stared at her like she’d lost her mind.

  “I need to use the restroom,” Alyssa murmured. She pushed away from the table and rushed toward the back of the restaurant. Her face flamed red. Nothing like announcing that you were jealous of and concerned about the guy you liked going to dinner with a gorgeous “friend”.

  “What was that all about?” Granny asked Beck, stirring her Diet Coke with her straw.

  Beck shook his head and shrugged. “We saw an old friend of mine on the trail. Belle asked me to go to dinner tonight and Alyssa squirmed her way out of going with us.” He exhaled. Dinner would be so much better if Alyssa was there. Well, maybe, Belle could make it pretty awkward for both of them. Why was she here? Was Linli right that Belle had found
out his itinerary and was now here to… what? Make life miserable for him or try to trick him into a marriage proposal? He was very much through dealing with that woman, but he really had no choice at the moment.

  “Why would you agree to go to dinner with an ‘old friend’?” Ellie glared at him like he and Alyssa had been married for twenty years and she’d caught him cheating.

  Beck held up his hands in defense. “Honestly, I didn’t want to. Belle’s father donates heavily to Jordan’s Buds and is on the board. It’s always been like walking a tight rope trying to keep her happy so he doesn’t pull out.”

  “Did you date her?”

  “Yep.” He chuckled at the anger in Granny’s little body, instantly realizing that was the wrong thing to do. Her expression grew more fierce and he stifled the laughter that still wanted out. “I promise I have no feelings for her anymore, but I do have to be nice to her.”

  Ellie muttered something under her breath as Alyssa returned to the table with a forced smile on her face. Without Ellie contributing to the conversation and Alyssa obviously out of sorts, their day together had been pretty much toasted. For the first time since he’d met these two ladies he was happy to take them back to the bed and breakfast and say goodbye for a few hours.

  Alyssa slipped out of her room with a basketful of laundry. Thank heavens Jerry was great to allow all of his guests to use his commercial washer and dryer. Wearing some ratty and too-short running shorts because she had no clean laundry, she padded down to the basement. She flipped the light on, but the bulbs were burned out and with only the sun coming through the doorway, it was dark and dingy in this underground room. Still, she was grateful to be able to do her laundry here rather than running to the laundromat. She leaned farther into the front-loader distributing her colored t-shirts and cotton skirts.

  “I like this view,” a male voice said from behind her. The door clicked closed and the room grew even dimmer, the only light now through the small window built into the door.

  Alyssa whirled to cuss whoever it was out, half angry and half terrified of being alone in the semi-dark with some unknown man. The words died on her tongue when she saw the dreadlocks and the gleam in his hazel eyes. “H-How did you find me?” she asked.

  The druggie from Pa’ia lifted a shoulder as his eyes roamed over her body. “There are powers in bong.” He chuckled. “And sometimes I get paid well to have some fun.”

  He took a step forward and Alyssa tried to back away but she ran into the washer.

  “Your boyfriend isn’t around to protect you today.”

  Alyssa opened her mouth to scream. The sound might not rise out of the small basement, but she had to try. The guy leaped across the little bit of space separating them and clasped his hand over her mouth. “If you scream I’ll make this much worse on you.”

  Alyssa nodded against his hand, pretending she would cooperate while she scrambled for any idea to escape.

  He smirked. “Don’t think I’m stupid, little girl. I can see in your eyes that you like to fight.”

  She sunk her teeth into the disgusting flesh of his hand. He howled and yanked it away. Alyssa screamed for all she was worth and jabbed her fist into his gut. He leaned forward and she felt a surge of pride. That was a strong punch. Stomping on his foot, she pushed around him and scurried toward the door.

  His hand wrapped around her arm, jerking her to a halt.

  “Help, please help!” Alyssa hollered at the top of her lungs. She clawed at his hand with her fingernails.

  “You little wench,” he panted. “I am not getting paid enough to put up with this.”

  The door burst open behind her. Beck’s wide shoulders blocked out the sun, but the scowl on his face was easily readable.

  The guy released Alyssa and she fell. Beck caught her, holding her against his side with one strong arm. The guy was the one backing up now.

  “Hey. I wasn’t going to hurt her,” he said, holding up both palms.

  Beck ushered Alyssa behind him and advanced on the guy. Alyssa was glad he was on her side. “You’ll regret even looking at her,” Beck said.

  “No, it isn’t like that. Some stiff paid me to scare her.”

  “Who paid you?” he growled.

  “I don’t know. Some old guy in a sweet Lexus.”

  A Lexus. Alyssa covered her mouth with her hand. No. It couldn’t be. She thought she’d seen someone who looked like her dad the first time this guy attacked her. Did her dad follow her to Hawaii? He hadn’t protected her when she’d been attacked by Hugh, but would he really stoop so low as to pay someone to hurt her? Everything was about financial gain with her father. The question was, if he was involved, how could this help him make a profit? It didn’t make sense.

  Beck withdrew his phone from his pocket and handed it to Alyssa. “Call the police.”

  The guy jumped and tried to scurry around them. Beck grabbed the front of his shirt and slammed him against the wall like they were in a hockey game. “Don’t move,” he demanded.

  Alyssa quickly dialed 911 and after a short conversation was reassured that officers would be there momentarily. Moments seemed to drag as the guy squirmed, swore, begged, and threatened while Beck held him in place. The police finally came and took their statements then hauled the guy away. She didn’t mention her father to anyone and prayed it was all an awful coincidence.

  Finally it was just her and Beck. He gently escorted her to the courtyard. Two fat tears rolled down her cheeks. She’d felt numb as the police had questioned her, but now the fear was all rushing back. Beck wrapped her up in his arms and simply held her.

  “You did great,” he murmured against her hair. “You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”

  Alyssa melted against him, so grateful he was here, that he’d come for her. She shut out the fact he was going to dinner with Belle tonight. For this moment, it was enough to just be in his arms.

  Beck met Belle at Roy’s, the exclusive restaurant on the Ka’anapali Golf Course. He wished she’d worn taller heels so he couldn’t see straight down her cleavage line, but maybe they didn’t make heels taller than four inches. She reached up to kiss him the moment he walked in, but he turned his head so she only brushed his cheek. He was not having a repeat of her pressing her hard lips to his like she had this morning.

  He kept his practiced smile on and prayed he could get through the night without offending her and losing her dad, Joseph’s, support. Joseph was a good guy overall and had been on the board of Jordan’s Buds since its conception. The money he donated made a difference to thousands of children. When Beck had refused to give into both of their father’s wishes and ask Belle to marry him five years ago, he was afraid he’d lost her dad too. Joseph had surprised him. He’d assured Beck as long as he was respectful to his girl he would still support him and Jordan’s Buds.

  Beck hid a sigh as Belle prattled on about some trip to Greece. The woman spent more money on shopping in exotic locations than most countries did on defense. He just had to get through dinner and then he could hopefully find Alyssa. Things had been awkward at lunch today, but after he protected her from that idiot she’d all but melted in his arms.

  He hated to leave her tonight after what she’d been through this afternoon. She kept insisting she would be fine, but he had a hard time believing her. He couldn’t imagine the terror she must be feeling, being attacked by that same guy and finding out someone had paid him to do it. Maybe Beck could take her out for dessert to bring her smile back. His smile at Belle actually became real as he thought about Alyssa and how she tasted better than any dessert he could recall. He wondered what Granny Ellie would do if he called her granddaughter dessert. He almost laughed then. Ellie would probably tell him to savor it.

  “Park right there,” Granny screeched.

  Alyssa stared at the red paint on the curb. “That’s not a spot. They’ll tow my car.”

  “I’ll pay if you get a ticket. Now park.”

  Alyssa shook her head, bu
t obeyed. There was no use arguing when Granny was in a mood.

  “If we don’t hurry, we’re going to miss him.”

  Granny sprung from the car and took off across the golf course. Alyssa looked around, hoping they wouldn’t get beaned in the head with a golf ball. This was nuts. She followed Granny across two open green spaces and though they didn’t get hit or stopped, they did get some strange looks.

  Granny tugged on Alyssa’s hand as they rounded a putting green and saw the restaurant a hundred yards away.

  “We’re going to get kicked out of here,” Alyssa muttered. She had no idea how she’d allowed Granny to talk her into spying on Beck and Belle. She had no desire to see them together. Talk about the stuff of nightmares. Sadly, she never told Granny no.

  “You shush. We’ll be fine. I’ve been a spy so many times someone should pay me.”

  Alyssa laughed, glancing over at her Granny decked out in a black hat, long-sleeved shirt, and pants. Luckily she’d decided the black face paint was a pain, sharing lengthy stories of several excursions with her best friend Ruby where the paint had flaked off.

  It wasn’t quite dark yet, but at least most of the golfers were gone. Tiki torches lit the patio of Roy’s Restaurant. Alyssa and Granny covered the last fifty yards and Alyssa immediately picked out Beck. She swallowed. He looked fabulous in a short-sleeved button-down shirt, open at the collar. He smiled at Belle. It looked practiced at first then it became genuine and Alyssa felt like she’d been punched in the gut. He obviously liked Belle to share a smile like that with her.

  She tried not to look at Belle, but it was impossible not to notice the low-cut and ultra-short red dress. Belle crossed her legs and Alyssa wondered if the woman knew what underwear was. This was the second time she’d seen Belle and she was pretty sure she’d seen more of her than she ever wanted to see of another woman.