Inked Obsession

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  And I liked that I was here if Eliza needed me. Not that she really needed me for most things since she was so damn capable.

  I knew she had to be hurting over everything, considering what she was going through, but she had laughed, and she had smiled yesterday. We had talked, and then she’d acted like the person I knew she had been in the process of becoming before she found out about the affair.

  I liked Eliza. A lot. She was beautiful, brilliant, and talented. And I wasn’t going to think about her in any way but as my friend’s friend. And my friend. I couldn’t think about her in any other way. That would be wrong.

  At least that’s what I kept telling myself.

  I drank coffee that Lee had sent to my room through room service because he was more of a mother hen than a Montgomery and looked around. I should probably eat breakfast, but I wasn’t in the mood. Maybe I would go work out and then head to the beach. I could see what Eliza was doing and ask if she wanted to hang out. I frowned. No, I shouldn’t do that. She wanted time alone, didn’t she?

  She didn’t need to hang out with me and all of my problems.

  I shook my head and changed into my workout gear. I might be on vacation, but I’d still brought workout gear like a chump. I couldn’t help it, I needed something to do.

  I headed out into the hallway and looked at her closed door. Should I knock and say, “Good morning?” Should I text? Or should I be the responsible one and just leave her be? I should probably do that. If she wanted someone to talk to, she could find me. Or maybe she’d find that guy I’d seen hitting on her earlier. She’d even smiled at him when we were heading over to get lunch. Who was he? And why the hell was I jealous? It wasn’t like she was mine. She never would be. I didn’t want anyone like that. And it sure as hell couldn’t be Eliza. She was just my friend. And here I was, talking in circles.

  I shook my head and headed down to the gym. It was early enough that not a lot of people were working out. In fact, I bet most people would work out here by just hanging out at the pool or at the beach rather than hitting the gym. I wanted to lift a few weights, and later, maybe I’d run on the beach. I’d thought about waking up earlier and doing so in the morning, but I was still on Mountain Time. Running on the beach as the sun rose before the crowds really hit peak would be a little too early for me.

  I lifted a few weights, rolled my neck, and then headed to the treadmill—just a bit of cardio to get the blood pumping and try to stop thinking about Eliza.

  Why was I thinking about her at all? That was not why I had come here. I’d come to Florida to relax. To stop thinking about Brian and the shooting. I would be fine, damn it. I had already slept a whole night, and my family was right… I needed to talk to someone again. And I would. Annabelle had a good therapist; one she had started going to after the attack last year. I growled thinking that this probably wasn’t the best time to be thinking about that.

  She had gone to therapy on and off after everything happened when she was a teenager. And she’d found a new therapist for her most recent issues, one that Jacob even went to after the horridness that was the incident.

  Maybe I would book an appointment with them or someone they recommended and figure out what the hell I was doing. Because my family was right: hiding from everything that had happened and would happen wasn’t the smartest thing to do.

  All it had done so far was hurt my family’s feelings and me in the process.

  I would talk to someone, and I would try to stop being the person I had become. Because keeping secrets only hurt people. I had hurt Brenna. I knew it. Brenna, the one everyone thought loved me when that wasn’t the case. She had only been hurt because I had been keeping secrets from her—something I had promised myself I would never do. And here I was, doing it anyway.

  I finished my workout, drank an entire glass of cucumber water, and headed back to my room.

  On the way, I nearly tripped over my feet and ran into Eliza in the hallway. She looked up at me, her wet hair piled on the top of her head, a towel wrapped around her chest. She was wet and wearing only a bathing suit, that towel, and flip-flops. She grimaced. “I forgot my wrap. I was just doing a few laps in the pool.” she muttered as her gaze raked over me. “Anyway, um,” she said quickly.

  “I just finished working out,” I said and then looked down at my sweaty body. “As is evident.”

  “Yes. Um. Anyway, I was actually going to call later and see if, well, if you wanted to go get breakfast. Or is it too late for that?”

  I swallowed hard and did my best not to look at her directly. My cock pressed against my gym shorts, and I swore I’d just end it right here if she noticed. I would jump off my balcony as soon as I walked inside.

  Why the hell was my cock doing this? I couldn’t want Eliza. That was wrong. Oh so fucking wrong. I fucking wanted her. And that made me the worst person in the world.

  “Breakfast sounds great,” I said quickly, trying to think of anything but how she must look under that towel. I’d seen part of her swimsuit the day before, the way it clung to those delicious curves of hers. Her breasts were full and high, her hips flaring out just wide enough that they would be perfect for my hands to grip.

  And that was enough of that.

  I was seriously going to hell. This weekend wasn’t about this. Wasn’t about me having dirty thoughts about her.

  This weekend was about healing.

  Not sex.

  Jesus Christ, not sex.

  “I need to blow out my hair again because if I don’t, it’ll end up a frizzy mess, and no one needs to see that.”

  I snorted. “I’m pretty sure it doesn’t matter; you’ll look beautiful, no matter what.” Her eyes widened, and her cheeks pinked. “Sorry, that was too much. I was telling the truth.”

  She shook her head. “That was nice to hear. No one says that anymore.”

  My brows rose. “Seriously? You’re fucking hot, Eliza.” I pressed my lips together. “And I’m never going to speak again.”

  She laughed. “And on that note, I am going to shower and get ready for breakfast. I’ll be as quick as possible. I brought my favorite blow-dryer that blows me out pretty quickly.”

  I did not know why that comment made me think of sex, and I did my best not to think about it. Seriously, going to hell.

  “Anyway, before I keep rambling and dripping all over the carpet, I’m headed in.” She turned, smacked into the door, cursed, and then made her way inside before I could see if she was okay.

  What the hell was wrong with us?

  I quickly got inside and showered, did my best not to touch my dick too much because…dear God it would not go down. What the hell was wrong with me?

  This was Eliza. She was a widow. She was Annabelle’s best friend. She was Brenna’s fucking best friend.

  She might be my friend too, and that was why I wasn’t supposed to be thinking about her this way. I wasn’t supposed to blurt out things like the fact that she was fucking sexy. What the hell was wrong with me?

  And I sure as hell didn’t need to get a hard-on when she was around.

  Friends didn’t let friends get hard-ons.

  Not that that was actually a saying, but it should be, damn it.

  We were going to breakfast, so I put on a pair of nice pants and a button-down shirt, something similar to what I’d seen others wearing in the dining room. The place was nice, not too casual, and the fact that either of us had walked around in our swimsuits earlier just meant that we were in the exclusive part of the resort, meaning we could wear whatever the hell we wanted.

  This place was far nicer than anywhere I’d ever stayed before. Yes, I made good money and did pretty well for myself, but nothing like most of the guests likely did around here.

  If it weren’t for my friend’s connections, I never would have been able to afford the place. Or maybe I would have, but I was far too cheap to do so.

  Eliza and I hadn’t set a specific time, so I made sure I puttered around a bit beca
use I knew it would probably take her longer to get ready than me, and then I headed out to the hallway. Eliza walked out at the same time I did, her phone in her hand. She looked up at me and smiled. Her gaze was a bit bright, her cheeks a little red. “I don’t think I’ve ever gotten ready that fast in my life.”

  I looked down at her white sundress and her platform wedges that showed off her painted toes and swallowed hard.

  You look good for getting done as quickly as you did.”

  “Just imagine if I’d had an hour,” she said with a wink. She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “It’s going to poof in this cruel humidity later, but we’ll call it good. So, breakfast?”

  I looked down at my watch. “Maybe brunch now.”

  “Brunch is good. Brunch means mimosas.”

  My lips slid into a smile. “You know, I like the way you think.”

  Without thinking, I held out my arm, and she looked down at it, smiled, and hooked her arm into mine. It was something I did with my sisters—and even Brenna. Now, it felt different. Maybe because the hotel staff had thought that Eliza was my wife before, or perhaps because of these weird feelings I had whenever she was around.

  Either way, I wasn’t going to think too hard about it. Or about how much I liked that she was pressed against my side.

  No, I didn’t need to think about that at all.

  We headed to the dining room, and the host at the stand smiled. “Hello there, Mr. Montgomery. Mrs. Montgomery?”

  I had to wonder if Lee had sent my photo around so they knew what I looked like. Eliza didn’t need to be mistaken for my wife, especially not this weekend of all weekends.

  “Yes,” she said quickly, blushing. I knew she didn’t want to cause a scene. Frankly, I didn’t either.

  “We’re so happy you decided to stay here. You look well rested and happy. Is this your honeymoon?” he asked as he led us to a window by the door. Eliza nearly tripped into me, and I almost missed a step, too, but I squeezed her hands, keeping her steady. “Something like that,” I said, completely lying my ass off. It seemed like a bit of an intrusive question. Now that I thought about it, there weren’t too many single people here. Mostly those on honeymoons or vacations as couples. I hadn’t even seen any kids around.

  We took our seats so we could see the ocean. People started milling about, and I glanced over at Eliza as the host walked away. “Well, we’re two for two in people thinking we’re married. The honeymoon’s different,” she said as she shook her head.

  “I know we should speak up, but it’s awkward as hell.”

  “Exactly. I knew you were going to say something, but I didn’t want him apologizing. Then there’d be awkward stares and uncomfortableness, when really, I just want something to eat. Like, I’m starving. I think I want the bagel. They looked amazing yesterday.”

  “I forgot you’ve been here a day longer than I have. Did you scope out the area?”

  “Yes, and tomorrow, if you’re up for it, I think there’s a breakfast taco truck around the block. I looked it up on the app. Tomorrow morning, it should be close to the hotel.”

  “That sounds amazing,” I said, my stomach growling.

  “Oh, it’s great. And if you’re up for it, as well, there’s a restaurant tonight that I want to try that apparently has amazing grouper.”

  “I heard this area is pretty good for grouper. At least, that’s what Archer said as he sort of pushed me out of the door and towards the plane.”

  Eliza shook her head. “I’m coming to like the idea that our families pushed us to this time and place, even if neither of us thought we were ready.”

  “Our families are pushy, but maybe sometimes they have it right.”

  Eliza just shook her head. “See, that’s a big-brother thing to say.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yes, oh. The big brother always thinks that butting in and controlling things is right. Only if you try to do it to them, it’s too much.”

  “I forget you’re the youngest of seven,” I said with a laugh.

  “Pretty much,” she said, shaking her head. “Seven kids. I have no idea how my parents did it.”

  “I always say it was enough with five of us,” I added. “Of course, there were two sets of twins.”

  “We only have one set.”

  I frowned. “Did I know that?”

  “Maybe. Annabelle and Brenna know, so I assumed the rest of you did, as well.”

  “We are a pretty big group that seems to know every secret about one another.”

  Eliza shook her head. “Not every secret. You sure kept yours well.”

  “Well, I’m not going to do that again.”

  We ordered our brunches and drinks as the waiter came by, and then continued our conversation. I felt more comfortable than I had in a long while. Was it the place? Maybe. I had a feeling it had more to do with the woman in front of me. And that might complicate things more than it should.

  “Are there specific things you wanted to see here?” she asked.

  “Not really. I was sort of forced here, and I kind of just wanted to be on the beach.”

  “Me, too,” she said. “I think seeing the ocean and sitting around doing nothing but maybe reading a book sounds like what I need to do. Of course, then I’d probably end up in my thoughts all day, and that might be too much.”

  “If you want, we can force each other into conversation if we get too lost in our heads.”

  She grinned. “So, you’re going to be my vacation buddy this whole trip?” she asked, her tongue flicking out to lick her lip.

  I swallowed tightly, my cock getting harder. “Vacation buddy, that sounds great.”

  It was probably a mistake. No, it really wasn’t a mistake.

  Because I had done my best to never think about Eliza this way. Only I didn’t think I could help it.

  Here I was, about to spend the rest of my vacation—however unplanned—with the one woman who kept filling my thoughts. The one I probably shouldn’t have. Yet, she relaxed me. Even as she set me on edge in a completely different way, I could breathe around her.

  I honestly didn’t know what that meant.

  Chapter 13

  Eliza

  * * *

  Why was I nervous? I shouldn’t be nervous. I’d had meals with Beckett for most of the day and the day before. We’d shared meals at home before, as well. Just because we were somewhere different and at a nicer restaurant that served wonderful fish—at least according to everyone that we had talked to—didn’t mean things were changing. This wasn’t something different. Wasn’t special. It wasn’t a date.

  Why then did it feel like I was telling myself those things for no reason? As if I were trying to make myself believe it.

  I looked down at the soft wrap dress I wore, the silky black fabric clinging to my skin in some areas but flowing in others. I’d stuffed it into my bag at the last minute before I came here. It was just in case I needed something comfortable and pretty for an evening out. One where I had been planning on eating alone. Maybe drinking a bottle of wine by myself and going to sleep early, cuddling a pillow. Only in my wildest dreams would I have ended up wearing it for dinner with a man. Let alone him.

  I hadn’t planned on going to dinner with anyone for the evening. And yet, here I was, going to dinner with Beckett Montgomery.

  It wasn’t a date. I swallowed hard. Or was it? No, it couldn’t be.

  My phone buzzed, pulling me out of my war with my thoughts. I looked over at the screen.

  Annabelle: Did you have the grouper yet? What time is it there? How do I not know time zones?

  Brenna: I think her reservation was later, right? So, she hasn’t eaten. Let us know how it is. I’m kind of jealous of all the photos you’ve been sending.

  I had sent them all photos of the beach and the resort. None of Beckett. Of course, they would figure out that Beckett was at the same resort. They would ask him, and they would find out that Brenna’s best friend and Annabelle’s
brother was here. It was weird not to mention it, but I hadn’t yet. It felt as if it’d be even weirder out of the blue. And, obviously, he hadn’t said anything yet or even talked to his family because they hadn’t asked either. Why did it feel like I was holding everything in? Like I was keeping secrets?

  I needed to talk to them about it, and I would. Just not right now. Right now, I wanted to go eat some fish, after I texted my friends.

  Paige: I showed Colton some of the resort and now we think we need to make friends with Eli’s friend so we can go. Of course, Colton finding time off these days will be a little difficult.

  That made me smile.

  Me: It’s beautiful here. I’m off to eat some fish in a moment. Just finishing getting ready. And, Paige? Find a way to come with Colton. It’s gorgeous. Even if everybody has to go and bunk in one room. I still can’t believe I’m staying here. This room is amazing.

  Annabelle: I’m glad. Your brother sure has strings.

  Me: I’m glad he has friends, at least ones that aren’t just my other brothers.

  I could practically hear their laughs as they all sent little emojis at me.

  Me: I should go, but thanks for checking in. I love you girls.

  Annabelle: We love you, too. Now, be safe, eat some amazing fish, and take pictures.

  Paige: Is it trendy to take pictures of your food anymore?

  Brenna: It’s not trendy. But we want to know. And be a little jealous. It’s grouper. What is grouper? Aren’t they like big, ugly fish that are scarier than sharks?

  I laughed as they continued talking, and I broke in.

  Me: I think they are ugly fish. And when you go swimming with them, you have to have a weapon so you can beat them off if they get too aggressive stalking you. I remember that from when I was at the Atlanta Aquarium and there were scuba divers in the big tank. Anyway, I love you all. Enjoy yourselves. I can’t wait to see you guys again. I miss you.

  And I did. I ignored the tears prickling the backs of my eyes. I hadn’t cried once for Marshall this whole trip. Not seeing my friends for a couple of days had me homesick.