by Iona Rose
Numbing myself with alcohol was probably not the best idea because it had the opposite effect. I couldn’t peel my eyes from the exit of the restaurant. I felt sure everyone thought I was a weirdo. I needed to leave before I made a bigger fool of myself.
I excused myself as I told everyone I had a headache and needed to lie down.
Caleb offered to walk me back to our condo but I said no, as graciously as I could.
Outside, in the privacy of the darkness, I let the tears fall. It didn’t matter that Blaze was my best friend, I felt jealous. I hated the thought of him with someone else. I hated myself for what I’d become.
When had this happened? When had I started behaving like a crazed jealous girlfriend? Loud sobs left my mouth and I did not bother to stem them. No one was around to witness my shame as I walked towards our condo. Images of Blaze’s big hands caressing Terry to orgasm filled my mind.
When I realized what I was doing—imagining Blaze and Terry in their private moment, I couldn’t believe how low I had sunk. I needed to do something fast before I caused irreparable damage to our relationship. One day, I would look back at this period and congratulate myself for holding it together.
But to get through it, I needed a guy to get off with. I needed someone to take the edge off the lust taking over my life. Even in my undeserved anger for Blaze, my body still ached to be touched. The only solution to the madness would be a one-night stand.
The decision made, I finally felt marginally better and when I got to the condo, I poured myself a glass of wine and headed to the balcony. It was a starry night, the dark skies dotted with brilliant lights. The perfect night for lovers.
My mind wandered to Blaze and Terry. Were they watching the skies as I was, in between kisses? I gulped a sip of wine to stem the tears threatening to fall. I’d never been as disappointed in myself as I felt right now. I’d always considered myself a strong woman.
Since coming to Hawaii, what I had discovered was that I was, in fact, deranged. How could I have allowed myself to have such strong emotions for Blaze of all people? The man who could not hang on to a relationship for more than two months.
My gaze wandered to the beach below. I spied couples walking hand in hand, their soft laughter wafting up to where I sat. I must have been so deeply engrossed in couple-watching that I did not hear the front door of the condo open.
When I heard Blaze’s footsteps as he stepped out the balcony—I stopped breathing.
“Brooke, what happened? Why did you just leave?” Blaze asked, his voice filled with concern.
Tears immediately filled my eyes again. What could I say without sounding like I’d lost my mind? “Nothing.”
He pulled a lounger nearer to me. “Come on Brooke. I know you better than that. Something must have upset you. This isn’t like you.”
He was right. This wasn’t at all like me. I didn’t recognize this person who got jealous when her best friend hooked up with a girl. But nothing could make me come clean, not even a stab in the face with a shrimp fork. “I got a headache and just needed some quiet,” I said and accidentally sniffled, a dead giveaway that I had been crying.
Blaze did not pursue it.
“I’m fine, you should go back. I’m sure Terry will be wondering where you are,” I said.
“She can wonder all she likes. I’d rather be here with you. I’ll go get a beer. Can I top that up for you?” Blaze suggested.
I nodded and he took my glass with him. Pleasure enveloped me. Suddenly, my world which had become dark and grey brightened up. I didn’t want to analyze myself anymore, knowing that I wouldn’t like the results.
Blaze returned moments later with his beer and my wine. As he handed it to me, his masculine fingers curled around mine and time stood still.
Pure raw need raced through me. My thighs trembled with need. My body turned into liquid.
Then he took his hand away.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.
“To us,” Blaze said, raising his bottle of beer. “And to an unforgettable vacation.”
It was unforgettable all right. I clinked my glass with his bottle. “To an unforgettable vacation,” I said.
I was determined to make it unforgettable. My way.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” Blaze said. “Did I make a mistake in booking a condo away from everyone else?”
“God, no!” I said, his words jarring me to the present. “I love it here. You know how long it takes me to be comfortable around strangers.”
He smiled. “I thought so. Hey, Jack and Amelia have organized a mini cruise for tomorrow afternoon. He said to tell you not to miss it.”
“Sounds like fun,” I said, mentally putting my plan into action. There had to be other hot guys on the cruise apart from Caleb. He did nothing for me. As much as I needed a one-night stand, it had to be a guy I felt wildly attracted to. I would wear my hottest bikini.
A thought crossed my mind. “Will your mom be there?” As much as I loved Jack and Blaze’s mom, she would definitely cramp my style. For starters, I couldn’t wear my Brazilian bikini if she were there.
Blaze chuckled. “No, it’s for the younger guests. You should have heard her complain when she found out that her generation is not invited.”
“I can just imagine,” I said with a laugh.
Blaze’s mom was the fun-loving type of mom, the kind who willingly did everything with her kids, no matter how stupid she looked.
“Yeah, but Jack hooked them up with a boat tour, so that sort of placated her.”
After that, conversation flowed and Blaze became my best friend, rather than the guy who made my panties melt with a single touch.
Chapter Eight
Blaze
Brooke and I had a long relaxing breakfast at the restaurant downstairs. We fed each other strips of bacon and scrambled eggs. It didn’t escape my notice that we were behaving like a couple in love, almost like Jack and Amelia did.
Did she notice it, see how seamlessly we fit into each other’s lives?
“That was too much food for a morning,” Brooke groaned and stretched.
“How about we walk it off on the beach?” I said.
“You might have to lift me up from this chair,” she said. “I feel as big as a whale.”
“You look as beautiful as you always do,” I said.
She laughed. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“No, just the special ones,” I said and got to my feet. I offered her my hand.
Brooke seemed to think about it before placing her slim hand in mine.
Hawaii seemed to be turning my Brooke into a stranger. Usually, I could read my best friend’s moods but since coming to the island I felt confused where she was concerned.
I sneaked a look at her as we walked.
Sensing my stare, she turned to me and smiled.
I felt so relieved the previous night when the haunted, sad look left her face. It had been stupid of me to spend so much time with Terry. I wasn’t in the least bit romantically interested in her. I only had eyes for Brooke. No woman could ever come close to what I felt for her. It had been a bad idea but had seemed brilliant at the time. A way to fast track things between us. Get Brooke a little jealous and maybe… she would inch away from seeing me as Mr. Best Friend.
She had been jealous all right but Jack had torn into me. Told me he couldn’t believe how stupid and juvenile I was. He’d even gone as far as saying that I didn’t deserve Brooke.
He was right. It had been a stupid strategy and at the end of it, it had hurt me more than it had hurt Brooke. Seeing her trying to hide her tears and knowing she was hurting because of something I had done? That had just about torn me into pieces.
I vowed it would be the last time I’d ever knowingly hurt her. I had a lot of making up to do. Some of the blunders I kept making were because romantic Brooke was a grey area to me. I searched for memories of us talking about her dates and came up with nothing.
She didn’t talk about dates except in passing. Now I wished I’d paid more attention. Asked more questions. That way, I would have had a head start. “What do you like to do on dates?” I asked her now.
“You mean with guys?” she said.
“I hope so,” I said with a grin.
She laughed softly.
I loved all her different laughs. The soft one like the one which just left her mouth, then she had an outright burst when something was especially funny and then there was the polite fake one. That last one was mostly when we were at work.
“I like going for dinner,” she said. “I like going to the movies and dancing.”
I knew she loved dancing. As she spoke, I realized I knew all that about Brooke, only I knew stuff she liked to do with friends. Turned out, it was the same stuff she liked doing with dates.
“What about you?” she asked and before I could respond, she started to list the stuff I liked to do.
“Correct,” I said, pleased that we knew each other so well.
After the walk, Brooke and I went back to the condo, changed into our swimsuits, grabbed some towels and went to lie on the sand. We talked, dozed and generally chilled out.
At lunch time, we took a walk to the deli down the street and ate sandwiches. Then it was time to get ready for the mini cruise.
“You’re not really going in that, are you?” I said feeling like a father, torn between loving what was on display and a sense of proprietary.
“Yeah, do you like it?” Brooke asked and twirled around.
I grew hard as she turned to reveal her ass cheeks and a flimsy piece of material that left her gorgeous butt cheeks bare. I imagined cupping her gorgeous ass and pulling her against my hard cock. “I can’t see it,” I said when she turned back around.
She made a face and laughed. “Do you want to bet that there will be more skimpily dressed ladies on that cruise?”
I didn’t care about the others. All I cared about was her. But I would be there to keep her safe from predatory men.
She pulled on a pair of tiny shorts and a tank top over it.
A few minutes later, we left the condo and headed to the resort.
I didn’t miss the looks Brooke attracted as we walked. I slipped a hand around her waist protectively. We found everyone in the small van taking us to the marina where the yacht was waiting. A party atmosphere broke out in the van with everyone excited and looking forward to letting loose.
“Is this like the ultimate wedding or what?” someone said and we all cheered.
Jack and Amelia had created a vacation that none of us would forget in a hurry. In the marina, we found our yacht with the uniformed captain and his crew standing at the entrance as we entered.
We were welcomed with glasses of champagne as we made our way to the deck.
“I wonder how long it is?” I asked Jack.
“Fifty feet,” he said.
Amelia let out an exaggerated yawn and turned to Brooke. “Want to explore and leave these men to their measurements?”
Brooke grinned. “Yes, please.”
They went off and left Jack and me alone. There were people all over the deck, some of whom I didn’t know. “Who are these people?”
Jack laughed. “Amelia and I thought it would be fun if we hooked up with another group. The captain organized it. We thought it was a great way to meet new people.”
I shrugged. It didn’t matter either way, what mattered was that we all had fun.
Caleb and a couple of other guys joined us.
I took the moment to slip away to go in search of Brooke, as the yacht slowly navigated out of the marina.
I found her near the helm talking to a guy I didn’t know. I stopped indecisively. I had no right to butt in when she was clearly having a good time. I realized I was scowling as I watched him say something to Brooke and then drape a casual arm around her waist. As if he owned her.
I folded my hands into fists as my eyes saw red.
“Chill out brother,” Jack said, sidling up to me. He gripped my arm with more force than necessary and led me away. “Maybe now, you’ll know how it feels to be on the receiving end.”
“I didn’t do anything with Terry,” I protested. “We sat in the garden and fucking talked. And she wasn’t wearing a piece of cloth that barely covered her body.”
Jack threw his head back and laughed. “You’ve got it bad, don’t you?”
I turned back but we’d moved out of view and I couldn’t see Brooke and the schmuck she was with. “If he tries anything, I’m going to punch him,” I growled. I knew I was behaving like a caveman but I couldn’t help it. Brooke brought out a side of me I hadn’t known existed. She made me want to pee around her to protect my territory like a fucking animal.
“I believe you would,” Jack said in a dry tone.
We joined a couple of the guys and the conversation veered to sports as it inevitably did when guys were alone.
I couldn’t concentrate on the conversation and itched to see Brooke. I told myself it was to make sure that she was safe.
When I managed to slip away from Jack who had appointed himself my bodyguard, I almost lost my mind to find that Brooke had slipped out of her shorts and there were more guys than I could count hungrily staring at her curves.
She saw me and came over. Her face was glowing and she had the look of someone who was clearly in her element. “Are you all right?” she asked. “You don’t look yourself.”
How could I look when every man, well almost every man was ogling my woman? She’s not your woman, a voice inside my head pointed out.
Not yet. But she would be.
Chapter Nine
Brooke
Declan held my hand as we walked off of the yacht and headed to the bar. I’d had an awesome time on the mini cruise but I felt glad it was over. Declan and I had flirted like mad and knowing Blaze was watching had added to the excitement.
It wasn’t about Blaze, I told myself. It was about me and my body. Raw desire raced through me. I glanced at Declan as we entered the low-lit bar. He was sandy haired and huge, with shoulders that went on for days. The right kind of man for a one-night stand.
“Wine for the lady,” he said to the bartender. “And a beer for me.”
The rest of the guys entered the bar and I caught Blaze’s gaze and quickly looked away. Nothing would stop me from having a good time. I’d never been as hot as I’d felt for the last couple of days. Hawaii had ignited my desire and I needed it quenched before the night was over.
Declan and I made small talk as we sipped our drinks but we both knew we were just buying time. When we finished our drinks, he took my hand into his. I waited for the sparks, the rush of lust… nothing came.
I’d been expecting too much, I told myself. He was handsome and any girl would be lucky to have him as a potential one-night stand.
“How about a stroll?” he suggested, his voice suggestive.
I swallowed hard. This was what I wanted. I nodded.
He led me out of the bar.
We didn’t walk far before he led me into an alley and pulled me into his hands. I loved kissing and making out as much as the next person, but I was not an alley girl.
I’d hoped we were headed to his hotel room. I let him kiss me but the fire in my belly had died. His hands on my hips were doing nothing for me. It stopped being fun and adventurous. His hand snaked between us but before it reached its destination, I clamped it with mine. I broke the kiss. “Look Declan, it was fun but—”
“It’s a little late to be playing hard to get. You’ve been begging for it all afternoon,” Declan said and brought his mouth to mine again.
I turned my head away and his mouth landed on my cheek. I placed my hands on his chest and gave him a shove. “No!”
The shove dislodged him but he was right back in the next second. His eyes bulged with anger, desire or both.
Fear coursed through my veins at the realization of the vulnerab
le position I had placed myself in.
He grabbed me by the ass and pulled me against his hard cock.
Then I felt him pull away and before I knew what was happening, Declan was on the ground.
Blaze was couched over him, punching him over and over again. “Haven’t you ever heard the word no?” he said in a hard, cold tone.
I grabbed Blaze’s shoulders. “Please. Let’s go.”
Something in my tone reached him and he got off Declan. He took my hand and led me out of the alley. He flagged down the first cab he saw. He never said a single word to me.
I felt like an errant child as we headed to the condo.
The cab came to a stop and I pushed the door open and jumped out, leaving Blaze to pay the driver.
He caught up with me just before the elevator doors shut.
I kept my face turned away as the elevator went up, desperate for the privacy of my room.
Blaze opened the door, stepped in and held it open for me and then he shut it. “What the fuck is wrong with you Brooke? How could you go off with a stranger at night?”
Heat flushed through my body. How dare he? I wasn’t a child! Yes, going for a walk with Declan had been a lapse of judgment as I let myself be led by my lust. Still, that didn’t give Blaze a right to speak to me as if I was five years old. I folded my arms across my chest. “I’m an adult and I have needs too.”
It was the wrong thing to say.
“Needs?” Blaze asked incredulously. Then without warning, he grabbed me by my legs and hoisted me over his shoulders.
“What are you doing Blaze?” I shouted as the floor went past me.
He carried me to my bedroom and dropped me unceremoniously on the bed. He stared down at me, his eyes dark.
I swallowed a lump of saliva.
I watched as he removed my sandals and then stood by the side of the bed, his gaze rippling down the lines of my body hungrily.
Heat engulfed me and my nipples pressed against the skimpy bikini top I wore underneath my tank top.