by Susan Hayes
“And what makes you think you two get a say in my dating life anyway? We were friends twenty years ago. That hardly gives you the right to have an opinion here and now.”
“What makes me think we have a say? The way you kissed us back there, querida. That makes me think we’re going to have a few opinions on who you date from now on.”
“One kiss doesn’t mean we’re dating, Dig. It means I had a moment of weakness and was overcome with…uh…insanity. I’m pleading insanity for now, so back off before I rethink this cockamamie idea of going off with you two to catch up.” Lexa yanked her hand out of Diego’s and started walking faster. “And quit calling me your beloved. I speak enough Spanish to know what querida means.”
Beau kept pace, turning his head back to taunt Diego. “She’s still holding my hand. See how this works?”
Diego growled something under his breath and Beau laughed. “Don’t pay any attention to him. He’s just impatient is all. We want to know where you’ve been and what happened all those years ago. No one had a clue, you and your mom just vanished.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “We never stopped hoping you’d come back.”
“People keep saying that, but none of you ever came looking for me either. It would have been nice if someone had found me back then, when I could have used some help.” Lexa hadn’t meant to say that. She hadn’t even realized she’d been thinking it until it was out of her mouth and beyond her ability to take back.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” Beau said, the sparkle fading from his eyes as he looked down at her. “I get the feeling we’re not going to like finding out what happened to you.”
“Probably not,” Lexa conceded, her voice flat and cold. “But there’s no going back and changing it, so let’s get it over with. Then you two can decide if you still even want to be friends with me.”
She swallowed down a lump of self-doubt and tried to let go of Beau’s hand, but he wouldn’t release her.
“I’m sorry, too, Lexa. And I have no doubt we’re still going to want to be friends with you once you tell us what happened.” Diego reclaimed her free hand and she turned to look up at him, seeing the same look of concern she’d spotted in Beau’s expression.
“Great, I’ve been back in your lives for ten minutes and we’ve already had our first fight. Are you sure we were all friends?”
“Oh, we’re sure.” Beau chuckled.
“Very sure,” Diego chimed in.
“You better be. You did just pay two grand for me. You guys totally overpaid.”
Both men shrugged and Diego said, “When you live in paradise, who needs to go on vacation?”
“You spent your vacation fund on me? You’re both insane! Great, that means we’re all nuts. Who’s going to be the designated adult now?”
Beau burst out laughing loud enough the lobby echoed with the sound of it. “I volunteer to be the sane one for tonight. One of you can take over tomorrow.”
It was Beau’s laughter that did it, wrapping around her and teasing out flashes of memories. Other times, other places, but always that same laugh tying it all together, making this feel familiar. Making the three of them together again feel right. “All right.” She let go of their hands and this time they didn’t try to resist her. “Meet you back here in five minutes?”
Lexa didn’t wait for an answer before she opened the door and slipped back inside, grateful that the first round of bidding was over and everyone was distracted by the arrival of the main meal. Sam spotted her and smiled broadly, gesturing her over to his side. “Getting reacquainted with the boys?”
“Yes, thank you. You don’t think Gladys will mind if I slip out early do you?”
“Mind?” Sam chuckled “My dear, she’s looking far too pleased with herself to mind. You just go.”
“Thank you, Sam.” Lexa hesitated a second and then leaned in and kissed his cheek. “I’ll call you soon.”
“I’d like that.” He shooed her away then, but not before Lexa spotted the glimmer of tears in his eyes. Unfamiliar feelings threatened to swamp her and Lexa reined herself in, laying down a thick layer of mental ice over everything. Her returning memories, unexpected reunions, and several days spent sorting through her father’s possessions had left her emotionally raw.
She went to get her purse from her chair and was met with a chilled stare from Simon, who was watching her with his arms folded across his chest and his lips pursed in obvious irritation.
“So that’s it then? You’re leaving before the entrée?”
“Simon, I’m sorry, but yes. If this were a proper date I would never leave you like this, but those two men are childhood friends and I would like to go catch up with them.”
“They didn’t hug you like childhood friends.” His mouth contorted into a sneer that made Lexa wonder how she’d ever considered him attractive.
“It was just a hug.” At least that’s all I’m admitting to. “Really, Simon. This was never a date, and I’m not sure why you’re being so unpleasant about it. It was very nice of you to give me a ride tonight, but I always made it very clear we couldn’t date because I’m your employer. I’m sorry if that’s not what you were hoping for, but there it is.”
“You’re right.” Simon seemed to deflate right in front of her and Lexa had a twinge of guilt. “I’m sorry. I had hoped…but I understand.” His expression softened and the sneer faded, but there was a hard gleam in his eyes that still made Lexa uneasy.
“I’ll see you in the office on Monday. Have a good weekend.”
“You, too.”
Simon dropped his gaze to his food and Lexa gathered up her purse and shawl before heading back for the lobby, still trying to figure out why Simon’s outburst bothered her so much. It wasn’t just that he’d been jealous. There was more going on here, but she couldn’t figure out what it was.
She didn’t get much time to think about it either, because within a few minutes Diego and Beau were at her side, taking her hands and leading her to the far side of the hotel, toward the beach.
It was time for them to catch up with each other, and Lexa wondered if they’d all be holding hands once she’d told them her story. What could they possibly have in common anymore?
Chapter 8
Beau could sense the tension coming off of Lexa and wished like hell he knew how to put her at ease. He could still see the girl he’d known, but whatever had happened to her after she’d been taken away had left scars. When she had said she wished that someone had found her when she needed help, it had made his heart ache. He’d heard that angry, hurt tone before in his work as a police officer, and it always meant the same thing. It meant that bad things had happened to a good person, and no one had been there for them.
He glanced down at Lexa as she walked between, her curvy body making his hands itch with the desire to touch her. He wanted to play with those gorgeous breasts he could see rising up from her dress and hold their weight in his hands while he teased her nipples until she was shaking and breathless. He could still taste her mouth after that one kiss, and the scent of her perfume was branded into his memory. It was spicy and sultry, as dark and passionate as the woman wearing it.
Diego took the lead and Beau just followed along with his mind leaping from fantasy to fantasy as he watched Lexa’s rounded ass sway from side to side. She wasn’t much taller than she’d been the last time he’d seen her and her shorter legs were having to move fast to keep up to Diego, giving Beau a tantalizing view that he was enjoying more than he should be.
Diego led them around the pool and out toward the ocean, weaving in and out of the stacks of lounge chairs and tables until they were standing at the point where the path ended and the beach began.
“Not much further, it’s just over to the right,” Beau said as they both stepped into the white sand, only to stop when they realized Lexa was still standing on the path.
“Guys? High heels and sand are really not a good combination,” Lexa said and then pointed to her shoes.
>
“You really are a short stack aren’t you? Those have to be three inch heels.” Beau couldn’t help it, he started to laugh as he leaned down and scooped Lexa into his arms before she could muster a protest.
“They’re three and a half inches high, actually, and don’t you dare start making fun of my height. You and Dig must have eaten my share of the Wheaties after I left. I distinctly remember you two being short and scrawny.”
“I think your memory is faulty. We were always the best looking boys on the island, always will be.” Beau grinned down at her and his breath hitched in his chest. Her face was bathed in moonlight and her skin was glowing in the soft light of the three-quarter moon. Her eyes looked like liquid silver, and she smiled shyly as she looped an arm around his neck and then buried her face against his chest.
“I’m too heavy to be carried. Please put me down.” Beau could hear the self-doubt in her voice and decided to put an end to that right quick.
“Sweetling, I could carry you for hours, so zip it. If I put you down, Diego’s just going to pick you up, so you might as well just stay where you are. We can’t have you ruining your shoes because we got it into our heads to take you to the beach.”
“Why are we going to the beach anyway?” Lexa lifted her head enough so her voice wasn’t completely muffled this time.
“Because we want to have you all to ourselves for a while, and that’s hard to do in this town,” Diego said and then reached up to stroke Lexa’s hair. “I don’t want to share this moment with anyone. No interruptions, no one watching. I’ve missed you, Lexa.”
Beau nodded for Diego to start walking again and they headed down into the sand. There was enough light that they could see where they were going without any trouble and every incoming wave was topped by a gleaming cap of silver and white.
“You make it sound like a romantic rendezvous and not a reunion of old friends.” Lexa tipped her head and peeked over at Diego. There was a frown on her pretty face and Beau had to swallow back the urge to laugh. After the kiss she’d shared with both of them, did she really think this was just a reunion?
“Why can’t it be both?” Diego asked, glancing back at Lexa.
“Don’t ask me, I’m still claiming temporary insanity. Ask Beau, he’s the designated sane one.”
“I think it could absolutely be both,” Beau said and then gave into his need to laugh as Lexa wrinkled her nose at him.
“Well that does it. You’re not sane either. So now it’s three lunatics out for a moonlit stroll.” She looked around them. “How long a stroll is this going to be anyway? Where the hell are you taking me?”
“We should be just about there, let me go find the path.” Diego veered off toward the tree line, wandering far enough away that it was hard to make him out against the dark backdrop of foliage. “Got it. We overshot it by about twenty feet.”
Beau started heading toward Diego’s voice. “I’m impressed we came that close, we haven’t been out here in what, ten years?”
“More like twelve or thirteen,” Diego corrected him.
“Right. Clarissa and Candy,” Beau said without thinking and got an elbow in his side for his lapse.
“You brought girls out here? You’re taking me to your make out spot?” Lexa jabbed him with her elbow again. “Forget it, buster. Dig? Get back here. We’re going back to the hotel.”
“I cannot believe you just said that, man.” Diego reappeared just in front of them and was giving Beau an incredulous glare. “And her name was Cindy, not Candy. As I recall that confusion was why you ended up slapped and alone that night, and it looks like history is about to repeat itself.”
He turned his attention to Lexa. “We were kids the last time we were here. It just seemed like a good place for us to go and get away from everyone.”
“Mhmmm.”
Lexa didn’t sound entirely convinced, but she relaxed enough that Beau figured she was going to trust them, at least for now. Beau carried her a few more feet and then spotted the carved wooden bench and ancient trellis that was overhung with vines and surrounded by night blooming jasmine. “See? This was worth the trek. Admit it.”
“It’s pretty here,” Lexa conceded as she looked around and then stared back out at the water. “Really pretty. Okay, I take back what I said. You’re both still crazy, but you do have good taste in places to sit and talk.”
“She still thinks we’re only going to talk.” Diego chuckled as he moved past them and took a seat on the bench. “Pass her to me.”
“Pass her…I’m right here, Dig. Stop talking about me like I’m a football. I’m not going to be passed anywhere, thank you. Beau can just put me down—hey!” Beau had to tighten his grip on her as he started to hand her down to Diego and she squirmed in his arms.
“Quit wriggling. Diego’s wearing pants, you’re not. If you’re in his lap you’ve got an added layer of protection against splinters, spiders, and possibly fire ants.”
“Fire ants? Spiders? Don’t you dare put me down if that’s what’s down there!” Lexa went from wriggling in protest to climbing higher onto Beau’s shoulders. “And when I first saw you two I wondered how it was possible you were still single. Now I know why.”
“Frankly, it’s a miracle he’s not a virgin.” Diego wrapped his hands around Lexa’s hips and held her while Beau gently untangled her arms from where they were locked around his neck and lowered her down to Diego despite her angry protests.
The moment she was in Diego’s arms she curled into a small ball, keeping every part of her off the ground, the bench, or anything that wasn’t Diego.
“If anything bites me, I’m going to kill you both,” she muttered under her breath and shot Beau a distrustful look as he sat down right beside her.
“Death threat duly noted,” Beau drawled and then reached for her feet, slipping his hands around the bare skin of her ankles. “You don’t look at all comfortable like that. Stretch out your legs across my lap and just use us like furniture. We don’t mind.” The feel of her soft skin under his fingers had Beau’s cock surging to attention again and he had to place her legs carefully so she didn’t end up pressed against the hard ridge of his dick.
He hadn’t been this eager to get his hands on a woman since he’d been a randy teenager, but right now it was hard to keep a thought in his head that wasn’t X-rated. Beau was certain that the next few hours were going to be a test of his willpower, but as he drank in the vision of Lexa curled up between them with the moonlight in her eyes, he also knew that it would be worth every excruciating minute.
* * * *
Well this certainly wasn’t how she’d envisioned the evening going. Lexa stretched her legs across Beau’s thighs and lowered her head to the curve of Diego’s shoulder. Still, it was better than telling Simon to keep his hands to himself for the umpteenth time. A faint shiver coursed through her as she remembered the look in Simon’s eyes as she’d bid him good night.
“Are you cold, querida?” Diego asked.
“Maybe a little.” There was no way she was going to tell them it had been Simon that had upset her and not the breeze blowing in from the ocean. They were already strangely protective of her. If she told them about the roses, phone calls, and persistent attempts to get her to go out with him over the last few days they’d just get male and dumb about it. Lexa hoped that her conversation with Simon tonight had made it very clear she wasn’t interested. If he didn’t ease up on the unwanted attention after this, she’d have to talk to Sam about finding someone else to manage the marina. Or maybe I’ll do it myself. The thought caught Lexa by surprise and she tucked it away to consider at another time.
Right now she had more pressing things to be thinking about. Like Diego’s rock hard cock currently pressing against her ass. There was no way she could ignore the evidence of his interest in her given their current positions. Thankful for the darkness that would hide the blush on her cheeks, Lexa deliberately wiggled herself against him and drew a rumbling groan
from deep in Diego’s chest.
“Do that again and I’m going to find it very difficult to remember you only want to talk,” Diego warned her, his arm curving around her waist. He laid his large hand down on her thigh, and the heat of his touch seared her through the thin fabric of her dress.
“Tell us what happened to you, sweetling. We want to know why you left us.”
“I didn’t leave you. My mom freaked out and took off in the middle of the night, and she took me with her.” Lexa took in a slow breath and made the confession that usually made people look at her with pity as they backed away, as if mental illness was somehow contagious. “It took a long time for her to get diagnosed, but my mom has schizophrenia. This place and the people in it became a core part of her paranoid fantasies. I lived with her stories about Sunset Point for years, and nothing she told me was good.”
Both men reacted to her words with surprise, though neither of them said a word. She could read their emotions in the silence and the way their bodies tensed everywhere they touched hers.
“I grew up rough. Nothing like the life I had here. We lived in shelters, or sometimes when things got really bad, we lived in her car. I was often hungry and scared, and I was raised by a woman who couldn’t tell reality from the stuff of her nightmares. So if you are looking for the girl you were friends with back when we were kids, you won’t find her. She’s gone.”
Every syllable caused her pain, but Lexa knew from experience it would be best to be honest from the start. Either they’d accept it, or they wouldn’t, but this way she wouldn’t be hurt by false hope. She was damaged, but not broken, and she would not pretend to be anything other than who she was. She was a survivor.
“Shit.” Beau broke the long silence first and when he reached for her hand and took it in his the wall around Lexa’s heart cracked a little. “We didn’t know. No one knew. I think if anyone had they’d of moved heaven and earth to find you.”
Diego’s arm tightened around her waist and she shivered as he buried his face in her hair and exhaled slowly before pressing his lips to the top of her head in a tender gesture. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you, querida. I’m sorry we couldn’t protect you from that.”