The Wrong Brother for Brooke (Hot Tide Book 3)

by Michele De Winton

  Nope. Hell no. She wasn’t. She wouldn’t. He was a douchebag, remember. And anyway, if she wasn’t going to have Holo, she wasn’t going to have anyone. Not with an injury that was putting all her dreams in jeopardy. The ocean had always been her first love and right now she needed to put it front and center as her focus too. Any man she ended up with was going to take second place to that.

  “I’m hoping that the prolonged silence means you’re just putting together all the reasons in favor of me fixing you up.

  “My manager says you’re the best. Are you?”

  “Apparently I’m pretty good.”

  She eyed him carefully, checking for any semblance of a smirk. There wasn’t one. The guy was either damn good at poker, or he was what her manager and Holo said he was. She didn’t have many other options so she nodded.

  “May I?” he said.

  She nodded but didn’t say anything as he touched her shoulder lightly through the sling. Taking her wrist, he lifted her arm a fraction, just a fraction but she felt the movement in her shoulder as if someone had stuck her with a burning hot poker.

  “Looks like you are as lucky as your notes say. Nothing torn. We can work on that. I have another client coming in twenty minutes but your manager wanted me to see you right away to see if I could help at all. This is good. We can work with it. Can you swing by Holo’s later? Say four P.M. and we can see if we can make a plan together?”

  She shrugged and he raised an eyebrow. “You’re not sure you can make it at four or you’re not sure you want to?”

  Brooke heard the contest official’s voice in her head and grimaced. She was not going to be out of this contest. “Okay.”

  “Okay you can meet?”

  She nodded, aware as she did so she was acting like a sullen teenager again.

  “Good. I’ll see you then.” The look he gave her was compassionate and real. Not full of pity or shame or bitterness. It didn’t hold anything of his own ego in it, she felt like it was solely focused on her. “Don’t worry,” he said softly. “We’ll find a way to make this work.”

  She paused. Taken aback by his open face. “Yep. Okay. Right.” Seriously? The guy is offering to stop all your dreams from getting flushed down the toilet and that’s all you got? Brooke forced out a smile. So, she’d turned into a mindless moron around him? Again. So what? Her world was falling apart. She had until four to work out how to get her ego out of the way so she could let the guy fix her up. She’d done harder things and she would do this. She had to.

  Chapter Five

  Until the doorbell chimed at four, Kainui wasn’t sure if Brooke would show up. But when the door swung open, there she was: a mess of long dark hair, dry this time instead of swirling in the breeze, and pulled off her face in a messy knot. She was beautiful. Plain and simple. The high cheekbones, the full lips, the warm skin and love-heart shaped jawline. Her eyes were what got him though. Dark too, dark as that fateful night, a deep blue that it took a lot of looking at to realize wasn’t black. He’d seen those eyes in online photographs when he’d been checking out the surf updates, but those eyes had never looked like this. Blazing and angry and ready to fight. The challenge in them was intoxicating. “You came.”

  “Mostly so I could ask you what the hell you were thinking. Again.” Her voice was as bright as her eyes. But the passion in it made it deeper. This was a woman who wore everything on her sleeve, Kai realized. And what you saw was entirely what you got.

  He approved. It was another aspect of Kahuna that he tried to live by, being clear, and truthful with yourself and others. “I was reacting to having a gorgeous woman in front of me. One who I thought knew who I was, and who was determined to get into the hot tub with me. I made sure I asked you if you were sure, and when your body was under my hands, I felt it. I felt you wanting me and I felt our connection. And so I went after it.”

  She froze. Her eyes stayed bright, but her face softened.

  “You didn’t expect me to say that?”

  “I thought you’d have some excuse. Or, I dunno. Try and blame me for being a hussy.”

  “You were going after what you wanted. I respect that.”

  Another pause.

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t what you were expecting. But there you are. This is me. Are you going to come in?”

  She peered behind him and he realized she was looking to see if Holo was there. This was his room after all.

  “My brother’s not here. I treated him earlier this morning. He’s gone for a run.” Then he added gently, “He encouraged me to try and help you.”

  “You talked about that night. About me. With him.” It wasn’t a question, but he nodded anyway. “Of course,” he said. “I would have hated to have ruined anything the two of you had been growing.”

  “But it turns out we weren’t growing anything.” She sighed and pushed past him into the house. His treatment table was set up already, with two chairs next to it. She flopped down in one of them, then winced as she bumped her shoulder. “I still can’t believe I read it so wrong. Holo and I are like the perfect match.”

  Kai chose his words carefully. “Holo is a man of different tastes.”

  She paused for a minute. “Are you saying he’s gay?”

  Kai laughed at the shock on her face. “He thought he was. For a while. But no, he’s not. He just isn’t particularly interested in sharing his life with anyone at the moment. Perhaps when he finds the right person.”

  “Someone that isn’t me? Rub it in why don’t you,” she said and he kicked himself for his lack of subtlety even when he was trying to be careful. But she continued without skipping a beat. “It’s actually for the best. I can’t afford to think about anything else now.” She pointed to her shoulder. “This is my top priority. Getting this better. And getting back to the ocean. No men, no relationships, only work and the water. Maybe that’s why I thought Holo and I fit, he’s doing the same thing.”

  Time to change the subject away from his brother. “Can I have a proper look at your shoulder?”

  She nodded and carefully unhooked the sling keeping her shoulder close to her body.

  “It’s been a few days hasn’t it, so the initial inflammation should have gone down. But it’s still going to be tender. You didn’t tear anything?” He put his hands on her shoulder and felt carefully for any warm spots or any tightness. It was difficult to concentrate. Luckily he had the fabric of her shirt to guard him against the full contact-thrill of her skin, but even then Kai felt the warmth of her body in his fingers and had to concentrate on his breathing to not let his mind flick back to the night in the hot tub.

  She shook her head, apparently oblivious to the reaction she was generating in him. “No. The medic got it back in on the beach before the muscles went into spasm. I don’t remember any of that, but that’s apparently what happened.”

  He nodded and kept up his gentle touch around her shoulder and down into the bicep of her injured arm. Prodding and stroking, he released a few muscles that were tight because of the position of the sling and shifted her shoulder back a fraction to take some of the pressure off the new injury. “We can’t do anything deep tissue yet, you’re too tender. But we can work on your range of movement. Make sure you’re still mobile, and don’t lose any flexibility.”

  “And we just pretend that the other night never happened?” “If that’s what you’d prefer?” He undid the sling completely and extended her arm.

  “Wait. What? Are you angling for something else?” She narrowed her eyes and drew her arm back. “Is that what this is really? You trying to finish what I mistakenly started?”

  “Like I said. I appreciate people who go after what they want. And as part of my practice I like to be true to my feelings. We had something. A connection. I’d like to see where that leads.”

  She laughed, but it was more like a bark. Rough and sharp. “Oh, my god, you are something else. A girl tells you she wants your brother and you go after her anyway?”


  Instead of answering he lifted her arm. She let him. Interesting. When he gently manipulated it, he discovered there was more movement than he thought there might be. This was good. Very good. “You and my brother aren’t destined to be together.”

  “Destined? Man. What do they put in the water in Hawaii?” Her voice was still sharp, but her body had relaxed, reacting to his touch as if it understood what he was asking it to do.

  “Like I said, we have a connection. I know you feel it too.”

  “You’re dreaming Romeo.”

  “Perhaps.” He lowered her arm again. “But I don’t think so.”

  “This is crazy, I’m out of here.” She stood and Kai took a step back to give her room. The last thing he needed to do was push her too hard. But as he’d been working on her arm he’d realized he did want to finish what she’d started. All he needed a plan to make her want it too. A plan that included her wanting him for him, not because of his connection with Holo. But for now, he wanted to make her better, it’s what he did. “Whatever happens between us, you should let me treat you,” he said.

  The snort came out as much full of mirth as scorn. “And why would I do that?” she asked. “Why would I let you touch me again, knowing that you—” Her tone became even more derisive— “had a thing for me?”

  That was easy. “Because I’m the best. And you need the best if you want to get back in the water quickly. And if you want to avoid lasting injury when you do. Once you’ve dislocated your shoulder it can come out again. The muscles have lost some of their hold on it. You need to fix it and fix it well if you’re going to keep putting it under pressure.”

  That gave her pause. “I don’t just want to get back in. I need to. And it can’t take months, or even weeks. I need to be better fast.” She still stood in front of him and he took a chance and stepped closer to her, looking her in the eye for her reaction. There it was. Her pupils dilated, her nostrils flared. She felt something. Whether it was the same something he felt he still wasn’t sure. “Well then I’m your best shot. I can’t promise I’ll get you fully competition fit within your timeline, but I can certainly get you better faster than you’re going to without a holistic healing approach.”

  Brooke looked down at her shoulder. “It is feeling a bit better than when I came in.” He watched her thinking about it. She looked up to the left when she was concentrating he noticed. Picturing what it would be like to have his hands on her each day? Perhaps. He saw when she made the decision. Saw her shoulders soften and her eyes widen. “Okay. We can try it.”

  “You know I will need to touch you though? Part of my practice is massage as well as manipulation.”

  “Sure, sure. Just keep it PG rated and we’ll be fine.”

  “Good.”

  “What do I need to do. Do we make a treatment plan or what?”

  He made a snap decision. “Pack a bag. I’ll pick you up at 8 tomorrow morning.”

  “Hold on there, Romeo. Remember how I said not to get any ideas? Treating me here is just fine. Where my friends are around and I can yell out if you get too handsy.”

  He laughed at that. Handsy, he loved how uncensored she was with herself. “You need to get away from here. Get away from the temptation to get into the water and push yourself too early.”

  Pursing her lips, she gave a small nod. “Go on.”

  “The best approach is to work holistically, like I said. Treat not only your shoulder, but your diet, your skeletal structure, your fitness, your breathing. And most importantly, this needs to be your entire focus. I’ve set Holo a program to follow so he doesn’t need me for a couple of days. It’s perfect timing.”

  “Where would we be going? And for how long?”

  “There are a couple of treatment centers on the island. We’ll start there. For a couple of days, no more than a week.”

  “A week?” She bit her lip.

  “I said no more than a week.” He paused sensing something more going on. “But there’s something else?”

  She hesitated, then said quickly. “I don’t have much money. And I only have the lowest cover on my insurance. How much are your fees?”

  “Your manager said you were doing this tour on the smell of an oily rag. You do have insurance though. He checked. There will be enough to cover what I need. Where we’re going isn’t like American style treatment centers. It’ll be covered in my fee.”

  And then it was done. She was out the door and he was alone. He made a few calls and within an hour had a plan ready to go. Time to get his mermaid back into the sea, and if he was right about her hidden feelings for him, into his bed.

  Chapter Six

  Brooke didn’t want to admit it, but she was nervous as she waited for Kai the next morning. She’d made sure to tell Summer and Maya what was happening, and to her surprise even Maya thought it was a good idea. “Getting away is a great idea. No point moping around here. Your pissed-off face will just end up on the internet.”

  She was right. Of course. It was too easy to feel bitter about her shitty luck watching everyone else slay it in the almost iridescent blue Indonesian water. Every part of her body had ached when she’d got up this morning at dawn and seen set after set of glistening waves rolling in. And Maya was right about her face ending up online too. Someone was bound to take her photo or ask her a stupid question and then she’d be in the shit for her attitude. Again.

  There was a knock at the door and she opened it to find Kai standing there.

  “Good. I half expected you to try and bring your board with you.” Kai took her bag from her. In the early morning light his eyes flashed brilliant amber, and for the first time, she felt self-conscious around him. The way he looked at her, his eyes all calm and clear and focused, got under her skin and made her wonder what she really looked like to him. She’d thought his whole, spiritual-healing-holistic-life spiel had been a line, but with him standing right there about to whisk her away to who knew where, obviously confident that he was going to help her, she wondered if he was as good as his word. “I thought about it,” she said, trying to sound ballsy rather than nervous. “But figured if I was ready to surf I’d be back here.”

  “Good call. Let’s go.”

  “Where? You still haven’t said where we’re going?”

  “Ubud. Don’t worry. It’s legitimate. I’m not about to take you off into the hills never to return. You can text your friends this address.” He pulled up a website on his phone.

  “We’re staying there? I thought this was a no frills experience,” she said as she took in photos of endless rice fields.

  “It’s basic but beautiful. I worked with the owners a while back, they’re doing us a deal.”

  Sliding into the passenger seat, she fumbled with the seat belt with only one arm and had to let him help her. When his fingers brushed over the top of hers, the spark was immediate and palpable and she snatched her hand back. Kai gave her a look that said he’d felt it too, but thankfully he didn’t say anything. If he had, she wasn’t sure how she would have reacted.

  They drove through the built-up area of Kuta for a while and Brooke marveled at how so many people occupied such a small area. They were still in quite a tourist-focused part of Bali so there were shops for everything: from clothing to footwear, small wooden carvings to giant garden rock-sculptures. Luxury for the tourists, income for the locals.

  Happily, Kai had music playing so she didn’t need to keep up a conversation but as they kept driving she noticed the landscape starting to change. The shops were smaller, shacks mostly, made of concrete and tin. Instead of luxury goods, there were stacks of tires, strings of plastic buckets, cooking pots and pans. Brilliant green plants with broad leaves and gaudy flowers grew out of wherever they could; in between shops, from rooftops, out of the concrete that was supposed to repel them. Brooke watched it all fly past with fascination. Everything so different from back home.

  Another mile on and it changed again but only slightly. They were houses lining
the streets now, she realized. It was just that the houses didn’t look much different than the shops. Concrete and tin were the main building components again with vines trying their very best to get inside and take back what had quite obviously once been thick jungle. But here, everywhere, there were dogs, and people, and mess.

  “Doesn’t look much like the website,” she muttered to herself, but Kai must have been listening out for her to say something.

  “People have to live. It can’t be all sunsets, beaches and rice paddies. Where do you think half the stuff you buy at home gets made? Behind these houses and shops are people, and further back, factories.”

  Brooke felt chastised and immediately resented Kai for making her feel that way. But he didn’t let her dwell on her mood. “Only twenty minutes or so to go.”

  She sat back and watched the landscape change again. A field of trees swept into view, then suddenly they were driving though the sweeping green that she’d expected. Here was the tropical forest of the tourist pamphlets. And there, she sat up. “Was that a monkey?”

  Kai laughed. “Probably. Hear they quite like it here.”

  Finally, they reached the start of Ubud. Hotels and the small concrete houses sprang up in between trees and rice paddies, until they were in the bustling center. A tourist hub once again. “There’s a market at the other end of the town which you might like to visit, but for now we’re staying here.” He pulled in between two hotels and bumped along a stony path that could barely be called a driveway, until he reached a parking lot reception building. “This is it?”

  “This is it.”

  “Don’t bite my head off again but this really doesn’t look like the website.”