She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Do I have something on my face?”
I cleared my throat and made myself down the last of my taco. “Nope. Your face is perfect.”
Her cheeks grew pink. She took a bite of her own taco, her eyes avoiding mine. I wondered if she regretted our night together. Obviously, we weren’t talking about it. We were going to act like everything was perfectly normal. Except it was far from it.
I’d only arrived and already I wanted to know when I would see her next. “You doing anything for the holidays this year?”
“Nah, I’m not big on the holiday celebrations,” she replied.
“You should come to Aspen. My mom would love to see you.”
Her dark eyes lit with something I couldn’t quite read. “Are you sure? I mean, I know Summer and Holly will be there. I don’t want to be in the way.”
Her hesitancy bothered me. I could tell falling into bed together had changed something. Usually, she wouldn’t hesitate.
She glanced at her watch. “I should be getting back. Do you want to come out with us or should I give you my key and you can head back to my place?”
“I’ll come with you. I came to hang. Will your passengers care?”
“They won’t know the difference. It’s my tour boat. For all they know, you’re there all the time. I’ll tell them you’re part of my crew. Just don’t look too lazy.”
I chuckled. “I’ll try my best.”
We headed back to the shop. It had Hayley written all over it. Even the name of the shop: Aventuras de Tiburones. Bryssa was the practical influence, while Hayley carried all the flare.
“I should’ve come down sooner. This place is pretty great,” I said.
Hayley glanced over at me. “Yeah?”
I was having a hard time reconciling that only a couple of days ago Hayles was in my bed and now I was in Mexico…to what? To get her in bed again? Fall in love? See if she had the same feelings for me?
I still didn’t like that she’d been proposed to not that long ago. She claimed the proposal was out of nowhere but that didn’t sound right to me. Was she so oblivious? Or did she really have no interest in marriage? And why did it make me feel like punching something?
“Definitely. I mean, you’ve got it made. Scuba diving and boat trips. Swimming with sharks. It sounds pretty hard-core to me.”
“You would hate it after about a week,” she said, bumping my elbow with hers.
“Yeah? Why do you say that?”
“No structure, no competition, and no real schedule. We make up the schedule every day. You. Would. Hate. It.”
“I think you’re overestimating my need for structure. I came here at the drop of a hat, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, for a week, maybe even two. But you couldn’t live your life like this.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never tried.” Why did I want to prove her wrong? Everything she said was completely true.
Her brow furrowed. “You’re not thinking of a career change, are you?”
I sighed. “Honestly, Hayles, I’m not thinking about much. I just needed to get out of my life for a while.” And see you again.
She linked arms with me. “I understand that. I’m here for you. Wanna help me load up the truck so we can get to the docks?”
“You got it.”
Loaded up like a mule, I carried a cooler and supplies down the dock to the boat. Hayley was ahead of me, balancing another cooler and her scuba gear. A guy was standing at the end of the docks near her boat.
“Let me help, Hayley,” the guy said.
“Spencer, what are you doing here?” she asked.
Spencer. This was the guy that wanted to marry my Hayley. I needed to get a grip, or I was going to ruin the outing before we even got out there. What the hell was he doing here?
Spencer grabbed the bag off the cooler Hayley was carrying. She kept moving onto the boat, not wanting to lose steam. Spencer cut me off and followed her on board.
“Did you hire new help?” he asked, glancing back at me.
I followed Hayley and set my stuff next to hers. I kept my eyes on Spencer, who kept moving so he was between me and her. If I didn’t punch this guy, I was going to throw him overboard. Happily.
“Spencer, you have to leave. We’re taking honeymooners out to see the sharks. This doesn’t look professional,” she hissed.
Spencer scoffed. “I’m a paying customer. Didn’t Bryssa tell you?”
She put her hands on her hips. “Excuse me. The honeymooners wanted the boat to themselves. Bryssa would never allow that.”
“I’m not here to intrude on their trip. But while they’re basking in each other’s love, you and I can figure out our relationship,” he said.
“Spencer, we don’t have a relationship. We broke up. I don’t want to be in a relationship with you. I don’t want to sleep with you. You’re far more into what we had than I am.”
“You’re just scared,” Spencer said, reaching for her hand.
“I’m not scared. I’m not in love. I’m not anything. I was having fun, Spencer. The fun is over. Therefore, I’m done.”
“I don’t accept that,” he snapped.
“I don’t care what you accept. It takes two to be in a relationship or even be fuck buddies. I’m no longer in the scenario, which means it’s you and your hand. Now, get off my boat. I’ll see that you get a full refund.”
“I’m not leaving.”
I didn’t want to intervene in her life. She was a big girl. She didn’t need another guy inserting himself without an invitation. I’d already done enough of that today. But this guy was seriously pissing me off. And why would Bryssa do that to Hayley? Was she pissed off at her for some reason?
I also couldn’t help but wonder if Hayley’s time in my bed was just her having fun too? Was I reading into what I thought was between us?
I opened and closed my fists anxiously. I wanted to hit someone, and this guy was all but asking for it. What sort of douche thinks a girl is obligated to him? The jealousy pumping through my veins felt foreign and left me feeling off-kilter. I didn’t like that he was harassing her but even more than that, I hated she’d spent time with him, slept with him. But it also looked like it was incredibly easy for her to walk away.
I didn’t know what I wanted. But I didn’t want to be on the other side of Hayley’s wrath. There was no way she was ever going to sleep with Spencer again. He’d blown any chance for an encore. The guy was digging himself into a deeper and deeper grave. It was almost fun to watch; except I could tell Hayley wasn’t having any fun.
I caught sight of Bryssa coming up the ramp onto the boat.
8
Hayley
Bryssa set her stuff down and put her hands on her hips. “What is going on?”
I moved around Spencer, who was hot on my heels. “Did you let Spencer pay to be on this excursion?”
Bryssa blinked at me and then she narrowed her eyes at Spencer behind me. She started in Spanish and then switched English. “I don’t know who you think you are, but I would never allow you to come near our business. You need to get off this boat before our customers arrive.” The petite, five-foot-two woman herded Spencer with her harsh tone and bigger-than-life anger.
I couldn’t help but snicker. Bryssa was a force of nature and not to be messed with. Spencer looked terrified as she backed him down the ramp and onto the dock.
“This isn’t over, Hayley,” Spencer called.
I let out a long sigh. What the hell? I hadn’t meant to invite crazy into my life. What the hell was he trying to prove? I glanced over at Matt, who looked as if he was ready to pulverize the guy.
“Thank you for not jumping in,” I said. “I can only imagine how much you wanted to.”
The tension in Matt’s shoulders visibly eased. “You didn’t need me. You handled it.”
“Bryssa handled it,” I grumbled. “No one messes with her. Not even the sharks.”
�
��Better her than me. I would’ve gotten him off the boat by throwing him off,” he growled. “You were involved with that asshat?”
I jabbed my finger into his rock-solid chest. “Don’t you dare judge me, Matthew Wright,” I growled. “I was sleeping with the guy. I saw him once a week on his boat where we usually ate and had sex a few times. I didn’t do the majority of the talking. Spencer wasn’t interested in me. I don’t know what he thought he had with me, but I assure you he was completely delusional about it.”
He held his hands up in surrender. “You’re right. It’s not fair for me to have an opinion on the relationship I saw five minutes of after it was over. I’m just surprised, that’s all. You’re a world-class catch. What the hell are you doing lowering your standards?”
“I’m not looking for marriage, Matt. I’m looking for fun. Usually, that means lowering your standards.”
He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something.
I wondered if maybe he thought I lowered my standards with him. I didn’t. In fact, I reached way out of my league that night. Kissing him, touching him, had been everything. But the harsh light of reality the following morning made me run. Matt and I could never be together. We could never make a relationship work. We were too different and wanted too many different things.
Bryssa stormed back onto the boat, her face red and her expression in a scowl. “Hayley, I don’t know why you go out with these lowlife losers but it’s time you either set your sights higher or buy a vibrator.”
My mouth dropped open. “Bryssa!”
“I’m serious, chiquita. You are too good to be lowering yourself to that.”
“He owned a yacht,” I defended.
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t care if he’s the richest man in the world. If he does not treat you with respect and adoration, he is not good enough for you. That man wanted nothing but what he wanted for himself.” She headed for the dive area to start putting stuff away.
I felt embarrassed. I didn’t know Bryssa looked down so profusely upon the men I dated. Maybe I was making a fool of myself. But if I didn’t date guys I didn’t want more than a few weeks of fun with, I was stuck with the other group of men who did want marriage, babies, and the white picket fence. I couldn’t offer that to anyone. Marriage was a sham. It was a place for women to lose their identity and for men to disrespect women. I didn’t want to play into the societal norm. It was why I’d moved out here. I didn’t want to be part of the world my mother and father had forced me into, only to have me running and screaming away the second the doors opened and I was of age to say “no” with finality that drove my mother to drink more.
My dad hated women after being married to my mother. He thought I was an ungrateful waste of space. All because he had to dish out alimony and the big bucks stopped rolling in when I stopped being an actress. I had no desire to live that kind of life. I didn’t want to have children only to make them a pawn in my desires.
There were times, a lot of times, I missed acting. I hated that my parents ruined it for me. Otherwise, I could still be acting. Maybe even win an award or two.
I glanced over at Matt, who was studying me like I was some weird fish doing unfish-like things. I needed this day to be over. I didn’t want Matt to know I was such a mess, not that it mattered. He would go back to California and we’d go back to being pen pals for another five years.
Why was that even more depressing than figuring out I dated the complete wrong men? Or maybe it was all depressing.
Except, I’d just spent over a week with him and now he was here on my doorstep. And he invited me for the holidays. I wanted nothing more than to jump at the chance. The holidays with his family were magical. But…I didn’t know what was between Matt and me. What would it all mean for us?
While I loved that we were still friends and kept in touch, I missed him like hell when he wasn’t around. Sometimes I wondered if I missed the idea of him or if I truly missed him. We hadn’t spent more than a week or two together since he moved away. He was a busy man traveling all over the country looking for sports talent. I hung out on the beach and took tourists out on a dive boat a few times a week. Our lives were so different, and we wouldn’t have more time for each other anyway.
“Hey, Hayles, are you okay?”
I let my eyes meet his, but they instantly flitted away. “I don’t know. Everything is really weird right now. I just want to get ready and do my job.” I needed something to be the same.
“I’m here to help or I can go sit out of the way.”
“Honestly, if you wouldn’t mind sitting over there. Put your feet up. Have a drink. Let me get back to my rhythm.”
He grinned. “Of course. And once you’re done processing, I’ll be right over there for you to talk to.”
I managed a smile, though I felt more like throwing up. What the hell was going on? Why did things feel so normal and so screwed up all at the same time?
Matt was here and that changed everything. Not only was I embarrassed by Spencer showing up, I didn’t like the idea of Matt seeing who I had dated. Who had proposed to me mere days ago. It got under my skin, like somehow, he would think less of me now.
Why had Spencer even shown up? Was he that desperate? What did he see in me? Clearly, I was a disaster. And I was not the kind of girl to be gleeful just about being proposed to. Marriage was never high on my list of things to do. It’s why I lived my life the way I did. No room for anyone else to tell me how to live it. My mother tried that enough and I wasn’t going to let anyone else do it.
As I brooded about my current predicament, I heard the laughter of a couple approaching. It was time to deal with the actual customers and I still felt like crying. I plastered a smile on my face. Bryssa came down from the command center to help me welcome our passengers.
I greeted the honeymoon couple, who reeked of happiness and bliss. I sort of wanted to punch them. The woman wore a very impractical bikini top that barely contained her larger-than-average bosom. Then there was the skirt that was merely there to act like it was covering anything more than her G-string bikini bottoms. She had sunglasses worth more than my diving boat. Her newbie husband wore a beach shirt he hadn’t bothered to button and a pair of trunks to match. They were a perfect match and neither of them looked ready to swim with the sharks. I certainly had my work cut out for me.
The distraction of whipping the honeymoon couple into shape cleared my mind. Spencer drifted off beyond the horizon where I didn’t have to think about him anymore. I’d almost forgotten about Matt too, except just as my mind cleared of him, he would show up on my starboard or port side. I could feel him watching me too.
We reached our diving destination and Bryssa lowered the anchor.
Wifey, as her new husband called her, suited up first but she was worried about the face mask ruining her hair. Like the water wasn’t going to do that for her. Boo, her husband, constantly checked his cell phone. Today was so not the day I needed to deal with these guys. I liked my more common group of tourists, adventurous and usually a lot of fun to hang out with. They asked intelligent questions and got amped-up before they dove.
I pulled my hair up and out of my way, securing it with a ponytail holder into a bun.
“Look out, ladies and gentlemen, she means business.” Matt’s playful voice came from behind me.
I turned around. “What are you talking about, fool?”
“Some things never change. Whenever you get determined, you pull your hair up and get this look on your face.” His finger twirled around my face.
My eyes narrowed. “What’s your point?”
“I know you’ve got a lot on your mind, but you should take it easy. They’re paying customers.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, cocked a hip and an eyebrow. “And?”
“Don’t take your frustration out on them.”
“I’m not. I’m not even thinking about Spencer anymore. I’m thinking about how obnoxious the two of them are. I me
an, what are they doing here? Neither is cut out for this dive. They’re going to see a shark or possibly their own shadow and run across the water. You should film it. No one has seen such a thing for over two thousand years.”
“Since when don’t you like happy couples? You okay? I was just giving you a hard time, but you’re really upset.”
I shifted closer to Matt and muttered. “Why do I feel like this is the kind of couple Spencer thought we’d be?”
Matt smirked. “Because he doesn’t know you at all. He’s gone, so stop worrying about him.” His arms slid around my waist and he leaned into me a little more. His breath tickled my ear. “If you fell in love with the right guy, I bet you’d get a little gross. Have some obnoxious name for him.”
I shivered. I turned a little and he was right there. His mouth was nearly close enough to kiss him. I met Matt’s gaze, his blue eyes burning with something hot behind them. Just what was that in his eyes? His fingers pressed into my hip, the skin-on-skin contact sizzling.
“You think so, do you?” I asked. Why was I so breathy? Only twitter pated girls got all breathy and wobbly around a hot guy.
“I’m sure of it.” His hand slipped away, and he stepped back.
I nearly toppled over as I leaned subconsciously to follow him. My body felt chilled even in the hot Mexico sun as his body heat dissipated from me. I swallowed around the lump in my throat and quickly turned away from him, though I caught his smug smile. Had he done that on purpose? How did he know it would work? What was he trying to pull?
But more than that, why had it worked? I felt all jittery and wanted nothing more than to feel his arms around me again. Who was I kidding? I’d been craving it since I left his bed.
Seducing My Best Friend (The Wrights Book 2) Page 6
