“Drinks!” Allyson clapped, causing Ella to jump.
A tray of champagne flutes appeared between the four of us. Allyson plucked two up and held them out for us to take. “A toast,” she said, taking her own tall glass of bubbles and holding it up in front of her so the sunlight sparkled against it. “To happily ever afters.”
“To my Ella,” I said, clinking my glass against hers.
“Sooo… when’s the big day?” Allyson asked as we followed her over to a shaded seating area.
“Oh, we haven’t set a date,” Ella answered as we sat on one side of the L-shaped outdoor couch facing Allyson and Alex.
I was glad for the shade and that meeting Allyson had gone so smoothly. At least she hadn’t been an uppity snob like the suitcase girl.
“Well, you better be sure to let me know when you do,” Allyson said, quirking her brow as she tipped the rim of the champagne flute at Ella.
“You’ll be the first to know,” Ella said, finishing her own glass as she gripped my fingers tightly in her own.
Like a jack-in-the-box, Allyson popped up from her seat and waved at someone behind us. “Over here, Summer.”
Introductions were made once again when Summer, Allyson’s sister, joined our little group. Curious onlookers watched, a few of them strolled by shaking hands with the groom and offering their best wishes to the couple as Allyson, Summer, and Ella caught up on the years they’d been apart.
Alex leaned forward and asked, “How about a beer?”
The chatter around me broke out into gales of laughter, and I winced. “How about two?”
Alex leaned over, kissing Allyson’s lips and stopping her midsentence. “The boys need a beer.”
“Too much girl talk?” Summer asked.
His answer wasn’t anything I expected, and the reason I decided right then and there that I liked him. “There’s only so much tittering a man can take before he either puts on a dress to join in, or goes in search of a beer.”
Summer snorted. “I have one that might work for you. It’s stretchy so it might fit your ego.”
“Summer…” Allyson laughed, swatting her on the leg. “Leave him alone.”
Alex leaned closer to Allyson, whispering something in her ear that made her blush. “Behave,” she said, clearly not meaning it.
She licked her lips, and Alex, who’d been ready to head to the bar, hauled her up from her seat and said, “The beer will have to wait a bit. I’m craving something different right now.”
There may as well have been just the two of them instead of a vessel brimming with guests, because neither had eyes for anyone but the other.
He swept her past a group who called out to them, both intent on a specific direction.
I was unable to keep a smile from my face. If ever there were two people who clearly loved each other, it was those two, and they didn’t give a damn who saw it.
Summer sighed after them. “One day someone will look at me the way he looks at her,” she said, tipping back the half-full champagne flute and finishing it in three large swallows. “I swear they make the temperature go up a million degrees when they get near you.”
Ella snickered. “I’m pretty sure that’s the sun.”
“Just you wait. You’ve only had a small taste of the two of them together. Pretty soon, you’ll join the rest of us girls who walk around in a state of sexual frustration when the two of them turn it up a notch.”
“Don’t worry. I have Ella covered,” I said, lifting Ella’s fingers to my lips and nipping at the tip of her thumb.
Ella’s only tell that it affected her was the fluttering pulse at her neck.
She didn’t snatch her hand away, knowing if she did, Summer would have noticed, and we didn’t need anyone paying that close of attention to us.
Summer settled back in her seat, waved to a passing waiter carrying tall glasses filled with chunks of fruit swimming in a pale-yellow drink. “White sangria,” Summer said, taking a glass from the tray. “The alternative to running off to my room and having a fling with myself.”
Ella chuckled. “What happened to the guy you were dating? Matthew, wasn’t it?”
Summer fished out a piece of pineapple from her drink, popped it into her mouth, and chewed it before answering. “He was a douche bag.”
Watching Ella joke with Summer, relaxing a bit, gave me a glimpse of her I’d never saw before. Even on our mission in Barbados, I’d never caught a flicker of what could only be called her true smile. She practically glowed with happiness. Bubbled with laughter. If champagne could come to life and be a person, it would take the form of Ella as she was in that moment.
“Oh, he has it bad,” Summer said, nudging me with the tip of her perfectly manicured foot.
I looked between the two of them, feeling my face heat up.
But before I could come up with some sort of witty reply, we were interrupted by the demanding voice of a man who glared at us with his hands on his hips.
“Where is Alex?” His tone was what Riley would have called snarky. His question, well, more of a demand, carried a hint of something I couldn’t put my finger on, but knew I didn’t like it. Evidently, neither did Summer.
She pierced the newcomer with a heated look, lips pulled into a smile that held more than a touch of annoyance before answering, “He’s with his wife.”
He didn’t like that, but refrained from being a complete asshole by saying, “Tell him I’m looking for him.”
He walked away as she muttered, “Yeah, I’ll get right on that, ass-hat.”
“Who was that?” Ella asked, leaning forward to see past me as we watched him walk across the deck around the outside bar.
“That would be Alex’s cousin, Nick. Fitting that his name rhymes with dick. Listen, all joking aside, be careful around him,” Summer said, looking between Ella and me.
“Careful?” I asked, adding, “I’ve met plenty of assholes in my day. What’s one more?”
She shook her head and leaned forward, closer to Ella, and said, “Ella, you know my dad has some… let’s say shifty friends, but Alex’s family?” She quirked an eyebrow as if that would fill in all the blanks.
“What about them?” Ella prodded.
Summer flashed a brilliant smile, waving her hand as if the quiet conversation the three of us were entangled in was light bantering to anyone observing. “Alex is the only good one out of them. The rest are shady bastards. He doesn’t have much to do with them, though. He’s kind of the black sheep of his family. Which is funny, because they should be the black ones and he should be the white one.”
A twinge of unease worked up my spine until it got to the base of my skull, sending tiny pinpricks of warning. Could Alex’s family be responsible for the threats against Garett?
“I think I’ll go get that beer now. You ladies want anything?” I asked, getting to my feet.
“Actually, I’m getting a little hungry,” Ella said, holding her hand out to me.
“I better feed you then.” I helped her up and then pulled her against my chest, her scent overwhelming me. It started out innocent enough… as a believable show of affection… but my blood stirred when she looked deep into my eyes and I couldn’t stop myself.
I leaned in and nipped at her lips.
She squeaked, and then covered it up with laughter as she said, “As much as we want to, we can’t live on love.” Her eyes pulsed with something more… something I couldn’t decipher.
“Oh, great, like my sister and Alex need any competition.” Summer huffed as she tilted her glass back to finish it off.
“Would you like to come with us?” I asked, remembering my manners.
“More than you know,” she muttered, adding, “I think I’ll just sit here and sulk while eating my weight in wine-infused pineapple. You kids have fun.”
Ella rolled her eyes, saying, “If you change your mind, we’ll be right inside.”
CHAPTER 10
ELLA
I hadn�
��t expected gaining information right away. I thought it would take a week at the very least for things to slip past alcohol-drenched lips. Once everyone aboard shed their shallow skins and ingrained manners. Give the spoiled rich kids playground passes to do as they pleased, and they’d shuck every one of their inhibitions, giving everyone several years’ worth of gossip to carry them on until they did it again.
I wasn’t exactly sure of the newlyweds’ friends and had pretty much settled on the fact that Josh and I would have to mingle with a good majority of them to get a feel for who we were dealing with.
Josh had handled himself well meeting Allyson. She was a very excitable sort of person. Not many could handle her chipper giddiness when something pleased her. She’d always been that way. Even as kids, Allyson found a reason to smile. To be happy. I’d spent many a summer holiday kicking around with the Baron sisters. There wasn’t much either of them wouldn’t do. They weren’t typical rich kids, which was great for me. Not many of the elite would allow their offspring to hang out with the helps’ daughter. And that was what I was, the daughter of the maid and gardener to Garett Barron’s sprawling estate.
Once, when we were ten, Garret Baron paid for the three of us to go to Switzerland for summer camp. I’d never been more out of my element in my entire life, but I loved every single moment of it. And I knew from that day forward that I was born to wander the world. And that was why I’d jumped at the chance to work with Cole Enterprise when I’d graduated boot camp. Not only did it give me purpose, but I’d also get to see the world too.
Cole had flown in on his private jet of mysteries, booted the sergeant in command out of his office, and made me a deal I couldn’t refuse. It had been the beginning of the end of who I was and who I’d become.
Our first stop brought us to Salt Cay where we’d stay docked for the week. Guides to the island milled around the docks, waving sun-kissed hands to anyone who made eye contact with them.
Josh nudged me toward one, but I shifted us away.
“What are you doing? Shouldn’t we have a guide?”
“As long as we’re with them, a guide isn’t necessary,” I said, following Allyson and Alex who were waving down a car.
When Allyson noticed us, she pointed at the waiting vehicle. “Izzy! Over here!”
I waved and flashed a smile.
“We’re going to go check out the city. Come with us!” she insisted.
Just what I was hoping for. More time to get to know Alex and get a feel for him. “That’d be great,” I said, tugging Josh along with me.
When we slid inside the car, Allyson moved to Alex’s lap, giving us more room along the backseat. As soon as Josh closed the door, the car took off.
I jammed my finger into my ear to block the excitement Allyson projected. “Tone it down, Ally. My ears can’t take that pitch in such close confinement,” I said, blindly swatting at her.
“Party pooper.” She grabbed my hand, disengaging my finger from my ear canal.
“Better a party pooper than deaf,” I tossed back at her.
She threw her head back and laughed. “God, I’ve missed the hell out of you.” She hooked her arm around my neck. “I couldn’t have asked for a better honeymoon.”
Josh leaned into me, looking over my shoulder at her. “A honeymoon with an entourage doesn’t seem very… private.”
Allyson’s smile slipped a little bit. One shoulder lifted, her only cue that something wasn’t right. “Daddy insisted.”
I made sure to look at Alex. Needed to see his face when I asked, “Why did Garret insist on you having so many people with you?”
“Oh, you know how Daddy is. Overprotective about everything,” Allyson answered as she picked at the hem of her dress.
“So these people with you… are they friends of yours?” Josh casually asked.
“As much as anyone can be friends with people they only associate with once or twice in year,” Allyson answered. Continuing before Josh could ask something else, she said, “I’m just so glad you could make it, Izzy. It’s been so long since we were last together. Between your life and mine, and now the mister, it seems like we never get to see each other.”
I reached for her hand and squeezed, allowing myself to feel the nostalgia of our friendship. It was weird, the feelings bubbling up from the depth of me. Being around Allyson brought back so much of the girl I used to be. The girl with the big dreams and easy laughter. The girl I’d been before life hardened me.
I cleared my throat, shoving the emotions back down. “Speaking of life, how’s the shelter coming along?”
Allyson always had a soft spot for animals. It was a running joke with us when we were younger that she would end up blowing through her trust fund just to make sure all the homeless and unwanted animals had a forever home with her.
Her face brightened. “It’s going really well. I started vet school last year. Daddy wasn’t too thrilled, but Alex told Daddy to stuff it and paid for my second year. I think that’s when Daddy started liking you,” she said, nudging Alex, wearing a look of adoration.
He chuckled, making his face light up. He was a good match for Allyson. Lean without being scrawny. Handsome without looking overly polished. A bit rakish, yet not an ass. “You flatter me. If anything, it was the contract I signed stating that if you decided you were no longer happily married, I’d leave with what I came with.”
A shadow crossed her eyes as she shook her head. “I still can’t believe you signed that.”
He smoothed his thumb over her chin, eyes delving into hers. “I told you, Ally… No matter what everyone else thinks, money isn’t always the answer. And no matter how much you have of it, it won’t keep you warm at night. I’d rather have you and be dirt poor.”
Allyson flushed deeply and planted a kiss to his forehead. I never thought it possible to actually feel the chemistry between two people. But they radiated it. Especially when her lips trailed a searing path to his mouth where she stayed.
I shifted the same time Josh did, and something zipped through me like lightning. My skin felt loose and tight at the same time. Nerves twisted into a tight knot in my stomach. And when Josh tapped me on the leg, I startled from the contact.
He put his arm around me, pulling me against his chest. Nuzzling his face into the crook of my neck, he whispered, “Whatever you do, don’t look at them. It’s a trap. They’re some sort of cult that makes you want to rip off your clothes and hump the seat.”
I busted out laughing until I realized that things were progressing a little further than I’d realized when Allyson moaned.
Josh pulled back and looked down into my eyes.
“Are they making out?” I mouthed the words to him.
His gaze was hooded. The stain of arousal was flush against his cheeks. He gave a quick nod of his head, nostrils flaring as the noises and heat from their bodies surrounded us.
My eyes popped wide, and again I formed silent words only for Josh. “Oh. My. God.”
We watched each other, the car slowing as the driver had more than likely caught on to what was happening in his backseat and was more intent on watching them than he was the road.
Josh leaned forward again and I lost myself for a moment, thinking he’d fallen into the passion-infused air. And worse? I couldn’t stop the feeling of want and need coursing through me. It didn’t matter that we were sitting beside another couple. That there was a cab driver getting a backseat peep show. The entire world seemed to have stopped inside of that car and it began again right there between Josh and me. His lips brushed mine, not stopping as they followed the curve of my jaw and nipped the sensitive spot just below my ear. His voice was rough, and it sent a shiver of longing down my spine. It had been way to long since I’d felt the touch of a man. Too long since I’d let go completely, and, in that moment, I felt every single second of it.
“We need to get the hell out of this car before we’re all arrested for lewd acts done in the presence of the public. No wo
nder her sister has a tough time being near them. I feel like I either need a really cold shower, or a few moments alone,” he said, fingers digging into my shoulder as he shuddered. “Since neither one of those are a possibility, do you think we can get tacos? I’m kind of hungry.”
The car came to a sudden stop, and Josh was out the door, pulling me along behind him. “Don’t look back, for God sake.”
When he finally stopped, we were both out of breath. And then suddenly, we were laughing.
“Phew, that was a close one,” he said, wiping his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Josh. I had no idea.”
He brushed it off with a wave of his hand, stuck his elbow out, and said, “How about those tacos?’
CHAPTER 11
JOSH
I had a feeling that if we spent anymore alone time with the newlyweds, Ella and I would forget what we were there for. What made it harder was the fact that we needed to be around them in order to do our jobs. How the hell were we supposed to balance that out when the two of them were like rabbits in mating season? They hadn’t full-on done it in the car, but it had gotten hot and heavy. When I pulled Ella out, Allyson had swung her leg over Alex’s lap to straddle him. We’d made a break for it just in the nick of time.
I wasn’t a prude by any means, but there were just some things that were meant to be private.
The small restaurant we found was tucked around the corner from where we’d made our fast escape from the cab. At first, I’d thought it was some sort of lean-to shed until the breeze shifted and I was hit with the scent of frying meat. I’d tugged Ella along, letting my nose guide me like a bloodhound.
I’d groaned with the first bite as each flavor exploded against my tongue. Mango salsa and spiced chicken with all sorts of other things I would have never thought belonged on a taco danced on my taste buds. It was almost a religious experience that had me wanting to raise my hands in praise to the food gods.
“I had three and I’m stuffed. Aren’t you full yet?” Ella asked, watching me from across the table.
All We Are (The Six Series Book 5) Page 5
