“What’s this?”
Before Autumn could stop him, Balen lifted her BF Guide Book from her towel, swiping the back of his hand over the cover to clear off the sand he’d accidentally knocked all over it. “Cute picture. This you? I can tell by the hair,” he said, answering his own question.
“Can I have my book back, please?” She sighed in frustration as she sat up and held out her hand.
Balen ignored Autumn’s impatient reach and studied the cover a moment longer before opening the book. Mortification slammed into her as the easy smile on his too-handsome face disappeared as he read the first page. Oh, shit. When Balen’s expression shuttered from surprised to unreadable, Autumn’s heart started pounding so hard her hands began shaking. There was no trying to deny it. It was obvious what last night was, and if he still had any doubt, the Get Laid with the fat check-mark oughta clear things up pretty fast.
“What is this?” His tone was as flat as his expression.
And now she wasn’t only feeling embarrassed, she felt bad, because it never dawned on her before that moment that she might have hurt his feelings. “It’s nothing,” she told him, reaching for the book and pulling it out of his hands. “It’s just something my friend made for our vacation.”
Autumn wasn’t sure what she’d expected him to say, but it wasn’t the words that came out of his mouth.
“Well, you’re going to have to erase that big check-mark.”
“Excuse me?”
“Right here.” He took the book back, flipped open the cover, and pointed his finger at her shame. “Where it says, ‘Get Laid’. You’re going to have to erase that, cuz we didn’t have sex.”
“What?” Autumn’s voice hit an octave she was pretty sure only sea life could hear. “We didn’t have sex?” Because she had a foil wrapper in the trash can that told her a different story. She wished to God she could remember what had happened.
“No. We didn’t. You passed out.”
If Autumn thought her humiliation couldn’t get any worse, she was wrong. So very wrong.
“This might surprise you, but I actually prefer my bed partners to be conscious.”
Autumn’s cheeks were on fire and the arrogant, amused smirk on Balen’s face confirmed he was taking great pleasure in her embarrassment. “Don’t get me wrong. We fooled around—a lot—and it was hot.”
“But there’s a condom wrapper in my bathroom trash can.” She was wracking her brain, trying to remember what happened. It couldn’t be possible. After all this, she still wasn’t free of Alex.
“Yeah, things got hot and heavy on the beach, and we came back here and messed around a bit. I went into the living room to get the condom you had in your purse. I opened the package, slipped it on, and by the time I got back to your room, you were passed out. I tossed the wrapper in your bathroom trash.”
Oh God, take me now, she silently prayed, burying her face in her hands. She wasn’t sure she could stand another second of this humiliation. Her first attempt at sex in two years was a total fail.
“Hey, if your little check-mark means that much to you, I can fuck you right now.”
“Please, stop talking to me.”
He chuckled at her muffled request. “Oh, come on, Autumn. I’m just giving you shit. Don’t be embarrassed. It wasn’t that bad. Actually, it was really hot. You’ve got a talented mouth—”
“Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!”
She snatched her book back. Holding it to her chest, she scrambled to her feet, accidentally kicking sand all over Balen. He bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing, but she didn’t think it was funny. Not one little bit. Now he was just being mean, and crude, and she was not going to consider that, just possibly, he was giving her a taste of her own medicine, because how was what she did to him any better than him mocking her now?
He knew she’d used him. The evidence was right here, and he was a guy. Of course he wasn’t going to cry about it—not like she was about to.
Thank God she was wearing sunglasses so he couldn’t see the tears flooding her eyes. Before they began running down her cheeks, Autumn raced back to her villa.
Chapter Seven
Okay, maybe that was a dick move, but Balen was pissed. Get Laid? Seriously? That woman had just used him for sex—sex that didn’t even happen because she passed out. This was hilarious. Usually women were using him for his money, his status—this woman had no idea who the hell he was and he was still getting used. FML…
He didn’t mean to sound like a little bitch about it, because he was absolutely used to being fucked over by the female population, but come on. Whatever—after the shit Monica pulled at the World Surfing League Nationals, he was just done. He’d quit caring. So then why did discovering he’d been Autumn’s mark piss him off so much?
It wasn’t like he hadn’t been blowing through pussy these last eight months. And he hadn’t looked back—not once. So why the hell was he doing it now? This wasn’t going to go anywhere with Autumn, nor did he want it to, but Balen couldn’t deny there was something about the woman that intrigued him. He wasn’t going to lie, he’d wanted to fuck her from the moment he’d met her. And yeah, maybe it was a little hypocritical of him to get bent over Autumn’s little stunt, but for some reason, he’d thought she was different from the others.
Why? He didn’t know. Honestly, he was angrier at himself than at her, because he should have known better. Muttering a self-damning curse, he got to his feet and brushed the sand off his legs. He snagged Autumn’s beach towel and shook it clean before folding it and tucking it under his arm. Grabbing her water bottle and his surfboard, Balen headed up to her villa to return her things. He needed to get his clothes from the spare bedroom and then he was out of here. After she’d passed out the night before, he hadn’t felt right sharing her bed, nor had he felt comfortable leaving her alone in case she got sick or something, so he’d camped out in the extra bedroom, checking on a few times through the night.
Earlier this morning, he’d retrieved his Hummer from Ambrosia’s and moved it closer to Autumn’s villa. He always kept an extra pair of board shorts in there, and a surfboard. You never knew when you’d find that perfect wave.
Balen planted his surfboard against the wall and opened the door. He didn’t get farther than the kitchen when his feet came to a grinding halt. Autumn was crying. He could hear her muffled sob echoing down the hall. Man, he was such an asshole.
Way to go, Kroft. Humiliate and antagonize the woman until she breaks. You’re such a stud.
Exhaling a sigh, he dragged his hand through his shaggy hair. He wasn’t sure if he should go in and apologize, or tiptoe back out and forget he ever met Autumn Harris. After what he’d said to her, she no doubt would have preferred he do the latter. Screw his clothes. He didn’t need them that bad.
Balen silently backtracked toward the door when Autumn’s iPhone buzzed on the kitchen table. He glanced down at the displayed message. Congrats on One and Done! You’re a free woman now. ;)
What the hell was that supposed to mean? He couldn’t help but wonder why someone who looked like Autumn would plan a premeditated hook-up with some random. Or why her friend would be encouraging such irresponsible behavior. Because seriously, there were a lot of shit bags out there. One thing was for certain, there was more to Autumn Harris than she was letting on. Curiosity and guilt were powerful antagonists. Before he realized his feet were moving, Balen was heading toward Autumn’s bedroom. She was still crying and something in his chest squeezed tightly. Maybe it was because he knew he was responsible for those tears.
Balen didn’t knock before entering. She’d never let him in if he did and he had no intention of staying out, so why bother?
Autumn was sitting at the side of her bed. She startled when she saw him walk in and quickly turned her head away, drying her cheeks with the palms of her hands.
“You shouldn’t walk into someone’s room without knocking,” she scolded, refusing to meet his stare.
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At the sight of her, it felt like an elephant was sitting on his chest and Balen knew he was fucked. Her book lay open on the bed beside her. The check mark was haphazardly scribbled out. He didn’t say anything as he walked over, moved the book aside, and sat next to her on the bed.
“I’m sorry, Autumn. I shouldn’t have said what I did. It was rude.”
“It’s not your fault I’m an idiot. I don’t know why I thought this One and Done thing was going to work in the first place.”
“What were you trying to do?”
She still wouldn’t look at him. His hand curled into a fist, resisting the urge to tuck that fallen lock of red hair behind her ear. She was so beautiful…and so very vulnerable. Autumn stirred something inside him, something he didn’t want to feel—something that could only end up hurting them both if he let it get a foothold.
“I don’t want to talk about it. This is embarrassing enough as it is.”
“Why don’t you tell me anyway? What do you have to lose? Maybe I can help.”
She looked at him and Balen swore his heart stopped beating. There was so much pain in her eyes. He just wanted to take her in his arms and make it all go away.
“I really thought you could. But I realize that’s not possible.”
He reached over and took her hand, slipping his fingers between her slender ones and brushed his thumb over her knuckles. “Sometimes just talking about it can help. What’s this One and Done thing all about, huh? It’s obviously important to you, and you don’t exactly strike me as a one-night stand kind of girl.”
She was silent at first, studying him with those oceanic eyes that seemed to reach inside his chest to places he wasn’t sure he wanted her touching. His heart felt tight, like something was squeezing it, making it harder to breathe. Since Monica, emotions never once factored into sex for him—so what the hell was this? And to add insult to injury, they hadn’t even been that intimate.
Perhaps it was just pity. He felt sorry for her and protective of her at the same time. But why was the million-dollar question. He had no clue.
Balen held her gaze as she seemed to struggle with her decision of whether or not to trust him with her secrets. He found himself hoping she would. At the very least, this woman intrigued him.
“I’m not supposed to be on vacation alone. My friend Summer—”
“Wait…” Balen held up his hand, stopping her. “You have a friend named Summer?”
“Yeah, kinda funny, huh? Apparently both of our parents had an affinity for naming their kids after seasons. We’ve been best friends since kindergarten.”
“Is she the one who dropped her suitcase on me?”
A small smile broke through her sadness. “Yeah, that’s her. She planned this great vacation for us to celebrate my thirtieth birthday, but right before the plane took off she got a call that her grandmother died. She insisted I still go on the vacation. For my birthday present, she gave me that book.” She nodded to the scrapbook beside him. “Inside is a week of activities she had planned for us to do here. Mostly stuff I’d never do on my own.”
“So this One and Done thing, that was her idea?” Now things were starting to make a bit more sense.
“I’ve been divorced for two years. This was her way of telling me it’s time to get back in the saddle again.”
“By having a one-night stand?” Balen tried to keep the judgement out of his voice, but he was well aware he was failing. Hell, he did that shit all the time, so who was he to have an opinion about it? Except it wasn’t lost on him that if he hadn’t texted Autumn and asked her to dinner, there was a damn good chance some other guy would have been in her bed, and it wasn’t likely that guy would have cared if she were conscious for it. Not only was her behavior reckless, it was dangerous. And again, those protective instincts fired up inside of him and the nausea needling his gut was definitely not jealousy.
She shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“So good that you had to get wasted to go through with it?”
Her grimace told him his point was made, so he decided to let it go. She wasn’t an idiot, surely she could see how this was the opposite of a good idea. But he was kinda pissed at her friend for giving her such shitty advice. “Autumn, if you have to get drunk in order to do something, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.”
Her perfectly sculpted brow arched. “Gee…thanks, Mom. I’ll remember that in the future. Not that it’s any of your business, but it was hard for me to take that step. I haven’t been with anyone since Alex.”
Two years? She hadn’t been with a guy in two years? And this was how she decided to “get back in the saddle?” Holy hell. Balen was a typical, testosterone-driven guy, and even he saw what a horrible idea this was.
“This was my chance to reclaim my… I don’t know…my sexuality? And I couldn’t even do that right. There is no way I’m going to be able to do the other stuff in that book.”
She shifted to face him and her thigh brushed against his. Heat lanced up his groin and things started stirring to life. If just an innocent touch could have this strong of an effect on him, then he was in trouble when it came to this woman. If he knew what was best for him, he’d wish her luck, grab his clothes, and forget he ever met Autumn Harris.
“I owe you an apology, Balen. I used you, and that wasn’t right.”
Well, shit. What the hell was he supposed to say to that? “It’s all right?” Because it wasn’t. He didn’t want her getting the hair-brained idea to try something like that again with some other guy—One and Done 2.0 or some crazy shit like that, nor did he want to see her vacation ruined over this. Despite his many reasons not to, he liked this woman.
“Okay,” he told her before he could convince himself what a bad idea this was. “I’ll tell you what. For the next week, I’m going to be your new best friend.”
She stared at him like he was out of his mind. And, no lie, he might be. But then again, he might just may be brilliant. Despite his agent’s persistence, Balen wasn’t interested in getting involved with another woman, and Autumn’s One and Done stunt more than proved neither was she—which gave him pause as an idea quickly began to take root. Perhaps they could help each other out.
Autumn would be safe and she didn’t want anything from him other than a good time—something he was more than capable of delivering. She knew the score so there was no pressure, no expectations this might turn beyond two people just having fun. He could lay low, get out of the media spotlight for a week and let that whole sex tape debacle die down. Wasn’t that exactly what he’d been wanting? A vacation? What better opportunity than to hijack Autumn’s?
So there it was—win-win. He’d take her out on all her friend’s planned excursions and, in the process, keep Autumn from doing something stupid. In exchange, she’d provide him with a place to hide out for the week, away from the media spotlight and where he could pretend to be just some anonymous guy.
Chapter Eight
“My what?” Autumn must have heard him wrong. Balen did not just say he was going to be her new best friend. She wasn’t even sure she liked him, let alone consider him BFF material. No, that was a lie. She did like him. Last night at the restaurant, they’d had fun. Balen was easy to talk to, light-hearted, and seemed to have a good sense of humor, not to mention he was total eye-candy. But this…this was spending an entire week together. He couldn’t be serious—especially on the heels of her One and Done stunt. “You’re joking, right?”
“Nah, I’ve got way better punchlines than that. For the next week, I’m going to be your new bestie—”
There it was. He just said it again! And he sounded pretty sure about it.
“—and we are doing everything in that book.”
We’re what? “Everything?” Her voice cracked as her heart kicked into her throat.
“Well, except for page one. No sex.”
No sex? She was caught off guard by the unexpected pinch of disappointment. G
reat, now that he knew what a mess she was, he didn’t even want to touch her. Despite her wounded pride, maybe he was right. She wasn’t ready.
“All right. If you’re sure you want to do this. But I have my own ground rules.”
Balen’s brow arched in question, his smile showcasing those sinful dimples. “Such as...?”
Shit, she didn’t have anything. But Autumn didn’t want to be the only one coming to the table without a stipulation. Impulsively, she blurted the first thought that came to her mind. “You can’t fall in love with me.” She bit her bottom lip, trying to keep a straight face. Did she really just say that? Whatever, the words were out and she was committed.
Balen chuckled, amusement dancing in those gorgeous eyes as he flashed her a panty-melting grin. “Agreed.” With dramatic flair, he crossed his hand over his heart. “I, Balen Kroft, solemnly swear that I will not fall in love with you, Autumn Harris.”
Well, that wasn’t as satisfying as she’d expected.
“Now what about you?”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s your turn. Aren’t you going to give me the same promise?”
Was he serious? Apparently so if the expectant arch of his brow was anything to go by. “Fine. I, Autumn Harris, solemnly swear that I will not have sex, or fall in love with you.”
“Whew.” He swept the back of his hand over his brow and gave her a teasing wink that should not have woken her wounded Monarch. “Glad we got that out of the way.”
Yeah, what a relief. So, why was there a knot in the pit of her stomach?
“So, what’s on today’s agenda?”
She still wasn’t convinced this was a good idea. Spending the week with Balen was pretty much the opposite of One and Done, but seeing as how that never happened... And it would be a lot more fun doing those things with someone rather than solo.
“I don’t remember. I’m still hungover.” Her head was spinning. Partially because of her hangover and partially because she couldn’t believe she was considering this crazy idea of his.
One and Done (Island of Love Book 1) Page 6
