And now thanks to Jack, she wouldn’t be able to ignore him in the least. She’d be spending the next three days playing tour guide to his fantasies. She only hoped she was strong enough to survive him.
Or maybe she should be hoping Hayden would survive her. What the hell was wrong with him? Medical had suspended him and Jack said Hayden had omitted something from his application. He wanted Jo to make sure Hayden took it easy. He wanted vitals. All of those things made Jo think that Hayden had a medical issue she needed to be made aware of. How was she supposed to ensure his safety if she didn’t know the whole story?
Jo wondered if she would be crossing a line if she asked Hayden about it. She was a private person herself and knew she didn’t enjoy being put on the spot. She made a snap judgment not to ask Hayden anything personal as she jogged up the steps to her front door. If there was something she needed to know, Jack would’ve told her.
Jo heard the sound of Hayden’s heavy footfall following her and whirled around. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Just following orders.”
“I don’t remember you being ordered to be up my ass.”
Hayden smirked. “I’m sensing you’re pissed about being my babysitter?”
Jo crossed her arms. “Ya think?”
“Believe me, I’m as pissed as you are.”
“That’s doubtful.”
“Why?”
“Because this is obviously just a game to you.”
Hayden frowned. “You have no idea what this is to me.”
She could tell from the tick of his jaw muscles that she’d hit a nerve. But she couldn’t let herself care. She already cared too much. “You’re right. We don’t know anything about each other and I think we should keep it that way.”
“That might be impossible considering we have to spend the next three days together,” Hayden replied.
“Not if we have rules.”
Hayden’s perfect eyebrows rose as his even more perfect lips pulled into a smile. But Jo only crossed her arms.
“Are you serious? Rules? This isn’t a contract, Joy.”
“Maybe it should be.”
He laughed. “Fine. I’ll play along. I’ll do whatever it takes to get back into ACE. Because despite your misconception, this isn’t a game to me. My entire future is on the line here.”
Jo swallowed. She didn’t want to know that. She didn’t want to know anything else that would make her want to like Hayden more than she did. “Rule number one: no questions. We don’t need to know everything about each other. We just need to get through the next few days.”
Hayden nodded.
Jo continued. “Rule number two: don’t get attached.”
He smirked. “I think it might be a little late for that, Joy.”
She scowled. She could tell from his cocky grin that he was implying she was the one into him. “In your dreams, haole.”
“Okay. What the hell does haole mean?” Hayden asked. “It’s the third time I’ve been called that word and I don’t like it.”
“It’s Hawaiian. It just means you’re not from here.”
“Obviously. I’m from New York. Everyone knows that.”
“Hayden, I didn’t ask where you’re from. You’re already violating rule number one.”
“I’m just stating a fact. Anyway, why are you the only one who gets to make rules?”
“You have a rule?”
“Yeah. No speaking Hawaiian.”
Jo huffed a laugh. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
“Okay, three rules. Don’t ask questions, don’t get attached and don’t speak Hawaiian.” Jo held out her hand. “I can handle it if you can.”
Hayden’s large hand slid around Jo’s and they shook. His strong grip made her feel weak. What the hell was wrong with her? Boys didn’t affect her this way. She didn’t let them. Not since . . . she swallowed the emptiness in her throat . . . not since Max . . . And she promised to never let that happen again.
Jo prayed her rules were enough to protect her from the rush of heat she experienced every time she was near Hayden. When he touched her like he did now, she had the distinct feeling of weightlessness. It was like being sucked into an atmosphere without gravity and she hated it. She hated the way he made her resolve falter and her desires flourish. She hated that her attraction to him was undeniable. But something about Hayden drew Jo in against her will. His touch roused a chemical reaction in her body that she couldn’t stop. She just hoped she was strong enough to fight it. She had to be . . . she owed Kai that much. She owed Kai everything. He was the only light that had come back into her world after losing Max and she refused to screw that up.
Hayden
Hayden savored the feeling of Joy’s delicate hand in his. He slowly brushed his thumb over the back of her hand, watching the goose bumps race up her arm.
I told you, Joy, you like me.
It’s okay, I like you, too.
We can play by your rules for a little while.
Joy pulled her hand away and her eyes looked everywhere but at Hayden. He loved seeing how he flustered her. He especially loved seeing that coral color fill her cheeks again. His color.
She reached for her door. “Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Hayden grinned. “Do I get a hint about what we’re doing tomorrow?”
“I haven’t figured it out yet, so no.”
“Can I make a suggestion?”
“Depends what it is.”
“Can we go surfing?” he asked.
“Surfing?”
“Yeah, I’ve always wanted to try it.”
Joy scoffed. “You’ve never surfed before and you think you can just try it?”
“How hard can it be?”
She laughed. “You’re on, haole.”
“You just broke a rule!”
Joy swore under her breath. “The rules start tomorrow.”
“Nope, they started as soon as we shook hands. I get to break one now. I get to ask you one question every time you call me haole.”
“No way. I didn’t agree to that.”
“Do you want me on my best behavior for the next three days, or not?”
Joy closed her eyes and bit her lip as she exhaled. The move seemed like it was her method for gaining patience. Whatever it was, Hayden instantly loved it. With her eyes closed, Hayden stared at her lips shamelessly. And goddamn, the things he wanted to do with those lips.
I told you not to bite those lips, Joy.
Those are my lips.
Whatever Joy was searching for, she must’ve found, because when she opened her gorgeous green eyes again, they were calm and focused. “Fine. One question.”
“Oh, I’m not gonna waste it now. I’m saving it for something good.”
Hayden knew exactly what he was going to ask. Who is Max? But he couldn’t ask it yet. He needed Joy to trust him more if he expected an honest answer.
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Are we done now?”
“You’re the boss.”
“That’s right, I am. Meet me back here tomorrow morning. And be ready to surf, New York.”
He laughed. “I will. What time do we paddle out, bruh?” he asked in his best surfer voice while making the hang ten sign with his hand.
Joy snorted a laugh. “Oh my God. Never do that again.”
“Oh, come on. It was good. And that’s exactly how Ethan sounds.”
Joy snorted again, and this time a genuine laugh snuck out. Hallelujah. If that wasn’t the best sound he’d ever heard . . .
Joy, I want to make you laugh like that forever.
“Surf’s up, bruh. Let’s hit those gnarly pipes!” Hayden crooned, accentuating the surfer dialect.
Joy was gasping with laughter. “Seriously, you’re gonna get your ass kicked if anyone hears you talking like that.”
Hayden grinned at her. “It’d be worth it.”
�
��You’re ridiculous.”
“You say ridiculous, I say charming.”
Joy shook her head in amusement and held her hand out. “Give me your phone.”
He handed it over without question and watched as she quickly added her information and texted herself so she’d have his. “Joy, are you sexting me? I thought we weren’t supposed to get attached,” he teased.
She looked up, a smartass reply poised on her perfect lips, but suddenly the humor drained from her face.
Hayden’s defenses rose as he turned to follow her line of sight.
Brock stood a few feet from the bottom of Joy’s stairs glaring up at them.
For a few silent breaths the three of them stood still staring at each other. Tension charged the air between them until Joy finally spoke. “Brock, what are you doing here?”
Jealousy poured off Brock in waves as he glanced suggestively between Joy and Hayden. “I came to see if Jack kicked this ACE-hole to the curb yet, but I can tell from the way you’re panting after him that just like always, you got what you wanted.”
Joy took an angry step forward ready to respond, but Hayden stepped in front of her cutting off her path to Brock. “Do you have a problem with me, man?” he growled.
Brock practically sneered. “Oh good, haole’s not as dumb as he looks.”
Hayden bristled. Haole didn’t sound nearly as endearing coming from Brock. “Listen, bro, it’s not my fault she’s not into you. But take the hint and walk away before you embarrass yourself.”
Brock’s expression changed instantly. He switched from typical jerk-store to psychopath in a blink of an eye as he charged up the stairs hurling insults at Hayden. “What’d you say you piece of shit? You think you know her? You think you’re better than me? Huh? Huh?”
Joy somehow managed to get in front of Hayden, blocking him from taking a swing at the cocky bastard’s smug face. “Brock, that’s enough,” she yelled.
“Nah, it’s not nearly enough, Jo. Why don’t you go inside and let me and your boy here have a conversation?”
“He’s not my boy, Brock.”
Brock laughed. It was a bitter sound. “Does he know that? Or are you just jerking him around like you do to me?”
“Hey, don’t speak to her like that,” Hayden barked.
“Oh, haole fights your battles for you now, too? Wow, I’ve gotta hand it to ya, Jo. You really know how to wrap a guy’s cock around your finger, don’t ya?”
Joy’s face turned hard. “That’s not what this is, Brock.”
“You sure about that? ‘Cause that’s not what it looked like from where I was standing. From where I was standing it looked an awful lot like haole’s got it bad for you. And if history’s repeats itself I bet you’re gonna spread your legs for him, just like you did for Max.”
Smack!
Joy’s hand shot out like a bullet, slapping Brock in the face. A storm of emotions swept over his features and his hand rose in retaliation. But Hayden moved faster. He pulled Joy back, out of Brock’s reach. Once he was sure she was out of harm’s way he turned back to face Brock, but the time Hayden took to make sure Joy was safe cost him. And the price was another punch to the mouth.
Shit! Why the hell did everyone in Hawaii aim for his mouth?
Hayden didn’t have time to think about it because Brock was coming at him again. Hayden didn’t want to fight him, but he also wasn’t about to get his ass handed to him. Especially in front of Joy. Again. Thankfully, before another hit could happen, something blurred past Hayden and stopped the fight before it could truly begin.
Hayden blinked to make sure he was seeing straight as he watched a large black and white spotted dog tackle Brock down the stairs. It scrambled after him, snapping, growling and foaming at the mouth. Brock scuttled backwards in the sand like a scared crab. Hayden didn’t blame him. The dog looked like it had every intention of ripping Brock from limb-to-limb.
A whistle sounded and just like that, the dog retreated. Hayden jumped out of the way as it trotted back up the steps to sit obediently at Joy’s side.
She stood at the top of her little deck in the open doorway. “Brock, you need to leave now,” she ordered. He looked like he was going to argue but Joy didn’t give him a chance. “This isn’t a request.”
Without a word, Brock climbed to his feet, dusted sand off his bruised ego and stormed away.
Joy
When Brock finally left, Jo was drained. Her nerves were shot and hands began to shake. Today had been a long day. It dredged up way too many old feelings and having Brock throw Max in her face didn’t help. She reached for the railing to steady herself, but Hayden got to her first.
“You okay?” His voice was close and warm against her cheek.
“I should be asking you that,” she said gently touching his lip. It was already starting to swell.
“I’m fine. But what the hell was that?”
“No questions, Hayden.”
His hand brushed the hair away from her face and gently rested near her cheek. There was too much concern in his blue eyes. Too much of something else, too. Something she wasn’t willing to admit.
A familiar pain stabbed her heart and she had to look away. “Don’t.”
“Joy, some guy just tried to attack both of us for no reason. You can’t ask me not to have questions.”
Jo sighed. “It’s complicated.”
“Why do I get the feeling that’s the answer I’m gonna get any time I ask you something that matters?”
“Because you’re pretty smart for a haole.”
Hayden grinned and Jo’s heart turned inside out.
“You just broke another rule, Joy. I get to ask two questions now.”
His voice was soft and she wanted to lean into it and let it wrap around her like a blanket. But she couldn’t. Instead, she tried her best to smile, knowing she wasn’t fooling anyone.
Jo reached up and lightly grazed her fingers against Hayden’s swollen lip. “Put some ice on this, okay?” Then she reached down to pat Piper’s head. “Come on, girl.”
“Joy . . .”
“Goodnight, Hayden. I’ll see you in the morning.” Then she shut the door.
23
Hayden
Walking away from Joy’s apartment was nearly impossible. Hayden couldn’t shake the feeling that she needed him. He knew realistically she didn’t. She’d survived a lifetime without him. Plus, she had Cujo. That dog was more than capable of fending off Brock should he return. But there was an emptiness in Joy’s voice when she’d told him goodnight that Hayden was all too familiar with. It was the same shield he used to keep others out, to keep his pain and loneliness to himself, where he thought it belonged.
As Hayden lay in his uncomfortable bed, he played the day over in his mind. Things had gone from bad to worse to uncertain with Joy today. He hadn’t meant to let his emotions get the best of him during the ACE dive session, but that was the problem, Joy made him unpredictable. She made him want her above all else. It was completely irrational, but completely unavoidable. He’d kissed her once and was now forever under her spell.
At first, Hayden had been excited that Jack had assigned him to spend the next three days with Joy. Getting out of the ACE torture was prize enough, but playing tourist in Hawaii with Joy . . . that was beyond what he could ever hope for. He knew she would’ve never willingly agreed to it if Jack hadn’t made it a mandatory assignment. And maybe she’d been smart to object, because the more Hayden thought about spending all that time with Joy, the more he started to sweat.
Three days wouldn’t be enough. Eternity wouldn’t be enough. Even with her damn rules he knew there was no way he’d be able to spend 72 hours with her and not be irrevocably changed. Hell, one kiss had ruined him.
Hayden mentally repeated the rules to himself. No questions. No getting attached. No speaking Hawaiian. He smiled to himself for thinking of the last rule. He’d only thought of it in the moment because he hated not knowing what people we
re saying about him. But the rule had turned out to be a blessing. It already afforded him the right to ask Joy two questions.
He knew exactly what he wanted to ask.
Who is Max?
And what the hell was your history with Brock, Joy?
The dude had flown off the handle today. It was frightening. Hayden had only been joking around when he first said he thought Brock was just a jealous wannabe, but from his reaction today it was clearly evident that he had some unresolved feelings when it came to Joy.
Hayden had an insatiable need to know if Joy had ever dated him. It made his skin crawl to think of that douchebag anywhere near Joy. But before he let his mind spiral away with the millions of other questions he wanted to ask her, Hayden reminded himself that they would have to wait. If he was smart he’d never ask Joy any questions at all. He had quite a few secrets of his own worth keeping, so he knew better than most the value of privacy. Maybe the no questions rule wasn’t such a bad idea after all. But then again, Hayden had never been any good at playing by the rules.
Joy
Piper’s barking sent Jo’s pulse through the roof. Her dog bounded off the couch and over to the door. From the way her tail wagged Jo knew it wasn’t Brock at the door. The dog had a sixth sense for sniffing out danger.
Jo’s suspicions were confirmed when she looked through the peephole to see Kendall’s impatient face staring back at her. She slid off the chain and unlocked the door.
Kendall was talking before she was inside. “Tell me it’s true.”
“What?” Jo asked, locking the door behind Kendall and returning to the living room where she was in the middle of waxing her surfboards in preparation for tomorrow.
“That you’ve been assigned to New York for the weekend?”
“Jesus, how do you know that already?”
The Summer Boyfriend Page 10
