Monkeys and Mayhem (Omega Mu Alpha Brothers Book 4)

by Kimberly Loth

  As they were leaving the tiger zoo, Hayden got a phone call. Anna watched two jaguars pacing in a cage while she waited for him to finish.

  “Sure. Meet me there in a half hour.” He hung up and looked at her apologetically.

  “I need to stop by the office for a minute. You okay with that?”

  “Sure. Will we still have time to go zip lining?”

  “Are you kidding? I’ve been looking forward to that all day. I’m not into all the animal encounters.”

  “You did that for me? Thank you.” She was touched that he thought that much of her. People didn’t usually do things like this for her.

  “It’s not a problem. I would’ve never gotten on an elephant on my own.”

  “Now you’ve got pictures to prove it.”

  “Yep. With a gorgeous girl in them too.”

  Anna’s heart fluttered. He had no idea what he was doing to her. She should’ve never said all that about not looking for a relationship because that was exactly what she wanted. Maybe not at first, but now, after spending time with him, she was falling hard.

  “This won’t take long. One of my patients is concerned that her incision is infected. I’m sure she’s overreacting. We’ll be in and out of there in fifteen minutes. You can wait in my office.”

  The clinic Hayden worked at was new and was almost all windows, which stood out in stark contrast to the run-down buildings around it. Hayden scowled at a Maserati in the parking lot.

  “Whose car is that?” Anna asked, curious why Hayden would have such an adverse reaction. Maybe he was jealous.

  “Mike. He’s the lead doctor at this clinic. I don’t know what he’s doing here on a Saturday. I hope we don’t run into him. He’ll try to get us to go to some boring get-together with him and the other surgeons. I can’t stand going to them, never have. If you run into him while I’m with my patient, the answer is, ‘No, we have plans.’ He may keep pushing. Stand your ground.”

  Anna stopped. “Maybe I should wait in the car.” She didn’t like dealing with people like that.

  Hayden tugged at her hand. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not a big deal.”

  “What if I say something I shouldn’t?” She did not belong in this world.

  He pulled her close and kissed her nose. “Nonsense. You’re charming and sweet. There’s nothing you could say that would mess things up for me.”

  Butterflies exploded in her stomach. He was doing this. All week he’d held her at arm’s length. Now that she told him she didn’t want a relationship, he’d loosened up. But now she was having second thoughts. Did she want to spend a few days with him and then forget about him? She wasn’t the forgetting type.

  She let him lead her into the building and to his office.

  “I’ll be back in fifteen minutes. Promise.”

  He grabbed a file off his desk and disappeared. Anna wandered around the large and bright office. Photos filled an entire shelf. One picture was obviously his family. An older couple stood in the middle of Hayden and a younger version of him. They were standing in front of the Grand Hotel in Mackinac. Anna had always wanted to visit the island, but never had the time or the money. She’d heard it was beautiful.

  “Well, aren’t you a sweet little thing.”

  Anna spun and found herself face-to-face with a striking woman. Though her waist was too thin, her nose too narrow, her lips too full, and her breasts too big for her body. A copycat of Veronica and Chloe, but classier somehow with a Hermes bag instead of Prada.

  “Hi,” Anna said weakly. Women like this one always intimidated her. Unless she was with Eileen. With Eileen she could take on the world.

  “I didn’t realize Hayden was seeing clients today. He’ll probably tell you work isn’t needed. He’s too nice to his clients. But you could use a narrowing of the jaw. It’s too strong for a woman. I imagine you came in for a breast augmentation. Do yourself a favor and go one size bigger than he recommends. Your nose could use some work too.”

  Anna’s hand flew to her nose. She’d always liked it.

  “Who are you?” Anna asked.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Maria Ferrar, Mike’s wife. He does wonderful work.”

  “I can see that,” Anna said with too much venom. What right did this woman have coming in here telling her she needed work?

  Hayden walked in at that moment.

  He gave Maria the same smile he gave Chloe. “Maria, what are you doing here?”

  “Just waiting for Mike to finish his appointment. He had a woman call him and offer to pay double if he would do her lipo today.”

  “Have you met Anna?”

  “I have. You could do wonders with her.”

  Hayden looked disinterested as he perused his chart. After a pause he glanced up at Maria. “Oh, she’s not a patient. She’s a friend from the States visiting for a couple of weeks.”

  There was that word again. Friend. She didn’t want to be his friend.

  “Oh, that’s wonderful. You can bring her with on Friday. Cocktails are at our house this month.”

  Hayden nodded. Anna stood still, her fists clenched, seething.

  “You ready to go?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Where are you two off to?” Maria asked, placing her hand on Hayden’s arm.

  “I’m showing Anna all the touristy stuff. We’re going zip lining this afternoon.”

  “What about tomorrow?”

  “I’m going to take her out to Phi Phi Island.”

  “Sounds lovely. Enjoy your stay Anna. I’m looking forward to visiting with you again on Friday.”

  Anger burned in Anna’s chest. Not just because the way Maria treated her, though that was a big part of it, but because of Hayden’s coolness. None of what Maria said seemed to bother him.

  Back in the car, Hayden spoke. “You okay? Maria can be intense.”

  Anna crossed her arms and stared out the window. “That’s a nice way of saying insufferable bitch.”

  Hayden laughed. “What’d she say to you?”

  She held back tears. She didn’t want him to see how that woman got to her.

  “It’s not important. I’m looking forward to zip lining. I’ve never done that before.”

  Hayden reached over and rubbed the back of her neck. “Wait until tomorrow. I’ve been told that Phi Phi has the most beautiful beaches in the world.”

  She shrugged him off. She didn’t want this anymore. She didn’t belong here. She should go home. “You sure it can beat our Michigan beaches?”

  “I’m positive. What did she say to you? You seem rattled.”

  She still wouldn’t look at him. She had to pull it together.

  Hayden stopped in front of a place with a funny looking critter hanging from the ceiling in a harness. He parked the car and placed his finger on her chin and made her meet his eyes that were bright and sincere. She blinked and few tears escaped. Dammit.

  “Tell me,” he said.

  With a sigh, she told him what Maria had said. Hayden laughed. She jerked away from him and wiped at her tears. She stared out the window and focused on the tourists walking down the street with coconuts in their hands.

  Hayden cupped her face with his hands. “Come back here. I’m sorry I laughed, but please, don’t cry. Women like Maria want to be the most beautiful women in the room. She sees you as a threat. Your natural beauty is more than anything she could ever achieve under the knife. She said those things because she wanted you to have flaws. It’s a good thing she thought you were just a patient when she saw you because if she thought for a second that you were with me, she would’ve been far more vicious. The same goes for Chloe and Victoria. There is a reason I go out of my way to make it seem like we are just friends.”

  Now she was confused. Her chest still burned with embarrassment, but she wanted to understand. “Why?”

  “If you come on Friday, you’d be the most beautiful woman in the room. They’ll try to tear you apart.
”

  No way. He was lying. He had to be. “Are you serious?”

  “As a heart attack. Trust me. If you were ugly, they wouldn’t be encouraging you to do anything to yourself. They all want to be prettier than the rest. Every time we have a party, they all get work done the week afterwards. It’s the same everywhere I’ve lived. I’ve never brought a girl with me to anything that involves other plastic surgeons and their wives. They’re vapid and vain, and I don’t want to expose anyone to that. I’ll pretend to be sick on Friday, and we can do something more pleasant.”

  “Aren’t you obligated to go to these things?” She didn’t want to keep him from something that was important to his career. Not to mention the fact that she had a score to settle.

  “Not if I’m sick.”

  Anna pursed her lips. “No, we’ll go. Now that you’ve explained, I can totally handle them.” She’d let Maria humiliate her, and she wanted Maria to know that she could not be broken.

  Chapter 15

  Hayden watched Anna as she climbed up the ladder to get to the next zip lining platform. The ladder swung precariously as she made her way up each rung. The two guides, Johnny and Billy, stood at the top trying to scare the hell of out her.

  “Hey, mister,” Johnny yelled. “We can find you a new wife if this one doesn’t make it.”

  “She’s not my wife, but she’s still not replaceable, so don’t let her fall.”

  Billy rattled the ladder, but Anna kept on, seemingly unfazed. As she neared the top, Billy reached down and pulled her up. She sat on the edge with her legs dangling over. Billy settled next to her and threw his arm around her.

  “So if you aren’t his wife, does that mean I’ve got a shot?”

  Anna gave him a coy grin and shrugged.

  “Yeah, if you aren’t his wife, what are you?” Johnny asked.

  “We’re just friends.”

  Hayden grunted as he climbed up the ladder. Anna might enjoy flirting with those two buffoons, but he didn’t find it amusing.

  He kept his eyes on the rungs of the ladder.

  “Do you want to stay up in the trees with us? We can show you good time.”

  Hayden listened carefully for Anna’s answer. She giggled. “Maybe. It’s beautiful up here.”

  That was the wrong answer. He had no right to claim her, but the longer they spent together, the more he wanted her in his bed.

  He pulled himself up onto the platform. They were way up in the trees. The height made Hayden nervous, but Anna didn’t seem the least bit bothered by it. The tour guides argued in Thai about something. Probably which boy she’d be going home with. It was time to put an end to this. He wrapped his arm around Anna and pulled her into him. She squealed.

  “You enjoying yourself?” he asked.

  She spun so she was facing him. Her eyes were bright, and her cheeks flushed. “Very much.”

  He brushed her hair out of her eyes. “You want to stay with them? They seem pretty taken with you.”

  He expected her to say no. To tell him to grow up or a give him a swat or something. Or maybe what he wanted her to say was something about spending the night in his room.

  She raised her eyebrows at him. “Well, I’d get more action with them than I do with you, so maybe?” She gave him a cheeky grin, and he couldn’t help himself. He kissed her long and good.

  He’d been wanting to do that to her again. Her lips moved easily against his, and he wished they were somewhere more private. He wanted her.

  One of the guides behind him yelled out. “Hey, we thought you two were friends.”

  Anna danced away from Hayden and put her hand on the arm of the tour guide. “We are. Don’t you worry about a thing.”

  In the car on the way home, Anna talked Hayden’s ear off. He liked listening to her. She told him stories about her and her best friend, Eileen.

  “You mentioned growing up with your grandfather. What happened to your parents?” She’d barely mentioned her family.

  She wrung her hands, and he could tell he’d struck a nerve. “My mom developed an aggressive form of ovarian cancer. For two years she fought it. Near the end, we knew she wasn’t going to make it. One night my grandpa, he lived with us, brought my dad dinner at the hospital and found him slumped over at my mom’s side. He’d died of a heart attack. He’d been so busy taking care of her that he forgot to take care of himself. As soon as my mom was coherent enough to understand that he’d died, she gave up. They died less than twelve hours apart. What are the odds, huh?” Her voice had become soft. Silent tears flowed down her cheeks. In one day she’d lost both her parents. No child should have to go through that. It reminded him how lucky he was to have healthy parents. His heart broke for the little girl who lost her parents, the woman who sat next to him.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said, gripping her hand. He wanted to change the subject, make her think of happier times. “Tell me about your grandfather.”

  Anna hesitated. “We had great times together. Until he had a stroke. After that it was very hard. I was his nurse for five years. Before that, we did a lot together. He liked to take bike rides and go to the beach. We did day trips to various places in southern Michigan. He loved the outdoors.”

  “What about your grandma?” Her past fascinated him. It was so different from his own. Tragic though.

  “She died before I was born. Grandpa lived with us even before my mom got sick.”

  “It must’ve been hard for you when your grandpa died.”

  She shrugged. “It was. But he’d been miserable for five years. It was so difficult to watch him. He wasn’t the man he used to be. By the time he died, I was ready for it, but I didn’t expect a hole to open up in my chest. It took six months for me function again. The night we met was the first night I went out after his death.”

  She stared out the window for a few minutes. He didn’t know how to follow up to that conversation.

  She turned and blinked at him. “Enough about me. Tell me about your family. I saw a picture of your parents and brother in your office. You were on Mackinac Island. I’ve always wanted to visit it.”

  “Mackinac is home.”

  “Really? Lucky.”

  He shrugged. “It’s boring if you live there year round.” The island was stiflingly small. Beautiful, quaint, and peaceful, but after you’ve visited the fort fifty times, it lost its appeal.

  “Do your parents still live there?”

  Hayden nodded. “Yeah, Mom’s the island doctor. Dad runs the school. They’re happy.”

  “Here I was hoping you were a fudge family.”

  “I’ve got a buddy who runs a shop. Best fudge on the island. If you ever make it up there, let me know, and I’ll make sure you get the good stuff.” He wanted to tell her he’d take her, but that wasn’t possible. If they talked about doing things after Phuket, it would be too real. And he couldn’t do real.

  “When do you go back to Michigan?”

  “April.” He grabbed her hand. “Whatever happens here, I can’t see you when we get back to Michigan. I don’t want a relationship. I won’t risk another Faith.”

  “Not all women are like Faith.” Anna watched him with concern. He closed his eyes. He couldn’t look at her. He needed to remind himself why he couldn't be with her.

  “Did you not meet Maria this afternoon? I’ve never met a plastic surgeon’s wife that I liked. It’s not just Faith. A buddy of mine dated this girl who was incredible. Sweet and caring, beautiful inside and out. During my internship, she brought us cookies and sandwiches when the days were long. I actually got to know her pretty well. She dated him through med school too. I was in the wedding party and everything. After that, they moved to Chicago. We didn’t keep in touch, but I ran into him when he was back for a visit, and he invited me to go out to dinner with them. I barely recognized her. She’d had so much work done that her face wasn’t even close to the same. It got worse when she opened her mouth. She spoke of Prada and expensive yachts, the oppos
ite of the girl who’d been fine shopping at Wal-Mart. I couldn't wait to get out of there.”

  He hesitated. He’d never opened up like this to anyone. But now that he was talking, he had to get it all out.

  “I already knew I didn’t like most of my friends’ wives, but I’d never known any of them before. I assumed they’d always been that way. But after Faith, I realized that whoever I married, she’d end up just like them. I promised myself I’d never marry, never even have a long-term relationship.”

  She crossed her arms and glowered at him. “Then what is this?”

  Hayden could tell she was trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice. He didn’t understand because earlier she’d mentioned she wasn’t looking for anything either. He thought they were on the same page. He had to turn this around.

  “I don’t know. I like you. In spite of my efforts to keep you at bay, you’ve gotten into my head.”

  “So you just want to date me until you get bored and move on. Sorry. No thanks.”

  They pulled into his driveway. Hayden was confused by the turn in the conversation.

  Neither one made a move to get out of the car. He tried to figure out what he’d said that made her angry.

  “I’m sorry if you thought I was implying something else. But you don’t exactly strike me at the type of girl who values commitment. I just thought it might be nice to enjoy each other while you’re in town. I like you.”

  She blinked at him. “What makes you think I’m the type of girl who doesn’t value commitment?”

  “Let’s see, you slept with me the night we met, never hear from me again and yet you show up in Phuket expecting me to take you in. Not only that, you seemed more than willing to go home with those Thai guides tonight instead of me. Not to mention the conversation we had earlier about you not looking for a relationship. Why would I think anything differently?”

  He’d crossed a line. But the way she threw herself at those guys infuriated him. Then when he tried to reign her in, she flirted harder.