“And now you’re here in Phuket with him. I’d say that’s the definition of girlfriend.”
“It’s not quite that simple. “
“So enlighten me. I’m curious.”
“You really want to hear the story? I come off a little crazy.” She wasn’t sure she wanted to tell him, but Blake was one of those people that magically withdrew information from others. Anna didn’t know what it was about him, because she’d only met a handful of people like that.
“It can’t be weirder than my love life. You seem like a nice girl. Hayden doesn’t usually date nice girls.”
Anna took a deep breath. Maybe Blake could help her figure out exactly what she and Hayden had and how to keep him. Plus, she was all confused about where she stood with Hayden, and she had no one to confide in here. Eileen wasn’t around and couldn’t see what was going on. She’d tried to call her a couple of times, but Eileen was always busy.
“Okay, but if I tell you my story, you have to tell me yours.”
“Who says I have a story?”
“It can’t be any weirder than my love life,’” Anna replied. That comment right there got her. “Of course you do.”
Blake nodded. “Fair enough.”
Anna launched into the story of how she’d had too much to drink at the bar and brought Hayden home with her.
“Not that unusual. That’s generally how Hayden does girls.”
Anna’s stomach clenched. She didn’t like to think of Hayden as a womanizer.
“But you have to understand. It wasn’t normal for me. I’m kind of a flirt, but I’ve never had a one-night stand.”
“Yep. Definitely not the type of girl Hayden dates. Continue.”
She told him how much she missed Eileen, and after a little too much wine, she purchased the ticket.
“After I bought it, I couldn’t not go. Anyway, once I was here, he held me at a distance, but yesterday we spent the day out on a boat, and I don’t know…chemistry is a strong thing, and Hayden and I have a lot of it. He warned me I might get hurt. But I’m willing to take that risk. For him.”
Blake scowled. “You shouldn’t have to take that risk. There’s no reason for him to hurt you.”
“Do you know why he doesn’t date seriously?” Anna wondered how much Blake knew.
Blake rolled his eyes. “Yes. And it’s dumb. Did he tell you about Faith?”
“Yeah. And I get it. Especially after meeting a few of the wives here. But just because it happened to Faith doesn’t mean it will happen to me.”
Blake looked at her seriously for a few moments. “Maybe you can talk some sense into him. Tell you what. If he breaks your heart, you call me, and I’ll beat him up for you.” He wiggled his pecks, and Anna laughed.
“Okay. I’ll do that.” She stood up and stretched. “Do you want something to eat?”
“If you’ve got a banana or something, that would be good.” Ubon was cleaning somewhere inside, for which Anna was grateful. Otherwise, she’d insist on slicing up the fruit. Anna grabbed two bananas and settled on her chaise.
“I’ve told you my story. Now it’s your turn.”
“So where do I start?”
“The beginning.”
“It’s a long story. Way longer than yours.” His normal smile had fallen. Anna studied him. He didn’t look angry. Just sad.
Anna shrugged. She was hoping to glean some insight into Hayden’s past by hearing Blake’s. “We’ve got all day. The beginning.”
Blake settled in his chair and stared out toward the water. The sea was calm today.
“Debbie’s older than me by about fifteen years. I don’t care. She looks like she’s about twenty and is smoking hot. That’s not why I love her, but I needed to clarify that. She was my organic chem professor. Of course, lots of us were smitten with her. I booked every possible office hour with her I could. She was quiet, withdrawn, and a little sad. All I wanted to do was make her laugh. I never succeeded. Not then, anyway. The attraction between us was undeniable though. She freely admitted that. Night before the final exam we slept together. I got an A, and I didn’t see her again for another three years.”
“What happened? Why didn’t you see her again?”
Blake sighed. “As soon as the term ended, I went home, and when I got back in the fall, I went to her office, but she’d left. No one would tell me where she went.”
“But that’s not the end of your story. Did you ever find out?”
“Yeah, Debbie and I don’t work like that. We don’t talk about the past. Ever. I have a feeling she had a rough childhood. So we only focus on the present and the future. But I’m getting ahead of myself.”
Blake was right. His love life was stranger than hers.
“Anyway, three years later she was my professor once again. This time it was grad school. She had a different last name, so I didn’t know it was her until I stepped into her classroom. I’d walked in late, and she already started lecturing. She stumbled when she saw me. I was tempted to walk up to the front of the room and kiss her, but I figured that would be reckless. Instead, I took a seat in the very front row. The only one sitting there, actually. Drove her crazy. Course we slept together that night and every other night until I finished my PhD. We had to keep our relationship quiet, so it was mostly just sex. I took a job in South America when I finished, and we both agreed it would be best to just end it.”
“Wait a minute. Was she married?” Anna didn’t have a very high opinion of people who slept with others who were married. To her, that was a complete jackassery thing to do.
“Divorced, I think. She never talked about it. I did ask her if she was married, and she said no.”
“And she never talked about what happened with you two before?”
“Nope. Debbie always said, ‘The past is in the past. Talking about it won’t change the future.’”
“So you know nothing about her past.”
Blake shook his head. “Nada.”
“That’s weird.”
“I know. Told you.”
“So that’s it then?”
“Oh no. It gets better.”
Anna sighed. Blake seemed to be a glutton for punishment. “Continue.”
“So a few years after that I took another job in Europe, consulting with a university in Italy.”
“Let me guess. Debbie was there.”
Blake nodded. “New last name again. This time though, I played things differently. You see, the other times we hooked up we couldn’t date openly because she was my professor, but now she wasn’t. Instead of jumping in bed with her, I asked her out for dinner. We dated for three months before we slept together again. I didn’t waste any time after that. We moved in together and were happy for two years.”
“Uh oh. That doesn’t sound good.” Anna shifted so she was facing him. His story was fascinating.
“No, it wasn’t. I was all ready to propose. Had a whole scheme worked out. My buddy from Egypt flew up to Prague to help me pull it off. But she never showed up. Called me and told me she needed a break and met an Italian. She told me I could clean out my stuff from the apartment the next weekend because she would be staying with her new boyfriend.”
Anna wondered how long ago it had happened. His fists were clenched, and his face was stony.
Anna reached over and gripped his arm. “That is awful. Beyond awful. You need to move on and find a girl who’s worthy of you.”
“That’s the thing. I’m still madly in love with her. I don’t want to move on.”
“Uh, Blake, this isn’t healthy.”
“Says the girl who hopped on airplane and flew five thousand miles to see a guy she’d only met once. No judgment, sister,” he said with a smirk.
“I’m not judging. I think you’d be happier if you moved on.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. I love her.”
Anna didn’t know how else to argue with him. Maybe she should hook him up with Eileen. She liked Blake and couldn’t fathom w
hy he was waiting for a woman who obviously didn’t deserve him.
“Well, that’s enough serious talk for today. You want to watch a movie?” Blake asked.
Hayden arrived home that evening and found Anna in the pool with Blake. Jealousy bloomed in his chest when he stepped out of the car. His traitorous friend had his hands all over her. Hayden watched as Blake hoisted her up and threw her across the pool. She splashed with a squeal, and Una jumped in after her with a bark.
Anna surfaced, laughing and pushing away Una, who was trying to pull her out of the water. Hayden stood on the edge of the pool. Anna swam over to him and grinned up with her eyes sparkling.
“You should go put your suit on and come swimming with us. Blake thinks he’s strong enough to launch me across the whole pool, but so far he’s been unsuccessful.”
Hayden crossed his arms. He shouldn’t be angry, but something about Anna turned his testosterone into overdrive. “He’s just using that as an excuse to touch you.”
“I resent that,” Blake called out. “We were just playing. Plus, she implied that my muscles were only for show and not useful for anything.”
“So far all you’ve proven is that Una thinks you are trying to drown me,” Anna said. She grabbed Hayden’s foot. “Seriously, go change. We haven’t been in the water long.”
He nodded. “Give me a sec.”
He made his way upstairs and thought about the emotions Anna stirred up inside him. He wasn’t used to feeling jealous. Blake only ever had eyes for Debbie. Though he hoped Blake would be able to move past her. She broke his heart, and he hadn’t been the same since. It was actually pretty nice to see him laughing with Anna.
He was just about to jump in when Adam came through the gate.
“You wanna come in with us?” Hayden asked.
“Definitely. I’m sweating like crazy. Next time I’m just going to fly first class. Blake wanted the jet though.”
“Are you going to buy any property?”
“No. I don’t think so.” He stared out over the pool. “Are you comfortable with Blake touching your girl like that?”
Hayden spun around. Blake was crouched in the water with Anna standing on his knees. Blake had his hands on Anna’s hips like he was about to throw her.
“It’s a game they’re playing. But I’m going to go rescue her.”
“I’ll be out in a minute.”
Hayden cannonballed into the pool, and as soon as he got his hands on Anna, he pushed her up against the side and kissed her deeply.
“Oh come on, man,” Blake said. “Get a room.”
At least he got the point. Adam jumped in, splashing them all, and soon the pool was chaotic and crazy. They swam for an hour or so and then enjoyed Ubon’s cooking. Adam went to bed early, claiming he wasn’t feeling well, but the other three sat for a while. The sky went dark, and the frogs began their croaking again.
Blake finished off his beer and stood. “I’m going to hit the hay. We’ve got a driver coming for us at six tomorrow morning to take us to the airport. Time to see if your ideas are any good, so I need to get to my lab.”
Anna jumped up and gave him a big hug, and Hayden felt his jealousy creep up again. He didn’t want Anna touching anyone but him.
“It was so nice to meet you. Thanks for telling me all those stories about Hayden. It’ll give me lots of things to tease him about when life gets boring.” She reached up and gave Blake a kiss on the cheek. Then she glanced at Hayden. “I’ll be upstairs.”
He almost followed her, but he needed to say goodbye to his friend. Even if he did want to rip Blake’s balls off.
Hayden followed Blake to his room, and Blake motioned him inside and shut the door. “Don’t screw that one up,” he said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hayden asked.
“That you have a habit of using girls.”
Hayden started to argue, but Blake cut him off.
“I’m not saying that in a bad way. I just mean that you and relationships don’t mix. Anna’s special though. I’ve never met anyone quite like her. She basically gave me her life story this afternoon, and it’s pretty tragic. She’s innocent in ways I don’t think you can comprehend, and I don’t think she understands what she’s taken on with you. Be careful with her.”
Hayden felt like he’d been slapped. “I didn’t realize that you thought so little of me.”
“Dude, that’s not what I meant. She’s not like the other girls you usually date who can handle getting dropped by you.”
Hayden crossed his arms. “I know, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be a jerk.” What was Blake playing at? Maybe he was more of threat than Hayden thought.
“You might be without knowing it. I expect she told me more than she told you. Maybe you should try getting her to open up.”
“Why would she tell you more than she told me?”
“Because she had nothing to lose by telling me. She’s still completely unsure of your relationship. She doesn’t know what you expect or want.”
Hayden nodded. He didn’t want to hear any more. “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll let you get some sleep. Let me know if you need any more help.”
“Can do. Night.”
Hayden didn’t go upstairs. Una was nowhere to be found, which meant she’d gone to bed with Anna. He sat at the table and stared out over the pool. Where was this going with Anna? He knew next to nothing about her. He’d been thinking about asking her to stay longer, but now he wasn’t so sure. Blake was right about one thing.
If she stayed with him, she’d get hurt.
Chapter 19
Anna finally had an excuse to wear that red dress Hayden tried to get her to wear. It was short, but flared out a little at the skirt. It wasn’t something she would normally wear, but it did look pretty on her.
She walked into the living room where Hayden was answering a few emails, and he looked up. His eyes traveled the length of her body, and he slowly approached her with a smoldering look.
He ran his hand up the back of her thigh and pulled her against him. She let out a squeak, but recovered quickly and met his hungry lips.
“Maybe we should stay here and skip the party. We don’t have to go,” Hayden said.
He trailed kisses along her neck, and she seriously considered taking him up on his offer, but she might not get a chance to take on the wives again. Tonight was going to be fun.
“Don’t be silly. I’ve been dying to get back at nasty Maria.”
“Oh really? Be careful. You’ll be the most gorgeous girl in the room, and you haven’t had a stitch of work done. Don’t be surprised if they don’t believe you when you say it’s all natural. Their claws are going to come out. Especially when Chloe and Victoria realize you and I are an item.”
“Oh, I’ve dealt with their kind before.”
He creased his eyebrows.
“What?” Anna asked.
“You surprise me.” He raked his eyes up and down her body again. “Your dress is missing something. A necklace.”
She shrugged. “I’m not crazy about jewelry.”
He traced her neckline. “Not even a strand of pearls? They’d look beautiful right there.”
“How is it that you remember everything I said that first night we were together?”
“Anna, you are utterly unforgettable. It’s too late tonight, but tomorrow, I’m getting you those pearls.”
She wasn’t going to argue with him. He took her hand and led her to the car. “I wish we had more time to get to know one another.”
This would be the right time to bring up that she didn’t actually have a plane leaving on Sunday. She sighed. There would be plenty of time to talk this evening after the party.
Anna’s palms were sweating. She had a few tricks up her sleeve, but she’d never taken on mean girls without Eileen on her side.
Hayden held her hand on the way over. “Hey, I know you’re going home on Sunday, but do you think, I don’t know, that we can keep in
touch once you’re home.”
Now. She should tell him now. “I’d like that. Maybe we can meet up for a drink at The Night Owl.”
He let out a breath. “We should. Anna I…” He trailed off as they pulled up to the house. She desperately wanted to know what he was about to say. But she was also struck dumb by the house that rose up in front of them. Mike’s house looked like one of the hotels in Phuket, not a single-family home. They entered the front door, and Anna was struck by the opulence.
Hayden nodded politely to a few people, but steered her away from the crowds.
A man with salt and pepper hair approached them. Hayden removed his hand from around her waist and shook the other man’s hand.
“Anna, this is Dr. Mike Ferrar. He owns the clinic I work at.”
Mike took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Please, call me Mike. You’re even prettier than Hayden said. He won’t shut up about you.” He stumbled over his words a little, and Anna wondered if he was drunk.
She knew he was trying to flatter her, but his eyes never once ventured higher than her chest. Her creep-o meter was off the charts. Hayden tugged at his tie.
“I have a few colleagues I’d like Hayden to meet,” Mike continued, still staring at her breasts. “Do you mind if I steal him for a few moments?”
Hayden snatched two glasses of champagne off a passing tray and handed her one. “I’ll be back soon. Will you be okay?”
Anna nodded, but wasn’t sure she would be. He gave her a light kiss on the lips and followed Mike.
“Anna,” a voice trilled behind her.
Anna turned and saw Maria and Victoria trailing behind Chloe. All three wore short, tight dresses that showed off the talents of the doctors in the room. Maria gave her a small smile, and Anna took a couple of deep breaths. She could handle these bitches.
All three of them were nearly identical except for their hair color. That was what plastic surgery got you. The ability to look like every other woman in the room.
“What was with that kiss? I thought you and Hayden were just friends,” Chloe said with a forced smile.
Anna was going to put that lie to rest. “Oh please, do you really think I could be just friends with him?”
Monkeys and Mayhem (Omega Mu Alpha Brothers Book 4) Page 12
