Monkeys and Mayhem (Omega Mu Alpha Brothers Book 4)

by Kimberly Loth

  “I know. But I...” He thought of the hole in his heart. The way he looked for Anna every time he woke up and how he wanted her face to be the first thing he saw every day. The truth slammed into him. “I love her. I can’t let her go. Please.”

  Julia gave him a small smile. “Sure. I’ll send her a message and see if she’d like a spa day.”

  “Thank you. Let me know when, and I’ll tell you where to bring her.”

  Liam handed him a beer. “Stay a while. I want to know what happened with her and why she’s staying at a hotel instead of with you. No one tells me anything.”

  Hayden spent a few hours with them, and just as he was heading out, Julia got a message from Anna.

  “Monday night, after I get off work. You still have the day off.”

  “Thanks, I’ve got a lot of planning to do.” He was hopeful. Anna was still in town. He could bring her back. Love her the he way he should’ve the first time.

  Chapter 26

  “Where are we going?” Anna asked in the car. This was nicer than the cabs she caught on her own.

  “Surprise,” Julia replied with a smile.

  After seeing Hayden Friday night, she didn’t want any more surprises. He looked as good as she remembered, and it took every ounce of self-control she had not to run into his arms.

  The driver pulled into a small drive with trees that looked like they were about to reach out and grab you. He stopped in a clearing. At one end there was a sign with Thai writing on it and a winding path through the trees.

  “What’s this?” Anna asked Julia with a frown.

  “I told you. A surprise, come on.”

  Julia pulled her out of the car and dragged her to the path. “You go first. Your surprise is at the end.”

  “I swear if there are some scary snakes or something I’m going to kill you.”

  “No snakes. I promise. Go on. I’ll follow.”

  Julia pushed her onto the path. Everything around her was a bright green. The path was narrow, and she and Julia couldn't walk together. They chatted for a few moments, and then Julia let out a curse.

  “What’s the matter?” Anna asked, spinning around.

  “I forgot my phone. Keep walking. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  “No, really, we’re almost there. Just keep walking, and you’ll see. I’ll be back in two minutes.”

  Anna caught a whiff of something floral, and she was insanely curious what was at the end of the path. Once there, the trees opened up to a wide clearing surrounded by flowering bushes. Hundreds of white flowers covered the surface of the clearing. She knelt down and fingered one of them. They were all lilies, and they smelled amazing.

  A table was set up in the center underneath a gazebo. This was an odd surprise from Julia. Sure lilies were her favorite flower, but this seemed more romantic than just friends.

  Hayden stepped out from the gazebo. He was the last person she wanted to see. Especially when he wore a tight polo that defined his muscles. She spun on her heels and was halfway down the path when he grabbed her arm.

  “Let me go,” she said, shaking free. She didn’t want to have anything to do with him. The nerve of Julia to do this to her.

  “Anna, please, can I at least explain?”

  She looked up at him, which was a mistake. His eyes were haunted and had dark rings underneath them. She opened her mouth to say something but thought better of it because if she started talking, she might have to listen to what he had to say, and she didn’t want that. She spun around to get back to the car. If she got lucky, the car would still be there. But she didn’t think it would be. Julia was in on this. Traitor. Before she walked two steps, Hayden thrust a paper into her face.

  She swatted it away and Hayden stepped in front of her.

  “Would you just look at it?”

  She snatched the paper out of his hand. It was a plane ticket to Michigan. She rolled her eyes. Of course it was first class. Everything Hayden did was extravagant and reeked of money. Which is why he thought if he threw her a few gifts, she’d hop right into his bed. She was so stupid to think he might actually have feelings for her.

  “What’s this?” she asked.

  “I planned on going to Michigan to convince you to come back here with me. If I was willing to fly thousands of miles, could you at least allow me to explain?”

  She glared at him. “You have two minutes.” She was more curious than she was serious. There was nothing he could say that would change her mind. If he had showed up on her doorstep in Michigan, she probably would’ve heard him out, so she would here and save herself the trouble.

  He launched into a long and detailed explanation of wanting to protect her from the wives and the other doctors.

  “You don’t think I could handle them myself?” The wind blew a flowering tree branch into her face, and she brushed it away.

  “The one time you came face-to-face with Maria, she tore you apart.”

  “And I handled her at the party just fine, thank you very much.”

  “I know you handled them beautifully. But I blew it. I’m sorry. Will you give me the evening to make it up to you? Please. If at the end of the night, you still hate me, I’ll leave you alone. Please give me chance.”

  He didn’t actually say anything about the main issue, and Anna needed closure on that. She couldn’t bring it up yet, but she would. She had to know why he would tell Mike those awful things about her. This would be a good way to end everything. One last night. “Fine, tonight is yours. But you will take me to my hotel. No questions asked.”

  He nodded, and a slow grin appeared on his face. She’d missed that smile. No, she couldn’t think like that. She was staying so he could understand how badly he hurt her and so she could end this the right way instead of running away.

  He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the clearing. She hated the way his hand felt in hers, like it was supposed to be there. Even her own body was betraying her. Thankfully her head still told her this was a bad idea.

  “Do you like the lilies?” he asked when they sat down. She couldn’t risk letting her guard down.

  “I do. Thank you.” She hadn’t smelled lilies like this since she left home. She missed her weekly bouquet from Judy.

  He lifted the covers off the plates, and Anna couldn’t help but smile. “Ubon’s been cooking for you.” She’d recognize Ubon’s cooking anywhere.

  “Yes. When I told her it was for you, she got all excited. Una misses you too.”

  The conversation during dinner was forced. No one was saying what needed to be said. Finally, Anna had to bring it up. She had to know.

  “Did you really tell Mike that I was a sleeping with you so you would pay for my trip and shower me with expensive gifts?”

  Hayden let out a long breath. “I did not tell him that. But I didn’t stop him from thinking that.”

  To Anna that was the same thing. “Why?”

  “Because I thought it was easier than the truth. To Mike, there is no such thing as a woman as a friend. They’re either your wife or your mistress. That’s it. When he questioned who you were, I allowed him to think what he wanted to think. In hindsight, that was stupid. I’m sorry.”

  “You’re sorry? He accosted me at that party because of what you let him believe. If you’d stood up for me like a real man, that never would’ve happened. Not to mention that because of the way people think in ‘your world,’ Chloe and the others pretty much saw me the same way. I thought you respected me more than that.”

  He gripped his fork harder and clenched his jaw. “Anna, if I could go back in time and change it, I would, but I can’t. I’m sorry. I didn’t understand what that would do to you. You’re right. I should’ve respected you more than that.”

  “Yeah, you can’t change it. It’s done and over with.”

  “Can we start over? Please. I feel like this is all mucked up with the way things started. I want you in my life with no misu
nderstandings of what you are. I want you to be mine, and I want to be yours. In public. In private. Just you and me. Together.”

  This was not going the way Anna wanted it to. She wanted him to keep being an ass so she could yell at him and tell him to go to hell. She wanted to end this on her terms, but he wasn’t being a jerk at all. Could she forgive him? Did she want to? She didn’t have a response for him, and he was quiet as they ate. She supposed he was giving her thinking time. After dinner, he led her back down the path where his driver was waiting.

  “Miss Anna,” the driver greeted her and held open the door. She slid in. Hayden got into the other side, but kept his distance.

  “Where are we going next?” she asked, breaking their silence. She couldn’t think about what he was asking, so she focused on the night. If she could get through this without breaking, she could think later.

  “Home. Just for a few minutes. I have something to show you.”

  “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.” Going home would remind her of what she was missing. She wanted to hang onto her anger, not allow him to soften her.

  “It won’t take long. Promise.”

  That’s what Julia said when she dropped her off. She promised there would be no snakes. But sure enough Anna found one at the end of the path. Hayden was as poisonous as they came. She wasn’t sure why she was playing along. She supposed if she asked him to bring her to her hotel now, he’d say no.

  They pulled through the familiar gates, and Anna’s heart clenched. This place held so many memories.

  Hayden got out of the car first and opened her door. He offered his hand, and she took it. Una ran up to her, and Anna crouched down and scratched her behind the ears. She had to blink away tears when she saw the pool and the stairs up to Hayden’s room. She’d found happiness here, and she wanted it back. She’d probably lose it if Ubon stepped out from the kitchen. But she didn’t, and Anna pulled herself together.

  “See, Una misses you too.”

  Anna gave him a tight smile. “You said this wouldn’t take long. What are we doing here?”

  “Come upstairs. I’ll show you.”

  Anna shook her head. “I’m not coming upstairs with you. Did you seriously think it would be that easy?”

  He chuckled, and she bristled.

  “It’s not what you’re thinking. In fact, if you want, I’ll stay down here while you go up and look.”

  She crossed her arms and stared at him for a good thirty seconds before nodding. “Okay. You stay down here. I’ll go up. What am I looking for?”

  “You can’t miss it.”

  She made her way up the stairs and turned around twice to make sure he wasn’t following her. Instead, she saw him go into the kitchen.

  She gasped. One whole wall of his bedroom had been replaced with a bookshelf filled with at least a hundred books. She perused the shelves. All fiction, but there was a mixture of new and classic. She wondered where he found them.

  She sank down on the bed. What was he doing? What was the point of the books? Dinner, she understood. He was trying to win her back. But why put a bookshelf full of books in his room. She wouldn’t have to leave this room for six months at least. Maybe that was the point. She forced herself to leave before picking up one of the books.

  She found Hayden sitting at the table drinking a glass of wine. He held out a glass for her.

  “No thanks. I’m not about to make another stupid decision while tipsy.”

  He nodded. “Fair enough.” He put his own glass down and grabbed two bottles of water out of the fridge. He handed her one and gave her a look that made her want to jump right into bed with him. She broke the eye contact. She was so freaking weak.

  “What’s the purpose of the books?”

  “To convince you to stay, of course. What do you have waiting for you in Michigan?”

  “School. A job.”

  “You told me you can’t start school until next semester. As far as a job is concerned, I can find you one here. Anna, I’m totally lost without you. I didn’t even know it was possible to miss someone the way I miss you.”

  “I don’t know.” She dropped her eyes. She didn’t want him thinking she was actually considering it. Because she wasn’t. But he sounded so damn sincere. She didn’t want to hurt him. But she couldn’t do this.

  He closed the distance between them and took her hands. “Just for the rest of the semester. Please. You can go home at Christmas. There should be enough books to tide you over until then.”

  She nearly jerked her hands out of his. The books were too much. He’d taken something she couldn’t resist and dangled it in front of her. And there would be no easing back in either. He’d made it very clear he wanted her in his bed.

  “I think it’s time you take me to my hotel. I’ll think about it and give you an answer tonight.”

  “I’m not done yet. I will take you to your hotel, but we have two more stops first. Is that okay?”

  Anna nodded. She was curious about what he could possibly have left. At least, that’s what she told herself. In reality, a small part of her wanted him to convince her that she should stay with him. She looked out the window as they drove, and the sights of Phuket made her a little sad. She’d miss the crazy motorcycle drivers, the palm trees, and Hayden. She’d miss him most of all.

  They pulled up to the market. “What’s here?”

  He grinned. “A part of the market you haven’t seen yet.”

  The smell assaulted her first—a mixture of dog pee and ammonia. She covered her nose.

  “It does smell pretty bad. With any luck we won’t be here long.”

  The sound hit her next. A cacophony of barking and other animal noises.

  “Welcome to the pet market,” Hayden said.

  They turned a corner and saw rows and rows of cages.

  “Pick out anything you want. Kitten. Puppy. Monkey.”

  As if on cue, a man brought her a tiny monkey with a face that looked almost humanlike. The man set the monkey on her head. Anna giggled. The monkey climbed onto her shoulder and wrapped its tail around her. Then it tried to go down her shirt, and the man snatched it back.

  Hayden pulled her close. “Maybe not a monkey. I’m the only one who gets to go down that shirt.”

  She pulled away and wacked him. “Not right now, you’re not.”

  “If I buy you a puppy, can I? You said you wanted to take Una home, but hopefully this is just as good.”

  She raised her eyebrows at him. “It will definitely earn you brownie points, but it won’t be enough to get me out of my clothes.”

  He shrugged. “We’ll see what you say at the last stop.”

  Anna frowned. She didn’t like that idea. They walked down the aisles, and Anna’s heart nearly broke at the caged animals. She wanted to take them home with her. Kittens, puppies, birds, and a variety of other small animals were all in cages next to each other. A few puppies were in pens on the floor and could be picked up.

  Anna didn’t even want to think about where the animals came from. They approached a pen that had eight puffballs running around inside.

  She picked up a white one, and it licked her face. The puppy had bright blue eyes and could fit in the palm of her hand.

  Anna held it out for Hayden to inspect. “What’s that?” he asked.

  A tiny Thai woman walked out. “Teacup Pomeranian.”

  Anna giggled again as the puffball stuck its cold nose against her neck. “This one. Is it easy to get home?”

  Hayden nodded. “I’ll pay for you to take it back to the States even if you decide to go home on Sunday.”

  Anna wanted to reject this gift. She really did. Hayden was slowly working through all that made her happy. But she couldn’t put the puppy back into the pen. It already had stolen her heart.

  In the car the puppy bounded back and forth between her and Hayden.

  “What are you going to name her?” he asked as the puppy settled in for a nap on his lap.
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br />   “Traitor,” Anna muttered with a chuckle.

  “I don’t think she’ll like that name much.”

  “I don’t know what I’m going to name her yet, but she should be sleeping on my lap, not yours.”

  Hayden gave her one of his devastating grins. “She’s got good taste.”

  “Don’t flatter yourself. Dogs are notoriously easy. Give them a little attention and food, and they’ll be your friend for life.”

  “She needs a name.”

  Anna studied the little white puppy. She reached over and stroked the soft fur. “I was thinking Baby Blue because of her eyes.”

  “I think that’s perfect. We could call her Blue.”

  Anna noticed his use of we, but she wasn’t ready to give in yet.

  Blue cracked her eyes open, yawned, hopped off Hayden’s lap, and curled up in Anna’s instead.

  The driver pulled up in front of an awful looking building that boasted, “World’s largest jewelry store.”

  Anna’s hackles went up. “What are we doing here?”

  “I thought we’d already established that I’m trying to win you back.”

  “By buying me jewelry?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve already got you lilies, books, and a puppy. I figured we’d round it out with something that glitters.”

  Anna sneered at him. The nerve of him. He should’ve stopped with the puppy. “Then you obviously don’t know me well. Not to mention that the reason I left in the first place was the accusation that I was only sleeping with you for a place to stay, and you think the way to win my heart is to buy me expensive things? You are an asshole, Hayden. Excuse me, I have get the hell out of here.” She grabbed Blue and opened the car door. Before she could get near the street to hail a cab, he wrapped his arm around her. His face was inches from hers.

  “Will you at least hear me out?”

  “No. I’m going to find a cab. Stay away from me.”

  “I know you love pearls. This store has the biggest pearl collection in the area. You can have whatever you want.”

  Anna felt like she was being bought. She supposed she could play with this for a little longer. Plus, she did want a string of pearls. This was the last stop. Then she was going straight to the hotel, and in a week, she’d get on a plane and leave Hayden behind like a bad dream.