by Anna Sugden
Not only did J.B. feel like crap he also had the indignity of having to sneak out of Denver like a crook on the lam. Plus, he’d blown his reputation to hell—once again. “And the good news is?”
“Instead of going home,” Mad Dog said. “I thought it’d be better to get out of the country altogether and hang out for a few days someplace where they don’t follow hockey.”
“Where’s that? The Sahara Desert?”
“Funny.” His friend slapped a piece of paper on the bedside cabinet. “Antigua. The Golden Sands Resort. All inclusive. Adults only. A two-bedroom, beachfront bungalow.”
J.B. frowned. “Isn’t that the place we’re heading to in a couple of weeks for our vacation?”
“Ding, ding! Give the man a prize. I got hold of Tracy at Making Your Move and asked her to pull our reservation forward to tomorrow. Not today, because I don’t want you spewing in my lap at thirty thousand feet. We fly at noon.”
“But I’m supposed to go to my parents’ place.”
“You can head to the farm after you’ve got back from the Caribbean.”
“We haven’t got the right clothes with us.”
“Jeez, chill. You can buy what you need when you get there.”
“Okay. Great.” Maybe he’d feel half-human by then.
Kenny shook his head. “A vacation on a tropical island. Even when you screw up, you land on your feet. Think of me. While you’re sipping frothy drinks with umbrellas, I’ll be working with hordes of kids at Ike’s summer hockey camp.”
“Them’s the breaks.” Mad Dog grinned.
Kenny flipped him the bird. “Just make sure Larocque stays out of trouble.”
“It was a freaking accident,” J.B. protested, massaging his aching temples.
“We know. But bad stuff always seems to happen to you, even if you don’t go looking for it.”
“I promise to be on my best behavior. I’m not interested in anything but chilling and deciding which ‘frothy drink’ to have next.”
Besides, how much trouble could anyone get into at a fancy Caribbean resort?
* * *
“I CAN’T WEAR THIS.” Isabelle Brandine held up the tiny but admittedly cute red polka-dot bikini she’d just pulled out of her suitcase. “It’s so...small.”
“It’ll look great on you.” Her best friend, Sapphire Houlihan, who was lounging on the other bed in their resort room, waved her hand. “It’ll show off your fabulous figure.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about it showing, Sapphie.” Issy dropped the bikini on the bed and continued unpacking.
“Tough, because your frumpy one-piece is in the trash back in New Jersey.”
Issy stopped for a moment. “You threw away my swimsuit?”
Sapphie sipped the Antiguan rum punch they’d been given at check-in. “You’ve had it since college. Consider it a gift for coming on the trip with me.”
Though she knew it wouldn’t change anything, Issy made a token protest. “You already paid for my ticket and this gorgeous beachfront room. Besides, this is meant to be your thirtieth celebration. You should be getting presents, not me.”
“This is for me.” Sapphie shot her a wicked grin. “No hot guys would come near us if they saw you in that ancient thing. Now we’ll be fighting them off.”
“I’m not interested in a holiday fling.”
“Why not? A few days of sun, sand, sea and no-strings sex, and you’ll feel like a new woman.” Her friend sighed happily. “I certainly will.”
“You know that’s not me.” That sounded as frumpy as her trashed swimsuit. “I can have fun without having sex with a stranger.”
“Of course you can.”
Having grown up together, in the same small town, on the same wrong side of the tracks—not that there was a right side—they had no secrets. They’d been friends almost since birth; their heavy-drinking, heavy-partying parents were cousins. The two girls were even conceived at the same Labor Day blowout, though their birthdays were ten days apart.
Issy and Sapphie had spent their childhood being the responsible ones, looking after their younger siblings and trying desperately to make ends meet when their parents wouldn’t or couldn’t. When the two girls had left their small Southern town together at eighteen, they’d promised each other they’d never be like their parents.
Issy was determined to build the traditional family life she’d always dreamed of. She had a steady job at an exclusive private school for girls, which meant she didn’t have to worry about where her next meal would come from or how to pay her bills. She’d managed to save enough that she’d celebrated her own thirtieth birthday by buying herself a small apartment in a nice suburban town. A solid roof over her head was worth all the extra hours she’d worked to achieve tenure.
Someday she hoped to find a good, honest, hardworking man. Together they’d raise their children in the kind of happy and stable environment she’d been denied growing up.
Sapphie, on the other hand, was committed to her work and the highly successful corporate consulting firm she’d built, and rejected permanency of any kind in her personal life. Home for her was a serviced apartment on each coast, as well as one in Chicago. She had a similarly casual approach to men.
“Sex isn’t required.” Sapphie shrugged. “I want you to enjoy yourself while we’re here.”
“Then I’ll take the sun, sand and sea, and leave the rest to you.”
Her friend made a face. “I got you the bikini’s matching sarong wrap.”
“Thank you.” Issy pulled a couple of short but equally unfamiliar sundresses out of her case. “Did you toss out all the outfits I packed?”
“Nope. The rest of your clothes are back at my apartment. Though you may not want them after this.” Sapphie finished her drink and swung her legs off the bed. “Are you going to waste the whole afternoon unpacking? I want to hit the beach and get this holiday started.”
To heck with it—the world probably wouldn’t come to an end if Issy didn’t get everything put away right now. “Give me five minutes to change.”
A short while later the two friends headed down to the beach. As they strolled along the path, Issy hitched the red polka-dot sarong firmly around her chest. Though the bikini wasn’t as revealing as she’d thought, and it did flatter her figure, she was glad for the cover.
It didn’t take long to slip into the laid-back, Antiguan tempo. The rhythmic tinkling of the resort’s steel band by the pool bar seeped into her blood and gave her hips a subtle swing. The warm sea breeze, fragrant with lush tropical flowers, caressed her skin. The water was so clear and blue it looked fake. If she hadn’t been here, her toes sinking into the soft white sand, she’d never have believed it was real.
They managed to find two beach loungers in the shade of some tall palm trees. Sapphie had put their cooler under the table, shimmied out of her flowery beach shorts and settled onto her chair before Issy had straightened her towel.
“Stop dithering, Issy.”
She inhaled deeply then undid the wrap and draped it over the back of the lounger. When no one fainted at the sight of her scantily-clad, too-curvy body, she applied sunscreen and lay on the towel. But she found it hard to relax.
“You’re as stiff as a board.” Sapphie sighed. “Don’t worry—the chances of anyone from Farlingdale Academy being on this beach are slim to none.”
“I’m not worried.” Though the school had a strict morality clause, she doubted it applied to a tiny swimsuit. “It feels odd to be doing nothing.”
“So read your book.” Sapphie whistled softly under her breath. “Don’t look now, but a couple of prime examples of manhood are walking this way.”
Issy glanced up and caught her breath.
“Dibs on the one on the right and please don’t let him be gay.”
Both men were tall with finely honed bodies. Walking barefoot through the lapping water at the sea’s edge, they wore mirrored shades, ball caps with a logo that featured a snow
leopard’s head and long, brightly colored swim shorts. Sapphie’s choice was dark-haired and good-looking with a nice smile. Totally her friend’s type.
But it was the somber man walking beside him who caught Issy’s attention. So handsome, he was almost beautiful. His straight nose, high cheekbones and angular jaw were so perfectly formed they could have been carved by a sculptor, and his lips were full, without being feminine.
How would they feel pressed against hers?
Shocked by her thoughts, she lowered her gaze. But only as far as his shoulders and broad chest. Her fingers tingled with the urge to stroke the man’s caramel-brown skin to see if it was as smooth as it looked. To trail over the ridges of that amazing six-pack.
He was clearly an athlete. Hardly the kind of dependable, responsible man she wanted in her future.
Issy snapped up her book and forced herself to focus on the text. She hoped Sapphie would put her heightened color down to the tropical temperatures and not...him.
Still, she couldn’t resist sneaking another peek as he came closer. Grateful that her sunglasses hid the direction of her gaze, her heart kicked when his head turned toward her. A bead of perspiration trickled down between her breasts.
Oh, my! Issy couldn’t help licking her dry lips.
When he turned away, she was unreasonably piqued at his easy dismissal. Don’t be silly, she scolded herself. That man was so far out of her league, she’d need a space rocket to even get close.
Beside her, Sapphie smiled and wiggled her fingers at the men. Issy tried not to grind her teeth when the one on the right grinned and waved back.
“Doesn’t act like he’s gay,” Sapphie said. “Hopefully we’ll see them at the beach party this evening.”
Issy gave a noncommittal reply. She pretended to be engrossed in her story, not watching the toned butt and great legs of a man who was clearly not interested in her.
“You know, there’s something familiar about those two,” Sapphie mused. “I swear I’ve seen them somewhere before.”
“On TV?”
“I’m not sure. It’ll bug me until I know.”
Sapphie drove Issy crazy for the rest of the afternoon as she tried to figure out who the men were. It wasn’t until they were dressing for the beach party that Sapphie snapped her fingers. “Of course. The ball-cap logo. I can’t believe I didn’t make the connection. It’s not like I’m not a huge fan.”
Issy cursed the slight tremble in her hand as she applied her lipstick. The man’s identity made no difference to her. “Who are they?”
“Ice Cats.” At Issy’s blank look Sapphie added, “Hockey players. From our very own Jersey team. They were just in the Stanley Cup Finals. Unfortunately they lost.”
“Oh.” Not only in a different stratosphere from a private-school English teacher, but her suspicions had been correct—an arrogant sports star.
Professional athletes with their irresponsible attitude to life and money reminded Issy of her family.
Back in college she’d struggled to maintain her grades as she’d worked two jobs. Meanwhile the jocks with their scholarships had partied and barely attended classes. Later, when she’d taught in a public school, she’d had to fight for every resource while money was frittered away on the athletics program.
“My guy’s Taylor Madden,” Sapphie said. “Yours is Jean-Baptiste Larocque.”
Even his name was beautiful. “I told you, I’m not interested.”
“Uh-huh.” Sapphie looked over Issy’s shoulder into the mirror. “And you weren’t checking out his amazing body earlier?”
Issy blotted her lips then turned away—to get her clutch, not to avoid her friend. “I can appreciate good looks without having to sleep with the guy.”
“Sure, but what a waste.”
“I’m capable of entertaining myself. Let me know when you want to disappear with Taylor and I’ll go back to the room.” She held up her key card. “Make sure you have your own key, so you can let yourself back in.”
“I won’t abandon you.” Sapphie frowned. “What kind of friend does that?”
“One who’s getting the birthday present she really wants.” Issy smiled. “It’s fine. I’ll be happy sitting on the balcony and reading. Things are heating up in my romantic thriller.”
“They’d heat up in real life, too, if you’d give them a chance,” Sapphie grumbled as they headed out the door.
“I’m content with the way things are.”
“Boringly predictable.”
“I’ve had enough excitement and unpredictability to last me a lifetime.”
“A little spontaneity won’t turn you into your parents or Rosa.”
“I know.”
Despite Issy’s best efforts, her younger sister had followed in the family tradition and partied heavily, then ended up pregnant. The father, one of the town’s football stars, had chosen a college scholarship over marriage, so Issy had taken care of both Rosabelle and her daughter, Tinkabelle, until she’d left home.
Once she’d graduated and had a job, Issy had offered to move them up near her, but Rosa had preferred to remain with their parents. She knew her sister hadn’t chosen sides, as much as the easier path, but it had still hurt. And reinforced how different she and Rosa were.
The physical Brandine genes had missed her completely—they were all tall and slim, auburn and green-eyed, while she was short, curvy and dark-haired with blue eyes—why not the other genes, too? “I promise to have fun while we’re here. All right?”
“Okay.” Sapphie linked arms with her. “So how’s your limbo dancing? I hear there’s a contest with big prizes at the party, including a gorgeous emerald necklace.”
“What am I letting myself in for?” Issy shook her head and laughed, then let her friend lead her down the beach.
CHAPTER TWO
“YOU OWE ME, man, and I’m collecting.”
J.B. responded by clapping Taylor on the shoulder as they walked toward the flaming torches stuck in the sand. “Want tips on how to chat up that hot blonde you were drooling over earlier?”
“Funny.” Mad Dog punched him in the arm. “Good thing you make your living handling a puck, not doing stand-up.”
J.B.’s grin faded. “Yeah, well my puck skills aren’t so hot, either. We wouldn’t be here now if they were. We’d be riding around town in an open-topped, double-decker bus, showing off Stanley.”
“We agreed you wouldn’t beat yourself up over that while we’re on vacation.”
“Sure.”
Plenty of time for reflection and self-recrimination once he was alone. He owed Mad Dog, and repayment meant ensuring his friend had a great trip. Especially given Taylor was just as cut up about the loss, even if he tried not to show it.
He cracked his knuckles. “What do you need from the master?”
“Use your charm on the hot blonde’s mousy friend. Keep her occupied so she won’t mind when her roommate disappears with me.”
Ordinarily, J.B. wouldn’t have minded the request. Women were the perfect antitdote to a life filled with way too much testosterone. And the brunette in the red bikini wasn’t exactly mousy, though her dark hair had been scraped back into a severe braid. She was pretty in a girl-next-door way and her curves were definitely in all the right places.
What had given him pause was the stiff way she’d held herself, her full lips pinched, while supposedly relaxing. “She seemed a little uptight.”
He’d learned the hard way to steer clear of uptight women. They were impossible to please. They took things way too seriously and saw hidden meanings in innocent words or actions, which led to unfortunate misunderstandings. Like the woman in the Atlanta nightclub who’d nearly derailed his NHL career. Frustrated he wouldn’t take advantage of her blatant offers—J.B. didn’t mess with married women—she’d turned the tables and accused him of coming on to her. It was only thanks to Taylor, Jake and his other teammates that J.B. had come through the crazy situation relatively unscathed.
<
br /> Still he’d chalked that up to experience. It had taken a female stalker, then a woman who’d lied about him fathering her child, for J.B. to decide uptight women were trouble.
Taylor winced, understanding in his gray eyes. “Maybe she was jealous that I waved at her friend. Women fight over me all the time.”
J.B. snorted with laughter. “In your dreams, bro.”
“Who got the highest bid in the Ice Cats’ charity bachelor auction?”
“Yeah, yeah. Shame the winning bidder was your mother’s age.”
“Gilda was a sexy, mature lady with a great body, a lot of experience and an insatiable appetite.”
“Glad to hear she got her money’s worth.”
Mad Dog swore. “Will you help me out or not? We’re only here for a few days and you’ll never see her again.”
J.B. hesitated as they reached the torches. The women were standing by one of the tables closest to the shoreline. Taylor’s blonde looked stunning in an ice-blue sheath that dipped low and clung to her body before ending mid-thigh. But it was her friend that fired J.B.’s blood. She wore a strappy knee-length red dress. Her dark hair was loose, the slight curl at the ends dancing over her bare shoulders as she laughed.
“She’s not looking mousy or uptight now,” Mad Dog said. “Pay your dues, man.”
J.B.’s reluctance vanished. He strode forward. “You got it.”
When they reached the table Mad Dog asked, “May we join you, ladies?”
“Sure,” the blonde replied enthusiastically.
J.B. noticed her friend didn’t say anything but smiled. He figured she was the shy type.
“I’m J.B. and this is Taylor.” He offered his hand to the brunette, who hesitated before taking it.
The blonde shook hands with Taylor. “I’m an Ice Cats fan. Season ticket holder, though work keeps me from getting to as many games as I’d like. I’m Sapphire, Sapphie for short, and this is...”
“Bella,” the brunette said firmly.
“Good to meet you, Bella.”
Mad Dog clapped a hand to his chest dramatically. “A beautiful woman who likes hockey, I’m in heaven!”
