Family Bonds- Hunter and Kayla (Amore Island Book 1)

by Natalie Ann

  “Bri went to Plymouth today to visit with family. I think she’s staying overnight too. Sidney is going to work. It’s just the two of us unless you’ve got plans.”

  “I was going to try to explore the island but didn’t think I’d sleep this late.”

  “You probably won’t sleep tonight now,” Sidney said, coming in. “I’ve been there and done that. Why don’t you two come down to the bar tonight and have a drink? Get some dinner in town too.”

  “I’m game,” Amanda said. “Are you?”

  It’d been a long time since she’d been out on the town. She hated to waste money like that, but her roommates had been so nice and she did want to learn more about the island. It’d be good if she saw where Sidney worked too.

  “Sure. Do you mind if we drive around a little first?” Kayla asked Amanda. “I need to figure out where everything is.”

  “Sure. We can go downtown and I can tell you about the shops and restaurants as long as you don’t mind staying at this end of the island. We can try the other end another day.”

  “That works. I can always explore on my own too.”

  “The bathroom is all yours,” Sidney said.

  “Thanks.” She went back to her room and got some clothes, then made her way into the bathroom to shower for the day. Night, actually, since the day was pretty much over.

  When she went back to the kitchen she opened the fridge to get some food out and then stopped herself. “What time did you want to go to dinner?” she asked Amanda.

  “Since you are just getting up and are probably hungry, we can go in an hour or so if you want. Then get a drink after.”

  “That works. I’ll just steal another one of these cookies. What are you wearing out? Do I need to dress up?”

  “I’ll throw some jeans on and a nice shirt. Maybe some shoes. If you want to pick a man up you’ve got to do better than jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers.”

  Kayla smirked. “I’m not interested in picking up any man, but I don’t want to embarrass you either.”

  “Will you let me do your hair?” Amanda asked.

  Sidney started to laugh. “If you say no, she’ll pout. If you say yes it will look fabulous and then you’ll want her to do it every day.”

  “So you’re telling me it’s a no-win situation?” Kayla asked.

  “Pretty much.”

  “I’ve been in worse no-win situations, so I’ll take this one as a sign of good things to come in my life.”

  “I’ll see you girls later,” Sidney said and walked out the door.

  “She’s nice,” Amanda said.

  “You are all nice. I didn’t know what it’d be like living with three women, but so far it’s working.”

  Working better than she ever imagined. The most she’d ever had was two roommates and they fought like crazy. As much as she liked to save the money, she’d rather be on her own. But that wasn’t really an option if she wanted to work on the island, as it cost way too much to live here alone, if she could even find a place.

  “For the most part we all get along. Probably because we aren’t here the same time much. In the winter we are home more as there is less to do. It all works out. When it comes to men though, it can be a little tricky.”

  Kayla hadn’t even thought of that. “Do you guys bring men home often?”

  “Not really. It happens though. We have rules. If you’ve got a man here, you need to let the rest of us know. I don’t like walking into my kitchen in a tank top and no bra to find some strange dude drinking milk out of the carton.”

  Kayla burst out laughing. “Come on, that didn’t happen.”

  “Not with Bri or Sidney, but another roommate. Yes. I’ve had a few. It’s hard to find a group where we all get along.”

  “Why have roommates then?” she asked. Amanda looked to have her shit together and money didn’t seem to be an issue. At least not if she was driving a BMW.

  “I’m greedy. I love the house, it’s wonderful, but by having roommates, I’m pretty much living for nothing. How perfect is that? I live on this beautiful island, can go to the beach anytime I want, get tipped damn well because I’m doing wedding parties like I did today.”

  “Did you do the Johnson wedding? That’s the one at the hotel today.”

  “I did. I got home a little before three. I had the bride and mother of the bride. The rest of the girls did the bridal party. Trust me, those are the ones that tip the best.”

  “That’s great. I’m glad I’m not working today, that’s all I’ve got to say.”

  “You’ll get the hang of it here. Now go get changed and let’s see if we can get you some guy’s number tonight.”

  Kayla snatched another cookie off the counter and went to look at her clothes. She wanted to look good, but she didn’t want a man whether this was an island for love or not. She just wanted to survive.

  8

  Off Limits

  Did Kayla say she didn’t want a man? What a lie that was.

  She didn’t want any of the men that were hitting on her and Amanda last night and she had no intention of calling back either of the two men who gave her their number.

  But the man she just bumped into at the grocery store...yeah, this one she wanted.

  Too bad he was off limits.

  “Kayla,” Hunter said, reaching for her arms to stop her from stumbling a few steps back. This was three times now she’d run into him. “Fancy meeting you here.”

  “We all need food,” she said. She moved closer to her cart that she’d left a few feet back when she walked forward to find the bread she wanted. And when she’d turned, she ran smack dab into him.

  “We do,” he said, then grabbed his cart and moved it closer to her. Somehow she didn’t picture him as someone who did his own grocery shopping. She couldn’t resist and had to peek in his cart.

  “Snacks?” she asked him.

  “For now,” he said back. “I haven’t made it through the whole store. Fruit for you? That’s a lot. Are you a vegetarian?”

  “No,” she said, laughing. She couldn’t afford to be picky with food. She ate what was cheap and available most of her life. “It’s easy to grab quickly, but my roommates like apples and one of them is baking pies so I told her I’d grab what she needed since I ate half of her chocolate chip cookies yesterday.”

  “Roommates?” he asked. “As in plural?”

  “Three of them,” she said. “I’m sure you’ve always lived alone.” He’d never have a reason to share costs with anyone, she was sure.

  “Not in college,” he said. “I had two roommates then. It sucked, let me tell you.”

  She laughed. “It has its ups and downs, but there is limited availability of affordable rentals on the island. I guess it was my lucky day when I saw the ad. All I needed to do was get the job.”

  He smiled at her and her heart started to gallop. There wasn’t even a slight increase last night when those two men hit on her. Then she just wanted to push them away and go back to her fun with Amanda. But right now she wanted everyone in the store to just fade away leaving the two of them there facing each other like long lost lovers in the woods.

  Why the hell was she thinking of romantic thoughts like that? Out of reach. Off limits. All those things she had to remind herself about her boss.

  “And you did. Speaking of which, how was your first week on the night shift? Settling in okay?”

  “It was good. More tiring than I thought. I slept pretty late yesterday and then decided I should stay up later last night so I could get in a normal routine.”

  “Only to go back to the night shift again,” he said.

  She wrinkled her nose. “Thanks for pointing that out. But it’s not all bad. I get tomorrow and Tuesday off while everyone else is working. I need to explore the island some more anyway and find out where everything is to be able to make better recommendations to guests.”

  “What are your plans for the rest of today?” he asked. “I can show you around if
you want.”

  Kayla shook her head as if there were water in her ears. She’d start to jump up and down on one leg to double check if she didn’t think he would assume she was some crazy lady. That’s all she needed.

  “Excuse me?” she asked. “You want to spend some time with me?”

  “I do or I wouldn’t have offered.”

  “Why?” she asked. This was getting stranger and stranger. Unless he thought she was out for a bedmate right now. Maybe she better be clear about this. But how do you tell your boss there was no way you were going to bed with him without the risk of losing your job? Even if you secretly would love nothing more than to jump him.

  “Because you said you wanted to explore the island and I know it well. I’ve got nothing planned today, but if you do or would rather not, I understand that too and won’t take offense.”

  Guess she was reading more into it than it was. Figures. “If you don’t mind. I guess it makes sense you would know it so well. Amanda, my roommate that likes to bake, showed me around the south end a bit last night and then we went out to a bar that Sidney, another roommate, bartends at.”

  “A girls’ night on the town. Bet you went home with some numbers,” he said and there wasn’t a smile but a frown on his face. What the heck was that about?

  “I did. I didn’t want to be mean and throw them out where they could see me, but I did when I got home.”

  He smiled this time. “You don’t like being mean?”

  “Not if I can avoid it. I’ve been exposed to enough of that in my life and I try to be the better person if I can. Guess that means I get walked on a lot too, so I’ve always got to figure out what stance I want to take and with who.”

  “I like you,” he said.

  “I’m not sure why. We’ve got nothing in common. We come from different universes, let alone worlds. I’m just kind of confused over this whole conversation.”

  “Then that’s another thing we share because so am I.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not sure if that makes me feel better or not, but I guess it wouldn’t hurt to learn more about the island anyway.”

  “That’s the spirit. How do we want to do this? We both have to bring our food home. Can I pick you up or do you want to meet somewhere?”

  Kayla knew it wouldn’t be wise for her to meet him at the hotel where people would see them together. He didn’t even offer that as an option, which reminded her that this still could all be a ruse to get in her pants. She’d have to find a time to bring it up if it presented itself today.

  “It’s up to you. I don’t care if you want to pick me up at my place.”

  “Okay, give me your number,” he said, pulling his phone out. She did the same and read her number off to him. “Here’s mine,” he said texting her quickly. “Just send me a message when you are ready. I’ll finish up myself now.”

  “Sounds good,” she said and watched him walk away, staring at his butt in some nicely fitted jeans. Jeans that probably cost more than all of her uniforms for work. Thankfully those were supplied to her. At least the shirts were. Either way, she was wondering what the heck she just agreed to for the rest of her afternoon.

  She finished shopping as fast as she could and checked out, noticed Hunter was getting to the checkout as she was leaving. He sent her a little wave that she returned and then she had to fight the urge to dash to her car knowing he might be watching her.

  “You’re back fast,” Amanda said to her when she started to bring in all the food. “Wow, you got a lot of fruit. How many pies did you think I was going to make?”

  “As many or as little as you want. I need a favor. Oh my God, I’m so stupid. What did I do?”

  “What’s going on?” Amanda asked as she stopped unloading the bags that Kayla had carried in all at once. “Are you okay?”

  “I think so. Maybe I’m in a dream. Or another universe. Yeah, that has to be it. I even mentioned it to him too.”

  Amanda grinned. “Who? You ran into a guy? One from last night? The second one was cute.”

  “No, not from last night. I threw those numbers out. I wasn’t interested.” She waved her hand and started to put the rest of the groceries away. “I just ran into my boss, Hunter, at the store. He’s nice.”

  “Hunter Bond?” Amanda asked.

  “Yes. That’s him. Do you know him?”

  “Not personally. I’ve heard his name before.”

  “What have you heard about him?” she asked. Maybe she could get some desperately needed insight to let her know if she’d lost her mind.

  “Not much. I know he runs the hotel now. His father just retired or semi-retired. Not sure. Either way, I think he’s single but sought after. Or at least many wouldn’t mind warming his sheets, if you get my drift.”

  “Oh, I get it. He wants to show me around the island. He just offered. I should have said no, but I didn’t want to tell him no and now I wonder if he thinks I’m after his body.”

  “Are you after his body?” Amanda asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

  “Even if I were blind I’d know he was hot just by the scent he emits, but he’s off limits. He’s my boss and I like my job. I don’t want to be one of those women. He’s probably had a lot of them in his life.”

  “No clue if he has or not. What’s so wrong with spending the afternoon with him though? You seem like a smart chick. Just tell him up front what is going on in your mind.”

  “What’s going on in my mind is I’d love to get my hands on his body. I bet he has a hairless chest. I’m not a fan of chest hair, but men that I date always seem to have it.”

  Amanda started to laugh. “You are a riot. I’m so confused. So you are attracted to him?”

  “Of course I am. But I can’t do anything about it.”

  “What if he wants to?”

  “I don’t know. Okay, I need to figure this out. I’m supposed to text him when I’m ready and he is going to come pick me up.”

  “Then I get to meet him. I’m a good judge of character,” Amanda said. “Hairdressers are like shrinks. Everyone gives us their dirty laundry and wants some Tide Pods in exchange. I’m good at picking out losers in a lineup.”

  “He’s not a loser,” Kayla said.

  “I didn’t mean it that way.”

  “I know. Anyway. Maybe I should back out.”

  “Or maybe not. No way. He asked you. You go. Spend the day with him and find out everything you can about the island. Consider it homework of sorts with some eye candy. Be the envy of women on the island when they see the two of you guys together.”

  “Okay, back to my favor. Can you do my hair quickly? Not style it like last night. That will look like I’m trying, but put it in a braid or something? It’s kind of windy out and maybe he’ll just think I did it so my hair didn’t look like it was overtaking my head from outer space.”

  “Sure. Let’s go do it now. A nice French braid will look good. I’ll make it loose so it’s like you just threw it up, but it will be classy at the same time. Trust me, I’m the perfect person for the job to make you hot and casual together.”

  Oh man, she didn’t even think of that. People would know him. Would she be judged then as someone trying to land him? Would people look at her and think she was after a single Bond male while trying to fulfill her own hope at love at first sight on the island. Bonds were considered the biggest catch on their island.

  “I don’t want to look hot. That will make me look desperate.” She’d been desperate for a lot of things in her life but a man had never been one of those things. And since she’d been judged too, she was trying to avoid that.

  “Every woman wants to look hot. There is a difference between that and slutty. I don’t do slutty. Just trust me.” Amanda grabbed her hand and pulled her into her bedroom and then her private bath. “Let me get to work. Have a seat.”

  Kayla sat on the toilet seat and let Amanda do what she did best and tried to fight back the giggle that wanted to escape. Didn’t she
say she wasn’t going to be sitting on the toilet with her roommates in the same room and yet here she did it willingly? At least her pants weren’t around her ankles.

  9

  Scattered and Confused

  Hunter was putting away his laundry when his phone finally went off. He’d gotten back to the penthouse, stored his food way, folded his clothes that had been in the dryer and was now hanging them up. He was starting to think that Kayla might back out on him.

  Maybe it was wrong of him to offer, but he didn’t have much more going on today and if he didn’t do something he’d end up working and the truth was he just needed a break from work.

  Maybe his grandfather was right and he needed to have more of a personal life. He’d always just gone out with the women who’d approached him rather than putting the effort in himself, and those relationships failed worse than a kindergartener trying to take an algebra test.

  It was time to make a change.

  That change was him taking the first step and asking someone out. Not to his penthouse, not right away. But why not explore the island he loved so much with someone new?

  Someone that he found attractive and knew she felt the same way…even if she tried not to admit it.

  And since he couldn’t get Kayla out of his mind, it seemed like it was meant to be when he saw her looking at the bread.

  He’d stopped believing in the whole “it’s meant to be” or “fate” or “love at first sight.” That wasn’t what this was about.

  It was about an attractive woman he wanted to spend some time with.

  Had he walked up behind her and gotten in her personal space so that she’d bump into him when she turned? Possibly. But what better way to get her attention than to plant himself in front of her.

  She seemed both scattered and confused over his offer. If he was honest, he was feeling some of the same. Guess maybe he should explain himself a bit more when they get together.

  He read off the address and texted he’d be there in about ten minutes. She wasn’t that far from the hotel, but then again nothing was far on the island and since they were in the same grocery store he’d assumed she lived close by.