by Milly Taiden
“The psychologist has spoken.” Rissa said.
“Fine. But no hooking me up.”
Kayla’s eyes went wide. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Rissa burst into giggles. “Oh, yes you do!”
“Kayla, please,” Jessie groaned. “I am not looking to get married when I just got rid of the slug I was with.”
Kayla had been actively hooking up all her friends on blind dates—or trying to anyway. Whether they wanted to or not didn’t seem important to their bossy friend.
She watched Kayla refill her wineglass. “Who said anything about marriage? It took me and Ryan almost two years before we went that far. But meeting a nice guy never killed anybody.”
“Maybe not other women, but it’s likely to send Jessie into cardiac arrest.” Larissa snickered.
“You’re looking to get your ass kicked, Rissa.” Jessie didn’t care if Larissa was her sister. She’d still smack her upside the head when necessary. Being oldest had its perks. “I’ll come down to your house for a few days.” She gave in. Her system had taken a beating with the stress of her divorce and she loved Isla Dorada. “But no set ups.”
Kayla glanced down at the finger food Larissa had brought with the wine. She took her time picking a small beef patty before glancing up. Her smile was pure innocence. “I understand.”
That angelic grin put Jessie on defcon-five alert. “You do?”
She nodded. “I understand you don’t want the chance to meet a nice guy who may turn out to be a great person.”
“Kayla—”
“Matt is a sweetheart,” she added in a rush. “He’s nothing like your ex. But I get it. You aren’t ready.”
Larissa stared at Kayla, her glass midway to her lips. She studied Kayla with surprise. “Really?”
“Oh yes.” Kayla nodded. “I’ve been there. I know what that’s like.”
Guilt assailed Jessie. She wasn’t trying to be mean to her friend. Kayla only wanted to see her happy. “I know you know, K. I just… I don’t think I can handle that right now.”
“I don’t know why you have to see everything as getting set up for marriage,” Rissa threw in. “We meet people all the time. Maybe that’s what you need. New people that will bring some happiness or even a breath of fresh air into your life.”
“It’s not that simple.” Not anymore. She didn’t trust men not to screw her. Emotionally or financially.
“You’re thinking too much.” Kayla leaned into the sky blue, plush sofa and sighed.
“I always think too much,” Jessie agreed.
“Come down to the house. We’ll have a few quiet days in the sun and on the beach.”
It sounded so good. Incredible, in fact, but the over thinker inside continued to hesitate. Jessie scrunched her face. “Won’t I interfere with your time alone with Ryan?”
Kayla grinned. “Nah. We’re good.”
“Well…”
Rissa threw a balled napkin at her face. “Just go already. Dios. You’re going to make me paranoid.”
She laughed. Her sister was a free spirit. As far from paranoid as one could get. It drove Jessie insane most of the time. Where Jessie needed to plan and organize ahead of time, Rissa would rather do spontaneous things. Nothing got to her. Nothing worried her. Hell. Her whole relaxed personality stressed Jessie most days.
“Why don’t you come with me?”
Rissa grinned, her dark eyes twinkling. “I plan on coming down there in a few months. Right now things are too busy at the shelter.”
She nodded. Rissa’s work at the abused women’s shelter was never over. She’d rather not take a break than leave someone who needed her help.
“It’s settled then.” Kayla piped in.
“I guess. But I have to go through my schedule and ensure somebody can cover me for the time I’m away. Make sure all your appointments have been taken care of and then we can go.”
“This is why I love you,” Kayla sassed. “You never leave anything up to chance.”
“I’m your office manager. Besides, you’re way too busy to be left to take care of your office stuff,” Jessie said. “And in case you didn’t notice I’m the best at my job. And you know it.”
“True. This is why I want to find the perfect man for you.”
“Kayla!”
Rissa chuckled. “She’s not going to stop.”
Jessie threw the same balled napkin to Kayla, who was smiling into her wine. “I know. She’s incorrigible.”
“That I am.” Kayla winked. “I won’t stop until you find the right man for you.”
“Oh, brother.”
Rissa turned to her. “Well. I think your trip should be fun. Dodging all kinds of single men through the beach.” She giggled. “I hope they don’t try to hit on you while nude sunbathing. That would be epic.”
Yeah. An epic fail. She could only hope Kayla didn’t set her up with a bunch of guys. She was starting to act like her mom playing cupid. It was okay when it was directed at others. But when Kayla focused her efforts on Jessie, it wasn’t much fun.
Chapter Two
“Tell me this is a joke?” Matt groaned. He ran his hand through his hair, tugging at the strands. Frustration ate at his stomach.
“Matthew Payne! Quit being so dramatic.” Kayla giggled. “This isn’t a joke.”
Why did all women think that just because they were happily married he needed to be in the same situation? Kayla was such a sweetheart. He hated to be rude to her, but Ryan’s wife was getting way too involved in this setting up all Ryan’s friends project.
“Kayla…” He didn’t know how to explain to her that he didn’t want to date. There was a reason he didn’t date. His issues went beyond normal PTSD.
“Oh, shush.” She pouted, her eyes sparkling with laughter. “I happen to know this woman is very nice.”
He snorted. Yeah, they were all nice. Until they got to talking to him, that is. Then it was “oh you poor thing” or “they have surgery for that.” Like that’s what he wanted to hear on a date. Those kinds of comments were what kept his ass out of the dating zone.
“Matt, she’s not gonna let it go.” Ryan grimaced as he took a seat next to his wife. He stretched the leg with the prosthetic out in front of him. “You may as well say yes.”
Kayla moved a hand to his knee, massaging Ryan’s leg without even realizing it. Her impish smile grew wide. “Come on, Matthew. Don’t be such a baby.”
A cool afternoon breeze swept over the backyard. Two years ago, Ryan and Kayla had been set up on a blind date; the last date either had gone on. That one night had turned into a strong long-term relationship that led to marriage a few months back.
“Hey, I’m not a baby.” Well, not quite. Though his mother and sisters loved calling him spoiled. He knew he wasn’t. He was just tired. There was no blaming him either. He was tired of everyone feeling sorry for him. All the fucking time. Like he wasn’t the same person from before—before his life had turned to shit.
“What do you say, pretty boy?” Ryan used the nickname he’d been given years ago when he’d joined the special ops team.
Pretty boy. There lay his problem. His stomach tightened. If only he could erase that name out of his existence. Maybe then he’d stop feeling so goddamned insecure. He watched the other couple. They were so in tune with each other. So real. If, and that was a very big if, he were going to start a relationship with a woman, that’s what he wanted.
Kayla knew exactly how to deal with his friend and former team member. She hadn’t cared that he was missing a limb. Knew that the real man inside was whole. But Matt didn’t seem to be able to find women like that. Most of them were so stuck on his face and how “pretty” he was. Once they realized what he’d been through in Afghanistan, they couldn’t seem to find what to say. Which in turn led him into the shit-this-is-uncomfortable zone.
“I don’t do blind dates, Kayla.” He sipped the iced tea, listening to the sounds of the waves crashin
g over rocks. Kayla’s parents had gifted her with a house on the other side of their private island retreat as a wedding gift. A few of their friends had already visited the island, but this was Matt’s first time.
“I didn’t either.” Ryan chuckled. “I won’t lie to you. I’m damn glad I allowed Cal to talk me into it. But don’t tell him that.”
“Listen, guys. You’re probably one of the few successful blind dates in history.” Regular dates spelled disaster for him. He couldn’t imagine how a blind one would turn out. “I mean, how often does one find someone who isn’t all kinds of strange on a blind date?” He leaned back on the wicker sofa and glanced up at the clear sky, sighing. Not a single cloud marred the blue expanse above. It was like looking at a painting. He inhaled the sweet scents of wild flowers and salty breeze.
“Oh. My. God,” Kayla squeaked.
He glanced down from the sky at her. She had folded her arms over her chest. Uh-oh. “What?”
“You have turned into a cat.”
“Say what?” He shot up in his seat.
“I said,” she repeated slowly, meeting his gaze with a raised brow. “That you are a cat. And here I was telling my friend that you were this big badass that went to war and can probably kill people with a stern look.”
He grinned. “I am badass.”
She made a face. “All I see sitting there whining is a pussy.”
Ryan choked on his laughter. “Honey, take it easy on him. He’s not as strong as me.”
Matt’s pride dictated he stand up for himself. Argue that he was stronger than most. Demanded for them to acknowledge his internal strength. He’d suffered through months of rehab and surgeries, and he hadn’t sunk into drinking himself to death. Though he’d been tempted. He’d prevailed. Fought out of the slump and knew how to keep out of that dark spot on most days. But he couldn’t. Because while he liked to believe he was strong physically, he doubted the truth of that statement when it came to being out in society.
“Look, you two. I’m not falling for your little good cop, bad cop routine.”
Kayla pouted. “Fine. I guess I’ll just butt out.”
“Thank you.” He sighed and leaned his head back.
“You can continue to live all alone. Not like I care.”
Oh, brother. He wasn’t off the hook.
“It’s not like I was going to hook you up with some weird old woman with a billion cats.”
He frowned, wondering where that had come from. “You weren’t?”
A deep shade of red covered her pretty tanned face. “No. Jessie only has one cat. And she’s young.”
Yeah. She wasn’t gonna give up any time soon. “Not happening.”
“Let it go, love.” Ryan kissed her temple. He hugged her into his side, stroking his hand up and down her arm.
She shifted. Their gazes locked. The couple stared at each other for a moment. A slow smile spread over her lips. “Okay.”
Thank. You. Ryan. She’d probably bring it up again, but he at least had a few hours free of blind-date talk.
“Dinner tonight will be on the patio.” She grinned, back to her happy newly-wed state. “Ryan and I are going to visit my parents for a bit. They might be joining us for dinner. You don’t mind, do you?”
“No.” But it meant he’d need to dress up instead of showing up in a pair of shorts and T-shirt. “I keep telling you I can entertain myself. Just tell me what time you want me ready.”
“Hmm. I’d say some time around six. We should be back by then.”
Great. That meant he could hit the waves with nobody around to see him. To see his body. What a relief. For once he’d be able to do something without worrying about people’s reactions to how he looked without his shirt on.
Chapter Three
Jessie glanced around her childhood friend’s new beach house. Kayla arranged for her to be picked up at the new helipad on the other side of the island. With the hectic schedule Kayla kept, she really needed it. She was scared Kayla had gone ahead and gotten a slew of single friends to hook her up with, even after she’d specifically asked her not to. Not that that had ever done any good with Kayla. Jessie’d been working alongside her for years and knew very well that her friend was a very hardheaded woman. Not to mention, Kayla was on a major happiness high and wanted everyone to be on that level with her.
Jessie sighed. She rolled her luggage to the same room she’d used the last time she’d visited, when she and Kayla had helped decorate the place. This wasn’t her first visit to the beach house, so she was familiar with the layout.
Bright sunlight streamed through the open windows. Sea air drifted into the house, calming her jumbled nerves. Boy did she need this getaway. Her very long divorce battle, which had been dragging for two years, was finally over. Her ex-husband had tried to take her to the cleaners. She pursed her lips as she reached her room and rolled the navy luggage to the bed.
“Asshole.”
Some men really were jerks. Big ones. He’d thought to keep the money her parents had worked hard to leave for her. A one-year marriage filled with lies, cheating, and deception had turned into a nightmare divorce that lasted twice as long as the marriage had. If someone would have told her she’d feel this drained after getting that leech out of her life, she wouldn’t have believed them. She curled her fingers into fists. Then she took a deep breath. Let it out slowly. Relaxed. There had been too much craziness going on in her life. She was finally free.
She strolled around the bed to her room’s balcony. The view was captivating. Palm trees lined the beach area. White sand and clear blue water waited just some yards away. That’s what she needed. A nice walk on the beach. To feel the sun on her face. The warm water on her feet. Hell. She needed to remember how to relax. It’d been too long since the last time. But now that she was free of Dan and his thieving ways, she could concentrate on having a life again.
Birds chirped outside. Their sounds beckoned her to the outdoors. She glanced down at her tank top and shorts. Changing was probably a good idea. A soft breeze rustled the trees and brought in more of the salty sea air. The scent of the ocean was too powerful to ignore. She headed back out the door.
Yellow flowers, in multiple shades surrounded the island. It was why they called it Isla Dorada, or Golden Island. Her mind wandered to the sound of the waves crashing. Sand started to gather in her sandals. She stopped by a palm tree to slip them off. When she glanced up, she stood rooted to the spot.
A man was by the beach. Though she knew Ryan and Kayla had other friends they’d invited constantly, she was under the impression she was the only one there this time.
She couldn’t see his face. His back was to her where he sat on the sand. After a moment he stood. He tugged off his white T-shirt. She gasped. He was scarred. So many scars. Her nails dug into the palm tree. She wanted to reach out and offer some comfort. It wasn’t that she hadn’t seen that many before. It was that she was caught off guard. Then she remembered the first rule of her job. No pity.
He turned sideways to glance up the beach. She caught his profile. Whoa. Forget the scars. The guy was hot. Her gaze did a swift sweep down his body. He had brown, short, spiky hair. Clearly he was one of Ryan’s friends. Jessie knew all of Kayla’s friends, and she would not have forgotten him. He had a body toned with muscles. He was pale though. Probably didn’t get out into the sun often. The front side of his body was scarred too. That didn’t take away from how good he looked overall. Besides, she had scars too. Only hers were internal.
He had flat, washboard abs. And—oh, dear God—muscular legs and arms. Her throat went dry. She wanted to run her fingers down his abs. Her brain short-circuited thinking of what it would feel like to have his stomach muscles tightening under her palm. Oh lord. This was one of Ryan’s friends, not some guy looking to get felt on by a woman who had been too stressed to have sex in so many months she couldn’t remember. Her toy drawer hadn’t been used in so long she was afraid the vibrators wouldn’t work anym
ore. That was the reason she’d brought some with her. To try to really relax.
The sexy man ran for the water. He did a single dive. Perfect. So he was also a swimmer. Carajo! She watched the water for long seconds. Panic started to build inside. Where was he? What if—? He surfaced further out in the ocean. She bit her lip, looking at the clear blue water with concern. If something happened, she wouldn’t be able help him. She couldn’t swim. Kayla and Rissa had taken her to classes, but she was just too afraid. There was too much damn water surrounding her. The waves overwhelmed her and freaked her out.
He continued swimming, and the fear inside slowly dissipated. She took a glance up at the beach. Even if she was tempted, she wasn’t going to stand there and watch the guy do laps. That was stupid. And very stalker-ish. The leather straps from her sandals bit into her palms, deciding for her. She made her way through the trees, up the beach.
* * *
The sun had started to set when she reached the house. Martha, Kayla and Ryan’s housekeeper, stood at the entrance waiting for her.
“Hi, Martha. I didn’t see you when I first got here.” She embraced the elderly woman in a hug. She’d always been nice to her.
“I was at the other house getting some things for dinner.”
She raised her brows. “Oh? Is dinner something special tonight?”
“But of course, niña.” Martha patted Jessie’s cheek. She loved calling Jessie and Rissa children. Not that she referred to Kayla any different. “Dinner is very special tonight. Ryan and Kayla have asked for you to please join them at the patio at six.”
Shit. She glanced down at her watch. Time had slipped past her. She’d been out for so long. Now she only had a half hour to shower and dress.
“Okay.” She rushed past Martha. “I’ll be there.”
