The Bad Boys of Eden

by Avery Aster

  She didn’t bother watching while her friend examined the envelope; she chose instead to wipe down the already perfectly polished bar. She knew exactly when Sam had read the contents of the invitation. Her gasp and subsequent sharp intake of air was a dead giveaway.

  “This is crazy.”

  Kylie turned around and crunched up the rag in her hand. “I know. I can’t stop thinking about it.” That was an understatement.

  Sam pulled herself up so she sat on her bar. Her legs swung from excitement. “Who sent it?”

  “I don’t know.” Kylie grabbed the paper from her friend, suddenly needed to hold it and touch it once more. “But I think I know.” She grinned, and her stomach did a funny little flip when she thought about Marcus’s too long, dark hair, the way it curled up at the ends, and his eyes that were just as dark, when they stared into hers. It had to have been him who sent the invite.

  Sam looked at her strangely, and Kylie knew exactly what she was thinking. And she didn’t want to hear it.

  “I know what you’re going to say.” Kylie caught the eye of Slade Black, the famous guitar player who’d recently moved to town, and Beth Martin, his girlfriend and her longtime friend. She waved at the couple and gestured that she’d be over in a moment. They didn’t seem too concerned, and headed to a back corner booth, the way they always did. They liked to be alone. Kylie shook her head. All her friends were paired up. “And I don’t want to hear it,” she told Sam.

  “You have no idea what I’m going to say.” Sam followed her with her eyes as she poured a few glasses of water for Slade and Beth. “But I don’t think you should assume it’s from Marcus.”

  Kylie whirled around. “What makes you think I—” Her protest died on her lips. What was the point? She picked up the tray and delivered them to the corner table, and took her friends’ orders while she was there. Once she’d rung everything into the till, she turned to Sam, who still sat on the bar and waited patiently.

  “Would it be so bad if it was Marcus? I mean, he…and I…we were…” She trailed off because there was no way she could complete that sentence.

  Sam jumped off the counter and put a hand on her shoulder. “No,” she said softly. “But it might not be Marcus.”

  Kylie’s head snapped up. “Who else could it be? There’s been no one else since…well, since he left.” She’d never been able to say out loud what it was that Marcus had done, which was basically run away in the middle of the night without so much as a backwards glance, only days after they’d planned their future together. He broke her heart. More than broke it; he completely shattered it.

  “All I’m saying is, you never know.” Kylie looked up and saw her friend’s mischievous grin. “And really. Wouldn’t it be more fun if it was someone else? Someone you could have a wild adventure with on some tropical island?”

  Kylie laughed and waved her away. “Yeah right. That’s not my style.”

  “But it could be. I mean, why not?”

  The bell from the kitchen alerted Kylie that the order was up and provided enough distraction that she didn’t have to answer Sam. But while she delivered two cups of baked potato soup to Slade and Beth, she allowed herself to entertain the idea for a second, but only for a second. Because the truth was, she couldn’t imagine being on a tropical island with anyone besides Marcus. After all, he was the one she’d planned a future with.

  She made her rounds to the few customers in the pub and by the time she made her way back up to the bar, Sam had been joined by Archer, who had pulled up a stool.

  “Do you guys even work?”

  They ignored her, and Sam asked a question of her own. “Guess where Kylie’s going?” Sam pointed the question to Archer, but wiggled her eyebrows in Kylie’s direction. “Assuming I give her the time off, that is.”

  “Somewhere good, I hope. And warm,” Archer added. “It’s way too cold here. I haven’t even been out hunting in—”

  “Oh, it’s warm.” Sam interrupted him. “Some might even say it’s hot.”

  Kylie tossed a coaster at her. “Stop it.” But she laughed and shook her head at her friend. Sam was getting ahead of herself. She didn’t even know whether she would accept the invitation.

  “Okay. Tell me.”

  Kylie waited while Sam filled Archer in on the details and showed him the invitation. “Have you ever heard of this place?” she asked him. “It sounds very mysterious and very much like some place I want to go.”

  Archer rolled his eyes. “I’ll be sure to pass the message to Trent.” Sam and Trent had been serious ever since the Springs resort opened in town, and it was only one of the many relationships in town Kylie envied. “But yes, actually. I have heard about it. I thought it was just a rumor, though.”

  “What?” Kylie instantly snapped to attention. “You’ve heard of it?”

  He shrugged. “Yup. Something about fantasies.”

  “Seriously? What kind of fantasies? Because I—”

  “Are you going?”

  Kylie swallowed hard at Archer’s question. She knew what she wanted the answer to be. But at the same time, her heart was finally starting to heal. Did she want to open it up to that kind of risk again? Could she handle the heartbreak if he walked away again? There was only so much a girl could take.

  Archer’s smile was kind, and she knew he could see the conflict on her face. “It might not be a bad thing to check it out,” he said after a moment.

  “But she doesn’t know who sent it.”

  Kylie pulled her own stool around the back of the bar. She dropped onto it and rested her head in her hands.

  “What?”

  She shook her head, but didn’t look up. “But it has to be Marcus. It couldn’t be anyone else.”

  “Marcus Stone?” Archer made a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a scoff. Kylie glared at him.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  But it wasn’t nothing. Kylie could see it all over her friend’s face. “What aren’t you saying?”

  Archer shrugged and helped himself to a beer from the tap. “Nothing really. I just think it’s strange that you’re still hung up on him. The two of you never seemed like a good fit. Besides, weren’t you always closer with Malcolm? What’s he up to these days?”

  Malcolm was Marcus’s twin brother, and while they were alike in a lot of ways, they were also total opposites. Marcus had been the snowboarder: a little wild, totally carefree, and always looking for the easy way through life. Malcolm had spent his time growing up skiing the backcountry, focused on getting good grades and made a life for himself as a business developer. He wasn’t afraid of hard work, almost as if he had to make up for his brother’s shortcomings. But where Marcus had been easygoing and carefree, he also lived his life with passion and despite all her friends thinking that Malcolm would have been the better brother for her to fall for, she’d been drawn to Marcus initially and that wasn’t a flame that could be snuffed easily. Especially after they’d talked about the future together. Their shared hopes and dreams. Of course, that was right before he’d left her without so much as a note.

  “I talk to Malcolm at least once a week.” Kylie forced herself to stop thinking of the negative.

  Archer lifted his glass in an imaginary toast. “And Marcus?”

  She looked down and picked at her nails so she wouldn’t have to make eye contact. “Never.”

  “Sorry? I didn’t—”

  “Never.” Kylie’s head flew up; challenge flared in her eyes. They didn’t understand. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t spoken to him since he’d left. The invitation had come from him, and there was no way she could ignore it. She knew deep down that this was Marcus’s way of reaching out. Of fixing the wrong he’d committed when he’d left her. She knew it in her gut because hadn’t they talked about going on a tropical island adventure together? It all made so much sense. “It doesn’t matter,” she said, more to herself than her friends.

  “No,” Sam c
himed in. “It doesn’t matter. Because whoever it is who sent the invitation, you’re going. You deserve the adventure and if you don’t go, I’ll personally kick your butt.”

  Archer shook his head slightly but didn’t say anything as he took a deep swallow of his beer. Kylie ignored him. Sam was right. She would accept the invitation because it represented everything she’d always wanted. And as for Marcus Stone, she’d deal with him when she saw him.

  CHAPTER 2

  The last forty-eight hours had been a whirlwind and by the time Kylie had a moment to even sit back and think about what it was she was doing, she was on a tiny prop plane flying over the Atlantic Ocean with a woman, who’d introduced herself as Joely and couldn’t have been much older than herself, at the controls. From the moment she’d made the decision to accept the invitation, everything had been on fast-forward. She’d dug out some of her summer dresses and shorts from the back of the closet, tossed them in a suitcase, grabbed her passport and convinced Sam to drive her to the airport all in record time to make the flight. Whoever had sent the invitation certainly hadn’t given her much time to make her decision. Which was even more evidence that it had to have been Marcus reaching out. He had always been spontaneous, wild, and making rash decisions.

  Kylie had slept almost the entire flight to Florida, so she was wide awake, which may or may not have been a good thing because there wasn’t much to look at out the window of the small plane, and as the only passenger, there was no one to talk to. Not that she necessarily would have struck up a conversation with a random stranger about why she was headed to a tiny island to meet her ex for…what? A wild week of passion and reconciliation? That was a stretch, even for her. Not that she wasn’t open to the possibility, but Marcus was going to have a whole lot of explaining to do before she would take him back. But she would take him back. She knew that without a doubt.

  If it’s him waiting for you, that annoying voice in the back of her mind, a voice that sounded strangely like Archer, reminded her.

  “Excuse me?” Kylie leaned forward in her seat and stretched so she could speak to the pilot better. “Joely?”

  The woman turned around; her chestnut ponytail swung behind her. “How can I help you? Everything okay back there? You don’t need anything, do you? Like a bathroom? I can’t help you with a bathroom; you’ll have to wait. It’s part of the charm with a puddle jumper like this one, but it won’t be too much longer if you can hold it. If not, I have a—”

  “No,” Kylie said quickly. “I’m good. I don’t need a bathroom. I was just wondering, have you…I mean, has there been anyone else out to the island today?”

  Joely smiled. A knowing look crossed her face. “You’re meeting someone over there, huh?”

  “Yes. Well, I assume so.” Without thinking, Kylie pulled the invitation out of her purse. “I got this and…”

  “You don’t know who sent it.” It wasn’t a question and by the look on Joely’s face, it wasn’t the first time she’d run into the scenario.

  Kylie shook her head slowly and tried to ignore the creeping sense of unease away. “No. But I think I know who it is. You haven’t brought anyone else out here lately, have you? Like a tall, well-built guy? He has dark hair and it’s kind of…” She trailed off when she realized that she really had no idea how Marcus was wearing his hair lately. “Well, he’s gorgeous.”

  Joely laughed. The sound filled the small space. “I bring gorgeous men out here all the time. Trust me.” She winked. “There is no shortage of eye candy in my job.” Of course she did. Kylie immediately felt stupid, but before she could dwell on it, Joely added, “Don’t worry about it. We’ll be there soon enough and the island will reveal everything.”

  What did that mean? It would reveal everything? She didn’t have a chance to ask because Joely kept talking. “The Master takes care of everything and the island knows what you need.”

  “The Master?”

  “Mr. V. He’s the Master of the island. You probably won’t meet him but know that he’s there and he’s looking after everything you need. Maybe not directly, but Mr. V. has his ways, and if you stay open to it, your visit to the island of Eden will be the most memorable week of your life.”

  Kylie let the other woman’s words roll around her head for a second. Stay open. She could do that. Couldn’t she?

  “But, how do I—”

  “Trust and let go,” Joely interrupted. “Stop overthinking everything and just let yourself experience it. I can’t even explain it to you, but Eden is special. You received your invitation for a reason. Enjoy it.”

  Kylie took a deep breath. Yes. This woman, whoever she was, was right. She needed to stop overthinking it. Whatever happened with Marcus, she was going to a tropical island, and she was determined to enjoy it. Just as soon as she calmed the butterflies having a party in her stomach. The bouncing of the small plane didn’t help her nerves one bit. And when they suddenly turned, and dropped, Kylie felt the movement deep in her guts.

  “I hope you’re ready.” Joely turned back to the instruments. “Because we’re starting our descent. If you look out your window, you can see the island.”

  She sat back in her seat and turned to the window. Where there had only been blue sky and even bluer seas a moment ago, there was an island. Kylie drew in a sharp breath when she saw the castle. It was huge and more like something she would expect to see in the isles of Ireland then on a tropical island. Palm trees and beautiful sand beaches surrounded the huge rock structure. As white as the snow, she thought. A smile crossed her face and her heart beat faster as the plane circled once more before it began its final descent.

  “Ready or not,” Joely called from her place behind the controls, “Eden is ready for you.”

  * * *

  Joely pulled the float plane up to a long wooden dock where two attendants quickly tied it up and opened the door. Kylie took the hand of one of the well-dressed, and particularly good-looking, attendants who greeted her. “Welcome to Eden,” he said with a slow, sexy smile. “Everything you desire awaits you here.”

  Not for the first time, Kylie wondered what the hell that meant. What she desired was a warm holiday with the only man she’d ever loved. The man who’d obviously finally come to his senses and was set to make it up to her. She couldn’t wait to see him, pull him into her arms and—

  “Remember,” Joely called from her seat in the plane and interrupted her thoughts. “Stay open, Kylie. And everything you need will come to you.”

  She nodded as if she knew what the other woman was talking about and turned to the young man who’d picked up her bag. “I’m ready.” It was an understatement. Beyond an understatement. Kylie was more than ready and even though her entire body vibrated with nervous energy at the unknown, she couldn’t stand one more minute not seeing him. She’d waited too long.

  “Of course, Ms. Wilson.” How did he know her name? Of course, if it was an invitation-only resort, there couldn’t be too many people coming and going. Still, it was kind of cool that they knew who she was. She’d never before had such treatment, and the only exposure she’d really had to a posh resort was the Springs, back at home. It was pretty exclusive, but this—this was taking things up another notch.

  “My name is Brad and this is Rick.” The attendant nodded his head. “We’ve been expecting you, Ms. Wilson. Your registration has already been taken care of, so I’ll take you right to your villa. Unless, of course, you’d like to see the main castle first?”

  Villa? Castle? Kylie’s head spun, but she focused on one thing. The sender of the invitation. Above all else, that’s who she needed to see. “No,” she said with certainty. “I think I’d like to go directly to my villa.”

  “As you wish.”

  The water beneath the dock they walked on was bluer than any Kylie had ever seen. Every once in a while she could see schools of brightly colored fish dart through the pillars and she even caught sight of a stingray lazily making its way through the water. She’
d never before experienced such vibrant sea life. Or any sea life, unless you counted the starfish she’d played with in the tide pools off the coast of Vancouver during a family trip when she was a child. And she didn’t.

  “It’s amazing,” she breathed, hardly aware she’d spoken aloud.

  “The island is indeed amazing.”

  She turned and caught the smile of the other uniformed attendant, Rick, who walked behind her. She didn’t even realize he was there until he’d spoken. He didn’t invite further conversation, so Kylie continued walking. Her sundress floated around her bare legs; the warm air washed over her skin. A far cry from the Canadian mountains, she welcomed the heat and even the humidity, which she was sure would cause her dark hair to explode in a wavy mass. Not that she cared. In fact, it might be kind of nice to let herself go for a few days and embrace a beachy style. The farther down the dock they got, and closer to the shore, the more relaxed Kylie became.

  She could feel the tension and anxiety of the last few days melt away as she approached the beach. The underlying excitement was still there—her body still felt as if it vibrated—but it had morphed into almost a sensual energy. By the time they stepped from the dock onto the island itself, Kylie felt completely different. She was ready. If pressed, she’d never be able to explain it, but there was a definite shift in her, almost a letting go, and she was ready to experience the island with an open mind.

  The men helped her into a waiting golf cart. To her surprise, they drove away from the castle and she felt a twinge of disappointment. Despite its imposing presence, she was curious about the structure. It seemed so out of place on a tropical island, but the juxtaposition seemed to work and her curiosity grew.

  Kylie leaned forward so the men in front of her could hear her over the wind. “What’s in the castle?”

  The driver kept his eyes on the path, and it was his partner, Brad, who turned around with a smile. “What would you like there to be in the castle?”

  “What?” The man had a sexy, secretive smile that sent Kylie’s imagination into overdrive.