by Lexy Timms
And her curves.
Fuck. Ash couldn’t keep his eyes off her curves.
But instead of reacting to his smile, the young woman simply nodded. She hiked her leg up and sat on the barstool, her thigh splaying along the seat. Ash leaned against the bar and flexed his arms, hoping to catch the young woman’s attention. Johnny’s blues guitar playing had everyone in the bar turned toward him, and Ash bit back a groan. The woman with the seafoam eyes, however, didn’t turn to look at the guitar that was being strummed.
In fact, she didn’t really look to be watching much of anything.
“Care for a drink?” Ash asked.
“Sure,” the woman said.
“Would you like to be a little more specific?” he asked, flashing that signature white smile of his.
But all the woman did was shrug.
His eyes locked onto her, gazing into her unfocused stare. There was a hint of sorrow there. Something deep-seated and harsh. Normally, Ash avoided those kinds of women. Too much emotional baggage and always wanted to talk after sex. But the woman sitting in front of him was closed off. Tightly. Like a pinched nerve that would rather risk a constant dull pain than the idea of being released into something more palatable. Her eyes panned slowly over to Ash’s and he watched the sorrow grow, until nothing but the darkness of her hurt shrouded her face.
Interesting.
“Care for a little game?” he asked.
“Is that a drink?” the woman asked.
With a grin, Ash picked up a Ping-Pong ball from off the floor at his feet. The resort Johnny worked alongside had plenty of beer pong tables and most of them were centered around the Cabana. Easy access to the daily beer tap with multiple games ending in a lot of drunken, rowdy rich dicks running into the ocean to half-drown themselves. Ash set the ball on the counter and placed a red plastic cup over it, then put two more at either side.
“Watch carefully,” Ash said. “Don’t take your eyes off it. Not even for a second.”
He moved the cups around, swirling them and switching them before her very eyes. What she didn’t know, however, was that Ash had placed two other Ping-Pong balls in the bottom of the other two cups. No matter which this downtrodden woman chose, she would always win.
And she looked as if she could use a little bit of winning in her life.
“Now. Where’s the ball?” Ash asked.
He watched the young woman point to the one on the left and he lifted up, revealing a Ping-Pong ball. The woman didn’t crack a smile, but he did watch a bit of the darkness fall from her eyes. He covered the ball and moved them around again. A little faster as he watched her eyes follow the cup. The crashing of the waves against the shore ebbed and flowed with Johnny’s guitar playing, but try as he might, he couldn’t get the young woman Ash was entertaining to look at him.
Served Johnny right.
“Where’s the ball now?” Ash asked.
“The middle?” the woman asked.
Such a sweet voice. Full of breath and tenderness and light. His eyes whipped up to hers and he picked up the cup, revealing the Ping-Pong ball underneath. That time, he watched the young woman crack the faintest smile and it made his heart thump against his chest.
“One more time,” Ash said. “Ready?”
Ash kicked a bottle at his feet over into the corner and the sound distracted the woman long enough to slip something underneath that same cup. He quickly removed the Ping-Pong ball and replaced it with Herman, Johnny’s pet hermit crab. He was the mascot of the bar and the only pet Johnny was allowed to have in the bullshit apartment the man rented. But Ash knew this would make the woman smile.
Herman had a yellow smiley face painted on his shell, and he always made the patrons smile.
“Keep your eyes on it closely,” Ash said. “Don’t let it out of your sight. Not even for a second.”
He traced the cups slowly and the woman rolled her eyes. Ash paused his movements so her eyes could keep up, then he settled the cups all back into place. The woman shot him a look before picking up her finger and flicking the cup to the right away, but underneath wasn’t the Ping-Pong ball she was expecting.
It was Herman.
And she smiled before a beautiful giggle fell from her lips.
“That’s more like it,” Ash said. “A beautiful sound for a beautiful girl.”
He watched her blush as her eyes fluttered up to his.
“Could I have a sex on the beach?” the young woman asked.
“Wow. I didn’t realize beautiful women moved so quickly,” he said. “But if that’s really what you want, the least you can do is give me your name first.”
She giggled again, and the sound shot electricity through Ash’s veins.
“Kallie,” she said. “My name’s Kallie.”
“And you somehow get more beautiful with each detail I pull from you,” Ash said.
Ash could see Johnny heading back for his station, but he stopped just short of his friend. His head darted from the woman back to him, and soon Johnny was giving Ash a wink of approval. His friend stayed away so Ash could work his magic as he made Kallie a drink, shaking everything up before putting it over a glass of ice and topping it with a spear of fruit.
“Sex on the beach for the gorgeous woman in the bar,” Ash said.
“Thank you,” she said.
“So, Pretty Kallie. What brings you to St. Barts?”
Ash saw a hesitation rise in her eyes and he immediately regretted asking the question.
“Just needed a vacation,” she said. “I think the two weeks here will do me some good.”
Ash knew that wasn’t all there was to the story. She was guarded. Her eyes pulled away from his. Her body was no longer cocked toward the bar. That playful demeanor in her eye had faded and her beautiful seafoam gaze was back to being as unfocused as it was before.
She was hiding something.
But then again, so was he.
And that was intriguing to him.
“Well, Pretty Kallie—”
“Please don’t call me that,” she said.
“Would you like me to call you something else?” Ash asked.
Her gaze panned back over to his and he smiled. Flashed her his best. But again, she wasn’t amused. Not even remotely impressed. Just mindlessly drinking her alcohol through her straw and seemingly unamused with his tactics.
She wasn’t like other women.
And that pulled him in more.
“Miss Kallie,” Ash said. “Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?”
“Aren’t you working?” she asked.
“I get off in a few minutes.”
Her eyes darted around and Ash waited for her response. He wanted her to say yes. Needed her to, really. She needed cheering up and he was a professional in adventure. Kallie looked to him like she could use a bit of it herself. Behind those sorrowful eyes was a reserved woman who worked entirely too much. He could see it in her shoulders. The tension. The taut back. The mind that was constantly swirling.
It reminded him of his fucking father.
Damn workaholic.
“I’m actually kind of tired. I just got in this morning, and the jet lag’s been rough.”
“Then some other time,” Ash said.
“Maybe,” Kallie said. “Maybe not.”
Before Ash could get another word in edgewise, Kallie slid from the barstool. He went to go stop her to make sure she paid, but Johnny put a hand on his shoulder.
“Look at her wrist,” his friend whispered to him.
His eyes looked down as she rounded the corner and he saw the red band on her wrist. An all-inclusive stay at the resort.
She was loaded and alone.
A wonderful combination for a man like himself.
He watched her leave, her hips swaying with every step she took. Her dress fell against her body majestically, accentuating the slope of her waist and the taper of her shoulders. She held her drink and walked along the sand, taking t
he long way back to the private beaches that lined the southern shoreline. Those villas and bungalows were reserved for the especially rich. Those who wanted a private vacation with all the public amenities. Like getting drunk on the beach and having illegal bonfires.
He wondered what a timid woman like Kallie did to earn such money.
Ash was glad he had two weeks to try again and win her over. Jet lag was a bitch, that much he was aware of. He’d done enough traveling with his rich-ass family throughout his childhood to know enough about that. He watched from behind the bar as he grabbed his protein shake, then gulped it back before the taste became too much.
The blowing of her hair around her back made the drink more palatable.
Or maybe simply nonexistent with her beauty cascading over the shoreline.
Ash could see himself spending a night or two between the sheets with Kallie. And if she didn’t burn by simple association with the sun, maybe he could talk her into a bit of hot tub sex. He knew those villas had them and it had been a long time since he’d partied like that.
He could treat a woman like her to a wonderful time, then send her home full of confidence and able to take on the world.
It was a service he provided, really. Instilling confidence into lost, unassuming rich women.
“Thank fuck she ordered a drink you knew how to make,” Johnny said with a grin.
“I’ve learned enough peeking over your shoulder over the years,” I said as I tossed my plastic blender cup into the sink.
“You gonna clean that?”
“Isn’t that your job?”
“Not when it’s not mine, asshole. That shit belongs to you. Rinse it out and take it with you,” Johnny said.
“Not my fault you guys use the same blender I’ve got at my place.”
“Next time, blend it there too.”
“When I order a replacement base, I will,” Ash said.
“Resenting Mommy and Daddy but not afraid to use their money. Sounds about right,” Johnny said with a chuckle.
“Earned that money fair and square when I turned thirty years old. Not my fault they gave me enough to live off of and then some. Maybe if they were decent enough people I wouldn’t have run off to live an island life.”
“Ah, the disappointing son. I know that schtick all too well,” Johnny said.
“I think that’s why we get along.”
“That and we fuck around with the same women.”
“Maybe phrase that better next time,” Ash said. “Or stop gunning for my sloppy seconds.”
“Don’t talk to them for so long and maybe I won’t swoop in to give them what you took too long to offer.”
“Don’t worry. I think I found a girl impervious to your cool-blue eyes and your lousy guitar playing.”
“It can’t be that lousy if it gets me laid,” Johnny said.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Have fun with the redhead, by the way. She’s going to be a tender one.”
“Hey, I can slow it down when I want to,” he said.
“That’ll be the day,” Ash said with a grin. “Catch you tomorrow?”
“If you’re not balls deep in your newest flavor of the week, sure.”
“Maybe I’ll bring her by the bar,” Ash said.
“Yeah, and you can get behind this bar and put poor Herman under a cup again. I saw what you did to him. Poor guy. He was probably petrified.”
“He’s a hermit crab, Johnny. He literally lives in a dark shell for most of his life. You think he’s got an issue with a red plastic cup?”
“You don’t know. Can you talk to hermit crabs?” he asked.
“You need a break from the sun. I think you’re having a heatstroke.”
“Get the hell out from behind this bar before you get me fired.”
Ash walked from behind the bar, his head thrown back in laughter as he grabbed his surfboard. He walked it up to his car to ride back to his place, but his eyes fell back toward the shoreline. Toward the path Pretty Kallie had walked a half an hour earlier.
He saw her standing there, her drink finished and the ocean lapping at her ankles.
So much for jet lag, but he wondered what she was thinking. What it was about the horizon that had her in a trance. He debated on whether or not to go over there. To tap on her shoulder to make sure she was okay. He wasn’t sure what drew him to her, but he felt pulled. Drawn. Magnetized. Maybe it was her full, luscious lips or her soft, supple curves. Maybe it was her long, salted hair or her smooth, unscarred skin.
Or maybe it was the sorrow behind her eyes.
A sorrow that matched his when he wasn’t careful.
“Pretty Kallie,” he said with a whisper.
She would be his.
No matter what it took of him.
Chapter 5
Kallie
Kallie stood there on the beach, gazing out into the horizon. It wasn’t so much that she was thinking about something, though her mind was still on that bartender. It was more that she was tipsier than she figured she would be after one drink. She wasn’t used to drinking alcohol during the day and the lapping of the ocean waves at her feet felt good against her swaying body.
But she finally made it to her room and collapsed.
Her jet lag took over and her mind delved her into a world of fantasy. Where she could paint the reality she wanted to paint as her body slept soundly in bed. She saw herself strolling along the beach before a pair of arms wrapped around her. Held her close. Warmed her presence. A pair of lips fell onto her neck and she gasped, whipping her head around to see who was behind her.
And she found Ash. The bartender from earlier.
Her dreams swept her away into a place of eroticism she’d never visited before. She found herself on top of him as the waves crashed around their bodies. She found her lips wrapped around his cock as he worked the bar. His face was planted between her legs as he pressed her against the balcony of her villa, leaning over the edge and feeling the salted breeze against her features.
Kallie jerked awake as a flush trickled down her body. Her legs were quivering and her pussy was heated, and she was completely embarrassed to have had that kind of dream while on her honeymoon. But it wasn’t really her honeymoon, and soon reality dawned on her. She was in St. Barts by herself, sticking it to her ex-fiancé.
She got up and padded to the bathroom as the sun began to rise. She’d slept the entire day and night away and she felt more refreshed than ever. Besides the heat still trickling down her thighs, she found herself oddly comfortable and intrigued by her dream. She didn’t think the man had made as much of an impact as he had, but clearly her mind wasn’t convinced.
He was obviously not rich, but he was cute. And funny. He had this smattering of freckles across his nose that peppered themselves against tanned skin from the island. He was tall and lean, with muscles that bled through his wet suit and flexed with every movement he made. He had mahogany hair and hazel eyes that were piercing and playful. She knew those kinds of looks.
They were the kinds of looks that men, looking for nothing but a good time, would give another woman.
At least with a man like Ash, she couldn't be accused of gold-digging. Or wanting him for his money. Or marrying him for convenience so she wouldn’t have to work again. She’d heard it all while engaged to James. For some reason, everyone thought she was beneath him. Somehow not good enough for the cheating asshole who apparently wanted to be beneath other women but not the one he was betrothed to.
Eris’s words echoed across her mind as she splashed some water in her face.
Kallie didn’t do rebounds. She wasn’t that kind of girl. But if she were, Ash was the perfect kind of rebound. He was nothing like James and still had all the qualities she looked for in a man. Playful. Entertaining. Humorous. Handsome. He was the perfect rebound for her if that were the kind of thing she was looking for.
But it wasn’t.
Right?
Kallie cleaned herself up before calling
the front desk and scheduling a massage. The personal chef came over to cook her some lunch while she relaxed on the porch and tried to blank her mind. But even though the massage was relaxing and the food smelled decadent, she couldn't stop thinking about that cute bartender. How his freckles moved with his smile and how his tenor voice had low baritone notes when he was talking only to her.
She closed her eyes and saw that thick head of mahogany hair between her legs.
It sent goose bumps scattering along her body as the masseuse ran her hands over her back.
Kallie tipped the masseuse and ate the beautiful lunch the chef had made. Lemon-basil salmon with garlic vegetables and homemade bread to eat by the slice or the slab. She stuffed herself full before heading back to her room, succumbing to an island nap as the breeze filtered through her window.
And still, the bartender kept popping up in her mind.
His pouty lips kissing hers. His large hands running the length of her body. His lips pressing into her neck. She saw herself straddling him in the hot tub underneath the stars and moaning into her pillow as he took her from behind. She saw him eating food off her body before eating her for dessert, and she woke up panting as sweat permeated her brow.
“I’m not that kind of girl,” she whispered to herself.
But her ringing cell phone pierced through the haze of her nasty thoughts.
“Hello?” she asked.
“Girl, are you asleep?” Eris asked.
“Taking a nap, yes.”
“Well get up and talk to me about how your first day on the island is going.”
Kallie looked outside and saw that night was falling and she gasped.
“I can’t believe I slept the day away.”
“What?” Eris asked. “You mean to tell me you did nothing but sleep?”
“No, no, no. I mean, yes. Today, yes. I did. Apparently. But I had a massage and ate the most decadent lunch I’ve ever had.”
“Have you even left the villa?”
“Briefly.”
“What did you go to?”
“I got a drink at the beachside cabana they have here,” she said.
