by Rinelle Grey
The sun shone brightly, reflecting off the sand and almost blinding him. The water looked cool and inviting, and Hayrian thought longingly of the days when he’d had no responsibilities and could head out for a swim without having to find someone to take on his duties for the day.
“Welcome to Dragon Island Hideaway Resort,” he said to the elderly couple who walked down the gangplank, holding hands. “If you head over to the atrium, we’ll bring your luggage and give you the keys to your room.” He pointed down the pathway that lead to the large open area near the centre of the resort.
The couple smiled at him and moved off, and Hayrian turned to the next couple.
Most of them were couples. School holidays had just ended, and so those with families were back at school and work. It was time for adults, mostly honeymooners, to take over the resort. That made things a little easier at least.
The next pair coming down the gangplank caught his attention immediately, at least partly because they weren’t a couple, or at least, not a traditional one anyway. Hayrian eyed them, but the two stunning women weren’t holding hands, or even standing that close together. He was guessing they were friends.
Or maybe hoping was a better word.
One of the women flashed him a smile. Her blond curls bounced around her face, and her body angled towards him suggestively, confirming Hayrian’s guess.
Strangely, though, she wasn’t the one he was drawn to.
Her friend, who had reddish brown hair pulled back in a braid and a slightly brooding look on her face as she stared out towards the resort, caught his attention immediately. Perhaps because of the distress he could see on her face.
Hayrian tried to catch her eye, but she glanced past him, following the line of couples heading towards the atrium.
“Welcome to Dragon Island Hideaway Resort,” he said mechanically, trying not to stare.
Two single women, if his guess was correct, might just make the next few days interesting. Not that he really had time for that.
The woman with blond curls stepped forwards. “Hi, I’m Eliana, and this is Audrey,”
He returned her smile, trying to include her friend, though she certainly wasn’t smiling.
“I’m Hay…den.” For a moment, he’d nearly tripped up and given them his dragon name. That would have been unfortunate. He hadn’t made that mistake in years. What was up with him? He fumbled for something normal to say. “If you need anything, all you have to do is ask.”
Eliana opened her mouth as though she were about to ask for something right now, but the traffic on the gangplank was building up behind her, so before she could say anything, Hayrian said, “If you head over to the atrium, we’ll bring your luggage and give you the keys to your room.”
She stared at him for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully. “Come on, Audrey, let’s go.” And she ushered her friend towards the pathway.
Audrey looked a little like a lost kitten that Eliana was rescuing. Her responses were mechanical, and she looked like she’d rather be anywhere but here.
Hayrian found it difficult to turn his attention back to his next guests, a young couple who’d taken advantage of the pause to stop and kiss passionately in the middle of the gangplank. “Welcome to Dragon Island Hideaway Resort,” he said automatically.
But his mind was still on the sad looking woman. What was her story? What were they doing here?
For some reason, he wanted to soothe her, to tell her everything would be all right.
He must have been in the sun too long.
Chapter 2
Audrey followed Eliana up the pathway to the atrium. The beauty around her seemed at odds with the dull feeling in her heart. Waves lapped on the shore, wind rustled the palm branches, and the sun was pleasantly warm. It felt surreal.
She shouldn’t have come here, shouldn’t have let Eliana talk her into it.
It hadn’t even occurred to her that she would be surrounded by happy couples and people reminding her of all she’d lost. This was the worst possible thing she could have done.
But when she thought of the alternatives, she couldn’t help giving a shudder. Staying home, probably at her parents’ house or Eliana’s, searching for an apartment, not to mention a new job, all the while dealing with pity from everyone around her—that would have been worse.
Texting her parents from the airport had been bad enough. They’d wanted her to wait, to talk to them first. She couldn’t bear it. Not right now.
At least here no one knew her, or the embarrassment she’d suffered. Once they had the keys to their room, she could hole up in there and pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist, maybe try to recover a little. If that was possible. Somehow, she suspected that a week just wasn’t going to be long enough.
Eliana nudged her. “He was cute.”
“What?” Audrey turned to stare at her friend in disbelief.
“The welcome guy,” Eliana said, turning back around to stare. “He couldn’t stop staring at you.”
“I know who you were talking about,” Audrey said impatiently, trying to ignore the flutter in her heart at her friend’s words. She’d noticed the man, of course. She’d have to have been blind not to. Eliana’s description didn’t even do him justice. He’d been downright gorgeous with his sun-bleached hair and piercing blue eyes.
She’d seen the interest in them too, even though she’d pretended not to. She just didn’t want to deal with that right now. She wasn’t sure she ever wanted to deal with it again. Romance and love seemed like far too risky ventures. She shook her head at Eliana. “I don’t see how his looks are relevant.”
“Come on, Audrey. The best way to get over Mark is to prove that you couldn’t care less.”
Audrey wanted to be angry at her, to be rightfully indignant. But she knew that even though Eliana’s suggestion was completely inappropriate, it came from a place of caring. Eliana truly thought her suggestion would help. It was what she would do in the same situation.
“That isn’t what I came for,” she said patiently. “In fact, it’s the last thing I need right now. If I never saw another man again, I wouldn’t be in the least bit upset.”
And it was true.
She’d put her trust in Mark. She’d believed in him. She’d given him everything she had, and he’d thrown it back in her face. She was done.
“Not all guys are like Mark,” Eliana pointed out. “That guy might be really nice.”
Audrey shook her head. Eliana didn’t get it. She’d never had a long-term relationship and had no idea how devastating their ending could be. And it didn’t matter. “Well, how about you go out with him then?” Audrey suggested. That would keep her friend out of her hair. No matter how well meaning Eliana was, she clearly wasn’t going to be much help in Audrey’s current frame of mind.
Eliana considered the idea, her head on one side, then shook her head. “He’s not my type. Too clean cut.”
Audrey shook her head, but she couldn’t help grinning. She thought she had it bad? Eliana only ever seemed to go out with the bad boy type. They inevitably dumped her, but after a couple of days in tears, she always went looking for the next one.
Well, Audrey wasn’t going to follow that path. She had no intention of getting involved with another man who would hurt her. The trouble was, unlike Eliana, she hadn’t picked a bad boy. On the surface, Mark had seemed like the perfect partner—kind, caring, attentive. Yes, he’d been busy with work, but that wasn’t where the problem had come in.
The problem was, he’d been fooling her from the start. He hadn’t picked her for love, he’d picked her because he thought she fitted the image he was trying to project. He’d used her to further his political career, with no thoughts as to whether he hurt her feelings or not.
And if she had made it this far into their relationship without realising that, how was she supposed to avoid it in the future?
No, the only way to be sure would be to keep her distance from men altogether.
> It wasn’t like she needed a husband. She’d managed perfectly fine before she and Mark were together. She could look after herself.
Even if it was lonely.
She bit her lip. Clearly now wasn’t the right time to be thinking of this. She needed to give the pain time to dull before she could make a rational decision on her future.
Perhaps being here wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
They reached the atrium, and while they waited, Audrey picked up one of the brochures of the resorts activities from a rack in a vain attempt to stop any further helpful suggestions from Eliana. She’d paid very little attention to the activities offered at the resort when they’d booked it. She’d been expecting to divide her time between lounging on the beach with her new husband and hurrying him back to their room to be alone.
She grimaced at that thought. This certainly wasn’t what she’d planned. Oh, she’d probably still be spending most of the week in her room, but it would be a little quieter and more introspective than she’d originally intended.
“I can see that some of you have found the brochures.” Hayden, the gorgeous guy from the ferry, smiled directly at Audrey.
For some reason, her heart gave a little uneven beat for a second. Probably because she couldn’t help thinking of Eliana’s earlier suggestion. His interest was so plain even she couldn’t miss it, and she found herself trying to figure out how she’d react if he asked her out. Right now, she really didn’t want to think about that.
Luckily, he looked away just as quickly, focusing on the rest of the crowd, addressing them all. “There’s plenty to do here at the resort. If you want to book any of the activities, just see me.” He smiled widely.
“Your luggage will be delivered to your rooms, and I have your keys here.” He held out a big ring full of keys, and everyone stepped forwards in a hurry to get to their rooms and get settled in.
There was no point in rushing. Audrey hung back, waiting for some of the crowd to disperse, and Eliana seemed happy to do the same. Audrey showed her the brochure. “Is there anything here you want to do?” No point in both of them sitting in the room moping. Besides, she’d probably be a lot less agitated if Eliana wasn’t there the whole time.
Eliana glanced at it briefly, then shrugged. “You pick.”
Apparently her friend was missing the point. “I’m not in the mood for activities. I just thought you might be.”
That caught Eliana’s attention. She turned and frowned at Audrey. “You’re not going to sit in the room and mope all day, are you? That’s not going to help at all.”
That was exactly what Audrey had planned. Wasn’t that what any normal, sane person would do after a devastating shock like this? As if she could go out, lie around on the beach, and party like her entire life hadn’t just fallen apart. Audrey shook her head in disbelief.
Eliana wasn’t having any of it. “Oh no you don’t,” she said firmly. “We came here to have fun, and you’re going to have fun. Come on, Audrey, you’ve spent the last five years trailing around after Mark and having the most boring life ever. And you’ll probably do exactly the same thing when you get home again. Why don’t you take this chance to do something fun?”
Audrey stared at her. Didn’t she get it? Fun was the last thing on her mind.
“Do you want your keys?” Hayden’s warm voice drew her attention away from Eliana, and Audrey found herself blushing. How much of the conversation had he overheard? The last thing she needed right now was everyone here at the resort knowing she’d been betrayed and pitying her for it.
“Um, yeah, about that,” Eliana said, stepping forwards. “I was wondering if it would be possible to change rooms for a twin single? You see, my friend here,” she waved at Audrey, “was supposed to be on her honeymoon, but we caught the jerk kissing his assistant, so I’ve come to cheer her up, but totally not in any way that involves us sharing a bed.” She gave Hayden a big wink.
The mild blush Audrey had experienced earlier turned into a raging fire flaming across her cheeks. “Eliana,” she protested. Trust Eliana to share with the world. She had no concept of being circumspect. But Audrey couldn’t believe she’d picked this moment to tell the whole world about her humiliation. Audrey would have preferred to escape this holiday without mentioning Mark at all.
Hayden’s expression wasn’t one of pity, though. He just nodded, as though this happened every day. “Of course. I can organise that for you. Just give me a few minutes.” He hunted through the keys on the ring and picked out a different one. “I’ll come and move your luggage.”
“I’m sure we can manage,” Audrey said hurriedly. The sooner she could get away from him, the better. She gave Eliana an annoyed look. Didn’t her friend realise she’d come here to avoid having to talk about this with everyone? To try to pretend it didn’t happen?
Eliana seemed oblivious. “Thanks so much,” she gushed, taking Hayden’s arm and letting him lead her towards the rooms.
Audrey reluctantly followed. There was no way to get out of it without being rude, and it wasn’t the man’s fault Eliana was dragging him into this. She placed that blame firmly at Eliana’s door. Arguing would only prolong the situation. She’d let him move their luggage, then he’d go.
But Eliana didn’t let it go. “Audrey and I were looking for some fun activities to do while we’re was here, to take her mind of that jerk. Do you have any recommendations?”
Hayden glanced over at Audrey and raised an eyebrow, as if he suspected that wasn’t her idea.
Well he was perceptive at least. Polite too. He didn’t let on anything, just said smoothly, “My favourite activity the resort has to offer is jet skiing. The concentration it takes to hang on takes your mind off everything else, and it’ll make you tired enough to fall asleep at night without any problems.”
Eliana made a face. “Audrey would never do that. She freaks out if I drive ten k’s over the speed limit.”
For some reason, her words irritated Audrey. Eliana often teased her about playing things safe. As though it stopped Audrey from having fun. But she did plenty of fun things.
Trouble was, when she tried to think of one, she couldn’t.
Oh, she and Mark had gone out to dinner plenty of times, visited vineyards in the country and gone to wine tastings, attended plenty of formal parties. But had any of them actually been fun?
What did she even find fun? It was a shock to realise she wasn’t sure.
How had she come to this point? How had she put aside her whole life for Mark? Because she loved him? Was that really what love was?
“Well, maybe bushwalking…” Hayden started to say.
Audrey interrupted him. “Actually, jet skiing sounds like fun.”
Both Eliana and Hayden stared at her with equally astonished expressions.
But Audrey felt more and more certain of her decision with every moment that passed. Mark would have frowned on the activity as being a silly waste of time. In fact, he’d been backing a petition to further restrict jet skis because of the noise for people living in expensive homes along the foreshore.
Deciding to give it a go felt kind of like thumbing her nose at him.
It felt good.
Maybe even fun.
Maybe Eliana was right. Maybe getting out and enjoying herself was a good way to forget the pain.
Chapter 3
Hayrian checked over the lifejackets and scuba masks, trying to look busy. What was he doing here? What on earth had inspired him to offer to teach Audrey to jet ski? He had a thousand jobs that needed his attention, and one of the other rec officers could have easily handled showing the women how to start and ride one of the skis. There was absolutely no explanation for why he’d offered.
In fact, Ryan, the man whose exact job that was today, kept staring at him sideways, as though wondering if he was going to be in trouble for having something out of place.
It was five past nine, and there was no sign of Audrey or her friend. She’d probably
changed her mind. He was pretty sure she’d only agreed to the lesson because her friend had been teasing her.
And he didn’t blame her. If his future mate had cheated on him, he’d be hiding out and not talking to anyone either.
“Morning, sorry we’re late.”
Hayrian recognised Eliana’s cheerful, bubbly voice before he even turned around. He tried to ignore the leap of his heart, and stop himself searching behind her for Audrey too quickly. Instead, he gave Eliana an easy smile. “That’s no worries.”
She wore a little blue bikini that showed plenty of her trim body. She was beautiful, there was no doubt about that. And her eyes swept over him with an admiring glance. But for some reason, Hayrian was uninspired.
Instead, his eyes searched out Audrey, relieved to find she’d come as well. Her dark purple one piece, not to mention the white sarong tied around her waist, was far less revealing, but that didn’t do her a disservice. In fact, it just hinted at the curves that were underneath. Hayrian found himself drawing in a breath, and he forced himself to let it out.
He needed to let this go. She’d just found out the man she was going to marry had been cheating on her for goodness sake. This was supposed to have been her honeymoon. He was sure she had no interest in any kind of relationship right now.
He should just hand this over to Ryan and get on with his day.
But instead he said, “So, have either of you ridden a jet ski before?”
“Nope, never.” Eliana gave him a grin. “We’re jet ski virgins.”
Hayrian tried not to wince.
Audrey didn’t manage so well. “Eliana,” she protested, frowning.
Eliana seemed oblivious to her friend’s reaction.
“Do you need a hand?” Ryan offered.
Hayrian was about to decline. He had, after all, agreed to help them. But before he could, Eliana piped up, “Can you show me how to ride this thing? I’m sure Hayden can help Audrey. It may take a bit of coaxing. She’s very nervous.”
Audrey didn’t look nervous. In fact, she looked exasperated.
