Chapter Four
D ex woke to the sun shining through his bedroom window and it took a few minutes for him to place where he was. He’d heard about Asher Dare’s estate in the Bahamas from Ian and now he was experiencing it firsthand.
Last night, after the private plane had landed, a guy named Corey picked them up from the airport and drove them to the house which had been well-lit for their arrival. The housekeeper was waiting for them and she greeted Samantha with a warm hug and before he knew it, they’d both been offered a bowl of ice cream. Sensing Samantha needed alone time, he’d declined and allowed Corey to lead him to the bedroom where he’d be staying, and he crashed hard.
He braced a hand behind his head and thought back to the conversation he’d had with Samantha on the plane. How sad she’d looked when describing how she’d fallen into a relationship with the bastard who’d set her up and used her for her money. Dex knew a little about that, always being careful not to give the wrong signals to any woman he’d been with. But Samantha was more trusting and Jeremy, the asshole, had taken advantage of her trust.
Dex hoped Ian took care of her SOB ex because if not, Dex wouldn’t mind stepping up to protect her. He blinked hard, aware of how out of character that thought had been for any woman who wasn’t his sister. He was a lot of things, a playboy being one of them, or so Fallon liked to tell him, but he wasn’t someone to take advantage of a hurting woman on the rebound. No matter how attracted he was to her.
Even on the plane, with her eyes red-rimmed from crying, her face makeup-free, and her adorable freckles showing, Samantha had been beautiful. Enough for him to decide to go to sleep instead of sharing ice cream in the kitchen and exchanging more confidences. It didn’t help that as he’d turned in for the night, a sobering thought had hit him hard.
Samantha Dare just might be the one that got away.
The harsh ringing of his cell and the sight of Ian Dare’s name on the screen jerked him back to reality.
Resigned, he answered the phone. “Morning, Ian.”
“Are you ready to tell me what the hell you’re doing with my sister?” his former team owner and now friend asked.
Dex rolled his eyes but at the same time, he understood. “I’m taking care of her.” He’d already relayed the story of how he’d come across her outside the hotel, omitting the part about almost running her over, when he spoke to Ian yesterday on the plane. But he hadn’t given him much else, instead putting him off until now. But he did owe him an explanation. “Something I’d hope you’d do for my sister if the situation were reversed.” It never hurt to remind the other man when he was being a pompous jerk. Problem was, Ian liked his reputation as a hardass.
“You know I would take care of your family.” Ian paused. “But I want to kill that asshole. I never liked Jeremy Rollins and I told Samantha as much.”
“And how’d that go over?” Dex rose from the bed and paced the cold ceramic tile floor.
“Not well. Why do you ask?”
He glanced up at the huge white ceiling fan circling overhead, thinking about the best way to reply. Dex was determined to make things with Samantha’s family easier for her.
He hated seeing her so worked up and upset, worrying about what the people she loved would say when they knew the whole story. “Because your sister loves you and knows you’re going to freak out. About a lot of things. And as your friend, I’m suggesting you… go easy on her.”
“You’ve known Samantha all of how long? And you’re telling me how to deal with my sister?”
Knowing his friend, Dex counted to five in his head until Ian replied.
“You’ve got a point.”
Dex knew he did. “I’ll get her to call you later.”
“I’d appreciate that. She’s been dodging my calls and texts.”
“Because you’re leaving her I told you so messages!” a female voice called out from Ian’s side of the call.
“Hush, baby. Behave, will you?” Ian asked.
Dex chuckled. “I take it that’s Riley?” he asked of Ian’s wife.
“There’s no one else I’d call baby,” Ian said in a gruffer voice than before.
“I should hope not,” Riley said.
And then Dex thought she whispered something that made him cringe at overhearing their sexual banter. He remembered the days after Ian had met his future spouse. One look and there’d been nobody else for a man who’d never been in a relationship. Had never wanted one. At least Dex wondered whether or not he was cut out for one. There were lonely times at night when he thought about the future and pondered the notion of a family of his own.
Ian cleared his throat. “Back to Samantha. I’m trusting you not to take advantage of my sister when she’s vulnerable.”
Despite expecting the words, they pissed Dex off anyway and he had to swallow back a fuck you retort. As if Ian didn’t know him well enough to have faith in him.
“Don’t worry, I know how to treat women, Ian.” He let his annoyance show in his clipped tone. “I’ll have Samantha call you,” he said again, and cut their connection, tossing his phone onto the unmade bed.
Twenty minutes later, he’d unpacked the few things he’d brought with him, showered, dressed in swim trunks, and headed downstairs to see Samantha and find out her plans for the day. And whether or not they included him.
He walked into the kitchen and stopped short. Samantha was already downstairs wearing a white bikini that, as he stared at her curves, took his breath way. She was his ideal woman, her breasts barely more than a handful, her waist indented enough for him to hold, and that ass.
He held back a groan and tore his gaze from her delectable ass cheeks peeking from the bikini bottoms. Instead, he watched her movements. With her hair pulled up in a messy bun and her earbuds in, she flitted around the room singing a Taylor Swift song with words like begging for forgiveness belted a little too loudly. Apparently, she was listening to a breakup song. Pausing at the toaster, she shimmied her hips as she pulled out her bagel.
Time to get her attention, he thought, and cleared his throat. She didn’t turn, indicating the volume was turned up loud.
“Samantha?” he called out loudly.
No reply. Just another shimmy while she slathered her bagel with cream cheese.
Before his dick decided to make an appearance, something that would not be happening on this trip or around Samantha at any point in time, he walked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.
She shrieked and spun around, those indigo eyes of hers wide with surprise. “You scared me!” She plucked her earbuds out and placed them on the granite countertop.
“Sorry. I called your name but you were busy.”
A flush rose to her cheeks. “I was listening to breakup music.”
He nodded somberly. “I caught that with some of the lyrics you were singing.”
Her blush deepened. “Well, I’m trying to work out my anger.” She picked up the bagel and took a bite, her frustration showing with each chew.
“I take it you didn’t have a good night’s sleep?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Every time I closed my eyes I saw that bastard’s face.” Tears filled her eyes and his stomach twisted uncomfortably. He hated seeing her this upset.
Evidently, she ate with passion when she was hurting because she took another angry bite of her bagel, leaving cream cheese on her mouth.
Reaching out, he swiped his finger across her bottom lip, capturing the remnants of her breakfast.
Her eyes darkened at his touch and the cock he needed to keep in his bathing shorts twitched, reminding Dex it wasn’t happy to be confined. Knowing he was making matters worse, he put his finger in his mouth and licked off the cream cheese.
She let out a soft moan.
“Samantha, honey, you left your phone in the bathroom,” Maggie said, walking into the kitchen with a cell in her hand.
“I left it upstairs on purpose.”
As if on cue, it rang and Samantha stiffened, then turned back toward the counter.
“I’ll take it,” Dex said, and Maggie gave Samantha a soft look before handing him the phone. He silenced the device and shoved it into the back pocket of his trunks. “I’ll handle things,” he whispered to Maggie.
She nodded and quietly left the room.
Dex drew a deep breath and stepped closer to Samantha, placing what he hoped was calming hands on her shoulders and turned her toward him. He expected tear-stained eyes.
Instead, she was laughing, catching him off guard.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“My life is absurd! My family has been giving me the space I asked for… well, all except Ian, but Jeremy? He hasn’t stopped leaving messages, phone calls, and texts. As if I believe a) he’s sorry, b) I misunderstood what I heard, or c) we can start over again.” She shook her head and laughed. “As if… any one of those things were true.” Her voice rose to a higher pitch.
Unsure if she was happy, sad, or both, he sighed, knowing this was one of these female moods he wouldn’t understand. All he could do was try to keep her mind off yesterday and her ex-fiancé—after he gave her a message from her brother. But he took one look at her face, her mouth parted as if she was about to say something more, and decided Ian could wait.
Samantha came first. “Since you’re ready for the beach, how about if we take a walk?”
She raised her eyebrows. “A walk means we might talk some more, and I’ve had enough. No offense. What if we do something different?” She grabbed something from the chair and slid a short dress over her bathing suit, covering up her luscious body.
“Like what?”
“Parasailing.”
He raised an eyebrow. That was the last thing he’d expected her to say but he sensed she still needed to talk. To expunge the poison inside her caused by her ex. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll go parasailing if you’ll take that walk with me later on. A sunset walk.”
He’d give her the day to think and process and then see if she needed a shoulder to lean on. It was the least he could do for his friend’s sister.