Chapter 18
eighteen
WEST
I’ve had a headache all afternoon. Hell, all morning too. It started right around the moment Eden decided to carjack the Aston Martin and go all Bonnie-and-Clyde on me, with Bennett as her partner in crime.
It doesn’t help that these spreadsheets are blurring in front of my eyes because I’ve been staring at them for so long. This morning it was a supply problem, caused by a cashflow problem, caused by Vin being a dick problem. All of which are a pain in my damn ass.
I know why Vin is causing problems. He wants me to cave on the casino idea.
Or casino lite, whatever he calls it. I won’t do it, but in the meantime, I’ve managed to wrangle another line of credit for a couple of weeks.
But we’re skating on thin ice now. One more big bill and the account will be drained. Bone dry.
I rub my temples, glaring at my silent phone. Vin still hasn’t returned any of my calls or answered my messages. I need this fixed before Hudson or Parker catch even a whiff that money’s getting tight. I promised them this resort would run smoothly.
And I don’t break my promises.
My phone lights up, and I grab it, pulse kicking, only to groan when it’s not Vin. Or Eden. It’s Autumn, of all people, and I’m two seconds from ignoring it. Then I notice there’s an image attached.
I tap the thumbnail and the photo fills the screen.
It’s Eden. Standing on the beach.
It is taken from behind, but there is no mistaking it’s her. The bikini is basically two black strings and a prayer. Her hair is damp, curling over her shoulders, her skin turned golden by the late-afternoon sun.
My pulse hits hard. A low, sharp ache, settles in my chest.
Standing next to her, too damn close next to her, is Bennett. He’s facing Eden, grinning like an idiot and holding two iced coffees like he’s auditioning for a romcom nobody asked for.
My jaw locks. Where the hell did she even get that bikini? Was it tucked in her closet with the rest of the things I bought her?
I make a mental note to fire my personal shopper.
Before I can zoom in on the curves my hands still remember from last night, another message from Autumn pops up under the photo.
This is the guy from last night, right? Who is he? Does my sister have a secret boyfriend? – Autumn
My jaw tightens until my teeth ache. No, my wife does not have a boyfriend.
But I don’t type that. Instead I swipe out of the message thread and jab at Vin’s contact, looking for somebody to take my annoyance out on.
He finally picks up on the fourth ring.
“West,” he says, like we are old buddies catching up and he hasn’t been ignoring me for the past few hours. “I was just about to call you.”
“Sure you were,” I say flatly. “The next disbursement of money hasn’t arrived. Did you know?”
“Hey, we had a little snafu,” he says, far too casually. “The money should be with you first thing tomorrow.” A beat passes before he clears his throat. “Of course, it’s contingent on Bennett’s internship. And us agreeing on the casino terms.”
My grip on the phone tightens. “You mean the one I already told you has no place at in this resort.”
“It’s just a small gaming room, West. Purely supplemental income.”
I bite back a laugh that has zero humor in it. “Supplemental income that cheapens the brand and drives out the families I’m building this place for. If you want to run a strip-mall casino, do it somewhere else. Not here.”
“You’ve got to be flexible,” Vin says. “If you want my investment, you need to think like me. And right now, Bennett’s placement and the casino proposal are non-negotiable.”
I stare at the columns of numbers still glowing on my laptop. Negative signs everywhere.
My temple throbs. “You made a commitment. That payment should have cleared days ago.”
“And it will. As soon as we’re on the same page.”
The word lands like a slap.
“None of this was part of the original agreement,” I tell him. “You can’t keep changing the terms as you see fit.”
His voice softens. Like he knows I’m going to cave in.
“Look, I know it’s a lot, asking you to have Bennett with you while you’re working hard on the resort, and seeing as you’re a newlywed.
But I really need this. I need him out of the way.
He’s just a kid. I’ve made some mistakes with him and his mom and…
” Vin lets out a sigh, and I realize he’s almost certainly on edge too.
Join the club, man.
“It’s fine. He can stay.” Googly eyes for my wife aside, he’s the least of my worries.
“Good.” Vin nods. “And the casino?”
“I’ll read the proposal. No promises. And I need the payment not to be contingent on that or the agreement’s off.”
“Fair enough,” Vin says, like he can sense I’m about to explode. “I’ll make sure the transfer’s processed today.”
“Thank you.” I end the call before I say something I can’t take back. I should never have gotten involved with him.
There was no other way, I tell myself. But I still regret it.
The office is silent except for the low hum of the AC and the hammering in my head. My phone screen has gone dark, but the image is still burned across it. Eden in strings and sunlight, Bennett looking like he’s on the set of a summer romance movie.
A slow heat spreads through my chest, part annoyance, part something darker. I should stay here and finish fixing this resort mess, but I’m already on my feet.
I might have invoices to pay and a resort plan that’s crumbling at my feet, but first I have a wife to see.
And to remind her that she’s mine.
Music is blasting out from my Bang & Olufsen 90s as I walk through the front door, the bass making the hallway shake like a kid on a sugar high.
But it’s the off-key caterwauling coming from the kitchen that makes me stop.
I don’t call out. There’s no point – they wouldn’t hear me over the chorus of ‘Cruel Summer.’
And from the sound of it, Bennett’s doing the lead, singing about being drunk in the back of a car, while Eden laughs into the harmony, the two of them completely oblivious to me.
I step into the kitchen right as Bennett reaches the crescendo and my stomach tightens like somebody’s punched me straight in the gut.
Eden’s next to the counter, barefoot, her hair damp and curling over her shoulders. Her cut offs are frayed too high on her thighs, and the bikini top she’s still wearing barely covers the swell of her perfectly tanned breasts.
She’s got a lime in one hand, a cocktail shaker in the other, and she’s shimmying along like she’s got a front row seat at The Eras Tour. The sun slanting in behind her is making her skin glow.
Bennett’s next to her in a pair of swim trunks that look suspiciously like a pair I own, leaning in close to pour a shot or two of tequila into the shaker like they’re co-hosting some beach cocktail vlog. His bare arm brushes hers every time he moves.
Then she spots me and her whole face lights up.
“You’re home early.” She puts the lime down, and grins at me. “We’re making margaritas. Want one?”
I unknot my tie, wrapping it around my hand to coil it, then unfasten the buttons on my sleeves and roll them up. They’ve opened the glass doors at the back of the kitchen and there’s a breeze blowing up from the ocean. “No thank you.” I lift a brow at her. “How’s my car?”
She has the good grace to look sheepish. “In one piece.”
“We took good care of it, sir,” Bennett says.
I look at her, at those perfect curves and that smile that could slay me if I let it. “Come here.” I know I’m being an ass. The grumpy old guy walking in on the kids having fun. But it’s been a hard day.
Her eyes flick to Bennett. Good. Let him see exactly where she belongs. And who she belongs to.
Eden walks toward me in three slow steps. Her hips sway and her gaze doesn’t leave mine.
Good. I don’t want it to.
When she’s close enough, I curl my hand around her waist and pull her the rest of the way. The scent of saltwater and lime hits me first, then the warmth of her soft skin against my palm.
Her lips part as her body hits mine, and it takes everything I have not to throw her over my shoulder and carry her to bed.
But instead, I press a kiss to her mouth. It’s not soft, it’s not friendly. It’s hard and possessive, and it sends a shot of desire straight through me.
Instead of pulling away, of calling me a bastard, she hums softly against my mouth. I kiss her again, slower this time, just to feel her some more.
When I pull back, she’s actually smiling, like I’m not some caveman fighting a hard-on.
“Hi,” she murmurs, sounding breathless.
“Hi.” My thumb brushes along her jaw. “Tell me about your day.”
I don’t let go of her, I don’t step back. The feeling of her against me is too damn perfect to willingly move away from.
“It was good. After we spoke to you, we went to Brewed Awakenings and I introduced Bennett to Mylene.”
“Not to be confused with Eileen,” Bennett pipes up. I’d almost forgotten he was there. And now I’m picturing the two of them leaning on the coffee shop counter like they are the couple.
“Nice.” I kiss her again. Softer still. Her lips curl even more. “What else?”
“We bought steaks for dinner. And a vegan burger for me. I thought we could use the grill.”
“Sounds good.” My hand drifts down her back, the mix of sun-warmed skin and lotion making it too easy to keep going.
When I reach the hem of her shorts, I hook my fingers under the denim.
Just enough to make her suck in a breath.
Just enough to remind her who she’s standing in front of. She still doesn’t move away.
“Oh, and we went to the bookstore. I found some new romance books to read, and Bennett bought some crime novels.”
I let out a huff of a laugh. Figures.
“And I bought you a book, too,” she tells me. Her smile shifts, softer now, like she’s been saving this part for last.
“You did?” My throat suddenly feels thick. “What is it?”
“I’ll go grab it for you. Just a sec,” she says, pulling away like she’s as reluctant as I am to let her go. “I put it on your nightstand, in case you wanted to read it before bed.”
As she disappears upstairs, Bennett starts shaking the margaritas and says, “She’s great, isn’t she?”
I take a long moment, my eyes still locked on where Eden was last, then I look at him.
“Yes,” I say finally, my voice low – or as low as it can get when I have to practically shout over Taylor. “That’s why I married her.”
“Well you’re a lucky man.” He grins, completely unfazed, like we’re talking about the weather instead of reminding him who Eden belongs to.
I pick up the tie I took off and start winding it through my fingers again, just to do something other than want to punch his face. The kid hasn’t done anything, I know that. It’s just my foul mood that’s poisoning everything here.
I set my tie on the counter and lean one elbow beside the cutting board. “I spoke to your uncle today.”
That gets his attention. The shaker stills in his hands.
“He’s expecting you to pull your weight here. Which means tomorrow, you’re coming to the resort with me.”
“Oh, okay, sure. Great. That’s great.”
Christ, he’s so enthusiastic. It’s like trying to stay annoyed with a happy golden retriever.
My jaw eases a little, the fight draining out of me.
Maybe keeping him close won’t be the worst thing in the world.
Apart from the larceny, the flirting with my wife, and the terrible Taylor Swift impression, he seems like a good kid.
Before I can say more, Eden’s back, holding a small paper bag from the bookstore. She pulls out a hardcover wrapped in tissue.
“You don’t have to read it,” she says, handing it over. “And if you hate it, Sadie says you can swap it for something else.”
I tear off the paper, and I blink when I see the title. Walt Disney: An American Original.
For a moment, I forget Bennett’s still here. Forget the music. Forget the mess. All I can think about is the kid I used to be, the one who believed magic kingdoms were real and that love was something that could be given to him easily. Before he learned better.
“I remembered you saying you loved going to Disneyland as a kid,” Eden says quickly. “It’s probably stupid or you’ve already read it…”
“No,” I say gruffly, “it’s perfect.”
I turn so she can’t see my face. I have no idea why my chest feels so tight. Or why my throat feels like it’s being scraped by a thousand knives.
I clear my throat and force my voice back neutral. “Thanks.”
Before she can look too closely at my face, I tuck the book under my arm. “I’ve got a couple of things to finish up before work tomorrow, so I’ll be in my office.”
Her smile wavers, just a little, but she nods. “Okay. We’ll bring you a margarita when they’re ready.”
I nod, forcing a brief smile onto my lips, then walk down the hallway, needing space. Needing air.
Needing to get my thoughts straight before I do something stupid. Like tell her how I can’t get her out of my damn head.