Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Sam
A very drives, and we fly down the dirt road, so quickly I know we’re going to be much earlier than I expected. He yammers on about one thing or another, but I’m barely listening. I manage an oh or dang in the right places to encourage him to go on, as I’ve learned to do in my years of working with people, and many, many years of listening to this particular man’s stories.
I can’t make my mind settle. I’ve got the same set of questions running through my mind on a loop.
Is she okay?
What is she doing here?
How long is she going to stay?
Is she going to want to do what we did again?
Is everyone going to find out what happened?
That last one is the kicker. If it wasn’t for our shared past, I would want her answer about doing it again to be a resounding yes. I would run to the top of the tower at The Sands and scream it for everyone to hear.
But that’s not the world we live in.
Here in the real world, I have a resort to run with a man who just threatened our entire staff to keep their hands off his sister. I know I have a bit more standing than any of those guys, but still. Ruining my working relationship with the man I interact with so closely and who holds my future in his hands is not my idea of a good time.
Even if it means giving up my shot at love?
I shake off the idea and lean my head back, eyes falling closed. She’s not my only shot. I know it’s been challenging to meet someone on this island, but it will happen.
All the other guys found their one and only.
I just have to wait for my turn.
If I can get through Naomi’s visit without getting my entire life smashed to pieces, I’ll get back on the hunt.
As predicted, we get to Saubry with enough time for Ave to hit the store first and still arrive at the dock before the boat.
“How about little Naomi coming to hide out on the island, huh?”
I turn to him, interest peaked. I forgot that there was information I wanted that could be gained from Loose Lips Avery. “What’s it all about? Dom didn’t really say much.”
He shrugs. “I don’t know the full story, but from what Fran told me, she runs some kind of lifestyle Instagram blog, and she did something that pissed off a lot of people. Now she has to take a break from posting because an angry mob jumps on her in the comments section every time. I guess she’s getting a lot of threatening emails which is why she wanted to head out of the city.”
I try to display an appropriate amount of shock and concern while inside, my brain is screaming. The idea of Naomi in danger has sent all my protective instincts into attack mode.
“Wow. That sounds scary,” I manage.
“Yeah. The internet is a terrifying place, man. It’s why I mostly stay away and let them talk about me how they will. Every time I’ve tried to get involved or jump in to offer the real story about something, it always goes sideways. I’ve learned that it’s best to just use this thing,” he pulls his brand new, top of the line iPhone from his pocket and wiggles it next to his face, “as a camera and an iPod. Oh, and a clock.” Glancing down at the screen, his eyebrows raise. “Speaking of which, they should be pulling in now.”
We hop out of the cart and walk down to the dock just as the water taxi is tying up. We stand amongst a group of people waiting for the same boat, everyone craning their necks to spot their person walking down the dock.
I don’t even need to search for mine. The second she steps off the boat, my eyes are drawn straight to her.
She’s wearing black linen shorts and a pink tank, her signature pink lips smiling at the worker helping her step onto the dock. Her long auburn curls flow freely down her back, captured by the breeze off the ocean. The curves of her body look amazing in her summer outfit, showing off just enough skin to test my self-control.
I lick my lips, remembering how she tasted. How her body felt in my hands.
Fucking hell.
None of that.
I’m going to be professional and casual. Cool and collected.
Self-preservation mode on.
“Look who it is. Little Nay-Nay.” Avery pushes to the front of the crowd to meet her as she steps off the dock into the sand. He snatches the bag from her hand before dragging her into a big brother hug. She pulls away laughing.
“How long has it been? A decade? More?” he asks .
“I was here for the opening, so yeah. About that.”
I watch them turn toward the luggage cart where Naomi points out her two large, pink suitcases. Avery tips the guy who gets them down and starts carrying them across the sand, looking pointedly for me.
I snap into action, stepping around the people I was doing a poor job of hiding behind, and walk forward to meet them.
Desire churns in my veins, even as apprehension takes my breath away. I don’t know what I’m going to say, I only pray it’s not completely stupid.
“Hey, Naomi.”
She turns to me with a big knowing smile before shaking her head and looking at her feet for a brief moment before meeting my gaze once more.
She gets it. I can see it in her emerald eyes. She’s going to spare me the guillotine.
“Hey, Sammy. Been a while.”
At first glance, she looks more or less the same as I remember her from the city. As I continue to search her gaze, however, I can see that something has changed. There’s a dullness where before I saw her spark. There’s hesitation instead of confidence.
Avery laughs and cracks me on the back. “Yeah, Sammy. Why don’t you help a guy out and grab one of these bags.”
I tear my eyes away from her and take the handle of the enormous rolling suitcase from Avery. It’s heavier than I expect, but I try not to let my surprise show. This is more than a simple vacation if she brought all this with her.
Naomi trails behind us, calling out answers to Avery’s casual questions.
Her flight was fine.
The boat ride was a little bumpy, but she had a good seat.
She’s excited to be on Faraday.
I listen to her making polite small talk and worry over her words. She’s saying all the right things, but something about her tone tells me all is not as okay as she’d like us to think.
I’m not sure how to ask any questions of my own, especially not with an audience. Whatever I say will come out sounding stupid—or completely inappropriate.
“Isn't that right, Sam?”
I shake myself back to the present moment as Avery tosses a question my way. “What's that?”
He raises his eyebrows at my out of character inattentiveness. “I was just telling Nay that she’s got a great room at the resort.”
I wouldn’t have phrased it exactly like that, but I answer, “Every room at the Sands is a great room.”
She laughs, loud and long. “Meaning my room sucks?”
I open my mouth to protest but she waves me off. “I’m joking. I know this was last minute. And it’s not like I was expecting the best room in the resort or anything.” She mimics my words from her apartment with her gaze pointedly on me.
I can feel her eyes boring into me, begging me to remember.
I bite my lip to hold back a grin. Naomi does the same.
I’m fucked.
“Oh, hey. There’s Tomás.” Avery rushes back through the crowd toward the dock, shouting his friend’s name.
Finally, I have the moment I wanted all along.
Don’t screw this up, Sam.
“I was surprised to hear you were coming,” I say.
“Sorry I didn’t text you or anything. I lost that little slip of paper with your number.”
I grimace. “Shoot. I should have gotten yours. What was I thinking?”
She smiles at my obvious discomfort. “You were thinking you needed to get the hell out of my apartment and never see me again.”
My mouth drops open in shock. “What? No. That's not what I was thinking. I was…''
I trail off, shaking my head.
I don’t have time for this. I need to get something said and this might be my only chance. “Dom held a meeting this morning where he threatened the life and livelihood of any man at the resort who laid a finger on you.”
Naomi rolls her eyes. “I guess he hasn’t changed much, huh? I was hoping love would soften him a bit.”
“It has, I think. In some ways.” I shake my head again. I can’t get derailed here. “Naomi, this resort?—”
“I get it, Sam. No telling anyone what happened.”
She mimes zipping her lips closed and my cock jumps in my shorts. I shift from foot to foot, trying to keep my gaze from locking on her sweet mouth.
What the hell is wrong with me.
“Thank you.”
I know there was more I wanted to say, more promises I wanted to extract from her, but I’m completely distracted by having her body so close to mine.
Avery appears suddenly behind her, a tall olive skinned man with dark hair following him. He inadvertently hits the back of Naomi’s legs with the rolling suitcase as he swings it up into the cart and she falls forward—straight into my arms.
We both laugh as Avery apologizes, but I can’t let go.
She gets her footing and tries to stand back up, but I hold her arms tightly, my body refusing to obey my mind.
I don’t want to be gentle.
I want to press her to her knees and make her beg.
My hands drop to my sides as the thought shoots through my brain, causing my cheeks to flush and my breath to catch.
Naomi watches the whole thing with a knowing smirk, shaking her head and smiling back at me as Avery helps her into the front seat of the cart.
I’m stuck in the back with photographer and YouTube star Tomás from Spain, listening to him recount his travels in an accent I know would make most women melt.
I want to be included in the conversation going on in the front seat where Avery has Naomi talking at length about something I can't quite grasp with this guy talking nonstop in my ear about transfers and gate changes.
When we finally pull up to The Sands, I’m irritable and sweaty. I put on my best host smile and help unload the luggage.
“Sam, you want to take Naomi up? I’m going to get Tomás checked in.”
Walk Naomi up to her room…alone? That’s the last thing in the world I need to be doing.But what comes out of my mouth?
“Sure.”
I snag the keys to 215 from the rack behind the counter and leave the guys there, pushing the cart I loaded with Naomi’s suitcases. “Looks like you’ll be staying for a while?”
She’s quiet behind me long enough that I glance back to make sure she’s still there. She’s following me with her eyes downcast. I can see the exhaustion in her whole demeanor, and I know it's more than the long day of travel.
We reach her door, and I lean against it, cocking my head at her. “Everything okay?”
She finally meets my eyes and gives me a shrug. “It will be.”
“What happened? Last time I saw you you seemed to be on top of the world.”
Another pointed look, this time with an eyebrow raise. If she’s surprised I brought up our meeting in Austin, she’s not the only one. “People are not always what they seem.”
It’s my turn to look surprised. “I guess that’s true, but?—”
“I don’t really want to get into what happened right now, okay?”
“Oh, of course. You must be exhausted.” I unlock the door and hold it open for her, following her inside with the cart.
“This room is fantastic,” she says, spinning in place in the center of the tiny living area.
I glance around the room myself, seeing it through her fresh eyes.
It may be one of the smallest rooms, and on the non-view side of the property, but it’s a cozy, well-designed space.
I picked out furniture that would be welcoming and easy to relax on, rather than the wicker and cushions that were here when we bought the place. This room has a teal corduroy loveseat-sized sofa with a small maple coffee table and matching end tables with seashell shaped lamps. A rattan screen partially hides the queen-size bed, where I know a seafoam duvet is waiting for her with towels twisted into some tropical creature shape by our creative housekeeping staff.
Not that I'm going over there myself to check.
I unload her bags and stand them next to the bar that separates the small kitchenette from the living area. “I guess I’ll leave you to it.”
“Let me give you my number,” she says, turning back from the sliding doors where she was examining the patio.
I’m tempted to say something about the room phone and how I can always get ahold of her that way if I need to. That would be the wise move here. But do I? No. I don’t.
I pat both of my pockets and come up empty. “I must have left my phone back in my office.”
Her mouth drops open in shock. “You don’t have your phone on you?”
I couldn’t have surprised her more if I dropped my shorts and did a little dance.
My heart beats a little faster at the thought.
I take a step closer to the door.
“I don’t always have it. I’m pretty easy to find if someone needs me.”
She’s looking at me like I’m a crazy person.
“You might find yourself leaving yours behind sometimes now that you’re here.”
The raised eyebrow she’s giving me lets me know that’s not likely.
She types in my number as I rattle it off. “I’ll just message you, and then you’ll have mine.”
“Okay.” An awkward silence ensues, and I take another step toward the door. “Well, I’ll see you around.”
“I’ll text you.”
I clench my jaw, unsure how to respond. I can’t have this woman texting me when my phone is laying somewhere anyone could see it.
I have to get that phone in my pocket…now.
With a nod and a smile, I close the door behind me and jog the one flight of stairs to my office. It takes me a few moments to find my phone under a stack of papers on my desk, and I feel relieved when I do.
The notification is waiting for me—a WhatsApp message from an unknown number. I collapse into my chair, already opening the screen to edit the contact. I type in Naomi but then pause. My finger hovers over the screen for far too long.
I backspace and type Natalie.
Tossing the thing back on my desk, I lean back in my chair and groan.
How has it come to this? Fake contact names and lies and pretending. I honestly feel like one of the guys right now.
And as much as I’ve tried to be like them over the years, it doesn’t feel as great as I always imagined.
My island life with its dream job and home I can call my own suddenly feels like a house of cards.
And Naomi is the wind.