44. Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Three
Riley
Another empty tossed into the sand by the base of the tree, and another uncapped bottle of beer is in my hand a second later. It’s almost like a regular vacation.
The sun is shining, I’m outside relaxing.
If my server wasn’t our palest bandmate wearing one of my t-shirts, I could almost imagine I was sitting on the beach at Golden Sands.
I take off my sliders and let my toes push into the sand.
As long as we’re stranded, I might as well get comfortable.
“Where the fuck are my shades?” I ask Trick, since he’s my not-so-lovely assistant today.
He gives me a blank look. “Uh, your what?”
“My sunglasses. My shades.”
“Oh. Uh. I think you put them in your pocket. Left leg, the cargo pocket.”
I check, and what do you know, he’s right.
“Great,” I murmur, as I take them out and put them on.
That’s one less thing to think about.
I look up as Kian comes wandering out of the trees to our left, kicking at the sand as he meanders toward us, expression empty.
Huh. I guess that reporter told him to get bent or something.
I hold back a snort as he flops down near the coolers.
“What happened?” Trick asks, suddenly more alert. “Where’s Sapphire?”
Kian picks a beer out of the cooler and uncaps it.
I lift my sunglasses, just to make sure he’s taking one of his stupid fruity beers.
It’s definitely a pink-tinted bottle. Good. I put the shades back in place.
He frowns back at me.
“Kian!” Trick complains, slapping his arm. “Sapphire?”
Ki almost drops his gross drink, fingers slipping and barely catching back hold of the bottle in time. The contents slosh and a drop slings out and hits the sand at his feet.
He rubs the bottle on the side of his pants, clearing the condensation while he frowns back at Trick. “Thanks for that.”
“Sorry,” Trick grumbles.
Kian sighs as he lifts the bottle back up, holding it more securely now.
“Sapphire’s resting in the jet. She was … tired.”
“Let me guess, she got tired of listening to you talk about yourself?” I tease.
Ironically, he made it sound like the brag of a guy who just got laid.
But Kian isn’t the kind to brag about sexcapades, and even if he was, he sounds about one last mental push away from finding a cliff and yeeting his miserable face into some rocks.
He doesn’t even bother to glower at me for my comment.
Yeah. He’s clearly depressed.
“Tired?” Trick asks, sounding confused. “You weren’t even gone that long. She seemed fine before you two left.”
Kian sighs. “Yeah, well, the heat got to her.”
Clearly, he doesn’t want to tell anyone what happened, since he struck out.
Unfortunately, Trick is about as oblivious as he is blind when it comes to women.
“Could it be heatstroke? Does she need anything?” He looks ready to go find her whatever Kian tells him that woman needs.
“It’s not that serious. Xane’s there so he can get her anything she needs. She’s only taking a nap in the jet.” He shrugs and starts drinking his beer.
“Okay,” Trick mumbles, relaxing again. “As long as she’s all good.”
Geez. The two of them are acting like she’s the only woman left on earth.
She might be the only one on this island, but we’re not going to stay here for the rest of our lives.
“Calm down,” I mutter. “She’s just a skirt.”
I take a long gulp of beer and when I lower the bottle they’re both staring at me like I’m the asshole. I roll my eyes before Kian even opens his mouth.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
That makes me laugh. “I think I know a little bit more about women than either of you two.”
“You mean you know groupies,” Kian mutters. “Sapphire’s different.”
“No. That’s where you’re going wrong. All women are the same. You just don’t know that because you’ve barely been with anyone.”
The gasp that comes out of Kian is typical.
He hates when I try to tell him how things are.
Even when he knows I’m right.
“What the fuck, Riley?” Trick blurts.
“I’m just being honest. She’s not worth it.”
They’re all trouble, and this one is already causing grief between two brothers in our small pack.
That kind of hassle isn’t worth it. If life has taught me anything, it’s that a female who causes drama is never a good idea for a potential hook-up, girlfriend, wife or situationship.
“Shut up and drink your beer,” Kian mutters.
“You want me to get drunk?” I ask, laughing. “My unsolicited advice doesn’t get any less blunt when I’m hammered.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Kian says. “I’ll make sure I’m listening when we’re dragging your screaming ass into the jet later tonight.”
It’s an empty threat and I know it.
“Fuck off. I’m not going back into that fucking death-trap.”
“Not conscious, you’re not,” Trick tells me, piling on now. “Drink up.”
He picks another bottle out of the cooler and shakes it at me.
I raise an eyebrow. Even through my shades I can see the pink tint.
“Shake it harder, it’s one of his.” I nod at Kian.
“Oh … Oops.”
He puts it back quickly, dropping it into the cooler.
“Trick …” Kian sighs. “That bottle’s a time bomb now.”
Trick picks up another, while he flashes an apologetic glance at Ki.
I laugh as I reach over and grab the next bottle Trick picks up, ready to shake.
“You two are idiots. I’m not sitting around with a couple of fucking idiots all day.”
I get up and finish my first beer, before I set the bottle down with the other empties.
I take a step toward them and Kian jumps back.
“What the …” he starts.
I pick the last couple of fruity beers out of the cooler and toss them onto the sand.
Then, I put mine inside the cooler and pick the whole thing up.
“Oh,” Trick murmurs.
“Yeah,” I say, as I back up.
I walk the cooler down the beach, until I’m far enough away that I don’t have to hear them talking about the reporter. I don’t know what the fuck’s gotten into those idiots.
It’s like they both hit puberty at the same time, in their mid-twenties.
At least I know Xane’s not sitting in the jet mooning over her like they are.
Pretty women are a dime a dozen.
We all know that, doing what we do.
I mean, not Trick, but Kian’s always been a bit like an Omega.
He’s probably soaking up whatever Trick’s feeling, that’s all.
I don’t blame him for finally getting the hots for a pretty blonde.
I just wish he hadn’t picked her.