Playboy in Paradise: The Complete Set Page 10

  “What has you in such a good mood?” Zach asks him.

  “More like who’s got you in such a good mood?” I correct Zach’s innocent assumption.

  “Who says a girl is involved when it comes to my good moods?” Murphy puts his hand on his chest like he’s offended. “Maybe I’m just happy to hang with my braddahs.”

  “Whatever,” I grumble.

  “What’s with him?” Murphy asks, knowing my mood is not typical.

  Zach glances at me then looks at Murphy, and not so subtly signals to the bar with his head. Both Murphy and I follow the signal and there she is—Mallory. She quickly turns her back and lowers down as if looking for something.

  “See something you like, guys?” Sunny asks, pulling all of our attention to her. She looks over her shoulder, letting us know we’re busted.

  Zach sits up straight, clasps his hands on the table, and says, “Hi, Sunny. How are you today?”

  She smiles and in that smile I see … hmmm … maybe like. Yep, she likes him. Sunny isn’t the type to flirt for tips. I may not know her well, but I know she’s genuine in her affections. I chuckle at the scene playing out before me—both of them too nervous to push this surface relationship any further in fear of rejection. They’re so sweet it makes my teeth hurt.

  Turning back to the bar, my eyes meet Mallory’s. My heart tightens like a hand is squeezing the life out of me. Despite my discomfort, I stare at her as pink covers her cheeks and she hurries into the kitchen.

  It’s time to face reality. I can’t stop thinking about her. The girl has gotten to me. I don’t know how, but what I do know is if she asked me to give up all the vices I love the most, I would do it. If she asked me to make love to her on this bar right now, I would definitely do it. But what scares me the most is, if she asked me to be in a relationship with her, I would do it and I don’t do relationships. I don’t know why this girl makes me feel this way and I don’t like it, but I’m coming to terms that these feelings are too strong to deny anymore.

  She returns from the kitchen and the grip on my heart loosens, providing some relief. Stealing a few seconds to stare, I take her in. Her long brown hair draws all the attention to her large and bright green eyes. Her outer beauty might have been what drew me to her, but it’s her brain that keeps me fixated. She’s too good for me. I drop my head down lost in this self-deprecating thought.

  “Evan … E?”

  A punch to my upper arm brings me back to the present. I look at Murphy annoyed he hit my arm. “Why’d you—”

  “Would you like to order something?” Sunny asks, smiling and waiting for me to answer.

  My eyes flash to Mallory once more. The way she looks at me is unsettling. It’s like she sees the real me, sees beneath the image I hide behind. My chest tightens again, and I quickly look back at Sunny. “Cheeseburger, fries, and a soda please.”

  As soon as Sunny walks away, Murphy leans forward and whispers, “Dude, you really need to get a grip. She’s just another girl. Hit it and let’s get on with our summer.” Though rationally I know he doesn’t mean to insult Mallory, everything about his suggestion is all wrong.

  I bite back. “She’s too good to be treated like a whore, so don’t talk about her like she is one. Ever!”

  Zach laughs so hard his head goes back. I hit him on the arm pissed because I know he sees right through me. The room is closing in on my little charade, and I don’t like it.

  “Don’t stand up or anything, guys!” Kate says, sitting down next to Murphy. “I guess manners don’t matter in Hawaii.”

  “Sorry, Kate,” Murphy says, checking her out, his voice clear of his usual obnoxiousness.

  Looking between Kate and Murphy, I sense something different, a shift in their behavior. I know he’s smart enough not to mess around with my sister, so I’m going to let that too-friendly of an exchange go … this time.

  I’m frustrated and I know it’s because I’m losing control of my own reactions to the girl currently cleaning the bar. Feeling the heat from my sister’s glare, I look up. “What?” I snap.

  “Oh, nothing,” she says, shrugging and looking over her shoulder.

  When Sunny sets our drinks on the table she starts chatting with Kate. I block their noise out, but then I hear Kate say, “No, thank you. I’ll order from the bar.” As soon as she gets up from the table, I stand, not liking the looks of this at all.

  14

  Mallory

  The blonde leaves their table and sashays toward me with a self-righteous smile plastered on her face. Taking a deep breath, anticipating the worst, my defenses go up. This girl is on a mission and heading straight for me. I’ve never been in a physical altercation before and I really don’t want to start now, but she looks kind of mean. I’m just hoping she’s not Evan’s girlfriend—at least not this week’s girlfriend.

  Stopping right in front of me, hazel eyes narrowed and hands on her hips, she says, “So, you’re the one that’s got my brother all in a tizzy.”

  Sunny races over with a nervous smile on her face as if she’s here to rescue me. Although I’m uncomfortable, I smile at the ridiculously beautiful blonde, tilt my head, and lean forward. “Who’s your brother?”

  “This is Kate, Evan’s sister,” Sunny replies.

  When Kate smiles, it reveals her confidence and is more compassionate than I expected. Looking over her shoulder, I lock eyes with Evan who is standing up for a better view and looking quite worried. There’s no trace of his usual cocky smirk in sight.

  “Yeah, so, it’s Mallory, right?”

  I turn back to blondie. “Yes.”

  She leans closer, lowers her voice, and says, “Any girl that can knock my little brother off his high horse deserves some respect.”

  “I didn’t do anything to Ev—”

  “Mallory barely knows him,” Sunny adds.

  Kate looks at Sunny and furrows her brow then slowly turns back to me. “Is that so?”

  By the insinuation in her tone, she knows more about my brief history with Evan than I’m ready to discuss. I decide to remain silent because anything I say might be used against me. I’m also embarrassed that this is playing out in front of Sunny since I haven’t told her about my tryst with Evan yet. Fortunately, I’m saved by the bell—the food’s ready. Sunny leaves to deliver their order.

  Both Kate and I watch her stride over to their table, precariously balancing the food on a tray.

  Kate crosses her arms over her chest and cocks an eyebrow up at me. “She doesn’t know about you and Evan?”

  “No, it hasn’t come up in conversation. Believe it or not, I don’t even think about the time I spent with your brother and I know he doesn’t think about me, so it doesn’t matter anyway.”

  She smirks and it’s unsettling in its familiarity. “I think you’re thinking about him more than you’re letting on, new girl.”

  Anger burns inside as I feel my embarrassment over falling for Evan’s smooth lines and hard abs. “No offense, Kate, but your brother is an asshole.”

  She bursts out laughing. After catching her breath, she says, “Mallory, I think we’re gonna be good friends.”

  “I’m confused. Yesterday, he was renting porn with two sluts. Today, you, his sister, wants to be my friend. Yeah, so a little confusing, don’t you think?”

  “You’re different. I can tell. You’ve got a brain, first of all,” she says with a smile. “You seem cool and if I’m being direct, which I always am, Evan had some nice and interesting things to say about you.” She stands up and rests her hand on the bar. “When’s your next day off?”

  I’m too stunned to respond. This is the absolute craziest conversation I’ve had in a while and naturally it’s with another Ashford. I’m so fascinated by her that I reply, “Friday.”

  “Great.” She looks at Sunny, who has returned. “Are you off on Friday, too? Mallory and I are going to get together.”

  Sunny is puzzled, her expression mimicking exactly how I feel. “I
can switch shifts with Johnny. I’m sure he won’t mind.”

  “Perfect! I’ll make plans.” Kate pulls her phone out and I give her my number.

  When she walks back to the table, I see Evan looking at me out of the corner of his eye. Kate sits down, and he immediately leans forward and starts to whisper. He seems angry. Kate laughs and pats him on the shoulder, blowing him off and turning her attention to Murphy.

  Evan stands abruptly and stalks straight to me. My breathing stops in stunned anticipation of the inevitable confrontation. Before the movie store run-in, we hadn’t spoken since I told him to leave almost two weeks ago. Acid fills my stomach as the hurt and anger come flooding back, and it pisses me off that even with the incident yesterday fresh on my mind, I’ve actually missed him. His looks didn’t change to me. I thought my anger toward him, the hate I was feeling, would make him uglier to me, but it hasn’t. He’s beautiful, still too beautiful for his own good.

  “We need to talk,” he says, placing his hands on the edge of the bar as if he needs the support. “When’s your break?”

  Sunny gives me an ‘uh-oh’ look then disappears into the kitchen.

  “Evan, you can go—”

  “Mallory, are you ready to go?” Noah asks, interrupting. Both Evan and I both turn in his direction, neither of us noticing his arrival.

  “Ashford,” Noah says with a nod. His voice is laced with detest, but he’s still polite enough to acknowledge Evan’s presence.

  Evan returns an equally distasteful response. “Noah.” When he turns back to me, his expression is pained. Without another word, he turns and walks back to his table. After yesterday and now this lame interaction, I don’t know how I feel about his mood swings or anything else having to do with him.

  Noah says something, but I miss it.

  “Um, sorry, what?”

  He smiles, and says, “I was just asking if you were ready to go.”

  I glance over at Evan one last time. Though he’s scowling, his eyes seem to plead with mine. Taking a deep breath, I reply, “My shift’s over. Sunny, we’re gonna cruise now.”

  She hugs me, and whispers, “Are you sure, Mal? This whole situation is heavy, like you’re making a choice right now.”

  “I’m positive.” I can be stubborn and mysterious too. I don’t need Evan Ashford, and refuse to give him anymore of myself than he already got.

  As I walk out with Noah, I feel a pull at my back. Sneaking one more peek backwards at Evan, I have to stop to catch my breath as my heart races. I quickly remind myself that he just had a threesome yesterday. He’s not interested in me. Get that through your head, Mallory! With those thoughts swimming in my head, I catch up with Noah.

  We drive Sunny’s bus to his parents’ house where he works on cars out in the back. The weight of Evan hangs over us, but we remain quiet on the subject. As he works on the car, I resume the spot that I’ve become familiar with over the last two weeks—a tree stump I use as a stool. I’m comfortable here. It’s easy with no expectations, just friends.

  He scrubs at the rust. “I have a competition out on the south shore in a few weeks. Maybe you can stop by and I don’t know … cheer me on or something.”

  “Those have big waves this time of year, right?”

  “The waves are bigger in the winter. We’re hoping for seven feet, but I bet it’s only about five at best.” He looks up with a wide grin, his dimples deeper than usual, his enthusiasm contagious. “You think you’ll come out?”

  “Of course. I’d like that.” Looking around, I see an old, tropical wreath on the back door of the house. This feminine touch makes me wonder why he never mentions his family. “You never talk about your family.”

  “Because I’m surrounded by them all the time. It gets really old. It’s nice to have the break.”

  “You live with your cousins, but you work out in this shed?”

  “Yeah, my parents set this up for me in high school when I took auto shop. I’ve customized all of their cars.”

  “Do you have a large family?”

  He laughs hard. “That’s an understatement. Sometimes I wonder who I’m not related to in Hawaii.” He chuckles again. “It’s hard to get away with stuff when everyone knows your family.”

  “I’ve wanted to ask you about that—”

  “Here it comes, the island gossips have been talking. What’d they say?”

  “Confession time. What’d you do to land such a bad boy reputation?”

  “Don’t believe everything you hear, Mallory.”

  “I don’t. But, usually there’s some truth down deep in the gossip.”

  He tells me about his rebellious years and how he started getting into trouble around thirteen and by fifteen he was hanging out with some kids that were wild like him. They would one up each other until his father caught them trying to steal a car. Noah’s jaw tenses as he stares out into the distance.

  “What is it?” I ask. “What happened after you were caught?”

  “My father said I couldn’t hang with ‘those troublemakers’ anymore. My cousins made up the rest of the gang, and he couldn’t forbid me to see them since our family is always together.”

  “So you weren’t allowed to see your friends? What happened to them?”

  He stands, pulling me up with him, and states, “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

  I notice the immediate change in his demeanor over the topic and decide it’s best not to push.

  “I think that’s the last of the rust. Next time I’ll start repainting this beauty. I should get you back. Sunny will be getting off work soon.”

  He holds the door open for me to climb into the VW. Before he shuts it, he says, “Monday night, remember?”

  “Of course, the bonfire Monday night. I didn’t forget.”

  15

  Mallory

  Friday is lunch with the girls. Kate, Sunny, and I sit at one of the most stunning hotels I’ve ever seen. The restaurant on the deck overlooks the turquoise water and the view is incredible.

  “I’m glad I came today. Thanks for the invite.” I smile at Kate though I can’t help the feeling that there’s more to this than just a girls’ day out.

  “No worries,” Kate replies, tossing her hair behind her shoulders. She leans forward conspiratorially. “And this is just the first part of our day. We’re going to take a surfing lesson later.”

  “Surfing, I’ve always wanted to try it, but it looks hard,” Sunny says, tapping her fingers anxiously on the table. “Is it safe?”

  “Isn’t there reef or coral down there that can hurt us if we fall?” I ask.

  “Don’t fall off and you’ll be fine. I’m sure the instructors will be happy to help hold you on the board.” Kate is confident in everything she says and does. I like her already.

  “Ladies, fancy meeting you here.” Zach walks up, smiling. Sunny grabs her soda and starts sucking. I put my hand on her forearm to calm her. He kneels down next to her and asks, “How are you today, Sunny?”

  She slurps the dregs of the soda. “I’m good.” Lowering her voice, she says, “How are you?”

  “Actually.” He pauses and takes a deep breath. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out on a date … with me … some time?”

  I feel like I’m eavesdropping, but this is happening at the table. Keeping my attention on the ocean, I try to give them as much privacy as I can while attempting to hide my smile. Kate doesn’t bother with a charade and just stares at them.

  “Yeah, I’d like that.” Sunny blushes and looks down.

  “Great! I’ll call you and we can set something up.”

  They are so cute that I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face. Sunny deserves a good guy and one who looks as good as Zach with his chiseled features and abs is just the cherry on top.

  Kate taps the table, directly all eyes on her. “Sooo, what exactly went down between you and Evan at the porn shop?”

  Shocked at her bold question, I say, �
�We weren’t at a porn shop.” My stomach twists at the mention of him, but I don’t have anything to be embarrassed about, so I tell her how I ran into Evan and those skanks at the video store. I also add my own editorial analysis for emphasis. “Just like everything else with him, it’s only about the mindless sex.”

  “Listen, Mallory,” Kate says, her voice is calm and her expression thoughtful. “I may not know you very well, but I know my brother. He can be difficult and confusing sometimes.” She laughs lightly to herself. “But he can also be kind, and loving, and he’s really fucking loyal. I don’t know what the story is between you two, and I can’t say I’m not more than a little curious. But, I need you to know that what you saw the other day, those girls, he didn’t do anything with them. He was with me at home.”

  “I saw him with the videos … and those girls, Kate. He most definitely had plans with them.” I grab my stomach at the memory as a pain shoots through my chest.

  Kate sits back. “I wasn’t there when you saw him, but I was right after and he dropped them off. I’m only telling you this because I know you’re not going to believe him. I can already see you shutting him out, but please believe me when I say this, he’s a better guy than you’re giving him credit for.”

  “This is exactly what I don’t understand. Why am I having this conversation with you and not him? Why won’t he talk to me? He won’t open up and just talk to me. It’s all games with him and I don’t want to play. I can admit that I was stupid. I did things that I thought I could handle and got burned when I couldn’t. I don’t blame him for that. But all the hurt, the emotions, those girls. I just can’t. I won’t put myself through that pain anymore.”

  “He’s been hurt in the past too and he’s now hurting over you. I know the past is not your problem, but it haunts him.”

  “Well this is news to me because I didn’t even know he liked me.”

  “Of course, he likes you.”