I laughed behind my hand, did he really think she was crazy? Shocker, she’s quite normal.
I was alarmingly awake the entire ride. If I could open my eyes any wider, tape them open, soak up all of the sights, I would.
The SUV wound up a mountain road that looked more dirt than road.
It twisted around dense jungle.
Then it took a right where I thought we were ready to nose-dive off a cliff—and pulled into a hidden little boutique hotel.
I tried not to let my shock show.
I mean I was Ian Hunter’s sister, I’d seen nice things.
This was next level.
Like a tree house on the ground, like glamping, but better.
“Where are we?”
Colin answered, “I actually don’t own this one.” A wink. “It’s one of my father’s favorite places, welcome to the Belmond.”
Little lanterns lit up a gorgeous wooden trail, the white doors to the hotel opened, the smell of incense burned my nostrils, and I was handed a chilled glass of champagne. A warm breeze picked up, drawing my attention to the infinity pool and open-air lobby. Dark woods and splashes of color combined to create an overload for my eyes—everywhere I looked was beautiful.
“You like it?” Colin came up and stood beside me.
“I want to live here, right in this spot.”
“No alcohol or coffee allowed in this spot.”
I laughed. “Then I want you to build me a bar right here in this spot.”
“Done.” He said it like he was serious.
And for some reason I believed he’d do it.
Part of me believed that Colin would do anything I asked.
And not in a he’d-do-anything-to-get-sex way, but because he genuinely wanted others’ happiness above his own.
Like my happiness equaled his happiness.
I wanted to reach for his hand so badly my fingertips burned.
His eyes said Later.
I nodded.
“I’m so tired,” Vanessa said in a groggy voice. “Tell me our rooms are ready.”
The moment was quickly shattered when I remembered that I was here for a job.
I felt my face fall as Isla handed me a room key then rubbed my back like my dog died or something.
“Our schedule is a bit intense starting tonight,” Jessie said to the group then checked his watch. “In fact, I need to head out in an hour and meet with the rest of the board. The banquet isn’t until tonight, the hotel’s hosting, so it made sense to stay here, plus Colin knows his shit.”
Colin’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“Tomorrow we can explore a bit, and then I just have one more event after that, if that’s cool with you guys?” He looked eager to get out of the hotel.
Like his feet were itchy to get on with the charity work rather than sit at the pool.
Another thing I could respect.
“Sounds great,” I said for the group.
Vanessa yawned again. “Have fun, baby.”
His face fell. “Wait, you’re not coming with me?”
Oh no.
Oh hell.
Couple fights. I hated them. Oftentimes I was the reason for them, but this felt dirtier.
“The only reason I agreed to let you come was because I thought you’d partner with me in this. You were supposed to help. You made me think you were going to be in the trenches with me.”
It was a trigger word.
Partner.
I’d always wanted that.
And she had it and was spitting in its face.
Regardless of his sexual history with whoever he might be cheating with, it’s not like Jessie hadn’t entered into a relationship with Vanessa with hope.
Hope that someone would be with him in the end.
That someone would see him and go, Hey, let’s grow old together and play checkers.
Race, financial status, sex—love refused to hold prejudice, didn’t it? It struck foolishly, carelessly, and without apology.
“Jessie.” Vanessa hung her head. “I’m just really tired, so can I meet up with you after a short nap?” She flipped on the charm like a pro. “I swear I’ll be better about this, but I’m going to be useless if I fall asleep against the wall.”
I almost believed her.
I wanted to believe her.
But I didn’t trust women like Vanessa.
“Fine.” Jessie’s jaw flexed. “Let’s grab our rooms.”
He walked ahead of us.
I blew out the breath I’d been holding.
And Colin clenched his hands into fists.
How did he survive being around them when they argued like that? I was already side-eyeing the restaurant and hoping for a big bar and enough whiskey to douse my body in if things went south.
“I’ll go,” Isla said once we reached the end of the hall. “I mean if you want company. That way I can at least see the city.”
My eyes narrowed.
Wait, was she taking the bait job? We’d never discussed it, and she’d never switched with me before. What was going on?
Was I suddenly off the hook?
“Sure.” Jessie’s face lit up. “That would be really nice, actually.”
“Shocked you said yes,” Isla teased. “Last time I asked to help you with something you slammed a door in my face.”
He groaned. “You asked if I needed help flushing and handed me toilet paper.”
“Oh, right.” She burst out laughing and then winked. “Men are so easy.”
“Wait”—Jessie’s face broke into a smile—“you only pretended to be a psychotic stalker with a shrill laugh?”
She gasped. “And you’re only pretending to be a washed-up creeper with too much time on his hands?”
They grinned.
Vanessa glared.
Colin elbowed me, but I already saw it.
The click.
Hell, anyone standing there could see it, feel it, dance around in it.
Which meant I had to go.
Because I didn’t want whatever weird thing happened between them to be jeopardized—and it would be, if she was bait.
He’d hate her.
Better he hate me.
“I’ll go too,” I said with a lot less enthusiasm.
“Really?” Jessie winked.
“Oh hell.” Colin threw his hands in the air. “Guess that means I’m going too, the last thing we need is these two getting kidnapped because someone wants them to hold a suitcase.”
“That won’t happen.” I laughed.
“We’ve watched Brokedown Palace,” Isla said seriously.
Jessie groaned at that while Colin just shook his head.
“Meet back here in fifteen minutes?” Jessie handed us our room keys.
I grinned at the key, and Isla located our room.
When we pushed open the door, I let out a little gasp.
We were in a suite overlooking the infinity pool.
The suite was bigger than most apartments.
It smelled like flowers.
And I suddenly didn’t want to go anywhere.
I’d officially sided with Satan.
Because Vanessa had the right idea.
We could stay, swim, have a few cocktails.
I shook my head and then peeled off my shirt while Isla walked in a small circle to take in the room.
“What was that?” I asked digging through my suitcase for fresh clothes.
“Hmm?” She put her hands behind her back and gave me an innocent look I knew all too well.
I jabbed a finger in her direction. “The flirting.”
“Oh, just helping you out.” Her eyes darted away from mine. “I figured if we tag-teamed, the temptation would be too much. He’d fall, we’d get our payday. Done.” She shared a look with me then said, “Also, I know this place is incredible and you want time with Colin. If Jessie’s gonna fall it doesn’t matter which one of us it is, it just matters that we collect and get Vanessa off
our asses.”
“Nope.” I stood. “You were flirting and he was flirting right back. It was like a genuine meet-cute moment, although the first time you met I think he was imagining you chanting his name over candles and sticking pins in a doll.”
Isla burst out laughing. “Okay, I’m going to stop you right there because he’s not interested in me, not at all. My being bait won’t ruin anything.”
“I’m still bait.”
She snapped her mouth shut.
“And I’m right.”
“You’re not . . . wrong, but you’re not right either, besides, he’s married and we hate cheaters, remember?”
“He also does charity work, loves kids, and has a weird anticereal policy—all I’m saying is, don’t judge him based on his past with Vanessa, she’s . . . a handful.” Why was I suddenly defending him?
“So is he.”
“You have big hands.” I winked. “Now put on something that doesn’t smell like airplane.”
She saluted me.
And as I walked over to our balcony and looked to the right to see Colin in nothing but jeans and a smile, I wondered.
How many couples had I helped break up?
How many love stories had I helped destroy based on information from one party that could have easily been exaggerated?
How many times did I look the other way because I was in some sick way getting my own revenge?
How many times did I look at men like Jessie and cross them off completely without taking every other detail in?
Was he selfish? Yes.
Was he being stupid? Absolutely.
Did he deserve the pain and embarrassment we would cause him? No.
Did anyone?
I chewed my lower lip as Colin nodded to me and then blew me a kiss.
And my thoughts haunted me the rest of the day.
Chapter Forty
JESSIE
Vanessa was acting weirder than normal.
Colin wasn’t really speaking to me or even acknowledging me.
Maybe the guy just needed to get laid.
I tried to shrug it off.
Just like I tried to shrug off the feeling that there was something going on with Blaire and Colin.
It wasn’t how they acted around each other.
It was how I felt when I was next to her.
Like she was constantly leaning in his direction, as if she was drawn to him.
Like he did too.
I ran my hands under the hot water, splashed my face, and looked up at the mirror to see Colin leaning against the balcony, his expression hard.
I grabbed a towel. “You okay, man?”
He shoved off the balcony. “Yeah, fine.”
“Yeah, you look fine,” I said sarcastically. “Look, I can take care of the girls, if you’re tired just stay.”
He snorted. “I bet you can.”
“What the hell, man?” This coming from the guy with a different girl in his bed every night. What caused the sudden attitude change? He looked pissed and on edge. “Seriously, what’s wrong with you?”
He let out a long sigh before grabbing a shirt from his suitcase and pulling it over his head. “I just wish this shit with Vanessa was over with.”
“You and me both,” I said in a detached voice. “Like I said, my lawyer has the papers, everything’s ready for when we get back.”
He nodded. “Just don’t do anything stupid until then.”
“I won’t.”
I’d never actually lied to my best friend. Not to his face, at least.
His eyes searched mine.
I almost said it.
I almost told him the guilt that ate me alive over Vanessa, over her choices. But the last thing I wanted was to turn him against her more.
So I stayed quiet.
I took the hit like I always did when it came to her.
Protect her reputation, she’s your wife still.
Just like I had to protect her reputation with the book.
With her image.
My fault.
I said yes the first time.
But I took my vows seriously.
’Til death do us part.
Through sickness and health.
Through hell.
Three more days and I’d be free.
Everything was going to be fine.
Chapter Forty-One
COLIN
I was being a dick.
I couldn’t help it.
I was getting more and more territorial.
And I wanted someone to blame for my actions.
Something to blame.
The drive to the charity event was short, and all too soon we were getting out of the car for the press conference.
Jessie signed autographs like he always did.
I stayed back with the girls and watched him work the crowd. He was so damn good with people. He smiled like he was born for the spotlight when I knew how much he actually hated how fake and hollow it made him feel. Those very same people who shouted your name in triumph one day would just as easily curse you the next day if you threw an interception.
I reached for Blaire’s hand just when he looked up. I jerked away. Damn it, I needed to tell him.
As if reading my thoughts, Blaire sighed. “He needs to know.”
“I know.” I didn’t look at her. “Why do I feel so guilty? It’s not like I stole you from him, or you guys were dating.” I chewed my lower lip. “Maybe it’s because I know he wants you—and I took you anyway.”
“You didn’t take me,” Blaire said with a laugh. “You seduced me.”
I grinned at her. “It was the swing.”
“Totally.” She nodded and then looked back to Jessie. “He’ll be fine, I’m not what he wants anyway, he just thinks I am because he’s remembering what it was like when we were together.” She made a face. “We were young, you know? And just like you said, it’s easy to look back and only see the good. What could have been.”
“You’re getting smarter the longer you hang out with me,” I teased.
She rolled her eyes. Isla snickered.
“Blaire.” I moved closer.
She glanced up at me.
“I really just want to hold your hand.”
I could have sworn Isla sighed next to her.
I moved behind Blaire.
She put her hand behind her back.
I squeezed it.
I held it.
I closed my eyes and mentally prepared for the fight with Jessie. I’d tell him in the morning, no use ruining the charity dinner tonight, because no matter what Blaire says . . .
I do feel guilty.
Because he met her first.
Because he kissed her first.
I ignored bro code.
But I had no choice . . . I wanted her the minute I met her.
And I wasn’t going to stop just because he had a misguided view of what they could be like if he wasn’t married.
I wasn’t.
Mine. She was mine now.
Chapter Forty-Two
BLAIRE
It was a long day.
Watching Jessie handle all the press had me emotionally exhausted. I had no idea how the guy handled fame.
I would crack.
He just kept smiling through question after question.
And then we got back in the SUV.
He hung his head in his hands.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
Isla and Colin piled in behind us and Jessie finally looked up, dark circles under his eyes. “I’ll survive.”
I winced. “You look like hell.”
“I feel like someone ran me over with a cement truck, my eyes are burning, I think I need a nap before tonight.”
“I think you did well,” I tried encouraging. “In fact, I don’t know how you do it at all, or why . . .”
His smile no longer made me feel giddy. If anything, now I felt . . . nothing, I wasn’t even angry anymore. Which was a s
trange feeling.
“We always want to pick the poorest countries. It brings money into their economy, gives kids something to look forward to when we do the scrimmage during breaks on building the orphanage, it’s just . . . it makes me forget all the bullshit back in the states. It grounds me. Humbles me. It’s a small way to give back. I’d do it every day for the rest of my life if it meant someone else went to bed with a smile on their face.”
I sucked in a breath.
That was the Jessie that people didn’t see.
That Vanessa should have fallen in love with.
I could have sworn Isla sighed with me while Colin winked.
That was why they were best friends.
Take away the shit.
And the heart recognizes another heart like its own, doesn’t it?
I was so lost in my thoughts it didn’t register that Jessie had put his hand on my thigh.
Just as quickly as it was there . . .
It was gone.
And he was frowning like he expected to feel heat from touching me, but instead came back empty-handed.
He didn’t talk the rest of the trip back to the hotel. When we walked in, there was Vanessa coming down the hall with her perfect body, perfect little white swimsuit, and a cocktail.
“You guys have fun?” Her glassy eyes were the only indication she’d been drinking.
Jessie tensed as if he’d been caught doing something wrong. “Yeah, it was fun.”
Tension swirled around us.
I sidestepped her but she grabbed my arm. “Hey, can I chat with you real quick?”
I nodded.
Jessie stayed for a few seconds, his eyes darting between us. I forced a smile and winked, he nodded and went to his room. The rest headed to their own rooms, and I was abandoned with Vanessa.
“Tonight”—Vanessa grinned drunkenly—“I want you to test him once and for all. If he doesn’t take the bait, then fine, but if he does . . . he’ll have to stay married to me.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s not how this works, Vanessa.”
“Sure it is. You catch him cheating, we get some pictures, blackmail him, and he stays with me until my book pops off the New York Times list. If I sell a few more thousand copies I’ll get another deal and possibly a role in the film about our lives.”
I was gaping.
I couldn’t even hide my shock. “I’m sorry, did you hire us because you were suspicious he was cheating? Or because you need to catch him in order to gain more book sales? A movie role?”