“Sorry, where was I?”
Swallowing hard, she looked around, wanting to avoid the truth in those topaz eyes. She feared that, when everything was said and done, her closing arguments wouldn’t be enough to avoid participating in this charade. Thank God she could depend on her sharp tongue to act as her shield. “I’m pretty sure you were about to impart more of your infinite wisdom and explain why I can’t stay somewhere else for the week.”
“Lucky for you,” he said with one corner of his mouth hitched up, “I’ve decided to waive all infinite wisdom fees today.” She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as he grabbed the top of the door with one hand. “The wedding planner is eccentric and known for dropping clients if he even suspects things aren’t on the up and up. If he finds out Lucie and Reid aren’t coming until the last minute, he’s liable to call it off. No planner, no wedding. And if there’s no wedding, Reid’ll have my balls, never mind the guilt trip we’ll be on with my sister for the next decade or so. Understand what I’m getting at here?”
Feeling deflated, she finally met his gaze and filled in the big, fat blanks. “You and I need to check in as Reid and Lucie in order to secure their wedding.”
“Bingo.”
Her mind raced, warring between helping her best friend and going against not only her occupational code of ethics but also one of her Rules. They’d been carved in stone and then traced with her blood since the day she made them. They kept her balanced. One could even say they were like her religion. And this wasn’t going to be one instance of one lie. This would be a whole week of lies. Of deceit. It didn’t matter to whom or for what reason.
Rule #6: Never indulge in the poison of lies. She’d had enough lies from her mom and stepdad growing up to last her five lifetimes. She excused lying about as much as she excused Hitler.
Tamping down her uneasiness over the situation, she focused on assessing it logically. “How do we even pull it off without IDs?”
“I have a connection at the resort who will help with check-in at least, so that part will be taken care of.”
“How do we explain why Lucie is staying at the resort while her fiancé stays off grounds?”
A devilish smile curled his lips. “Nice try. We don’t. We’ll be staying in the same bungalow together.”
“With two bedrooms.”
“The reservation is already made for a premier one bedroom. There would be no reason for a bride and groom to request two. But no one will know that ‘Reid’ is sleeping on the couch.”
Think, Nessie! “What happens at the end of the week when we’re not the ones walking down the aisle?”
“There’s another wedding on Saturday that’s higher profile. A-list celebrity trumps former UFC light heavyweight champ. According to my connection, the planner needs to attend that one so he, and therefore the resort, won’t know that the people who made the decisions aren’t the ones actually getting married.”
With as smooth as he countered her every issue, she wondered if he made a habit of deceiving others. And why did that notion disappoint her so much? “Well, you certainly have all your bases covered,” she said tightly. Squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin, she added, “Fine, I’ll do it for Lucie. But I’m still taking a cab.”
Jackson’s face lit up like he’d just been told he won a harem of Playboy bunnies. “That’s fine. We’ll have plenty of quality time this week. See you soon, pupule wahine.”
“Poo-poo-lay wah-hee-nay? What on earth does that mean?”
Winking, he said, “It’s a Hawaiian endearment.”
“Lovely.” She’d meant that to sound sarcastic, but it came out closer to reverent. So what if she thought the native language was pretty? And so what if it had been such a long time since anyone had called her anything other than Nessie or Counselor? She certainly didn’t need to hear endearments from the likes of Jackson Maris.
Vanessa climbed in the cab and pulled the door closed, doing her level best to ignore the deep laughter floating through the open window as they pulled away from the curb.
Drawing in a deep, calming breath, she met the cabbie’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Take me to the Mau Loa, please. But first let’s hit a drive-through. I’m in no hurry, and I’m starving.”
…
I am such an asshole.
Jackson shoved his hands in his pockets and watched the strangest, most striking woman he’d ever met leave him in a cloud of exhaust fumes. Though he could think of several reasons to look forward to spending time with her this week—full lips, emerald eyes, silky red curls, and a body to make a man sit up and beg, to name a few—it wasn’t her appearance that had him revved up.
It was her firecracker personality.
He was used to women with laidback attitudes. Easy to charm, easy to please. Vanessa MacGregor was obviously neither of those. And while he had no intention of giving up, she’d come very close to making him tap out. That intrigued the hell out of him.
But that was no excuse for the B.S. he’d just fed her about needing to check in as their friends.
Walking back to his car, he ran over their conversation in his mind. He hadn’t expected his first meeting with his sister’s best friend to go down that way. He did feel like a jerk for being so late. It was a testament to the lax way of life he’d adopted over the last decade that he hadn’t considered it would be something he couldn’t make up for with a little charm and an offer of lunch.
It might have been forgivable—eventually—if he hadn’t dropped the little marriage-ruse bomb on top of it.
When Reid called him to explain the situation and ask for his help, Jackson had planned on picking her up, getting her settled into the Mau Loa (the part about him being able to get her past their tight security policies had been true, at least), and then returning to his regularly scheduled program until the wedding at the end of the week. Reid had mentioned how eccentric the planner was, but the plan had never been for her to pose as Lucie. Jackson had kind of made that part up in the heat of the moment.
He’d been blindsided by her crazy Jekyll and Hyde allure. And then she’d rebuffed and dismissed him like a puppy who’d dropped a ball at her feet when she wasn’t in the mood to play catch. He was beyond fascinated. He wanted to open her up and see what made her tick. Hence his sudden and inexplicable need to spend as much time as possible with her over the next week. Jax was fairly certain most of his blood had drained from his head to a more southerly area when he’d spouted that bullshit.
Realizing he now had the pleasure of breaking the news of his deception to Vanessa and almost certainly earning himself a kick to the nuts, he got into his Jeep, made his way out of the airport, and reluctantly headed for the resort.
He’d only lived in Oahu for about twelve years, but it felt like a lifetime. His twenty-three years living in Sun Valley, Nevada, was little more than a collection of faded childhood memories. Whether due to the passing of time or his conscious effort to forget a huge chunk of those years, he wasn’t sure. Either way, despite missing his sister like crazy, he was happiest on the island. Growing up, he’d always felt like a cog in the wrong wheel.
It wasn’t because he hadn’t been blessed with a great life. His parents had been wonderful people who’d loved him and his sister with everything they were and made sure they wanted for nothing. He’d had a great childhood.
It was the start of his adulthood when everything had gone to hell—starting with the accident that killed his parents shortly after his graduation.
Then it stayed that way for more than five years. But as soon as he’d been able to get away, he’d packed up and left for Hawaii. It was as far as he could go without leaving the good ole U.S. of A. His destination choice had been more for genealogical reasons than geographical, but the literal distance sometimes helped with the mental distance he’d needed.
Once he settled on Oahu in his modest beachfront cottage with the ocean in front and the mountains in back, he’d joined Team Titan, the best MMA training cam
p on the island. With his career off on the right foot and some changes in the way he viewed life, he felt free and happy for the first time since before the accident.
Remembering the weeks that followed their deaths, Jackson’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. Deep loss and sadness mixed with anger and betrayal to form a volatile riptide of emotions that threatened to pull him under. Taking a deep breath, he held the car steady with his knee and released his hold with deliberate slowness.
The rare tension in his body was a reminder that nothing good ever came from dwelling on the bad. He contemplated the surfboard riding snug on the top of his Jeep and wished he could head back to the beach to let the waves pound his muscles and memories back into submission. But his usual therapy would have to wait.
Navigating the winding road down the coast, he focused on the warm, salty air whipping around him, letting it center him as the natural elements of the island always did.
A few minutes later he pulled into the elaborate drive of the Mau Loa. Towering palm trees of identical height alternated with elegant streetlamps along the sides of the semicircular road that arced around a massive five-tiered fountain. After parking in the guest lot, Jax headed for the lobby to make sure everything was in order and wait for Vanessa’s arrival.
Behind the front desk, a young woman issued keys to a couple and instructed a porter where to deliver their luggage before sending them off with a smile and customary “Aloha.”
When she caught sight of Jackson, her smile transformed from the customer-service kind to one of pure joy. She was beautiful and petite with the bronze skin of the natives and dark chocolate eyes that danced over his body. A blue hibiscus flower peeked from the long, black curtain of hair behind her left ear. She whispered something to the other girl working, then came out from behind the counter to greet him.
“Hey, Jilli.”
With a lighthearted laugh, she stepped in to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly. He returned her affection with a hug around her slim waist. After a few moments, she pulled back on a contented sigh.
“Aloha, Jackie. It’s good to see you.”
He screwed up his face at the nickname she used specifically because he hated it. Or at least pretended to hate it. “It’s good to see you, too, gorgeous. How’ve you been?”
Jilli laid her best puppy-dog eyes on him. “How’ve I been since you broke my heart, you mean?”
The woman was so full of it. She was a newlywed and madly in love with her husband, a fighter from another camp on the island. Jax respected him as a fighter and as someone who did right by Jilli. The man treated her like royalty.
“Something tells me your hubby would take personal offense to that, and I happen to like my teeth the way they are.”
Chuckling, she gave up the pretense. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. So where’s your guest of honor?”
“Thanks again for doing this, Jilli. And assuming she doesn’t stop off to hire some thug to take me out, she’ll be here soon.”
Jilli crossed her arms. “You just met the girl. What could you possibly have done to upset her already?”
“I think the question is what didn’t I do.”
A devious grin spread over her face. “Ooh, this sounds good. Come on,” she said, slipping out of his embrace to grab his hand and drag him away from the counter. When they were far enough away from possible eavesdroppers, she stopped him. “Okay, tell me what happened.”
Jackson barely suppressed a groan as he told her the story of how he started with the minor infraction of arriving late, moved on to the misdemeanor of being pushy, and ended with the moral felony of lying his ass off for his own selfish reasons.
When he finished, Jilli’s expression of pure shock was as effective as a mother’s scolding. He crossed his arms over his chest defensively. “I know. I fucked up. I’ll apologize and tell her the truth when she gets here, okay?”
“I think that’s a very good idea. Just take it easy on her, Champ. She’s probably exhausted from the trip.” Lighting up, she added, “Hey, you still have some clothes in your locker in the break room. Why don’t you change into something a little less surfer boy? It might help her take you more seriously. You know, like the rest of us adults.”
“Very funny. Fine, I suppose it won’t kill me to play grownup for a while.”
Jackson kissed her on the cheek and thanked her yet again for helping him with getting Vanessa past the strict policies that would normally have prevented her from checking in.
“You know I’d do anything for you, Jackie. Now get going,” she said, patting his cheek before returning to the lobby.
Grabbing some clothes out of the employee locker he sometimes used, Jax crossed to the small private bathroom. He’d just changed into a pair of cargo shorts when his cell vibrated on the sink. Not even bothering to check caller ID, he shoved the phone between his ear and shoulder as he picked up the white linen shirt.
“Yeah,” he barked into the receiver.
“Jax.”
“Reid, my man, how’s my baby sis? Any better?”
“Unfortunately, not yet. These things can last a few days until her body gets rid of all the bad shit in her system or whatever.” Jackson could practically feel the tension coming through the phone from his oldest friend. “Seeing her like this and not being able to help her makes me want to throttle something.”
“Yeah, I know that feeling.” Jackson remembered the month when Lucie had pneumonia her sophomore year. The constant worry had driven him insane. To help break some of the tension, Jax took a jab at Reid. “Maybe you can pound some clay into submission to get it out of your system.”
“Listen, asshole, just because I replaced fighting with sculpting doesn’t mean I can’t still whoop your ass. Did everything go all right with Vanessa?”
Jax shrugged the shirt on and began buttoning it. “You know how I am with the ladies, Andrews.” A statement that answered absolutely nothing.
“Yeah, I do. So how’s your ego handling the rejection?”
Okay, that was freaky. Either Vanessa had called and ratted him out to Lucie—which he didn’t think she’d do, knowing how sick Lu was—or the woman had a rep as a man-eater a mile long. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Things couldn’t have gone better.”
“You’re almost as bad of a liar as Lucie, you know that?”
Jax thought about the lies he’d told not even half an hour ago and muttered, “Tell that to Vanessa.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing.” Jax leaned back against the bathroom sink and crossed his arms over his chest. “Hey, speaking of which, is she super religious or something?”
“Not that I know of, why?”
“Lying came up in conversation, and she was pretty adamant that she never does it. Like, ever. So if it’s not religion, what’s her deal?”
“It’s one of her lucky seven rules.”
Walking back into the break room area, he stopped to throw his discarded clothes in the locker and grab a bottle of water before heading out to the lobby. “Like the Golden Rule?”
“More like her own set of commandments minus the ‘thou shalt nots.’ According to Lu, she never breaks them.”
“Never, huh? Interesting.”
His friend’s sigh came through the phone, loud and clear. “Listen, Maris, if you know what’s good for you, you won’t mess around with her. I’ve seen her in action. Confident men approach her and by the time she’s through with them, they’re licking their wounds in the corner of the bar. And you’re not even close to her type.”
He smiled at the image Reid painted. “Well, I was planning on seeing how you like it when I seduce your sister, but seeing as you don’t have one, my dating calendar is pretty open this week. Besides, it sounds like fun.”
Yeah, like in the way trying to escape the lion enclosure at the zoo with steaks tied around his waist sounded like fun to the normal man. Then again, Jax never cla
imed to be normal.
“Hey,” Reid countered, “you and I both know that once the smoke cleared—and my nose healed—you were glad it was me with Luce and not someone else.”
The man had a point there.
“And secondly, I’m not fucking around, Jax. I need you to make sure everything goes smoothly out there. You told me you have a way of getting around the reservation policies, so focus on that. I refuse to tell Lu her dream wedding—the one she deserved to begin with instead of the joke of a ceremony that piece of shit gave her last time—is a no-go. You feel me?”
“Yeah,” Jax answered with steel in his voice. “I feel you.” Being reminded of the asshole who screwed his sister over years ago was all he needed to leave the joking behind. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting my sister’s wedding get canceled.”
He wanted to guarantee it wouldn’t get canceled. As part owner of the Mau Loa, he had that kind of power, but due to his contract, he couldn’t tell Reid or anyone else about his role. Several years ago, as a way of securing his future, Jax became a financial backer of the resort. Since his focus was on his fighting career and he didn’t want the notoriety that came with owning high-end resorts in Hawaii, he requested to be a silent partner. Jilli knew only because she’d stumbled upon the contract while cleaning his place when they were dating. He’d sworn her to secrecy, and she hadn’t let him down yet.
Jax took up residence against the front desk as he cracked his water open and winked at Jilli. He chugged the ice-cold liquid, letting Reid vent in his ear about all the bodily harm he’d impose on Jax if shit went south, just as Vanessa’s cab rounded the semicircular drive and pulled to a stop at the entrance. Though he’d just drank almost the whole bottle, as soon as the leggy redhead stepped from the car, his mouth went bone dry, his adrenaline kicked in, and somewhere he imagined a ring girl walking around holding up a giant card with Round 1 painted in bold block letters.
Right then he made the decision to wait until she’d had a chance to settle in and relax before telling her the truth. Maybe he’d take her for a drink and tell her then. Surely she’d be less likely to hate him once she felt the sun on her face, the sand in her toes, and the booze in her veins. Right?