She thought of him next door, alone, and she wished she were brave enough to go crawling into his arms and sleep beside him the way she had in the loft the night before.
The next day, she woke early and went immediately to the door and knocked. Jason took several long moments before he answered, his hair mussed and his eyes still sleepy. “Hey,” he said, smiling and leaning into the doorway. Once again he made a T-shirt and gym shorts look like an Armani suit.
“I’d like to go to the gym,” she said. “I’m assuming you won’t let me go alone.”
“Nope. Let me put on some shoes.” He walked half a step in front of her, he opened the door to the hotel gym, and he waited for her to choose her machine before positioning himself directly next to her.
She liked being with him, found his presence comfortable, but she still put in her earbuds and got the treadmill moving. She might let Victor push her out of her house for a night, but she would not fall apart over him.
Only a mile into her workout, her phone rang. Luke. Her fingers twitched to get it, but at the same time, she wasn’t sure she was ready to talk to him. In the end, she paused the treadmill and answered the call.
“Hey,” she said, her breath sounding in her own ears as she puffed into the phone.
“Catch you at a bad time?” he asked.
“I’m on the treadmill,” Lexie said. “It’s fine. Did you hear from Drake?”
“He’s pulling the restraining order right now. He’ll send it in the next half-hour.”
Some relief bled through Lexie. She wanted to tell Luke about last night, but she didn’t at the same time. “Hey,” she said. “Have you heard from Jason Burnes lately?” She glanced at the man in question, who ran on the treadmill beside her. No headphones. No movie on his phone. He was like a man of steel and willpower.
He looked at her too, and she turned away.
“No,” Luke said. “Why? Is he causing a problem too?”
Jason had never been a problem. Never. “No,” she said, unsure of why else she’d bring him up. “I’ve just been thinking about him, and I wondered, you know, since you guys were best friends….” She let her words hang there, sure Luke would fill in the blanks.
“I haven’t spoken to him in years,” Luke said, his voice even as always. “And Lex…I don’t know how to say this.”
Lexie was sure she wouldn’t like it. “Maybe don’t say it then,” she said. “But I’m a big girl, Luke, and I can make my own decisions.”
“Not when it comes to him, you can’t,” Luke said. “He’s not right for you.”
Funny, every time Lexie thought about the man that was perfectly right for her, he bore Jason Burnes’s face. “Why do you say that?”
“He’s just…he didn’t even finish college.”
“So what?”
“So I just think—”
“He was your best friend. From college.”
“From my party years,” Luke said. “Think about that, Lex. Last I heard he was in Miami. Probably down there partying it up. He’s not husband material.”
“Yeah, well, few men are,” Lexie snapped. Neither of her brothers had managed to tie the knot, so she wasn’t sure what Luke was talking about.
“I thought you’d get over him,” Luke said, almost thoughtfully, but it was hard to tell through the phone line.
Lexie stepped off the treadmill, annoyed when Jason slowed his. “I was in love with him, Luke, and you had no right to tell the press about us.”
Silence came through the line, and Lexie didn’t like it. Didn’t like that Luke didn’t immediately deny what he’d just been accused of.
When he finally said, “I didn’t,” Lexie didn’t believe him.
“I have to go,” she said when Jason’s treadmill stopped. The man could scent her distress from a mile away, and she’d liked that once. “Let me know when the restraining order has been sent.”
“I will.”
“Great.” Lexie hung up, already regretting the little tiff with her brother. With her parents gone, and the way she and Luke had structured the company, she had to be on speaking terms with him.
“Everything okay?” Jason touched her shoulder and Lexie turned into him, painting a bright smile on her face.
“Everything’s fine. I need to go shower and get ready for work.” She strode ahead of him, well aware that she was treating him badly, pushing him away, but not sure what to do about it.
When he put his hand on her door, preventing her from going into her room, he said, “Lexie, don’t shut me out.”
She looked up at him, her brain so full and nothing making sense. She pressed her mouth to his, glad when he seemed as hungry for her touch as she was for his. “Ready in an hour?” she asked.
He nodded and let her go inside her room alone. Her door slammed shut, and she waited for his to do the same. But it didn’t. Surely he wouldn’t leave her alone, and she pulled her door open again to find him still standing in the hall.
“You can go shower,” she said, her heart simultaneously wanting to pull him closer and push him away. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if he got hurt because of her. She’d caused quite enough upheaval in his life, what with her company scandal forcing him to quit his job and lose his loft in New York City.
He looked at her simply, everything laid out between them. “One hour.” He nodded behind her, and she retreated and closed the door again. This time, his door closed too, and she got in the shower having only completed half of her workout—at least physically. Mentally, she was already ready for bed again.
“So he’s just going to sit at the table all day?” Sasha eyed Jason, who indeed had planted himself at one of the four tables situated in front of The Straw.
Lexie hovered in the back of the stand, her eyes also locked onto Jason. “Yes. I’ve had some trouble, and he’s here to make sure I don’t have any more.”
Sasha turned away from him to face Lexie. “What kind of trouble?”
“Some old business troubles,” she said. “My lawyer has sent over the restraining order. But we ended up at a hotel last night.” Lexie sighed and brushed her loose hairs off her forehead. She normally didn’t even have loose hairs. But the last thirty-six hours had her all out of sorts and wondering which was to go next.
Her feelings for Jason certainly didn’t help clear her mind, but thankfully a couple stepped up to the stand, and Sasha didn’t have time to ask. When another lull hit, Sasha said, “When Maddy gets here, I’m heading to the beach. You want to come?”
“I don’t have any of my stuff.”
“Me either. I just sit there in my work clothes.” Sasha smiled at her. “All the ladies want you to come again. We’re dying to know how Jason went from a stalker to your bodyguard….” She wiggled her eyebrows. “And maybe more.”
Lexie didn’t want to lie to Sasha, so she said, “I’d love to come, but you know Jason will be there too.”
“Can he sit down the beach or something?”
“He’ll probably melt in that suit.” Lexie giggled, the navy suit definitely making him stand out among the others on the beachwalk and down on the sand.
Sasha joined her, laughing so loudly Jason turned his attention to them. Lexie waved to him and enjoyed the confusion as it pulled across his face and he lifted his hand uncertainly.
“He is gorgeous,” Sasha said. “And you know, you could stay with me and Jasper any time you needed to. He lives in a gated community.”
“Now that is a good idea,” she said, pulling out her phone when it buzzed in her back pocket.
What’s so funny? Jason.
Going to the beach later. Hope you brought sunscreen. She added a smiley face to the message that hadn’t answered his question and sent it flying the twenty feet between them.
He looked up at her, alarm evident on his face, which only made her laugh again.
Chapter Twelve
Jason trailed half a dozen steps behind Sasha and Lexie, who walked d
own the beachwalk at the pace of snails. He seriously didn’t think people could walk this slow. But apparently two women who were talking could.
It actually warmed his heart to see Lexie interacting with another woman in such a friendly way. No wonder she loved working at The Straw. It got her out of her house and gave her a reason to interact with other people.
They laughed, and Jason refocused his attention on everyone walking their way, searching for any unfriendly faces coming from the direction of Sweet Breeze. It was sweltering and hot, and sweat ran down his back. Sitting on the beach in late April sounded like torture, but he’d do it for Lexie.
He’d slept little the night before, and the sun certainly wasn’t going to help his mood or his lethargic attention.
He detoured as soon as he saw the redhead already sunbathing on the sand on the edge of the private beach that belonged to Sweet Breeze. A stand of trees bordered the grass surrounding Sweet Breeze, and Jason might survive if he could stand in a patch of shade.
Lexie turned when she and Sasha reached the other woman, and Jason nodded at her from his position under a palm tree. His mind had never been his best friend, and this bodyguard gig was almost as boring as standing at attention next to the check-in desk while he completed his security hours at the hotel.
One by one, three more women arrived, and they chatted and laughed for a few minutes. Lexie spoke quite a lot, and Jason felt his skin crawling, a sure sign that she was telling all those club women about him.
But not a single one of them turned and looked at him so maybe not. Jason wasn’t sure he cared. He and Lexie were dating. It wasn’t a secret this time, and Jason actually wanted to shout about it anywhere he could.
She’d already tried to put more distance between them, and Jason didn’t like the idea of her walking away from him completely for reasons unknown. And Lexie knew how to disappear. A woman with an iron will and a lot of money was a dangerous thing, and Jason would not lose her again.
As he sat in the shade, he wondered if he was in love with her. He had been seven years ago, and though they’d only been spending time together for three days now, he felt the same now as he had then.
So definitely in love, he thought, not needing the extra warmth as it traveled through him. A smile touched his mouth at the same time a bolt of fear struck him in the gut.
“She’s not going to leave,” he told himself as he watched her tip her head back and laugh. A woman didn’t go around putting down roots only to rip them up, though he supposed she’d done it once before. What was to stop her from doing it again?
He gave himself a little shake, wishing the troubling thoughts would go as easily. He tried to focus on the people coming and going, watching as a group of young adults showed up with a volleyball. They started a game on one of the public courts, and their yelling gave him something to focus on so he wouldn’t fall asleep. Between that and watching everyone who walked by, he managed to make it through the hour that Sasha and Lexie spent on the sand with their friends.
They returned to the drink stand, and Jason went through the line, needing something ice cold to cool himself down. “Something sour,” he told Lexie when she cocked her eyebrows at him. “Not the mango one. I’ve had that one.”
“You have?”
“I’ll do Orange Sunrise for him.” Sasha exchanged a meaningful glance with Lexie, who turned back to Jason.
“What?” he asked, sensing something.
“Sasha said we can stay at her and Jasper’s place tonight. I think it would be much more comfortable than a hotel. Did you get us somewhere already?”
“No.” He found it best to book a room as late in the day as possible, usually as he was checking in. “Where do they live?”
“Up in the hills,” Lexie said. “Behind a gate.”
Sounded great to Jason, and while he’d spent most of the night desperately trying to find a way to keep Lexie safe, having something worked out for him was a relief.
Sasha handed him the drink, and he asked, “Are you sure we can stay with you tonight?”
“Of course,” she said. “And Jasper has a goldendoodle who would love to swim with Steve.”
“You have a pool?”
“Yep.” Sasha grinned at him. “So go text Tyler, and Lexie can go with you now, if she wants.”
“You don’t need me?” Lexie lifted her eyebrows at her friend. “It’s Saturday night.”
“Macey’s coming in.”
“But three of us—”
Sasha clearly kicked Lexie, which silenced her. Jason grinned at them and then took a long drink of his smoothie, getting a blast of orange, as well as some strawberry and banana too.
“This is great,” he said to Sasha, and she beamed at him.
Lexie said, “Let me wash up, and I’ll be out in a minute.”
Sasha waited for Lexie to take the few steps to the back of the hut and turn on the sink. Then she leaned forward, almost all the way out of the shack. “You take care of her,” she said, very seriously.
Jason sobered, sure there was more to what Sasha was saying. “I will. I—”
“I’ve already texted Jasper, and he’s expecting you.” Sasha straightened and stepped back as Lexie returned. “Bye, girl.” She hugged Lexie and Jason fell back a few steps so he could be ready when Lexie came outside.
An hour later, Jason had changed out of his sweltering and sweat-stained suit into a pair of swimming trunks. He sat on the pool deck with his legs dangling into the water, watching a pair of dogs splash and swim and bark. He had never seen Steve so happy, and it made his heart happy.
As did the curvy, beautiful woman who came out of the house wearing a pair of cutoffs that showed the tan length of her legs and a bikini top the color of ripe apples. It had thick straps and a high neck, but still sparked plenty in Jason’s imagination.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he said as she sat next to him and handed him a section of the sub sandwich they’d bought on their way out of town. “Thanks.”
“Jasper’s on his way down. Said he normally doesn’t work on the weekends, but he had an emergency in one of his mines in Australia.”
Jason nodded, immediately recognizing Jasper as one of the men who came and went at Sweet Breeze the way Lexie usually did.
Jasper wore a full smile when he came onto the pool deck. “Jason.” They shook hands and Jasper dragged a lounger closer to the edge of the pool and sat down. “I’m so glad you guys are here. Stay as long as you want.”
“Oh, we probably won’t stay long,” Jason said, taking another bite of his sandwich.
“We won’t?” Lexie met his eyes and searched them for unspoken answers.
He swallowed and said, “Well, I don’t know.” He didn’t want to admit he didn’t have a plan, but he honestly didn’t. She’d hired him to keep her safe, and he was trying. Having somewhere to stay behind a gate was a great thing, and perhaps he should simply keep her here until everything with Victor was settled.
“So, how do you two know each other?” Jason asked, returning his attention to his sandwich. But he still saw Lexie glance back to Jasper.
“We’re in a lot of the same circles,” Jasper said vaguely.
“You mean she’s rich and so are you.” Jason wasn’t blind. And the man managed diamond mines in countries around the world.
Jasper laughed. “Oh, I like him, Lex.”
Lex. The name seared through Jason’s ears, and he couldn’t just let it go. “Lex?” He raised his eyebrows at his girlfriend.
“We went out a couple of times.” She rolled her eyes. “It was nothing.”
“Very boring,” Jasper said. “No spark.”
“None whatsoever.” Their eyes met again, and Lexie started laughing. “I’ve never told you that.”
“It was a mutual feeling,” Jasper said, chuckling too.
Jason didn’t understand that. Everything about Lexie made him spark, including the simple way she tossed her hair over her shoulder and gentl
y kicked her legs in the water.
He finished his sandwich and decided to really get answers. “So do you guys have some sort of secret club or something? You two, and Tyler Rigby, and Fisher, and that pineapple plantation guy? And there’s a woman too. Well-dressed. Brunette. Left with a man wearing the most expensive suit on the island. A billionaire’s club.”
Jasper scoffed like such a thing was preposterous, but Jason got his confirmation from the absolute terror on Lexie’s face. A moment later, she laughed too, but it sounded more like a choking machine gun.
“No,” Jasper said.
“Jasper,” Lexie said. “He was a private investigator once.”
“And a police officer,” he said. “And a detective. And a journalist.” He peered over his shoulder at the other man. “So I pretty much know when someone is lying to me.” He flashed a smile that said gotcha.
A few minutes passed where neither of them admitted to anything. Lexie pulled her legs out of the pool and said, “I have to go make a phone call,” and not thirty seconds later, Jasper got up too.
“I need to check on something,” he said, his excuse to escape from Jason much less sophisticated than Lexie’s.
“All right,” Jason called after him, watching as the man practically scampered back into his house. Discontent ran through Jason. Lexie hadn’t told him everything about her life, and while he reasoned that she shouldn’t have to share all her secrets, he still didn’t like that she had part of her life she hadn’t even told him about.
Especially since he’d tried so hard to be truthful with her, about everything. Well, almost everything, he thought. He still hadn’t mentioned anything about the Browns, though Lyndsey had been asking him about his move to the island.
Suddenly, the dogs paddling around the pool weren’t all that fun to watch, and Jason got up and retreated to one of the loungers that lined the pool. He laid it all the way flat and lay down, taking in a deep breath and then releasing it. His mind felt soft, but he remembered one more thing he needed to do.