Making Waves (3 page)

Aolani

My heart was still pounding as we ate dinner with the crew, my core aching deliciously from the rough lovemaking in the mud even after a long, luxurious shower. We’d slipped in through the kitchen, then up the back staircase to the master suites, thankfully escaping notice. Gavin’s pants had been splattered with sand and grime, his shirt sopping from where he dropped it, and I look like I’d just stepped out of a mud bath.

We were a ridiculous sight
, and anyone who’d seen us wouldn’t have had to work hard to put two and two together.

Would it be so bad?
I thought, sipping my glass of wine.
Would it be such an awful thing if they knew?

For one moment, I let myself daydream a
bout being Gavin Fletcher’s woman. Of walking arm and arm with him through this gorgeous mansion, of kissing him whenever I pleased, and not worrying about who might be watching. Of his arm on the small of my back, smiling down at me as we talked about the next shoot with Thomas and the gang.

I sighed and picked at my seared
mahi mahi. It would never be like that, though, would it? I’d be “that girl who slept with the boss to get ahead.” No one would ever take me seriously again. I might as well kiss any networking opportunities from this gig goodbye.

I couldn’t risk it, no matter how
amazing it was to imagine a world where I didn’t have to hide what was going on between us.

Gavin’s
warm laugh brought me out of my thoughts. He’d just finished some story about sailing off the shores of Scotland, but I realized I hadn’t been paying attention. I laughed along with everyone else, and looked down at my food.

Could I keep this up? Or would it be smarter to just make a clean break before things got too serious?

I stabbed a bit of mango from my plate and pushed it around the delicate wasabi sauce Gavin’s private chef, Bimla, had made. It was one of the most delicious meals I’d ever had, but I felt like I couldn’t enjoy it. I was a ball of nerves, raw and distracted.

Professional Aolani said
Get out, you crazy bitch!
while free-spirited me protested. My heart hurt at the thought, which was definitely not a good sign. This wasn’t just lust any more, was it?

I thought of the way he’d held me, kissed me, after we’d come apart in each others embrace… the way he’d rested against me, like there was nowhere else he’d rather be than there with me. I thought of his scent when my lips were on his skin, of the strength in his arms when he claimed me, of the way he said my name with that look in his eyes that told me I was all he ever wanted…

Oh, God. I’m so, so screwed.

Because
as bad as I knew this was, I didn’t think I could help myself. Gavin was just too good to give up, no matter what the consequences. Despite my fears, I knew he was worth the risk.

***

We mingled on the patio facing the ocean, the torches and the sound of the water lapping at the shore creating a relaxed ambiance I thought I could get very used to.

Sandra and I walked along the edge of the pool, away from the men, sipping savingnon blanc and talking about the campaign.

“Your idea turned into the best shot of the day,” she said, grinning at me.

Her eyes crinkled in a way that made me smile back automatically. No bullshit in that smile, I thought.

“
If you guys didn’t make me feel so comfortable, I think I would have died from embarrassment long ago. Thanks for making me feel so welcome here.”

“It’s our pleasure. Plus, it’s nice to have another woman along. Stephen and Thomas are great guys, but you’re the only one who doesn’t let one rip whenever they feel like it. And that’s something I appreciate in a friend.”

She glared over at them, and I laughed.

“I bet that’s just amazing in a small, confined studio.”

“You have no idea,” she said. “Thank God we’re doing most of these shoots outside…”

We snickered together, glancing back at Stephen, who was getting loudly drunk on the other side of the porch, plying the yacht crew for sea tales. She and I fell into a comfortable silence, looking out over the ocean, the stars overhead lighting the edges of the waves.

“Sandra, do you really think it was my idea that got the shot?”

“Hell yeah,” she said. “Thomas is a great photographer, but he’s rubbish when it comes to directing his models. If they don’t know how to pose their own bodies, he can’t contribute much. Someone who knows what shot they’re looking for right away has got the full package.”

“Hmm,” I said. “Good to know.”

She look
ed at me, her lips twitching into a smirk. “You’re a photographer, aren’t you?”

I smiled and looked out at the black waves rushing up into the sand just meters away.

“It’s what I’ve always wanted to do. But, I’m still working my way there, you know? I was an assistant when Gavin decided to make me a model. Lord only knows why,” I said, my laugh a little higher than usual.

“Good for you,” she said.

I looked into her face, noting the shrewd smile as she looked me over, and for a moment, I felt like she understood me. Like I had an ally here who really knew what I was after.

“In these next shoots, keep your ideas coming. If the shots are good, I’ll make sure you get recognized fo
r it. Doesn’t hurt to have your name mentioned on a campaign like this one,” she said.

I grinned ear to ear. “T-thank you. I will. Just… thanks.”

She took a swig of her wine. “Don’t mention it.”

Gavin’s brogue met my ears, and I turned back toward the guys. He was the one telling the story now, his face animated, although I couldn’t quite catch what he was saying.

“I wonder what’s up with him lately,” Sandra said, bringing me back. “He’s seemed so much happier than he usually is. Less burdened, maybe.”

Gavin’s laugh floated over the surface of the pool, followed by Stephen’s too-loud barking laughter.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. He didn’t used to smile so much.” She furrowed her brow glancing at him,
then shrugged. “Who knows, right? Maybe it’s just being on the island again. If I had a house like this, I’d be happy, too.”

“No kidding,” I said
. I couldn’t keep myself from smiling.

Gavin Fletcher
was happy.

Well, I thought. That definitely makes two of us.

***

Gavin

I was on my third glass of Scotch and the world
was starting to feel fantastic. I was telling an enthusiastic Stephen about my granddad’s sailing adventures, and had just gotten to the story where he’d helped take back a vessel of the Royal Navy from the Japanese when I saw Aolani walking back toward the house with Sandra.

“Aolani,” I said. “If y
ou’re going by my room, could you do me a favor?”

She nodded, her full lips curving into a smile.

“My grandad’s medal is in my dresser drawer by the bed. Would you mind bringing it out? I want to show these lads what The King’s Commendation for Brave Conduct looks like.”

“Well, will you tell
me
what it looks like?”

I grinned and took another sip of Scotch, enjoying the buzz and my rapt audience. “It’s a silver laurel leaf
about yea big.” I held my fingers an inch apart.

“I’m on the job, boss,” she said, and disappeared with another sexy smile.

God, but I could watch that woman’s backside swaying away from me all day and be a happy man.

I turned back to Stephen and Thomas, and laughed at the expression on the younger man’s face.

“What happened? He actually fought the Japanese navy? From his schooner?”

His eyes widened as I nodded. “Well, he helped, lad. He saw an officer in the water, clinging to a life preserver, who looked like he was about ten minutes away from giving up and slipping beneath the waves. When he dragged him aboard, he got the full story—they’d been attacked the morning before, and his crew was taken prisoner aboard their own vessel. Well, my granddad couldn’t just let members of His Majesty’s navy be left behind, so he radioed it into shore…”

“How did the officer escape? Did the Japanese let him go, or did he dive overboard?”

Stephen was talking fast, his cheeks a rosy shade they hadn’t been just a few hours before. I chuckled to myself and sipped my drink, the smoky flavor of the liquid filling my senses.
I’m glad I’m not the only one enjoying myself tonight
, I thought. I’d just introduced the lad to his first Scotch, and it would have been a shame if he didn’t indulge a bit.

I paused dramatically, enjoying the flickering torchlight, and the shadows it cast over my crew. Today had been one of the best days I’d had in a long while, and I wanted to savor every moment.

I leaned in and began telling the tale. The officer being knocked overboard in a bayonet fight. Blood in the water. Sharks circling when Grandad found him…

“Gavin.”

Aolani stood in the doorway, her face obscured by shadow.

“Did you find it?”

“Gavin, please. I need to talk to you.”

I raised an eyebrow, but judging by
her tone, I set my scotch down and made my excuses. Aolani guided me to the upstairs hallway and into my room. It was quiet up here, the others still on the patio enjoying the evening. She clicked the door shut and turned to face me, her black eyes glittering with unshed tears.

“What’s this?” she said.

She held out her hand, and suddenly, my world came sharply into focus again, the glimmer of gold on her palm clearing the fog in my head as quickly as a slap in the face. I opened my mouth to explain, but all I could think about was how different that ring would have looked resting on Fiona’s pale palm, or sliding down over her delicately freckled finger.

A lump lodged itself in my throat.

“Gavin… Wow, I don’t even know how to ask this… Are you…” Aolani paused, her eyes glinting dangerously. “Are you married?”

I swallow
ed, trying to tamp down the anger and sadness boiling up inside of me. “You weren’t supposed to find that.”

“Oh? Really?” Aolani reeled back as if I’d slappe
d her. “I wasn’t supposed to find your wedding ring? No fucking kidding, Gavin.”

“It’s…”

I wanted to snatch it out of her hand. To get it safely back inside it’s velvet pouch and clutch it to my chest. To get it away from her hurt stare. To put it back into the tiny safe place I’d created for it. The place where I kept the pain at bay.

Oh, God, Fi.

My chest was tight just thinking about the ring. About her. About this other woman who I’d let into my life holding that ring. The ring meant only for
her
fingers to touch. To cherish. Until death did us part.

“It’s what, Gavin?” Aolani ran a hand over her face and began pacing back and forth, her cheeks reddening. “Jesus… you won’t even talk to me.
” She twisted her hair nervously in her hand. “What was I thinking?”

“Give me the ring,” I said. I hadn’t meant to speak, but my head was filled with the memory of crashing waves and dark skies. I felt myself losing control.

“What?”

“Give me the
bloody
ring!”

Her face fell, but her eyes were red-hot with anger. And I
found I didn’t care one bit.

“It’s not for
you
to touch. Why were you fucking rifling through that pouch anyway, eh? I told you to get one thing, not to go snooping around in every nook and cranny! Yet here we fucking are, aren’t we?”

I snatched the ring out of her hand and watched her fingers close into a tight fist. Her chin trembled, but not a single tear fell from those dark-lashed eyes. I swear I could hear her teeth grinding.

“Fuck.
You.
” She pulled open the door and stepped over the threshold before turning back. “Fuck your lies, and fuck your goddamn ring!”

She slammed the door, and I heard her storming off down the hallway. I clutched
the ring tightly in my calloused hand, then walked in a daze to the drawer by my bedside, and searched within it for the velvet pouch. My hand grazed the small wooden box that held my grandfather’s medal, and I froze briefly, running my hands over the engraved lid, before grabbing the bag out, and stuffing the ring inside where it belonged.

I lay on the bed, listening to the sounds of the oc
ean through my open balcony, trying to put Fiona back in her bag where she belonged as well.

But try as I might,
all I could see was ginger hair and hear her laugh, so different from the woman who’d been sharing my bed.

I’ve betrayed you, Fi.

I pictured Aolani, her body flecked with mud, her breasts nude and lush. How good it felt to lose myself with her, to bury myself inside of her and let her take me over. To let myself love her.