My Despicable Ex (Book 1) (7 page)

I glanced over the itinerary and once
again hated the fact that I had little to no control over the
vacation. My lawyer, under the instruction of my departed mother,
had set everything up. I was a stickler for detail and enjoyed
carefully planning the agendas for every trip I went on, right down
to the minute. Now, I had no involvement in how we would spend our
time, and that bothered me.

To make matters worse, I was worried
about the boutique and what would become of mine and Nadia’s grand
plans. I had a new business I was trying to get off the ground, and
I wondered if it would even be possible for me to relax.

As I tapped away on my laptop, Jake
looked over at me. “Mind if I ask what you’re doing?” he
asked.

“
It’s none of your
concern,” I said as politely as possible.

He gazed over and stared at the
computer screen.

I let out a huff. “If you must know,
I’m writing a long-overdue post on my fashion blog.”

“
What’s the post
about?”

“
Um…knowing more than just
fashion. It’s about how anyone in fashion design also needs to be
aware of all the aspects of marketing, product design, and
production. It also requires a good head for business and a good
label to market a fashion line.”

“
Interesting.”

“
If you don’t mind, I need
to get back to work.”

He nodded, put his earbuds in, and
started watching some kind of adventure movie starring a
swashbuckling, fedora-wearing hero who would never have left his
lady abandoned at an altar.

When the plane finally set down, we
took a boat over to the island, where we checked in to our lodging.
Covered walkways connected the guestrooms to the reception area and
private guest facilities. There was an elegant restaurant and bar,
and a lounge area overlooked the shimmering pool. The little island
was beautiful, just like the brochure promised, and when I walked
out on the balcony and gazed around at the lush tropical
rainforest, I had to be thankful for the opportunity to see it.
According to the brochure, most visitors to the island would leave
by three, so those of us staying at the resort would have the
entire island to ourselves.

I quickly unpacked and hurried out the
door to explore the spectacular isle. At one thirty, I attended a
show at Marineland. I watched in awe as a crocodile was fed; I
couldn’t believe that half-ton, seventeen-foot reptile was so
agile, able to launch itself completely out of the water to gobble
up an unsuspecting chicken. I even held a baby crocodile named
Cuddles and had my portrait taken with the scaly, toothy little
creature. The park was home to at least forty crocodiles, from
giants to newly hatched babies.

The aquarium boasted 100 species of
sea life, from stonefish and cute clownfish to epaulette sharks,
turtles, lionfish, and giant painted crayfish. I loved the bright
and colorful tropical fish and the coral. At a fish-feeding, I saw
even more tropical fish in an even more brilliant rainbow of
fluorescent and neon colors.

After I marveled at George J. Craig’s
amazing private collection of primitive ancestral artifacts and
maritime relics, I took the nighttime nature walk and saw turtles
resting near the shore. It was simply remarkable, an unforgettable
tour. Before heading back to the resort, I stopped in the gift shop
and bought some coral and gemstone jewelry, as well as a genuine
shark tooth, hanging from a black cord and fashioned into a
necklace.

When I returned, Jake met my gaze, and
I couldn’t stop my heart from thudding hard inside my chest. He was
as amazing as any animal I’d seen that day, as strong as the
crocodiles, as cute as the babies, and as beautiful as the colorful
fish and coral. As much as I loathed him, there was no denying how
hot he was in his ivory button-down shirt, khaki shorts, and
sandals. He’d left a few buttons open, and the peek-a-boo view of
his chest was mesmerizing. On top of that, he smelled so good. His
hair was damp, so I assumed he was fresh out of the
shower.

A smile slowly curved across his
mouth. “You’ve been gone all day.”

“
So? I’m trying to make the
most of this vacation. This place is so peaceful, so tranquil. It’s
a lot different than New York.”

“
Yeah,” he said, sounding
unimpressed. “Where did you go?” he asked.

“
I spent some time with a
dangerous fella I met on the island. We even took pictures. Care to
see?”

He shook his head. “So now you’re
gonna flaunt other men in my face?”

I handed him the picture. “Meet my new
friend. His name is Cuddles.”

He glanced down and smiled. “Oh. Cute.
Sorry I jumped to conclusions.”

I rolled my eyes and snatched the
photo away from him.

“
In the future, it’d be
nice if you’d let me know where you’re going so I don’t
worry.”

“
Should I let you know when
I go to the bathroom too?” I asked with a smirk. “No one’s paying
you to be my bodyguard, Jake…and I’m a big girl. I’ll go wherever I
want, whenever I want, with whomever I want.”

He shook his head and fought a smile.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.

“
Ravenous.”

“
Your attorney made dinner
reservations for us on the beach,” he said.

I plopped down on the bed. “Funny. I
don’t remember any rules stating I have to eat with
you.”

“
True.”

“
Then if you don’t mind,
I’m just gonna—”

“
You don’t have to eat with
me, but everything is closed now. You should’ve said your goodbyes
to Cuddles a little sooner.”

I bit my lip hard as my stomach
growled. I was starving and hadn’t eaten anything all
day.

“
So…will you do me the
honor of accompanying me to dinner, Ashly Roberts?” he asked,
grinning.

I slipped my shoes on. “I’ll go with
you, but only to get my dinner to go so I can bring it back to the
room.”

He shook his head “You can’t avoid me
forever, Ashly.”

“
Well, I aim to give it my
best effort,” I said. “Let’s go though. I’m starving.”

* * *

My long dress swirled around my ankles
with the warm tropical breeze. I’d always found something so soft
and romantic about white cotton, even with a high neck line that
didn’t reveal any cleavage. I walked through the sand to the small,
circular table that was already set up for us, covered with a
pretty satin tablecloth and a vase full of tropical flowers in
vibrant purples, oranges, and aquamarines. The chirping of birds
intensified, overshadowing the rhythmical lapping of waves against
the shore. I inhaled the salty scent of the ocean, with its hint of
coconut. As if mirroring the bouquet centerpiece, purple, pink, and
orange swirled in the glorious sky.

Jake shot me a leisurely glance. “You
look beautiful,” he said. “You’re just…a vision.”

“
Thank you.”

He was so handsome and smelled so damn
good. Dark stubble speckled his strong jaw line. His hair was wavy
and thick, and the way it flew around in the wind made him look so
sexy. With those dimples and that white, gleaming smile, he nearly
had me breathless.

“
Isn’t this the most
romantic place on the planet?” he asked.

“
I’d love to be here with
anyone but you,” I muttered. Sure, he was gorgeous, but that didn’t
give him permission to stomp all over my heart. Handsome or not, he
wasn’t about to get the time of day from me. I refused to look at
him and take in his reaction. At that point, I didn’t even care
what he thought about me. I ordered a salad because I was sure it’d
be easy to take it back to my hotel room.

A surge of guilt rolled over him once
again, and he actually winced. “I know you’re having a hard time
forgiving me,” he said. “I don’t blame you. What I did was selfish
and—”

I met his gaze straight on and cut him
off. “Despicable. What you did was just despicable.” I crossed my
arms over my chest, the way I always had whenever I was upset with
him.

The waiter returned and poured a glass
of wine for each of us, then left the bottle.

I pasted on a fake smile. “Thanks.” I
gulped down the entire glass of wine in one gulp, then poured
another.

He reached for my hand. “Am I that
awful to be with?”

“
Please don’t touch me,
Jake.”

Emotion poured from his voice. “We
have a history together. We were lovers, but we were also best
friends, Ashly. Can’t we just be friends now?”

I poured more wine. “A friend would’ve
never stabbed me in the back the way you did.”

Ignoring my command not to touch me,
he stroked my hair from my face and gazed deeply into my eyes.
“What can I do to make it up to you?”

I stared at the breathtaking sunset as
it unfolded. “That’s just it. There’s nothing you can
do.”

The waiter set down a platter for Jake
and a salad for me.

“
Thank you,” Jake
said.

The waiter smiled and turned to
leave.

I picked up my salad. “I’ll see you
back in the room.”

“
I can’t believe you’d
prefer to eat that in the room when you could enjoy a sunset dinner
by the ocean.”

“
I suppose you aren’t used
to women running out on you, huh?” I sarcastically snapped. I
guzzled the rest of my wine, then grabbed the bottle to take with
me and stormed off. The setting sun flooded the sky with more
brilliant
colors, and part of me wanted to
stay and watch Mother Nature’s spectacular light show,
but the stubborn side of me fueled my quick
departure.

* * *

After I ate my salad, I took a shower
and dried off, only to realize I’d left my nightgown in the
dresser. I wrapped a towel around me, peeked out, and called Jake’s
name. When I got no answer, I ran to the dresser and rifled through
the drawer. Just as I grabbed my black nightgown, the door clicked,
and Jake walked in.

“
Jake, I’m not
dressed.”

He met my gaze and smiled. “I can see
that.”

I bit my lip hard, unsure which of us
was more shocked. “Don’t look.” When he covered his eyes, still
grinning from ear to ear, I scurried back into the bathroom and
slipped into my gown. “Uh…sorry about that,” I said awkwardly when
I stepped out of the bathroom, dressed this time. “I’ll try to be
more careful next time.”

“
I’ll be sure to knock next
time,” he said.

I nodded. “I’m going to bed. Um, I
guess you can sleep on the floor.”

“
Wonderful,” he said with a
laugh.

I slipped under the covers, closed my
eyes, and fell asleep.

* * *

When I felt someone gently touching
me, I fluttered my eyes open and glanced at the alarm clock. It was
seven a.m.

“
Get up,” Jake said. “We
have an appointment with our underwater photographer in an
hour.”

“
I can’t believe I slept
this late. I’m usually such an early bird.”

He handed me a Danish and a small
carton of milk. “Well, I’ve got breakfast covered. I couldn’t
sleep, so I went for a run, then took a shower.”

After breakfast, I went to the
bathroom to take a shower. Wet towels and clothes were strewn all
over the place, and Jake had had the audacity to move my makeup so
he could make room for his electric razor. Perhaps worst of all,
the toilet seat was up. I could definitely tell he was used to
living like a bachelor. “Jake!” I said. “This place is a mess. I’m
surprised you flushed the toilet.”

“
Give me
some
credit, would
ya?”

“
Why’d you move my stuff? I
had everything all laid out for easy access.”

“
You were hogging the
counter space. Where was I supposed to put my stuff?”

“
Tell me you didn’t use my
toothbrush,” I said. I slammed the door with a huff and jumped into
the hot shower.
Boy, this is gonna be a
long trip,
I thought as the warm water
beat down on me.

After getting ready for the day, I
opened my laptop to check my messages before we left.

“
We’re gonna miss our
appointment,” Jake said. “Can’t that wait?”

“
It’s work, so no, it
can’t.”

“
We’ve gotta go right now,
Ashly.”

“
Fine!” I said, shutting my
computer.

* * *

Our photographer shut off the boat
engine, and waves gently rocked the vessel. “We’re here,” he
said.

The sun shone on my face from its
place in the blue, clear, gorgeous sky. I stood at the railing and
leaned over, glancing down at the turquoise water of the Coral Sea.
I smiled as streaks of yellow, red, and blue swarmed around the
boat.

Jake inched closer, and his hot breath
brushed my cheek like a tropical draft. “Are you ready? Let’s jump
in!”

His sapphire-blue eyes sparkled, and
his brown hair whipped around in the wind as he met my gaze and
smiled. I brushed my hair behind my ear and smiled back at him.
When he removed his shirt, I couldn’t help but stare at his massive
body and all those thick, rippling muscles; he was even more
gorgeous than the last time I’d seen him without a shirt. His
beautiful body was so ripped that I was practically drooling over
him, and I was sure he’d spent hours at the gym every
day.