The Mighty Quinns: Ryan (7 page)

“We played opposite each other in a film called
Solstice,
” she said, staring up at the night sky. “We had a typical movie-set affair. I fell in love with his character and he fell in love with mine. After the shoot was over, we decided to keep seeing each other. As fate would have it, our schedules lined up, and one thing led to another.”

“And you love him?”

“Sometimes, I think I do. And then other times, I’m sure I don’t. I’m still not sure who he is.”

“I don’t understand,” Ryan said.

“It’s as if we’re still playing our parts. We never stopped.”

Ryan frowned. “And you’re marrying him?”

Her feet dropped into the water and she stood up in the middle of the pool. “Yes. It’s all planned.”

“But don’t you want more?”

“Like what?” Serena asked. “I know we’re not going to have a perfect marriage. But who does? I don’t expect a fairy tale. I think it’s better to be realistic about it all.”

“I don’t understand. Why are you so willing to settle?”

“I lived through my parents’ multiple marriages. They destroyed each other because they expected so much from the other person. And then they both moved on, still expecting a perfect relationship with the next person. They never found it and they were never happy. So I think it’s much better to accept the fact that marriage is never going to be everything you want. You have to learn to accept it for what it is.”

In truth, Ryan could see her point. She was walking into this marriage with her eyes wide open. And maybe it would be easier to make it work. But he couldn’t help but believe that she deserved more. She deserved a man who didn’t need to pretend to make her happy. A man like—

Ryan cursed inwardly. No, not a man like him. As much as he wanted to believe in the fantasy, Serena was right on that count. Though there was an intense attraction between them, there was no future for them.

Serena swam over to the steps and got out of the pool, running her palms over her wet hair as she walked toward him. Ryan reached for a towel from the stack sitting beside him and handed it to her. Serena wrapped it around her, beneath the T-shirt, then slipped the wet shirt over her head. A few seconds later, she skimmed her thong down over her calves and kicked it aside.

Ryan groaned inwardly, imagining the naked body beneath the thick cotton towel. He slowly got to his feet and walked back to the chaise, then sat down. It would take so little to just tug the towel free, to seize the chance to touch her and seduce her, to finally act on the desire that pulsed between them.

Serena sat down next to him, pulling the towel over her bare legs. She drew in a deep breath and sighed. “I love the smell of frangipani.”

4

S
ERENA
SIGHED
SOFTLY
as she curled her body into the warmth. Birds sang on the early morning breeze, the melodies dragging her from slumber. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself staring across the smooth expanse of Ryan’s chest. She was tucked against his body, his left arm holding her close. Holding her breath, she tried to move, but the moment she did, Ryan stirred.

She could feel the heat of his skin against hers and realized that the towel she’d wrapped around her body last night was gone. The warmth of him seeped into her limbs, and she enjoyed the sensation for a long moment, drawing her leg up over his.

Squinting at the sky, she tried to determine the time. The girls had probably returned late from their night out and would likely sleep until noon. But there was always a chance they’d come down to the pool to let the sun bake out their hangovers. She’d insisted she hadn’t slept with Ryan, but this scene wouldn’t do much to confirm that fact.

“Quinn,” she whispered. “Quinn, wake up.” She smoothed her hand over his chest, then reached up to touch his lips. “Quinn.”

His eyelids fluttered, then opened. He met her gaze, his brow etched with confusion. “Hi,” he said.

“Good morning.”

Ryan slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes. She snatched at the towel and quickly pulled it over herself, but not before he’d caught sight of her naked body. “We—we fell asleep.”

“I can see that.”

Serena sat up beside him. She wasn’t sure what to say. She’d only ever slept with a man after they’d had sex. Her gaze skimmed over his chest and came to rest on the bulge in the front of his shorts. Though she knew his response probably wasn’t caused by her presence, she preferred to think that he’d been dreaming about seduction.

Reaching up, Serena tried to run her fingers through the tangles in her hair. Ryan reached out and rearranged a strand that kept falling into her face.

“There. Much better.”

“Thanks, Quinn.”

“Do you want to try calling me Ryan? Now that we’ve slept together, I think it would be all right.”

“Ryan,” she murmured.

He grinned. “Much better.”

Serena could imagine what she looked like—wild hair, smudged makeup and an imprint from the chaise cushion impressed into the right side of her face. She wanted to run into the house and make herself presentable, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave him.

“How did you sleep?” he asked.

“Really well.” Her nights recently had been plagued with restless dreams and frustrating bouts of insomnia. But last night, she’d fallen into a dreamless sleep that had left her perfectly refreshed and ready for another day.

“I’m going to go take a shower and get dressed. Why don’t you figure out what we’re going to do today.”

“With or without the girls?” he asked.

“Without. After all, we just slept side by side, without giving in to temptation, so we’ve proven we don’t need a chaperone. And they’re a lost cause in the adventure department. But no matter. We’ll have fun on our own.” She smiled. “I’ll see you in a bit, Ryan.”

She liked the sound of his name coming off her lips. It had been easy to keep him at a distance when he’d been just Quinn, the adventure guide. But there was no denying that they’d grown closer over the past couple of days. They’d become friends, and as such, she ought to call him by his first name.

“Ryan,” she said to herself as she strolled back to the house.

Serena stepped inside the house and rounded the corner into the kitchen. To her surprise, the girls were gathered around the table, still dressed in their evening clothes and digging into a lavish breakfast that Juni had laid out.

They all looked up at her. She pulled the towel more tightly around her body, then forced a smile. “What? I just went for an early morning swim.”

“What happened to your hair?” Bella asked.

Serena reached up, then cursed softly. “I slept on it when it was wet.”

A few seconds later, she heard Ryan come in behind her. He stopped short when he noticed the group gathered at the table. Serena glanced back and saw that he was holding her dress in one hand and her thong in the other.

“Good morning,” he said. He quickly gave her her clothes, then continued on through the kitchen and up the back stairs to his room.

“I’m going to grab a shower,” she said. “Save some breakfast for me.”

She hurried up to her room and shut the door behind her. Closing her eyes, she slumped against the door, letting the towel fall to the ground. Through the walls, she could hear Ryan in the next room, whistling a soft tune.

This was crazy. She wanted to go to him, to fall into his bed and make love for the rest of the day and the night. Since the moment they’d met, she’d felt this undeniable attraction. But after last night, she was forced to realize that this was more than just some silly infatuation.

She was supposed to marry Ben in a matter of weeks, but instead, she wanted to run away with Ryan. With him, she could be entirely herself. For the first time, she felt as if someone understood her and accepted her for the person she’d always been.

And she wanted to explore the feelings she had for him. There was no doubt that he was attracted to her, as well. She could see it in the way he looked at her, in the way he touched her. Yet he’d respected the boundaries between them, giving her the space to come to a decision on her own. She wanted him, more than any man she’d ever met. But as long as she was engaged to Ben, she couldn’t move forward with Ryan.

Her choice was simple. Marry a man she didn’t love and avoid a scandal, or call off the wedding, turn her life upside down and possibly ruin her career, for a man she’d just met.

Maybe her reputation was deserved—maybe she was capricious, fickle, unstable.

Serena took a ragged breath. But only she knew what was in her heart, and it was suddenly quite clear. She didn’t want to marry Ben. She didn’t want to be caught in a marriage that was doomed to fail. Ryan was right. She deserved better.

Serena searched the room for her phone and found it on the bed. Though she had international service, she wasn’t sure if that covered Fiji. She set her location, then scrolled through her contacts before pressing the call button.

One of her former costars was a pilot and also a good friend. He’d know how to help her. “Jeff, it’s Serena Hightower.”

“Serena! How are you? How are the wedding plans going? We had to send our regrets. I’m going to be on location in Toronto that weekend.”

“Actually, I need your help. I want to charter a jet to get me from Nadi on Fiji to...” Where could she go to hide? “Auckland,” she finally said. “New Zealand. I have no idea how to do it. Can you help me?”

“I have a friend who runs a charter service. He probably has some contacts in that part of the world. When do you want to fly?”

“Tonight,” she said. “Late. Midnight or later?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Jeff said. “Can I call you back?”

“Yes, thank you,” Serena said. “I owe you.”

“Well... I’ve actually got a project I’m hoping to direct. I’d love it if you’d read through the script.”

“Send it to me, to my private email. Don’t send it through my agent.” She gave him her address, then rang off.

Serena set the phone down on the bed and closed her eyes. Was she really prepared to do this? She’d have to call Ben and tell him. But maybe it would be best to wait until later, right before she left the island. She sucked in a sharp breath. Right before
they
left the island. That is,
if
Ryan agreed to come with her, which might not be a given considering all that he had at stake on this trip.

“This is real,” she murmured to herself. “This isn’t some crazy fantasy. I’m not pretending anymore. This is real.”

A soft rap sounded on her bedroom door, and Serena grabbed a robe and wrapped it around her naked body. She pulled the door open, expecting Ryan to be on the other side. But Cecily pushed her way into the room.

“As your maid of honor, I feel duty bound to tell you that I’m so happy you are shagging the pool boy.”

“Shh! He’s right next door. And I’m not shagging the pool boy. He’s not the pool boy.”

Cecily waved her hand. “You know who I’m talking about. And I think it’s about time you evened the score with Ben. Now everything will be balanced before you get married. He’s had his affairs and you’ll have had yours.”

“Ceci, we’re not having an affair. Nothing happened. We fell asleep on the chaise. I went swimming and wrapped myself in a towel and—it was perfectly innocent.” She took Cecily’s arm and led her to the door, but the other woman dug in her heels.

“Serena, as much as I’m looking forward to standing up with you in that hideous dress that your wedding planner chose, I do want you to be happy. And you need to know something.” She paused, then took Serena’s hands in hers. “It’s not just his costars. Ben tried to hook up with me a few months ago. We were on a red-eye to New York and he invited me to his hotel after we landed.”

Serena swallowed hard. “Did you go?”

“Of course not. I turned him down. The point is, he was well aware that I was your maid of honor and he still propositioned me. And when I declined, he came on to one of the flight attendants. I’m not sure if anything happened there, but she seemed interested.”

“Thank you for telling me,” Serena said.

Cecily smiled. “If you don’t shag that pool boy, I may have to.” She walked to the door. “It sounds like he’s in the shower. Maybe you could go in there and offer to scrub his back.”

Serena closed the door behind Cecily. There was no doubt in her mind now, no more waiting. She’d call Ben right now and end it.

Then she’d call Thom Perry and end her career by informing him that the star of his newest film was about to be embroiled in a proper Hollywood scandal.

* * *

R
YAN
AND
S
ERENA
had dinner
that night at Juni’s favorite restaurant, a traditional Fijian place that her sister ran near Lautoka. They’d invited the bridesmaids, but the girls had decided to attend a rugby game and then party with their new friends from Australia. Ryan had been glad for the time alone with Serena.

They’d started with
kokoda,
raw fish marinated in lime juice and seasoned with coconut and tomatoes and chilies. That course was followed up with a delicious prawn curry. And then, the specialty of the restaurant, a
lovo
feast. Endless platters of pork and fish and lamb emerged from the underground pit, the dishes cooked beneath banana leaves until fragrant and tender.

Ryan and Serena ate until they couldn’t eat any more, then joined in with the rest of the patrons to celebrate the birthday of one of the chefs. There was dancing and drinking, and when they finally decided to leave, it was nearly midnight.

Ryan held her hand as they walked back to the Jeep. He couldn’t remember ever having so much fun on a date—even though this hadn’t been a date. He and Serena just seemed to fit, as if they were made to be together. Mal and Rogan had tried to explain that they had something similar with their women, but Ryan had always thought it was lovesick blather. But now he understood exactly what they meant.

“I can’t believe how much I ate,” she said.

“You do have a good appetite,” he said. “But who wouldn’t? That food was incredible.”

“I’ve been on a diet for the wedding, but I’ve decided to give it up.”

She’d made several other comments over the course of the evening that had made him think she was reconsidering her plan to get married. Though he didn’t want to be the cause of such a major decision, Ryan also didn’t want Serena to spend the rest of her life with someone else.

He helped her into the Jeep, then slid in behind the wheel. They drove the winding roads down to the Queen’s Highway, then headed back toward Nadi. He glanced over a few times at Serena, but she was staring out the windscreen, her mind somewhere else.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“Fine,” she said.

He wanted to pull the Jeep off the road, yank her into his arms and kiss her, if just to reassure her that she wasn’t alone. But their relationship had changed so much in the past couple of days, he wasn’t sure where they stood.

By the time they reached the house, Ryan was ready to jump out of his skin. He pulled up to the house, noticing the limo parked outside. The girls had called for the car to take them to the nightclub, but it was far too early for them to be back. Unless something had happened.

He turned off the ignition and gazed at Serena. He hated feeling like this—uneasy and vulnerable. He circled the Jeep and opened her door. If she had something to say to him, then he needed her to say it. He grabbed her hand and stopped her as she headed for the front door “You want me to leave the island, don’t you?”

Serena sucked in a sharp breath and looked around. “How did you know?”

“It doesn’t take a mind reader to see you’re not happy.”

“I’m not,” she said. “But I’ve finally faced the fact that I have to put a stop to this.”

“I’m sorry if I put any stress on you. I never meant—”

“We can talk about this later,” she said. “Right now you need to pack. The limo is here to take us to the airport. I’ve hired a private jet.”

Ryan frowned. “We? What plane? You want to come with me?”

“No, I want you to come with me,” Serena said. “Isn’t that what you asked?”

“I asked if you wanted me to leave the isalnd.”

“I do.
With me
. We’re going to Auckland. Or Phuket. Or Hawaii, or wherever.” She shook her head. “You do want to come, don’t you?”

Ryan cursed softly. That’s what this was about? She was planning her escape? But it wasn’t just hers—it was
their
escape. “Yes. Of course,” he said, not giving himself a chance to consider the consequences.

“I called Ben to cancel the wedding, but he didn’t answer, so I left a message. I know, I know. It’s a horrid way to end a relationship. But I didn’t want to wait any longer. I’ll wait and call Thom from the car because he’ll set Miles on our trail. I have no idea if Ben is going to go to the media with this. But hopefully, we’ll be off the island by then.”