The Resilient One: A Billionaire Bride Pact Romance (5 page)

Beck ran up the stairs to his room. His stomach bubbled with nervous anticipation. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this excited. Alyssa was beautiful and intriguing and her grandmother was hilarious.

He
had
promised himself he’d sit on the beach, so he hadn’t lied to Ellie. Going to the beach with Alyssa and her feisty grandmother was perfect. Tomorrow he planned to meet with some youth coordinators for a troubled teen program in the morning then finally locate the photographer, A.A. Beck had been able to trace the photographer to Maui and found a gallery showing he was going to appear at. Beck wanted to convince the guy to join forces with him and hopefully get him to leave the privileged shores of Maui and go to some developing nations to photograph and help spread the word about children in need. Beck needed this break from his usual reality and finding A.A. would be a huge boost to his efforts. Meeting someone like Alyssa was a bonus he never planned on.

He changed into his swimsuit and pulled a T-shirt over his scarred torso. How would Alyssa react when she saw how abused his body looked? The standard cover story would have to work—too many hits from hockey. He wondered if he’d ever reveal the true story to Alyssa, but quickly forced the idea from his brain. He hardly knew her.

Beck offered to drive and Alyssa barely hid her surprise that his rental car was a Hyundai Elantra. It was hard to believe that a guy this genuine could be a multi-millionaire, or as some sources claimed, a billionaire. Maybe Maryn was right and Beck was kind and down-to-earth. Alyssa almost wasn’t afraid for him to see her foot or to be alone with him. They parked at the Marriott and if he noticed her limping toward the beach he didn’t say anything. He escorted Granny Ellie on his arm and it was so cute to see the tiny woman beaming up at him and saying all manner of things to embarrass and endear herself to him as only her Granny could do. Beck rented three chaise lounges and two umbrellas. They sat down and Alyssa debated when to take her tennis shoes off. It probably looked awkward with her swimsuit and sarong, but she wasn’t ready to see the look of disgust, compassion, or whatever would be on Beck’s face when he caught a glimpse of her foot.

After less than a minute, Granny Ellie announced, “Well, this relaxing has been delightful, but it’s time for me to shop.”

Alyssa and Beck both stood.

“Where are we going shopping?” Alyssa asked, wishing she could sit back down and get to know Beck a little better.

“Not
we
, me.” Granny jabbed a finger at herself, eyes twinkling. “You two adorable people are going to cozy up and get to know each other. I’m going to walk to Whaler’s Square and spend some of my money and scope out the men. There are bound to be some handsome Tongans in Hawaii.” She winked.

Oh, Granny
. The woman was addicted to checking out men, especially Tongan men who reminded her of her second husband, Hubba Bubba. Beck chuckled and Alyssa loved the deep, mellow sound of it. It was such a relief he seemed to be enjoying her grandmother. Some people got offended by Granny, but Alyssa just loved her.

“I hate to have you go alone,” Alyssa protested feebly. She did want to be with Granny, but Beck was so intriguing. They were in a very public place so she could get to know him without breaking her rule of not being alone with a man she didn’t know. It was perfect, but should she really let Granny go alone? They hadn’t even had a chance to talk and Alyssa didn’t know how Granny’s health was faring.

Granny waved her off. “I’ll bring back ice cream. What’s your flavor?” she asked Beck.

“Anything that has fruit or nuts.”

“Did he just say I’m fruity and nuts?” Ellie winked at Alyssa.

Beck laughed and leaned back against the cushioned chair.

“I know your flavor,” Granny said to Alyssa, “Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate.”

“Some things never change.” It meant so much that Granny did know. If someone asked one of Alyssa’s parents they’d probably be shocked she dared eat fattening ice cream. Her mom worked most of her life to keep her girlish figure and try to keep her dad interested and her dad only thought of women as objects who had to look perfect to be worthwhile.

Granny waved and toddled off. Alyssa was saddened to notice how slow she moved. Maybe she was just worn out from the plane ride. Granny had been such a wonderful part of Alyssa’s life, she hoped she’d have years before Granny passed away and left her behind.

“Ellie’s great,” Beck said.

“She’s been there for me through a lot.” Alyssa realized she didn’t want to explain that one if he asked so she hurried on, “She always makes me laugh. Sorry about the cougar comment.”

“I didn’t know whether to laugh or run.” He winked.

Alyssa’s throat went dry. Did she tell him thank you for not running and beg him to never run from them? Wow. She was getting more than a little ahead of herself, but that wink and the sensual look in those blue eyes had her head spinning.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the waves break and watching two little boys pack sand into a lopsided castle. Several groups of whales spouted off the nearby coastline of Lanai then dove and waved goodbye with their tails.

“What was Ellie saying about how talented you are?” Beck asked.

“Granny likes to brag about me. I’m not that talented. Do you want to walk down and test the water?”

“Um, sure.” His face filled with confusion, but he didn’t question her further. She really didn’t want to tell him she was a photographer, not yet.

They both stood. She untied her sarong and sat it on the chair while he slipped off his flip-flops. She looked at his t-shirt and caught him glancing at her shoes at the same time.

“Do you want to get your shoes wet?”

She took a deep breath. “Do you want your t-shirt soggy?”

He inhaled sharply then smiled. His ruggedly handsome face made her lean against the lounge for support.

“I’ll take off my t-shirt if you take off your shoes.”

She studied him for a second, sensing he was as uncomfortable taking off his t-shirt as she was removing her shoes and socks. Finally, she nodded. “On the count of three.”

His smile grew. “One, two, three.”

She bent down and unlaced her shoes while he tugged his shirt over his head and dropped it on his chair. She paused to look up, gasping at the breadth and sculpture of his chest, shoulders, and arms. “Did hockey do that to you?”

Oh, crap! He’d never told her he played hockey. She needed to remember what info he’d actually told her and what she knew from Maryn’s files.

He pointed to several vicious scars on his chest and abdomen. “Yep.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean those, I meant the, um, muscles.” She blushed in embarrassment and returned to removing her shoes, grateful he hadn’t called her on the slip.

His deep chuckle brought her head up. “Thanks for noticing the muscle before the scars.”

“Any woman would.” She immediately reddened and focused on pulling off her socks. Standing, she walked toward the water, her limp much more pronounced without her inserts. She jabbed her foot into the squishy sand with each step, the granules almost covered her partially-formed right foot.

Beck quickly reached her side and held onto her elbow, steadying her. She glanced up at him, appreciating his warm touch. “Thank you.”

“Sure. Do you mind me asking what happened?”

“Birth defect.” Had any man ever cared about what happened to her foot? Most had ignored it or tried to ignore it. Her dad had paid for numerous surgeries to fix the defect but when you were born without your fourth and fifth toe and a third of your foot, it was pretty hard to implant that.

“Thank you for taking your shoes off,” he whispered next to her ear.

Alyssa turned, his face was close as he bent toward her, and she focused on how well-formed his lips were, shapely and intriguing. She trailed her gaze from his face down to his muscular shoulders and blushed again. “Thank you for taking your shirt off.”

He chuckled and they walked straight into the water. It was a little cool, but still felt wonderful with the warm sun overhead. Alyssa couldn’t believe how understanding and gracious Beck had been about her foot. He hadn’t seemed embarrassed for her or embarrassed to be with her.

“Are we swimming or just wading?” Beck asked.

“Oh, we’re swimming.” Alyssa pressed on until the water was waist-deep then broke from his grip and performed a shallow dive.

Beck appeared by her side, swimming through the waves. “I knew I liked you, Alyssa Armsworth.”

“What did I do that made you like me?” She smiled at him, treading water and looking into his blue eyes that gave the water competition for sparkle.

“You’re not a sit around and suntan kind of girl. You’re a get in the water and enjoy it kind.”

“Life’s too short for skin cancer,” she said.

He laughed.

A large wave came toward them and Alyssa started swimming freestyle to catch it. The wave slid up and over her and then she was in the middle of it and it pushed her forward in its trough. She came up out of it, sputtering water and grinning from the rush. Beck stood a few feet away, a similar smile on his face. He gestured with his head and they both swam back out to catch the next one.

After several successful rides, they treaded water side by side, basically floating in the salt water. Alyssa couldn’t believe how relaxing it was to be with this man compared to the many horrifying experiences she’d had with other men. She didn’t want to be some man hater, but she usually found it easier just to avoid the opposite sex.

“So how does body surfing compare to real surfing?” she asked.

Beck met her gaze and the compassion she hated to see was there. “I’m sorry. When I asked you if you wanted to learn to surf this morning I didn’t know…”

Alyssa nodded. “It’s okay. It’s no big deal. I just can’t balance as well as I’d like sometimes.”

“I’m sorry you can’t surf, but this is almost as much fun.” The sun glinted off his wet, dark hair and his broad shoulders.

“Almost?” Alyssa smiled to let him know she was teasing.

“Well, you wouldn’t want me to lie to you, would you?” Beck grinned.

Alyssa’s breath caught in her throat. She stopped treading water and swallowed a bit of sea water. She spit it out. “Excuse me. No, I definitely wouldn’t want you to lie to me.”

The moment turned serious as she studied Beck and he returned her gaze with those clear, blue eyes. Was he really as genuine as he appeared or would he turn into an obnoxious octopus given the opportunity? Alyssa heard a wave coming and took the chance to end the staring contest, swimming quickly into the froth. It collapsed earlier than she thought and she was rolled along the ocean floor, salt water filling her mouth and nose. She came up spitting and coughing. Beck was immediately by her side.

“You all right?”

“Granny always told me not to drink the ocean.”

Beck laughed, but still looked concerned.

Alyssa pushed against his shoulder, loving the feel of those smooth, rounded muscles. “Of course I’m all right. Race you out there.” She dove into the water and swam for the deeper part of the ocean. Beck was unreal. He appeared to sincerely care, he was fun to be with, and he was very easy on the eyes. She needed to be very, very careful. The different men who’d tried to claim her over the years had taught her to be vigilant, especially when someone seemed too good to be true.

They body surfed the rolling waves for a while until Granny Ellie called from the beach, waving cups of ice cream. Swimming side by side, Alyssa glanced over at Beck. She loved the way he looked with his strong body and handsome face, but she liked the way he treated her and Granny even more. She stood in the shallow waves and he immediately offered his elbow. Alyssa leaned against him as they slogged their way through the sand to Granny Ellie.

“I wasn’t sure how to keep it cold while I walked back, so you have melted cream instead of ice cream,” Granny handed them each a cup after they toweled off.

“Still tastes good,” Beck said, drinking his cup of strawberry cheesecake.

“Your cheek seems to like it too.” Alyssa laughed.

Beck looked confused. She reached over and wiped the pink smear from his cheek. Beck captured her hand with his palm and licked the melted ice cream off of her finger. Alyssa almost melted herself until he turned and spit.

“Salt,” he managed, grabbing a water bottle from the cooler and taking a long drink.

Alyssa and Granny Ellie laughed.

“Now that was romantic,” Granny said.

Beck blushed and drank more water. Alyssa scooped the chocolate chunks up and savored the richness of dark chocolate. Granny had been joking about it being romantic, but the warmth of his tongue on her finger had done crazy things to her insides.

“I want to be buried in the sand.” Granny stood and walked away from their chairs until she found a nice open spot.

Beck leaned close to Alyssa. “She’s joking, right?”

“Who knows? Hopefully she means just for fun and not her actual burial site.”

Beck had just taken another drink, but started laughing at her comment. The laugh turned to a cough as he inhaled the water. Alyssa lifted his left arm. “Take a deep breath,” she instructed.