Wilted (21 page)

“Yes… of course, I will. “ I push back the laptop and rub my arms. I can’t believe this is happening.

Cara takes my hand and squeezes it. “We didn’t bring you down here to terrify you, Kylie. I just want you to be aware of this situation and to keep safe. Unfortunately, I know firsthand how far this stuff can get out of hand because I’ve dealt with it before. I know you’re out here on your own, so if you need John or me, never hesitate to call us.” She slides a card to me with their personal number on it and then smiles at me.

“Thank you, Ms. Michaels.”

“Please, call me Cara. I know you’re used to the formalities of the office, but I like to think of Telko as my extended family.”

Nodding, I return her smile.

“Well, enough of this dreary stuff. How about we let John take us out somewhere expensive for lunch?” She stands and places her hands on her perfect waist.

Yep, I definitely need to start running again.

Just to be on the safe side, I took John and Cara’s advice. Telko put me up in a swanky hotel for a few days while they packed everything up and moved me into my new place. This condo is in a more secure, gated community so I feel much easier about coming home at night.

I won’t lie. This whole thing has shaken me. Times like this, I wish Nik were still with me. He’d been right from the start. When I think about Evan watching me, looking down my dress, and invading my privacy, it makes me wish I’d let Nik beat the fuck out of him long ago. From the very first time I’d met Evan, I’d known something wasn’t right with him. Every time I got a bad vibe about him, he would go and do something out of his way to be nice.

It scares the shit out of me when I think about all the time I spent alone with him. He’d spent the night in my apartment, working on a major presentation. He’d brought me dinner and even my laptop when I needed it. Sitting here thinking about all the instances has me wanting to throw up. I’d even kissed him, for fuck’s sake!
What the hell is wrong with me?
Knowing that he’d practically been living right next to me freaks me the fuck out. If I ever lay eyes on Evan again, I will gladly make him eat fifty thousand volts, along with the heel of my stiletto.

Sebastian’s call had caught me off guard a bit. The idea of throwing a fabulous, surprise, getaway wedding on a tropical island for my best friend overwhelms me. Skylar and I had just talked about wedding details last week, so I know what she wants. I just have to make it happen with the snap of my fingers, and not spill the beans to my best friend, in the process.

To be honest, I don't know why Sebastian wants to move up the wedding, but my guess is, after everything they’ve been through, he doesn’t want to wait another day to officially make her his wife. I’ve been around him long enough to know he doesn’t have patience when it comes to getting what he wants.

There had been a time when Nik and I together on a tropical island had been heaven. Now, it should be complete hell. The two of us can’t even be in the same room more than two minutes without fighting, so the idea of being on a remote island should prove quite comical. If he pisses me off too much, I swear I will make him shark bait.

NIKOLAS

“You do realize she’s going to kill you, right?” Sebastian warns me over the phone. Kylie was supposed to fly out on Sebastian’s jet, but I changed that by having her things transferred to my jet instead. She hasn’t boarded yet, so I know I’ll catch the wrath of her when she does.

“Yeah, she’ll be pissed, but so what? There’s no sense in taking two jets when I’m going there anyways.”

“I hope you have a tranquilizer, because you’re going to need it. I personally think you have a death wish.”

He has no idea how true his words are. One has not seen fury until one has seen Kylie Reynolds loose her temper. It actually turns me on so goddamn much that I used to pick fights just to get her pissed at me. We’d end up making up in no time, and let me tell you, that was phenomenal make up sex.

This time I know that won’t be happening, but I still can’t help it. It’s as if I am a gluten for punishment. I deserve what I get. I just want her to see how much I fucking miss her. Somehow, someway, I’ve got to get my girl back.

“What the fuck is going on?” she shrieks the moment she sees me sitting in the seat.

“Nice knowing you,” Sebastian says before hanging up.

“Well, it’s nice to see you, too.” I greet her with a smile.

“Don’t fucking get smart with me, you dickhead. Why the hell are you on this plane?”

“Well, that’s easy. It’s mine.”

“Yours? I’m supposed to be on Sebastian’s plane!”

“Yeah, about that…”

“Sir? There’s been a mistake,” she says to the pilot making his way past us.

“No mistake, ma’am. We’re almost ready for takeoff, Mr. Thorne.” The pilot turns inform me.

“Thank you, Nigel.”

“Nigel, whoever the fuck you are, I’m supposed to be on Sebastian Thorne’s jet, not this one. There’s no way in hell I’m flying anywhere with this man.”

Fuck, she’s turning me on.

“Sorry, miss, I’ve got to get back up front. I’ll need you to go ahead and take a seat. If there’s a problem, then maybe you should take that up with him,” he says, pointing in my direction.

“Hmph! Him? I’m not speaking to
him
!”

“Oh, is that a promise?” I reply, unable to keep the humor out of my voice.

“Shut the fuck up, asshole! I know you did this, so don’t you fucking
dare
speak to me!”

“Oh, relax. This is supposed to be a vacation, you know?”

“Vacation?” she shrieks. “This is a wedding, Nik. A wedding for my best friend and your cousin, I might add. If it were up to me, you wouldn’t be any part of this, but, for some unknown reason, they want you there. I don’t want to be around you any more than you do me, so do us both a fucking favor and leave me the hell alone!”

All right, I deserve that. Smiling to myself, I look over to see the hot attendant stepping on board. Yep, it’s definitely time to make Kylie Reynold’s steam a bit.

KYLIE

What the hell was I thinking when I agreed to this?

Looking over at Nikolas flirting with the flight attendant makes me want to inflict
severe
bodily harm on Sebastian Thorne. As a matter of fact, Skylar may be an honorary widow before she’s a bride.
What the fuck was he thinking when he put us on this plane together?
When he told me I’d be flying out of Austin, I assumed it would be with him and Skylar, not on Nik’s jet. I swear I’m going to fucking kill him when I see him.

For four goddamn hours, I’ve watched Nik eye fuck and fondle the girl with a vengeance. Regardless of whether or not he’s doing it on purpose, he’s a fucking dick to do it in the first place. If I ever meant a damn thing to him, he should cool it with the sexual theatrics. Go in the bedroom and fuck, for all I care. Okay… so I do care. But seeing him do this? Well, it makes me want to castrate him, grab a parachute, and jump from this plane. Yeah, I might have some slight anger and jealousy issues that I need to work on.

Once the plane lands, I barrel off into the airport and make my way through customs. I will rent my own fucking car and get there myself. There’s no way I’m going anywhere else with him. Like always, my passport gets lost in the abyss known as my purse. Frantically, I dig around for it while I walk through the line. When I hit a wall of solid muscle, I shriek.

“Shit! I’m so sorry,” I apologize. When my eyes land on the gorgeous man in front of me, I know my mouth hits the floor.
Sweet Lord!

“It’s no problem, beautiful,” he says as his eyes roam down my body. “I’m Derrick.” He gently takes my hand into his and kisses it. Warm flutters fill me up and my face heats with a blush. It’s been so damn long since anyone has touched me like this.

“Nice to meet you, Derrick. I’m Kylie.” The two of us casually talk while we wait for the line to move.
One thing’s for sure, this guy sure likes to touch.
And if I’d been the Kylie Reynolds I was a year ago, I’d follow him wherever he wants to go and have a little island fun. But, let’s face it, I’m not that girl anymore. Still, it doesn’t mean I don’t like to flirt. I guess you can say that’s just part of my personality.

Out of nowhere, a furious Nik comes up behind me and yanks me against his body. He’s rudely pushed past all the other travelers in line to get to me.

“Let’s go. The car’s waiting. I’ve already got us approved through customs.”

“Get your damn hands off me, you son of a bitch! I’m not going anywhere with you!”

When Derrick sees the frown on my face, he immediately challenges things.

“Look dude, I don’t want to make a scene here in the middle of the airport, but I will if I have to. The girl wants you to go, so maybe you should.”

“Fuck off! Kylie, stop being a bitch and come on. You and I both know you’re just pissed over Tori being on that flight.”

“Oh, so Tori’s her name. Thanks for the tidbit, but newsflash, I don’t give a fuck what you and Tori do!”

“Let’s go, Kylie.” He grabs my arm angrily, but I jerk away.

“NO! I’ll get my own car, thank you.”

“I’ll drop you off wherever you want,” Derrick chimes in while putting his arm possessively around me. Nik clenches his jaw and then looks back to me.

“I’m not letting you leave with this guy. You don’t even know him, Kylie!”

“So? Maybe I
want
to get to know him,” I reply, stroking Derrick’s arm.

“Sounds good to me.” Derrick grins down at me. Shit!

Disgusted, Nik throws his hands up into the air.

“You know what? Fine,” he says and extends his hand to shake. “Derrick, is it? Well, it’s nice to meet you. I know we just met and all, but let me give you a tiny piece of advice. I’ve driven this one, so be extra careful. She packs one hell of a punch. Besides, I much prefer the upgraded version,” he says, turning his head to check out a young girl in a short skirt walking by us.

My mouth drops open at his audacity to say such a cruel thing. Once again, we’re back to the same game. It’s like some sort of competition to see who can hurt the other more. So far, he’s winning by a landslide.

Trying to remain unaffected, I allow Derrick to lead me through the airport and out to the car he’s rented. I know I shouldn’t go anywhere with a man I hardly know, but it sure as hell beats riding in Nik’s car. Right now, I can’t stand being on the same island as him, let alone in the same car. Looking at my phone, I give him the directions to the place I’m heading. The resort is just a short drive from the airport, so thankfully, I don’t have to keep up our conversation for very long. All I want to do is get to the place I’m staying, bury my head in a pillow, and cry. Unfortunately, at this moment, I have to put on a brave face. The same face I’m tired of wearing.

“Here we are,” Derrick says as we pull up to the front entrance of the luxurious private resort. A fuming Nik pulls in right behind us. He left way before we did, so there’s no way we could have beat him here. It’s obvious he waited around and followed us.

“So, what are you doing tomorrow afternoon?” I ask loud enough for Nik to hear me.

“Hopefully you,” he says with a sly smile. Honestly, he’s an egotistical dick, but it never hurts to have a little leverage to piss Nik off some more.