Chapter One

“Who’s idea was it again to come here?” I asked as I dried the excess water off and sat down on the lounger.

“Elio’s,” Marlo and Basil said at the same time.

“Are you seriously complaining?” Elio asked.

“I’m not,” Basil said as he sat up straight and surveyed the beach in front of us.

“Of course you’re not,” Marlo said.

We were in Bermuda, our yearly get away as a group disguised as a holiday to cheer me up. We always rented a house since hotels were so impersonal and with our eccentric lifestyles we needed the privacy. Explaining blood bags in the freezer might not go down so well for Elio and Basil.

The view was pretty spectacular, pristine beaches, clear waters and women in bikini’s wherever you looked. Two weeks of fun in the sun as Elio called it. Tank and Jack where off somewhere snorkeling and doing couply things.

Basil was a self-proclaimed bachelor and I was newly left at the altar. I watched Elio as he glared at the male population as Marlo made her way from the sun chairs down to the water’s edge. Her bright blue hair twirling in the breeze and the excuse of a bikini she wore attracting the attention of the whole male population of Bermuda.

“Hi Ryder.”

“Hey Tammy,” I replied and Elio raised his eyebrow at me.

We watched her walk past with two of her friends and she glanced back at me twice as I smiled unashamedly. I leaned back in the chair and put my arms underneath my head and closed my eyes.

“We’ve been here for two days,” Elio said.

“So?”

“You have no shame,” he said with a chuckle.

“Nothing to be ashamed about brother,” I replied.

“When did you even sleep with her?” he asked me and I turned my head to look at him.

“Sometime last night,” I said.

“So you’re back to your old ways just like that?” he asked me.

“I never said I was a saint Elio. What the fuck do you expect me to do?”

“Have you even tried talking to Megan, find out what happened?” he asked.

“I’m not talking about Megan with you or anyone else for that matter,” I said as I closed my eyes again.

We sat in silence for about ten minutes when Basil returned, shaking his wet hair over me. I lowered my sunglasses as he smiled at me and fell down on his chair.

“Holy shit,” Basil said and I turned my head and followed his gaze.

Marlo smoothed her wet hair away from her face as she walked out of the waves, the water droplets glistening on her skin as the sun’s rays caught them. I looked over at Elio as his mouth opened and closed.

“Wow,” I said.

“Keep your eyes off her,” Elio threatened us.

“Tell that to every man on this beach,” Basil said.

“I never realized how hot Marlo is naked,” I said.

“Fuck off Ryder!” Elio said angrily as Basil and I laughed.

“You know Marlo and I used to be pretty close,” I said as Elio dove at me and tackled me off the chair and onto the sand.

“You’re an asshole,” he said as I pushed him off me.

“One of these days Elio, someone’s going to make a run at her and then you’ll only have yourself to blame,” Basil said.

“She’s way too hot to be single,” I said.

“Who said she’s single?” Elio asked us.

“You haven’t staked your claim either,” I said.

“Fuck this,” Elio said as he stood up with his t-shirt in his hand and marched over to where Marlo stood looking at the water.

Basil and I watched as Elio glared at people and started pulling his t-shirt over Marlo’s head. She was trying her best not to laugh as Elio threw her over his shoulder and marched back to where we were now loudly laughing at him.

“Elio!” Marlo glared at him as he put her down on his sun chair and sat down behind her, pulling the t-shirt down over her legs.

“Would you prefer me gouging their eyes out?” he asked her.

“Are you jealous?” she asked him.

“Insanely, now cover up your legs,” he said.

“You are so whipped,” Basil said.

“Marlo, you remember that weekend we spent at the Lake House, in the hot tub…” I asked her.

“Ryder, I’m warning you,” Elio said.

“Relax Elio, he’s teasing you, we were never in a hot tub, we skinny dipped in the lake,” Marlo said as Elio jumped up and I started running.

“She’s lying!” I yelled as Elio caught me in the ribs and we both went down, hitting the wet sand as the surf flowed over us.

“I hate you,” he said but smiled as I laughed.

Heated by the sun we headed to the nearest club after washing the sand off and laughing at Elio as he ordered Marlo to wear a sweater. We still hadn’t really seen Tank or Jack and their honeymoon phase was entering its fifth month.

The club smelled like tequila and sex, my kind of place. Basil and I headed straight for the bar while Elio and Marlo got us a table in the back. We secured a tab, got a waitress for the evening and then Basil disappeared into the crowd.

“If you keep staring at her any longer people are going to start to talk,” Elio said with a chuckle as I finally tore my gaze away from the woman.

“Since when do I care?” I asked him.

“Who is she?” he asked.

“Ask me that again tomorrow,” I said as he smacked me behind my head.

“Asshole.”

That’s how most of the night went and I knew at some point we had been grinding together on the dance floor, sweat and perfume mixing together and her hands never left my body, neither did mine. She was hot, sexy, her skin smelled faintly like orchids, warm to the touch and her eyes kept me captivated.

Abeloth was grumbling in my head and the dull thud at the base of it made me swear to not drink for at least a day. I opened my eyes to bright sunlight filtering through the open window, sweat clinging to my torso in the early morning heat.

A slight moan had me turn my head to see a cascade of dark brown hair splayed across the pillow. Her naked back was lightly tanned, the covers only coming up to covering her legs and ass. I wiped a hand across my face and got out of the bed as quietly as I could.

The heat from the shower took away the last remnants of fog from my mind and the headache started lessening. I was leaning into the water with my head when two arms encircled me from behind and her overpowering scent of orchids reached my nostrils.

I turned around and looked at the woman in front of me. She was striking in the daylight and even more beautiful without make up on. Our eyes met and soon we were kissing, my hands gripping her hair as her hands explored.

I lifted her as she wrapped her legs around me and I guided myself inside her, the water already turning tepid as she arched her back against the shower wall and dug her nails into my back. When we reached orgasm together it sent shivers down my spine.

“Hi,” she said as I still held her against the wall.

“Ava right?” I asked not forgetting that I was still inside her.

“Sorry I don’t remember your name,” she said shyly the embarrassment showing on her coloured cheeks.

“Ryder,” I said as she loosened her legs and I pulled out and lowered her to the floor.

“Do you mind?” she asked and I stepped to the side as she stood under the spray and started washing her hair.

I got out of the shower and looked back once as the foam slid down her back before I closed the shower door and grabbed a towel. I brushed my teeth and got dressed before she had finished her shower. I had no idea what to say to her and I had to smile at the thought that she hadn’t even remembered my name.

“Breakfast’s ready sunshine!” Tank’s voice boomed loudly through the bedroom door.

“I’ll be down in a minute!” I yelled back.

Ava came out of the bathroom with a towel around her and stood there looking at me. She seemed shy all of a sudden, given what we had just done in the shower, it took me by surprise.

“Breakfast’s ready when you’re done. Do you need anything?” I asked her.

“No, I’ll be down shortly,” she said not looking at me.

I left her in my bedroom and headed downstairs where I could hear Tank’s boisterous laughter filling the room. A blonde woman sat next to Basil and he was dishing up food for her as she looked at him unashamedly.

“Glad to see you survived little Ryder,” Tank said and Jack started laughing.

“I’m not even going to comment on that,” I said.

“Is Ava up yet?” the woman asked me.

“This is Selma, Ava’s friend,” Basil said.

Basil looked enamored with the woman and I gave him a hard look to which he just shrugged. Ava walked onto the patio where we all sat with confidence and sat down next to me. She greeted everyone with a smile and started dishing up for herself.

“I’m Ava and yes this is terribly awkward but it’s nice to meet you all,” Ava said as Marlo laughed.

“I’m Marlo, grumpy next to me is Elio, he’s Basil’s brother, and that giant is Tank and his beloved Jack,” Marlo introduced everyone.

“I’m not grumpy,” Elio said grumpily.

“Excuse him, he’s British,” Marlo said and Ava burst out laughing as Elio glared at Marlo.

“That explains a lot,” Ava said as Marlo laughed again and I had to smile.