“What the hell were you thinking, Isla?” Max asked the minute Hawk pulled the boat into his slip. He stared at me from his perch on his yacht and as I looked up at him, I could see Bodhi snickering as Victoria whacked his shoulder with her arm. “No, seriously.” He looked between the two people surrounding him, his expression not changing. “What the fuck? You run away without telling us, only to come back on this guy’s boat. Something could’ve happened to you.”

“Yeah, but it didn’t,” I pointed out. “And Hawk was a Marine. I’m probably safer with him than with you.” I wanted to roll my eyes at how protective Max was. I could take care of myself, and had, especially after Bodhi left and then Max followed. I was the one left with our parents. Me. And even with both brothers currently out of the picture, I still wasn’t trusted with the business. It was all ‘when Max comes home,’ this; ‘when Bodhi comes home,’ that. It was never about me, the only child who had obeyed, who wanted to run the empire, who earned higher grades in business school than either of her brothers.

“Clearly, she’s fine, Max,” I heard Victoria say. “She’s a grown woman. There’s no need to treat her like she’s a child.”

“I already get that from Mom and Dad, Max.” I glared at him while wearing a sarcastic smile. “Don’t need it from you too.” I turned my fury on Bodhi. “And you not saying something says something. I hope you know that.”

The smile immediately slipped from his face.

I glanced over at Hawk and found a conflicted look on his face. I knew part of him wanted me to leave his boat and never step foot around him again because he clearly needed his job. I understood that. As much as I hated to let him go, I could respect his wishes.

So that was what I did.

Without his help, I stepped on the dock and walked away. My arms were wrapped around my body, the bitter sea breeze smacking my face and messing up my hair. I honestly wanted to get back to Max’s condo and hop into the shower. I hoped he would continue to stay with Victoria tonight like he had been the past few days. I needed some space and hoped my brother was smart enough to know that. I didn’t turn back to look at Hawk. I didn’t even say goodbye. I knew it was probably rude, but I couldn’t bring myself to care too much. I just wanted to get away. When I reached my car, I felt under the back rear of the vehicle and found my spare key. With it, I opened the door and slid into my car before programming my phone’s GPS to get me back to my temporary living arrangement. I wasn’t at the point where I was calling it home yet. It was a cozy little beach town, but I was a city girl at heart, and so far, even with most of my family here, I wasn’t convinced to give up Seattle for Westport. Granted, Max hadn’t either until he met Victoria.

I still wasn’t sure how I felt about that. She seemed nice, and smart, which were two things Max wanted, as I recalled from previous conversations. She also wasn’t going to take his shit, which was something he needed. I knew that she was good for him. The fact that he took to Penelope so quickly was surprising as well. I was actually going to be an aunt, which wasn’t something I thought I would ever be with my two commitment-phobe brothers.

I pulled into the driveway at the condo and shut off the car. Once I reached the door, I started moving stones. Max had hidden a key for the decorator. I figured I could use that to gain entry, since he’d invited me to stay here. The first thing I did when I was inside was strip and shower. I wondered if Hawk cared that I ran away in his dress shirt. I should probably return it to him at some point. The hot water eased the tension in my back but it did nothing for the tension between my thighs. I wasn’t kidding when I said I wanted Hawk. At first, I thought it was just to hook up with. He was gorgeous and I wanted him, and that was all there was to it. Except, there was more to it. At least, a little bit more. The more time I spent with Hawk, the more I realized there was more to him than muscles. Besides the fact that he was a Marine, he seemed kind and he cared about his job.

“Come on, Isla,” I muttered to myself as steam rose from the shower and fogged up the glass. “It sounds like you want a relationship with him. You barely even know him, and what you do know is suspect. He’s a Marine, which probably means baggage. Is that something I could handle right now?” Great. Now I was talking to myself. I also didn’t want to lead Hawk on. Not that I thought he thought we would go anywhere. He was the one who clearly was putting the brakes on even something just physical between us. But I was always very clear what my intentions were before I got together with a guy, and if he didn’t agree, we went our separate ways. It was as easy as that.

The problem with Hawk was that I didn’t know what I wanted from him. I didn’t know if I wanted just one night or a few more. And then there was the fact that I actually started to like him as a person. I knew he saw me as a princess who got everything she wanted. I also knew that was how I portrayed myself so I couldn’t blame him for that. However, I thought he could past that just a bit. He could see the real me.

I turned off the shower and grabbed a towel, drying myself off quickly before wrapping it around my body. At that moment, there was a loud knock on the door, causing me to jump. Max wouldn’t knock. Maybe Bodhi?

I rushed down the stairs and whipped the door open. There stood Hawk, squirming with discomfort, as he took in my wet frame and my barely-there towel.