Chapter Eleven
The czarina whispered, “Fuck me,” and screeched to a halt so abruptly he accidentally stumbled into her. His dick bounced off her ass, and his eyes nearly rolled to the back of his head. The impact also knocked her phone out of her bag. It landed on the marble floor with a thud. From the corner of his eye, he saw a tall, blonde woman in head-to-toe white peel away from the registration desk and swoop toward Arden with her arms outstretched.
He snagged the phone from the floor and handed it to her.
She took it from him, shot him a look that managed to be panicked and apologetic at the same time, and muttered, “I’m so sorry. I have to go.”
Then she stepped away without a backward glance and intercepted the Charlize Theron look-alike with a resigned, “Mom. You look beautiful. What are you doing here?”
Mother embraced daughter, and he felt the brief inspection of blue eyes before the older woman drew away and focused her attention on Arden.
He kept moving, crossing the lobby and walking into the lounge to commandeer the seat at the end of the bar. From there, he could watch the mother-daughter reunion in the lobby without being too obvious.
Coloring aside, they resembled each other. Same profile. Same Nordic cheekbones and wide-set eyes. Of course, there were plenty of contrasts, too. Her mother looked smooth and elegant. Meanwhile, the wind had blown waves into Arden’s dark hair, and the sun had put pink in her cheeks. Instead of silk she wore bikini top and those little shorts that made every guy in the vicinity check out her ass. Still, she had her mother’s bone-deep elegance.
It was impossible to know if she sensed his attention, but she never looked his way. Apparently there would be no introductions. The czarina might invite him to spend the night with her, but invite him into her actual life? Nope. The bitter taste of disappointment brewed in the back of his throat. He swallowed it.
She hadn’t even told him her name. Why would she introduce him to her mother? How the hell would that even work?
Hi Mom. Meet Rider, my vacation fuck-buddy. We’re going to go at each other for two more days and then be on our merry ways.
No wonder he could practically feel a footprint on his ass, kicking him out the door. The bitter taste came back. He caught the bartender’s eye and ordered a beer. Sex was the extent of their deal. And while he’d never gone into something with the boundaries so well spelled out before, a short-term, mutual exchange of laughs and orgasms was his typical deal. One that worked for him perfectly well. Maybe he’d lost sight of the limits for a minute when she’d asked him to spend the night, but—he glanced across the room to see mother and daughter still standing together in the lobby, an island of two in an animated conversation—she hadn’t. Her mother hugged her again, and then, arms linked like conspirators, they walked off toward the elevator bank. She clearly wasn’t looking for more. Not with him.
The bartender put a beer in front of him. He picked it up and took a long swallow. Fine by him. He didn’t want more. He wasn’t good at more.
You’re not good at it, and she doesn’t want it, so contact Evelyn and cancel the date. Arden St. Sebastian will not think it’s funny if the guy her father is trying to set her up with turns out to be the czarina’s temporary sex toy.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and delayed the inevitable for a moment by checking his messages. Nothing urgent. One of the residents was looking for someone to take her Saturday shift in the ER. If he believed in signs from fate, he’d call it one. He texted his aunt.
I can’t make it Saturday after all. Please tell your friend I’m sorry. Buy you dinner Sunday to make it up to you?
He’d barely taken another drink when his phone buzzed. Wincing at the ordeal to come, he answered.
“What do you mean you can’t make it?”
His aunt’s exasperation carried over the line. “Somebody asked me to cover a shift at the hospital.” True in fact, if not spirit.
“Say no. You’re busy. You have a commitment.”
Resolve replaced the exasperation in her voice. Aunt Evelyn wasn’t giving up without a fight. This could go sideways on him if he didn’t proceed carefully. “A senior resident aiming for a staff position can’t get too busy with other commitments.”
“Phooey. You’re entitled to a life, and the hospital knows it. You’re the one avoiding commitment.”
And boom. There it was. He wanted to avoid this conversation, but it was speeding toward him like a runaway train and he was stalled on the tracks. He shifted on his barstool. “I’m not avoiding it, I’m just…”
“Avoiding getting involved with anyone,” his aunt interjected, but more gently now. “You’ve been doing it since medical school. Since Lisa.”
His ribs squeezed in on his lungs. “Aunt Evelyn, I’m fine. Honestly. Don’t worry about me. I have plenty of”—Jesus, there was no good way to say this to his aunt—“involvements.”
“You have a revolving door for a social life. That’s not involvement, it’s just another form of avoidance.”
So much for phrasing things delicately. “Evelyn—”
“I understand. I really do. You needed time to heal after what happened. Not only did you have to withstand the shock of the loss, Lisa’s death left you with unanswered questions. You’ll never have good answers for those questions, but instead of accepting that and moving on, you choose not to take the risk. You don’t want to fail anybody.”
God, it was hot in here. Sweat beaded his forehead. He took a slightly desperate gulp of the cold beer. “I know my own limits. Is that so wrong?”
“It’s wrong to sell yourself short, Nick. That’s a form of failure, too. You’ll end up letting something good slip right through your fingers.”
Was that what he was doing with Arden? Letting her slip through his fingers rather than trying to make her see him as something he hadn’t even seen himself as for a long time? The questions landed a little too close for comfort. He rubbed the back of his neck and tried to deflect his aunt. “Maybe I just haven’t met the right girl yet?”
His mind rejected the words as soon as they left his mouth.
So did Evelyn, as it turned out. “Maybe Arden St. Sebastian is the right girl, but you’ll never know if you cancel the date.”
…
Arden prowled around the master bedroom of the penthouse suite while her mother unpacked. A lot.
“Three bags, Mom? How long are you planning to stay?”
Her mother paused on the way to the closet, holding a gorgeous pale pink Escada they’d picked out in Paris over Christmas, and gave an airy wave. “I don’t know, honey. Rafe said this hasn’t really been much of a vacation for you, so far. Maybe you can extend your stay for a few days, and we can shop. Go to the spa. You know”—she shrugged and turned away to hang up the gown—“have some girl time.”
Arden dropped into one of the cushioned chairs in sitting area. “That sounds nice, but you know Dad’s arriving tomorrow?”
Her mom’s stride hitched on the way back to the bed where the last open suitcase sat. The slightest frown pulled at her lips. “Your brother didn’t mention that.”
“He may not have known Luc’s itinerary.” Or cared to cater to their parents’ aim of avoiding each other, but she found herself offering excuses anyway. “I just found out today.”
“It’s a big hotel,” her mother said with another careless wave. “I’m sure we can stay out of each other’s way. The man loves to work, first and foremost. It’s unlikely he’ll have the neighboring cabana at the pool.”
True. But still.
“Where’s…um…” The name of Mr. Palm Springs escaped her. “…the golf instructor?”
Her mom flopped down in the other chair and rolled her eyes. “On a golf course somewhere, I presume. Sad to say, I really don’t care.”
“Well. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s not like I was in love with him. Men.” She let out a long-suffering sigh and turned to Arden. “Tell me about this one you’ve been dealing with.”
Rider? Her heart skittered. How had her mother found out about him? She thought she’d dodged a bullet in the lobby. “It’s not…serious,” she finished lamely. The words left a sour aftertaste on her tongue.
“Not serious? Arden, he stalked and blackmailed you.” Her mother reached over and squeezed her arm. “I call that serious. You must have been terrified.”
“Oh, that.” Her pulse settled, and she let out a relieved laugh. “That was nothing, Mom. Honestly. I was disappointed in myself for being dumb enough to become a target and angry with him for being the kind of guy who would resort to those tactics for money. But otherwise”—she tried out one of her mother’s shrugs—“it’s not like I was in love with him.”
Mom gave her arm another squeeze. “Well, I still want to strangle him, but thank goodness he didn’t break your heart on top of everything else.”
“My heart is safe.” Was it? Those words tasted false, too. She remembered Rider looking at her from across the Jeep. I thought you’d never ask. But she had asked, and he’d agreed, and then she’d shaken him off because her mother had shown up, unknowingly almost ruining the most amazing week of her life.
Her mother was here. Her father was coming tomorrow. The lighting in the suite seemed too bright. She closed her eyes and rubbed the twitching muscle under the left one. Her Maui escape was turning into a clusterfuck.
“Uh-oh. I know that look.” Concern laced her mother’s voice. “Something’s wrong. Are you sure you didn’t love him?”
“No. Seriously, no.” She dropped her hand and dredged up a smile. “To be honest, I’m not sure love is in the cards for me. I mean, it seems to be a rare phenomenon in St. Sebastian relationships, and I’ve gone this long without getting struck by that bolt of lightning.”
Her mom laughed. “Love is definitely in the cards for you. I worried about Rafe, because he can be such a cynic, but you? Never.”
“Maybe Rafe’s the exception to the rule? Dad probably has the right idea. Don’t get too bogged down in the emotions, because they might be fleeting. Find a match that makes sense on paper. Look at you and Dad.”
“Don’t let your father and me warp you. We love each other, in our own ways.”
That surprised her. “You do?”
“How could we not? We gave each other you and Rafe. We just can’t stand to live together. I hate feeling like I come in second to his work, and he hates feeling like he’s a terrible husband—which he is. Your father and I made a lot of mistakes, but we did a couple things right, and you’re one of them. That said, you are your own person, not a sum of our flawed parts. You’re also more than a pillar in the St. Sebastian enterprise, regardless of what your father might like to think. The right man is out there for you. Don’t stop believing that.”
She blinked, not sure how to respond to the advice. Finally she settled for, “Thanks, Mom.”
“I have my motherly moments.”
“You know Dad handed over the reins of St. Sebastian to Rafe? He’s truly stepped out of the role. He’ll be here now full time, as the general manager of this resort.”
“Oh please. Handed over the reins?” Sonja shook her head. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“Hey, you never know.”
Her mother leaned back, folded her arms above her head, and stretched like a cat. “You never know.” She sighed and relaxed. “I do love Maui. I could happily spend serious time here.”
“Me, too.” Rider’s face flashed in her mind.
“Extend your stay, honey. ”
“We’ll see.” Would he be interested in more? With Arden St. Sebastian this time?