Page 13 of For the Promise (The Raider Brothers #2)

“And here I thought I was immune to surprises, considering who my brothers are.” ~ Jaxon

Jaxon

W e enter the chalet and I freeze. I fucked up. I assumed a ‘chalet’ would have multiple sleeping accommodations. I was wrong. There’s one big bed and a small sofa I could never fit my six-foot-one frame onto.

After flirting with Blossom the entire morning, I’m ready to throw her onto the bed and find out how sturdy it is. I force my desire away. Blossom is not the woman for me. I can’t chance falling for her only for her to leave when she’s bored of me or the island.

“Wow.” Blossom spins around and her blonde hair flies out behind her. “This place is awesome. I hope the discount from the wedding is fifty percent because this chalet cannot be cheap.”

I don’t give a shit what the discount is. Whatever the price of the chalet is, it’s worth it to see Blossom happy. Her eyes twinkle, and her smile lights up her face. I’m drawn to her, but I manage to keep my feet planted where they are.

She pauses her twirling. “Holy mermaids,” she breathes out before rushing to the sliding doors. She slams her palms against the glass. “There is an honest to smuggler hot tub out there. Good thing I brought my swimsuit.”

She runs to her suitcase and flips it open.

“What are you doing?”

“Duh. I’m getting my swimsuit.” She pauses to glance over her shoulder at me. “Unless you want to get into the hot tub without any clothes on.”

My cock twitches with such vehemence I nearly fall over. Blossom in the hot tub without any clothes on? All those miles and miles of skin on display? Her perky breasts unconfined and ready to be touched? With my hands and mouth?

I inhale a deep breath and wrangle my hormones under control before I say to hell with it and throw Blossom over my shoulder.

“Don’t we have the welcome lunch in less than an hour?” Her shoulders slump and I nearly kick myself for dimming her light. “We can skip the lunch.”

“Nope.” She squares her shoulders. “You didn’t agree to spend the weekend with me romping around in the hot tub. You’re here to play my husband.”

I nearly growl at the word ‘play’ before I catch myself. Blossom isn’t my wife. I’m not her husband. It is an act. We are playing. End of story .

She yanks a dress out of her suitcase. “I need thirty minutes to shower and change.”

“Do you want me to change?”

I’m wearing khakis and a button-down shirt instead of my usual uniform of jeans and t-shirt. Eli and Rhett showed up at my house early this morning and picked out my ‘wedding wardrobe’. The assholes think I don’t know how to dress myself.

“You look good. I’ll hurry.”

She rushes to the bathroom and slams the door shut. Which is when I realize my second fuck up for the day. The wall between the shower and the bedroom is glass. Whoever is in the shower is clearly visible from the rest of the chalet.

My cock urges me to sit on the bed and enjoy the show. No matter how much I’m tempted, I would never violate Blossom’s privacy in this way.

I grab a key card and escape the room.

I dig my ear pods out of my pocket and switch on a podcast to listen to as I wander around the resort. There’s plenty of space to wander as the chalets are spaced a good distance apart to provide privacy to the guests. Considering Hudson caters to celebrities, it’s necessary.

It’s peaceful as I meander the paths through the gardens and cross bridges over the narrow streams of water. I avoid the beach and the ocean as I suspect most guests can be found there. I don’t need anyone’s company but my own.

And Blossom’s. I force thoughts of her away. This obsession needs to end since it can’t lead anywhere. She’s not from Smuggler’s Hideaway. And she hasn’t put down any roots here. She hasn’t bought a house. Her only friends are her boss and Dakota. Mainlanders never stay on the island.

The bush beside me rustles before Alan appears. He’s breathing hard as if he’s been running. His mouth is moving but I can’t hear him with my ear pods in. I pause my podcast and remove my ear pods.

“I’m sorry. Did you say something?”

Alan frowns at me. “You didn’t hear me?”

Obviously not. “No.”

He crosses his arms over his chest. “I don’t believe you’re married to Blossom.”

Jumping straight to the matter at hand. Good. I abhor small talk. “Why not?”

He brandishes a hand at me. “Blossom would never marry a man like you.”

A man like me? She didn’t have any trouble chasing a man like me. I want to tell him as much but goading him won’t help me figure out how he hurt her. And I’m determined to discover the truth.

“A man like me?”

“A nerd.”

I push my glasses up my nose. “Are you making fun of me wearing glasses?”

His cheeks darken. “No.”

“What makes you think I’m a nerd?” I am a nerd and I’m proud of it but I get the feeling he thinks nerd is a derogatory term .

“It doesn’t matter. You’re not Blossom’s type.”

I study Alan for a moment. He’s several inches shorter than me and is thin to the point of being scrawny. Whereas I’m muscular from the time I spend rowing. I row for an hour most mornings before work.

I started rowing to keep an eye on Miles while he surfs.

To my surprise, I enjoyed it. Nothing can compare to being out on the ocean while the sun rises before any of the tourists are on the beach.

It’s quiet. Unlike the rest of my life, which is filled with five brothers who talk nonstop.

I can ignore them, but it’s nice not to need to.

“Blossom’s type isn’t tall, fit men?”

He sneers. “Don’t be an asshole.”

If I were one of my younger brothers, I’d remind him he started this conversation. Instead, I nod and make to leave. He stands in my path to stop me.

“You won’t get away with it.”

“Get away with what?”

“Pretending to be married.”

I sigh. “This again.”

“I won’t drop the lawsuit for this charade.”

Finally, we’re getting to the heart of the matter. “The lawsuit?”

He barks out a laugh. “This is precious. She didn’t tell you.”

I step closer to him. “Tell me what?”

“I thought you were married. You should know about the lawsuit if you’re married.” He smirks. “If you married her for her money, you’re going to be sorely disappointed when I win this case.”

Heat flushes through my body and I fist my hands at my hips before I deck him. This man deserves a broken nose, but I won’t find out about this lawsuit if he’s at the emergency room. And if I punch him, he will be at the emergency room.

“I didn’t marry her for her money. I have my own money. I’m part owner of Buccaneer’s Whiskey. ”

And my brother is a billionaire who thinks giving his brothers six-figure checks is a good way to make up for our dad abandoning us when we were kids. But Alan doesn’t need to know about Eli. He’s obviously money hungry. Eli has enough money-hungry people trying to wheedle their way into his life.

Alan’s eyes narrow. “You’re part owner of the local distillery?”

“And I’m the master distiller.”

He rolls his eyes. “I understand Blossom’s attraction now. She always was obsessed with distilling and brewing.”

“Whatever,” I mutter and try to leave again.

“But I still don’t believe you’re married.”

“This is becoming tiresome.”

“Blossom’s a talker. She wouldn’t hide her inheritance from her parents from the man she’s married to.”

Inheritance from her parents?

“She told me her parents have passed,” I lie. She said she didn’t have any family, which is not the same as telling me about their deaths .

“But she obviously didn’t tell you they left her a boatload of money when they died.”

No, she didn’t. And I would have never guessed Blossom has money. She works sixty hours a week, lives in a shitty apartment building, and doesn’t wear fancy clothes or jewelry.

“I bet that’s how you can afford to stay in a chalet this weekend.”

“I’m paying for the chalet.” Blossom offered to pay for half but I refused her offer.

“I nearly forgot.” He snaps his fingers as if he just thought of something. “She can’t touch the money because of the lawsuit.”

“I’m done with your riddles. Tell me whatever it is you want to tell me or let me be.”

“Shouldn’t you be with Blossom?”

“She’s getting ready for the welcome lunch.”

He groans. “Don’t you hate how long she needs to get ready?”

“No, because the result is always worth it.”

“She has you tied around her little finger.”

She doesn’t, but I wouldn’t mind if she did.

“Are we done?”

I start to walk away.

“I’m not giving up until I get what I’m owed,” he hollers after me, and I stop to listen. “We were married when she received the inheritance, which means half of the money is mine. She can pretend we weren’t married and she’s married to you all she wants. I will win this lawsuit. ”

“We’re not pretending,” I tell him before stalking toward our chalet.

The pieces of Blossom’s past are starting to fall into place, but I’m still missing a few essential pieces. Was she married to Alan? Why does he think he deserves the money her parents left her?

I’m finding out the truth and then we’ll figure out a way to stop Alan. Because that asshole is not getting any of Blossom’s money.