The Resilient One: A Billionaire Bride Pact Romance Read online

  Maryn inhaled sharply. “Deal with that when you get there. It’s okay to allow yourself to have fun, to open up the possibility of having a relationship with a good guy. Don’t let your guilt or your dad’s manipulation ruin the rest of your life.” She paused as if waiting for Alyssa to respond. When Alyssa didn’t, she prompted. “Right?”

  Alyssa gripped onto the railing with her left hand and the phone with her right. Was Beck a good guy? Was she willing to get to know him and find out? “Right,” Alyssa finally admitted.

  “Love us,” Maryn said.

  Alyssa laughed. Years ago, Alyssa had texted “love ya” to Maryn but it had auto-corrected to “love us”. Maryn loved to tease her about it, but it had become a sort of mantra for them and Alyssa truly did love them, their friendship, their closeness, she’d be lost without Maryn.

  “Love us too.” Alyssa hung up the phone and closed her eyes, letting the gentle breeze caress her face. Could she trust a man? She pictured Beck’s blue eyes sparkling at her. Maybe.

  Alyssa was excited to try out Pa’ia’s Fish Market for lunch. Jerry claimed they had the best fish tacos he’d ever eaten in his life, but she hadn’t stopped on her travels around the island to see if she agreed. Beck, Alyssa, and Granny drove the thirty minutes to the center of the island and found a parking lot a couple blocks behind the restaurant. Beck hurried around and opened Alyssa and Granny’s doors at the same time. Alyssa stepped out of the car and glimpsed a man, with hair so blond it was almost white, duck into a Lexus sport utility a few cars down. She frowned and shook her head. It couldn’t be, but it had looked so much like him.

  “Granny,” she whispered, leaning close. “Do you know where Dad is right now?”

  Granny shook her head, her blue eyes darkening. “I try not to keep up with him.”

  Alyssa looked back at the Lexus, but there was no more movement. Instead a group of scrubby young men lounging on the grass next to the parking lot drew her gaze.

  “Hi, pretty lady,” a guy with dreadlocks called out to Alyssa. “You want to take a drag of my bong with me?”

  “No, thank you,” Alyssa said.

  Beck stepped protectively in front of her.

  “What’s a bong?” Granny asked.

  “It’s the pipe you use to smoke marijuana,” Beck said quietly.

  “Isn’t that illegal here?” Alyssa asked. She’d only driven through Pa’ia to get to the scenic road to Hana for photo shoots, but she’d heard of other tourists being offered drugs in the small town.

  “Yeah.”

  Granny’s eyes widened. She stepped deftly around Beck and came at the young man who had spoken to Alyssa with her purse held high. “What are you doing wasting your life like this?” She smacked him on the arm with her purse.

  “Ouch!” He scowled and scooted away on the grass.

  Beck hurried to Granny’s side, taking her arm and having to almost drag her away.

  “Get a job and get off the sauce,” Granny yelled as they hurried to the sidewalk. She straightened her blouse and glared at Beck. “Let me go. I won’t smack him again.”

  “Granny,” Alyssa said, looking over her shoulder at the young man, who studied her with an intensity that frightened her. “He could’ve hurt you.”

  “Ha. I’m tougher than that loser.” They walked past a custard shop and Granny got distracted. “Can we go there after the fish tacos? Ooh, I love that stuff.”

  “Sure.” Beck smiled and shrugged at Alyssa.

  “I’m never sure what to do with young people who are wasting their lives,” Granny admitted. “Do they need more love or a kick in the pants? That one seemed like he needed several kicks.”

  Beck laughed. “It’s a struggle knowing how to respond.”

  Granny tilted her head up to give him a glacial stare. “Just you wait, someday you’ll have children and you’ll know exactly what I mean. Now that I look back I should’ve loved Gary, Alyssa’s dad, more. But at the time I was so frustrated, the kick in the butt was the only way I knew how to respond.”

  A cloud passed over the sun, reflecting the darkness seeping into Alyssa. Granny always tried to take the blame for how Alyssa’s dad acted, but Alyssa didn’t buy it. The man was born manipulating and had tried to bully her and every one she knew her entire life.

  “Excuse me,” Alyssa muttered as they walked into the open doors of the restaurant. “I need to find a restroom.”

  Beck asked an employee and retrieved the restroom key.

  “Would you like me to order for you?” Beck asked. His eyes said he knew exactly why she was escaping, but was too kind to ask.

  “Yes, please. The fish tacos sound great.” She gave him an empty smile and walked away. The employee gestured her around the back of the restaurant to a small dirt-packed alley. At the very end of the alleyway it curved and finally there was a restroom sign on a beat up metal door.

  Alyssa thought she wanted a minute alone, but the isolation of the bathroom and the whole feel of this town creeped her out. She quickly splashed some water on her face, reapplied lip balm, and exited the dirty bathroom.

  The young man with dreadlocks stood right outside the door.

  “Oh!” Alyssa’s eyes darted to his face then away. He was tall and broad-shouldered. She tried to go around him, but he grabbed her arm. “Excuse me,” she said, her voice icy.

  “Have you done something I need to excuse?” He smirked at her. His eyes were a bit cloudy, but focused on her. He didn’t appear to be too out of it from the drugs.

  “I need to get back to my date before he comes looking for me.” Even as she said it, she knew Beck would give her all the time she needed. He seemed to understand how much the mention of her dad had upset her.

  “I think we’ve got a few minutes.” The man yanked on her arm and brought her into full contact with his body. She tripped on her bad foot and landed hard against his chest. “Now that’s more like it.”

  He stunk like the too-sweet smell of marijuana. Alyssa gagged and tried to pull free, digging into his arm with the restroom key. He yanked the key from her hand and tossed it.

  “Oh, no, pretty lady. We’re going to have some fun.” His scruffy face descended to within inches of hers.

  Alyssa ducked her head and yanked to free her arms. She brought her knee up, but only succeeded in hitting him in the thigh with it.

  “A fighter? I like it.”

  No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening to her again. How could she get away? She strained against his strong grip, but he grabbed her hair and yanked her head back. Alyssa screamed and then spit in his face. He didn’t even wipe the spittle away, just chuckled and pulled her closer.

  “Let’s see if you taste as good as you look.” He pressed his mouth to hers, trying to force her mouth open with his tongue.

  He tasted awful. Alyssa clamped her teeth tightly so he couldn’t gain access to her mouth. She squirmed and pushed, but couldn’t free herself. The tight clasp he had on her hair was giving her a headache, but his disgusting lips covering her mouth was worse.

  Suddenly, he was yanked backwards. His grip on her loosened, but he still pulled Alyssa with him. Alyssa grabbed onto the door handle and steadied herself as he was dragged away. Alyssa wiped the foul taste of him from her mouth and looked up to see Beck throw the guy to the ground.

  “Beck,” she breathed.

  He rushed to her side and wrapped his arm around her. “You okay?”

  “Um…” She really wasn’t sure. Her heart raced, her palms were sweaty, and she couldn’t catch a full breath.

  The guy slammed his fist into Beck’s back. Beck grunted, a look of surprise crossing his face. Alyssa jumped. She hadn’t even seen him coming. Beck turned to face the guy and with several well-placed jabs knocked him back to the dirt-packed alley. The guy growled and pushed off the ground, driving his head into Beck’s abdomen. Beck swept his feet out from under him and the guy went down hard again. Beck had half a grin on his face as he waited for the guy
to recover so he could hit him again.

  “Not worth it,” the druggie muttered. Shaking his head as if to clear it, he staggered to his feet and scurried away.

  Beck turned back to Alyssa.

  “Wow,” she said, offering him half a smile. She took several slow breaths and tried to control her trembling hands. “Where did you learn how to fight like that?”

  “Hockey.” He released his clenched fists and blew out a breath before giving her a chagrined smile. “I spent a lot of time in the penalty box.”

  Alyssa laughed. A euphoria of freedom rushed through her. She was safe. She was okay. It felt so good to think those thoughts after the terror of being trapped and kissed by the druggie. “Thanks for coming for me.”

  Beck wrapped his arms around her waist. It was completely natural to grip his strong shoulders in her hands, to want to pull him close instead of push him away.

  “I saw that guy walk by a few minutes ago,” Beck said. “He looked into the restaurant and smirked at me and Granny. It hit me that he was up to no good, and then I heard your scream.”

  Alyssa couldn’t control the shudder that raced through her. Beck had rescued her. The last time she’d succeeded in escaping after she kneed Hugh. She found out later he hadn’t chased her because he planned to pay her dad for her. He thought she would marry him because of her dad forcing her hand. She’d run away from her parent’s home and never looked back. Sadly, she hadn’t trusted a man since that day either. Why was Beck so different?

  Beck nestled her against his chest and rested his cheek on her hair. “I’m sorry he touched you.”

  “Thank you for your help.” She fought hard but couldn’t control the tremble in her voice.

  “Anytime.”

  “You could help some more,” she whispered, amazed at the comfort and excitement of Beck’s arms.

  Beck lifted his head and stared down into her eyes. “How?”

  “Replace the awful taste of him trying to kiss me.” Oh, my heavens. Alyssa had just said that, and she truly wanted his kiss more than she could express.

  Beck’s smile crinkled his cheeks and warmed his blue eyes. “Gladly.”

  He lowered his head and gently took possession of her mouth. She ran her hands up his back, entangling her fingers in his hair. He tasted like peppermint and the world seemed to spin as her lips tingled from his caress.

  “Is she okay?” Granny’s voice came from around the building. “Oh! Excuse me.”

  They broke apart to see Granny scurrying quickly away. Alyssa laughed. “She would not have wanted to interrupt this moment.”

  “I wanted our first kiss to be somewhere romantic,” Beck said, trailing his fingers down her cheek.

  Alyssa looked around the dirty alley and laughed. “I asked you for the kiss, so it’s my fault it wasn’t a romantic setting.”

  “You make it romantic, Alyssa,” Beck said and then they were kissing again. His lips were every bit as well-formed as she’d imagined. They caressed hers with such tenderness and just the right amount of pressure. Her body flushed with excitement and pleasure.

  Alyssa enjoyed each second of Beck’s touch and kiss. She finally forced herself to break away. “We’re giving Granny too much pleasure here,” she whispered.

  “I thought it was me that was having too much pleasure,” Beck said with a wink and a look that warmed her almost as much as his touch.

  Beck wrapped an arm around her waist and escorted her back to Granny. They called the police and reported the attack, but the officer they talked to wasn’t very encouraging. He said the guy’s description fit a lot of the local population in Pa’ia. He promised to get back to them if he found anything.

  Beck ordered their fish tacos to go and they drove away from Pa’ia as fast as they could. Granny alternated between concern for Alyssa and a self-satisfied grin as she looked back and forth between the two of them. Alyssa wished Granny hadn’t witnessed their first kiss, she would never hear the end of it. Yet at the same time, she didn’t really mind because as long as she stayed close to Beck, she felt safe. It was the first time in her life that a man had done that for her.

  Ever since Alyssa first moved to Maui, she had wanted to go on a snorkeling excursion around the small island of Lanai, but she didn’t like the idea of going by herself. She couldn’t bring her expensive camera and risk it getting wet, so she couldn’t justify the expense of a snorkeling trip or use it as a tax write-off. She made the mistake of mentioning her desire to Beck and Granny at lunch and Beck immediately found the phone number and bought tickets for the next morning.

  Beck and Alyssa arrived at the dock and smiled greetings to the dozen other people milling around the jet boat. After some fruit, granola bars, and instructions from Captain Aaron, they waited until Aaron’s assistant guided the boat into the water then walked down the dock and climbed in. Everyone was instructed to take off their shoes. Alyssa followed suit, telling herself that she didn’t know these people and didn’t care if they saw her deformed foot. She straddled the inflatable side of the boat, flinching when Captain Aaron gunned the boat. They skimmed across the water, and the chilly ocean spray hit her leg.

  “Cold?” Beck asked, his mouth next to her ear.

  “A little,” she admitted. “I’m usually running this time of day, not getting ready to jump in the water.”

  Beck chuckled and scooted up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

  The warmth and excitement of his touch were exactly what she needed to forget the cold. She leaned back against his muscular chest and he tightened his hold on her. She loved the intimacy and warmth of his arms. She could almost believe they were a couple and Beck would always be there to shield her with his strength from the cold or whatever else life threw at her.

  It was over an hour boat ride to the island of Lanai, but Alyssa hardly noticed as she savored Beck’s touch and laughed at the cute antics of a seven-year old red-headed boy, Stockton. His parents obviously adored him, but were also beside themselves as they tried to contain him from running around in the boat, talking to everyone, and almost launching himself into the ocean a dozen times. He and Alyssa instantly bonded as he discovered that the Denver Broncos were her favorite NFL football team.

  “I’m gonna play wide receiver for them someday,” Stockton informed her. “Do you wanna see how fast I can run?”

  “Yes.” Alyssa grabbed him around the waist as he tried to take off at a sprint. “But let’s wait until we’re on the ground.”

  Stockton’s mother, Janie, smiled her thanks as the little boy squirmed from Alyssa’s arms.

  Captain Aaron maneuvered the boat next to an interesting World War II battleship that had run aground on the island. Alyssa imagined the stories that massive iron hull could tell.

  They continued on their journey and saw whales, dolphins, and sea turtles. The boat stopped just offshore of a sandy beach. “Time for your first swim of the day,” Captain Aaron announced.

  Alyssa straightened. “Is he crazy? I’m still half-frozen.”

  The brochure had bragged about walking on a white sand, private beach and apparently this was that opportunity. Alyssa had walked on a lot of nice beaches and was tempted to stay in the boat and wait for the snorkeling.

  Beck rubbed his hands down her arms. “Guess my hug didn’t help?”

  “Oh, it helped.” She smiled, grateful and a little surprised at how comfortable she was with him. She’d thought of little last night but his kiss and his offer to travel with him. She felt like she’d be an idiot not to go. If they kept getting as close over the next few days, she’d have no choice but to go, or experience withdrawals from being around him. “But I’d rather hug you than jump in that water right now.”

  Beck stood and offered her a hand. “And here I thought you were an adventurous girl.”

  Alyssa arched an eyebrow. She knew a challenge when she heard one. Pulling off her sweatshirt and then her swimsuit cover up, she leapt over the side and into the
water. The cold liquid closed over her head and she gasped, swallowing a mouthful of water. Alyssa swam toward the surface, coughing and spitting as she hit the air.

  Beck was by her side. “You okay?”

  “Y-yes.” She coughed a few more times then started stroking toward the island. “I decided to taste the water. A bit too salty.”

  Beck chuckled and swam close by her side. They quickly reached the island and enjoyed walking in the soft sand and exploring. It reminded Alyssa of the spots she’d read about in books where someone is shipwrecked on a deserted island—sandy beach with trees and vegetation above that looked like a jungle. She glanced up at Beck’s handsome face and wished they were alone on this beautiful spot.

  Beck must’ve been feeling the same way. His grip on her hand tightened and he tugged her behind a palm tree. He smiled and trailed his fingertips lightly down the side of her face. Alyssa moistened her lips and stepped closer, waiting, hoping. She closed her eyes, savoring his soft touch as he tilted her chin up.

  “Hey, Lyssa,” Stockton yelled. “I found shells! Lyssa. Where are you?”

  Alyssa felt disappointment instead of Beck’s lips. He cleared his throat and then escorted her around the tree.

  “Hey! I didn’t know you and Beck were hiding. Look at my shells,” Stockton said.

  She and Beck walked over to the little boy and inspected his treasures. His dad, Bryant, gave Beck an apologetic smile. “Sorry, he’s kind of insistent.”

  “He’s great,” Beck said. “No worries.”

  Beck ran a hand through his hair and Alyssa liked that his frustration was evident, not at Stockton, but at the missed opportunity.

  Stockton’s mom beamed at her son. Alyssa didn’t blame her. The little guy was so cute she couldn’t find it in her to be upset that he’d interrupted their privacy. Alyssa glanced at Beck and he met her eye. She wondered what their son would look like. Blood rushed to her cheeks. What kind of a thought was that? She liked Beck, a lot, but she wasn’t ready for some lifelong commitment. She quickly looked away and shuffled her abnormal right foot through the sand.