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Lexie
Theblazeuponher cheeks raged with a fire she hadn’t felt in years. She tried to keep her eyes connected to Nav’s face, but she couldn’t help it as they trailed down to the top of his towel, bouncing over the ridges of his abs. Nav had always been in good shape, but the man standing just feet away from her was definitely not the scrawny boy she used to know. Her stomach flipped, filling with the swirl of butterflies as her mind danced around the possibilities of what once was and what could be. She turned, hiding the blush of her cheeks as she extended her body across the bed, reaching to grab her sunscreen off the nightstand. Without turning to face Nav, she sidestepped out of the cabin and up into the saloon. With a frazzled mind, Lexie fumbled with the sunscreen in her hand for a moment, her eyes boring holes into the window in front of her.
As she stepped outside, the warm summer air assaulted her face, heating up her already blazing cheeks. She stared ahead at the blue waters surrounding them. They were anchored into a long dock, which led into a wooded area. The green of the trees contrasted against the turquoise waters with the white sands in between.
Mouth agape, Lexie lowered down on the U-shaped seating next to Kennedy, who handed her a flute full of a bubbly orange substance before her butt could even touch the leather seats. “We’re already getting the party started,” Kennedy said with a smile. Lexie took the glass and tipped it to Kennedy before putting it to her own lips. The sweet concoction swirled around in her mouth with a happy fizz. She closed her eyes, tipping her head back and savoring every last bit.
Since Oliver’s funeral, she hadn’t had a lot of normal days. Friends and family were in and out of her home for the weeks following his death, but then the silence came. She found herself alone in a massive house meant for a family of four. A family she had longed for, but one she’d never get to have.
Her closest friends were around the table and she couldn’t help but wonder where the guys were. “Did the plans change? I thought the guys said we were going to be tied out in the middle of the ocean,” she said to no one in particular. Avanna laughed and reached across the table to fill Lexie’s flute up.
“Yeah, Kennedy, why don’t you explain it to Lexie?” Avanna narrowed her eyes toward Kennedy with a smile.
Kennedy turned toward Lexie with faux-innocence draped across her face. “We wanted to give the element of surprise for the main part of the trip.”
Lexie stared at Kennedy for a moment, processing. “Wait, you? The element of surprise? The woman who plans every detail of her life?” Lexie shook her head and laughed.
Kennedy playfully punched her on the shoulder. “Yeah, yeah. I’ve learned to loosen up a little!”
“So, no plan then?” Lexie asked with a wink.
Kennedy turned up her nose. “Okay fine! We will be spending the next few days here at Buck Island before we head back to St. Thomas. The island is ours for the rest of the week.”
Lexie blinked repeatedly. “Excuse me, what?” Her mind couldn’t formulate the amount of money and notoriety it took to rent an entire island for multiple nights. But, it was Adam Thomas they were talking about. The billion dollar CEO could probably buy the island if he wanted to. Her mind was whirling, suddenly feeling guilty because she knew she could never pay her portion of this stay in an entire lifetime.
Kennedy’s arm held tightly around Lexie’s shoulders, reading her concerned expression. “It’s not up for debate and no you don’t owe us anything.”
Lexie slowly nodded and stared out at the island ahead of them.She took a deep breath and pushed her hesitant thoughts aside. “So are we waiting on the guys or can we go venture off?” She was suddenly feeling very ready to dive into this adventure.
Kennedy stood with a smile before shooing Lexie off the bench. Lexie stood and moved out of the way, allowing Kennedy to walk past her and into the saloon. As the door slid open, she could hear the boisterous laughs of the men flowing out onto the cockpit. Kennedy’s timid, but powerful voice filled the small space as she summoned Adam. “You guys ready to head off?”
Adam nodded and motioned for the girls to join them in the saloon. “Surprise everyone! We’ll be staying here at Buck Island for a few nights before heading back to St. Thomas for our flight. There are plenty of rooms, so Lexie and Nav, you are welcome to sleep on opposite ends of the island,” he called out with a wink in both of their directions. Lexie looked over at Nav, who caught her gaze and flipped the side of his mouth up into a toe curling smile. He still hadn’t put a shirt on and his tan, rippled chest elicited a lustful reaction that Lexie could feel along every nerve ending. She smiled and dropped her head as her cheeks flamed in crimson. “I’d probably suggest grabbing bags now because the house is a little distance from the boat, but it’s up to you,” Adam said as he reached for Kennedy and led her down beneath to grab their own bags.
Lexie nodded and turned to walk down into her cabin, realizing none of her stuff was organized and she’d need to repack everything before heading off with the group.
She hummed to herself as she threw items into her bag that was seemingly more fullthan it had beenon the flight down. She crawled across her bed, grabbing her phone off the small nightstand. Glancing around, she was satisfied with what she was able to pack into the bag, making an assumption that the house would likely have anything she may have forgotten.
“Well, this is quite a surprise.” She jumped as Nav’s thick, raspy voice flowed around her.
“You’re telling me. I just hope Kennedy was serious about not having to worry about paying for anything because I literally cannot afford 10 minutes of rental time for this island.” Her face blazoned again, slightly ashamed at her net worth.
Nav let loose a disgusted chuckle. “God, my brother is such an arrogant prick. I wish I could leave his ass on this island.”
Lexie shook her head. “No, you don’t mean that.”
Nav narrowed his eyes in her direction. “Have you met him?”
Lexie stepped around Nav, who was fumbling through his small duffle he had shoved into the closet. She turned around, with one foot on the stair in front of her. “It’s funny, Nav. I always considered your family my family. Even after things went haywire with us... I never lost touch with your brothers.”
Nav halted what he was doing to turn and stare at Lexie, bewildered.
“When Tristan decided to propose to Addie, he called me. When Adam met Kennedy at Beau’s wedding, I was the person he called at two in the morning from his hotel room, and when she finally gave in, I was the one he sent the photos to from Arizona. I’m the one that was there for him when he talked about dropping out of college. I was there for him as he navigated his feelings for Kennedy. I’m not sure where you’ve been all these years, Nav, but your family? Your brothers? They’ll always be a part of me.”
She could sense the anger and resentment steaming off Nav’s shoulders. She wasn’t sure why talking about his brother triggered her so much, but looking at him now, she knew she hit a nerve she hadn’t been aiming for. After Nav left for the military, his brothers struggled with his departure. Not in a “we can’t handle ourselves” kind of way, but more of an “if one more person abandons us, we might totally fall apart” kind of way. She never understood Nav’s purpose for leaving everyone behind, and she wasn’t sure she ever would. But she knew two of her best friends spent a lot of time and effort planning out this surprise trip and she was going to make the best of every moment. Her conflicted mind swirled as she fought against the urge to stay on the boat with Nav for the rest of the trip learning more about the man he had become. But a part of her, what she believed to be the sane part of her, wanted to distance herself from Nav and all the possibilities and complications that came with him.
