A Crush on Her Best Friend's Brother: Complete Box Set (23 page)

She
loved reading. It took her mind off things and helped her to relax.
Becky could read anywhere and never felt interrupted. The noise in
the background was actually kind of nice. She could tell everyone
around her was having a great time. Her face was in the book, but she
could feel someone watching her. She looked up through her dark
sunglasses to see a very nice looking man look directly at her. There
was no way he could see her eyes through the glasses. He was probably
wondering why she was reading, she thought. She knew if she kept her
nose in the book, he would go away eventually. She continued reading
and had forgotten all about him, as she laughed into her book. She
loved when a book pulled emotions out of her, either happy or sad.
When she caught herself laughing, she noticed the man was still
looking at her. Move along dude, she thought to herself. It was
pretty obvious that she was busy. A few moments later, she saw a
shadow move next to her and sit down.

“
Hello,
I'm Gavin,” he said.

Why
do I attract losers, she thought to herself? There were tons of women
jumping around in bikinis already drunk. Why did this guy have to sit
next to her?

“
I'm
Becky,” she said, not lifting her eyes from the book.

“
How
can you read with so much noise around you?” he asked.

“
It's
easy,” she replied.

“
Would
you like a drink?” he asked.

“
No
thanks,” she replied.

“
Are
you here by yourself?” he asked.

Seriously,
dude go away. They hadn't even left port yet. She was in no mood for
anyone's crap. Her relaxing time was being interrupted.

“
It's
much easier to read when nobody is talking to you,” she said,
still not looking up from her book.

“
Sorry
to bother you,” he snapped, as he stood up and walked away.

***

Gavin
walked back over to find his friends, grumbling away. What the hell
was her problem, he asked himself? He was just trying to be friendly.
She didn't have to be so rude. What was the chip on her shoulder?
They were on a cruise. It should be fun and carefree, not mean and
moody. He turned to look back at her, but she was gone. How did she
disappear so quickly, he wondered?

He
went to the bar and got a drink, as he spotted Ethan talking to a
woman at the end of the bar. Gavin rolled his eyes, grabbed his
drink, and got up to walk around. On his way past the crowd, he saw
the other three guys talking to other people. He was aggravated by
the way Becky had brushed him off and then disappeared. He could have
many other women, so why was he even letting that bother him? Gavin
didn't feel like hanging out and decided to go to his room and take
his drink out on his balcony. Usually, he loved all the noise, but
for some reason, he wanted to sit in quiet. On his way to his
balcony, he sat his drink of the counter in his room and sprawled
back out across his bed.

Chapter
2

Gavin
opened his eyes and looked up at the clock. It was six o'clock in the
morning. He closed his eyes and opened them again, as he focused on
the clock. How did he sleep so long, he asked himself? It had been
twelve hours. He never slept that long. Shocked by how long he slept,
he realized that he had missed dinner. Why had his friends not come
to get him? He threw on some shorts and a t-shirt and went to get
something to eat. His plate was packed as he headed to find a table.
He sat down with his food, coffee, and a book. He finished eating and
was getting ready to leave, when he heard someone sit at the table
behind him. He turned around to see Becky. She never looked up from
her plate as she opened her book and started reading. He was
surprised to see her again. There was something about her that
attracted him. He stood up from the table and turned to her.

“
Good
morning,” he said.

“
Good
morning,” she responded, not looking up from her book.

“
Are
you getting off the ship today in Nassau?” he asked.

“
Yes.
I am going to the beach,” she replied.

“
Have
you ever been on a cruise before?” he asked.

“
No.
This is my first one,” she said.

“
Did
you come by yourself or with a group?” he asked.

She
looked up from her book with her lips pursed together, as she rolled
her eyes.

“
No
offense, but I am not looking to flirt or hook up or anything. I came
on this cruise to relax, alone,” she replied.

“
I
was just making conversation,” he replied, letting out a loud
breath as he moved past her.

Gavin
shook his head. He saw her look up at him as he walked away. What was
her problem? It irritated him that she was so cranky with him. He
went back to his room, took a quick shower, and got dressed. He still
had not heard from the guys, so he started knocking on their doors.
John opened his door half asleep, and Gavin could see a pair of
female legs hanging off his bed. Ethan never answered his door. Heath
was up, dressed, and ready to go. Josh opened the door, but decided
he was staying on the ship to get over his hangover. Heath knew Gavin
wanted to go to the beach, so as soon as the boat docked in Nassau,
they were on their way.

***

Becky
kept thinking about the very tall, muscular, athletic looking hottie
who she had seen twice. Why was he talking to her, she wondered? She
knew she wanted to spend the week by herself to renew and relax
before she started her new life. There was no time for flirting on
her vacation. She definitely did not want to get caught up in some
guy who would just break her heart. A little fun couldn't hurt
anything, she told herself. She got ready for her day at the beach.
Becky loved the beach and could only imagine how much more beautiful
it would be than any she had ever seen. She had her bikini on under
her shorts and t-shirt. Usually she wore a one piece. She knew she
wasn't model material and had lots of curves, but this trip was about
a new start. There would be no chance of her ever seeing anyone from
the cruise again, so she was going to do whatever she wanted. Her bag
was packed with her towel, sunscreen, and her digital reader filled
with books. She had a happy bounce in her step as she exited the
ship. It was going to be a great day.

A
Love Rekindled (The Game of Love #1)

Chapter
1

Jessica

Jessica
stood as she looked at herself in the mirror. It was Friday night,
and she had been invited to a Christmas party. Her friend Linda, from
work, was having all of her friends over for an evening celebration.
Jessica had not been out in months. Her friends from work tried to
get her to go out with them often, but she always turned them down.
She liked being at home with her son. He was her everything. That was
what she had always told them.

Her
sister Renee talked her into going to the party. She knew Jessica
needed to get out and have a little grown up time. Renee was two
years younger than Jessica, and they had been best friends their
entire lives. Anytime Jessica needed her little sister, she was
there. Renee volunteered to watch her favorite nephew for the night,
so that that Jessica would go out and be with her friends. Jessica
didn't want to hurt her friend Linda's feelings, so she agreed to go
to the party. She figured if she stayed for a few minutes, she could
leave without anyone noticing.

The
doorbell rang and snapped Jessica from her thoughts. She ran and
opened the door. It was her sister Renee. She had her hands full of
pizza boxes and bags.

“
Where
is my favorite nephew?” Renee called out.

“
I'm
right here,” a cute, little, brown haired, blue eyed boy
shouted, as he ran up to hug her.

“
I
brought pizza, soda, popcorn, and candy,” she said. “We
are going to have some fun.”

The
little boy laughed and ran back into the living room.

“
You
better not feed him all of that stuff,” Jessica snapped.

“
We
are going to have fun. I don't get to spend as much time with him
now,” Renee said. “Go get ready for your party.”

“
I
am ready,” Jessica said.

“
You
are wearing jeans a sweater to a party with your work friends?”
Renee asked.

“
I
am not staying long. This is fine,” Jessica said.

“
No,”
Renee said, as she put the boxes and most of the bags down.

There
was a dress bag wrapped around her arm. She held it out with another
bag toward her sister.

“
This
is what you are wearing,” Renee said. “Go get dressed.”

Jessica
blew out a sigh, took the stuff from her sister, and headed to her
bedroom. What did it matter what she wore, she thought? There was
nobody she needed to impress. She wasn't even planning to stay.
Aggravated, she took off her clothes and pulled out the dress. It was
beautiful, she thought. The dress was knee length and a very pretty
red. Jessica put it on and looked into the mirror. She smiled at
herself. It did look much better than jeans. The front was a little
lower cut than she would have liked. Her sister always wore things
more revealing than her, so she was not surprised. In the bag was a
pair of heels, necklace, and very cute little round earrings. She put
everything on and finished getting ready.

As
she looked at herself, she started to feel a little better about
going out. She decided to do her hair and put on a little more
makeup. By the time she was done, she had a huge smile on her face.
Maybe it would be a fun night after all. She would do her best to
have a great time. It was the first time she had been out in months,
and she was actually looking forward to it. She felt pretty.

Jessica
walked into the kitchen and her sister let out a whistle.

“
Now,
you are ready,” Renee said, as she laughed. “You look
beautiful. That dress was made for you. It shows all of your amazing
curves, and your ass looks juicy.”

“
Thank
you,” Jessica said, as she laughed. “I am glad you
approve of my ass. It is a beautiful dress. You have such good
taste.”

“
Of
course I do,” Renee laughed. “Go have a great time. We
will be here having fun. Please try to enjoy yourself.”

“
I
will,” Jessica said. “I feel weird that I don't have a
date. I don't want to be the only single woman there.”

“
I'm
sure you won't be the only one without a date,” Renee said.
“Maybe there will be a super sexy hottie there for you. If not
you can always go home with John from work. He has been into you
forever.”

“
That's
not funny,” Jessica replied. “You know I don't feel that
way toward him.”

“
Get
out of here,” Renee said. “Don't do anything I wouldn't
do.”

They
both laughed as Jessica hugged her son and left for the party.

Chapter
2

Jessica

Jessica
pulled up to her friend Linda's house. She parked her car as she
thought about her life. Since high school, she had accomplished so
much and was proud of herself. She had gotten a job in an office as a
scared teenager. Seven years later, she had worked herself into
management. She had become strong and confident. That scared little
girl was gone. She owned her own home and had taken care of her and
her son. Surely, she could get through a tiny party.

She
let out a deep, nervous breath as she got out of her car. Only stay
for a little while, and then you can leave. She had no idea why she
was so nervous about going alone. Her friends at work knew she was
single. It was not a big secret. She still felt weird about going
into the party without a date. Jessica walked up the steps to the
front door and froze. Maybe she should just go back home, she
thought. Before she could turn around, the door swung open, and Linda
reached out and grabbed her arm.