Gillian’s Island (2 page)

“What? Brandon and Reilly didn’t get back to you? That’s
nuts. You’re obviously going to have to give the hotel a
headcount for brunch.”

“Exactly, but I guess some people don’t think that way.”

“Well, I certainly do.” He drew in an audible breath.
“Anyway, again I apologize for both my tardy reply and for the
rudeness of my friends.”

A man who wasn’t afraid to apologize. Another rarity. She
smiled. “Apology accepted. Thank you, and I look forward to
meeting you tomorrow.”

“And I you. See you then.”

“See you then.” With that promise of at least one
civilized person on the boat other than herself, Julie and Rob,
Gillian disconnected a bit more hopeful.

Chapter Two

Tapping his foot, Jamie Foster watched the baggage circling on the
conveyer belt while trying not to be annoyed it was taking so long.
Finally, the bag containing his best man’s tuxedo and clothing
for a week came into view. He grabbed it and glanced at his watch,
plotting his course as he strode through the sliding doors and toward
the row of taxis parked along the curb.

The cab driver turned in the driver’s seat once the suitcase
had been stowed in the trunk and Jamie was settled safely in the
back. “Where to?”

He’d had to fly in this morning rather than last night like the
rest of the guys in the wedding party when his flight had been
canceled. He was cutting it close with this flight, but it was the
first one the airline had been able to get him on this morning. He
definitely didn’t have time to meet the guys at Rob’s
apartment. He’d have to go directly to the dock.

“San Diego pier.” The tux would have to go with him on
the yacht. There was no choice in the matter.

The driver floored it, the G-force pressing Jamie back into the seat.
All right, maybe they would make it in time. Scenery whizzed by as
the cab bobbed and weaved, avoiding other cars while Jamie held his
breath.

Thanks to the light traffic and the cab driver’s fondness for
speed, the trip took less time than he had calculated.

Since he was the type who was unable to relax until he saw his final
destination, Jamie checked his watch again and finally breathed
freely. He’d made it. In fact, the timing ended up being
perfect, which made his day after the hellish night he’d spent
worrying he wouldn’t make it.

Just as the taxi drove away leaving Jamie and his luggage in front of
what he assumed was the yacht they’d be boarding, according to
the slip number Rob had given him, Rob’s car came into view.
Rob parked and he, Brandon and Reilly piled out. The three were
dressed in matching polo shirts and khaki shorts with canvas deck
shoes and looked exactly like they should for a trip at sea.

Jamie glanced down at his own pleated long pants, leather shoes, and
white long-sleeved, buttoned-down shirt. That morning he’d
thought he’d dressed down by not wearing his usual tie.
Apparently, his idea of casual and theirs was different. He’d
have to change when he got onboard.

“Jamie. Glad you made it, man. I was worried.” Rob shook
his right hand while hugging him with his left.

“I was a little worried myself.” Jamie pulled back and
observed Rob’s dark sunglasses and disheveled hair, not to
mention the stench of alcohol he smelled still coming out of his
pores as they hugged. Glancing at the other two guys, he noted they
looked just as worse for wear. “Tough night last night?”

“We had a lot of celebrating to do.” Rob grinned.
“Listen, I’ve got a few things to take care of onboard.
You and the guys get caught up.”

Jamie nodded, wishing Rob had invited him onboard rather than leave
him there with Brandon and Reilly, who were obnoxious enough sober.
When they drank, they were even worse and he’d bet they were
most likely still drunk from last night. It was like college all over
again.

“James. Good to see you.” Reilly nodded to him from
behind dark sunglasses.

“Reilly. You two look like you had fun last night.”

“Yeah, our celebrating took until closing time.” Reilly
slapped Jamie on the back. “Sorry you missed it, man.”

“Yeah, me too.” Good thing drunks couldn’t
distinguish sarcasm.

“James, I have one thing to say to you. Late comers get last
picks of the bridesmaids.” Brandon extended his hand to shake.

These guys had two things on their mind when they got together—women
and booze. Jamie grasped his hand without much enthusiasm. “Brandon.
You haven’t changed one bit.”

Brandon grinned, as if that had been a compliment.

“Wait until you see the bridesmaids, James. Julie brought two
of them with her to dinner last night. They’re actresses or
models or something.” Reilly let out a whistle. “They
were hot and hotter. Yet, in spite of the superb offerings, Brandon
still refuses to tell me which one he wants.”

Interesting how they didn’t think the women in question would
have any say in the matter, but the two had always had an
overabundance of both confidence and testosterone.

“I’m reserving my choice until I see the maid of honor.
If she looks anything like Julie, then I want her. You guys can fight
over the other two.”

As if Jamie would ever fight them over a girl, or win said girl in a
fight. Nerds didn’t win women from jocks. It’s just the
way the universe was organized. He’d come to terms with that
reality years ago. Long before fate had thrown him into a dorm room
with three studs, one of whom amazingly, had grown to be his best
friend. Rob was the only one who could have convinced him to pledge
the fraternity with them and not regret doing it later.

Reilly shrugged. “It doesn’t matter which one I get.
They’ve both got great tits. One’s a blond and one’s
a brunette. Now personally, I only like my blonds if the carpet
matches the drapes. Since that has yet to be determined, I’m
leaning toward the brunette myself. You okay with that, James buddy?”

Jamie smothered a sigh. Was he missing some sort of male gene? The
caveman swine genome perhaps? As usual, it was simply easier to humor
these guys. “Whatever you want, Reilly.”

Apparently happy with that answer, Reilly grinned, then spied the
coffee shop across the street. “Oh, man. Look. There’s
caffeine in my future. That damn alarm clock went off way too
frigging early this morning. You guys coming?”

“I sure as hell am. James?” Brandon paused. “Will
you be partaking of the caffeine with us?”

“I already had my fill this morning. Thanks, but Rob looked
like he may need some coffee.”

“I’ll grab him one.” Reilly nodded and the two took
off at a run across the street.

Once they were gone, Jamie finally took the time to admire the view.
It was a beautiful setting. No doubt about it. He might actually
enjoy himself. Nothing to do but rest, and relax…and watch
Reilly and Brandon make asses of themselves over the two bikini-clad
girls who were getting out of the car that had just pulled up.

It was a bit early for bikinis, even with the so-called cover-ups
they wore. This would be a match made in heaven as far as he could
see. Bimbo bridesmaids meet frat-boy groomsmen. Hell, it had all the
makings of one heck of an adult film.

He’d have to check the boat for hidden cameras. That had been a
favored trick back at the frat house. Catching one of the brothers on
film with a girl. They never bothered setting it up in Jamie’s
closet. He wasn’t stupid—he never brought girls back to
his room at the house. Not that there had been all that many girls in
his past anyway.

A pair of long legs unfolded out of the car and Jamie recognized
Julie from pictures Rob had emailed him. Noting the morning sun
glistening off her blond head, he immediately pushed Reilly’s
previous disrespectful carpet and drapes comment out of his head.
This was his best friend’s future wife, after all.

The three women unloaded suitcases onto the sidewalk and then the
driver pulled the car away and parked it in the lot nearby.

Jamie swiftly had his arms full as Julie realized who he was and
hugged him as if she’d known him forever. A quick introduction
to the bimbos, uh, bridesmaids followed, after which Jamie was about
to help them onboard with the suitcases when a fourth woman came
striding across the parking lot. Wearing knee-length shorts and
sunglasses with her hair pulled casually back into a ponytail, she
walked with purpose directly toward him. Did she know him from
school? There was something familiar about her, but Rob hadn’t
mentioned inviting anyone from school other than Brandon and Reilly
on the cruise.

She drew nearer and smiled. It lit up her face and his heart beat
faster. He hesitantly returned the smile…and she walked past
him as if he weren’t there and went directly to Rob. Jamie
hadn’t even noticed Rob standing there he’d been so
entranced with the approach of this woman he obviously didn’t
know.

Jamie swallowed, embarrassed at his ridiculous assumption that her
joy had been over seeing him. He took a step back to give them room
as they hugged. Then the mystery woman was called away by Julie
before he even learned her name. She walked away from him to interact
with the three other women farther down the dock. He watched her
until he realized he was being spoken to.

“Huh? Sorry. What did you say?” Jamie turned.

Rob who grinned wide. “I said that’s Gillian.”

“Julie’s sister. The maid of honor.” Jamie put the
pieces of the puzzle together. His gaze settled on her again. That
explained why she looked familiar, she reminded him of Julie, but not
why she had awoken physical urges deep within him he usually kept
well buried.

“Yeah.” Rob lowered his voice. “You’re
staring.”

Shit. He was. Inexplicably, Rob’s future sister-in-law had
woken him more than his morning coffee. Both his hormones and his
imagination kicked into overdrive. The idea of a week at sea with
this woman provided much fodder for sexual fantasies.

Jamie shook his head at his own thoughts. He was acting more like
Brandon and Reilly than himself. He hadn’t bothered to date or
do anything else with a woman recently because he simply didn’t
have the time. Gillian made him want to take the time. Just when he’d
thought the lower half of him was hibernating, things started to wake
up. Though, in his experience, women who looked like Gillian and
Julie went for men like Rob, or even Brandon and Reilly, not him.
That was a sad but true fact of life. He wrestled his attention away
from the walking, talking, blond fantasy that would never come true.
At least not for him.

Jamie pushed up the glasses that had slipped down his nose. “I’m
not staring. I’m just observing the resemblance between her and
Julie.”

Rob laughed. “Ah, of course. Though Gillian thinks she looks
nothing like Julie, and she won’t listen when anybody tells her
otherwise. They may look alike, but they’re totally different.”

His interest piqued. “Different how?”

“Well, Julie starred in all the plays in school, then did some
modeling and acting after college. Meanwhile, Gillian was top of her
graduating class. Very studious and quiet, always with her nose in a
book. She kind of reminds me of you.” The implications of that
last statement hung suggestively in the air. They had been friends
long enough that Rob knew damn well Gillian was Jamie’s exact
type.

Beautiful and smart. He glanced in Gillian’s direction one more
time. Where Julie was model-thin and straight up and down, Gillian’s
hips curved nicely into a perfectly rounded ass. If what Rob said was
accurate and Gillian didn’t believe she looked like her sister,
she was absolutely right. She looked better.

Usually opposed to matchmaking among friends, Jamie was willing to
make an exception in this case. “Do I smell a set up?”

“No, of course not. Gillian would never stand for that. I just
want all my buddies and all of Julie’s to get to know each
other before the wedding. One big happy party, you know? That’s
all.”

Jamie didn’t believe that for one minute, though he was already
fantasizing about getting to know Gillian a whole lot better. Perhaps
he did have that swine gene after all.

Chapter Three

Face tilted toward the warmth of the sun and eyes closed, Gillian
leaned against the chaise lounge’s headrest and sighed.

Maybe Rob’s trip wasn’t such a bad idea after all. There
was nothing to do on the four-bedroom private yacht except relax and
enjoy the cruise through California’s Channel Islands…and
maybe get to know the shy best man she’d noticed watching her
on the dock.

She sure as hell didn’t need to get to know the other two guys
any better. Not after the way they were ogling the bridesmaids. The
yacht was named
The Playmate.
That was fitting since as far as
she could see, Julie’s two actress wannabe friends thought they
and their barely-there bikinis were posing for a
Playboy
centerfold onboard. Gillian didn’t care. Let them be
exhibitionists. She and her full-coverage tankini were doing just
fine.

A shadow blocked the sun but, half-asleep since she’d been up
past midnight packing, Gillian ignored it as she drifted peacefully
in and out of consciousness. Until a pair of hands grabbed her
shoulders and started kneading.

“How’s that feel?” The voice was low and so near to
her ear his breath wafted against her skin. Gillian spun to see who
it was, kind of hoping to find James Foster there.

No such luck.

“Hi there, beautiful.” Brandon grinned, grabbing the beer
he’d set on the table next to them even though it wasn’t
even lunchtime. “You looked a little tense. I thought maybe I
could help you relieve some stress. Julie and Rob told me how hard
you’ve been working on the wedding stuff.”

Julie
and Rob had told him that? Her heart fell. Her suspicions about their
matchmaking had been correct and worse,
this
was the guy they were fixing her up with? Were they insane?