The Mighty Quinns: Ryan (5 page)

She saw the conflict in his expression, and Serena understood his reluctance to get involved. He was right. What man wanted to be responsible for breaking up the current Hollywood supercouple? No doubt word would leak out about the cause of her abandoned wedding. There were four women on this trip who would gladly sell the story to the tabloids. And he had his own reputation to worry about.

“All right,” she said. “I understand. I’m being ridiculous.”

“Serena, I—”

“No,” she said, pressing a finger to his lips. “This has been a pleasant little diversion, but you’re right. We’ll keep our distance and always have a chaperone.”

“If that’s what you want,” he said. “At the end of the week, I’ll just tell Thom that you wanted to relax and that the adventure part of the trip didn’t happen.”

Serena nodded. It was a reasonable compromise. And it gave her time. She had to make her own decisions. Right now, she had no idea what she was going to do, but by the end of the week, she’d have it all sorted out.

3

T
HE
SUN
WAS
just barely over the horizon when Ryan walked into the kitchen. Juni and Arthur were enjoying their breakfast, but both of them got to their feet when he entered. “Sit,” Ryan said. “I can get my own coffee.” He poured himself a mug and joined them at the table.

“What can I make you for breakfast?” Juni asked.

He pointed to a plate of fresh bread. “I’ll have a bit of that? What is it?”

“Bibingka,”
Juni said. “It is a bread made of cassava, coconut cream, eggs and cheese. I’ve made scones for the misses. And I have fresh papaya and mango. May I make you an omelet?”

“No, this sounds good, thanks,” Ryan said. He grabbed a piece of the
bibingka
and took a bite. “Umm. I’ve never eaten anything quite like this. It’s delicious.”

Arthur nodded. “My wife makes excellent
bibingka
. A tasty prawn curry, too. She is a very good cook.”

There was pride and affection in Arthur’s smile. He’d seen that same look on Mal’s face when he talked about Amy, and in Rogan’s expression when he spoke about Claudia. It was like some secret knowledge that men had when they were in love, and until now, he hadn’t really understood. But now he did.

He felt the same when he thought about Serena, about all the qualities that made her such an amazing woman. And he wasn’t even in love with her.

“Have another,” Juni said, holding out the plate of
bibingka.
Startled out of his thoughts, Ryan accepted the offer. He made a mental note to ask Juni to recommend some Fijian restaurants. Now that he had more time, he could enjoy everything the island had to offer, including its cuisine. But first he had to work up an appetite.

“Arthur, I’d like to go surfing today. I understand there are some awesome reef breaks off Nadi, but I need to get a board.”

“Mr. Thom has some surfboards,” Arthur said. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you used them. I’ll get them out for you.”

“Could you? Thanks. I’d like to go this morning, if possible.”

“There is a good place for beginners called Resorts Left near Nadi. And an easy beach break at Sigatoka.”

“I’m looking for something intermediate or better. The girls aren’t interested in doing anything today, so I figured I’d take advantage of the free time.”

“No problems,” the other man said with a wide smile. “I will make arrangements for you. You’ll need a boat to get you to and from the reef. I have a friend.”

“Thank you, Arthur. I’d appreciate that.”

“There is also a great spot to windsurf at the mouth of the Sigatoka River; you must try that while you are here. Mr. Thom has a windsurfer, as well.”

“Maybe I’ll give that a go tomorrow.”

“I will check into that boat.”

“And I will make you a big breakfast,” Juni said. “You will need it for the day you are going to have.”

Ryan wanted to get out of the house before the women woke up, hoping to avoid any uncomfortable encounters with Serena. Though they’d figured out a solution to their problem, it wasn’t that easy living in the same house.

Last night he’d listened for her voice in the hall, waited for her footsteps outside his door. He’d spent the entire night staring at the ceiling and wondering if she was fighting the impulse to sneak into his room and continue what they’d started, just as he was.

At least once an hour, he’d got out of bed and walked to the door, ready to visit her room and tell her what he’d wanted to say at the waterfall. She shouldn’t get married. She should walk away and wait for something better—like him.

But he couldn’t fool himself. He wasn’t her “something better” and he never would be. She lived in a different world, a world that he’d never understand. Occasionally, his life intersected with celebrity, but he wouldn’t want it to on a permanent basis.

He’d always assumed that when he found the right woman, the “one,” that it would all be so simple. He’d never thought she’d be in love with another man and that his attraction and affection would be wrong.

Ryan’s father had carried on an affair, and his children were still feeling the repercussions of that affair twenty years later. Was that all he could expect from a relationship with Serena—false promises and secret encounters? Was that fair to the two of them? Or fair to her fiancé?

He’d known some blokes who messed about with married women, and they didn’t seem to have any qualms about it. But Ryan couldn’t rationalize that level of betrayal. Though there had been many qualities he’d admired in his father, infidelity had not been one of them.

Ryan had always been fiercely loyal to those he loved—his family, his friends. He’d never extended that loyalty toward a woman he’d dated. None of the women he’d dated had deserved it. But Serena was different. He wasn’t sure what it was about her, and he couldn’t explain the attraction, but it was there and it felt real and important.

“Juni, how long have you and Arthur been married?”

She placed a plate in front of him, an omelet filled with fresh vegetables and cheese. “For twenty-seven years,” she said.

“Did you ever have any doubts? Maybe wonder if he wasn’t the right guy for you?”

“If I’d had doubts, I wouldn’t have married him,” Juni said. “Doubts are like the waves. They come back again and again, until they wear you down and you’re drowning in them. This is bad for a marriage.”

“I agree,” he said.

“Why do you ask a question like this? Is it because you are in love with Miss Serena?”

Ryan gasped. “Why would you think that?”

“It is quite clear. I can see it on your face when you look at her. But this is a dangerous game you play. She will break your heart. She is promised to another man.”

“What if she decides not to marry him?”

“And what if she does marry him?”

Arthur walked back into the kitchen, putting an end to their conversation. “It is all arranged. You will meet my friend at his shop in Nadi. Here is a map to help you find your way.”

“Where are you going?”

Ryan looked up to see Serena standing in the doorway. Her hair was windblown, and the color was high on her cheeks. He hadn’t expected her to be up and about so early. “Good morning,” he said.

She tipped her head, then sent him a shy smile. “Good morning, Quinn.”

“Can I get you coffee or tea, miss?” Juni asked.

“Tea, please,” she said. “Earl Grey tea, if you have it.” Serena took a spot on the opposite side of the table. “You’ve made plans for today, Quinn?”

“I was going to go surfing. Arthur says there are some good reef breaks off Nadi. I thought I’d check them out.”

“I’ve always wanted to learn how to surf,” Serena said.

“These breaks are not for you, miss,” Arthur said. “Very dangerous and only for experts. Try the beach break at Sigatoka. My oldest son learned to surf there.”

Ryan met her gaze. The temptation was too great to ignore, and this was the job he’d promised Perry he’d do. “Do you want to go?”

She tipped her chin up and nodded. “Yes, I would like to go, if you’d like to teach me.”

“I could do that,” Ryan said.

“Then, I’ll see if any of the others want to come along, as well. If not, we can leave right away.”

Ryan nodded. “Arthur, can you draw me another map? And cancel that boat.”

Arthur nodded. “Let me get the surfboards out. There is a rack for the top of the van.”

“We’ll probably take the Jeep,” Ryan said, well familiar with Serena’s bridesmaids.

Ryan and Arthur spent the next half hour setting up the rack and waxing the boards. By the time Serena returned, they were nearly ready to leave. Ryan hadn’t expected Serena would be able to convince anyone to accompany her, so he was surprised when Cecily appeared at her side.

“Just you two?” Ryan asked.

“Yes, just us,” Serena said. She hopped in the backseat of the Jeep and left the front seat to Cecily.

Ryan got behind the wheel. “Have you ever surfed before, Cecily?”

“Once,” she said. “I nearly drowned. It was a nightmare.”

“Really. And you want to try again?”

“No,” she said. “But Serena insisted that one of us come along, and I lost.”

Ryan glanced in the rearview mirror and caught Serena’s gaze. “Well, I won’t let you drown. And you may have fun. I’m an excellent teacher.”

“I think I’ll stay on the beach and watch,” Cecily said.

“Come on,” Serena said. “You have to give it a try, Ceci. Miles is going to come by later to take photos. Who knows, you could end up in
Us Weekly.
”

“I suppose I could try,” she said. “But I’m not going to get my hair wet. I paid seven hundred dollars for these highlights, and I don’t want the seawater to ruin them.”

Ryan smiled and winked at Serena. “That’s the spirit,” he said. “You’ll love it, I promise.”

A few minutes later, they were speeding along the coastal highway, headed into Nadi. Ryan wondered what was going through Serena’s mind. Was she really interested in surfing, or did she want to spend the day with him and this was her way of keeping her end of the deal? He glanced back at her again and watched as she smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear. She was wearing her engagement ring again, the diamond flashing in the early morning light.

“Where are you from?” Cecily asked.

“New Zealand,” Ryan replied.

“I have no idea where that is. Are you married?”

“No,” Ryan said.

“Engaged? Involved?”

Ryan shook his head. “How about you?”

“I’ve given up on men. They’re all worthless snakes and money-hungry leeches.”

“Are we? I wasn’t aware of that.”

“I’m sure you think you’re a lovely man, but it’s in your genetics. You can’t help yourself. You are programmed to break women’s hearts.”

“Cecily just broke up with her boyfriend,” Serena explained. “He dumped her on Twitter. It was a big thing.”

“They talked about it on
E! News,
” Cecily said. “It was so humiliating.”

“What is
E! News?
” Ryan asked.

Cecily shook her head. “Where do you live? The moon?”

Ryan laughed. “No. New Zealand. I guess I need to start paying closer attention to these things. I didn’t realize I was missing all this important news.”

Cecily put on a pout, then turned to stare out the window. “If I drown, my agent will kill you both.”

* * *

T
HEY
FOUND
THE
beach with the help of Arthur’s map. Cecily plopped down in the sand as Ryan and Serena ferried their equipment from the car park out to the water’s edge.

Though Serena had watched a few surfing competitions when she spent a summer in Malibu, she didn’t know much about the sport. She only half listened as Ryan explained the difference between the two types of surfboards he’d brought, choosing instead to focus on the way the morning sun gleamed on his sun-burnished chest.

The longboard was more stable and easier for a beginner to ride, while the shortboard was maneuverable but more difficult to balance on the wave, he explained, pointing out the fins on the bottom of each. “You’ll learn on the longboard.”

“And then I can try the short one?” she asked.

“No, I brought that one along for me. Arthur said there are some decent breaks just down the beach.”

“So you’re going to leave me here to flounder and drown.”

“No,” Ryan said. “You’re going to exhaust yourself pretty quickly just trying to get up and stay up. You’ll spend a lot more time in the water than on the board.”

“You don’t have much confidence in me, do you?” she muttered.

“I’m a good teacher, and I’ll get you up. But surfing is a lot of work.”

“Just watch. I may prove you wrong. I’m a lot tougher than I look.”

“Where is our picnic basket,” Cecily called. “I’m thirsty.”

While Ryan ran back to the car, Serena sat down next to Cecily to wait for his return. “Thanks for coming.”

“I don’t know why I’m here,” Cecily replied. “I’d much rather be at the pool with the girls. The conditions here are positively primitive. There’s sand everywhere. I don’t even have a chair or an umbrella. What kind of beach is this?”

“Juni packed pineapple juice and champagne. You can make a drink for yourself. And if you haven’t noticed, there are men here. Lots and lots of men.” Serena nodded to a pair standing nearby. “Handsome men, with fabulously muscled, gorgeously tanned bodies. I’m sure once I leave you, you’ll have plenty of company.”

Cecily studied the two men with a keen eye. “They look French. I’ve never had a French man. They’re supposed to be ravenous in bed.”

“So I’ve heard,” Serena said.

By the time Ryan returned with the basket, Cecily was pleased with her choice to come and ready to pop the cork on the bottle of champagne. Serena tugged her T-shirt over her head and stepped out of her shorts, then she and Ryan crossed the sand to where he’d left the boards.

“How’s she doing?” he asked.

“She’s fine. She’s got her eye on a couple of surfers. I’m sure she’ll have plenty of interesting stories to tell the others when she gets back.”

“I’m glad you decided to come,” Ryan said.

“Don’t be nice to me, Quinn,” she teased. “Or we’ll start this thing all over again.”

“How do you want me to act?” he asked.

His gaze drifted down her body and Serena felt a shiver race through her. She hadn’t deliberately chosen a bikini that enhanced her assets but was pleased by his reaction in spite of herself. “Aloof. Indifferent. Like most attractive men.”

“What does that mean?”

She smiled coyly. “You know. The way you probably treat every other woman who has crossed your path.”

“And how do I treat women?” he asked, picking up one of the longboards from the sand and arranging it next to the other one.

“You’re how old?”

“Twenty-eight. How old are you?”

“Twenty-seven.” She bent down next to him and idly brushed the sand off the board. “I would have guessed you were a little younger. You look younger. So, you’re twenty-eight and you’re unmarried.”

“And?”

She slowly stood. “In my experience that either means you’re gay or that you’re a horse’s arse to women. It’s a simple formula. If you were good to the women in your life, you’d be married by now. Some smart girl would have snatched you up and hauled you to the altar. Tell me I’m right.”