Page 79 of Blue Hawaiian
“He wasn’t in a good place. After he started working for Darren, he turned into a total asshole. He’d go out drinking with his friends and bring home a different woman every weekend. He wasn’t the guy you grew up with.”
Though Connor had told her almost the same thing, hearing it from Victoria hammered the message in Jess’s brain. Maybe it was better he’d left her so abruptly. Since she’d assumed she had no chance with him, she was able to move on. She’d gone to college, dated other guys, and followed her dreams. She might have nursed a grudge for five years, but she hadn’t put her life on hold because of him.
Victoria took another sip of her cosmo. “But if I were you, I’d forget about Connor right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean your top priority should be finding your sister. She might have been way out of line, but she still needs you.”
Chapter 30
Connor paced in his hotel room. After he’d returned from dinner, he had every intention of making a few calls. With his winery plan in jeopardy, he needed to seek out more investors. But he couldn’t concentrate. Not on his winery. Not onanything. He kept remembering the way Jess had reacted when he’d delivered his parting blow. She flinched in pain, which was exactly what he wanted.
So why did he feel like shit?
And why was he mad at her, anyway? She’d kept her word—she hadn’t declared her love or asked him for anything more than five days of sex.
But she’d lied to him. From that first night, when she came into his hotel room wearing nothing but his t-shirt, she’d spun a web of lies about Chicago. Rather than admitting her bold move had failed, she’d encouraged him to take a similar risk with his own life.
What stung the most was that he’d tried to act like a decent guy. If she’d just been a booty call, he wouldn’t have shared his winery plan with her. Or spent six hours helping her put together Marc and Gabi’s video.
But she didn’t think he’d changed. She might have slept with him, but she didn’t trust him enough to let him into her life.
When his phone buzzed with a text, he was tempted to shut it off. He had no interest in hearing any of Jess’s half-assed excuses.
His phone buzzed again. He forced himself to look at it.
Marc had sent him a text.Need a drink? I’m on the top floor in the penthouse suite.
Guilt surged through him, twisting his insides. By sleeping with Jess, he’d gone against Marc’s wishes. But if his cousin wanted to ream him out, better to deal with it now than let things simmer. He changed into a t-shirt and shorts, then headed up the elevator to the twentieth floor. When Marc let him in, Connor stared in awe.
The suite had an enormous canopied bed, a huge Jacuzzi tub, a full wet bar, and floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out onto the ocean. Next to the bar was a six-foot-tall, freestanding aquarium.
“Holy shit.” The aquarium was filled with colorful coral and tropical fish, like the kind Connor had seen snorkeling. “Is this for real?”
“Pretty wild, huh? Gabi loves it.Finding Nemowas her favorite movie as a kid. I realize this place is over-the-top, but I wanted to make her happy.”
He couldn’t stop staring. The Jacuzzi was big enough for six people. Same with the bed.
Marc made his way behind the bar. “What’ll you have? I’ve got cab, beer, brandy, champagne, and bourbon.”
“Bourbon. Neat.” The stronger the booze, the quicker it would numb his feelings.
Marc poured them each a glass, then sat down on one of the leather-clad barstools. Connor eased himself onto a barstool and downed half the bourbon in one gulp, wincing as it burned his throat. He hadn’t felt this bad since the night Natasha had walked out on him. Which was ludicrous, because he’d been with Natasha for eight months, whereas Jess…
WhatwasJess? A passing diversion? Or something more?
Definitely more. If she was just a passing diversion, her betrayal wouldn’t hurt so badly.
He rubbed his forehead. Who was he kidding? In the short time they’d been together, he’d fallen back in love with her.
Thatwas why he was so pissed. Not just because she’d lied, but because he’d never intended to get in this deep. He’d had his fill of relationships after his soul-crushing experience with Natasha. Clearly, his heart hadn’t gotten the damn memo.
“Connor? You okay?”
Marc’s voice brought him back to earth. As he met his cousin’s eyes, he was hit with another surge of guilt, even stronger than the first. Here he was, moping over Jess, while Marc’s fiancée was missing. On the night before the wedding, no less.
“I’m good. But what about Gabi? Shouldn’t you be out looking for her?”
