Page 3 of Intrigued By Love

I couldn’t wait for my parents, Colonel Isaiah Alexander and Major Malia Alexander to enjoy the beachfront bungalow I’d reserved for them.

Papa had officially retired from the Air Force after serving thirty-five years, most of it at Hickam Air Force Base, and he deserved some well-earned rest and relaxation. Papa was so much fun when he wasn’t worried about getting back to work or taking too much time off.

Maybe he could get Mama to join him in some unwinding for a bit before the wedding craziness started. Though I highly doubted it. Mama had retired five years ago but still worked as a nurse on a part-time basis. She was one of those women who couldn’t sit still and would rather work in a busy hospital than stay home.

My sister Lina had inherited my mother’s drive. She’d moved to Hollywood to work behind the scenes as a production assistant and ended up in front of the camera when a designer told her that her unique Hawaiian and Black heritage was the perfect look for a fashion campaign he was putting together. As if overnight, Lina became a household name, which eventually led to her getting a role in a film Thad was producing.

My other sister Kiana and sister-in-law, Cora, were successful in their own right. Kiana was an up-and-coming photographer, and Cora was a cardiac surgeon. She was also five months pregnant with a little girl. My brother, Kevin, had followed Papa into the military but instead of making the Air Force a long-term career, he’d gone into private security with a group of friends. His company was in charge of making sure no one without authorization stepped foot on Lykaios Bora Bora.

The sounds of airplane engines booming around me snapped me out of my thoughts. A few seconds later, Thad’s jet with theOliver Studioslogo came into view.

It pulled to a stop and a set of rolling stairs moved in its direction. After a few minutes, the door opened and I saw Papa standing there.

I jumped up and down with excitement. I was a grown woman of twenty-nine, but seeing my dad always made me giddy. He was a hard military man to everyone but his family. With us he was mushy peas, as Mama liked to say.

His gaze landed on me, and a big smile broke out on his face. Taking the stairs down two at a time, he walked to me. I rushed toward him and jumped into his arms.

“Oh Papa, I missed you so much.”

He squeezed me tight. “Baby girl, I’m so happy to see you.”

The feel of his arms around me gave me the comfort I’d needed ever since Raquel had read my horoscope and the worry about the past had crept in.

Kissing my forehead, Papa set me down. “Go say hello to your mama or she’ll get jealous that I’m getting all the love.”

I slid out of his hold, gave him a peck on the cheek, and then moved toward Mama, my sisters, and Cora.

My heart was so happy to see all of them. And being in the company of my family for a few minutes felt as if it hadn’t been months since I’d seen them. Cora was finally showing and it made my heart squeeze a little, reminding me of all the plans I’d had and how they’d evaporated.

Once we were done with our squeals and hugs, I asked, “Where are Kevin and Thad?”

“The guys were finishing a game ofHalo.” Lina rolled her eyes. “You know how competitive they get.”

“It was more that Jax was kicking their asses and they wanted rematches,” Kiana said.

My stomach clenched as if I’d been punched in the gut. “Jax is here?”

“Duh. He’s the best man.” Kiana studied my face and then glared at Lina when she shoved her.

At that moment, said man emerged from the plane.

My heartbeat immediately jumped, and all the pain of the past few years reared its ugly head.

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

God, he was gorgeous. Dark black hair cut close on the sides and longer on top. A face sculpted by the gods and a body I knew was chiseled to perfection under the designer button-down shirt and pants. He had a golden tan that was shades darker than the one he’d sported when we lived together in Vegas.

He oozed power, affluence, and confidence. Those had been the things that had attracted me when he’d joined a weekly poker game I attended with some of my coworkers at the casino where I’d interned. And the tattoos that covered his arms and neck gave him a rebel vibe one wouldn’t expect in a guy who spent his days wearing a suit and charming his elite clientele.

I’d known he was out of my league from the beginning and tried to resist the pull he’d had on me. It had taken two months for me to agree to go out with him. Our first date had been the exact opposite of what I’d expected. Instead of wining and dining me as I’d expect any high roller in Vegas to do, he’d taken me to a go-kart park to race cars and play video games. He’d heard me talk about the outings I’d had with Papa as a child and decided to recreate one of them.

I’d fallen for him that night.

His gray eyes landed on mine, and without thinking I stepped back, bumping into Cora.

She steadied me, whispering, “Are you okay? I told them we should’ve let you know he was coming with us, but Lina said you were over him and not to worry. When I tried to text you, they took my phone away.”

I kept quiet and continued to watch him. There was heat in his gaze, reminding me of nights spent bound to our bed and lost in pleasure.

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