Page 30 of My Kind of Trouble
For the rest of the night, they chatted about Noa’s travel plans. Alex was already aware she was leaving for Koh Tao tomorrow and, to no surprise, had already booked his ferry and hostel. Had this been the reason Ryan had shown so much interest in her trip? She was shocked at how sneaky her older brother could be when he wanted to be, and she made a mental note to make sure he got his own revenge when she arrived home. Maybe she’d set Tes on him. She could be like the Tasmanian Devil when she wanted to be, and Ryan would soon be sorry.
Since arriving, Noa had made plans with Lola to head to Krabi after Koh Tao, and then the Phi Phi Islands, before finishing off Thailand in Phuket. Noa agreed that Alex was welcome to join them if he promised to keep his overprotective tendencies on a leash. Ryan had made it perfectly clear that he was worried about ‘men taking advantage’ before she left, like she wasn’t a grown woman and a sexual being in her own right.So, she knew that she needed to set some boundaries seeing as he was the one to have sent Alex here and began to name her terms.
‘Whatever you thought you came here to do… forget it. You want to be my friend and be included in our plans? Great. But, if you came to cover me in bubble wrap and scare off any man that looks my way, then go ahead and get back on that flight because this is my hot girl holiday or whatever. Actually, forget I called it that. It sounded way less cringe when Tes said it. It’s my single girl era or whatever, and I’m going to do it right.’
She was rambling, but Alex didn’t interrupt her, though she couldn’t miss how his teeth ground together. She knew what she was demanding of him went against his every instinct, but she wasn’t about to give him a free pass to derail her entire trip.
‘Anyway,’ she continued. ‘I’m going to be doing what every single girl does when travelling the world…whatever I want, whenever I want. And, maybe, evenwhoeverI want. I’m here to figure things out for myself. Without any intervention from you.’
Noa jutted her chin in defiance. She was sure she was coming across as a stubborn brat, but she couldn’t leave any question as to how this trip was and wasn’t going to go. This was her chance at absolute freedom, and he needed to either get on board or get the hell out. Simple.
‘So, do you agree to my terms?’
Alex’ eyes widened, flashing dark at the edges. She was sure she saw anger, or maybe jealousy, flair in them for a moment before he caught himself and returned to his look of indifference. His features were controlled and his expressioneven a little cold, a stark contrast to how he had looked at her during their earlier conversation.
But he just nodded, his lips pressed in a hard line, like he was trying to bite his tongue as he did. A cruel sense of satisfaction swept through her. She felt like she’d won a whole damn war. And if pushing Alex’s buttons felt like this, she knew she was going to enjoy her new mission already.
Chapter 18
Alex
The sun beat down on them as they lay sprawled on their towels. It’d been a long ferry ride to Koh Tao, and when the rest of their newly established travel group had decided to get straight to exploring the island, Alex and Noa chose, instead, to really soak up the island lifestyle with a beach day.
Alex couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt as relaxed as he did in that moment. Well, as long as he kept his eyes averted from the dangerous brunette beside him. He suspected she’d picked that bikini just to torment him and, boy, was it working. Every time he chanced a glanceacross at her—her sun-kissed skin dotted with freckles, her glorious tits only partially hidden under a flimsy piece of pink fabric that would be so easy to pull away—he had to repress a groan. Sweat glistened on her skin from the scorching heat and humidity, and every time her scent caught on the warm gentle breeze, his heartbeat kicked up a notch. A perfect mixture of salty and sweet from her coconut-scented suncream that drove him just as crazy as the sight of her.
So, he tried not to look. Her pink bikini strings were tied in a perfect bow, and he knew that tugging one would be like unwrapping a gift. But, instead of letting his mind linger on that dangerous thought, he closed his eyes while he lay there, avoiding the temptation and listening to the sounds of the waves dancing on the shore and the occasional flick of the pages of Noa’s book. He felt a peacefulness he knew he’d always be chasing.
The whole day went on much like that. The two of them enjoying each other’s quiet company, drinking fresh coconuts from the various cafés on the beach, and taking in the beauty around them. The glistening cerulean sea licked at the shore of white, powdery sand before retreating back into an endless expanse. It would be hard to tell where the sea ended and the bright, endlessly blue sky began if it wasn’t for the surrounding islands in the distance, a fading hue in the background. Colourful wooden fishing boats lined the beach, swaying palm trees towering above them. The whole thing looked like a postcard.
As the day slipped into evening and the sun started to retreat below the horizon, bathing them in a warm golden glow, Alex and Noa decided to head to get some dinner. They made their way along the beach toward the nearest restaurantand took their seats. This felt a far cry from the cold shoulder he’d been afforded the past few days, and he was relieved for it.
Once they had made their orders of coconut curries and papaya salad, beers in hand, Alex saw this as his opportunity to finally get to know the woman Noa had become after all these years. The conversation came easily, and they soon slipped into old habits of bad jokes and playful ribbing. He asked her questions about her job back in London, such as where she’d lived whilst she’d been there. But, not knowing if they were that kind of friends yet, he carefully avoided the topic of her ex altogether. If she wanted to tell him about it, then she would. He’d listen and be there for her if she needed that, even if the thought of Noa with another man made him want to peel himself from his own skin and had his fists clenching at his sides.
As they watched the fire show on the beach beside them, Alex kept snatching glances in her direction. The smile that took over Noa’s entire face as she watched the show was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He could watch her all night. He took this opportunity whilst she was distracted to really take her in.
They were close enough that he could see every freckle, like a constellation of stars across her tanned face, and just as striking. He wanted to count them. She was more beautiful than he even remembered, her eyes so blue they were piercing, reminding him of the lake back home on a sunny day when the sun reflects off it. They were endless pools of blue, and it would be easy to get lost in them.
As his eyes trailed down, he was yet again reminded of the fact that she was definitely not the young girl he remembered her to be, and quickly averted his eyes back up to her face to avoid the bulge threatening to swell in his pants. But that wasa mistake, because as entrancing as her body was, her rosy cheeks, button nose that he wanted to brush with his, and her full, plump, pink lips, which were the star of the show. She was all woman. And she was breathtaking. Captivating.
In a friendly way, obviously. Because friends could notice the effortless beauty of another without it meaning anything. She could never be anything else.Ryan’s sister. He ran those words over again and again in his mind.God, you’re screwed, he thought.
Catching him staring, she turned to him and covered her mouth, her shoulders rising self-consciously.
‘Have I got something in my teeth?’
‘No,’ he replied.
‘Then, why are you staring at me?’
‘It’s hard not to,’ he replied easily and without a thought, but quickly corrected himself. ‘You’re in my line of sight.’
He thought he saw a disappointed look on her face for a moment before she’d righted herself.
Not wanting her to shut back down again after the progress of the day, he tried to keep her talking.
‘So how did you end up here?’ he asked.
‘At this point in my life, or in Thailand?’ she chuckled. ‘Because I don’t think you’re ready for the former. Even my counsellor isn’t paid enough to hear my answer to that one.’
