Sharing Hailey (10 page)

Chapter Nine

A scorching blush burned her chest, neck and face. She glanced surreptitiously around the dance floor. The crowd had thinned, and a few men and women watched them. She didn’t know what the men were thinking. Probably that she was easy. She knew the women were mentally calling her “slut.”

“I think we should sit down,” she said.

Tony chuckled behind her. “Can you walk in front of us?”

She nodded, her face growing hotter.

She led them through the crowd. When they reached the table, she excused herself and headed to the privacy of the ladies room. When Mark followed her, she turned and put a hand on his chest to stop him. “I’m a big girl. I can go by myself.”

He shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t like the way some of these yahoos are staring at you.”

She could only imagine how red her face was. “Maybe we should just leave.”

“They’re probably harmless. Don’t worry about it. We’re just keeping an eye on you and Meredith.”

“But—”

“Sit down, Mark,” Meredith interrupted, her voice raised above the music. “I’ve got this.”

Mark lifted his hands in surrender. “Be careful.”

Meredith followed her to the restroom. Hailey sensed her eyes piercing her back, right between the shoulder blades. Or was she imagining it?

Although the ladies room was stuffy, it was blessedly quiet, and Hailey locked herself in a stall and leaned against the door.

Meredith’s voice floated through the door. “I don’t think you realize how much attention you attract.”

Hailey groaned. “I can’t believe I did that.”

“I don’t mean what you did on the dance floor. I’ve seen sexier.” She snorted. “Although not in a crowd this old.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re beautiful, Hailey. You’ve got legs up to your neck and boobs that make men drool. Plus, you project girl-next-door innocence. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing. You’re every straight man’s fantasy. Men watch you.”

“No, they don’t. At least, not when I’m behaving myself. I can’t believe I did that.”

“Yes, they do. You just don’t notice. I don’t think it’s a confidence problem. You’re not interested, so you’re not looking and you don’t notice. I think you’re too absorbed in Tony and Mark to see any other man.” She paused. “Daniel must have hated them.”

Hate might be too strong of a word. True, Daniel hadn’t liked them. He’d barely tolerated them, and when she’d first started dating him, Hailey had juggled the three of them so they didn’t spend much time together. But then, she’d seen less and less of Mark and Tony because even when they just called her, Daniel went ballistic. Okay, maybe hate
was
the right word. How had Meredith known? She’d never even met Daniel.

The restroom door squeaked open, and a blast of music seeped in, followed by women’s voices.

“Did you see the Jennifer Aniston look-alike?”

Thank God someone else had captured the crowd’s attention.

“The one having sex with the two hotties? I was dancing next to them.”

Okaaay. Maybe they were talking about her. But when did she become a Jennifer Aniston look-alike?

Hailey bit her fist to keep from groaning. Shit. It had been as bad as she thought. She had to get out of here. She’d never be able to show her face on the Big Island again. She’d have to go to Maui or Kauai next year. That was okay. She’d considered trying another island.
Damn, damn, damn.
The Big Island was so comfortable.

The women continued their conversation. “Wish I could find two like them.”

“I’d settle for one.”

The toilet in the stall next to hers flushed.

“Maybe if I looked like Jennifer…”

Water splashed in the sink.

“Try some highlights.”

The door squeaked open again, and the voices melted into the music.

Meredith giggled. “I don’t think highlights are going to help.”

Hailey took her hand out of her mouth. “I’ve got to get out of here.”

“Sure, let’s head back to the table. The band’s pretty decent.”

“No, I mean leave the club.”

“It’s too early to head back to the house.”

“We can go somewhere else, take a walk.”

She heard Meredith’s sigh through the door. “They’re jealous, Hailey. That’s a good thing. They want to be you.”

Hailey couldn’t stand the idea of everyone watching her for the rest of the night. “I don’t care.”

“You know, for someone involved in a ménage, you’re really a prude.”

Hailey banged the back of her head against the door. “I know. I can’t believe this.”

Meredith laughed. “Come on. Let’s go back to the table for a little longer. If you still feel uncomfortable after another drink, we’ll leave.”

A knock saved her from answering. The ladies room door squeaked open.

“Everything okay in here?” Mark asked above the music drifting in.

“I can’t get her out. Why don’t you try?”

Meredith’s heels clicked on the tile floor, and the door squeaked closed, muting the music.

“Hey, you want some company in there?” he asked.

“No.”

The stall shook as he leaned against it on the other side. “Look, I’m sorry. I got carried away.”

“It wasn’t your fault. I’m the one who can’t control myself.”

“You planning on spending the rest of your vacation in here?”

She groaned. “I wish I could.”

“Come on, babe. What do you want to do?”

“Honestly?”

He chuckled. “Well, yeah.”

“I want to go home and get naked with you and Tony.”

“Ahhh, okay.” Silence. Had she actually shocked him? “Didn’t expect that answer. For the record, I’d like to do the same thing, but it’s still a little early for that. Want to go for a walk?”

“Yeah, but Meredith wants to stay here.”

“We’ll leave her and Landon. They can call us when they’re ready to go.”

“You don’t mind?”

“As long as I’m with you, I’m good.”

She sighed with relief. “You really are perfect.”

He chuckled. “Would you say that if you knew I was thinking about fucking you against the restroom door?”

That sounded so hot. Still… “I think I’ve made enough of a spectacle of myself tonight.”

“Babe, this is a lot more private than the dance floor.”

“Mark, you have to promise me you won’t try anything when I open this door.”

He didn’t answer immediately. Did he really have to think about it?

“Mark?”

His soft laughter floated through the metal door. “I promise.”

Did nothing bother him? She’d never really seen him upset or worried. He seemed to take everything in stride. Even last night’s kiss with Tony. He clearly hadn’t regretted it, even after Tony had freaked. He’d just rolled with it.

And she was getting hot just thinking about it.

Mark spoke again, but this time he wasn’t speaking to her. “It’s me.” He paused. “Yeah. Meet us in the parking lot. Bring her shoes.” Another pause. “Right. Okay, babe. We’re set. You ready?”

She unlocked the stall door and opened it, feeling foolish and embarrassed. “Yeah. Let’s get out of here.”

Mark opened the ladies’ room door. She peeked around the hall. Blessedly empty, except for the sounds coming from the band. She scurried through the door. Mark took her hand and walked in front of her, shielding her with his big body. She buried her forehead in his back, staying close to him.

Tony was waiting for them outside the club. Two women, who had at least ten years on him, flirted with him. That he was holding a pair of women’s stilettos didn’t seem to dissuade their interest. When he saw her, he quickly excused himself and started toward her. Mark led her to a low lava rock wall extending from the side of the club. The music still reached them, but they could speak without raising their voices. When she sat down, Tony held out her shoes.

“Need some help?” he asked.

“No,” she answered more sharply than was necessary, but she really didn’t want his hands on her legs. No telling what she would do.

His smile deepened his dimples and the lines around his eyes, making her regret her tone and forcing a grin to her lips.

She slipped both feet into her shoes. “Do I look like Jennifer Aniston?” she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

“Nah, you’re prettier,” Tony answered.

“You’ve got better legs too,” Mark added. “And breasts.”

Tony nodded. “Definitely.”

She frowned up at them as she tied the strap on her right shoe. “And y’all are both intimate with Jennifer’s breasts?”

Mark shrugged. “I’m not.” He looked at Tony. “You?”

Tony just rolled his eyes. “Why are we discussing Jennifer Aniston?”

Hailey wasn’t about to tell them what she’d heard while holed up in the ladies’ room stall. “No reason.”

“Maybe you’ll tell us later?” Tony suggested.

She dropped her gaze to her left shoe and focused unduly on tying it. “I don’t think so,” she mumbled.

“What are we doing for the next few hours?” Tony asked.

“Let’s walk down Ali’i to the bay,” Mark answered. “That okay with you, Hailey?”

“Yeah, that sounds great.”

Mark offered her his hand, and she took it and stood.

As they walked among the throngs on Ali’i, Hailey was painfully aware of anyone who so much as glanced their way. Had they seen what she’d done in the club? Had they
been
in the club? The women didn’t notice her. As usual, Mark and Tony got their full attention. Didn’t matter how old or young females were. They loved both men.

Okay, so the women they passed hadn’t been in the club or she’d be getting some stares too. Well, not stares but glares.

“Earth to Hailey,” Tony said.

“Yeah, I’m here.”

“Not really,” Tony replied.

“What did Meredith tell you about Nikki?”

Tony slowed his steps, stopped and pointed at the lava rock wall separating the sidewalk from the surf. “Let’s sit.”

Hailey sat on the wall and swung her legs over it so she faced the ocean. The sea spray’s light mist cooled her skin. The moon was almost full and high enough that a path of light shimmered across the ocean, dividing it into dark halves.

When Mark and Tony settled on either side of her, Tony threaded his fingers through hers and asked, “Do you know about Nikki’s heart condition?”

“Not a lot. Just that she was born with it and had surgery when she was a kid. It hasn’t slowed her down any.”

“Meredith’s worried about the stress the pregnancy is placing on her heart.”

Hailey’s own heart dropped, and the pounding of the surf faded. She loved Nikki. Jake worshipped her. It would kill him if he lost her.

Mark slipped a hand under her hair and palmed the nape of her neck, but the familiar gesture didn’t comfort her. He asked the question Hailey couldn’t bring herself to voice. “Are her concerns valid?”

“I can’t even speculate without seeing her history. My gut tells me that Meredith and Jake are overreacting. I did a rotation in obstetrics. I’m not an expert, and I’d want to do some research, but I seem to recall the majority of women with heart conditions had uneventful pregnancies. I’ve never had the impression that Nikki’s would preclude her and Jake having children.” He paused. “She looks great. I’m not seeing anything that would cause me to worry.”

Hailey relaxed a little. “Were you able to convince Meredith of that?”

“I think she felt a little better after I talked to her. That woman seems to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. I tried to tell her to let Nikki’s doctor do the worrying. She just needs to be happy and supportive of Nikki’s decision. She needs to be her sister.”

“I’d suggest you talk to Jake,” Mark said. “But I don’t think it would help.”

“You’re probably right, but I’ll try anyway. At the rate he’s going, he’ll be dead before the baby’s born.”

“And it’ll be Nikki who puts him out of his misery,” Mark added.

“Nah, she’s got all those feel-good pregnancy hormones going on,” Tony said. “Although, she could snap during labor.”

Hailey laughed. “I love it when you talk technical to me.”

Tony leaned toward her, and his low voice spread through her like honey. “No, you don’t. You love it when I talk dirty to you.”

She took a deep shaky breath. Yes, she did.

* * *

At half past midnight, the five of them crept barefooted into the house and down to the first floor, trying not to awaken Nikki and Jake. Hailey continued to the guesthouse with Tony in front of her and Mark behind, both close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off them.

When they were inside, Tony and Mark closed the blinds and locked the doors. Hailey stood with her legs pressed close together, trying to quell the throbbing in her sex.