Drunk on You (Happy Endings Resort Book 3) Read online

  Nothing Justin ever did to me ever made me feel that way. He would touch me, but not the way my body ached for him to.

  Walking past Luke’s trailer, I try to avoid looking his way at all cost. Then I hear an ear-piercing whistle and my eyes betray me. Curiosity has my green pools shifting left. There he is, smiling wickedly. Why does his lips have to look so perfect and kissable? I can feel the blush creeping across my cheeks. Damn him! So, I may have kissed him briefly the night we met. I just wanted to know if there was something wrong with me after the whole thing with Justin. And well, kissing Luke proved that it was indeed Justin and not me. Luke definitely enjoyed kissing me.

  “Morning tight ass.” He waves at me with his coffee mug. It reads ‘honk if you’re horny!’ Rolling my eyes, I turn away and pick up my pace, walking faster. “Come on now, I made you a cup,” he pleads as he rushes out, stepping next to me. He produces a Styrofoam cup and places it in my hand. His fingers brushing against mine sends a tingle all the way down to my toes. He grins lazily at me, knowing I am attracted to him. “Have a good day Iz,” his tongue hanging on the Z. Luke flicks his tongue, licking the corner of his mouth and my mind flashes to wondering how those lips of his would taste again.

  Gah, does he ever wear a shirt when he is hanging around outside of his trailer? I swear every time I see him around the resort he is shirtless, flashing his hot body at me. Okay, well, not exactly at me, but it is damn near distracting.

  He has gone back inside his trailer before I can respond. The gesture was sweet but I am not falling for that. He keeps insisting that he wants to be my friend; I don’t buy it. I have been told so many tales of his conquests. Luke, woman and the word friend, do not go hand in hand. Mentioning his name to the wrong woman can get you smacked around here.

  When I get further down the path and I am sure he can’t see me, I toss the cup in the trash. I spend the rest of my walk doing the exact opposite of what I intended—thinking about Luke and his damn abs. I would so lick them if I didn’t think I would be one in twenty. Luke has my head feeling fuzzy instead of clear.

  I go into the office and get clocked in. Time to tackle the day ahead, and hopefully get ol’ blue eyes out of my head. But dang it, I have to pass back by his trailer to get to my post. Stupid smirk. Stupid sexy abs. He infuriates me!

  I reach the area of the lake that is reserved for swimming without seeing Luke again. There is a nice beach area. I really do love working here. The other employees really do a great job of keeping the resort clean.

  Taking a drink of my water, I get ready to start my shift. Things are finally quieting down after the dead body that was discovered here. Well, it wasn’t really a dead body. Stixx told me about Drew setting it up to help Rory. Thank God, my mother didn’t hear about it! She would have packed me right on up out of here when she visited me. My mom has mixed feelings about my being here and working as a lifeguard. I know she wants me to finish school and do something with my life, but right now, I love where I am at and what I am doing. She fell in love with the charm of the resort too though. She plans to come back and camp for a weekend. I am not sure how I feel about that, but I cannot blame her; I adore this view. After living here for a few months, I get why most of the residents have lived here most of their lives.

  Climbing up my post, I take my seat and look out at the water in front of me. It truly is so peaceful and serene here. I can see a few fishermen out in the distance on their johnboats. A few campers have already started setting up on the beach. I watch as one of the couples rub sunblock on each other, touching and laughing with huge smiles. They seem so natural together. I miss that feeling. I want it back.

  My few minutes of peace are soon interrupted as a shadow eclipses my view—Craig Mills. Another guy who doesn’t seem to get I am not interested. And well let’s just say he isn’t that attractive. Shit, who am I kidding? Craig isn’t fat per say but he isn’t slim either. He reminds me of a bulldog. He doesn’t have a foot in the race when compared next to a panty-dropping player like Luke Greene. Not that there is a race or anything.

  “I got tickets for the movies tonight. That new chick wedding flick is playing.” He grins while flashing two tickets at me. Hearing the word wedding reminds me of why I came here in the first place, my stupid ex-fiancé. I guess tits just weren’t his cup of tea.

  “Sorry, I am going out with Kiki tonight.” I smile at him, for once knowing I am telling the truth. He frowns, shoving the tickets in his wallet.

  Poor Craig, he invites me out at least once a week and every time I say no. I give him credit for persistence. He seems nice enough but he also works here doing maintenance and that would be awkward because I know we would never work out. I am not attracted to him in that way and it would be wrong of me to pretend otherwise. I’m not a lying jackass like Justin.

  “Some other time then.” He looks sad and that makes me feel guilty, but I just can’t go there.

  I nod as he climbs down the ladder. Deep down I know he doesn’t stand a chance in hell. I don’t know what it is about the men here. I swear they must pump hormones into the water; horniest group I have ever seen. Someone is always hooking up. But maybe it is just this place. It is named The Happy Endings Resort after all and I have to wonder if I will ever find mine.

  Luke

  I don’t know what it is about Izzy, but damn she is under my skin. I go to bed thinking of her and when I wake, the first thing I think about is seeing her smile. I don’t get caught up in females. I am a ‘get my rocks off and get gone’ kind of guy. Hell, I don’t even bring women home with me. So having Izzy on my brain so damn much has me ten kinds of fucked up in the head. I haven’t cared to be friends with a woman since I met my ex-wife Kirstie. And well, that shit didn’t pan out too well. She left me a few years ago for my drummer when I had a band. She was even kind enough to empty out my savings before she screwed me ten ways to Sunday. She called me a loser and said I was headed nowhere because I turned down a recording contract. It just wasn’t for me. I don’t sing and play my guitar for money; I play for the peace it brings me. Kirstie wanted the rock n’ roll lifestyle and I didn’t. All I wanted was to buy my own bar and play some music. But after she cleaned me out, my dream was dead in the water.

  Since she burned me, I swore I would never be that guy again; the one who falls head over heels. Once the divorce was final, I moved here to The Happy Endings Resort. It’s on the lake and a few miles from the beach. What better place to find plenty of willing women and to hide. No one knows who I am. I prefer to keep it that way. I had one song get on the radio and I hated the attention that came with it. The whole music scene wasn’t for me.

  Working at a local bar gives me an advantage as well. I have learned how to read people and know who is down for a little fun and who will grow attached after one night. Hell, one night rarely ever happens. It’s more like a few hours. Get laid and get out, that has been my plan. That is until I laid eyes on Izzy.

  The day she wisped into town, ES had come in the High Bar for lunch, told me she seen that my love life was about to take an interesting turn. She said I was going to meet the love of my life that day. I thought she was full of shit, but then Izzy walked in and I swear I had never felt such a pull to a woman before. It was more than lust. I have felt lust at first sight plenty of times to know it and damn that feeling was so much more. It was intense and before I knew it, I was telling her that we were fated to meet. She looked at me as if I was an Ogre and shot me down quick. I dealt with the blow to my ego the best way I know how…random hookup.

  When I came out of the bathroom, Stixx, the other bartender at High Bar chewed my ass out good. If it had been anyone else telling me otherwise, I would have told her where to go and how to get there, but I respect Stixx. And I like her old man, Cyber. He has done a few tats for me in the past.

  I have been trying to overcome my past since meeting Izzy. I care about what she thinks of me. I want to get to know her. Fuck, I even told her I wanted to b
e friends. She basically laughed in my face, but I am determined to prove to her that I can get to know her. I can be friends with a woman I am attracted to—no big deal at all. Other than the fact that I swear I am falling hard for her and she wants nothing to do with me. However, I know she is attracted to me. I can feel the sexual current that passes between us each time we are near one another.

  This is unchartered territory for me but I want to try, for Izzy. I am half-tempted to go for a swim today, but I don’t want to push too hard. I am not used to a woman turning me down. Hell, I can’t even get her to drink my coffee. I have even resorted to getting Kiki to help me with Izzy. I must really be getting desperate.

  As I am getting into my truck, I spot Craig coming up the trail by the swimming area. I know he has been after Izzy. He doesn’t stand a chance in hell. He’s too nice for my Iz. Damn, my Iz, where in the hell did that come from? She has me sweating her bad. This can’t be good. Maybe I just need to get laid. It’s been weeks. But when Izzy told me I had probably never been friends with a woman, that resonated with me. I do love a challenge and I know what Izzy needs. She needs a good ol’ country boy like me that isn’t afraid to hurt her damn feelings all the time. I don’t care to tell her what’s really on my mind. Even if it is something she doesn’t want hear.

  Izzy

  “Speed dating at the High Bar, seriously Kiki? It is as if you don’t know me at all!” I stand outside the front entrance with my arms crossed over my chest. I eye her suspiciously.

  “Come on, Izzy this could be fun or entertaining. Never know the future father of your children could be waiting for you on the other side of that door,” she mocks, pouting her bottom lip out.

  Groaning, I let out an exasperated, “Fine.”

  She grabs my arm, tugging me through the door excitedly. I am starting to rethink our newfound friendship. I didn’t see Luke’s truck in the lot. I hope that he is off tonight. That would be all I’d need to make this more humiliating—Luke witnessing this debauchery. We get inside and the place is packed, maybe this could be fun. We walk in and the lights are dimmed for the evening crowd. Kiki takes the liberty of signing us both in.

  Cassie, one of Luke’s conquests from the resort, seats us at tables side by side. At least Kiki is close enough I can smack her if this goes horribly wrong. I try to plaster a smile on when Cassie goes over the basics for us. There are about twenty other women here. Some I recognize but there are a few I don’t.

  I glance over at the bar where most of the men are waiting. There are a few good looking candidates. I decide to say screw it. Tonight I am going to try something different. I order a long island ice tea and get ready to meet Mr. Tonight. Maybe I just need to get over saving my virginity. Maybe I should just hook up for one night with a random man. I saved myself for Justin all these years and look where that has gotten me thus far.

  I suck down a hard drink through my straw. Kiki throws her head back with a laugh and gives me a thumbs up. “That’s what I am talking about Izzy, cut loose and have fun, girl.”

  My first suitor takes a seat and I start the timer. I look at his nametag and his name is Francis. Nope, he gets an automatic no. There was a kid I went to school with and his name was Francis. He was as annoying as hell. He used to swipe my books from my hands and tease me. He said one day he would grace the covers of my smut books. I don’t even bother to really listen as this Francis drones on for the whole five minutes about his cat named Cletus. It might be rude but that name… I just can’t. Who in the hell names their cat Cletus and talks about it nonstop, seriously? I feel like I am being punked.

  I politely decline his offer of his phone number and email address once the timer sounds. Maybe this wasn’t a great idea after all if Francis is any indication of how this night is going to go.

  I smile a sweet smile of satisfaction as I see Kiki suffering the same fate as I just had. Francis is laying it on thick for her, trying to hold her hand. I quickly lose my smile when none other than Luke takes a seat. He smirks at me and I swear it is as if his lips are teasing me. It’s as though they have taken it upon themselves to torture me. He licks them slowly in a tantalizing fashion and takes a drink from my straw.

  “Excuse you,” I snap at him loudly, causing the rest of the speed daters to quieten and stare at us for a moment. He has a lot of nerve. Why is he here and sitting at my table of all tables? There are plenty of other women for him to hit on or whatever it is that he does with them.

  He does look cute tonight. He is dressed nice. He is wearing dark jeans and a black shirt that buttons, but he has it over a white t-shirt. The contrast with his tan is sexy. Luke oozes sex and charm from his freaking pores though…so it really comes as no surprise that on a night there is bound to be plenty of single women for him to pick from, that he is looking top notch.

  Luke chuckles in response and takes another drink. I am ready to say forget this whole thing. I feel like I was setup anyhow. I scoot my chair back and Luke grabs my hand, softening his expression. “I’m sorry, don’t go. Let’s start over.” He is smiling as I notice he still has my hand. His touch is warm and inviting.

  I don’t want to like the way his touching me makes me feel but I do. I miss being touched but at the same time, Justin was the only man who had ever touched me and it wasn’t genuine.

  “Okay, you have three minutes left.” I smile weakly, taking my hand back.

  He coolly turns the timer off. I turn it back on in response. Luke shakes his perfect chiseled face with a wicked but amused grin. “Stop being difficult Iz. This is me trying to be your friend. I am saving you from another hour of dudes like Francis and Craig.” His eyes flicker with what I think is a hint of jealousy but I can’t be sure. What does Craig have to do with anything? He isn’t even here. At least I hope he isn’t—I cannot handle him twice in one day, making those damn sad puppy dog eyes at me.

  “Worst date you’ve ever had?” he asks nonchalantly, thinking I will say now I am sure of it.

  “About eight minutes ago,” I retort softly, glancing at Kiki and Francis with a shudder.

  “What are you most passionate about?” He raises a brow at me as he continues to share my drink. If I take a drink from my straw now it will be as if we have kissed again, kind of.

  Stop thinking about his lips, I order myself but it isn’t working. Telling myself not to think about it has me remembering the night I did kiss him. His lips were so soft and inviting. Gah, now I am staring at his lips wrapped around my straw. This crush is getting out of control, fast.

  I sigh, remembering his question. “Out with the heavy already.” He probably thinks I am a weirdo, the way I keep watching him as he sucks on my straw. “Honestly, I don’t know yet. I had this plan in motion; it was going perfectly until it wasn’t.” I throw my hands out and shrug. I don’t currently have a plan. I have no idea what I want to do with my life.

  “What was this plan you had?” He looks curious and I feel embarrassed to answer.

  I don’t want to admit how I was a clingy girlfriend who had nothing on her mind but becoming a doting wife and starting a family. Because now that is the furthest thing from my mind. I look around the room taking in the décor around me, hoping to escape his question. My eyes land on a sign that reads, ‘this isn’t Burger King, you don’t get it your way, you get it my way or make the damn thing yourself.’ That has to belong to Luke. It strikes me as exactly the type of thing that would fly out of his mouth. I laugh lightly as I picture him telling someone exactly what is on the sign.

  The timer on the table next to us goes off and a chubby banker-looking type of man stands next to Luke’s seat expectantly, waiting for his turn. I look to Luke, waiting for him to move but he doesn’t. Instead, he takes the timer and sets it for the rest of the hour. “Sorry buddy, this seat is occupied.” He doesn’t even bother to look at the guy. He continues to gaze at me, waiting for me to answer his question.

  I ignore how rude Luke is to that man I really don’t want to
waste any time with. The man rubs the back of his neck as though he wants to say something but he decides against it and sits down with Kiki, whom has a pleased look on her face. I shake my head at her in warning.

  “You were saying,” Luke says, directing my attention back to his question. His blue eyes are burning deep into my green pools, hypnotizing me. Maybe that is how he gets so many women to bed, he uses his eyes like laser beams to brainwash them.

  “You’ll just laugh if I tell you. It was stupid. I was so dumb,” I answer him honestly.

  “Whoever he was, he didn’t deserve you,” he states with a twinkle in his eye.

  Why does Luke have to be so damn near perfect and charming? He drives me crazy and draws me near at the same time. He gives me whiplash— one minute he is being a bit of a prick and the next, he says something incredibly sweet. It must be part of his game plan. I can’t quite figure him out. As much as I say I don’t want to be his friend, I can’t help but be intrigued by him. I want to get inside his head and find out what makes a man like him tick. I take a sip of my long island. I swear I can taste his lips. God, it must be working, I am already falling under his hypnotic spell.

  We fall into a casual conversation about living at the resort. He tells me some funny stories and local gossip. It makes me feel that I belong with the crazy group that are my neighbors. They all have their own story. I guess everyone does though. I wonder what Luke’s story is…has he always been a lady-killer?