Order vs. Chaos E-Book

Mary E. Thompson

• Herausgeber: BluEyed Press
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Paradise is not like I remembered…
My curvy, sexy new boss has a chip on her shoulder the size of The Big Island.
And it’s all because of me. Although I have no idea why. She couldn’t be pissed because I checked her out the first time we met. She’s hot, and I like to look. But I won’t touch. She is my boss.
I spend my days trying to convince her she won’t regret hiring me, and my nights trying to forget my past.
And I’m failing at both. Kiana threatens to fire me before our first wedding. But I’m not leaving Hawaii. I lived through hell, and have the flashbacks to prove it. I’m staying put. No matter what she throws at me.
Even if it’s my worst nightmare come to life.

Leseprobe

ORDER VS. CHAOS

OPPOSITES ATTRACT, BOOK ONE

MARY E THOMPSON

Order vs. Chaos

Opposites Attract, book one

Copyright © 2017 Mary E Thompson

Cover Copyright © 2020 Mary E Thompson

Cover photo from depositphotos, Copyright © Maridav

Chapter header vector from depositphotos, Copyright © Seamartini

Published by BluEyed Press, All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, businesses, locations, and events are either products of the author’s creative imagination or are used in a fictitious sense. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-944090-54-8

Print ISBN: 978-1-944090-55-5

Created with Vellum

OPPOSITES ATTRACT

The Big Island of Hawaii is one of the most beautiful places on earth. It’s a fantasy to visit there, but a few lucky people get to call it home. They get to walk out their front door and be in paradise every single day. But that doesn’t mean it’s all perfect all the time. There are still curves ahead, and not just the women these men fall head over heels for.

OPPOSITES ATTRACT

Order vs. Chaos

Better vs. Worse

Boy vs. Girl

Devil vs. Angel

Mainland vs. Island

Big & Beautiful Ever After is a subscriber exclusive short story that takes place after Mainland vs. Island.

SUBSCRIBE NOW AT MARYETHOMPSON.COM

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

About the Author

For my parents, who showed me what marriage looks like.

CHAPTERONE

I made it. I finally fucking made it. After a delayed flight, an extra long layover, and a screaming child in the row behind me kicking my seat the entire seven hour flight, I wasn’t sure I’d survive the damn trip, but Honolulu stretched out below me, a beacon in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I was finally fucking there.

The plane touched down, signaling the start of my new life. No more travel. No more airplanes and caravans and tiny helicopters. No more random locations and armed guards. No more pictures that could get me killed if the wrong person saw my name attached to them. No more entitled rich people. No more lies about what I was really doing with my life.

I was done.

Not that I loved the idea of being a wedding photographer, but at least I was fairly sure it wouldn’t get me killed.

I hoped.

I got off the plane with the other cattle and followed the line to where my duffel bags would roll off the belt. I waited, trying to figure out how much of my vacation I could salvage. I was exhausted, but it was Hawaii. It didn’t matter how many times I was there, I didn’t want to miss a bit of it.

When my luggage rolled out, I found a cab and gave the driver the name of my hotel. He zipped into the city where traffic crawled toward Waikiki Beach. About a block from my hotel, I paid the fare and got out, anxious to smell the fresh sea air.

The walk was quick and check-in even quicker. My room was on the forty-third floor, overlooking the beach. It was late, the sun already easing into the ocean, but I needed to get out.

I dumped my bags onto the bed, taking care not to smash my camera equipment. I found a pair of trunks and slid them on, then I was out the door.

The soft, white sand felt as good as it looked. The curvy beauties enjoying the late afternoon sun didn’t hurt either. The water wasn’t warm, but I expected that. January in Hawaii was much nicer than January just about anywhere else, especially Winterville, New York where I was from. I’d take eighty degree water over three feet of snow any day.

Which was the other part of why I moved to Hawaii.

I swam out into the water far enough that I could enjoy the view of the beach. It felt good, free. No one really knew where I was. My friends knew I was staying in Honolulu for a couple of days, but that was all I told them. I could do anything I wanted.

When the sun dunked into the ocean, I swam back in. The beach was almost empty, and I was too tired to go looking for any fun. Tomorrow was another day.

Another lonely day, apparently. How did I not know that everyone went to Hawaii with family or friends? I climbed Diamond Head and went back to the beach. I ate alone. I spent the day alone. And fuck me, I spent the night alone.

Again.

When I headed back to the airport for my jump to the Big Island, I was ready to get into a bed that could be mine for longer than a night or two. My roommate, Kapena, sounded like a good guy. If I was lucky, he could introduce me to a woman willing to help me take the edge off.

Jackie wasn’t doing it for me anymore. I needed a real woman, instead of my hand.

The flight was quick and a little too bumpy for my taste. I loved flying to the Big Island and watching the black landscape come into view. The Hilo side was my favorite, but the Kona coast was where my new job was, so I was headed into Kona International Airport.

I needed a way to get around the island, but my first stop was my new temporary home. I was counting on Kapena helping me find a motorcycle and showing me around the town a bit.

The house was small, and bright ass yellow, but it had a room for rent that I’d paid for, and it was close to work. I knocked on the door and waited, shifting the weight of my bags. The door opened, and a large shirtless man with dark skin covered in tattoos and wavy hair past his shoulders grinned at me.

“Sawyer! Dude! You’re finally here! Aloha!”

He pulled me in for a hug that came with a rough slap on the back that made me a little dizzy. Shit, the guy was massive.

“Uh, are you Kapena?”

“Yeah, man. I thought you weren’t going to make it.”

I shook my head. I didn’t tell him about my two days on Oahu. I didn’t want it to get back to my boss that I was in the state and not rushing right to work.

“It was a rough trip, but I’m here. Can I get to my room?”

He rolled his eyes, I assumed at himself, and stepped back. “Yeah, of course. Come on in. I’ll give you a tour. This is the living room. Kitchen is in the back. We’ll get to that. Let me grab those bags.”

He snatched the bags from my hands before I could argue and tossed them over his shoulders like they were empty.

I admit, I had a little bit of a man-crush on him.

Which meant I really needed to get laid.

“Your room’s back here. Mine’s that one. I don’t usually rent the room out, but Kiki said you needed somewhere to stay until you could figure things out.”

“Kiki?”

“That’s what I call Kiana. Childhood nickname. She hates it.”

“Oh, uh, well, thanks. I asked her to help me find a place since I don’t know my way around here yet.”

“Oh, yeah, man. I’ll get you straight. You can stay with me as long as you need to.”

“Thanks.”

“So this is your room. It’s small, but it’ll work for now.”

I followed him into a room the size of a shoebox. Or maybe it just felt that way because he was standing in the center of it. A bed that couldn’t have been bigger than a double was against the far wall. An open door opposite went to a closet that was half stuffed with surf boards. One small dresser sat under the window with a night stand wedged into the corner by the bed.

“It’s great,” I told him. It seemed like very little for what I was paying, but I’d definitely stayed in worse places.

He tossed my bags onto the bed and smiled at me. “Want to see the rest of the place?”

I set my camera bag on the dresser and nodded. He came at me, so I moved aside to let him squeeze past.

“Bathroom is right here. We’ll share and as long as you’re clean, it’ll work out. My room. You saw the living room. Here’s the kitchen and my favorite part, the beach.”

He walked as quickly as he talked, taking me through the house that made the one I shared with my brother and his fiancée seem huge. A pang of guilt hit me when I thought about Noah. He was more upset about me leaving than I expected. I needed to call him.

Kapena walked straight through the open double doors at the back of the house onto the lanai. I followed him, amazed at how close the ocean was. The deep blue of the water drew me in, and I no longer cared how much I was paying for rent.

It was worth every fucking cent.

“Damn. That’s amazing.”

Kapena nodded. “Yep. The whole reason I bought the place. It’s easier to teach a surf lesson when my office is in my backyard.”

“You’re a surf instructor?”

He grinned. “Hell yeah. Best job on the island. All the little tourists come over here and think they can handle our surf. I like to teach them a thing or two.”

I grinned. “I have a feeling they spend more time under water than on top.”

Kapena laughed and nodded. “Most of them. You ever surfed before?”

“Some. Nothing like that though. I’m hoping to learn while I’m here. Your tourists would probably show me up.”

He laughed, a rich pop that burst from him. “I’ll teach you. It’ll be fun. Most of the grooms Kiki sends me have never seen waves like these. Those fools think they can just jump on a board and go.”

“I’m sure you help them see the error of their thinking.”

He grinned, showing off all his white teeth. The contrast with his dark skin made me want to grab my camera and take his picture, but I figured that would make things awkward between us. Maybe one day.

“Yeah, man. They regret it before their third wave.”

I laughed with him. He was a good guy. A little bit of an evil streak, but I could definitely handle that.

“Did you call Kiki yet?”

I shook my head. “Why?”

“She’s been going nuts trying to track you down. I think she wanted to meet you today.”

I ran a hand down my neck. “I need to find some wheels. Is there a good bike shop around here?”

Kapena nodded. “Yeah. I’ll take you. Want to go now before she finds us?”

I stared out at the jeweled blue ocean for another second then nodded. “Yeah.”

Two hours later, we were back at Kapena’s. I drove my new motorcycle, my bank account a bit emptier than when I arrived. I had a sweet ride though and wouldn’t have to worry about Kapena killing me before I made it to my first day of work.

I let myself in with the key he gave me, trying to feel comfortable in his house. I didn’t think anything of the car in the driveway until I saw a perfectly round, bitable ass in front of the fridge. I walked closer, staring at her and wondering who she was and why she was there. Her red shorts were short, the way shorts were meant to be, and I could use my imagination to fill in the small parts blocked by the fabric between her thighs. Her curvy legs would look damn good wrapped around my waist. My cock twitched at the thought, until I remembered I was in Kapena’s house.

Which meant she was likely his girlfriend.

“Fuck,” I whispered, turning away. I bumped into a table, and a lamp rattled. I snatched it before it fell, but she heard me and spun around.

“Who are you? And what are you doing here?” she demanded, the accent in her voice adding a melodic quality that made me want to hear my name on her tongue.

I settled the lamp and faced her, noticing that her long, brown hair fell to the middle of her back. It had a slight wave to it, but not enough that I would call it curly. She wore a white tank top that offset her rich skin, and damn if I didn’t want to trail my tongue over all that sweet flesh.

“I said who are you?”

“Kiki!” Kapena bellowed from behind me. He rushed past me and swept her up into a hug, confirming what I thought.

Girlfriend.

She grinned, her face transforming to a look of pure happiness when she saw him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her dark eyes when he held her. He lifted her feet from the floor, easy to do since he stood a good ten or twelve inches taller than her.

Kapena set her down and immediately chastised her. “This is Sawyer. How do you not know who he is?”

Shit! He called her Kiki! Fuck me, I was checking out my new boss. Not only that, but I was living with her boyfriend. What. The. Fuck!

“Sawyer. Sorry. I didn’t realize you were here.” She walked toward me with her hand extended. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“You as well, Kiana.” I took her hand in mine, surprised by the strength in her grip. Her skin was soft, like silk against my skin.

Damn. There went my cock again. Thinking about getting her between some silk sheets.

“Are you staying for dinner, Kiki?"

God, please, no! I wouldn’t survive a night watching her and those big…eyes. Yeah, that was it.

She swung them my way and shook her head. “I should go. I just wanted to see…um…”

“You wanted to see what I was cooking tonight?” Kapena supplied.

I watched the two of them with interest, surprised they weren’t more affectionate. Noah and Tara, his fiancée, were practically all over each other at all times. Aside from their hug, Kapena and Kiana hadn’t touched.

“Come on, sis, you know you want to stay. I’ll grill some fish,” he taunted her.

Wait. Did he say sis?

“Is she your sister?” I blurted, unable to stop the question.

They both turned to me, and I could see the resemblance. Dark hair, matching eyes, and skin the color of mahogany. I thought it was just a Hawaiian thing, but it looked like it was more than that.

They both nodded, a grin on his lips and confusion in her eyes.

“You didn’t know that?” Kapena said, laughing. “Who did you think she was, my girlfriend?”

I shrugged without really answering, but Kapena got the hint.

His eyes widened before he burst out laughing, a booming sound that filled the small house. “Shit, can you imagine, Kiki! Me and you dating?”

Kiana joined in with his laughter, obviously part of some inside joke I wasn’t aware of. I could tell it went farther than just being brother and sister that was odd, but I had no idea what.

When they calmed down, they both ignored me.

“Stay for dinner. I’ll start the grill. Grab a board and go chill.”

Kiana nodded and went down the hall to my new room. I watched with avid interest as her curvy bottom disappeared, then a surfboard reappeared coming at me. She didn’t even look at me as she carried the board out the back door. She propped it against the side of the lanai and reached for the edge of her tank top.

Sweet baby Jesus.

Her top came off in a flourish, letting her hair fall around her like a model with fans blowing on her. I was too mesmerized by the way she looked, the ocean framing her and the lush green palms to the right, to notice she was staring at me.

“What?” she demanded.

Shit, she had an attitude. At least, when it came to me. Damn if that didn’t make her even hotter.

I shook my head and turned toward the kitchen, glancing back only once to catch her in a sunflower yellow one-piece as she trotted toward the ocean.

“Why didn’t you tell me she was your sister?” I asked Kapena.

He shrugged. “How was I supposed to know you didn’t know that?”

“Is there a reason she hates me?”

Kapena laughed. “Lots, my friend. Lots.”

He didn’t elaborate. I wanted to drag it out of him, to demand he tell me what I’d done to a woman I’d never met, but his loyalty was to his sister. If he was going to keep anyone’s secrets, it would be hers.

I helped Kapena with dinner and resisted asking him about his hot sister. We chatted about where I’d come from and what I’d done with my life. I left out the gory details and gave him the family and friends version so he wouldn’t ask too many questions. I learned he basically raised his sister when their parents died in a plane crash to the mainland. Neither Kiana nor Kapena had ever left Hawaii, and neither wanted to.

It was clear Kapena was very proud of his sister. He bragged about her starting her business and how much it had grown over the years. He said their last photographer had left a few months earlier and gone to the other side of the island to work for a competing destination wedding company, and Kiana was not only hurt but pissed off since they’d been close.

Kapena also let it slip that Kiana was fairly certain I was going to end up leaving to do something else, since I wasn’t really a wedding photographer. And that she was worried I wouldn’t know how to shoot a wedding. She’d been on edge for weeks, since there was a huge wedding coming up in March, and she wasn’t going to have much time to replace me if I was the flop she thought I was going to be.

Nothing like a big vote of confidence from my new boss to get me started. I was a world-renowned photographer. How hard could it be to point and shoot at a couple of people dressed in fancy clothes?

When the fish was grilled and the pineapple salsa was made, Kapena went to the edge of the lanai and whistled a long, shrill sound, then three short sounds. I stared at him, but he just grinned. The guy was the happiest person I’d ever met.

“That’s how I call her in. She’ll be here in a second. We can start eating.”

I fixed a plate and sat at the bistro table looking out over the beach and the ocean. It wasn’t a wide stretch of beach, maybe fifty feet, which made it that much nicer.

Especially when a dripping wet Kiana came out of the water.

Holy. Fuck.

Her hair was even darker wet. It clung to her shoulders and curved over her breasts. She glowed, the yellow of her suit catching the sun and damn if my world didn’t revolve around her for that moment. She grinned broadly, like she was thrilled for the chance to be in the water. The board she carried was bigger than her, but she made it look as light as a feather as she ran toward us, her breasts bouncing with each step.

Shit. I was in trouble. Lusting after my beautifully curvy boss who already didn’t trust me was a surefire way to end up fired and on the first flight back to Winterville.

Not. Gonna. Happen.

I cleared my throat and averted my eyes, but not before she caught me staring at her. Her step fumbled just enough for me to realize she was shocked by my appraisal. Or maybe just mad. Either way, I was going to be professional so she didn't fire me before I even started working.

She propped the board against a post and went straight inside without drying off or wiping her feet.

“You’re getting sand in my house!” Kapena cried.

“Deal with it, big brother. You live on the beach.”

Kapena shook his head and took the seat next to me. He mixed his fish into his salsa then loaded it all into a soft taco shell. “Fish tacos. The only way to go.”

“Do you ever eat like an adult?” Kiana accused, carrying a plate and a glass of water. She took the seat next to Kapena, but I could smell the salt water and sand on her skin. There was a hint of coconut, too. She defined the beach sitting there, and I never wanted to leave.

“Nope,” Kapena said, his mouth full and his smile wide enough to catch a glimpse of his food.

“Gross. Close your mouth.”

He opened it wider, showing her all of his teeth. She made a gagging noise and rolled her eyes.

“Sawyer said he wants to go to the volcano tomorrow,” Kapena said.

Kiana froze, her fork hovering in the air inches from her pink lips. “What?” she spat, glaring at me.

“I was going to drive over and take some photos.”

“We have to work tomorrow!”

“What? I thought our first wedding was next weekend.”

She shook her head and looked like she was about to blow a gasket. I knew I needed to do some damage control, and quickly, because she was ready to pop, and I was directly in the line of fire.

CHAPTERTWO

“I don’t have to go. It’s not a big deal. I just thought I had a few days off,” I said with a shrug.

“Do you read your emails? At all. Or do you just fly by the seat of your pants and do whatever you feel like?”

“Uh…” Emails? What emails?

She threw up her hands and huffed. “This is why I didn’t want to hire you. You’re used to jumping all over the world and instead of actually working, you’re off playing with whomever.”

Did I detect a hint of jealousy in her tone? And how would she know how I spent my time?

“I said I was not going to hire a male photographer. I wanted a female. One with experience shooting weddings. Someone I knew I could count on, who wouldn’t run off the second something shiny came along. But no! Who do I hire? A guy who can’t even check his email and doesn’t know he needs to work!”

She got up and paced away from me, toward the water. I looked at Kapena, who shrugged.

“Why didn’t you just tell me there’s a wedding tomorrow?”

He grinned. “This is much more fun.”

He happily shoveled his food into his mouth, leaving me to stare after his sister and figure out how the hell I was going to resolve this.

I pushed up from my seat and walked toward Kiana, clearing my throat when I got close and heard her muttering to herself. The words “worthless” and “idiot” were clear enough to know she was talking about me.

She spun on me, her hair smacking her in the face. She yanked it back and glared up at me. I wasn’t as tall as her brother, but I still had her by a good eight inches or so, making her glare borderline cute. Like a wiener dog staring down a bull mastiff.

“If you can’t be here, I can’t have you working for me. It’s as simple as that. I’ll find someone else and pay freelancers if I have to. But I need someone I can count on if you’re going to do this job.”

“Kiana, I apologize. I didn’t know I needed to work tomorrow. It’s not a big deal. The last email I got from you was just about getting here and checking in with you when I arrived.”

“Which you didn’t do,” she pointed out.

I sighed. “I was going to. But I figured it was pretty pointless for me to be here without any transportation. I had to buy my bike first. That way I can get to all of the weddings you host.”

I softened my words with a grin that usually had women giggling and cozying up to me, but all Kiana did was glare harder, if that was possible.

“You bought a motorcycle?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I’ve always wanted one. This is a great place to have a bike.”

“How are you going to get all your equipment to jobs on a motorcycle? How are you going to get there?”

My eyebrows tugged together. “I thought our jobs were all close. At your site.”

She shook her head and sighed. “Do you know anything about what Opposites Attract does?”

I paused and realized that, honestly, I wasn’t entirely sure. I knew it was a destination wedding business. That they planned weddings for couples who visited Hawaii and wanted a local flair for their events. But aside from that, what did I really need to know?

“You plan weddings?” I said lamely.

She groaned and walked back toward the house. Obviously, that was the wrong answer.

She spun on me, and I almost collided with her. I stopped myself short and closed my mouth when she started speaking.

“We organize wedding events for the wedding party and all the guests. We take care of everything from the day they arrive until the day they leave, if they want us to. Our weddings are not just weddings. They’re Hawaiian celebrations of love. We have weddings on the beach, some on the mountains, some at the coffee plantations, all over the island. We had a wedding at the volcano last year. No two weddings are the same. Yes, I have a site, but a lot of our guests want something unique.”

“Uh, okay. It’ll be fine. I have saddlebags for the bike and all my equipment will fit. I'm not worried about it.”

“Are you worried about the wedding tomorrow? About getting prepared for it or anything?”

“It’s just a wedding.”

Kapena howled with laughter, which earned him a glare from Kiana. The short beach and how close we were to his house made me realize he’d overheard our entire argument. Not only that, he wasn’t trying to help me at all. He kept laughing. I think he even laughed harder when he saw my face, but eventually, he carried his plate inside, leaving Kiana and I alone.

“We don’t just have weddings. If you can’t understand that, then this isn’t going to work out. I’ll pay for your flight here and for a ticket for you to return to the mainland. I apologize for wasting your time, Mr. Carpenter.”

She extended her hand to shake mine again, but I crossed my arms and refused. God help me, she glanced down at my pecs. I flexed them, making them bounce just enough to widen her eyes.

Hell yeah. I wasn’t the only one fighting the attraction buzzing between us.

“I’m not leaving, Kiana. I want this job. I took this job. I’ll be good at this job. I’ve never shot a wedding before, but I’m a damn good photographer. You know I am. So let me do this wedding for you. If you still think, after this one, that I’m not worth what you’re going to pay me, then you can fire me. But I’ll tell you one thing… I don’t fail.”

She finally dropped her hand and sighed. She didn’t say anything to me when she walked past. I turned to watch her and was surprised when she snatched her clothes off the chair, stuffed her feet into her shoes, and disappeared into the house. A few seconds later, the front door slammed.

Kapena looked out back and saw me standing alone.

“Where’d she go?”

I shrugged. “No idea. She just left.”

“Not good, man. She really doesn’t like you now. You’d better impress the hell out of her tomorrow at the wedding, or you really will be on a flight off the island. My sister doesn’t mess around.”

Which meant I was screwed.

I spent the rest of the night researching Opposites Attract, like I should have done before I moved there, and found myself increasingly impressed with my sexy new boss. I really needed to stop thinking about how sexy she was and how much I wanted her, but it was almost impossible when I was staring at her life’s work all night long.

She’d built an impressive business. She wasn’t kidding when she said the weddings they hosted were events. She offered everything from a luau with fire dancers to an intimate ceremony for two. She had contracts with cruise ships and booked weddings for guests who were only in town for a day.

The weddings she hosted at her site were clearly her bread and butter. I could tell from the pictures that they were a lot of fun for the guests and the bride and groom.

The pictures on her site all had a notation as being taken by Anthony Ortega. I was more than a little impressed with his ability to capture the emotion of the weddings until I saw the picture of Kiana.

I was fairly sure the picture was candid, but it looked like a professional head shot. She was watching him, the guy behind the lens, with a look I’d seen many times in the eyes of a woman. It was the look Tara gave my brother. And Peyton gave Wyatt. And Olivia gave Ethan.

And dammit if I wasn’t jealous as fuck of that asshole.

I never wanted a woman to call my own. Someone who could demand anything from me, and I’d have to give it to her because I loved her enough to do whatever she wanted. Watching my brother and so many friends find that woman made me wonder if I was missing out. I moved to Hawaii to settle my mind, not to fall in love.

But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit there was a part of me that wanted my sexy, new boss to look at me that way.

I may have jerked off with her curvy ass and kissable lips in my mind. My name a memory on her tongue as I hissed hers out with my orgasm.

Not that I was going to admit that to anyone.

* * *

Carrington laughed, tipping his head back so I could see where he’d missed a spot shaving that morning. I captured the second on my camera, knowing it would be great footage for the series I was working on. These guys were in the middle of hell, but they still managed to have a good time.

That was the American spirit.

He turned his head to the left to say something to Rogers when the explosion rocked us. Rogers swerved, and all of the faces in the vehicle went from smiling to pissed off in an instant.

I kept shooting, knowing the moment was one many photographers didn’t get a chance to be a part of and live to tell about. If I didn’t live, at least my family would know what happened to me.

Of course, then my mother would say she wished she could bring me back so she could kill me again.

The vehicle stopped so they could figure out what was going on.

“What the fuck?” Carrington said. “Stay with me, Carpenter.”

I got out of the truck right behind him, following as he moved toward the pile of fire that used to be our lead vehicle.

“Fuck me. These stupid mother fuckers don’t know who they’re dealing with.”

I scanned the area with my camera, knowing I could see things that were invisible to the naked eye. Light reflected off something that brought me back to that spot.

Then a flash.

“Get down!”

Carrington tackled me, slammed me to the ground seconds before he screamed. Hearing a grown man, a Marine no less, scream like that sent chills down my spine.

“Carrington!” I screamed.

He pushed off me and glared with those blue eyes that were laughing just moments ago.

“I never should have saved you. I was fighting for our country, and you just take pictures and hide them away. You never even told our story. And you think you deserve to be happy?” He laughed, a menacing sound that made me nauseous.

I could taste the bile in my throat, rising up and ready to release.

I woke up with a start, bolting straight upright in bed. I was soaked with sweat and still heard Carrington’s evil laugh in my ear.

“Fuck,” I muttered, running my hands over my face and back through my short hair. “Fuck.”

I took a leak and went back to bed, but I couldn’t sleep. I never did after one of my nightmares. I knew it was coming, being in a new place, but shit.

I laid in bed until I heard Kapena moving around. I was going to make the wedding that afternoon the best damn photo shoot of my life. Carrington was a hero, and I’d never be half the man he was, but I could do something. I could make someone’s wedding day perfect.

I shook my head and laughed. It didn’t matter that Carrington never said those words to my face when I was awake, I felt them. And just thinking that giving someone a good wedding was anywhere close to fighting for my country was laughable.

But it was all I had.

I finally found the emails Kiana sent, after searching my junk folder, and had all the details about the wedding that day at Opposites Attract. I asked Kapena how long it would take to get to the office and GPS’ed it just in case. I set out three hours earlier than I needed to be there, hoping to get the lay of the land and take some shots before the ceremony.

I found Opposites Attract easily enough and discovered it was a photographer’s paradise. Lush green lined the white building with the rich, black soil of a long ago volcanic eruption covering what should have been the yard. Blue shutters, the same shade as the ocean, and a yellow front door brightened up the office, making it look less like a business and more like an old home. I could tell efforts had been made to improve the appearance of the entire place, but I was a fan of the stark contrast between life and death. I’d photographed a lot of both.

I parked my bike near the building in one of the parking spots labeled ‘Staff Only’ and unpacked my equipment. I liked to go as close to natural as possible, but there were times when a flash helped. Everything fit easily into the saddlebags, but if I got anything new, it would be tight. So far, I wasn’t worried.

I held my camera as I walked around, testing the light in different parts of the yard. I knew it would shift as it got later in the day, but I wanted to have some shots of the area to include for the bride and groom. Like Kiana said, it wasn’t just a wedding, so I wasn’t going to shoot just the wedding.

I got lost in my work, circling the property and finding good spots to take pictures. A crew was setting up white folding chairs near the beach and anchoring a pergola into the sand. When I thought I had enough pictures and a good idea of how I wanted the afternoon to go, I headed back to my bike to go find lunch.

With my stuff packed away, I straddled the bike and was about to crank it up when I heard, “Running off already?”

I looked up and found Kiana watching me, her arms crossed over her lavender suit, one bow covered black-heeled toe tapping on the ground.

“Not even a little. I was going to grab something to eat before everyone arrives. Want me to get you something?”

She was clearly taken aback by my offer. Her hands fell and her toe stopped. She gaped at me for a second before she recovered and nodded. “Thank you. That would be great. I usually forget to eat. Kapena and Jack always get on me about that.” She clamped her lips shut, as though she remembered who she was talking to.

“Any suggestions?” I asked, trying not to ask who Jack was. I was her employee, not her confidant. And I had no business asking about the man she was seeing.

She stared again but finally regained her ability to speak. “Just up the road, to the left, there’s a great place. Spam burgers. If you’re up for that.”

I shrugged. “I’ll eat just about anything. What do you like on yours?”

She gave me her order and watched as I cranked up the bike and pulled away. I found the place easily enough and ordered my first ever Spam burger. It was one of the many things about Hawaii I didn’t understand. Spam? But they loved the shit, and when in Rome and all that.

I tucked the bag with our food into the compartment I stored my helmet in when I parked my bike. It smelled good even if was Spam. Back at Opposites Attract, I had no idea where to find Kiana. Something I didn’t realize until I was parked and wandering around like an idiot.

She wasn’t outside, so I headed into the office building. A large room was just inside the front door and smaller rooms branched off as I worked my way through. I heard music coming from the back and followed it to a small office with a white desk front and center, two yellow chairs opposite the desk, and Kiana singing along to the music in her white captain’s chair, her head bopping and her dark hair swinging.

Damn, was she cute.

I knocked on the door after a second and held up the bag of food. She beckoned me in and turned the music off.

“What do I owe you?” she asked, reaching into a lower desk drawer.

I shook my head. “Consider it a peace offering. Maybe you’ll give me a little bit of a chance if I don’t let you get cranky today.”

She looked like she was considering my words and wasn’t thrilled by them. She finally nodded, just once, and gestured for me to sit in one of the guest chairs.

She dug into the bag and smiled when she opened her burger. She took a big bite, groaning and closing her eyes.

It was impossible not to think about sex when I was around her. The woman was a walking, talking, groaning sex dream.

And she was off-limits because she was my boss.

“How is it?”

She nodded, her eyes on the burger.

I unwrapped my own and took a bite. It was better than I expected, but it was still Spam. A bit salty for my taste, but the onions and peppers tempered it, giving the whole thing a sweeter, fresher flavor.

“First Spam burger?” she asked.

I nodded, surprised she even spoke to me. “I figured I would try it eventually. Now seemed like as good a time as any.”

She laughed softly. “We all grew up on this stuff. It’s like fish around here. We eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”

“Fish I can get behind for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Spam is going to take some getting used to.”

She laughed again. “Before long, you won’t even miss the beef.”

“Huh?”

“Most burgers around here are Spam. It’s one of the reasons it’s so popular. Beef is expensive because we don’t have the facilities to process high volumes in Hawaii. It’s shipped to the mainland then returned, which adds up. There are cattle farms on the islands, but they’re not big enough to supply all the restaurants and the grocery stores. It’s not like I’ve seen on the mainland.”

“You've been to the mainland?” I asked. Kapena said neither of them had been, but I wanted Kiana to tell me.

She paused then shook her head. “I’ve seen it on TV and stuff like that.”

“Oh.”

We ate in silence for a few minutes, me trying to convince myself I could one day like Spam and Kiana acting like it was the best juicy burger she’d ever eaten. I finally managed to finish mine and pulled out the bag of cinnamon sugar donut holes. Kiana’s eyes lit up.

“You got them?”

I nodded. “They looked good. Do you want some?”

She reached for the tiny bag and grabbed one off the top. A small one. I knew she wanted more. Hell, I’d let her have all of them if she kept smiling like she was.

“Have another.”

“You don’t want any?”

I grabbed one and handed her the bag.

“I can’t.”

“Sure you can. Enjoy. I’ll get out of your hair. I’ll be outside, if that’s okay?”

She nodded, already ignoring me in favor of the donut holes.

I grinned and left her office.

One point in my favor.