As the plane was landing Jemma stared out the window, eagerly wanting to see everything she could. What stood out the most to her was that the sky was a gorgeous hue of orange with a hint of violet. It was unlike anything she’d seen before.
“Welcome to Fiji,” Braden whispered in Jemma’s ear.
When the plane sat down, a car met the foursome on the tarmac and then whisked them away to the hotel.
Now that they had arrived, Jemma began to worry about actually meeting Braden’s family. She didn’t obsess too much about it on the way, but now she worried they wouldn’t like her and even worse, they would be mean to her.
These people were the epitome of old-school money and political power. She was a former Instagram model and Page 3 girl. This wasn’t going to go over well. They probably should have come up with a cover story to explain how they met each other. Surely his family would want some kind of information about their relationship. What was she going to say?
Now it was too late though because some of Braden’s family were on their way over to meet them. One look at his mother and Jemma suddenly felt like this whole thing was a huge mistake. But she was already there, and now she was stuck. She couldn’t exactly run away. Could she? Jemma’s eyes quickly scanned the room, but there was nowhere for her to hide. She had to put her big girl panties on and deal with what was coming her way. She had agreed to this, after all, so now she had to see it through.
“Braden darling, you look good,” his mother said, sounding slightly surprised.
Jemma wondered if she thought they might be drunk or something by the time they arrived on the island.
“I always look good mother.”
“Of course, you do darling, you are my son after all,” Braden’s mother said. But what Jemma couldn’t figure out was if she was joking or not. She said it so matter-of-factly.
She was pretty, probably a hottie when she was younger. She had blonde hair, and was thin as a rail, with a big, fake smile spread across her face.
Braden grabbed Jemma by the hand and pulled her forward.
“Mother this is my girlfriend. Jemma this is my mother, Rosemary Washington.”
Rosemary raised her artfully waxed brows. “Girlfriend? This is news to me. Why is this the first I’m hearing about you having a serious girlfriend? How long have you two been seeing each other?”
Braden looked at Jemma, then back to his mother. “A few months.”
“Mrs. Washington,” Jemma said holding out her hand. Rosemary didn’t take it though. Instead, she looked Jemma up and down and then turned back to Braden.
“Nice Braden, very nice.” She didn’t sound friendly, even though her smile was still in place.
She finally took Jemma’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Jemma. My son never lets the family meet any of his girlfriends so this is a true delight.”
Jemma shook her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Washington. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you.”
Rosemary glared at her son. “I’m sure and please Jemma darling, call me Rosemary.”
“Alright mother,” Braden said, pulling Jemma behind him and out of his mother’s direct line of sight. “That’s enough. Jemma and I just arrived. Let us get checked into our room and several drinks down our throat before any family drama begins.”
Rosemary rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Nick.
“It’s wonderful seeing you as always Nick. Who is this beauty you have with you?”
“This is my girlfriend, Candice.”
Nick tugged Candy forward. “Candice this is the one and only Rosemary Washington.”
Candy giggled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Alright children, why don’t you get checked into your rooms and we’ll all meet for dinner tonight.”
“Wow that was intense,” Jemma said with a laugh when she was sure they were alone.
“That’s mother dearest for yah, intense is her middle name.”
Braden walked over to the bar and poured both himself and Jemma a drink. “Here,” he said as he handed it to her. “You’re going to need this if you are going to make it through dinner tonight with my family.”
Worried he might be right, Jemma decided to do as she was told and downed her drink quickly, before making herself another.
At dinner, Jemma was introduced to the rest of Braden’s family.
“There are so many people here,” Jemma said as she looked around the restaurant. “Are all of these people part of your family reunion?”
“Yeah. My mother rents the entire resort out for the week. Everyone here is either related or a friend of the family, like Nick.”
Jemma wondered if Nick and Candy would make it out of their room for dinner, but before she could ask Braden distracted her by pointing out various members of his family.
Braden pointed to a well-dressed, older gentleman standing near his mother. “That’s my father. Standing next to him is my brother Patrick and his fiancé, Evelyn.”
Jemma couldn’t stop herself from comparing Braden to his brother Patrick. They were both incredibly handsome, though there was something dark and more masculine about Braden. He had more of a presence about him. Braden commanded a room, even without saying a word. Patrick seemed more like a lost little boy, standing there next to his mother and father.
“Evelyn looks a lot like your mother,” Jemma whispered.
“Yes, that she does,” Braden said as he led Jemma over to the table where his sister and nieces were sitting.
“Uncle Braden,” the girls shouted in unison as they jumped up and hugged him. “You made it.”
“Of course, I did. Think I would miss spending a week with you rugrats?”
Braden pulled out a chair for Jemma, and they took a seat.
“Mikayla this is my girlfriend, Jemma. Jemma darling this is my sister Mikayla.”
“Hey, what about us?” Abbey asked.
“I am going to guess that you two are Abbey and Alley.”
“How did you know?” Alley asked?”
Your uncle Braden told me all about you. He talks about you all the time. He said you were only the two cutest girls that ever lived.”
Abbey and Alley smiled up at her.
“You are really pretty,” Abbey said. “What are you doing with our stinky old uncle, Braden?”
Jemma had to choke back a laugh.
“Girls,” Mikayla admonished. “I’m so sorry Jemma. They forget their manners sometimes.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jemma assured Mikayla. “They’re fine, and they are right. Braden can be a little stinker sometimes.”
The girls broke out in a fit of giggles.
“We like this one uncle Braden. Don’t do something stupid and make her run away.”
“Oh, my goodness,” Mikayla said in bewilderment. “They really aren’t this ill-behaved normally.”
“So, what are we having for dinner?” Braden asked the girls. “I heard this place has some great snails and octopus.”
“Ewww! You are gross uncle, Braden.”
“What are we actually having for dinner?” Jemma asked.
“Oh, who knows? My mother plans these menus in advance. Whatever it is, I’m sure it will be over the top.”
Mikayla laughed.
And as if on cue the waiter arrived at their table with the first course.
The children were served mini pizzas and French fries, while the adults dined on roasted eggplant carpaccio and exotic tomato salad, followed by a serving of farfalle with creamy wild mushroom sauce. For dessert, they had elegantly plated pistachio and blackberry mousse.
After dinner, the nanny took the kids back to their room while the adults went to the bar for a drink or two, before turning in for the night.
“Where’s Nick?” Mikayla asked. “Didn’t he fly down with you?”
Braden looked around, realizing for the first time that Nick and Candy weren’t there. He chuckled. “I guess the old dog is still in his room. He and Candy can’t seem to get enough of each other.”
Mikayla gave her brother a puzzled look. “Who is Candy?”
Jemma caught the look on Mikayla’s face right away and recognized it for what it was. Braden however, being the clueless man that he was, just kept going.
“Nick’s flavor of the month. She’s a hot one too, I tell you. He might keep this one around a bit longer than the others.”
Jemma smacked Braden on the arm.
“Hey! What’s that for?” Braden asked, truly having no idea what he did wrong.
Jemma rolled her eyes at him and tried to change the subject.
“Your daughters really are adorable Mikayla. I’m glad I got to finally meet them. Braden honestly has been telling me all about them.”
“Thank you. They are my world. It’s not always easy raising them on my own, but I couldn’t imagine not having them in my life. They bring me so much joy and happiness.”
“I could only imagine,” Jemma said with a genuine smile on her face.
“But don’t get me started on my girls. You’ll never get me to shut up about them.”
Jemma giggled.
“Plus, I would rather hear all about you. Tell me how you two met. I bet it’s some wonderfully romantic story.”
Jemma turned to Braden, letting him answer the question instead.
“She was in Houston filming a movie, and I met her through a friend.”
“You’re an actress? That’s awesome. Have I seen you in anything?”
Jemma smiled. “I’m not famous by any means, but I have been in a few movies. I did one last year with Bruce Willis, and I just finished filming a movie with Zac Efron and Channing Tatum.”
“Oh, my God, are you kidding me? I’m so jealous.”
Jemma laughed. “I can’t really talk much about it right now, we are still under NDA while the movie is in post-production but between me and you, Channing Tatum is even hotter in real life than on screen, and when I found out I had to make out with him, I thought I had died and gone to heaven.”
“Hey now,” Braden said, pretending to be hurt.
Jemma leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Don’t worry, you’re still the only one for me.”
Mikayla smiled.
“I’m glad Braden brought you Jemma. It’s great seeing him relaxed and happy. It’s a rare sight indeed. He’s usually so busy with work I don’t get five minutes with him before his stupid phone rings.”
Jemma looked up at Braden lovingly. “Yeah, I do hate his phone, but we promised each other we would try really hard to relax and enjoy this week, while we are here in Fiji, leaving the real world behind us. Whatever comes up will be there waiting for us when we get back to the real world.”
“Jemma if you can pull that off, you are a miracle worker.”
Braden leaned down and kissed Jemma’s forehead. “She’s worth it.”
“Wow, it’s like some alien has kidnapped my brother and replaced him.”
“Okay, you two that’s enough picking on me. Let’s call Patrick over and poke fun at him for a while.”
Mikayla sighed. “No thanks. That’s like shooting fish in a barrel. Speaking of which, did you see the big diamond ring on Evelyn’s finger? Who the hell needs a ten-carat diamond engagement ring? That’s just ridiculous.”
“Ten carats? I seriously must see this ring. How does one even lift their hand with a diamond that big on it? The girl looks like she weighs seventy pounds. The ring must weigh her down like an anchor.”
Mikayla laughed, and Braden couldn’t help but smile. He hadn’t seen her laugh like that in a long time. He wondered if that meant his sister was on the mend or if it was just Jemma’s influence. She did have a way of making people smile.
“I don’t mean to sound tacky, but I have to know -- How much would a ring like that even cost?”
Jemma normally hated talking about money, but her curiosity over such a monstrosity of a ring got the best of her.
“Several million.”
“Holy hell. That’s just insane. Why would anyone spend that much money on a ring?”
Mikayla shrugged.
“I don’t know Jemma. Some people are all about the flash.”
“I’m having a hard time even imagining what a ring like that would even look like.”
“I haven’t seen it yet myself. I only heard about it from my mother who couldn’t wait to tell me all about it.”
Jemma turned to Braden. “You have to get them over here so we can see this ring. I have to know what a ring that big looks like on such a tiny woman. It’s got to look downright comical.”
Mikayla burst out laughing.
“Hell no,” Braden said emphatically. “Did you forget that I’m trying to avoid the rest of my family? I don’t want to encourage their attention.”
“You are no fun Braden,” Jemma pouted.
“I wonder if a ring like that physically hurts to wear it? It’s got to be heavy,” Mikayla mused.
“I know, right?” Jemma agreed.
Braden downed his drink and flagged down the waiter for another. “Okay you two, time for a new subject.”
When the waiter returned with another round of drinks for their table, Mikayla took a sip of her glass before dropping it.
As the glass shattered around them, Jemma followed Mikayla’s gaze which at that moment was locked on Nick, who had just entered the bar with Candy on his arm.
“Who is that?” Mikayla asked almost as if she was in a daze.
“That’s Candice, we call her Candy though.”
Mikayla couldn’t take her eyes off the couple. “That’s his new girlfriend?”
Braden oblivious to his sister’s distress called the couple over to join them.
“Candy this is my sister Mikayla,” Braden said as the happy couple took a seat at their table.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Mikayla said in a stiff, formal tone.
Candy jumped up and engulfed Mikayla in a big hug. “It’s so great to meet you, Mikayla. I’ve heard all about you and the work you do at the animal shelter. Nick’s told me all about it.”
“Yes, well it’s getting late, so I better get the girls to bed. It was wonderful seeing you again Nick, and it was great meeting you Jemma and Candy. I hope we can get together again soon.”
As Mikayla hurried off with her children in tow, Braden sat there dumbfounded. “What the hell was that about?”
Candy shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s just tired. It’s been a long day of travel for everyone.”
“You two didn’t make it down for dinner,” Jemma noted. “Were you taking a nap?”
Candy looked at Nick and giggled. “Yeah, something like that.”
Suddenly Candy turned her attention to someone sitting at a table across the bar.
“OMG! Tell me that is not Gigi Hadid sitting over there?”
Jemma turned to look, but she wasn’t quite sure who Gigi Hadid was. “I don’t know who that is, but she’s pretty, I’ll give her that.”
“She’s a supermodel Jemma. How could you not know this?”
“I’m British silly girl. I don’t know every famous American,” she said playfully.
“I think she’s friends with one of my cousins. It seems like I recall my sister mentioning something about her coming this year.”
Nick was noticeably quiet when Mikayla left, and Jemma couldn’t help but wonder if there was something going on between him and Mikayla. If there was though, why bring Candy with him to Fiji? Wouldn’t an exotic island getaway be the perfect opportunity for Nick and Mikayla to hookup? Jemma wasn’t sure, but she was most definitely going to ask Braden about it later that night when they were alone.
After a few more drinks Nick and Candy decided to go for a walk on the beach and Braden thought it was time for him and Jemma to turn in. He feared if they stayed much longer, his family might try and speak to him and that was the last thing he wanted.
“Dinner was delicious,” Jemma said as they made their way back to their room.
“It was rather delightful,” Braden mused. “My mother does seem to have a knack for organizing a dinner party.”
When they walked into their room, Jemma looked around hesitantly.
“Is something wrong?” Braden asked, concerned by the strange look on her face.
“So, there’s only the one bed?”
“Of course, we’re here as a couple, remember? As far as my family knows, we’ve been dating for months so how would it look if we had separate beds?”
“I guess that’s a good point. But how do we do this?”
“What do you mean?” Braden asked, unsure what Jemma was getting at.
“Well like you said before, you weren’t looking for any sort of romantic entanglements, and now that we are in Fiji, I think we should stick with the original plan. Sex seems to complicate things, and now that I’ve met your family I completely get why you need someone here with you. You need that barrier to shield you from their attention. Your mother is a force to be reckoned with.”
Jemma blew out a breath.
“I just don’t want there to be any confusion about this thing between us Braden. Obviously, we could never have anything more than just a tawdry fling. We are two different people from two very different worlds.”
“It’s okay, I get what you are saying, and I completely agree. This thing between us is a business transaction so let’s keep it professional.”
Jemma smiled up at Braden, happy to have put the issue to rest, even if the reality of her situation didn’t bring her much joy.
She grabbed her things and headed to the bathroom to change into her nightgown. As she did, she tried to ignore the excitement roaring in her stomach at the thought of sleeping in the same bed as him. She wanted to keep things professional, she really did, but at the same time, she also wanted to put her hands all over him.
She hoped he didn’t sleep naked. There was no way she would be able to make it through the night without attacking him if he was in bed next to her buck ass naked. The memories of making love to him were still too fresh in her mind. He was passionate and intense. The thought of what he felt like inside of her gave her butterflies in her stomach.
No. She couldn’t let those thoughts in. She needed to be strong. She had to find a way to keep her composure and more importantly, keep her hands off Braden’s incredible body. Why did he have to be so hot?
She could do this. She was an adult, not some hormone riddled teenager.
Jemma took several deep breathes, and then went back into the bedroom where Braden was standing in loose-fitting pajama pants with no shirt.
Jemma had to catch her breath. Braden was far too sexy for his own good. How in the hell did she possibly think she was going to make it a week without jumping his bones?
Still, she had to try. She was being paid to do a job, and her friend Jessica was depending on that money. If she messed things up, Braden might fire her and then where would Jessica be? No, Jemma couldn’t risk it. Her friend was counting on her.
Jemma carefully climbed into the bed, lifting the covers carefully before sliding in next to Braden. It took everything she had to turn her back to him, instead snuggling into her soft pillow. She took a deep breath and delighted in his masculine scent, before finally closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.
