Thrust Under Read online

  Table of Contents

  Epilogue

  Maggie

  Gabe

  About Michelle A. Valentine

  About Emily Snow

  Also by Michelle A. Valentine

  Also by Emily Snow

  Copyright © 2018 by Michelle A. Valentine and Emily Snow

  All rights reserved. E-book Edition

  Cover Designer: Book Cover by Design

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

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  This book is intended for an adult audience due to strong language and naughty sexual situations.

  Contents

  1. Maggie

  2. Gabe

  3. Maggie

  4. Gabe

  5. Maggie

  6. Gabe

  7. Maggie

  8. Gabe

  9. Maggie

  10. Gabe

  11. Maggie

  12. Gabe

  13. Maggie

  14. Gabe

  15. Maggie

  16. Gabe

  17. Maggie

  18. Gabe

  19. Maggie

  Epilogue

  About Michelle A. Valentine

  About Emily Snow

  Also by Michelle A. Valentine

  Also by Emily Snow

  1

  Maggie

  “Jesus, Maggie! Hold still.” Lani comes at me for the second time since we stepped foot in this bathroom. She darts her hand out toward my face, but I effectively dodge her weapon of choice—a tube of red lipstick. Pursing her lips into an impatient line, my best friend moves her head from side to side. “We’re going to a party, not a nunnery. A little makeup won’t hurt.”

  I don’t mind a little makeup, but fire engine red is going way too far.

  “I’ve got a tube of Carmex somewhere in my bag.” I bend toward my carry-on, but her snort stops me. I peek up at her through the curtain of dark hair falling over my face to find she’s pinching her face. Like I said I had crack instead of lip balm. “What?”

  “Really, Maggie? Carmex?” She rolls her brown eyes so hard, I’m sure they’re about to pop out of her skull. She’s been my closest friend since my family moved to O’ahu when I was fourteen, so I’m well-acquainted with the Alani Finau eye-roll. She could patent it, bottle that shit, and then sell it to basic bitches everywhere. “There will be men there. Hot, available men. You can’t go wafting in there looking like you just rolled out of bed.”

  That’s pretty much exactly what happened. I’d signed my final discharge papers in Fort Bragg this morning, and boarded a flight leaving Raleigh for Honolulu just a few hours later. It was a long flight—thirteen hours with a layover in Denver—so I wasn’t in the mood for any socialization once the plane touched down. All I wanted was to see my parents, comfortable sheets, and maybe an early nightcap. Lani had other plans. Plans that involved her stopping at the first restaurant she saw after we left the airport, so she could talk me into putting on the sundress and sandals she brought with her and then attacking me with red lipstick.

  Fisting the tube of makeup in question, she plants her other hand on her hip and shifts an eyebrow. “I know you’re tired, but this party is for you. You go and I promise I won’t stalk you for at least a day or two.”

  We’re standing in a McDonald’s bathroom, and she’s promising not to stalk me for the rest of the weekend if I party with her. A laugh bubbles out of my throat. “The party is for me, huh? Fifteen minutes ago, you were telling me how everyone will be so surprised to see me.”

  She shrugs. “Semantics. Either way, everyone we know who hasn’t left the island will be there. They’re all dying to hear about what military life has been like for you.” She pauses for a beat as the door swings open and a woman ushers in two toddlers. Once they shuffle into a stall, Lani swivels around to look at me, running her hands down the front of her off-the-shoulder dress in long, nervous strokes. “Even Ryan’s been asking about you. I mean, I may have mentioned that you’d be at this party tonight. Not that I want you two to get back together. I’d probably kick you in the lady junk if you gave that guy another chance.”

  If it wasn’t for the fact that I love her, I’d strangle her with my bare hands. Ryan had been the love of my life, my forever, since the tenth grade. We had a plan, or at least I thought we did. Marriage and kids, the whole package. Nowhere in that plan did the idea of Ryan fucking Kai, my cousin of all goddamn people, come into play. When I found out what they were doing behind my back, I left.

  And five years later, the thought of facing him stalls my breath. I haven’t been home since I enlisted—my parents and Lani always met me on the mainland whenever I took leave—but now I’m bound to run into my ex. It’s kind of hard to avoid someone living on an island.

  I just didn’t realize I’d have to see him again so soon.

  I rub my neck anxiously. “I don’t think this party is such a good idea.”

  “Don’t give me that, Maggie. You are going to put on this I’m-Sexy-As-Fuck-And-You-Missed-Out lipstick and—”

  “Do you mind?” The woman in the stall snarls, and Lani grimaces.

  “Sorry!” Resting her hands on my shoulders so she can look me straight in the eye, Lani continues in a hushed voice, “You’re going to show that turd he’s not even a blip on your radar. We’re going to get drunk. Find some random, hot tourists, and do terribly naughty things with them. And above all else, we’re going to make sure you have fun.”

  “Fun is subjective,” I counter.

  “Stop being so stubborn.” She thrusts the red lipstick back in my direction. I read the label—Vixen’s Vice—and square my shoulders. “Put this on before Grumpy Mom comes out. I refuse to take no for an answer.”

  Groaning, I snatch the tube from her hand. One thing I’ve learned during our nearly ten-year friendship is that when Lani sets her mind on something, there’s no use fighting her. She’s relentless, so for my sanity, I’ve learned to give in and go along with whatever harebrained scheme she’s plotting.

  As I turn toward the mirror and stain my lips red, an elated smile slinks across her face. “You’re a royal a-s-s, Finau.”

  She’s not even fazed. Instead, she steps up behind me and fluffs my wavy dark hair out, ignoring the vicious glare I shoot at her reflection. “Have I told you how happy I am you’re back? This place hasn’t been the same without you.”

  When I ran out on my problems here, I also ran out on everyone who cared about me. I was young and couldn’t deal with the loss of Ryan. I just hope moving back here after my enlistment commitment isn’t a mistake.

  Lani still drives the same Jeep she bought with her part-time earnings in high school. As she pulls it down a familiar lane, my eyebrows squish together. “I thought we were going to a party? You know if I show up here, Mom and Dad won’t let me out of their sight.”

  “They’re on the mainland until tomorrow morning to visit a specialist your dad’s been scheduled to see for months. Your aunt Kilani’s running the place until they get back.” I draw in a frustrated breath and she holds up a hand in defense. “You said you wanted to surprise them, so I kept my mouth shut. It’s not my fault they had a trip planned.”

  “No, it’s fine … it just doesn’t explain why we’re here.” Unless she’s planning on coming at me with more makeup before we head to this party. I can almost guarantee I’ll already have lipstick teeth all night; there’s really no need to make myself look worse. “Well, what’s going on?”

  The breeze whips through her shoulder-length black hair as she drives into the employee parking lot of my family’s quaint hotel. “The party is on the beach.” She doesn’t look at me as she shifts the Jeep into park. “Next door.”

  Next door? I rake my gaze over the monstrosity beside my parent’s place. Just after I enlisted, some rich guy purchased the old resort at a foreclosure auction. He tore most of it down to replace it with a sleek, modern building that advertised paradise and every amenity under the sun. A complete Hawaiian experience without ever having to step foot off the resort. Since then, Mom has kept me updated on the dwindling number of bookings at our hotel, and how O’ahu Elite is apparently sold out for the next several months.

  It makes me sick.

  Because the success of O’ahu Elite is slowly but surely destroying my parents’ dream.

  My face feels tight as I rip my stare from the Elite. “You don’t honestly expect me to go to a party that’s being thrown by the enemy, do you?”

  Her eyebrows lift above her aviator sunglasses.
“When there’s free liquor involved, you bet I do. Plus, it’s right next to your place, which means we both can drink since we’re not driving. And if you need any more motivation than that … think of it as the place owes you. They came in here and encroached on your family’s turf. The least they can do is give you free booze.”

  Typically, I would tell her no on principle, but she makes a valid point. I shove my sunglasses up a little on the bridge of my nose to shield my eyes from the setting sun. “You’re right. Fuck it.”

  She squeals and wriggles across the center console to throw her arms around me. “Let’s go make this party our bitch.” She pulls back, a giant grin splitting her bronze features. “Trust me; the Elite bar is the go-to spot tonight. We’re bound to run into someone we know.”

  “Joy,” I say dryly, opening my door.

  The thought of seeing anyone from high school and rehashing my break-up with Ryan isn’t something I envisioned myself doing tonight, but to hell with it. He’s a dick. If anyone asks about him, I won’t be afraid to tell them—or him—just how I feel. Once I down a few drinks, that is.

  Locking up the Jeep, Lani grabs my hand and tugs me toward the beach. I slip off my strappy sandals and hold them in my free hand as we trek down the sand toward the party, complete with a bonfire, going full swing. The place is packed. Half-dressed bodies gyrate to the music on the main cabana and in the smaller huts that surround the pool, and wait staff toting trays of fruity mixed drinks bob and weave through the crowd.

  “James! Over here!” Lani waves one of the shirtless waiters down, winking at him as she plucks two drinks off his tray. She hands one to me, and I stare down at the mai tai.

  “Tell me again how it’s possible that we’re drinking for free.”

  “It’s Gabriel’s quarterly staff thank you party,” she says matter-of-factly.

  “Gabriel?” I stir the yellow and red concoction in my hand, turning it a rich shade of orange. “So the dick has a name.”

  “How you don’t already know that’s beyond me, but yes.” She snickers at my dark glare. “Gabe throws these little get-togethers to let his employees know how much he appreciates them.”

  “So that doesn’t explain why we’re here.”

  “It’s because…” She looks down and kicks at the sand with bare feet. “I sort of work here.”

  My mouth goes slack. “Wait, what? Are you shitting me?”

  “I wanted to tell you, but it didn’t seem like a conversation we should have over the phone. Jobs are tough to find around here, M. You know that. So, when a position popped open, I went for it…”

  “But my parents. They need you. How could you—“

  She holds up a hand, cutting me off mid-sentence. “I know what you’re thinking, but I didn’t abandon them. Truth is, they pushed me to take the job. They couldn’t afford to keep me on full-time anymore. Things are really tight for them, so me working at Elite was best for everyone. After I’m done with my shift, I head next door to help your mom and dad out if they need me.”

  This is a shock. I talk to my parents often, and they even came to Fort Bragg when I took leave after my final deployment six months ago. Not once did they mention having to let go staff because of the beast next door. I wrap my free arm around my stomach, pressing hard because I swear my heart has dropped into it.

  “I didn’t realize things were so bad,” I whisper.

  “You had enough to worry about being on the other side of the world and getting shot at for a living. Your parents didn’t want to distract you.”

  Distract me? Hiding the fact they could no longer afford to pay the staff pisses me off.

  “Don’t,” she warns, wagging a finger at me. “I know that look.”

  “What look?”

  “The one you get before you’re about to fly off the handle. They knew there was nothing you could do. Being in the military isn’t like any other job. It’s not like when things are going rough, you can just quit. When you sign on that dotted line, your ass belongs to Uncle Sam and your parents knew that. That’s why they asked me not to say anything. So, don’t be pissed. They were only trying to do what they thought was best.”

  Although I understand what she’s saying, I can’t help being upset. I hate being out of the loop, but she’s right. There’s nothing I could’ve done to help while I was enlisted. Luckily, I’m home now.

  I put the glass to my lips and down the drink in two long pulls. When I’m finished, I set the empty glass on a passing waiter’s tray and swipe another drink.

  “Whoa. You okay?” Lani asks.

  I nod, trying to block out the thought of the mess I’ll be walking into when I face my parents tomorrow. “Yep. We came to party, right?” I tap the side of her glass and she tightens her grip on it to keep it from sloshing out. “You better catch up.”

  Four drinks later, I find myself on the sidelines of the dance floor as my best friend pulls out her freakiest dance moves on some guy she’d introduced as Rod, one of Elite’s cooks. I’m about to take another drink when my eyes float across the crowd and land on a pair of familiar brown eyes. Fuck, looks like Lani was right about running into him.

  Ryan’s gaze fixates on me like he’s never seen me before. He’s still sexy, which sucks. It would be a lot easier to pretend that I didn’t still find him attractive if he’d put on a few pounds, or had started to go prematurely bald. I refuse to be one of those women who take back an ex just because he asks, so when he begins to head in my direction, I panic.

  I turn to my left and latch onto the first male arm I can find. My fingers curl around the stranger’s bicep, and it’s firm—very, very firm … and nice. Hazel eyes drop down to mine, and my breath hitches. He’s not just nice, he’s gorgeous. Had I known he was so attractive before I grabbed hold of his arm, I may have chosen someone a little less intimidating. This man is movie star material, a tall, dark and handsome wall of sexy muscle, with a perfectly sculpted Roman nose, disheveled blue-black hair, and a square jaw line covered by a dark shadow.

  His eyebrows tug together in confusion. He opens his mouth to speak, but I swiftly interrupt. “Single?” I rasp out.

  He moves his head to one side and sizes me up, probably trying to gauge whether I’m a total psycho.

  I glance back in the direction I last saw Ryan. As I suspected, he’s still heading this way, determination etched on his features.

  I snap my attention back to the tall man I’m attached to. “Well. Are you single?”

  “Pushy, aren’t we?” His voice is a low and deep growl, and it scatters my thoughts almost as much as the amused grin twisting his lips. “Since I like forceful women, I’ll play along. Single.”

  There’s no time to beat around the bush. I need to do something drastic to keep Ryan from coming any closer. God knows I don’t have the strength to deal with him right now after finding out the mess my family is in.

  “Thank god,” I breathe. Then, I grab the beautiful stranger by the back of his neck, pop up on my tip-toes, and drag his head down to cover my lips with his.

  2

  Gabe

  I rarely make an appearance at these things. I prefer to let my employees have a good time without feeling intimidated and, besides, any event with booze and loud ass music reminds me too much of my hard partying days. When I was still playing baseball and more interested in getting drunk and laid, than my multi-million dollar contract. Tonight is different, though. There’s a travel reviewer here from some big website. I took my lawyer’s advice and showed for the sake of getting the word out to travelers and potential investors that Gabe Carter is a team-fucking-player. It’s a good thing I came because this is quickly becoming the best night I’ve had since I came to Honolulu four years ago.