FRAUD: A Romantic Suspense Novel Read online

  That moment with Hayes was innocent, I told myself.

  “We better get back to the beach.” I swallowed hard.

  “We better, Natalia.” The way my name dripped from his thick lips with that accent did things to me. I hoped off the board and swam to shore, feeling a clench between my thighs as I swam. I was turned on by him, by his nearness. His attention on me. Hayes pushed the windsurfer back to shore on his own. I needed space between us before I made a mistake.

  Walking out of the water I felt a shiver run through my body as Lily ran up to me and hugged my leg. If Immy saw anything, she didn’t mention it. We went about our day.

  Chapter Four

  Hayes

  I leaned forward, my palms spread on the kitchen counter, my head hanging between my arms. My body was covered in a cold sweat, thanks to my dream. Tonight it was about my loser father. He was an alcoholic, not the violent kind. He was just vacant. If he wasn’t drinking, he was sleeping. His groggy voice woke me from sleep, saying I was a loser just like him.

  “You having trouble sleeping?” Shay’s voice was quiet and nearly scared the shite out of me.

  The kitchen was dark at two a.m. I thought I’d be alone down there.

  “Shite, you bloody wanker.” I turned and gave my cousin a look that said he scared the hell out of me. I’d been trying to cleanse the dream from my mind.

  He scoffed with a smile and went to the fridge, opening the door and staring blankly at the contents.

  “Are you actually going to take something out?” I tilted my chin toward the fridge.

  “Nah!” He closed the door and looked me in the eye. “What’s going on with you?” he asked.

  “Nothing.” I shrugged.

  “You spend your nights awake in this kitchen in the dark. If you’re fighting demons from the war, it doesn’t hurt to get some help,” he said nervously. Maybe he wanted to broach the subject with me for some time now. “Just because you are going to be a psychologist doesn’t mean you can’t see one.” He shrugged. The war hadn’t been the only thing to fuck me up. The list was long.

  “I don’t have time for that. I’m heading back to school to take a double course load.” I smirked.

  I was doing it to get my degree faster but also to keep my mind busy. It was the one downfall of traveling—I had too much time to think. Too many opportunities to drink myself into a stupor like my old man. In the four months I’d been traveling, I only had a beer here and there. I wasn’t going to turn into my father if I had a say. My mum may be dead, but I was pretty sure she was watching me from above, adamant I shouldn’t fuck up my life. She so much as made me promise I wouldn’t before she offed herself.

  Shay pursed his lips. “Talk to me then.” He nodded and gave me a sincere smile. “Maybe I can help out.”

  “The shite in my brain is too much for a wanker like you. You didn’t have an alcoholic father or a mother who killed herself. You didn’t throw yourself into a bloody war. I’ve seen too many dead bodies.” I swiped a harsh hand over my mouth.

  Shay had the decency to wince. He was a good man. “I wish you wouldn’t have had to experience any of it.” Our mothers were sisters. Where my mother married a loser, my aunt Caroline married a fine man, and Shay was the product of a loving marriage and perfect life.

  “Yes, so do I,” I answered, turning and leaning my arse against the counter. Man, tonight my body was humming with need for something strong, yet given my genetics I knew one shot wouldn’t be enough. I’d want the whole bottle and another until the alcohol consumed me. Mum hadn’t been an alcoholic, but she’d been a pill popper.

  “If it’s any consolation, I admire how strong you are. I mean it. Can’t be easy to go back to uni after what you’ve seen and done.”

  “Well, I want to help people. It’s really the only thing that keeps me going these days. Knowing I will honor my mum. Do something good. Doesn’t mean I’m not tempted to fucking jump off the deep end.”

  Shay winced again. I guess I had that affect.

  “I uh-uh,” he stammered, shifting on his feet. “I wanted to ask you something.” Where I was hard jagged edges, my cousin was smooth and straight. A good bloke.

  “Spit it out,” I urged him.

  “Don’t get upset about this, but Immy mentioned you may have taken a liking to Natalia,” he murmured.

  Laughter rattled my chest, I tried to stay quiet since I didn’t want to wake Immy and Lewis. “Seriously?” I raised my brows.

  “Cut it out, Hayes, talk to me. What’s going on with that? Natalia is a married woman and Immy’s childhood best friend. She’ll divorce me before she lets anything bad happen to her.”

  “And I’m bad,” I retorted. I couldn’t help getting a rise out of him.

  Shay tilted his head to the side. “Come on. I’m knackered. Just tell me what’s going on.”

  “Nothing. She’s hot, kind. I’m pretty sure her husband is a loser . . .” I remembered she mentioned something about the guy being away and not wanting to spend time with her and their kid when he got back. Maybe I wasn’t partial though.

  “And so my wee cousin is going to come in and save the day,” Shay said sarcastically.

  I chortled. “I didn’t say that.”

  “Natalia’s had a tough go of things. She doesn’t need any drama,” he said, and that piqued my curiosity.

  “Do tell me more.” I cocked a brow.

  Shay grimaced. “Don’t okay? I can’t give you personal information about her; it would be wrong.”

  “I’m drawn to her. I can try to find out whatever it is on my own.” I grinned mischievously.

  He shot me a what-the-fuck look. “Not enough pussy your own age?” he asked, and a garbled laugh escaped me. My cousin didn’t speak that way. He didn’t refer to pussy. He was trying to act young like he is a friend my age and not my older cousin who had always been more like a brother. “Oh come on,” he scolded me.

  “Sorry.” I held up my hand and shook off the laugh. “That’s not it. I like her. I like talking to her.” There wasn’t much I hadn’t told my cousin. Hell, I even told him about the first time I got laid.

  “Listen to you.” He chuckled before his features straightened. “Natalia is a married woman; get your head on straight and don’t make me have to kick your arse. I can’t have Immy flipping the hell out.” He was shout whispering then.

  “Okay. Okay.” I waved my hands at him. “I’ll drop the Natalia thing. I’m leaving anyway. It doesn’t really matter,” I reminded him.

  “Yes, all right.” He ran his fingers through his dark hair. Content with my answer.

  I was able to sleep well that night after I spoke to my cousin, except Natalia seemed to be at the forefront of my dreams. When I got downstairs the next morning, I was happy to hear Immy telling Shay about meeting Natalia at the beach again this morning. It was Saturday, so my cousin was going too, which meant I would have to get creative if I wanted to spend some time with her. My stomach sank at the thought that it would probably mean her husband was also joining us.

  A couple hours later, I was sitting on a towel, soaking up the Floridian sun, playing ball with Lewis when I saw Immy stand from her beach chair and wave her hands dramatically to a person far off toward the parking lot. My chest warmed at the sight of Natalia’s very blonde hair shimmering in the sun. She was carrying a lot of bags and a cooler.

  Getting to my feet rapidly, I mumbled. “Sorry, little man. We can pick up in a few.” Lewis didn’t appreciate the game interruption and frowned. “Hey mate”—I looked to Shay—“replace me.” I threw the ball at him, and he came over to sit with Lewis in the sand while he shot daggers with his eyes.

  “What? I’m being a gentleman.” I guffawed.

  Immy pursed her lips and gave me a look too. I would need to ask her what that was about but not now.

  Slipping on my beach shoes, the hot sand still burned as I ran across it.

  “Hey there.” I grinned, placing each of my hands
on my hips.

  “Hey.” She smiled wide, slightly out of breath.

  “Let me help you with all that.” I took her cooler and the big bag off her shoulder.

  “Hello there, Miss Lily.” I crouched down to say hello to her little girl who shied away but gave me a sweet smile nonetheless. When I stood my eyes locked on Natalia’s. “Why don’t you take her out of the stroller, and I can push it in the sand for you?” I offered, my heartbeat quickening in a way that made me feel strange, like an ache behind my rib cage.

  “Actually, since you’re helping me maybe I’ll put the stroller back in the car. I usually use it when she sleeps or to haul all of our things.” She took Lily out of the stroller. “Can you hold her hand a sec?” she asked me.

  I took the little girl’s hand. She was beautiful like her mom; she played with the hem of her sundress while Natalia returned to the car. “Are you going to play with Lewis?” I asked.

  She looked at me, squinting against the sun and smiled and nodded.

  “He’s waiting for you. I was playing ball with him,” I said.

  “I want to play ball,” she replied with a sweet soft voice.

  “Good. We can all play ball.”

  Natalia returned, holding a couple towels, a larger blanket, and an umbrella.

  “You take Lily. I’ll take all these things.” I laughed. “You and Immy pack a houseful for the beach.”

  “We like to be prepared for everything.” She passed me all her things. We walked side by side toward the shore, me carrying a couple bags, the umbrella, towels, a blanket, and the cooler.

  I set it all up while she said hello to Immy and Shay. Lewis came up to Lily and showed her the ball.

  “Come, let’s go play,” I said to the kids. My cousins were all a lot older than I was. My mum had her sister, which is Shay’s mum, but we didn’t see much of them since our situation at home was always crummy. Maybe Mum had been embarrassed, I wasn’t sure. Also Shay was ten years older than I was so by the time I could play, he went off to college then moved to America. His sister Sophie is two years older, so she wasn’t an option either.

  I walked with the children to the shoreline and showed them how to kick a ball. “This is how we play football in the UK,” I explained. “That is American soccer to you both.” I kicked the ball to Lily, and she kicked it to Lewis. We played a few rounds when Natalia came over with their sippy cups.

  “You’re good with them,” she said, sounding surprised.

  “I like kids,” I answered, kicking the ball.

  She smirked. After she gave them a drink, I told them to follow me.

  “Come and sit.” I took a seat on the shoreline. The waves were a little rougher today than yesterday. Lily sat on one side of me and Lewis on the other. We allowed the waves to roll up our legs. The kids were small, so they were pushed around a bit, which made them giggle.

  “Hey, I want in, one sec,” Natalia said. She walked briskly back to Immy and gave her the sippy cups. She did a light jog back to us, and I tried to stop myself from watching the light bounce in her breasts, but I was still a red-blooded male, and it was too hard to resist. She took a seat beside Lily. She was wearing a yellow tank top, and I could see the outline of a bikini underneath. I wasn’t sure why she hadn’t removed that top. She had a smoking hot body. A little curvy but slender with breasts that looked like they would fit in the cup of my hand.

  “This is fun.” Lily squinted at her mom, pulling me from my inappropriate thoughts.

  A big wave rolled in, knocking both children backward. Hysterical laughter bubbled out of them. Natalia’s yellow tank top became wet and see-through. Again, my will power was challenged as I did my best not to focus on her too much. The kids were having fun, and so was I. It felt nice to play with them. To enjoy the simple things, to hear their laughter.

  “I better hold you,” Natalia said to Lily since there was a boat in the distance, causing larger waves to hit the shore.

  I picked up Lewis and placed him on my lap. Lily and Lewis took each other’s hands and began to count together. “One, two, free.”

  “I take it they’ve done this before?” I asked Natalia when a large wave hit, pushing her and Lily over, Lewis and I were only thrown back a little.

  Natalia’s laughter flotated through the air, and my own laughter boomed with hers. Our eyes met, my heart did that fluttering thing, and my chest warmed. Feeling happy had become foreign to me. The sound of my laughter was unnatural to my own ears. We straightened out and continued to play our little game.

  I’m not sure how much time passed when she said, “Okay, that’s enough. Let’s get you two dried off.” She stood. Disappointment washed over me, not wanting this feeling to end. Her yellow tank top stuck to her like a second skin, and it took everything in me not to pick her up, throw her over my shoulder, and walk into the water, and kiss the air right out of her lungs. My urge didn’t make sense to me other than I was happy swimming in the water with her yesterday and taking her windsurfing. My mind didn’t run to the dark places it usually did when she was around. I don’t remember anyone having that kind of affect on me.

  Lewis and Lily sat on the blanket, wrapped in towels, while Natalia fed them strawberries. She was an attentive mother, and I was drawn to her goodness even more.

  “Want to come? I’m going to rent a windsurfer.” I looked at Shay, needing space from Natalia because the feeling in my chest made me uneasy.

  “Sure, mate.” He clapped me on the back and we walked off. “You sure are getting cozy with Natalia,” he said. I was expecting a comment. He was giving me the stink eye when I came back from playing with her and the kids on the shoreline.

  “Come on.” I sighed. “That was nothing. Besides . . . where is her husband today?” I gave him a knowing look as if I had a clue about Natalia or her relationship with her husband.

  “He doesn’t like the beach. She always comes on her own,” he answered with no further explanation. I wanted to know more, but trying to get anything out of my cousin was like squeezing a drop of water out of a dry towel.

  We both rented windsurfers for a couple hours. I was literally dying inside because every part of me craved to go to Natalia and take her out on the windsurfer again. The memory of yesterday washed over me as I remembered the way her soft hair brushed across my face as I inhaled her vanilla scented shampoo, the way her tight body pressed to mine, and the unwanted way I ached for her. I hated wanting her because I had morals. I didn’t think it was a good thing to bed a married woman, but my thoughts felt out of control when it came to my body’s response to her. At the end my wants won out. While Shay was far out windsurfing, I moved closer to shore and called her over.

  Chapter Five

  Natalia

  “A quick ride.” He extended his hand to me and I looked to Immy for what, I didn’t know. She arched a brow but didn’t say anything. Not very helpful.

  “Aw! Come on you had a blast yesterday,” he said with those pleading blue eyes that I had a hard time denying.

  “I did.”

  “Then.” His smile was wide and brilliant, but my eyes focused on his thick lips. In my head I was using his accent when I said that. He was getting under my skin. Yesterday evening when I got home with Lily, Mark was fast asleep. He woke up this morning and said he had work to catch up on, even though I know he took his computer with him to LA and said he’d be working from there. He has an online business. I thought after not feeling well yesterday he’d want to spend the day with us, but that didn’t happen.

  “Okay.” I stood up. “Can you watch Lily?” I asked Immy.

  “Of course.” She had a small smirk like she thought I was up to no good but that wasn’t the case; she should know me better than that. “I think Shay is lost at sea.” She chuckled. We saw him circling around the past hour on his windsurfer.

  “Thanks.” I walked off after Hayes, taking in the way the muscles of his calves worked against the sand. Shit! I must have it bad if I
was fixated on his calf muscles, or I don’t want to let my eyes wander higher to his board shorts, that fine ass of his and strong upper body. He looked like he did a hundred pull-ups before breakfast. I shook my head, hoping to wipe my thoughts clean. What was wrong with me? This was so unlike me. I wasn’t a flirt. I didn’t check out guys. I didn’t understand why I was doing this.

  When we reached the shore he asked, “Do you want to head out on your own or with me to start?” He stood tall and strong as my eyes blazed a trail down his eight pack. I needed in the water fast because it felt steamy there.

  “Maybe I can go out with you first. Until I figure out my balance again,” I suggested, pressing my lips into a thin smile not wanting to come off as a flirt. Obviously I chose going with him. I felt safe with him yesterday. Free and happy.

  “Sure.” He walked the board into the water until we were knee deep. “Okay you hop on first.” He held the board while I hopped on then got behind me. Reaching forward for the sail, his muscles taut, his scent enveloped me. Salt water, sunscreen, and Hayes. His sunkissed skin was a perfect bronze as he reached forward, my gaze landed on his tan line along his board shorts. My tongue peeked out and I swiped it across my lips as he hauled the sail out of the water and sidestepped so I was in front of him the way we were yesterday with his big strong body acting like my shield. We began to move, the wind carrying us effortlessly across the water. I inhaled deeply as the wind brushed my face. The scent of salt water and the serenity of moving over the water wafted up my nose, making me feel lighter.

  “You good?” he called out.

  Perfect. “Yes.” I was relaxed and happy. My adrenaline spiked and that familiar smile from yesterday reappeared, plastering my lips from cheek to cheek. Ah! This is the life. He moved toward deeper waters. As we sailed by Shay, he lifted his head and watched us. We sailed past him. The waves were a little rougher than yesterday, causing my anxiety to spike a little as he took some larger waves. Even though he was good at not hitting them at a bad angle.