Fighting With Light (The Coldwell Brothers #2)

4. Liam

4

Liam

Aelia’s villa is on the other side of the resort and I was a little surprised she gave me her villa number. Apparently, I look that trustworthy. I wanted to use the hacking software I’m developing to get data off of phones. It’s similar to cloning, but it’s not finished yet and would probably crash the phone. I’ve developed it so all I would have to do is open the app, and it could grab her information. The problem is the phone has to be unlocked and I haven’t found a way around that. It’s tricky to get people to leave their phones open. So I’ll have to get information the old fashion way, talking to her. Good thing I excel at that, too.

It cooled down a little, but it’s still in the eighties. Closer to the ocean, the humidity is a lot easier to handle compared to the jungle. So, it’s turning out to be a pleasant night. My plan is to get her to trust me enough to tell me why she’s here and if there are any ulterior motives regarding my family. I still haven’t called my brothers to tell them she’s here. Last time, I followed her to Hawaii and they got mad at me for spying on the mob boss’s daughter, so I will make sure this is an actual issue before alerting them.

There is a small part of me that feels…bad for doing this, but my family comes first and they always will. If I have to play nice to ask some questions, or maybe force a few of them, I will.

Walking around to her back door that faces the ocean, I knock on the glass. A moment later, I see the outline of her tiny figure, and she peeks around the curtain. Her eyes widen in surprise at me and I smile at her. She was probably expecting me at the front door, but this date will start on the beach .

Aelia flips the lock and slides it open. “That’s one way to make an entrance,” she says with one arm behind her back in her silky robe tied at her waist.

I shrug and lean against the door frame. “Well, I figured we might as well save you a few steps since we’re going to be walking down the beach.”

The corner of her mouth tips up and she takes a step back. “Just give me a minute. I’m almost ready,” she says.

I nod, glimpsing the glint of a knife while she struts back to the bathroom, leaving the door wide open.

Keeping my position at the door, I peek around the room for anything that would answer my questions. I doubt I’ll see anything; it’s not like the movies where she has a file on me and it’s laying out on the bed or the desk.

She’s still in the bathroom with the door ajar and I can see her reflection in the mirror. With her back to it, she drops the silk robe from her shoulders. Her bare, toned back, tan skin, and slender shoulders draw my eye over every curve and it’s hard to look away.

She steps out of the reflection of the mirror, out of sight, and I blink a few times before continuing to scan the room. She could be hiding something somewhere. If she was here for me, she would likely have a weapon, which I confirmed she had, but that’s it. Everything else is normal. It screams money, luxury, and mafia princess.

Heels click on the floor and I look up to find Aelia in a silky, lavender dress that kisses her figure. The length hits her mid-calf and a slit runs up the side, exposing her thigh. She has her dark brown hair twisted up, showing off her slender neck and chest with a small gold necklace that dips between her breasts.

“What do you think?” she asks me, as if she already knows the answer. I’m sure she does.

“Stunning,” I say, a little out of breath.

She smiles softly and I clear my throat, trying to shake the way my hands got all sweaty and my fingers itch to trace the lines of her shoulders barely touched by spaghetti straps. She’s not wearing a bra and it makes me want to do it even more. I fist my hands and force them to relax. “You won’t need your shoes for a bit,” I say, nodding towards her feet .

She leans down, flashing the top of her bare chest to untie her sandals, and tosses them to the side. I chuckle and step into her villa, and she bites her lower lip.

It’s like crossing this barrier broke the one between us, which is good, but I’m wondering if it’s bad for me, too. I lean over and grab each of the shoes and loop them over my fingers before offering my arm. Sliding the door closed, she takes my arm as I lead us down to the beach.

With Aelia this close to me, she smells like cherries with a hint of almond and it makes my mouth water. I lead us down the length of the beach towards a little restaurant that sits on the sand. They catch fish the same day and their Bebe Timbungan, roasted duck, is the best I’ve ever had.

“You look nice, by the way,” she says. I look down at her and the sun is almost past the horizon, giving her a warm glow. I guide us to walk into the gently splashing shore to keep our feet cool.

“Thank you.” I’m wearing a pair of tan linen shorts and a green shirt. The linen is light enough and it helps you breathe a little when it’s so hot. I push my ear length hair back, wishing I tied it up as we get closer to the restaurant.

Aelia holds onto me as we walk up a small hill to the restaurant. We come up to the rock stairs and I hold her hand as she leans over to get her shoes back on. I slip mine on and help her up the uneven stairs.

When we get to the top, I find us a table and pull the chair out for Aelia. This place is laid back, no white tablecloths, but still five-star service. She looks around at the open space and the kitchen we can see from our seat. The smells wafting out are making me hungry, and I ate before I picked up Aelia because I was starving after surfing.

“So, you’re a rock climber?” Aelia asks.

I nod and take a sip of water. “I’ve been climbing for most of my life. I wish I went competitive with it, but I somewhat fell into the surfing thing, too.”

“Are you a professional in something else?” she asks.

“Yeah, I’m a surfer,” I tell her and throw out a charming smile.

She smiles at me and takes a sip of water. “You’ve got more of a Tarzan vibe going instead of a surfer dude. ”

I laugh. “Oh, and how is that?”

She tilts her head and stares at me for too long. “I don’t know the hair, the muscles... I mean, you don’t have a loincloth, though, so that’s a downside.” She giggles and gives me a coy look.

I run my tongue along the edge of my teeth and lean forward. “I mean, if that’s your thing, I think that can be arranged.”

Her eyes widen and her cheeks get rosy. I’ll have to tread carefully with this. It’s easy to get lost in her…magnetism. I almost forgot what I was doing for a minute. Stay on mission, Liam.

The waitress comes to tell us what’s on the menu. Since it’s fresh or sold out throughout the day, they don’t bother with printed menus.

Aelia looks at me after the waitress finishes listing things off. “I don’t know what any of that is.”

“Do you like chicken, pork, or seafood?”

“Chicken sounds good.”

“Okay, so I’d say you would like the Tum Bali, which is seasoned meat cooked in a banana leaf, or you might like Ayam Betutu, which is slow cooked chicken with spices.” She considers my suggestions.

“I’ll have the Tum Bali,” she tells the waitress. She nods and looks at me, and I order the same because it’s one of my favorites.

“How long have you been here to be so familiar with those dishes?” she asks.

I take another long drink of water, not realizing I’m so thirsty. “I’m in and out a lot, I guess. So what brings you to Bali?” I ask her, trying to steer the conversation away from me and more towards what she’s doing here.

She doesn’t answer right away and looks out over the dark ocean. The breeze whips her hair around, and I’ve seen her a few times before, but never up close like this. She is beautiful, but beauty is corruptible. I can’t imagine how ugly her inside is because of who her family is. Her father is a ruthless and cold man. While his sons, her brothers, are brutal, they are worse than me. They take pleasure in other people’s pain. Thankfully, my family has never been on the receiving end of that, but with her here right now, I can’t be so sure that’s not on the horizon.

“I wanted to visit a place I’ve heard so much about,” she says. I tilt my head, staring at her expression. It’s calm, it’s…controlled.

“Really? You came all the way to Bali on a whim?”

She shrugs and takes another sip of water. I lean forward, grabbing the bottle and pouring her some more.

Aelia finally looks at me and her eyes drop to my lips. “I don’t like to go home often.”

Interesting.

“Why is that?” I ask, folding my hands, not wanting to seem too interested, but trying to make conversation.

“Honestly, it’s not worth wasting breath over. The better question is, why did you ask me out?”

I grin as our waitress sets the food down and walks away.

She unwraps her banana leaf and takes a bite. Her eyes widen for a moment then she takes a drink. “You didn’t say this was so spicy!” she says and takes another drink of water.

“The rice should help.” I gesture to the other part of her plate as she takes a bite and nods. My stomach grumbles and I take a large bite of mine. I love the spices and flavor combinations here.

“You didn’t answer my question,” she says, looking at me as if she knows something that I don’t.

“What do you want me to say? You’re pretty and I figured I’d give it a shot.”

She snorts and that makes me grin because it’s the most unladylike thing she’s done since I started interacting with her today. “That’s a joke because you are beautiful.”

My lips thin, not sure how I feel about being called beautiful.

“Oh, come on, you cannot sit here and tell me some woman hasn’t called you beautiful before.”

“I mean, I’ve been called a lot of things. Beautiful , I have to admit, is not one of them.”

“Okay, fine, you’re insanely hot. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

I shrug and toss her a wink. “That’s more like it. ”

She giggles and shakes her head. “Once you get over the spice, it’s delicious.”

“Told you,” I say, taking another bite.

Aelia’s eyebrow ticks up and she says, “I’m sure other women have told you how much of a smartass you are, too.”

I shrug. “I may have heard it once or twice.”

She laughs. “You are something, Tarzan.”

“Really?” I ask her, not sure how I like the nickname and simultaneously a little happy that we’re connecting so fast. But what I’ve learned so far is she’s normal and here for vacation. Rather, she’s avoiding something. I need to push harder.

After we finish our dinner and I pay, we walk back down towards the resort. She keeps stepping in and out of the waves, then she stops and looks both ways down the quiet beach. About a quarter mile down the beach is the resort, with people milling around on the sand and towards the bar facing it.

“I have an idea,” she says over her shoulder.

“I’m not sure if I should be concerned about this idea or not.”

“You strike me as someone who isn’t afraid of a challenge.”

My stomach flips. She’s right about that. “What did you have in mind?” I prod.

She grins like the cat got the canary and gathers the sides of her dress, pulling it higher and higher over her hips until she yanks it off her body, leaving her in a thong and no bra.

My mouth goes dry and I blink a few times. She is unlike any woman I have ever met.

“Let’s go skinny dipping,” she says, taunting me, and takes off towards the water.

Game on. I kick off my shoes, yank my shirt over my head, and push my pants down.

“Really? Commando?” she yells from the water.

“Do you know how hot it is here?” I yell back and run to the water. The waves lap against my legs until I’m about waist deep and I wade over to her, careful to keep my distance. We swim a little further out until we’re treading water. I don’t know what her plan is or if this is going to go further than I thought it would. That wasn’t my goal tonight, it was to gather details. But she is more tight-lipped than I thought she would be, so I’ll have to plan more dates for us. I don’t know how else to get the information from her without being obvious about it.

“Can I ask you something?”

She nods, dips back under the water, then pops up just a foot away from me as she slicks her hair back. It’s dark enough I can’t see anything under the water, but the moon illuminates what I can see, and I can’t help but stare.

“What did you want to ask me?” she asks.

I drop my eyes from her lips. “Did you come here by yourself?”

She shrugs and looks away. “Yes and no.”

“What does that mean?” I ask, wondering if her mobster bodyguards are suddenly going to pop out from under the water. I didn’t see any with her, and there was clearly no one else in the villa, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t next door. That could mean my time is limited and the moment I get back, I’ll have to leave. Because if they’ve seen me, I’m sure they are already coming for me and it will be too late for me to call my brothers.

“Yes, Liam, I’m here alone,” she breathes. I stare at her for a moment, a brief shadow of sadness crosses her face and then it’s gone. I don’t know her that well, she could be lying.

“Why didn’t you come with a friend?”

She shrugs and swims so she’s laying on her back and her chest floats up in the water. For normal Liam, it would catch my attention, but my focus is strictly on her face. I need to know if I have to run.

She sighs and says, “I’m around a lot of people all the time. I go with a friend of mine, but she’s still in Miami at the moment.”

That’s interesting, her father’s competitor owns Miami.

“I wanted to do something on my own. I came with someone, but then I told him to find a room and leave me alone or go back home.”

I jerk back, not sure if she is with another man or if it’s her bodyguard she’s alluding to .

“Don’t worry, we’re not a thing, never will be. Let’s just say my father is overprotective.”

I chuckle. “So when I take you back, I won’t have some guy pointing a gun in my face?” I wince at my choice of words, but I don’t think she caught it and hope she just took it as a protective thing, not a mob one. Kai is so much better with words.

“No,” she sighs. “Just me, myself, and I.”

I nod and reach for her ankle, tugging her back towards me.

She rights herself in the water and swims closer to me. “We seem to answer a lot of each other’s questions without actually answering them.”

“You’re perceptive,” I mutter more to myself.

She lifts her hand and traces the line of my collarbone.

“I am,” she whispers.

“Would you like to go out with me again?”

She looks up at me from under her long eyelashes. “Yes,” she says.

I open my mouth to ask her if she’s going to do another excursion, and she says, “I would like breakfast though.”

I swim a little closer without touching her. “Oh?” I ask, somewhat surprised at how forward she is. I know she’s a bit wild, but I didn’t expect her to be this bold with who she believes to be a complete stranger.

“I think I can do that,” I tell her instead.

She nods and starts swimming to shore. I guess that’s that.

I’ve learned a few more things about the mob princess compared to reading and researching her. Aelia is a woman that knows what she wants, she will take it, and she won’t apologize for it. But on the other hand, she’s been nothing but kind and courteous to everyone we’ve come into contact with.

As I walk her back to her villa, I know she wants me to come inside with her, but I need to remember my mission here and it’s not to sleep with the enemy, though that sounds like a lot of fun.

She slides the door open and walks in, swaying her hips as her wet dress clings to her body. I stay at the threshold and she looks over her shoulder, I’m sure expecting me to be there like a dog on a leash .

Well, I’m not that kind of dog. I like to run a little wild, but I have a feeling she might like that about me. “Night. I’ll see you tomorrow morning?” Disappointment blinks on and off her face, and she nods, the corner of her mouth tipping up.

“You are a gentleman, aren’t you, Tarzan?”

I shrug, sliding my hand through my wet hair. “What can I say, I like to take things slow.”

She hums and steps closer to me. “Somehow I don’t believe you.” Her hands slide up my damp shirt and she leans in to kiss me. Right before she meets my lips, I kiss her cheek, lingering a little longer than necessary, and then step out of her hold.

Don’t forget, Liam, don’t forget.

“Goodnight, Aelia.”

“Goodnight, Tarzan,” she sighs and closes the door.

This might be significantly more challenging than I thought it would be, but I don’t back down from challenges. I meet them head-on as I would with any rock face or enormous wave and I’ll meet this one just the same, only there is a lot more at stake.