He pulls into a gas station, just as he promised, and he parks directly beside the closest pump.
“You want anything? I have to go in to buy the cans.”
I start rifling around in my purse, searching for my cash. I pull out a ten and ask for a water, but he just shakes his head while walking toward the store.
There are vehicles everywhere. I hate this time of year at tourist destinations. It’s already very warm here, everyone is sick of the cold, and everyone travels here to sun and enjoy an early summer—a couple of months early.
Bora would love it—the more people, the better, as far as she’s concerned. I’m the exact opposite. We might look identical, but there’s not much the same if you look under the skin.
After a few minutes, Jaxon emerges with several gas tanks, and he starts filling them up. I can’t believe Bora allowed him to pay for a plane ticket. Apparently it’s common for her to let him pay for things. Why? It’s not like she lacks money.
Though her apartment doesn’t reflect her substantial income, our business is booming, and has been for years. Pretty Posh is the hottest clothing line right now, next to Colton Fashion.
The one thing we both agreed on was keeping our faces out of the limelight, so we allow Shanna—our friend and the daughter of our father’s best friend—to be the face of the company. Unlike us, she loves publicity. Bora likes attention, but not in a very broad and public sort of way.
Our father’s fame ruined us from ever wanting any at all like that. Speaking of which... I wonder if Jaxon knows anything about our father…
“Finally,” Jaxon says as he climbs back into the driver’s seat, sighing as he wipes sweat from his brow. “That sun is brutal.”
I smile weakly, still trying to wrap my mind around this. I don’t have a clue what Bora has or has not revealed, and I don’t know how to act right now. I know nothing about him besides his name and address. Well, I know he has a phenomenal body and a smile that could melt icebergs, but nothing of substance.
I manage to miss him cranking the car and leaving the station. We’re already back on the road, leaving civilization behind. The faint aroma of gasoline taints the car, and he rolls the windows down when he smells it as well.
“Those vapors are apparently not concealed,” he says with a wrinkled nose. “We’ll smell like a truck stop by the time we get there.”
I can’t help but laugh a little, and his beautiful smile rewards me.
“I’ve never heard you laugh like that.” Oh shit. Something I forgot. Bora’s laugh is nothing at all like mine. “I like it,” he adds, picking my hand back up.
I relax as I let him hold my hand, and I study the open road ahead of us that is lined by nothing but palm trees and island homes.
“Have you ever been to Hawaii?”
Crappity crap.
“Yeah,” I say vaguely.
I want to ask if he comes here often, but I don’t know if it’s something he’s already shared with Bora. Why the hell hasn’t she called me yet?
“You look great, by the way. Even though you’re not showing as much skin as you usually do. I assume that’s for my parents’ benefit,” he says with a grin, moving on from the topic.
I glance down at my shorts and tank top. To some, this is a lot of skin, but Bora walks around in the skimpiest clothes ever seen. But, Pretty Posh sells a lot of clothes just like she wears.
“Thanks,” I mutter dryly, feeling inferior to the goddess Bora is.
My phone rings, and I glance down to see Better than Nirvana flash across the screen. I’m going to kill my father if he doesn’t stop screwing with my phone. He constantly changes his name and ring tone.
Wait… No… This is Bora’s phone. I don’t care what he does to it.
“Better than Nirvana?” Jaxon asks, half laughing as he catches sight of it. “And since when do you have Clashers ringtones?”
Shit.
“Yeah. I’ll talk to him later,” I say vaguely.
“Him?” he muses, sounding too casual.
“My father,” I say simply, feeling a need to elaborate even though he doesn’t seem to expect that.