Nothing Left to Lose (Guarded Hearts 1)

I closed the laptop quickly as she walked up behind me. She placed her hand on the small of my back and smiled up at me. “Did you get it? Where did they book?” she inquired excitedly.

“Um, yeah, I got it.” I swallowed the lump in my throat.

She grinned and reached for the laptop, lifting the lid and looking at me expectantly so I could enter the password. I typed it in quickly, wincing as she opened my emails and double clicked on the one that Maddy sent. She looked so excited that I didn’t have the heart to stop her. I’d just have to deal with the fall out and hope that she didn’t think this was my idea.

She slid onto a stool as she read it. I held my breath, waiting.

“Speed boat transfer?” she asked, practically bouncing in her seat.

I winced, knowing she was almost done. I knew the exact moment that she got to the last line because her body seemed to tense. Her eyes flicked up to me. “Did you see the passengers?”

I nodded and waited for her reaction.

“That’s…” she stopped talking, her mouth opening and closing a couple of times before she frowned at the screen.

“I can ask for them to change it. I asked for them to change your name, I didn’t think they’d change it to mine,” I chimed in, wanting her to know this wasn’t my idea.

She shook her head in rejection. “It’s done now. Just leave it,” she muttered.

“Are you sure?”

Her smile was forced as she nodded. “What’s the matter, Pretty Boy, don’t you want me to be Mrs Taylor?” She was trying to come across as playful, but I could see she was uncomfortable with this.

I decided not to answer that question honestly because clearly something was wrong that I didn’t understand. “Anna, seriously, I can get Maddy to change it if you want.”

She shrugged. “It’s fine. Do you care?”

Hell yeah I care, I love it! I shook my head. “No, I don’t care, Baby Girl,” I lied smoothly.

“Don’t worry about it then. It’s kinda cute in a weird way. Plus, it’ll help with people not following us around. I’m up for anything that means I won’t get asked for my autograph!” she joked, shrugging nonchalantly.

Just needing to check that she wasn’t putting on a brave front, I wrapped my arm around her waist and stepped between her legs, looking at her intently. “You’re really okay with it?”

She shrugged easily. “I don’t mind. It’s just a name; as long as your player side isn’t going to come busting through and make you run off,” she teased.

“I’m not a player!” I cried, annoyed that she didn’t seem to notice that I didn’t see anyone else in the room but her.

She smiled tenderly at me as she nodded. “I know, I was just teasing,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around me tightly. I stood there like that for a couple of minutes, just letting it all sink in. Finally, she pulled away and grinned up at me. “I’m going to go look through my clothes and see what else I need to buy before the trip!”

I chuckled as she jumped off the stool and practically skipped to the bedroom to look through her clothes.

Chapter Thirty-Four

~ Anna ~

After a seemingly never-ending flight, and then twenty minutes on a speedboat skimming over perfect, crystal clear ocean, we finally arrived at the island that we would call home for the next two weeks.

Almost as soon as we stepped onto the jetty, a tall man with golden, tanned skin and sun bleached, blonde hair walked over, smiling warmly and holding his hand out to Ashton. “Mr Taylor?” Ashton nodded in confirmation, shaking his hand firmly, and then the guy turned to me. “Mrs Taylor,” he greeted.

A nervous giggle slipped from my lips at the sound of the name he’d used. When I’d first heard that they’d changed my name to that, it had taken me by surprise, and I hadn’t liked it at all. Seeing my name attached to someone else’s surname had brought back a lot of unpleasant memories for me. But having Ashton’s name attached to me was different somehow; it wasn’t as horrifying as I first thought it was. In fact, I even kind of liked it. In a strange way, it was almost as if the name change had given me the freedom to be normal for a little while. After all, nothing bad had ever happened to Annabelle Taylor.

“Nice to meet you,” I replied, nodding in greeting.

“My name is Kyle, and I am the manager of the resort. If there is anything that you need during the duration of your stay, please let me know,” he said.

Ashton smiled, slipping his hand into mine. “Thank you. You can call us Ashton and Anna, not Mr and Mrs Taylor.”

Another unconscious giggle slipped out, so I chewed on my lip and looked at the beautiful scene that stretched out before me. It was like paradise, like a postcard, and I’d never seen anything more majestic in my life. The sand on the beach was pure white and powdery, and bright, blue sea lapped at it lazily. Little beach hut cabins were dotted along the tree line with hammocks hanging in the shade of palm trees outside. A little further up the beach, a wooden dock went straight out to the calm ocean, with villas each side of it. A little happy sigh left my lips as I imagined staying here for the next two weeks. It was going to be bliss.

Kyle smiled and motioned up the beach a little way. “I will show you to your villa. Hassan, bring their luggage,” he instructed to the guy that was already unloading our bags from the boat. “Please follow me.” Kyle walked off quickly, with his flip-flops slapping against the bottom of his feet with each step.