Glamoured

Chapter Nine

Two days later, Willow, Ash and the others met at the airport to fly to Willow's beach house. Ash wasn't shocked to find out Willow had a private jet, and they all piled into the sleek aircraft early Friday morning.

Confusingly, Ash's stomach did a somersault when she spotted Graydon, and another flip when she saw Shea. Graydon looked dashing in one of his typical crisp, collared white shirts and dark sunglasses. Shea's hair was tousled from the wind and he wore a pair of gold-rimmed aviators, which made his bone structure look even more chiselled than usual.

Ash just nodded at the guys as they piled out of the Range Rover and approached the staircase leading up to the plane. Monroe jumped into Brandon's arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, while Willow pulled Graydon into a close embrace, kissing his cheek. Ash looked away quickly, meeting Shea's eye instead as they exchanged knowing smiles.

The jet's interiors were all soft, creamy leather and gleaming mahogany, and everyone had a roomy seat with several feet of leg room. A butler appeared from the back cabin and poured everyone mimosas from the fancy silver bar cart, which looked to Ash like it would topple over and smash to pieces at the first sign of turbulence.

Shea slid into the seat beside Ash as the others found their spots. Ash could feel Graydon's eyes on her, the skin of her shoulder buzzing with electricity.

"So, are we rooming together this weekend?" Shea said with a smirk before taking a swig of his mimosa.

Ash rolled her eyes despite the butterflies she felt in her stomach. Shea was gorgeous, and they were friends. What could be so wrong with having a little fun?

"Do I have a choice?"

"Good question! No, you don't. Willow has been so kind as to pre-arrange rooms for all of us, and you and I have been paired up," he winked.

"Oh really? How kind of her," Ash said as she flipped through a magazine she found on the coffee table.

"I concur," Shea said as he slid down in his seat with a blanket over his shoulders, inserting his airpods in his ears.

Ash was still enjoying the feeling of Graydon's eyes on her as the plane took off, a warm cocoon of heat and safety enveloping her.

When she woke up, they were descending down on the turquoise shores of a lush tropical island. Ash had a full view of the emerald green jungle, the white sands, and the bright blue shallow water surrounding the land, and she felt her heart skip a beat at the thought of spending the entire weekend there. Even though Willow would be there the whole time, it would still be nice to get away, Ash thought, and maybe the demon living inside her would be relaxed enough to keep the threats and abuse to a minimum.

"Welcome to Bermuda," the captain said over the speakerphone after the plane landed on the tarmac. "Local temperature is a balmy twenty-five and there's not a cloud in the sky. Have a lovely vacation."

One of the butlers ushered the seven of them into a large black SUV on the tarmac, packing their luggage into the trunk. Ash rolled down the window and enjoyed the scent of humid ocean air and hibiscus. Willow and Graydon sat in the row of seats in front of her and Shea, and she watched with disdain as Willow draped herself over Graydon, whispering in his ear and kissing his neck periodically as they whizzed by rich jungles and crumbling stone ruins.

After a half hour drive, they pulled into a long drive shrouded by leafy green palms and flanked by two stone pillars. The drive led to a sprawling white manor house with stately pillars and the most lush tropical gardens Ash had ever seen. Hibiscus flowers the size of her head bloomed in abundance, and the colours seemed unnaturally vivid and bright, like they had walked into a technicolour movie.