Order vs. Chaos Read online

  Order vs. Chaos

  Opposites Attract, book one

  Mary E Thompson

  Order vs. Chaos

  Opposites Attract, Book One

  Copyright © 2017 Mary E Thompson

  Cover Copyright © 2017 Mary E Thompson

  Cover photos from depositphotos, wedding photo Copyright © songbird839 and lava photo Copyright © georgeburba

  Published by BluEyed Press

  All Rights Reserved

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, businesses, locations, and events are either products of the author’s creative imagination or are used in a fictitious sense. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Ebook ISBN: 978-1-944090-54-8

  Print ISBN: 978-1-944090-55-5

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Epilogue

  You are cordially invited…

  Acknowledgments

  Also by Mary E Thompson

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  I made it. I finally fucking made it. After a delayed flight, an extra long layover, and a screaming child in the row behind me kicking my seat the entire seven hour flight, I wasn’t sure I’d survive the damn trip, but Honolulu stretched out below me, a beacon in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I was finally fucking there.

  The plane touched down, signaling the start of my new life. No more travel. No more airplanes and caravans and tiny helicopters. No more random locations and armed guards. No more pictures that could get me killed if the wrong person saw my name attached to them. No more entitled rich people. No more lies about what I was really doing with my life.

  I was done.

  Not that I loved the idea of being a wedding photographer, but at least I was fairly sure it wouldn’t get me killed.

  I hoped.

  I got off the plane with the other cattle and followed the line to where my duffel bags would roll off the belt. I waited, trying to figure out how much of my vacation I could salvage. I was exhausted, but it was Hawaii. It didn’t matter how many times I was there, I didn’t want to miss a bit of it.

  When my luggage rolled out, I found a cab and gave the driver the name of my hotel. He zipped into the city where traffic crawled toward Waikiki Beach. About a block from my hotel, I paid the fare and got out, anxious to smell the fresh sea air.

  The walk was quick and check-in even quicker. My room was on the forty-third floor, overlooking the beach. It was late, the sun already easing into the ocean, but I needed to get out.

  I dumped my bags onto the bed, taking care not to smash my camera equipment. I found a pair of trunks and slid them on, then I was out the door.

  The soft, white sand felt as good as it looked. The curvy beauties enjoying the late afternoon sun didn’t hurt either. The water wasn’t warm, but I expected that. January in Hawaii was much nicer than January just about anywhere else, especially Winterville, New York where I was from. I’d take eighty degree water over three feet of snow any day.

  Which was the other part of why I moved to Hawaii.

  I swam out into the water far enough that I could enjoy the view of the beach. It felt good, free. No one really knew where I was. My friends knew I was staying in Honolulu for a couple of days, but that was all I told them. I could do anything I wanted.

  When the sun dunked into the ocean, I swam back in. The beach was almost empty, and I was too tired to go looking for any fun. Tomorrow was another day.

  Another lonely day, apparently. How did I not know that everyone went to Hawaii with family or friends? I climbed Diamond Head and went back to the beach. I ate alone. I spent the day alone. And fuck me, I spent the night alone.

  Again.

  When I headed back to the airport for my jump to the Big Island, I was ready to get into a bed that could be mine for longer than a night or two. My roommate, Kapena, sounded like a good guy. If I was lucky, he could introduce me to a woman willing to help me take the edge off.

  Jackie wasn’t doing it for me anymore. I needed a real woman, instead of my hand.

  The flight was quick and a little too bumpy for my taste. I loved flying to the Big Island and watching the black landscape come into view. The Hilo side was my favorite, but the Kona coast was where my new job was, so I was headed into Kona International Airport.

  I needed a way to get around the island, but my first stop was my new temporary home. I was counting on Kapena helping me find a motorcycle and showing me around the town a bit.

  The house was small, and bright ass yellow, but it had a room for rent that I’d paid for, and it was close to work. I knocked on the door and waited, shifting the weight of my bags. The door opened, and a large shirtless man with dark skin covered in tattoos and wavy hair past his shoulders grinned at me.

  “Sawyer! Dude! You’re finally here! Aloha!”

  He pulled me in for a hug that came with a rough slap on the back that made me a little dizzy. Shit, the guy was massive.

  “Uh, are you Kapena?”

  “Yeah, man. I thought you weren’t going to make it.”

  I shook my head. I didn’t tell him about my two days on Oahu. I didn’t want it to get back to my boss that I was in the state and not rushing right to work.

  “It was a rough trip, but I’m here. Can I get to my room?”

  He rolled his eyes, I assumed at himself, and stepped back. “Yeah, of course. Come on in. I’ll give you a tour. This is the living room. Kitchen is in the back. We’ll get to that. Let me grab those bags.”

  He snatched the bags from my hands before I could argue and tossed them over his shoulders like they were empty.

  I admit, I had a little bit of a man-crush on him.

  Which meant I really needed to get laid.

  “Your room’s back here. Mine’s that one. I don’t usually rent the room out, but Kiki said you needed somewhere to stay until you could figure things out.”

  “Kiki?”

  “That’s what I call Kiana. Childhood nickname. She hates it.”

  “Oh, uh, well, thanks. I asked her to help me find a place since I don’t know my way around here yet.”

  “Oh, yeah, man. I’ll get you straight. You can stay with me as long as you need to.”

  “Thanks.”

  “So this is your room. It’s small, but it’ll work for now.”

  I followed him into a room the size of a shoebox. Or maybe it just felt that way because he was standing in the center of it. A bed that couldn’t have been bigger than a double was against the far wall. An open door opposite went to a closet that was half stuffed with surf boards. One small dresser sat under the window with a night stand wedged into the corner by the bed.

  “It’s great,” I told him. It seemed like very little for what I was paying, but I’d definitely stayed in worse places.

  He tossed my bags onto the bed and smiled at me. “Want to see the rest of the place?”

  I set my camera bag on the dresser and nodded. He came at me, so I moved aside to let him squeeze past.

  “Bathroom is right here. We’ll share and as long as y
ou’re clean, it’ll work out. My room. You saw the living room. Here’s the kitchen and my favorite part, the beach.”

  He walked as quickly as he talked, taking me through the house that made the one I shared with my brother and his fiancée seem huge. A pang of guilt hit me when I thought about Noah. He was more upset about me leaving than I expected. I needed to call him.

  Kapena walked straight through the open double doors at the back of the house onto the lanai. I followed him, amazed at how close the ocean was. The deep blue of the water drew me in, and I no longer cared how much I was paying for rent.

  It was worth every fucking cent.

  “Damn. That’s amazing.”

  Kapena nodded. “Yep. The whole reason I bought the place. It’s easier to teach a surf lesson when my office is in my backyard.”

  “You’re a surf instructor?”

  He grinned. “Hell yeah. Best job on the island. All the little tourists come over here and think they can handle our surf. I like to teach them a thing or two.”

  I grinned. “I have a feeling they spend more time under water than on top.”

  Kapena laughed and nodded. “Most of them. You ever surfed before?”

  “Some. Nothing like that though. I’m hoping to learn while I’m here. Your tourists would probably show me up.”

  He laughed, a rich pop that burst from him. “I’ll teach you. It’ll be fun. Most of the grooms Kiki sends me have never seen waves like these. Those fools think they can just jump on a board and go.”

  “I’m sure you help them see the error of their thinking.”

  He grinned, showing off all his white teeth. The contrast with his dark skin made me want to grab my camera and take his picture, but I figured that would make things awkward between us. Maybe one day.

  “Yeah, man. They regret it before their third wave.”

  I laughed with him. He was a good guy. A little bit of an evil streak, but I could definitely handle that.

  “Did you call Kiki yet?”

  I shook my head. “Why?”

  “She’s been going nuts trying to track you down. I think she wanted to meet you today.”

  I ran a hand down my neck. “I need to find some wheels. Is there a good bike shop around here?”

  Kapena nodded. “Yeah. I’ll take you. Want to go now before she finds us?”

  I stared out at the jeweled blue ocean for another second then nodded. “Yeah.”

  Two hours later, we were back at Kapena’s. I drove my new motorcycle, my bank account a bit emptier than when I arrived. I had a sweet ride though and wouldn’t have to worry about Kapena killing me before I made it to my first day of work.

  I let myself in with the key he gave me, trying to feel comfortable in his house. I didn’t think anything of the car in the driveway until I saw a perfectly round, bitable ass in front of the fridge. I walked closer, staring at her and wondering who she was and why she was there. Her red shorts were short, the way shorts were meant to be, and I could use my imagination to fill in the small parts blocked by the fabric between her thighs. Her curvy legs would look damn good wrapped around my waist. My cock twitched at the thought, until I remembered I was in Kapena’s house.

  Which meant she was likely his girlfriend.

  “Fuck,” I whispered, turning away. I bumped into a table, and a lamp rattled. I snatched it before it fell, but she heard me and spun around.

  “Who are you? And what are you doing here?” she demanded, the accent in her voice adding a melodic quality that made me want to hear my name on her tongue.

  I settled the lamp and faced her, noticing that her long, brown hair fell to the middle of her back. It had a slight wave to it, but not enough that I would call it curly. She wore a white tank top that offset her rich skin, and damn if I didn’t want to trail my tongue over all that sweet flesh.

  “I said who are you?”

  “Kiki!” Kapena bellowed from behind me. He rushed past me and swept her up into a hug, confirming what I thought.

  Girlfriend.

  She grinned, her face transforming to a look of pure happiness when she saw him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her dark eyes when he held her. He lifted her feet from the floor, easy to do since he stood a good ten or twelve inches taller than her.

  Kapena set her down and immediately chastised her. “This is Sawyer. How do you not know who he is?”

  Shit! He called her Kiki! Fuck me, I was checking out my new boss. Not only that, but I was living with her boyfriend. What. The. Fuck!

  “Sawyer. Sorry. I didn’t realize you were here.” She walked toward me with her hand extended. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

  “You as well, Kiana.” I took her hand in mine, surprised by the strength in her grip. Her skin was soft, like silk against my skin.

  Damn. There went my cock again. Thinking about getting her between some silk sheets.

  “Are you staying for dinner, Kiki?"

  God, please, no! I wouldn’t survive a night watching her and those big…eyes. Yeah, that was it.

  She swung them my way and shook her head. “I should go. I just wanted to see…um…”

  “You wanted to see what I was cooking tonight?” Kapena supplied.

  I watched the two of them with interest, surprised they weren’t more affectionate. Noah and Tara, his fiancée, were practically all over each other at all times. Aside from their hug, Kapena and Kiana hadn’t touched.

  “Come on, sis, you know you want to stay. I’ll grill some fish,” he taunted her.

  Wait. Did he say sis?

  “Is she your sister?” I blurted, unable to stop the question.

  They both turned to me, and I could see the resemblance. Dark hair, matching eyes, and skin the color of mahogany. I thought it was just a Hawaiian thing, but it looked like it was more than that.

  They both nodded, a grin on his lips and confusion in her eyes.

  “You didn’t know that?” Kapena said, laughing. “Who did you think she was, my girlfriend?”

  I shrugged without really answering, but Kapena got the hint.

  His eyes widened before he burst out laughing, a booming sound that filled the small house. “Shit, can you imagine, Kiki! Me and you dating?”

  Kiana joined in with his laughter, obviously part of some inside joke I wasn’t aware of. I could tell it went farther than just being brother and sister that was odd, but I had no idea what.

  When they calmed down, they both ignored me.

  “Stay for dinner. I’ll start the grill. Grab a board and go chill.”

  Kiana nodded and went down the hall to my new room. I watched with avid interest as her curvy bottom disappeared, then a surfboard reappeared coming at me. She didn’t even look at me as she carried the board out the back door. She propped it against the side of the lanai and reached for the edge of her tank top.

  Sweet baby Jesus.

  Her top came off in a flourish, letting her hair fall around her like a model with fans blowing on her. I was too mesmerized by the way she looked, the ocean framing her and the lush green palms to the right, to notice she was staring at me.

  “What?” she demanded.

  Shit, she had an attitude. At least, when it came to me. Damn if that didn’t make her even hotter.

  I shook my head and turned toward the kitchen, glancing back only once to catch her in a sunflower yellow one-piece as she trotted toward the ocean.

  “Why didn’t you tell me she was your sister?” I asked Kapena.

  He shrugged. “How was I supposed to know you didn’t know that?”

  “Is there a reason she hates me?”

  Kapena laughed. “Lots, my friend. Lots.”

  He didn’t elaborate. I wanted to drag it out of him, to demand he tell me what I’d done to a woman I’d never met, but his loyalty was to his sister. If he was going to keep anyone’s secrets, it would be hers.

  I helped Kapena with dinner and resisted asking him about his hot sister. We chatte
d about where I’d come from and what I’d done with my life. I left out the gory details and gave him the family and friends version so he wouldn’t ask too many questions. I learned he basically raised his sister when their parents died in a plane crash to the mainland. Neither Kiana nor Kapena had ever left Hawaii, and neither wanted to.

  It was clear Kapena was very proud of his sister. He bragged about her starting her business and how much it had grown over the years. He said their last photographer had left a few months earlier and gone to the other side of the island to work for a competing destination wedding company, and Kiana was not only hurt but pissed off since they’d been close.

  Kapena also let it slip that Kiana was fairly certain I was going to end up leaving to do something else, since I wasn’t really a wedding photographer. And that she was worried I wouldn’t know how to shoot a wedding. She’d been on edge for weeks, since there was a huge wedding coming up in March, and she wasn’t going to have much time to replace me if I was the flop she thought I was going to be.

  Nothing like a big vote of confidence from my new boss to get me started. I was a world-renowned photographer. How hard could it be to point and shoot at a couple of people dressed in fancy clothes?

  When the fish was grilled and the pineapple salsa was made, Kapena went to the edge of the lanai and whistled a long, shrill sound, then three short sounds. I stared at him, but he just grinned. The guy was the happiest person I’d ever met.

  “That’s how I call her in. She’ll be here in a second. We can start eating.”

  I fixed a plate and sat at the bistro table looking out over the beach and the ocean. It wasn’t a wide stretch of beach, maybe fifty feet, which made it that much nicer.

  Especially when a dripping wet Kiana came out of the water.