Arranged

"Did you find her?" Shade asked, panting as he bet over to catch his breath. Sade thought he was going to pass out, his face was so red.
"Not a trace," Sade answered, equally tired. He looked over as Joshua came down the main staircase. "Any luck?"
Joshua shook his head. "I got nothing. Both upper floors are empty. I even called Terry to see if he'd heard anything, but the only thing he said was that Rhone called saying he'd be away for a couple days."
Shade squinted at Joshua. "Do you think Rhone took her again?"
"That seems to be the only explanation," Joshua confirmed.
Sade and Shade sank down to the floor, both relieved and frustrated. They had been over the school, the parks, Manor House, even their house, and nothing had cropped up. There had been no sign of Nessa except for the backpack she'd dropped on the sidewalk. they couldn't get through to her cell or Rhone's. It was turning into another fiasco.
Sade looked at his brother. It was obvious he still cared. Sade hadn't exactly expected him to get over her in a matter of a week, of course, but Shade wasn't handling this well at all. Sade couldn't help but think that maybe Rhone kidnapping Nessa was a good thing. Both Shade and Nessa couldn't act normal so easily and there was still that unknown reason of "why" during their birthday that was left hanging over their heads. No one could even begin to guess at what that was.
"Come on, guys," Joshua said, smacking their knees and standing from where he'd been kneeling. "I'll make you some food."
As they made their way to the kitchen, Sade couldn't believe that he actually hoped Rhone was the reason Nessa was gone. If he wasn't, then there were too many other possible reasons for her to disappear. And all of them would put Shade's heart in a vice.



The private jet was landing and Rhone was nearly hopping with anticipation. He couldn't wait to see Nessa's face. She must be flipping out and dying from excitement right now. There was no way a girl wouldn't be happy to get a private island all to herself with a hot guy. Especially with what Nessa was going through. Right? Right. Or, at least, Rhone hoped to fucking Heaven he was right this time. If he wasn't, he was going to be pissed as hell.
Nessa looked tired as she stepped off the jet. She didn't have her backpack, which was odd, but that was okay. Rhone was just happy to see her.
Not really knowing what to do, Rhone crossed his arms. If he didn't, he wouldn't know whether to hug her or strangle her for taking so long. "You're late," he said with a teasing smile.
Nessa's eyes narrowed skeptically. "Am I? I didn't realize I was on a schedule, much less that I was going anywhere."
Rhone tried to ignore her sarcasm, reminding himself that Nessa was stressed and tired, but he felt his smile turn stiff. "Obviously, you are."
"Because. . ?"
Rhone felt his eye twitch, but then he let out a breath and flashed her a smile that always made the girls swoon. And then he did something he hadn't done with Nessa: He told the truth. "Because I think you need a break. With me. Without interruptions. My island is the best place for that."
"Your island?"
Rhone's smile was all excitement. "It was a birthday present from the old man. You wanna see it?"
Nessa's face registered shock and surprise. "U-um, sure."
Yes!
Rhone grabbed her hand, starting to drag her away from the beach. "Great! Come on. I'll show you around." He stopped, thinking that maybe he was getting ahead of himself. Frowning, he looked back at Nessa. "Actually, I'll just take you to the cabin tonight. Yo won't be able to see anything anyways." Not tonight, anyway. That was for another day. "You're probably tired, and you're not dressed for a walk through an island."
"I don't think I will ever be dressed for a hike on an island," she told him. "I didn't exactly have time to pack."
Rhone waved away her comment. Commoners. They just didn't understand how you were supposed to do things. "I did that for you."
Nessa was quiet for a moment before she burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" Rhone asked indignantly.
Nessa smiled at him teasingly, making his heart shudder. "Somehow, I can't picture you packing anything."
Rhone looked away, embarrassed. Shit. When had she gotten to know him so well? "Well, uh--" He cleared his throat. "--I had a bunch of new clothes ordered," he said quietly. "So technically--"
He was cut off as Nessa bent double, laughing harder than before. "That's so like you! Oh, my God, that's hilarious!" She heaved in a few breaths, but it didn't quiet her. And Rhone wasn't sure he minded so much. Normally, he would bite off the head of anyone that laughed at his expense, but Nessa. . . Nessa was different. It was so nice to see her smiling after so long that Rhone didn't care if he had to kiss a monkey to keep her laughing this way.
"Ah!" she exclaimed. "I can't. . breathe." She wiped her eyes as she straightened, looking a hundred times better than she had only moments before. "You really are a spoiled brat."
Rhone reached out and wiped away a tear she'd missed, smiling softly. "And you look better when you smile." Not waiting for her reaction and immediately chastising himself for being a sap, Rhone picked up her hand again and led her down the path to the cabin. "Come on, Nessa. Dinner's waiting and you still need to change."
As they walked through the jungle-like foliage, Rhone couldn't decide if he was more nervous or excited anymore. Nessa was finally relaxing around him. As much as that made him feel good, he couldn't help but wonder when he was going to screw up again. God knew he'd fucked things up enough already. All it would take was one little thing and he'd fuck this up, too. Which was the main reason he was going to pull out all his stops. He was going all-out this time to try and win Nessa over. He just hoped to hell that it didn't backfire.



Cabin, her ass. If Rhone thought this resort was a "cabin", then Nessa was a fluffy kitten and Manor House was a shack. Her room was as big as one of the living rooms at Manor House. It was pretty, sure, with its tall windows and wooden floors and walls, but the modern, lit, tropical fish tanks running through the rooms and into the walls and the glassed-over streams in the floors made the whole place look expensive. A getaway, but an expensive one. It was definitely Rhone's taste.
But why bring her here? Was he really just wanting her to relax? Nessa couldn't just believe that even if he had meant it. Too much shit had happened, and there was his personality to consider, too. Rhone was always going to be Rhone. That meant he was up to something. Up to something meant trouble. She still had the mark on her forehead to prove it.
Nessa sighed, running her hands down the length of the flowy, tropical dress. It was light and airy, perfect for the beach, but Nessa felt so weird wearing something like it in the middle of Winter. Rhone had good taste, though. He had obviously been paying attention considering there were only a couple in the entire fourteen-outfit wardrobe that she would never in her right morals wear.
Steeling herself for whatever was coming, she opened her door and was surprised when she met darkness.
"Rhone?" she asked, tentatively stepping out into the large common room. Hadn't he said they were having dinner?
"Out here," Rhone called, his voice echoing through the empty room from the left.
Slowly, so she didn't knock into anything, Nessa made her way towards the wraparound porch. She stepped outside, but still she found nothing.
"Rhone?" she called again, getting a little scared.
"Over here," the voice called again.
Nessa jerked to the left again and saw a light glowing in the distance. Following it, she came upon something she did not expect in the least. On the sand, walking down a trail of candles in glass bowls, she found Rhone waiting by a candlelit picnic-like setting on the sand.
"What's all this?" Nessa asked, trying to stop her heart from pounding. What was he up to?
Rhone's smile was blinding. He held out a hand to her. "Take off your shoes," he commanded, pulling her towards the cloth. "This is dinner."
"Out here?" Nessa asked, looking around. Though it was pretty, it was night. On the beach. Alone. With Rhone. . . That didn't exactly sit well with Nessa. She eyed him skeptically. "What are you up to, Blossom?"
Rhone gave a tired sigh, dropping his hand since she had yet to take it. "You're back to using my last name. . . Must I be planning something in order to be nice?"
Nessa looked him square in the eye. "Yes."
Rhone stared at her for a moment before laughing. He grabbed Nessa's hand and tugged her down to the blanket. "Just shut up and relax, will you?" His smile took the bite out of his words. "I just want to enjoy your company."
Enjoy her company? When had Rhone ever enjoyed her company? He was always either snapping orders at her or snarling in frustration. It just didn't make sense that he would "enjoy" her company. Except for that date at the carnival. . . But that wasn't the point! It wasn't real. He'd said himself that he was only trying to get into her pants. The bastard had almost won her over, too.
Nessa sat anyway. She was too damn hungry to care if he was up to something. And if he did try anything, she could kill him. They were on a deserted island, after all. No witnesses.
But that wasn't what happened. After only a few very tense and awkward minutes, Rhone had her smiling and laughing and eating happily. She hadn't forgotten he was a jerk--not by a long shot-- but she was relaxing. That was something she hadn't done for a long time.
It was four days later at another picnic, beach dinner that Nessa was turning the water around in her glass, staring into it as silence fell over them. She was content and full and, after the drama of the last month, she was glad for the quiet. The past four days had been relaxing and just what she needed. Though surprising, she and Rhone had gone swimming, he'd shown her the island, they'd taken long walks and talked for hours sometimes. Nessa had even caught herself wishing they could start over like this.
"You know," she said after a few minutes. "I hate to admit it, but this is really nice."
Rhone saluted her with his own glass. "Even I can do nice if I put my mind to it."
Nessa cocked an eyebrow at him. "Oh, right. Because you've got 'nice' written all over your actions."
Rhone shrugged. "Depends on who I'm being nice for."
"Were you nice like this to Kylie?" The question was out before Nessa could stop herself. Even she had heard the bitterness and jealousy in her voice and the quick glance up at Rhone showed that he had too. He looked shocked and surprised, his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide.
"Uh. . well," he started, obviously thrown off by her question. "No. Not really." He ran a hand through his perfect hair, messing it up. Nessa's fingers itched to straighten it. "Kylie is just . . . Kylie. I've known her for years and I don't really care either way what she thinks, so I never went out of my way to be nice."
"I don't think you've ever gone out of your way to be nice to anyone," Nessa teased.
Rhone smiled. "Not before you, no. I had no reason to."
Normally, Nessa would have asked why, but the memory of when Rhone had a cold flashed through her mind. She wasn't sure if what he'd said that day was true, but on the off chance it was, she didn't want to make things awkward by flat-out rejecting him after he'd gone through all this trouble.
"Well," she said instead. "I really appreciate this, Rhone. I mean, at first, I though you were up to something, but, even if you are, I'm sort of glad you brought me here." She gave him a sour look. "But you have to stop kidnapping me. It's freaking me out."
Rhone's brows shot up. "Kidnapping-- I just told them to pick you up and that you might be difficult to deal with." He waved a hand dismissively. "The kidnapping thing was all them."
Nessa gave him a disbelieving look. "Uh-huh. Sure it was." She set down her glass and stood. She'd taken off her shoes a while ago and now she longed to walk along the beach. So that was exactly what she was going to do. She looked at Rhone. He wasn't her number one choice for a companion ever, but she really didn't want to left alone to her thoughts. "I'm going to go for a walk. Come with me?"
From the way he froze, Nessa could tell that she had surprised him yet again. She had surprised herself, too. Rhone was the cause of all her problems and yet here she was, acting nice and trying to get along with him. That realization alone made her leave him scrambling to catch up.
Rhone grabbed Nessa's hand, wondering what in hell was going on. This wasn't normal, but he'd be damned if he'd let even one small opportunity slip past him. When she merely glanced at their hands, not shaking him off like he'd expected, Rhone had the strange urge to whoop and holler in delight.
But, of course, he didn't. He walked alongside her instead, his heavy boots making deep impressions in the sand. Her faet left shallow imprints by comparison and Rhone hoped that this night wouldn't disappear as easily as their tracks did.
Rhone was sure he should be enjoying the moonlight on the ocean the way Nessa was, but he was too busy enjoying the sensation of her being near him. His heart was pounding with both nervousness and excitement. His hand was tingling from the warmth of hers, but it was obvious that--even though she didn't pull away--she didn't grip back, and that hurt a little. The knots in his stomach made it hard to even think of that, however.
Rhone let her lead him towards the water until she was up to her ankles in it. It was the first time in his life that he didn't care more that the fact that his custom-made boots were getting wet and ruined.
"Nessa?" he finally asked, worried about what the silence meant. "Are you okay?"
Nessa turned surprised eyes on him. "Do you actually care, or are you just trying to win me over?"
Rhone felt his teeth clench, but he forced himself to let it go. He deserved it after all. He was such an asshole.
He was about to tell her he was sorry, but was cut off when Nessa apologized instead.
She looked down as if ashamed. "Sorry, Rhone. I didn't mean that. . . Well, I sort of did, but I shouldn't be saying that here after all you've done." She looked up and smiled. "It's been a wonderful four days. I mean it."
Rhone stopped, dropping Nessa's hand when she walked out of reach. She turned and looked back at him. "Rhone?" she asked, confused. "What's wrong?"
"Nessa," Rhone started, wondering how she was going to take it. He figured it was best just to be direct. It was the only way things worked anyway. "I lied to you."
Nessa froze. "Excuse me?"
Rhone's head shot up and he quickly continued so she'd understand. "It wasn't what you're thinking. It was just. . ." He stopped, frustrated. How could he tell her everything without it coming out wrong? He had to try, though. "The carnival. When Shade showed up, you were so upset and looking for a way out. So I thought I'd give it to you." He ran a hand through his hair, scared of how she'd react. He was never uncertain about a woman's reaction to him, but now he was shaking in his boots. "I lied about playing with you. I know you're not easy and I wasn't doing all of that just see how far we could get." He swallowed. "Nessa, I--" He stopped, took a deep breath. "I want to start over. I want you to give me a chance to be with you. I know I don't really have the right, but I just. . . I want you so much it hurts."
"It was. . a lie?" she asked in disbelief. "You made me feel like trash."
Rhone felt panic rise. Shit, she wasn't taking it right. "So, what? I was supposed to tell you I was serious when all you wanted to do was make it go away?! What do you think I was feeling when I told you all that? Did you think I enjoyed the feeling of my heart breaking or hurting you? I was trying to give you an excuse to stay with Shade. It nearly killed me to give you to him!"
Nessa stared at Rhone in shock. Why was he telling her all this now? Hell, why did he even say all that in the first place if he was going to regret it? And had he really said all of that to make her happy? Did he think it really would? Nessa had to admit, if he had said he wanted to get serious right then, there would never have been the chance to fix things with Shade.
She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Rhone, I'm sorry."
Rhone stiffened. "Sorry for what exactly?"
There was no way to break this to him gently, so Nessa just came out with it. "I'm not looking for a relationship right now. After everything that's happened with you and Shade and Jay, I'm just not up for the drama."
Rhone took a shaky breath, reaching down in to himself to find the courage he needed to take a step towards her. All he needed was just a little leeway. Just a tiny crack in the door she'd shut on him since they'd met and he knew he could start working his way into her good graces again. Well, he'd try, anyway.
He picked up her hands, rubbing his thumbs across the back as he stared at them. "Please, Nessa. Let's start over. I'm not asking for more than you can give me right now. I just want a chance."
She stared at him for what seemed like hours, but Rhone knew it was only a few seconds. A few miserable, nervous seconds that made him feel smaller than the sand beneath his boots.
Finally, she spoke. "All right, Rhone. One chance." She pulled one of her hands out of his and turned the other so it was palm to palm with his. "Friends first."
Rhone could feel the strength of his smile nearly splitting his face in two, but he didn't care. The hope that had filled him made him forget or care about everything else.
He gripped her hand firmly. "Friends. Again." Even though it wasn't exactly what he wanted, her answering smile was all he needed.