Chapter 494: Communicating

It took all of ten seconds for Ian to catch Mina. The look of fear on her face was real, but he was not truly upset with her. He knew it was a joke, cruel, but a joke, nonetheless. He just wanted to make sure she never got it in her mind to do something like that again, so when he caught her, he hoisted her over his shoulders, brought her to the shore, and chucked her into the water, nowhere near as rough as Drax had been.

Mina splashed out of the ocean giggling. She was not panicked because she could touch the bottom, and now that she knew he was not as angry as he appeared, she allowed herself to continue laughing, until she caught sight of Mills being pressed into the sand by Drax, who was kissing her in a way that spoke his intentions.

"Close your mouth," President Lee said, and Mina's eyes snapped back to his, but not for long. She saw Drax pull a drunk looking Mills up from the sand and carry her toward the water bridal style before she watched the woman plop into the water like a dead fish.

"Cool off," Drax said, making Mina laugh at how cheesy the line was. She instantly regretted making any noise, because Drax was soon splashing into the water trying to get to her, while Mills was crawling out of the ocean gasping for air between laughs.

Running in water was not easy, and with Drax being taller, stronger, and faster; he caught up to her quickly. When he went to grab her, Mina dropped into the ocean. She came up for air, flailing as her feet could no longer touch the sand at the bottom. Drax reached out and pulled her into his chest, allowing Mina to catch her breath before he threw her further back in the ocean. Once again, she found herself flailing in the water, somewhat laughing because she had never expected herself to die by drowning.

Someone grabbed Mina's arm and pulled her up, and she wrapped her arms around the person, this time, really needing a chance to catch her breath. Drax made a face of guilt, he was angry, but he did not mean to almost kill the girl. He turned to see Mills glaring at him, so he went to apologize to Mina, who finally looked up at who her arms were wrapped around. When she saw it was President Lee, she pushed off the man, but did not sink because Drax lifted her before she could. He was surprised to see Mina laughing, and he found it odd that the woman was not at all afraid.

"I'm sorry, I just keep thinking about the look on your face," she teased, and Drax threw her again. Mina popped back up, not flailing as much as she was before, because she knew someone was going to save her. "Again," she said.

----

Ian watched as Mina and Drax played in the ocean. The girl was ridiculous with the things she wanted to do; jumping off the man's shoulders, having him spin before throwing her into the ocean, and she seemed to love all of it. Even Mills, who could have been jealous, was enjoying watching them play, and Ian wondered if he would ever be able to trust any woman the way she trusted Drax.

"Why aren't you out there with them?" Mills asked, and Ian turned the question back on her. "Mina is having fun, but I think Drax is using the opportunity to rough her up a bit." Mills chuckled and Ian shook his head.

"You aren't jealous?"

"Of? I am sitting right here. If I see something I do not like, I will say it, and if it happens again, I will end it." Ian rolled his eyes because he knew Mills was serious. "Besides, he really doesn't like her."

"You asked?" Ian questioned in a tone that was out of character for him, and he feared that hanging out with three laid back people was rubbing off on him in the wrong way.

"I did; more than once. I even asked him if he would consider marrying us both, but we ended up arguing over it."

"Why the hell would you ask him to marry my-" Ian cut himself off, taking in the smile on Mills' face and knowing that she had him where she wanted him. "You're lying." Mills chuckled, taking a deep drink of water before moving closer to him. "Why lie?" Ian asked.

"Because I think I gave Mina bad advice and I think it's going to end up hurting her." After explaining what she had told Mina about new opportunities, Mills backtracked to what sparked the conversation in the first place, and it was a person who Ian had written off as a threat.

"Why him and why now? He is engaged, worse than that, he is engaged to the woman who forced Mina in a position where her safety is uncertain." Mills made a face, clearly only just hearing that part of the story.

"Mina doesn't see it that way. She sees it as her having missed all his advances, and as for his fiancé; Mina believes that if Paul really loves the woman then her confession won't matter." Ian felt his heart clench from both fear and anger. Once Paul found out that Mina was and had never been a kept woman, he may want to be with her again, and this time, his family's opinion will not matter, because there was little the Arden family could do to Mina now that she had amassed a group of powerful friends and suitors.

"What do I do?"

----

Mina was not surprised when Drax and Mills headed back to the hotel early. She was sure the man had released all his aggression toward her in the way he was tossing her around, and while fun, it was a valuable lesson she needed. At the end of her 'game' she had learned not to scream, allowing herself to gulp enough air to keep her lungs from immediately burning. She also learned how to tread water, while not swimming, was a good first step in the right direction.

Drax was at first oblivious, but Mina could tell he had become suspicious of what she was doing, and it was around that time that the man had said he was tired. Now, Mina was allowing her body to dry in the sun, while President Lee sat next to her, far enough to give her room to breathe, but close enough for them to speak.

"Drax says you are up to something." Mina shrugged her shoulders and fidgeted with her damp hair.

"Drax also thinks I am attracted to his girlfriend, so…" Ian laughed, but Mina had a point.

"You know, I may not handle everything well, but if you need to talk I am here for you." Mina snapped her head to look at the man who wore an expression of genuine kindness, and she felt her body jolt in fear. "Are you okay?" he asked, moving closer to her, and holding her shaking hands in his.

"Just tell me what I did wrong," she pleaded, making Ian's heart break. It was his fault Mina believed that every time he was nice was because he was going to hurt her, and he could not blame her for feeling that way.

"Well for starters, you hired a grown man to hump me in broad daylight." Mina snorted, not meaning to laugh, but the description of the event made her mind replay the memory and she could not help but to think of Drax's face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" Ian held up a finger and Mina shut up.

"I will consider us even for almost everything now, but there is something that bothers me." Mina asked what the thing was, and President Lee looked into her eyes. "We need to work on communicating."