Harlequin KISS August 2014 Bundle (7 page)

Claudia averted her gaze as a tide of heat rose to her cheeks, missing the wink Brian shot Jonah. ‘Apparently,’ she said, forcing her voice to sound normal and not crack as she thought about those abs.

That happy trail.

She glanced
at Avery, preferring not to be looking at Brian as she thought about his almost naked son. Brian who was very much the blueprint for Luke. Avery was sharing a loaded look with Gloria.

‘He’s leaving on the evening plane tomorrow,’ she blurted out. Claudia wasn’t exactly sure why she’d said it but it seemed important for them all to know that Luke wasn’t part of the Tropicana equation.

Wasn’t part of
her
equation.

‘Well, that’s a shame,’ Gloria said.

Claudia couldn’t agree more but for some strange reason she felt compelled to defend him. ‘His career is important to him.’

Gloria patted Claudia’s hand. ‘Yes, dear, we know. Now...’ she picked up her cup of tea ‘...tell us about these plans you were discussing with Luke.’

Pleased for the change in subject, Claudia
launched into her spiel with enthusiasm. There was so much she didn’t know yet, so much she still had to figure out, but she couldn’t deny the excitement that fizzed through her veins.

The last year or so she’d felt as if she’d been going through the motions. Sure, she loved the Tropicana
unconditionally
, had never thought to change a single thing, but now change had been forced upon her
whether she liked it or not.

It had been a revelation realising that she’d never been particularly challenged here—she could do what she did in her sleep with her clipboard tied behind her back.

It had been a revelation realising that she
wanted
change.

Still, she was nervous. Ownership of the resort wasn’t hers—their parents had just handed over management rights. She had to convince
them. Get them on board.

Their enthusiastic nodding helped put her mind at ease. Avery was over-the-moon excited.

‘And Luke supports this too?’ Gloria asked.

‘He sure does,’ came a voice from behind them.

Claudia watched as first his parents then her parents embraced Luke. It was heartening to see how close he was with her family too. He was wearing another pair of boardies
and a T-shirt and the hem lifted a little to reveal a peek of those smooth abs she’d seen in full Technicolor not that long ago. She dragged her gaze away.

When the greetings were finally done he pulled up the chair beside her and gave her a smile. ‘It’s like a family reunion,’ he said.

Claudia smiled back, forgetting the abs for a moment. It had been a long time since they’d all sat
down to a meal together and she felt strangely nostalgic.

‘So you’re leaving tomorrow?’ Lena, Claudia’s mum, asked. She was petite and blonde like her daughter and always cut straight to the chase.

Luke nodded. ‘No need for me to stick around. The clean-up is largely done and Claude and I are both on the same page with the direction of the resort. I can leave it in her very capable hands
and we can communicate via email.’

Luke didn’t notice the look his mother and Claudia’s mother shared with Avery. He was tucking into the bacon that Tony was renowned for. Claudia didn’t either. She was trying to not think about eating bacon off Luke’s abs.

SIX

By the
end of the day Claudia had almost burned through their entire download quota as she madly surfed the net for any information on spas and the kind of exclusive accommodation and experience she had in mind for the new and improved Tropicana. Thank goodness the web was up and running after a week without.

She and Luke talked extensively, working together in the brief
time they had left to throw ideas around, and she made copious notes. She refused to dwell on the fact that he’d be gone tomorrow, that the resort still meant so little to him that he could just walk away, especially after it had been so devastated. If anything the disaster that had befallen the Tropicana had only brought her closer to the grand old dame.

This was where she belonged. Right
here.

Walking away just wasn’t an option.

Occasionally Claudia glanced up to find her and Luke’s mothers in a huddle with their fathers or with Avery or with Avery and Jonah. Sometimes with Isis and Cyrus involved. Even Tony had come out of the kitchen at one point. But she figured they had a lot of catching up to do and everyone was still going about their assigned chores so who was
she to complain?

It wasn’t until they were sitting around eating their evening meal that night that she began to suspect there was more at play.

‘You two were very busy today,’ her mother murmured, flicking her glance over them both.

‘Lots to plan.’ Claudia shrugged.

‘How soon do you think you can get started?’ her father asked.

‘Not sure, Harry,’ Luke said. ‘Nothing can
really be accomplished until the insurance money comes through. The government and the insurance companies have promised the industry that claims will be processed speedily but...’ he shrugged ‘...that doesn’t mean it’ll actually happen.’

Her father nodded. ‘So it could be quite some months before we’re back on the road again.’

Claudia looked up, alarmed. ‘No...Mum, Dad.’ She reached
over and squeezed her mother’s hand. ‘Brian and Gloria,’ she said, looking at them both individually. ‘Go back to your trip. You guys slogged your guts out here for twenty years and this is supposed to be your retirement. Your dream trip. We’ll be just fine without you, won’t we, Avery?’

‘Hmm,’ Avery said noncommittally, avoiding Claudia’s gaze. ‘I suppose...’

Claudia frowned at her
friend, who’d been wildly enthusiastic this morning, before turning back to face the parents. ‘We’ll be fine,’ she assured.

‘Of course you will be, darling,’ her mother said, squeezing her hand back. ‘But...we can’t just leave you to do it on your own. Not with your management partner heading back to London. That wouldn’t be fair.’

Claudia glanced at Luke. She wished he weren’t leaving
but the truth was she’d managed without him for over a year and she wasn’t going to pressure him into staying.

‘I’m not on my own. I have Avery.’ Claudia glanced at her friend, who wasn’t looking so confident all of a sudden. Maybe she was thinking how much time it was going to take away from her relationship with Jonah?

‘We turned the resort around last year,’ she said. ‘We can rebuild
it.’

‘No.’ Her mother shook her head. ‘We’ll have to stay. We can’t just abandon you. Rebuilding is different from refurbishing—it’s a much bigger undertaking. No,’ she declared again with a determined shake of her head. ‘With Luke gone we’ll stay as long as it takes to get the resort on its feet again.’

Luke’s mother nodded wildly in agreement. ‘Of course, we really don’t know anything
about the kind of high-end stuff you’re talking about doing so we may have to...modify some of the things you were talking about. I mean, the Tropicana clientele really don’t expect to be pampered like that when they’re here with their kiddies. I’m not sure we should be so...exclusive. We don’t want to put anyone off.’

Claudia could feel it all unravelling as Gloria and her mother nodded
in unison. She glanced at Luke to find the same kind of alarm written all over his face.

‘We’re hoping to attract a different clientele,’ Luke said through a forced smile.

‘Well, of course, darling,’ Gloria said. ‘But it’s not really the spirit of the Tropicana, is it?’

‘I agree,’ Harry said. ‘One of the resort’s charms is that it’s not pretentious.’

‘And surely the objective
is to get the place up and running as soon as possible?’ Gloria added. ‘We can do that blindfolded if we keep it the way it was. Creating this whole new...concept will add a lot of burden to the process.’

‘I think your mother’s right,’ Brian said, sliding his hand on top of Gloria’s. ‘I think the resort is a little too old to be changing its spots now. It’s increasingly difficult to attract
the tourist dollar. I surely don’t need to tell an ad man that, do I, son? I think if we stay we’re better off sticking with the devil we know.’

‘I guess we could turn one of the rooms into a massage parlour,’ Lena added. ‘We could employ some of those lovely commune people down at the markets who offer fifteen-minute neck and shoulder massages. You know how we feel about local employment.’

Claudia watched as her shiny new dreams disappeared slowly into the ether; her shoulders sagged a little. ‘Well, of course...it’s still your place,’ she said carefully. ‘We can’t do any of it without your support. If you’d prefer we keep it as is...then, of course, that’s what we’ll do.’

It had been a long shot anyway. Pie-in-the-sky stuff. And their parents were right—why mess with a
winning formula?

Luke could feel Claudia’s dismay without even having to look at her; it rolled towards him on a heavy cloud of doom. She’d started the day, her eyes sparking with possibility and now she was practically hunched over her untouched meal.

He looked at his parents, then at hers.

They had to go.

In one brief conversation they’d sucked all her joy away.

‘Or
you could place some faith in us and let us do our thing. Go back to your holiday and trust us,’ he said.

‘But it won’t be
your
thing, will it?’ Lena said. The rebuke was gentle but Luke heard it nonetheless. ‘You’ll be in London and it’ll just be poor Claude left to cope and carry all the responsibility. No.’ Lena shook her head. ‘She’s twenty-seven years old—she’s too young for that kind
of pressure. We’re not going to let Claude start from scratch all on her own, not with such a big venture.’

It was on the tip of Luke’s tongue to remind them they’d already left her all on her own. But of course they hadn’t, had they?

He had
.

‘Mum, I’m fine,’ Claudia dismissed.

Lena smiled at her daughter. ‘Of course you are, darling. And you will continue to be so because
we’re going to be here every step of the way.’

Claudia smiled at her mother wishing she didn’t feel suddenly trapped and smothered by their love and thoughtfulness. She’d never felt it before, but then she hadn’t had this much freedom before. She’d been running things solo since their parents had taken off and that had been really freeing.

She wasn’t sure she wanted to go back.

Claudia’s head throbbed at the thought. ‘Actually, if no one minds, I think I’m going to turn in. I’ve got a bit of a headache.’

‘Of course not, darling,’ her mother said as Claudia stood. ‘Have you got some tablets you can take?’

Claudia nodded. ‘Yes...thanks.’ She smiled at the group sitting around the table, deliberately avoiding Luke’s gaze. ‘I’ll see you in the morning,’ she said.

Luke glared at them all as they watched her go. ‘I hope you’re all happy now,’ he said.

‘What on earth do you mean, Luke?’ his mother asked.

Luke stood. ‘Forget it,’ he said, throwing his napkin on the table, and took off after Claudia.

The table waited until Luke had left the dining room before they grinned at each other and Avery leaned across the table and high-fived Gloria.

* * *

Luke caught up with Claudia on the stairs. ‘Claude, wait,’ he said, taking them two at a time. She kept going. ‘Claudia,’ he called again and she stopped as he caught up with her.

‘I’m fine, Luke,’ she said wearily. ‘Just tired.’

‘Fine and dandy, huh?’ he mocked.

Claudia didn’t deign to answer. She turned away from him and continued up the stairs.

‘You should
fight for what you want,’ he said as he followed a step behind her.

Claudia concentrated on her feet. ‘It’s their place, Luke.’

‘Is that what it is?’ he demanded. ‘Or are you just too chicken? You’ve had an original idea that just might turn this giant white elephant of theirs around but you don’t have the guts to go for it. You’re running scared.’

Claudia stopped as a well of anger
rolled through her. She turned abruptly, narrowly avoiding a collision with Luke. Even with him on the lower step he was still taller than her. She clenched her fists to stop herself from placing them on his chest and pushing him down the stairs.

Or possibly tearing his shirt off.

This close she could see every fleck that made up the brown of his eyes, every single eyelash, every individual
whisker valiantly trying to push through the skin to freedom before he once again ruthlessly mowed them down.

He couldn’t taunt her in that hybrid accent of his—not about this. ‘I think you’re the only one running around here, Luke.’

And then she turned again and ran up the remaining stairs, putting as much distance between them as possible.

When she got to her room she thanked
her lucky stars her parents had decided to take a different room rather than reclaim this one. She didn’t fancy sharing with them again—not tonight anyway. And God knew, there were plenty of suites to choose from at the moment!

She didn’t turn the light on. She didn’t have a shower, she didn’t brush her teeth, she didn’t even put on her pyjamas. For the first time in her life, Claudia stripped
straight out of her clothes and left them discarded on the floor where she stood before walking to the bed, yanking back the sheets and crawling between them.

She sighed as the thick, crisp sheets folded her in cool starched bliss. It felt heavenly even though she knew in this sticky tropical weather she was bound to wake up in a few hours with body parts sticking together. But right now
she was just too damn exhausted—physically and mentally—to care.

And hey, if it was good enough for Captain Sexypants...

His outrageous accusation on the stairs came back to her and Claudia shut her eyes to ward it off. She took five deep breaths, tuning in to the gentle swish of the ocean floating to her on a breeze that rustled the balcony curtains. She would not let Luke under her
skin. He was leaving tomorrow and things here would return to business as usual.

She shifted around in the king-sized bed trying to get comfortable, not sure this whole naked thing was conducive to sleep.

Sex, maybe, but not sleep.

Hot, sweaty, dirty sex.

She shut her eyes, trying not to think about anything hot, sweaty or dirty or how long it had been since she’d had any.

Not with Captain Sexypants right next door.

* * *

It was Luke’s turn to stay awake all night staring at the ceiling, turning the dinner conversation over and over in his head. Claudia’s disappointed face burned into his retinas. Her accusation taunted him on automatic replay.

I think you’re the only one running around here.

He couldn’t stay, for crying out loud. His career
was at a crossroads. He was back to the point he had been a few years ago before his
wife
had screwed him over. He just needed to lure this one big client, to bring their multimillion-dollar account to the firm, then he’d be back on top again.

He was almost there.

People depended on him at work—both his clients and his team. He couldn’t abandon them.

But could he really abandon
Claudia now?

Again?

Sure, she had a team too, a very devoted team, but he couldn’t bear the thought of her stuck in the resort-that-time-forgot where it was Groundhog Day twenty-four-seven. Not after the excitement—the anticipation—he’d witnessed today.

It was as if he’d taken her to the gates of paradise and opened them a crack so she could see inside...and then clanged them shut
in her face.

Claudia would let their parents have their way. After all, she’d always loved the place just the way it was.

And she was a pleaser.

But would she still have that verve and bounce she was renowned for as each year went by and the if-onlys set in? If-onlys could cripple a person—he knew that better than most. If only he hadn’t been so trusting of Philippa. If only he’d
been paying more attention to the signs. If only he’d followed his own advice about the stupidity of office relationships.

If only he hadn’t been such a fool...

If-onlys could eat you up inside. They could make you bitter; they could make you hard; they could wear you down.

He hated even the thought of that picture—Claudia with all the fizz and bubble gone. No more bounce. Lines
around her eyes. A strained smile.

Hanging onto that damn clipboard of hers for dear life because if she didn’t she might just smash it over the nearest hapless tourist’s head.

He wouldn’t wish if-onlys on his worst enemy.

G
oddamn it.

He rolled over and punched his pillow hard. He was responsible for building up Claudia’s expectations. He couldn’t walk away from it now.

He was going to
have
to stay.