Island Pleasures (3 page)

Woody shot past her on his board, howling in glee. Despite his patience and skill teaching her, his mannerisms had changed. He still acted goofy and flirty, but caught her off guard several times with intrusive questions. Like Quinn’s yesterday.

She stared off into the horizon. Seeing Quinn again had resurrected a whole slew of memories she didn’t want to acknowledge. She’d also made the mistake of telling Cass about their reintroduction. Her sister freaked out and insisted she return home on the first plane available. Carly had to promise she wouldn’t get caught and would be careful while she spied in order to get off the phone. She’d begin right after her lesson.

“You better slap some lotion on. The sun can be brutal around this time.” Woody glided over to her, pushing his board ahead of him. Water coasted down his throat and muscular chest. She was a sucker for a nice set of abs on a man. This man had that and then some.

She batted a fly away from her face and winced. “I’ll end up freckling even worse.”

“I love a woman who wears freckles well, like you.”

“Thanks,” she said, splashing water on her shoulders. “After we’re done here, I may take a trip into town later and visit, Burn…Town? Damn, I can’t think of the name.”

“Cockburn Town,” he announced in a deadpan voice.

“Cockburn? You’re teasing me!” She burst out laughing.

“Not at all. It’s our capital city. A few other islands have their own Cockburn as well. I guess the name is popular. Lots of cocks here in the Turks.” His lips twitched.

“And the biggest one is next to me.” She paddled toward shore and attempted to stand.

When her legs buckled, Woody caught her and held her steady. “Careful, your muscles aren’t used to this kind of exercise.”

She stared at him, but he only smiled back, showing no signs of pretense. The vivid color of his eyes matched the clear sky above.

He winked. “Cockburn isn’t Vegas, but it’s a fun place to visit. You can find great souvenirs there for Carly and your friends.”

Her stomach dropped. Had she slipped up and volunteered where she lived? Also his constant mentions of her sister’s name and the barrage of questions worried her.

“Is the sun getting to you? You’re shaking.” He draped an arm across her shoulder. “Maybe you should sit under the umbrella for a spell. I brought a cooler with drinks and some snacks.”

She’d had only coffee this morning, too edgy to eat anything, expecting Quinn to surface again.

“I am a little hungry.” She allowed him to guide her onto the beach then stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of a man dressed in dark swim trunks standing near their umbrella.

Speak of the devil
. Quinn looked like a woman’s wet dream. Curly dark hair dotted his chest and traveled into the waistband of his swimsuit. His biceps and pecs were on display in all their brawny and toned glory.

Can a man get arms like that from having too much sex
?
I’m really stretching, coming up with ridiculous reasons for Quinn looking fabulous and edible
.

The men slapped hands. She moved forward, adjusting the straps of her navy, one-piece bathing suit.

“Hello, Cassidy. I found these on the blanket. Are they yours?” Quinn stressed her—Cass’s name—and held out her sunglasses.

“Yes, thanks.” She grasped them, but he held on, leaning close to her.

“Surprised I’m here?” he whispered.

She searched his face for any signs he suspected her ruse, but his pleasant expression gave nothing away. “Glad you could take time out of your busy schedule to join us, bro.” Woody bent down in front of the cooler.

She accepted a bottle of chilled water from him, keeping an eye on Quinn, waiting for him to strike in some manner. When she dropped to sit on the blanket, he joined her, pulling in his knees and resting his arms on them. She drank in silence, appreciating the sight of his upper torso glistening under a fine coating of sweat. She rolled the bottle across her forehead and then took a sip.

“Hot?” His mouth skimmed her ear as she took a long swig.

She swallowed too fast and choked. Quinn gave her back a swift pat. He kept his palm there until she shrugged it off. If he kept touching her in such an easy manner, she’d combust.

Woody lounged on his back, propped on his elbows, on her other side “When’s the last time you hung out on the beach, Quinn? It must have been over a month.” He glanced up at her. “Our friend is all work and no play. Mr. Castillo relies on him for everything. If our boss needs information about an employee or guest, he’s right there to deliver.”

She finished her water and played with the label, trying to remain calm. How much had Quinn figured out?

“Yes, I know everything. I’m all seeing,” he joked in a husky tone and shifted closer to her.

“And you know so much about me, All Powerful Seeing Eye.” She refused to back down from his taunting voice.

“Seeing as we didn’t hang out together in college, unlike Carly and I, how would I know anything about you? Speaking of your sister, I thought she was a pretty standup person, but she proved me wrong. She never said goodbye and didn’t even gift us with her presence at graduation.” His body became rigid, his voice biting.

She’d been horrible cutting off all ties, but there had been a reason. A big reason.

“Woody!”

Three women near the water waved in their direction. Woody sat up and slicked his hair back. “If you two will excuse me, my adoring fans await.” He stood, dusted off his bathing trunks, and strolled away.

Quinn sat in unyielding silence. She tapped her thumbs one over the other. His presence at her side after all these years made her twitchy.

“I don’t remember you fidgeting so much in college,” he remarked, his voice friendlier.

“You love talking about the good old days, as if we were close buddies. Carly’s the one you were friends with. I can’t tell you the number of times she mentioned your name or how great a guy you were.”

He dropped his hand on the blanket near her hip and stroked the edge of her swimsuit with his pinkie. “Not surprising. Most of the women on campus couldn’t stop talking about me.” His wide smile reached his eyes.

She choked back her laugh and, without thinking, bumped her shoulder with his. He swept a strand of hair sticking to her cheek aside. She stared at him, undone by the casual, intimate action. As her heart drummed in her chest, he lifted his hand and drifted it down her throat and her arm, finally laying it on her leg.

“What happened between us?” he asked, his smile replaced by a range of emotions she couldn’t decipher.

“You mean between you and Carly?” she asked, fixing her gaze on the sunlight dancing on the turquoise waters.

“Yes. She didn’t tell you why she didn’t say good-bye to me and never got in touch after graduation?”

She closed her eyes, his sorrow striking a chord in her. The least she could do was be honest with him about the night they shared and why she’d left him without a word.

“There’s a reason why my sister and I didn’t walk at graduation, never to be heard from again.” She inhaled and blinked away the dampness forming in her eyes. “She never told you how sick our mom was?”

“She told me your mother had been ill, but she wouldn’t go into any details. I didn’t want to pressure her.”

She opened her eyes and stared out at the water. “Mom suffered from breast cancer. By the time Cas, ah Carly, and I went to college, she had become worse. We didn’t want to leave her. But since LVU offered us scholarships, Mom insisted we go. She said we couldn’t refuse the opportunity of a lifetime. We accepted to make her happy.” She wiped her mouth and sniffed. “Senior year, Mom really deteriorated. When we went home for spring break, we could see she didn’t have much time left.”

“I remember when you came back. You lost weight and were too quiet and not your normal self,” he said, rubbing his thumb across the inside of her wrist.

“You mean Carly, not me,” she corrected him. “The night after finals ended was supposed to be my last hurrah before graduation a week later.” She inhaled a ragged breath and faced him. “Carly told me how much she loved being with you that night. You took your friendship to the next level, and it was everything she’d wished for her first time. She left so early in the morning without saying good-bye because our dad called to tell us Mom passed away. We packed up, rented a car, and drove home.”

A sob left her. She started to stand when he ran his thumb across her cheek. Unnerved, she found it hard not to break down in tears.

“I’m so sorry. I wish I’d known. Why didn’t she return any of my calls or my emails? I had no idea I was her first lover! Hell, I even wrote her letters and mailed them, hoping she’d think they were romantic.” He scanned her face and she darted her gaze away.

She wanted to tell him how sorry she was and that she’d meant to keep in touch, but, she’d been devastated by her mother’s death and had to stay with her grief-stricken father. She hadn’t been able to focus on anything else. By the time things settled it was too late.

She nibbled on her bottom lip and stared up at his face, overcome with the urge to kiss him. “I have to tell you something important about Carly. You’re going to be angry with me—”

“Quinn! I need your help out here.”

She swung her head around to see Woody dive into the ocean. One of the women he’d been talking with screamed while her friend clung to a paddleboard drifting away from shore in the retreating tide.

Quinn cursed and shot to his feet. She also rose and scanned the beach for help.

“Stay here.” He dug his phone from his pocket and tossed it to her. “Call resort security. Tell them we have an emergency.”

She took his cell and scrolled through the contacts. Quinn cupped her cheek, startling her. “Don’t go anywhere. We need to finish our conversation.”

He dropped a kiss on her mouth, shocking her speechless, then broke away and ran down to the water. Her lips tingled and her nipples hardened. She got her bearings in time to watch Woody grab the hysterical woman. Quinn swam out in deep strokes and helped guide her back to shore.

A crowd gathered near the water. Some talked on cell phones and soon the sounds of sirens blared in the distance. She placed Quinn’s cell on the blanket and turned to leave. In the confusion, she had lost the courage to admit everything she hid from him.

She’d nearly aborted her mission because of a man from her past who was still hurt and angry by her leaving him. He’d never forgive her if she told him her true identity and ultimate goal for this weekend. Nothing to be gained and everything to be lost by revealing her secrets.

“What’s the point? Nothing can come of it,” she whispered, depressed. She’d return to the resort and put her spying skills to the test. Before the day ended, she’d infiltrate Castillo’s office, search it, and find any juicy dirt for her article.

She grabbed her bag and snuck away before Quinn could use his seductive powers to capture her heart once again.

Chapter Five

The lively calypso music didn’t lighten his mood, nor did the woman by the outdoor bar in a teeny black bikini, shooting him a bold smile.

He hunted for another, one he thought he had connected with at the beach. He had been certain she was going to come clean about her identity. After he helped save the woman from drowning, he rode a high. Perhaps, impressed by his heroics, Carly would beg his forgiveness and they could move on. Turning to face the beach, ready to accept her admiration, he’d gasped, his heart plummeting to his knees. She had skipped out again!

He’d searched every section of the hotel, even the kitchen and service areas after she didn’t answer her door. He wouldn’t rest until he found her and they discussed everything…or he ended up making love to her.

He fisted his hands on his hips. Making love to Carly had gotten him in trouble in the first place. But would he take that night back? Not for anything in this world. If he had his way, they would share another just like it.

The glare from the sun shot off the glass from a window on the top floor. Shading his eyes, he spotted a figure in Jagger’s office. Alarm rose until he recognized the intruder.

His heart sped up in an entirely different manner and a tightening deep in his gut made him harden. Jagger never left sensitive information lying around. But security would certainly insist on dealing with the trespasser. Unless, he got there first.

He headed for the building, ready to show her how angry it made him when she walked out on him again. Then he’d show her something else.

Nothing would stop him from claiming her.

***

Carly retreated from the window and leaned against the wall. She wiped her forehead, wishing she still had Quinn’s handkerchief with her. His face popped into her head, but she pushed the image aside. She couldn’t think of him now. She had to work fast.

Voices came from the hall and she dashed into the bathroom. Closing the door, she pressed her ear against the wood, her heart rattling in her chest. She had taken a big chance sneaking into Castillo’s office. After asking a few questions, she’d headed for the administrative area, surprised at how empty it was. Two women from housekeeping vacuumed, the noise hiding her presence, and she slipped inside, quietly shut the door, and searched the spacious room.

She tried jimmying the locks on the file cabinets and desk drawers. Not even her shiny new locksmith tools could give her access. She turned the PC on, but the password screen mocked her.

“I’m pathetic. I’m not even dressed like a real thief,” she groaned, banging her forehead against the door. Still dressed in her bathing suit, a white mini skirt, and her flip flops, she looked more like a beach bunny than a thief. She turned the faucet on and splashed cold water on her hot cheeks. She lacked the espionage skill to reveal the dirty little secrets of one of the most powerful and well respected men in the business world.

She leaned against the counter at the sound of a door opening and female voices speaking just outside her hideaway.
Please don’t let them come in
. From the tidiness of the room and the smell of bleach, it appeared to have been cleaned already.