Sunset Rivalry: The Caliendo Resort (By The Lake: The Caliendo Resort Book 2) (13 page)

Hours later, they’d eaten a delicious meal, cleaned up and poured glasses of wine without a fight−that alone was a relief−and neither had made a pass. Anya wondered how long it would last.

“Let’s go for a walk,” Quinn said.

He didn’t wait for her answer, grabbing her hand, and pulling her out her suite door into the crisp night air.

They walked through the bushes toward the beach. The wide path prevented branches from playing slap shot with Anya. When they reached the beach, she slipped her heels off and carried them, walking alongside Quinn and the sandy shoreline.

It was a beautiful evening with just enough of a breeze to blow Anya’s hair across her back and kiss her bare shoulders. Walking quietly under the star-filled sky, listening to the wave’s crash along the water’s edge, would be peaceful if it wasn’t also so romantic.

Quinn broke the silence. “My mom left when I was young. Around fifteen, I think. I wasn’t old enough to drive, but I was old enough to see the pain that her disloyalty left my dad,” he said.

Anya’s first defense was to point that he’d made it clear about no family talk. Not his and not hers. But the part of her that longed for him silenced her objections and coaxed her into listening.

“We didn’t reside in a little house and I wasn’t raised without money. Robert paid my dad substantially and we all lived a wealthy life.” He glanced at her. “Nothing like having our own personal suites around a tropical paradise, but we were more than comfortable.”

Anya would have smiled at his teasing if there wasn’t the underlying truth that it might not be teasing.

The corners of Quinn’s mouth fell at her straight face and he turned back to concentrating on walking the slow pace. She wasn’t sure he would open up anymore and wasn’t certain she wanted him to.

“After my mom left, it was me, my brother and my sister. I was the oldest, and with my dad gone most mornings and evenings, I was in charge.”

That explained his bossy attitude about her eating habits on a regular basis. She felt the corners of her lips lift, envisioning him barking around orders as a teenager.

“I took care of them most of the time. Dave grew into a good man. He was always quiet and observant...”

“Runs in the family.” Anya snapped her mouth shut the moment the words left. So much for just listening.

Quinn chuckled. “Yes, but he is softer than me. Kinder and without the vengeance that I carry. But still strong and confident.”

He inhaled deeply. She heard the pain in that breath and her eyes wandered over him. The moonlight highlighted the worried lines across his face, conveying how hard this topic was for him to discuss.

Why was he telling her? Why was he opening up to her now? Tonight? Because he thought they were friends?

“Dave doesn’t let the past bog him down. He lives a happy life in a positive way that is inspiring.” Quinn stared straight ahead and she watched a smile lift his lips then fall just as quickly. “I don’t even remember what a happy life is. It’s been years since I felt happy...” He looked down at her then. “Since you left.”

His words stopped her and she turned to look at him. She could say the same, only the truth was too frightening.

Was this another game of his? Or was he trying to ensure a friendship?

She was too tired to try and figure it out, so she continued walking.

Quinn fell into step beside her.

“And your sister?” she asked, wanting to divert the conversation away from their past.

Quinn said nothing for a long time. Maybe he was finished sharing. It was more than he had ever shared before.

The resort’s bright lights were illuminating the sky in front of them. Soon they would be walking among the loungers and tables left out all summer for the guests.

“She died,” Quinn finally said and Anya’s heart sunk.

Anya stopped walking and turned to him. “Quinn, I’m sorry.”

He’d had so much death and hardship in his family, his father and sister and his mother walking out on them. So much pain etched in his voice, blanketing the parts of him that he didn’t share with anyone.

“She got involved with a bad crowd after our mom left and it sort of messed her up. Nikki wasn’t even a teenager yet and she needed our mom more than she needed me. I was this kind of overbearing brother and there was only so much I could do or knew to do.”

Anya’s smile rose at that. “Eat breakfast, do your homework,” she spouted off, mimicking his voice.

Quinn grinned. “Yeah, something like that. I left for school and when I got back, she was in a bad place. It took me years, but finally after months of collecting evidence to raid and bust the club she was involved with−”

Anya interrupted him, thinking she’d misheard what he was saying. “Raided?” she asked. “Like-like a cop?” She needed clarity and Quinn’s nod didn’t do it. “You’re a cop?”

“I’m a retired detective from the Oakston police detachment.”

A retired detective? Since when?
Had her father known? Of course he’d know. He wouldn’t have hired Quinn without doing a background check and he wouldn’t have hired Quinn if he had been the good guy. Which meant...

“What are saying? You were a shady detective?”

“No.”

Anya was going to need more than that to go on. She stood still and quietly waited for him to elaborate. If he decided to continue. This was the most he’d ever shared with her about his family and she wasn’t sure why. But she wouldn’t put it past him to shut down at any given moment and bark at her instead.

Quinn surprised her by continuing. “My dad was a private investigator and worked with Robert for over thirty years. We didn’t know Dad’s job with Robert wasn’t good until we were adults. He was a good man, but he was greedy too. He let his greed allow the people he hurt slide off his back unnoticed.”

Wasn’t that what Quinn had done for the two years he’d worked for her father? Maybe greed hadn’t been his motive, but did that forgive his actions?

“I wasn’t like my dad. I wanted to protect people, not put them in harm. So I became a detective and I was a good detective. I was a damn good detective. I tried to fix the city and eliminate crime rings in the city, but it’s a continuous battle. I tried harder for Nikki. Every time Dave and I got her in rehab, she came out good, but it only lasted a few days, or weeks or months and she was gone again, until she overdosed and died.”

Quinn was breaking Anya’s heart. He had no idea how many hours she’d spent wondering about his family, or if he had family besides his dead father. Now, to listen to all the heartache and drama of his family, she felt her walls she’d built this evening breaking down. Her lack of control was angering, but the grief in his eyes outranked it. Her heart grieved for him.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know.”

Would that have changed anything? Only the comments this morning that she’d barked out at him in a moment of rage. Other than that, they were still just
friends
.

“How would you? When have I ever been honest with you?”

He hadn’t. Not about his family or the reason he came to the resort.

Anya’s legs trembled. From what? His life laid out for her? The softness and love in his eyes? The sadness and grief of his soul? Or her own selfish need to heal all of it and steal the love for herself?

This
was the real Quinn. There was no doubt about it. And she found herself more attracted to him now.

“From here on, I want to make the decisions regarding the files together. I don’t want to force you into situations like I did this morning and have you look at me like you have been all day. The way my dad looked when he thought about my mother. I don’t want you to feel betrayed by me. Not again. Can we do this together?”

Lately, every time he said “together” in the end it was all about him. Was that what this was about? Did he tell her these stories for the sole purpose of manipulating her?

“And if I say no?”

He held her eyes for a brief moment. “I will leave.”

Was he bluffing?

“And your file?” she asked, still not convinced.

“I’m finished hurting you. If you want me to leave, I will. Now that you’re reunited with your family I know you will be okay and that was the reason I came back here. For you.”

“That’s funny, because you slammed me on my bed and cornered me into finding the file room for
the file.
”

Her trust for him was going to take some time.

He shifted, which she should have taken for discomfort if she hadn’t caught a sizzle of desire in his eyes as well.
And he wanted to just be friends.
She could slap him.

“When I picked up on what you were doing, sneaking around in the night, the file was an added bonus−”

“To surrendering me to my family.”

“To making sure that you were alright.”

Anya took a deep breath. Slapping him sounded so much easier than trying to decipher what he was saying.

“Let me get this straight, you came back here for
me
, but now that I can get you the file, you’re giving up on me and solely choosing the file.”

“I didn’t come back to ask you to marry me.”

She laughed. “Marry you? Marry you! When did I mention marriage?”

“What do you think comes after dating? I came back to ensure your safety. Which clearly was the right decision because you haven’t been taking care of yourself.”

Anya choked out another shocked laugh. “Are you honestly going to start fighting with me right now? Throwing in,
I told you so’s
, while trying to bargain?”

He groaned and threw him hands in the air. “Damn it, woman. I don’t know the hell you manage to twist everything around and frustrate the hell out of me. But bloody hell, you are so damn good at it.”

“You make it easy with all your lies. Talk about confusing a girl.”

He stormed back in front of her and when she thought he might kiss her, he just inhaled loudly instead. “I will leave,” he said through gritted teeth.

Huh?

“If that is what you want, then that is what I will do.” His words were harsh.

He would leave? For her?

He would be leaving her too. He was saying even without the file there was still no chance for them. Was it possible the file might change his mind? What if after he read whatever was on that file that maybe they could be together? Anya doubted it, and hoped, for her own sake, that wasn’t why she didn’t tell him to go.

“Fine.”

“Fine what?” he asked.

Walk away forever and don’t look back.

“I will work with you.” What was wrong with her? He gave her an easy out. “But like you said, it’s strictly work and no more. You can sleep in the spare room in my suite.”
While I dream about being curled up in your arms.

The stressed features on his face loosened. “Thank you.”

Anya didn’t smile in return. “You might not be thanking me if we continue down this path of twisting and fighting.”

The corners of his mouth rose and his humor narrowed her eyes. “There’s no other place I would rather be.”

Anya pointed at him. “That’s you twisting for a fight.”

“That’s me being honest.”

His honesty wasn’t as refreshing as she would have liked. It only added fog to her brain.

“Your timing sucks.” Anya continued walking. “Keep it to yourself. If this is going to work, then you need to keep those thoughts to yourself,” she told him over her shoulder.

“Fine,” he said.

He caught up to her and they walked to the resort’s beach where couples stretched out on the loungers staring at the sky and staring at each other...romantically.

Silently they stepped onto the boardwalk and started along the path weaving around pools, bars and sitting areas.

Quinn stopped at a sand pit where the volleyball and other games were set up for the guests. He climbed over the short two-foot fence.

“How good are you at horse shoes?” he asked.

He had
no
idea how good she was.

Anya grinned. “You don’t want to find out.”

“That sounds like a challenge.”

Anya left her shoes at the fence along with her reluctance to enjoy Quinn’s company. Now that they had their boundaries, and had agreed to make decisions together, why couldn’t they be civil with each other?

“THIS IS SO uncivilized!” Anya cried.

Quinn loved how her laughter rolled across the distance like the cooling mist of water.

He let out the laughter rumbling up his chest and enjoyed the weight that was lifted away.

“Are you ready?” he called down to her.

“Are you sure you want to ruin this perfectly gorgeous dress I am wearing?”

There was no denying the dress she was wearing was sexy as hell with her in it, but rules were rules.

“I’m pretty sure,” he called back to her.

“It’s brand new. Never been worn. Just ripped the tags off tonight.”

For me? Push that thought away.

“Are you ready?”

Anya still hadn’t stepped into the puddle of mud they’d created with the help of the lake behind them. The idea of “mud shoes” was new to him, but Anya’s smile convinced him it was worth trying. Her laughter while transporting buckets of water across the beach gave the promise of a fun experience and lightened the rift between them.

What he hadn’t known was that she was
very
good at horse shoes. Quinn was splattered with mud while this was Anya’s first trip to the mud pool.

“What if you hit me?” she asked.

“I’m not going to hit you.”

“What if you do?”

“I trusted you,” he said, pointing to his mud-misted pants and top.

“Yeah, but I am good at horseshoes. I am actually a champion at this game. You,
you
are only better−”

“Step down Caliendo.”

Anya reluctantly stepped into the mud puddle.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“No.”

“Too bad.” Quinn tossed the horseshoe toward the stake, wincing as it landed directly in their mud pool, and sent mud flying in the air and across Anya’s black dress. She screamed as it sprayed her, holding her hands out to protect her face, but she was a good sport and kept her feet grounded.

Quinn laughed.

Anya examined the damage before looking up at him. “I can’t believe you did it,” she said. She laughed. “Okay, hurry up and throw the next one.”

Quinn did as she instructed and another round of laughter came from her side of the sand pit.

Afterwards, Quinn joined her in digging his hand into the mud to locate his horseshoes.

He stood and looked over the damage up close. Thick mud ran from the tightly-fitted dress and trickled down her bare legs to her muddy feet. He looked at the piece of bent metal in his hand.

“This is a dangerous game,” he observed, giving it a little shake. “You played this when you were kids?”

She nodded.

“Note how very good I am at horseshoes,” she pointed out.

She was better than he was.

“I didn’t really think I was going to lose to you.” She laughed. “When I suggested losers get mud dunked, I thought it would be you every time.”

Quinn laughed too. “Does that mean you’re done? Not another round? You’re chickening out because you fear defeat?”

She picked up her horseshoes. “Hell no, Barker. Prepare to meet your maker.”

Quinn couldn’t help but laugh with her.

They played another few rounds. He lost until the last one. Anya pouted her way back to the mud pool and Quinn resumed position as the winner, spraying her again with splashes of mud.

“I hate this game,” she said, when he made his way back over to her. “I was master of this game until you came around.”

He shrugged. “What can I say?”

“I say I am done,” Anya said. “I’m going to rinse my legs in the lake.” She glanced down at her dress. “I think my dress is beyond lake repair.”

Anya bent down to dig her horseshoes out of the mud. Quinn enjoyed the view of her behind bent over and her hair spilling down the sides of her body, exposing the bare skin.

“It’s stuck,” she said.

He watched her body tug a couple times before he decided to help.

“I can’t get it. It’s right here.” She grabbed his hand and stuck it in the mud. Before he touched the cold metal, a handful of mud smacked him across his face.

He heard Anya giggle as her hand slid down his cheek, his jaw line, and continued a path down his throat stopping at the opening of his shirt.

“I’m sorry.” She stifled a laugh. “You were just being so cocky.”

Him? Cocky?

He wasn’t the one bragging about being the ultimate horseshoe champion.

Quinn caught her hand and with his somewhat clean hand, he wiped the mud away from his eyes.

She smiled at him, not even trying to contain her giggles. “I’m sorry, honest.”

He doubted it.

“Truce,” she offered, holding out her other hand.

He stared at it. He could take her truce and they could both stand up and head to the lake. She only had to rinse off her legs and he just needed to splash the mud from his face. That was one alternative. The other alternative was...

With his free hand, he swiped under her crouched legs, throwing her off balance and sending her backside flying into the mud puddle.

Her surprised scream drowned out his laughter and her hands flailed for something to keep her upright. She ended up grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him down on top of her. His hands and knees sunk into the mud and the splash of her body sent mud up their sides.

Laughter filled the air around them and settled on the wild nerves that had been on high alert throughout his body all day. It was nice to not think about what was happening between the two of them right now and to let go of the pressures of their situation. It was healthier to laugh than fight with her, although he would guarantee the make-up sex between them would be even healthier.

Bad timing. Focus on the plan.

The plan was a friendship. It was a platonic, working relationship...or at the very least a put up with each other long enough to get the files kind of relationship. He could handle this little task.

While his brain was telling him they were only friends, the platonic ambience around them departed. Quinn’s body became acutely aware of where every part of him was touching Anya. He felt her bare leg rub between his legs, her stomach press against his and her breasts arch against his chest. Their faces were close enough that he could caress her lips with a simple move.

He felt her eyes on him and, when he finally looked down, he saw her need. Every attentive part of his body wanted her too.

“I’m sorry.” He tried to sound as teasing as her when she’d surprised his face with a mud mask. He heard the desire in his voice and inwardly cursed at his lack of control.

“You’re sorry?” The husky craving in her voice masked the humor she tried to portray and made his body hot and hard.

Quinn wasn’t sorry at all. “I’m really,
really
sorry,” he lied.

Anya chuckled. “I’m sorry too.” Her teeth trapped her bottom lip and the chewing motion steered Quinn into a trance. Those luscious lips were a taunting and his mouth grew hot wanting to flavor them. As the corners of her lips lifted, he felt cold mud against his head. He sucked in a breath as her fingers dug through his hair, massaging the mud into his scalp. That was going to be a bitch to clean. The thought of a shower took Quinn from the present and into Anya’s large stone shower.

Anya’s smirk pulled him back.

“I’m really
, really
sorry,” she said.

Is that how she wanted to play it?

Not moving or taking his eyes off her, he slowly scooped a handful of mud and lifted the dripping liquid above her. He watched her eyes widen, daring him to do it. He pressed the cold, grainy mud against Anya’s bare chest and she gasped in shock.

She sucked in a deep breath of air and he felt her chest move beneath his hand. Slowly, Quinn rubbed the mud across her bare shoulders, digging his fingertips into her skin as he moved. Anya didn’t fight him or try to escape her position. Her breathing slowed and her lips parted.

Her hands found their way under his shirt and he felt her fingers trailing mud up his back. The desire in her eyes told him she wanted to touch him and it had nothing to do with the mud.

Quinn’s fingers slowly moved up her long, soft throat. Her neck arched with the touch, her eyes fell shut and they took their mud bath to a whole new level, one that they had both agreed not to cross.

He needed to stop and climb off of her. They needed to stand by their friend boundaries. Bringing lust into their situation kept adding confusion.

But his body didn’t listen.

Quinn’s thumb traced her jaw line and the vibration of her moan dragged the same sound from deep inside his throat.

He could kiss her. Lord knew he wanted to kiss her. Her fingers moved to his front and worked their way across his abs, begging him to make the first move.

Don’t do it.

The mud drying across his lips was the only thing keeping him from taking her mouth in his. The quick thought of wiping his face across the shoulder of his shirt and dipping into her mouth crossed his mind, but that would only result in hurting her.

So he did the next best thing.

Quinn leaned in tried to ignore how his body moulded perfectly to hers, welcoming him. He wiped the mud on his lips against Anya’s bare cheek, intending to kill the moment.

Anya’s body stilled beneath him and her eyes flew open. She stared at him in disbelief, and then her eyes lightened.

“That’s not where I thought this was going,” she said, and he was glad to find humor in her voice.

“It’s not where I wanted to go,” he admitted.

She bit her lower lip again, the humor quickly dissipating. Her eyes filled with a desire that threw him off. “Where did you want to go?” she whispered.

Quinn groaned. “You know where...”

Her hands slipped out from under his shirt and gripped the sides of his upper arms. It was sweet torture.

She licked her lips and Quinn lowered himself down, ready to ignore every rational thought in his body.

Before his lips reached hers, a voice ripped into their circle of privacy. “Are you playing mud shoes without me?”

Quinn cringed at the sound of Izzy’s voice.

He should have been thankful Miss Obnoxious was disrupting what shouldn’t be happening, but he wasn’t.

“Looks like you’ve changed the rules,” she observed.

Anya’s eyes fell shut, the embarrassment radiating from her body. “We suck at platonic,” she muttered.

Quinn chuckled as he stood, grasping her hands, and pulling her to her feet beside him.

Izzy wasn’t alone. The Caliendo mob stood on the marble path staring at them, judging them, and obviously still unsure about both of them.

Anya’s slippery and muddy hands trembled beneath his. He pulled her closer and when no one said anything, he spoke.

“Who’s up for a game of mud shoes?”

There was an exchange between the family, but Izzy dived right in, kicking her sandals off and digging her feet into the sand.

“I’m in,” she said excitedly. “We haven’t done this in forever.” She pulled Emma’s arm with her.

“Alright, me too.” Unbalanced from Izzy’s persistence, Emma kicked her shoes off and the two girls went searching for the horseshoes.

“I think we will watch,” Eliza said, glancing around for a chair to pull up.

Carl was pulling off his shoes and socks. He rolled up his pant legs. “I’m game,” he said.

“Can we play too?” was voiced from Sophia, Parker and Rosemary.

Marc glanced around, unsure, but Kate was in high gear slipping out of her shoes and helping Rosemary with hers.

When Eliza gave the Okay for Parker and Sophia, they jumped up and hollered, joining the crowd in the sand.

It was suddenly a family event.

Quinn wiped his hands on the back of his suit where there was no mud and took Anya’s hands with him. She laughed as he wrapped her arms around him and wiped the excess off.

Anya wiped away some of the mud from his face, smearing it on his jacket. When she finished, she smiled at him.

“Thank you Quinn.” She reached up and kissed his cheek before taking off with her loud family.

The men’s suit jackets and the women’s shawls were thrown over to Eliza who had found a chair by the edge of the fence.

Quinn watched the action and joined in with the rowdy crowd recapping “mud shoes” rules, making new rules for the safety of the little ones and trying to intimidate each other.

He was enjoying their excitement, but he couldn’t help wonder where Eliza and Carl had come from. Had they all just had a meal together and not invited Anya? If that was the case, was it because there was discussion going on behind Anya’s back? Suspicions about her return? Or quite possibly they had the files and knew exactly why she was back.

His gut told him that Eliza and Carl hadn’t cancelled their supper because of a prior engagement.