The Bad Boys of Eden (47 page)

CHAPTER 2

The last forty-eight hours had been a whirlwind and by the time Kylie had a moment to even sit back and think about what it was she was doing, she was on a tiny prop plane flying over the Atlantic Ocean with a woman, who’d introduced herself as Joely and couldn’t have been much older than herself, at the controls. From the moment she’d made the decision to accept the invitation, everything had been on fast-forward. She’d dug out some of her summer dresses and shorts from the back of the closet, tossed them in a suitcase, grabbed her passport and convinced Sam to drive her to the airport all in record time to make the flight. Whoever had sent the invitation certainly hadn’t given her much time to make her decision. Which was even more evidence that it had to have been Marcus reaching out. He had always been spontaneous, wild, and making rash decisions.

Kylie had slept almost the entire flight to Florida, so she was wide awake, which may or may not have been a good thing because there wasn’t much to look at out the window of the small plane, and as the only passenger, there was no one to talk to. Not that she necessarily would have struck up a conversation with a random stranger about why she was headed to a tiny island to meet her ex for…what? A wild week of passion and reconciliation? That was a stretch, even for her. Not that she wasn’t open to the possibility, but Marcus was going to have a whole lot of explaining to do before she would take him back. But she would take him back. She knew that without a doubt.

If it’s him waiting for you,
that annoying voice in the back of her mind, a voice that sounded strangely like Archer, reminded her.

“Excuse me?” Kylie leaned forward in her seat and stretched so she could speak to the pilot better. “Joely?”

The woman turned around; her chestnut ponytail swung behind her. “How can I help you? Everything okay back there? You don’t need anything, do you? Like a bathroom? I can’t help you with a bathroom; you’ll have to wait. It’s part of the charm with a puddle jumper like this one, but it won’t be too much longer if you can hold it. If not, I have a—”

“No,” Kylie said quickly. “I’m good. I don’t need a bathroom. I was just wondering, have you…I mean, has there been anyone else out to the island today?”

Joely smiled. A knowing look crossed her face. “You’re meeting someone over there, huh?”

“Yes. Well, I assume so.” Without thinking, Kylie pulled the invitation out of her purse. “I got this and…”

“You don’t know who sent it.” It wasn’t a question and by the look on Joely’s face, it wasn’t the first time she’d run into the scenario.

Kylie shook her head slowly and tried to ignore the creeping sense of unease away. “No. But I think I know who it is. You haven’t brought anyone else out here lately, have you? Like a tall, well-built guy? He has dark hair and it’s kind of…” She trailed off when she realized that she really had no idea how Marcus was wearing his hair lately. “Well, he’s gorgeous.”

Joely laughed. The sound filled the small space. “I bring gorgeous men out here all the time. Trust me.” She winked. “There is no shortage of eye candy in my job.” Of course she did. Kylie immediately felt stupid, but before she could dwell on it, Joely added, “Don’t worry about it. We’ll be there soon enough and the island will reveal everything.”

What did that mean? It would reveal everything? She didn’t have a chance to ask because Joely kept talking. “The Master takes care of everything and the island knows what you need.”

“The Master?”

“Mr. V. He’s the Master of the island. You probably won’t meet him but know that he’s there and he’s looking after everything you need. Maybe not directly, but Mr. V. has his ways, and if you stay open to it, your visit to the island of Eden will be the most memorable week of your life.”

Kylie let the other woman’s words roll around her head for a second.
Stay open.
She could do that. Couldn’t she?

“But, how do I—”

“Trust and let go,” Joely interrupted. “Stop overthinking everything and just let yourself experience it. I can’t even explain it to you, but Eden is special. You received your invitation for a reason. Enjoy it.”

Kylie took a deep breath. Yes. This woman, whoever she was, was right. She needed to stop overthinking it. Whatever happened with Marcus, she was going to a tropical island, and she was determined to enjoy it. Just as soon as she calmed the butterflies having a party in her stomach. The bouncing of the small plane didn’t help her nerves one bit. And when they suddenly turned, and dropped, Kylie felt the movement deep in her guts.

“I hope you’re ready.” Joely turned back to the instruments. “Because we’re starting our descent. If you look out your window, you can see the island.”

She sat back in her seat and turned to the window. Where there had only been blue sky and even bluer seas a moment ago, there was an island. Kylie drew in a sharp breath when she saw the castle. It was huge and more like something she would expect to see in the isles of Ireland then on a tropical island. Palm trees and beautiful sand beaches surrounded the huge rock structure.
As white as the snow
, she thought. A smile crossed her face and her heart beat faster as the plane circled once more before it began its final descent.

“Ready or not,” Joely called from her place behind the controls, “Eden is ready for you.”

* * *

Joely pulled the float plane up to a long wooden dock where two attendants quickly tied it up and opened the door. Kylie took the hand of one of the well-dressed, and particularly good-looking, attendants who greeted her. “Welcome to Eden,” he said with a slow, sexy smile. “Everything you desire awaits you here.”

Not for the first time, Kylie wondered what the hell that meant. What she desired was a warm holiday with the only man she’d ever loved. The man who’d obviously finally come to his senses and was set to make it up to her. She couldn’t wait to see him, pull him into her arms and—

“Remember,” Joely called from her seat in the plane and interrupted her thoughts. “Stay open, Kylie. And everything you need will come to you.”

She nodded as if she knew what the other woman was talking about and turned to the young man who’d picked up her bag. “I’m ready.” It was an understatement. Beyond an understatement. Kylie was more than ready and even though her entire body vibrated with nervous energy at the unknown, she couldn’t stand one more minute not seeing
him
. She’d waited too long.

“Of course, Ms. Wilson.” How did he know her name? Of course, if it was an invitation-only resort, there couldn’t be too many people coming and going. Still, it was kind of cool that they knew who she was. She’d never before had such treatment, and the only exposure she’d really had to a posh resort was the Springs, back at home. It was pretty exclusive, but this—this was taking things up another notch.

“My name is Brad and this is Rick.” The attendant nodded his head. “We’ve been expecting you, Ms. Wilson. Your registration has already been taken care of, so I’ll take you right to your villa. Unless, of course, you’d like to see the main castle first?”

Villa? Castle? Kylie’s head spun, but she focused on one thing. The sender of the invitation. Above all else, that’s who she needed to see. “No,” she said with certainty. “I think I’d like to go directly to my villa.”

“As you wish.”

The water beneath the dock they walked on was bluer than any Kylie had ever seen. Every once in a while she could see schools of brightly colored fish dart through the pillars and she even caught sight of a stingray lazily making its way through the water. She’d never before experienced such vibrant sea life. Or any sea life, unless you counted the starfish she’d played with in the tide pools off the coast of Vancouver during a family trip when she was a child. And she didn’t.

“It’s amazing,” she breathed, hardly aware she’d spoken aloud.

“The island is indeed amazing.”

She turned and caught the smile of the other uniformed attendant, Rick, who walked behind her. She didn’t even realize he was there until he’d spoken. He didn’t invite further conversation, so Kylie continued walking. Her sundress floated around her bare legs; the warm air washed over her skin. A far cry from the Canadian mountains, she welcomed the heat and even the humidity, which she was sure would cause her dark hair to explode in a wavy mass. Not that she cared. In fact, it might be kind of nice to let herself go for a few days and embrace a beachy style. The farther down the dock they got, and closer to the shore, the more relaxed Kylie became.

She could feel the tension and anxiety of the last few days melt away as she approached the beach. The underlying excitement was still there—her body still felt as if it vibrated—but it had morphed into almost a sensual energy. By the time they stepped from the dock onto the island itself, Kylie felt completely different. She was ready. If pressed, she’d never be able to explain it, but there was a definite shift in her, almost a letting go, and she was ready to experience the island with an open mind.

The men helped her into a waiting golf cart. To her surprise, they drove away from the castle and she felt a twinge of disappointment. Despite its imposing presence, she was curious about the structure. It seemed so out of place on a tropical island, but the juxtaposition seemed to work and her curiosity grew.

Kylie leaned forward so the men in front of her could hear her over the wind. “What’s in the castle?”

The driver kept his eyes on the path, and it was his partner, Brad, who turned around with a smile. “What would you like there to be in the castle?”

“What?” The man had a sexy, secretive smile that sent Kylie’s imagination into overdrive.

But before she could let her mind get too carried away, he spoke again. “Main reception is there, of course, as well as the spa.”

“That’s it? It’s huge.” The cart wound its way along the path, but instead of fading into the distance, more of the castle was revealed. It was larger than Kylie originally thought, if that was even possible.

“There are some guest rooms and a wing of staff quarters as well.” Brad winked. “Other than that…the castle is anything you want it to be.”

There it was again: the mystery. At the moment, all Kylie wanted the castle to be was a place she could see Marcus, or get some answers about why she was there. “If the guest rooms are there, why are we driving away from it?”

“Your host has reserved a beach cabana for you on the east beach. I think you’ll find it to your liking.”

Of course she would. She sat back in wonder, took in everything around her, and let her senses fill with the scent of jasmine, hibiscus, ginger, and other sweet-smelling tropical flowers she couldn’t identify. The air was thick with the scent of them and she was sure she’d never tire of the smell. Kylie was a mountain girl through and through; at least, that’s what she’d thought before she saw the beach. Things were changing faster than she could imagine, and she still hadn’t seen her mystery host.

After a moment, the golf cart left the open air, and traveled through a thicket of dense rain forest. The air was cooler in the trees, and Kylie wrapped her arms around her midsection, not so much to ward off the cool air but more to still her body from the nervous vibrations that had started within her. The closer they got to their destination, the more nervous energy she had. Instead of focusing on what and who she was going toward, Kylie closed her eyes and took in the sound of the island birds in the trees overhead. She focused on her hair blowing out behind her and the fresh air on her face.

When she felt the heat of the sun on her face once more, she opened her eyes. The castle was no longer in view. In fact, the landscape was completely different. To her left was thick rain forest and she could hear a stream burbled in the plants somewhere. She looked ahead and saw a waterfall, just set back from the road. It was beautiful, and she decided she’d be back to explore it.

The wide open ocean, an expanse of never-ending blue, was to her right. And on the beach, nestled in a thicket of palm trees, was the cabana. The cart pulled up outside the house. Kylie accepted the driver’s hand and made her way up the pebbled walk to the front door, as if an invisible thread pulled her forward.

Her “host” was inside. She put her hand on the door handle, turned and pushed it open before she stepped inside.

* * *

The room was empty.

Disappointment filled her. She’d been so sure Marcus would be waiting for her inside, she gave her beautiful surroundings only a cursory glance.

The attendants brought her suitcase in, and opened the glass wall that faced the beach. The doors slid back to allow the outdoors to become part of the cabana. The white curtains floated on the ocean breeze. Kylie fought back tears and stared out at the water. She hadn’t realized how much she’d anticipated the reunion and the flood of emotions surprised her. She wasn’t the type of woman who cried easily.

“Ms. Wilson. Your host has left you a note.”

She snapped out of her daze and turned to see where the man pointed. With a nod, she walked toward a table where a vase of flowers sat, an envelope tucked underneath.

“Thank you,” she said, but the men were already gone. She was alone.

Kylie picked up the envelope. It was heavy, like the invitation. Carefully, she lifted the flap, exposed the same gold paper and she slid the paper out and read the words slowly.