MYPERFECTMISTAKE

PARADISEISLAND#1

KENDRALITTLE

CONTENTS

AboutMyPerfectMistake
Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3
Chapter4
Chapter5
Chapter6
Chapter7
Chapter8
Chapter9
Chapter10
Chapter11
Chapter12
ExcerptofTHEBILLIONAIREBOYFRIENDTRAP
BooksByKendra
AbouttheAuthor

Allrightsreserved.

Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyanyelectronicormechanicalmeans,including
informationstorageandretrievalsystems,withoutwrittenpermissionfromtheauthor,exceptfortheuseofbrief
quotationsinabookreview.

CreatedwithVellum

AboutMyPerfectMistake

Kasey Mannering vowed never to sleep with her boss again. She did it once and it
ruinedhercareer.Butnowshe'sgotherlifebacktogetherwithanewjobandanew
homeonParadiseIsland.Paradiseisperfectwithitssunnydays,friendlylocalsandthe
sexy Walker brothers - all except her new boss, the eldest brother. No way is she in
danger of making the same mistake again and falling for the moody and frustrating
Jacob Walker. But she's very much in danger of falling in love with island life and
Jacob'squirky,boisterousandlovingfamily.

YettheWalkersareafamilydivided.AsKaseyscratchesthesurface,sheuncoversa

tragicpastshroudedinmysteryandafamilyindangeroffallingapart.Healingthem
meanshealingJacob,themanwhoturnsouttobesomuchmorethanhefirstseems.
Will Kasey risk making the same mistake and falling for her boss again, or will she
leavetheWalkersandParadiseIslandtokeepherheartsafe?

Filledwithhumor,heartandlove,MYPERFECTMISTAKEwillleaveyouwantingto

movetoParadiseIsland.

aradisewasn'teverythingthebrochuresmadeitouttobe.Ihadn'tevenarrivedand

IalreadywishedIcouldflyhometotheStateswheremycellphoneworkedandretail
therapybeckonedfromeverycorner.

Thenagain,itwasn'tlikemycellhadbeenringingoffthehooksincequittingmyjob

and breaking up with my lover who also happened to be my boss, and maybe it was
timetocurbmyspendinghabitsanywa.Accordingtothebrochureonmylap,Paradise
Island was more of a foodie's heaven. It had a bar, known as a pub in the local
Austalianslang,eightrestaurants,twocafes,anicecreamparlor,andagrocerystore.
The grocery store better sell wine, otherwise I'd get on the next flight back to the
mainland. Hardly any clothing stores—just the one—limited cell service and no wine
didnotaparadisemake.Notinmybook.

"Thisislandisstuckinthelastcentury,"Isaidtothemanstandingbehindmeinthe

queuetoboardtheflight,iftwopeoplecanbeconsideredaqueue."Wemighthaveto
useourfeettomovethecars,Flintstonesstyle."Ichuckledatmydumbjoke.

Hedidn'tevenlookupfromhisphone,givingmeaviewofthetopofhishead.It

wasanicehead,allglossydarkhair,andattachedtoatallbodywithbroadshoulders,
butitwasdifficulttogaugehisphysiquewithhissuiton.Heworeajacket,tieandcrisp
whiteshirtwithpolishedblackshoes.Whoworeasuitonatropicalisland,especially
onahotday?Andwhowentalone?Abusinessman,maybe,travelingtotheislandto
conductbusinesswiththeisland'sownerswholivedthere.

My new employers, as it happened. New employers, new home, new life…so far

removed from my old one. I blew out a breath. I could do this. No regrets, Kasey
Mannering.Bebraveandgiveitashot.

"There are electric buggies," he said without looking up from his cell. "And the

Flintstoneslivedinancienttimes,notlastcentury."

Oh-kay.Ahumorlessbusinessmanwithapenchantforhistoricalaccuracy.Iturned

away,leavinghimtohisscrolling,justasamandressedinapilot'suniformsweptpast
andpushedopentheglassdoorthatledtothetarmacofthesmallregionalairport.

"Sorryforthedelay,"hesaidoverhisshouldertous."Youbothready?"
"Aboutbloodytime,"thebusinessmanbehindmemuttered.
"I heard that," the pilot said cheerfully. He smiled and winked at me and I smiled

back.Hewashandsome,butnotinanovertway,withlovelyeyesthesamecolorasthe
northernAustraliansky."Don'tmindhim,he'salwaysgrumpy."

Thebusinessmansighed.Ihalfexpectedhimtopushpastmeinimpatience,buthe

waitedhisturnasthepilotcheckedmyticketagainsthislist.Itwasaveryshortlist.A
smallfrownconnectedhisbrowsandheglancedup.

"Haveyoutwomet?"heasked,noddingatthemanbehindme.
"No,"Isaidatthesametimethebusinessmanasked,"Why?"

Thepilothandedbackmyticket."Noreason."Hegrinnedandindicatedweshould

followhimoutthedoor.Hedidn'tasktoseetheotherman'sticket.

The heat blasted me as we left the air conditioned airport lounge behind. It was a

Florida kind of heat, the sort that melts your eyeballs and makes you damp in
uncomfortable places. The Australian tropics were no place for a New York girl with
uncontrollablehairatthebestoftimes.AtleastI'ddressedthepartinapeachcolored
summer dress, unlike Suit, now striding across the tarmac to the small plane with
PARADISEISLANDsprawledacrossitinaquawriting.

"This your first time to Australia, Kasey?" the pilot asked, shortening his steps to

keeppacewithme.

Inodded."FirsttimetoAustralia,firsttimeonanisland,firsttimeonaplanethat

lookslikeitbelongsinsomekid'stoychest."

Helaughed."It'llbefine.Theweather'sgoodtoday,hardlyabreathofwind,andI've

flownthatthinghundredsoftimes."

I didn't tell him that his declaration surprised me. He only looked about my age,

twenty-six.Ididn'twanttooffendhim.

Hethrustouthishand."CampbellWalker.EveryonecallsmeCam."
Istopped."Walker?"
Hestoppedtooandshrugged."Yes,I'moneoftheWalkers.Don'tholditagainstme."
Ilaughed,butitwasmorenervousgiggle."Sorry,"Isaid,continuingontotheplane

wherethesuitwaited,gazeonceagainloweredtolookathisphone."Iwasn'texpecting
mypilottobemynewboss."

"I'mnotyournewboss.I'mthebrotherofyournewboss."Heglancedattheplane.

"Your boss is the oldest of the five of us. He's also the grumpiest, has the quickest
temperandzerocharm.Goodluck,Kasey,becauseyou'regoingtoneedit."

Great.JustwhatIneeded,anassholeofaboss.Actually,thatwaspreciselywhatI

needed.Therewasnochanceoffallingforanassholeboss.Nochanceofendingupin
his bed after a work function, and no chance of him dumping me three weeks later
becauseIwasn'twhathewaslookingfor,andnochanceofquittingmyjobbecauseI
couldn'tworkformyex.Yep,anassholeofabosswasjustwhatIneeded.

"Hey,Jacko,thisisKasey,"Camsaidaswereachedtheplane.
Thesuitlookedupandmybreathleftmeinarush.Hewashandsomeinastiff,CEO

kindofway.Thedarkhairframedthedefinedanglesofhisface,withitschiseledjaw
andsharpcheeks.Andthoseeyes!Cam'smightbethecolorofthesky,butJacko'swere
the blue of the ocean I'd flown over on my way to mainland Queensland. The thick
blacklashesonlymadethemstandoutmore.Agirlcouldgetlostinthoseeyes—ifhe
everletherpeerintothemlongenough.Hegavemeaquickonceoverthennoddeda
greeting.

"Nicetomeetyou,"hesaid.ToCamheasked,"Howlongbeforetakeoff?"
CamlookedtoJacko,tome,thentoJackoagain.Herolledhiseyes."Justassoonas

we'recleared."Heopenedtheplanedoorandheldouthishandtoassistmeup.

"Myluggage?"Iasked.
"Alreadyonboard.We'renotsomeMickeyMouseoperationhere,Kase."
"Wouldn'tknowit,"Jackomuttered,climbinginafterme.
Theplanecouldonlyholdeight,includingthepilotandco-pilot,butwithonlytwo

passengers,itfeltvast.Jackoignoredmeandsatnearthefront.Oncewewereinthe
air, he pocketed his phone and read some paperwork instead. So much for idle
conversationtopassthetime.Itwasgoingtobeaquiethalf-hourflight.

Igazedoutthewindow,unabletolookawayfromthecrystalclearwaterandthe

tinydottedislandsupanddownthecoast.Thebrochuresdidn'tdothecolorsjustice.
Light blue to dark and every shade in between was represented, broken only by the
lushgreenvegetationoftheislandsandcurvedwhitebeaches.Somewheredownthere
wastheGreatBarrierReefandmynewhome.

Okay,soitreallywasparadise.Icouldgetusedtoworkingandlivinghere,despite

myassholeofaboss.

"Thisisbeautiful,"Isaid.
Jackodidn'thearmeoverthedroneoftheengines.Hewasn'tinterestedintheview

atall.Maybehe'dseenitdozensoftimes.I'dnevergettiredofsuchaview,nomatter
howmanytimesIsawit.

Iftheairportonthemainlandhadbeensmall,theairportontheislandwastiny.It

consisted of a single runway built out over the water. I'd seen barns larger than the
terminal building, and we had to carry our own luggage from the plane. To my
surprise,Jackocarriedmybagformesincehehadnoneofhisown.He'dalmostnot
offered,butseeingmestrugglewithit,he'dtakenitoffme.Notasked,justtaken.IfI
weren'tsogratefulforhishelp,Iwouldhavetoldhimtobackoff.

"Thanks,"Isaidashedepositedthebagintheterminal.Therewereonlytwoother

peoplearound,bothofwhomgreetedhim."Canyoutellmewherethebusstopis?"

"Just outside," he said, checking his watch. "It leaves every half hour but you just

missed it. If you're staying for a while, you should hire a cart. Talk to Karen." He
nodded at the woman behind the counter wearing a t-shirt with the Paradise Island
logoofpalmtreeandbeachembroideredonthepocket."She'llhelpyouout."

Karenhadbeensittingonherchairbehindthecounter,hershouldersslumped,but

whenshenoticedJackoandIlookingather,shestraightenedandturnedonabright
smile.Shewiggledherfingersinawaveatus.Jackonodded.Iwavedback.

"Thanks,"IsaidtoJacko."So,you'rehereforbusinessorpleasure?"
"I live here." He fished keys out of his pocket, his gaze on the glass exit doors. So

muchforsmalltalk.Themanwasn'taschilledasIexpectedanAussieislandertobe.I
expectedsomeonelikeCam,withhiseasy-goingsmilesandbroaddrawl.Jackolooked
like he never enjoyed downtime on one of the many beacheswe'd flown over. I
couldn'timaginehimrelaxing,althoughIwouldn'tmindseeinghimdressedinnothing
but bathing shorts. Or just nothing. I had a feeling a nice chest and shoulders hid
beneaththatsuit.

"Youlivehere?"Isaid."That'ssocool."Ugh.Isoundedlikeanidiot.
Henarrowedhiseyes."Right."
"Thanksforcarryingmyluggageforme."
"Noproblem."Helookedpastmetowardthedooragain."Ihavetogo."
"MaybeI'llseeyouround."
"Idoubtit.It'sabigislandandI'mbusy."
Oh-kay. He made to head off, just as I asked another question, delaying him. "Do

youworkontheislandtoo?"

Onecornerofhismouthliftedinasmirk."Yes."
"Itmustgethotworkingheredressedlikethat."
HeloosenedhistieasifI'djustremindedhimheworeit."Ihadameetingonthe

mainland." He cleared his throat and looked like he wanted to get away. He mustn't
work front-of-house in one of the hotels or activity centers on the island with that
impatient attitude. If he did, I'd have to take note and give him a warning to up his
game.Ifthere'sonethingAmericansdidwell,itwasservicewithasmile.Sofar,allthe
AussiesI'dmetattheairportshadbeenfriendly,butthisguy…well,thisguyjustsucked
atcustomerservice.

"Enjoyyourstay,"hemutteredasheheadedoff.Itsoundedlikesomethinghesaida

hundredtimesaday,andhatedeverytimehesaidit.

"Niceattitude,"Imutteredback.
He stopped. Rounded on me. Those hard planes of his face got even harder. "Did

yousaysomething?"

I swallowed. Confrontation wasn't my strong suit. I preferred sarcasm spoken so

quietly that no one heard it, especially not the intended recipient. Head up, Kasey.
You'reJacko'sboss'sassistantandheneededtoknowthathewasalwaysrepresenting
the family company when he was on the island. "Um, it's just that I'm going to be
working here as the new assistant to Mr. Walker and I wouldn't want you to come
under fire for not treating a potential guest on the island the way a guest should be
treated.NotthatI'maguest.I'mstaff,butyoudidn'tknowthat."

He turned and faced me fully, again giving me a once-over, but this time as if he

actuallysawme.Iexpectedhimtolaughoffhismistaketotryandgetmeonhisside,
buthesimplyflattenedhislipsandblewoutabreaththroughhisnoselikeabullabout
tocharge.

"You'reKaseyFielding,"hesaid.
Mylipspartedinagasp."Howdoyouknow?"
Hethrusthisnewspaperunderhisarmandpluckedmysuitcaseoffthefloor."Come

withme."

"Hey!" I trotted after him. "What are you doing? Where are you going?" I glanced

backatKarenbutshesimplysmiledandwavedagain.Shedidn'tlookconcernedthat
myluggagehadbeentakenhostage.

"Mybuggy'soutside.I'lltakeyoutoyourplace."Heshovedthedooropenandonce

again, the heat nearly knocked me off my feet. Jacko simply strode ahead to four
parkedgolfcarts."Whydidn'tyoutellmewhoyouwerebackonthemainland?"

"Idid."
"No,"hegroundout,"youdidn't."
Hadn'tI?"Okay,well,nowyouknow.ActuallyhowdoyouknowwhoIam?Doyou

workfortheWalkerstoo?"

He wedged my large suitcase into the small backseat of the open-sided golf cart—

buggy."IamaWalker."

"Youare?Whichone?"ButasIsaidit,Ifigureditout.Jacko.Jacob.HewasJacob

Walker,theeldestbrother.Mynewboss.Crap.

hy didn't Cam say something?" I said, more to myself than Jacob. Jacko.

Whatever.Ihuggedmypursetomychestandtuckedmyfeetinsidethecart.

Jacob turned the key and the cart engine hummed quietly. "Because that's Cam,

alwayshavingalaughateveryoneelse'sexpense."

"Havingalaughorjusthavingsomefun?"
Istudiedhisprofileasheconcentratedontheroadahead.Itwassoforbidding,so

serious,thatIswallowedheavily.Thismanwasmynewboss.Theclosesthe'dcometo
asmilesofarwasasmirk.He'dhardlyevenspokentohisownbrother,andhadn'tso
much as welcomed me. He looked like he wanted to get to where he was going fast,
withminimumfussandaslittletalkaspossible.Ibethewasahardcasetoworkfor.I
doubtedthereweremanyofficepartiesorafterworkdrinks,andIbethenevermixed
businesswithpleasure.Thatmadehimpolaroppositetomylastboss,andIcouldn'tbe
happier.TherewasnowayI'dfallforJacobWalker.

Suddenly it all seemed kind of ridiculous. The sun shone and the air smelled of

tropicalflowers,butthemanbesidemelookedlikeheshouldbeonthestockexchange
floor.Iwassurroundedbybrightcolorsandwarmth,andJacobwasallbroodingblack
clouds and cold shoulders. Not only that, but he drove a vehicle that moved slower
thanmygrandmother'smobilityscooterwithafiercelydeterminedexpressiononhis
face.Icouldn'thelpthegigglethatescaped.

Heglancedsidewaysatme."Somethingfunny?"
"No.Nope.Nothing."
"You'relaughing.Atme?"
"Iwouldn'tdare."
Hegrunted."NowonderyougotalongwellwithCam."
"Heseemslikeaniceguy."
Jacobremainedquiet.Hedidn'tthinkhisbrotherwasaniceguy?
"I'msorryaboutbefore,"Isaid.
"Whichbit?"
Ihadmorethanonethingtoapologizefor?Already?Sheesh,I'dhardlyknownhim

fiveminutes."Forsortofthreateningtohaveyoufiredfornotbeingfriendlyenoughto
theguests."

Thedriverofapassingcartliftedafingerandsaid,"Walker."
Jacobliftedafingeroffthesteeringwheelandnoddedback."Tucker."
IguessedthatpassedasafriendlygreetinghereonParadiseIsland.Ormaybethat

wasjustJacob'swaywitheveryone.

"Youwererighttotickmeoff,"Jacobsaid,takingmebysurprise."Iexpectallthe

staff on the island to be friendly to guests. If not, our reputation suffers. Keep it up,
Kasey.You'reofftoagoodstart."

Clearlyhedidn'tconsiderhimself'staff'orhe'dhavebeenfriendlier.Probablywise

not to mention that on my first day. Actually, it wasn't my first day yet. I started
tomorrow. I'd been employed as Jacob's personal assistant. As head of the Walker
family, he ran the business—the business being the island. He and his four brothers
owned the entire island, and every building on it. They leased the hotels, apartment
buildings,stores,andeverythingelseontheislandtobusinesses,buteachbusinesshad
toabidebythefamily'srules.I'dgatheredthatmuchfromtheinformationgiventome
bytheemploymentagency.Jacob'sparentsboughttheislandthirtyyearsagoandbuilt
it into the tourism empire it was today. Then five years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Walker
disappeared while out in their boat. The boat had been found adrift, and the police
declaredthemdrownedafterathoroughsearch.Notraceofthemhadbeenfound,but
apparentlythey'dbeenheardarguingbeforeleavingtheislandandMrs.Walker'sblood
hadbeendiscoveredontheboatbutnoneoftheirpersonalbelongingshadbeentaken,
including the wallet full of money. None of that had been in the agency brief. I'd
learned it all on the internet, along with the speculation surrounding the
disappearances.Onerumorevensuggestedthebrotherskilledtheirparentstoinherit
thevastfortuneandbusinessempire.

I looked sideways at Jacob and swallowed heavily. There couldn't have been

anythingtotherumorsorthepolicewouldhavedonesomethingaboutitatthetime.

The street we drove on—if the narrow stretch of bitumen could be called that—

crossedanotherone.Itwasaveritablehighwaywithtwobuggiesmotoringalongitata
snail'space.Ahandfulofpedestriansmadeuseofthefootpathrunningalongsidethe
road.Palmsandothertropicaltreesandbushes,somewithbrightredtrumpetflowers
drippingoffthem,hidwhatlookedtobecabins.

"This is the better part of the island, but not the best," Jacob said. "It's more for

coupleswantingaquietretreatwithoutkids.It'snotthemostexclusiveorexpensive
area."Hepointedtoourrightaswecrossedtheintersection."Downtherearethetwo
mainhotels."Justashesaidit,Ispottedthehighrisesstretchinguptothesky.Behind
them loomed the largest of the island's two hills. "To the left is the marina, the yacht
club and the village. Any supplies can be bought down there, and that's where you'll
find most of the shops and restaurants, although there are a few more up near the
hotels."

"Andwherearewegoing?"Iaskedasthecartheadedstraightahead,upwhatmust

betheisland'ssecond,muchsmallerhill,ifthemapI'dmemorizedwascorrect.

"Thishalftheislandisforhousesandafewapartments.They'remostlylivedinby

permanentresidents,butsomearerentedouttoholidaymakers.Beyondthose,atthe
tipoftheisland,istheexclusiveresortforthesuperrich."

We passed tourists walking alongside the road, dressed in loud shirts and sarongs,

somewithchildrenintow.Theyalllookedhappy,theirhairdampfromthepoolorsea.
Asmallboycroucheddowntoinspectalizardthesizeofhisarmamblingacrossthe
path.Ismiledandlookedaround.Thewindwhippedmybrownhairintomymouth.I
draggeditawaybutfewstrandsstucktomylipgloss.

"Thisplaceisabsolutelybreathtaking,"Isaid."Youmustlovelivinghere."
He said nothing as we passed a small wedding chapel on the right and a

kindergartenontheleft.Drivewaysledtosecludedproperties,butitwasimpossibleto

seemuchmorethanroofs.Thensuddenlythetreesthinnedandtherewerenomore
houses,justtheviewfromthetopofthehill.

And what a view! The long, crescent beach to the right looked so inviting. Small

sailboats launched from the beach and paddle boarders took advantage of the calm
conditions. The sea stretched to the horizon, skirting neighboring islands. Sunlight
glintedoffthewaterlikediamondsandbrightenedthewhitesailsofayachtrounding
thenorthernendoftheisland.Trulyamazing.

"Canwestophereforaphoto?"Isaid,pullingmyphoneoutofmybag.
"Notnow,"Jacobsaid,eyesontheroad.
Isnappedaphotoanywaybutitcameoutblurred."Damn."
"Youcanwalkbackupherefromyourplace."
"Oh,okay."
"Thetouristsliketowatchthesungodown,"hesaid."Sunsetprovidessomegood

shots."

"Justthetourists?Youdon'tliketowatchthesungodownfromhere?"
Hehesitatedthensaid,"No."
Right.Notaromanticthen.Ishouldhaveguessed.
We drove a short way down the other side of the hill before Jacob turned into a

driveway.Asinglelevelbuildingemergedthroughthesweetsmellingtrees.Itwasall
woodandstoneandquitelong.

"Thisiswhereyou'llbestaying,"hesaid,stoppingnearthegarage."Untilyoufind

somethingmorepermanent."

"HowlongdoIhavetofindaplace?"
Hemerelyshrugged,asifthatwasadetailhecouldn'tbebotheredwith.Helifted

my case out of the back seat and carried it to the door. That's when I noticed the
buildingwasdividedintothreedwellings,eachwithaseparategarage.Heopenedthe
doortotheendone—itwasn'tlocked—justasthedoortothecentraloneopened.

Awomanofaboutsixtydressedinalongflowingbohemiandressandapinkhead

scarf waved. The deeply tanned flesh under her arm wobbled. "Yoohoo! Jacko, who
haveyougotthere?"

"Christ,"Jacobmuttered."Getinside,Kasey."Heusedhissuperiorphysicalpresence

tohustlemethroughthedoor."Justmynewassistant,AuntEm,"hecalledout.

"Oh,lovely!I'llbringbiscuits,justbakedfreshthisafternoon."
"Ithinkshewantstobeleftalonefornow.Jetlag."Heshutthedoorsowecouldn't

hearheranswer."You'llthankmeforthatoneday."

"I'm not so sure about that. Freshly baked cookies—biscuits—would be nice right

now.Iwon'thavetimetogetgroceriesbeforethestorecloses."

He pointed to a box on the kitchen bench. "Milk, cheese, cold meats and other

perishablesareinthefridge.ItoldTonytosendupafewbasics.Youcangointothe
villageduringyourlunchbreaktomorrowandgetmore."

"Tonyrunsthesupermarket?"
"Yougotit."
HeheadedthroughadoorwhileIsurveyedmynewapartment.Itwasn'tbig,butit

wasstunning,fromthegraystonebenchestothepolishedfloorboardsandcomfortable
modern furniture in the living room. The sleek kitchen was fitted out to a high spec.

Theglassdoorsledouttoadeckthataffordedaviewoftheislandsurroundssimilarto
theoneatthetopofthehill.Icouldn'tseeanotherbuilding,althoughtheremayhave
beenonebeyondthetreesdowntheslope.

"Yoohoo!"Jacob'sAuntEmpeeredaroundthewallseparatingmydeckfromhers.

She smiled, her teeth blazingly white against her leathery skin. "Hello, Neighbor. My
name'sEmma,butyoucancallmeEm."ShereachedoutherhandandIshookit.

"Kasey,"Isaid,smiling."MostpeoplecallmeKase.You'reJacobandCam'saunt?"
"Iam.You'vemetCam?"
"Heflewmehere."
"Suchalovelyboy,andsodashing.He'savailable,youknow."
"Pardon?"Ispluttered.
"He'ssingle,andquiteacatch."
"I imagine he is." Most girls would jump at the chance to date one of the Walker

men.Asequalstakeholdersintheisland,theywereallbillionaires.

EmleanedaroundthewallsofarthatIworriedshe'dfalloffthedeck.Shethrusta

plateatme."Butterbiscuit?"

"Thankyou,that'sverykind."Ibitintooneanditjustaboutmeltedinmymouth.

"Thisisdelicious!"

Shegrinned,butitfadedashergazeslidtoapointpastmyshoulder."Shelooked

hungry."

"Youshouldhavegivenhersometimetosettlein,"Jacobsaidonasigh.
Em'ssmilereturnedwithavengeance."Biscuit?"
I thought Jacob would refuse just to prove a point, but he took one. "You know I

can'tresistthese."Hiseyelashesflutteredinblissasheate.IfoundIcouldn'tlookaway
as he devoured the biscuit as if he hadn't eaten all day. For those brief moments, he
shed his hard, cool businessman shell and revealed another side of himself. A softer,
warmerside,thatIhadn'texpected.Maybehewouldn'tbesuchanassafterall.

He licked crumbs off his fingers but left one crumb on his lower lip. "As good as

always,AuntEm."

I expected her to tell him about the crumb but she didn't. She looked at me then

flickedhergazeathimthenbackatme.Hersmilespread.Didshewantmetotellhim?
"Anotherone,Jacko,Kase?"

"Ihavetogo."Evenashesaidit,Jacobtookanotherbiscuitofftheplate."Ifthere's

anythingyouneed,Kasey,youhavemynumber."

"Iwouldn'twanttobotheryou,"Isaid."You'rebusy.Istheresomeoneelse?"
"Myassistantwouldnormallyhandlethisstuff."Hearchedhisbrowsatme."Since

that'syou,Iguessnot."

"Oh.Right."
"Justgivemeashout,"Emsaid."I'lltellyouwherethebestplacestoeatare."
Jacob turned his back to his aunt and mouthed, 'Sorry' to me. I pressed my lips

togethertostopmysmile.Sheseemedreallysweettome."Yourbuggyisinthegarage,
charging. Instructions are on the coffee table. If there's nothing else, I'll see you
tomorrow."

"Um,youhavealittlecrumb…"Ilickedmylowerlip.
Hiseyesturnedsmoky."Huh?"

"A crumb…" I reached out automatically then snatched my hand away. "On your

lip."

Helickeditoff,slowly,histonguecaressedhislip.Didhedoitsexilyonpurpose?Or

washeunawarehowhelookeddoingit?Idecidedonthelatter.Ididn'tevenwantto
considertheformer.

"Youcanreadamap,can'tyou?"heasked.
"Sure."
"There'soneinside.Useittohelpyougettothevillageinthemorning.You'llfind

myofficeabovetheartgallery.Iexpectyouthereatnine,sharp."

"Whattimedoyougetin?"
"Eight."
"ThenI'llbethereateighttoo."
Hefrowned."Why?"
"I'manearlyriserandsincethere'snotraffic,waitinguntilnineseemslikeawaste

oftime."

Heheldmygazeamomentthengaveacurtnod."Seeyouateight."
Irefrainedfromsaluting,eventhoughIfeltlikeit.
IwasabouttofollowhimbackinsidewhenEmwhisperedmyname.Ireturnedto

thewall."Welldone,Kase,"shesaid."Helikesyoualready."

Idoubtedhelikedme,justmyearlymornings."Heseems…nice."WhatelsecouldI

saytohisaunt?

She snorted softly through her nose just as I heard the front door close. "You're

joking,aren'tyou?He'sthecold-heartedone,thebigbrotherwhothinkshehastokeep
thefamilytogether."

"Thatdoesn'tseemsobad.It'snicethathe'sgotabigfamily,andI'msuretheother

brothersappreciatehavinghimlookoutforthem."

Shewrinkledhernose."You'reanonlychild,aren'tyou?"
"Yes.Howdidyouguess?"
"Iknowpeople."
Oh-kay.Igaveheraflatsmile.
She eyed me closely, taking in my summer dress, my simple sandles, and brown

hairinneedofawash.Infact,allofmewasinneedofawash.I'dbeenintransitfor
thirtyhoursandImuststink.Great.Mynewbosshadprobablysmelledmealltheway
here.

"I think you'll be good for Jacko," Em said. "He's been too busy to replace his last

assistant after she moved to Melbourne, and his work piled up. He's always in a bad
moodthesedays.Awomanlikeyoucanwhiphimintoshape."

"I'lldomybest,butit'lltakeafewweekstoreallysettleintothejob."
"Afewweeks?"Herfacefell."Can'tyoutryharder?"
"I'lldomybest."
"Good."Hergazeslidtomylegs."Wearmoreskirtsanddresseslikethisone."
"Pardon?"
"You'vegotnicelegs,shapely.Anddon'tworry,they'llhaveanicetanbytheendof

theweek."Aphoneranginsideherapartment."Ihavetogo.Toodles."

"Um,toodlestoyoutoo.Thanksagainforthebiscuit,"Icalled.

Iwentintomyownapartment,pausingonthethresholdtolookatmylegs.They

were pretty white. What the hell did she mean that I should wear more skirts and
dresseslikethis?Wasshereferringtotheshortlength?Itskimmedmymid-thighs,way
tooshortforwork.Besides,I'dpackedbusinessskirtsandshirtsforwork,alongwith
sensiblepumps,justlikeIworeatmyoldjob.IfJacob'sattirewasanythingtogoby,
thatwouldsuithimtoo.

Iunpackedmybagandsetaremindertochaseuptherestofmyluggageifithadn't

arrivedbytheendoftomorrow.ThenIfilledthebath,addinginsomesalts.Thebath
stood on a raised platform in the bathroom. It overlooked the deck and spectacular
viewbeyond,butcouldalsobeseenifEmpokedherheadaroundthewall.Idecidedto
risk it and leave the blinds open to see the view. Once I was submerged in the bath,
onlymyheadwouldbevisibleanyway.

Thankfully Em didn't disturb me and I got to watch the sea change colors as the

afternoon wore on. My only onlooker was a kookaburra that came to perch on the
deck'srail.Parrotsflitteredpastbutdidn'tstop,theirdeepred,greenandbluefeathers
soeye-catching.Boatsofallshapesandsizesreturnedtotheislandafteraday'souting,
headingaroundtheothersidetothemarina.TheviewwasbetterthanTV.

Ieventuallydraggedmyselfoutofthebathanddriedoff.Theapartmentwasalmost

secluded enough to walk around without clothes on, but this city girl couldn't bring
herself to do so. Instead, I wrapped the towel around my body and checked the
supplies Tony had delivered. Apparently Tony expected me to eat a lot because the
fridge and box were full. Aside from the essentials, he'd packed some exotic cheeses,
eggplantdip,threedifferenttypesofcoldmeats,andallkindsofsaladgreens.

The effects of jetlag and the warm bath conspired against me and I couldn't be

bothered cooking or driving to one of the restaurants. As much as I wanted to check
outthesunsettingontheothersideoftheisland,Icouldn'tbringmyselftoleavethe
apartment.Tomorrownight.Tonight,Ineededtochillout.

Imademyselfasaladandsatonthecouchwithmylaptop.Mycellhadalreadytold

metherewasnoconnection,andalthoughsomeoftheislandhadWiFi,itdidn'treach
my apartment. There was nothing on TV so I pulled out my ereader instead. Ten
minuteslaterIcouldhardlykeepmyeyesopensoIshutthem,justforamoment.

I must have fallen asleep on the couch because when I awoke, the birds were

having a party in the trees and the first rays of the sun peered over the horizon, all
psychedelicorangesandpinks.Dawnhadarrivedinparadise.

ImademyselfacupofcoffeeandwatchedthesunrisehigheroverthewaterasI

called my mother using the apartment's landline. After a jog down to the base of the
hillandawalkbackuptomyapartment,Ishowered,atebreakfastandchangedinto
myworkclothes.Ifoundthekeystothebuggywiththeapartmentkeybesidethemap.
IttookmeafewminutestoworkouthowtodrivethebuggyandthenIdroveuptothe
lookoutanddowntheothersideofthehilltothemainintersection.Therewereafew
joggersoutandsomemotherspushingstrollers,butnotmany.Ihadtheroadtomyself
untilIpassedafewbuggiesleavingthemarina,takeoutcoffeesintheholdersbythe
steeringwheel.Thepeaktourismseasonwasamonthaway,accordingtomyresearch,
butifIwereaguest,I'dwanttocomenowwhenitwasquiet.

Thecafesweretheonlyplacesopenonthemarina'sesplanade,andtheyseemedto

have a brisk trade serving breakfast and takeout coffees. I drove past all the
restaurants, stores, and water sports centers to the end where the iron gates of the
private yacht club blocked the road. I made note of the location of the grocery store,
chemistandbottleshopwhichwouldcertainlybegettingavisitfrommelater.Ifound
Jacob's office easily enough, right above the art gallery. The door was locked but it
wasn'tyeteight,soIwaited.ThesmellofcoffeesoonbecametootemptingsoIheaded
intothecafethreedoorsdownandorderedatakeout.

"American?" the girl taking my order asked. She couldn't have been more than

eighteen, her blonde hair tumbling over her shoulders in beachy waves, her face
tanned.

Inodded."FromNewYork."
Hereyeslitup."Nokidding!I'mdyingtogototheBigApple.SowhatbringsaNew

YorkertoParadiseIsland?Theweather?"

"Work.Today'smyfirstday."
"Yeah?"Sheeyedmybusinessskirtandshirtwithalookofsympathy."I'mguessing

you'renotworkingforanyofthewatersportsactivitiesortheanimalsanctuary.The
yacht club? No, you wouldn't need to come here for coffee, they serve it in their
restaurantallday.Igiveup,where'syournewjob?"

"I'mJacobWalker'sassistant."
Shelookedattheguymakingmycoffeeatthemachine.Theybothscreweduptheir

noses."Oh,"shesaid.

"IstheresomethingwrongwithworkingforJacob?"
"He'skindofhardonhisassistants."
"That'swhyTorileft,"theguysaidoverthenoiseofthemilkfrother."Sheworked

crazy hours trying to keep up with him and burned out. She moved back home to
Melbourne."

Thegirlleanedoverthecounter."Ihearditwassomethingelse.Sure,sheworked

hard,but…"Sheglancedaroundthecafe.

Ileanedcloser.IfshesaidTorihadanaffairwithJacob,Iwasgoingtoscream.No

waydidIwanttoworkforanotherguywhosleptwithhisassistants.Granted,myex,
Brent,didn'texactlyhavepriorformbeforehesleptwithme,butitwouldbestupidto
headstraightintoanotherjobwherethebosshadahistoryofit.

"IheardthatToriandJacobdidn'tgetalongverywell,"thegirlsaid.
Iletoutmybreath."Inwhatway?"
"Shewasabubbly,brightperson,andhe's,well,he's…"Shelookedtoherco-worker

whohandedmemycoffeeinatakeoutcup.

"He'sallworkandnoplay."Hesmiledatme."Toricouldn'thandleit.Shetriedtoget

himtoloosenup,buthejustgotgrumpierandgrumpier.Itdrovehernuts."

Iliftedmycup."Thanksforthetip.Iwon'ttryandchangehim.Actually,agrumpy

bosssuitsmejustfine."

TheybothlookedatmelikeIwasalreadynuts.Ithankedthemandheadedoutof

thecafe.Iheardthegirlsaytotheguy,"Americansaresoweird."

ThedoortotheofficewasunlockedwhenIgotback.Itledtoacarpetedsetofstairs

thatopenedouttoareceptionareadecoratedwithindoorpalms.Noonesatatthedesk
so I headed past it. Behind the reception area was a meeting room, and beyond that

wasakitchenthenalargeopenexpansewithasingledesk,filingcabinets,printerand
otherofficeequipment.

"Hello?"Icalledout.
"Inhere,"cameJacob'sdeepvoicefromanadjoiningroom.
IsetmybagonwhatIexpectedwasmydeskandenteredhisoffice,aspacealmost

aslargeasmyoldapartmentinNewYork.Whereasmyoldboss'sofficewasallsleek
steel,Jacob'sdeskandcupboardsweremadefromarich,warmtimber.Theydidhave
one thing in common—the wall of glass looking out to a spectacular view. In Brent's
case,theviewwasoftheNewYorkskyline.InJacob's,itwastheboatsbobbinginthe
marinaandanendlessbluesky.

"You'relate,"Jacobsaid.
Mygazesnappedtohim."It'stenminutespasteight.Youwantedmehereatnine."
"True,butyousaidyou'dbehereateight."
"Iwas.ThedoorwaslockedsoIgotcoffee."Iheldupmycup."Iwouldhavegotyou

onebutIdidn'tknowhowyoutookit."Itjustoccurredtomethatthegirlinthecafe
mighthaveknown.Ishouldhaveaskedher.

"IhadacoffeebeforeIlefthome."Heopenedhisdeskdrawerandheldoutasetof

keys."Tomorrow,letyourselfinifyouarrivebeforeme."

Nosheepishapology,then.Okay,Icouldlivewiththat.Itookthekeys."Wantmeto

getyouacoffeeinthemornings?IcouldevengetheretenminutesbeforeeightsoI
won'tbelate."

He leaned back in his chair and studied me. I felt excruciatingly conspicuous,

especiallysincehedidn'twearasuittodaybutcasualshirtwiththesleevesrolledupto
theelbowsandnotie,andIworebusinessattire."Veryfunny,"hesaid.

He wasn't laughing. Whoever said Aussies had a great sense of humor hadn't met

JacobWalker.Ikeptastraightfacetoo."Actually,I'mserious.Doyouwantmetoget
youacoffeeinthemorningssinceI'llbegettingmyselfone?"

He lifted his chin. "I take it black, no sugar." He rose and indicated I should walk

aheadofhimoutthedoor.

Hespentthenexttenminutesshowingmearoundtheofficeandgettingmelogged

intotheserver.Apparentlytherewasnoreceptionist;thatwasmyjob,too.TheITguy
worked remotely from the mainland, coming over whenever necessary. It was just
Jacobandme,workingtogether.Alone.

"Suchalargecompanyandyetsofewofficeemployees,"Isaid.
"I hire project managers when necessary on a project by project basis," he said,

sittingontheedgeofmydesk."Itakecareofallthefinancials.Legalandaccounting
are hired out, too. It's not easy getting staff to work here permanently. Despite
everyone saying they'd love to move to an island to live, they usually find reality is
very different to the dream. There's a kindergarten here, but no schools, so that
excludesanyonewithschool-agedkids.Therearenonightclubsandthepubistheonly
bar.Nighttimeentertainmentislimited,andsoistheshopping,soanyonewhowantsa
fastlifestylehatesit.That'swhyIwassurprisedaNewYorkertookupthejoboffer."

"Ihaven'talwayslivedinNewYork.Mid-westbornandbred.NewYorkwaswhere

the best jobs were for P.A.'s, and I wanted to work for the best." And I had—until I
screwedmybossandhadtogetthehelloutofthere.

Heclearedhisthroatandlookeddownathisshoes."We'reisolatedhere.Flightsare

a half hour from the mainland and the ferry takes nearly an hour. Our guests are
mostlyfamilieswithafewhigh-endoneswhokeeptothemselves.Sounlessyouwant
thequietlife,thisisn'ttheplaceforyou."Heeyedmefrombeneaththosethicklashes,
somehowmanagingtolooksexywithoutreallytrying.

"Iguesswe'llfindoutinacouplemonthsifIcanhandleit,"Isaid."Oh,thatreminds

me.I'mwildlycurious—whydidyouemployme,anAmerican,whentheremusthave
beensomeperfectlygoodAussieapplicantsforthejob?"

HestoodandtappedhisfingeronthestackofpaperworkinthetraymarkedIN.I

got the feeling he was avoiding making eye contact. "I wanted someone with
international experience who'd worked in the tourism industry. You worked for the
topUShotelchain."

"Theagencysaidyouaskedformespecifically.Howdidyouhearaboutme?"
"AfriendofmineworksinNewYorkandheardyouwereavailable."
"NowI'mreallycurious.Whowasit?"
"Just a friend." He picked up the top file and handed it to me. Clearly he was

avoiding answering the question. "This is our most urgent project. We're lengthening
therunwayandbuildinganewterminaltoaccommodatelargepassengeraircraft.One
ofthemajorAustralianairlineswillstartdirectflightsintoandoutofSydney.It'llbea
major investment but the payoffs will be enormous. We'll be the only island on the
ReeftoboastaccessibilitytoAustralia'sbusiestairport."

"That'sfantastic."Iflippedopenthefolderandbeganreading.
"Getuptospeedasquicklyasyoucan.I'msorrybutthere'salotofworkpiledup.

Torileftnearlytwomonthsago."

"Whydidittakeyouthatlongtoreplaceher?"
"Iwasbusy."
"Thenwhydidyougetaroundtoreplacinghernow?"
"You're full of questions." I couldn't tell if he thought that a good thing or bad. He

kepthisfacestraight.

"Justcurious."
Hegrunted."Nokidding.Ifyoumustknow,afriendvisitedrecentlyandgotonmy

caseabouthiringanewassistant.Itwassometalking-to,letmetellyou."

"IsthisthesameNewYorkfriendwhoheardIwasavailable?"
Hecheckedhiswatch."Ihaveworktodo.I'mhavingaconferencecallattenwith

the project manager and construction manager. Instructions on working the phone
systemare…"Helookedoverthedesk,underpapers."Somewhere."

"Icanfigureitout.It'smuchthesameasmylastplaceofwork."
Henoddedandheadedbackintohisoffice.Icaughtmyselfstaringathisverynice

ass then wanted to thunk myself in the head. Get a grip, Kase. Don't make the same
mistakeagain.

"I forgot to mention," he said, suddenly turning and catching me staring. My face

heatedandIswearhislipstwitchedinasmile."Youdon'thavetodressuphere.This
isn'tNewYork.Somethinglikewhatyouworeyesterdayisfine."

Em's words came back to me, and my face burned more. Had he noticed my legs

afterall,andlikedthem?

Right.Thepantssuittomorrow,nomatterhowhotitgot.
But today, I was going to find out about his friend, and find out why he, or she,

recommendedmeforthisjob,becauseJacobwasn'tgoingtogivemeastraightanswer.

he rest of my luggage arrived. I found the two suitcases plus the boxes with my

favorite books and photos in the living room. I set the grocery bags on the kitchen
bench and surveyed the collection, hands on hips. Who the hell had come into the
apartmenttodeliverthem?

"Yoohoo!"calledEmfromthedoorI'dleftwideopen."Isawyouarrivehome.Can

wecomein?"sheasked,alreadyinside.

A tall, slender woman dressed in cream silk pants and matching blouse strode in

behind her. She was about Em's age, but that's where the resemblance stopped.
WhereasEmhadletherhairgrowoutgray,thenewcomerhaddyedhersblondeand
setitinsoftwaves.Sheworemakeupandfatringsonherfingers.Em'schunkyjewelry
wasallcolorfulfakes,butIsuspectedhercompanion'sgemswerereal.

"Ihopeyoudon'tmindbutIletHalinwithyourthings,"Emsaid.
She'dlethimin?Withwhatkey?"Well,actually—"
"Ofcoursesheminds,"theotherwomansaid."Forgoodnesssakes,Em,youcan'tgo

aroundlettingyourselfintopeople'shomes."

"Icouldn'tletherluggagesitoutsidenow,couldI?"Empouted."Anyonecouldhave

stolenin."

"Onthisisland?Hardly."ThewomanextendedherhandtomeandIshookit."Jill

Fitzsimon,Jacob'saunt."

"We'resisters,"Emadded.
Ilookedfromonetotheother,tryingtoseearesemblanceandfailing."Iwouldn't

haveguessed."

"She'sadopted,"Emsaidwithamischievousgleaminhereyes.
"Iamnot!"Jillrolledhereyes."Ignoreher.Shelikestostiruptrouble."
Emgavemeanaughtygrin."Onlyforyou,dearsis."
"Our brother is—was—Jacob's father." Jill sighed heavily. "I never know how to

refertohim,evennow,fiveyearson."

Emsighedtoo."Thefool,"shemuttered."Silly,arrogantfool."
Iwaitedforhertosaymore.Forsomereason,IwantedtoknowwhatJacob'sfather

hadbeenlike,andgainaninsightintohisbackground.Unfortunately,thatseemedto
betheendoftheconversation.

"Iliveintheendapartmentinthisbuilding,"Jillsaid,stridingpastmetotheglass

doorsleadingtothedeck.Sheactedasifsheownedit.Isupposeshedid.Or,atleast,
her family did. "What do you think of our little home? Somewhat different to New
York,isn'tit?"

"Verydifferent,"Isaid."It'sbeautifulhere.Theviewsarelovely."
"Soyou'llstayforsometime?"
"Ihopeso.It'lldependonJacob,andifhe'shappywithmywork."

"No, Kasey," Jill said, suddenly turning to face me. She was all business. I could

pictureherinaboardroom,surroundedbyjuniorstaffhangingonhereveryword."It
willdependonyou,andwhetheryoucanmanagehim."

Managehim?"I'musedtohardwork,"Isaid."Ilikeit,infact.Idon'tmindworking

longhoursifitmeansgettingthejobdone."

"That'sallverywellandgood,butit'snotquitewhatImeant."
"Shemeans,"Emsaid,"canyoulowerhisstresslevels?"
I stared at her. Was she implying what I think she was implying, or was that my

dirtymindworkingovertime?

"Canyougethimtorelaxandenjoylife?"shewenton."Insteadoftryingtocontrol

thingshecan'tcontrol."

"He works so hard," Jill said, folding her arms and inspecting my luggage with a

criticaleye."Heneedstolearntoenjoylifeagain.Eversincehisparentsdied,he'staken
onthefather-figureroleandhisbrothersloatheit.They'resofracturednow.Abroken
family.Doyouunderstand,Kasey?"

"I…I'mnotsureIcanhelp.I'memployedtoworkwithJacob,notbehis…friend."
Emwavedahandandmadeascoffingnoisethroughhernosethatcausedhersister

tolookawayindisgust."You'llseehimmorethananyoneinthefamily.Surelyyoucan
wheedleyourwayintohisgoodgraces.Wedon'texpectittohappenbytomorrow."

"But we'd like to see a change in him after a month. If he doesn't learn to relax…

well,there'sahistoryofheartdiseasefortheWalkermen."

Jillglaredathersister."Don'talarmher,Em.Theheartconditioncanbemanaged

throughmedication,"shetoldme.

"Andrelaxationtechniques.I'vetriedtellingJackotohaveregularmassagesatthe

dayspa,butherefuses.Itwoulddohimtheworldofgood.Thatandregularsex."

"Emma Walker!" Jill clicked her tongue. "Forgive my sister's crassness, Kasey. She

hasnofilter."

Em snorted. "I don't think there's any sense in avoiding the topic of sex. We're all

grown up, sexually active women, although it wouldn't surprise me if your woohoo
closedupthroughdisuse."

"Emma!"
Emgaspedandcoveredhermouth."Oh,Iamsorry.Ididn'tthinkthatyoucouldbe

avirgin,Kase.IhopeIhaven'toffendedyou.Ifyouare,it'squiteallright.Nothingtobe
ashamedof.Iwasavirginonce,too,youknow."

Ibitmyliptostopmysmile."I'mnotavirgin,"Ifeltcompelledtosay.Godknew

whyIwantedtotellher.Itjustseemedliketherightthingtosay,andIdidn'tfeelsilly
forsayingitatall.

"Oh,Iamrelieved,"Emsaid."Avirginwouldn'thavethenecessaryskills."
"Um,youseemtobeunderthemisapprehensionthatyournephewandIaregoing

to…hookup,forwantofabetterphrase."

"Itcouldhappen.You'resingle,he'ssingle…"
"Ithinkyou'vetakenthistoofar,Em."Jillgrabbedhersister'sarmsohardthatEm

winced."LeavepoorKaseyalone."

"I'd like to make it clear," I said, "I am not going to have any kind of relationship

withJacobotherthanaprofessionalone.Idon'tsleepwithmybosses."Anymore."It'sa

badcareermove."

"Notnecessarily."Jillleanedclosertomeandwhispered,"Isleptwithmybossthen

marriedhim."

"ShewasaP.A.too,"Emsaid."Many,manyyearsago."
Jill looked like she wanted to poke her tongue out at her sister, but decided at the

last moment that keeping up her crisp façade was more important. "Jacko is very
handsome,andgenerousandkindwhenhe'snotbeing—"

"Acrankypants,"Emcutin.
Jillmovedbetweenhersisterandme."Noonewouldblameyoufordesiringhim,

Kasey, or taking your relationship in a different direction than stated on your job
description."

Em peered around Jill. "It was a shame that last girl couldn't cope with his mood

swings.Shewasnice."

"ToriwasnogoodforJacko.Nogoodatall.Shewasmuchtoosoft."Jilltappedher

temple,implyingthatJillwassoftinthehead."Itwouldn'thaveworkedout."

I held up my hands. This was going too far. "Let me just reiterate. I am not

interested in sleeping with Jacob. I won't be sleeping with him, dating him, or doing
anything else with him that's not work-related. I have a career and a future to think
about,anditdoesn'tinvolvequittingajobbecauseImadeamistake."

"Whosuggestedquitting?"Jill'slipspinchedandherbackstraightened."Andwhydo

you think having a relationship with our nephew would be a mistake? He's the most
eligiblebachelorontheisland."

"Aside from Cam. And possibly Mitch." Em screwed up her nose and shook her

head."PerhapsnotMitch."

"Itwouldbeamistakeforme."Igavethemeachanarchedlook."Now,ifyoudon't

mind,Ihavesomeunpackingtodo."

"I see we've offended you," Jill said. "If so, we're sorry. We're just worried about

Jacob, but we understand if he's not right for you." She jabbed her sister with her
elbow."Don'twe,Em?"

"Of course we understand." Em patted my arm. "Now, lets part as friends. We are

neighbors,afterall."

"Justforthetimebeing,"Itoldthem."Ihavetofindsomethingmorepermanent.I

supposetherealtorinthevillagetakescareofrentalproperties?"

Emwavedherhand."Don'tworryaboutthat.Trustme,Jackowillforgettothrow

you out, and since it's his assistant's job to liaise with the realtor who manages the
familyproperties,youcanjustconvenientlyforgetaboutittoo."

"Icouldn'tpossiblytakeadvantageofthefamilylikethat.It'sverygenerousofJacob

to set me up here, rent free, until I find my own place. I'll speak to the realtor
tomorrowduringmylunchbreak."

"If you insist," Jill said, once again jabbing her sister with her elbow when Em

opened her mouth. "I do admire you for your ethics, Kasey. I think you'll get along
very well here on Paradise Island. Very well indeed, in an entirely professional
capacity, of course. Now, we'll leave you to your unpacking." She half steered, half
hustledhersistertowardthedoor.

Em gave me a finger wave. "Don't forget to wear something to show off your legs

tomorrow."Sheindicatedmyknee-lengthblackskirt."That'sallwrongforParadise."

Jillnodded."Foronce,Em,weagree.Comeon.It'swinetime."
Iclosedthedoorafterthemandstaredatit.Whatjusthappened?HadIalmostbeen

railroaded into sleeping with Jacob by his two elderly aunts? Maybe not mixing my
workandprivatelifewouldbemoredifficultthanIthoughtsinceIlivednextdoorto
myboss'sfamily.ButneighborlyfriendshipwaswhereIdrewtheline.Sleepingwith
Jacobwasnotgoingtohappen.

***

Ididn'tfeellikecookingafterunpackingsoIheadedbackintothevillageandparked
thebuggyoutsidethebusiestrestaurant.Aquietmealalonewasn'texactlymyideaof
fun,butatleastitwouldgivemeachancetounwind.Ihadnoideawhichrestaurantto
dineat,butthisonemustbeokayifthenumberofdinerswasanindication.Ichecked
out the menu on the stand near the door and was about to enter when I heard my
name.

"Kasey?"
IturnedtoseeCamcrossingtheroad."Hi,"Isaid.
"Ithoughtitwasyou."Hiseasysmileandrelaxedstancewithonehandtuckedinto

his back pocket instantly made me feel like I knew this guy. In New York, meeting
someoneIhardlyknewonthestreetinthedark,alone,wouldcreepmeout,butnot
hereandnotCam."Yougoingtoeathere?"

"Why?Istheresomethingwrongwithit?"Iasked,eyeingtheglassdoor.
"No,notatall.It'sanicerestaurant…forcouples."Hegrinnedandglancedaround.

"You'renotmeetingmybrother,areyou?"

WhydidJacob'sfamilykeeptryingtosetmeupwithhim?"Idon'tmixbusinessand

pleasure."

Hehelduphishands,wardingmeoff."Goodpolicy,andthat'snotwhatImeant.I

thoughthemightbetakingyououttodinnerasasortoffirstdaywelcomething."

"Oh.Right.Sorry."Luckyitwastoodarkforhimtoseemyblush.
"Notthatthiswouldbetherightplaceforaworkdinner.It'smoreforlovers.And

takinghisnewassistantoutdoesn'tsoundlikesomethingJackowoulddo.Hedoesn't
thinklikethat."Heleanedforward,conspiratorial."Hedoesn'tfunctionlikeanormal
humanbeing."

He laughed and I couldn't help laughing along with him. "In defense of my new

boss,heseemedaperfectlynormalhumantoday."

"Hemusthavelefttherobotcloneathome."
Ithrewmyheadbackandlaughed.
"Comeandjoinmefordinneratthepub,"hesaid."Theatmosphereisbetterthan

thisplace,moredowntoearth."

Whatpartofnotmixingbusinessandpleasuredidn'theget?"Look,Cam,that'svery

niceofyou,butyou'remyemployerjustasmuchasJacobis.Idon'twanttosocialize

withanyoneconnectedtomywork."

"Fair enough. Like I said, that's a good policy. But you really can't avoid us. We

Walkersareeverywhere.Notjustmybrothers,butcousins,auntsandthenthereare
friendswe'vegrownupwithwhoarepracticallyWalkerstoo."

"I'vemetyouraunts."
Hewincedthenchuckledsoftly."Thenyouhavemysympathy.They're…unique."
"SoyouunderstandwhyIcan'thavedinnerwithyou?"
"Ofcourse,butthatdoesn'tmeanyou'regettingoutofit.Comeon,Iinsistyoumeet

Mitch,oneofmybrothers.Theothertwoareofftheislandrightnow."

Iglancedatthepubacrosstheroadanddownalittle."WillJacobbethere?"
"Doyouwanthimtobethere?"
"No!"
"Good, because I'm sure he won't show. He's always busy. He works most nights.

Andweekends.Hedoesn'ttaketimeoff."

"SoIgathered."
HeheadedoffthenstoppedwhenherealizedIhadn'tjoinedhim."Comeon,then.

Wewon'tgetatableifwedon'tmove."

This turned out to be a complete lie. Not only was a large table set aside in a

separate,privateroom,buttwopeoplewerealreadyseatedatit.Theybothroseaswe
enteredandtheirgazeszeroedinonme.

"Hey,Cam,"thewomansaid.Shewasshortandslender,herlongbrownhairpulled

backintoaponytail,leavingafewloosestrandstoframeherprettyface.Camkissed
hercheekthenshooktheguy'shand,claspinghisarm.

"Who's your friend?" he asked. He was tall, as tall as Cam, with sharp cheekbones

likeJacobandeyesthesamecolorasCam's.HewasaWalkerbrother,butwhowasthe
woman?Notasibling.Jacobonlyhadbrothers.

"ThisisKasey,"Camsaid."Jacko'snewassistant."
Thewomanbrightened."Yeah?Inthatcase,you'llbeneedingadrink."Sheheldout

herhand."I'mAllyHenshaw."

NotaWalkeroraFitzsimon."Nicetomeetyou."
"I'mjustafriend,"shesaid,smiling.Atmyraisedbrows,sheadded,"Icouldseeyou

tryingtofigureitout."

Ilaughedtohidemyembarrassment."Wasitthatobvious?"
"Don't worry," the guy said, holding out his hand to me. "Everyone thinks she's

family."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ally blush. Cam glared at his brother. So there

washistoryhere,butwhetheritwaswithoneofthesemenorwithanother,Icouldn't
tell.

"I'mMitch,themiddleone,"theguysaid."Sohowwasyourfirstdayatwork?Ready

tokillJackoyet?"

"Hewasbusymostoftheday,"Isaid."Wehardlyspoke."
"Sounds like the perfect working relationship," Cam said. "Especially with our

brother.Iwishhe'dhardlyspeaktoussometimes."

Mitchgrunted."Youcallthatspeaking?Morelikelecturing."
"EnoughworktalkandJackobashing."Allyhandedmeadrinksmenu."Ihappento

likehim."

"That'sbecauseyou'renotrelatedtohim,"Cammuttered.
"Yeah. You can remember what he was like before…" Mitch swallowed the rest of

hissentenceandsatheavily.Hepickeduphisglassofbeeranddrownedit.

"Another?"Camaskedquietly.Mitchnodded."Kase?"
"AglassoftheRoseBaysauvignonblanc,please,"Isaid,settingthemenudown.
Insteadofleavingtoorderatthebarlikeeveryoneelse,Camstoodbythewaiter's

point-of-salestationandtypedinourorder.Atmycuriousstare,Allysaid,"TheWalkers
enjoyprivilegesontheisland.Privateroomsandself-orderinghereamongthem."

"Then I'm glad I ran into Cam," I said. "Not only did I almost dine at a couples

restaurantonmyown,butIgettoenjoysuperiorservice."

"WhydoyouthinkIstickaround?"Allysaidwithawink."It'snotforthecompany

oftheseidiots,orJacko."

"DefinitelynotforJacko,"Mitchsaid,staringintohisemptyglass."Theprick."
Ally'ssmilefadedasshewatchedhim.
Cam slapped his brother's shoulder and sat beside him. "Lighten up. We've got a

guesttonight.Nomoping."

"I'mnotmoping."
"Soyou'reAmerican?"Allyaskedme.
Wefellintoaconversationaboutmybackground,aboutmythoughtsonAustralia

so far, and sightseeing around America. Both the Walker boys had been when they
wereyounger,butAllyhadneverleftQueensland.Infact,she'dlivedmostofherlife
ontheisland,havinggonetoaboardingschoolonthemainlandduringschoolterm.
She had an easy relationship with the brothers, but I didn't detect any romantic
leanings from her toward either of them, or them to her. She treated them like they
wereherbrothers.

OurdrinksarrivedandMitchdrankhalfhisglassofbeerassoonasitwashandedto

him.BothAllyandCamwatchedhimwithconcernedfurrowsoftheirbrows,although
bothpretendedtobestudyingtheirowndrinks.Isippedmywine.Iwouldn'tbehaving
more than one glass tonight. Not with my employees at the table with me. Besides, I
didn'twanttodrivemybuggyoffintothebushes.

We'djustplacedourordersforourmealswhenJacobarrived.Hestoppedshortin

thedoorwayuponseeingme.Crap.JustwhenI'dbeguntoenjoythecompanyofthe
otherthree,nowIhadtoreallybehave.Somuchformyrelaxingmeal.

"Thislookscozy,"hesaid,takingaseatoppositeme."Whywasn'tIinvited?"
"Youwere,"bothCamandMitchsaid.
"You don't usually come," Ally said with an apologetic shrug. "So we've already

ordered."

Mitchdownedtherestofhisbeerandgotup."Youwantyourusual?"heasked.
JacobnoddedandMitchorderedattheconsole.Icradledmywineglassinbothmy

hands and contemplated how to make an early exit without seeming rude. I could
alwaysplaythejetlagangle.

"You look like a rabbit caught in the headlights," Mitch said to me as he sat down

again.

"Jackohasthateffectonpeople,"Camsaid."DidItellyouhowrudehewastoKasey

whentheyfirstmet?"

"Iwasnot!"Jacobsoundedoffended."Icarriedhersuitcaseanddroveherhome."
"Afteryoulearnedwhoshewas.Beforethat,youignoredher."
"Shewasn'timportant."Hewinced."Sorry,thatdidn'tcomeoutright."
"It'sokay,"Isaid."Ithoughtthesamethingaboutyou,too."
Thebrotherschuckled."Ilikethisgirl,"Mitchsaid.
"It was your fault that I ignored her, Cam," Jacob growled. "You could have

introducedusonceyoufoundoutherfullname,butyoudidn't.Youandyourwarped
senseofhumor."

"AtleastIhaveasenseofhumor,"Cammumbled.
"So,Kasey,"Allysaid,leaningforwardsothebrothers,sittingoneithersideofher,

couldn't see each other anymore. "Have you sampled the delights of Paradise yet,
Kase?"

Mitchsnorted."Areyouawarehowkinkythatsounds?"
"Idareyoutoaskaguythatquestion,"Camsaid.
"Youknowshewouldn't."
"LeaveAllyalone,"Jacobsnapped."Al,justtellthemtoshutupandtheywill.They

listentoyou."

"That'sbecauseAllydoesn'tlectureus."Mitch'sfacelitupasthewaiterenteredwith

twoglassesofbeer,oneforhimandoneforJacob.Hedidn'tevenletthewaitersetit
downbeforeacceptingitanddrinkinghalf.

"Okay,youthree,that'senough."Allythrewupherhands."Canweputworldwar

threeonholduntillater,please."

Thebrothershadthedecencytolooksheepishatleast.Mitchevenapologized.
"Thank you." Ally turned to me, a smug smile in place. "Now, Kasey, tonight's all

about you. We want to get to know Jacko's newest assistant. Hopefully you'll like it
betterherethanthelastone."

Camopenedhismouthtosaysomething,butshutitagainuponAlly'sglare.Jacob

crossedhisarmsoverhischestandabroodingdarknessdescendedoverhisfeatures.

"Iloveithere,"Isaid."It'sbeautiful.Idon'tknowhowmuchtimeI'llgettosample

—"

"You'llhavetime,"Allysaid,moretoJacobthanme."You'llgetsomedowntimeto

enjoytheisland.Camrunscharterflightsovertheislandsandreef,andI'msureoneof
theboyswilltakeyououtontheirboatsforacruise."

"Shedoesn'twanttomixbusinessandpleasure,"Camtoldher.
"A good policy, but this is Paradise Island. If you work here, you can't avoid

pleasure.Itcomeswiththejob."Shewinkedatmeagain.

WasshetryingtogetmetoshowJacobhowtorelaxtoo?Iwasbeginningtothink

she'dbeenconspiringwiththeaunts.

"When you get bored with the water sports, come and visit me at the wildlife

center,"shewenton."I'llletyouholdakoala."

"NowthatIwilldefinitelydo."
"Didyouknowthatkoalasaren'tbears?"
The three bothers groaned. Cam dragged his hand down his face. "Don't get her

started,"hesaid.

"Shut up, all of you." Ally told me everything I could ever possibly want to know

about koalas, dingoes, kangaroos, snakes and other native wildlife. It was fascinating
andnotatallboring.NotforthisAmerican,anyway.

Thethreebrothersendeduphavingtheirownconversation,muchtomysurprise.

Despite their bickering, they could get along when they kept to safe topics. I caught
snippets of Jacob telling them about the progress of the new runway and airport
terminal and other plans for the island. I realized too late that I should have been
listening.FromwhatIdidhear,Ihadalotofcatchinguptodo.Theislandwasabusy
place.

Theeveningmayhavegotofftoarockystart,butIenjoyedmyself.Maybealittle

toomuch.Bythetimewedecidedtocallitanight,IrealizedI'ddrunkthreeglassesof
wine.Three!

Idiot.Okay,soIlikewine,butIshouldhaveknownbetter.AtleastIhadn'tmadea

fool of myself and I could still walk straight and talk without slurring my words.
However, I didn't want to drive home, even if the buggy's maximum speed made a
snaillookfast.

Jacob came to the same conclusion. "I'll drive you back," he said as we descended

thestepsfromthepubtothesidewalk.

Ishookmyhead."Thanksfortheoffer,butI'llwalk."
"Upthehill?"CameyedmelikeIwascrazy."Itmaynotbefarbutthathillisakiller.

Trustme,I'vewalkedupitdrunkmanytimes."

"I'mnotdrunk,"Itoldhim."ButIshouldn'tbedriving."
"It's no big deal for me to take you home," Jacob said. "I go right past your place

anyway.I'llpickyouupinthemorningonmywaytowork."

"Really, it's okay," I said. "I can walk." Although Cam was right, and the hill was

steep.

"I'd prefer to drive you. We hardly ever have serious crime on the island, but I

wouldn'twanttoriskit.Thetouristsareunknowns."

"Letherdrive,"Mitchgrowled."Shedidn'thavemuch."He'dstartedgrowlingalot

towardtheendofthemeal,mostlyathisoldestbrother.Themorehedrank,themore
heandJacobrubbedeachotherthewrongway.Andhe'dhadmorethananyofus.I
stoppedcountingatsixbeers.

"No,"Jacobsnapped."You'renotdrivingeither.Cam—"
"Alreadyonit."Camheldupasetofkeys."Iliftedthemfromhispockethalfanhour

ago."

"Youdidwhat!"Mitchexploded.
"You've had too much," Jacob told him. "As usual, you overdid it. You're going to

slowlykillyourselfthisway,Mitch.That'sifyoudon'tdoseriousdamagetoyourself,or
others,inthebuggyfirst."

"Letitgo,"Cammutteredquietly.
"Ican'tletitgo,"Jacobsnapped."He'smylittlebrotherandIlookoutforhim.IfI

can'ttellhimstraightupthathe'sbeingadick,thenwhowill?Huh?Nooneelsedoes.
It'smyjobtotakecareofhim,ofallofyouand—"Hesuddenlyglancedatmethenshut
hismouth."Sorry,Kasey.Youdon'tneedtohearallthis."

I put up my hands, not sure how to respond. I shouldn't be listening to his family

problems,butinaway,Iwantedto.Iwantedtohelp,butIdidn'tknowhowtoeven
start.

AllyhookedherarmthroughMitch'sandleanedintohim,hustlinghimawayfrom

hisbrothers."Youhaveachoice,Mitch,"shesaid."YoucomewithmeorCam."

Mitch glared at his brothers. The light from the streetlamps picked out the glassy-

eyed gleam of drunken anger. It didn't last long, however. "You," Mitch grumbled.
"Anyoneexceptthem."

"You'll thank us in the morning," Cam called after him. He tossed Mitch's keys to

Allywhocaughttheminonehandandpocketedthem.

We walked a few paces behind to Jacob's buggy. Somehow my decision to walk

homehadbeenoverlookedandIfoundmyselfclimbingintothepassengerseatbeside
him.WewavedoffAllyandMitch—althoughMitchdidn'twaveback—andCam.

"Thanksforinvitingme,"Icalledouttohim.
"Mypleasure!"hecalledback."Icouldn'tletaprettygirldinealone!"
Ilaughed."Yourbrotherisverynice,"IsaidtoJacobasheswitchedonthecar.
"SoI'mtold,"Jacobsaid."Frequently."
"Byyouraunts?"
"Byeveryone."
Thewarmeveningairteasedoutmyhairandfilledmylungs.Itsmelledlikeexotic

flowersandthesea.Ibreatheddeeplyagainandresistedtheurgetoflingmyarmsin
theairinjoyfulabandon.Ididn'twanttohitJacobintheface.Itmightnotbegoodfor
theimageIwantedtoprojecttomyboss.

"Ihopetonightwasn'ttooawkwardforyou,"hesaid.
"Not at all. I thought it would be, but it wasn't. Your brothers are great and so is

Ally."

"Mitchisagoodguyuntilhegetstohisfifthorsixthbeer.Afterthat,hegetssulky.

Hedidn'talwaysdrinktoomuch,"hesaid."Iwantyoutounderstandthat,Kasey.He'sa
goodkid."Mitchwashardlyakid.Mid-twentiesattheyoungest,butmostlikelytwenty-
eightorso.ButIdidn'tcorrecthim."Hestarteddrinkingheavilyinthelastfewyears,
afterourparents'deaths.Hetookithard.Theyalldid."

They?Hedidn'tincludehimself?Thatwasn'twhathisauntshadimplied.
"It'sokay,"Isaid."Youdon'thavetoexplain."
"Ididn'twanttoexposeyoutotheuglysideoftheWalkerclansoearly."Heglanced

atme.

"It'snotthatugly.Icanhandletheodddrunkenfamilymember.Myfatherusedto

—"Icutmyselfoff.TherewasnowayIshoulddivulgethatpieceofinformationtomy
boss.Notyet,anyway.IwouldwaituntilI'dmademyselfindispensiblethentellhim
howhisfamilywastamecomparedtomine.Atleasttheirfatherhadn'tbeatenuptheir
mother after coming home drunk. At least Mitch didn't spew abuse at the top of his
lungs. Dad used to, not only directed at me and Mom, but the neighbors, our friends
andeventhedog.TheWalkersweretamebycomparison.

I drew in another steadying breath and shoved those morose thoughts aside. Dad

wasdead.Hecouldn'thurtMomormeanymore.

"Youlikeithere?"Jacobaskedquietly.
"Like it? I freaking love it!" Oh crap, I'd said freaking and I'd sounded too

enthusiastic. I wanted him to think me sensible, controlled, like himself. He wouldn't
wantacrazypersonworkinginhisoffice.

Tomysurprise,hechuckledquietly."Thatdidn'ttakelong."
Ieyedhimsideways.BythelightofstreetlightsIcouldjustmakeoutthecurveof

hislips.Yep,hewasdefinitelysmiling.Itsoftenedhisface.Hischeeksdidn'tlookquite
sosharpandhisjawnotsosevere.Despitethepoorlight,hedidn'tstarefiercelyatthe
roadaheadthewayhe'ddoneleavingtheairportyesterday.Hesatrelaxed,onehand
onthesteeringwheel,theotherrestingonhisknee.Helookedlikehebelongedright
here,onatropicalisland,fishingalldaylongorworkingonaboat.Icoulddefinitely
seethefamilyresemblancebetweenhimandCam.Maybethetwoglassesofbeerhad
easedsomeofthetensionfromhim,ormaybethedeliciousscentinthewarmairacted
likeanaturalpacifier.Howcouldanyoneremainmoodyandintensehere?

"What'snottolike?"Isaidsoftly.
Hesuddenlyturned,catchingmestaring.Iglancedaway,butnotbeforeIsawthe

surpriseonhisface.Damn,damnandhell.Notonlydidhecatchme,butnowhemust
bepuzzlingoverwhatmystaringmeantbecauseIcouldstillfeelhisgazeonme.

"Watchout!"Ishoutedasweswervedtowardtheditchatthesideoftheroad.
Heswervedbackontothestreet."Sorry,"hemuttered.
Igrippedtheedgeoftheseat,notbecauseIwasafraidofcrashing,butbecauseI'd

seen something in that look that scared me. Something I'd seen in Brent's gaze the
nightweslepttogether.

Desire.
We arrived at my place and I had a face-palm moment when I realized the aunts

would get their hopes up if they saw Jacob and me together. Fortunately, neither
peekedoutoftheirdoors.

"Thanks," I said breezily, stepping out of the buggy and straight onto a rock. My

anklerolledandIlostmybalance.Itumbledtomyhandsandknees."Ow,fuck!"

"Kasey!" Somehow Jacob was at my side before my name was even out of his

mouth."Areyouokay?"

"Sure.Yeah.Fine."I'dprobablydieofhumiliation,butIwasphysicallyfine."Justa

bruisedego."

He took my hands and helped me to my feet. His fingers were warm, but

surprisinglyhardforsomeonewhoworkedlonghoursintheoffice.Hebrushedgravel
off my palms then bent to do the same to my knees. "Can you put pressure on your
ankle?"

Itried.Itdidn'thurttoobad."It'sfine."
Yethedidn'tletgo."Letmehelpyouinside.IsitallrightifIcarryyou?"
"Um…okay,"Iheardmyselfsay.WhatwasIdoing?Itshouldn'tbeokaytolethim

touchmesointimately,especiallynotinthesummeryskirtIwore.Itdidn'tevenreach
myknees.Itwouldrideup…

Yep,itrodehighuponmythighsonceIwasinhisarms.Ifanyonecaredtolook,

they'dseemylaceunderwear.Ifumbledwithmykeysandpushedopenthedoorthen
loopedmyarmsaroundhisneck.Ihadtoputthemsomewhere,right?Atthatangle,I
couldn'thelpstaringintohisface.Hestaredsteadilyahead,likehewasonamission.

"Bedorcouch?"heasked.

Both.Everywhere.
"Thecouch,"Isaidbreathily.
Hesetmegentlydownonthecouch,kneelingtodoso.Hishandsskimmedmylegs,

sendingtinygoosebumpstinglingacrossmyskin.Hisgazefollowedthepathwiththe
same intensity that I'd now become familiar with. He laid a hand on my lower leg,
abovemysoreankleandswallowedaudibly.Mybreathcaughtinmythroat.Myheart
hammeredagainstmyribs.Ilikedhistouchonmyskin.Ilikedhowhemademefeel
beautiful, without even trying. I liked how he seemed to be battling with the new,
excitingfeelingsjustasmuchasme.

YetIdidn'tlikeiteither.Notatall.
BecauseIknewIwantedtofeelhishandsonme,everywhere,andfeelhislipson

mine.AndIknewhewantedthesamething.Butthatwasn'tthescariestthing.

ThescariestthingwasthatIwouldlethimdowhateverhewantedtome,because

those four glasses of wine had stripped away all my determination not to make the
samemistakeasI'dmadewithBrent.

IfJacobwantedme,thenI'dlethimhaveme.

ourankle,"hesaid,voiceraspyandthick."Isitokaynow?"Hesteppedback.Way

back.Therewasnomistakinghisintentions—hewantedtoescape,andfast.

ThankGod.
"It's fine." I swung my feet off the couch and set them on the floor. I got up and

jumped up and down. A sharp pain spiked through my ankle, but I could manage it.
"All good. Thanks, Jacob, I appreciate you helping me. It was very sweet of you."
Sweet?Whocalledtheirbosssweet?

Idiots,thatwho.
"I'dbettergo."Hewasalreadystridingtothedoorashesaidit.Hecouldn'tgetaway

fastenough.

Good.Wewereonthesamepagethen.Neitherofuswouldgiveintothisdesire.As

longaswebothagreed,Iwouldn'tsuccumb.

He left before I could say goodbye. I shut the door and hobbled to the kitchen. I

pulledoutapackofpeasfromthefreezerandhoppedtothecouchwhereIfellasleep,
thepeasonmyankle.

***

"How'stheankle?"Jacobaskedwhenhepickedmeupthenextmorning."DoIneedto
carryyoutothebuggy?"HesaiditwithsuchastraightfacethatIthoughthemightjust
pickmeupagain,butthenhesmiled.

Yep,smiled.Ittookmeseveralbeatstodigestit,thenIlaughed."I'llbefine."
He looked remarkable when he smiled. His entire face lifted, his eyes brightened,

and I found myself walking beside one of the handsomest men I'd ever met. He was
easytolookat,easytobewith,andIevensuspectedhe'dbeeasytotease.Hewasa
completelydifferentpersontotheoneI'dmetonmyfirstday.

Until we reached the village. By the time he parked the buggy next to mine, he'd

resumed his hard exterior with the no-nonsense manner. No trace of the smile
remainedonhisface.Itwaslikesomethingsignaledtohimtochangehisattitude.Like
he'dbecomeawarethathe'dbeenenjoyinghimselfandadmonishedhimselfforit.Like
hedidn'twanttoenjoythemoment.

"I'llgetthecoffees,"Isaid.
"I'llgetthem.Yougouptotheofficeandstayoffyourfeet."Hestrodetowardthe

cafebeforeIhadachancetoreact.

In the office, I settled at my desk and read emails. By the time I'd read through

Jacob's,he'dreturned.Itookmycuefromhisbusiness-likemannerandrattledoffthe
schedulefortheday.

"It'sallinyourcalendar,"Isaid.
Henoddedandheadedtowardhisoffice."Thanks."Hepausedatthedoor."You've

settledintoarhythmalready."

Ishrugged."Sure.Thecalendarpartiseasy.Ifit'sokaywithyou,Iwanttodosome

morereadingupontheairportproject.Thecontractsareslowgoing."

"Idon'texpectyoutoreadthecontracts.Thoseareforthelawyersandme."
"Iknow,butIwanttobeawareofallaspects.Istheresomethingelseyoupreferme

todo?"

"Notyet.I'llhaveaninterimreportforyoutoformatlater,though."Heturned,but

didn't enter his office. His shoulders slumped a little and he turned back to face me
again."Look,Kasey,Iwanttoapologizeforlastnight."

"Why?Youhavenothingtoapologizefor."
"Ishouldn'thavepickedyouup.I…overreactedtothesituationand…Ijustshouldn't

havecarriedyouin.ItwasinappropriateandIdon'twantyouthinkingI'mthatkindof
guy."

"It'sokay,Jacob.Iwasn'toffendedandIdon'tthinkbadlyofyou."
He shook his head. "I know. That's not…" He shrugged. "It doesn't matter." He

disappearedintohisoffice,butnotbeforeInoticedtheblushonhischeeks.

Therestoftheweekransmoothly.Jacobwasaneasybosstoworkfor.Heworked

hard, but took the time to answer my questions and show me how he wanted things
done. By the end of the week, I felt like I was up to speed on the most important
project, the airport extension, and had spoken to many of the stakeholders over the
phone.I'dsetupmeetings,writtenupreports,anddiscussedanalyticswithhim.Iliked
this last part best. I was good with numbers, financial projections and statistical
analyses,andJacobseemedtoappreciateanothersetofeyesgoingoverthem.Either
thatorhewasjusthumoringme.OnethingI'dlearned,Aussiesweremostlypolite,and
Jacobwasnoexception.Heneveryelledatmeortoldmeoffformakingamistakeor
asking a stupid question. He didn't yell at the staff who worked remotely, not even
whenthecomputerserverwentdown.Theyallseemedtoappreciateandrespecthim.

So when I overheard him shouting down the phone, despite his office door being

closed,Igrewworried.Itmustbebad.

"You'vedoneitagain,haven'tyou?"Iheardhimsay."Jesus,Dan,Ihaven'tgottime

forthis."

Dan?Washetalkingtohisyoungestbrother,thefootballerwholivedinMelbourne?

Herarelydiscussedhisfamilywithme,andIhadn'tseenthemallweek,exceptforhis
auntsastheyleftfortheireveningstroll.

I didn't hear any more of Jacob's conversation but he emerged from his office a

minutelater."BookmeaflighttoMelbourne,returningSunday,"hesaidashepunched
somenumbersonhiscell."Thesoonerthebetter.Cam,"hesaidintothephone."Ineed
alifttothemainland,ASAP.It'sDan.Ihavetofuckingrescuehimagain."Helistenedto
Cam'sresponsethenthrewhishandintheair."Ican'tlethimgetoutofithimself.You
knowwhathe'slike.Heneedsme—"Cammusthavecuthimoff.

Ipretendednottobelistening,butitwashardwhenhewasrightthere.Hedidn't

seemtorealizeIcouldoverheareverything.He'dforgottenaboutme.

"No,"hegrowledatCam."You'rewrong.IfIleavehimtocleanupthismess,he'll

justmakeabiggermess."Hehungup."Gotaflightyet?"heaskedme."Camisflying
metothemainlandin…"Hecheckedhiswatch."…inanhour."

"Almost,"Isaid,scouringtheairlinewebsite."Wouldyoumakeitforsix?"
"Yes.Getmeaseat."Hespunaroundandstrodetohisdesk.Fiveminuteslater,he

emergedfromhisofficeagain.

Ihandedhimhisticketprint-out."Everythingokay?"
"Yeah,"hesaidonabreath."Justmylittlebrothergettinguptotricksagain.Ihave

tododamagecontrol.It'llbeintomorrow'spapers,soImightaswelltellyou.He'sa
footyplayer."

"SoIheard."
"Andhe'sjustbeenkickedofftheteamforpoorconductoffthefield."
Isatbackinmychair.FromwhatIknewaboutDanWalker,hewasoneofthestars

of the Collingwood football team. He had a bit of a wild reputation. He liked to party
hard and change his girlfriends frequently. He sounded like the bane of the club's
managers,andofbigbrother,too.

"Whatareyougoingtodo?"Iasked.
Henarrowedhisgazeatme."YousoundlikeCam."
"Sorry.Iwasjust…Itdoesn'tmatter.It'snoneofmybusiness."
Helookedlikehewasabouttosaysomething,butclampedhismouthshutandbit

downhardonhisbackteeth.Amuscleinhisjawpulsedashestrodeoutoftheoffice.
Nogoodbye,orthanksforbookinghisticket.IguessI'dseehimonMonday.

***

Idecidedtospendtheweekendexploringtheisland,beginningwithanearlymorning
hike up to the highest point. The view didn't disappoint. I could see for miles in all
directions,includingthemainlandinthedistance.

No one else had hiked up and I had the lookout to myself. I sat on the bench

beneathatreeandsippedfrommywaterbottle.Beesbuzzedaroundandcolorfulbirds
settled on nearby branches, not scared of me. A light plane flew overhead and I
wonderedifJacobhadgivenDanasterntalking-tooncehearrivedinMelbourne,orif
Cam had calmed him down first. I hadn't seen any morning news so I didn't know if
Jacobhadmanagedtosmooththingsover.LikeCam,Icouldn'tthinkofanythingJacob
coulddoforDanexceptoffermoralsupport.

Ireturnedtomyapartmentbywalkingalongthebeach.Smallchildrenpaddledin

the shallow waters, while the more adventurous swam further out. It wasn't a surf
beach,justaniceflatbaybeach,perfectforfamilies.Ipassedthehutthathiredoutthe
paddleboardsandsmallsailboatstotourists.

"Wanttohaveago?"askedthebronzedguywithblondhairwearingtheParadise

IslandstaffT-shirt.Hisbigsmilematchedhiswildsurferhair.

"Not this morning," I said, plucking at my sweat-stained shirt. "I'm not dressed

properly.Maybelater."

"The weather's going to turn later." He angled his square chin up at the clear blue

sky."It'llbenogoodforsailingorboarding.Youlooklikeyoucoulddowithacooling
down,though."

True. I eyed the water. It looked refreshing, inviting, but I wasn't wearing my

bathingcostume.

"Go on." He crossed his arms, making his biceps bulge. He grinned, his teeth

dazzlingagainsthiswarmskin."Youknowyouwantto."

"Idon'tknow."I'dhavetowalkhomewetifIwentforadip.Ontheotherhand,the

airwaswarmenoughtodrymeoffquickly.

"WouldithelpifIcameinwithyou?"heasked.
Iarchedmybrows."Aren'tyousupposedtobeworking?"
He looked back to his colleague in the hut. He served a tourist in red shorts, but

therewasnooneelseabout."It'squietatthemoment.Besides,callitcustomerservice.
WeprideourselvesonithereinParadise."

"SoI'veseen."
"Okaythen."Iremovedmyshoesandsocksanddroppedmybackpackonthesand.
"Raceyou,"hecalledoutasheranpast.
Ilaughedandshookmyhead.Iwadedintothewaterthendoveunderassoonasit

wasdeepenough.Icameup,onlytoseetheguyrightbesideme,hisperfectsmilestill
inplace.

"What'syourname?"heasked.
"Kasey.Yours?"
"Ben."
"Youworkoverinthehut?"
"Sometimes.Areyouherewithfriends,family?"
"Neither."
"Imeanontheisland."
"Stillneither.I'malone."Ididn'twanttotellhimIworkedhere.Thatwouldstopthe

conversationdeadwhenherealizedIwastheboss'sassistant.Iswamoff,althoughit
wasdifficulttomakeanelegantretreatinthewaterwhenfullyclothed.

Hefollowedme,hisstrokeslongandeven.Hewasagreatswimmer.IfoundIwas

toofarouttotouchtheground,althoughBenhadnoproblem.Itreadwateruntilmy
tiredlegsgaveupthenswambacktotheshallows.

"SowhydoesacuteAmericancomeallthewaytoParadiseIslandonherown?"he

asked,stillgrinning.Iwasbeginningtothinkhedidn'tknowhownottosmile.

"YoucantellI'mAmerican?Ismyaccentthatstrong?"
IfheguessedIwasavoidinganswering,hedidn'tshowit."It'sprettystrong.Which

partareyoufrom?"

"NewYork."
"AndsoIaskagain,what'saNewYorkerdoinghereonParadiseIsland?Andwhy

doesn'tshewanttotellme?"

"Um…"

HisfacesuddenlyfellandIfoundImissedhisopensmile."Ah,hell,sorry."
"Whatfor?"Iasked.
"Youweresupposedtocomeoutherewithyoursignificantother,maybeafiancé.

Heditchedyouandyoudecidedtocomeanyway.Well,goodforyou,butI'msorryfor
prying."

Ilaughed."That'sagoodstory.Youshouldwriteitoneday.Butno,that'snotit."
His grin returned. "You ditched him? That does seem more believable, what with

youbeingprettyhot."

Ishookmyheadbutblushedanyway."You'reasweettalker,Ben,I'llgiveyouthat."

Inoddedathiscolleagueinthehutwherethreecustomersnowqueued."Ithinkyou'd
bettergetback.Iwouldn'twanttogetyoufiredoverthis."

"Iwon'tbe."Hewinkedthenwadedbacktoshore.Hestrolledbackupthebeachto

thehut,thewetT-shirtnowclingingtohismuscularframe.

Icoulddefinitelygetusedtoislandlife.
Iheadedontothebeachtooandemergedfromthewater.Myhikingshortshunga

littleloosesoIpulledthemup.Icouldn'tdoanythingaboutmyclingingT-shirt,butat
leastI'dwornasportsbrasotherewerenonipplehighlights.

I glanced up at the hut to see Ben grinning back at me from the other side of the

counter.Hewaved.Thewomanheservedturnedtosee,andIstumbled.ItwasJacob's
AuntJill.

Atthesamemomentassherealizeditwasme,Em'svoicedisturbedthepeaceofthe

lappingwater."Kasey?Isthatyou?Oh,itis.Howlovelytoseeyouhere."Sheworea
turquoise colored turban around her head and a matching sarong. The small silver
discsattachedtotheendsofbothsarongandturbanjingledassheheadedmyway.

"Areyououtforamorningwalk?"Iasked.
"We'reonourwayintothevillage,butJillneededtostopandspeaktohersonfirst."

Shemovedaside,affordingmewithaviewofBeninthehut,hismouthfloppedopen
ashestaredathismotherthenatme,thenbackathismotheragain.

Iburstoutlaughing.
"What'ssofunny?"Emasked,lookingatBenandJill.
Jillfrowned,adeepscowlonherface.Shecrossedherarms.
I swallowed my laugh. "Em, I think your sister might be mad at me for going

swimmingwithherson."

"Oh,Idoubtthat."EmsquintedatJillthenhuffed."You'reright.Ithinksheismad.

Can'tthinkwhy.Unless…"Shebitherlipandstaredatmybreasts.Thenshesighedasif
thesightdisappointedher.

Ibristledandresistedtheurgetocovermyselfup.PerhapsIshouldremovemyT-

shirtandparadearoundinmybratomakeapoint.AlthoughIwasn'treallysurewhat
pointIwastryingtomake.

"Jill isn't mad that you went swimming with Ben," Em said. "She's mad at Ben for

attemptedtomakeyouhislatestconquest."

I stared at her, my mouth open, aware that I looked much like Ben had when his

mothermusthavetoldhimwhoIwas.

"Don't worry, Dear. Now that he knows you're Jacob's assistant, he won't try

anything."

"That's not what worries me. It worries me that you and Jill think I would have

allowedmyselftobesomeone'sconquestsoeasily.I'mnotlikethat."

Shepattedmyarm."I'msureyou'renot,butmostgirlscan'tresistBen.Ididn'tthink

you'dbemuchdifferent."

"Iam,thankyou."PerhapsIsoundedsnippy,butIdidnotliketobethoughtofas

easy.NordidIlikebeingpredictable,like'mostgirls'.Damnit,ifamanwantedmehe
could work for me. I didn't fall for hot guys just because they had nice smiles and
muscles.

IfEmdetectedmyoffence,shedidn'tshowit.Shewatchedmesnatchupmyshoes

andsocksandstuffthemintomybackpack."Whydon'tyoucomeintothevillagewith
us?We'regoingshopping.Youcoulddowithsomemoreislandclothes."

"Ionlysawoneclothingshopintown,"Isaid.
"There is only one, but their range is wonderful, plus Kitty has all the latest

magazinesandcataloguesfromallaroundtheworld.She'llgetinanythingyouwantto
tryon,andifyoudon'tlikeit,there'snoobligationtobuy.She'lljustdisplayitinher
shop.Shedoesn'tleteveryonedothat,justus.You'reoneofusnow."

"Thanks,that'sniceofyou,butIthinkI'llgohomeandhaveashower."
"Perhaps that's a good idea. Oh, I know! I'll come and braid your hair later. How

aboutthat?"ShepickedupherskirtsandswannedupthebeachtoJillbeforeIcould
answer,thesilverdiskstinklingasshewalked.

IwavedatBenwhowavedweaklyback,andheadedoff.Fifteenminuteslater,Iwas

exhausted from climbing the steep path and steps from the beach, past one other
mansion on the slope, then on to my apartment. I showered and made lunch then
dozedonthedeckchair,myereaderbesideme.

Iwokeuptothesplatteroffatraindropspoundingontheroof.Benwasrightand

theweatherhadturned.Abandofblueedgedthesleetgraysky,however,promising
anendtothestorm.

SomeoneknockedonmydoorandIscrambledtoopenitbeforetheygotdrenched.

Embarreledinsideandshookherraincoat,sprayingwatereverywhere.

"Nothinglikearainshowertofresheneverythingup,"shesaid.
"Youcallthisashower?"
"This is the tropics, Dear. You'll know the difference between a shower and a

downpourcomecycloneseason."

Ihelpedheroutofhercoatandhungitonthehookbythedoor."Doyouwantacup

ofcoffee?Idon'thaveanytea,sorry."

"Idon'tdrinkcoffee.Toobitter.JustaglassofwaterwilldowhileIbraidyourhair."
I'dforgottenherpromise.Itriedtothinkupexcusesthatwouldn'toffendherwhile

Ipouredaglassofwater.ButshelookedsoeagerthatIcouldn't.I'dtakethebraidsout
later.

"Sit,sit."Sheheldoutachairandwhippedoutacombfromtheinsideofherblouse.

"Youfellasleepwithoutdryingit,didn'tyou?"Sheclickedhertongue.

"Sorry,"Imuttered.
Anotherknockonthedoorhadmespringingup.ItwasCam."Hi,"Isaid,lettinghim

in."Youlooklikeadrownedrat."

Heshovedhishandthroughhisdamphair."Gotatowel?"

I fetched him one from the linen closet and he dried himself. "Hey, Aunt Em.

What'reyoudoinghere?"

"Kaseywantedherhairbraided,"shesaid.
Camliftedhisbrowsatme.Igavehimasmallshrugandhesmiled."Youcangetout

ofitifyouwantto,"hewhispered.

IglancedatEm.Shewavedhercombatme."Comeon,Kase.Sitdownandlet'sget

started."

Anotherknockonthedoorsavedmeasecondtime.Camopenedit.Jillstoodonthe

stoop with her son, Ben. They entered without being invited. Jill folded up her large
umbrella and placed it near the door. Cam was about to shut the door when Mitch
droveupinhisbuggy,parked,thensprintedformyapartment.

"Thisisquiteaparty,"hesaid,asIhandedhimanothertowel."GladIarrivedwhenI

didoryouwouldhavestartedwithoutme."

"Withoutyou?"Benslappedhiscousin'sshoulder."Never."
"Ben."Hismotherjerkedherheadatme.
Ben tucked his hands into his shorts pockets and gave me a sheepish look. He

lookedlikeCamwithhisboyishgoodlooks,onlywithbeachhair.

"Ben has something to say to you, Kasey." Jill's no-nonsense school mistress voice

had even me straightening my spine. Ben, however, looked as unruffled as ever. He
evensportedalop-sidedgrinthatmustmakemostwomenweakattheknees.Itwas
almostimpossibletothinkthisguy'smotherwastheprim,thin-lippedwomanwiththe
expensivejewelryadorningherfingers,wristsandears.

"Yeah,"Bensaid,saunteringintomylivingroom."Sorryforhittingonyou,Kase.I

didn'trealizeyouwere—"

"Youhitonher?"Camshookhishead."Jesus,Ben,can'tyouleaveanyonealone?"
"Ididn'tknowshewasJacob'snewassistant."
"Doesitmakeadifference?"Iasked."MebeingJacob'sassistant?"
"Yes,"theyallchimed.
"Itcomplicatesthings,"Mitchsaid."Um,sincewe'reallapologizing—"
"Notallofus,"Cammuttered.
"Iwanttosaysorrytoyoutoo,Kasey,"Mitchfinished."Iwasabitofanasstheother

night."

"It'sokay,"Isaid.
The ensuing silence felt heavy, until Cam broke it. "How's the beach looking?" he

askedhiscousin.

"Deserted," Ben said. "We shut up an hour ago before the worst hit. If this wind

keepsup,it'llbeamess."

"MitchandIwilljointhecleanuptomorrow.Givemeacallwhenyougetstarted."
"I'dliketojointoo,"Isaid.
"Youdon'thave,"Bensaid.
"Iwantto."
"We'llneedtostartearly.Assoonasthesunrises."
"Justknockonmydoor.I'llbeready."
"Oh,Em,"Jillsaid,stridinguptohersister,handsonhips."You'renotgoingtobraid

thepoorgirl'shair,areyou?"

Empouted."Shewantsmetoo."
Jilllookedtome.Ismiledback."Iwantherto,"Irepeated."Thisweatherishellon

myhairsoImightaswelldosomethingwithit."

"Don'tfeelobligated,"Jillsaid.
Empokedhertongueoutatthebackofhersister'shead.Ipressedmylipstogether

toclampdownonasmile.

Ben,MitchandCamsatonmycouchandBenpickedupthefashionmagazineI'd

bought in the airport lounge a few days earlier. "This looks nice." He showed his
cousinsthepageofthetwomodelsdressedinsummershortsandtops."Itwouldsuit
yourfigure,Kasey."

"Definitely,"Camsaid."What'sonthenextpage?"
Iblinkedatthem.Itlookedlikethey'dmadethemselvesathomeandweren'tgoing

anywhere."Coffee?"Iasked.

"Yesplease,"Camsaid.Mitchalsoputuphishand.
"Jillwillgetthem."Empattedthebackofthechair."Sit,Kase."
I dutifully sat while Jill boiled the kettle and prepared a platter of nibbles and dip.

Em dragged the comb through my hair, clicking her tongue every time the comb
caughtaknot.

"HaveyouheardfromJacko?"BenaskedCam.
"HecalledfromDan'splacethismorning."
"That'sgoodnews,"Jillsaidfromthekitchen."ItmeansDanlethimin."
"OrJackobrokein,"Emsaid."No,actually,he'snotthesorttobreakthelaw."
Bensetthemagazinedown,givingCamhisfullattention"Sowhat'stherealstory?"
Cam and Mitch glanced at one another. I got the feeling they'd already discussed

this. I felt like an interloper, an eavesdropper. Dan's problems were none of my
business. Yet no one seemed to care that I listened in. Besides, I lived here. If they
wantedprivacy,theyshouldleave.

"Dansleptwithanotherteammate'sgirlfriend,"Camannounced.
"Whoa."Benshookhishead."EvenIdrawthelineatthat."
"It'snoton,"Mitchagreed.
Emstoppedcombing."Whynot?"
"It's a guy thing," Mitch said. "The girlfriends and wives of mates are off limits.

Teammatesevenmoreso.It'salow-downthingtodotoafriend."

"What if his friend no longer dated the girl in question?" Jill asked, handing the

platteraround.

"It'sstillnotacoolthingtodo,"Bensaid.
"AndaccordingtoJacko,theteammateisstillseeingthisgirl,"Camadded.
Emclickedhertongue."Thatboy…he'salwaysgettingintosomesortoftrouble."
Jill plucked a piece of cheese off the platter and held it between her thumb and

forefinger,pinkyintheair."Heneedstosettledown.Heneedstomeetanicegirl."

Cam inspected the biscuit in his hand. "Nice girls won't have him. That's the

problem."

"DidDanknowhisteammatewasstillseeingtheothergirl?"Iasked.
Theyallturnedtome,andIswallowed.MaybeIshouldhavejustbuttedout.
"Jackodidn'tsay,"Camsaid."ButknowingDan,it'spossible."

ItseemedalittleunfairthattheywereallcondemningDanbeforegettingthefull

story, but they knew him better than I did. Definitely time for me to butt out of the
conversation.

"He's a hot mess," Ben said, accepting his coffee from his mother. "Lucky Jacko's

withhim."

"That'snotalwaysagoodthing,"MitchsaidwithaloadedlookatCam."Jackowill

probablycomedownprettyheavyonDan."

Everysingleoneofthemnoddedatthis."Dan'sanadult,"Camsaid."Hecanhandle

thisonhisown.Jackoshouldn'thaveraceddowntoMelbournewherehe'snotneeded
orwanted."

"Youtrytellinghimthat,"Mitchgrowled.
"Nothanks.Idon'twanttoincurthewrathofthetitan."
IthoughttheywerebeingalittleunfaironJacob.Hewastryingtohelphisbrother

out, trying to keep the family safe from media scrutiny. But then again, from what I
knewofJacob,hewouldlayonthebigbrotherlecturealittletoothickly.Partofmefelt
sorryforDan,butmostlyIfeltsorryforJacob.Hefeltasifheneededtotakecareofhis
family, but that meant he was being pulled in all directions. Besides, if no one
appreciatedit,itwasawastedeffort.

Itmustbetoughonhim.HopefullyIcouldhelpoutwithworkandstreamlinehis

daysohecouldtakeitalittleeasierinbetweenfamilycrises.

EmwasjustfinishingupmyhairwhenthelandlinephonerangandIansweredit.

"Hey,"camethefamiliardeepAussievoicedowntheline."It'sJacob."

ItlookedlikeI'dbebeginningthestreamliningthisweekendwhilehewasn'teven

here.

ButIwaswrong.Itturnedouttonotbeaworkcall.

acob?"Isaid,surprised."Hi."
TheWalkerclanallturnedasonetome.Ifeltlikeadeercaughtintheheadlights,

not sure which way to run. Jill and Em exchanged looks. Em smiled until her sister
frownedather.

"Is there something I can do for you?" I asked him. "I emailed you that report in

caseyouhadtimetocheckitonyourflight."

"Igotit,thanks,"Jacobsaid."Thisisn'taboutwork."
I must have looked freaked out because everyone seemed to be on tenterhooks

waiting for me to respond. Mitch, Cam and Ben peered at me over the back of the
couchwhileJillandEmhadsomehowcreptcloserwithoutmerealizing.There'dbeno
wayIcouldhaveaprivateconversationwiththemallhovering.

"Goon,"IpromptedJacob.
He cleared his throat. "I feel bad for the way I walked out of the office on Friday

afternoon and I wanted to apologize. My only excuse was that I was worried about
Dan,butit'saprettylameoneasexcusesgo."

"Notreally.Idon'tblameyouforbeingworried."
"Itdoesn'texcusemybehavior.Iwasgruffwithyou."
"It'sokay.Isthereanythingyouneedmetodothisweekend?"
"Forwork?Noway.Justrelaxandenjoyyourfirstweekendontheisland.Although

Isawthere'sastormuptheresothebeachwillbeamesstomorrow."

"I'm going to help Cam, Mitch and Ben clean up." I eyed them on my couch. Ben

gavemeathumbsup.

"Youdon'thavetodothat,"Jacobsaid.
"Iwantto."
"Speakingofmybrothers,IbettercallandupdatethemonthesituationwithDan."
"They'rehere.Whichonedoyouwant?"
"They're both there?" He sounded a little confused. I guess it was confusing. I still

wasn'tsurewhythey'dcomepasteither.

"AndBentoo,plusbothyouraunts.Inowhaveanawesomehair-dothankstoEm."
Jacoblaughed,arichrumblingsoundthatvibratedthroughme."IfAuntEmheard

yousaythat,thenyou'vejustrocketedtothetopofherfavoritepersonlist."

Ilaughedtoo.Emdidlookverypleased.
"PutCamon,"Jacobsaid.
Ihandedthephoneoverandcheckedoutmybraidsinthehallmirror.Notbadat

all."You'regoodatthis,"IsaidtoEm.

"She does them for the kids during school holidays," Jill said. "The little girls love

them."

"Ilovethemtoo,butthenI'vebeentoldI'malittlekidatheartsometimes."

"Yeah?" Ben eyed me with respect. "My kind of—" His gaze flicked to Mitch, now

standingbehindme,andswallowed."Nothing."

"Youlookverycute,Kasey,"Emsaid.
Cam hung up and gave us all the details about Dan's predicament. Apparently the

mediahadshreddedhimforhispoorsportsmanship,butDanclaimedhedidn'tknow
thegirlhadbeenseeinganotherteammateatthesametime.She'dbeenwiththeother
guyforonlyacoupleofweeks,andtheyweren'tserious.Themedia,however,didn't
careaboutthedetails.ItwasfrontpagenewsinMelbourne.

"DoesJackobelievehim?"Mitchasked.
Camnodded.
"Thenthat'sgoodenoughforme."
"Metoo,"Jillannounced."ThemediacanjumpinthelakeforallIcare."
"They're no friends of ours," Em told me. "They were awful when Madeline and

Jerry died. Really awful, to the boys in particular." She leaned closer and whispered,
"That'swhythey'relikethisnow.Walkingdisasters,thelotofthem."

Walking disasters? That was a little unfair. In Dan's case, it seemed accurate, and

Mitch's too. His drinking could be attributed to losing his parents in such terrible
circumstances. Perhaps Jacob's domineering attitude could also be blamed on their
deaths,butCamseemedfineandIknewnothingaboutthefinalbrother,thefourthin
thebirthorder.

EmwenttoCam,standingbytheglassdoors,staringouttotheslate-graysea.She

touchedhisarmandheturnedandsmiledbrightly.Butbeforethesmile,I'dcaughta
glimpseofmiseryinhiseyes,ahintofsadnessthatdidn'tsitwellonhim.Maybehis
smileswereforshow,coveringuphispain.

Ithoughtthey'dallleaveoncetheraineased,butnonedid.Coffeeswerereplaced

withwineatfive,andCamusedmylandlinephonetocheckontheairportandafew
otherplacesaroundtheisland.

"Noseriousdamageanywhere,"hereported."Justamessfromthepalmfronds,and

somesandblasting,butotherwiseit'sallgood.Cleanupwon'ttakelongtomorrow."

Mitchliftedhisglassinsalute."I'lldrinktothat."
"You'lldrinktoanything,"Benmuttered.
Mitchscowledathimandsipped.
"IshouldhavecheckedoneverythinginJacob'sabsence,"Isaid."It'smyjob."
Camheldhishandsupinsurrender."You'reright.Youcandoitnexttime.Ididn't

wanttodropyouinitafteroneweek."

"Idon'tmindbeingdroppedinit,"Isaid."Iworkbestinacrisis."
"Inthatcase,you'llbeagodsendforJacobcomecycloneseason."
"Andtouristseason,"Benchimedin."Itgetsrealbusyhere."

***

Ben was right. The peak tourist season on Paradise Island happened during the

Australian winter, when the southern states froze and the northern harbored
holidaymakersdesperateforwarmthandsun.Itgotbusy.Crazybusy.Thehotelswere
booked out, queues at the restaurants went out the door, and children swarmed the
beacheslikelocusts.Itwaschaosbutalotoffun.Ilikedbeingbusywhenitwasagood
kindofbusy,andbeingaroundhappypeopleonvacationwasdefinitelythegoodkind.

Jacobemployedatemptoanswerthephonesduringofficehours,freeingmeupto

managethepropertiesandislandbusinessesinconjunctionwithhisagentsaswellas
manage his schedule. After three months, I now had a solid understanding of his
methods and what was expected of me. We worked closely together on the runway
extension project which was still in the final planning phase, with work due to start
afterthepeakseason.Webothworkedintotheevenings,despitehisinsistenceIleave
himtoit.

"WhatamIgoingtodoathomeonmyown?"Iasked."WatchrealityTVandallow

mybraintoslowlyrot?"

"You could read a book. I know you like to read. That reminds me, I've been

thinking of getting Aunt Jill an ereader for her birthday. She likes to read too and
withoutabookstoreorlibraryhere,it'snoteasyforhertogetthebooksshelikes."

Isatback,athoughtsuddenlyhittingme.Two,actually.
Jacob'slipskickedupatthecorner."Iknowthatlook.Yougetitwhenyouhavea

goodidea."

"Everthoughtofopeningabookstoreontheisland?"
"Weusedtohaveone,buttheownershutupshopaboutayearago.Thefishand

chipperytookoverthespace.Theproblemwithabookstoreisthatwejustdon'thave
roomforitrightnow.Everyshopistaken."

"Noteveryspace.There'sthatlittlelanebetweenthejewelrystoreandthegiftshop.

Itdoesn'tseemtobeusedsincetheserviceareaoutthebackcanbeaccessedfromthe
widerroadbehindtheretailrow."

Hetappedhispenonthedeskandnoddedslowly."It'sverynarrow."
"Butitdoesopenuptowardtheback."
"I'mnotsoldyet.Thelastbookstoredidn'tdosowell,andwiththeriseinpopularity

ofereadingdevices,I'mnotsureit'sagoodbet."

"Whataboutsomethingquirkyandinviting,withalittlecafeouttheback.Stockthe

sort of books holidaymakers want to read, instead of heavy literary tomes or non-
fiction. Genre books sell well, romance and mystery. I can see moms coming in,
picking up a book and sitting in the cafe at the back to read alone while the more
adventurousfamilymembersareoutparasailingorjetskiing."

Heeyedthejetskihireshopacrosstheroad,perchedontheendofthepier."The

cafesarealwaysfull.Itmightwork."

"Andereadingontheislandisn'tsogreatifyourunoutofbooks.TheWiFiandcell

phonecoverageisterrible.Noonecandownloadanythingfromhereunlesstheyhack
into the corporate's Wi-Fi service. Which brings me to my next point. Have you
thoughtaboutgettingWi-Fiinthecafes,andmaybetothehotels?Theyalreadyhave
cellservice,butWi-Fiwouldbeabonus.Noteveryonecanleaveworkathomewhen
theygoawayonvacation,andthelackofWi-Fimightbeputtingthosepeopleoff.And
maybeextendthecell—mobilephone—coveragetotheentireisland."

"Thoughtaboutitandputitonhold."Hehelduphishands."Toobusy."
"IsitsomethingIcanlookinto?"
"Gorightahead."
Ihadanotherthought,butdecidednottospeaktohimaboutit.Twoinonedaywas

enough,andwhatIhadinmindwouldcostabomb.Besides,itwasmorelongterm.

Iheadedoutofhisoffice,thenrememberedsomething.Iturnedsuddenly,catching

himstaringatmybutt.Hischeeksflamedandhequicklypickedupastackofpapers
andshuffledthem."Yes?"heasked,allbusiness.

"Just…um…"WhatdidIwanttodiscussagain?Ohyeah."Halfromtheairportsaid

yourbrother'sbirthdaygifthasarrived."

He looked up. His cheeks were still a little flushed, offsetting his tan nicely. He

lookedkindofadorableallflusteredlikethat."Finally!Iwasworrieditwouldn'tmake
itintime."

"He'lldeliveritstraighttotheparty,unlessyouhaveotherplans."
"No, that's fine. That reminds me, you never mentioned you were invited. Mitch

saidyouare."

"DidhealsotellyouthatIdeclined?"
"No,butIhaven'tspokentohimaboutitinaweek.Whyaren'tyougoing?"
Iliftedoneshoulderandlookedaway."It's…awkward."
"Withmebeingthere?"
Thiswholeconversationwasawkward."Idon'tmixbusinessandpleasure."
Hecamearoundhisdesktostandbeforeme."Kasey,youshouldcome.It'llbefun,

andIpromisetohavemybossradarturnedoff."

"Youcan'tstopbeingtheboss,Jacob.It'sokay.Idon'tmind.Really."
He frowned. "Not buying it, Kase. Come on, you have to go. I know you've been

hangingoutwithAllyandmyfamilyontheweekends,soit'sonlyrightthatyougo."

"But—"
"Youcangetasdrunkasyoulike,orloud,ordancelikeacrazywoman.Idon'tcare.

Mitchwouldlikeyoutogo.And…andsowouldI."

Iswallowedmyprotest.Imusthavelookeddumbstruck,becausehebackedaway,

handsintheair."Youdon'tmixbusinessandpleasure.Iknow,andIgetit.It'sjustthat
it'shardtoavoideachotherontheweekendshere,especiallynowthatyou'vebecome
friendswithpeopleI'vegrownupwith."

"Oh. Right." Hell. Had he been avoiding his family and friends on the weekends

becauseofme?Itriedtothinkback.TherewasthatonetimewhenI'dmetupwithAlly
atlunchandshe'dbeenwithJacobatthetableasIarrived.He'dgotupandleftassoon
ashesawme,leavingAllywonderingwhy.

I'dalsospottedhimasIjoggedinthemorningssoonaftermyarrival.We'dwaved

butIhadn'tseenhimafterthat.WhenIchangedmyroutethefollowingweek,I'dseen
himagain,butonlytheonce.Hadhechangedhisrouteeverytimewe'dcrossedpaths?

"Soyou'llgotonight?"heasked.
"Sure,"Iheardmyselfsay."I'llgo."
"Great.ImightaswellpickyouupsinceIhavetopassyourplace."
"Okay."
I left his office, wondering how the hell I'd given in so easily. I had no willpower

whatsoever.

***

"Loveyourdress,Kase,"Allysaidoverthewhumpwhump of the music. "You look so
sexytonight."

Sexy? That hadn't been the look I was going for. Sophisticated chic had been the

aim.Maybethedresswasalittletooshortandtightforthat,butithadahighneckline
andnosidesplits,soIthoughtI'dbegood.Apparentlynot.

"Thanks, you look gorgeous yourself," I said. "I don't often see you dressed up.

Actually,makethatnever."

"Therearen'ttoomanyopportunitieshere.Notwithmyjob.Iadmit,it'snicenotto

smelllikekoalapee."

Ilaughed."You'rehilarious."
Ally and I had quickly become friends. It had taken only a month of living on

Paradise to realize she was still single because she was already in love. It had taken
anothermonthbeforeEmtoldmeshe'dbeeninlovewiththefourthWalkerbrother,
Mack. According to Em, it was all very sad, and no one knew why they'd broken up.
Mackhadsimplydecidedtoleavetheislandayearago,andleavebehindthewoman
everyone considered his perfect match. He hadn't returned, and rarely contacted his
family.BothheandDan,theyoungest,wereabsenttonight.

Allyleanedin,awickedgleaminhereyes."Don'tlooknow,butyourchauffeuris

watchingyou."

"Huh?"IfollowedhergazetoJacob.HequicklyturnedtospeaktoMitch.
"Idon'tthinkitwasme,specifically,"Isaid."Justthisgeneraldirection."
"Right.Sure."Shewinked."Blamethedress."Shegrabbedmyarmanddraggedme

towardMitchandJacob.

We plucked champagne glasses off a passing waiter's tray and I thought about

veeringawaybutAlly'sgripwastoohard.Shesmiledbrightlyatthebrothers.

"Hey,birthdayboy,"shesaid."Havingagoodnightsofar?"
Mitch lifted his beer glass. "Great fun, but I want to see you two dancing later. In

fact,saveadanceforme."

"Deal."
"And one for my stiff upper lip brother, too." Mitch nudged Jacob, causing him to

spillsomeofhisbeerfromhisglass.

Jacobswappedtheglasstohisotherhandandflickedofftheliquid.Hefrownedat

hisbrother."Don'tdoanythingstupidtonight."

Mitch's gaze turned hard. "It's my birthday. I'll do what I bloody well want." He

strodeoff.

Jacob'sshouldersslumpedashewatchedhisbrother'sretreatingback.
"Lethimgo,"Allysaid,watchingtoo.
"Ican't.Hecouldhurthimself,orsomeoneelse.Youknowhowhegets."

"We'llallkeepaneyeonhim,"Isaid."Youdon'thavetodoitalone."
Jacobstraightenedalittle.Alookofreliefpassedacrosshisface,butitquicklyfaded.

"You don't have to, Kase. Enjoy yourself tonight. My brother is my responsibility. I'll
watchhim."

Iknewhimwellenoughnowtoknowthatarguingwithhimoverthepointwould

get us nowhere. He felt responsible for his family, even though they were all grown
men,andnothingIcouldsaywouldchangethat.Butthatdidn'tmeanIcouldn'thelp
anyway.AndIalreadyhadaplan.IfMitchdancedandtalked,hewoulddrinkless.

I put the plan into action after he finished greeting some new arrivals, then lured

himontothedancefloor.Thevenueoccupiedthespaceaboveoneoftherestaurants,
soithadanawesomeviewoverthewater.Lightsonthebobbingboatslookedlikelittle
stars on the water. Coupled with the sparkling disco ball overhead, the venue was
magical.

Mitchdancedandtalkedtome,adrinknowhereinsight.Butafterthetrackended,

hegotcalledawaybyfriends.Oneofthemhandedhimadrink.

"Goodtry,"Allysaid,sidlinguptome."I'llgethimdancingagainsoon.Ifwework

together,wecandothis.Now,IthinkyouneedtohelpoutJacob."

I followed her gaze to where my boss stood with his two aunts, wedged between

themlikeatrappedanimal."Hedoeslooklikehe'dratherbeanywherebutthere."

Shegavemealittlepush."Goonthen."
"Whyme?"
"BecauseEmlovesyou.Shethinksofyouasthedaughtersheneverhad."
Inarrowedmygazeather."SaysthewomanwhoEmcan'tstoptalkingabout."
Shesmirked."Doesthatmakeussisters?"
I laughed and succumbed to her second push. Jacob did look like he wanted to

escapebutdidn'tknowhowtodosopolitely.

"Kasey!" He smiled brightly upon seeing me. "What's that? You want to dance?

Sure."

HehandedhisbeertoJillandtookmyhandbeforeIknewwhatwashappening.I

expectedtoseetwinlooksofsurpriseonJillandEm'sfaces,buttheybothlookedmore
smugthanconfused.

"Thankyouforrescuingme,"Jacobsaid,handonmyback,steeringmetowardthe

dancefloor."IthoughtI'dgetstuckwiththemallnight."

Fromthelookontheirfaces,Iwasbeginningtothinktheauntshadexecutedtheir

planperfectly.AsthemonthsworeonsinceI'darrived,ithadbecomemoreandmore
clear to me that the family wanted Jacob and I to get together. Apparently my
convictionthatIdidn'tmixbusinessandpleasuremeantnothingtothem.

The music thrummed in my blood as we danced. We stayed on the dance floor

throughtwomoretracksandthenapopularonecameonandthefloorfloodedwith
partygoers,armsintheair,rockingtothebeat.ThethrongpushedJacobandmecloser
togetheruntilwebumpedintooneanother.

Jacobsettledhishandsonmyhipstosteadyme,eventhoughIfeltsteadyenough,

despitemykillerhighheels.Icouldfeelhiswarmththroughmythindress.Evenafter
heremovedhishands,itfeltliketheywerestillthere.

Iglancedupandmethisgaze.Heldit.Icouldn'tlookaway.Didn'twantto.Always

direct,itwassomewhatsofterthanusual,butnolessintense.Infact,itwasevenmore
soasitburrowedintome,asifhesawdeepintomyinnermostthoughts.

Asifhewantedtokissme.
I swallowed. What if that's what he wanted? How would I make an exit without

ruiningourworkingrelationship?

DidIwanttomakeanexit?
Yes,damnit.Ihadto.Forsanity'ssake,andbecauseI'dgrowntoloveworkingand

livingontheisland.I'dsettledintoanewrhythmandmadenewfriends.Imissedmy
Mombutnothingelseaboutmyoldlife.Ididn'twanttothrowawaywhatI'dgained
heretobecometheCEO'slatestgirlfriend,replacedbyanotherwomaninhisbedand
hisofficewhenhegrewboredwithme.Icouldn'triskit.Therewastoomuchatstake.

Imovedbackalittlebutkeptsmiling.HesaidsomethingthatIdidn'tquitehear.
"Pardon?"Ishouted.
He leaned closer, closing the gap I'd carefully engineered. Both his hands touched

myarms,gentlyholdingmetheresoIcouldn'tbackawayagain.Athrillskitteredup
my spine, chasing away doubts and fears, and leaving only desire in its place. It
throbbedalongmyveinsasrhythmicandalluringasthemusic.

To hell with my moral dilemma. This man wasn't Brent. Maybe I should explore

thesefeelings.Iknewhefeltthemtoo.

Hislipsbrushedmyearlobe.Hisbreathfannedmyhair."Iknowthisisawkwardfor

you."

I wanted to lighten the mood, to shake things up a little and bring back the party

atmosphere.Itwassafer."Medancingwithyou,oryourdancingstyle?"

Helaughed."AmIthatbad?"
"Youdancelikeastraightguywho'sneverhadlessons."
Hehelduphishands."Guilty."
WedanceduntilmyfeetstartedhurtingthenImademyexcuses.Jacobdisappeared

insearchofMitch.I'dseenAllydancingwithhimearlier,butthey'donlydancedonce
before a friend lured him away with a beer. Mitch was the sort of guy who made
friendseasily,butneverletthemgettooclose.Mostfriendsturnedouttobetemporary
staffemployedforthepeakseasonwho'dcometotheislandtohavesomefunandearn
alittlecashafterfinishingcollegeorschool.Theywereinpartymodeallthetime.It
wasbadforMitch.WeallknewitbutonlyJacobtoldhimtohisface.

Goingbythejeerscomingfromaloudgroupnearthebar,Jacobhadfoundhimand

Mitch's new friends weren't happy. No doubt Jacob was attempting to end their
drinkinggame.

IfoundEmandJill.Orrather,theyfoundme.
"Lovelyparty,"Jillsaid,justasashoutof"Morebeer!"eruptedfromthegroup.She

wincedandsippedherchampagne.

Emhandedmeaglass."YouandJacoblookgoodtogetheronthedancefloor."
Jilltrodonhersister'stoes.
"Ow!Whatwasthatfor?"
Jillturnedabeamingsmileontome."Areyouhavingagoodtime,Dear?"
"Wonderful, thanks." I looked past her to where cheers went up and spotted Cam

pulling Jacob out of the group. Behind them, Mitch was being egged on to skull his

beer.

JacobandCammarchedtowardus,Jacobwithafiercescowlandhard-as-nailsjaw.

Cam glanced back over his shoulder, one hand on his brother's arm. Making sure he
keptmovingforward?

Besideme,Emsighed."Andhewaslookingsorelaxedandhappytoo.It'suptoyou

now,Kasey."

"Whatis?"Iasked.
"ToseethatJacko'sblackmooddoesn'tspoiltheparty,sotospeak."
"Huh?" Was she saying what I thought she was saying? I looked to Jill, the more

sensibleofthetwo,expectinghertoadmonishherloose-lippedsister.

ShesimplygavemealittleshoveinJacob'sdirection."It'syourjob.Go."
Myjob?Myjob!Whatthehell?
Shemusthaverealizedwhatshe'dsaidbecauseshegavemealittleshrug."Afigure

ofspeech,that'sall.Buthedoesseemtobemorerelaxedwithyouaround.Maybeyou
can talk him out of his grumpiness so he doesn't spoil Mitch's night." She shooed me
withbothhands.

Shekindofhadapoint—aboutruiningMitch'snight,notmeandJacob.TheleastI

coulddowastryandhelpout."Idon'tsupposeyouwanttodanceagain,"Isaidasthe
twobrothersjoinedus.

Jacobsighed."Notreally."HeglancedbackatMitch.
"He'llbefine,"Camsaid."Leavehimaloneforawhile.Trusthim."
"Ican't."
Camdraggedhishandthroughhishair."He'snotakid,Jacko."
"Thenwhydoesheactlikeone?"
Jillwidenedhereyesandstaredhardatme.EmjerkedherheadtowardJacob.
"IthinkIneedsomefreshair,"Isaid."Anyonecaretojoinmeonthebalcony?"
"God,yes,"Camsaid."Jacko?"
Jacobnodded.
"Youtwogoahead.I'llbringoutdrinks."
Cam peeled off to the bar while Jacob and I headed to the doors that led to the

balcony. I welcomed the sea breeze into my lungs with a deep breath as the door
swungclosedbehindus,turningdownthepartyvolume.

"That'sbetter,"Isaid,leaningonthebalconyrailandlookingoutoverthemarina.

Boatsrockedgently,andsomeonesangtothemusicplayinginside.

Jacobjoinedme,hiselbowsonthebalcony,handsclasped."Sorryaboutthat,Kase."
"Aboutwhat?"
"Mitch."
Istraightened."Youdon'tneedtoapologize.He'sdonenothingwrong."
"He'sdrunk."
"Alotofguysgetdrunkontheirbirthday."
"Iwishhe'dkeepitjustforhisbirthdays.It'severybloodynight,lately."Helowered

his head. "I thought he'd get better as time wore on, but he's not. He's more erratic,
more…troubled.IwishIknewhowtohelphim."

I touched his shoulder. "Maybe you can't. Maybe he needs someone else's help.

Someonewhoisn'tfamily."

Hetiltedhisheadtolookatme.Hiseyesglistenedinthedark."Ithinkyou'reright.I

know you're right." He sighed. "But the guys he's hanging out with now aren't the
ones."

Aroarfrominsidewentup.
"Atleasthe'snotangryormorosetonight,"Isaid."He'singoodspirits."
"Giveittime."
Isqueezedhisshoulderandhegavemeaflatsmile."Thanks,Kase.Ididn'twantto

burdenyouwiththem,butyou'reagoodlistenerandIfeelIcantalktoyoubetterthan
Icantalktomyownfamily."

"Sometimesit'seasiertotalktooutsiders."Iletmyhandslideoffhisshoulder,but

hecaughtit.

"You'renotanoutsideranymore."Hetwinedhisfingersthroughmineandrubbed

histhumbalongmyforefinger.

"Employeethen."
Hestoppedrubbing.Iwantedtotellhimtokeepgoing,tostepcloser,tolookatme

likehewantedtodevourme.ButIdidnot.Iuntangledourfingers.

Hedroppedhishandaway."Igetit,"hesaid,turningbacktostareatthemarina.
"Getwhat?"
"Keepingworkandyourpersonallifeseparate.Igetwhyyouwanttokeepthings

professionalbetweenus,andIrespectit.Irespectyou."

I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. I settled into a stance matching his,

elbowsontherail,peeringoutoverthemarina."Thanks."

"Butthatdoesn'tmeanIhavetolikeit."
Iglancedathim,onlytoseehimalreadylookingatme.Despitethedarkshadows

fallingacrosshisface,Iknewhiseyesharboreddeepintensity.Icouldfeelitthroughto
myboneslikeanache.

"Ishouldgobackinside."Imadetomoveawaybuthecaughtmyhand.
"Stay a little longer. I promise not to hit on you. I just want someone to talk to.

Someonewhodoesn'tthinkI'manasshole."

"They don't think you're an asshole. Not really. Deep down, they love you and

appreciatethatyoucare.I'msuretheydo."

"Yeah."Buthedidn'tsoundconvinced.
Isatontheplasticchairatthelittletableandglancedatthedoor.Camdidn'tcome

throughitbearingdrinkslikehe'dpromised.Hadthatbeenhisplanallalong?Toget
Jacobandmeoutherealone?

Jacobsatontheotherchair."They'retryingtosetusup."
"Iknow."
"Itbothersyou."
"Notasmuchasitshould."Ishrugged."Don'tworryaboutit.I'lltellthemtobackoff

ifitgetstoomuch."

"Goodluck.TheyignoredmewhenItoldthem."
Ilaughedsoftly."See,that'sjustasignthatthey'renotthatscaredofyouanddon't

thinkyou'reanasshole.Theywouldn'ttrytosetmeupwithyouifyouwere."

"True. They do like you, so there's that." He folded his arms over his chest and

stretched out his legs. His feet touched the iron balcony rail. "All this talk about my

family,andIdon'taskyoumuchaboutyours.Iknowyou'reanonlychild,andyour
motherlivesalone.Doyouhavecousins?"

"Justthree,butIrarelyspeaktothem.They'rescatteredallovertheStates,andthey

were on Dad's side anyway. I haven't had much to do with them since…since his
death."

"I'msorry."
"I'mnot.Underthegroundisthebestplaceforhim.Thewormsarewelcometohis

carcass."IrealizedI'dsoundedtooharshwhenhedidn'trespond."Hewasanasshole,"
Iadded."Ifeveryourbrotherstrulystartcallingyounames,I'lltellthemwhatareal
assholedoes.Thenthey'llknowthedifference."

He reached across the table and touched my hand. I expected him to say he was

sorryagain,buthesaidnothing,justtouchedmelikehewantedmetoknowIdidn't
havetoendurethepainalone.Iappreciateditmorethanwordscouldexplain.Icurled
myfingersaroundhisandheldon,blinkingbackmytears.

"Kasey—"
He was cut off by the sound of glass shattering all over the balcony and a body

landingbesidehimwithanoomph.

Jacobshottohisfeetandleanedoverthegroaningman.Revelerspeeredthrough

thebrokendoorandthelightssuddenlycameon.Iblinkedintothebrightness,trying
toseeifthemanwasbadlyinjured.

Jacobsaidsomething,butIcouldn'thearhimoverthemusic.
Thenthemusicdied.Aneeriesilencefollowed,brokenonlybyanothergroanfrom

theman.

"Call the ambulance!" Jacob shouted. "Cam, have you been drinking? Can you fly?

We need to get him to hospital on the mainland. Cam!" Jacob's voice shook as he
glancedaroundforhisbrother.

I came up behind him and peered over his shoulder. My stomach dropped to my

toesandbilerose.MitchlayinapoolofbloodatJacob'sfeet.

helpedthestaffcleanupaftertheislandambulanceservicetookMitchaway,along

withCamandJacob.Mostofthepartygoersdisappeared,leavingonlyfamilyandclose
friends,noneofwhomwantedtogohomeyet.Notuntilwe'dheardifMitchwasokay.

I swept up the broken glass and a staff member carried the trash bag away, while

Ally,Benandtheauntswipeddowntablesandmoppedfloors.Wheneverythingwas
finallydone,wesatonthecouchesinthecorner,asomberlittlegroup.

"He'llbefine,"Emsaid,eventhoughnoonehadspoken."Mitchistough."
Jillshookherhead."No,he'snot.Ifhewastough,hewouldn'tbedrinking."
"That'sdifferent,"Bensaid.
"Isit?"
"This was just a terrible accident. It could have happened at any party. Tell them,

Ally."

Allyflickedherthumbnailwithherfingerandstareddownatherfeet."It'snotmy

placetosay.I'mnotpartofthefamily."

Em scoffed. "Of course you are. You're like a sister to the boys and a niece to us.

You'vegrownupwiththisfamily."

Ally smothered her flicking fingers with her other hand and blinked back tears.

"Thanks,"shemumbled.

Benrubbedhershoulderandopenedhismouthtospeak,butathismother'shead

shake,closeditagain.Maybehe'dbeengoingtomentionAlly'srelationshipwithMack,
theelusivebrother.Ihardlyeverheardhisnamementioned,andneverwithinAlly's
hearing.

"WeshouldhavelistenedtoJacko,"Emsaid."Hewasrighttobeworriedtonight."
Her pronouncement was met with weighty silence. Ben pinched the bridge of his

nose,afrownscoringhisusuallyuntroubledforehead.Theeasy-goingguyhadnever
lookedmoreworried.

Itouchedhisarmjustashisphonerang.Themarinaandtheshoppingstriphadthe

bestcellcoverageontheentireisland."It'sJacko,"hesaid,acceptingthecall."Howis
he?"

Weallsatforward,watchinghisexpressionintently.Hescrubbedhishandthrough

hishair,downhisface.Thenheblewoutabreath."ThankGod."

Emgavealittleclapofherhands.JillcaughtAlly'shandandpattedit.Reliefflooded

melikeakingtide.

"He'sokay,"Bentoldus,hangingup."He'sgotsomecutsfromtheglass,mostlyon

hisback,butotherwisehe'sunharmed.Justheavilyintoxicated."

"Whatarelief,"Jilldeclared,clutchingthepearlnecklaceatherthroat."Wecanall

gohomenow."

"Maybethiswillshockhimintogivingupdrinking,"Allysaid."Orcuttingdowntoa

moremoderatelevel."

I let them talk on, discussing Mitch and his lifestyle, yet I couldn't stop thinking

about Jacob. Was he coping with the emotional roller coaster? Would he stay at the
hospitaltonightorgetahotelroom?AtleasthehadCamforcompanyandsupport.

PartofmewishedIcoulddosomethingtohelp,somethingmorethanjustcleanup.

Itwasfrustrating.Tomorrow,I'dcallhimandfindoutwhatheneeded.

***

Icouldn'tgetontoJacobinthemorning.Hisphonewasoff,Cam'stoo,soIsatdown
with pen and paper and brainstormed ideas. If I had to rush off in the night, what
wouldIwantdone?

Fiveminuteslater,Ilefthomewithmylist.Firststop,theoffice.Thiswasfamiliar

territory.IknewJacobworkedmostweekends,atleasttokeepontopofemails,many
ofwhichcameinovernightfromcountriesindifferenttimezones.Iansweredsomeon
hisbehalfandscheduledremindersandappointments.

I noticed a lunch appointment in his calendar with the hotel manager, so

rescheduledthat.Iwasabouttoleavetheofficewhenthephoneranginreception.It
wasstrangetogetacallontheweekend,butIanswereditanyway.

"ThisisJasmineBachefromTheHeraldforMr.JacobWalker,"camethecoolvoice.
"He'snothere,"Isaid."CanItakeamessage?"
"Isheatthehospitalwithhisbrother?Canyoutellmewhathappened?"
Igroaned.Thiswasn'taworkcall.JasmineBachefromTheHeraldwasn'tinterested

intherunwayprojectoranythingtodowithParadiseIsland.Shewantedthescoopon
Mitch. I suddenly realized how important this family was in Australia. I knew they
were among the wealthiest, of course, and their business a key component in the
economy, but it only now sank in that they were just as important to the gossips. It
shouldn'thavesurprisedme.Fiverichbachelorbrothers,allofthemgoodlookingand
atheletic. No wonder Jacob had been worried about Dan facing the media drama in
Melbournealone.AndnowMitchwasabouttocomeunderfire,too.

Unlesssomeonecoulddivertit.
"Sure,"Isaidbrightly."Iwasthere,asithappens."
"Really?"Thecrispnessinhertonegratedonmynerves.
"Itwasallanaccident,actually.Mitchwasdancingwithsomefriends,whenoneof

them tripped over a handbag strap on the floor. You know how some of us girls do
that…leave our purses on the floor while we dance. Well, this girl tripped and was
about to go through the glass doors, but Mitch saved her. He reacted very quickly,
scooping her around the waist and pushing her to safety. But unfortunately his
momentumkepthimmoving.Heonlyjustmanagedtoturnhisbodyaroundsothathe
wentthroughtheglassdoorsbackwardinsteadofforward.Thankgoodness."

Silence.Then:"That'snotthesameversionofeventsI'veheard,Miss…?"
"Kasey Mannering. That's Kasey with a K. Well, I don't want to call your other

sourcesliars,butweretheyactuallyattheparty?"

"Sotheytoldme."
Damn."Thentheymustn'thavehadagoodviewofevents."
"Andyoudid?"
"The perfect view. You see, I was the girl who tripped over her bag strap. Mitch

saved me from going through that glass. He's a real gentleman." Okay, Kase, maybe
don'tlayitonsothick.IheldmybreathasIwaitedforherresponse.

"Isee.Tellme,MissMannering,areyouanemployeeoftheWalkers?"
"Iam.That'swhyI'mintheofficeonaSaturday."
"TheymakeyouworkonSaturdays?"
"Onlywhenwe'reverybusy."
"Isee."Shepausedagain.Iwishedshe'djusthangup.Didn'tshehaveenoughnow?

"Tell me, Miss Mannering, are you protecting the family, and Mitchell Walker in
particular,byofferingmeamorerose-coloredversionofevents?"

"WhywouldIwanttoprotectthefamily?Idon'tcarewhatyouwriteaboutthem.

They'remybosses,notmyfriends.IhavetoworkSaturdays,remember?"

She actually laughed. "Good point. Right-o, that's all for now. Thanks for your

quotes."ShehungupbeforeIcouldtellhershe'dneveraskedmypermissiontoquote
me.

IlockedupandheadedtoJacob'splace,alargemansiondownthehillfrommine

with uninterrupted views of the sea. I checked under the doormat, inside pots and
rocksforasparekeybutcouldn'tfindone.Ireturnedtomybuildingandknockedon
Jill'sdoor.

"Hello,Dear.Comein,comein."
"Notthismorning,"Isaid."DoyouhaveakeyforJacob'splace?Iwanttocheckthat

he'sgotthingsheneedsforhisreturn.Cam,too."

Herpenciledbrowsinchedupherforehead."That'sconsiderateofyou."
"The grocery store is only open until one today and not at all tomorrow. I'll just

checktheirfridgesfortheessentials."

"Goodthinking.Youareanorganizedthing.Idohavekeys,asithappens.Comein

and I'll fetch them." She headed to the kitchen and rummaged through a cupboard.
"Jackocalledaboutanhourago.MitchcancomehometodaysoCamwillflythemback
later.Hedidn'tgiveatime."

"That'sgoodnewsifhe'swellenoughtoleavethehospital."
"It'sahugerelief,that'swhatitis."Shefoundasetofkeysandhandedthemtome.

"I'dtellyoutocallhimandaskiftheyneedtobecollectedfromtheairport,buttheir
phoneswentflatovernight.TheyhadlongconversationswithDanandMack."

"I'msuretheydid."
"Youcouldtrythehospital."
"It's fine," I said. "I don't want to bother anyone." That was kind of the point—to

leave them alone with Mitch and not bother them. "I'll just check their kitchens,
nothingelse,Ipromise."

Shesmiled."Wetrustyou,Kasey."
AsIdrovemybuggytoCam'splace,IrealizedhowsurprisingJill'sstatementwas.A

familyliketheWalkersshouldbemorecareful.They'dknownmeonlythreemonths.I

could be a gold digger, a thief or a crazy person. I could rummage through their
belongings and sell whatever secrets I discovered to the papers. On the other hand,
maybetheyhadnothingtohide.

ImadealistofessentialitemsI'dwantifIwereabachelorlivingalone,andheaded

intotown.Tonywasabouttocloseupfortheweekend,butImanagedtoracearound
hissmallshopandgetmilk,breadandafewotheritems.Idepositedthegroceriesat
theirhomesthenreturnedthekeystoJill.

Sheaskedmein,butIfelttiredallofasudden.IthadbeenalatenightandIhadn't

sleptwellonceIgothome.Anapbeckoned.

Two hours later, I awoke on my bed but didn't feel refreshed. A nice bath while

watchingtheawesomeviewfrommybathroomwindowwouldhelp.Istrippedoffand
laybackinthewarmwater.Itrackedtheslowpathofawhitefluffycloud,theonlyone
intheclearbluesky,andfeltdrowsinessovertakemeagain.

Iclosedmyeyes,justforaminute.
A noise startled me. I jerked awake and instinctively rose out of the water,

momentarilyforgettingwhereIwas.

UntilIsawJacobonthedeck.Hestoodperfectlystill,hismouthopen,hiseyeshuge,

staringatmybreasts.Myverynakedbreasts,withwaterdrippingoffthenipples.

I froze, hands on the bath edges, caught between wanting to duck back under the

waterandhide,andstandproudlyandinvitehimintosamplewhathecouldn'ttearhis
gazeawayfrom.

acob acted first. He turned his back to me. "Sorry, sorry!" he called out. "I thought

somethingwaswrongwhenyoudidn'tanswermyknock."

I quickly dried and dressed. By the time I joined him on the deck, my ferocious

blushandvanished.HopefullyIcouldkeepitincheckandpretendIdidn'tcarethatmy
hotterthanhellbosshadjustseenmestarknaked.Ididn'thaveaperfectbody—Icould
nevermodelbikinis—butIwasn'tashamedofit.Still,Ididn'twantmybosstoseeit.

"Youcanturnaroundnow,"Isaid,tryingtosummonalaugh.
"I'mnotsosure.Myfaceisburningup."
"Yourfaceisburning!"
Heturnedbutdidn'tmeetmygaze.Henoddedattheglasswindowtothebathroom.

"Iknewthosewereabadideawhenthearchitectshowedmetheplans.Ishouldhave
vetoedthem,butAuntEmwasadamantshewantedtoseetheviewfromherbath."He
tuckedhishandsintohisbackpockets."That'showIgotonyourdeck,bytheway.I
came through her apartment when you didn't answer your door. Aunt Jill said you
werehome,sowhenyoudidn'tanswer,Igotworried."Hismouthtwistedtotheside
andhebittheinsideofhislip."Sorry,Kase.I…Ididn'tthink."

"It'sokay.It'snotthefirsttimeit'shappened."
Hisgazeflewtomine."Really?"
"No,I'mjustsayingthattomakeyoufeelcomfortable."
Helaughed."Itworked.Kindof."Hischeeksreddened."Okay,maybenot."
"ComeinsideandtellmehowMitchis.Coffee?"
He followed me in and leaned his hip against the kitchen bench. He looked

exhausted,butsexierthaneverwithhisdisheveledhairandday-oldstubble.He'dshed
hisbusinesslikemaskandsimplylookedlikeaworriedbrotherinsearchofafriendto
talkto.Iresistedtheurgetogivehimacuddle.

"How'sMitch?"Iasked.
"Feeling sore and embarrassed, although he won't admit to being either. He came

homewithustoday,withinstructionstovisittheislanddoctortomorrowtohavehis
dressingschanged."

"Iwasn'texpectingyouuntilmuchlater."
"The hospital released him early and we all wanted to come home. Thanks for

gettingsuppliesforCamandme.It'smuchappreciated."

"Jilltoldyou?"
Henodded.
Ipluckedtwocupsfromtheshelfandspoonedcoffeeintothem."There'ssomething

elseIshouldtellyou.Idroppedintotheofficethismorningtogothroughyouremails
andtakecareofanyurgenttasks."

"Thanks.MyphonewentflatandIcouldn'tcheckthem."

Itoldhimabouthisrescheduledappointmentsandanybusinessthatcroppedup."I

was about to leave when the reception phone rang. It was a journalist from The
Herald."

Hegroaned."JasmineBache?"
"Youknowher?"
"She'sbeendoggingusforyears.Eversinceourparents'deaths.Everymistakeone

ofusmakes,shereportsonit.EverygirlwedategetsaphonecallfromJasmine,asking
foraquote.Everypartyweattend,she'stryingtofindoutwhatwedid,whowekissed,
what we said. She's good at dredging up every piece of scandal." He sighed and
squeezedthebridgeofhisnose."Tobefair,someofmybrothershavegivenherplenty
offodder."

Islidhiscoffeemugacrossthebenchtohim."Haveyou?"Iheardmyselfasking.
"No."Thecornerofhismouthkickedup."AuntEmoncetoldmethatIshouldgive

Jasmine something to write about so I can no longer be called the stiff upper lip
Walker."

"'Jacob Walker sees assistant naked in bath.' Now there's an attention grabbing

headline."

Helaughed,ahearty,deeplaughthatcamefromthedepthsofhischest.Igrinned,

notatmysillyjoke,butinresponsetohislaughter.ItwasthemostuninhibitedI'dever
seenhim.Consideringthenighthe'dhad,thatwasquiteafeat.

"Iwon'ttellherifyouwon't,"hesaid."Speakingofwhich,whatdidyoutellher?"
"Imayhavefabricatedthetruthalittle."Itwirledmydamphairaroundmyfinger

andputonagirlyvoice."ItoldherthatpoorMitchwasdancingwithmeandwhenI
trippedovermybagstrap,whichsillyoldmeleftonthefloornearmyfeet,hesaved
me from falling through the glass doors. He couldn't save himself, though. You're
brother'sahero,Jacob.AtrueAussiehero."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Did you use that voice? Because that's so

believable."

"Ididn'thamitupquitesomuch."
"My brother the hero, huh? If Jasmine Bache buys that, you're getting a pay rise,

takenoutofMitch'spersonalbankaccount."

"Iwon'tbelievesheboughtituntilIseeitinthepapers.Shehadothersourcesand

shemightchoosetobelievethem,especiallysincetheirversionwillbemoresalacious
thanmine."

Hesobered."Yeah,butatleastyoutried.Thanks,Kase.Whatwouldwedowithout

you?"Hetookmyhandandbroughtittohislips."WhatwouldIdowithoutyou?"

Iwassoshocked,Ididn'tmove.Hishandwaswarm,thegentlepressuresolidand

reassuring. He stroked his thumb along mine, stoking the heat within me until it
becameaburning,ragingfire.Itswampedmefromheadtotoe,filledmylungs,made
ithardtobreatheevenly.

"Imeanit,Kasey.You'vebecomeahugepartofmylifetheselastthreemonths."
"We'vesettledintoagoodrhythm,"Iheardmyselfsay."Attheoffice."
Heclosedhisotherhandovermine."Aboutyourpolicy…"
I gulped. I didn't want to have this conversation. It would ruin everything. I tried

pullingmyhandaway,buthekeptittrappedinhis.

"Iwantyoutobreakit,"hesaid."Don'tfreakout,"headdedquicklywhenIopened

mymouthtoprotest."Hearmeout.Ilikeyou.Maybemorethanlike.Idon'tknowyet.
ButIwanttoexplorethesefeelings.Iwanttoseemoreofyououtsidework."

Inodded,thenshookmyhead."Whatifitallgoespearshaped?Whatthen?"
"Wedealwithit.We'rebothsensibleadults.Nothinghastochangeatwork."
"Butitwill.Onceyouopenthatcanofworms,youcan'tstuffthembackin."
"Itwouldn'tbethesame,butsowhat?Maybeit'llbebetterwithusbeingpartners

outsideoftheoffice,too."

"And if that partnership ends?" I sighed. Confession time. I couldn't avoid it any

longer."Thishashappenedtomebefore,Jacob.Ihadarelationshipwithmyemployer
anditended.Wetriedtomakeitworkbutseeinghimintheofficeeverydaywasreally
awkward."

"Thekeypointtherebeingitdidn'tworkout."
"YouandImightnotworkouteither.Wedon'tknow."
Heletgoofmyhandsandslumpedbackinthechair.
Icurledmyfingersonthebench."Ican'triskit,Jacob.Ilovethisjob.Iloveworking

foryouandlivinghere.I'mthinkingofgettingmyMomtomovehere.IfIlosethat…"

"Youwon'tloseanything,nomatterwhathappensbetweenus.I'mnotgoingtofire

youbecauseourrelationshipdidn'tworkout.Andanyway,Ihappentothinkwehavea
goodshotofmakingagoofit.DidImentionhowIreallylikeyou?Alot?"

I tried to smile, but it felt flat. The thing was, I really liked him too. If it had been

anyone other than my boss, I would have walked out of that bath, naked, and kissed
himhardonthemouth.

Buthedidn'tgetit.Hewastheboss,Iwasjustanemployee.Hewouldn'tfireme,

andIknewhewasgentlemanlyenoughthathewouldn'tdeliberatelymakeitdifficult
formearoundtheoffice,butitwouldstillbehorribletoturnupeverydayandtryto
worktogether.

He sipped his coffee then set the mug down and stood. "On that slightly awkward

note,I'dbetterleave."

Ieyedhimcarefully."Arewestillgood?"
"Sure.We'regood,"hesaidwithoutmeetingmygaze."Noharmdone."
Right.Sowhydidhelookmiserable?
WhydidIfeelmiserable?
Heheadedforthefrontdoor,butturnedbeforeopeningit."Whatifyou'regivingup

thechanceforsomethingamazing?Somethingthatmightbeforever?"

I folded my arms against a sudden chill. "We'll never know," I said with a small

shrug."AndI'mokaywiththat."

"Yeah."Hisblueeyespiercedme."ThenotknowingisthepartI'mgoingtostruggle

withmost."

He left. I leaned back against the closed door, and fought back tears. Why was I

upset?Ishouldn'tbe.Therewasnothingbetweenus,justalittledesirethatwouldfade
soon. I was glad we'd broached this subject now, rather than let it stew for weeks or
months. It was a relief to clear the air like sensible adults instead of run around like
teenagers,frettingovereveryglance,everyword.

Yes,definitelygoodtocleartheair.

ThenwhydidIfeellikeI'dbeenpunchedinthechest?

***

"You'reinthepaper,Mitch."AllydroppedacopyofTheHeraldonthetableinfrontof
me."Hotoffthepress.Well,thismorning'sferry."

She'djustarrivedatMitch'shouse,themansionnestledbetweenJacob'sandCam's.

I'd brought donuts and Ben had the coffees. We'd descended on Mitch to see how he
felt,alongwithEmandJill,andCam.Jacobwasnowheretobeseen.IfheknewIwas
here, he might stay away. It was precisely what I didn't want. We needed to see one
another,bothatworkandelsewhere.I'dmadeadecisionovernight—nomoreavoiding
eachother.Itwasn'tfairthathestopseeinghisfamilyandfriendsbecausehethought
itwaswhatIwanted.

"Uh-oh,"Bensaid.HeglancedatMitch.
Mitchhunghisheadandgroaned."Idon'twanttoknow."
"Yes,youdo."Allysnappedthepagetostraightenit."I'llreaditouttoyou."
"Maybeyoushouldn't,"Jillsaid,peeringoverAlly'sshoulder."Heneedstorecover—

oh!"Shelaughed."Oh,Kasey,youdidn't."

"Kasey?"BothBenandMitchsaid.
"What does it say about Kase?" Em asked, joining her sister in peering over Ally's

shoulder.Shegiggledintoherhand."Kasey,you'reawickedgirl.Wickedlyfunny."

"Thesuspenseiskillingme."MitchtriedtosnatchthepaperoffAllybutshewhipped

itback.Mitchwincedashisstitchespulled.

"'Eye-witness accounts are conflicting,'" Ally read. "'While some reports say that

MitchellWalkergotintoafightandfellthroughaglassdoorathisbirthdaypartyon
Fridaynight,mysourcesaysthatisincorrect.EmployeeofWalkerCorporation,Kasey
Mannering,whowasdancingwithMitchellatthetime,wassavedfromfallingthrough
theglassherselfaftertrippingonherownhandbagstrap,bynoneotherthanMitchell.
Afterheroicallypushinghertosafety,hethenfoundhewasunabletostophimselfand
fellthroughthedoor,shatteringglassoverthebalconyandincurringminorcutsonhis
back.'Itgoesontosayhowyouspentthenightinhospital,buthavereturnedhereto
recover."

AllygrinnedatMitch.Mitchgrinnedatme."Youreallytoldherthat?"heasked.
Ishrugged."ShecalledtheofficeyesterdaymorningwhenIhappenedtobethere

andIgaveherthatquote."

"Yousavedmyass."
I wanted to tell him I hadn't done it for Jacob, but then I realized how that would

soundandswallowedmyreply."Itwasnobigdeal."

"Itistome."HeheldouthisarmsandIhuggedhim,carefulnottotouchhisback.

"You'rethebest,Kasey.Ioweyou."

Ikissedthetopofhishead."JustgetbettersoonsoIcanbeatyouatbilliardsagain."
Hegrinned."I'lldomybest."

"HaveyouheardfromJackothismorning?"CamaskedMitch.
"Herangearlierandsaidhe'dcomeovertoseeme.Itoldhimwewereallmeeting

uphereforcoffeeandIexpectedtoseehim.Idon'tknowwhyheisn'there."

Iknewwhy.Damn.
"Iwonderifhe'sseenthis."Empickedupthepaperandhandedittome."Whydon't

yougoroundandshowhim?Takehimacoffeetoo."

Iwasabouttorefusebutchangedmymind.JacobneededtoknowthatIwouldn't

lethimavoidhisfamilybecauseofme.

Withthepaperundermyarmandtakeoutcoffeecupinhand,IheadedtoJacob's

house. The paved path connecting the brothers' properties wound through the tall,
broad-leafedtreestoweringovershrubscoveredwithyellowandorangeflowers.The
modernbuildingseemedtoemergenaturallyfromitsenvironment,likeanextension
of the forest. It was impossible to tell that beyond the house and trees was the most
amazingviewoftheseafromJacob'slongbalcony.

"Hey,"Isaidwhenheopenedthedoor.
"Hi."Heswallowedandlookedunsurewhattodoorsaynext."Iwasn'texpectingto

seeyoutoday."

"I guessed as much." I smacked the newspaper into his chest, handed him the

coffee,andmuscledmywaypasthim."You'reavoidingme."

"No!"
Iglaredathimovermyshoulder.
Hesighed."Guilty."
"Jacob."Iroundedonhiminthelivingroom,thestunningviewoftheseabehind

me,andanequallystunningviewinfront."Youcan'tstayawayfromyourfamilyand
friendstoavoidme.It'snotwhatIwant."

"But—"
"Letmefinish."Partofmecouldn'tbelieveIwastellingmybosswhattodo,butI

forgedahead.Ihadtosaythis."Wehavetobefriends.It'stheonlyway.Idon'twant
you avoiding your family, and I don't want to avoid them either. From now on, you
don't stay away when you know I'm going to be around. I promise to do the same.
Deal?"

Hesetthecupdownonthecoffeetable."Iwanttoagreewithyou,Kase.Ireallydo.

ButIcan't.Damnit,"hemuttered."Iwasgoingtotalktoyouaboutthislater,butsince
you'rehere,Imightaswellgetitoutnow.Ican'tstopthinkingaboutyouandsinceyou
don'twanttotakethisfurther,then…Idon'tknowwhattodo."

"Whatdoyoumean?"Isaidweakly.
Hisgazeturnedsmoky,hiseyeshooded.Hischestheavedwithhisdeepbreath."I

can'tseeyousociallyandpretendIdon'thavefeelingsforyou.Hell,Ican'tseeyouat
the office either and pretend I don't have feelings for you. I thought it would be fine
andwe'dgoonaswewere,butIcan't.Iwasupallnightthinkingaboutyou,andhowI
couldconvinceyoutotakeachanceonme,onus,andIthinkIhavethesolution."

ThankGod.Webadlyneededtofindawaythrough."How?"
"This."Heloopedbotharmsaroundmywaistandscoopedmeagainsthischest.My

breastspillowedagainstthehardmusclesandtheswellofhiscockpressedintome.

Thenhekissedme.

loodthumpedthroughmyveins,betweenmyears,drowningoutmyprotest.Ino

longercaredaboutwork,myreputationandnottakingrisks.This.Iwantedthis:akiss
sohotIfeltlikeIwasburningupfromtheinside.

Igrippedhisarms.Hedeepenedthekissinresponse,circlinghisarmsaroundme,

trappingme.Icouldfeelhishearthammeringtothesameerratictuneasmyown,feel
hisbloodpumping.Heattrickleddownmyspine.Myclothesfelttight,myskintighter.

Iwantedtoundressandshowernakedwithhim,andIdrewawaytosuggestit.
Butaknockonthedoorhadmesteppingoutofhisarmsinshock.Whatthehellhad

comeoverme?

Jacobswore.Thenhegentlycuppedmyjaw."Waithere.Don'tmove,anddefinitely

don'tthink."

Whocouldthinkwhenmyhormoneswerejumpingallovertheplace?
He left me to open the door. I heard Em's voice greet him but didn't hear Jacob's

response.Sheemergedfromthehallandwavedtome.

"Icametocheckuponyoutwo,"shesaid."Youlookedalittlefiercewhenyouleft,

Kase,IthoughtJackomightneedprotecting."Shelaughed,butitwitheredawaybefore
stoppingaltogether."Issomethingwrong?"

Jacob dug his hand though his hair. "No. Yes. Em, we're kind of in the middle of

something."

Herbrowsflewupherforehead.Sheglancedbetweenus,focusingonmymouth.A

small smile touched her lips. I groaned. Great. Now the entire island would know I'd
beenkissingJacob.

"Ithoughtyoutwoneededalittlepush,butitseemsI'mnotneededafterall."She

gavemealittlewave."I'llseemyselfout."

Iclutchedthebackofoneofthechairsforsupportandsuckedinafewdeepbreaths

toclearmyheadandsettlemyheartrate.BythetimeJacobreturned,thefogclouding
mybrainhadfinallylifted.Commonsensereturnedwithavengeance.

Ipushedofffromthechair."Jacob,thatwasamistake."
"Ohno."Hecaughtmeroundthewaistagain."You'renotchickeningoutofthis."
"I'mnotachicken."Ituggedonhisarmsandheletmego.
Heblinked."Comeon,Kase.Giveusachance.Iknowyoufeltittoo."
"WhatIfeelisabsoluteterror.Idon'twanttolosethis."
"Youdon'thaveto."
Ithrewmyhandsintheair."Youdon'tgetit,Jacob.Youneverwill."Imarchedoff

but spun back round. I needed to make him see, and to do that, I had to be brutally
honest."Youhaveeverythinghere.Wealthbeyondmostpeople'simaginations.Loving
family,goodfriends,anislandhome.Youleadanempire.You'vegotrespectfromyour
peers and employees, and you're the envy of most people. You're secure, Jacob, safe.

You have a solid foundation and have never known a rocky one. Even after your
parentsdied,youwereneverindangeroflosingallofthat.Sure,itwasanawfultime,
but it didn't mean losing your career, your livelihood, friends, respect and even your
self-esteem."

"Itdoesn'thavetobelikethat.Notbetweenus."
Iheldupbothhands,wardinghimoff."Youcan'tguaranteethat.I'veonlymanaged

toattainsecurityandpeaceonceinmylife.Once.ThatwasatajobwhereIwasliked,
respectedandvalued.IthoughtI'dbetherefortherestofmylife.Ilovedthatjob.It
was my future, my security. I planned on working my way through the ranks and
beingthereforever.ThenIsleptwithmybossanditallfellapart.IlosteverythingI'd
ever wanted in my life." I hugged myself, willing myself to hold it together. I didn't
wanttoloseitnowandunderminethemessage."Itfeltliketherughadbeenripped
fromunderme.IhatedthatfeelingoffallingandnotknowingwhereI'dlandandifI'd
gethurt.Ican'tlivelikethat,thinkingitmighthappenagain."

"Iwon'tfireyouifthingsdon'tworkoutbetweenus."
"Iwasn'tfired.Iquit."
Hefrowned,shrugged."Thendon'tquit."
"And work alongside the boss I used to fuck? And watch other women take my

place?Havepeoplepointatme—peopleIconsideredfriends—andwhisperthatIonly
gotthelastpayrisebecauseIwassleepingwiththeboss?No,thanks.Notagain."

"Kasey—"
"No,Jacob.Notagain."Ididn'ttellhimitmightalreadybetoolatetogoback.Ididn't

want to admit it to myself. "I have to go. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, but I hope
you'll understand that it's different for me than it is for you. You're a man, the boss,
and…andeverythingelse."Isuddenlyfelttootiredtofight.Itwasexhaustingtryingto
bestrongandnotcry.Exhaustingtogoagainstthefeelingsscreamingatmetochange
mymind.

He folded his arms too, making his muscles bulge beneath his T-shirt sleeves. I

lookedaway.Itwasalongtimebeforehesaidanything,butIwantedtohearwhathe
hadtosay.Notonlywasitfair,butifweweregoingtoworktogethertomorrow,then
wehadtodothisrightandtreatoneanotherwithrespect.

"You'reright,"heeventuallysaid.
"Youagree?"Ifeltnumb.DidIwanthimtoagree?
"IagreethatIneedtostoptryingtoavoidyouinsocialsituations."Hesteppedcloser

tome,pinningmetothespotwithhisfocusedgaze.

Iswallowed.ShouldIrun?Stay?Help!
"Fromnowon,whereveryouare,I'llbetheretoo."Anotherstepcloser."Ifyougo

outtodinnerwithAlly,I'llgetaninvite."Anotherstep.Gulp."YougohikingwithCam
orswimmingwithBen,I'llhappentobehikingandswimmingatthesametimeandin
thesameplace.Iwon'tchangemyjoggingroute,andIwon'tavoidmorningcoffeesat
Mitch's and I'll make sure you're invited to every family event, no matter how small
andintimate."

He'dnotstoppedhisapproach,sothathenowstoodonlyafootawayfromme.This

was the take-no-prisoners man I'd witnessed in meetings, the one who ruthlessly
screwed the banks down on their interest rates, and got what he wanted from the

financial backers. I'd admired him in those meetings, and found it a little sexy. I still
founditsexy,butalsothrilling.He'dthrowndownthechallenge,daringmetotakeit
up,daringmetomatchhim,togointobattle.Hiseyesgleamedwiththeanticipation.

Iliftedmychin."You'regoingtotryandwearmedownuntilIgivein?That'syour

plan?"

"It'sphaseoneofmyplan."
"Howmanyphasesarethere?"
"Youwon'tknowuntiltheyhappen.Consideryourselfwarned."
Ohboy.
Ileft,myentirebodytingling.Itwasn'tuntilIgothomethatIrealizedhe'dplayed

me.He'dknownIcouldn'tresistachallengepresentedlikethat.Damnit.Heknewme
sowell.

Toowell.

***

True to his word, wherever I went, Jacob was there. He joined Ally and me for our
regular Friday evening drinks at the pub. Ally, being a sweetheart, invited him. On
Saturday mornings, I found him waiting for me at the beach near Ben's hut for my
paddleboardinglessons.OnSaturdayafternoons,hewentastepfurtherandtookmy
sailinglessonsinsteadofGregfromtheyachtclub.

"Greg'sbusytoday,"heaskedwhenIquestionedhim.
"Doingwhat?"
"WhateverIwanthimtodo."
Inarrowedmygaze."Thisisgettingridiculous,Jacob."
Hegrinned,histeethdazzlinglywhiteinthesunshine."Youhaven'tseenridiculous

yet."

Ourjoggingpathsonweekdaymorningsdidn'tsomuchascross,asalign.Hewould

waitformeoutsidemyapartment,stretchingtowarmup,thentakeoffalongsideme.

"Nicemorning,don'tyouthink?"heaskedoneday.
"It'sraining."
"Yes,butit'snicetobetogether."
"I'mwithyoueverysingleday,Jacob."
"Thatmakeseverysingledayniceinmybook."
Ishookmyheadbutcouldn'thelpsmiling.Hewasincorrigible,andtobehonest,I

enjoyed the company. Jogging alone was, well, lonely. Sometimes, he'd talk about
islandlife,andpointoutplantspeciesorstoptopickupasmalllizardscurryingintothe
bushes. He was very knowledgeable about the local flora and fauna, and I found it
fascinating.Whetherhedeliberatelyavoideddiscussingworkornot,Icouldn'ttell,but
allworkrelateddiscussionsremainedintheoffice.

IfIwentouttolunchordinnerwithamemberofhisfamily,hecamealongtoo.No

one except me seemed to think it strange to find him seated at our table. They must

haveinvitedhimalong,whichsuggestedtheyknewhisplanandwereinonit.Traitors.

Yet they denied it when I asked, even Ally. "I just decided to invite him," she said

whenIcorneredherintheladies'bathroomatthepub."It'sgoodtoseehimgoingout.
Goodtoseehimwantingtogoout.He'sbeenabitreclusivelately."

How could I argue with that? It would only make me look like a bitch for not

wantinghimthere.NotthatIdidn'twanthimthere.Notreally.Well,sortof.

Aaagghhhh!
Afterthreeweeks,Iconfrontedhimonemorningbeforeourjog."Howlongareyou

goingtokeepthisup?"

"Untilyouaccusemeofstalkingyou."
Ilaughed."I'mnotsureSergeantNickwillbelievemesincehe'safriendofyours."
He shortened his stride to match mine. "He'll believe you. I already told him to

expectyourcomplaintsothere'snoneedtogivemeanofficialwarning."

"Jacob!Isthatevenlegal?"
"Areyougoingtocomplain?"
"No.Iwanttoseehowlongyoucandothisbeforegivingup."
"WhosaidIwouldgiveup?I'mincrediblystubborn.Askanyone."
"I'm equally stubborn," I said. And since I didn't mind his company in the least, it

wasnohardshipforme.

"Ah,yes,butIhaveasecretweaponupmysleeve."
Istumbledandalmostfell.HecaughtmebeforeIfaceplantedintothegraveland

drew me against his body. His hands settled on my hips. His eyes turned smoky.
"Careful,Sweetheart,"hemurmuredinmyear."Don'tgethurt."

Yeah.Don'tgethurt.Easyforhimtosay,notsoeasyforme.Thebosswasneverthe

onetogethurt."Thissecretweapon…Idon'tsupposeyouwanttotellmewhatitis."

Hismouthcurvedintoaslow,easysmile."You'lljusthavetowaitandsee."
I was on tenterhooks for another week, wondering what he meant. By Friday, I'd

decidedhewasbluffing.Hisplanhadn'tachievedanything,althoughwe'dlearnedalot
about one another and I'd enjoyed myself. I think he had too. He was certainly a lot
morecheerful,somethinghisauntspointedouttomeeverychancetheygot.

"He'slikeanewperson,"EmsaidasIsippedmyglassofwineonherdeck.Itwasthe

firstoccasionI'dhadwiththemwhereJacobhadn'tbeenpresent."Totallychanged."

"Notnew,morelikeheusedtobe,"Jillsaid,staringouttosea."Likehewaswhenhe

wasyounger,beforehisparentsdied.It'swonderful.I'dforgottenhowfunnyheis."

Em cradled her wine glass between her fingers. "Have you noticed how smiling

makeshimseemmorehandsome,"Imumbled.

"Definitely.Kasey?"
"I,uh,alreadythoughthewashandsome."
Both sisters smirked into their glasses. I got the feeling I'd walked right into their

trap.

"Thenwhynotmakeamoveonhim?"Emasked."He'syourtype."
"He'smyboss."
"So?"Jillsetdownherglassonthetable."Listen,Kasey,there'snoneedtobeafraid

oflosingyourjob.He'snotlikethat."

"Iknow.Butifourrelationshipended,we'dbothfeeltooawkwardtocontinueaswe

were."

"Thendon'tendit."EmlookedatmelikeIwasabitslow."Really,Kasey,it'squite

simple."

Riiiight.
Wesatinsilenceuntil,tonoone'ssurprise,Jacobarrived.Hesetalargeboxdown

onthetable,kissedhisauntsingreetingthenhandedeachofusathickcreamenvelope
withgoldlettering.

"Ah,theannualyachtclubball,"Emsaidbeforeshe'devenopenedit.
IopenedmineasJacobwentinsideandhelpedhimselftoabeer.Theballwason

nextSaturdaynight,notenoughtimetogetmyselfanoutfitunlessImadeadaytrip
overtothemainland,whichwasn'taneasytasksinceIworkedMondaytoFriday.

"Idon'thaveanythingtowear,"IsaidwhenJacobjoinedusagainonthedeck.
He picked up the box and handed it to me. "That's why I got you this. I hope you

don'tmind,butIdidn'twantyoutohaveanyexcuses."

Iopenedtheboxandbitdownagainstmygasp.Thecoralcoloreddresswouldn'tbe

myfirstchoice,butsomehowitseemedfittingtowearitonanislandamidthegreatest
coralreefintheworld.Ithadahighnecklinewithnosleevesandlookedlikeitshould
haveaslinky,sexyfitonceitwason.Istood.Itwaseventherightlength,withheels
on.

MyfirstinstinctwastotellJacobthatitwasperfect,butsomehowthatfeltlikeI'dbe

tellinghimhewonthechallenge."Thankyou,"Isaidsimply.

"It'slovely,"Emsaidonabreath.
Jill fingered the fabric. "You've always had good taste, Jacko. She'll look lovely in

this."

"IboughtitacoupleofweeksagowhenIwasonthemainland,"hesaid."Ithought

ofyouimmediatelywhenIsawitinthewindow,Kase."

"Youknowmysize,"Isaidlamely.
HelookedatmelikeIwasanidiot.
"Youlikeit,don'tyou?"Emaskedme.
"Yes.Ido.Thanks,Jacob."
"Mypleasure,"hesaidquietly,seriously.
"Soisthisphasetwoofyourplan?"Iasked.
Theauntsfrownedatme.
Jacobmerelysmiledslyly."No."
"Theballisphasetwo?"Iasked.
Heshookhishead."That'sphasefour."
"Four!Youmeanthere'sanothertwotocomebeforethat?"
"It'sgoingtobeabigweekforyou."

***

Phase two arrived on Monday morning with a phone call. "Mom? Is something

wrong?"She'dnevercalledmeatworkbefore.

"Everything'swonderful,Darling.Especiallynow."
"Now?Whynow?"
"Thatlovelyboyfriendofyoursjustcalled.HeboughtmeaplaneticketsoIcould

comeseeyou."

Myjawdropped.IturnedtoJacob.Heleanedbackinhisofficechair,handsclasped

behind his head, and smiled. I presented my shoulder to him. "Jacob isn't my
boyfriend,"Itoldher."He'smyboss."

"Areyousure?"
"Prettysure,yeah.Whatdidhesay?"
"That you're still getting used to the idea of dating your boss, and that you'll

probablydenyittome.Whichyouare."

"That'sbecausewe'renotacouple!"
"Honey,haveyoukissedhim?"
"Well,yes.Justtheonce."
"Doeshebuyyouthings?"
"HeboughtmeadresssoIcanattendaballthisweekend."
"Thereyougo."
"We'renotsleepingtogether."Icouldn'tbelieveIwashavingthisconversationwith

mymother.

"You don't have to sleep with someone to be a couple. Besides, there's no need to

rushthatsideofyourrelationship."

"Mom—"
"Justtellmeonething.Ishekind?"
Isighed."Yes."
"Doesheeverputyoudown?Belittleyou?Shoutatyou?"
"No,nothinglikethat."Hewasnothinglikemyfather.Theywereoppositeendsof

themasculinespectrum.

"Doyoulikehim?"shepressed.
"Yes."
"Areyouattractedtohim?"
Hell.Shehadmecornered."I'mnotdiscussingthiswithyou."
"I'll take that as a yes. So if he's a wonderful man and you like him and find him

sexy,whydenythathe'syourboyfriend?Itsoundstomelikehe'sperfect."

"Mom…it'scomplicated."
"Itdoesn'thavetobe.Honey,listentome.Goodmenarerare.Whenyoufindone,

latch onto him and don't let go. You hear me? They're a precious commodity. Now,
whenIcomeDownUndertoParadiseIsland,Iwanttohearthatyou'veatleastgiven
himachance.That'sallIask."

"Andifitdoesn'tworkout?WhatamIsupposedtodo?Quit?"
"We'll cross that bridge if it happens. But why shoot yourself in the foot now for

something that may never eventuate? Listen to me, I'm your mother. I know what's
bestforyou."

Isighedagain.Mymotherwasatourdeforcenowadays.Afterthrowingmyfather

out years ago, her courage had grown exponentially. Between her and Jacob, I could

feelmyresolvelessening.Andhehadn'tevenunleashedphasethreeorfouryet.

"SoyoupaidformyMomtocometoParadiseIsland,"IsaidtoJacobafterhanging

up.Istoodinthedoorwaytohisoffice,handsonhips,andcontemplatedthesmugman
sittingbeforeme.Helookedlikeheknewhewaswinning.

"Shewantstoseeheronlychild,"hesaid."ItwastheleastIcoulddoaftertakingyou

awayfromher."

"Youdidn'ttakemeaway,Ichosetoacceptthejoboffer."
Heshruggedoneshoulder.
Ipressedmyknucklesonhisdeskandleanedin."Yourtacticsare—"
"Ingenious?" His smile widened. "Thank you, Kase, that's quite a compliment

comingfromyou.Now,ifyoudon'tmind,Ihaveworktodo."

"Onphasethree?"
"My,my,youareself-absorbedlately.No,Ihaveactualworktodo.It'salmosttime

fortheprojectmanager'scall."

Igrowledbutitachievednothing,onlyanevenbroadersmilefromJacob."You're

—"

"Ingenious,Iknow,youalreadysaid."
"Ididnot!Youdid."
"SoI'mnotingenious?Hmmm.Howabouthandsome?Sexy?"
Iturnedonmyheelandstormedoutofhisoffice,temptedtofliphimthebirdbut

notquitesureifourrelationshipwasatthatlevel.

Yet,asmallvoiceinmyheadsaid.
IwasontenterhooksfortherestoftheweekasIwaitedforphasethree.Building

workontherunwayandnewterminalbegansoIdidn'tseemuchofJacobintheoffice.
Hestillmetmeforjogsinthemorning,andhejoinedmeonelunchbreaktositonthe
slopinglawnbetweenthemarinaandthestreet.

On Friday morning, before he flew over to the mainland to meet with the IT

manager,hetoldmetoexpectaparcel."IaskedHaltodeliverittomyplace,"hesaid.
"If it rains, he'll need to take it inside but he doesn't have a key so I gave him your
number."

"Idon'thaveyourkeyeither."
Hehandedabunchofkeystome."Youdonow."
"Isthisphasethree?"Iasked.
Hehesitatedamomentbeforesaying,"Thepackageisn'tphasethree."
Thosewordsweretoocarefullychosenformyliking,butIwasn'tsurewhatspecific

questiontoasktogetaproperanswer."Thisisinfuriating,Jacob.You'reinfuriating."

Heskimmedhisknucklesdownmycheek,theactsounexpectedandintimatethatI

froze. He removed his hand just as quickly and looked a little shocked that he'd
touchedme."You'refrustrated,"hesaid."Igetit.Believeme,I'mfrustratedtoo.There's
onewaytoalleviateourfrustrations,Kase."Hewinked."Justletmeknowwhenyou're
ready.I'llbewaiting."

Hewalkedoff,leavingmybloodthrummingfromhiswordsandthesensationshis

touch had left behind. I stared at his broad back and shoulders, and gave serious
considerationtobreakingmyresolverightthenandthereintheoffice.

Theringingphonesavedmefromdoingsomethingfoolish.

Thethingwas,Inolongerfeltlikeafoolforbeingattractedtohim.Andsometimes,

Icouldn'trememberwhyIresistedthefeelingsboilinginsideme.

***

IwasabouttoleavetheofficeforthedaywhenHalcalled."It'spouring,"thedelivery
guysaid in his no-nonsensebroad Aussie accent. "Jackodoesn't want this left outside
andreckonsyou'vegotakeytoletmein."

"Givemefiveminutes,"Isaid,runningoutthedoor.
Fiveminuteslater,IdrovemybuggyascloseasIcouldtoJacob'sfrontdoor,flipped

uptheclearplasticthatenclosedmybuggy'ssidesinwetweather,anddashedoverto
Hal,shelteringontheporch.Thedeliveryguyliftedhischininanodandtappedthe
topofthebox.Itwaswiderthanhissizeablegirthandreachedtomychest.

"Anyideawhatthisis?"heasked.
Iinsertedthekeyinthedoor."No.Jacobdidn'ttellme."
"Cambroughtitover."
"Cam?Notthemailplane?"
"Nope."Hepickeduptheboxeasily."Maybeit'sfeathers,"hesaid,chuckling.
I pushed open the door and asked him to set it in the living room where Jacob

couldn'tmissit.

"Someonethere?"Thevoicecomingfromthedepthsofthehousemademejump,

eventhoughIrecognizeditasbelongingtoJacob.Hewashere?

"Justme,"Icalledout."AndHal,deliveringyourpackage.Ithoughtyouwerestillon

themainland."WeirdthathewashereandCamhadbroughttheboxback.HadCam
madetwotripstoday?

Noanswer."Odd,"IsaidtoHal.
But he was already out the door. He waved, grinned, and shut the door. I should

probably go too, but it would be strange not to say something to Jacob since he was
home.

"Jacob?Whereareyou?"
"Inhere."
Iheadeddownthecorridortowardhisvoice."Where?"
"Here!"
Hisvoicecamefromaroomoffthecorridor.Thedoorstoodopen,soIwalkedin,

onlytofindmyselfinalargebedroomwithanenormousbedonaraiseddais.

Jacoblayonthewhitesheets,facedown,hisheadonapillowandhisbarebutton

display.Hetiltedhisfaceandgavemealazyandoh-socheekygrin.

Thenherolledover.

shouldn'thavestayed.Ishouldhaveturnedandfled.

But my feet wouldn't work and my brain switched off. Even my blood seemed to

stoppumping.Everythingbecamesluggish.AllIcoulddowasstareatthesmoothskin
of his bare ass, the muscles in his powerful thighs, the curve of his spine and the
fleeting glimpse he allowed of his cock before he grabbed a pair of shorts and held
themdiscreetlyinfrontofhisrather,ahem,largemember.

He stood and prowled across the floor to me, the shorts still in place. Still, I didn't

move. I'd seen his bare chest dozens of times at the beach, but there was something
sexieraboutallthatfleshondisplayhereinhisbedroom.Maybetheconfidentswagger
hadsomethingtodowithit,orthesmallsmileonhislips,asifheknewhisnakedness
threw me off my axis. How could it not? The man was impressively built, some of it
genetic, but honed to perfection by swimming and outdoor sports. Even the most
independentwoman would want tofeel those arms scoopingher up and holding her
tight,andnipthoseshoulderswithherlips.

The light smattering of hair on his chest tapered down to a V then disappeared

behindtheshortsinhishand.Thebunchedshortsonlycoveredonething,andlefthis
hipsandtheridgedmusclebare.Icouldn'tlookaway.

"Kasey?Youokay?Youlookeddazed."
Damnhim.Heknewwhateffecthehadonmeandhelovedit.Idraggedmygaze

up to his face, only to be met by that cocky grin again. "Well," I managed to say in a
voicethatalmostsoundedunaffected,"Ineverknewyouwerethisarrogant."

Far from deflating his ego, it only made him laugh. "Arrogant would be someone

wholetsanywomanseehimlikethis.I'mreservingthesightforonlyspecialwomen
inmylife.Makethatwoman,singular."

Ohboy."Thankyou,"Iquipped."Theprivateviewingisappreciated."
"You'rewelcome.Wouldyouliketoseeitagain?"
"Idon'tthinkIshould.Toomuchofagoodthingcanspoilagirl."
He leaned closer. He smelled like orange blossoms mixed with his own unique

scent.Intoxicating."I'dliketospoilyoumore,Kasey.I'dliketospoilyouwithmassages
andkisses,andorgasmsthat'llshatterthatironwillofyours."

Gulp. "So." I pulled back, out of his sphere of influence. It didn't work. There was

somethingsocompellingabouthim,somasculineandpowerful,thatIdidn'tthinkI'd
everescapehissphere,nomatterhowhardItried."So,Isupposethisisphasethree?"

"Itis.Plus,Ididn'twantyoutocontinuetofeelawkwardthatI'dseenyounakedand

youhadn'tseenme."

"Inolongerfeelawkwardaboutthat."
"You mean all this was for nothing?" He threw the shorts on the floor in mock

indignation.

I pressed my lips together to stop myself laughing and held myself rigid to stop

myselflookingdown.Hedidnotmakeanyattempttocoverhimselfupagain.

"AndIwenttosomucheffort,too."
Iraisedmybrows."TheboxHaldeliveredisempty,isn'tit?"
"Yes."
"Didheknowthat?"
"No,butIdidtellhimtoleaveassoonashebroughtitin,evenifthatmeantleaving

youherealone."

"Didyouevengotothemainlandtoday?"
"Idid,briefly."
Iglancedatthewindowwherethegrimweatherdarkenedthesky."Howthehell

didyougetittorainoncue?"

He laughed. "It's called the weather app and being organized." He picked up the

shortsandputthemon.Ifinallyletoutalongraggedbreath."Haveadrinkwithme,
Kase. I promise not to try anything. It'll be nice just to talk without anyone else
around."

"Yougettotalktomewithoutanyoneelsearoundattheoffice,"Isaid,leadingthe

waybacktothelivingroom.

"Butthat'swork.Allworkdiscussionsarestrictlyofftheagendatonight.Wine?"
Whatthehell.Hehadpromisednottotryanything."Sure."
Wesatinhislivingroom,buttherewasnoviewtonightoutofthewallofwindows.

HeaskedmeaboutmyhomebackintheUS,notjustinNewYork,butwhereI'dgrown
up. We discussed friendships that came and went in our lives, until the conversation
turnedtoboyfriends.

"I've had one serious relationship that lasted two years," I confessed. "The others

wereshorterandnotsoserious."

"Istheseriousonewiththebossyoutoldmeabout?"
"No."Isippedandleftitatthat.
Hetoldmeabouthispastgirlfriends,andhowhe'dneverreallyfeltstrongfeelings

for any of them. "They were gold diggers, every single one, after my money. They
weren'tinlovewithme."

"Howcanyoutellthedifference?"
He thought about it a moment, then said, "Ally taught me, I guess. In a way, she

taughtallofus.She'sinlovewithMack,andit'sgotnothingtodowithhismoneyor
himbeingaWalker.Sheloveshimforbeinghim,wartsandall.Afterseeingtheway
theyweretogether,andthenhowmygirlfriendswerewithme…well,let'sjustsaythe
differencebecameglaringlyobvious."

"I'msureAllywouldbesurprisedtohearyousaythat,"Isaidquietly."Surprisedand

maybeflattered.Andprobablysad."

"I knew I wanted what they had for myself, but I gave up hoping I'd find it a few

yearsback.Lifegot…hectic."Hesippedhiswine,nottakinghisgazeoffmine.

Ilookedawayandhidmyblushbehindmyglass.
"Wanttowatchamovie?"heasked.
The change of topic caught me off guard. I didn't even get a chance to respond

beforehewasreachingfortheremote.ButIcouldn'tseeaTV.

He pointed the remote at a large abstract print hanging on the wall. It slid up and

disappeared into the ceiling, revealing an equally large screen. "Pick one," he said,
handingmetheremote.

"Youtrustmyjudgment?"
"Ofcourse."
"WhatifIchooseachickflick?"
"Gorightahead.Idon'tmind."
I chose an action movie that I'd seen before because I knew it would be safe. The

romanceanglewasminimal,thebuddybanterlighthearted,andnothingwouldmake
mecry.Yep,safe.

SosafethatIfellasleepbeforetheend.NotonlydidIfallasleep,butIawokewith

myheadonJacob'sshoulder.Icheckedmymouthfordroolbeforesittingup.

"Sorry,"Imuttered."Ididn'tmeantofallasleep."
"It'sokay,"hesaidsoftly."Inoddedofftoo."
I stood and looked around for my bag before realizing I'd left it in the buggy. "I

bettergo."

"Stayfordinner,"hesaid."I'llcook."
Iliftedmybrows.
"Yes,Icook.WhydopeoplethinkI'mhopelessinthekitchen?Ilivealone.IfIdon't

cook,Istarve."

"Ithoughtyouwentouteverynight,orgottakeout."
"If I did that, I'd be the side of a house and you wouldn't have been admiring my

bodybefore."

Before? What about now? I lifted my gaze from his bare shoulders to his eyes.

"Right.Cockybastard,asyouAussiessay."

Hegrinned."Guilty."
"Thanksfortheoffer,butIthinkI'llgohome."
"Ifthat'swhatyouwant."
IneversaiditwaswhatIwanted.
The rain had stopped. The humid air smelled like damp earth and the promise of

morerain.Jacobwalkedmetothebuggy,stilldressedinonlyhisshortswithnothing
onhisfeet.Luckilynoonecouldseewithallthetreesaroundandhishousesetback
fromtheroadbehindahighfence.Ididn'twanttogethisfamily'shopesup.

Hewavedmeoff,asmileonhisface.AsIdroveaway,Imarveledatthechangein

himfromthecoldbusinessmanofourfirstmeetingtothiscarefree,laidbackguy.This
musthavebeenwhathewaslikebeforehetookoverthemantelofheadofthefamily
andthecompany.Ilikedthisguy.Likedhimverymuch.

That scared me. It scared me even more when I lay in bed and thought about

nippingatthosemuscularshoulderswithmyteethandlayinginthecrookofhisarm
tountilIfellasleep.

***

Phasefour—theyachtclubball—arrivedthefollowingnight.MynervesfelttwitchyasI
scanned the faces for people I knew. No, not people. It was time to be honest with
myself—IwaslookingforJacob.Iworethedresshe'dboughtformewithstilettosand
long silver earrings. I'd tried to do something with my hair, but given up so simply
swept it back off my face and emptied a can of hairspray over it. I'd spent way too
much time in the bathroom getting ready, and driven to the yacht club in my buggy
withtheclearplasticpanelsdowntokeepthewindfrommessingupmyhair.

Afterallthateffort,Icouldn'tfindJacob.
"Thereyouare."Emkissedmycheek.Herfloralscentedperfumewaftedoverme,a

littletoosweetformebutrightforher."We'vebeenlookingforyou."

"We?"Iechoed.
Shesmiledandpattedmyarm.Hersisterappearedathershoulder."Thereyouare,"

Jillrepeated."Areyouenjoyingyourself,Kasey?"

"Ijustgothere,"Isaid.
We all plucked champagne glasses off the tray of the passing waiter dressed in a

pristine white dinner suit. The yacht club itself reeked of money with its expensive
viewsandrichwoodeninterioraccentedwithcopper.Thebestchampagnewasserved
incrystalflutes,withexquisitelypresentedfingerfoodonsilverplatters.Femaleguests
wore their finest ball gowns and dripped in diamonds and gemstones, while the
gentlemen sported expensive gold watches. The only guests under fifty were Ben
FitzsimonandMitchWalker,bothnowheadingtowardus.Allyhadnotbeeninvited.I
wondered why I'd been invited until I realized Jacob must have exerted some
influence.Whiletheyachtclubwasanautonomouslyrunbusiness,theWalkerswere
itsmostimportantmembers.

"IsJackohereyet?"Mitchaskedme.Iwasgladtoseehimupandabout.Hestillheld

himself stiffly, but he didn't seem to be in pain. I was also glad to see him drinking
water.

"Notyet,"Isaid.
"Good.Somepeaceandquiet."
Benelbowedhim."Don'tbesohardonhim.He'sbeeneasytogetonwithlately."
Everyonelookedatme.Isippedmychampagneandtriednottoblush.
"Isawyourbuggyparkedathisplacelastnight,"Emsaid,smilingintoherglass.
"IhadtoletHalintodeliversomething,"Isaid."Itwasraining."
"YouweretherealongtimeafterHalleft."
"AndIhappentoknowthatJackowashomebythen,"Mitchadded.
"ItturnedoutIwasn'tneeded,"Itoldthem."Andanyway,Em,howdidyouseemy

buggybehindthefenceandtrees?"

"Iwasspying."
Iblinkedatherandshesmiledback.
"Hereheis,"Jillannounced.
I spotted Jacob's head above the crowd. He saw us and wove his way through the

throng,grabbingaglassofbeerfromatrayashedidso."Cheers,"hesaid,holdinghis
glassupinsalute."Here'stoanotheryachtclubball."Hisglitteringgazerakedoverme,

taking in the tight fit of the dress, the high split up the thigh. Its heat warmed me all
overandmademystomachflip.

"And to new blood," Em said. "It's nice to see fresh faces on the island. Ones who

wanttostay,notjustcomeheretopartythenleaveassoonasthetidechanges."

Jill's gaze settled on a distinguished looking gentleman with a florid nose and

cheeks.Shegroaned."Someonesaveme,quickly."

Em made a great show of looking in the same direction. "Oh, it's Tennyson." She

wavedandbeckonedhimover.

"Emma!"hersistersnapped."Stopit.Don'tencouragehim."
"Toolate.He'sonhisway.Besides,youhavetolivealittleotherwiseyourwoohoo

willshrivelandcloseup."

Bencoveredhisearswithhishands."Unlessyouwantmetobementallyscarredfor

life,youwon'ttalkaboutmymother'swoohooinfrontofme."Hespokeloudlysince
he couldn't hear himself talk. Everyone in the near vicinity looked aghast at him,
includingTennyson.

ThetwoWalkerbrotherslaughed.Jilllookedpositivelyhorrifiedandglaredather

son.

"Toolateforthat,"Camsaid,joiningus."Youremotionalgrowthisalreadystunted."
Bengavehimawitheringlook."Alwaysthefunnyone."
"Andcharming."
TennysongreetedusthendrewJillawaytomeetanotherguest.Shewentmeekly

enough,butshotEmafierceglareoverhershoulderbeforethecrowdswallowedher
up.

"Asusual,thetalenthereislacking,"Bensaid,lookingaround."HowlongbeforeI

canleave?"

"Don'tbesocrass,"Emscolded."Honestly,Ben,sometimesIwonderifyourmother

leftyououtinthesuntoolongasababy."

Thanks to the age of the yacht club members and the music played by the string

quartet,theballturnedouttobequiteadullevent.MitchandBenleftearlytomeetup
with Ally, and Cam got caught up talking to some men about boats. The two aunts
seemed to be enjoying themselves, however, flitting from friend to friend, a besotted
Tennysonintow.ThatleftmewithJacob.

Again,Iwonderedifthefamilyhadorchestratedtheevening.
"Your aunt spied on us last night," I told him as he handed me another glass of

champagneataroundten.

"Didshelikewhatshesaw?"Hewaggledhiseyebrowsatme.
"Ithinkshereadmoreintoitthansheshouldhave."
One side of his mouth kicked up. "We should have given her something to really

gossipabout."

"Shedoesn'tneedtheencouragement."
He circled his arm around my waist and bent to whisper in my ear. "Come home

withme,Kase.Letmedothethingstoyouthathavehauntedmydreams."

I tilted my face to see him better. Big mistake. The ferocious desire in his eyes

stokedtheheatalreadyburningwithinme.Hiswarmbreathbrushedmyforehead.His
lipsenticedmewiththeirdevil-may-carecurve.Iwantedthoselipstokissmeallover,

rightthere.Despitebeingsurrounded,Ifeltlikewewerealone.

"Sayyes,"hemurmured.
"Yes."
Hegraspedmyhandandforgedapaththroughthecrowd.Ifeltstaresboringinto

my back. Some of them probably belonged to Jacob's family. It was easy to ignore
them,however.Theydidn'tmatter.TheonlypeoplewhomatteredwereJacobandme.

Thecoolbreezeoutsidebrushedmycheekandteasedmyhair.Ifeltveryawareof

itscaress.Veryawareofeverything—thebrightnessofthestars,theglowofthemoon,
the salty scent of the sea and the chirp of insects. And the presence of the very sexy
manholdingmyhand.

He silently handed me into the buggy then jogged around to the driver's side. I

daredaglanceathisface.Itwassetfirmly,adeterminedangletohisjaw,asifhewere
eagertogethomebeforeIchangedmymind.

I felt giddy with girlish anticipation. Or maybe it was the champagne. Maybe the

champagnewasthereasonI'dabandonedmyfearsandacceptedhisoffer.Ormaybeit
was the need burning inside me—the need to sate the ache that had lately set up
residencethere.

Iremainedsilenttooaswedrovetohishouse.Ididn'twanttoshatterthemagical

momentbyspeaking.Onlynonsensicalcrapwouldcomeoutanyway.

Jacobmusthavehadthesameidea.Hedidn'ttalkuntilwereachedhishouse.The

firstthinghesaidwas,"Damn,"whenhedroppedhiskeysontheporch.Hebenttopick
themup,butgotdistractedbymyknee,exposedthroughthesplitinthedress.

Hekisseditlightly.Onehandcuppeditfrombehindandhedrewmylegup,lifting

myfootofftheground.Hetrackedtinybutterflykissesdownthesideofmycalftomy
anklethenupagain,pastmykneetomythigh.Herestedmyfootonhisthighandused
bothhandstopushapartthesilkofmydress,exposingmoreofmyflesh.Histongue
lickedmyskin,sendingarushoftinglesskitteringup,up,tomyvagina.

Itippedmyheadbackandgroaned.
"Youlikethat?"hemurmuredagainstme.Thehumofhisvoicetickled.
"Yessss."
Helickedagain,higherthistime.Iwasn'treadyforhimtogoevenfurther.Notyet.

Icaughthisfacebetweenmyhandsandliftedhim.Idrewhismouthtomineinakiss
sohotitseared.Hepressedmebackintothedoor,hisarmsaroundme,pinningme.
WasheafraidI'drunoff?

Nochanceofthat.Ididn'twantto.Iwantedtoberightthere,inhisarms,hislips

devouringmine.Irakedahandthroughhishair,andheldhimastightlyasheheldme.
IwantedhimtoknowthatIhadnoregrets.Iwantedthis.Wantedhim.

Hemoanedinunderstanding."Bettergetinside,"hemurmured,pullingback.
Hemanagedtounlockthedoorandwehurriedinsidetogether.Hekickedthedoor

closed,removinghistieandjacketatthesametime.Hedroppedthemonthefloor,not
caringaboutcrumplingtheexpensivefabric.

Iundidhisshirtbuttonsthenfinally—finally!—allowedmyselftotouchthechestI'd

wantedtotouchinsolong.Iskimmedmyfingersoverthemuscles,teasedthehairs,
andtookanippleintomymouth.

He groaned, the sound vibrating through him. He quickly removed his shirt and

guided me to his other nipple. I nipped and licked it then drew back. I slipped my
fingersintothebandofhistrousers,eagertogetthemoff.EagertoseethecockI'donly
caughtaglimpseofsofar.

Butnothereintheentrance.Igavehimalittleshovetowardthelivingroombut

decided I wanted the big beg instead. I wanted to see him sprawled on those clean
whitesheetslikethatfirstmomentI'dseenhimbuttnaked.

akethoseoff,"Iordered,noddingathispants.

"Yes,ma'am."Heunbuckledandunzippedanddrewthemdown,kickingthemoff.

Hiscockbobbedingreeting,thetipglisteningwithpre-cum."Yourturn."

"Huh?"Imuttered,staringatthatimpressivemember.Itwashardandready.
Ireachedforit,buthebattedmyhandaway.
"Notyet."Hegatheredupmydressanddrewitupovermyhead.Hesteppedback

toadmiremeinmystraplessbraandthong.Hemusthavelikedwhathesawbecause
hegroanedlowinhischest."You'rebeautiful,Kase.Sexy.Thosebreasts…"

His hands cupped my breasts through my bra. His thumbs dipped inside and

strokedthenipples.

Igroaned.Mybloodpoundedinmyears.Everythinginsidemetightened,ached.I'd

never responded so effortlessly to a man's touch before, not like this. It should scare
me,butitdidnot.IshouldbescreamingatmyselfnottomakethesamemistakeI'd
madewithBrent.ButIcouldn'tevenfullyformthethought.Thisfeltright.Perfect.

I wasn't going anywhere. Not when his fingers worked their magic, rolling my

nipples,pinchingthemgentlyuntilsensationsswampedme.

Hepulleddownmybracupsandexposedmybreaststothewarmairandhishot

mouth. His tongue caressed, teasing my nipples to hard points. I arched my back,
offeringmyselftohim,andmoaned.

He unhooked my bra and let it fall to the floor then tugged my underwear down,

exposing me completely. He stood back to admire. His eyes flared. His gaze roamed
overmybody,takingineverypartofmelikeIwassomethingunique,marvelous.

"You'resobeautiful,"hemurmured.
Myskinheatedandhesmiledatmyblush.ButIwouldn'tlethimhaveitallhisown

way. I admired him too. The powerful thighs, the thick cock, the ridges of muscle
coveringhisathleticframe.Whatgirlcouldresistthatpackage?

Notthisone.
"Getonthebed,"Iordered."Facedown."
He arched his brows and his lips quirked in a small smile, but he obliged without

question. He stripped the bedcover back and lay down on the sheets. The smooth
tannedskinofhisbackbeggedtobelicked.

Isatonhisupperthighsandmassagedhisshoulders,hisback,andfinallyhisass.

His eyelids fluttered closed. He arched himself into my hands. His skin was like
polishedwood,almostsilkytotouch.

Then suddenly he flipped over and drew me down against him. His cock pressed

into my stomach, rigid and ready. We kissed until my insides melted and my brain
turnedoff.Icouldn'tthinkanymore,couldonlyfeel.

He suddenly broke the kiss. I groaned in frustration. But the groan turned into a

moanofpleasureashepushedupmybreastandclosedhismouthoverthenipple.His
tongue circled it, teased it until it ached, until I could no longer stand the sensations
thrummingthroughme.

"God, Jacob. Yessss, there. There." Pleasure shot along my veins, centered on my

groin,renderedmespeechless.Iwantedhimtotouchmethere,everywhere.Now.

Idirectedhishanddown.Ifelthimsmileagainstmybreast."Patience,sweetheart,"

hesaid.

"Ihaven'tgotany.Notwhenyou'reteasingmelikethat."
"Me,atease?Ha.I'mgoingmadwithdesirehere."
"How mad?" I took his cock in my hand. The rock hard member throbbed as he

suckedairbetweenhisteeth.Hislowgroanfilledtheroom."Thatmad,huh?"

Hesuddenlysatupandshiftedback,withdrawinghiscockfrommyhand."Notyet

orI'llcometoosoon.Besides,Iwanttodothingstoyoufirst.Thingsthatwillblowyour
mind."

"Likewhat?"
He parted his legs, and since I sat on top of his thighs still, my legs parted too. He

slippedhisfingerinsideme.Justlikethat,withoutwarning,allthewayin.Iclungtohis
shoulders and buried my face at his throat. He moved his finger out then slid it in
again.Theknucklerakedagainstmysensitivenub.

Isuckedinajaggedbreath,drawinginhisintoxicatingscent.Itfilledme.Hefilled

me.

Ifelthimsmile."Likethat?"
"Mmmmm." I pushed myself down against his hand and his smile vanished. I

offeredmybreasttohismouthagainandhetookit.

Sensationsassaultedmefromheadtotoe,gatheringinsideme,building,building.I

wantedhismoutheverywhere,andhishands,hiscock.Thiswastoosoon,toomuch.I
wasn'tready.

SomehowImanagedtopushback,toclimboff.Ifloppedbackonthebed,myarms

stretchedaboveme.Hekneltabovemeandrakedhisgazedownmylength.Hishands
followed, roaming over the mounds of my breasts, my stomach and hips, down my
thighs.Hegentlypartedmylegsandburiedhisfacethere.

His tongue darted out, licking my hot button. I yelped and jerked as a fire roared

throughmybody.HowcouldIwithstandthesesensationsanylonger?Icouldn't.Ino
longerwantedto.

Iscrunchedthesheetsinmyfistsandarchedmyback,urginghim.Hequickened

hispace,flickingmewithhistongueuntilsweettormentswampedme.Don'tstop!

DidIsaythatoutloudorjustinmyhead?
Everythinginsidemebegantounravel.Thenwithonefinallick,Iflewovertheedge

intooblivion.Mybodyrockedwiththefloodofsensations,frommytoestomyscalp.I
feltshatteredandyetfulltoo,complete.

"Yesss,"Ihissed,takinghisheadinmyhandstoanchormyself."Jacob!"
Hearing me say his name seemed to urge him on. He moved up my body, as I

quivered and twitched from my release. He rummaged in the bedside drawer and
fishedoutasilverpacket.HetoreitopenandIhelpedhimstretchthecondomoverhis
cock.

Thenheenteredme,allthewaytothehilt.
I groaned. He groaned, too, and rested his forehead against mine. Bone-deep heat

fused us together. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on as he found a
rhythmicpace.Werockedtogether,themovementhypnotic.Themusclesinhisback
trembledasifhestrainedtocontrolhimself.

ButIdidn'twanthimtobecontrolled.Iwantedhimtoletgo,asIhad.
Iloopedmylegsaroundhimandlockedmyanklesathisass.Ikissedthesmooth

skinofhisshouldersandthrustmyhipsuptomeethim.

Hegroanedthenflippedmeoversothathelaydownwithmeontop.Isatupand

thrustoutmybreasts.Hisbighandscaressedthem,teasingthenipplestopoints.His
burninggazestaredathishandiwork.

Igroundmyhipsagainsthim,drawinghimindeeper,thenliftedmyselfupoffhis

cock.

Hegroanedandgraspedmyhips.Hepulledmebackdown,andslammedhiscock

alltheway.Hiseyesrolledback.Hismoansfilledtheroom."You'reso…cruel.Iwon't…
last."

I didn't need any more encouragement. His words made me feel powerful. He

mightbebigandstrong,butIwasincontrol.Icouldmakehimbeg,ifIwanted,make
himdoanything.

Ipumpedhim,ridinghiscockuntilsweatslickedmybackandmythighsquivered.

Hisbreathingbecamemoreragged.Hestaredatmychest,andIgavehimashowby
squeezingthembetweenmyarms.

It seemed to drive him wilder. He sat up and took one in his mouth again. My

nervesstretchedtight.Itwastoomuch.Iperchedonthevergeofcomingagain.

Asifhesensedit,hegraspedbothmyhandsinoneofhisbehindmybackandused

theothertorubmytendernub.Pulsesshotthroughme,drivingmewild,takingmeto
newheights.

"Jacob!"Icried.
Hegruntedandthrusthardintomethenpulledmedowntokisshimonthemouth

aswe came together. Theorgasm rolled through me,a powerful wave that shattered
me,renderedmehelplessandloose.Icollapsedagainsthim,spent,andsuckedairinto
mylungsalongwithhisscent.

His breathing calmed, quickly returning to normal, while mine labored on. It

eventuallyslowedyetwedidn'tpart.Ididn'twantto.Ijustwantedtobewithhimlike
this,sharingtheaftermathofourorgasms.

Helayback,takingmewithhim.Ilayontopofhim,myheadtuckedbeneathhis

chin.Hisarmstrappedmethere,andIlistenedtothesteadybeatofhisheart,felthis
breathinmyhair.Ifeltsafe,desired,wanted.Ifeltcomplete.

He gently rolled me off him then padded into the bathroom to get rid of the

condom.HerejoinedmeonthebedandIcurledintohim,onelegacrosshis,pinning
himthere.Iyawnedandnuzzledhisneck.

"Gotosleep,Sweetheart,"hewhispered,tuckingmeintohisside."Andincaseyou

werewondering,thatwasphasefour."

Ichuckled."Ifiguredasmuch.Arethereanymorephases?"
"IntheseductionofKaseyMannering?No.Buttherewillbemoreforthenextstage

ofourrelationship.Ijusthavetothinkthemupfirst."

***

Thenextstageofourrelationshipwaswonderful,althoughitbeganratherawkwardly
thedayaftertheball.Therewasnohidingwhatwe'ddonefromhisfamilyandfriends.
Notthateitherofuswantedto,butitwasweirdknowingthateveryoneknewwe'dhad
sex.

Em giggled like a girl when she delivered lunch to us, much to her sister's

disapproval.

"Ididn'twanthercomingherebutsheinsisted,"Jillsaid,checkingherfingernailson

thekitchenbench."Youtwooughttobeleftalonetoenjoyoneanother'scompany."

"Ijustwantedtoseethemtomakesure,"Emsaid.
"Makesure?Andwhatwouldyouhavedoneiftheyhadn't…youknow?Stoodhere

untiltheydid?"

Em clicked her tongue. "You have no imagination, Jill. No romance. No wonder

TennysongaveuplastnightandchasedBarbaraBucklandinstead."

"HechasedBarbaraBucklandbecauseheknowsshe'sasurething.I,however,am

not."

"Anddon'tweknowit,"Emmuttered.
"Thanks for the pie," Jacob said, steering his aunts to the door. "It's much

appreciated."

Jill, taking the hint, grabbed her sister's arm and dragged her outside. "Ow, that

hurts,"Emprotested.

Jill said something to her that we couldn't hear. Em grinned and waved before

climbingintohersister'sbuggy.

JacobandIspenttheentiredaytogether,mostlyalone,althoughwehadtoendure

shortvisitsfromhisbrothers,AllyandBen.Allofthemseemedtowanttocheckthat
we were now a couple for themselves, although all admitted that Jill and Em had
alreadycalledthemtoannounceit.Apparentlywewerebignewsontheislandalready,
anditwasn'tevenmidday.

We made love in the afternoon, on his bed, in the shower, and on the couch. We

nappedinbetweenandtalked,abouteverything.Itoldhimsomeoftheassholethings
my dad had done, and he told me how his father wasn't exactly father of the year
either. While he hadn't been a drunken jerk, he had been hard on his boys and
expected them to excel at everything they put their hand to. He hadn't always got
alongwithhiswife,either.

"Theyfoughtrightbeforetheydied,"hesaid,hisheadbowed.
I put my arm around him and kissed his cheek. "You don't have to talk about it,

Jacob."

"Iwantto."Somethingwasn'tright.Somethingweighedheavilyonhim,andIcould

seehewantedtounburdenhimself.Ifeltprivilegedthathefelthecoulddosowithme.

"Goon,"Iprompted.
He stared out of the window to the sea where a yacht sailed lazily past, the late

afternoon sun glinting off metal. "They both had fiery tempers, but Dad's was worse.
Sometimeshe'dmakeMumcry.Shecriedthatday."

"Whatwastheargumentabout?"
"Idon'tknow.Noneofusdo.Butitwasfierce.WorsethananythingI'dheard."
"Itseemsoddthattheywentoutsailingtogether,alone,inthatframeofmind."
Heglancedsidewaysatmebutsaidnothing.
"Noonetriedtostopthem?"
Heshookhishead.Itsanklowerandherakedhisfingersthroughhishair."Kase…"
"Yes?"
Hesighedandstraightened."Comeandseethesunsetwithme."Hestoodandheld

outhishand.

Itookit.Iknewithadn'tbeenwhathewantedtosay,butIdidn'tpresshim.He'd

tellmewhatwasonhismindabouthisparents'deathswhenhewasready.

Wewalkedhandinhanduptothelookoutandwatchedthesungodownwiththe

tourists. None knew who we were, and the anonymity was liberating. We blended in
withoursummershirtsandphonesouttotakepicturesofthevibrantskyasthesun
slowlysankbeneaththehorizon.

"Beautiful,"Isaidonabreath.
Jacobstoodbehindme,hisarmswrappedaroundmywaist."Yes,"hemurmuredin

myear."Verybeautiful.Andmine."Hegentlyturnedmeandkissedmethoroughly.

Someone applauded and we separated, laughing. We walked back to Jacob's

mansion and changed to go out to dinner in the village. We sat at our table, holding
hands, and I marveled at how easy and comfortable we were together. It probably
came from getting to know one another as friends and colleagues first, rather than
actingonourintensefeelingsstraightaway.

Despitemyinitialreservations,Ihadnoregrets.Noregretsatall.

***

Twomonthslater,Ihadplansinplacetoextendthecellphonecoveragetoallbutthe
remotest parts of the island, and implement more WiFi hotspots. It was mid-October,
theendofthepeaktouristseasonandthemiddleofspring.Theweatherontheisland
grewhotter,steamier,mirroringmyrelationshipwithJacob.

Whenweweren'tworking,wehungouttogether,eitherathisplaceorthebeachor

the marina. He took weekends off and most nights too, although sometimes we both
workedlatetocatchup.Wewentsailingonhisyachttootherislandsnearby,including
onethatfewpeoplevisitedwhereweswamnakedandmadeloveonthebeach.

ImethisbrotherDan,thefootballer,whostayedforaweekbeforejettingofftothe

States for a vacation with mates during the off-season. My mother visited and stayed
for three weeks, putting a dampener on the non-stop sex Jacob and I had been

enjoying.Theofficenolongerbecameoff-limitsandadailyquickieontheconference
roomtablesatedourlustafterhours.

MomwasdelightedthatJacobandIweretogether.Shelikedhimimmediately,and

hisfamilyevenmore.SheenjoyedthecompanyofbothEmandJill,andtheyenjoyed
hers.Itwasrareforthesisterstosharefriends,bothbeingsodifferent,buttheyliked
Mom.TheywereinstrumentalinconvincinghertoconsideramovetoParadiseIsland.
Shepromisedtogiveitsomeseriousthought.

Aftersheleft,JacobandIfellintooureasypatternagain.Lifewasgood.Realgood.I

couldn'tevenrememberwhyithadtakenmesolongtogiveintohisadvances.How
hadInotgiveninafterphaseone?Evenwhenhe'dbeengrumpyonourfirstmeeting,
I'dstilllikedwhatI'dseen.There'dbeensomethingbetweenuseventhen.

"Have you got the contract for the runway project handy?" Jacob asked as he

stoppedmydeskoneWednesdaymorning.

"Sure." I clicked on folders and opened the document on screen. "Is something

wrong?"

"Ijusthadacallfromtheconstructioncompany.There'sgoingtobeadelayandI

wanttoknowwhatclaimswehaveforcompensation."

Iscrewedupmynose."Abigdelay?"
"Johnsondoesn'tthinkso,butIjustwanttomakesurewe'recovered."
Hereadthedocumentovermyshoulder,butgotinterruptedmyhisringingcell.His

face brightened as he saw the number. "Haven't heard from him in ages," he said,
answering."Hey,Brent.How'sthings?"

ThenameremindedmeoftheBrentIhadn'theardfrominagestoo,butdidn'twant

to.MyexbossandexloverwasthereasonI'dtakenthisjobinthefirstplace,tostart
overagain.ButhehadalmostbeenthereasonI'dnottakenachanceonJacob.

Igruntedalaughandshookmyhead.ItwasthefirsttimeI'dthoughtaboutBrentin

months.

"She'srighthere,"Jacobsaid,smilingatme.
Ifrowned.
"Sure.I'llputheron."
Whatthehell?Surelynot.Surelythatwasn'tthesameBrent.
Jacobhandedmethephone,butcoveredthemouthpiece."RememberthefriendI

told you about? The one who suggested I approach you through the agency because
he'dheardyouwereavailable?It'shim.Hewantstotalktoyou."

I took the phone, somewhat numb. Jacob and Brent knew one another. Did Jacob

knowthatBrentwasmyex?Didheevenknowwe'dworkedtogether?Slepttogether?

No,hedefinitelywouldn'tknowthelastpart.Jacobhadstrongethicsaboutdatinga

mate'sgirl,eveniftheywereexes.

"Kase?"camethefamiliarvoicedowntheline."Kasey,youthere?It'sme,Brent."
"Yeah,"Isaid,soundinglikeanidiot."Hi."
"Sohow'sislandlife?"
"Fine."
"Fine?"Heguffawed."Jackosaidit'sbetterthanfine."
"Soyoutwoarefriends.Whydidn'tyoutellme?"
"Itwasn'timportant."Hehadasilkyvoice,sounlikeJacob'sroughenedone.I'dliked

itatfirst,butnow,itseemedtooslick.

"Nottoyou,maybe."
"SoyouandJackoareanitem,huh?Good.Iknewitwouldworkoutbetweenyou."
"Wait." I glanced at Jacob. He frowned back at me, looking confused. "You

recommendedmeforthejobandthat'swhyJacobhiredme,right?"

"I told him you were the most trustworthy person I knew. Even after we slept

together,youdidn'ttellanyoneaboutus.Afterwebrokeup,youneverbadmouthed
me around the office. Not only are you the most trustworthy person I know, you're
alsothebestP.A.I'veeverhad."

That explained why Jacob and his family had trusted me before they really knew

me.Brenthadgiventhemassurances.

"Iwassorrytoloseyou,Kase,"hewenton."Atwork,Imean.IfuckedupwhenI

fucked you. If I'd known you'd quit, I would have kept our relationship strictly
professional."

Iwastoostunnedtorespond.
"Don'tworry.Jackowon'tmakethesamemistakeIdid.He'sabettermanthanme.

He'srelationshipmaterial,andI'mdefinitelynot.Youtwowillworkout.That'swhyI
hadnoqualmsaboutyouworkingforhim.Iguessedyou'dprobablyenduptogether,
but I knew he wouldn't break it off with you like I did." He sighed. "I regret how I
treatedyou,Kase.Iregretalotofthings.IhavenothingbutrespectforyouandIwish
youandJackowell."

I let him ramble on, hardly listening to a single word. Jacob and Brent knew one

another.Brenthadsetusup,bothprofessionallyandpersonally.BythelookonJacob's
face,he'dbeenasmuchinthedarkasme.

"Kasey,youstillthere?"Brentasked.
"I'mhere."IblinkedupatJacob.Helookedconfusedandalittleconcerned.I'dhave

totellhim.HemustknownowthatBrentandIhadahistorytogether,andIcouldn't
keep secrets from him. It wasn't fair and it wasn't how I wanted our relationship to
start."SoJacobknewIworkedforyou?"

JacobnoddedasBrentsaid,"HedidbutImadehimpromisenottotellyouthathe

knewme.Iknowyou,Kase,andIdoubtedyou'dtakethejobifyouthoughtyouhadn't
earneditonyourown.Whichyoutotallyhave,bytheway.Youdeservethatjob,but
those damned morals of yours sometimes get in the way of your advancement.
Besides, if he told you we were friends then you'd probably tell him that you and I'd
slepttogetherandthatwouldputanendtoanyplayhemightmakeforyou.He'sgot
strong opinions on that and I didn't want him holding back. It doesn't matter now.
You'reallgood,right?Icanhearhowhappyheisinhisvoice.Sodoyouwantmetotell
himordoyouwanttodoit?"

"I'lldoit,"IsaidwithouttakingmygazeoffJacob.
"Fine. Good. It'll be better coming from you. So invite me to the wedding, okay? I

coulddowithanislandvacation."

IhungupandhandedthephonebacktoJacob."Weneedtotalk."
Hecrossedhisarmsoverhischest."I'mlistening."
"Ididn'tknowyouknewhim."
Amusclepulsedinhisjaw.Hisnostrilsflared."Justtellmeonething.Didyouand

Brent…?"Heswallowedandcouldnolongermeetmygaze.

"Yes.Wehadabriefaffair.ItendedandIquit.Itwastoo—"
Hestrodeoff,headingtowardtheexit.
"Jacob!"
Buthedidn'tanswer,justkeptwalking.Irosetogoafterhim,butsatdownagain.

Heneededtimetodigestthispieceofnews.SodidI.

acob returned to the office an hour later. It was an excruciating hour in which I

wonderedifhewouldthrowawaywhatwehadforhismorals.He'dbeensoangrywith
Danforsleepingwithateammate'sgirl,andthismustbejustasbadinhiseyes.

IconsideredcallingBrentback,justtoyellathimforbeingsounderhanded.He'd

knownthiswouldbotherJacob,andhe'ddeliberatelykeptouraffairasecret.

And yet, when I calmed down, I found I couldn't be mad at Brent. He'd given me

somethingwonderful.He'dgivenmeJacob.

IhopedJacobrealizedittoo.
"Hey," he said when he came back. He stood by my desk, hands shoved in his

pockets,shouldershunched.Thesheepishlookinhiseyeswasn'tafamiliarone,butI
founditadorable."SorryIwalkedout."

Icamearoundthedeskandreachedforhim,buthadsecondthoughtsandreturned

myarmstomysides.Heenvelopedmeinahuginstead.Idrewinabreath,takinghis
scentintomylungs,andhuggedhimback.

"Arewegood?"Iasked.
"Ofcourse.I…Iwasjustfreakedoutforawhilethere,butI'mnotstupidenoughto

endwhatwehavebecauseyouandBrent…Jeez,Ican'tevensayit."

"YouknowIhadnothingtodowithhistrickery,right?Brentjustdecidedtosetus

upandwentaboutitsneakily."

"I know. I should have suspected something was up when he told me not to

mention our friendship to you. He said it was because you were proud and wouldn't
wanthimgettingyouthisjob."

"Notsomuchasproud,asangryathimatthetime."Ipulledbackandcuppedhis

faceinmyhands.Istrokedthebristlesonhisjawwithmythumbs."IfI'dknownhegot
methisjob,Iprobablywouldn'thavetakenitjustoutofpetulantspite."

"Andifhe'dtoldmethatyoutwohadbeenintimate,Iwouldn'thavefallenforyou."
"Really?"
Hismouthtwistedtotheside."Maybe.Iwouldhavefoughtharder."
Ikissedhimlightly."ThenI'mgladhedidn't."
"He'sthereasonyoudidn'twanttodateme,yourboss,right?"
Inodded.
"Hereallyhurtyou,"hesaidgently.
Isighed."Notsomuchhurtashumiliated.Ibecamethelatestobjectofgossip.For

theweekswhilewedated,Ifeltguiltyeverytimehepraisedme.Ibegantowonderif
hemeantitorwasjustinsuringI'dsleepwithhimthatnight.Iwalkedanarrowline,
butfeltlikeIcouldn'tstayonit."

"Andwithme?"
"Withyou?Idon'tfeelanyofthat.Maybebecauseit'sjustyouandmeinheremost

of the time. Or maybe because it's different with you. More…" Dare I say it? "More
serious.Moreright."

Heenclosedmeinawarmhug,tuckingmyheadbeneathhischin.Herubbedmy

backinslowcircles."We'llgetthroughthis."

Ithoughtwehad.Iwasabouttotellhimsowhenhisphonerang.Hesteppedaway

frommetoansweritandIsighedatthelossofhistouch.

"Johnson,"hebarkeddowntheline."Tellmeplainly.Howbadisit?"
I listened as he and the project manager discussed details. It didn't sound good,

goingbyJacob'sreactionandcurtresponses.Infact,itsoundedlikeadisaster.

He hung up and stalked into his office. I followed him. "What did he say?" I

prompted.

"Ican'tbelievethis.Theconstructioncompanyhasgonebust."
"What!But…didn'thehireabigfirm?Didn'theusepeoplehe'susedbefore?"
Hethrewhimselfintohischairandgraspedthecomputermouselikehewantedto

strangleit."Yesandyes.Buttheystillwentbust.Mismanagementoffunds.Iwantto
killhim.Hecompletelydroppedtheballonthis.Findinganewfirmwillcausemajor
delays.Itwon'tbereadybynextseason."

I swore, earning me an arched brow from Jacob. "Does Johnson have any other

contactshecancallon?"

"Hesaidhe'sgoingtoseewhathecando,buthedidn'tsoundconfident."
"Firehim."
"Andreplacehimwithwho?Firingtheprojectmanagerafterlosingtheconstruction

firmwillsetusbackevenfurther."Heturnedbacktothecomputermonitor.Hisglare
wassofierceIwassurpriseditdidn'tmeltthescreen."I'lljusthavetobeonhiscase
untilhesecuresanewfirm."

He scrubbed a hand through his hair and down his face. Tension bunched his

shoulders and hardened his features. I slipped in behind him and massaged his
shouldersbutitdidn'tdoanygood.

Ilefthimashebegantomakemorephonecallstolawyersandaccountants.When

hefinallyemergedfromhisofficeattheendoftheday,helookeddrawn,exhausted
andstilltense.

"Anyprogress?"Iasked,althoughIcouldtellfromhisfacethattherehadn'tbeen.
"Ohyeah,there'sprogressallright.I'velearnedthatwewon'tgetanycompensation

forthedelaybecausetheconstructioncompanyfiledforbankruptcy.We'llbeaddedto
alonglistofcreditorstheyowemoneyto,andwilllikelyneverpay.Thebankswon't
lendusanymoremoneytohireanewfirm.We'rescrewed."

Wewere.Thecompanyhadinvestedmillionsofcapitalandborrowedheavily.All

thatmoneygone,andnowayofgettingitback."We'lltightenourbelts,"Isaid,thinking
out loud. "I'll put the WiFi project on hold. But we might want to ramp up our
advertisingspendintheleaduptonextyear'speakseason.I'lllookintoit."

"Wehadallouradvertisingsetuparoundhavinganewrunwayinplacebythen."

Hesoundeddeflated,low."Wehavetocancelthat."

Itookhishandsinmine."It'sgoingtobetoughforawhile,butthebusinessitselfis

solid."Ikissedhimonthemouth."Andsoarewe."

Henoddedandletgoofmyhands."Ihavetomakeafewmorephonecalls,"hesaid,

walkingbackintohisoffice.Hestoppedinthedoorway."Don'ttellmybrothersabout
this,okay?"

"Whynot?"
"Idon'twanttoworrythem."
Isighedandbitbackaretortthatitwastheirbusinesstooandtheyshouldbemade

aware. Maybe they could help, even if it was just to have someone other than me to
discussitwith.

"Arewestillgoingouttodinner?"Icalledafterhim.
Hesatathisdeskandpickeduphisphone."Nottonight."
Ididn'tseehimthatnight,orfortherestoftheweek.Hewasalwaystoobusy.We

saw one another during the day in the office, but our interactions remained
businesslike aside from a chaste kiss in the mornings. He arrived before me and left
wellafterme.WhenIcameinonemorningandsawhimwearingthesameshirthe'd
wornthedaybefore,IknewIcouldn'tletthesituationcontinue.

"Didyougohomelastnight?"Iasked.
Hepressedhisfingerandthumbintohiseyes."Igotcaughtuphereonthephoneto

theStates."

"TheStates?Why?"
Hesighedheavilyandclosedhiseyes."Dan'sintrouble.Again."
"Whatdidhedo?"
"GotarrestedinCaliforniafordrunkenbehavior."
"Arrested!"Ishookmyhead."Doyourotherbrothersknow?"
"Notyet.BookmeflightstoLA,leavingassoonaspossible."
"Youwanttogooverthere?Why?Whatcanyoudo?"
Hegavemeahardlook."Bewithhim.Makesurehe'stakencareof."
"Therewon'tbemuchforyoutodo.They'llprobablylethimgowithawarning.By

thetimeyougetthere,he'llbeonhiswayhome."

"There'sthemediatoavoid,too.Ican'tlethimfaceitalone.He'llmakeamessofitif

Ileaveituptohim."

"Jacob, he's a grown up. Let him face the consequences of his actions. You've got

enoughtodohere."

"Heaskedmetogo.WhatelseamIsupposedtodo?"
Helookedmiserableandexhausted."Didyoutellhimwhat'shappenedhere?That

youneedtobeherenowforthebusiness?"

"Businesscomessecondtofamily,Kase.Italwayshasandalwayswill."
"Iknow,butI'msureifheknewhowseriousthingswerehere—"
"Hewon'tfindout.Notfromme."Hiseyesturnedflinty."Hedoesn'tneedtheadded

pressureontopofthemediablizzardthat'sabouttofallonhim."

"He'snotachild,Jacob,"Isnapped.Ihadtogetthroughtohim.Takingonsomuch

couldn'tbegood.Em'swordsabouttheWalkerfamilyheartconditionflashedthrough
mymindlikeabadmovie."Tellhimwhat'sgoingonhere.I'msurehe'llunderstand."

Heshookhisheadandfocusedonhiscomputerscreenwithfiercedetermination.
"Jacob,youdon'tneedtheextrapressure.AskCamtogo,orMitch."
Heshookhishead."Heaskedforme.I'mresponsibleforhim."
"You are not!" I threw my hands in the air. "You need to let them fend for

themselves.Everysingleoneofthemiscapableofbeinganadultwithoutyourhelp.
You'renottheirparent,you'renottheirkeeper—"

"Don't,Kase,"hegrowled,thesoundlowandthreatening."Don'ttellmewhattodo.

Youdon'thavesiblings,andyoustillhaveamother.Theydon't.Theyneedme."

Ishookmyheadandstormedoutofhisoffice.Hewaswrong.Theywereperfectly

capable of taking care of their own messes. Even the youngest. And I was going to
proveittohim.

Isnatchedmybagoffmydeskandheadedout.
"Kase?"hecalledafterme."Whereareyougoing?"
"Out!"
Heracedaftermeandcaughtmyhand."Kase,I'msorry.Don'tgetmadatme."
"I'mnotmadatyou.I'mfrustrated."
"Withme?Ormyfamily?"
"Both! You because I really need to have sex with you and you're too tense, and

thembecausethey'relettingyoutreatthemlikechildren.Theyneedtogrowup."

Hestaredatme,stunned."Wecanhavesexonthedeskrightnowifyouwant."
Ishovedhiminthechest."No!I'mgoingout."
Henarrowedhisgaze."Where?Why?"
"To the cafe, because I need to be away from you, Jacob. Like I said, you're

frustratingme."

Hisfacefell.Heblinkedrapidly."Kase,I…IsaidI'msorry."HereachedformebutI

steppedback.

"Iknow.Butrightnow,it'snotwhatIwanttohear.Ihavetogo."
Ispunroundandmarchedoff,leavinghimlookingforlornandalittleconfused.Too

bad.Icouldn'ttellhimwhatIwasuptoorhe'dtrytostopmeandthenwe'djustendup
arguing.Ididn'twanttoarguewithhim,Iwantedtohelphim.Hewouldn'tacceptmy
helpunlessIwasdeviousaboutit.

Ididn'tgotothecafebutjumpedintomybuggyanddrovetotheairport.Luckily

Camhadjustflowninanddidn'thavetoheadoutagainforafewhours.

"Weneedafamilymeeting,"Itoldhim."WithoutJacob."
Hisbrowsalmostflewoffhisforehead."You'vegotmeintriguednow.I'mguessing

Jackodoesn'tknowanythingaboutthis."

"No."
Heswayedbackandeyedmecarefully."You'rescaringme."
"Good,becauseifyou'rescaredthenmaybeyou'lllisten.I'mgoingtocallMitchand

gethimheretoo."

"WantmetocallEm,JillandBen?"
"They'renotneeded.ThisisaWalkerbrothermeeting."
"Withonlytwoofus?"
"YourjobistocontactMack.Idon'tcarewhattimeitisathisplace,orifhe'sbusy.

Thisisimportant."

His frown deepened. "Now I really am worried. Kase, what's wrong? What's

happened?"

"I'lltellyouwhenwe'realltogether.Isthereaconferenceroomaroundherewhere

wecanhavesomeprivacy?"

Hepointedatadoorleadingofftheterminal."I'llcallMacknowthenDan."
"NotDan.Hewon'tbeabletocometothephone."Icheckedmywatch."Actually,

trycalling.Hemightbeout."

"Out?Outwhere?"
I headed into the conference room, leaving Cam to trail behind. I was able to

convinceMitchthatheneededtocometotheairporturgently.Bythetimehearrived,
Mack was on speaker on Cam's phone. Cam had left a message for Dan. I'd also
received two calls from Jacob, neither of which I answered. I switched my phone to
silent.

"Right,"Isaid,loudenoughsoMackcouldhearontheotherendoftheline.Wesat

at one end of the conference table, with me at the head. Both Cam and Mitch looked
anxious."It'sprobablyagoodthingthatyoucouldn'tgetaholdofDanyet,"Iwenton.
"IneedtotellyouwhathappenedtohiminLA,andhewon'tlikethatI'mgoingto."

Camswore."Hedidsomethingstupid,didn'the?"
"Hegotarrestedfordrunkenbehavior."
Allthreebrothersswore.
"He should get off lightly for a first offence," I said, "but he's worried about the

mediaheregettingwindofit.HeaskedJacobtoflyoverandsmooththingsoverwith
theauthoritiesandanylocalnews."

CamandMitchbothnodded."Good,"Mitchsaid."Jacob'sgoodatthat."
"No!"Ilookedfromonetotheotherthenshoutedintothephone."No!Stopit,allof

you. Stop relying on Jacob to clean up your messes. Stop having him fly all over the
worldwhenyoufuckup.Stopputtingsomuchpressureonhim.It'skillinghim."

"He'ssick?"Mack'svoicecrackledthroughthespeakerphone."Whydidn'tsomeone

tellme?"

"He'snotsick,"Isaid.
Theyallblewoutbreaths."Jesus,Kase,youhadusworried,"Camsaid.
"Buthewillbeifyoukeepaddingtohisstress.Hewantstohelpyou.Hewantstobe

thereforallofyou."

"Andheis,"Camsaidwithashrug.
"Always,"Mackagreed.
"Evenwhenwedon'twanthishelp,"Mitchsaid.
I looked at the two faces of the second and third brothers, so like Jacob's yet

different too. "And you've come to rely on him, sometimes too much. It's not fair on
him.He'snotyourfather,he'syourbrother,andhe'sonlyafewyearsolderthanyou.
It'stimetogrowupandtakeresponsibilityforyourownactionsinsteadofrelyingon
Jacob."

Silence.BothCamandMitchstaredatme.Mitchhadthedecencytoblush.
"Ouch,"Macksaiddowntheline."IseeJacobfoundsomeonewho'sgothisback."
"Yes,Ido.Ihavehisback,andbyextension,Ihaveallofyourstoo."Isoftenedmy

voice.ItwasimportanttheyunderstoodIwasn'tagainstthem."Iloveyouall,butIlove
Jacobmostofall."Myheartdidalittleflip.I'dneversaiditoutloudbefore,notevento
Jacob. "If you keep turning to him for help when you find yourselves in a hole, then
you'renotdoingeitherhimoryourselvesanyfavors.Thepressuremakeshimmoody.
Rememberwhatheusedtobelike?"

Mitchhuffedoutagrufflaugh."Iremember.Youthinkitwasourfaulthewasan

asshole?"

"Partly, yes. It was his fault too. You guys asked him for help and he gave it. Of

course he's going to help you. You're his brothers. But please, can you try and get
yourselvesoutoftroublefirstbeforecallingonhim?"

"Sometimes he just butted in when we didn't need him," Mitch said. "We didn't

alwaysask."

I nodded. "I know. He needs to learn to let you struggle on your own for a while

beforehecomesinfortherescue."

Mitchrubbedthebackofhisneckandwinced.Macksigheddowntheline,"You're

right,"hesaid.

"I'llcallDan."Camreachedforhisphone."AndmakesurehecallsJackototellhim

he'snotneeded.I'mhanginguponyounow,Mack."

"Bye,Bros,"Macksaid."Andthanks,Kasey.It'sgoodtoknowsomeone'stakingcare

ofJackonow."

CamhungupanddialedDan'snumber.Thistime,hegotthrough.Apparentlyhe'd

beenkeptinacellovernightandreleasedoncehewassober,withoutchargebutwitha
warning.Hewasonhiswaybacktothehotel.

I checked my phone as they spoke. Two more missed calls from Jacob. I should

answerthem,butnotyet.

CamandDanspokeforseveralminutes,partlyaboutthearrestandDan'sbehavior,

andpartlyaboutwhatI'dsaid.IremainedquietuntilDanaddressedme.

"Whynow?"heaskeddowntheline."Ishegrumpierthanusual?Becausethissort

ofthingisn'texactlyanirregularoccurrence."

MitchandCambothlookedtome.
ItookthephoneoffCamsoInolongerhadtoshout."Hedidn'twantmetotellyou

this, but I'm willing to risk his anger because I think you should know. The
constructioncompanythathe'dcontractedtoextendtherunwayandterminalfiledfor
bankruptcy.Hecan'tgetbackthemoneyhe'salreadypaidandisunlikelytoseeany
compensation."

"Jesus."Camshookhishead."Whatamess."
They asked questions about the due diligence process and the credentials of the

project manager. I assured them that Johnson came highly recommended and the
constructioncompanywasonehe'dusedbefore.

"Wedideverythingwecouldtoavoidthissortofthing,"Isaid."Jacobcouldn'thave

seen it coming. It blindsided him. He's angry and frustrated, and feels like he let
everyonedown."

"That'sbullshit,"Camspat."Hehasn't."
"Thenyoushouldtellhimthat."
CamandMitchglancedatoneanotherandnodded.
"NowI'veaddedtohisproblems,"Dansaidwithaheavysigh.
Ibitmylip,suddenlyrealizingthemagnitudeofwhatI'ddone.I'dsteppedbetween

the brothers, called them out on their treatment of Jacob, and told them off. They
shouldhateme.Jacobwasgoingtobefuriouswhenhefoundout.ButIdidfeelbetter
forit.Alittle.Maybe.

"The timing isn't good," I said. "Look, I get that you need help, Dan. You're in

anothercountry,you'refamoushere,andtheclubwillbefuriouswhentheyfindout."

"Theyalreadyknow,"hesaid."IrangthemjustnowbeforeIcalledyouback.Yes,

they'refurious.I'llfacesomesanctionswhenIgethome."

"Soyoubloodyshould,"Mitchgrowled."Idiot."
"That'srichcomingfromyou."
CamputuphishandtostopMitch'sretort."Cutitout,bothofyou.Thisisn'tabout

any one of us, it's about Jacko. Kasey's right. No more calling Jacko when we get in
trouble.Ifweneedhelp,wecallsomeoneelsefirst."

"Don'texcludehim,"Isaid.
"Justdon'taskhimtodropeverythingandbailusout,"Danadded."Fine.Iagree.I'll

callhimnowandtellhimit'sallsortedhereandthere'snothinghecando."

"He'llinsist."
"I'llgetonaflighthomeassoonaspossible,thatwayI'llbeintheairbeforehegets

here.There'llbenopointtohiscoming."

"Andwhenyougethome,youfacethemusicalone,"Camsaid."Usesomeofthat

Walkercharmonthereportersyourself.OrI'lldoit.Fornow,weleaveJackoaloneso
hecandealwiththeairportcrisis."

"I'llputthewheelsinmotionrightaway,"Dansaidandhungup.
Mitch had gone quiet for a few minutes, staring off into the distance. He now

switched his focus to Cam, his eyes bright, a smile on his lips. "Do you remember
Nate?"

"Your university friend?" Cam nodded. "He spent all his holidays here one year.

Whatabouthim?"

"Istillkeepintouchwithhim.WecatchupwheneverI'minSydney."
Camshrugged."So?"
"So,he'sNateAngelo."
"Who?"Iasked.
ClearlythenamemeantsomethingtoCam.Hesmiled."Heis?"
Mitchnodded."NathanAngeloisthesonofBrunoAngeloofAngeloconstructions,"

hetoldme."They'reanationalconstructionfirmbasedinSydney.Nateworksinthe
companynow,inmanagement,ofcourse."Hepulledouthisphone."I'llcallhimand
seeifhecanhelp."

Igraspedhisarm."Wait,youwanttogethimtotakeovertheairportproject?"
Henodded.
"Wecan'taffordit,"Isaidheavily."That'stheproblem.We'reindebttothebanks

already. We paid them twenty percent up front on signing of the contract. That's
moneywe'llneverseeagain,andthebankswon'tlendanymore."

Mitchgrinned."Leaveittome.Nateowesmeafavor."
Itwouldbeahugefavorifcouldhelpusout.
Tenminuteslater,Mitchhungup,stillgrinning."It'ssorted.Natejustneedstopassit

bytheboard,butheandhisfatherhaveconsiderableswayandtheboardwilldowhat
theywant.I'llgotellJackotoexpecthiscallnow."

Iblinkedathim."Huh?Idon'tgetit.Howcantheybuildtherunwaywhenwecan't

pay?"

"Wecanpay,justnotyet.AngeloConstructionswillstartwithoutanythingupfront.

Wejusthavetopayregularquarterlyamountsaswegoalong,justlikewewouldhave
tothebank.Wecandothat,right?"

Inodded."It'sthelumpsumbeforeconstructionbeginsthathadusscrewed.How

didyougethimtoagree?"

"Thefavorheowesmeisprettybig."
"Whatisit?"Camasked.
"I dated his sister for an entire month and taught her how to make herself more

attractivetoguys."

Cam burst out laughing. I continued to stare. "And that's what qualifies as a huge

favorinAustralia?"

"It does when your parents are traditional Italian and your sister can't get a date

withtheveryworthymanshehadhereyeon."

"Oh,that'spriceless,"Camsaid,stillchuckling."Letmeguess.Theguycouldn'tresist

herbythetimeyou'dfinished."

"She was quite a catch and a really great girl. She just needed to come out of her

shell a little and wear clothes that flattered her figure." He held up his hands in
surrender."Shewasinonitthewholetime.Ididn'truinher."

Thiscountrywasnuts,butIcouldn'thelplaughingtoo."Thankgoodnessfordowdy

little sisters," I said. "And for grateful family members who happen to be super rich
ownersofconstructioncompanies."

"They'llhavethepaymenttermswrittenintothecontract,"Mitchsaid,headingfor

thedoor."Theycanstartintwomonthssincewealreadyhaveplansdrawnup."

"Areyouheadingtotheofficenow?"Iasked,followinghim.
"Yes,you?"
"Ohyeah.Iwanttowitnessthisconversation."
"Ican'twaittoseeJacko'sfacewhenwetellhim."
Metoo.Ionlyhopedhedidn'taccusemeofmeddlinginaffairsthatwerenoneof

mybusiness.

y the time we reached the office, I was beginning to have doubts. The one thing

Jacobhadwashispride.Helikedbeingabletohelphisbrothers,likedthattheyneeded
him,andhelikedbeingheadofthefamilyandthebusiness.Sure,itgavehimgriefon
occasion, but it wasn't all bad. What if he felt as if he was no longer important or
needed?WhatifhefeltlikeIwasundermininghim,takingawaytheverythingsthat
madehimfeelcapableandproud?

IhungbackasMitchheadedin,practicallybouncingonhistoes.Hecouldn'twaitto

break the news. It was good to see him so focused and happy, when he'd always
seemedlikeadrifterandunfulfilled.IfollowedbehindandcaughtaglimpseofJacob
pastMitch,sittingatmydesk.

Hesprangup,swervedaroundMitchandscoopedmeintohisarms."Kasey,where

haveyoubeen?Iwassoworried.Youweren'tinthecafe,oranywhereinthevillage.I
calledbutyoudidn'tanswer.Areyoustillmadatme?"

I hugged him back. "I was never mad at you. I just needed to speak to your

brothers."

He squeezed me then pulled away but kept hold of my arms. "So that's why Dan

called."

Inodded.
HeglancedoverhisshoulderatMitch.Mitchsmiled."Wehavenews,"hesaid.
"Dan'sflyinghometonight,"Jacobsaid."Iknow,hetoldme.ApparentlyIdon'tneed

toflyoverafterall."Heeyedmewithanarrowedgaze."Isthatyourdoing?"

"Yes."Iwouldn'tshyawayfromwhatI'ddone.Besides,he'dknowifIdidn'ttellthe

truth.

"Shetoldustopulloursocksupandtakecareofourselvessoyoucouldtakecareof

thebusiness,"Mitchsaid.

Jacobfoldedhisarmsacrosshischest.Hiseyesturnedfrosty."Icandoboth."
"Weknow,"Isaid,gently."Butthere'snoshameinhavingsomehelp."
Hislipsflattened.Heturnedawayfrommeandstrodetohisoffice.Iblinkedback

tears,unabletomove.HadIjustruinedeverything?

Mitch looked to me then strode after Jacob. "Okay, big brother, you need to listen

up.Stopbeinganass."

"Pardon?"Jacobgrowled.
"You'rebeinganasstoKasey.Sheonlycametousbecauseshewasworriedabout

you."

"Icantakecareofit.Ofeverything."
"Yes, you probably can. But the point is, you don't have to. You have us and you

haveher."

Jacobglancedatmethendownathisdesk.

"She loves you, you idiot. When people love one another, they want to help. You

know,sotheystopbeinganass."

Jacobclosedhiseyesandsuckedinadeepbreath."Idon'tlikepeoplegoingbehind

myback."

"Wouldyouhaveagreedtolethertalktousifshe'dtoldyouherplan?"
Jacobwatchedmethroughthicklashesthensqueezedthebridgeofhisnose."I'm

sorry,"hemuttered."You'reright."Hegentlydrewmeintoatenderhugandpressed
his forehead against mine. "Sweetheart…can you forgive me? I don't want to argue
overthis.Please?"

Inoddedandbittheinsideofmycheek."Youhaven'theardeverythingyet."
HedrewbackandglancedoverhisshoulderatMitch."Dantakingcareofhisown

messisn'tallofit?"

Both Mitch and I shook our heads. "I wanted them to understand the pressure

you'reunder,"Isaid."SoItoldthemabouttherunwaydebacle."

His grip loosened momentarily then tightened around my waist. "Kasey, that was

private."

"Itshouldn'tbe,"Isaid."Thisistheirbusinesstoo."
"Yes,butwhyworryallofthemwhenit'snotnecessary?"
"It is necessary. They care about you. They want to know what's troubling you.

Don'tyouthinkthatsharingyourtroubleswithotherseasestheburdenalittle?"

"Isharedwithyou."
Isighedandleanedmyheadagainsthischest.Thesteadyrhythmofhisheartmade

me feel a little better. "And I appreciate it. I really do. But they're your brothers and
theywanttobeapartofyourlifetoo,justasmuchasIdo."

"Justasmuch?Areyousure?"
Igrinnedupathim.Atleasthewasmakingjokes.Itouchedthelinesofexhaustion

radiating from the corners of his eyes. "Anyway, it pays to share with your brothers.
Wefoundasolution.Or,actually,Mitchdid."

"Asolution?Towhat?"
"Therunwayproblem,"Mitchsaidwitharollofhiseyes."Idiot."
JacobsatsilentlyontheedgeofthedeskasMitchtoldhimabouthisconnectionto

the Angelo family. He smirked when Mitch mentioned the favor he'd done for the
sister,andshookhishead."You'reunbelievable."

"Sowehaveaconstructionfirmsettostartintwomonthsandapaymentplanto

payforit,"Mitchfinished,lookingpleasedwithhimself.

"Notuntilwehaveitinwriting,"Jacobsaid.
Mitchconcededthepointwithanod."So?"Heheldouthishands."Howdoesthat

sound?"

Jacobopenedhismouththenshutitagain.Heshookhishead."Whatthehell."He

embracedMitchinafiercehug."Welldone,littlebrother.Welldone."

TheyslappedoneanotheronthebackbeforeJacobpulledawayandslippedhisarm

around me. He folded me into his side and kissed me. "Thank you, Kase," he said
quietly."You're…myeverything."

Iturnedinhisarmsandkissedhimhardonthelips,myhandsburiedinhishairto

holdhisheadinplace.

Mitchclearedhisthroatandwedrewapart,reluctantly."Wantmetotelltheproject

managerhe'sfired?"

"I'dliketofirehim,butwho'llmanagetheproject?"Jacobsaid.
"Iwill."
I held my breath and willed Jacob to say yes. Then I realized I didn't have to will

him,Icouldjustpinchhim.Idid,butitwasn'tnecessary.Henodded.

"The job's yours," Jacob said to Mitch. "It's about time you put that brain and

university degree to good use. Make sure to get all of Johnson's notes before you fire
him."

"IcanmanageJohnson."Mitchsuddenlykissedmeonthecheek."Goodjob,Kase.

This family has lacked a strong feminine influence ever since Mum died. It was
needed."

"Whataboutyouraunts?"
"Ishouldhavesaidstrongsanefeminineinfluence."
Ilaughed."Don'tletJillhearyousaythat."
Thebrothersembracedagainandwedecidedtohaveafamilydinnerdownatthe

pubtocelebrate.Ipickedupthephonetomakethereservation.

"Dadneverintendedforyoutoshouldertheentireburdenofthebusinessonyour

own,"MitchsaidquietlytoJacob.

"Hemanaged,"Jacobsaid.
"Andlookwhereitgothim.Hewashardlyeverhomewhilewegrewup,hehada

heartcondition,andhealienatedhimselffromhissonsandwife,andwoundup…"He
swallowed."Dead.Wecanalldobetterthanthat.Weneedtodobetterthanthat."

JacobsqueezedMitch'sshoulder."Wewill."Heglancedatme,asmallsmilecurving

hislips."Withalittlehelp."

***

Jacob held my hand under the dinner table and cast secret glances my way, only to
pretendhehadn'twhenIcaughthim.TheentireWalkerandFitzsimonclanjoinedus,
includingAlly.Likeme,shewaspartofthefamily.Theymadeusbothfeelwelcome,
likewebelongedthere.Ilovedthemforit.

"I'dliketoproposeatoast,"Emsaid,raisingherwineglass."ToMitch,forcomingto

therescue."

"Foronce,"Cammutteredbeforeshootinganoverlybrightsmileathisbrother.
"TurnsoutI'mnotcompletelyuseless,"Mitchsaid.
"Youneverwere,"Jacobtoldhim."Noonethoughtthatexceptyou."Heraisedhis

glasstoo."Tomorrowwe'llsetupadeskforyouintheoffice."

Mitchscreweduphisnose."Youexpectmetositinanofficeallday?"
"Notallday,butyouwillneedtobetheresometimes."
"Fine,butononecondition.Nogooey-eyedlovey-doveystuffbetweenyoutwo."
Bensnorted."Goodluckwiththat."

Jacob pressed my hand to his lips. "Sorry, but I can't help it. Kasey's amazing and

beautiful.Besides,Ihavetomakesureeveryoneontheislandknowsshe'smine."

"She'snotacow,Jacko,"hisAuntJillsaid."Youcan'tbrandher."
"More'sthepity."Jacobwinkedatme."Justkidding!"
"A shame there are laws against." I leaned closer to him and drew a K on his

foreheadwithmyfinger."Myinitialswouldgoquitenicelyhere."

"Youdon'tneedbrands,"Allysaid,amischievousgleaminhereyes."Youjustneed

weddingbands."

Emclappedherhands."Ohyes!Aspringweddingwouldbelovely."
"Nextspring,"Jillsaid."Givethemtimetoenjoybeingengagedfirst."
Iheldupmyhands."Whoa,slowdown.Notsofast."
"Sorry,Kasey,you'reright.Youneedtocheckwhenyou'remother'sfreefirst."
I stared at the aunts. They blinked back at me, all innocent excitement. It would

seemtheprospectofmemarryingtheirnephewhadunitedthem.Ididn'tdareglance
at Jacob for fear I'd see horror imprinted on his face. The idea appealed to me,
however.Ididn'tplanongoinganywhere.I'dfoundmyperfectparadiserighthereon
ParadiseIsland.

Besideme,Jacobchuckledintohisbeer.
Afterdinner,wepartedfromtheothersanddrovebacktohisplace.Wemadelove

onthedeckbeneaththestarsandmoon,thewavesgentlylappinginthedistance,then
laytogetherontheloungechair.Thewarmbreezecaressedmyhotskinandthescents
oftropicalflowersandtheoceanfilledme.IcurledintoJacobandkissedhisthroat.His
armstightenedaroundme.Ifeltloose,languidandloved.Ididn'tneedtohearhimsay
it,Ijustknew.

I began to drift off to sleep, but his deep rumbling voice woke me. "Kase, there's

somethingIneedtotellyou."

Agirlneverwantstohearthosewords,andcertainlynotsaidinaforebodingtone.I

pulledawayandtriedtodecipherhismood,butitwastoodarktoseehisfaceproperly.
"What'swrong?"Isaid,hardlydaringtobreathe.

"Nothing'swrong.Notreally."Hesighed."Sorry,Ididn'tmeantoscareyou,Ijust…

there's something I want to tell you. I want you to know everything about me, not
because I think it will change how you feel, but…I just need to unburden myself, I
guess."

I sat up. "Is this about your parents?" I'd guessed that something about them

botheredhim,somethingthatweighedheavilyonhim.

HekissedtheVbetweenmybreaststhenrestedhisheadthere.Becausehecouldn't

lookmeintheface?"I'mresponsiblefortheirdeaths."

Ibrushedhishairback."Tellmehow."
"I'mnotsureIcan."
HeshiveredandItightenedmyarms,holdinghimclose."Nomatterwhatyoutell

me,itwillneverchangehowIfeelaboutyou,Jacob.Iloveyou."Icaressedhischeek
untilheturnedtolookatme.

Hiseyesglistened,oritcouldhavebeenareflectionfromthemoon."Really?"
"Yes.Onehundredpercent.Nothingyousaynowwillchangethat."
"Okay." He sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. "I told you how they fought

beforetheywentsailingonthedaytheydied."

"Yes."
"Well,Itoldthemtostopit,thatwedidn'twanttohearit.ThatIdidn'twanttohear

it. I hated them arguing and they'd been doing it a lot. So I said if they couldn't stop,
theyneededtogosomewherethatnoonecouldhearthem.Dadsuggestedtheytake
outtheboatandargueinthemiddleofthesea,awayfromeveryone.Hediditthenand
there. I knew they were in the wrong frame of mind and they weren't properly
prepared,butIdidn'ttrytostopthem.Ijustletthemgo."Heletoutaraggedshuddery
breath."That'sthelastIsawofthem.Theysailedawaywithangryfacesandtheirbacks
tooneanother.Theydidn'tevensaygoodbyetomeoranyoneelse.Iwasthelasttosee
themalive."

Icircledhiminmyarmsagainandtuckedhimagainstmychest,restingmychinon

his head. "That's why you always feel responsible for your brothers, isn't it? Because
youfeelresponsibleforyourparents'deaths?"

Hegaveasinglenod.
"Igetwhyyoufeelthatway,Jacob.Ireallydo.Butyou'renotresponsibleforyour

parents'actionsanymorethanyou'reresponsibleforyourbrothers.Theywereadults
and expert sailors. I'm not an expert, but you've taught me about being prepared,
making sure the boat is seaworthy, the weather's fair, and all safety equipment is
working."

"Butwhatiftheirargumentbecamephysicalandtheyfelloverboard?I'mtheone

whourgedthemtoleave."

"Butnotleaveontheboat.Youtoldthemtotaketheirargumentawayfromyouand

yourbrothers.Youdidn'tsuggestsailing."

"Ididn'tstopthemeither."
Icaughthisfaceinmyhandsandlifteditup."Jacob,that'snotyourfault.Noneofit

is.Youneedtostopblamingyourselforit'lleatyouupanddestroyyou.Look.Listento
me.Myfatherusedtobullyme.He'dtellmeIwashopeless,thatIranlikeagirland
threw a ball like a girl, as if that were a weakness. I was a disappointment to him
becauseIwasmorelikeMomandnothinglikehim.Itwasn'tuntilafterhewasgone
that I stopped blaming myself for making him hate me. I wasn't responsible for his
opinionofme,orwhathesaidordid.Hewas.Justlikeyourparentsareresponsiblefor
theiractions,thoughtsandwordstoo.Notyouoryourbrothers."Istrokedhischeeks
withmythumbsandhopedhecouldseetheearnestnessandloveonmyfacedespite
thedark."Yourparentschosetoargueandtheychosetogosailing.Notyou.Iloveyou,
Jacob,andIwon'tletyoutakeresponsibilityforthisanymore."

Hisarmstightenedaroundmeandhekissedmelightlyonthemouth.Allthepain

andguilthe'dborneforyearsechoedinhistremblinglips.Ikissedhimbackuntilthe
tremblingeasedandhisbreathingbecamemoreregular.

Thenhedeepenedthekiss.Heflippedmeontomybackandrestedahandonmy

hip.Histhumbstrokedsmallcirclesonmyskin,sendingtinytinglesrushingthrough
my body. He made slow, passionate love to me again, then we lay together in each
other'sarms.Ifeltlanguid,sated,mybodyhummingfromhistouchesandkisses.

Thenhesuddenlyproppedhimselfupontohiselbow.Hekepthisfaceclosetomine

sothatIfelthisgazelockontome."Marryme,Kasey."

"Huh?" God, I sounded like an idiot. The proposal had come out of left field and I

hadn'texpecteditdespiteearliertalkofaspringengagement.

"Iwantyouinmyarms,mybed,"hesaid."Notjusttonight,buteverynight.Ifeel

likeabetterversionofmyselfwhenyou'rewithme.Youmakemewhole.Iloveyou."

Ismiledandstrokedmyfingersdownthesideofhisfacethencuppedhisjaw.
"Iwantyourgazeonmeandonlyme,"hewenton,urgentlynow,asifheneededto

sayhispiece."Iwanttoholdyourhandasthesungoesdownandagainwhenitcomes
up.Iwantyouinmylife,sharingthehighsandlows,mydreamsandsorrows.Iwant
to create a foundation with you on which we can build something solid together.
Somethingwonderful.Sayyes,Kasey.Please,justsayyes."

Iflungmyarmsaroundhimandkissedhimhard."Yes,"Isaidagainsthismouth.

"Yes,I'llmarryyou."

THEEND

Turn the page to read an excerpt of THE BILLIONAIRE BOYFRIEND TRAP by Kendra
Little,abestsellingromancenovelavailableFREEonAmazonrightnow.

SignuptoKendra'sNewsletter-GetFREEStories!

TobenotifiedwhenKendrareleasesanewnovel,signuptohernewsletter.All

newslettersubscriberswillhaveexclusiveaccessto6shortromanticstoriesthatare

notavailableanywhereelse.Thesestoriescannotbebought,andareKendra'sgiftto

you.Gotothispageonherwebsiteandfillintheformtosignup.Youwillbesentalink

whereyoucanreadthestories:

http://www.kendralittle.com/newsletter.html

ExcerptofTHEBILLIONAIRE
BOYFRIENDTRAP

AboutTHEBILLIONAIREBOYFRIENDTRAP

Cleoknowsherjobisborderlineunethical,butshetellsherselfthatthebusinessmen
shespiesonarearrogantandgreedy.Besides,itpayswellandsheneedsthemoneyfor
hersister'smedicalbillsandtoputherthroughartschool.Butwhenthatartschool's
veryexistenceisunderthreatfromCleo'slatesttarget,billionaireReeceKavanagh,she
willdoanythinginherpowertostophimandkeephersisterhappy.Untilshefallsin
lovewithhim.

Hewassupposedtobeajerk,butReeceturnsouttobeeverythingCleoeverwanted

inaman.Hisheartisnotcoldandemptyasreported,butbeatsonlyforCleo.Sowhen
herevealsthedarksecretthatdriveshimtoclosedowntheschool,sheknowsshehas
to stop him, for his own good as well as her sister's. But what will Reece do when he
findsoutthatthewomanhetrustshasbeenundermininghimallalong?

CHAPTER1

Men are like a children's picture book—easy to read, occasionally entertaining, but
lackingthe substance to keepan adult female captivatedlong-term. My boss tells me
I'm too cynical for a twenty-five year-old, but that's what happens when you've been
doingwhatI'vebeendoingfortwoyearsjusttopaythebills.

I'm not a hooker, I'm a trapper. There's a difference. Hookers sleep with guys for

money. I'm paid to get them to trust me, and sometimes fall in love with me. Some
trapperscrosstheboundaryandwindupinbedwiththeirtargetforabitofextracash
on the side, while others think they're starring in Pretty Woman. Not me. I like my
mentalhealthtoomuch.Icouldn'thavesexwithamanwhowasn'tmyboyfriend.

Ifonlyboyfriendsweren'tsohardtocomebyforsomeoneinmylineofwork,I'dbe

doing okay in that department. Unfortunately not too many guys are understanding
when you explain what you do for a living. Make that none. They don't see the
difference between a hooker and a trapper. And there's the whole lacking substance
thingtoo.

"This guy's big," my boss Ellen said. She handed me a USB drive in the shape of a

teddy bear no bigger than the size of two of my fingers. It made a change from her
usualredninjaone.Unliketheninja,Ihadtoremovetheteddy'sheadandinserthis
neckintomylaptop.TheninjahadtheUSBstickingoutofhisbuttsohelookedlikehe

wasfartingintothecomputer.Theteddyjustlookeddecapitated.

"Howbig?"IaskedasIcopiedthefilestomyharddrive.
Ellen crossed her long toothpick legs and sat back in the chair with a smile

stretchinghervamp-redlips."You'llsee."

I rolled my eyes at her melodrama. She seemed to think she was M from James

Bond,livingahigh-flyingclandestinelife,takingdownthebadguys.Intruthwewere
bringingdownwhomeverourclientspaidustobringdown.Luckilyourtargetshadso
farallbeenbusinessmenwithdubiousethicsorIwouldhavehadaproblemwithmy
job.Ididn'tmindruiningabusinessdealforafewassholesthough.

ThatsummedupEllen'soperation.Shehiredusgirlsonbehalfofherclientstolearn

the secrets of powerful and wealthy businessmen. Her clients were their rivals, often
wantingtoclosethesamebusinessdeal.TheyhiredEllen—us—tolearnthesecretsand
weakness of their competitors, or to ferret out confidential documents to prove
collusionorotherunethicalpractices.Ourjobinvolvedgettingclosetoourtargetsover
a period of time until they trusted us enough to include us in their inner sanctum.
Sometimes I wondered if I would achieve my ends faster if I did sleep with them.
Peoplerevealahellofalotofstuffwhenthey'reblindedbylust.ButIavoidedthatkind
of arrangement and Ellen never pushed me. I played the part of flirty, friendly
assistant.Ifsomeofmytargetsfellalittleinlovewithmealongtheway,allthebetter.
Theirfrustrationandattemptstogetmeintobedservedmypurposesperfectly.

Ellenchuckledatmyeyeroll."That'swhyyou'llbeperfectforthisone,Cleo."
"Whatdoyoumean?"
"You'refunnyandcheeky.Clevertoo.Helikesthosetraitsinawoman.Ofcourseit

helpsthatyou'regorgeousandsexyinaschoolteacherkindofway."

Icouldn'tpictureanyofmyoldteachersdoingwhatIwasabouttodo.Maybemy

sisterBecky'soldFrenchteachercouldhavegottenawaywiththedoublelife.Theboys
used to drool over her in class. She was lovely too, going out of her way to see if I
neededanythingwhenBeckygotsick.OfcourseIalwayssaid"Thanks,butnothanks".
WhatIdidn'ttellherwasIjustneededBecky.Itwasn'tuntillater,whenBeckywent
intoremission,thatIrealizedIneededmoneytopayhermedicalbills.Acrap-loadof
money. That was why I answered Ellen's advertisement and how I ended up being a
trapper,againstmybetterjudgment.TwoyearslatertheloanI'dtakenouttopaythe
medicalbillswasstillthereandIwasstillatrapper.

IlaughedandEllenlaughedtoo,ahearty,throatychucklethathadherwholebody

shaking. Sometimes she could be ninja-like, and then she'd take me by surprise and
becomeateddybear.

JustlikeBond'sM,Ididn'tknowEllen'ssecondname,whethershewasmarried,had

children,orwhereshelived.Shewasaboutsixtyyearsoldandasperfectlygroomedas
a Vogue model. She was a living, breathing Chanel advertisement and never had a
blondehaironherheadoutofplace.Icouldstepintoherhundred-and-firstflooroffice
with my hair blown around by the wind outside, but she always looked immaculate.
She once said that was my charm compared to her other girls. They had the sleek
modelthinggoingforthem,perfectforjobswherethetargetrespondedtothattype.
SheusedmeforeverythingelseandIwasnevershortofwork.Iguessevenarrogant
billionaireassholeslikethesexyschoolteachertype.Ortheyjusttrustthemmore.

Ellen's assistant brought in two coffee cups and set them down on the glass table

betweenEllenandmyself.Therewasalotofglassinheroffice.Thetable,desk,alarge
mirror over a low shelf. The length of one wall was all windows too. The building
overlookedthebayandtoday,sailingboatsdottedtheclearbluewater.Therewasn'ta
cloud in the sky. It was a perfect summer morning. Later, the freeways would be
chokedwithtrafficaseveryoneheadedoutofthecitytoenjoyaweekendawayinthe
beautifulweather.Butnotme.Iwouldbeworking.

Theassistantleftassilentlyasshe'denteredandshutthedoor.Thefileshadfinally

finished loading and I opened them one by one. The first was a document listing the
target'sbusinessinterests,associates,anddetailsofhowhebecamefounderandCEOof
RKFinancialGroupatjustthirty-three.Thenextdocumentcoveredhispersonallife—
birth date, known addresses, the names of his parents, schools and past girlfriends.
ThenIpulledupthenextdocument.Itcontainedseveralclose-upphotosofthetarget.
Iknewwhoitwas.I'dseenhiminthenews.

Reece Kavanagh was gorgeous. Charcoal black hair, tanned skin without a single

marktoblemishitsperfection,andstrongbones.Thenosewasstraight,thejawhard.
His mouth either curved up on one side into a wry smile or dipped into an intense
frowndependingontheangleofthephoto.Butitwashiseyesthatheldme.Theeyes
alwaysgaveamanaway,andReeceKavanagh'seyeswereapaleblueatoddswithhis
warmskinandmischievousmouth.Theyremindedmeofafrozenwinterlake—cold,
deepanddangerous.

AlittleshiverrippleddownmyspineandIwishedI'dwornsomethingwarmerthan

theshortyellowskaterdress.

"He makes you nervous," Ellen said. It wasn't a question. She'd seen my reaction.

Ellensaweverything.

"I'mnotsureyet,"Isaidwithacasualshrug.Noonecoulddeterminewhataman

was like just from a few photos. It wasn't his fault his eyes were ethereally pale. He
mightbeveryfriendly.

"Byallaccounts,he'sacoldbastard,"Ellensaid.Somuchformytheory."Someeven

sayhe'scruel,butI'vefoundnoevidenceofit."

Iswallowedheavily."Doyouknowwhyhe'scold?"
"Absentparentswhoscreweduphisupbringing.Nodoubthestillblamesthemfor

all his past, present and future problems." She shook her head, as if she'd heard it all
before. Ellen didn't believe in people being screwed up by their parents' mistakes.
Accordingtoher,kidsgrewintoadultsandadultsneededtotakeresponsibilityfortheir
ownproblems.Sure,theirparentsmighthavebeenabusiveorsimplyunloving,butget
overitalready.

That's what she'd once told me. It made me think she did have children, but they

blamedherforwhateverproblemstheyhadnow.Ineverresponded.Myparentsdied
sevenyearsagoinacaraccident.Istillmissedthem.

"Was it your client who claimed Reece is cruel?" I asked, staring at the screen. I

couldn't look away. Even in pixels, Reece Kavanagh had a presence about him that
madeyouwanttostareandstareandstare.Therewasself-assurednessinthatfacethat
probablytippedovertoarroganceinreallife.Thatwastheproblemwithgorgeousrich
men.TheyallthoughttheywereGod'sgifttothefemalepopulation.IguessIwouldn't

knowforsureuntilImethim.

"Not my client." Ellen tapped her manicured fingernails on the side of her coffee

cup.Thebloodredwasstarkagainstthewhitechina,theclick-clackbrisk."Hisrivals,
someex-girlfriends,acquaintances…everyoneIspoketosaidhekeepshisdistance."

"Whataboutfriends?Doeshehaveany?"
"Veryfew."
"It says here he's the eldest of five boys born into the Kavanagh family. They still

liveinSerendipityBend,"Isaid,namingRoxburg'smostexclusivesuburb."Isheclose
tothem?"

"Thefamilyisextremelytight-lippedabouttheirown."Shesoundedannoyedatthe

rarefailuretogatherinformation.

Iclickedovertothepagethatlistedhispreviousgirlfriends.Itwasfull.Irecognized

three models, at least four celebrities and a few whose job description could only be
describedassocialite.Reece'strophycollectionwasimpressive.Iwonderedwhichones
haddescribedhimascruel,andwhatthatmeant.

IbroughtthephotographsofReeceupagain."It'snotoftenyouseesuchhandsome

meninpowerfulpositions.Usuallythey'reold,baldandfat."

"And married," Ellen filled in. She continued to tap on her coffee cup. It was

irritating,butIwouldn'ttellherthat.Iwantedtokeepmyjob.Shesuddenlystopped
andgavemeawrysmile."Actuallyyou'dbesurprised.Iknowseveralbillionairemen
whoareasrichandpowerfulasKavanaghandjustashandsomeandavailable."

"Whyaren'ttheytaken?"
"Married to the job, or the power, or they've got Issues with a capital I." She

bestowedoneofherraresmilesonme.

Ismiledback."Hasn'teveryonegotIssues?"
Hersmileslippedandshestudiedthecoffee."Somemorethanothers."Shesipped

andIstaredatReeceagain.

ThenIclosedthelaptop.Thoseeyesweregettingtome."WhenwillImeethim?"
"Tonight."
Damn.Ithadtobetonight,didn'tit?Ineverwentout,neverwentanywhereexcept

workandthegrocerystore,andtheonetimeIdidhavesomethingtogoto,itclashed
withEllen'splans.AndEllendidn'tlikeclashes.Shelikedtogetherownway.Girlshad
been"letgo"forshowinglackofcommitmentbyputtingtheirreallifeaheadoftheir
work. While Ellen knew about Becky, she didn't know how important this evening's
exhibitionwastomylittlesister.Ortome.

Becky's recovery had been slow and arduous, but once she'd been given the all-

clear,shebecamelistless,bored.Shecouldn'tseethepointinreturningtoschool.She'd
almostlostherlifeanddidn'twanttospendprecioustimeclosetedinaroomwithkids
younger than her. She'd missed her entire senior year and going back meant
graduatingwithpeoplewhoweren'therage.AlthoughIcringedatthethoughtofher
notgraduating,Icouldn'tforceher.Ijustcouldn't.Shewasright.Lifeshouldbelived,
andtherewasnowayyoucouldtellacancersurvivoranydifferent.Whenshewasso
illthatIthoughteverylaboredbreathwouldbeherlast,Ivowedtoseethatsheliveda
fullandhappylifeifshesurvived.Iwouldn'tbackoutnowthatshe'drecovered.

Itwasonethingtosayit,andanotherthingtofindoutwhatateenagerwantedto

do. We couldn't afford to travel—the medical bills screwed us there—but, thanks to
Ellen, we had enough for her to go to art school. Becky had always been talented at
drawing,anditseemedtogiveherthepeaceshesought.Herfirstexhibitionwiththe
otherstudentswastobeheldtonightatagalleryrunbyafriendofherteacher.

AndIwasgoingtomissit.
"Istonightaproblem?"Ellenasked,hervibrantblueeyespiercingmeovertherim

ofhercup.Goddamn,sheknew.Howdidshedothat?IwassureIhadn'tshownany
disappointment,butshe'dpickedupthevibefrommeanyway.

Ithoughtabouttellingherthetruth,butdecidedagainstit.Fornow.DespiteEllen's

earlierfriendliness,thesteelinessofherglarewarnedmenottorefuse.

"Ofcoursenot."Ilaughed."WheredoIevergo?It'sjustthatIthoughtIwastobe

ReeceKavanagh'sassistant."That'showitusuallywentwithmeandmytargets.Ellen
gotridoftheirregularassistantandIsteppedin,allflirtyefficiency,andmademyself
indispensible."Shouldn'tIstartonMonday?"

"Iwantyoutolaythegroundworkatagalaeventhe'sattendingtonight.Iscoredan

invitation. It's the perfect opportunity to make contact and let him know you're
available." The way she deepened her voice on 'available' had me watching her for
signsofteasing.Notthatshewasthesorttofindthejuveniledoubleentendreamusing,
butIsearchedherfaceanyway.Nope,allbusiness.

Shestoodandpickedherwayacrosstheroomlikeastorkwiththoselonglegsof

hers,andsetthecupdownonherdesk."There'saninvitationheresomewhere,"

"What time does this gala start?" I asked, hopeful. Perhaps I could go to Becky's

exhibitionforanhourthenheadovertowhereveritwasReeceKavanaghwouldbe.

Shepluckedoutablackandsilverinvitationandflippeditopen.Itlookedfamiliar.

MyheartroseandthendoveagainsoquicklyIfeltill.

"My apologies, it's not a gala," she said. "It's a small art exhibition by a group of

students."Shehandedmetheinvitation.

I didn't need to look at it to know the time or venue, but I looked anyway. It was

Becky'sexhibition.AsortofnumbingvaguenesscameovermeasItriedtodigestthe
coincidence. Was it a good thing that I could be both supportive sister and trapper at
the same time? Or was having my work intrude on my personal space a bad idea? I
couldn'tthinkthroughthefogandcomeupwithananswer.

Ituckedtheinvitationintomybagandslippedthelaptopinalongsideit.Eitherway,

Iwasoffthehook.Ellenwouldbenonethewiser."Iwonderwhyhe'sgoingtosucha
lowkeyevent?Doeshehaveafriendwho'sexhibiting?"

Ellensnorted.Snorted!ItwassooutofcharacterthatIlaughed,butquicklystifledit

whensheglaredbackatme."Hisfriendsandfamilyaren'ttheartistictype.No,there's
anobviousanswerastowhyhe'sattending.It'sthereasonwhywewerehiredforthis
job."

"Oh?"
"Heboughtthepremiseswheretheartschoolislocated."
"Hedid?"Ididn'tevenknowthebuildinghadbeensold."Sohe'scheckingouthis

newtenant.Thatsoundsinnocentenough."

Shecrossedherarms."No,he'sgoingtonighttocheckouttheoppositionandassess

themettleofthepeoplehe'supagainst."

My pulse thudded loudly in my ears. I got a bad feeling about this. "Up against?

Whatdoyoumean?"

"Hewantstoclosetheschoolandbulldozethebuildingtomakewayforahotel."

CHAPTER2

"He'sexpectingoppositionfromtheartteacherandherstudents,"Ellenwenton.

Iheardmyselfagreewithher,buthardlyknewwhatIwassaying.Iwasonauto-

pilot, trying to digest what she'd just told me. Reece Kavanagh wanted to shut down
Becky's art school, the one place she loved, the one thing that fulfilled her and made
herhappy.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. The teacher could move into different premises and

keep the school going. The current location was a pretty one in the suburb of
SerendipityBend,thesamesuburbwhereReeceKavanaghhadbeenraised.TheBend,
as it was known locally, was snuggled into a sweeping curve of the Serendipity River
likeachildinthecrookofamother'sarm.Itwasanexpensivepieceofrealestatenear
theheartofthecity,andhighlysoughtafterbytherichandfamous.Theartstudents
drewtheirinspirationfromthewillowsbowingintothewaterandtheduckspaddling
lazily past the old house. It was a tranquil oasis on the edge of Roxburg's busy,
concretedbusinessdistrict.Itwouldbeashametolosethehouse,butnotatotalloss.
Becky'steachercouldmoveelsewherefromtheproceedsofthesale.

"Kavanaghisexpectingopposition?"IaskedEllen."Asidefromyourclient,Imean."
Shenodded."Thepreviousownerwastheartteacher'sbrother.Hesoldthebuilding

to Kavanagh without informing his sister. She's apparently furious and is refusing to
leave.Thehousebelongedtotheirgrandmotherandhersisterdiedthere.Sheclaims
shewon'tletitbebulldozedandwillfightRKFinancialGroupallthewayifshehasto.
It'sgoingtobeaninterestingeveningwiththosetwointhesameroom."

"Yeah," I said weakly. "Very interesting." Particularly for me. Becky would not be

happywhenshesawmeflirtingwiththeenemy.Shedidn'tknowwhatIdidforaliving
and I had no intention of telling her. She would fall into that category of people who
considered what I did unethical, even if I told her I didn't sleep with my targets. Her
moralcompassalwayspointednorth.Mineflippedbackandforthandsometimesspun
around as if following a drunken magnet. Ellen was right. It would be an interesting
evening.

***
Becky clearly didn't know her teacher's house had been sold from under her. She

waslikeaballofnervousenergy,wrigglingandtalkingtheentirewaytothegallery.I
couldn'tgetawordin,butthatwasokay.Iwastoonervousbutinadifferentway.Mine
was from trepidation, not excitement. I was used to dealing with OBF (old, bald, fat)
billionaires,nothotguyslikeReeceKavanagh.ItwaseasiertogetanOBFtodevelopa
crushonme,butwhywouldsomeonewhocouldscoreamodelrespondtomylame
attempts at flirting? Unlike Ellen, I didn't think the sexy school teacher type would

workonaguywhocouldgetanygirlhewanted.

"Mythreepieceswillbeontheleft,"Beckysaidasweflashedourinvitationatthe

door.Shecranedhernecktotheleftandstoodonhertoes.Shewasalittleshorterthan
me,eveninherheeledankleboots,butonlybecausemyheelswerehigher.

I'dchangedmyoutfitaftercominghomefromEllen'soffice.Forgetcasual,Ineeded

classysophistication.IwasrelievedtoseeIwasn'tentirelyoutofplace.Therewasat
least one other woman in stilettos and a dress. Hers was cut low at the front and
revealed a boney back whereas mine had a pencil skirt and modest neckline. Almost
everyoneelseworejeans,pantsorsummerskirts.Beckyhadchosenjeansandawhite
shirt,butonlyafterIadvisedheragainsttheTwiththepoliticalsloganprintedonthe
front.Thankfullyshelistenedtomeforonce.

Shepluckedaglassofchampagneoffthetrayofapassingwaiterandhandeditto

me. "Want to check out my pieces first?" she asked, grinning. She hadn't stopped
grinningsincegettingoutofthecar.

"Showmetheway."
Shetookmyhandandpulledmealongafterher.Iscannedtheroom,buttherewas

nosignofReeceKavanagh.Itwasstillearly.Thewell-dressedwoman'sgazemetmine
thenflickedpastmeandscannedtheroomtoo.Iwonderedifweweresearchingfor
thesameperson.

BeckystoppedinfrontofapaintingofawomanwhomIrecognizedasherteacher,

Cassie. It was mostly various shades of gray except for Cassie's hair painted with a
brightsplashofred.Oncloserinspection,thestrandsweredifferentshadesofredand
orange,givingthehairdepthandbringingittolife.Itwasavibrantyetevocativepiece
withCassie'seyesdowncast,herlonglashesshadowinghercheeks.

"Youdidthis?"IsaidtoBecky.
Shetuckedherblondehairbehindhereareventhoughitwastooshorttostayand

poppedrightbackoutagain.Hergrinbroadened."Youlikeit?"

"Hellyeah.It'samazing.Cassielooksbeautiful."
"Cassisbeautiful."
"Howmuchisit?"Iasked,turningbacktothepicture."Iwanttobuyit."
"It'salreadysold."Beckypointedtotheattachedtag."Someoneboughtitbasedon

thephotoCassputuponthewebsite.Shehasnoideawho."

"Intriguing.Amysteryartlover."
"Or just a lover of Cassie," she said, laughing. She nudged me. "Take a look at the

othersthenwebettermingle."Shewasalreadyglancingaroundtheroombeforeshe'd
finishedhersentence.

Ilookedattheotherpaintingsanddecidedtobuytheoneoftheriverbehindtheart

studio. The sweeping branches of the willows were as finely depicted as Cassie's hair,
and the light gave the scene a freshness that made you want to sit and rest on the
grassybanks.

"Youdon'thavetobuyit,I'llgiveittoyou,"Beckysaid."You'remysister.Besides,

you'reoutofcontractandcan'taffordit."

"Actuallythemeetingwiththeagencytodaywasproductive,"Itoldher."Nothing's

firm yet, but next week I'll know for sure if I have a new position." As far as Becky
knew,Iworkedforatempingagencythatfarmedmeoutforshort-termcontractsasa

personalassistanttohigh-flyingbusinessmen.ItwassoclosetothetruththatIdidn't
evenfeellikeIwaslyingtoher.Much.

Sheputherarmaroundmeandsqueezed."You'llgetit.Howcananyoneresistmy

big,wonderfulsis?"

I hugged her back. "I don't mind if you call me wonderful, but can we drop the

'big'?"

Shegiggledandtookmyhand."Comeon,Cleo.Let'sgofindCassie."
We passed by other students' work and spotted Cassie in the middle of the gallery

surroundedbyherguests.Thequirky,vivaciousredheadwasinthemiddleofalively
conversation when she spotted something by the door that wiped the smile off her
face.Hereyesdarkened.Herlipspeeledbackoffherteethandshepushedthroughthe
throng.

"Whatareyoudoinghere?"shesnapped,jabbingherfingerinthedirectionofthe

suitednewcomer.

ReeceKavanagh.EvenifIhadn'tseenthephotographsofhim,Iwouldhaveknown

whohewasbasedonhervitriolicgreeting.Shedidnotwantthemanwhowasgoingto
teardownherbelovedhomeandstudioatherexhibition.Icouldn'tblameher.

Reecepulledoutthesilverandblackcardfromhisinsidejacketpocket."Ihavean

invitation."Hisvoicewasrichanddeep,rumblingfromthedepthsofhischest.Itsuited
him. It would have been disappointing for such a hot, masculine guy to sound like a
spottyteen.

Ididn'tthinkitpossible,buthewasmoregorgeousinreallifethaninthephotos.

His hair was as black as ink, the stubble on his jaw just as dark and adding a rugged
touchtohisotherwisesmoothface.Eitherhelikedtowearsuitsorhe'dcomestraight
fromwork.Iwasn'tgoodwithbrands,butI'dbetitwasArmaniorsomethingequally
expensive. It was sharp and crisp, and showed off his broad shoulders to perfection.
Theguywastallwiththeformofanathlete,althoughtherecouldhavebeenapaunch
hiddenbeneaththatjacket.God,Ihopedso,otherwiseIwaswayoutofmydepth.Hell,
even if he did have a paunch and a small penis I was still going to struggle to get his
attention.

"Whoinvitedyou?"Cassiewenton,notintheleastdistractedbythedazzlinggood

looks of the man in front of her. She was tiny by comparison, barely coming up
midway to his chest. Not only was she not distracted, she wasn't intimidated either.
Handsonhips,sheglaredrightbackintothoseice-blueeyesasReecestaredherdown.

"Doyouknowwhothatis?"Beckywhisperedtome.
"ReeceKavanagh,"Isaid,unabletolookaway."Billionairebusinessman."
"Yeah?Thenwhydoesn'tCassiewanthimhere?"
"Maybethey'reex-loversandhedumpedher."
Beckymadeahuffingnoise."Doubtit.Suitsaren'thertype.They'remorehers."She

pointedherchinatthewell-dressedwomanI'dspottedearlier.

Thewoman,asleekblondewithsharpcheekbones,slippedherarmaroundReece's

waist.Hedidn'treact."Iinvitedhim,"shesaid.

Cassie turned on her and I thought she would grill her. But instead she shook her

head and sighed. "I should have known. Be careful, Ally. He's not a good guy." She
stalked off before the woman named Ally had a chance to respond, and was soon

swallowedupbythecrowd.

Beckyjoinedherteacher,leavingmetowatchReece.Hesteppedtoonesidejustfar

enough away from Ally that she had to drop her arm. She spoke quietly to him, her
expression serious, her gaze never leaving his face. He, however, didn't appear to be
listening. His gaze flitted around the room, assessing. Within moments he seemed to
havetakeninthefacesofeveryonethere,includingmine.He'dnotlingeredonasingle
oneformorethanasplitsecond.Itwasasifnobodywasinterestingenoughtowaste
evenamomentlongeron.

The enormous task ahead of me just got even harder. I was supposed to dazzle

Reece with my efficiency and skill, while flirting with him in front of his date and a
roomful of people who despised him, including my own sister. Worse, I didn't even
hold his interest with my figure-hugging pencil skirt and great hair. I'd spent ages
tryingtogetthelongstrandstostayupinanelegantlymessyknot.Theguymightas
well just hand me a stick so I could poke myself in the eye with it. It would be less
painfulthantryingtogethisattention.

IhadnoideahowlonghewouldstaysoIneededtomakemymovesoonorrisk

losing the chance altogether. He clearly wasn't welcome at the gallery, something
Cassie'sstudentsweren'thiding.Theyallglareddaggersathimasshespoketothem.

BeckycameuptomeandreportedbacktheinformationIalreadyknew.Shecould

hardlygetitout,herjawwassorigid."ApparentlyCassie'sassholeofabrothersoldoff
thehousetoKavanagh.He'sgoingtodestroyit."Shedidn'tsomuchasspeakthewords
as spit them in Reece's direction. Neither he nor Ally noticed. They were having a
conversation, although his gaze still wandered the room from time to time. Did she
borehimorwashesimplythetypewhoneededtoworktheroomratherthanbestill?

"Can'tCassiejustmovethestudioelsewhere?"Iasked."Iknowthehousewillbea

loss,butit'sjustahouse."

"It was her grandmother's! Her sister died there!" As if that explained everything.

"It's Cassie's inspiration. She loves that house, loves its location, the atmosphere,
everything.Shesaidshecouldn'taffordtoliveinSerendipityBendifshehadtorentor
buy something else and she needs the tranquility of the river to bring out her best
work. To find that tranquility again means moving out of Roxburg altogether. We're
going to lose her, Cleo." Tears filled her eyes, but didn't spill. "All because of that
asshole'sgreed."

I thought she was referring to Cassie's brother, but she focused all her negative

energyonReece.Somuchsothathemusthavefeltherhatredbecausehesuddenly
lookeddirectlyatus.Thenheapproached.Ally,takenbysurprise,totteredinherheels
tocatchup.

My pulse quickened, but I pulled myself together and clamped down on my

nervousness.Thiswasnodifferenttoanyotherjob.Iwouldnotbereducedtoapuddle
ofnervesfromapairoffrostyeyesandahandsomeface.

"DoIknowyou,ladies?"heaskedinavoicethatslippedovermelikesilk.
"No,"Beckysnapped."I'mastudentofCassie's."
"Whichareyourpieces?"
"Noneofyourbusiness."
"Imightwanttobuythem."

Becky opened her mouth then shut it, clearly unsure how to react to the ruthless

businessmanartlover.Hermindwasprobablyhavingtroublefilteringitthroughher
limitedexperiencewiththeReeceKavanaghsoftheworld.Minewasn't.Iknewpeople
didn't always make sense. Drug dealers gave their money away to poor kids, thieves
handed back the expensive camera with the personal photos on it, and asshole
businessmensometimessawbeautyinart.Peopledidn'talwaysfitastereotype.

Becky's confusion gave me the opportunity I needed. I thrust out my hand. "I'm

CleoDennyandthisismysisterRebecca.I'mpleasedtomeetyou,Mr.Kavanagh."

Reece'sbrowsliftedbeforequicklysettlingbackinplace.Hetookmyhandandgave

itafirm,nononsenseshake.Ihadexpectedfireworksfromhistouch,orevenjusta
littlespark,buttherewasnothingsoclichéd.Hishandwasstrong,bigandwarm,but
thepalmwasrough,asifhespenttimeawayfromhisdeskdoingmanstuff.

"Howdoyouknowmyname?"heasked.
"Ireadthefinancialpages,"Isaidwithanoff-handedshrug."Iliketokeepupwith

thebigcorporations."

"Why?" He flung the question at me. Was he challenging me? Trying to catch me

out?DidhethinkIwaslyingandactuallyknewhimfromthegossippages?Theman
seemedtoappearinbothsectionsofthenewspaperwithregularity,butitwastruethat
I preferred the financial pages to the other sections. I liked to follow my targets'
businessaffairsafterIhelpedscrewthemup.

"IfI'mgoingtoworkforbigcorporations,Ineedtoknowwhatitistheydo,"Isaid.
"Soyou'renotanartisttoo?"
"No.Ican'tevenfingerpaint."
Hismouthkickedupononeside,butthesmilequicklyvanishedagain,ifthat'swhat

ithadbeen.Hiscoolgazesweptdownthelengthofmethenbackup.Myfaceheated.I
bit my tongue to distract me from the thrill tingling my spine and forced myself to
meethisgaze.Tomysurprise,hiseyeshadwarmedupalittle.Hewassmilingagain
too,butitwasmoreofacuriousone,asifsomethinghadintriguedhimandhewanted
tofindoutmore.

"Meeither,"hesaid."Ifindstickfigureschallenging."
The man had a sense of humor! I wouldn't have picked that. I grinned and he

returnedit.Notaquirkofhislips,butagenuinesmile.

Besideme,IheardBeckygroan.
"Thenwhatisityoudo,MissDenny?"heaskedme.
Great,achancetoplanttheseed."CallmeCleo.I'mapersonalassistant.Infact,my

lastcontractendedandI'mlookingforwork."Ifishedinmyclutchforabusinesscard.
I saw Becky stiffen out of the corner of my eye and cringed. She didn't stop me,
however.

IheldoutmycardtoReece."Idon'tsupposeyoucouldpassthisontoanyone—"
Ally snapped the card out of my fingers. "Mr. Kavanagh already has an assistant."

Herhard,clippedtoneswereatoddswithReece'ssmoothones."Me."

Crap. Ellen had told me he needed a new assistant, yet Reece didn't disagree with

Blondie.ClearlyAllywasmorethananassistant,though.Sheloopedherarmthrough
Reece's and clung on until her knuckles turned white against the dark gray of his
jacket.Shetossedmycardontoanearbytable.

Beckywenttoreachforit,butReecegottherefirst.Hepocketedthecard.Ididn't

knowwhowasmoreshockedandannoyed,BeckyorAlly.Irefusedtomeetmysister's
gaze,butIdidlikeseeingthelinessurroundingAlly'sanemiclipsconstrict.

"IknowsomeonewhocoulduseanewPA,"Reecesaid."Oneswhokeepupwiththe

businesspagesarehardtocomeby.He'llcallyouovertheweekend.Haveyourwork
historyready."

He walked off with Ally still clinging to his arm, but there was no triumph in her

eyesanymore.Neitherofthemglancedbackatus.

"What a first class bitch," Becky said, hands on hips, watching them go. "They're a

perfectmatchforeachother."

Isaidnothing.Myheartwassinking.I'dmissedmychancewithReece,butworse,I

now knew there wasn't even a job opening. He would give my card to someone else
and I'd have to politely decline the job offer. Somehow, the frighteningly competent
Ellenhadgotitwrong.Reecedidn'tneedanassistantandnowwe'dhavetofindsome
otherwaytoforceanacquaintance.Thatwasgoingtobehardworkforsomeonelike
me.Ellenmayhavetoswitchtousingoneofthegirlswhodidn'tmindsleepingwith
thetarget.

Myhearttappedoutarhythmofdisappointmenteventhoughmyheadknewitwas

sillytobeenamoredwithhimaftersuchabriefencounter.Hewasacompellingman,
not only to look at, but to be around. He'd smiled along with me. He'd picked up my
card.

But it was important to remember who he was. He had ruthless businessman

stampedalloverhimaccordingtoEllen'sfiles.Flirtingwasonething,butbusinesswas
another.

I mingled with Becky and spoke to her friends and teacher. Cassie couldn't speak

highlyenoughofmysister'stalent.SheseemednottonoticeReecestalkingaroundthe
gallery,checkingoutallthepaintings,butIdid.Icouldn'ttakemyeyesoffhim.

"Whatdoyouthinkhe'sdoinghere?"Iaskedherduringalullintheconversation.
"RemindingmeofwhatI'mupagainst."
"You'regoingtofighthim?"
Shetossedherredcurls.Shehadmostofthemcontainedinahalf-updo,butsome

tumbled down around her face and down her back. Cassie had wild, Bohemian hair
thatsuitedherprofession.ShewasdressedsimilartoBeckyinjeansandshirt,although
hers was green. She usually wore overalls and nothing on her feet, but tonight she
woreapairofheelsthatsetoffherslenderlegs."Ihaveto,"shesaid."Thestudioisn't
just my livelihood, it's my home. My memories and history are in that house. My
brother,sisterandIwerebroughtuptherebyourgrandmother.Mysisterdiedthere."
Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat. "My brother inherited, but Gran made
himcommittoanarrangementtoallowmetostayaftershedied.Hemanagednotto
breakthatagreementforfiveyears.It'sarecordforhim,"shesaidwithasadtwistof
hermouth.

"Whydidhesellit?"
"Money.He'sdirtpoorandReecehasbeensniffingarounditforyears.Lookslikehe

finallywon."

"Reece?"Iechoed."Youknowhimpersonally?"

"Youcouldsaythat."Shetuckedherhandsintothebackpocketsofherjeansand

looked away. "He used to date my sister. I used to date one of his brothers. Both
relationshipsendedbadly."

I wondered if her sister and Reece had broken up before her death. Either way, it

musthaveaffectedhimtoo.

"TheKavanaghbrothersarebadnews,"shewenton."StayawayfromReece."
Iwantedtoaskherwhytheywerebadnews,butIgotthefeelingshedidn'twantto

discussit."WhatwillyoudoifReecesucceedsintearingtheplacedown?"

"He won't." Her green eyes sparked to life and she squared her shoulders. "He's a

bullyandIhatebullies.I'llfighthimeverystepoftheway."

"Canyouaffordtodothat?"
Theflaredimmed.Sheshruggedoneshoulder."I'llborrowifIhaveto."
I didn't think the bank would lend a homeless artist money to fight a huge

corporation,butIdidn'tsayso.SheseemeddeterminedandIwantedhertosucceed.
Becky's happiness depended upon Cassie winning and staying in the city. Thank
goodness Ellen's client had an interest in seeing Reece fail too. I felt better knowing
someoneelsewaslookingoutforCassieandherhouse,althoughIcouldn'tthinkwhoit
wouldbe.SomebusinessrivalofReece'sprobably.

IsqueezedCassie'sarm."Letmeknowifthere'sanythingIcando."Itwasahollow

responsebecausewhatthehellcouldIdo?Shethankedmeanywaythenwanderedoff
tojoinherstudents.

Speeches followed with one or two sly digs at the sale of the property, and I

marveled that Reece could stand there as straight and unbending as a pole with
everyoneinthatroomwishinghimgone.

Assoonasthespeecheswereconcluded,however,Ilookedforhimagain.Heand

Ally had disappeared. With a sigh I made my way down the long corridor to the
bathroom. The white walls were lined with small black and white photographs and I
admiredthemasIslowlywalked.

Aman'svoicecaughtmyattentionandIpaused,lookedup.ItwasReece.Hemust

havebeenaroundthecornerbecauseIcouldn'tseehimyet.

"Nothere,"hesaidquietly."Someonewillsee."
"Let them." It was Ally, her voice a slithering, slippery appeal. I couldn't see them

butIcouldimagineherdrapingherselfoverReeceinanattempttostophimwalking
away.

Iheardfootstepsandinstinctkickedin.Ididn'twantthemtoseeme,soIopened

the nearest door and stepped inside. The room was small and seemed to be used for
storage. It smelled faintly of chemicals and lemon-scented cleaning products. It was
completelydarkonceIshutthedoor.

Ilistenedasthefootstepsapproachedandthevoicescontinued."Reece,baby,don't

walkoffonme.Comeon,let'sdothis.Here.Now."

"No."
"Whynot?It'sneverstoppedyoubefore.Youlovedoingitinpublicplaces."
Shewastalkingaboutsex!Iscrewedupmyface.Pleasedon'tcomeinhereandfuck

herinthedark.Or,evenworse,turnonthelightandseeme.

"Nottonight,"hesaid."I'mnotinthemood."

"Comeon,baby,you'realwaysinthemood.What'sgotintoyoulately?"
"Nothing.Thisisn'ttherightplaceortime.We'vegotanappointmenttomorrow."
"Youneverusedtoscheduleme,"Allycooed."Weusedtodoiteverywhere,allthe

time.Remember?Comeon,inhere."Thedoorhandlerattledthenthestoreroomdoor
opened.

Fuck!
"I told you—" His sentence was cut short. I imagined her kissing him, smothering

hisprotest.

Thenextmoment,thedoorwaspushedbackandtheytumbledthrough.Igotthe

feeling she was hauling him in after her, but the rectangle of light was cut off as the
doorwasslammedshut.

Islunkback,wedgingmyselfintoasmallgapbetweentwoshelvingunits.Myheart

pounded.Iprayedtheywouldn'tseemeorhearme.

"This is a mistake," Reece said, his quiet, calm voice filling the storeroom. "We

shouldn't.Nothere."

"Whocares?"Allyasked.
"Itdoesn'tfeelright."
"Noonewillknow.It'sjustyouandme.Here,thiswillchangeyourmind."
I heard fabric rustling and Ally's breath hitch. I imagined her lifting her dress and

placinghishandonhergirlparts.Irolledmyeyesatherovertness,butIdidn'thear
Reeceprotestanymore.Itwouldseemhewasjustlikeanyotherguywhenpresented
witheasysex.Hetookit.

Iheardtheunzippingofaflynext.Reece'strousersprobably.Hemoaned.
"God,you'resohot,"Allymurmured."Iloveyourbody."
"Shhh,"Reecewhispered."Notalking."
"Whynot?Youusedtolikemetalking."
"Take off your dress, keep your shoes on. If we're going to do this, we do it

properly."

"Yes,sir,"shesaid,giggling.
Thencamemorerustlingoffabricassheslippedoutofherslinkydress.
"Touchme,"shemuttered."Mybreasts.Suckthem."
"Youdon'tgivetheorders,Ido.Onourknees."
"But—"
"Do it." He hadn't raised his voice, but the command was unmistakable. He didn't

expecthertoarguewithhim.Andshedidn't."Mmmmm,"hemurmured.

Ipicturedhertakinghiscockintohermouth.Ibethewaslongandthick.Asmall

throbbetweenmythighscaughtmebysurprise.Itwouldseemthecouplewasn'tthe
only one enjoying this. I'd never eavesdropped on sex before, never been a voyeur,
although it seemed like something I might like to do, but only in secret and in my
dreams.Didthatmakethisadreamcometrue?

"Stop,"hesaid.
She gave a little sigh and I imagined her standing up in the dark. Her voice

confirmedit."There,"shemurmured."Godyes,Reece,touchmethere."

It grew hot in the storeroom. A trickle of sweat dripped down my inner thighs.

Except it wasn't sweat. It was me. I was wet from the sounds of the lovemaking

happeningonlyafewfeetawayinthedark.

"Takeme,"Allywhispered."Takemenow."
Then came a small thump against the door—her back perhaps—followed by the

rhythmicslapslapoffleshagainstflesh.Theyweredoingitrightthereinfrontofme
andIcouldn'thavebeenmoreturnedon.IwishedIcouldseethem—seehim—butit
wouldhavetoremainamomentforprivacyandsecrets.IwouldreliveitlaterwhenI
wasaloneinmyownbed.

IdarednotmoveeventhoughIwasuncomfortablesquashedbetweentheshelves.

Thediscomfortwassoonswampedbytheheatcoursingthroughmeandthesoundsof
sexfillingthesmallspace.Theyfeltclose,asifIcouldreachoutandtouchtheirnaked
bodies.Theirbreathsbecamemybreath.Theirheatwasmyheat.Theirdesireflowed
aroundme,anditwasalmostpainfulnottotouchmyself.

Theirbreathingquickened,thencameagruntfromReeceandasmallcryfromAlly.
Itwasallover.Neitherspoke,butsomeone—ReeceIthink—blewoutalongbreath,

asifhecouldn'tbelievewhathe'djustdone.

"Putyourclothesonandgetout,"hesaid,gruff."I'llbethereinaminute."
TherustleoffabricwasfollowedbyagigglefromAlly."Kissme,"shesaid.
"No."Thedooropened,lettinginasmallamountoflight.Hisbackwastome,hisbig

frameshieldingherfromme,ormefromher.

My heart banged inside my chest, and my brain was a soupy mess of half-formed

thoughtsandtoomanyemotions.Mynerveendingsjangledfromtheheatanddesire
stillcoursingthroughme.

AllyslippedoutwithoutanotherwordandReeceshutthedooragain.Heremained

inthestoreroom.Withme.

"Didyouenjoythat?"heasked.

CHAPTER3

Nothingcanprepareyouforgettingcaughtinthesameroomasacouplehavingsex.I
wantedtosinkintotheflooranddisappear,ormaybethrowup.

Realsophisticated,Cleo.
There was nothing sophisticated about the situation I'd found myself in. It was

totally and utterly humiliating. I just had to remember it was more humiliating for
Reecethanforme.Maybe.

ForamomentIthoughtifIsimplystoodthere,squashedbetweentheshelves,not

moving,hewouldthinkhe'dimaginedmypresenceandleave.Buthedidn't.

Heswitchedonthelight.
I blinked at the sudden brightness and shrank even further back. When my eyes

hadadjusted,IdaredtolookintothefaceofReeceKavanaghtogaugehisreactionto
theweirdsituation.

Badmove.Hewasn'tsmiling,anddarkshadowslurkedinthosesoullesseyes.His

browscrashedtogetherandhecrossedhisarmsoverhischest.Hisjacketandtielayon

a shelf nearby and his muscles bulged inside his shirt. The man's physique was as
impressiveandintimidatingashisexpression.Hestoodbetweenmeandthedoor,an
impenetrable,immovablewallofpuresteel.

"I…I'm,uh,sorry,"IsaidwithasmuchcoolnessasIcouldmuster,whichwasvery

little. "I came in here looking for…" I glanced around at the contents on the shelves.
"Toiletpaper."Iwinced.ThatwasthebestIcoulddo?

"Inthedark?"
Crap.TimetoretreatandgetoutwithwhatlittledignityIhadleft.Itseemedunfair

thatIshouldbetheembarrassedone,whenhe'dbeencaughtwithhispantsdown.

Isteppedforward,outfrommyhidingplace,buthedidn'tmove.
"Youdidn'tanswermyquestion,"hesaid.
"Huh?Oh,right,yeahIwaslookinginthedark.Stupid,Iknow."Ishrugged.
Hestilldidn'tmove."Myotherquestion."
"Other question?" I genuinely couldn't remember. My mind was mush. What the

hellhadheaskedme?

"Didyouenjoytheshow?"
Hell. Why couldn't he just pretend nothing happened? That's what normal people

did.Hecouldletmeoutwithasheepishsmileandagoofyshrug.I'dpromisenottotell
anyoneandeverythingwouldbefine.

But it wasn't fine. It was awkward, and I was still damned hot, my skin slick in

uncomfortable places. "Um…" There's no sensible answer to that question. There just
isn't."Itwas…"

"Interesting?"hefilledin.
"Isuppose."
"Nice?"Heleanedbackagainstthedoorframeandlazilycrossedhisankles.Withhis

eyelids half closed, he looked less dangerous and more amused at my discomfort.
Damnhim.

"That'snotquitethewordI'duse,"Isaid.
"Howabouthot?"
I swallowed loudly and looked down at my shoes. "I, uh, guess so." I cleared my

throatandtookanotherstepcloser.Hedidn'tmoveaside.Panicflutteredinmychest,
but I refused to let it bloom. I didn't think I was in danger from this man, but if that
were the case, why wasn't he letting me out? "Excuse me, Mr. Kavanagh, I'd like to
leavenow."

"CallmeReece.Ithinkweshouldbeonfirstnametermsafterwhatwejustshared."
"We didn't share anything." Finally I was regaining some common sense and a

shred of dignity. I could do this. I could be all-business and pretend to be offended
instead of turned on. "I overheard an unfortunate incident between you and your
girlfriend."

"She'snotmygirlfriend."
"Yourassistantthen."
Hesimplygrunted."Itseemswethinkalike."
"Aboutwhat?"
"This. What you witnessed. It was an unfortunate incident and shouldn't have

happened."Heunfoldedhisarmsandpickeduphisjacket."Whatdoyouwant?"

Ifrowned."Whatdoyoumean?"
He fished in his jacket pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. He counted off some

notesandhandedthemtome."Ahundred?"

"Idon'twantyourmoney!"
"You want to play hardball? I wouldn't have picked you for a hustler." He handed

memoremoney."Two?"

"No! Mr. Kav—Reece—I don't want your money. If you're paying me to keep me

quietaboutthis,forgetit.Idon'ttalktonewspapersandgossipcolumnists.Idon'tcare
who you fuck or date or share a burger with. It's none of my business, nor is it
necessaryfortherestoftheworldtoknoweither.Don'tworry.Iwon'tsellyourstory
toanyone."

He paused, the bills in his hand. "I didn't pick you as the sort of woman who says

fuck."

"AndIdidn'tpickyouasaguytohavesexinstorerooms."
He chuckled and returned the bills to his jacket. "I don't usually. But I felt like I

owed Ally one last time before I fired her, and this was going to be our only
opportunity, so…" He shrugged. Just like that, he explained away the rendezvous. It
didn'tevensoundkinkywhenhesaidit.Nordidheseemlikeamaninlove,orevenin
lust.Therewasnoflushtohischeeks,notelltaleheatinhiseyes.HespokeaboutAlly
andtheirencounterasifitwerejustanotherroundofgolf.

"You know, if you're going to dump a woman, you shouldn't have sex with her

beforehand,"Isaid.

"Isthatright?"Hehumphed."Maybethat'swhyallmyex-girlfriendshateme."
"Could be," I said. "Or it could be because they're still in love with you when you

breakupwiththem."

"WhosaysIbreakupwiththem?"
"Justahunch."
He narrowed his gaze and stepped away from the door. I could leave whenever I

wanted.Istayed.

"Anyway,Allywasnevermygirlfriend."
"Oh.Right."Iheldupmyhandsinsurrender."It'snoneofmybusinesswhatyour

relationshipiswithher."

"No," he murmured. "It's not." He took a step forward so that he was only inches

away from me. He was tall, imposing, and I could feel his heat radiating across the
space between us. He watched me from beneath lowered lashes. "Thanks for the tip
aboutbreakupsandsex.I'llkeepitinmindfornexttime."Hisvoicewasalow,melodic
bassnotethatvibratedacrossmyskin.

Iswallowedheavily."Anytime."Ishouldleave.Ishouldslippasthimwhilehewas

leaninginlikethatandrunaway.ButIwasrootedtothefloor,myshoesleadenand
clunky.IfItriedtomove,I'dfallover.SoIstayedtherebeneathhisintensegazeand
underhisspell.

Hereachedup,hishandnearmyear.Icouldsmellthesubtlespiceofhiscologne

and a baser scent that was pure male. He leaned forward, his face close. Surely he
wasn'tgoingtokissme.

Hewasgoingtokissme!

"Here," he murmured. His breath brushed my forehead, his voice sent my nerves

crazy."Don'tforgetthis."

"Hmmm?"Whatwashesaying?WhatwasIsaying?Whywasn'thekissingme?
HesteppedbackandIsawwhathewasholdingouttome.Arolloftoiletpaper.He'd

pickeditofftheshelfbehindme.Awickedsmileteasedhislipsandmischiefdancedin
those eyes. I took the roll and rushed past him, my face on fire, my tongue tied in
knots,andmystomachchurning.

Hischucklefollowedmedownthecorridortothebathroom.
***
BythetimeIcameoutofthebathroom,thestudentsandgallerystaffwerepacking

upthepaintingsandtheguestshadgone.ReeceandAllywerenowheretobeseen.I
blewoutabreath,unsurewhethertoberelievedthatIdidn'thavetoseehismocking
smileagain,orfrustratedthatI'dblownmychanceofworkingwithmytarget.There
wasalsoanotheremotion,simmeringjustbelowtheothers.OnethatIdidn'twantto
acknowledge.DisappointmentthatIwouldneverseehimagain,neverhaveachance
togetasclosetohimasIhadinthestoreroom.

"Ican'tbelieveshebroughthim,"saidCassie.ShewasspeakingtoBeckyandafew

other students as they worked to remove paintings from display. "Ally knows our
historyandwhathe'sgoingtodo,andyetshestillbroughthimalong."

"Whoisshe?"Beckyasked.
"Wewenttoschooltogether.Weusedtobeclosebutgrewapartinoursenioryear."

She shook her head and her red curls bounced. "Getting the hottest guy to like her
becamemoreimportantthanherfriendships."

"Sowhydidyouinviteher?"
"She asked me for an invitation. I hadn't seen her for a year or more then she

contactedmethroughthestudio'semailaddressandaskedifshecouldattendwitha
date.Shetoldmeshewantedtocatchup,getreacquaintedwithheroldfriends."Her
shoulders slumped a little and her lips flattened. "I should have known it was all
bullshit."

"Maybe Reece encouraged her," I chimed in. Cassie looked at me, a small frown

connecting her brows. "She works for him," I said. "Maybe he discovered her
connectiontoyouandforcedhertogetaninvitation."

"Maybe,"Cassiesaid."Iwasn'tgoingtogivehimaninvitationifheasked."
Isqueezedherarm."I'dsayhe'sinforquiteafight.He'spickedthewrongwoman

togoupagainst."

Cassiegavemeaweaksmile."Thankyou.ButI'mnotsureIcanwin.Ican'tafforda

goodlawyer.Ican'tevenaffordabadone."

"Is there someone who might help you?" I was thinking of the mysterious client.

SomeonehademployedEllentostopReecefrompullingdownCassie'shouse.Whileit
could simply be a case of a business rival wanting to sabotage RK Financial Group, it
couldalsobeafriendwhowantedtoremainanonymous.

"No," Cassie said emphatically. She turned away, only to be slammed with a hug

fromBecky.

"Whatifyoudon'twin?"Beckyasked,herhugeeyesfilledwithtears."Isthistheend

forthestudio?"

"Areyoureallygoingtoleave?"oneoftheotherstudentschimedin.
Cassie patted Becky's back then drew away from her. She held my sister at arm's

length. "Let's not discuss the future until we know if we can stop Kavanagh. I'm not
leavingwithoutafight."

Shehadn'tsaidit,butweallheardthe'but'inhervoice.
ButifIfail,Iwillgo.
***
BeckyrantedandravedabouthowheartlessReeceKavanaghwasallthewayhome

and was still going the following morning. After venting to me over breakfast, she
retreatedtoherroomandpouredoutheremotionsoncanvasindark,angrycolors.I
escapedoutsidetothegardentocallEllen.

Welivedinthesamethree-bedroomhousewe'dinheritedfromourparents.Itwas

amiddle-classcreambrickhomeinamiddle-classsuburb.Ourneighborsweremostly
empty nesters over fifty with houses that looked the same as ours and gardens filled
withroses,azaleasandcamellias.Ilikedit.Itwashometomeandalwayshadbeen.
Beckyfounditboringandwantedtomoveclosertotheinnercityorbaysidesuburbs
whereherfriendsmetatcafesorjoggedalongtheforeshore.Butwecouldn'taffordto
moveintosomethingbigenoughforthebothofus.Besides,Icouldn'tbeartoleavethe
houseI'dgrownupin.Notyet.

ImadesurethebackdoorwasclosedandsettledonthestonebenchDadhadplaced

under a large tree at the bottom of the garden. A gardenia flowered its little butt off
nearby, its heady scent a soothing reminder of my mother's green thumb. I dialed
Ellen'snumberonmycell.Shepickeduponthefirstring.

"How'ditgo?"sheasked.No'Howareyou,Cleo?'or'Isn'tithottoday?'Straightto

business.

"Itwasadisaster.Youtoldmehedidn'thaveanassistant."
Herpausewasslight,butitwasthere."Shewon'tlastlong."
"Youknew?Whydidn'tyoutellme?"
"Becauseshe'llbegonebytheendofthisweekend."
"Howcanyoupossiblyknowthat?"
"Spieseverywhere,remember?"
Irolledmyeyes.Ellen'snetworkwasscarilyefficient.
"Don'trollyoureyesatme,"shesaid,asmileinhervoice.
I nearly dropped the phone. I glanced around, but I was alone. I hoped. "Very

funny."Istooduptocheckoverthebackfencejustincase.Noonewasthere.

Ellen'sthroatylaughrippleddowntheline."Don'tworryabouthiscurrentassistant.

He's breaking up with her this weekend. All trace of her will be gone by Monday
morning."

"Does he always mix business with pleasure? Both you and he make it sound like

beinghisassistantalsomeansbeinghisgirlfriend."

"Girlfriendissuchaloadedword.Ithasanimpliedmeaningthatdoesn'tfitReece's

women.They'remorebedroompartnerswiththesidebenefitofbeinghisdatewhen
required.Butyou'reright.Usuallyhesleepswithhisassistants."

"Isthatwhatyou'reexpectingmetodo?Becomehisassistantandsleepwithhim?"
"Iwouldn'tdothattoyou,Cleo,andI'moffendedthatyouthinkIwould."Shedid

indeed sound offended, her voice pitching higher than usual. "I want you to be the
differentone,theonewhodoesn'tsleepwithhim.It'lldrivehimmadwithfrustration
andthat'swhenhe'lllethisguarddown."

Icouldn'timaginemedrivingReecemadwithpent-updesire.MaybeanOBFman

would find it hard to slake his lust elsewhere, but not Reece. He could get laid
anywherewithanyone.

"Didyoumakeanyprogress?"Ellenasked."Didhetakeyourbusinesscard?"
"Hetookit,butIdoubthe'llcall."
"Whynot?Youdidflirtwithhim,didn'tyou?"
"Kindof."
"Doyouthinkyoumadeanimpressiononhim?"
"Ohyeah,I'msureIdid.Justnottherightone."
Anotherslightpauseontheotherend."Whatdoyoumean?"
NowaywasIgoingtotellherwhatI'dwitnessedinthatstoreroom.NotonlyhadI

madeapromisetoReece,butitreflectedasbadlyonmeasitdidonhim.Ididn'twant
Ellen thinking me a pervert who listened in on people having sex. "Let's just say he
probably won't be calling. I'm sorry, Ellen. I fucked this one up. I'm just not used to
guyslikeReeceKavanagh.He'stoo…"Isighed,strugglingtofindthewordstodescribe
howoutofmyleagueReecewas."He'stoomuch."

"Nonsense. You're exactly what he needs. He just doesn't know it yet because he

doesn'tknowyouwellenough."

"Ithinkyou'dbettergetanothergirlforthisone."
I heard tapping in the background, but I wasn't sure if it was her fingernails on a

cup,tableorkeyboard."We'llsee.Ifhehasn'tcalledyoubyMonday,we'llneedtodo
somethingdrastic."Shehungup,leavingmewonderingwhatmeasuresshewasgoing
totake.

Idrewthescentofthegardeniasintomylungs.Hopefullythenexttimeshecalled

she had a different job lined up. I only got paid when a target hired me, not when I
failed.Ineededthemoney.Mysavingsweredowntothelastfewhundreddollarsand
the credit card debt was mounting. It was tough supporting two people, paying for
Becky'sartclassesandpayingofftheloancoveringhermedicalbills.Ellenhadalready
givenmearaisesixmonthsbackwhenIasked,andIcouldn'taskagain.Maybeitwas
timetosuggesttoBeckythatshegetapart-timejob.

Whenever I thought about having that conversation, I backed away. She was still

too fragile. She got tired easily. Her art was the only thing that brought her to life.
Therewasnowayshe'dcopewithworkingatadeskalldayorpullingbeersatnight.It
wouldbeherideaofhell.

Isighedandwasabouttogobackinsidewhenmyphonerang.Thescreenflashed

"PrivateNumber"soitwasn'tEllen.Ianswered.

"Cleospeaking."
"Overheardanyone'sintimatemomentslately?"
Idroppedthephoneinmylapandstaredatit.TherewasnomistakingReece'sdeep

voice. Even if he hadn't given me the clue as to who he was, I would've known that
voiceanywhere.

"HaveIshockedyouagain?"Iheardhimsay.

Ipickedupthephoneandtriedtocalmmynerveswithafewdeepbreathsbefore

answering."It'syourphonecallthatshockedme.Iwasn'texpectingyoutofollowup
onourconversation."

"Whynot?"
"I,uh,thoughtImadearatherpoorimpression."
"Then you thought wrong. You promised me you wouldn't tell anyone what

happened in that storeroom, and so far, you haven't. I've been on the phone all
morningtomymediacontactsandthere'snoteventhehintofarumorcirculating.The
onlythingthat'scomeupismyattendanceatthegallery.You,CleoDenny,havekept
yourword.That'srare.Iwanttohireyou."

Mymouthfloppedopenandmypulsequickened."Aswhat?"Iblurtedout,Ellen's

wordsstillringinginmyears—'usuallyhesleepswithhisassistants'.

"AsmyPA.Isn'tthatwhatyou'requalifiedtodo?Ordoyouwantmetohireyouas

somethingelse?"Theunspokenmeaninghadmyskintinglingandtightening.Hisrich,
deepvoicehadmemelting.

"PAisfine,"Isaidcheerfully,pretendingnottohaveacluewhathemeant."Butyou

wanttohiremewithoutevenhearingmyqualifications?"

"Canyouworkacomputer?"
"Yes."
"Canyouanswerthephoneandtakemessages?"
"Yes."
"Areyouorganized?"
"Very."
"That'sgoodenoughforme.Bottomline,Cleo,Iknowpeople.Icansumthemup

veryquickly.Youcameacrossasefficient,business-likeandfunny.Inmybook,funny
peoplearesmartandquicklearners.Youalsoprovedyourselftobetrustworthy.That's
morethangoodenoughforme."

Theironyofitwasn'tlostonme.Hewashiringmebecausehefelthecouldtrust

me, and yet Ellen employed me to betray him. "I have references," I said. And I did.
Legitimate ones. None of my targets knew I'd helped their business deals fail and all
hadgivenmegoodreferencesuponleavingtheiremploy.Manyhadaskedmetostay
onaftermycontractwascompleted,butIalwaysrefused.ItoldthemIlikedtemping.
Thetruthwas,Icouldn'ttakethemupontheirofferandstopworkingforEllen.She'd
beengoodtome,butIdidn'tonlystaywithheroutofloyalty.Irefusedthepermanent
jobsbecauseIcouldn'tworkwithpeopleI'dliedtoandcheatedon.Icouldn'tfacethem
everydayknowingwhatI'ddone.Itwouldbelikewaitingforabombtoexplodeinmy
face.ThelongerIstayedaround,themorechancethatI'dgetdiscovered.

"Ifitmakesyoufeelanybetteryoucanemailthemtome."Hegavemehisemail

addressthenhisofficeaddress."IexpectyouthereateightMondaymorning."

Sohereallydidn'twanttoseemyreferences."Sure,"Iheardmyselfsaying."I'llbe

there."

HehungupandIstaredatthephoneforwhatseemedlikehours.ReeceKavanagh

wasfullofsurprises.Icouldn'tseemtopeghimdown.WheneverIthoughtIhadhim
figuredout,hedidsomethingunexpected.IkeptstaringatthephoneuntilBeckycalled
tomefromthebackporch.Iwavedthenwentinside.IonlyhopedIwasn'tsovague

when I rocked up Monday morning at RK Financial Group's headquarters. I couldn't
afford to let down my guard around Reece. Not if I wanted to keep my secrets to
myself.

THEBILLIONAIREBOYFRIENDTRAP

canbedownloadedimmediately.

BooksByKendra

BadForMe

WrongForMe

TheBillionaireBoyfriendTrap

TheBillionaireBoyfriendProposal

TheBillionaireBoyfriendBargain

TheBillionaireBoyfriendMistake

TheBillionaireBoyfriendDilemma

BeddingTheBillionaire

Snapped

SuddenlySexy

AbouttheAuthor

Kendra Little writes sensual contemporary romances featuring strong men and the
womenwhobringthemtotheirknees.She'smarriedwith2children,drinkstoomuch
coffee,eatstoomuchchocolateandthinkshouseworkisforpeoplewithtoomuchtime
onherhands.Toread6shortstoriesforFREE,

signuptohernewsletter

. Newsletters

aresentoutwhenshereleasesanewbook.

Formoreinformation

@KendraLittle_1

KendraLittleAuthor

www.kendralittle.com
kendralittle1@gmail.com

Document Outline

Copyright
About My Perfect Mistake
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Excerpt of THE BILLIONAIRE BOYFRIEND TRAP
Books By Kendra
About the Author

Wyszukiwarka

Podobne podstrony:
thereisthere, ,,My home my flat" - z użyciem there is there are
My perfect weekend
My perfect life
Tinnean Mann of my Dreams Tale 27 Is It You
09 05 Consumer 1 My Perfect Purple Purse(1)
islcollective worksheets intermediate b1 adult high school speaking time my table what time is it 67
My Boy Friend s Name Is Jello Avram Davidson
Грицак One World is not enough, or my Adventures with National Paradigm
0662 crazy is my life golec uorkiestra RRBWKOGOMBV5QQBZT6DCLDAGYVVR7SHWWNJUG6Y
3 Pretty Little Liars Perfect Rozdział
3 - Pretty Little Liars - Perfect - Rozdział 21, Nieposortowane (2)
3 Pretty Little Liars Perfect Rozdział 8
3 Pretty Little Liars Perfect Rozdział
3 Pretty Little Liars Perfect Rozdział 7
3 Pretty Little Liars Perfect Rozdział

więcej podobnych podstron

My Perfect Mistake Paradise Is Little Kendra

Document Outline