by Nina Singh
Reid didn’t bother with the light switch when they reached the room, the moonlight and glow of the still-lit display outside afforded just enough light to see. Reid stepped over to the bed to gently set her down. But two things happened at once. First, the bed was much lower than he was used to. Second, the lights outside suddenly went out right at that very moment. Rather than gently set her down, Reid lost his footing and they both stumbled onto the mattress.
“We have to stop meeting like this,” he quipped as they both landed unceremoniously onto the soft surface. Her lips were inches from his, he could feel her hot, sweet breath against his jaw. His skin felt afire everywhere her body touched his; the softness of her chest, her long legs up against his.
Her response was to tilt her face up toward his. Reid didn’t even know who moved first. But suddenly he was tasting her, devouring her the way he’d so often imagined doing. He thrust his hands into her hair, pulled her tighter against him and deepened the kiss. She tasted like fruit and honey and enticing spice. She tasted like home.
Her hands found his shoulders, then moved over his biceps, toward his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. But it wasn’t enough. He would never get enough of her touch, the taste of her.
The sound of a door shutting from somewhere down the hall served as a warning bell. Though it hurt like a physical blow, he made himself break the kiss and pull away. He had to suck in a breath to try to steady his pounding pulse.
Celeste’s cry of protest nearly undid him. But as much as he wanted to continue kissing and exploring her, this wasn’t the time or the place.
One thing was unarguable. He wanted her. And she wanted him. There was no doubt in his mind judging by the way she’d reacted just now and the shallowness of her breathing as she stared up at him in confusion. He’d had to fight hard the strong urge to throw all care aside and simply join her where she lay on the bed.
Instead, he leaned down and dropped a gentle, soft kiss to her forehead. “Good night, Celeste.” Then he forced himself to turn and walk away.
One and only one thought hammered his brain as he left the room to make his way down to the sofa on the first floor; he could make her forget she’d ever been committed to another man. Hell, he could make her forget that other man even existed.
There was no question of attraction. Not after what had just happened between them in that room and the way Celeste had melted in his arms. Under better circumstances, they could explore whatever this was between them and see where it might lead. If they were two completely different people, Reid would have no doubt in his mind about finding out once and for all.
No, the only question was whether he had any right to want her the way he did.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THEIR TRIP TO the flower garden seemed like forever ago. Hard to believe only one day had passed. Celeste sank deeper into the Italian marble bath and took a deep breath. The hot water and luxurious fizziness of the scented bath bomb was doing wonders for her anxious nerves. But a dip in the bathtub could only do so much. She hadn’t seen Reid all day yesterday once they’d arrived back at the resort, nor this morning or afternoon.
But she was due to spend the evening with him in a couple of short hours. The next item he had her writing up was a formal dinner cruise followed by live music and dancing aboard the boat.
What a fun, romantic evening it would have been if only it was all real. She had no idea what they would say to each other. The only words they’d spoken had been awkward and forced during their mostly silent drive back to the hotel yesterday morning after bidding Uma and her children goodbye. And then Reid had disappeared without a word to her except a brief text this morning confirming the time of the cruise. She’d been tempted to feign illness, to say that she wasn’t up for it. But any fool would see right through that excuse.
Maybe he was avoiding her after what had happened in Uma’s spare bedroom. Or perhaps he was busy with whoever had arrived that evening when the two of them couldn’t return to the resort as expected. A pang of hurt she didn’t want to identify as jealousy lodged in her chest.
The most probable explanation was that he was indeed avoiding her. He was no doubt embarrassed that things had gone so far between them that night. Heaven help her, she would have let things go even further if he hadn’t suddenly stopped their kiss and walked out.
But he had walked out.
Reid had been the one to come to his senses. They had nothing in common, a shared brief past history which only complicated things further, and the chances that they would run into each other again once this trip was over were slim to none.
Unless, of course, she took him up on the free lifetime vacations he’d offered in return for her services. But she wouldn’t. Her heart wouldn’t be able to handle doing it. Seeing him every year, being tempted by a man she could never have.
A glance at the ornate clock on the wall above the sink counter told her she only had about half an hour left to get ready. With a sigh of regret, she stood and stepped out of the tub. There was no avoiding the inevitable. She could do this. She could dress the part, paste a fake smile on her face, and act like the all-business marketing professional that she was.
Toweling off, she walked over to the closet and removed the one formal dress that she’d packed. A silky black number that reached midthigh with red spaghetti straps and trim. Red leather high-heeled sandals and ruby earrings would complete the look. She’d included the outfit just in case when she’d packed, convinced she’d actually have no occasion to wear it.
If she’d only known.
About twenty minutes later, she was dressed and walking out the door of her suite to meet the man she’d somehow developed a devastatingly shocking attraction to.
This was a disaster in the making. The evening would no doubt be a lesson in self-torture. How was she going to playact the part of objective observer when the whole night all she’d be thinking about was how much she wanted him?
And heaven help her, she did want him. So much that she’d been aching inside ever since the other night. If she were honest with herself and looked deep within, she’d have to acknowledge something much more worrisome and disturbing: beyond the physical attraction, she’d developed feelings for him. Somehow, in the course of a few short days, she’d started falling for a man who was completely wrong for her. How many times in her life could she make the same mistake?
There was no denying that mistake when she reached the resort marina and found him waiting for her by the water. Celeste had to remind herself to breathe. Dressed in pressed dark pants and a midnight black fitted jacket with a collared shirt, he took her breath away. Against the backdrop of the luxury yacht and sparkling water, Reid could have been posing for a men’s cologne ad. In fact, if she ever worked on a cologne campaign, this scene before her would serve as ample inspiration. She might find a way to use this image in the very project she was working on for the resort.
That’s it, girl. Stay focused on the business aspect. Steady now.
Some protective instinct must have kicked into gear in her head. The survival skills she’d built and developed as an inner-city latchkey child were coming through for her as they so often had throughout her life. She could do this, she could get through this evening as an unemotional, unaffected, driven businesswoman who was simply attending this event as part of a job commitment.
And for all intents and purposes, the man standing before her was simply her boss.
Never mind that she wanted nothing more at this moment than to run into his arms.
* * *
Reid had to clench his fists by his sides in order to keep himself from pulling Celeste tight against him and into his arms when she reached his side. He’d come close to canceling this evening. That option would have been the wisest course of action. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He needed this marketing project co
mpleted and he needed it completed successfully. Distractions and delays wouldn’t do.
Or so he told himself. If pushed, he would have to concede that he hadn’t called it off because he hadn’t wanted to. He’d wanted to see her. Avoiding her this past day and a half had been nothing short of painful. And what did that say about the sad state he currently found himself in? He’d been missing a woman he had no claim to. A woman who would walk out of his life in a few short days and most likely never return.
Given the way she looked right now, he knew he wasn’t likely to stop wanting what he couldn’t have anytime soon. The silky black-and-red dress she wore complemented her ever-deepening tan. Strappy red high heeled shoes accented her shapely legs, she’d worn her hair down cascading like an ebony dark curtain over her satin smooth shoulders.
He swallowed hard.
“Hey there,” she greeted him when she reached his side.
Somehow, he got his mouth to work. “Hey yourself.” He handed her the rose he’d thought to pick up on his way. Fake date or not, he knew when an occasion called for a flower.
She seemed surprised as she took it and inhaled deeply of the petals. He wanted to do the same. Only he would prefer to nuzzle his face against the gentle curve of her neck and inhale deeply of her now oh-so-familiar scent.
“Thanks. This was very thoughtful.”
“You’re welcome,” he replied, then motioned toward the boat behind them. “Shall we?”
Celeste took the hand he’d extended and followed him on board. A group of uniformed crew members greeted them and they made their way below deck. A few other couples were already seated at elegant, candlelit tables. Yet others strolled in behind them.
A white tuxedoed crew member led them to their table and pulled out their chairs.
“How’s your foot?” Reid asked.
“Completely healed, it seems.” She took a sip of her water. “Uma’s poultice is a wonder drug. She should bottle that stuff and sell it worldwide.”
“I might have to suggest that idea next time I’m at the flower garden.” It occurred to him that on his next stop there he’d mostly likely be by himself. Or with Alex. He’d never be able to visit the place again without remembering the time he’d spent there with Celeste. Just one of the many marks she’d be leaving on him when she left the resort for good shortly.
The waiter reappeared with a fruity, frosted cocktail complete with a swirly straw and placed it in front of Celeste. “The bartender’s specialty drink, miss. Please enjoy.”
He placed a shorter glass full of amber liquid in front of Reid. Top-shelf Jamaican dark rum. “Your usual, sir.”
Reid made a mental note to sip the drink much more slowly than usual tonight. He couldn’t risk a repeat of the other night when he’d completely lost control and practically ravished Celeste in Uma’s spare bedroom. Though he’d been stone-cold sober then. Still, he didn’t want to take the chance of lessening his inhibitions in any way.
Celeste took a sip of her drink and closed her eyes in pleasure. “Mmm, this tastes heavenly. Definitely something to note when writing about this outing.”
Good for her for keeping her mind on the task at hand, Reid thought. At least one of them had their head in the right place. So why was a small part of him just a touch disappointed?
“I’ve also got some great things to say about the light show at Uma’s place,” she continued, then looked down at her drink.
Their thoughts must have drifted in the same direction; what had transpired between them after they’d admired said light display that evening.
Reid cleared his throat, trying to summon exactly what he wanted to say. They had to acknowledge what had happened. Or this awkwardness was simply going to continue to grow.
“Celeste, I’m not sure where to begin, but maybe we should be talking—”
But she held an elegantly manicured hand up to stop him. “Please, Reid. If it’s just as well with you, I’d like to focus on the here and now. I need to if I’m going to be effective in what I’m trying to do here tonight.”
All right. He would have to respect her wishes if that’s the way she wanted to play things.
He sighed and took the slightest sip of his drink. “If that’s what you’d prefer. But we’re going to run out of small talk at some point. And you can only do so much observation and analysis.”
She leaned over the table, resting her elbows on the surface. “Let’s discuss some fun things then,” she suggested.
“Fun?”
She nodded with enthusiasm. “What does the man I’m working for do to have fun?”
The man she was working for. He wanted to correct her description of him. He’d been so much more than that the other night, hadn’t he? But again, he would respect her wishes. He would play her small-talk game.
“What do you do outside of work, Reid? Do you have any hobbies? What happens when you finally have some free time and want to enjoy yourself?” She paused to take a sip of her drink. “And who do you spend that free time with?”
So, that’s what this was about. She was asking if there was a woman in his life. Celeste wasn’t as unaffected by their mutual attraction as she pretended. A selfish part of him couldn’t help but feel pleased. And if that didn’t make him self-centered, he didn’t know what would.
He took another swig of his rum and focused his gaze on her face. “Celeste, I believe you’re asking me if I’m attached to anyone. Do I have that right?”
* * *
Celeste wanted to kick herself. She was usually much more subtle. In her defense, she hadn’t realized that she planned to ask him that question. It had just come blurting out of her lips. Now it was too late to take it back.
“Just trying to learn more about you, that’s all.”
He flashed her a knowing smile. “All right, I’ll bite,” he stated. “I don’t have much time for hobbies. But when I can get away, I enjoy a good getaway to the mountains for downhill skiing. In warmer climates, I’m an avid scuba enthusiast. Been certified since my teens. It’s one of the reasons I started looking into the Caribbean as an investment opportunity.”
So he was going to start with the less loaded questions. Then again, maybe he wouldn’t answer her last question at all. Served her right. His personal life was none of her business, not really.
What did it matter that they’d lost control with each other on a couple different occasions? They’d simply both been carried away by the romantic setting and the adrenaline rush afforded by all the activities they’d done together. The strong possibility was that he probably had several girlfriends. He probably dated someone different in every city he traveled to. That was the impression she’d first gotten of him when they’d met three years ago at Jack’s introduction. As a matter of fact, she distinctly remembered a conversation about which lucky lady Reid would bring to the wedding as his companion. Her bridesmaids had certainly fallen over each other trying to get his attention. She’d thought it rather amusing at the time. Not so much now. Now that he could also count her as one of the many females who had a thing for him.
They were interrupted by another server who appeared with a platter of cold shellfish. Everything from oysters, to clams, to chilled lobster garnished with lemons and capers sat on a bed of ice. Simultaneously, a sommelier appeared with a bottle of red wine and handed the cork to Reid. He simply nodded at the man after taking a small sniff. Another bottle of white wine was also placed alongside the table in a standing silver bucket sweaty with condensation.
Good thing she hadn’t eaten all day. This was only the first course. Not that she had much of an appetite. Her frazzled nerves were wreaking havoc on her stomach.
Think of this as a straightforward business meeting.
Her own words mocked her. The way Reid looked in his suit and the romantic mood of the setting made that darn near impossible.
She vowed to try. “I’ve never been scuba diving,” she said, resuming their conversation after the servers had left. “I do ski occasionally. Nothing more than bunny trails. That’s all I have the courage or the balance for, I’m afraid. I’m not much of an athlete.” Unlike him.
His gaze dropped to her shoulders then traveled down and Celeste had to suppress a shiver of awareness. “If you don’t mind my saying,” he began. “You’re clearly quite fit.”
It was downright silly to feel as giddy as she did about that compliment.
“I do a lot of yoga. It helps center me. I started in college.” Thank goodness she had. Between the stress of her job, the long hours, and the continuous mess that was her family life, she needed the release and quiet peacefulness of the practice.
“Makes sense.” Reid offered her one of the lobster tails. “I’ve never tried it, but I hear some of the poses can be very physically demanding.”
“Oh, yes. Definitely. Some of the more challenging ones can have me breathless with my muscles screaming and sweat pouring over my skin while I hold the pose.”
“Sounds athletic to me.”
She shrugged. “I guess.”
He leaned back in his chair, studied her. “You do that a lot, don’t you?”
“Do what?”
“Discount yourself. What you’re capable of.”
His statement surprised her. “I—I didn’t realize I did.”
“You were certain climbing the falls was going to be too much for you. Yet you handled it just fine.”
“I had you there to guide and catch me.”
He ignored that. “And the way you disparaged your karaoke performance.”
Now he had to be teasing her. “Do you blame me? I sounded horrible. Pitchy and completely off key.”
“Is that your takeaway from that night?”