Fixing her eyes determinedly out the window, she listened to the driver talk about the island as they drove. They went up a steep hill, and he stopped in a parking lot where the west side of the island bordered the Caribbean Sea and the eastern coast faced the Atlantic Ocean. Joshua stayed close to her as she walked to each view, but he didn’t say anything. She hated how he acted like they were a couple. She wanted to make new friends, but the other couple, though friendly to Joshua, were newlyweds and seemed very engrossed in each other.
They finally climbed back into the van and cruised down the other side of the island. Within minutes, the driver pulled up to a dock next to a beautiful sandy beach with chairs and umbrellas already set for the day, next to a nice, open-air restaurant. “You wait here, and Mark be with you soon,” he said.
They unloaded their backpacks onto the dock, and then the other couple sank into a beach chair, all cuddled up together.
Jade walked to the end of the short dock and stared out into the sea. Joshua followed her. Why was he so persistent? He knew where she stood, and he knew what he had to do. A terrifying thought struck her. If Joshua’s investigator discovered the truth and the real thief took the blame, that would be awesome, but then how would she resist this incredible man? Jesse, Jesse, Jesse. She tried to picture his smile and remember his arms around her. It helped.
Until Joshua came much too close and said, “Have you ever done snuba?” Such an innocent question, no flirtations or anything, but in his appealing voice it felt much too charming and intrusive.
“No,” she said shortly.
“I haven’t either. Should be fun.”
She let herself look at him. His blue eyes were twinkling at her. As if he had a secret, and he knew all of hers. “Really?” She put her hands on her hips. “Mr. Billionaire who owns resorts around the Caribbean has never done scuba?”
His smile grew. “I’ve got an advanced certification in open water for scuba. I’ve never done snuba.”
“I’m sure it’ll be really exciting for you,” she said snarkily.
His eyes traced slowly over her face, as gentle and appealing as a caress. “Anything’s exciting with you here.”
Jade wanted to let herself fall for him. She wanted it so badly. She straightened her shoulders and blew out a breath. Falling for the reclusive billionaire ex-boss was not happening. Not today.
A truck pulled up, and a small, deeply tanned man popped out. “Hello. Sorry, my friends. I sleep in today—too many Mai Tais last night—” He gave them all a wink. “—but we give you extra time in the water, I promise. I am Mark.” He walked over and pumped their hands, and the newlyweds came over and greeted him as well.
He took the time to explain and train them for a few minutes. Jade was certain that Joshua was bored beyond belief or silently laughing at the rest of them as they soaked it in and the newlywed man with a thick New Jersey accent explained how he couldn’t even snorkel because he ran out of oxygen. Joshua, Mark, and his bride all tried to reassure him that if he just relaxed he’d be fine, but the guy looked like he might be having a panic attack.
They took things really slow, wading into the lukewarm water when they finally got their gear on, kneeling down and breathing for a while to get used to it. Jade was acutely aware of Joshua staying right by her side. She was amazed how comfortable it was to breathe underwater with the ventilator, and she was excited to do the adventure.
Finally, the instructor went through their hand signals one last time and then told them to follow him. They swam along the edge of a long rock pier and gradually got deeper. Jade plugged her nose and blew hard a few times, but her ears adjusted well and the pressure in her head wasn’t bad at all.
Joshua took her hand, and she darted a gaze at him. He gave her an okay symbol, then pointed to the right, where gorgeous tropical fish were swimming in and out of the rocks. Jade kicked her fins and let Joshua tug her along. She felt like she was swimming in a fish tank, and even though she didn’t want to love it, she loved that Joshua had her hand in his firm grip and was directing her exactly where to go.
The instructor was busy trying to help the man from New Jersey, who hadn’t descended at all but was staying with the raft that held their air tanks. The wife from New Jersey followed Joshua’s lead and hand signals, and the instructor kept the raft moving so they could explore their underwater world without being held back by their hoses as they progressed.
Jade gasped when she saw an eel slide by to the right. She pointed with her free hand. Joshua glanced at her, and she could tell he was smiling, as his dimple was on display. Oh, she loved that stupid dimple.
They progressed along the rocks, checking everything out. The fish were mostly blue and yellow, but occasionally they were orange and green. There were a lot of striped fish and even some polka-dotted ones.
They were close to the bottom but not skimming it. Joshua suddenly tugged her forward, and she kicked harder. He pointed, and there, down below, was a white manta ray. It was almost invisible as it went over the sand, but then it floated over some grasses and she could clearly see the outline.
A few minutes later, the instructor came down and motioned for them to turn around. Jade savored the slow swim back, her hand in Joshua’s, and all the beautiful marine life. She loved this. They rounded the corner of the rocks and gradually ascended with the slope of the beach. As they popped out of the water, Jade tugged her hand free of Joshua’s and lifted off her goggles, spitting out her regulator.
He grinned at her. “What did you think?”
“I loved it!” she gushed. “Thank you for being my guide. That was incredible.”
“I’ll be your guide anytime,” he said, and she felt like he meant it. “There were some bright fish, and the white ray was cool.”
“What about that eel? I about drowned seeing him slide by.”
Joshua smiled. “He was big.”
The instructor, Mark, was gathering their stuff and apologizing for not being right with them. “But I think the tough guy had it under control,” he said.
Jade glanced over Joshua’s strong build. “The tough guy definitely had it under control,” she affirmed.
The bride from New Jersey smacked her husband’s arm. “You didn’t even try,” she accused him. “You missed everything!”
“You think I wasn’t trying?” he asked in that deep Jersey accent that made Jade smile. Yet she felt bad for the guy, as they were obviously headed to a full-blown fight.
Joshua tilted his head to the side, and Jade nodded quickly. They shed their gear, set it on the table, and grabbed their backpacks. Joshua palmed Mark a bill, and Jade caught a glimpse of a hundred on it. She gulped. Mark thanked him profusely, probably embarrassed that he hadn’t really been much of a guide for them. They thanked Mark in return and walked away. Jade turned to Joshua, embarrassed.
“Can I pay you back for that tip? I mean, you were the real guide and I … didn’t even bring cash. I left it all in the safe because they said everything was included.”
Joshua nodded, seeming to understand her embarrassment. “Of course. It’s no worries. You get the tip on tomorrow’s excursion.”
Jade’s stomach lifted as if she was floating in a hot-air balloon. First of all, she really liked that he didn’t just coddle her and explain he was a billionaire and a hundred meant nothing to him, especially if he truly thought she’d stolen a million from him. Second … “Tomorrow’s excursion?” she asked, her voice squeaking.
He grinned easily. “If that’s all right with you. What did you have planned on St. John’s?”
Jade bit at her lip. She wanted to be with him, but there was Jesse, and the trust issues, and the missing money. There was also the fact that she was sick and tired of being alone. Maybe that was increasing Joshua’s appeal.
She walked over to a nearby beach chair and sank into it, not answering him. A waiter came and asked if they’d like anything. Jade ordered a water bottle and a virgin mango tango. Joshua
asked for the same.
They sat there, staring out at the blue water and watching some children play in the sand.
“St. John’s?” Joshua’s voice was full of hope.
“What about the embezzling?” She turned to him. The umbrella shaded them, so she got the full power of those blue eyes.
His eyes turned wary. “I’m working on it, I promise, Jade, I am.”
She swallowed hard and said, “So what, we just pretend I’m not ticked at you and you actually trust me?”
“You hit hard,” he said, but his eyes had admiration in them as well as wariness.
“Heavy hitter, that’s what my sister used to tease me about.” She sighed. “I’m sorry. I can’t just pretend all is well, and … you know the guy I thought you were, yesterday at the Flow Rider?”
He nodded. “Jeb?” he guessed.
“Jesse,” she corrected. She pulled her legs into her chest. “He and I are … sort of dating.”
Joshua’s eyebrows rose. “Yet you don’t know what he looks like?” He nodded as if he understood. “Online dating, right? And he’s never sent you a good picture.”
“No.” She scowled. “I’ve spent two glorious days with him. I kissed him.” She gasped.
Joshua’s eyebrows drew together and he frowned. “Oh. So you … like this Jesse guy?”
“Yeah, I do, and you two could be twins. Except I’ve never seen him without a hat and sunglasses on,” she admitted.
The waiter brought their drinks. Joshua tipped him and she hated feeling indebted to her ex-boss any more than she was for being on this paid vacation yet not being his employee any longer. No, that was all on whoever stole the money, and she wasn’t going to feel guilty about it.
She drank some of the water and then sipped on the perfect combo of mango, strawberry, and pineapple. It was delicious and replaced the taste of salt water from their snuba. She noticed the newlywed couple sitting farther down the beach. Each on their own chair this time, eyes closed, not talking. She hoped they could get over such a silly fight as him not being able to breathe on a snuba excursion.
“Jade.” Joshua’s soft, husky voice brought her head around. “I know there’s some uncomfortable … junk between us.”
She let herself focus on those blue eyes and felt herself being tugged in as surely as a fish on a hook. “Yeah,” she agreed.
“And I understand you’re ‘sort of dating’ this Jesse guy.”
“Yeah, I am.” She sucked down more of her drink.
“But I have to admit that I’m drawn to you, I feel a connection to you. I haven’t felt something like this in a very, very long time. At the risk of being too persistent, will you please spend some time with me, as friends?” he included quickly.
Jade’s face was flushed, and she needed more water. She drained another quarter of the bottle before dropping it on the table. He was drawn to her, felt a connection? She couldn’t lie and say she didn’t feel the same. “So we just ignore all the crap between us and hang out? What about Curtis and crew? Don’t you need to spend time with them?”
“They’re having a great trip. They’re fine.” He looked her over. “Please, Jade. Please give me a chance.”
Jade didn’t know how to resist him. “Here’s the deal, Buster Brown.”
He smiled. “Okay.”
“You understand that Jesse is the guy I want, and you and I are only hanging out as friends.”
His jaw tightened, but he didn’t say anything.
“And you promise to keep investigating, and when you find out the truth about the real thief, you beg for my forgiveness?”
He nodded seriously.
“And you don’t get all Touchy Ted on me.” She lifted an imperious eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest.
“That one’s going to be extremely difficult.” His blue eyes deepened to a navy and the smoldering look in them robbed her of oxygen.
Jade put a hand to her throat and reminded herself to breathe. “Why?” she squeaked out.
“I think I’ve made it more than obvious how appealing you are to me. Not touching you goes against every instinct I have.”
Jade wanted to melt in a puddle right there. Jesse. Joshua thinks I’m a thief. No trust. None of her reminders were helping. “Sorry. Deal or no deal?” She raised one eyebrow.
“Can I hold your hand in instances like snuba?”
She pursed her lips and finally nodded.
“Can I put my hand on your lower back when we’re walking into dinner. You know, simply being a gentleman like my mother taught me?”
Jade imagined them walking into dinner: him in that button-down shirt that brought out the blue in his eyes, her in a fitted dress that made it impossible for him to keep his eyes off of her. He would look at her as if she was his world, like he was right now. Heat filled her, but she focused on friendship. Finally, she wouldn’t be alone.
“As a gentleman,” she finally admitted. “I can make those allowances.”
“What if you trip and I have to catch you in my arms?” He leaned closer, and her pulse raced. “And I have to pull you against my chest and hold you close, just to make certain you’re all right.” The look in his eyes said he knew exactly what he was doing to her.
Jade clutched her throat and gasped out, “Can’t … breathe.”
He grinned and leaned even closer. “I’m well-trained in mouth to mouth.”
She panted for air and tried to pretend he was teasing, “I’ll bet you are,” she flung at him.
He simply grinned. “So what about that circumstance?”
“I never trip, so I think we’ll be fine.”
He elevated one muscular shoulder and she wished she dare tell him to put his shirt back on so she wouldn’t be so tempted to ogle his perfect body, but that would reveal exactly how drawn she was to him.
“Hmm. But what if …” His grin was so tempting, and she wanted so badly to kiss that dimple like she’d told Priest last night. “What if we’re on a late-night stroll on the front part of Deck Thirteen and it’s quiet and we’re alone, and what if you can’t stand it anymore and you grab me, wrap your arms tight around my back—”
“Stop,” Jade begged, so hot she was sweating. It had to be the tropical sun. But they were in the shade. The humidity, then.
“And you simply can’t resist going onto tiptoes and kissing me.”
Jade glared at him. “That … will … not … happen.” But she could imagine it happening. Oh, how she could imagine it. And she let her eyes rove over his delectable-looking lips before meeting his gaze again. “Never,” she reiterated in a weak voice that she hated.
Joshua’s smile said he knew exactly how affected she was by him, and he was going to capitalize on it.
Jade got ticked off. She jumped to her feet. “This isn’t going to work. You’ve obviously got an agenda where I’m concerned and I don’t need you to be coming up with stupid scenarios where I’m going to kiss you.” She gasped. “I mean … you think I’m going to kiss you.”
Joshua stood, slowly, purposefully. He was so tough and the muscles in his legs flexed as he stood and his shoulders, arms, chest, and abs looked glorious all tan and muscled. She couldn’t even remember Jesse at the moment. Yet she was all confused and sometimes still thought that Joshua had to be Jesse.
He eased right up close to her until she had to look up, or focus on his beautiful pecs. She almost smiled thinking of teasing with Priest about Joshua’s pecs last night, but this was no time for smiling. Joshua’s look was hot, imploring, incredible. His voice was low and sweet, “I’m sorry, Jade. I’ll stop with the scenarios. Please forgive me for teasing you?”
Jade didn’t need any more reasons to be upset with him, there was definitely enough between them with the embezzling nightmare and the trust issues that they both fully understood. No, she didn’t want to be upset and she generally took teasing pretty well. It was the way she’d reacted to him that she was upset about.
“It
wasn’t you,” she said. “It’s me.” She looked down at the sand and admitted, “I’m drawn to you as well but it makes me feel guilty about Jesse, and mad because you don’t trust me.” But she wasn’t certain she trusted him either. What if he was only hitting on her to talk her out of pressing charges for harassment when they found the real thief?
There was a long pause. There were a couple of children giggling nearby and the waves were softly rolling and she could hear Joshua breathing. Every instinct was to reach up and touch him. Maybe his face, maybe his chest, even just his arm. She kept her head down and her hands to herself, like she’d asked him to do.
Joshua tilted her chin up with just the tips of his fingers. The warmth of his touch made her tingle, and made her want more from him, a lot more. He looked deeply at her and said, “Thank you for admitting that. I understand about Jesse and I understand about the trust issues. All I’m asking for is some time. Please give me a chance to be around you, to get to know each other, and let’s just see where it leads. If after the cruise you don’t want to see me again …” He paused and clenched his jaw so hard a muscle worked in it. “I’ll understand and respect that.”
Jade couldn’t imagine a world where she would be able to write off this incredible man, but she was going to give Jesse time next week. She knew she and Jesse had no solid commitment, they barely knew each other, but she’d been far too invested in him too quickly to write him off, even for the likes of Joshua Jewel.
“Thank you,” she said. “We’ll try friends.”
“Friends,” he agreed, but then he ran the tips of his fingers across her arm.
She predictably filled up with heat and wanted more. “None of that,” she said in exasperation.
Joshua lifted his eyebrows. “Sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Okay, I’m not.”
“You can’t be trying to get away with touching me all week.” She folded her arms across her chest to create some distance and unfortunately her arm brushed his chest and more tingly feelings appealed.
Do Marry Your Billionaire Boss (Jewel Family Romance Book 1) Page 10