Caught Up In You (Indigo Royal Resort Book 2)

by Claire Hastings

  “I know I'm asking the wrong person on the wrong day, but I need a favor,” he said. “I need you to please run next door to the old Riggs place.”

  “Why? What’s over there?” she asked, curious what on earth he could need from an empty old house.

  “They have found a buyer, and the guy is willing to entertain the idea of selling us a corner of the lot like we’ve been trying for, and he’s drawn up a proposal. So I need someone to go pick it up while they are all over there.”

  “They can’t just email it?”

  “Guy is apparently old school and likes his paper,” he shrugged. “I’ve got to meet the mechanic down at the marina because Kyle is out on a tour. Vaughn is waist deep in something. Miller…well, Miller doesn’t ever leave the kitchen. I know asking the housekeeping manager to leave the resort on a changeover day is not optimal, but you’re the only manager I can spare at the moment and since it’s legal paperwork, I don’t want to send just anyone.”

  “It’s fine, I’ll head over right now. I’ll be gone ten minutes. What do you want me to do with the paperwork when I get back?”

  “Just lock it in your desk for now. Vaughn or I will get it from you later.”

  The long dirt drive that led to the big old house on the Riggs estate was in desperate need of grading, and the washboard surface that was left made for a borderline uncomfortable ride in Leona’s old sedan. It had been years since she’d set foot on this property, and she actually couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen anyone over here. In high school, every now and again some of the boys would kick a ball around the large field that took up the entire front portion of the lot, since the house was set back toward the beach. The house had sat completely empty, without any kind of visitor, for the majority of her life, and she’d always considered it a waste that no one was enjoying such an amazing piece of property. When the for sale sign had gone up a few weeks back, her first thought had been that maybe some new owners could breathe some life back into the property. As long as it wasn’t another resort that opened.

  Pulling up to the large, traditional Caribbean-style house, she saw a white SUV parked by the unattached garage. She parked next to it, figuring it to be the rental of the new buyer who must be inside the house. Getting out of her car and walking toward the villa, she took a moment to take in the structure. The single-level home had a gray stucco outside that was cracked in places and needed a coat of paint, but otherwise was not in horrible shape. She knew from the real estate listings she’d looked up online when she’d first seen the for sale sign pop up that it was almost four thousand square feet, playing host to five bedrooms and six bathrooms, and opened to a seaside deck complete with a pool and views out over the beach. Oh, and it had a front courtyard that was housed behind eight-foot walls to ensure privacy. The pictures of the inside had shown that it was once very nice, but now was dated and in need of some repairs. That was, if whoever bought it didn’t simply level it and start over.

  She walked through the archway into the courtyard, looking around for whomever was supposed to be waiting on her. The only thing she found was an old, rusted set of table and chairs, so she turned and walked through another archway that led to the front door of the villa. There was no answer when she knocked, so she tried the door handle. Finding it unlocked, she opened it and let herself in, calling out, asking if anyone was there.

  “Out back,” she heard a voice call. It was hard to hear over the breeze that whooshed the door when she opened it.

  For as big as this house was, it had a lot of walls to it still, giving it a very closed-off feel. The new owner would certainly want to knock these down as part of their remodel. When she finally found the set of French doors that opened to the back deck from what she assumed was the “large living room,” she walked out into the sun to find the new buyer standing there, facing the beach.

  Even with his back to her, she knew it was him. She'd memorized the landscape of his back long ago, even before they’d become more. But even if she hadn’t, the tattoos peeking out from under his shirtsleeve would have been a dead giveaway.

  Before she could stop herself, she let out a little gasp of surprise, freezing in place. What was he doing here? Did he buy this place?

  He turned around as she raised her right hand to cover her mouth, still shocked that it was him standing before her. He was supposed to be in Atlanta, starting his new life. Not standing before her on a dingy, decaying deck. Her heart started to beat faster at the sight of him, and even faster still when he started to walk toward her.

  “Menina,” he said softly.

  The nickname had stopped annoying her sometime in the weeks past when she realized he had been calling her that simply as a way to hide his attraction to her all these years. But hearing it now, this was the first time she’d ever been comforted by it. She hadn’t realized she’d gotten so used to hearing the way his accent transformed the word or just how much she had missed it.

  She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She was so shocked, her thoughts moving rapid-fire through her head, that she couldn’t stop them long enough to form words. Instead, he stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in until her body was flush with his. A broad, impish grin appeared on his face as he looked down at her, causing her to suck in a breath. He leaned down, quickly capturing her lips with his. He kissed her hard and deep, pulling her body impossibly closer to his. Her hands found his well-muscled back and held on tight, afraid that somehow he was still just a figment of her imagination. She could feel his kiss all the way down to her toes, and suddenly it was like nothing else on earth mattered. No kiss had ever compared to this one, even the ones from the other night in the spa, which, at the time, she had been sure nothing was ever going to live up to. She had been very wrong.

  When he finally pulled back from the kiss, she let out a sound of disappointment. It took her a moment to regain all her sense, and she was glad he hadn't fully stepped away from her, out of fear her knees might give way after that kiss.

  Once she was back in her right mind, she looked up at him. He was still there, with that same impish grin on his gorgeous face.

  “You’re supposed to be in Atlanta,” she finally said.

  “Don’t tell me you’re not happy to see me,” he said, laughing.

  “No, I am, I just…” she trailed off, pulling away from him and walking over to the railing that looked out over the beach. As much as she wanted to drink him in, she couldn’t look at him right now. It was hard enough processing her feelings with him standing there, much less actually looking at him while they talked.

  “Just what?”

  “What about the job?”

  “I didn’t take it. I told them my heart wasn’t in it and I gave them the name of someone else to call.”

  “What do you mean your heart’s not in it?” she asked, confused. She knew he had been debating on whether to take the job, but she didn’t realize there was more to the decision than just giving up on being a player.

  “Just that. I could do the job, but I’m not going to be passionate about it and I didn’t feel it was fair to them, or me, to be just lukewarm over it. They don’t need that as a new team.”

  “Then where is your heart?” she asked, turning to face him.

  There was a concerned expression on his face, but it faded as she looked him in the eyes. There were so many emotions racing through her, it was all she could do to concentrate on those golden-brown irises. He walked toward her, stopping when he was just barely outside arms’ reach from her.

  “I’m looking at it.”

  Cullen had run through what to say over and over again on his way down here from Atlanta. He’d been all over the map with his words and his emotions. Going from sounding too business like, to so overly cheesy that he was afraid she’d never believe him. Nothing sounded right. In the end, he figured he’d know in the moment. But now, here he was, afraid that what he’d said hadn’t made any
sense or that he sounded flat-out stupid.

  Her sudden intake of breath was enough for him to know that he’d caught her off guard with his feelings. He hoped it was because he’d said what she wanted to hear and not because she was preparing to write him off again.

  “Cullen,” she whispered.

  “I mean it, Menina. You are my heart. And I couldn’t start the next chapter of my life without it,” he told her. He took a step forward, still leaving room between them, but close enough to take her left hand and hold it in his.

  “But we’re—” she started.

  “No, stop,” he cut her off, squeezing her hand lightly. “You did all the talking the last time. This time, I’m going to do the talking. I know you think we’re too different and that I have some big fancy life I need to get back to, but I don’t. For one, I’ve never had that big and fancy of a life. I’ve told you how I grew up. So even once I did have millions, it still didn’t make sense to live over the top. I won’t lie, I have some nice shit, but not a lot of it.” He shook his head and laughed lightly as that impish smile returned. “But even if I had to give up all that nice shit that I have, fine. I’d rather have the girl. Sorry, woman. Because she…you…are what is going to make the rest of my life worthwhile. Not some job, or stuff. Not football. You. And a simple, island life with you sounds like a dream come true.”

  “Cullen…” she choked out, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.

  He pulled her in close and kissed her forehead. He let her cry for a moment, holding her against his chest as she did. He had so much more he wanted to tell her, but he didn’t want her so overwhelmed with emotion that she missed it. When he finally let go, stepping back to look at her, she gave him a smile that told him to keep going.

  “So, I took some liberties here. I bought us some land.” He made a sweeping motion with his arms, showing off what was around them. “We won’t need all of it, so I have offered to let Grayson buy a portion of it for his adventure stuff. He seemed pretty excited about all that becoming a reality. Then I figure we could take that space up front that is currently just fields and dirt and turn it into football pitches. That’ll probably require a fieldhouse of some kind too.”

  “A fieldhouse? What for?”

  “Equipment, locker rooms, a room to watch tape in, that kind of thing. Maybe even a space for kids to just hang out if they need a place to go.” Leona stared back at him with a confused look on her face. He was going too fast, forgetting portions of the plan. “Oh, sorry, I left that part out. The plan is to run camps and do some training here. Simone said she would put me in contact with the USVI National Team so we can partner together.”

  “Camps? Like the ones you just did?” she asked, a spark of excitement in her voice.

  “Exactly, but also next level stuff too. I can run ones for local kids, either free or at a reduced rate to support the community and help build up the sport on the island. But I can also leverage my name and host other camps that charge a premium. Not to get too into the nitty-gritty, but those would be what would really fund the whole place, letting me offer more stuff for free for those who can’t afford it otherwise. If it all gets large enough, I might need to bring on some staff, but at least to begin with, it’ll be all me. Hands-on, working with kids like Josef who need someone who knows what they are doing to help them get to the next level. And has the connections to get them there.”

  “What are you going to do with this house?”

  “Well, that depends on you,” he said, stepping closer to her again.

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you,” he answered. He took both her hands in his and held on tight. “If you like the house, we can renovate it, update, change, fix, whatever you want. If you hate it, we can knock it down and start over. Your call, Menina.”

  “Cullen, I don’t know what to say,” she said, starting to tear up again.

  “Then just keep listening, because I have plenty more to say. I have been taken by you since I first saw you. I have spent ten years caught up in your spell. You were stunning then and have only become more so every year. But it’s not just about how incredibly sexy you are. You are a smart and passionate woman who puts everyone else first. It’s time that someone spent their days putting you first, and I want that someone to be me. I love you, Amorzinho.”

  With those last few words, her tears started up again and she let out a small, silent sob. The smile that accompanied the tears let him know that they were happy ones, and that he’d managed to find the right words.

  “I should have said it the other morning on the beach. I should never have gotten on the plane or gone to Atlanta without telling you how I felt. I don’t have many regrets in life, but that is easily one of my biggest. Not telling you the moment I knew that you were special. More than just special. That you were the only thing I could ever want or need. I love you, Leona.”

  “Say it again,” she whispered.

  He pulled her in close and lifted a hand to wipe away her tears. She shivered lightly at his touch, and he loved feeling her react that way in his arms. He kissed her softly.

  “I love you, Leona.”

  “I love you, too, Cullen.”

  “So what do you say, Lee? A quiet, simple life with me here on the island sound good to you?” he asked.

  She laughed. “I don’t know how quiet it’s going to be with a mini sports complex on our property, or next to a resort’s adventure park.”

  “We don’t have to do either of those things if you don’t want. Nothing is set in stone,” he told her.

  “No, I love the idea. I loved watching you with all those kids that day. And watching you with Jo-bro, well, a girl could get used to that,” she said, a wide smile taking over her face. “Just as long as at the end of every day, it’s your arms I get to fall asleep in.”

  “I promise, Lee, I will never let you fall in any way, if I’m not there to catch you.”

  Epilogue

  Two weeks later

  Leona stood just outside Cherish Spa, lightly bouncing up and down in place wondering where on earth Cullen was. The ribbon cutting ceremony was about to start any minute and if he didn’t hurry up, he was going to miss it. And since he was the ribbon cutter, he was going to be in some deep shit if that was the case. Whatever this phone call was, it better have been really important to risk missing this. He knew how important this was to Drea, and by extension to Leona. Not to mention, she had been secretly hoping they would sneak back into treatment room three and have a repeat session.

  Not that they needed to sneak around anymore. It was now very public knowledge that she and Cullen were together. As part of the deal for selling them a portion of the lot to expand the resort, Cullen had worked out an agreement with the Quinlans to stay in La Isla Bonita while the old Riggs house was renovated. This now made him a “resident” of the resort, rather than a guest, so Leona had not been breaking any rules when she moved all her stuff out of her suite in the staff dorm and into the bungalow.

  According to the contractor that Cullen had spent the last two weeks working on plans with, they’d be done renovating the old house in three to four months. That timeline seemed awfully fast to Leona, considering all the things they had discussed changing, plus all the general repairs that were needed to get a house that had sat empty for so long up to code. But what did she know—her area of expertise was housekeeping, not house building. In the end, she didn’t really care how long it took, since every night she got to fall asleep in Cullen’s arms and then wake up each morning with those same arms still holding her tight.

  The one portion of being a superstar’s girlfriend she hadn’t been fully prepared for was the notoriety that came with it. It wasn't just public knowledge on the resort or around St. Thomas that she and Cullen were a pair, but word had gotten out to the rest of the world as well. When the story broke that Cullen had turned down the offer of coaching a brand-new team in Atlanta in favor of opening his own training facility in the Virgin
Islands, the media about lost their minds. Within a day and a half, news outlets from all over the US and Europe had landed at the Indigo Royal, trying to get an interview with him. Of course, they quickly picked up on the other breaking news story that Cullen Cruz had given up his “playboy ways” and was settling down with an island native. Leona hadn’t been prepared to be the focus of their stories, or for a photo of her and Cullen together to be the coveted prize, but Cullen didn’t blink an eye in telling them to leave her alone or he would press charges for harassment.

  For a brief moment Vaughn threatened to press charges against Felicity and the young maintenance guy she paid off to gain access to the resort. It was thanks to Carlos that they even figured out who it was that Felicity had manipulated to get her way, having overheard the kid in the employee parking lot talking about the hot blonde who approached him. Leona had been so relieved it wasn’t Carlos that had been the culprit, she convinced the uncles to not press any charges and to just fire the kid. She and Cullen didn’t need any more attention drawn to them.

  Cullen rushed back over to where Leona was standing, weaving through a bunch of other staff members as he did so. When he had suggested to Drea that she use all the media attention he was bringing to the resort to her advantage and that she should do an opening ceremony for the spa, Leona had thought he was crazy. But seeing the way Drea lit up at the idea, she decided to keep her opinion to herself. Truth be told, it would be nice to have the group of reporters and photographers that were still hanging about focused on something other than her and Cullen for a moment. She also loved that Cullen hadn’t thought twice about doing something for Drea. He'd taken to life at Indigo Royal pretty quickly and had slipped into her group of friends and family like he’d always been there.

  “Sorry, that was Gunnar,” he said, kissing her lightly on the cheek.