All I Desire (Paradise Beach Book 4)

by Tamara Lush

  “Yeah,” he grunts. “You heard from him?”

  “Got an email.” Our younger brother’s in Syria as a military contractor.

  “Did he say anything substantial?”

  I shrug. “He’s thinking about getting a job with the island fire department. Talking about attending the fire academy in Tampa when he returns.”

  Max raises his eyebrows. As much as our younger, twin brothers are risk-takers, Max is the total opposite. Everything Max does is well-thought-out and carefully planned. Except for pairing with Lauren. She was his one and only curveball.

  “Okay, so I’m going to send the contract to FUN. The nudists. Okay?” I ask briskly. In truth, I want to hustle Max out of my office before Matthew arrives because I know my brother will grill me. He’s extremely protective of all of us, but especially me — probably because he knows what I went through with Chad.

  “Fine.” He stuffs more gummy worms into his mouth. “You hungry? Want to grab lunch at the bar?”

  “God, Max. Don’t eat all of those.”

  “I’ll buy you more. C’mon, let’s get a burger.”

  “No, I have plans.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  Just then, my phone rings. It’s the front desk. I press the speakerphone button. “Hey.”

  “Nat? A Mister Matthew Mancini is here to see you.”

  “Thanks. I’ll be right out.”

  “Matthew Mancini?” Max quirks an eyebrow. “Is this the head of the naked group?”

  I stand and snort out a laugh, but inside, I’m a little warm at the idea of a naked Matt. “No. He’s a friend. The guy I did the photoshoot with.”

  “Oh yeah, the one you made out with on the beach. Dex from the Grouper told me.”

  I gave a non-committal nod. “He’s running a new helicopter tour business here on the island.”

  Max grins and climbs to his feet. “So, you’re going to talk business.”

  “No, we’re going to have lunch as friends. Now shoo.”

  “Hell no. I’m going to the front desk to meet this guy.”

  I put my hands on my hips. “Max.”

  “Come on. I love helicopters.”

  “You do not. You think they’re dangerous death traps.”

  “I like to meet new business owners.” He’s at the door now, holding it open for me.

  “Fine.” I know he won’t take no for an answer, and I don’t feel like arguing. “Way to respect my boundaries, dude,” I mutter.

  We walk down the hall, toward the front desk. “I just want to meet him. You never have lunch with men here at the resort. I’m curious.”

  I wonder if this is a good idea, introducing the two of them. Will Matthew think it’s too soon? I guess we’re about to find out, because he’s standing at the front desk, wearing a gray T-shirt and jeans. He’s a little bigger and broader than my brother, and the sight of those arm muscles makes my feminine heart flop around in my chest.

  Okay, and I’m feeling things in other vital lady parts, too.

  “Hey,” he grins.

  I immediately start perspiring. It’s either from lust or nerves, and I giggle. Max looks at me in wide-eyed shock, probably because I’m not normally a giggler. I gently, and awkwardly, shove my shoulder into Matthew’s rock-solid arm.

  “I’d like you to meet my brother, Max. Max, this is Matthew. The, ah, friend, I was telling you about.”

  The two men shake hands and make small talk about helicopters. The small talk turns into a detailed discussion about helicopter engines, something I had no idea that Max cared about.

  “Do your choppers have turbine or reciprocating engines?” Max asks casually.

  Matthew’s eyes light up. They’re chatting with a level of familiarity reserved for aviation mechanics who have served two tours together in Iraq.

  I tap my foot impatiently. Clear my throat. There’s some discussion of torque. My eyes begin to glaze over. Okay, boys. I put my hand on Matthew’s forearm and give it a little squeeze. He looks my way and laughs.

  “Well, we’re off to lunch,” I trill, giving his arm a little tug.

  My brother holds out his hand and the two men shake. I glance down and notice that Matthew’s knuckles are white. Leave it to Max to pull some subtle, power-male move. I fight the urge to roll my eyes.

  Max releases Matthew’s hand and pats me on the shoulder. “Have fun. Oh, Nat? You need to call Leilani. She’s doing some mermaid thing and wants your input. Forgot to tell you.”

  “Thanks.”

  Matthew and I walk down the hall, my black heels clacking on the tile. I’m dressed up today in what I think of as my “uniform:” a black, linen sheath dress. I have five of the same dress, and I wear one every day to work.

  “Sorry about that. When my brother found out that you were coming, he wanted to meet you. I hope he didn’t cut off circulation to your hand. He’s a little protective. Over-protective.”

  “Why are you apologizing? I’m happy to meet anyone in your family.” He grins. Oh dear. Is he as smitten with me as I am with him? God, I hope so. There’s still that issue of him being a single dad, and I’m not sure I’m ready to be a part of that situation.

  Still, my stomach feels fluttery in new and exciting ways.

  “How’s your family, anyway? How’s your daughter feeling about the move? Any last minute-jitters?”

  “She’s anxious, wondering if kids here will like her. If she’ll be bullied again. It’s so friggin’ hard. I never imagined we’d be dealing with this, you know? When your kid is born, you fall in love, and you assume the entire world will love her as much as you do.”

  Why does he get more attractive each time he reveals more about how attentive he is as a father?

  Our hands brush against each other’s and an electric zing shoots through my body. My soul feels warm when I’m around him, I swear. We’ve seen each other all of three times and I’m head-over-heels. But we’ve texted a lot, too. And talked on the phone. Video chatted. Doesn’t that count for something?

  “What did your brother mean by some mermaid thing, by the way?” he asks in that velvety voice of his, interrupting my racing thoughts.

  “My soon-to-be sister-in-law owns a mermaid lounge.”

  “You have an interesting family. I think I heard about that place. Mermosa? Downtown? Where mermaids swim in a tank?”

  “That’s it.”

  And then, a brilliant idea comes to me. I stop in the hall and grab his hand. He looks down with those gorgeous, grey eyes.

  “Matthew, does your daughter like mermaids?”

  Chapter Ten

  MATTHEW

  “Mermaids?” I’m so captivated by the way the sunlight from a nearby window is striking her bright, blue eyes that I can’t do anything but repeat her last word.

  “Yeah, you know, like Ariel? Weeki Wachee? The chick on the Starbucks cup?”

  “Well, sure. I guess.” I thread my fingers through Natalia’s. “Chloe did say something about wanting to go to that Weeki Wachee place.”

  “Aha,” Nat says triumphantly, tugging me down the hall. “Mermosa’s closer.”

  “What? You want to bring my daughter to a mermaid lounge?”

  “Would you have a problem with that?”

  I grin. “Depends. I’d have to know more about it.”

  We’re still holding hands as we walk into the resort’s restaurant. The words GULFSIDE GRILL are painted on a surfboard that hangs just inside the entrance. The décor’s best described as minimalist surf shop, all sleek teak and white, with a few strategically positioned colorful longboards around the place. There’s a bank of windows overlooking the beach, and the place is about three-quarters full, which is impressive for the slow season. Opposite the windows on a wall, there are giant, framed, black and white photos of dogs on the beach.

  Well, one dog. A rather fat pug. I think it’s the dog I saw the day of the photoshoot. Or this family really loves pugs.

  “Hey Mark,” Natalia calls
out to a waiter, a youngish guy with a handlebar moustache.

  “Hey Nat. Table for two? Indoor or out?”

  Nat turns to me. “Any preference? It’s still kinda hot out, so…”

  “Indoors, definitely. I’ve been working outside all morning on a chopper.”

  “Indoors,” Nat tells the waiter. We follow him to a table and slide into opposite sides of the booth. The waiter hands me a menu.

  “I know what you want.” He winks at Nat, then turns to me. “Something to drink for you?”

  “Iced tea, please.” The waiter saunters off.

  She turns to me. “I always order the same thing when I come here.”

  “Which is?”

  “Blue crab bisque and a BLT salad.”

  “Interesting combo.”

  Her eyes light up. “You know what’s interesting? You. A chopper? Tell me more about the helicopters. You were so animated back there, talking to Max.”

  There’s something about the way she engages, it just draws me in. I shrug. “I like engines and aircraft.”

  “Yeah, but flying them…” The waiter returns with two iced teas.

  “I’ll have what she’s having.” I point to Nat.

  “Good deal,” he responds, and hustles away.

  She looks at me expectantly. “Go on.”

  “I love to fly, but also love the mechanics. When Delta offered a buyout, I jumped at the chance and took it, then took the plunge and bought the helicopter business here. That’s been a dream of mine, it was just a matter of where. And when.”

  “And why Paradise?”

  “I wanted someplace smaller than Fort Lauderdale. Somewhere with lots of tourists. My mom lived here with my stepfather for a spell some years back, and I always liked it the few times I visited when I was younger. I’ve also brought Chloe here over the years for vacation. It just seems like my speed.”

  There. That’s all she needs to know about my fucked-up family.

  “I love it here. Max, the brother you just met, he left for a while. But he’s back now for good, I think. And my youngest brother, Damien, he went into the Marines. He’s in Syria now as a military contractor. But my brothers Tate and Remy have never left. I haven’t either. Well,” she hesitates, “I did go away for college, but I missed it something fierce. I think it’s the most beautiful place on the planet.”

  There’s a pause, and we stare into each other’s eyes. God, she’s so gorgeous in her business dress with her hair all swept back. She almost looks like a different person than the last two times I saw her. Not prettier, not better, just different. All three times, she’s been pretty damned sexy.

  “So, about that mermaid idea,” I say.

  “Yeah.” She tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Leilani’s been wanting to do birthday parties for kids. I was thinking that maybe we could do a test party for your daughter. Kind of a welcome to Paradise Beach party. Do you think she’d like that? Is she an introvert? An extrovert? What if we found other girls her age to invite? I know Leilani has plans for face painting, games, non-alcoholic, ocean-themed drinks. Stuff like that.”

  I tear open the straw wrapper. “Hmm. That’s a good question. I feel like she’s an extrovert who’s been forced into being an introvert because of her situation at school. She does love mermaids, though. And quirky things, so she’d probably love a mermaid party.”

  Natalia straightens her spine. “It would be great if we could give her a proper welcome here during her first week or so. I mean, if you want. I don’t want to bust in on your plans. Just because we’re…” she points at me, then at her, “doing this thing we’re doing. I’m not trying to take over and be her mom or anything.”

  She bites her lip, and just when I’m about to respond, she rolls her eyes. “Jesus. Sorry. I’m overstepping, aren’t I? I don’t know what I’m doing here. I’m not mom material and have never dated anyone with a kid. And we barely know each other. I’ve got so many questions like…”

  Then she claps her hand over her mouth.

  I’m laughing at this point. “Cutie, I’m not laughing at you. But why are you so worried? I think it’s sweet for you to even offer. What are your questions?”

  “Lord. I just implied that we’re dating and we’ve only seen each other like three times. I’m a bit of a mess, no?”

  “All pretty wonderful and intense times, I’d say. Not a mess at all. You can ask me anything.”

  She licks her lips. “Why did you get divorced?” Then she laughs. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that.”

  Funny, when other women on dates asked me that, I always felt too weary to explain and would do so halfheartedly. Today, though, I’m eager to. Probably because I knew it would come up sooner or later, and I’m glad it’s sooner.

  “We met in college. And married pretty young. We had Chloe when we were already having some troubles, and we thought we could fix it with a baby. Not proud of that.” I pause and watch her blink those long lashes of hers several times. “We tried to make our relationship better after Chloe was born, for several years. But I was flying a lot, we had different schedules, and we grew apart. We were more like roommates. And then she fell for someone at work.”

  Natalia’s bottom lip quivers. “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m not. It was for the best, strange as that is to say. I’d checked out, she was phoning it in. It was a good divorce. A mature one. It forced me to dial back on my career so I could spend more time with Chloe. Which is what led me to the buyout and the career change and Paradise Beach. And Yvette found someone else she’s passionate about.”

  “I see. I guess I don’t know many divorced people, or people who get along with their exes. So, it was fate?”

  “Yeah. Kind of. Like what we talked about that first day. You asked me if I believe in fate. I do.”

  She nods slowly, like she’s taking it all in. “Yeah. I understand your answer now. But I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. I’m not trying to insert myself into your life. It’s just me and my insane curiosity.”

  “Really, you can ask me anything about my life.” I grin.

  “And… I’m a planner. An organizer. I bring people together. That’s also why when you said your daughter had been bullied…” She takes a long sip of her tea through a straw.

  “That what?” I might be mistaken, but Natalia’s beautiful, blue eyes look a bit glossy and wet. Did I say something wrong about my divorce?

  “I hate bullies.” Her voice is flinty. “I was bullied in middle school, and in high school, had a, uh, pretty complicated relationship with a guy who used and bullied me. It was more like we were dating and he emotionally abused me. But it started with bullying. So, I’m sensitive to anyone who’s going through it. That’s all.”

  “I’m sorry,” I say softly, reaching for her hand. She holds her palm facing me, and I press mine against hers. The flash of vulnerability in her eyes makes my stomach tighten uncomfortably. It’s pretty clear that she’s feisty and strong enough to stand up to anyone now, though. I love that about her.

  She nods. “I am too. It took me years to get over. And I wish someone had told me my younger self that what was happening to me wasn’t okay. Back then, there wasn’t the same awareness. So, whatever I can do to help your daughter, I’m here. Just ask, okay? Even if nothing comes of us, you can always talk to me about my experiences so she can grow up healthy. Deal?”

  An unexpected lump forms in my throat as I think of my daughter sobbing herself to sleep. As I think of how strong Natalia is now.

  “Deal,” I agree.

  For the rest of lunch, we talk about lighter subjects. She tells me the history of the resort, how her parents bought it, and how she and her brother are running the place.

  When we’re finished, we stroll out.

  “Do you have time for a tour?” she asks.

  I don’t, but I want more time with her. “Absolutely.”

  She leads me through the main building, pointi
ng out the historic architectural details, then takes me past the palm tree-lined pool and the outdoor bar, then through the garden.

  “This is where my brother Damien got married.”

  “It’s a perfect spot.” We pause on a wooden platform that’s surrounded by tropical foliage on two sides, and the hotel and the Gulf on the other two. There’s a thunderstorm brewing in the distance, furious, dark clouds and lightning crackling in the sky.

  “Yeah. This was always my favorite spot of all the places at the resort. This wasn’t always here.” She taps her stiletto on the wood and gestures with her hand in a sweeping motion. “It was all just garden, with a little canopy of jasmine. I used to come here when I was little and play for hours.”

  She looks from the Gulf and into my eyes, then grins. “Thank you for meeting me for lunch. It made my day a thousand percent better.”

  “Same.”

  She steps closer, and I can’t help it. I cup her face and put my lips to hers. She sighs pleasurably against my mouth.

  Thunder rumbles in the distance and she slides her arms around me. “I could make out with you all day, right here. Just like this.”

  I give her a tight squeeze, burying my nose against her hair, which smells like salt and peaches. “Me too, Natalia. Me too.”

  “What are we doing, Matthew?” Her voice is a whisper.

  “Standing here, kissing and hugging as a storm comes in?”

  She breaks away and grins, resting her hands on my chest.

  “Oh. You mean us?”

  She nods and lifts an eyebrow.

  I shake my head. “No idea. But I’m loving every second with you.”

  She takes a huge breath. “Same. Look, I’m not one to play games, so I’m just going to say it. I feel really good when I’m with you. Intense and full of happiness. I know that sounds sappy, but there it is. And we haven’t even slept together.”

  I cradle her jaw in my hands. “Well, I was actually wondering if we could fix that situation tonight. Wanted to see if you’re free after work.” The fact that I’ve only got three more nights before Chloe comes to live with me hangs in the air, unsaid.