Andy shook his head. “He knew how to prey on my every emotion, but Marjorie encouraged me to stand up to him. Stand behind what I’d said. And I did.” He could picture her sandy blonde hair. Her bright eyes.
That scar that now jagged across her face.
He blinked, pressed his eyes closed, but the image wouldn’t go. Tony kept him up-to-date on everything Marjorie too.
“He caused a major car accident one night while Marjorie and I were on our way home from a business function. We were both injured, but especially Marjorie. The truck that hit us actually backed up and rammed us again, on her side.” Andy tried to make his saliva glands work, but they seemed to be on vacation too. “That’s how I knew the attempt our both of our lives was deliberate.”
“I just can’t believe this,” Sami whispered. “It’s like something out of a movie.”
“Reality is always stranger than fiction,” Andy said. “Anyway.” He wanted to skip ahead, tired of talking all the time. “I decided to disappear. I couldn’t face Marjorie. It’s my biggest regret, not talking to her and telling her. I’m sure she was so afraid. So betrayed.”
He drew in a long breath, trying to eradicate the guilt pinching and pricking at him. “I left a large amount of money with her parents, and I asked them to please apologize to her from me. I haven’t seen her since.”
Sami straightened, turning her face toward him. “Do you still love her?”
He nodded, his emotions choking off his ability to talk. He struggled against them for a few seconds. “I do, at least a little,” he said. “I pay a private investigator to keep an eye on my father and brother, as well as Marjorie. Just to make sure she’s safe. She left Chicago too. She lives in Pittsburg now, and she’s married with a little girl. She moved on.” His voice held ghosts, but at least Marjorie had gotten her happy ending.
“Do you think your father will go after her again?”
“No,” Andy said. “She can’t get to me. That’s why I left, to protect her.” He looked into Sami’s eyes. So trusting. So sincere. So beautiful. “So you should know, Sami, that if he ever finds out about you and me—us—you’ll be in danger.” He leaned down and touched the tip of his nose to hers. “I like you. I want to see if we can have something great. But it’s a risk—a big one—for you, and you should think about it.”
He didn’t want her to think about it. He wanted her to close the few inches between their mouths and kiss him. Instead, he pulled back and watched a range of emotions march across her face.
“I didn’t know you had a relationship with your previous boss,” he said. “That colors things too.”
“Yeah.” She nodded, her eyes focused somewhere in her past.
“Everything we do would need to be kept under tight lock and key. A complete secret from the staff at Tanner Global. From your friends. From your family, whom I know you’re close to.”
“I’m the black sheep, remember?”
“You still love them,” he said. “Still eat dinner with them most weeks.” He’d never accepted her invitation to the Sunday evening dinner, mostly because he didn’t like the reason she’d asked.
Yes, it would’ve been different had she invited him because she wanted to spend time with him, introduce him to her family. But no. She’d invited him because she pitied him, felt bad for him that he didn’t have a family of his own.
He didn’t need a family.
At least he’d never thought he did. But Sami was opening new doors for him. Doors with darkness beyond them, raging with fear and the unknown.
But, if she was willing, Andy wanted to step through one. Find the light switch, and find out if he could have a real relationship with someone again.
He swept a quick kiss across her temple. “So much to think about. I’m going to go sift through my email for an hour. Then should we have dinner on the beach again?”
Thankfully, she nodded, and Andy carefully disentangled himself from her to stand up. “I’ll arrange it all. You can nap or shower or whatever.”
He’d taken several steps before she asked, “Andy?” her voice almost childlike.
“Hmm?” He turned back to her, her vulnerability something she rarely showed. He adored her, only realizing it in that moment. He adored her strength and her weakness, and a rush of affection for her overcame him.
“Could you bring your laptop back over here? Or I can come over to your bungalow. I…don’t want to be alone.” She stood up and rubbed her hands along her arms as if she were cold.
He extended his hand toward her, and she hurried over to him, slipping her fingers between his effortlessly. Andy lifted her fingers to his lips for a quick kiss, and they went to his guest house together.
His email distracted him sufficiently enough, at least for a little while. Sami had fallen asleep curled into his couch almost as soon as they’d come to his place. He liked watching her sleep. Liked listening to the gentle inhalations and exhalations she made. Liked the peace on her face.
He hoped she’d want to be with him despite the danger. At the same time, he hated that he hoped for that. He didn’t want to be the reason another woman got injured—or worse. But Tony hadn’t returned his call, so there wasn’t anything to report from his father and brother. There couldn’t be.
Everything was fine.
He searched on the Costa Rican travel sites for someone who could come set up a candlelit dinner service, but they required twenty-four-hours advanced noticed. He called to set something up for tomorrow night, once again hoping Sami would still be open to the idea of a secret romance with him. If she wasn’t, all those candles and roses would serve as the ultimate humiliation.
With that booked, he found the resort where they were staying had a huge taco bar in one of the pool-side restaurants. They wouldn’t deliver, but he could get a reservation for six-fifteen. He booked it, thinking if Sami didn’t want to face another crowd, he could simply order room service.
She woke only moments after he’d solidified their evening plans, and wow, she was gorgeous just coming out of the dregs of sleep. Andy moved over to the couch across from her and smiled.
“Hey, beautiful.” He’d wanted to tell her how beautiful she was to him for a long time. It almost felt surreal to be doing it. He explained their evening plans and asked if she preferred tacos and crowds and live music, or the solitude of the beach and room service.
“Let’s go to the taco bar,” she said without hesitation.
“You sure?”
“Yes,” she said, standing up. She moved over to the couch to sit beside him. “What time?”
“Six-fifteen.”
“Enough time to soak in the hot tub then.” She smiled up at him, her arm linked through his. “You want to?”
“Are you going to wear that red swimming suit again?” She hadn’t even taken off the cover up yesterday, but his pulse hammered in the back of his throat anyway.
“Of course not,” she said with a mock scoff. “You said I should pack all my suits and wear a different one every day.”
He nodded, a smile stealing across his face. “That I did.”
She pressed into him, driving him toward the brink of madness when she lifted her face toward his. She was so close, so dang close. “I always do what my boss says.”
He wasn’t sure if she was talking dirty to him or not. Her statement sure got his blood pumping, and he watched as her eyes dropped to his mouth and back.
“When did you—I mean, maybe you don’t even have feelings for me.” Foolishness raced through him. It had been a long time since he’d even thought about having a woman in his life.
“I do,” she admitted.
“Are they new?”
She lowered her head and looked at her hands, finally shaking her head no. Happiness burst through him, and Andy admired her even more for hiding things so well. If she could fool him into thinking she felt nothing for him, their secret tryst would go off without a hitch.
“When?” he aske
d, not sure why he cared.
“Christmas,” she said. “You kissed Leeanne, and I was so, so jealous. I sort of hovered near the mistletoe for the rest of the night, but you avoided it like the plague. I felt like an idiot.”
Andy’s heart bled for her. He gently touched her face and guided her to look at him. “Don’t feel like an idiot,” he whispered. “I saw you there, and I couldn’t kiss you without you knowing how I felt. I couldn’t risk it then.”
Her eyes sparkled with life, with laughter, with an edge of love. Of course she loved him—they’d worked together seamlessly for eight years. Maybe it wasn’t the kind of romantic love he wanted—yet.
He leaned closer to her, their breath mingling. “Can I kiss you now? There’s no mistletoe.” His eyes drifted closed, his desire for her reaching epic levels.
“Yes,” she whispered, and Andy wasted no time eradicating the small distance that remained between them. Her lips against his sent fire raging through him. He reached up and knotted his fingers through her hair, the kiss turning passionate and rough after a single heartbeat.
Sami held on, went with him, as Andy kissed her and kissed her, the desire and fantasies he’d entertained for the last year sweeping through him like wildfire.
Soon enough, the kiss turned sweet, and Andy slowed down. Held on. Took his time to explore every centimeter of her mouth.
When he finally pulled away, he couldn’t breathe, and he couldn’t believe she’d said yes. Because he knew it was a yes to more than just a kiss.
It was a yes to everything he’d proposed.
Chapter Eight
Sami pressed her lips together and licked them, the taste of Andy still there though their first kiss was hours old now. The soft sound of him breathing in the room with her sent a zing of electricity through her, and her body felt like someone had plugged it in and sent shockwaves through it every ten minutes.
She’d only slept a little bit before the nightmares had woken her. She’d texted Andy and asked if she could come sleep at his place. She wasn’t sure why that man in the bathroom had affected her so strongly. Perhaps she’d been a little sheltered in Forbidden Lake. She’d never been in a car accident. Never been mugged. Never seen a police chase, or a dead body, or much of anything along those lines.
Forbidden Lake was a town of twenty thousand, with a thriving downtown center, all the cherry orchards, the beach along the lake, and her family. She’d even stayed in town to go to college, where she’d earned her degree in statistics and business management. She’d taken secretarial classes and organizational classes. She handled all the online reservations for the family resort, coordinating with a man named Charles at Sunshine Shores Orchard and Resort.
She didn’t get leered at in public restrooms in foreign countries.
Andy had arrived in her bungalow wearing a pair of gym shorts and a gray T-shirt. He’d brought a blanket and tried to sleep on the floor.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “I didn’t rent this five-thousand-square-foot place for one of us to sleep on the floor.”
“You want me in the bed?” he’d asked, his eyebrows sky high.
Kissing him had been glorious, almost an out-of-body experience. Yes, she wanted him in her bed, but not tonight.
“The couch has a bed in it,” she’d said, but he hadn’t pulled it out. He’d made a little bed for himself on the couch, and he’d fallen back to sleep almost immediately.
Sami envied him for his ability to do that. Her mind circled things like China. I can’t believe he’s hidden his feelings for me for a year and The gala is coming up. I can’t believe I have to give a speech for him and Andy, come in here.
Come in here.
Come in here.
He was usually the one to call for her. To have him come running when she asked was oddly satisfying and made her feel powerful.
And finally, she was able to go to sleep.
The days in Costa Rica passed quickly. The conference calls went well. The meeting with Leo Pedroza resulted in a signed contract for the land Tanner Global had been working to secure for six months. Once they returned to the office, she’d begin working on the construction schedule, getting bids from companies here in Costa Rica, and they’d return to the isthmus to oversee the groundbreaking, as they usually did.
They’d shared several more evenings together, always with good food and long talks. Andy liked to get the serious things out of the way first, and then move on to lighter topics. Laughter. Kissing.
Always kissing.
Sami couldn’t believe she’d waited this long to let him know how she felt.
On the morning of their departure, she found him in the kitchen of the main house, pouring coffee.
“Hey,” she said. “The car will be here at ten-thirty.”
“Yep.” He turned toward her, smiling and already dressed in his more professional clothes. Slacks. White shirt, open at the collar. No tie yet. Maybe he wouldn’t wear one on the plane home.
No matter what, she enjoyed this rumpled businessman look, and she moved into the kitchen to get a taste of the coffee he’d made. His lips were laced with sugar, and she smiled against them.
“Good morning,” he whispered, moving his mouth along her neck. “You sleep okay?”
“Yeah.” She held onto his shoulders, glad she’d only needed him nearby for that first night. He would’ve slept on her couch every night, but she’d assured him he didn’t need to.
“Listen, I wanted to talk about something before we go.” He gathered her right against his chest, and she went willingly. “We’re in agreement to keep everything secret, right?”
“Yes.” She’d already agreed to that. “Just business on the nineteenth floor.”
“Just business everywhere,” he emphasized. “Like we were before.”
“Right,” she agreed. “Like we were before.”
He pulled back a little and looked down at her with those gorgeous, soft eyes. “I’ll keep you safe, Sami. I promise.”
She could see now all the fences, all the walls, all the protections he’d built around himself. She understood now why he never left the building and experienced all the things Forbidden Lake had to offer. She’d thought him to be the reclusive billionaire only she had access to—and he was. But not for the reasons she’d supposed.
“I feel safe when I’m with you,” she admitted, and she stretched up to kiss him. Every kiss felt like the first, as Andy allowed himself to actually experience emotions. He didn’t hold back from her either. Their first kiss had been almost primal until that had worn off. She’d been able to tell he’d thought a lot about kissing her—for a whole year.
This kiss was unrushed, lingering, almost longing, as if he wished they didn’t have to go back to Forbidden Lake. Back to the office. Back to pretending they didn’t like each other as more than business associates and friends.
“All right,” he whispered, breaking their kiss but holding her close. She seized onto this moment and put it right into her memory bank. She always wanted to remember standing within the circle of his arms, the tingle of his kiss still radiating through her body. She smiled, sighed, and stepped away from him.
“So, do you have a speech ready for me to read on Saturday night?”
The gala was coming up fast now, with only two days left to go. He blinked at her. “No. We usually write those together.”
She cocked her hip and folded her arms. “I have to give the speech and write it?”
“You’ve helped me with all my other ones.” His eyes glittered at her. “We can write it on the plane.”
They did, poring over the littlest of words. By the time they touched down in Michigan, the Cherry Capital Airport right in Forbidden Lake, the speech was drafted and ready for revisions. They’d do those the next day, always letting the speech sit for a while before coming back to it.
Back at the building he owned, he collected his suitcase and waved to her as if they hadn’t shared some of the
most bone-melting kisses of her life. Sami couldn’t believe his actions stung, but they did.
She’d expected him to wave good-bye to her. Walk away. Go inside his protected building and up to his penthouse without her.
And yet it still pinched.
“Don’t be stupid,” she told herself as she walked to her car. It was mid-afternoon, and Andy would probably check in at the office, but Sami wasn’t going to. They’d already worked enough that day, and she just needed some space to think.
Because keeping her feelings secret now that she’d shown them was going to be very, very difficult.
She made it through Thursday and Friday without any hiccups. It helped that she had a lot of work to do, since she hadn’t taken anything with her to Costa Rica.
Saturday came, and she worked in the resort office at Sunshine Shores, getting things caught up there, forwarding things to Charles that he could handle and responding to requests and questions that had come in through the contact form. Honestly, Charles could probably do everything in the resort office, but he did have to deal with guests checking in and out, as well as supervising their cleaning staff, the maintenance crew for the cabins, and a beach crew to make sure their miles of private beachfront was pristine.
And Sami didn’t want to let go of the tiny thread that kept her connected to the family business. All of her siblings did something for Sunshine Shores Orchards, even if it was something simple like carpentry from Jon or lifeguarding from Mia.
Even Karly managed to get in and work with the accounting team from time to time to make sure Sunshine Shores had the best reputation of any orchard out there.
After her trip to Costa Rica and missing the Sunday night dinner, Sami felt more removed from her family than ever. She couldn’t tell them about Andy, of course. He’d never agreed to come to dinner with her the following day, and she wasn’t going to bring it up again.
She hadn’t told Erin anything either. Her simple text after she’d gone home on Wednesday was Felt him out. Nothing there.
The Billionaire's Secret Flame Page 5