by Allen, Jewel
With fascination, she watched Marcus move comfortably. He was used to luxury, and she could tell. Where the concierge greeted them, he left his two pieces of luggage for someone to carry to his room. Hers was next door. A bellboy wheeled her luggage along the well-appointed hallways.
“I’m restless right now,” Marcus said, appearing in her doorway after they’d stored their luggage into their rooms. “Want to explore the place?”
Katy followed him out, a smile playing on her lips. He was like a little boy.
There were sitting areas with comfortable canvas pillows on furniture. Lounge chairs sat right in the water of the pool. The air was cool, like a spring day in Manhattan, and a soak in a jacuzzi would probably feel good.
Marcus glanced over at Katy, and she wondered if he was thinking of the same thing. The thought of them sitting together in the jacuzzi, under the stars and in their swimwear, made her blush.
Goodness, Katy, you’re acting like you were raised in a convent.
Truth was, she was out of her depth. She didn’t know how to react to someone like Marcus. She’d managed to avoid the wealthy circles the last decade by traveling outside of America, and now she didn’t know how to act around a hot rich guy.
Thank goodness she wasn’t some penniless girl, susceptible to being bribed with such a billionaire fantasy date.
“The bus takes us to Tikal tomorrow,” Katy said. “And then we head out to Conchilla from there. What would you like to do for the rest of the day?””
He took off his socks and shoes and sat on the lounge chair, dipping his feet in the pool. “What’s there to do?”
He appeared relaxed and happy, just gazing at the lake.
“Nothing,” she said, half-kidding.
“Nothing?” He surveyed her lazily, making her knees weaken.
“I mean, you look like you just need to relax right here. Maybe we could just take it easy until dinner.”
He leaned back, setting his arms behind his head. His muscles rippled with the movement. “Ahh, that sounds perfect.”
“Great then,” she said.
“Join me?” he murmured, his gaze inviting.
“I’ll change into my swimsuit and put on a cover.”
He smiled and closed his eyes.
Katy went to her room and surveyed its crisp white linen, the glossy wood walls, and the room opening up to the balcony where there was a little table for two and a Jacuzzi. If she didn’t know she was in Guatemala, the room could pass for a suite in a five-star hotel in America.
The view of the lake from the balcony calmed her. The unruffled blue surface calmed Katy, until she remembered why she was here. The devastated people of Conchilla, who had only a lake’s view and nothing else, needed help.
Yet, she recognized her blessings. She was in a very nice hotel in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Instead of begrudging this opportunity, she should let herself enjoy the moment.
She changed into her swimsuit and put a robe over it. At the entrance to the pool, she grabbed a towel to lie on.
A bare-chested Marcus had gone back to his room and returned to the lounge chair in Bermuda shorts.
He opened his eyes at her approach.
She wished he would look away, but when he didn’t, she went ahead and took off the robe, tossing it at the foot of the lounge chair and settling herself on the towel.
Marcus watched her the entire time, his gaze turning heated.
She busied herself with sunblock lotion. With the cool air, the sun felt warm and wonderful.
“You know what sounds good right now?” he said. “A dip in the jacuzzi. Want to join me in mine?”
No way, Jose.
“No, thanks,” Katy said, putting the robe over her bare legs as a line of defense.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded vigorously. “Yes.”
“Well, that’s where I’ll be if you need me.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
MARCUS
Marcus knew now why Katy was so skittish around guys like him, but he still ached with frustration.
Which was just as well. He was probably flirting more than was healthy. Katy was better off staying away from someone like him. He had too many scars for the average woman to deal with.
The thought of Katy being somewhere else on the premises and him being in his room filling up his jacuzzi made him ache with loneliness. They could even hang out cozily inside, and he would be fine with it.
He heard the sliding of a door and turned to his left. Katy stepped out to her balcony and looked over at him. She had the funny fluffy robe around her.
He raised a hand and waved.
She waved back.
He made a sweeping gesture toward his jacuzzi. One more try, and then he was going to take a hint.
She stood there with an awkward expression and then nodded.
After she disappeared into her room, he let out a low whistle.
She was coming over!
He dipped his fingers in the water and adjusted the tap so it wasn’t as hot. Then he waited, anticipation building up within him. He was going to treat her like a perfect gentleman.
At her knock, he walked casually to the door, his heart pounding in his chest. This was like going on a date. Except it wasn’t one. Let’s be clear.
Cue the soundtrack in the background, because he was kidding himself.
He opened the door, and there she stood.
Her eyes widened more than he’d ever seen as her gaze brushed against his bare chest.
She pulled her eyes resolutely back to his face and visibly swallowed.
“Come in,” he said, his voice sounding far too low and seductive than what he’d intended.
She stood there, hesitant.
“On second thought…” she said, backing away.
“I’ll be the perfect gentleman,” he said, making a cross on his chest. Which probably freaked her out more, drawing attention to his torso.
“I don’t usually come to gentlemen’s quarters,” she said. She looked like she was going to hyperventilate at any moment.
“And I usually don’t invite women to my hotel suite.”
She gave him a dubious glance.
He clenched his jaw. “I haven’t dated since my…my wife died five years ago.”
Her expression softened, making him bristle. He didn’t need her pity. Until he realized it was Katy just being Katy. Soft-hearted for everyone and anything.
“I’d just love the company,” he said honestly.
No more pretenses. He let her see the raw need in his eyes and the fear. He didn’t know how to do this, this new thing. Where he was dating again after Amanda. If he had to be with a woman, he was glad it was Katy. With her, he felt safe. That she would treat his heart with care.
Katy smiled, her shoulders relaxing as she moved with confidence into his room. Her poise was beautiful to watch.
He checked the jacuzzi water. “Just right. A bit on the warm side. After you.”
She shed her robe and climbed in, and he tried to not stare at her long legs and shapely body.
She was all smiles as he got in the water. He sat across from her, careful not to touch or make her feel threatened.
“I’m surprised you don’t speak Spanish,” she observed.
He leaned back. The water felt fantastic, and the setting was just incredible. “I wish I did. I’ve traveled so much in Spanish-speaking areas. I got lazy, I guess. I leave the communicating to a translator.”
Her hair turned near-black, wet from dipping in the water. “Sometimes, you don’t catch everything translated by someone.”
“I hear you. Yes. Thank goodness, people usually can communicate through a handshake. Through the eyes too. You can convey a lot that way.”
As they were doing that moment. Her eyes shone with happiness, and he liked to think he had a part in that.
She leaned forward and gazed, really gazed, into his eyes. “Your eye color is inter
esting. It’s kind of gray and green all at the same time.”
“It’s hazel,” he whispered.
Her smile disappeared, scuttled somewhere.
Did he venture somewhere too personal? Too threatening? He wondered what she was thinking.
He knew what he was thinking. He just loved being with her, even without any of the physical stuff.
But…
He wanted to kiss her.
He wanted to hold her.
He’d never felt this way for any woman after Amanda. It was a foreign feeling yet as though he had come home. Maybe he had a heart in his chest after all.
He’d promised to be a gentleman, so he closed his eyes and cut off whatever was going on right then between them.
When he opened them, she had leaned back against the tub and was looking at the view.
“This really is fantastic, isn’t it?” she said. “Thanks for arranging our stay here.”
“You’re welcome. Glad you like it.”
“I didn’t, at first.”
“No,” he teased.
“Sometimes, I feel so guilty, having so much when people all around the world, and even in America, have so little.”
“Katy, you didn’t cause those people to not have much.”
“No, but I took up someone’s slot in a rich family.” Her voice was strangled. “Didn’t you ever feel this way?”
“What way?”
“That you got lucky by simply being born in the family you were.”
“Sure. I consider myself lucky, but guilty? No. Why should I? I’m not hurting anyone. In fact, I can do lots of good if I so choose.”
She gazed at him with soulful eyes. She was genuinely conflicted about this.
“Katy, what’s something you wish you could do here in Guatemala that you haven’t because of your guilt complex.”
“My guilt complex.” She laughed and then turned serious. “Mmm. That’s a tough one. I’ve pretty much done everything I could except…” Her eyes darted toward him. “You’ll laugh.”
“Try me.”
“I’ve always wanted to fly over one of the volcanic craters, but it’s only accessible by helicopter.”
He burst out laughing. “Touché. Sorry, that is pretty funny.”
“I know.” She smiled sheepishly.
“Tell you what,” he said. “If I make that happen, will you come with me?”
“You would take me up by helicopter near the crater?”
“Er, we’re not jumping in an active one, are we?”
She nodded. “I believe all the volcanoes here are active.”
“Uh…”
“Don’t worry. Chances of it blowing up in the next few days are slim to none.”
It wasn’t great reassurance, but he played along. “Okay, then.”
“If we do it after Conchilla, then yes.”
“Of course, after Conchilla. Conchilla is my priority.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Are you being sarcastic?”
“No, ma’am.” He smiled.
Her eyes grew more luminous. Maybe it was the effect of the warmth, the placid lake, and the blue sky above, but he thought she looked beautiful. What would it hurt for him to cross the great Jacuzzi divide and kiss her?
“I should go,” she said. Her chest heaved as if she was having trouble breathing.
She was scared.
He was too.
She scrambled out of the water.
Like an idiot, he watched her as she struggled to get into her robe for a moment. Finally, he had the presence of mind to help her. He rose and guided her arm into the remaining sleeve, standing so close he could smell her perfume.
“Thank you,” she said over her shoulder.
Then, like a doe, she fled.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
KATY
What was wrong with her?
Did she have to keep running scared? Marcus James was just a man—granted, a gorgeous man—but it wasn’’t like he was crass or a lech or arrogant. For a billionaire, he was actually a nice guy. A nice guy with broad shoulders, a well-built chest, and hazel eyes she could get lost in. That velvet voice, she could listen to him recite eye colors all day.
Hazel.
When he stood behind her, holding her robe, she was tempted to lean back against his warmth. Fortunately, she had the presence of mind to run away.
Which begged the question, what about him, in particular, was she scared of?
Well, for one, she’d only known him for a week. For another, he could have anyone he wanted, surely. Why was he flirting with her?
He isn’t flirting with you. He’s just being nice.
Yes, that’s it.
Plus, he was a billionaire.
Still, she took extra care getting ready for dinner. They hadn’t talked about it, but most likely they would run into each other. There were places in Flores they could go to, or Las Lagunas had its own restaurant.
She went through her clothes and settled on her dressiest outfit. It was a slimming, long-sleeved black shirt dress that could easily give off a dressy vibe in ballet flats or casual if paired with sneakers. She put on her flats and looked this way and that in the mirror. From her luggage, she fished out a thin belt. There. That finished the outfit. Her hair, washed and blown dry, gleamed.
She felt pretty and nervous.
Someone knocked on her door. She opened it, to find Marcus looking gorgeous in a polo shirt folded at the sleeves and dark slacks.
“Hello, Katy.” That voice. So deep and gruff.
And those eyes.
“Hello,” she managed to say.
If she thought things would lighten between them after the tension she felt at the Jacuzzi, she was wrong. She was afraid to reveal herself and resisted the urge to retreat behind her door.
“Would you like to have dinner with me?” he asked.
“No, I want separate tables,” she teased, and they laughed.
“Is here all right?” he asked. “I walked around the grounds. They seem to have a decent restaurant.”
“For the price, they should,” she said. “Let me grab my purse.”
When she stepped out of her room, purse in hand, he gazed at her intently. “You look very pretty, by the way.”
“Thank you.” Warmth crept onto her cheeks.
She pulled her door shut and followed him down the hall. They walked side by side through the building where a couple checked in. Other couples walked past. No doubt Las Lagunas was a popular honeymoon destination, which made her feel even more awkward about keeping company with Marcus.
Until she glimpsed the sunset outside.
Katy sucked in her breath and hurried to the opening into the garden patio that overlooked the Quexil Lagoon. The sun itself wasn’t visible because they must have been facing the opposite way, but it tinged the edge of the water a deep orange. It made Katy think of a flame burning bright when something is lit.
A server approached them. In accented but fluent English, he invited them to sit at a table along the rail so they could continue to watch the sunset.
As the sun set gloriously, the lights over the patio came on.
Katy looked across the table at Marcus, who had been silent this whole time, watching her. His gaze scuttled and they both picked up the menu. She scanned the choices. Authentic Guatemalan fare with an expensive twist.
“What do you recommend?” he asked. “Aside from the strawberries, that is?”
She chuckled.
“The Pepian stew is traditional or the ceviche. Unless you have a weak stomach. The ceviche has raw fish.”
He winced. “I might steer clear of that.”
“Probably smart.”
“What will you try?”
“I think I’ll get their curry.”
When their orders came, they each tried the other’s food and carried on a pleasant conversation. Katy snuck glances at Marcus. Was this the same man who so rudely stole her parking space? Who had declared Ch
ristmas to be a superfluous holiday?
“What?” he asked, catching her looking at him.
“I think it’s funny that we’ve lived in New York all this time, never met except that one time in your office, and here we are, sharing a meal in Flores, Guatemala.”
He raised his drink to his lips and set it down. His mouth set grimly, and she worried she’d said something that might have offended him.
He said, “I’m glad you came in that day.”
She nodded to acknowledge his words calmly, even as they made her exult inside.
Putting down her fork, she dabbed her lips with her napkin. “Your wife was beautiful.”
He sat stock-still. “You’ve seen her picture?”
Katy pictured Amanda in her mind: blonde hair swept up in a loose knot, laughing into the camera, happy and in love.
“Online, yes,” Katy admitted. “It accompanied the…the news article. I hope you don’t mind me bringing her up.”
He lifted the back of his hand to his mouth and didn’t answer for a long moment.
Katy began to open her mouth to apologize.
“It’s all right,” he said. He closed his eyes and then opened them again. His mouth trembled.
Katy waited. She could wait the whole night if needed.
Tears filled his eyes, and he wiped at them. “She was an angel. You…you remind me a lot of her, actually.”
A warmth coursed through Katy at the compliment. “Well, thank you.”
“She and I met at the grocery store.” He smiled at the memory. “She wanted a tomato. Not just any tomato, but the one right smack in the middle of the pile, and I was going for a tomato too. I got a tomato, all right. Dozens of them, when they spilled all over me and my shoes.” He chuckled. “It must have been quite the cleanup.”
“Must have.”
“I got her number. I offered to make her tomato soup from scratch.” He smiled. “I had no idea how to make it.”
His eyes went glassy, lost in a memory. “We got engaged right away. Four weeks after a whirlwind courtship. We married two months later. We got pregnant two years afterward. Caleb would have been a beautiful baby.” His voice shook.
He reached for his napkin and then abandoned the movement impatiently.