I sank down on the edge of the bed with relief. Then, without thinking, my eyes filled with tears. How had something like this happened to me? I’d had no clue what kind of man Craig was until the moment I walked in on him and Lissa. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to let another man into my heart. I didn’t want it to be broken like that ever again—wide open. And just like when my father died, I needed to find out what would grow and what would die within me once again as I learned to heal.
Chapter Five
The knock on my door startled me. I sat up and realized I’d fallen asleep in my underwear.
I stood, the sudden action hurting every inch of my body and making my head throb. I slowly moved to the door and peeked out the tiny peephole. It was Leo. He was here to get me for dinner no doubt. I wasn’t the least bit hungry, and a wave of dizziness rose in my head. The last thing I wanted was to be around people. I grabbed my pareo, slipping it around me and opened the door.
“Hi,” I said, holding my pareo in place at the top. Before I’d fallen asleep, I’d spent several minutes sitting on the edge of the bed staring into empty space, wishing my life wasn’t so fucked up. Wallowing in my sorrows if I were honest with myself. I hadn’t felt all that well then, so I’d decided to take a nap, but now, every inch of my body was on fire.
“You okay?” Leo asked.
“Yeah.” My voice sounded raspy, and I cleared my throat. “I’m fine.”
His eyes traveled down the front of me and then back up to my face. My hands fisted the pareo at my breasts with a death grip. I looked back at the bed before facing him again. “I fell asleep.”
“The sun will do that to you.” He placed his hand on my forehead. “You’re hot.”
“Yeah. Is it always so warm? It feels like the heater’s been on in here,” I said as my legs wobbled under me. I reached out for something, anything to grab on to as I faltered.
Leo caught me as I teetered sideways. Then he held me steady as he walked me over to the bed. “You probably have sunstroke.”
He strolled to the mini fridge and grabbed a cold bottle of water. Opening it, he came back and handed it to me. “Drink this. When you’re finished with it, you should try taking a cool shower and then rest. I was going to see if you wanted to join me for dinner, but I think you should stay in. I’ll bring you something, like fruit.”
I shook my head. “No. Thank you. I’m not very hungry.”
“You should eat. I’ll bring something back.” I crashed backwards onto the bed and covered my eyes with my forearm. A cool shower did sound like a good idea, but I didn’t think I had the strength to get up.
Another knock at the door jarred me awake. I must have dozed off again. I sat up and trudged my way to the door, holding on to my pareo with one hand and edges of furniture with the other as I went.
Foregoing a glance through the peephole, I opened the door.
“You just open the door without looking or asking who it is?” Leo’s growled, a tray covered with a white napkin in his hands.
“I knew it was you,” I lied.
“You couldn’t possibly have known it was me.”
“You said you’d be right back with food.”
“Right. Well, here.” He placed the tray down on the small, round table and pulled off the napkin, exposing several pieces of watermelon, cantaloupe, mango, papaya, and a large glass of ice water. “Take these.” He handed me two little red pills. “It’s ibuprofen. It will help bring down the fever.” I popped the two pills in my mouth and chugged down some water then went to the bed and sat on the edge. “You really need to eat something.” He stepped close to me and studied me for a couple of seconds. My stomach flipped when he reached out and swiped back a few stray strands of hair from my face. I must have been a sight as his eyes squinted into a frown. Then he sat down next to me.
“What are you doing?”
“I’ve decided I shouldn’t leave you alone. So I’m going to stay here and eat with you.”
“Really, Leo, you don’t need to do that.”
“Yes, I do. I’d never forgive myself if I left and later discovered you’d died from heat exhaustion.”
Die? Could I really die?
“First thing, let’s get you in the shower.” When I just stared at him, he added, “Don’t worry, I’ll just help you get there. I won’t peek.”
He helped me up and walked me to the bathroom. I could barely stand on my own, and he held me as he turned on the water. He undid the pareo and let it fall to the floor. I was half aware that I had nothing on except my bra and underpants. But I supposed that wasn’t much different than my bikini. I stood swaying, and he grabbed me around the waist and then kicked off his flip-flops and stepped into the shower, fully clothed, pulling me in with him.
“It’s cold,” I complained and wrapped my arms around me, holding each arm with the opposite hand.
“It needs to be. We need to get your fever down.” Leo stood behind me, holding me tightly against him as the cool water flowed over us.
“But you’re getting all wet.”
“It’s okay. I don’t want you to fall. I don’t think you can stand here on your own.”
After the shower, Leo helped me dry off. I sat on the toilet seat and slipped out of my wet undergarments while he went to my suitcase and grabbed some dry clothes. I held the towel to myself when he came back, handing me my sexy, white lace babydoll pajamas. The ones I had planned to wear on my wedding night. I glanced at him, feeling my cheeks heat even more than they already were and took the pj’s.
He shrugged. “That’s all I could find that you had for sleeping. Everything you have is like that.”
“Thanks.” I didn’t offer him any explanation as to why I’d only brought sexy sleepwear on a vacation by myself.
As I continued to sit on the toilet seat, he slipped the top down over my head then helped me step into the bottoms. He held the towel in front of me and looked the other way while I tugged them up, then he helped me to bed, pulling a lightweight blanket over me.
“I’ll be right back. I’m going to take your key so you don’t have to get up and let me in.”
I closed my eyes and let the soft material comfort me.
Several minutes later, I opened my eyes when I heard the door open. Leo was back. He’d changed into dry clothes. He wore some comfy-looking basketball shorts and a lightweight tank top. Even in my weakened state, I couldn’t miss the beautiful muscles of his arms.
He sat down on the edge of the bed and picked up a piece of the watermelon. “Here, take a bite.”
I shook my head. “Not hungry.”
“You need to eat.” He held the melon to my lips, and I opened up just enough for a small nibble.
The cool melon actually felt good going down, and I watched as he took a bite after me. “You haven’t eaten?”
“No. I’m okay. I’ll just share this with you. I doubt you’ll eat much of it, though you should try.” He held up a piece of papaya, and I took a small bite. Then he grabbed the roll and buttered it. There was some raw fish on the plate too that I hadn’t noticed before. He held up what looked like the yellowtail we’d had the other night for me, and I shook my head, so he popped it into his mouth. He tore off a small piece of the roll and handed it to me. I took it and nibbled on it. We finished eating, or I should say Leo finished eating; I’d given up after the roll. He placed the tray of dirty dishes on the table and came back to the bed. This time, he lay down on the other side of me.
“What are you doing?”
“I told you. I’m staying here.”
“But I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“Grace, at the risk of sounding chauvinistic, you’re a woman alone in a strange country, and you don’t feel well. Don’t be stubborn.”
“But you can’t sleep here.”
“I can if you don’t tell me to leave.” I didn’t want to tell him to leave. I sighed as he settled in next to me. He tilted my head toward his and kissed me on the
forehead. “Good night, Grace.”
Though I should have felt some sort of alarm go off in my head considering I didn’t know much about him, his presence beside me was soothing and it comforted me.
When I woke up in the morning, Leo was gone. I stayed hidden in my bungalow the entire morning. I felt better, but I didn’t feel much like being outside in the sun. I even called room service so I wouldn’t have to walk to the restaurant. Besides, I didn’t want to converse with anyone.
I ate the entire breakfast of pancakes and bacon I’d ordered. I didn’t think I’d be able to stomach eggs. I sat, drinking coffee, and thought about Leo. He’d been such a help to me last night. The way he’d taken care of me was sweet and gallant. He’d been the perfect nurse and gentleman. It made me want to be around him, and I was sad that he’d gone without waking me so I could thank him. My heart had been broken just a short three days ago, and I wasn’t ready to open it up to anyone, but what harm would it do to be friends with Leo?
I lounged around, watching a DVD: a movie about some sort of destiny. I think it was called Mr. Destiny. It was a cute show with just the right amount of lightheartedness that I needed. Nothing too serious unless you thought about fate and destiny, which, of course, I did. Was I destined to go on vacations alone for the rest of my life? Was this some sort of omen? I ordered room service again for lunch and planned to skip dinner and just eat some of what was left over from the huge portion they’d sent.
I couldn’t wait until I moved to the beach cottage so I wouldn’t have to be so close to my sexy next-door neighbor, whom I should not be having sexual thoughts about especially considering I’d been married just three days ago and was recently divorced. No, not divorced. Eradicated at the start. We were never actually married. Craig could rot in hell, but I still didn’t feel comfortable spending time with a stranger. Not yet.
The room phone rang, and I startled at the shrill sound. I stared at the phone, and it rang again. I picked up the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Mrs. Canavan?”
“Yes?”
“Hi, we have your cottage on the beach ready for you. Would you like me to send a porter to your room?”
Finally. I smiled with relief. I couldn’t wait to get to land.
“Yes. Thank you, that would be great.” I hung up and gathered all my belongings, stuffing them into my suitcase and carry-on bag. I was excited about moving, though I wondered briefly if I was being rude to Leo by holing up inside for the past day and then vacating the bungalow without a word. He had been awfully nice.
I jumped at the knock on the door. That was fast. The porter must be on roller skates. I swung the door open, surprised to see Leo in all his gorgeous glory standing on the other side.
Hey,” he said as he stood with his hands in the pockets of his black shorts.
“Hey,” I said back and swallowed as my eyes roamed over him.
“Again, you didn’t use the peephole,” he complained.
I rolled my eyes and leaned against the opened door and smiled.
“Feeling better?” He wore a dark, deep purple T-shirt that read, “Oceans run deep, like my soul.” It was tight and hugged his torso. As much as I didn’t want to start something with him, someone I knew I’d never see again—which would make it a one-night stand, or a one-week stand maybe—I wanted to wrap my arms around him and nuzzle my face into his neck. Yeah, I was feeling better.
“Um, yes,” I piped up finally. “Thanks for all your help last night. I don’t think I could have managed the shower on my own. I’ve stayed inside all morning, away from the sun.”
“That’s good. You were sleeping so soundly this morning, I didn’t want to wake you when I left. I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better.” He stood there, staring at me as if he were waiting for something. I felt self-conscious and thought maybe I should invite him in. That would be the polite thing to do, right?
But instead, I blurted out, “I’m all packed and ready to go.”
His dark brown eyes widened as he looked over my shoulder at the packed bags on the bed.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yes. Well, no. They have a cottage on the beach for me.” I smiled, suddenly feeling guilty for abandoning him. But I had no idea why I felt that way. It wasn’t as if I was there with him. He’d helped me last night, slept beside me to make sure I didn’t die, but I wasn’t there with him. Besides, he was here for work. I needed to end this right here and now before it turned into something I might regret. “The porter is on his way. In fact, I thought you were him. Listen, Leo, I wanted to thank you for your kindness. Last night, well, I’m glad you stayed and helped.”
“You’re not leaving the island, just moving to a cottage, right?”
“Yes. But I…I don’t want to hurt your feelings, you’ve been so nice to me, but I would just feel more comfortable if we didn’t spend any more time together.” Because I want you more than anything right now, and I know it would be wrong.
“I see.” He glanced down at my left hand where I’d worn Craig’s ring right up until my plane had taken off to come to this island. I’d stuffed the offensive piece of jewelry in my carry-on inside another bag that held my makeup. It was still there as far as I knew, somewhere at the bottom I presumed. “Do you have a boyfriend? Is there another man in your life?”
“No. Nothing like that.” I could have just lied about that and let it go, put an end to anything further, but I didn’t have the heart to lie to him. “Leo, you’re here for work. I’m here for…well, that’s not important. And we don’t even know each other.”
He grinned. “Grace, this isn’t a marriage proposal. Just two people trying to make the best of a situation and enjoy their time here. We won’t even have sex if you don’t want to, though I won’t say no if something arises,” he said with a chuckle. I unintentionally glanced down at his crotch. He laughed some more. “Seriously, you’re safe with me. I promise.”
I was a bit shocked at the no sex disclosure. Did he know I’d been thinking about that?
“Look, we already slept together last night. Nothing happened.”
“Oh, I wasn’t worried,” I retorted with a slight chuckle. Shit, I was more concerned about me keeping my hands off him. Last night, I was near comatose. I’d considered what could have happened if I were conscious. Leo was a very sexy and gorgeous guy. It was hard not to think about being with him whenever he was near. But it was just too soon for me. And I was positive that this lust was just me feeling needy because of what had happened with Craig and Lissa. To think I’d believed Craig had loved me.
“Good. Then what’s the problem?”
I shrugged, shaking my head, unable to come up with any viable excuse for not spending more time with him. “I don’t have a problem.”
“Well, I have a problem,” he said, and my eyes shot to his, worried now that something was wrong.
“What problem is that?”
“I can’t let a gorgeous woman sulk away in her hotel room when there is this great big, beautiful island to explore.”
I gawked at him, the statement taking me by surprise. I placed my hand at my throat and rubbed. He made me nervous. “I…” I looked away toward the wall. I had been about to say I wasn’t gorgeous, but I thought that would sound like I was fishing for more compliments. “What makes you think I’m sulking?”
“Grace.” He stuck his finger under my chin and lifted my face so I had to look him in the eyes. “Personally, I think the asshat who let you come to this island alone is a fucking fool.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“I…” I didn’t know what to say. He had me pegged. How had he known? “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I argued, knowing I was being stupid.
“Maybe not. But there’s something hanging over you, keeping you from doing things you should be doing here. You don’t need to tell me, I’m not going to pry. But I am a good listener in case you change your min
d.” He glanced at my luggage at the end of the bed. “So, what do you say we get you moved to the sandy shore and then go for a short hike? I insist. Something away from the ocean. I get that you don’t really like the water.”
“I like the water. I was just nervous the other day.”
“Okay. Well, then, we can put snorkeling back on the table.” He didn’t seem like he was going to take no for an answer.
I rolled my eyes at him. “We’ll see.”
“Okay, for now, we’ll just put it aside. Call and cancel the porter. I’ve got your bags,” he said as he strolled over to the bed and grabbed both bags, making them look like they weighed no more than a feather. With one in each hand, he waited for me. “Did they tell you what cottage?”
“No. I think the porter will have the key.”
“Okay. I guess we’ll wait for him, then.” He placed the bags back down on the floor.
“What is it you want from me, Leo?”
“I don’t want anything from you other than your company. I’m helping you move.”
“But you don’t need to.”
He shrugged. “Look, I have to take one, maybe two of these trips a year. I don’t have the luxury of bringing someone along, not that I have someone worth bringing. I’ll admit, it gets a little lonely, especially at a resort like this where all the guests are couples. It’s not often someone else comes here solo. I can go if you want me to. Leave you alone. But I’ll be miserable wishing I had you to talk to. You don’t really want to be responsible for that do you?” He smiled.
I found myself smiling right back. How could I deny him after that speech? He was definitely making this hard for me.
“I’ve finished work for the day, and I don’t have anything else to do. Be a pal and help me out here. You won’t regret it. And I really don’t want to eat dinner alone, so the sooner we get you moved, the sooner we can go eat.”
Broken Wide Open: A Stand-Alone Romance Page 5