Resort to Love

by Priscilla Oliveras

  “Sof? Could you?” He stepped closer, ducking down to peer at her.

  He grasped her knees, the warmth of his palms on her bare skin beckoning her to lean toward him, fall into the arms she had once been certain would always catch her.

  Now she wasn’t sure if she could count on that.

  “There was a time, when I thought...hoped that maybe...” She shook her head, terrified of baring her soul and opening herself up to potential disillusion and heartache again.

  Regret swelled in her chest, pushing the tears clogging her throat to the surface.

  “I can’t do this.” Not wanting to cry in front of him, Sofía hopped off the stool.

  She crossed to the window along the left wall, stopping to stare at the darkened backyard. Through the blur of tears, she caught the vague outline of the banyan tree. It greeted her, a reminder of the importance of putting down roots and holding fast to what she valued.

  For her, that was familia, faith, and love.

  Mami and Tía Mili referred to them as the trifecta carefully interwoven to create a good life. There’d been a time when Sofía would have attributed some part of all three to Nate.

  Since that first summer, when he’d fit in so easily at Tía Mili’s, he’d become part of her familia.

  Over time, she’d built up faith in him, in their ability to figure out a way to eventually be together.

  And love. Her love for him would never go away. Being with him again now had opened her eyes to that indelible truth.

  In the window’s reflection, she watched Nate move closer, longing for the security of his embrace.

  “I don’t want to push you into anything you don’t want. Or you’re not ready for, Sof.” His softly spoken heartfelt words pierced her soul. “I owed it to you, to myself, to be honest with you. I messed up. If I could go back in time and change things, I would. You asked for this week. These days together here, and I want to give you that. If you’ll let me.”

  His hands hovered in the air near her shoulders. As if he was uncertain whether she would welcome his touch. He was a good man, her Nate.

  Ooh, how she longed for him to be hers.

  A tear slid from one of her eyes, leaving a wet trail down her check. Sofía spun to face him.

  His expression fell when he caught the moisture in her eyes.

  “Oh Sof, I don’t wanna hurt you. I lo—”

  He broke off as she threw herself at him, cupping his face with her hands to pull him down for her kiss.

  “Enough talking,” she murmured in between kisses. “Take me to bed, Nate. Please.”

  In a quick move that had her yelping in surprise, Nate crooked one arm under her knees to lift her into the air. He grinned down at her, a wolfish smirk that curled her toes with its promise of sin and seduction.

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “Why the hell won’t you freaking accept what I’m trying to do for you?” Sal bellowed.

  Nate silently counted down, confident he knew what was coming in 3...2...1...

  “Calm down,” Sofía ordered. “Your doctor said to take it easy. Yelling at me and getting upset over all of this isn’t good for you.”

  “Pshaw!” Sal complained. He slouched back in the outdoor wicker lounger Sofía had dragged over from the wooden deck, setting it under the shade of the sprawling banyan tree in Bernardino’s back yard. The older man rubbed his round, well-fed belly like it might bring him luck and somehow grant his wish for a steak and potato dinner. “I’m already drinking this foul-tasting shake. It’s enough of the doctor’s orders for me.”

  Sal glared at the purplish concoction filling the glass Vivi had shoved into his hand before leaving to pick up a list of medicines at the pharmacy.

  From his chair across the black wrought-iron rectangular table between them, Nate tipped his water glass in salute. If he had asked for a hearty meal and been handed a veggie protein shake instead, he wouldn’t be too happy either.

  “Back me up here, Nate,” Sal cried. “Tell this ungrateful woman she should take the money I’m offering and guarantee herself that those small-town commissioners can’t turn her bid down.”

  “You’re forgetting he’s the opposition here, Sal. Nice try, though.” Sofía’s blunt response was softened by the grin she flashed Nate from the wicker chair next to his. She brushed her fingers over his forearm in a light touch that drew his answering smile.

  Still, the word “opposition” was like the prick of a sea urchin’s sting, its spine puncturing deep into his psyche.

  Joke or not, he feared that on some level, Sofía still saw him as the competition. That she couldn’t separate him from Hamilton, Inc., and his father. If that couldn’t happen, then the future he wanted for them was over before it even started.

  “A little healthy competition is good in a relationship,” Sal said. “Keeps things feisty, especially in the bedroom.”

  “Ay Dios mío, I am not having this conversation with you.” Sofía mock-glared at Sal’s hearty laugh. “Even my papi didn’t give me ‘the talk.’ That was Mami and Tía Mili’s department.”

  She rolled her eyes like the adolescent she had probably been when her mom and aunt had sat her down. Lips pursed in a good imitation of a pouty teen, Sofía finger-combed her curtain of dark hair, brushing it off her shoulder. A few of the silky strands clung to her bare skin and Nate gently brushed them aside, reveling in the opportunity to touch her.

  Part of the poker chip tattoo on the back of her right shoulder peeked out from the edge of her halter-top blouse. His body thrummed, recalling the trail of kisses he’d placed along the outline of the red and green chips early this morning. Blood pooled low in his body as he remembered her moan of pleasure when he continued that trail lower.

  Given their present company, Nate halted the memory replaying in his head and took a long pull of his ice water. This was neither the time nor place for him to relive their incredible nights together. Sal had been here over an hour, and the man was finally starting to warm up to him. No need to give Sofía’s mentor any reason to doubt that Nate’s intentions where she was concerned were anything less than honorable.

  Earning Sal and Vivi’s blessing was a key step along the path to being back in Sofía’s life. For good this time.

  Overhead, the sun had already started its descent behind the roofs and treetops. Thin clouds reminiscent of cotton balls that had been stretched thin spread across the blue sky. Paul’s relaxing classical music channel played inside the house, the soft strains floating through the open windows.

  While Sofía and Sal continued their banter, Nate relaxed in his chair, enjoying the nuances of their relationship. The older man was determined to front her all the money for the Paradise Key Resort bid. Her pride made her adamantly against any plan that didn’t have her as the largest investor, something the bank had vetoed. Sal pushed, cajoled, and argued, but never crossed the line into ordering or belittling. He respected her.

  It was a refreshing revelation—that people had mentors who believed in them.

  Sal might not have an MBA from an Ivy League institution or a vast conglomeration of resorts and hotels in his arsenal, but he was remarkably business and people savvy. He didn’t operate with smoke and mirrors and double talk.

  No, Sal believed in shoot from the hip, “tell-you-like-I-see-it” truth. His devotion to Vivi and his family, in which he included Sofía, was evident based on the information he’d shared earlier regarding his will. Despite Sofía’s insistence she didn’t want Sal thinking along the lines of someone having to read the legal document anytime soon.

  The New Jersey retiree had been equally as adamant about revealing its contents, admitting that should something happen to him, Sofía would receive Bernardino’s outright. His and Vivi’s two sons would split the other properties, with his adoring wife receiving the rest.

  The news had come as a surprise to Sofía. She blanched, her tan skin turning a chalky shade, a
nd she’d quickly shut down further talk of death and wills.

  “Like I said already, you’re not going anywhere, old man. You hear me?” She waggled a finger at Sal.

  To which he’d laughed, taken a sip of his protein shake, and then cringed. “I’ll tell youse guys right now, I’m not sticking around long if this is the only thing I get to eat!”

  “Is he behaving out here?” Vivi’s high-pitched voice called from the open back door. She strolled out in white capris and a billowy bright floral blouse, her blonde bob miraculously as poufy as it had been earlier today, despite the humidity. White paper bag in hand, she shook it at Sal. “We’re all set. I got everything.”

  “We? I’m the one stuck looking like a pill popper with all that stuff they prescribed. Not you.”

  “Hush, it’s gonna keep you here. With me. With us.” Vivi waved an arm to encompass them all, and Nate found himself wishing he really was part of their group. And not just for a few days.

  Vivi sank into a reclining lounger next to Sal’s. The older man reached over to take his wife’s hand, raising it to his lips for a kiss. She smiled at him, her lined face the picture of love, relief, and hope.

  Deep inside Nate, a pang of yearning burned, searing and sharp.

  Sofía sniffled, knuckling a swift wipe under one of her eyes. He rubbed the back of his fingers on her bare arm, her tanned skin smooth and soft. Head bowed, she surreptitiously swiped at her tears and angled her chin to look his way.

  Love for the older couple shone in her golden hazel eyes, the gentle curve of her smiling lips. Sal and Vivi were another example of commitment and the sanctity of marriage for Sofía. Along with her mami and papi, and Tía Mili and her late husband. They had all taught her the value and importance of familia. It was what Sofía deserved.

  And what Nate had never offered her. At first because they’d been young and carefree, focused on their degrees and careers. He’d also been intent on following his mother’s request that he keep the peace in their family, trying, though failing, to earn his father’s respect.

  Lines had been crossed with the engagement fiasco. But ultimately, Nate blamed himself. Pride and fear had kept him from revealing the depth of desire for Sofía. Some warped idea that he should play it safe, wait for her to admit her feelings first. That way he could protect himself if his love wasn’t reciprocated.

  Hell, he’d spent his entire life with a ringside view of the lopsided match between his indulgent mom and his ego-driven father. Nate had witnessed the pain his mom tried to hide, loving someone who didn’t, maybe couldn’t, return the same depth of sentiment.

  Going back to New York with Sofía’s stoic reaction to his father’s edict, followed shortly after by her curt text that he not contact her again, had been the lowest point of his life. Yet, he had respected her wishes and kept his distance. Hating it. Missing her more than he’d thought possible.

  And then they’d run into each other in Paradise Key.

  Once again, the resort had brought them together.

  That she’d allowed him back into her inner circle, that he was here, part of her Key West familia in a way he’d never been before, gave him hope.

  Sitting here listening to Sal’s insistence that Sofía let him help her and Sofía’s insistence she be the larger partner in any deal as some kind of proof to herself had been like the flick of a match across sandpaper, lighting the fire of a new idea in Nate’s brain.

  Originally, he’d thought, if he could prove that the Sarasota property was a better investment for Hamilton, Inc. they’d back away from Paradise Key Resort. Leaving it for Sofía to win.

  But without solid financial backing, if her pride would not allow her to agree to Sal’s proposition, her bid didn’t stand a chance. Even if Vida and a couple others on the Local Planning Agency wanted to vote in her favor, in good conscience they’d have to pass. Sofía would lose.

  The LPA might, however, look positively on another bid. If he could get Sal alone before morning, when Nate took his flight to Sarasota, maybe—and it was a big maybe, because Sofía’s mentor would have to trust that Nate was on the up and up—he could turn this situation into a win for everyone with their fingers in the Paradise Key Resort pie.

  “Oh, I almost forgot, Paul needed to talk with you about something, Sofía,” Vivi said. She sat up in the lounger. “Here, I’ll go along. He said it has to do with one of the other guesthouses, Vivi’s Place, I think.”

  The two women crossed the wooden deck area, then disappeared inside.

  Nate sat forward in his wicker chair. His window of opportunity had been opened.

  “Sal, I have a proposition for your consideration. One that could ensure something important we both want—Sofía’s happiness.”

  Sal cracked open one eye. He stared at Nate in the waning sunlight. His round face serious, considering.

  Nate had played this game before across countless boardroom tables. Never had the outcome weighed as heavily on him as it did now.

  The older man sat up. He leaned over to set the melting purple protein shake on the wrought-iron table with a thunk. “Okay, show me your cards.”

  “Sof. Sofía.”

  Nate whispered her name in her dream. His hand smoothed her hair from her face and she nuzzled into his warmth, seeking more of his touch.

  “Sofía, I gotta go soon.”

  Go? The word finally penetrated her sleep to register, and she bolted upright in bed.

  “What time is it?” She squinted at her cell on the nightstand.

  “Almost six.”

  Nate perched on the edge of the mattress, already showered and dressed in navy chinos and a short-sleeved, sky-blue button down. With his duffle and hanging bag by the door, he looked packed and, ay Dios mío, ready to go.

  Her heart dipped down to her stomach, then shot up to her throat.

  “You sure you grabbed everything?” she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

  “I’m all set. Just have to return the rental, then head to the airport. I didn’t want to wake you, but I didn’t want to leave without saying good-bye, either.”

  Like he had in her dreams, or maybe it hadn’t been a dream after all, he tucked her hair behind her ear, traced the pad of his thumb along her jaw.

  She grabbed onto his biceps, anchoring herself. Suddenly, everything had sped up out of control. The end had arrived. Much faster than she anticipated.

  Nate fit in so well here. Paul flirted outrageously with him while singing his praises about how great Nate was assisting with staff and guests. Vivi had been smitten from the moment she heard Nate had driven Sofía through the night. Even Sal had given his gruff approval, something he’d never done with the few men Sofía had dated in the past.

  But these last few days weren’t reality. Nate couldn’t dodge his father’s phone calls indefinitely. Sooner or later—

  “Don’t,” Nate said, interrupting her downward thought spiral. He leaned closer to press a kiss on her forehead, and she caught a whiff of her floral shampoo mixed with his musky cologne. A blend of her and him that made her ache with longing.

  “You’re thinking too much. Rationalizing why-not’s.”

  “Because there are a lot of them,” she answered grimly.

  “Not really.”

  “Please.” She sucked her teeth and dropped her gaze to the cream duvet, brushed a nonexistent speck from the material. “I’ve always understood that being a Hamilton comes with certain responsibilities for you. And believe me, I get it. My family relies on me, too. Sure, in different ways and...” Her attempt at a laugh came out sounding more like a strangled cough. “In different social circles, but expectations are expectations. I’d never want you to do something that could hurt your relationship with your mom. With either of your parents.”

  “You are the smartest, strongest, most compassionate woman I know, Sof. You’re also one of the most hardheaded.”

  “Hey!” She gave his chest a push, matching his teasing grin wi
th one of her own.

  His green eyes flashed with laughter, and she realized she’d risen to his bait. Her maudlin mood had smoothed over thanks to him.

  He put his hand over hers, trapping it against his chest. She longed to smooth her palm along the tempting contours of his muscular body like she’d done last night. But he had a plane to catch, and she had a real life to get back to. A resort bid to finagle financing for.

  As quick as it had flashed, Nate’s teasing grin faded. He stared at her intently. His eyes bore into hers as if he searched for something deep inside her. “Do you trust me, Sof?”

  Her breath hitched at his question.

  Somehow, she felt certain that more than she knew about rode on her answer. Fear rose to strangle her.

  And yet...when she thought back on the past few days together, all he’d done for her this week and throughout most of their history. There was only one way to truthfully answer him.

  “Yes, I do.”

  Nate’s shoulders relaxed on a rush of breath. “Good. That’s really good.”

  “But it still doesn’t—”

  He silenced her debate with a kiss. Sofía fisted her hand in his shirt, pulling him closer. She devoured his mouth, his tongue, savoring his minty taste, desperate to make this memory last. As if he sensed her anguish and sought to soothe her, he cradled her face with his palms and gentled their kiss. He slowly stroked her tongue with his before easing back to drop tiny, feather-light kisses on her nose, her chin, and what he liked to call his favorite corner of her mouth near her beauty mark. When he reached her forehead, he pressed his lips to her skin for several heart-wrenching seconds. Then, he stood and slowly backed away from her bed.

  “Don’t give up on us. Don’t give up on me.” His words were strong and steady, but in the depths of his beautiful eyes, he pleaded with her.

  “I can’t—”

  “Promise me.”

  Her chest aching, she stared at him, wanting to believe that maybe, somehow...

  “I promise,” she finally whispered.