Eli held his hands up. “I wanted to tell you, but he made me swear not to.” Then he put one arm around Toby’s neck. “Man, you should have heard him the first night we were here. He sounded like some caveman throwback, ‘She sleeps with me.’”
Alex ignored his brothers as he entered the kitchen. The extended marble bar was covered with platters of cold cuts, sliced chicken breast, cheeses, pitas, hard French rolls, and every condiment needed to make a sandwich. A huge salad bowl filled with colorful leafy vegetables sat in the center. Everyone moved to the table that had been set out on the side patio overlooking the ocean.
“Uncle Toby!” Jasmine came racing from the house. Mama followed. She looked like she’d had a rough morning.
Alex pushed away from the table and went to relieve her of the bag she carried. “Why didn’t you put this down in the house?” he asked.
Mama’s eyes widened at the sight of the bag. “I didn’t realize I still had it,” she said.
“Mama, you okay?” Alex asked.
“I’m fine,” she returned.
“Ma!” Toby bounded from the table and came around to greet their mother in a hug. She smiled, but her expression still held a shell shocked quality that sent a ripple of unease down Alex’s spine.
“Why don’t you come in and get something to eat?” Alex suggested, but Mama waved him off. With a deep breath, and a nod of her head, she was back to her old self.
At least, that’s what she probably wanted everybody to believe. Alex wasn’t buying it. And he was more than ready to get to the bottom of whatever was up with his mother.
Her heart thumped as loudly as the steel drum beats coming from the cab’s speakers. By the time they pulled up to the magnificent entryway of the La Samanna, Margo thought she was going into cardiac arrest.
She paid the cabdriver as she exited the vehicle and nearly slipped on the cobblestones. Maybe she shouldn’t have lifted these shoes from Monica’s closet. It had been way too long since she’d walked in heels this high, and she didn’t need to add a broken ankle to her list of problems.
It was a good thing Jasmine would not be around her father or uncles for the rest of the night. Instead of having dinner with the rest of the clan, Monica’s little sister had offered to stay in and play video games with Jasmine at the villa. Margo sent up a quick prayer of thanks that her boys seemed to buy her excuse that she was worn out from the sightseeing they’d done today. They had not made much of a fuss at her choosing to stay home, and had warned Jasmine not to bother her while she rested. Margo just had to make sure she was back before everyone returned.
She focused on settling her nerves enough to enjoy the luxury surrounding her. La Samanna resembled a small town on the Greek isles. The Mediterranean architecture, with its white stucco and terra cotta tile work, was breathtaking. Of course Gerald would stay here. It was probably the most expensive hotel on the island.
Margo walked through the elaborate lobby and asked a young man in a bellman uniform to point her in the direction of the elevators. She was supposed to meet Gerald in the lobby in twenty minutes so they could have dinner, but Margo had other plans. They were not having dinner in a restaurant to night. If they ate anything at all, it would be from room service because she was not letting him out of his room.
Nervous anticipation skidded down her spine as she pressed the button that would take her to the third floor.
Wesley, please don’t be upset, Margo pleaded. It was a silly thing to worry about. Wesley was probably saying it was about time she’d made this step. He would not have wanted her to live the rest of her life alone.
But was she ready to do this?
Just because she’d worn a dress with a low cut neckline and borrowed her future daughter in law’s high heeled shoes, it didn’t make her some kind of sex kitten. What if she lost her nerve and made a fool out of herself?
The elevator doors opened. Margo stuck her shoulders back and headed down the hallway in the direction the wall plaque indicated would lead to room 312. When she reached the door, she had to beg her heart to slow down. It’s not as if she would fall right into bed with him the moment he opened the door. She still had some time to get used to the thought of being intimate again after nearly two de cades. And she could still change her mind. She had not told Gerald of her plans. He wouldn’t even know what he was missing.
No. She’d chickened out of telling the family about him; she was not going to chicken out of this, too.
“You are going to do this.” She raised her hand to knock on the door, then put it down again. “God, you’re pitiful,” she murmured.
“Margo?”
“What!” Margo shouted, and turned. Gerald walked toward her, carrying a suit jacket encased in a plastic laundry drape. “Gerald,” she breathed with a hand over her chest. She was definitely going to have a heart attack before the night was over.
“I thought you were meeting me downstairs?” he asked. He gave her a swift kiss as he fished a card key out of his pocket and opened the door to the room. “My jacket got messed up on the flight down here. I sent it to the hotel’s laundry, but they don’t understand the concept of a rush job.”
Margo followed him into the room, which she realized, as they walked deeper in, was a suite. Fine wicker and natural wood furnished the room. Soft yellow, cool tan, and copper accents gave it a touch of luxury. An extra long couch held an open briefcase, overflowing with papers and file folders.
“You want a drink?” Gerald asked, draping the jacket on the back of one of the chairs and heading for the bar. He uncorked a decanter and filled a glass a quarter of the way with what Margo invariably knew was scotch.
“No, thanks,” Margo said, then wondered if a little liquor wouldn’t do her some good. Probably not. Mixing alcohol with her quaking stomach could be disastrous.
“Did you have trouble sneaking away?” Gerald grinned from behind the bar.
“Everyone left for a night on the town,” Margo said.
“And you stayed behind?”
“I told the boys I was tired,” she admitted, rubbing her hands up and down her bare arms.
“Are you cold?” Gerald asked. He walked over to where she stood in the middle of the suite’s living area. “I turned the AC up because the cleaning lady left it so hot, but I can turn it off.”
“No, I’m fine,” Margo said, putting her hands down. She’d tried to break herself of that habit, but it tended to come back when she was particularly nervous. She was lucky she hadn’t rubbed her skin off her arms as nervous as she was right now.
She looked up to find Gerald staring at her with an odd look.
“What?” Margo asked, smoothing her hand down her hair.
“You look gorgeous,” he answered.
An instant blush crept up her cheeks. “Um, thank you,” she answered.
He put his drink down and walked the few steps that brought him within inches of her. “Just the chance to look at you across the table to night will make this entire trip worth it.” He trailed his fingers lightly along her shoulder and down her arm.
Margo caught his hand and brought it to her lips. “Gerald?”
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
She swallowed. You can do this.
“I don’t want to have dinner to night,” she said.
Disappointment washed over his face. “Why not?”
Margo realized how her words sounded. “I mean I don’t want to go to a restaurant,” she quickly amended. “I’d rather us eat here. In your room. Later,” she added.
Gerald arched a brow, and she looked away. She was horribly failing Seduction 101.
Gerald captured her chin in his fingers and raised her head. She closed her eyes. “Margo?” His voice was soft and gentle.
She opened her eyes. Gerald was looking down at her with a look of understanding mixed with anticipation. “Just so I know I’m not reading this wrong, you are saying you want to make love?”
Here was her chance to ba
ck out. She could laugh it off as a misunderstanding. But as she stared into his kind, sympathetic eyes, Margo realized she wanted nothing more than to finally give herself over to this man who had slowly, expertly stolen her heart.
“Yes,” she managed to squeeze past the lump of emotion lodged in her throat.
“Are you sure about this, baby?”
She caressed his slightly stubble roughened cheek, then took his hand and kissed the soft flesh of his palm.
“Yes,” she answered. “Gerald, would you please take me to bed?”
After the animated conversation at lunch, Renee had surmised the youngest of Margo Holmes’s sons possessed the best sense of humor, but watching the three of them together, she found it hard to decide who was the best storyteller.
She’d had an education in what it really meant to be a family. The way Alex and his brothers interacted, one would think they were seconds away from killing each other, but in the next minute they were laughing at the havoc they’d caused while growing up. It was obvious why Alex was so protective of his brothers. He’d helped to raise them, and there was no question both Elijah and Tobias acknowledged and appreciated the sacrifices their older brother had made. During the course of the evening, both had managed to whisper to her how grateful they were that she was dating Alex. Their concern was genuine. And touching.
She never knew families could have such love between them.
“I can’t sit here any longer,” Toby announced. He grabbed his fiancée by the hand and dragged her onto the dance floor. Nia followed in his footsteps, grabbing Phillip, who didn’t put up much resistance.
Eli pushed himself up from the booth they had commandeered at the club Toby had demanded they check out. It was purported to be St. Martin’s premier nightspot. “I guess that means I have to dance, too,” he said.
“You bet your cute butt it does,” Monica said. She allowed him to help her out of the booth, then tapped his butt with a loud pat.
“You know I’m going to make you pay for that,” Eli said.
“Why do you think I did it?” Monica laughed as they made their way to the dance floor.
“You want to?” Alex asked with enough hesitancy in his voice to make Renee throw her head back and laugh.
“On a scale of one to ten, how much do you really want to get out there and dance?” she asked.
“A negative one hundred,” he answered. “But if you want to, I’ll suck it up.”
She pushed closer to him in the comfortable booth. “I’m fine right here,” she said.
“Thank God. You do not want to see me dance.”
“I didn’t say I never wanted to dance,” Renee laughed. “I’m sure you’re much better than you think you are.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t bet on it.”
“You having fun to night?” she asked, snuggling closer.
“I’d rather be back in our room at the villa, but if I can’t be there, this is a pretty good second.”
“This trip is passing way too quickly,” she said. “Tomorrow is the wedding, and then we only have one more day before flying home. There’s still so much to see.”
“You want to come back?”
She looked up at him. “You would bring me back here?”
“If you wanted me to,” he said. “I can’t promise L’Oasis, but I would love to be somewhere on this island with you. Just the two of us.”
Her heart started pounding even faster than the Caribbean techno beat thumping throughout the club. The combination of fear and excitement was heady. How long would she let whatever this was she had going on with Alex continue? She didn’t see it ending any time soon. Just the thought of going back to a life he wasn’t a part of sent a sharp ache straight to the middle of her chest. When had he become so important to her?
“Are you thinking of an answer?” Alex asked.
“To what?”
“To coming back to this island with me one day?”
She wasn’t ready to commit to anything. She still needed to figure out what should come of this relationship. She could easily lose herself in Alex.
She’d told him she loved him.
The thought scared her stiff. She was quickly sinking into a situation she’d vowed to avoid at all costs. Alex had not shown a single sign that he had a violent bone in his body, but neither had her father in the beginning. It wasn’t until he’d lost his job and started drinking that he’d turned into a monster. Who was to say a shocking blow wouldn’t cause the same reaction in Alex?
Of course he wouldn’t, Renee. Look how he’d reacted when she finally shared the horror of her childhood. He’d opened his arms and offered comfort, and that special sense of understanding that was so Alex.
She did love him. How could she not?
Renee tapped the table and started scooting out of the booth. “You know what? I think I do want to dance,” she said.
Alex groaned. “I’m warning you, this is not a good idea.”
“Indulge me,” she said.
“Fine,” he returned. “But when you can’t walk because I’ve stepped on your toes for a solid five minutes, I reserve the right to say ‘I told you so.’”
“Agreed,” Renee laughed.
How could she even think he would become violent? There was no way this man would put a fist to her. It was unfathomable.
Alex was not exaggerating at his lack of dancing ability, but Renee had to give him credit for trying. After over a half hour on the dance floor, she took pity on him and allowed him to lead her to another table, where they watched his brothers and their fiancées dance for a while longer.
Toby tried to convince them to go to another club, but he got no love from the over thirty crowd, which included everyone except for him and Sienna. Renee wasn’t in the mood for club hopping. She wanted nothing more than to snuggle up with Alex in that big, comfy bed back at the villa.
“Hey, Toby, make sure you have the camera tomorrow when the dancing starts,” Eli said as they all rode in the back of the van that had taken them to the club. “I have that surprise for Monica, and I want to make sure it’s captured on video.”
“So, why did you tell me?” Monica hit Eli on the arm.
“I didn’t tell you.”
“No, you didn’t tell me what the surprise is, but you told me you’ve got one. Now I’m going to spend the entire night trying to figure it out.”
“Believe me, baby, that’s not how you’re going to spend your night.”
She hit him again, but her mocha colored cheeks were already turning a rosy red.
“Hold up,” Toby said. “Anybody noticed what just happened? There was sex talk, and Alex didn’t tell anybody to shut up.”
“Shut up, Toby,” Alex said.
“That doesn’t count,” his brother countered.
“And you were wondering why I felt the need to apologize for my brothers in advance,” Alex said to Renee.
“What’s wrong with us?” Toby and Eli said in unison.
“Don’t worry,” Sienna said. “You get used to them. It took me about twenty eight years, but I did eventually.” Toby playfully bit her on the shoulder, and like Monica, Sienna blushed.
When the van pulled up to the villa’s entrance, there was a taxi sitting in the drive.
“Aria’s not coming in until tomorrow, right?” Eli asked.
Toby nodded. They all exited the van just as Margo emerged from the cab, carrying a killer sequined clutch.
“Oh, I hate to miss this, but I’ll burst if I don’t get to a bathroom,” Nia said, breaking out of the van and running inside.
All three of Margo’s sons converged on her before she could make it to the villa’s front door.
“Where’re you coming from?”
“I thought you were tired?”
“What are you doing in that dress?”
Poor Margo looked like a teenager who’d just been caught sneaking in after curfew, her eyes wide with shock.
Renee stood back w
ith Monica and Sienna on either side of her.
“Oh Lord,” Monica said under her breath.
“You know what’s going on?” Sienna whispered.
“What are you all doing home so early?” Margo asked. “It’s not even eleven o’clock.”
“What are you doing getting out of a cab?” Eli asked. “I thought you were tired?”
“I decided to go into the city for something to eat,” Margo answered. “Now can we please get in the house?”
Her sons followed her into the villa, but they were far from finished with their interrogation.
“Why didn’t you just have the chef fix you something to eat, Mama?” Eli asked. “That’s what he’s here for.”
“The chef leaves at nine,” she answered.
“Forget the food. What the heck are you wearing?” Toby asked.
“Yeah, what are you even doing with that kind of a dress?” Alex added.
Margo propped a hand on her hip. “Excuse me, but I thought I was the parent here. I didn’t know I had to answer to any of you.”
“You tell ’em, Margo.”
The three sons turned and stared Sienna down with identical blistering glares.
“Please, boys,” Margo said, the plea drenched in exhaustion. “I wanted to go out and see the island. That’s the end of it.”
“I don’t believe you,” Alex said.
“I don’t care what you believe,” Margo said, taking off a pair of fierce strappy heels and holding them out to Monica. “I borrowed these,” she said.
“No problem,” Monica answered with a knowing smile.
“Mama, who were you with to night?” Alex asked.
“Oh, come on, Alex. Don’t start that boyfriend thing again,” Toby said. “Mama does not have a boyfriend.”
Margo turned, both hands on her hips this time. “And what if I did?” she asked.
The silence that followed was pregnant with tension. The expressions on the faces of the men in the room were so horrified, you would think Margo had asked what they thought of her jumping out of an airplane without a parachute.
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