“Still, you’re surprised to see me.” His unshaven jaw scraped along her cheek. His breath was warm and tantalizing against her ear. “Why is that, Eleanor Grace Montgomery?”
Ellie cringed at the use of her full name, a burden of expectation few people understood.
Carter pulled back, perhaps interpreting her response as rejection—the way he’d misinterpreted her actions years ago. He thought she’d abandoned him when she told him goodbye. In truth, she was protecting him.
Regardless, his eyes didn’t waver from their target. He didn’t even blink. She shivered.
Chill warning resonated in his voice. “I’m back to take what was denied me.” His grip tightened on her chin. Their lips nearly touched. “Including you.”
After they’d parted on miserable terms, she swore she’d never be that vulnerable to a man again. But her frozen limbs and speechlessness betrayed her.
Did he know? Did he have any idea how painful this was for her?
She tilted her face up to him. His gaze flicked to her lips. Without thinking, she closed her eyes and waited for the press of his mouth.
Suddenly, he released her. Her eyes flew open and she watched him saunter back into the master bath. He slammed the door.
Ellie recoiled as if she’d been slapped. In the span of five minutes, an old scar had ripped open inside her.
Heart throbbing, she exited the suite. As she traveled the hallway toward her uncle’s office, the floor felt uneven beneath her feet.
She had no idea what was going to happen now. However, she recognized one certainty—whatever transpired in the next five days, Carter Stratton would be at the center of it. For better...or worse.
*
Carter opened the bathroom door two minutes later. Ellie was gone.
Something strange happened in his chest, a pinching sensation he didn’t like. He brushed it off. Now that he was back on the island, he could sever the final thread tying him to this woman.
Swiping his cell phone off the bedside table, he hit number one on his speed dial. The island’s remoteness delayed call connection for a full minute. When it did connect, the line sounded scratchy.
Yet no amount of static subdued the voice on the other end that picked up. “Stratton, where in the hell are you?”
Carter shoved the phone to arm’s length to avoid bursting an eardrum. He set it on the countertop and pressed speaker phone. “Neville, I want a progress report.”
“When I told you to lay low, I didn’t mean fall off the face of the earth.”
Carter smoothed a dollop of gel through his hair, styling the dark blond strands. “I said I’d be in touch.”
Neville sounded like he was choking. “Haven’t you bothered to check your account? Voice mail? Email?”
“Nope.” Carter pulled on a pair boxer briefs. “Enlighten me on your progress.”
“The funds are still tied up.”
“And?” Carter lathered shaving cream in foam circles across his day-old beard growth. “What are your plans?”
“It’s Sunday. Nothing can move until tomorrow.” The phone echoed with the weak connection. “Last night my friends mentioned they may buy off the environmentalists.”
“Forget it.” Carter scraped his razor under his cheekbones, along his jaw, up the arc of his neck. “I don’t want to be associated with your ‘friends.’”
“But think of it, Carter. Fifty-million .”
“And my reputation will be worthless.”
“We’ve worked on this for six months!”
“I don’t pay people off to get what I want—I make the right decision the first time.” Carter finished shaving and tapped his razor on the edge of the sink.
“So that’s it. You’re scrapping six months of effort. For what?”
“Another hotel.”
“ What? ” Neville roared. “Please don’t tell me you’re on El Dorado Island.”
Carter rinsed his face, patting it dry with a towel.
Neville took his silence as guilt by omission. “Are you an idiot?”
“Only when I listen to you, and ignore my instincts.”
Unfazed, Neville reminded, “You’ve never put pleasure before business.”
“I have the chance to accomplish something no amount of money can compensate. I’m taking it.” Carter dunked Armani Code cologne on his hands and slapped it along his neck. The scent of almonds and cinnamon mingled with woodsy undertones. He swept it down his pecs and torso, following the thin line of hair that drifted from his navel to below his waistline. “The Montgomery Hotel is better than Pierce.”
“The place is a dump! Only naïve investors would consider it. You’re better than that.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Why in the world would you—?” Neville paused then let out a maniacal laugh. “It’s about that girl, isn’t it?”
Carter ground his teeth. “What about her?”
“Fine, get her out of your system. Enjoy your make-up sex. Maybe then you’ll concentrate on real prospects.”
Carter grabbed the phone. “Don’t tell me how to run my life. Handle my money and do your job.”
He ended the call, tossing his cell onto the marble sink counter to avoid throwing it across the room. He didn’t need advice. He knew exactly what he was doing.
Pulling on a pair of Michael Kors jeans, he zipped the fly. His mind went to his encounter with Ellie. He’d nearly lost himself in the way her body had felt pressed against his. Then she’d lifted her lips to him, and he wanted to take her right there against the wall. He’d almost given in again to that electric obsession he’d always had for her.
“Damn.” He gripped the counter.
He forced himself to tame the primal response. Locating a Calvin Klein shirt, he shoved his arms into the white oxford and fastened the buttons down his chest.
For now, he had to portray his presence on the island as a business venture. Independent of his personal plans.
Before his purchase went through, he’d bring Ellie to her knees. And afterward, he’d leave her stranded the way she’d left him. Desperate. Shaken. Bitter. Empty inside.
Five more days.
The seductive power of revenge filled him with determination. He tucked his shirt into his jeans, fastened his belt, grabbed his leather jacket off the back of a chair and set out to find the object of his discontent.
Chapter 2
Ellie spent the rest of that afternoon making beds, cleaning bathrooms and avoiding Carter Stratton. She threw her angst and sexual frustration over the encounter with Carter into making every room on the second floor spotless, and also to reimburse Matilda for the flowers she’d bought on Ellie’s behalf.
She was on her knees, scrubbing the bathroom floor in Suite 223, when the door swung open. She froze as her uncle stepped into the room—with Carter behind him.
Oh, no .
They stopped and stared at her. Her uncle, bewildered. Carter, amused, his eyes glued to her backside.
Blushing profusely, Ellie struggled to her feet, dusted off her yoga pants and ignored the quirk of Carter’s lips. He used to wear that expression when they were in a crowd, separated by necessity so her father wouldn’t find out about them, yet one of Carter’s sizzling looks told her how close they’d be once he got her alone.
Carter’s grin widened as he remarked, “Personal wakeup calls and stunning views.” He nudged her uncle, who coughed uncomfortably. “I like what you’ve done with the place. A guy could get used to this.”
Uncle Russert addressed her with a hard stare over his rimless glasses. “Eleanor, what are you doing?”
She stammered, “It’s...I’m—Matilda needed time off.”
“Hey, I’m not complaining,” Carter said, his gaze trailing up and down her body, taking stock of her disheveled state. Her hair thrown back in a careless ponytail, her breasts visible under a thin white t-shirt. Embarrassment flooded her when she realized her nipples were showing through her sports
bra.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Is there something you need?”
“Do you really want my answer to that?” Carter murmured with sexual undertones.
Her uncle must not have heard him. “Eleanor, why do you do this to me? Every time I need to impress an investor, you find some way to embarrass me.”
“Hold on,” Carter interrupted. “It’s not a big deal.”
Russert whirled on him. “Wait in the hall, please. I need to have words with my niece.”
Carter hesitated, glanced at Ellie, then shrugged and walked out. Ellie wished Carter had stayed to play mediator between her and her condescending uncle. Once, Carter would’ve put himself between her and any threat. She braced herself for Russert’s temper.
When the door clicked shut, Russert’s face contorted with wrath. “Do you want to lose everything? Do you want your father’s dreams to rot in a foreclosed ruin because you couldn’t bother to make sacrifices?”
Ellie’s set her hands on her hips. “All I’ve made is sacrifices since you came to handle Daddy’s estate.”
“Use your head, Eleanor!” He loosened his tie, easing the blistering pressure that reddened his face. “Act like a woman who needs the mercy of a man with money. Not the princess my brother made you into.”
Although his words chafed her pride, she notched up her chin up. “You’ve lowered yourself to insults to make people do what you want?”
“It’s not me who refuses to leave this island.”
Ellie bit her tongue. He was right. Maybe there were other opportunities beyond the shore of this island, but she was too terrified to make that leap. Especially when both her parents had died while crossing its oceanic mote.
“You’re not living in a protected bubble anymore. You’re like anyone else about to lose her job, her home, and her last chance to walk away with a little cash to start over.”
She spread her arms to indicate the sparkling bathroom. “Why do you think I’m working so hard?”
Considering his glare, he believed she could do better than menial labor. “Then get used to scrubbing toilets.”
She stared in disbelief. “What do you want me to do? Prostitute myself to Arnoff Applestone?”
Russert pinned her with his icy black gaze, so unlike her father’s warm brown eyes. “I’m telling you to do whatever it takes.”
“Don’t I get a say in who buys my father’s legacy?” Her shoulders bowed. “Why would you let it go to waste as a sleazy casino?”
“Sleaze sells. And right now, I don’t care who is buying.” Calmer now, he straightened his tie. “You have until the auction Friday. Use the same assets your mother used on my brother, and you might have a decent future.”
Ellie gasped. “How dare you?”
“Your mother is the reason I hadn’t spoken to my brother in thirty years.” Russert swallowed. “I didn’t even get to tell him goodbye.”
Finally, a little light shed on the history between the two estranged siblings. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”
“It’s in the past.” He brushed off her compassion. “I’ve tried to honor Frank’s memory by setting you up with some kind of inheritance out of the financial shambles he left. But you need to make some decisions, Eleanor. Because when I leave this island on Saturday, you’re on your own.”
“I know that.” Her chin trembled.
“No one is going to buy this hotel out of pity.”
“ I know .” Angry tears stung her eyes.
“Then help me get it sold.” Russert strode away and closed the door quietly behind him. As if he hadn’t just verbally torn her to shreds. One of New York City’s top corporate attorneys, Russert Montgomery played hardball and didn’t care who he hurt in the process, as long as he won.
Ellie slumped against the bathroom door, feeling defeated. The worst part was she couldn’t counter his attacks. Despite the crushing delivery, every accusation he made was true. She had nothing to go on but her skill as a hotel manager.
And my looks , as Russert dubiously pointed out.
Is this what her fate had come down to? Offering her body and selling her soul, so she wouldn’t have to leave the only home she’d ever known?
Throwing the rag into the trash can, she left the suite before she succumbed to tears. As she descended the staircase, she ran into Carter on the middle landing.
His troubled expression opposed his previous careless attitude. He stepped toward her. “Listen, Ellie, if I knew he’d come down on you that hard, I would’ve dealt with things differently.”
“You heard us?”
When he nodded, she withered inside, realizing how vulnerable that made her. She hid her mortification behind toughness. “I handled it.”
“That’s not the point—”
“I appreciate your concern, but we’re all under a lot of stress. It was no big deal.”
As she turned to go, he caught her arm. “If you want, I’ll say something to him about it.”
If she stayed here another minute in the warmth of his attentiveness, she’d start sobbing. “Don’t. Just...don’t.”
“Fine.” Prickly attitude infused his tone. “Sorry I asked.”
This time he let her leave. She kept her gaze on the ground, watching the marble tiles blur as dampness clung to her lashes.
Approaching her room at the end of hall on the first floor, she fumbled with her key. Finally her fingers steadied enough to unlock her door. She rushed into the cool darkness, closed the door and leaned back against it. She shut her eyes, fighting the rush of fear that overcame her and the swell of tears that followed.
She just needed to be alone, to think. To make a decision that would change the rest of her life.
*
Carter stood in the cemetery behind the small stone church. Late-day sunlight slanted through its stained glass windows, illuminating the geometric patterns of color.
Spanish moss dripped from a Live Oak tree, its branches spread in a canopy above him. He’d chosen this spot because of the tree, which stood like a sentinel guarding his mother’s grave.
Kneeling, he brushed crisp fall leaves away from her headstone that glittered with flecks of pink quartz. His fingers caressed the engraved letters. Rose Stratton . A name that encompassed sweetness and sacrifice, and the proud woman she was.
Twelve letters. Back then that was all he could afford to put on her grave.
He placed a dozen pink roses beneath her name. “Sorry it’s been so long.”
In the years since she’d passed away, and he’d made a fortune ten times over, he considered trading the headstone for something more impressive, with an engraved passage from her favorite poet, Emily Dickenson.
In the end he chose to keep her simple headstone with only her name to remind him of his roots, and the sacrifices they’d both made so he could become the man he was. While he admired his mother’s determination to raise him on her own, Carter was done making sacrifices.
“I wish you could see...”
How far I’ve come .
The last part didn’t quite make it.
Taking a deep breath, Carter stood up. Silent within, feeling a sense of stillness all around him, he bowed his head. “I miss your smile,” he whispered.
The beautiful vision of her face haunted his memory as he exited the cemetery. After closing the gate he headed toward town. He descended the old stone steps wedged into the hillside and his shadow spread before him with the setting sun.
Guilt drenched him for not visiting her grave sooner. Were she still alive, she wouldn’t agree with his purpose for returning to the island. She’d tell him to cut the line and let the big fish he had to fry swim away into the deep waters of the past. But he hadn’t made it this far in life to let such a perfect opportunity slip by.
Whenever he and his mother had walked the beaches when he was young, she would pause and gaze at the Montgomery Hotel like a small-town actress dreaming of Hollywood fame.
Since
he couldn’t make her wish come true then, he would buy the Montgomery Hotel in her honor. And for his own damn satisfaction.
In less than a week he would own the ruins of a rich man’s former passion. Then, Carter would redesign the hotel according to his personal tastes. At last he would achieve a level of success internally that matched his external accomplishments. Frank Montgomery would turn over in his grave if he knew Carter’s intentions. The thought made him smile.
Approaching the ritzy café that used to be a family restaurant when his mother worked there as a waitress, he looked forward to a low-key evening of dinner and a few glasses of scotch. No relationship problems. No business issues. Plenty of time to appreciate the luxuries he’d only fantasized about while growing up here.
When he walked through the door, the cute redheaded bartender flashed him a smile. The night was looking better already.
“What can I do for you?” the girl asked when he approached the counter.
“Give me a double Johnny Walker on the rocks. Blue Label, if you’ve got it.” She raised her auburn eyebrows at his expensive request. “And your phone number, so I can call you when you finish your shift.”
Her green eyes glittered at the proposition. “How long are you planning to stay on the island?” She made small talk, leaning over the bar to give him a nice view of her cleavage.
“Long enough.” He winked.
A snort interrupted their flirting.
Carter turned to the source. Ellie sat at a corner table pretending to ignore him. Her dark hair was still swept back in a ponytail, a few loose strands framing her face. The red cashmere sweater she wore contrasted with the pale orange sunset beyond the window, defining her silhouette. She flipped through a hospitality magazine, sipping a glass of white wine.
“Put her on my tab.” When pointed at Ellie, the redhead frowned. Once she finished pouring his drink, Carter said, “Keep ‘em coming.” He exhaled a longsuffering sigh. “Depending how this goes, I might need as much alcohol as I can get.”
The bartender giggled. Carter set his black American Express card on the counter.
When she reached for it, he slid his fingertips across the back of her hand. “I’ll make tonight worth your while.” The bartender’s smile brightened. Clearing his throat, Carter stepped away and approached Ellie’s table. “Care for some company?”
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