She sat down on the bed and clasped her shaking hands together when the full realization of the fix she was in hit her full force. She was on an island in the middle of nowhere, alone with the one man she had been determined to protect herself from.
The only reason Lance Montgomery would not leave her alone was because for some reason, he was totally convinced that she felt something for him. In that case, she had to prove his arrogant ass wrong. He thought he had the upper hand. Maybe it was time to show him just how wrong he was. After that ordeal with David, common sense had kicked in and the healing had taken place, she had gotten an inner strength she hadn’t known she had, and in the end she had grown confident in trusting her instincts. She had learned how to handle the most distressing of situations, no matter what it took or how painful things might become. And she had taken a vow never to let any man take advantage of her again. Lance thought the two of them on the island together would be to his benefit, but she was determined to show him otherwise. No matter what it took, she would ignore his very existence. She had come here for solitude and to get some work done. He had destroyed the solitude, but she still had a book to finish—and no matter what, she intended to finish it.
Lance placed the mop back in the bucket after cleaning up the spill on kitchen floor. Things had been quiet for the past hour, and he wondered what Asia was doing behind those closed doors. She would have discovered by now that the phones didn’t work. He had taken every precaution to make sure any contact with the mainland were severed the moment he had arrived.
“I would have done that. I don’t need you to clean up after me.”
Asia’s sharp tone let him know she was still pretty pissed. “I didn’t mind since I was the reason you dropped the cup in the first place.”
He watched her closely, studied her features, and tried to read her expression. But he found it was a total blank. She had become unreachable, erected a solid wall between them, and distanced herself. “I’m about to prepare something to eat,” he said. “Would you like—?”
“Let’s get one thing straight, Lance. The only thing I want is for one of us to leave, but since that doesn’t seem to be an option, then I just want to be left alone. You said you came here to finish a book like I did. Then do it. You’re right. This place is big enough for the both of us, and I intend to ignore your very presence and do what I came here to do. I refuse to be a party to your games.” She then turned and walked out of the kitchen to return to her bedroom.
Lance sighed deeply. She was so convinced that pursuing her was nothing more than a game for him, and the first thing he intended to do was prove her wrong. By the time it was over, he would have destroyed every defense she tried using and would never let her erect them against him again.
29
Upon waking up the next morning, Asia just lay there, staring up at the ceiling. It was almost eight. Somehow she had gotten through the night, which hadn’t been easy knowing Lance was somewhere in the house. Whether she liked it or not, it seemed her entire being was attuned to his nearness.
She remembered waking up earlier at dawn, to the sound of a door closing, and had gotten out of bed in time to glance out the window to see Lance, dressed in T-shirt and shorts. During the time it had taken him to do body stretches before jogging off toward the beach, she had stared at him, watched how his muscles had flexed, pulled tight with the workout he was giving them. In no time, his body had glistened with sweat, and every inch of him, from head to toe, appeared rock solid and exceedingly well fit.
While watching him, she had been filled with an enormous amount of heated desire, wanting, and lust. She’d actually felt her head spin as her traitorous body responded to the sight of him. She had been filled with forbidden thoughts of being out side with him, running her hands all over his body, taking a certain part of him into her hands and . . .
She had gotten back in bed determined to rid herself of the madness that possessed her. But even when she’d tumbled back to sleep, her mind had been filled with the images of what she’d seen, and they were visions she couldn’t forget. Even now.
It was time to start her day. She got out of bed and went into the bathroom, peeling off her nightgown. Moments later while standing under the shower spray, she became attuned to just how responsive her body was, a reminder of her celibate state. But a few months ago, she’d had an orgasm, and not the self-induced kind. It had been the Lance Montgomery kind. She paused, remembering it so well, every shudder of pleasure that had ripped through her body when Lance’s mouth had done all kinds of things to her, taking her in a way no other man had.
She stepped out of the shower and began toweling dry, trying to fight the tumult of emotions that was raging through her. Only Lance had the ability to do this to her . . . even without trying.
After putting on a pair of shorts and a top, she walked out of the bedroom. The house was quiet, and she couldn’t help wondering where he was. She walked near the stairs and paused, listening, and then she heard the sound of computer keys clicking. He was evidently working on his book—like she needed to be working on hers.
She went into the kitchen to make a fruit salad for breakfast. A short while later, she walked into the downstairs office ready to get started on her writing. The moment she entered the room, she saw the vase of tropical flowers. They were beautiful.
Crossing the room she gazed at them a moment before noticing the folded note that had been place beside them. She picked it up and read the bold script words: These were hand-picked for the woman I love. Lance
Asia closed her eyes as she tried to fight the emotions that suddenly consumed her.Stop it! she ordered herself.Don’t believe a word he says, and don’t let him get to you! He was playing a game and would do or say anything to win. He wouldn’t hesitate to trample her emotions while trying to prove some stupid point.
She balled up the note and tossed it in the garbage as she fought to get her emotions back on track. No matter what it took, she would get through her time here on the island, finish her book, and move on.
She would not let Lance Montgomery get the best of her.
Lance glanced at his watch then pushed away from the computer terminal. It was four in the afternoon already. For the first time in a long time, his words had flowed easily, mainly because for the first time ever he’d been writing from his heart.
Several times during the course of the day, he had heard Asia move around downstairs, yet he’d still managed to stay focused and get a lot of work done and hoped she had done the same. He would allow her to continue to try to ignore him, handle him with cool indifference but likewise he planned to take one day at a time and let her know just how much he loved her. He hadn’t heard the vase go crashing against the wall, so maybe that was a pretty good sign that she had liked the flowers.
He glanced out the window. It had been another beautiful day, and he intended to go outside to enjoy what was left of it.
After changing into his swimming trunks and with a beach towel under his arm he walked down the stairs. The villa was quiet and felt empty, and he wondered if Asia was still at work. He opened the back door and walked out, headed for the beach. He didn’t go far before he saw her, stretched out near the water and lying on a huge beach towel.
When he got near, she detected his presence. A dark frown appeared on her face and without saying a word, she turned away from him to look back out at the ocean.
He strolled to where she lay and placed his own towel down within a few feet of her and sat on it. “Hello, Asia.”
She didn’t respond. She just kept her gaze on the beach and off of him.
But he wouldn’t let that deter him. “Did you get much writing done today?” he asked.
It seemed that minutes passed before she turned cool eyes to meet his. “Don’t push me, Lance.”
At least he had finally gotten her attention. “Trust me, you’ll know when I begin pushing.”Preferably on your back, he thought, glancing over at her. She de
finitely looked good in her bathing suit, and seeing her in it wasn’t helping matters. It was slowly bringing out the lustful beast in him. He loved her, but hell, he wanted her, too. He was trying to be the epitome of control right now but was finding it hard as hell to do so.
“It’s nice out here, isn’t it?”
She didn’t answer, but he refused to let up. “Every time I come to this island, it gets more beautiful and I notice something that I hadn’t before.”
She turned and stared at him, and asked accusingly, “You’ve been here before?”
His eyebrows lifted. “Yes, I’ve been here, and before you ask, no, I wasn’t here with a woman. I came to finish a book.”
Moments later he added, “I’m grilling fish and making a salad for dinner tonight. Would you like to join me later?”
She stood, brushed sand off her legs, grabbed her towel, and then reached for her tote bag. The look she gave him was still cold as ice. “No, I would not like to join you later. In fact, the less I see of you the better off I am.”
He was tempted to grab her wrist, tumble her back to the ground, and kiss those words right off her lips. But he would let it go for now. “All right,” he said evenly. “Enjoy the rest of your day.” When she began walking off, he said, “And Asia ...”
She halted but didn’t turn around.
“I love you,” he whispered.
He saw her body tense, and then she slowly turned around, glared at him. “You don’t know the meaning of the word, Lance.”
He leaned back on his arms and held her gaze and said, “Until I met you I hadn’t. According to my shrink, thanks to my mother’s desertion, I’ve despised women for a long time. But I’m slowly learning how to let go and get over it, and each day I’m understanding more and more what love is about.”
He stood. “And the more I analyzed things, the more I discover what a selfish and inconsiderate bastard I’ve been not only to you but to other women, as well. But especially to you.”
He took the few steps separating them to stand in front of her. “But the one thing I do know is my emotions and how I feel. Whether you want to believe it or not, I do love you. I hurt you, and for that I’m sorry and will regret the pain I’ve caused you for as long as I live. I don’t expect you to believe me or trust me right off the bat, but I am asking that you give me a chance to prove to you just how much you mean to me.”
Asia turned away, refusing to believe what he was saying. The wall encasing her heart was too thick. “No, Lance, I refuse to let you get next to me a second time.”
“And I refuse to let you push me out of your life.”
She turned back around. Their gazes connected. Lock. And then without saying anything else, she turned and quickly headed back toward the villa. The realization struck him like a ton of bricks: He had hurt her deeply, and winning her back wouldn’t be easy. It might even be impossible.
Asia let herself inside the villa and went directly to her bedroom, closed the door, and leaned against it. Dammit, she couldn’t let herself respond to him or react to his words. She couldn’t because they were just words. From the night she had decided to accept Sean’s proposal of marriage, she had been holding herself together, had convinced herself that Lance, like David, had been a mistake. But she hadn’t counted on this—his ability to penetrate the wall she had erected around herself, especially her heart.
How could a man tell a woman that he loved her and make it sound so legitimate while lying through his teeth? She set her mouth in a grim line. Only a man who was a playa of playas would know all the sweet words to say to break down a woman’s defenses; convince her that she was special. Lance Montgomery was the epitome of smooth and slick, what did she expect? Fury touched her face when she thought that trustworthiness and honesty wouldn’t be so bad.
She heard him come into the villa. If for one minute he thought she would share his company he had another thought coming. She would go to bed hungry first. She crossed the room to the bathroom to take a second shower and go to bed early.
The delectable aroma of grilled fish woke Asia up and immediately made her aware that she hadn’t eaten anything since lunch. She glanced over at the clock and saw it was nearly the eight o’clock hour.
Getting out of bed and sliding her feet into her slippers, she went to the window and looked out. Moonlight splashed across the ocean, and the salty smell of the sea did nothing to calm her stomach. It was growling from lack of food. Deciding that her battle with Lance was no reason to starve, and since he had invited her to join him for dinner, she walked over to the closet and pulled a cotton sundress off the hanger. After removing her nightgown, she slipped the dress over her naked body, kicked off her slippers, then stepped into her sandals. She took the time to put on a thong and tried to quash the fluttering she felt in her stomach. Drawing in a deep breath, she tried convincing herself that her hunger had more to do with the food being cooked than the man cooking it.
Lance glanced up at sound of the French door opening. He had set up the grill outside on the patio, where he could enjoy the view of the moonlight-kissed ocean while putting his culinary skills to work.
He watched as Asia stepped out into the cool evening air and walked straight into a pool of light. From the angle of the lanterns hitting her body, he could easily tell she wasn’t wearing anything beneath her dress ... at least nothing that mattered or couldn’t quickly be removed. His pulse suddenly raced at the thought.
Deciding not to make her appearance such a big deal, he said, “Make yourself useful. The salad in the kitchen still needs to be tossed.”
His words had surprised her, but nonetheless, she tipped her head up, ready to square off with him. “You didn’t say I had to do any work.”
He chuckled, thinking she was a regular little smart-ass. But he loved her anyway. “You’re going to share in the work if you intend to eat. I apologize if I didn’t make myself clear but that’s the way things go around here. There’s no free ride.”
She took a step forward. “I’m not looking for a free ride. I’ll make the damn salad.”
“Sure you know how?”
She laughed and rolled her eyes at something so absurd. “Hey, you’re the one with the personal chef, not me. Maybe I’m the one who should be concerned that you know what you’re doing.”
“I know what I’m doing. With no mother around and a father who worked tirelessly to make sure we stayed clothed and fed, my brothers and I learned how to do plenty for ourselves. We took turns doing the cooking, laundry, and whatever else needed to be done.”
Asia craned her neck to look past his shoulder to see what he was doing to the fish to make it smell so good. “Your mother never came back? Not even to visit?” she asked out of curiosity.
Lance shrugged. “She did come back once, after Logan, Lyle, and I had finished college and made something of ourselves. She needed money and asked us to lay a couple of grand on her. She said we owed her something for bringing us into the world.”
Asia blinked. She couldn’t imagine a mother saying such a thing to her child. “Was she serious?”
“As a heart attack. And when she saw we didn’t agree with that assessment, she tried another approach.”
Asia’s interest piqued. She asked, “What?”
“She was willing to bargain for the whereabouts of our kid sister.”
“Sister? You have a sister?”
He grinned. “Yes. You sound like you find that hard to believe.”
“Considering the stuff you write in your books, I do.”
He chuckled. “Touche.”
Asia regarded Lance’s amused expression then asked, “What do you mean she was willing to bargain for the whereabouts of your sister? Didn’t you know where she was?”
Lance furrowed his eyebrows, concentrating, remembering. “No. When my baby sister was barely six months old, my mother ran off with her lover, taking the baby with her.” “Oh.”
“And from what I understand, my
mother got into drugs and booze and my sister was placed in various foster homes, and at one time she lived as a runaway on the streets of Los Angeles. We had no idea where she was. We eventually hired a private detective to find her. He located her a few months before her sixteenth birthday. Once she was found, there was a big adjustment period since we were practically strangers to her.”
Lance didn’t say anything for a few moments then finally added, “My only regret is that we didn’t find her sooner. There’s no telling what sort of hell she went through all those years to survive.”
Asia nodded. “How is she doing now?”
Lance released a long-suffering sigh. “If you would have asked me that a couple of months ago, I would have said she was doing just fine. She has a great job as a social worker down in Tampa where my brother Logan lives, and like most twenty- four-year-old young women, she’s into clothes, hair, and nails. But lately, something is different. There’s something going on with her, and my father and brothers, and I don’t have a clue what it is, and she won’t talk to us about it.”
Asia nodded. Lance picked up a bottle of beer that was close by on the table. Asia couldn’t help noticing how he moistened his lips before taking a sip. She remembered one kiss they had shared where he had practically sipped her the same way.
Silence grew around them as she forced her mind away from that memory. Instead she thought about all that Lance had said and how openly he had shared the personal information regarding his mother with her. No wonder he still had issues with his mother. Not only had the woman deserted Lance and his brothers, but she had literally torn their family apart as well.
“Are you going to make the salad, or are you going to stand out here all night and daydream? The fish is almost ready.”
She narrowed her eyes when she saw the faint grin that tugged at his lips. And what a nice pair of lips they were, she thought, pulling in a quick, quivering breath. “Okay, I’ll make the salad. Just don’t expect me to help clean up the kitchen afterward,” she said, tossing the words over her shoulder as she walked toward the French doors to the kitchen.
No More Playas Page 18