by Chanta Rand
Resisting Temptation
Chanta Rand
Dane Sullivan has spent the last ten years getting over the death of his wife. Not the typical widower, he avoids women, preferring the company of his two dogs to dealing with the hectic dating scene. Coerced by his brothers to spend a week in the Maldive Islands, Dane agrees simply to get the two off his back. But when he has a chance encounter with a beautiful woman known only as Charly, he thinks a random hookup might be just what he needs to move on with his life.
Charly Malone hasn’t had a vacation in years. Between dealing with her two teenagers, her no-good ex-husband, and a demanding job, sometimes she wishes she could leave it all behind. That’s exactly what she does when she decides to take a vacation to the Maldives. Her mission is to get her freak on, and when she meets Dane, she finds a willing partner.
The two enjoy a hedonistic week in each other’s arms, believing they will never see each other again. But months later, they run into each other–living in the same city! Charly sees it as fate. Dane sees only the drama and pain that being in a relationship brings. He already lost one woman. Will he give Charly chance? Or will he be too busy resisting temptation?
Resisting Temptation
Chanta Rand
Copyright © 2014 Chanta Rand
All rights reserved
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Cover photo by http://www.Colorful-Covers.com
Chapter 1
“Will you loosen up, bro? You’re making me nervous.”
“It’s bad enough I let you guys convince me to come here. I’ll be damned if I let y’all tell me what to do while I’m here.”
Dane Sullivan stared into the blue eyes of his younger brother, Mark. Although Mark was the middle child of the three Sullivan males, he liked to boss everyone around. Mark could be persuasive when he wanted–which was why Dane was here. A tropical breeze tickled the hairs on Dane’s arms as he sat at a table on the patio of a local restaurant. The blue awning overhead protected him from the sun’s harsh glare. He had a perfect view of the Indian Ocean. The only downside was his drink. Sipping fruity cocktails from glasses stuffed with paper umbrellas was not his style. He’d take a bottle of Heineken over this crap any day.
Dane’s youngest brother, Cayson pressed, “All we’re asking is for you to give it a chance. You’re still young. You owe it to yourself to get back in the dating game.”
“It hasn’t been that long since Nichole’s death.”
“What’s it been? Seven or eight years? Why do you think they call it the seven-year itch? Dude, your itches are long overdue!”
“It’s been ten years, smartass. And not that it’s any of your business, but my itches have been getting scratched.”
Mark scoffed. “Jackin’ the beanstalk does not count.” Dane shot his brother a warning glance but Mark didn’t back down. “Be there tonight at seven.”
It was easy for his brothers to gang up on him. Mark had searched for his soul mate his entire life, and then finally found her when he married his former co-worker, Kendra earlier this year. Cayson, the baby of the Sullivan family was a notorious pussy hound. He didn’t care who he slept with as long as the victim was gone by sunup. He was like a freakin’ vampire. Dane wasn’t going to let these two push him into hooking up with someone merely to soothe their egos.
Kendra approached the table, bringing a breath of fresh air to an otherwise stale topic. “Sorry I’m late guys. I got stuck on the phone.” She tossed her honey curls over her shoulder before gazing lovingly at Mark. “I booked another scuba tour. Think you can handle that?”
Mark’s eyes lit up as Kendra pecked him on the lips before sitting in the chair beside him. Mark had eyes only for his new wife. “Baby, I can handle anything you can dream up for me.” Dane watched as Mark stroked Kendra’s bare knee. Married less than six months, the two couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Not only was his new sister-in-law beautiful and smart; she made Mark happy. Kendra was the yin to Mark’s yang. Dane was happy for his brother. Everyone should have that kind of love. He’d had it once. But that was before the accident.
Dane slurped his fruity drink. He didn’t like to think about Nichole’s death. He hadn’t seriously dated anyone since that fateful day she slammed into a semi on a rain-slicked road and died. Dane called it honoring her memory. Mark called it a dysfunctional existence.
As he looked away, avoiding the intimate glances of the newlyweds, Dane’s eye caught the gaze of a woman walking toward him. Her cocoa-brown skin glistened as sunlight kissed her bare shoulders. The first thing he noticed was the way her colorful sundress hugged her voluptuous curves. The thin straps barely contained her ample breasts. A man had to be comatose not to appreciate that body. The second thing he noticed was that she wore oversized sunshades and a blue, floppy straw hat that obscured most of her face. Her full lips eased into a smile as she nodded in his direction when she passed his table. He looked behind him to see if anyone was standing there. The woman couldn’t possibly be smiling at him.
Mark chuckled. “You can put your tongue back in your mouth, bro.”
Kendra laughed. “She was very pretty.”
Cayson whistled under his breath. “‘Pretty’ is an insult. That chick was hot!”
Dane nodded. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t run into gorgeous women before. This one had an air of confidence that made a man sit up and take notice. And his tongue wasn’t the only one hanging out. A quick glance around the restaurant told him other fellas were also staring at the beauty who’d quickly exited the restaurant. He stood, suddenly anxious for fresh air.
“Where are you going?” Kendra asked.
“I’ll be back. I’m going for a swim.”
********
Charly removed her sandals before stepping onto the plush white sands. Only one day in the Maldives and already she was loving it. Too bad her cousin, Shontal couldn’t enjoy this day. She was stuck in their bungalow with a hangover. Drank too much last night. Charly didn’t drink, but she didn’t stop others from gettin’ their party on. Shontal was certainly paying for her hedonism today. Hours ago, after watching the awe-inspiring sunrise from their East-facing beach bungalow, Charly crept from the room with her eReader, intent on spending the afternoon reading and relaxing. She hadn’t even protested about standing in the long lines at the Male International Airport while she waited for the standard thirty-day visa yesterday. This sun, this beach, this island was so worth it.
This was a far cry from her hectic life back in Houston. She was proud of what she’d accomplished in life, but she desperately needed this down time to recharge her batteries. She didn’t want to think about her demanding clients. She didn’t want
to think about her pubescent teenage daughter, Joi–who at age fourteen was starting to smell herself and talk back. She didn’t want to think about her seventeen-year-old son, Diego, who had been diagnosed with ADHD five years ago (coincidentally, around the same time she’d divorced his father, Cruz). And she especially didn’t want to think about Cruz. Since that epic failure she called a marriage, she’d sworn off serious relationships.
While her kids were spending their Spring Break in San Antonio, being spoiled by her parents, she was here in the Maldive Islands for one purpose and one purpose only: to spoil herself. That was why she’d left Shontal in the room. For the amount of money she’d paid for this trip, there was no way she was going to let one sun-filled day in paradise slip away. This trip was all about indulging in whatever whim she wanted. Fuck it. She might even get her freak on while she was here. Or as Shontal liked to put it, find her inspiration. She was grown. And if she found a willing male, she might just do it.
She spread the oversized towel that had been tucked under her arm on the sand beneath a linen umbrella. The moment she eased onto the towel, her designer straw hat was ripped from her head by a strong gust of wind. Her hair tumbled past her shoulders as the blue hat fluttered in the breeze.
“Oh!” She abandoned her oversized bag on the towel and chased her hat. She’d almost caught it when it blew away toward the water’s edge. There was no way she’d catch it in time. Just when she’d resigned herself to buying a new hat, a knight in swim trunks trotted past. She watched as he ran after the hat. His bronzed, muscular calves and toned thighs flexed with each movement. Her heartbeat kicked. From this distance, she couldn’t see his face clearly, but if it didn’t match his broad shoulders and six-pack abs, it would be a crying shame.
He finally tracked down the hat, saving it from a salt-water bath. He held it up triumphantly. She clapped and yelled to him, “Thank you!”
As he walked back from the shore, another burst of wind tore the hat from his hand, carrying it into the air and out to sea. Charly’s breath caught as she watched the flash of blue swallowed by a greedy wave.
The sheepish look on the stranger’s face was priceless. He made his way back toward her, holding up his hands in surrender. “I’m sorry about that,” he told her. “I tried.”
Green eyes raked her from head to toe. He was checking her out! A thrill ran through her. At forty-one, she was no spring chicken, but she was proud to say she had no shortage of offers. She felt good about herself, and that confidence seemed to attract men like flies to honey. This one was a welcome distraction. Six-foot-two. Bronzed skin. Sculpted muscles. Square jaw. Aquiline nose. He was undoubtedly, one of the handsomest men she’d ever laid eyes on. And for that reason alone, she’d let him off the hook for sending her hat to a watery grave. “That’s okay,” she told him. “Now I have an excuse to go shopping for another one.”
He ran a hand through his dark, wavy hair. The sexy move made her want to do the same thing with her fingers. “At least let me pay to replace it,” he offered.
“I don’t think there’s a Michael Kors on the islands. I’ll take care of it when I get home.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know who this Coors guy is, but I feel bad that I lost my grip on your hat.”
She laughed. He seriously did not know what she was talking about. His slight Southern drawl told her he must be a country boy. She liked his honesty. In her line of work, she dealt with a lot of pretentious types. It was refreshing to meet a man who wasn’t trying to keep up with the Joneses. “It’s all good,” she reassured him.
“At least let me buy you a drink.”
“I don’t drink.” He frowned, and she could imagine the wheels of his mind frantically churning out another solution. Poor guy. He was trying. She should put him out of his misery. “But I eat,” she offered. “You could take me to dinner.”
“I’d like that,” he said, his green eyes brightening with pleasure. “What’s your bungalow number?”
“1107.”
“I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“See you then.”
“Wait a minute. Don’t you think I should know your name first?”
She extended her hand and introduced herself. “Charly.”
Instead of shaking her hand, he lowered his head and brushed his lips across her knuckles. A jolt of electricity sparked through her. Her mind went straight to the gutter imagining all the other things those lips could do to her.
“I’m Dane Sullivan,” he said. “Pleased to meet you.”
Charly smiled. Dane didn’t know it, but he’d just become her inspiration.
Chapter 2
Dane stood in the full-length mirror scrutinizing his appearance. He’d never been concerned with his clothes before, yet tonight he felt the need to impress. He’d asked Kendra about Michael Kors and learned it was an upscale store for women. So, Charly was a woman used to nice things. He was comfortable in sweats and sneakers, but now he was glad he’d thrown in a few dress shirts with his shorts and flip flops. He also had a pair of new khakis. But Mark had taken one look at the pants and promptly vetoed Dane’s wardrobe choice. Dane was now wearing a borrowed pair of Mark’s linen slacks. There was no trace of the football coach from Houston.
As he headed to Charly’s bungalow, rampant thoughts threatened to sabotage his vacation. Mainly he was worried about his dogs, Sasha and Sergei. The two German Shepherds were like family to him. Right now, they were probably running ram shod over his neighbor, an elderly woman named, Rose. He couldn’t bring himself to board his pets in a kennel for a whole week. They would love it here in paradise. Mark promised that a week in the Maldives would change his perspective on life. Dane scoffed. He was too damn practical to put stock into dreams.
When Charly opened the door, all of Dane’s reservations melted.
If this is what a dream in paradise looks like, I don’t wanna wake up!
Charly stood in the doorway of her bungalow, looking more gorgeous than she did barely five hours ago. His mouth went dry as he took in her clean scrubbed face and glossed lips. Without her sunshades, he glimpsed eyes that were the prettiest shade of maple he’d ever seen. Her hair was swept into a loose bun, accentuating her strong cheekbones. He followed the lines of her long, white linen dress from where it dipped low against the creamy swell of her breasts to the hemline that brushed her ankles. Pretty toes painted a pale pink peeped from her gold sandals. With gold jewelry adorning her ears and wrists, she reminded him of a gypsy.
“Wow. You look incredible.”
Her smile was more dazzling than a sunset. “Thanks. You clean up pretty nice too.”
“Hey, it’s not Michael Kors or anything, but it works for me.”
Her laughter boosted his ego. He didn’t usually make women smile, much less burst into laughter. “Ready?” he asked.
“Just a moment. There’s someone I want you to meet.”
She led him to the bungalow’s veranda where a woman who looked a lot like Charly sat on a wicker chair. A cigarette dangled from her lips.
“Dane, meet my cousin, Shontal. Shontal, meet Dane Sullivan.”
Dane shook the woman’s hand. “I can see the resemblance.”
She blew a puff of smoke over her shoulder. “Charly told me she’d met a mysterious man, but she didn’t tell me you were so handsome.”
He grinned. “She was probably mad at me for getting her hat waterlogged.”
Shontal nodded. “Yep, she did mention that some oaf had lost her hat. Was that you?”
“I’m making it up to her by taking her to dinner,” he promised.
“Ooh, good-looking and sweet. You don’t have a brother by any chance, do you?”
He chuckled, amused at Shontal’s boldness. At least she spoke her mind. “I have two, but one is married and the other…” Dane shook his head. “Let’s just say he’s a confirmed bachelor. Getting him to settle down is like corralling cats.”
The two ladies laughed again, buoying
Dane’s confidence.
“Handsome, smart, and funny,” Shontal complimented.
“Trust me. My brother, Cayson gives me plenty of material. Without him, I wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining.”
“Speaking of entertainment,” Charly prompted. “We’d better get going.”
She linked her arm in his. The warmth of her curves felt good. The scent of vanilla floated up to his nostrils. Being with her made the evening so much more bearable. Dane didn’t want to show up at Mark’s party looking like a charity case, so he’d invited Charly as his date. It was totally spontaneous for him to do this. But as Mark said, this was paradise. Dane should take a chance and get back out there. And that’s exactly what he intended to do.
The party was dress-to-impress. It was held in a series of lavish rooms decorated in turquoise, cream, and gold. A wrap-around balcony allowed a whisper-soft breeze to float through the main room, while giving guests a spectacular view of the outdoors. A low sunset streaking the sky with trails of vibrant oranges and muted reds was the perfect backdrop. An ‘80s cover band in one corner of the room was playing a jazzy rendition of Maneater by Hall & Oates. Charly held tight to Dane’s arm, relishing the feel of his hard biceps beneath her fingertips. He was in excellent shape. The hard lines of his body communicated an unspoken virility. Not for the first time she wondered if Dane Sullivan knew how to work the middle?
She glanced at the party-goers dressed in cocktail dresses and high heels. She whispered in Dane’s ear, getting a whiff of his woodsy cologne in the process. “I feel underdressed.”
He glanced sideways at her, desire dancing in his emerald eyes. “For what I have in mind, you are definitely overdressed.”
She smiled. “You know what I meant.”
He placed a palm over her hand that rested on his arm. The erotic stroking of his thumb sent shivers down her spine. “Charly, you could wear tin foil and you’d look amazing. You’re the most beautiful woman in this room.”