Breaking Even

by Lily Bishop

  “Of course. Be careful. It’s sharp.”

  Lindsey took a step back and lifted the sword over her head, swinging it high once in a wide arc. The sword weighed more than the light swords she trained with.

  “Would this have been used in actual fighting?”

  “Maybe. Most swords were ceremonial at that point, although it may have seen some action.”

  She returned it to him, palms up, holding it horizontal as he had done. He sheathed it smoothly and placed it on its rack.

  “So what happened to the sword in your family? Why is it missing?”

  “As the oldest, my cousin claimed that he should inherit. I think he stole it from my mother, but I haven’t been able to prove it or to find the sword.”

  “That’s awful. I always wished that I had more family. My mom was an only child, so no cousins.”

  “What about your dad? You never mentioned him.”

  “I don’t know much about him. He was an over the road truck driver. He died in a massive wreck before I was born, so I never knew him.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Lindsey shrugged. Insurance money from the accident had bought her mom’s house and funded their education. It was hard for her to miss someone she had never known. She missed the idea of a father more than anything else. She and Laura never talked about him. “What about your dad?”

  “Sadly, that appears to also be something else that we have in common. He’s also dead. I don’t remember him either.”

  “How did he die?”

  “My mother’s family had money and she received a good bit when she got married as part of her dowry. My father’s family held a large estate but had no money to run it. The government wanted more and more in taxes every year. My dad used up my mother’s dowry making needed improvements. She had money from her modeling career that she had put in a trust fund for me, but he wouldn’t touch that. He left to go work on the oil rigs, which weren’t as safe then as they are now. He died in an explosion when I was two.”

  “I’m so sorry. So what happened to the estate then?”

  He shrugged. “My mother returned to modeling and made enough money to save the estate. Investment markets evened out and the family was on better footing. She claimed the sword belonged to me because she is the one who saved the estate from ruin. Other members of the family didn’t agree.”

  Lindsey could tell that the estate and sword meant a great deal to him. “Who holds the legal title?” Lindsey asked.

  “The estate has always been a family affair, with many families living there and working. The castle is large with several separate apartments. A family trust hold the title, managed by the oldest living member. When my father died, management of the estate passed to my eldest cousin. He has all but pushed me out. I offered to buy his stake, but he refused. If he dies without an heir, the management of the trust reverts to me.”

  “Why don’t you live there?”

  His mouth twisted. “Let’s just say that my cousin and I do not get along, and I’ve made my fortune elsewhere.” He paused for a long beat, almost as if he was trying to decide how much to tell her, before he continued. “But I digress. I hope you brought a swimsuit. The weather’s perfect this afternoon, so I thought we could take a dip.”

  “That sounds great,” she said.

  He led her to the second bedroom where her bag waited. “Go ahead and get changed and then come out the back doors through the arches.”

  He bent down and kissed her cheek and then he was gone, closing the door behind him.

  Disappointment crashed over her. What had she expected? That she would share his bed? After their steamy phone calls, that’s exactly what she thought.

  Lindsey sighed as she looked around the gorgeous room, decorated in sage green and ecru. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the room she wanted. She wanted Ric's room. Her suitcase waited for her on a low bench by the window. She retrieved her white and gold bathing suit and matching white crochet cover-up. In the bathing suit, she sank down on the bed, her hands extended straight beside her.

  What did Ric want? Why had he put her in a second bedroom? She hoped he didn’t see her as a friend, or even worse, as a little sister. She wanted something from Ric, but it wasn’t the affections of a brother.

  After she tired of moping, Lindsey got up the nerve to go find him. Lindsey followed the stone path to the pool area. She expected a typical backyard pool but found a half-Olympic-sized pool instead.

  She found Ric at at a table under a large cabana-style pavilion. He still wore his business suit from earlier. A woman in the straight-skirt and Bolero jacket uniform of the resort stood talking to him. Ric saw Lindsey and waved her over.

  “Lindsey, there you are. I’d like you to meet Jacquetta Renault. You may remember her from the front desk during your last visit. She’s my new Director of Human Resources.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Lindsey murmured. The two of them shook hands.

  “And you as well. I hope you are enjoying your stay?” Lindsey noticed the woman’s smile didn’t reach her eyes.

  “I just got here, but I’m sure I will.”

  “Lindsey, I will be right with you. I just have to glance at this paperwork.”

  “Sure. Not a problem.” Lindsey spread out her towel on a nearby lounge chair and set down her e-reader.

  “Ricardo, are you still planning to come to the funeral tomorrow?”

  “Oh, right. That’s tomorrow. What time?”

  “It starts at eleven.”

  “We will try. I forgot about that.”

  “It would mean a lot,” Jacquetta said,

  Who were they talking about? Lindsey watched Jacquetta touch his shoulder and told herself it wasn’t jealousy. She didn’t stand around to hear Ric’s response. Instead, she pulled off her cover-up and dove into the deep end.

  So swimming was not a euphemism for some other activity. He had meant swimming, and since he was still in his suit, he had meant for her to swim alone. She bit back her disappointment and swam several laps. She had always loved to swim, and her stroke settled into a good rhythm almost immediately. In the middle of October, the water was still balmy here. The outdoor pools had already closed in South Carolina.

  After ten laps, Lindsey pulled herself up at the deep end, holding onto the concrete edge. She expected to see Ric reviewing his reports under the pavilion, but she was alone. She had the whole pool to herself. Not exactly what I had in mind.

  She pulled herself out of the pool and took one of the wide loungers in the sun. The temperature was warm, but the brisk wind coming off the beach carried a little bit of a chill. The sun took the edge off, and it was pleasant enough with her e-reader and sunglasses.

  She didn’t know how long Ric was gone. She must have dozed off. She opened her eyes when she heard shoes in the pool deck. Ric had returned, and he had changed out of his business suit and wore bathing trunks and a T-shirt.

  “I’m so sorry. I had to go back with Jacquetta. Her grandmother died, and she has been out of the office. She needed my signature on some paperwork, but now I am finished. I am yours for the weekend.”

  Lindsey bit back the sarcastic comment that sprang to her mind. “So I guess you’ll go to the funeral?”

  He pulled a face. “Yes, I had forgotten. Everyone on the island loved her like a second mother. Listen, if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to, but…”

  “I don’t have any clothes to wear to a funeral,” Lindsey said. She had brought a dress, but it was more for clubbing, not a respectful dress she would wear to a funeral.

  “If you don’t mind going with me, we can visit the boutique. I’m sure we can find something.”

  Lindsey didn’t want to go to the funeral of a woman she didn’t know, but she would. For him. “Sure. If you feel like you should go, I’ll be happy to go with you.”

  He squeezed her shoulder with one hand and she saw him frown. “Your shoulders feel hot. I’ll get some sunscreen.”

>   He didn’t wait for her answer but retrieved sunscreen from storage room at the edge of the pavilion.

  “Your shoulders are getting a little pink. Shall I?”

  Lindsey presented her back to Ric and he started rubbing sunscreen on her shoulders. She stiffened at first, but his gentle touch soothed her.

  “I hope you’re not mad I was gone for so long.”

  “Of course not. I swam for a while and then just dozed off. So did you and Jacquetta ever date?”

  “No, I don’t date my staff. Jacquetta has set her sights on managing a large resort someday. I'm helping her gain experience in different parts of the business. After she finishes her rotation in HR, she will move to catering."

  That’s not all she has set her sights on. Instead, Lindsey just smiled. “Thanks for the sunscreen.”

  She took the bottle from him and squirted some into her palm. He watched as she rubbed the cream into the top of her chest and all along her collarbone.

  “Want me to do you?” She asked, her eyes wide.

  “I don’t usually burn, but you can put some on the top of my shoulders.” He pulled his shirt over his head and turned his back to her.

  Of course he wouldn’t burn. He had the body of a bronzed god. Without the ugly green copper tint.

  Lindsey closed her eyes, committing his back to memory. She had never seen a man’s back that looked so good. Well-defined muscles waited. She rubbed the cream into his shoulders. If her hands hands lingered just a minute longer than necessary, who knew?

  “Thank you,” he said.

  “My pleasure.”

  Ric stretched out beside her. Dark sunglasses hid his eyes, so she had no idea what he was thinking.

  “I am glad you came down. I worried all week that at the last minute you would change your mind.”

  “There’s a lot going on with school, but I’m glad I did, too.”

  She thought of the students that she tutored, coaxing them through freshman calculus. The other graduate students were always vying for the attention of the right professors. Some of them already had their thesis blocked out. Lindsey just wasn’t ready to take that step. It didn't matter that she had only been in the program for a few weeks. Sometimes she wondered if she was ready for a career in higher education.

  But now was her time to relax. She laid back, resting with the designer sunglasses he had given her on her first trip. She peeked at Ric, pleased to see his eyes closed behind his sunglasses.

  Ric could be Mr. Universe compared to the graduate students she had met. Many of them were thin and pale from too many hours behind a computer running their simulations. Ric was definitely a man in his prime. He looked good in his suits, but without them, she could tell that he took care of his body. She wasn’t fit enough to attract someone like him. Who was she kidding? She liked Ric, but he was way out of her league.

  Dissatisfied with the trend of her thoughts, she stood up. “I’m getting back in the water.”

  She dove in without a splash and didn't break the surface until she swam halfway across the pool. She heard him dive in just after, and he surfaced close enough that she could reach out and touch him. Which she did. She was treading water, but he was able to stand. She reached out and brushed the water from his cheek. He caught her around the waist and held her above the water. She fit against him like the missing puzzle piece.

  Lindsey’s mind went blank. She tried to think of something to say. “You have a nice pool. Do you keep it open year round?”

  “Yes. Even in the winter it doesn’t get that cold here. I use a solar blanket in the winter, which keeps it warm enough for a quick swim. My mother had to have a pool all year round. She always said swimming keeps you young.”

  “I’ve missed you,” she said, surprising herself.

  “I’ve missed you more,” he answered. He leaned closer and pressed his lips to hers. Lindsey smiled beneath his kiss. One of his hands pressed into her back while the other cupped her bottom. She floated in his arms, her feet dangling above the floor of the pool.

  This kiss was everything she remembered. This wasn’t the brief peck at the airport, or the little nibble when he showed her where she could change. This kiss stole her breath, made her remember how much he had come to mean to her. He nibbled on her lower lip and kissed her again, his mouth matching hers as if they were two halves of the same whole.

  She felt him moving. He pulled them backwards across the pool until they were in shallow water. He leaned against the side and held her in front of him. She braced her arms against the poolside and let herself lean into his touch.

  Her lifelong fear of being touched faded from her memory. She couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t wanted him against her.

  She felt his fingers at the closure of her bathing suit top. He hesitated for a moment and then kept going, rubbing her back. She leaned in and kissed his neck. When she pressed forward, her chest conformed to his hard body. Only the thin fabric of her bathing suit came between them.

  As he continued to rub her back, she arched into his touch. She rested her hands on his shoulders, enjoying the feel of the water against her bare skin.

  “So have you captured any other princesses in your tower while I was gone?” she asked. She couldn’t resist kissing his ear and she nibbled at his earlobe.

  “A couple, but I had to throw them back,” he said, teasing.

  “You’d better not.” She tried to push him underwater for his statement, but he didn’t move.

  “So let me get this straight. I can only have one captive princess at a time?”

  “That’s right. I don’t share.”

  “I don’t either,” he said, his tone serious. “Yet you’re living with this a guy. How am I supposed to take that?”

  Lindsey knew this would come up. “How many times do I have to tell you that Ben and I aren’t dating? I don’t have time to date anyone. I make an exception for you.”

  “So if you’re making an exception, that means we’re more than just friends now, right?” he asked, his eyes teasing her.

  “You must have seen that picture frame. I found it in the bottom of a box and decided to use it. I wasn’t making a statement.”

  “I see,” he said, leaning in to kiss her neck again.

  Lindsey wiggled away from his touch so she could think. “I don’t know what we are,” she admitted. “Why can’t we just go with the flow and see what happens? I need to spend this year focusing on my studies at least.”

  He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Then I will provide the distraction when you need it.”

  She rubbed against him. “I like that.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Island Swim

  Ric held Lindsey in the water. She floated in front of him like a daughter of the sea. He had missed her. Everything felt right when he held her in his arms.

  Whatever phobia Lindsey had of being touched, she seemed to be in a better frame of mind. She didn’t pull away from him and she had actually initiated contact a couple of times.

  Lindsey had acted jealous of Jacquetta. Maybe that meant she was starting to have deeper feelings for him.

  It felt so right to have her back on his island. He tried not to get used to her presence, but it wasn't working. When she left, he would see visions of her in every room in his villa. He already couldn't walk into the tower suite without remembering their picnic rummy game.

  He lifted her up until her pert little nipples were level with his mouth. She giggled when he licked them over the fabric and they tightened into small buds. The little moan of pleasure told him everything he needed to know. She was finally opening up to him.

  “Did you hear that?” she asked.

  “What?”

  “I think that was my phone,” she muttered.

  “Ignore it,” he said, returning to his task of pleasuring her nipples.

  He moved to a spot behind her ear, kissing and teasing. The phone chirped again, but he didn’t stop what he
was doing. He was far too entranced by the little trembles he could feel as he brushed the same sensitive spot.

  After the third time the phone rang, he wanted to throw it in the pool. He didn’t think that would go over well with Lindsey. She wiggled out of his grasp, and he let her go this time. Whoever was calling wouldn’t take the hint.

  He watched as she pulled herself out of the pool. She grabbed a towel from the table and wrapped it around her. She dug her phone out of the bag she had carried out to the pool.

  “Laura called. Let me call her back.” She sat down on the lounge chair she had just left. He hefted himself out of the pool to follow.

  “She won’t mind waiting,” he said in a low tone, sitting down beside her.

  Lindsey shot him a playful glare, ignoring his suggestion that she not call her back right away. Ric waited until she got Laura on the phone before he leaned over her, bracing his weight with his hands.

  “Laura, I saw I missed your call. What’s up?”

  He tugged at her towel with his teeth. She pushed on his head to move him away, but the towel came with him.

  “No, I'm out of town with a friend."

  As Lindsey glared at him, Ric realized that Laura didn’t know where Lindsey was. He took his torment to another level.

  He pushed her back until she was sitting back against the lounge chair. Perfect. He slid the bathing suit top over until he could see the pert little bud of her nipple. She gasped, trying to maintain her composure on the phone. When he nibbled gently, she squirmed even further.

  “Sounds great. Listen, I’d better run. I’ll call you next week when I’m done with all the testing. Okay. Sounds good.”

  She ended the call and tossed the phone on top of the towels before she pulled her bathing suit back together.

  “I cannot believe you just did that. Anybody can see me out here!”

  “There’s nobody here,” he assured her. “My staff would call me before they come over.”

  “Even Xavier?”

  “Yes, even Xavier if we don’t have plans. Especially now that you’re here. He wouldn’t intrude on our privacy.”

  “If you say so. You shouldn’t have teased me like that. If I had cried out, she would have wondered what was wrong.”