Breaking Even

by Lily Bishop

  He ignored her little pout and kissed her on the sensitive spot on her the neck, just above her collarbone. He was rewarded when she shuddered.

  “You didn’t tell your sister you were coming down here?” he asked, trying not to make too much of it.

  He felt her tense beneath his touch. “No, I didn’t,” she said.

  “I wonder why that is?” He sat back on his own chair again, wanting to hear what she would say.

  “Ric, don’t take it like that. You know Laura has issues with you. I don’t want to fight that battle with her yet.”

  “So you’re ashamed of me?” He didn’t know any reason why she should be, but the thought still occurred to him. Was she ashamed of his Latin heritage?

  “No, it’s not that. It’s just … early. I wanted to give us time to develop before we have to fight her.”

  He hated to think that a mistake by one of his men would drive a wedge between him and Lindsey. “She seemed fine with me when I visited, if a little put off that I was there. I think in time she will grow used to the idea. If I spend more time with her and Fox—”

  “Let’s just cross that bridge when we get to it, okay? Laura and Fox just got engaged. Now she’s busy starting a new job, trying to sell her Miami condo, and planning a wedding. There’s no reason for me to upset her right now.”

  “Okay. If that is what you want.” Ric sensed there was more to it than that, but he let it go. He wasn’t sure he would have the advantage if he pressed.

  She stood up and held out her hand. The towel fluttered around her in the breeze. “Come back into the water with me.”

  #

  Lindsey thought at first that he wasn’t going to take her hand. She felt bad that Laura didn’t like him, but it wasn’t worth fighting over right now. She waited for an awkward minute.

  “Your wish is my command.” His voice lowered, and he stood up, diving into the pool.

  She straightened her bathing suit top and dove in behind him. Even with the bathing suit top back on, her erect nipples stung when she hit the water.

  “I love your form,” he told her when she surfaced. She treaded water beside him for a moment, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

  “You’re just saying that.”

  “No, I’m not. You have a sleek dive.”

  “I swam for the middle school swim team and I was junior lifeguard one summer. Then high school happened, and my mom steered me more towards math competitions. Swimming and diving got pushed to the side.”

  Lindsey didn’t mean to sound ungrateful to her mother, but at the moment, that’s how she felt. She had loved the swim team and had resented having to give it up.

  “It’s okay to feel disappointed about things,” he said.

  “What?”

  Ric took her hand and pulled her with him as he paddled over to the side of the pool. She settled with her back against his chest, his chin over her shoulder. “Even though she’s gone, you can still be frustrated at her choices. No one’s perfect. It doesn’t make you a bad person.”

  “How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”

  “When you talked about the swim team, you looked uncomfortable. Like you regretted saying anything negative.”

  She turned in his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. “I was always raised to not speak ill of the dead.”

  “And you shouldn’t. But that doesn’t meant that the person you lost was perfect. None of us are.” His hands slid up and down her back, molding her to his chest.

  “Easier said than done. Name one negative thing that you’ve thought about your mother.” Lindsey couldn’t believe that he would be able to come up with anything.

  “I loved her, don’t get me wrong, but she was over-protective and possessive. She didn’t want me to go to school in the United States, even though they offered me a full scholarship."

  “And you went against her?”

  “I felt like it was my only chance to have the kind of future I wanted. I wanted to save the trust fund to get started in my career, not use it to fund my education. So I took the scholarship."

  She laughed at his comparison. “Xavier told me she won Miss Universe when she was young.”

  He smiled. “She did. She had the kind of beauty that goes beyond the skin. She had the kind of magnetism that made men want to give up everything for her. After my father died, she never married again, but it wasn’t for want of proposals. She used to say that I should marry a woman that I considered an equal, not someone I wanted to control.”

  “Wow. Those are wise words.”

  “She also said she would never again bind herself to any man. She said my father was a rare man. He had loved her for herself. The others all either wanted her money or they wanted to say they had married Miss Universe. She went out several times a week, before she got sick, but she wouldn’t let any of them move onto her island. She said she liked her space.”

  “Well, living on an island definitely limits the popovers.”

  He laughed. “That it does.”

  “You talk about your mother not wanting to remarry. It’s all my mother ever wanted. She supported these ne’er-do-wells for years, thinking they would get their act together. It was always the same. They lived with us for a few months. When she hinted they should do more than buy a twelve-pack for the weekend, they would find a reason to leave. Of course, they always said it was her fault, and she always believed them.”

  “That must have been hard, having so many stepfathers—”

  “No, they weren’t fathers. Believe me. Laura and I didn’t have a father figure. We’ve made our own way in the world, such as it is.” Lindsey couldn’t believe she had told Ric so much. She had never told a soul any of this. And between her and Laura, it was understood but never spoken. The sun went behind a cloud, and she shivered, suddenly chilled.

  “You’re cold. Come on. Let’s move to the hot tub.”

  “Hot tub. I didn’t even see a hot tub.”

  “Over there, in the corner.”

  She followed his direction and finally spotted it behind two big planters. Lindsey wrapped her arms around her chest and waded over to the raised hot tub.

  “You run these jets all the time?”

  He grinned. “No, but I usually get out here most nights. It helps me soak away the stress from the day. I started up the heater this morning so it would be ready.”

  Wooden decking surrounded the hot tub that would hold six. Lindsey held onto the short railing as she eased into the bubbling water. It felt heavenly.

  “If I had this in my backyard, I would never get anything done,” she said, resting against the powerful jets.

  Ric climbed in after her, his thigh touching hers. He handed her a bottle of water that he had brought over from the tub of iced drinks under the pavilion. “It’s like anything else. You’d get used to it. Besides, you’d have to get out sometime. You’d turn into a prune, otherwise.”

  She took a deep drink of water, not realizing how thirsty she was. “So you’re telling me you don’t have any staff over here. I'm seeing a huge cooler stocked with ice and drinks, towels ready, and a sparkling clean pool area. All while you worked this morning.”

  He laughed. “I didn’t say I didn’t have any help. Just that I don’t have permanent staff assigned to the villa.”

  She laughed, punching him lightly on the shoulder. “You are so spoiled. Is Chef Etienne sending over dinner?”

  He held his chest as if her comments wounded him. “No, I planned dinner myself, thank you very much. The steaks are marinating and the baked potatoes are soaking in brine. I also have lots of goodies for a chopped salad. You can help me decide what goes in it, so it will have everything you like.”

  “Wow, you’ve gone all out. Trying to impress a girl?” She reached out and caressed his cheek.

  “Maybe. I did give in on one item—Etienne sent me a loaf of his best bread, crusty with cracked wheat on top.”

  “Oh, now you’re talk
ing.” She slipped off her seat and climbed in his lap, letting the water hold most of her weight. She threw her arms around him. “You can spoil me all you want.”

  “That is my plan. Keep you full and happy so you’ll miss me when you go back home.”

  “I already miss you,” she said. “I’m afraid this trip will just make it worse.”

  Ric grinned. “One can only hope.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Island Action

  Lindsey knew Ric wanted more than she did at the moment, but she wasn't far behind him. How would she ever go back home to Clemson without missing him so much it would hurt? It didn’t help that Jacquetta was waiting on the island to fulfill his every need, whether he knew it or not.

  Dinner was casual, by the pool. Lindsey threw a teal maxi-dress over her bathing suit. He traded out his bathing trunks for board shorts and slipped on a Hawaiian shirt. He insisted on propping Lindsey up with pillows on one of the lounge chairs so they could talk while he grilled.

  The ambiance was all for her. Candles inside hurricane lamps and the pool lights cast a romantic glow over the pool deck. He served a merlot with the steak. Lindsey didn’t like it as much as the wine he had shared on her first trip, but it still tasted better than beer.

  Ric definitely outdid himself with dinner. She gave him free reign over the chopped salad, except she told him she didn’t want the artichoke hearts. The final salad included black beans, small tortilla strips, roasted corn kernels, and spinach.

  The fluffy baked potato complimented the steak perfectly. To go with it, Etienne had provided honeyed butter with a loaf of his artisan French bread.

  When Ric kissed her after dinner, she thought the wine tasted better on his lips.

  “I have dessert for later,” he suggested.

  “I am so full, I can’t hold another thing," she warned.

  He offered her his hand. “I feel like I’m covered in chlorine. Let’s go shower.”

  He pulled her into a master bath bigger than her bedroom at home. An antique clawfoot tub took up one corner and a shower big enough for two took up the other side.

  “Enough water?” she asked, thinking of her small shower-tub combination at home. He must have laughed when he had showered in her house. Three showerheads provided water from every direction imaginable.

  He laughed. “My architect kept harassing me for details, and I told him to design a bathroom he would be happy with. This is what I got.”

  “Uh-huh. Spoiled rotten.”

  “Maybe.” He pulled her into his arms. “Plenty of room for two, though.” He pressed a button and water started flowing from the three main shower heads.

  “Wait a minute—you want me to get in here with you?” She pulled back, adding space between them.

  “Why wouldn’t you?”

  She had been pushing Ric to become more intimate, but the idea of showering with him took her by surprise.

  “I don’t know that I’m ready.”

  He eased her back into his arms. “Do you trust me?”

  “Of course,” she said immediately.

  “Would I hurt you?”

  She didn’t have to think about her answer. “No.”

  “We can stop at any time. I promise.”

  She thought about turning him down, but she never did anything fun. Instead, she reached over to the dimmer switch and lowered the lights. In the semi-darkness, Lindsey could relax more. She pulled off her dress and hung it on one of the hooks. She still had on her bathing suit.

  “I'll try it, but you'd better be on your best behavior.”

  “Siempre,” he added, and Lindsey grinned. Always. Wasn't that the truth?

  She presented her back to him and felt the lightest touch of his fingers before the small piece of fabric fell. The sound of the water in the shower was hypnotic. He reached around her and cupped both of her breasts, squeezing. Lindsey's hands held his in place.

  He backed her into the large tile enclosure. Lindsey almost fell into a trance listening to the sound of the water hitting the tile. The water felt wonderful as different sprays hit both of them. His touch absorbed some of her nervous energy.

  Still behind her, he pushed her hair out of the way and kissed the back of her neck. When he nibbled that sensitive spot, she leaned back into him. Somehow she thought that wasn't what people meant when they said “Bite me,” but she would take it. Is this what all the vampire heroins swooned about?

  She had never felt so desired. His hands slipped off her breasts and down her hips, settling on the bathing suit bottom that she still wore. With one pull, the suit fell to the shower floor. She vaguely noticed him kicking it outside the shower.

  Lindsey tilted her head back. The water hitting her from all sides felt so good. Ric massaged the shampoo into her scalp and hair and worked up a lather. By the time he ran conditioner through her hair, she thought she would go crazy with need.

  When he finished with her hair, she turned and faced him. She rubbed the soap first in her hands and then across his chest. She soaped up his chest hair and then stood back so he could rinse.

  His sculpted muscles reminded her of her own inadequacies. He was so much more fit, so much more beautiful, than anyone in her circle. Why was he even with her? He could have anyone he wanted.

  She pushed the thought away. Who said she even wanted to get married? She was young. Nothing said she couldn’t have a little bit of fun. She just had to get past her hangups and phobias.

  He pulled her closer and his hands explored everywhere, even places that had never felt hands. He washed her back, and then turned her so he could circle her breasts with his hands covered in soap. He moved lower, running his soapy hands across her hips and down her bottom.

  Lindsey tried to return the favor. She glanced at his manhood standing proud and wanting attention. She soaped her hand and rubbed the length of him. He gasped and took her hand, showing her how to move.

  “God, what you do to me,” he said, somewhere between a growl and a groan. “If you don’t stop, I’ll come right here.”

  “Show me,” she whispered, intrigued by her hand’s effect on him.

  He stiffened, and she felt warmth in her hand. She gave him a final squeeze, pleased with herself. He leaned his head back against the tile. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “I know. I don’t have to do anything. Maybe I wanted to.”

  “You’re too good for me, Lindsey,” he whispered. He washed again, and then turned off the water. “Come, let’s go lie down.”

  Lindsey let him dry her off, amused by the deliberate way he rubbed her with the towel. She expected his touch to turn sensual, but he was careful to stay casual, letting her keep her space.

  #

  Back in the bedroom, he pulled back the cover and fluffed up the pillows. Traveling had blurred her sense of time. It wasn’t even midnight, but felt much later to her.

  “Traveling wipes me out,” she said. That had to be the only explanation for the sudden lethargy that had invaded her arms and legs. Lindsey climbed in bed and pulled up the cover.

  With one click of a remote, classical Spanish guitar music filled the room. Ric turned on on a column lamp in the corner, bathing everything in soft light. He edged into the bed beside her, leaving the cover up over his hips.

  Lindsey waited to see what he would do next. She didn’t know what he wanted, or what she wanted him to do.

  In the past, her thoughts about sex had been clinical. Since sex hadn’t been an option, there hadn’t been much of an issue.

  Her mother had never said much about sex, except Lindsey would know when the time was right. She knew she didn’t have to wait until marriage, but still she stalled. She cared for Ric. She enjoyed being around him, but did she love him? If she weren’t a virgin, she could just have sex with him to test the waters, but she didn’t want to do that just yet.

  He leaned up on one elbow and studied her. “You seem nervous.”

  “No, I’m just tired
. You know, I’ve never… done much of anything in this department.”

  “I had guessed,” he said. She expected to find his eyes mocking her, but saw only compassion and interest. “Whatever you want to do, it’s okay. We don’t have to do anything as far as that goes. I’d like you to stay in here—I’ve missed sharing a bed with you—but if you’d rather, you can sleep in the other room.”

  “If you wanted me to stay in here, why did you ask Xavier to put my things in the other room?”

  “First, I didn’t want you to feel pressured. Second, it’s not Xavier’s business where you sleep.”

  Lindsey lay on her side. She traced the line of his chest muscles, the smattering of hair she found there. “It’s not that I don’t want to…”

  “Yes, I know, return on investment,” he said, grinning at her.

  “You don’t forget a thing, do you?”

  “Not when it comes to you.”

  Lindsey laughed. “Not sure if that makes me happy or scares me.”

  “I remember everything. That’s the only thing that helps when you’re not here.”

  “When you stole me away to your tower?”

  “Yes, when I captured you and threw you in the tower. When you were so sure you had gotten away, only for Xavier to bring you back.”

  “You didn’t even bother chasing me!”

  His grin broadened. “No, I didn’t need to.”

  “Most people would wonder why I didn’t hate you. But I wasn’t scared. I could look in your eyes and tell you wouldn’t hurt me.”

  “There are people connected to me who would. I don’t want you to be a target.”

  Lindsey’s heart snagged on the word engaged, but she ignored the loaded word. “Why would I be a target?”

  “Because I would do anything to protect you.”

  Lindsey didn’t like the direction of his speech, so she leaned forward and kissed him. His hand fell across her hip, and he pulled her closer.

  His lips made everything right. His kiss set her on fire. She wanted things she had never thought of before. Romance. Affection. A life together. It would be so easy to just give him what he wanted. But would he make her happy in the long term? She didn’t know. He was so sophisticated. She was just a girl from the suburbs. He had grown up in a castle on an island and now he ran a whole island resort. What could she offer him?