Seven Nights

by Jess Michaels

  Will didn’t answer, but Sean felt his pointed stare even though his face was now hidden behind his computer monitor.

  “I don’t think Leah wants a beauty treatment.”

  Sean’s face fell along with his attitude. “Yeah, I know.”

  “So, how are things going with the lovely Leah aside from this unwanted interruption?”

  Sean paused, then continued putting numbers into the spreadsheet in front of him.

  “Actually, things are going very well.”

  He couldn’t help but think about the night before. And not just about the fantastic sex, but the conversation they’d shared. The love he’d felt for her when she’d lain in his arms as if she’d never left him. It had been a glimpse of heaven, of what could have been.

  “Better than I expected,” he murmured.

  “How are you going to handle her leaving the island?” his friend asked.

  Sean’s fingers slipped on the keyboard, sending a jumble of numbers and letters onto the screen in front of him. Pursing his lips, he started deleting the gobbledygook.

  “I knew this reunion was only going to last for a week when I planned it.”

  Yeah, he’d known that. But imagining the scenario in his head and experiencing it in real time were two entirely different things. Every night he tossed and turned in his bed thinking about the moment Leah would leave and he’d only have memories to keep him company.

  “Have you talked to her about staying longer?” Will asked quietly.

  Sean started. He’d considered doing that several times, but never said anything. He wanted Leah to stay because she wanted him. He didn’t want to have to beg.

  “I’m the one who put everything on the line.”

  He stood up and paced to the window to look down at the pool below. About a dozen guests were scattered around the pool deck, sipping tropical drinks while they chatted. Some bobbed in the pool, enjoying the cool water, but not really doing anything useful.

  Except one. Leah was in the lap lane, going back and forth from one end of the pool to the other. He could see her focus, almost feel her lean muscles work as she pushed herself, stroke after stroke.

  “I got her down here and put my heart out for her to see,” he continued as he fought the desire that was a constant distraction every time he looked at Leah, even from a distance. “If anyone should bring up the future, it should be her.”

  “Wow.”

  Sean turned to find that Will had gotten up from his desk and come around to Sean’s. He leaned on the edge with folded arms and a bemused expression.

  “Wow what?” Sean asked with a glare. He didn’t like the knowing gleam in his friend’s eyes.

  “You were a virtually penniless and inexperienced kid when you stormed into my office and demanded I hear your proposal for opening a resort island. You had no fear when we made our plans, when we put out an obscene amount of money we certainly didn’t have. Even when we stole talent from some of the most famous resorts in the world. In fact, I’ve never seen you afraid in all the years we’ve been friends and partners.” He raised both his eyebrows. “Until right now.”

  “What?” Sean snorted his derision even as the truth of his friend’s words crashed into him like one of the powerful ocean waves that pounded against his island’s shore. “Afraid? Are you crazy?”

  “No.”

  “Well, then you’re just being obnoxious.”

  Sean spun back to the window just in time to see Leah coming up out of the water like some spy girl in a Bond movie. His entire body clenched with need. Need that turned to a stab of jealousy when he caught no less than four other guys staring at her as she wrapped a towel around her waist. Their blasted eyes followed her until she took a seat in the shade and was hidden by an umbrella.

  Will snapped his fingers to get his attention and Sean reluctantly turned back. “What? Aren’t you done with these ridiculous accusations yet?”

  “Not quite.” Will’s smile fell. “I’ve known you a long time. You’re scared to ask her for more than just this week because you’re afraid she’ll say no. You’re afraid you’re going to relive whatever happened when she left you all those years ago.”

  Sean refused to either meet his friend’s eyes or answer. Mainly because he couldn’t refute the charge. When Leah left all those years ago, it had broken him. He never wanted to feel like that again.

  Will continued, “You invited her down here and you said it was because you wanted to show her how far you’ve come. You said you wanted to remind her of what she’d lost. In reality, you hoped she’d fall back in love with you. But the thing is, I don’t think you knew what you’d do if she did. And I don’t think you planned for what would happen when you realized just how in love with her you still are.”

  Sean winced. There was no use denying it. “Is it that obvious?”

  Will shrugged. “To me, yeah. But I think Leah shares your blind spot. She’s scared out of her mind by this, too.”

  “So what the hell do I do?” Sean flopped back into his desk chair. “Because I don’t want her to go. I never want to lose her again.”

  Will rolled his eyes. “What about talking about what went wrong in the first place? Have you two ever discussed your break-up? Maybe if you confronted those issues you’ve both been running from for so long you might have a better handle on what the future could bring.”

  Sean shrugged. “I didn’t want to ruin this week by talking about unpleasant things in the past. This time together is supposed to be special. It’s supposed to be perfect.”

  “If you don’t talk about it now, you may find yourself reminiscing about the perfect week when you lost the woman you love for a second time.” Will pushed off the desk and went back to his own. “I just hate to see you throw away something that you’ve wanted and needed for so long. It’s not like you. That’s all I’ll say about it.”

  Sean’s head reeled as he returned his focus to the financial reports that still waited for him on his computer screen. With a sigh, he went back to entering numbers into the long columns.

  “Hey Sean?”

  “Yeah?” He didn’t stop working.

  “Um, what did you decide?”

  Sean laughed as he looked up to find Will staring at him with a crocked grin. “I ought to be able to finish all these financials in a couple of hours if I work my ass off. Then I have to talk to Leah. Fantasy is great, but I want the reality. No matter what.”

  ***

  Leah picked up a shell and tossed it toward the ocean. She hardly even noticed as it bounced perfectly across the waves toward the sunset.

  “Nice shot!”

  She started at the sound of Sean’s voice coming from the short set of wooden stairs behind her. She turned in time to see him coming down toward her, hands in the pockets of a pair of worn denim shorts. His navy blue t-shirt matched perfectly and he was endearing without any shoes or socks.

  “Thanks,” she muttered as she turned away from the kiss he tried to bestow upon her. He hit her cheek instead, but a shot of heat worked through her nonetheless.

  “You okay?” He wrinkled his brow as she walked down the sand away from him and the undeniable desire he aroused in her.

  “I’m fine.”

  She tossed the lie over her shoulder casually, but of course, she was just about as far from ‘fine’ as she could get.

  Although she knew Sean’s business was important to him, in fact she didn’t begrudge him that at all, it frightened her that he could so easily dismiss her to take care of it. What frightened her even more was that when she’d tried to offer her assistance, he’d flat-out refused her help.

  Just like before.

  That statement, ‘just like before’, had been haunting her all morning. It had started playing like a mantra through her head the moment she’d awoken to find Sean’s message that he couldn’t meet with her as planned. Now it echoed in her brain, taunting her, making her realize things hadn’t changed as much as she’d hoped.
And maybe they never would.

  “You aren’t fine.” He crossed his arms. “I know you too well to fall for that lie.”

  Leah folded her own arms and cocked an eyebrow. “Do you really know me, Sean? Do we really know each other anymore? Or is that just a part of the fantasy you’ve created, too?”

  His face constricted like she’d slapped him. Immediately, she wished she could take the harsh words back, that she could erase the lines of hurt that darkened his face.

  “I think I know what this is about,” he finally said quietly as he took a few steps in her direction. Leah wanted to move away from him, from the hurt she knew he would eventually cause, but she couldn’t.

  “You do?”

  He nodded as he caught her arm to pull her closer. His body heat warmed her, confused her. Made her want even though she knew wanting would only bring her pain.

  “You’re leaving in a few days. You want to push me away so that it won’t hurt so much when you go,” he said softly. “It would be easier for you if we were on bad terms when you went, right?”

  She considered his accusation. “I suppose that’s part of it. But not all.”

  “What else is it?”

  “It’s hard for me to give myself completely to this fantasy you want me to surrender to. After all, it isn’t as if I haven’t lived a fantasy with you before. In the end, we broke up and it was so hard for me to get over you.”

  She was surprised she’d said that statement out loud. It revealed so very much about her heart. More than she wanted to surrender.

  His face tightened. “We didn’t break up.”

  “Yes, we did.” She cocked her head.

  “No. You left me. There’s a subtle, but very important difference.” Sean’s voice was harsh as he let her go and paced to the edge of the water. The waves moved up and back around his feet as he stood staring out at the crystal blue Caribbean.

  Leah hesitated for a moment before she approached him with caution. “Yes. I did leave you, that’s true. But Sean, it couldn’t have really been a total shock to you. We’d begun to grow apart in the last few months. We argued more, we saw each other less. It was the only choice.”

  “Running is never the only choice.” He shook his head, but didn’t look in her direction.

  She sighed. “I didn’t run! I made a decision based on the circumstances. The longer I’d stayed, the harder it would have been when it ended. It was hard enough as it was.”

  Finally, he turned in her direction and the torment she saw in his eyes was as alive as if she’d walked away the day before instead of three years before. The level of emotion stunned her.

  “Yes, that might have been true, Leah. Staying might have made things even more complicated and painful. Or we might have worked things out and been married by now. We might not have lost these past five years.” He sighed. “But we’ll never know. What’s done is done, there’s no changing that, no matter what we do.”

  Leah ducked her head. Was that shame she felt? No. Sean was just confusing her with his easy answers to questions that had been so complex when she’d been in the middle of them. She knew she’d done the right thing by walking away.

  Hadn’t she?

  “You’re right. We’ll never know what would have happened if things had gone differently in the past,” she murmured. Then she paused. The past was gone, but she was facing similar issues with Sean now in the present. Maybe she could change their fate if she tried to make him deal with their problems now. “How are things going with your business issue?”

  His face twisted. “You want to talk about my business? Now of all times?”

  She hesitated. Sean might not see how their break up related to what was happening around them at that very moment, but she sure as hell did.

  “What better time is there to talk about it?” she asked. “It’s affecting my time down here and it’s obviously important to you.”

  Sean looked out at the ocean again, then turned to look back up the beach toward the main resort lobby. His bank of office windows glistened in the distance.

  “Yes. This place has become my whole life in the last few years. I sacrificed everything for it. And now…” He trailed off.

  “Now?” She touched his arm as she said a silent prayer that he would confide in her. If he could just do that, she could believe things could change. After all her years working for the magazine, she had so many contacts in the travel industry. Surely she could do something to help with his dilemma. If only he’d tell her what it was.

  He locked eyes with her for a moment and she thought she might get her wish. He seemed to be on the edge of saying something important, something about the trouble that kept pulling him away from her.

  “Honey, I’m sorry this stuff has been distracting me today,” he said with a pat on her forearm like she was a faithful dog or a child. “But let’s not let it spoil our last few days together.”

  “Please, Sean.” She hated the pleading in her voice. If only he knew how important this was. “I want to help you. Don’t shut me out.”

  He reached up to brush his fingers down her cheek. “This isn’t your battle. And you’re here for a week of fantasy, not a week of boring business.”

  She opened her mouth to protest, but Sean cut her off with a kiss before she could tell him what she thought of his dismissal. Then she couldn’t think at all. With just a few brief swipes of his tongue, Sean made her mind cloudy and the things that had been so desperately important a moment before seemed like they weren’t worth breaking away from his arms.

  She sank into the kiss, completely surrendering as the sun finally dipped over the horizon, leaving only a dusky light around them.

  “You look beautiful in twilight,” Sean whispered as he pulled away and nudged a lock of hair away from her eyes.

  Leah smiled as a swell of emotion rocked her with as much power as his kiss. It was amazing how this man, a man she’d tried to forget for so many years, could so easily frustrate and melt her within the span of fifteen minutes. He still held sway over her emotions, her heart. That hadn’t changed. She knew it probably never would.

  But sometimes love wasn’t enough.

  “Of course, you always look beautiful,” he continued as he slipped her hand into his and began to guide her up the beach toward the main lobby of the resort. “And I want you to truly see that tonight.”

  Her heart skipped. “Is it time for my next fantasy?”

  His smile was answer enough.

  “Should I change?” she glanced down at the short sundress she’d thrown on after her swim. “I wasn’t really thinking about my fantasy when I put this on. It isn’t even an outfit you gave me.”

  His smile broadened as he took a long and heated glance from her head to her toes. “No, that’s perfect. Short skirt, bare fantastic legs. It will work more than well for what I have in mind.”

  “What do you have in mind?” she asked as he held open the glass door for her and motioned her into the lobby.

  Leaning in close to her ear, he whispered, “Sight. Tonight, I want you see everything.”

  She shivered in anticipation. The only thing that frightened her about a fantasy of sight was that Sean would see everything. Including how much she still loved him.

  Chapter Eleven

  Sean slid his key into the lock and pressed the call button for the far left elevator in the lobby.

  “Since when do you need a key to use an elevator in this place?” Leah teased, but Sean could feel the tension coming off of her in waves. She emanated an arousing combination of nervousness and excitement.

  “This is the Express Elevator,” he explained as he inserted the same key into the control panel and pressed the white button above it. “For the owner’s use alone. Now, look around. Really look. What do you see?”

  Leah wrinkled her brow, but did as she’d been ordered. Slowly, she turned around in a circle. “Normally sized car with a small bench and…” she trailed off with a grin. �
�And mirrors on each and every wall, including the interior door.”

  “That’s right.” Sean pressed the elevator’s stop button. As the car ground to a halt between floors, he stepped closer. “Welcome to your Sight Fantasy.”

  “You want to make love to me right here?” she whispered as he tilted his head closer. “In the elevator.”

  “More than I’ve wanted anything since… well, since last night on the cabana floor.” Sean smiled at her blush. “Is that okay with you?”

  “More than okay.” She leaned up to meet his lips. Her arms locked around his neck as she brought her body up flush against his, molding her soft curves to his chest and setting off a ricochet reaction straight to his cock. “But I have a couple of questions first.”

  Sean pulled away with a laughing groan. “Good God, remind me not to seduce another reporter. What are your questions, Miss Inquiring Minds Want To Know?”

  Leah laughed with him, though she began to slide her hips against his in a most distracting fashion. The heat of her body seared him even through her dress and his increasingly tight shorts. “First, if you ever date another reporter, I’ll make sure you’re on the evening news.”

  “Point taken.” He smiled as he brushed a kiss against her temple and breathed in the sensual scent of her blonde hair. “Now ask so we can get past the twenty questions and start with the fantasy.”

  “Second, security cameras?”

  He smiled. “Not in the Express Elevator.”

  Her sigh of relief was cut off by her second question. “You said only the owners have a key to this car. That means Will has one.”

  “Yes. Will has a key. But he’s down in the dining room schmoozing with some guests. If he wants to come back up to the office, he’ll see the Out of Order sign I put up in front of this elevator and use a regular car.” He slid his hands up to her shoulders and hooked his fingers under the straps of her sundress. “Is that all?”

  “No, I have one more question.” She leaned closer. “When are you going to take this dress off? I’m losing patience.”

  “You’re losing patience?” he laughed as he slowly pulled down one dress strap, baring the tanned curve of her shoulder. He left the strap dangling at her elbow and traced back up her arm with his fingertip. Leah hissed in a breath and let her head drop back.