by Lynn Patrick
Remembering how she’d flirted with him earlier, Bryce doubted it would be difficult to seduce Caitlin O’Connor into revealing the information he sought.
“What’s this delicious stuff called again?” Babs asked Caitlin as she took another bite of her succulent grilled fish. “I don’t remember trying it before.”
“Mahi-mahi, isn’t it?” Caitlin asked, looking for confirmation from the waitress, who’d just arrived with their second round of drinks.
“That’s right, miss.” The exotic-looking black woman, set the piña coladas down in front of them. “Mahi-mahi, or dolphin fish.”
“Dolphin? You mean I’m eatin’ Flipper?” Babs squealed, dropping her fork back onto her plate. “Lordy, I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
“You’re thinking of the wrong kind of dolphin, miss. That’s not the same as porpoise, which is a mammal,” the amused waitress assured Babs. “You’re eating dolphin fish, a different creature altogether.”
Caitlin was about to tell the waitress to give the chef her compliments when a familiar, deep male voice intruded.
“Don’t be embarrassed about your mistake, sweet lady. Many tourists confuse the two.” Quickly looking around to see the man who spoke to Babs, Caitlin practically fell off her chair when she recognized the man from the bar. He was staring directly at her when he asked, “Mind if I join the two loveliest women on the island for dinner?”
Not to mention that they were the only two available women, Caitlin thought.
It was Babs who answered, however, her Southern drawl as thick as molasses. “Why, of course you may. You jest set your gorgeous self down right there.” Pointing to the chair next to herself, Babs batted her eyelashes outrageously. “The two loveliest women on the island deserve to have the most handsome man on the island dine with them. Don’t they, Caitlin?”
Though she was aware that Babs had asked for her confirmation, Caitlin merely gaped at the incredibly sexy man whose mere smile heated her insides, But at a sharp kick from her friend she found her voice. “Ah, sure.”
“And here I thought dinner was goin’ to be borin’, silly ole me.”
“I’ll do my best to keep you amused,” the man told Babs as he made himself comfortable. He turned to scrutinize Caitlin. “Though your friend here seems to do quite well at amusing herself.”
Caitlin gasped as she remembered the incident at the Beach Bar when she’d imagined him to be a pirate. Immediately looking away from his penetrating gaze, she grabbed her drink and took a large gulp, hoping to cool her flaming face.
His voice was low and intimate when he said, “Keep drinking like that and I might have to carry you back to your cottage.”
Before Caitlin could reply, the waitress asked the man for his order. During the few minutes he was occupied, she tried to gather her scattered thoughts.
Would he really carry her if she got herself drunk? she wondered, her pulse surging crazily at the thought.
Caitlin could almost feel his strong arms around her as he lifted her and carried her out into the moonlight. She could hear the sound of the ocean lapping against the shore, intermingled with the romantic phrases he’d whisper into her ear. The tropical wind fluttered the palm trees as he dipped his head closer, his beard gently chafing the soft skin of her cheek. And then…
The shrill scream of one of the Lewis children snapping her out of the daydream, she focused on the large family sitting at the opposite end of the longhouse at the only other occupied table. Realizing where the silly fantasy had been leading, Caitlin felt an uncomfortable heat seep through her.
Yet she couldn’t help studying the man speculatively from under lowered lashes. His sun-bronzed skin seemed warm and vital, as did his lips, which tantalized her through his beard. She remembered how she’d felt after Jean had kissed her: like she’d rather have been kissed by this man instead. Of course, he caught her staring at him when the waitress left to attend the honeymooners, who had just arrived.
“Like something you see this time?” the man asked her. “Or do I have another spider on my shoulder?”
“Uh, it was one of those tiny birds that fly through here all the time,” Caitlin quickly improvised.
“I hate to tell you that your imagination is getting away from you, but those birds are day creatures. You never see them after dark.”
Obviously displeased at being ignored, Babs appeared determined to rectify the situation. “I declare, we haven’t even introduced ourselves properly.” Her tone was so firm, the man seemed compelled to look her way. She held out her dainty hand until he took it in his. “I’m Barbara Lee Gordon, but you may call me Babs. And this is my best friend, Caitlin O’Connor. What did you say your name was?”
“Bryce.” When he turned his attention back to Caitlin, it made her feel like she’d been backed into a corner. But when he held out his hand, her own acted of its own volition, allowing itself to be trapped in his. She felt his touch all the way down to her toes. “Caitlin. What a romantic name. It goes with the setting.”
Caitlin knew she was grinning stupidly, at a loss for words as usual when she met a man to whom she was highly attracted. Why couldn’t she be as confident as Babs and bat her eyelashes at him? As if they had a will of their own, her eyelids flicked rapidly just as Babs had demonstrated dozens of times, and silly words poured from her mouth.
“My goodness, it’s no more romantic than your own name, Bryce.” Her eyelashes fluttered once more.
Good Lord, was she actually flirting?
Though Bryce appeared startled for a moment, a lazy grin softened his lips. His teeth seemed to glow against his mustache and beard. “You must have something in your eye.” He leaned closer. “Why don’t you let me take a look?”
Feeling her face suffuse with color at his teasing, Caitlin turned to Babs for help. But her friend didn’t look too happy now that Caitlin finally seemed to have taken her advice. She guessed she was on her own.
“No! Whatever was there is gone,” she croaked, renewing her interest in her fish, even though her stomach was churning.
The waitress arrived with Bryce’s food, and the next several minutes were spent in a strange dinner conversation. Babs would address her comments to Bryce, he would turn the discussion to Caitlin, and Babs would either suffer in silence or say something that was sure to irritate Caitlin.
“How long are you plannin’ to stay here at the resort?” Babs asked Bryce.
“Actually I’m not a registered guest. My digs are over on Harmony, the larger island across the channel. But the staff at the plantation where I’m staying said I should make it over here for the day.” He gave Caitlin a searing glance. “And I’m very glad I did.”
“But how are you going to get back there tonight?” Caitlin asked. “The last shuttle boat left hours ago.”
“I have a small skiff tied to the dock.” His voice was low and enticing when he added, “But maybe someone will change my mind and I’ll stay.”
Finally it seemed that Babs had had enough of being the fifth wheel. She rose out of her chair.
“Excuse me, won’t you, Bryce? I think I’ll retire to my room and lie down. The sun,” Babs told him dramatically, “has given me a mild case of heatstroke.”
“Maybe I’d better come with you.” Caitlin removed the napkin from her lap and set it on the table, relieved that her friend was providing a chance for escape. She didn’t know how much longer she could take the gorgeous man’s attention without turning into a blithering idiot. “I don’t have room for dessert, anyway.”
“No, don’t bother, Caitlin, honey. I wouldn’t want your evening to be ruined too.”
Caitlin opened her mouth to protest, then let it fall shut. Obviously Babs was determined to be impossible tonight. Maybe she’d take a walk down to the coral shoals by herself, Caitlin decided.
“All right. Go on ahead. I think I’ll get some fresh air. But I won’t be long,” she told Babs, emphasizing the last statement.
To her credit Bab
s appeared a little shamefaced, and her words sounded sincere when she said, “You do that, honey. Enjoy yourself, all right?”
Caitlin watched her friend walk away, anything to avoid looking at the man across the table.
But he was staring at her intently when he asked, “Would you like to take a walk? I’d be happy to go with you.”
“There’s no need for you to put yourself out,” Caitlin told him, forcing herself to meet Bryce’s sea-green gaze as though it didn’t do strange things to her insides. “The island is safe.”
“I know it is. That’s not why I want to go.” He paused significantly, and Caitlin felt a chill of excitement crawl up her spine before he added, “I could use the exercise, myself, after all that food.”
“Oh.”
Why did disappointment seep through her at his practical statement? Caitlin wondered. Hadn’t she just wanted to be away from the man before she had a chance to embarrass herself?
“How about it?” Bryce asked, not waiting for her answer. Having left money with his bill on the table, he was already rising. “Let’s walk south toward the coral outcroppings.”
Could the man read her mind? Caitlin wondered. It was exactly what she’d planned to do.
“Okay.”
Rising reluctantly, Caitlin felt the room move a little strangely around her. The piña coladas were making themselves felt. She never had been able to handle liquor. Steadying herself, she smiled nervously at Bryce. She guessed she was stuck with his company whether she desired it or not, so she might as well make the best of the situation.
And he certainly wouldn’t be hard to take—at least not if she could manage to stop acting so foolish around him. How had she ever developed the idiotic shyness she felt only around men to whom she was attracted? Caitlin wondered for the millionth time. She quickly led the way out of the restaurant to the path that would take them south.
“Slow down,” Bryce suggested as he came alongside her. “Don’t you know you’re supposed to do everything at a more leisurely pace in the islands?” Caitlin obeyed, even though her instincts told her to run away from him as fast as her legs could carry her. “That’s better,” he murmured, lightly wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
Automatically stiffening, Caitlin wondered why she hadn’t been the one to plead heatstroke. Obviously she’d had too much tropical sun in addition to the potent tropical drinks or she wouldn’t feel so hot so suddenly.
Looking away from him toward the channel, she was surprised to note that it was no longer empty, as it had been before dinner. “Look. A yacht’s anchored out there. I hope the people from it will be staying at the resort.”
“Probably not. A lot of boats come into these islands but go out the same day. People on them are looking to refill their coolers or merely get on solid ground for a while.”
“So I’ve noted since I’ve been here. But one can hope for more company,” Caitlin said, thinking of Babs. “You sound like you know the area pretty well. I didn’t think you looked like another tourist.”
“I’m here on business,” was all Bryce said before he quickly changed the subject back to the visitors. “Looks like they’ve settled in at the Beach Bar.”
But Caitlin wasn’t looking at the noisy crowd as they passed the bar. She was trying to figure out why Bryce wanted to be with her rather than with Babs, who would surely know what to do with the man.
Why couldn’t she be more like her charmingly vivacious friend? Would there be any harm in letting Bryce know that she was attracted to him in return? Babs certainly would take every opportunity to do so. And it would be such a shame to let this romantic setting—the moon, the surf, the scent of exotic blooms, the swaying palm trees—go to waste. Wouldn’t it be heavenly to feel his lips on hers just once?
Caitlin wondered if Bryce could make bells ring for her. She’d always thought that when she met the right man, she’d hear bells…
Now she was being ridiculous again. And yet, remembering how she’d involuntarily flirted with Bryce earlier, and how he’d seemed to like it, maybe he would try to kiss her. What would she do then?
At the thought, Caitlin felt both frightened and intrigued. The woman in her was finally demanding to be given due consideration. And here she had the chance to do something about it with the most gorgeous, sexiest man she’d probably ever meet.
What if she tried flirting with Bryce again? Maybe it would give her the opportunity to find out exactly what she would do if he kissed her. Her toes curled at the thought. She wasn’t sure where she found the courage to try it, but Caitlin decided that if it didn’t work, she could always blame the romantic atmosphere on top of two piña coladas.
“It’s gotten so much cooler,” she said as they reached the open area away from the protection of buildings and trees. Truthfully the tropical breeze barely soothed her overheated body, not to mention her overheated brain. “I guess I should have brought a shawl.” Caitlin smiled up into Bryce’s face and suddenly found herself parodying Babs without the accent. “Of course, your strong arm around me does help keep the chill away, Bryce.”
Once again he appeared to be a little startled, but then Bryce’s voice was low and intense when he said, “I wouldn’t want a pretty thing like you to be cold.”
He pulled her more securely to his body, his warmth and scent both exciting and elating Caitlin. It worked, she thought dizzily, her heart pumping madly as she felt his torso pressed against her. Were men so easily won, then?
Yet, walking on, he didn’t try to kiss her, and Caitlin felt let down. What had she done wrong? Should she be saying something more? Doing something differently? Perhaps she should have listened to Babs more closely when her friend had insisted on giving her those flirting lessons.
Bryce Winslow was wondering about his own sanity as he led Caitlin farther away from the resort’s main buildings. He knew she was hooked up with Moreau, and yet she seemed too innocent to be the man’s mistress. She appeared shy and reluctant with him, as though she weren’t completely comfortable alone in a man’s company. And when she did try to interest him, her attempts were amateurish. They’d be laughable if he hadn’t already been determined to seduce her into revealing some valuable information.
Maybe he was just getting soft, letting his protective instincts take over this very moment by keeping her warm. Undoubtedly she was a good actress. So why was he holding her so carefully? Why did her slight weight against his body affect him physically?
At least the second question was easy enough to answer, Bryce thought wryly. He’d gone too long without a woman. But why was he questioning himself when the purpose of this stroll was to give him the opportunity to question her?
Stopping when they reached the southern tip of the island, he asked, “How long have you known Jean Moreau?”
“Since I arrived on Hibiscus.”
A vague answer that could mean a week or a year, Bryce thought.
“I’ve wanted to meet the man. I’ve heard a lot about him and how he single-handedly turned this island from a swamp into a paradise,” Bryce said, hoping to fool Caitlin about his intentions. “But he hasn’t been around tonight.”
“He’s probably up at the great house on the hill over there,” she told him, pointing back in the direction from which they’d come. “Jean usually has a late dinner so he can eat under the stars. He says it makes him feel one with the universe.”
She certainly knew Moreau’s habits well enough.
“I heard he’d gone off the island on business and won’t be back for a few days.”
“Really?”
Did she seem relieved when she sagged against him slightly? But why? Perhaps she was bored with Moreau already and that was why she’d hoped for more company from the anchored yacht in the harbor. Or was she thinking that she could do what she wanted with him while her lover was away? With Caitlin still pressed against his side, her softness stirring him physically, Bryce didn’t find the thought unappealing.
&nbs
p; “What kind of business does he have off the island?” he asked, stroking her bare arm with his fingertips.
“I, uh, suppose he’s off picking up supplies or something.”
She sounded a little odd. Had he hit on a nerve? Was she afraid she might reveal too much? But she had no reason to suspect him.
“I suppose he must go to one of the larger islands to get his supplies,” Bryce said casually, turning her to face him. He pulled the flower from her hair and brushed it against her cheek. “Like St. Vincent.”
“I—I don’t know.”
Her eyes were wide and innocently seductive as she stared up at him. When Bryce ran the hibiscus down to her chin, she licked the bow of her top lip. An erotic gesture guaranteed to turn him on. Well, it was working. Drawing her even closer so that her small breasts pressed against his chest, he felt the nipples tighten against him.
“I’ll be staying in the area for a while, so I thought I might have the opportunity to meet Moreau later. I just wondered how soon you might expect him back.”
“I didn’t even know he was gone,” Caitlin whispered, seeming a little breathless. Then she laughed shakily before adding, “And he certainly isn’t compelled to report all his movements to me, you know.”
Drawn to Caitlin O’Connor in spite of himself—in spite of his good sense—Bryce knew he wouldn’t find it difficult to make love to her right here in the open if it was necessary to get the information he wanted. And it seemed that might be required of him, since she was so reluctant to reveal anything of value.
Or could it be that she didn’t know anything? Was she innocent or very, very clever? He’d do his damnedest to find out.
Bending toward her, Bryce touched the bow of her lip with his tongue. When he felt her shudder, he murmured, “But then, even if I knew when Moreau was supposed to return, I might miss him if he docks off another part of the island.”
“Impossible. The reef—”
Then he was kissing her, and Bryce found it difficult to keep his purpose in mind as she tantalized him so deliciously. She kissed like an innocent, her lips trembling, her tongue shyly touching his own, then retreating. Her body trembled, too, as his hand moved, along her spine, around her waist, and up to the side of her breast. When she moaned, he deepened the kiss, finding her tongue with his, demanding that she become bolder.