Romeo for Hire

by Jane Beckenham

  There was one unfortunate snag. Trying to ignore the tingle ricocheting up her arm every time he touched her was quite a different thing.

  Carly shifted uncomfortably in her seat and managed to pull her hand from his and wrap her arms in a protective huddle across her chest. Battling down her nerves, she chewed on her bottom lip and twisted away from Marco so she faced the small window. She stared blankly out.

  One minute she was like a scared rabbit, the next she wanted to link her fingers around his neck and…oh, heavens, this was way off the sensible scale.

  “Am I doing my job right?” he whispered in her ear.

  Carly bolted upright. She tried to smile—and failed. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead and the silk blouse she’d donned this morning stuck to her sweat-dampened skin like glue. “Yes, perfect, everything is fine,” she lied and looked down at the broad hand that spanned hers again.

  As the helicopter passed over the gulf, Carly drew in deep, slow breaths to fortify her disquiet. She could cope with temporary. Besides, it was too late now.

  “Okay people, we’re about to land,” the pilot’s voice interrupted.

  Their four days in paradise was about to begin.

  Fifty yards ahead lay the island. Carly leaned forward and rested her forehead on the chilly glass panel, taking in the exotic landscape below. Luxurious verdant palms littered the foreshore and through the shift of swaying fronds she could see the outline of the four cabins.

  “This is your paradise?” Marco asked as he leaned close and stared down at the dot in the ocean.

  Carly held her breath then let it go in one long whoosh. She nervously licked her lips then managed to find her voice. “The island is remote, accessible only by boat or helicopter. A generator will provide power and, thankfully, there’s running water,” she said, feeling a tad more in control.

  “You are a mine of information, cara mia.”

  She pulled back a bit, pushing herself into her seat to give herself some space from him. “You don’t have to do the cara mia stuff, yet.”

  Marco shrugged. “Perhaps not, but it is the language of love.”

  “Love?”

  “Si. We should practice.”

  Oh, no. No. No. “Over my dead body.”

  “That’s no fun at all.”

  “This isn’t about fun, Mr. Valente,” she countered.

  “It’s not?” He gave her a teasing frown. “And here I thought I would have four days of fun, sand, and…”

  “You’re playing a part, Marco. Remember that. Acting. It’s not real.”

  “Then, let us see how well we can act, hmm?”

  Carly spun away, riveting her gaze back to the golden sands glittering under the full heat of a cloudless early February sky. Oh, Lordy. This was going to be harder than she expected.

  She had to remember it was a game, play the part and keep her heart closed. She had no time for foolish love games. Love got you nowhere. Her family was a prime example of love’s undoing.

  Within minutes they had landed, exited, and the whirring beast turned to fly back to Auckland. Unsure what to do next, Carly hesitated.

  “You are expecting your friends, si?”

  “Of course. They’re meant to be here already.” She looked toward the first cabin tucked behind a group of palms and frowned.

  “Where’s the reception committee? There doesn’t appear to be anyone.” Marco’s cool voice stated the obvious, making Carly grit her teeth.

  “I can see that. Come on.” She walked ahead. “They must be up at the cabins.”

  But they weren’t. The first cabin was empty. And the next one, and the next. They were all empty. With Marco watching her, assessing her reaction, a prickle of tension fluttered down her spine. “Do you think they perhaps joke?”

  “Don’t be silly, of course they’re here. Well, I mean, they will be.”

  “You sound so sure.”

  “I am.” Though in truth, she had begun to harbor a nagging doubt. She cringed at the thought and childishly checked under the beds as if expecting them to jump out and shout “surprise”.

  A few minutes later Marco walked toward her with long strides. “I think you may need to read this.”

  He held out a piece of paper. She took it, mindful not to let her fingers touch his. Been there, done that and she didn’t want to do it again, though the flicker of amusement that crossed his tanned face told her he could read her mind, knew exactly what she tried to avoid. She opened the note.

  “Carly, sorry, can’t make it. Time for you to have fun for once with the sexy hunk you’ve been telling us about.” Her friends had signed it.

  “How could they?” She re-read it just in case. Nope. Every single word was the same. “Blast.” She screwed up the paper into a tight ball and let it drop to the floor. “This is a nightmare. They can’t do this.”

  “Your friends aren’t coming.”

  “What do you think? Do you have to sound so happy about it?”

  Marco’s brows rose a fraction, and he held up his hands in surrender.

  “Sorry, it’s not your fault.”

  “I presume I’m meant to be the sexy hunk.”

  “Sex doesn’t come into it. We’ve discussed that. This was a temporary assignment, so to speak.”

  “And I’m the eye candy.”

  Carly lowered her head, hoping to hide the heat of embarrassment threading its way up her neck and face. She wished the ground would open and swallow her.

  “This is too much. This is way beyond the Richter scale of embarrassment.” She stomped across the sand, uncaring that her expensive shoes were filling with sand. “I’m thirty years of age and I had to hire a man as a companion. I’ve lied through my teeth, lied about having the most fabulous man on earth at my beck and call, a man who loved me to distraction. What a fool.”

  “Not a fool. Misguided, perhaps.”

  “Misguided nothing,” she said, spinning around to face him. “Work is my life. I’ve no time for frivolity, and see, the moment I let my guard down, think maybe, just maybe I can join in with the gang, it turns into a disaster.” Carly turned sharply and gazed into the horizon, a hand guarding her eyes against the brilliant sunlight. “We’ll have to call the helicopter back. Where’s your phone?” She began to pace back and forth along the sand, muttering under her breath, annoyed she’d been stupid enough to leave hers behind. “This is ridiculous. I can’t stay here. So much for enjoying the delights of a tropical island.” Right now, she wanted to be off this beach as fast as possible.

  “Why not stay?”

  Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “You want to?”

  He shrugged. “This island is paradise. Nobody around. Total silence. You look like you could do with a break.” His voice lowered and eyes narrowed so that she could no longer see their clear blue depths, had no chance of reading his mind. He looked her over, head to foot, in one long and very slow drift.

  “But we’d be alone.”

  “It’s a problem?”

  Carly swallowed. She knew her protests sounded like those of a school kid scared of her reflection and struggled to pull herself together. “I take it you haven’t got a mobile?”

  He shook his head. “Think of it as an adventure.”

  “Adventure I can do without.”

  “Suit yourself.” He turned to walk away.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Getting comfortable. We’re here for four days. Might as well make ourselves at home.” He turned his back on her and walked into the closest cabin, carrying their bags, stopping at the doorway. “I’m accepting fate.”

  “Fate. You say it like it’s a challenge.”

  “Life’s a series of challenges and obstacles. Do you run from challenges?”

  Panic welled in her gut. “But four days.”

  “Four days, alone,” Marco corrected with a throaty chuckle.

  Carly choked. Okay, so it was always going to be four days, but four days alone wit
h a stranger. “I can’t do this.”

  “You organized it.” Marco dismissed her argument.

  “That’s it.” Carly stormed into the cabin, hands on her hips. “You’re getting on my nerves. You seem to have an answer for everything. Four days may be all right for you, a free holiday and getting paid for it, but that was when I thought there would be others around.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m not an axe murderer.”

  “I sure hope not,” she shot back, turning away from his intense scrutiny. Damn the man. He made her more nervous by the minute. Heck, this whole situation was making her very aware of him, when she really didn’t want to be.

  Not for the first time, she wondered what on earth she’d gotten herself into. Four days, alone, with a man who was as sexy as sin, and sinning, according to the deal she’d struck, wasn’t on the agenda.

  Was it fate?

  Chapter Four

  Unpacking her few belongings took only minutes, but Carly delayed it as long as she could, hoping vainly something, or someone, would turn up, wave a magic wand and she’d be back at work and all would be right with the world. “Where is a fairy godmother when you need one?” she moaned.

  The heat finally drew her back outside. Grateful for the soft wash of the onshore breeze, Carly tried to focus on how she was going to get through this catastrophe.

  For the first time in many years, she felt out of her depth. She had no control of the situation and she didn’t like it. Work was what she knew. Work she could control and, thankfully, she’d brought her laptop at the last minute.

  “Work.” That was the answer. She’d bury herself in work and ignore him, then hey presto, she’d be back to reality and could tell her friends she and the mystery man broke up. She had no idea where Marco was and told herself she didn’t care.

  She came to a rocky outcrop, plopped down and dangled her feet in the crystal-clear water, refreshing in the summer heat. It was a shame about the holiday. This was the perfect place for lovers.

  “Huh!” Carly snorted. Lovers, maybe, but not her. She didn’t have time for love. Her ego had gotten her into this pickle. Next time…

  Carly brought herself up sharply. What was she thinking? There wouldn’t be a next time.

  Not wanting to interrupt her, Marco stood back as he watched the play of dejection on Carly’s face. She looked so alone, and it made him wonder why a woman as articulate, entertaining and successful as Carly Mason needed to go to such lengths for a companion. And, did he mention, stunningly beautiful. It made no sense, but he couldn’t deny it—she intrigued him. Just then, she turned to him and shot him a tentative smile, barely holding back tears, showing a vulnerability he’d not seen before. It cut deeply into him, urging him to take her in his arms, to protect and soothe. But something held him back. If he touched her, she’d probably jump up and try and swim back to the mainland right now.

  “You don’t seem happy,” he said as he sat beside her.

  “Would you be? It seems my friends have played a joke on me.”

  “Leaving you here with your mystery man.”

  Carly choked back a laugh and a single tear trailed down her cheek, forcing Marco to suppress the compulsion to hold her, to wipe away her tears. “They didn’t know you invented a boyfriend. From what that note says, they thought you needed to ease off work and beef up the play time.”

  “What do they know?”

  “They know you.”

  “Yeah, I suppose so,” Carly grudgingly admitted. “I work long hours. I wasn’t born with a silver spoon, and besides, I have a family to support. Sisters who would rather phone me for a loan than go out and get a job.”

  “So you work your butt off for everyone else?”

  “That’s about it.”

  “And in the meantime, you get no time to play?”

  Good grief, what was she doing, spilling her life story to a stranger? Carly looked at the man at her side, but saw no humor or accusing glint in his eyes. Instead, there was sympathy. She gritted her teeth. “Don’t you dare offer me sympathy, Marco. I don’t need anybody, or owe anyone anything.”

  “Okay, okay. I get the picture.”

  She turned to the ocean, watching the sway of the water lapping at the shore. Then she spoke quietly, more to herself than Marco. “See the tide. Coming in. Going out. It’s consistent. That’s how I like my life. Constant and regular. No upsets.”

  “And you have such control?”

  Carly nodded.

  “Since you’re here, why don’t you enjoy yourself?” he suggested.

  “Enjoy?”

  Marco laughed. “You make it sound like it’s inconceivable.”

  “You could say that. I haven’t had much time to play. Besides, most men tend to want me to be the play thing,” she admitted ruefully, unable to stem the heat flooding her cheeks.

  “You’re a beautiful woman.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You don’t believe me?”

  She shook her head.

  Marco groaned. “Cara mia, you are a temptation I’m unable to resist. Nor do I want to.” He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her to him.

  Carly smiled. Marco wasn’t as cool, calm, or collected as he appeared and it was rather satisfying to know it. He didn’t demand anything else of her, and she found herself relaxing into his embrace, resting her head on his chest.

  “You smell of lavender,” he said. He brushed her hair back as his mouth grazed the sensitive skin behind her ear. Carly’s heart skipped a beat.

  “Intoxicating, just like the scent of the Tuscan hills. Fragrant and enticing and very desirable.”

  He let out a deep groan and pulled her onto his lap, his aroused state obvious through his jeans.

  Marco Valente was definitely not calm, but then Carly couldn’t admit to any vestige of calm, either.

  “Believe me, Carly. You are woman enough for any man.”

  Carly wanted to believe him. “Most men want model types.”

  “You mean stick insects with no curves and nothing to hold onto. No, cara, a man wants to hold his woman, to touch her, feel her.”

  Oh, heaven. Why did he say those things? Her insides were melting.

  “And when he makes love to her, he wishes to imprint his claim on her. You have the curves of the goddess Aphrodite.”

  Carly chuckled at the comparison. “Aphrodite. I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”

  “Why not?”

  “Aphrodite may have been the goddess of love, but it’s said her meddling caused misery among the armies during the Trojan War. She was meant to be all sweetness and love, but her adventures triggered bloodshed. I’d hate to cause such havoc.”

  “Women always cause havoc, cara. They are temptation incarnate.”

  Carly’s breath hung in her throat. She knew she played with fire, but couldn’t resist. “Is that how you see me?” she challenged.

  Although she knew it was true, Carly still felt helpless to resist. She couldn’t pull away and instead watched the play of expressions on Marco’s face. He was a fusion of mystery and sensuality. One minute somber and serious, the next he laughed and teased, causing her body to heat. When he spoke, his voice was a soft whisper.

  Blast it. She should have left well enough alone.

  “I see a woman whose friends thought she needed time out. Time to unwind and play. Friends who loved her enough to trick her.”

  “Yeah, the joke was on me.” Carly grimaced.

  “No, not a joke.” Marco’s fingers twined through her hair and the soft pad of his thumb grazed over the skin behind her ear. The hairs on her nape rose and her senses skittered into high alert.

  “Your friends care. Isn’t this all we ask in life? That we have people around us who care?”

  Marco’s gentle words of wisdom set Carly off and she could no longer stem the tide of tears. He eased her back and looked into her tear-laden eyes, a frown etched across his brow and his gaze narrowed as he wiped them
away.

  “You cry because…?”

  “Because someone cared,” she whispered. And it was wonderful. But that small truth she kept to herself.

  Suddenly, Marco stood, pulling her up with him. She stood so close. Thigh touching thigh, hip to hip, his solid chest grazing against her sensitive nipples, making the tender buds ache for more. She placed her hand in his and a tingling heat scorched her fingertips. Carly gasped. This was liquid sex at a single touch—while fully clothed. She couldn’t move. Didn’t want to, and when Marco’s intense gaze traveled from her face, lingering on the gentle rise and fall of her breasts, she swayed toward him, back arching. She blushed.

  “That pink tinge again,” he teased.

  She tried to smile, but failed. Pink? It felt like a raging inferno. Heaven, she sighed.

  “What say we use these four days for you to play hooky?”

  “Play hooky?”

  “Yeah, you know, like sneaking out of school. Your friends want you to have a break.”

  “But they’re not here.”

  “I am.”

  Carly’s breath froze. He sure as heck was. The hardness of him against her left her in no doubt. She should have hesitated, even a smidgen, but didn’t.

  “Okay.” Her voice came out as a hoarse croak. She tried to breathe, but nothing seemed to be working. All she could focus on was the touch of his skin against hers and the alluring scent of his cologne. Then his breath fanned the sensitive carnal zone of her neck, and a thread of shivery need nearly sent her over the edge.

  She tried hard to keep calm. “What do you suggest?”

  “How about you relax.”

  “And you?”

  “I’ll play genie from the bottle. Your every wish will be my command.”

  Carly gulped, frightened to think what her wishes might be. “Every wish?”

  “Every single one. Starting with this.” He leaned forward, brushing his lips against hers. Just one touch and her brain turned to mush, leaving her with only feelings…and a desperate need that he kiss her forever.

  He didn’t disappoint.

  “Is this one of your wishes?” he whispered as he trailed butterfly-soft kisses across her eyes.