She swept up the long hem of her skirt and was poised to make a dash for the surf when she froze.
There was Beck, reclining in an Adirondack chair with his cell phone glowing in the darkening sky. He thumbed through emails or messages, Jami wasn’t sure which.
She considered backing away. The last thing she wanted was Beck spoiling her first splash into the Caribbean, but it was too late. Beck looked up.
“A word with you?” Beck’s tone was polite, distant.
“I’m busy.”
Beck studied her, and his flint gray eyes were chilly.
CHAPTER 3
“ Nevertheless. We need to talk.” Beck studied Jami. Her long brown hair was glossy, and the golden flecks in her hazel eyes drew attention to the sprinkling of freckles dotting her nose and cheeks. She was lean but somehow curvy in all the right places, and the expression on her face was mulish.
Here he’d been thinking this was going to be a boring, and possibly uncomfortable torture session with relatives. Now, he was thinking there might be some sport involved. Jami Barrett looked mutinous and ready for battle, but then an angelic smile sprouted on her lips, and Beck braced himself.
“You’re right. What can I help you with?” Jami smiled and fluttered her eyelashes as if she was enchanted by him, but the tightness around her mouth told a different story.
“Look. I don’t know what you’re so bent out of shape about, but we’re both here for a wedding, so let’s not cause any more scenes.”
“We are in complete agreement...about that. Anna and Rob and their kids are the top priority this week.”
“So we can keep our business dealings separate?”
“I’m happy to ignore you this week. Will that suit you?”
“To a tee.”
Jami turned away, but then she spun back. “But don’t think I’m fooled by your veneer of niceness right now.”
What was wrong with this chick? Did she hate everybody? “You don’t even know me, so I don’t think you’re in any position to say I’m nice or I’m faking nice.”
“I know enough. You are a coldhearted player.”
“Okay. Based on what evidence?”
“You have to be a calculating, self-centered ass to bid against your future sister-in-law’s family’s business.”
“That’s a big assumption.”
“I find it hard to believe you had no idea that you were horning in on our family business.” Jami jammed her hand on her hip.
“Whatever you might believe, it’s the truth.” Beck contemplated mentioning his distant and barely existent relationship with his mother and family but decided this was not the moment for full disclosure. Attack seemed more profitable. “Unlike you Barretts, I don’t spend all my days gossiping with my family members. I run a business, and I have much better things to do than keep track of all my in-laws and outlaws, and whatever stray family members I might have.”
Jami made a face as if the gossip comment stung. “Seriously, who doesn’t know the name of his brother’s next wife?”
“You might have noticed that Anna’s last name is not Barrett, nor have I met her before.”
“It would be rude to call you a liar, so I won’t.” Jami scowled, and her foot tapped. “I will take you at your word.”
Beck shrugged and studied the five freckles sprinkled on the tip of her nose. They were really quite adorable, despite the fact that Jami’s eyes were shooting daggers in his general direction.
“I appreciate your generosity.” Beck’s tone was clearly sarcastic. “Despite your unfounded accusation that I’m here to ruin your family business, Barrett Ridge has a lot going for it. Two universities within a seventy-mile radius. Great weather. Affordable land. Great wineries. A sweet ski resort. Ring any bells?”
“I’m glad you noticed. Now, why don’t you just go back to California like a good boy? Or how about Nevada? I’ve heard their tax structure is far more beneficial than Oregon’s.”
“We took a vote. The trees and wineries beat out casinos and desert.” Beck tried not to laugh as Jami chewed that over. It wasn’t every CEO who allowed his employees a vote on relocation. He tried not to look smug. He was really quite proud of it.
“How democratic of you. You might as well start looking at other properties because the Barretts have a long tradition of helping our community and being one of its best employers. I’m confident our bid on the Anderton property will be the successful one.”
“That’s too bad for you.” Good Lord, she was smug and arrogant. He was so ready to take her down a notch.
“What do you mean?”
“Your self-delusion will make the news of my victory all the more painful and embarrassing.”
“I’m not worried.”
“That’s your problem.”
“Whatever.” Jami scowled. “Let’s just pretend everything is peachy and dandy.”
“Isn’t it?”
“We have five days to ignore each other.”
“That should be easy. I’m completely bored with you already.” Beck examined his fingernails and followed up with a bland smile.
“Wow. You are such a charmer. Your personality is so repellent that it will be a cakewalk for me.”
“Perfect. Conversation over.”
“Exactly.”
Beck rolled his eyes. She was one of those women. She had to have the last word. Ha. Not on his dime. “I’ll make sure to avoid eye contact, too. Will that help you out?” He smirked and waited for her response.
“That won’t be necessary. I won’t even notice you so no such effort will be required on your part.” Jami pivoted with a dismissive hand wave.
“Peace, sister Jami.” Beck waited for an eruption.
“Don’t sister me, buddy.” Her eyes narrowed, and her nostrils flared. “I know all about your callous business ways. You don’t care about Barrett Ridge or bringing jobs to our town. You’re looking for the best tax breaks, and the first time something goes wrong, well, I don’t doubt you’ll declare bankruptcy again and clear out of town.”
Beck’s nostrils flared, and a fire crept up the back of his neck, but he said icily, “I’d advise you to check your facts. I’d hate to slap you with a libel lawsuit.” This wasn’t the moment to quibble over details; he’d filed for bankruptcy but had never acted on it. BK Industries had survived by the merest of threads before he’d wooed new investors and cleaned up the messes left by his old partner.
“Truth hurts.” Jami flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. Anna’s wedding is hardly the place to start a feud.”
“As far as I’m concerned, there’s no war going on. You’re just a momentary inconvenience.”
Jami grimaced and flounced back the way she’d come, back down the sandy path, toward the resort.
At least he’d gotten the last word in. Beck tried to smile but failed.
He’d been dreading coming to Rob’s wedding and spending an extended time in captivity with his family. This island was too small. Apparently smaller than even he’d thought.
Beck rubbed the back of his neck and wondered how the heck he had not known Rob was marrying into the Barrett family? It was his mother’s fault. Beck huffed under his breath. It was always her fault. He always found a way to blame her. Her constant stream of ever-changing husbands drove him crazy, and he’d never been close to his older siblings.
At the end of the day, he never really counted them as full brothers and sisters. Maybe it’d been because they were older and never bothered with their little brother by another father. Besides, it was hard to be close when they’d grown up in different households eleven months out of twelve. He’d always figured they’d gotten the better deal living with their father and not their shared mother. He, on the other hand, had had to struggle with his mother’s boyfriend or husband of the week.
Not that he felt sorry for himself. He thought of it rather matter-of-factly. The death of his father when he was on
ly seven had been a stroke of bad luck on so many levels. No father, and stuck living with Fiona. His reality while growing up hadn’t been Ozzie and Harriet but had been more like an episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County.
A tall Barrett brother with a shock of tangled, dirty blond hair waved at Beck from the edge of the sand near the forest pathway. “Is it safe out here?”
“Coast is clear. I’ve only seen one of your sisters. You’re Kyle, right.”
The two shook hands.
“This is going to be one of the longest weeks of my life,” Kyle said with a cheerful tone. “Anna’s got a ton of activities planned for us. I’m thinking about booking an all-day fishing trip instead.”
“Sign me up if you do.” Beck laughed. “What does Anna have up her sleeve? You’ve got me worried.”
“It starts with a group photo in about ten minutes at the Plumeria Pool.”
“That’s not so bad.”
“There’s a treasure hunt, and I think she might have a round of Survivor, family reunion style up her sleeve.”
“I’m speechless.”
“And that’s only what I could pull out of her.”
“Yet, you flew all the way from Oregon for this?”
“It’s family. What are you going to do?” Kyle shrugged fatalistically, but he didn’t sound too concerned. “I’ll still manage to have some fun. At least this isn’t some couples resort. I’ve got my eye on some interesting targets.”
Beck chuckled at Kyle’s easygoing tone. He definitely seemed like he made the best of any situation. Unlike his sister. Jami was a different kettle of fish altogether. Her attitude was about as smelly as day-old fish guts.
“Let’s go get this photo over with. I noticed a bar down by the beach. Maybe we can hit that later.”
Fifteen minutes later, the whole family was mashed up against one another on the far side of the Plumeria Pool deck as the resort’s photographer fussed, fidgeted, and implored people to hold still.
Beck exchanged a grin with his brother, Rob, who was fiddling with the crooked collar on his youngest son, Ryan.
“No, no, no.” The photographer pouted. “We have too many boys on this side. We need balance.” He paced four steps and then stalked back. “You two. Move to the other side of the groom.”
His sister, Elaine, and Jami nodded obediently while the photographer studied Beck up and down. Beck smothered a laugh and waited patiently.
“You, with the braid. You stand to the groom’s left.” Elaine smiled and squeezed in next to Rob. “And you, pretty lady, with the glossy chestnut hair.” The photographer pointed at Jami. “You stand next to this gentleman.”
Beck’s smile faded as Jami’s gaze narrowed. Jami was going to have to stand next to him, one from the end.
“We’ll make room for you, Jami,” one of the six-year-old twin girls said.
“Thank you, sweet pea.” Jami’s voice was honey sweet, but her expression was stony as she stared straight at Beck.
He stepped to the side and made a generous space for her.
Jami stepped next to him but pulled her shoulder away as if even being that close to him was distasteful. “Excuse me.”
A whiff of jasmine drifted past his nose, and Beck smiled until he realized the intoxicating scent was coming from Jami.
“Everyone scooch in closer!” The photographer shouted and fanned his hands to encourage snug proximity. “Snuggle everyone! You on the end. Closer still.”
Beck shuffled closer to Jami as her face froze into a polite smile, but waves of irritation emanated from her. The photographer kept positioning everyone until at last he reached Beck and Jami on the far left end. “You two are so handsome and pretty. Come now. Smile like you mean it.” With that, he pushed Beck right into Jami’s back.
The jasmine tickled his senses, but the heat from her body woke him up. It was entrancing. Her dark tresses were glossy in the setting, tropical sun, and he itched to twine a finger through the long, fat curls on the ends.
“You’re close enough,” Jami hissed through her forced smile.
“Don’t worry, you’re not tempting me at all.” Beck kept his voice cool, but his heat was rising. He shifted his hip slightly to create a space between him and Jami. Damn. His body had other ideas.
Jami was a shrill cat, but she had all the best curves in all the right places. He snuck a glance at the red fabric of her skirt that pulled tight across her bubble butt. He inhaled sharply, and Jami trembled.
The camera clicked, and the photographer cooed and coaxed his clients into a never-ending smile until Beck thought his smile would break off.
“Okay, now everyone wave at me and say mango!”
Jami snorted, and for an instant, Beck was in agreement with his brown-haired, flashing-eyed enemy.
CHAPTER 4
The sun peeped above the row of palm trees and cast a glint of sunshine on the reddish-brown clay tennis court. Beck lobbed the fuzzy yellow ball crosscourt, and Rob slid easily along the clay and effortlessly returned it.
“You all warmed up?”
“Let’s hit a few more.” Beck hit a clean forehand straight back. “I’ve still got cobwebs.”
“Too many nightcaps at the piano bar?” Rob stretched and smacked it back.
“Yeah, after you left, Teddy showed up and bought a round of drinks for everyone in the bar. We drank until they closed us down.”
“Glad I skipped out before midnight.”
“You’ve got a lovely lady to cuddle up to.”
“She’s a keeper.” Rob mishit the ball, and it snubbed into the net.
“I like her.” Beck pulled a fresh tennis ball from his short’s pocket and knocked it back over the net. “Her family’s as crazy as ours.”
“That’s why we get along so well. She can match any sad divorce or crazy stepparent story with mine.”
“We’ve got some stories with Mom’s six marriages.”
“I thought it was seven.” Rob grunted as he stretched out for a backhand. “Did I miss something poolside last night? Was there tension between you, Teddy, and one of Anna’s sisters? Jami, I think.”
“Long story.”
“Try me. I’m marrying a Barrett. I need to know.”
“I’m moving the BK Industries from Los Angeles, and I had the interesting luck to choose Barrett Ridge.”
“How is that a problem?”
“I’m competing with the Barretts for a neighboring piece of property. Jami is their real estate agent, and she’s looking for my head on a platter.”
“Did you outbid them?”
“It’s up in front of the planning commission for land use permits. I made a great pitch, and I’m expecting to hear today or tomorrow if I can slide in a little something extra to sweeten the deal for the county.”
“You’ve always got the edge, don’t you?”
“I do try. It’s a—”
“Hey, Jami! Hey guys!” Sam Barrett called from the far side of the pair of tennis courts.
Beck lowered his racket as Jami rose up from a bench partially concealed by a thicket of ferns and pink flowering shrubs. Jami waved and tucked her arm through Sam’s as the pair sauntered to the spare court.
Beck spun the racket in his hand. Had Jami been listening? She smiled easily at Rob but ignored Beck. Well, that wasn’t unusual, not after last night’s confrontation. He’d rather Jami nor the Barretts find out about his potential advantage, but since there was really nothing they could do about it, he supposed it didn’t matter if she had overheard.
“You’re up early.” Rob waved and motioned them closer.
Beck smiled easily at Sam but merely lifted his chin toward Jami. A half-smile teased her mouth, and she arched her eyebrow as if to say she was unimpressed.
As they gathered at one end of the net, Beck decided that Rob’s new sisters were gorgeous. Sam had honey-blonde hair and a soft, curvy body, while Jami, with her dark brown locks, was all toned muscles, long legs, and a nipped-in
narrow waist. Sam might be easy on the eyes, but Jami was all spark and fire and sexy as hell.
She definitely had an attitude, and she wasn’t likely to give an inch. Family and weddings might not be his favorite things, but he was going to spice things up by messing with Miss High and Mighty.
“How about some doubles?” Beck waited.
“What a fab idea.” Sam glanced at Jami whose thin smile looked less than enthusiastic.
“That way no one has to work too hard. It’s already heating up now that the sun is up.” Rob smiled at Jami. “What do you say?”
“Perfect.” Jami returned a friendly grin to Rob. “We can get the blood pumping and burn off all those piña coladas from last night.” Jami turned her back to Beck. “I’ll be your partner, Rob. Are you game?”
“Absolutely.”
“I haven’t played for months, so let’s warm up.” Sam waved her tennis racket as if already waving the white flag of defeat.
Casual banter and chitchat filled the air as they batted the ball between them, but Beck detected a gleam in Jami’s gaze as she gracefully swatted the tennis ball across the court. Each shot she took was placed to perfection as if she’d never flubbed a hit in her life.
“Sam? Are you ready?” Jami bounced the tennis ball on her racket in a steady rhythm.
“I’m ready for some fun.” Sam turned to Beck. “Do we need a strategy? Do you like charging to the net? I’m kind of a baseline betty.”
“I’ll try not to be a ball hog.”
“Oh, I’m used to it. I’m the odd one out in our family since I never competed on athletic teams. I’m the mellow sister.”
Beck smiled at Sam and prepped for an easy serve. This was all fun and games, so there was no point in winding up a cannon. Jami dashed up to meet the ball and returned it to her sister with only the slightest spin. It was an easy rally with lots of laughter until Rob hit it into the net.
Small talk about the resort and Anna’s plans for their day floated between them, and Beck started noticing a pattern from Jami. She’d lob a shot to her sister, and then the next would come flying straight at Beck. Each time, there was a smidge more intensity and even some backspin on the fuzzy yellow ball.
Tropical Tryst: 25 All New and Exclusive Sexy Reads Page 101