“I’m sorry you didn’t win today.” He squeezed her hand and she danced forward until he tugged her back.
“I’m not. I probably would have given up if you hadn’t been there, and I would have missed one of the best waves of my career. And I scored the only tens of the day, so second looks pretty damn sweet. That Jaci didn’t make the top ten has nothing to do with how happy I am right now.” It was mean and shallow, but Greg’s expression had been priceless.
“Speaking of which, I talked to an Amanda Clarke from Baywear. She said they really want you.” Rafe waggled his brows playfully. He let go of her hand and slung his arm around her shoulder.
“What?” Blinking, she reached up to push a misbehaving strand of hair out of her eyes. “I assumed that deal was sunk after Greg dumped me.”
“Hmm. Maybe not.”
And there it was—that mischievous grin she loved so much. “What did you do?”
“Nothing. But the rumor is you dumped Greg, not the other way around. Seems that Baywear really sees you as their spokesmodel. You said that was something you wanted to do, and they’ve given you a week to think about that big contract.”
Rafe couldn’t understand just how tempting that apple was to her. Or had been. She wasn’t quite so sure that was what she wanted anymore.
Greg was right about one thing. While she did love Last Resort, she missed surfing competitively with her friends. Today had reminded her of why she wanted to surf in the first place.
She loved it.
Could she manage the resort and compete?
And where would that leave her with Rafe?
“I know. But it’s a lot to figure out. The contract would be for a year or more. And I have to compete in a certain amount of meets each year.”
“Then negotiate for the time you are willing to give Baywear. I can help you with that. I happen to have a way with people.” He smiled. “Besides, I’ve got some tough decisions to make about what I want to do next. Maybe we can help each other out.”
Shock bolted through her. “What are you talking about?”
“I thought I was a career marine, but maybe there’s something I’m meant to do that doesn’t involve the corps. I’m healing, but it’s slow going and I have a feeling this hip will always be a problem for me.”
“You’re still early in the recovery process, Rafe. We need to get you back into yoga and Pilates. We can build your strength and flexibility.” She didn’t want him to give up. He’d come so far.
“Sure and we can do that. But it’s hard to do yoga with you if who knows where we are.”
The speculation in his voice confused her. What is he saying? She tried to sort through her emotions. “I have saltwater brain. I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Hey, I’ve got a business degree, I’m good with money. You need a manager who has your best interests at heart and looks after you. I guess I’m applying for the job.”
Kelly frowned. Applying for the job? He wanted to be her manager? He wanted to stick around. But did he want her, or was it her career he was interested in?
“You’re overthinking, Kelly.” His murmur tickled her ear. She stopped, tipping her head up to look at him.
“Why?”
“Why what?” He met her gaze evenly, a hint of a smile flirting around his wonderful lips.
“Why do you want to be my manager? I mean—it’s flattering that you’d consider it and I love that you want to—” This wasn’t coming out right.
“There will be a learning curve, but I’m up for the challenge. And I could assist you with this place if you need it, although you seem to handle it just fine. Don’t you trust me?”
Did she trust him?
“Yes.” No hesitation, no retreat, she reminded herself. “What I don’t want—”
He stopped and faced her, his expression intense. “What don’t you want, Kelly?”
“I don’t want to be only business partners. Call me demanding, but I can hire anyone to be my manager. Okay, well, not anyone, but you’re my—” What was he? Was he a boyfriend? Her lover? What title did he have?
“Yes, I am yours. And as they say in business, we can definitely negotiate satisfying terms.”
He was teasing her. “Mean.”
He quickly leaned in and captured her lips in a long, slow, toe-curling kiss. His tongue stroked hers and his hands gently caressed her back and slid down to her hips. She had no idea how long they stood there, just wrapped around each other—kissing.
But, damn, the man knew how to kiss.
After several moments, he broke the embrace and looked at her. “I do want to be your manager and I stand by that offer. But I’m a greedy man, Kelly. I’m going to want a lot more than just your business interests.”
A slow smile spread across her face. “Let’s negotiate.”
* * *
SHE COULD GET used to waking up to the pleasant ache in her limbs. Stretching her arms out, Kelly inhaled the breeze blowing gently through the windows and the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee. The only thing missing was Rafe. Sitting up, she saw the folded piece of paper on his pillow: “Gone to town. Be back by lunch. Save me a wave. R.”
She buried her face in his pillow and reveled in the distinct, masculine scent of him. Okay, so she had to wait until lunch to see him. With so many guests, she had a great deal to accomplish before he returned. One glance at the clock and she was up and running.
Four hours to tackle her to-do list and then she could spend time with her man, Rafe. She was still grinning when she let herself out of the bungalow and strode toward the resort. She braided her damp hair back from her face. The bruise on her cheek was still a bit dark, but with almost no swelling she barely noticed it.
Rafe wanted to act as her business manager. They’d talked about it late into the night. He loved this place and didn’t see any reason she needed to get rid of it. In fact, he suggested she hire an assistant to shoulder the work when she was off the island and an accountant to do the books. Both would free up a lot of her time. Plenty of her employees were up for the assistant job. She considered Adrien right away and Rafe seconded the idea.
But what she loved most about Rafe was that he wanted her to make the plan and let him worry about how to execute it. They even made up a wish list of terms for her Baywear contract. Whenever she hesitated on an item, he told her to add it.
Reach for exactly what you want, worry about the details later. The worst they’ll say is no. But if we don’t ask for it, we can’t get it. His words echoed in her mind. His words and the way he said we. They were a we, an us, a team, and, yes, it had only been a short time and there were a lot of details to work out.
But she’d waited her entire life for someone to look at her the way Rafe did. Nothing could puncture the sunshine of her morning. She even whistled.
“Good morning, sweetheart!” Her mother’s enthusiastic greeting halted her footsteps and Kelly covered her eyes, just in case.
Her dad’s chuckle made her feel a little better. “We’re perfectly decent.”
And they were, sitting out on the veranda with a pair of drinks. Their casual dress and her mother’s apparent lack of cosmetic enhancement gave Kelly pause. “Good morning.”
“Congratulations. You were fabulous yesterday.” Her mother blew her a kiss.
“You saw me?” Kelly blinked. That was a first. In all her years of competition, she couldn’t recall a single one where her mother congratulated her personally. Oh, she always sent flowers, and even had a charm bracelet made with a dozen different charms celebrating her surfing victories—but this was a first.
“Yes, I did. Your father and I were there first thing in the morning. We saw everything. Including how your Rafe got one over on George.”
“Greg, mom. And what are
you talking about?”
“I told you he wouldn’t tell her.” Carter beamed. “No man likes to brag about how he protects his woman.”
Kelly walked up the steps slowly and leaned a hip against the railing. “What are you two talking about?”
“Well, it seems there is a rumor that Glen was negotiating a certain Baywear deal for several million dollars but lost it when he completely embarrassed himself by trying to punch out his ex-girlfriend’s new manager after she fired him for incompetence.” Her mother seemed almost giddy with the news.
What did a person say to that? Kelly didn’t even realize there’d been a scuffle. In fact, she hadn’t seen any mark on Rafe at all.
“It’s so romantic.” Her mother sighed and propped her chin on her hand. “Would you let someone punch you for me, darling?”
Her father looked thoughtful and glanced down at his hands. “There was a time when I would have needed these to be in perfect condition, but now I will happily do the punching if need be.”
Raina cooed and Kelly couldn’t help but laugh. “I am going to guess that things are better between the two of you?”
“Yes, they are. And that’s all we’re going to tell you. We promise to not involve our children in our issues anymore.” Raina beamed as Carter lifted her hand to his lips for a kiss.
“Back to you, Kelly, because your mother is right. You were fantastic out there on the waves. The next time you have a competition, you let us know, we’ll make a special trip to see it.”
Kelly welled up—she couldn’t fight the emotion. Pride shone in her mother’s eyes and respect in her father’s. Until that moment she hadn’t realized how much she truly needed their approval.
She’d always known they loved and supported her. Their dysfunctional communication aside, they were her parents. Love like that doesn’t just disappear, but they hadn’t been demonstrative or so brazenly approving before.
“Thanks, really, both of you. I have a lot to get done. We’re reopening the resort. Would you like me to reserve the honeymoon bungalow for you?”
“No, I think we’re going to leave you and your young man alone while I whisk your mother away for a secret escape.” Her father grinned.
“Oh!” Raina straightened up immediately. “Where?”
“If I told you, darling, it wouldn’t be a secret.” Carter picked up his drink and took a sip, his expression very mischievous.
“But how will I know what to pack if I don’t know where we’re going? What clothes should I bring?”
“Who said you’ll need clothes?”
Her father’s playful leer was Kelly’s cue to leave. “La-la-la-la-la—daughter running away now.” She plugged her fingers in her ears and hurried off. Though she couldn’t resist pausing at the door to look back.
Her father had moved closer to her mother to kiss her with such tenderness. Yeah, they had their issues, but times like this told her they could work it out if they tried hard enough.
Someday, that could be her and Rafe grossing their kids out.
Not if she wasn’t honest with him.
And that means it’s time for you to spill your guts. No more lies. No more half-truths. No more letting it hang over your head. Tonight, you tell him and put all your cards on the table.
Rafe wanted to be her partner. He deserved nothing but the truth. He would understand.
He believed in her. She would believe in him.
18
RAFE THANKED THE cab driver and passed him a tip before sliding out of the backseat. The trip to town had taken longer than he’d expected. He had planned a lunchtime return and now here it was after two. Still, he was satisfied.
The orchids and roses he’d chosen at the flower shop to apologize for his tardiness were pretty and fragrant. The resort bustled. Open windows on every floor let in the swift ocean breeze. He saw a maid carrying towels down to the bungalows while a gardener tidied the lush green lawn. The gardener noticed Rafe and threw him a friendly wave.
Guests must have arrived, but everyone seemed to be keeping to themselves. Kelly had been right about that. The guests wanted privacy and a haven away from their public lives.
He couldn’t blame them.
His bungalow had become his and Kelly’s hideaway from the main house and he wouldn’t mind it if they moved in there permanently—or had a larger one built away from the resort so she always had a private escape.
The porch was empty and so were the salon and the dining room. He wandered through the rest of the first floor, checking for her, before he stuck his hand in his pocket for his cell phone. Then he heard her voice.
Tracking it like a beacon, he dodged a valet pulling a huge trunk toward the staircase and slid right up behind Kelly, where she was relaxing against the kitchen door frame. “We should stick with the buffet breakfasts this week, right? They’re always popular and with the increased traffic to the island, thanks to the competition, we can offer them as an enticing alternative to what the other hotels have. Maybe we’ll get some extra business.”
Adrien noticed him immediately, but Kelly kept talking. “What about adding a few more rounds of surfing lessons? I can do the ones in the morning, but if we bring in an afternoon and evening instructor...”
Rafe’s arm snaked around her middle and he tugged her backward. “You would have more free time for me.”
She yelped and the papers in her hand fluttered to the floor. Amusement lit up her face. At the sight of the flowers, she gasped.
“It occurred to me that a beautiful woman deserves beautiful things and I didn’t have flowers for you after the competition, so let’s agree that these are serving double duty.”
“Are they, now?” She looked at him skeptically, a playful glint in her eyes.
“Yes, they’re my you’re-beautiful-and-talented-and-I’m-sorry-I-missed-lunch flowers.” He spread his hands over her hips, loving the way she fit against him. His gaze swept over her sweat-dampened face and the dirt smudges tracking across her brow and one cheek.
“What?” she asked, giving him a quick, fierce hug.
“You’re pretty when you’re all mussed up.” He waggled his eyebrows and she giggled.
“Let me put these in water.”
He caught her arm as she started to walk away. “Actually, Adrien will probably be nice and put those in water for us. Right now I need to steal the boss lady.”
They skirted more of the cleaning crew on their way out toward the front entrance. “Rafe!” Kelly tugged on his arm as they started down the steps. “You’re not limping.”
He glanced at his leg and shrugged. “It’s sore, but loose. Don’t need to limp when I have such a great yoga and Pilates instructor around.” He urged her down the rest of the steps and paused at the driveway.
The place where they’d first met.
He turned then to face her. His business in town had taken a lot longer than he’d expected it to. The longest part was getting his friend Will on the phone and his new C.O. Both men supported Rafe’s decision to accept an honorable discharge. He’d have to return to the States in a couple of weeks to sign his release papers, but he wanted to take Kelly with him.
“Listen, Kelly, I got you a present....”
Her eyes widened, but he held up a finger to stave off any questions.
“Before you say anything, know that this is not because you placed second in the competition or received an awesome contract offer and not because you run a resort that I never want to leave, but because you’re you.”
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a silver surfboard hanging on a silver chain. It was attached to one of his dog tags. Her lips parted and she let out a soft sigh that went straight to his heart. He placed the delicate piece in her upturned palm.
“Surfer girl, you own my
heart.”
Tears dampened her eyes and he chuckled, catching one as it splashed down onto her cheek.
“No crying. You helped put this marine back together and I’m yours. If you’ll have me.” Probably not the most polished of proposals, but he wasn’t making plans to go anywhere else except right here. “And if you can’t answer me today, that’s all right. I’ll be here every day until you can. And we don’t have to talk marriage yet, but—”
“I’m all for it.” Holding the chain carefully between her fingers, Kelly bit her lip. “I love it, but before we make any decisions, there’s something I need to tell you. It’s kind of funny and more than a little embarrassing, but...”
A car pulling into the driveway interrupted them. Kelly squinted past him and he had fully intended to ignore what was happening, until she went pale. Casting a glance over his shoulder, Rafe wanted to swear.
Mimi.
The drop-dead gorgeous model—all five-feet-eleven of her, with porcelain skin, charcoal-black lashes and pure black hair that fell like liquid velvet—squealed. She whooped like a teen and dropped all elegant pretenses to race around the cab to throw her arms around Kelly.
* * *
KELLY COULDN’T BELIEVE IT.
She returned her sister’s enthusiastic hug and closed her fist around the surfboard and dog tag necklace to keep from dropping it. Rafe backed up a step, his expression tense.
“So sorry for barging in like this,” Mimi said to Rafe in what was her trademark dismissive tone. “I haven’t seen my sister in months. I left as soon as I got Mom’s message that she had some harebrained scheme to make Dad jealous. I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner, but I had a hard time canceling my next shoot and you know Sebastian, he didn’t want me to go, but I told him I just had to rescue you from Mom’s nonsense.”
Hurricane Mimi had officially landed.
“Hey, Mimi.” Rafe’s brows drew together in a frown.
Mission: Seduction Page 15