by Fiona Roarke
He’d tried to forget her, which was stupid and impossible. When he got weak, which was often, he would dial the numbers of Samantha’s cell phone and then hang up without pushing the last digit to make the final connection, like some teenager crushing on an unattainable girl at school. He was an idiot.
He missed her.
Even seeing Robin’s name made him think of Samantha. Who was he kidding? Everything made him think of Samantha. And then he promptly remembered how stupid he’d been. The foolish ultimatum he’d dropped on her mere hours before he was about to propose put his stupidity level at an unmatched high.
He’d gone around in circles, never calling her, never attempting the apology he owed her. He also never went a minute without missing her desperately. Would she forgive him? And if she did, where did that leave them?
Samantha wasn’t Caleigh. They had little in common. Well, they were both women. That was about it.
These were facts he knew, but he also figured he’d fucked it up so badly, he needed time to get his thoughts together. One of these days he’d push that last digit of her phone number and actually talk to her. Wouldn’t he?
He was an idiot, so maybe not.
JD pushed out a sigh and dialed Robin’s number. Maybe he was a glutton for punishment, but he didn’t hate the idea of hearing what Samantha was up to these days.
“Hello? JD?”
“Hey, Robin. Sorry I didn’t call you back last week—”
“Samantha’s missing,” she blurted.
“What?” His heart stuttered in his chest. Samantha? Missing?
“She’s gone, JD. No one knows where she is.”
JD cleared his throat, unsure of what to say. Did he even have any right to look into her life?
Robin asked, “Will you look for her? Please, JD? I’m really worried about her.”
“When was the last time you talked to her?” JD asked the first thing that came into his head.
“I tried to call her last week, too, but like you, she never returned my calls. Then this morning on the corporate e-mail server there were some rumors flying around that Miami’s VP of Operations is incommunicado. Samantha is the VP of Operations.”
“I know.” JD’s tone sounded weary to his own ears. That lofty promotion had ruined them. Or rather, he’d ruined them because of that damn title.
“No one knows where she is. No one knew about any vacation plans. Her assistant is also out for the week, and she didn’t leave a number where Samantha could be reached.”
“Why call me? I haven’t seen or talked to her in three months.”
Robin sobbed. What the hell?
“Don’t cry, Robin.” JD hated to hear a woman weep.
“I’m sorry, but I’m worried about her.” She sniffed a couple of times. “You two loved each other. I know you did. It’s not like her to disappear like this. Please try and find her.”
JD didn’t want to get into the reason they weren’t together, even though they’d loved each other. It was his fault. But he wasn’t ready to share any details with anyone, especially a sobbing Robin.
She was right about it not being like Samantha to disappear without a word. Where could Samantha be?
Then something that had been scratching around in his brain during this conversation raced into the front of his mind.
A week before his Key West vacation departure, he’d gotten an e-mail notification from the Casa Blanca Resort and Spa in Barefoot Bay regarding his coming stay.
He’d erased the e-mail without reading more than the subject line. But that little bit of information had lodged in the backburner of his head and waved at him more than once in the past week or so. Hadn’t the secret vacation they’d set up so long ago started last Saturday night? He should have read the message before deleting it and ignoring it. What he did remember was that it was a non-refundable trip.
Without admitting his feelings for Samantha, which were complicated on a good day, JD said, “Okay. I’ll go look for her.” Robin thanked him repeatedly, until he practically hung up on her sincere and overwhelming gratitude.
JD had a pretty good idea of where Samantha was. He knew how much she’d wanted to stay at the luxury resort. He was interested to discover why she’d continued to keep the vacation a secret. Had she expected him to show up? Did she even want him there?
He drained the last half of his beer in a single swallow. No taking a dip in the pool with his neighbors after all. Instead he was headed for Mimosa Key, the private resort and spa there and, hopefully, Samantha.
Damned if his heart didn’t speed up at the mere idea of seeing her again.
* * * *
Barefoot Bay – Casa Blanca Resort and Spa, Rockrose Villa
Samantha settled into the bubble bath, sliding her shoulders beneath the water with a decided sigh of happiness. A fruity tropical scent rose with the steam, making a fine sheen of perspiration form on her face. Two days in paradise had been very nice, but a little lonely. As Mondays went, this one hadn’t been the worst, only very disappointing.
Hair up in a clip to keep it from getting wet, she let her arms float on the surface of the bath, wishing for things that obviously weren’t going to happen. JD hadn’t been here when she arrived. He also hadn’t shown up on Sunday or today. She peeked one eye open to look at the clock, noting that today only had a few more hours in it.
The reservation had been for nine days and eight nights starting Saturday. She’d sort of wanted to arrive after JD so she could sweep in and make an entrance, hoping he had pined for her in the past three months as deeply as she had for him.
Since it was only a two-hour drive from Miami, she’d taken her time packing, not even getting across the twelve-mile-long bridge connecting the mainland to Mimosa Key until just after dark on Saturday night.
But JD hadn’t been waiting for her. She checked in alone. Forty-eight hours later, it looked like she’d be alone for the duration. She didn’t have the will to look for—or the heart to hook up with—anyone else.
Miami was a very busy place, not much different from Atlanta as far as traffic issues day to day. Mimosa Key was much quieter. Barefoot Bay was lovely. And the villas at Casa Blanca were amazing. Every detail any occupant could ever want was attended to in every way.
The opulence of the place took her breath away even though that first night she hadn’t done much more than slide beneath the softest ever sheets and drop off to sleep after her drive over from the other side of the state. She promptly slept in, hoping all night in her dreams that she’d be awakened by her dream lover and swept into paradise.
She’d left word at the desk the first night, asking to be alerted if anyone inquired about her or the villa. The desk clerk hadn’t even raised an eyebrow. Perhaps her request wasn’t that interesting. But it didn’t matter. She wanted a two-minute warning to prepare herself when he arrived, if he arrived, and sent up a silent plea that he was on the way.
It was becoming clear that the only other person who’d even known about this week in Mimosa Key was likely not joining her. The more time that went by without his appearance, the more she became convinced she’d spend this week utterly alone.
She watched for him all day Sunday, staying close to Rockrose, her villa, venturing only as far as the main resort to eat at the lovely upscale Junonia restaurant. Table for one, please. She hadn’t scheduled a massage at the in-house spa, Eucalyptus, or even taken the free-to-guests half-day tour of Barefoot Bay, just in case he showed up.
But he hadn’t.
After two nights, it was obvious she needed to stop looking for any company and simply enjoy herself all alone. It would give her more time to focus on what in the world she would do upon her return to Miami next week and her uncertain job prospects.
She refused to be demoted because of Trey’s plans, whatever they were. She’d fight tooth and nail to keep her position. Unless they were sending her back to Atlanta as a director. That held quite a bit of appeal. Trey would be doing
her a favor by sending her back to the city where, just maybe, she could get back together with JD.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have any idea as to what Trey’s plans were. It would have helped to get more information before leaving work Friday. Alas, she hadn’t found a clue as to his intentions before her departure from Miami the next day.
She still didn’t have any inkling as to either what to do or how to prepare for demotion.
Samantha had surreptitiously tried to pump Trey’s assistant for information. The young woman didn’t seem to know that she worked for Trey, let alone what he was up to. Probably took too much time away from staring at her cell phone, tapping the surface now and again being the only signal she was still breathing.
On the way back from breakfast in the resort’s dining room this morning, Samantha almost lost her cool when she thought she spotted Trey in a passing car. But it couldn’t be him. No one knew where she was. She hadn’t left so much as a hint as to where she was going. Lauren didn’t even know she was headed for Mimosa Key.
She’d gone to great lengths to hide. She left her car at home in its assigned parking spot and took a taxi to a rental car company so she could be completely anonymous for her week away. No one, apparently not even the man she wanted, was showing up here looking for her.
Samantha sank deeper into her bubble bath and decided she was simply upset about what she’d overheard Trey and Drew talking about, to the point she was seeing things that weren’t there. She was also hyped up with simmering desire, fruitlessly hoping for JD to show up at any second and sweep her off her feet. But why would he? JD didn’t know she might lose her job at any moment, and it wasn’t like he was planning some stealth move to Miami to be with her.
Maybe it was time to let go of the dream of getting back together with JD and focus on her miserable life and fighting off the impending demotion. Logic aside, her rebellious thoughts didn’t want to let JD go. If she could finagle a way to get back to the Atlanta store, would she seek him out again?
Yes. She would.
Would he even be available? Had he already moved on to someone else? Her heart stuttered with pain so deep at the mere idea he’d moved on to another woman, she had to breathe in and out a few times to head off a crying jag.
Samantha cleared her mind, letting the warm, fragrant water ease her troubles away. When her bath water turned cool, she slowly stood and stepped out of the tub. She dried off and slipped a luxurious robe over her damp body. The villa even came with slippers. Well, they were more like dainty shoes.
She slid each foot into a cushy slipper sandal with a small open toe, an open back and a cute kitten heel. The insides were super soft and each step felt like a walk in the clouds. She could certainly get used to this life. Too bad she could only afford it once every decade or so. And only with help from a man who obviously didn’t want her. Her eyes welled up, but she shook off her sadness, vowing not to cry anymore. Easy to hide her tears in the bathtub, not so much while strolling around.
A knock at the door disturbed her melancholy. Samantha frowned. She hadn’t ordered any food yet, although that was next on her agenda. Room service in a place like this had to be awesome. Crossing to the door, she opened it, expecting to see a maid wanting to do turn-down service early or bringing more towels or something.
It wasn’t the maid. She sucked in a breath of utter shock.
JD stared at her quickly up and down. She noticed a flash of relief shape his handsome features, right before she noticed how amazingly good he looked.
“JD,” she said, surprised her voice actually worked.
“Samantha,” he said in that certain tone he always had right after they’d made love and he kissed her softly before snuggling together.
He glanced over his shoulder once before quickly turning his full attention back to her, scanning her body from head to toe and back up again.
“Are you alone?” he asked in that soft, sexy voice again.
“Of course.”
“Expecting anyone?”
“No, not exactly. I mean, you’re the only one who even knows about this place…and this week.”
He nodded, looked a little relieved, and gave her yet another quick shoulders-to-knees glance. “Not that I don’t appreciate the view, but you know your robe is hanging wide open, right?”
She looked down to see a six-inch gap widening her parted robe. Snapping the sides shut and backing up half a step from the door, Samantha stared back at the man she’d so wanted to see, but had given up hope on. Here he finally was, as if arriving extra late to make a very big entrance. Samantha watched him, wishing he wanted to rip her robe open and do wild, wicked things to her. Maybe she should get them started…
His gaze narrowed as if disappointed to lose his view of her damp, bare skin. He moved forward a full step and well past the threshold of the door. His familiar sexy scent filled her lungs, putting memories as well as new thoughts in her head that soon overwhelmed her. He smelled like the beach and suntan lotion and JD and love and comfort and everything she’d missed while living utterly alone in Miami.
Samantha abandoned the sides of her robe and wrapped her arms around JD’s neck. She pressed her mouth to his for a long missed taste, not caring if he wanted to wait for her kiss. Not caring that he’d broken her heart. Not caring that she was naked beneath her robe and wouldn’t stop him if he wanted to explore her body much more thoroughly.
Chapter Eleven
JD crushed Samantha to his chest, grateful he’d found her exactly where he expected her to be. And that she was alone. That had been his litmus test for staying with her on this vacation they’d planned. If she wasn’t with anyone else, especially Trey, he’d stay if she wanted him to.
Given the current lip-lock they shared, JD was fairly assured he was welcome. In the short-term, anyway.
She broke the kiss. “Did you drive or fly down from Atlanta?”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “Actually, I was in Key West at my condo. I grabbed a rental car and drove up from there.”
A grin surfaced. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me, too.”
She kissed him again, tightening her grip, making him glad he’d made the admittedly long drive. “I’m just glad you’re alone. I spent quite a few miles picturing a knock at this door and Trey answering in a towel.”
“Why would you think that?” she asked. Her brow furrowed in question.
“I heard from a mutual friend that he transferred down to Miami soon after you did. Of course I imagined the worst, the two of you together sharing ‘friends with benefits’ and my worst nightmare.”
She simply shook her head without comment and kissed him hard again, slightly reducing his feelings over his baseless fears.
The trip from Key West had taken longer than he’d expected, and all the way, he’d worried she wasn’t here. Worse, he’d also worried she was off somewhere with Trey, the rich prick who’d chased her at Robin’s wedding. Robin mentioned in passing that Trey had transferred down to the Miami store a week after Samantha left. So he’d had that information in his head for months, tormenting him, even though he didn’t have the right to be anguished.
Samantha moaned, kissing a path from his lips to his jaw and back to his lips again as if she couldn’t get enough. He understood the feeling. Her mutual affection was all that mattered right now.
She was kissing him like she’d missed him as much as he’d missed her. As a bonus, she was damp, delicious and definitely naked beneath her robe. He hadn’t forgotten what she looked like wearing nothing but a sexy smile. He kept that particular vision handy on the back burner of his mind when he got lonely because of his own damn foolishness.
He moved forward another step, hugging her even tighter as she licked a path between his lips. He kicked the door shut behind him in case anyone was passing by the villa, although he hadn’t seen a soul on his way here along the paver stone path from the main building. They’d given him a key at
the reception desk and asked if he wanted to be announced, but he’d said he wanted to surprise her.
The clerk smiled conspiratorially, pointed to a map showing the path to the northernmost villa, and handed over JD’s copy of the key to their luxury accommodations.
JD had assumed his reservation was still good because of the whole non-refundable part of the booking. At the time of purchase, he’d thought it was the best money he’d ever spent, and looked forward to spending a secret vacation with Samantha.
Clutching her to him right now made him glad he’d come to find her. He got lost in her exuberant kiss, but made a mental note to call Robin and ensure she wasn’t worried. Then again, given Samantha’s welcome reaction to his showing up here unannounced, perhaps this was another setup. Was Robin in on this “chance” meeting like she’d masterminded bringing them together at her wedding reception in the first place?
The sobbing had sounded real over the phone, but sometimes determined people could be very convincing. Did he care if he’d been set up? Should he just go with whatever Samantha wanted tonight? Maybe it wouldn’t solve all their problems, but he was fast coming to a place where he didn’t care about anything except being with her again.
If it was only for a short time in paradise, so be it. He thought he’d missed her before, but he hadn’t realized how much until she’d opened the door a few moments ago.
Samantha’s legs wrapped around his waist, and without conscious thought his hands moved to help support her weight. He’d always appreciated the familiar move when they were together. Her arms tightened around his neck as if she heard him silently trying to decide what to do next. He relaxed his anxiety about their future and vowed to live in the here and now. He held her close to his body, grateful she still wanted him to.