His free hand covered hers. He glanced up, blinking into the sunlight, as if remembering. “Sometimes in the middle of the night, I’ll wake up hungry and have to shake myself so I remember there’s a full fridge downstairs and I’m not some ten-year-old kid out of options who has to resort to pickpocketing if I want food in my belly.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, feeling embarrassed at what seemed like shallower pursuits. “You know, when I asked you that question, I was thinking about my dad and how I can help him now. I never imagined…” She shook her head, not knowing what else to say. And even as she realized she’d mentioned her father, though not by name, she couldn’t regret exchanging information with Doug. Not when he’d given her such insight into his past.
His blue eyes, reflecting and taking on the hue of the water, focused on her. “When you find yourself fortunate enough to have good parents and, believe me, I know the difference, there’s little you wouldn’t do in return. That’s something I understand well.”
Juliette nodded. He obviously could understand her desire to care for and protect the people who raised her.
“It sounds like you’re here to sort something out. Something related to your dad?” He squeezed her hand, as if asking her to trust him.
“You could say that.” She wondered what Doug would advise her if he knew the truth about who she was and what she’d been through. She wondered if her heart, which beat erratically in her chest and begged her to open up and let him in, could be trusted. After all, she’d made too many errors to be one-hundred-percent certain of her judgment and choices. But something inside her told her this man was different. That he wouldn’t use her the way Stuart had. She’d already decided to trust him with her body. Her emotions couldn’t possibly be far behind.
A loud whistle rent the air. “Beach volleyball,” a woman’s voice called out to the guests, breaking the opportunity to share and shattering the intensity between them. “Ten minutes until game time,” the woman called once more.
Juliette forced a laugh, not knowing if she’d been spared or not. “Organized events.” She shook her head. “They’re for the people who can’t stand to be idle.”
“And people who like crowds,” Doug muttered, seconds before ducking under the water for a quick escape.
Damned if Juliette hadn’t done it again. She’d gotten him to open a vein and pour out his soul, when he was the one who needed information from her, not the other way around. But once he’d begun talking, he couldn’t stop.
And he didn’t understand why. He’d never revealed his painful past to anyone before, especially to a woman and, Lord knew, Erin would have lain prostrate at his feet for such in-depth information. Doug had had no desire to share with Erin, his girlfriend of two years, yet one day with Juliette and she knew his deepest secrets. Doug wasn’t a fool and understood the kind of intimacy they’d just shared would go a long way toward gaining her trust and convincing her to open up in return.
He just wished his need for information on her ex-fiancé was the only reason he’d bared himself first. Wished he wasn’t drawn to her compassionate nature and giving heart. Because he feared losing his own heart. And he hated the now constant guilt that accompanied his every move.
Doug resurfaced, shaking water off himself and grabbing back on to the raft. “Volleyball interest you?” he asked.
“I know you said you wanted to try some resort activities, but I’m going to pass on the beach volleyball bit.” She looked into his eyes and drew him in. “I prefer the company of one special person to a large group, myself.”
Doug didn’t miss her deliberate hint. And though beach volleyball was safer, he was too close to gaining her trust to push her away and risk losing her now. “I’ve got something special planned for us, remember?”
“Are you going to fill me in?”
He grinned. “Soon enough. For now all you need to do is head on back to your room. Everything you need for tonight will be waiting for you there.”
“If I’m not careful, I could get used to this kind of attention.”
“There’s no reason why you shouldn’t. A woman like you deserves the best.” He reached forward with his feet, entangling their legs together beneath the water, and was rewarded by her huge smile.
His heart beat rapidly in his chest and he knew he was a goner. Hell, he should have known the minute he’d unburdened himself about his childhood. But with this one smile—meant for him alone—Doug knew he was falling for this woman fast and hard.
He hadn’t lied when he’d told Merrilee he believed in happily ever after. He just hadn’t thought any woman could inspire those kind of thoughts in him. Least of all Juliette Stanton, the woman he needed for selfish reasons. He shook his head. Life had a way of throwing him the toughest curves.
He needed the information Juliette possessed too badly to walk away and he was mired too deep in lies to admit the truth outright and rely on her good nature for the answers. The guilt he’d been feeling since arriving at the island grew and settled in the pit of his stomach.
But so did his certainty that she was in possession of information he needed. Juliette had just admitted she’d come down here to sort out something related to her father. He wondered if Senator Stanton was involved with his protégé in illegal dealings and, though Doug would never dismiss the notion without evidence, he doubted it was true. His earlier information had never mentioned the senator and his record and reputation were above repute.
Which led Doug back to Juliette and her relationship with Stuart Barnes. Earlier this morning she’d questioned Doug about being engaged. She’d mentioned that by getting caught up in the swing of things, a person could end up nearly married. Without a doubt, she’d been talking about herself as well as about him.
So Juliette, of all people, would understand putting a parent first. Unfortunately she wouldn’t appreciate being the one sacrificed for the cause. He thought of his father in ICU—the IV and other tubes poking and prodding him, and the smile on his weary face when Doug had left to hunt down this story—and he knew one thing for sure. He didn’t have a choice.
HOW DID HE KNOW? Juliette stood in front of the closet door that doubled as a full-length mirror, taking in the denim jeans, the white, oxford-type shirt with a tank top beneath, and the pair of simple black boots. All perfectly sized, all comfortable and easy. She wondered again how Doug could possibly know how badly she needed these ordinary clothes that symbolized an ordinary life.
She hadn’t worn such a basic outfit since college and didn’t have a pair of blue jeans in her wardrobe now. Ever conscious of public scrutiny, especially since she’d begun dating Stuart, she’d never left the house lo
oking less than conservative and dressed up.
When the doorbell rang, she ran, intending to greet Doug with a huge hug of thanks. But as she twined her arms around his neck and his hands reached out to grasp her waist, simple gratitude became something more. Something primal and elemental, wild and free.
She tilted her head back, intending to just look at him, but the result put their bodies in intimate contact. His firm chest, covered by a denim shirt, pressed against hers, heightening the ache in her sensitive breasts. His belt buckle pushed into her stomach but that pressure was nothing compared to the hard outline of his erection snuggling against her femininity, a place where pressure built and desire found a home.