His Paradise

“I think I might. I have a room there, too.” I smile as I tease him. I lean in and press my chest against his, wanting to touch every part of him.

“I thought you were a local?” His eyes lower to my chest and I watch as he licks his lips. My lower body clenches and I don’t know if I can get him out of here fast enough.

“I am. I own the place.” I always feel so much pride when I get to say that.

His smile falters for a second and the hand he has in mine twitches. He blinks and then he’s smiling again so quickly that I think I might have imagined it. Before I can ask him what that was about, his lips are on mine and all thoughts of work evaporate.

5

Liam

You can’t do this.

I ignore the warning in my head, grab her hand, throw some money on the table, and practically run out of the bar. When we get to the door, the storm is hitting hard and it’s pouring outside.

“Climb on up,” I tell Nicole as I turn around and give her my back.

“A piggy-back ride?” she asks, but she’s grinning like it’s Christmas morning.

“You got it, princess.” She hops on, and I raise her up as her arms come around my shoulders and I hold on to her thighs. “Wouldn’t want you getting your pretty feet muddy.”

“Getting dirty doesn’t bother me.” Her lips press against my neck, and I swear my knees get a little weak.

I dart out the door and into the warm rain. The drops echo as I go and drown out all the voices in my head telling me how wrong this is. That I shouldn’t take her to bed. She’s the reason I’m on this damn island to begin with. When I saw her in the bar I was surprised to find something I liked about this place. I’ve spent every second here counting down to when I could leave, but suddenly I want more time. Now that I know she owns the Mermaid, what the hell am I supposed to do? Sleep with her and get her to sign the deed over to me? I’m an asshole, but there’s no way I could stand the look of disappointment in her eyes.

Why couldn’t it have been someone else? Anyone else in that goddamn bar. Why does the one woman who stirs something inside me, something I thought was long dead, turn out to be the one person I need to screw over.

The path to the Mermaid is washing out with all the rain and the sand can’t absorb it fast enough. I splash through puddles in my flip-flops as I see the light in the distance. I try to stay under the canopy of trees for coverage, but I’m completely soaked to the bone. Even the space where Nicole is pressed up against me is soaking wet and I can feel her like a second skin on me.

Fuck, why did she have to be so beautiful, so sinful? Everything about her is exaggerated sex and all I want to do is sink into every curve. I curse the way I need her with every step until I’m carrying her up the steps of the hotel porch. I have to tell her I can’t do this. I want her so badly, but I can’t take her like this. Maybe she’ll sell it to me and afterwards we can try to make this work. But if I sleep with her it’s going to cloud all the plans I’ve made.

I slowly lower her now that we’re out of the rain and I turn around to look at her. Her blonde hair is stuck to her face, but she’s smiling from ear to ear. The light in her eyes makes my chest tight. I don’t want to be the reason that it ever goes away.

“I’ve never had a piggy-back ride before,” she says as she places her hands on my chest.

“Not even when you were a little girl?” Why does it have to feel so damn good when she touches me?

“No. My parents died young and I was raised by my grandparents. They weren’t always in the greatest health and I was kind of a chubby kid.”

The blush of pink on her cheeks forces me to reach out and touch it with the back of my hand.

“You are so beautiful,” I say, more to myself than her.

She shrugs her shoulder and looks away like she hasn’t been told that before. I touch her chin and make her look back at me.

“Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me right now?” I try to make myself stop, but I can’t. The closer I get to her the more my will to leave her alone is crumbling. If I kiss her I won’t be able to let her go. Not tonight. Maybe not ever.