Compromised in Paradise (Compromise Me 3)

“What makes you say that?”

“I was engaged once. It didn’t work out.” He meant to keep the explanation simple and brief, but apparently she caught something in his tone or expression, because her teasing expression turned sympathetic. She paddled closer.

“What happened?”

Why were they talking about this? Why was he treading water in the middle of the goddamn ocean, about to bare his scars to a woman who didn’t even want to tell him her name? There was no graceful way out of it, but the very anonymity of their situation made confiding the truth seem almost…okay.

“I met her in my”—all right, truth in substance, not in detail—“astronaut training program. She was pretty, smart, funny, and very committed to her goals. We both were, and conveniently, there we were, pursuing one we shared. Falling for her was almost inevitable.”

“Understandable.” Her quiet voice barely intruded into his memories of a blonde, blue-eyed bundle of vitality. Miss America, with a south Texas twang, a ready smile, and a shell of confidence.

“Yeah. I thought so, too. But maybe I wasn’t looking very hard. Astronaut training takes a lot of time and focus. It’s pretty rigorous.”

“I’m sure it is. I think sometimes, when two people are in a pressure cooker like that, it’s easy for someone to feel like they need to get out.”

Sweet of her to offer understanding when, for all she knew, he was leading up to a “She cheated” or “I cheated” or something along those lines. But it was nothing along those lines, and for whatever reason, he wanted her to know. “I don’t know how she felt. All I know is she got out. She died.”

“Oh my God. I’m so sorry. For your loss, and for prying. We don’t have to talk about this—”

“No. It’s okay.” And it was. He reached out and took her hand, weaving her fingers through his and increasing the power of his kick to keep them both bobbing in the gentle waves. “It happened a while ago.”

She squeezed his fingers. “Can you tell me what happened?” Compassion made her voice soft, but those instincts of hers were razor sharp. She sensed a devil in the details.

“Yes, and no. I can tell you cause of death. She fell from the balcony of her third-floor apartment. But the why? That’s impossible to answer. She was home alone. The door was locked. There were no drugs or alcohol in her system.” He didn’t really need to go any further. The czarina was smart. She understood all the implications. He took a deep breath and then surprised himself by adding, “No note.”

“I’m sorry,” she repeated. Her fingers tightened on his again and held. “Whatever happened, it’s not your fault.”

The bottom edge of the sun touched the horizon. Another inevitability. The earth still rotated, no matter how fucked up or oblivious its inhabitants might be. “Some things came out after. She was struggling academically. Sleeping an average of four or five hours a night to maximize study time. Her roommate suspected she had an eating disorder. But me? I didn’t see any of those details.” He coughed out a humorless laugh. “Love is blind, apparently.”

“It’s hard to see details someone’s taking pains to hide, don’t you think?”

“I do. But I also think when it comes to certain things, I’m more of an overview, big-picture kind of guy.”

The corner of her mouth lifted in a smile—a fleeting one because she drew close and brushed a kiss over his lips. “I bet you have an amazing overview from the space station.”

“Exactly.” He grabbed her waist and pulled her into him for a harder kiss, and then eased back so only their linked hands tethered her to him, and resumed floating. “I’m not looking to go blind again.”

He felt the water move, and then she floated beside him. “Hey, Rider?”

The pulse beating in his ears sped up. Anticipation. And triumph. He wasn’t a mind reader, but he knew what was on hers at this moment. She was going to tell him her name, and he suddenly couldn’t wait to watch her lips form his. “Yes, Czarina?”

“I’m not looking to go blind, either.”

Chapter Six

Best motherfucking sunrise of your life, man.

Regardless of the enthusiastic endorsemen

t from a fellow resort guest Rider had been chatting with in the lobby this morning, she knew the fact that she was out of bed, dressed, and cruising along in an open-air Jeep at five in the morning had nothing to do with the quality of the sunrise. It spoke volumes about the quality of the orgasm someone had spanked out of her yesterday.

She wanted more. Hell yes, she did. Not just to break the hold stress had on her and remind her body what pleasure felt like, but also because their anonymous, temporary arrangement afforded a level of freedom she’d never experienced before.

Family, duty, and reputation ceased to exist during their time together. She could ask for anything. Allow anything. Trust him with her honest needs and know he’d do whatever it took to satisfy them. He refused to give up on her, and refused to let her give up on herself.

She warmed her hands on the to-go cup of coffee he’d passed her as soon as she’d gotten in the car, and silently toasted his impressive persistence. True, he seemed determined to dole out satisfaction according to his own plan, but it turned out she had nothing against planning. At least not when it came to his version. She could relax and enjoy.

Maybe she was tossing around words like “trust” and “honesty” awfully easily, considering she didn’t even know his real name, and she’d thrown honesty out the window the minute she’d opened her mouth. But despite all her fabrications, there was a level of honesty between them, and she did trust him.