Prologue
“Harlan, put down the gun!” I screamed.
The silvery metal of the gun’s barrel glinted under the lights. Bear was holding my hand, but he let go, slowly putting his hands up and walking towards a wild-eyed Harlan.
“You’re Harlan?” Bear asked, his voice steady, low and calm.
“Yeah, man, who the fuck are you?” Harlan sneered.
“I’m Bear Dalton.”
“Bear Dalton? The billionaire? And I’m the queen of fucking England…” Harlan waved the gun towards us but Bear made no move to step back.
“That’s me, I assure you,” Bear nodded. “Chloe’s told me a lot about you.”
“Is that so?” Harlan’s stormy green eyes flashed my way. His gaze kept flickering back and forth between Bear’s face and mine. “I’m sure it wasn’t anything nice.”
“Harlan, please…” I whispered, shaking my head, my heart pounding like a drum inside my chest.
“Harlan, how about we go inside? We can talk about whatever’s bothering you. Get to know each other.”
“Why do you want to get to know me?”
“Well, you obviously care about Chloe. We have that in common.”
“Yeah, so?” he shrugged.
“So I’m certain you didn’t come here to kill Chloe, did you Harlan?”
“I’d never hurt her. I’m not here to fucking hurt her!”
“Well, that’s another thing we have in common, but it leaves us with one very important question.”
“What?” Harlan said, cocking his head arrogantly. For fuck’s sake, he sounded like an angry toddler.
“What were you planning to do with that gun, Harlan?”
“That’s none of your damn business,” Harlan shouted, swinging the barrel of the gun back around and pointing it at Bear.
“I know that look in your eyes. You’re hurting, but I pro
mise you, the path you’re on offers no relief. You’ll be gone, but the pain stays behind. It passes on to everyone around you.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I am many things Harlan, but ignorant isn’t one of them. I can help you, if you’re willing to talk.”
“What the hell do you want to talk about?”
“We can talk about that gun, for starters… That’s a Beretta, right?”
“Yeah,” Harlan shrugged.
“Is that a fusion or a brigadier? I can’t see the grip.”
Harlan blinked for a half a second, then he held the gun out to Bear to show it to him.
“It’s a 92 Vertec Inox,” he said.
Bear took the gun from him, turning it around in his hand and admiring it.
“That’s nice. My friend has one like this,” Bear nodded.
I stood in shock watching them talk guns like two old friends. I took a deep breath.
“I’m going to hang onto this gun, but I’ll make it worth your while. Let’s go inside. You want a beer?” Bear said, unlocking the apartment door and walking in with Harlan’s gun still in his hand.
“That sounds good.” Harlan replied, sounding a bit puzzled. He followed Bear like an obedient puppy and I cringed when I realized he had the same effect on me.
How the hell does he do that? I thought to myself, reaching up and brushing my fingers across the black diamond encrusted choker on my neck, my left hand heavy with the weight of my ring.
Chapter 1
The door closed behind Harlan and I heaved another sigh of relief now that he was finally gone.
“You’re incredible!” I cried, throwing my hands around Bear’s neck. He laughed, kissing me sweetly and smiling down at me.
“You’re the incredible one, Beauty,” he growled.
“Stop it,” I said. “You’re magic. He was going to kill us!”
“Harlan? He wasn’t going to hurt anyone but himself. Did you see how he was sweating? How his hand was trembling? He was afraid.”
“I was afraid!” I shouted. “He had a gun!”
“Afraid of this?” Bear asked, lifting the gun back up from the table he’d sat it on. I gasped as he pointed it at the ceiling and pulled the trigger. The gun clicked quietly.
“It’s not loaded. I checked it myself as soon as we came inside. This whole thing was a cry for help.”
“A cry for help? Bear, you offered him a job! What in the world are you thinking?”
“They say it’s best to keep your enemies close. Haven’t you heard? I don’t think he’ll take me up on the offer, but I do hope he takes the rest of my advice...”
I shook my head, smiling up at my fiancé with a heart full of love.
“I love you,” I whispered, for the first time. He’d said it to me in the airport, but I’d not said it back. I wasn’t about to let this day end without saying it back to him.
“I love you, too, Chloe.” He bent his head, his warm lips transporting me into a blissful trance.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, pulling away after a few moments.
“I feel amazing. I can’t believe this is really happening,” I said, holding up my diamond ring.
“Believe it! You deserve the best, Chloe. And I intend to spend my life making sure you have the best of everything.”
“All I want is your love, Bear,” I said, beaming at him.
He grabbed my hand, holding it close to his chest.
“My heart is yours, Beauty. Forever and ever.”
“Oh, Bear,” I sighed, leaning into him as he wrapped his arms around me. He was so solid, so strong, so warm. I put my ear to his chest, listening to the strong, steady beat of his heart. My heart. This whole thing felt like a fairytale.
“I guess I should unpack,” I said, looking up at him sheepishly.
“Probably,” he said. “And when you’re done, you’ll need to pack again.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I’m tired of this weather, to be honest.” He reached up and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear, caressing my face with his fingers. “And you deserve a vacation.”
“I haven’t done any work, what are you talking about?”
“Fine. I deserve a vacation,” he laughed. “I need some sunshine. I have a place…”
“I bet you do,” I smirked.
“Don’t worry,” he said, “we can take a plane to it. No daredevil antics, I promise. This time, at least.”
I laughed, remembering the time he’d made me repel out of a helicopter just to get to his cabin in the Catskills.
“Okay, so what should I pack?”
“A bikini,” he said. “A sexy one.”
“I don’t have one.”
“That’s even better, isn’t it?” he winked, slapping my ass.
Chapter 2
“You see that little island down there?” Bear pointed out the jet’s window down to the tiny speck of land below, surrounded by sparkling topaz water.
“Yes.”
“That’s where we’re going. Walker’s Cay, it’s called. I may change the name someday. What do you think of Bear Island? I think it has a ring to it, don’t you?”
“It’s your island?” I asked, my mouth falling as I stared down at the shimmering Caribbean sea.
“I just bought it,” he replied. “It was an old fishing resort for fifty years. It was actually well known for some of the most premier deep-sea fishing in the world. It stretches over fifty-eight acres, and as you can see,” he pointed to a long, open road, “it has its own airstrip.”
“Thank goodness,” I said, as the plane began descending.
The landing was smooth and easy. Within moments, we were walking down the stairs into a hot, sunny, tropical day. I scanned the horizon, the lush green trees surrounding us blowing gently in the warm breeze.
“Is there somewhere I can buy a bikini around here?” I asked, after Bear said goodbye to the pilot.
“You won’t need it,” he said. “Seriously, there’s nobody else on this island but us. Nobody will see you. Except for me, and how lucky am I?”
“Where is everyone?” I asked, looking around. The island did in fact seem to be deserted, even though there were buildings and roads. It was like a ghost town.
“The resort closed a long time ago. That’s why I bought it. I’m going to renovate the entire island and turn it back into the sparkling, vibrant treasure it used to be. There will be apartments for the people who work here and a hotel for the tourists, another marina, in addition to the one that’s already here. A yacht club, a golf course, restaurants, bars, brewpubs…”
“That’s amazing, Bear,” I said. “You really have your hat in a lot of different projects.”
“Variety is the spice of life,” he winked.
“So it is,” I laughed, as he took my hand and led me over to a Jeep parked by itself in a small parking lot. He reached up into the visor and retrieved the keys and started it up. We roared down the road, the warm wind in our hair and the sun in our eyes.
My skin tingled deliciously from the hot rays of the sun and I felt my shoulders began to relax. It felt absolutely divine.
“This is more like it,” I said.
“You like the sun better than the snow, huh?”
“By a long shot,” I said.
“I seem to require a steady diet of both,” he said, as we zipped around a curve.
I relaxed back in my seat, drinking in the lush scenery and the warm breeze like a delicious cocktail. It was just as intoxicating as the margarita I was already craving.
I looked over at Bear, marveling at my life. Just a few short weeks ago, I was back in Portland, my future seemingly laid out in front of me. Funny how fast things can change, isn’t it?
Bear reached over and put a hand on my bare leg. We’d changed into shorts and t-shirts on the plane ride, leaving all of our warm clothes behind in the jet. I let the heat seep into my skin, into my bones, warming
my core in a way that only a good blast of sunshine can do.
I tried to think back to a time I was happier, and I couldn’t. I’d never felt so joyful, so full of love than this very minute. I’d never imagined my life would change so drastically practically over night, in such an amazing way.
Sure, I was still freaked out a little. I wasn’t completely sure I would ever be able to design the hotel that Bear wanted me to design. In fact, out of everything, that was what I had the most self-doubts about.
Bear had successfully put all my doubts about our relationship to rest when he slid the ring on my finger.
I had no idea why he loved me, but he did. That fact alone was enough to send me straight to cloud nine.
Chapter 3
We pulled up to an old craftsman type home with a rambling wrap-around porch supported by heavy beams. Lush palm trees swayed in the breeze at the entrance, parting magically to let us through to the front door. Huge pots of bright pink bougainvillea lined the porch, with a wooden swing hanging at the end of it.
We walked inside and I was immediately overtaken by the coziness of the place. Old, worn leather couches were blanketed with handmade quilts and soft velvet accent pillows. A fireplace lined one entire wall, crowned with a thick wooden mantle. We sat down our bags and Bear opened all the windows to let in the breeze while I looked around.
“How long have you owned the island?” I asked.
“Not long. I haven’t done anything to it at all yet. I’m still getting permits and studying zoning laws. The ink’s dry, I own it outright, but I’m still dreaming about the possibilities.”
“Wow, what an opportunity,” I said. “This house is beautiful.”
“Isn’t it?” Bear asked. “It’s not the biggest or most luxurious on the island, but it spoke to me the first time I visited. I had it cleaned and furnished more to my taste, but other than making this house my base, the island is a clean slate.”
“What made you decide to buy it?” I asked.
“I looked at some other islands first. I almost bought one in the South Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela. It was a beauty. But it was completely undeveloped. Just a piece of land in the middle of nowhere. I could have built a house and it could have been my own private playground. But a friend told me about Walker’s Cay. The history intrigued me. This place was legendary, back in the day. Fisherman from all the world over would come here because they’d been told about the amazing fishing they could do.”