A Beauty Uncovered (Secrets of Eden 2)

She shrugged, a sheepish look drawing down her smile. “No, sorry.”

Brody put his arm around her shoulder and sidled up alongside her. He kissed her temple and whispered into her ear. “Why don’t you just enjoy the trip and I’ll let you know when we’re at our final destination?”

The limo started to pull away as she reluctantly agreed. There wasn’t long to wait. The car arrived at the marina only a few minutes after leaving the airport property. After the driver moved their luggage to the deck of a small speedboat, they got out. The car pulled away as Brody helped Sam down onto the deck. He’d made enough trips out here and paid enough money that everyone had his requested process down pat.

Brody started up the boat and slowly chartered it out of the marina and into the open water. Sam sat beside him, marveling at the view. The water here was amazing—bright turquoise, clear and sparkling. You could see the schools of fish moving through the water beside them. The sky was a vivid blue without a single cloud to mar it. It was a beautiful day to be in the Caribbean.

After about thirty minutes of plowing into the open water toward his desired coordinates, Brody spied the dark shape of their destination on the horizon. “We’re almost there,” he said.

Sam watched anxiously as the island came into view. He couldn’t tell Sam where they were going because the island technically didn’t have a name. He hadn’t gone to the trouble of officially naming it yet. When he purchased the island, he was told a few of the locals called it Joya Verde, Green Jewel, but it wasn’t plotted as such on any maps.

Brody slowed the boat as they reached more shallow waters and pulled up alongside the dock that stretched out into the water from the beach. He tied up the boat, hauled their bags onto the pier and helped Sam out.

The look on her face was priceless. It was half the reason he wanted to bring her here. Her eyes were wide, her mouth open, as she took in every sight. He had reacted the same way when he first saw his green jewel. It was a beautiful little island with smooth golden sand beaches, dark green palms and other lush plants that grew out of the jutting black rock. There was about six acres of the island to explore while they were here. Around the other side was a mangrove lagoon that harbored a surprise he would show Sam later.

“What is this place?” she asked.

“It’s my escape. The only place in the whole world where I can walk on the beach or swim in the ocean without the prying eyes of another living soul on me.”

Sam had started rolling her suitcase toward the beach but stopped and turned to him. “You own an island? The whole thing?”

“Yes. It seemed like a good investment since I can’t travel anywhere else.”

Sam shook her head and continued on her path to the shore. “Rich people,” she muttered under her breath.

Brody laughed at her and led the way from the beach up a winding path to the house that was made of crushed seashells and small pebbles. He opened the front door of the two-story beach house and gestured her in ahead of him. He hadn’t built the home, but he was eternally grateful to the previous owner who had. The house was built on the edge of a rocky incline that rose up from the beach. The entire front of the home facing the ocean was glass, floor to ceiling. It faced west, so he could watch the sunset every night.

The floor plan was open and modern. The first floor had a gourmet kitchen, a great room and a deck with a swimming pool, hot tub and an outdoor shower. Off of the deck were stairs leading down to the beach. The entire second floor was dedicated to the master suite. This was not a vacation home for families. There was only the one bedroom. This was a retreat for lovers, or more appropriately, millionaire recluses.

“Come upstairs and I’ll show you the best part.”

Sam followed him up a winding open staircase to the master bedroom. Directly over the bed was a massive, square skylight that made you feel like you were sleeping beneath the stars. He’d lain there many nights, counting them until he fell asleep. Last, he led her out onto the second-story balcony. It wrapped around three sides of the house. The breeze was a little cooler up here, especially in the winter, but the view was exquisite.

She walked out to the railing and Brody came up behind her. She leaned back and he wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her tight against him. They looked out together at the vast aqua ocean that sprawled ahead of them. It was a patchwork of various shades of blue and green as the water changed depths and covered coral reefs. In the distance, they could see the faint outline of Culebra, but it was the only thing in sight.