Tropical Wounded Wolf (Shifting Sands Resort 2)

She turned her gaze to the pool, but before she saw the pool itself, she saw him.

He was looking away, in that swift way people do when they've just caught themselves staring, but Mary was sure it couldn't have been her that he was staring at.

He had a shock of short red hair, mussed from exertion, and a stubborn tan you rarely found on redheads. That tan spread over muscles unlike any Mary had ever seen before outside of sports magazines. He had wide shoulders knotted with strength and arms like small trees. His narrow hips were clad in utilitarian shorts and his feet were bare. As Mary tried not to stare and failed, he gathered up his pool cleaning equipment and stalked

away, never turning his face to her.

His exit left Mary feeling lonelier and full of longing than ever. Within her, something awoke and uncoiled. Part of her wanted to drop her bag and run down the stairs after the gorgeous man, even as the practical part said that was ridiculous, and she was just reacting to a stunning male specimen after a dry spell in her life. It wasn't like she really believed any of that nonsense about fated mates or destined love.

Mary sighed and finally looked at the pool.

It was long enough for laps in either direction, with two waterfalls cascading from small pools at the bar deck she stood on down to the water level of the pool. Palm trees lined both sides, leaning over massive boulders on the left and spaced along a wide walkway to the right. At the far end, the poolside deck was peppered with chairs and umbrellas and guests lying out in the sun, and beyond that lay the terrifying ocean. Elevation hid the beach from her, but Mary guessed it lay below the pool deck; the island was quite steep.

The surface of the water was still – no one was currently swimming in it, and the last agitation from the gorgeous pool cleaner's efforts had already died down. Mary could see the deep bottom, the curved steps at the far end, and the globes of the lights that would illuminate the water at night. Would it be too scary to swim at night? It didn't look like there were very many lights around the pool.

As hot as the day was, the water looked deliciously cool. It was supposed to be unheated, something that Mary had been hesitant about until she stepped off the plane into the tropical Costa Rican heat.

A swim would have to wait, though, because she wasn't planning to change into her swimsuit here on the pool deck, no matter what kind of lax clothing rules there were at this strange place.

Mary took the exit that her map indicated was closest to her cottage and followed a pristine path to a charming little house with a beautiful private deck. It looked like something straight out of a tropical-themed issue of Good Housekeeping, and Mary had another pang of loneliness and nervousness glancing at the bed in the empty second bedroom. If Alice were with her, she probably would have chased down the hunky man by the pool and insisted that he give them a tour of the resort and meet them for drinks afterwards.

For some reason, she could not get the picture of him out of her mind. Not just his juicy shoulders and ripped body, but the planes of the cheek that she'd gotten a glimpse of, the ruffle of his hair, and… something about the way he held himself. Like he hurt. Maybe not physically, but…

Mary ached for him, then shook her head and changed into her swimsuit. She didn't even know him!

Chapter Four

“Aren't there any jobs that aren't at the guest center?” Neal asked, trying not to sound whiny or ungrateful, though he honestly felt both. “Isn't there an urgent need to clear vines off the waterfall hiking trail or wrestle sharks on the other side of the island or something?”

It had been getting harder and harder to dodge the blonde with the big hat over the last few days. He always knew where she was, and he was beginning to suspect that she was actively looking for him. Already he had feigned illness to avoid being assigned to the waitstaff as she was heading for the dining hall, and had shirked pool deck cleanup twice when he realized that she was there swimming laps. He knew he was in danger of being perceived as a slacker, and avoiding Scarlet as well was turning navigation of the resort into a complicated challenge.

Travis, looking over the duty roster, made a noise of sympathy. “Unless you're secretly a certified electrician…?”

Neal had to shrug a negative.

“There's nothing left to do at the cottages I'm renovating until the wiring is in, and I won't be able to start in on that until tomorrow.” Travis, a lynx shifter from Alaska, was apparently certified in every kind of construction and also drove the boat that ferried guests from the mainland when they didn't come by small plane to the airport on the other side of the island.

Neal was certified in plenty of things, but he wasn't sure how being able to set explosives and shoot the wings off a fly from a mile away would make him useful at the resort. He’d earned EMT certification, but that didn't distinguish him from half of the resort staff, and any certification he had would be expired after ten years of captivity anyway.

“You could take the day off,” Tex suggested with the drawl that had earned him his nickname.

Neal stared at the bear shifter bartender as if he'd grown horns.

“If you don't want to, I could use the day off,” Bastian said with unexpectedly wistfulness. Neal was a little surprised – he knew Bastian liked to do his lifeguard duties in dragon-form, but Neal realized he had no idea what else he liked to do, or why he might need a day off to do it. As far as Neal knew, he spent all day, every day, on the beach, with one jeweled eye on the pool.

“I’m not qualified as a lifesaver,” Neal said regretfully. The woman who was haunting him seemed to avoid the beach, staying to the pool and well-groomed grounds around the guest center. The beach might actually be a safe place to spend the day.

“Want to be?” the dragon offered cheerfully. “Costa Rican requirements aren't all that difficult, and I'm authorized to approve you if you can pass the swimming test and listen to me drone a bit in a crash course about waterfront safety.”

Neal accepted gratefully; his swimming skills were strong, so passing didn't concern him.

Much later, gasping for breath, lungs burning and eyes watering from the saltwater, Neal decided that he should have been concerned.

“Nice work,” Bastian said without irony after the final lap. “I'll have Scarlet print you up a certificate in her office, and you can take over lifeguard duties for the afternoon.”

Neal clung to the edge of the dock for a moment before heaving himself up. “I passed?”

“Oh,” Bastian said, slightly sheepish. “A while ago, yes. I just wanted to see how much you could do.”