“Oh, hush.” I went to her and hugged her close.
She squeezed me back, then eased away, pacing a few feet away. “We both know there’s going to be an adjustment period as you settle in here to take over. And I’ll be here until you’re ready to be without me.”
“That will be never.” I stuck my tongue out at her.
“Okay, until I think you’re ready to be without me. I am slowing down, though, Mila. It’s time.”
“I understand.” And I did. I was just now starting to understand how much work went into running the resort. Even though Millie had a great staff on hand, she had wanted to keep an active role in the day-to-day functions of the resort.
“So.” Millie clapped her hands together and spun to face me, beaming. “Sometimes when you’re running a place like this, you have to be ready to accommodate some…changes in the schedule. Some shake-ups, if you will. And I’m about to deliver your first shake-up.”
“Uh-oh.” I eyed Millie, uncertain I trusted the gleam in her eye. “What did you do, book some sort of swingers’ party to welcome me to the island?”
She threw back her head and laughed. “Oh, no…nothing like that. Mila, you’ll be helping me with a wedding that’s going to take place on the island. This weekend.”
I blinked at her, but she just continued to smile at me.
“You’re serious,” I said slowly. I calculated the time. “This weekend? Why haven’t you mentioned anything about this before now?”
“There was nothing to mention up until a few days ago.” She waved a dismissive hand. “The wedding was just put on the schedule last week and…well, we’ve both been busy since then, haven’t we?”
I gaped at her. “You scheduled a wedding with less than two weeks to get everything together?”
“We learn to be flexible in this line of work,” Millie said loftily.
“This isn’t flexible. This is…it’s…” I didn’t even know what to say. I was more than a little terrified.
Helping Millie pull off a wedding when I’d been here just a few weeks? And what did I know about weddings?
“You need to take a deep breath,” Millie said, shaking her head at me. “Remember, we do have an events staff on hand that will handle almost everything.”
“Then why are you telling me about this?” I demanded.
“Because this is your island. Your resort.” Millie held out a hand. “Come on. I’ll bring you up to date on the details. The wedding party will be here shortly to start going over everything, and their guests will be joining us shortly thereafter. It’s not a large wedding, and we have the availability.”
She continued to speak as she led me outside. I turned to lock the bungalow before looking back at her. “I can’t believe you agreed to do a wedding here in such a short period of time. Is this normal?”
“You’re asking me about normal?” Millie threw back her head and laughed.
I failed to see what was so amusing and was about to point that out when a form out of the corner of my eye caught my attention.
I glanced over, then back at Millie.
I opened my mouth to say…something. I had no idea what. The words died in my throat as I swung my head back around and found myself staring at Liam.
He stared at me with that familiar intensity in his eyes.
My heart skipped a few beats, and I wanted to close the distance between us, reach up and touch his face. His hair had grown out a little more, and I wanted to feel how soft it felt against my skin.
But then, reality intervened. I’d gone to him, and he’d sent me away.
Pride jerked my spine stiff, and I gave him a cool look before turning my attention to my grandmother. She had an innocent look on her face, but I wasn’t buying it.
27
Liam
I was still a little surprised at how quickly things were coming together for Jake and Michelle’s wedding.
I’d been able to get a hold of Millie that night before I left their place, and the older woman had still been talking to Michelle when Jake walked me to the door more than an hour after I first made the phone call.
Now, less than two weeks after finding out they wanted to get married, I was on the island where they’d have their wedding.
The island where Mila and I had first been together.
The island where I pulled her out of the water.
Made love to her.
Everywhere I looked, I saw her, and it was so much worse than when I’d been in New York City. Sure, every sexy brunette with the right kind of hair had made me pause and look and wonder.
But now I didn’t need to see a woman who reminded me of Mila.
Everything here reminded me of Mila, and it was enough to drive me crazy.
Part of me wished I’d elected to come in on the day of the wedding, the way some of the guests were doing, but when Millie had extended the offer to come in a little earlier, I hadn’t been able to tell her no.
It seemed she had something in common with her granddaughter.
Mila…
I cut off thoughts of her and reminded myself I was here to help Jake and Michelle however I could.
Once the wedding was over, I’d leave Pleasure Island and never come back.
Millie had greeted me with enthusiasm when she met me and Jake and Michelle earlier, acting like we were long lost friends rather than two people who’d only met briefly a few weeks before.
She’d bustled away, promising to meet up with Jake and Michelle once they got settled in their rooms, then she’d patted me on the cheek.
I’d checked into my room just a little while earlier, thinking maybe I’d nap. My body was still protesting the night shift thing, and I was dragging. But laying on the bed, all I could think about was the time I’d been here with Mila.
So, I’d left the bungalow, thinking I’d take a walk.
At first, I took the pathway down to the beach, but one look at the water made me think about how I’d pulled Mila from the ocean, scared I hadn’t been fast enough.
And thoughts about that led to everything else that had happened between Mila and me since then.
Including the last day – when I’d been a rude son of a bitch and sent her away.
I still thought about calling her.
I still thought about going to her place and trying to apologize.
“And you’re still brooding over it instead of doing anything,” I told myself as I headed away from the beach, back up to the main part of the resort.
I saw Millie duck into a bungalow ahead of me, and I lingered outside, thinking to tell her thanks. What she was doing meant the world to Michelle and Jake, so it mattered to me too.
When she didn’t come out after a couple of minutes, I turned to go.
But just as I did, I heard her voice – and another one that was achingly familiar.
Spinning around, I saw Mila and Millie walking out of the bungalow together, their heads close as they spoke.
I stared at Mila, hungry for the sight of her.
What was she doing here?
This was one thing I hadn’t been prepared for – seeing Mila here. She should be back in New York. It was the middle of the week. She’d have clients.
But that was her, walking right next to her grandmother.
Just looking at her brought back all the shit I’d been trying to make myself forget – unsuccessfully.
It brought back the sight of that teasing, warm smile.
The way she tasted.
The way she sighed against me when we lay together, her hand coming up to rest on my chest.
Something clued her into my presence, because she glanced my way, then back at her grandmother.
Not even a second later, her head swung around, and she stared at me in shock as recognition hit.
Our gazes locked, and I felt the impact of that connection straight to my soul.
Say something, dumbass.
But all I could do was…stare.
/> She wore a long denim skirt and a tank top that revealed her sleek, toned arms and hugged her breasts.
Her mouth parted on a startled breath.
Slowly, I took a step toward her.
Mila turned on her heel and marched away, the denim skirt swishing around her feet with each step.
Deflating, I closed my eyes.
“You should go after her,” a soft, kind voice said.
I looked over at Millie and shook my head. “She just took off running like she couldn’t get away from me fast enough. I don’t think she wants me coming after her.”
“Well…” Millie heaved out a sigh. “Sometimes we don’t know what we want. But I saw the way you two looked at each other. Again, Liam…go after her. Especially if you want her like I think you do.”
I cast a look at Mila’s quickly retreating form.
Did I want her?
Hell, yes.
“Go,” Millie said again.
I went.
28
Mila
Coward, a sly voice in my head whispered as I hurried down the path.
I wasn’t being a coward, I insisted. I just had…things to do.
And I did. I always had things to do here, and with Millie turning the place over to me, I had so much I still had to learn and figure out. I didn’t have time to stand around with Liam while he…
While he did what, I wondered.
Why was he here?
I shoved the thought away.
It didn’t matter why he was here.
It had nothing to do with me, did it?
After all, if he wanted to talk to me, he could have called me anytime in the last three weeks.
He hadn’t.
He hadn’t called, hadn’t texted, hadn’t come by to see me. Nothing.
Whatever he was doing here now had nothing to do with me.
I heard him behind me and put extra speed into my steps as I rounded the next corner in the path.
I was walking so fast, I almost ended up crashing into the couple veering off the path that led to their private bungalow.
“Oh…I’m sorry.” I brushed my hair out of my eyes, giving them a polite smile. “Excuse me.”
“No problem.” The guy, a tall, leanly built blond, gave me an easy smile while the woman with him, a cute redhead, nodded.
I was a second away from making my escape when the redhead asked, “Do you know where we can get some food?”
Mentally, I wanted to scream, but I was no longer just here as my grandmother’s guest. In a very short time, this island would be mine, and I needed to remember the resort guests were my guests.
“Just get to the island?” I asked, forcing a smile.
“Yes.” The redhead nodded and glanced up at the man with her. She leaned against him, a smile curling her lips. “We’re getting married here this weekend.”
“Oh!” This was the couple Millie had been telling me about. “Congratulations…and welcome to Pleasure Island.”
I was keenly aware of the fact that Liam had been jogging after me, and now, as he came to a stop a few paces away, I determinedly ignored him as I gestured up the path and offered directions to the main part of the lodge.
“There’s always food, so don’t worry about that,” I finished with a smile.
Liam continued to hover.
“Hey, Liam, we’re going to get something to eat. Do you want to come? Michelle is starving.”
I swiveled my head between the blond guy and Liam, understanding starting to dawn.
Shit. They were all here because of the wedding.
The redhead poked her guy in the side and muttered, “You said you were starving.”
I barely noticed the interaction.
No, I only had eyes for Liam, who, at the mention of his name, had come closer. “I’m not hungry, Jake. But you two go on.”
Great. That was just great.
“Mila!” my grandmother called out from behind me. “I see you’ve met our soon to be newlyweds!”
I bit back a grimace as I heard Millie drawing closer. I eyed the path, tried to figure out how to politely make my getaway.
Liam had moved closer to me as if he was sensing my thoughts.
Millie joined us on the path, beaming at me and I focused on her. “Yes, I was just telling…” What was her name? It came to me in a blink. The blond had called her Michelle. “I was just telling Michelle where they could find some food up at the lodge.”
“I’m heading that way myself,” Millie announced. “I’ll walk the two of you there. We can chat about the wedding.”
I took a half-step toward them. Millie gave me a telling look, then glanced at Liam.
Her message was clear.
That didn’t mean I planned on doing whatever she wanted.
Liam and I were done.
He’d made that pretty clear by his silence over the past three weeks.
As Millie turned to lead the engaged couple off, I darted a look at Liam.
He had that intent look on his face.
Huffing out a breath, I turned on my heel and headed in the opposite direction of the lodge. My personal bungalow was in this direction although I wasn’t consciously heading there.
I just needed to move.
To walk.
To do something.
Liam fell into step next to me. “Can we talk?”
I wanted to tell him no.
But I gave a stiff shrug.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” he said softly.
“Same goes.” I didn’t look at him.
“I…well, it’s a weekday. I figured you’d be in the city, working,” he said. He sounded as stiff and as awkward as I felt.
I remained quiet, but Liam didn’t seem too interested in doing that for once. He kept talking.
“Jake…the guy you just met…he’s my cousin.”
I processed this and figured out just why Millie had agreed to help this rush-along wedding. Liam had asked her.
I didn’t say anything though, just kept on walking.
He lapsed into silence.
I reached the bend in the path and turned to face him. “Why do you want to talk to me?” I asked bluntly.
“For starters…” He blew out a breath, his gaze straying from my face. But only for a second. He looked back at me before he spoke again. “I need to apologize for how I acted that last day.”
I swallowed but said nothing.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I was an asshole. I was just…hell. I was humiliated, okay? It’s not something I handle very well, and I didn’t handle it well that day at all.” He took a hesitant step toward me. “I’m sorry. I just…after what happened and knowing I’d lose my job, I didn’t deal with it well.”
The sincerity in his voice got me quicker than anything else could have. I rolled my eyes and made a point of not looking at him although I was starved for the sight of him.
A strained silence stretched out between us. Normally, silences didn’t unnerve me, but this one did. Desperate to break it, I asked, “Did you lose your job?”
“Yeah.”
That pissed me off. There was only one way he could have lost his job, and that was if my father had complained to the company. I certainly hadn’t said anything that would have cost him his job.
“I’ll call them,” I said stiffly. “I’m sure it had something to do with my father. I’ll get them to give you your job back.”
“No.”
The calm, steady tone of his voice had me looking back at him.
Liam shook his head. A dull flush settled across his cheeks, but he met my eyes levelly. “I did something I knew was wrong,” he told me. “Sleeping with a client isn’t just unprofessional, it can be dangerous. I know nothing ever happened, but if there was a threat to you and I was distracted because I was with you…” He stopped and shook his head, his mouth in a flat line. “I fucked up. I deserved to lose my job.”
We stared at each
other, and I realized I had a decision to make.
I could either accept Liam’s apology, and we could see what happened next.
Or…I could just walk away.
Slowly, I took a step toward him. “I’m not a client now.”
29
Liam
I’m not a client now.
Her words – the meaning behind them – had blood rushing to my head, then draining away.
I closed the remaining distance between us and reached to cup her cheek, pushing my fingers into her hair.
Her head fell back, but I didn’t kiss her.
“Where’s your room?”
She made a vague motion off to the right, not looking away from me.
“Show me.”
“It’s the same place as before,” Mila told me, her breath hitching a little.
I took her hand, and we started to walk in silence.
The bungalow wasn’t far although it seemed to take ages to walk the short distance. Mila swiped her card and turned to me.
I backed her into the open doorway of the bungalow, then kicked the door closed behind me. I put the security latch in place before turning back to her.
She stood in the middle of the room, and I closed the distance between us.
Once more, I pushed a hand into her hair, the silken tresses sliding through my fingers. She angled her head back, her mouth parting. But whatever she might have been ready to say died as I covered her lips with mine.
Mila moaned into my mouth and pushed up onto her toes, pressing closer.
I curved an arm around her waist, pulling her so close, not even air separated us.
She reached for my shoulders, and I felt the press of her fingernails biting through my shirt.
I wanted to feel just her – no barriers.
Pulling back, I reached for the hem of her tank top, staring into her eyes as I slowly dragged it upward.
Dropping the shirt to the floor, I caught her hips and backed her up against the wall. She angled her head up to mine, licking her lips. I didn’t kiss her though. Putting my mouth on her neck, I sought out the sensitive area between her neck and shoulder, raking it with my teeth, then sucking a patch of skin into my mouth.