The chain had locations all over the world—thirty in all—and even during bad economic times they still did a thriving business for travelers looking for a luxury all-inclusive vacation. The only thing the Loa Loa didn’t have was Violet Shore’s unobstructed view.
Carrie didn’t know if that was worth putting a nasty curse on the property to keep potential customers away and make the ones who stayed there fight like cats and dogs. Seemed harsh. But people were willing to do a lot more for a lot less. She’d seen that countless times in her previous job as a journalist. Murders, kidnapping, extortion—all typically committed by desperate people looking for a bigger piece of the pie.
It was sad that some people were so driven by money that they lost sight of what truly mattered in life. Money could buy things, could make life more comfortable, but it didn’t make anyone a better person.
Will wasn’t driven by money. What was he driven by? Why was he adamant that the resort should stay open even when he was having so much financial difficulty?
His wife. To Will, the resort represented his late wife. The whole thing was even named for her. It was sweet and sad, and Carrie wondered if he could ever move on while living and working at a place that was the earthly embodiment of his wife.
But it wasn’t her job to counsel him on the grieving process. Her business, now that she worked for PARA, was to investigate his paranormal problem and get to the bottom of this mystery. That was it. That was all.
Carrie turned to Patrick. “We’re going to get our hands on whatever he dug up,” she whispered, “assess it to see if it’s dangerous, and if it is, destroy it so it doesn’t hurt anyone else.”
Patrick’s lips twitched. “Well done.”
“Come on.” She grabbed hold of his hand. It had been much too long since she’d felt his skin against hers, and in a flash everything that had happened between them on the beach last night came rushing back. She felt completely out of control, and her telekinesis didn’t have anything to do with it. When Patrick made love to her, her psychic ability had been the last thing on her mind.
Carrie’s feelings for Patrick were like a hurricane that swirled and grew inside her. The thought scared her. Hurricanes left damage in their wake, even metaphorical ones.
Walking past dozens of tourists—some with suitcases in hand as they checked in at the front desk, others simply lounging on plush sofas in the luxurious, marble-floored lobby—Carrie kept Diego in her sight.
The hotel was also a convention center, so the hallways led past meeting rooms on the main level. He entered one of these rooms. It was more of a banquet hall—huge, with a three-story ceiling. A wedding reception was being set up, a dozen tables adorned with white cloths, plates and cutlery, lavish flower centerpieces. A long banner was affixed to the wall, wishing the bride and groom a happy life together.
Diego fiddled with some keys to open another door on the far side of the hall, then slipped through it. Patrick rapidly made it to the door before it closed and Carrie followed. Diego was nowhere to be seen. The room looked like an office, with a desk at one end and a coat closet. Another closed door was on the opposite wall.
Carrie heard the door behind them click shut.
“Locked,” Patrick said, as he tried the handle. He tried the door Diego had used. “This one’s locked, too.”
She grimaced. “So, we’re trapped in here.”
“You could use your telekinesis and unlock it.”
“I could.” She looked nervously at the first door.
“You did it on the island.”
“That was under duress.”
“Do you need to be in a life-or-death situation in order to channel your ability properly?”
“Good question.” She eyed the door. Could she do it? “I hear someone coming.” Patrick’s grip on her hand tightened. “We can practice in a moment.”
Pulling her along with him, he slipped into the closet. The door was slatted so she could see out, even if it was only a glimpse, as three people entered. The first was Ruby, wearing a formfitting black dress and teetering on Louboutin stilettos. Her red hair was pulled back from her face in a French twist. Her cheeks were flushed and she looked upset. Behind her was an older man Carrie hadn’t seen before, and lastly came Diego, returning to the room he’d just left.
Carrie exchanged a glance with Patrick and couldn’t hide her exhilaration. It nearly outweighed how fearful she felt at the prospect of being caught.
“I’m trying my best,” Ruby said.
“You’re trying your best to avoid this conversation, that’s what you’re doing,” the man replied.
She glared at him. “Just let me do my job.”
“That’s what I’ve been doing. And I’ve been waiting three months now for results.”
“William Crane doesn’t want to sell his resort.”
The man sighed and raked a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair before taking a seat behind the expansive desk. His gaze scanned the room, stopping for a moment on the coat closet. Carrie instinctively pressed closer to Patrick, trying to take up as little room as possible. There were no coats to hide behind. The area was almost bare, the size of her small walk-in closet, with only a couple of boxes stacked to their left.
“You know what I want, don’t you, Ruby?”
Ruby glanced at the older man. “Of course I do.”
“My life’s work has been to build up my resorts. The Loa Loa chain is the feather in my cap.”
“I know.”
“Then tell me why, if I’m so rich, I can’t buy a pathetic little two-star resort?”
“William Crane doesn’t want to sell.”
“I’ve never met anyone…anyone…in my entire career who didn’t have a price.”
“The last offer was very generous. Maybe he’s the exception to your rule.”
“And you tried seducing him?”
Ruby went rigid. “If I was a man, you wouldn’t be asking me to seduce someone into signing away their property.”
“Wouldn’t I?” The man’s gaze shifted. “Diego, what do you make of this? You’re Ruby’s right-hand man, aren’t you? What is she doing to this place while I’m away in Europe? Running me into the ground?”
“Ruby is excellent at her job, Geoffrey,” Diego said without hesitation. “And trust me, she still has several negotiating tactics hidden up her sleeve in this matter.”
Yeah, Carrie thought. Like whatever Diego has in his pocket right now.
“Does she?”
“She will have the ownership papers for Violet Shores to you by the end of the week, if not sooner.”
“You sound certain of that.”
“I am certain.”
Geoffrey smiled. “Then that’s how long you have to produce those papers, Ruby. If your assistant seems to think you can handle things, then I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.”
“Thank you.” She looked relieved.
“However, if Violet Shores isn’t mine by Friday, pray that William Crane is hiring because I will be filling your position with someone infinitely more qualified.” He stood up. “I believe we’re finished here. If you need to reach me, you know how.”
Without another word, Geoffrey Smythe—Carrie now recognized him as the billionaire land developer on par with Donald Trump—walked out of the room.
“That’s more than enough motivation for cursing Will’s property, isn’t it?” Patrick leaned over to whisper in her ear. His lips brushed against her and she shivered. He smelled really good. Too good. Desire for him pooled inside of her without any warning.
She didn’t want to get turned on at the moment. Not here. With her Erzulie-enhanced abilities she didn’t want to run into any problems. So, instead of thinking of the press of his hard, warm body against hers, she tried to focus on what she’d just heard.
Ruby was in danger of getting fired if she didn’t get Will to sign the papers, selling Violet Shores to Geoffrey Smythe. If she put a curse on his property, Wi
ll would have no choice but to sell. It sure wasn’t rocket science.
Ruby swore loudly and threw the file folder she’d been carrying across the room. Papers scattered to the floor. “It’s over.”
Diego came closer to her. “Don’t say that.”
“I knew I was in over my head with this job. This simply proves it.”
“Your father is being a jerk.”
Carrie’s eyebrows went up. Geoffrey Smythe was Ruby’s father? She remembered Will introducing her as Ruby Smythe.
“That’s just the kind of man he is,” Ruby said.
“He can’t fire you.”
“Sure he can. If I can’t handle something simple like this, then in his opinion I sure as hell don’t deserve to take over the business when he kicks the bucket.”
“He wanted you to seduce Will?” Diego asked. “Why didn’t I know this?”
“Because I didn’t tell you.”
“Right. The personal assistant is always the last to know. Do you have the hots for Crane, or what? You’ve been spending a lot of time chatting him up lately.”
“Well, he certainly isn’t hard on the eyes.”
Diego was silent. “I see.”
Her lips curved. “I’m not interested in seducing him. And it’s not just because it would make me feel like a whore for the family business.”
Diego looked sullen.
“Come here. Right now.”
With a slight hesitation, he closed the distance between them. Ruby grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him closer. “You know there’s only one man I want in my bed.”
“And who’s that?”
“Don’t be modest.”
They kissed. Passionately.
Carrie was a little surprised. She could have sworn she felt some chemistry between Ruby and Will the day before yesterday. Guess not.
“Ruby…” Diego said after a moment. “I want you.”
“I’m right here. Make love to me.”
Carrie’s gaze flicked to Patrick’s and they shared an unspoken moment of understanding. They were trapped in a closet and two people were about to have sex less than ten feet away from them. Ruby’s hands were already at Diego’s zipper. She pulled him free and leaned back on the desk, her legs parted. She groaned with pleasure as he began to make love to her.
Right there, in front of them.
Instead of feeling uncomfortable or embarrassed, Carrie felt a strong surge of lust hit her.
“Patrick…I think we might be in serious trouble…” she whispered.
“No kidding.”
He pressed her tightly against the closet wall. His breathing had become labored. There was no mistaking the hard press of his erection and it made her damp with need.
She wanted him so badly.
The next moment, the light in the office burst, scattering glass everywhere.
16
RUBY AND DIEGO GLANCED up at the broken light.
“What the hell was that?” Diego growled.
“Ignore it. Don’t stop.”
He took direction well.
“Your telekinesis…” Patrick began, his voice soft.
Before she could answer him, panicked that something else would happen to reveal them, he tilted his mouth to hers and kissed her. A gasp of surprise escaped her throat, but she didn’t need an explanation for what he was doing. Her desire for him, sparked by the palpable passion between Ruby and Diego, was enough to set her off. The broken light had been the first warning signal.
And there was only one way to stop her from busting lights. Or bringing forth another tropical storm.
It scared her how much she wanted Patrick, even in a less than ideal setting such as this. But she did. And judging by the passion he put in his kiss, he seemed to feel the same way toward her.
His mouth opened against hers and the sweep of his tongue did nothing to sate her desire, only increase it. She’d felt out of control on the beach last night, doing what he said, letting him take her the way he wanted to. She’d been swept away by her desire—by him. While she didn’t mind feeling that way with Patrick, she had other plans at the moment.
She trailed kisses down his throat, chest and abdomen, quickly undoing his belt as she moved lower. His hand clutched at hers as if he wanted her to remain standing—as if he anticipated what she intended to do.
Without any help from him other than encouraging groans, she released him, curled her hand around his hard length and took him in her mouth.
He said he’d dreamed about this. The least she could do was make that dream a reality.
“Carrie…” he moaned, not loud enough to gain the attention of the two people in the adjoining room. They were busy themselves, at the moment.
She traced her tongue over his erection, around the head, and over the very tip. He was pressed so tightly against the wall that she thought for a moment he might break through it. His fingers tangled in her hair. When she felt he’d reached the edge of his control, she rose to her feet, and he crushed his mouth against hers.
Pulling at her skirt and sliding it up her thighs, he stroked his hand against the damp silk of her panties.
“Off,” he demanded. “Now.”
She almost grinned at the desperation in his voice. She pushed the undergarment down, stepping out of the black lace thong when it reached her ankles. His hand moved between her thighs again, sliding back and forth against her slick sex until she thought she’d lose her mind.
“You want me,” he whispered. It wasn’t a question.
“Since the first moment we met.”
He smiled. “That long?
She nodded wordlessly.
“The feeling’s mutual,” he breathed against her lips.
Without tearing his gaze from hers, he produced a condom from his pocket, tore it open and sheathed himself. Pressing her back against the wall, he pulled her left leg up and hooked it over his hip. She glanced down.
“No,” he said. “Look at me. Only me.”
She did as he asked and moaned as she felt him slide inside of her, stretching to accommodate him. He began to move, in and out of her body, her hands on his shoulders. He cupped her buttocks with one hand, while the other kept her leg raised. Their eyes remained locked, their faces close.
Carrie could feel Patrick’s hot breath on her, his expression tense and filled with a dark, aching need.
“So good,” he whispered.
She had to agree.
She tried not to scream his name as the waves of pleasure rolled through her. It was difficult, but she managed, digging her fingernails into his shoulders instead. With a last fierce thrust he silently—almost silently—found his own release. She clung to him tightly and he wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her against his chest as their breathing slowly returned to normal.
At that moment she knew how she felt about him—how she’d felt about him for a long time. Will had been right about everything. She pulled Patrick closer so she could whisper in his ear.
“I love you.”
His hands froze on her body. He leaned back to look into her eyes. His gaze was intense, but his voice was soft as he said, “You love me?”
Her cheeks heated immediately as she realized she’d spoken her thoughts aloud. “I—I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Did you mean it?” he asked quietly.
She swallowed hard and was about to say something else, she wasn’t sure what, when he lowered his lips to hers for a deep, heated kiss.
“I love you, too,” he whispered. “I think I have from the moment I first met you.”
Her eyes widened, and a smile spread over her face. “Well, that just makes everything way more complicated, doesn’t it?”
“Definitely.” He grinned and pulled her close to him again, then peered through the slats in the door to see Ruby and Diego shrugging their clothes back into place. “The show’s over.”
Telling Patrick how she felt made Carrie feel very vuln
erable. It would have been terrible if he’d ignored her. Instead, he’d told her he felt the same way. A small light, long dark inside of her, flickered on and filled her with a strange, giddy happiness that helped to extinguish her fear.
I love him, she thought. It was true, after all. She couldn’t deny it, especially not to herself.
He kept his hand on her back, just under the edge of her shirt and above the waistband of her skirt, so his skin was against hers. She liked his touch.
Patrick had said he loved her. He’d said it.
“I love you,” Diego told Ruby in the adjoining room, as if inspired by Carrie and Patrick’s hushed admission.
“You’re not just saying that because I’m filthy rich, are you?” Ruby asked.
He stepped back from her, his expression darkening. “You don’t really think that.”
“I don’t know what to think.”
“I’m not your father. I don’t want to hurt you.”
She was silent for a moment. “Did you get it?”
He nodded. “It took me a few minutes of digging around, but I finally found it.”
Carrie dug her fingers into Patrick’s arm. This was what they’d come here for. Ruby was about to admit what she’d done to Will’s resort.
“We shouldn’t have been there in the first place,” Diego said.
“Maybe not.”
“I don’t know why your father can’t be happy without getting his hands on that damned property.”
“He’s a perfectionist and a control freak. The fact the Loa Loa is the best hotel in the area isn’t good enough for him. He wants things to be perfect. Without a clear view of the ocean, it’s not perfect.”
“He’s not even going to expand, though. He’ll just level the other property.”
“That’s right. But that’s hardly a loss. The Violet Shores is just a meaningless little piece of property.”
“It means something to the owner,” Diego said.
“The owner is stuck in the past,” Ruby told him, although she looked troubled. “We’re doing him a favor.”