at Bree.
“Then you better stop wasting time.” Nick tossed out his most sincere grin and rose from his chair. “Come on.” He held out a hand to Bree, but she didn’t take it. He kept smiling as he dropped his hand. For some reason, he felt the need to make her like him and prove that she’d been wrong about him. “There’s a limbo contest and karaoke going on nearby, as well as a steel-drum band. There’s also plenty more of whatever you’re drinking out of those coconuts.”
“Let’s limbo!” The women were enthusiastic as they jumped up to join him, with Bree bringing up the rear.
“I love steel-drum bands!” one of them shouted.
Nick downed the last of his beer and set his plastic cup on the table along with the nearly devoured appetizer plate and several empty coconut shells.
The group stopped at the tiki bar to get fresh drinks and to drop off the earring he’d found before continuing on to search out the entertainment Nick had suggested. From the way Bree kept ignoring him and putting one of her friends between them, she seemed determined to pretend that he hadn’t invaded her territory.
He refused to be deterred—he would win her over. Besides, he was a nice guy, damn it. Everyone said so.
After several drinks and a quick dinner from a kiosk on the street, a limbo contest on the beach and a half-decent try at karaoke later, Nick finally found himself alone with Bree at a corner table in the main hotel lounge. He wasn’t sure when it had happened, but she seemed more comfortable around him. “Would you like to take a walk on the beach?” he asked, raising his voice to be heard. The steel-drum band had just begun another set after a short break, so conversation was difficult.
“I should probably call it a night,” she said on a hiccup. Then she giggled, more evidence that she’d finally relaxed.
“Maybe the fresh air will get rid of your hiccups,” he suggested, enjoying Bree even more in her calmer state.
She giggled again. “That’s silly.” She picked up her empty coconut shell and considered it. “Did someone drink all of this?”
“You could say that.” He grinned automatically and caught her hand in his. She smiled and didn’t pull away, a dreamy look on her face with her eyes shuttered to mere slits.
“You know, you’re not half-bad,” she said. “I’m starting to get used to you.”
“Gee, thanks.” He laughed at her backhanded compliment. “You’re not so bad, either.” He meant the words. Once she’d given in and let herself enjoy her surroundings—live in the moment—she was fun to hang out with.
He wondered what it was about her that had made him think she was so vulnerable. Now he only saw her as damned attractive and overtly sexy. Not that he was looking to hook up, no matter what his cousin thought he should do.
So what if she had a slender body with just enough curves to make his own body react. And so what if her long, medium-brown hair had shades of gold that sparkled when light hit them. Just because the long layers rested against those delicately toned, bare upper arms didn’t mean he wanted to kiss every inch of them.
The sudden urge to run his fingers through her silky locks that she liked to toss made his fingers curl into tight fists, and he reined himself in.
“No, really,” she said. “When we first met I thought you were pretty bossy and a know-it-all. But you actually seem like a pretty nice guy.”
He grinned, blaming it on the sweet mixed drinks she’d been downing. He’d consumed more alcohol than he normally did and he was beginning to feel it. He suspected she didn’t imbibe this much very often, either. She presented herself as always in control—of both herself and situations.
A short while ago, her friends had mysteriously disappeared after excusing themselves, one by one, to go to the bathroom. Nick checked his watch. The last woman had left nearly ten minutes ago. Either there was an emergency in the ladies’ room or Bree’s friends had deliberately abandoned her.
He chose the second option as having a higher probability. As protective of her as they seemed to be, he supposed this meant he had their approval as a chaperone. Of course, it wasn’t like they’d been left alone in the woods. There were plenty of people still enjoying the tropical night.
“You have the nicest smile,” Bree told him. “Thank you for catching me earlier. Have I thanked you already?”
“Yes, you have.” He’d been absently rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.
His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He checked the caller ID, not surprised when he read it. “Excuse me a minute.” He rose, touching Bree’s bare shoulder and speaking close to her ear. “Promise you’ll be here when I get back?” The citrus smell of her hair was nearly his undoing.
She nodded, held up three fingers in a mock salute and said, “I promise.”
Damn. She was nearly irresistible.
“Hey, Pete,” Nick greeted his cousin on the other end when he found a quieter spot to talk. “I’ve been trying to reach you. What happened to you earlier? I thought you were meeting me at the bar. After all, this weekend getaway was your idea.”
“There was a problem on the boat and it’s taking longer than expected.” Nick and Pete had flown to San Juan, Puerto Rico, using Pete’s airline miles. Then Pete had borrowed a friend’s boat for them to come to Isla de la Blanca. Nick probably wouldn’t have let himself be talked into coming if most of the trip hadn’t been free.
“You need me to come back to the marina?” Pete had told Nick to go to the lodge without him so he could take a quick shower first.
“No, I’ve got it,” Pete said. “There’s a guy here who’s helping me out. Shouldn’t be too long now.”
“Get here as soon as you can. You’ll be happy to know that I met a group of really fun women.”
“Excellent. Be there soon.”
By the time he made it back to the table, he was second-guessing what he’d told Pete. The other three women were still nowhere in sight. Bree was alone—her head was on her folded arms and her eyes shut.
BREE LIFTED HER HEAD when she heard Nick move his chair as he returned from taking his phone call. She was tired and would have preferred to go to bed, but she’d promised the girls that she’d let her hair down while they were on vacation. She didn’t think she’d had that much to drink. After all, how much alcohol could there be in those sweet drinks? Still, she felt a little wobbly when she stood up.
“Maybe some fresh air is a good idea,” she told Nick. Afterward, she could go to bed with a clearer head.
“Let’s go.” He offered her his arm and she didn’t refuse.
They stepped through the automatic doors and Bree drew in a deep breath, trying to counter the effects of the alcohol.
The air was humid, but the continuous breeze off the ocean was refreshing.
They followed a masonry walkway that led to a narrow boardwalk, and from there they walked down the few steps onto the sandy beach.
“Hold on a sec,” Bree said, stopping abruptly. “I need to take my shoes off if we’re going to walk on the sand.”
They both slipped off their shoes and left them next to the stairs before heading to the water’s edge.
The sky was clear and Bree saw more stars than she could count, wondering what constellations she was admiring.
“That’s Orion, the Hunter,” Nick said as if reading her mind. “Those three stars together make up his belt.” He pointed to another cluster of stars and took a step to the side as if trying