Mission: Seduction. Candace Havens
is wrong with me?
She’s a beautiful woman, but you are dating her sister.
Well, technically they weren’t dating. But he’d flown halfway around the world to see her and that counted for something.
“I’m glad that you’re so open-minded. I find that most women who come here are ready to try new things, but a lot of men are sometimes worried about looking ridiculous. And that’s kind of ridiculous when you think about it. Tons of athletes from football players to track stars do yoga and Pilates. It’s great for stress relief and it helps to clear your mind. We had a hockey team here about a month after I took over. Those guys were up for anything.” Laughter colored her voice.
Clearing the mind was something Rafe needed desperately. The more Kelly talked, the more entranced he became with her. She was like a beacon of light and he was the ship in need of safe harbor. He snorted.
What you need is some sleep.
That was it. He was punch-drunk and slightly delirious. With his defenses down, he didn’t have a chance when it came to Kelly, with her charm and beauty.
“So here we are.” She waved a hand at the bungalow before him. The doors stood wide open, allowing the breeze to cool the large room, which was done in shades of light blue and white. Calming. It was nicer than any place he’d ever stayed. As a marine, he learned to fall asleep anywhere, and when he traveled he usually picked cheap motels. All he usually needed was a bed.
“Are you sure you don’t mind me staying here?” Rafe asked as he ditched his shoes at the door and followed her inside.
The floor was cork or close enough by the soft feel of it. His aching joints relaxed their protest three steps into the place. There was a king-size bed on the left. To the right was a seating area with a huge flat-screen TV on the wall in the center, which could be viewed from both the bed and the sofa.
“Of course I don’t mind. I wanted you to come, when, uh, Mimi told me what you’d been through. I mean, not to make a big deal out of it—your bravery—well, you’re so darn heroic,” she said, and ducked her head as if she were embarrassed. “Sorry. It’s just that Mimi has told me so much about you that I feel like I know you. I’m normally kind of shy, which is why it’s weird that I can’t seem to stop talking around you.”
She grinned sheepishly. “I’m going to stop talking now.”
Rafe couldn’t help but smile at her nervousness. “Hey, you don’t have to worry about that with me. I spend most of my time with men who only communicate by grunting. It’s nice to hear a friendly voice that isn’t barking orders.”
Her soft chuckle was like a gentle caress. They stared at each other expectantly for a few seconds before he quickly peered at the ocean as though he was interested in the view.
“I bet you’re exhausted,” she said. “The bath is through there. There are robes and a selection of swim trunks if you need them. Dinner is at seven, but there are snacks in your fridge, which is under the television console. You have a butler, whom you can contact by pressing two on the phone. If you need maid service, that’s number three. If you’d rather dine here instead of at the main house, you push four and they’ll deliver the meal for you.
“So, that should be it. If you need me, push six and then seven, seven. We have several guests arriving, but practically everyone who comes to Last Resort is looking for solitude and waves to ride. It’ll be quiet around here for you.”
“Thanks,” Rafe said. “I mean, really. This is way more than I expected.”
The hopeful look in her eyes confused him. It was almost as if she’d worried he wouldn’t like it here. How could he not? The place was mind-blowing.
“Right. If you need help unpacking, you can call the butler. I’ll get out of your hair.”
She sprinted from the bungalow.
He watched as she tripped slightly on the path and then carried on as if nothing had happened.
The two sisters couldn’t be any more different. Mimi never had a hair out of place, and the night they went to the party she had dressed in pricey heels and a fancy dress that barely covered her thighs.
But if he were honest, he much preferred Kelly’s casual white shorts and bikini top.
“You aren’t going there,” he murmured to himself. “Mimi. You’re here for Mimi.”
Right. What’s it to be, then—a cold shower or a nap?
Nah.
Rafe glanced at the ocean and went in search of his board shorts.
A good hard swim would help ease his tension and get his mind off one very pretty resort owner.
2
“WHAT HAVE I done?” Kelly Callahan paced from one end of the kitchen to the other. Adrien, the resort’s main chef, didn’t bother to answer her. Though born in France, he’d grown up not far from where she had started surfing in Southern California. Still, half the time, he pretended he didn’t understand her. Mimi, her sister, called him “tall, dark and dangerous,” but to Kelly he was only ever one of her surfing buddies.
Kelly continued her rambling. “He’s so much more hot in person. I mean, almost godlike. But there’s such sadness in those beautiful eyes. The kind so deep you think it’s never going to go away. If he finds out the truth—”
The third time she bumped into the chef, he shooed her out of his way by silently threatening her with a large spoon. She resumed pacing on the other side of the enormous breakfast bar they used to lay out a spread of fruits and pastries for guests to snack on throughout the day.
She picked up a muffin but didn’t take a bite.
“No.” She shook her head. “I should walk over there right now and tell him everything. Rafe deserves to know.”
Adrien mumbled something in French and waved his spoon again.
She stopped pacing long enough to lean forward to taste his soup. Closing her eyes, she savored the broth’s spicy flavors against her tongue. Adrien never made a mistake with a meal.
“Why do you always have to do everything so well? Men! I swear. You’re all so—argh.”
Adrien’s eyebrow lifted.
She squinted at him and stuck out her tongue.
He smiled triumphantly and went back to his soup.
During her rant, she’d accidentally smashed the uneaten muffin onto the counter. She felt guilty about that, too. She hated to waste food.
Nearby, she could hear some guests returning from a catamaran outing. Time for Kelly to get a hold of herself. It wouldn’t do for the guests to see her in the middle of a nervous breakdown.
After dumping the muffin in the trash, she went to her suite to wash her hands. Her rooms were the only private bedroom and sitting room on the first floor and possessed the best sea views. Outfitted in colors of soft ivory and chocolate-brown, her suite could have been in any exclusive hotel in the world. She’d been lucky. When she bought Last Resort, it had been made over only a few months before. However, a high-end destination like this needed constant maintenance. There was always something that needed to be fixed, replaced or updated. The staff, most of whom she’d inherited with the buy, kept the place running smoothly. Some of them had been doing the same jobs since before she was born, so she left them to it.
After washing her hands, she sat down on the edge of her bed. Staring at her cell phone, she contemplated her next move. Mimi had to be told. Maybe she could convince her sister to temporarily go along with the ruse until Rafe was feeling better. She remembered the way his face fell when he found out Mimi wasn’t there. Kelly winced. There was no way Rafe would be interested in her if Mimi was around.
She lay back on the