Kate Carlisle - An Innocent In Paradise

She put both hands up to stop him. “If you really knew me, you never would’ve kissed me. You would’ve run for the hills.” She took two steps backward. “I’m saving you the trouble.”

“Nice of you.”

“Oh, you have no idea.” Then she gave a firm nod. “It’s definitely best that we stop right now.”

“Yeah?” He closed the gap between them. “I say we test that theory.” Yanking her close, he covered her mouth with his and kissed her roughly at first. Then he softened his lips against hers and they moved together, deepening the kiss until they were both shaking with need.

When she moaned again, he let her go, then watched her lick her lips and taste him there. The move was innocent and skilled at the same time, and he scowled as an irrational wave of tenderness washed over him.

Finally, she opened her eyes and stared at him in wonder. “Wow.”

“Yeah,” he said gruffly. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

“Well, don’t ever say I didn’t warn you.” Then she turned and jogged away as swiftly as her feet could move in the deep white sand.

He didn’t follow her, just watched as she disappeared through the thick fronds at the far end of the beach.

What the hell was she talking about? He’d never had to work this hard to convince a woman to make love with him. If you really knew me, you never would’ve kissed me. He shook his head at the memory of her words. Oh, he knew her, all right. She was a woman and therefore a master manipulator. She could give lessons, no doubt about it.

That didn’t seem to negate the fact that he was currently sporting a massive hard-on, thanks to her. Now that was something his entire staff would notice if he strolled into the hotel at that moment. So instead, he pulled off his shirt and tossed it on a chaise, then walked straight into the water to cool himself off.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Logan said to the others participating in yet another conference call. “With the opening of the new Alleria sports center, the island will become a premier destination for world-class sporting events such as tennis, gymnastics and boxing.”

Aidan, sitting in the brothers’ penthouse offices two thousand miles away in New York City, picked up the conversation. “As you’ll note in the prospectus we’ve sent you, the main court will have a tiered seating capacity of five thousand. We’ll have ten deluxe private-viewing suites, a press booth, locker rooms, a four-thousand-square-foot commissary and private dining rooms for players and visiting dignitaries.”

Eleanor, their senior vice president who was working out of the New York office with Aidan, jumped in. “There are six adjacent practice courts, as well. And the main court is easily converted to a boxing ring, gymnastic floor, a concert stage, or whatever is required. This project is shovel-ready, gentlemen. As soon as the contracts are signed, construction can begin.”

“We’ve more than proven the viability of Alleria as a sports destination,” Aidan said. “The Alleria Palms Golf Tournament is now third in worldwide television viewing audience, surpassed only by the Masters and the British Open. Our airport is world-class and we’ve recently expanded the resort by another five hundred rooms.”

Part of the prospectus they’d sent their handpicked investors included a pictorial story of the island itself. It mainly featured their own bayside resort as well as the tiny Victorian port town of Tierra del Alleria. There, attractive shops and eclectic restaurants lined the beach and pier that formed the harbor where multimillion-dollar sailboats docked side by side with the local fishermen who sold their daily catch.

Logan and Aidan had created a ten-year, slow-growth plan to attract small businesses and specialty tourist groups. The sports center would attract the type of high-end traveler who, in theory, would appreciate the eco-friendly environment and rustic charm of the island.

There was silence on the line for a moment, then Tex McCoy spoke up. “You boys have got yourselves a pretty decent situation down there.”

Logan had known Tex forever and could hear him puffing on his Cuban cigar as he participated in his favorite sport: wheeling and dealing. Logan could almost smell the thick, expensive cigar smoke. The billionaire Texan was one member of the consortium of wealthy investors who had invested in the brothers’ past projects.

“You know you can count on me and my boys,” Malcolm Barnett said amiably. “The wives are all itching to get back to Alleria since visiting this past year.”

“That’s always nice to hear, Malcolm,” Logan said to the man who was regularly featured on the pages of Forbes and Fortune . Malcolm’s two sons had gone to college with Logan and Aidan.

“Count me in, too,” Tex said. “I’ll have my people look over the contracts and get back to you.”

Aidan said, “You know we appreciate it, Tex.”

“Thank you, Tex,” Logan chimed in. “You won’t be sorry.”

“You can both thank me by shaving a few points off my next golf game with y’all.”

“Not sure we can do that, sir,” Logan said with tongue in cheek.

“Sorry, Tex.” Aidan chuckled. “We know you’d never want us to cheat.”

The older man grumbled. “Damn your straitlaced father for raising such a pair of sticklers.”

Everyone laughed, then several other investors jumped in to voice their desire to get in on the action. The conference call ended fifteen minutes later and Logan quickly called his brother on his cell phone.

“I think that went well,” he said, grinning as he stated the obvious. Eleanor was probably in the New York office kitchen, popping open the champagne as they spoke.

Aidan ignored the statement. “What’s going on with you?”

“What’re you talking about?” Logan asked, stretching back in his chair. From here, he could see a catamaran drifting across the bay and wondered how soon he could get out of this suit and tie and into a pair of running shorts. “Everything’s fantastic.”

“I hear it in your voice, man. Something’s bugging you.”

“You’re delusional,” Logan drawled. “Everything’s fine. Perfect. We’re about to close on a billion-dollar deal. Life is good.”

Aidan paused, then said, “I’ll drag it out of you eventually so you might as well save us both the trouble and tell me now.”

Logan stared at the phone, wishing for once that he and his twin brother didn’t have quite so tight a bond. It had been that way all their lives. They often finished each other’s sentences and there were times when they could practically read each other’s minds. They usually used it to their advantage, but right now, Logan didn’t need anyone homing in on what he was thinking. Namely because he wasn’t so sure of what was going on himself.

“Nothing’s wrong, dude,” he said, trying to convey a relaxed attitude he no longer felt.

Aidan snorted. “Fine, keep it to yourself, but I’ll be back next Thursday and I expect to hear the whole story.”

“Great,” Logan said with a scowl. “I’ll be sure to dream up something interesting to make you think you’re right.”

He disconnected the call and felt a twinge of irritation. He hadn’t fooled Aidan one bit. But what was he supposed to tell him? How could he explain that a hot, sexy, spore-hunting research scientist had invaded their island and sucked up every last ounce of Logan’s common sense?

He couldn’t explain it. But once Aidan got here and saw Grace for himself, he would reach his own conclusions. Whatever his brother concluded, Logan intended to make it clear that Logan had seen her first and Grace Farrell was his.