Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 47223 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 189(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47223 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 189(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
I’m not thrilled. Judging from Marcus’s expression, neither is he, but how many choices do we have? “Thank you.”
With more smiles and apologies, the desk clerk hands us our room keys, gives us coupons for free drinks to use during tomorrow’s happy hour, and sends us on our way.
“Dinner in fifteen?” I ask as we approach the elevators.
Kate hesitates. “I was going to stay in and work.”
“You have to eat.” Marcus gives her a concerned up-and-down. “I suggest a cheeseburger.”
“Are they good here?”
“Beats the shit out of me, but you could stand to put on a few pounds.”
Kate raises a brow. “I didn’t ask.”
Marcus likes his women with meat on their bones. For that matter, so do I. But diplomacy isn’t his strong suit, and I can’t let him alienate her. We have work to do…and chemistry to explore.
“What he means is, you look like it’s been a long day because it has been. I hate to think of you going to bed on an empty stomach, and you’ll be better equipped to launch into your job tomorrow if you’re not starving.”
Her face softens. “I appreciate that, but—”
“Something small,” I cajole. “A fresh salad? Some mahi-mahi? You know it will be amazing in Hawaii…”
“All right.” She sighs as the elevator dings. “Fifteen minutes.”
We head inside the small car. It seems automatic for me to settle on one side of her, Marcus on the other. She’s petite, especially in between us, the top of her head only reaching my jaw and Marcus’s beefy shoulder.
“Still think you could use a cheeseburger,” my pal mutters under his breath.
I shoot him a warning stare and reach for Kate’s suitcase. “Let me help you to your room.”
She grips the handle tighter. “It’s on wheels. I’ve got it. Thank you.”
Marcus raises a brow at me. “Good luck with that.”
Clearly, I need it. So far, Kate isn’t amenable to letting me take care of her in any way. But I’m not giving up.
When we reach the second floor, Kate steps off, luggage in hand.
“If you need anything, text me,” I call out. “Otherwise, we’ll see you in fifteen.”
She nods and the doors close. Marcus and I trudge to our ocean-view suite on the top floor. The decor is outdated, the kitchenette consists of a coffee maker, a stained sink, and a dumpy microwave. The two queen beds are lumpy…but the views on nearly all sides are both spectacular and virtually unspoiled by humanity. The property we’ll be developing is even more favorably situated. Maybe Kate isn’t wrong about it.
After I grab a two-minute shower and a quick change of clothes, Marcus follows suit. Then we head to the lone restaurant downstairs. The steakhouse, besides having a great view of Hilo Bay, is dark and unexpectedly sexy. The hostess seats us near the window, and the trade winds blow in through the open accordion doors.
Our waitress greets us. After a glance at the wine list, I order a bottle I hope Kate will like and settle back into my chair.
Marcus orders a beer, waits for our server to walk away, then turns to me. “Stop it. You’re playing a dangerous game with Kate.”
“How do you know we can’t win if we don’t play?”
He leans forward across the table aggressively. “You’re crazy if you think Kate will actually get involved with either of us, much less both. Unless I’m misreading the situation, she moved across the country and left her whole life behind because she got divorced. I’ll bet it’s fresh, and I doubt she’s eager to be tied down again.”
“But—”
“No. She’s young, midtwenties at most. We’re a dozen years older, maybe more. Could we heap orgasms on her? Absolutely. Be happy to. But what else could we possibly give her that she needs or wants?”
At face value, he’s right. On the other hand, she got divorced for a reason. We don’t know what that is. Once we do, maybe we can give her something the ex didn’t. Instinct keeps telling me to try. “We’ll see.”
The murmur of Kate’s voice from the front of the restaurant has me turning. She’s piled her hair on top of her head in a loose bun that showcases her dainty face and the firm line of her jaw. She’s changed into strappy white sandals, a ruffled skirt in a chic, beige-blush shade, and a white tank top that hugs her ribs and clings to her breasts.
Beside me, I hear Marcus suck in a breath. “Holy shit…”
Exactly. The sight of her has me hard all over.
As the hostess points Kate in our direction, I stand and hope it’s too dark for her to notice my reaction. “Kate.”
“Hi.” She glances out the window as the last of dusk settles over the bay. “Wow.”
I hold out her chair and settle her in, inadvertently copping a cheap peek down her tank. Marcus is right. Holy shit…