“Don't fall for him,” I whispered softly to myself. “He's just a tourist. Don't get in too deep...”
“Too deep with what?” A strong masculine voice asked, surprising me.
I yelped and spun around to see Noah leaning up against the building. I wondered just how long he had been standing there watching me with that crooked grin. He took my breath away. The sun glinted off his dark hair, and his blue eyes matched the sky. A crooked half-smile made his face somehow more handsome. In a nice, light blue polo shirt and expensive-looking tan shorts, he looked good enough to eat. I hoped for a second he was what was for dinner.
“Nothing,” I said, hoping I wasn't blushing too badly. “Just talking to myself.”
He straightened from the wall and offered me his arm like I was royalty. “You look beautiful, Izzy.”
I blushed as I took his arm in mine, feeling the warmth of his skin under my fingers. His muscles flexed slightly as I touched him, sending a thrill up my fingers and down my spine.
“What are we having for dinner tonight?” I asked. I realized I didn't actually care. I would have been happy to eat sand if it meant that I got to sit at the same table as Noah. I would have eaten it with a smile on my face.
“It's a surprise,” he answered, leading me back behind the bar and down a path that ran along the beach. I rarely used the path because it ran down to the beach houses, which would make sense why Noah had used it instead of driving to the restaurant. He was staying at one of those beach houses.
“Are we going to the house where the party was?” I asked as he guided me along the path.
“Yes,” he answered. I faltered slightly in my step, remembering all the people at the party. At least some of them must be staying at the giant home. I was hoping for a slightly more romantic dinner than that.
“Don't worry.” Noah must have felt my hesitance. He put his hand gently over mine, his voice soft and low. “I'm renting a little bungalow on the property. We aren't actually going to the house.”
“Oh, so you're taking me to your place then?” I batted my eyelashes up at him. “Maybe I should have made you run the coworker gauntlet.”
The path ran through a grove of banyan trees. I had always liked this part of the path because it reminded me of being in a big tree fort. The brown, woody limbs tangled above us, creating a sky of green. The sunlight flickered through the gaps, dappling the ground and casting warm shadows across our bodies.
“My intentions are mostly honorable.” He winked.
“Mostly?”
“Well, there might be some things I would like to do with you that an older brother wouldn't necessarily appreciate.” Noah's eyes caught mine, their blue depths holding a dark warmth that sent shivers of desire all the way to my toes. “But I can guarantee, you'd enjoy it.”
I let out a slight gasp of want. The idea of doing things that my 'older brothers' wouldn't approve of stirred the coals deep in my belly. I wanted to kiss him again right there, and possibly just take him in the trees to be my own.
“Shit,” he murmured, making me frown. With a strong tug, he pulled me off the path and behind a tree.
“What are you doing?” I gasped, but my words were muffled by his hand as he concealed us from the path. I fought him slightly, but his grip was sure and strong. It would take a good fight to break free, and I wasn't sure what was going on yet. Through the tree branches I could just make out the path. I tried to see what was going on, but I was too distracted by the feel of his body pressed against mine. He was solid and warm on my back. Despite my best efforts, my body was melting into his. His arms were wrapped tightly around me, his scent enveloping me with its deliciousness.
He held a finger to his lips, asking me silently to be quiet. I nodded and he released me, but kept me pressed against him with his arm. I wondered if he could feel my heart pounding out of my chest. I could escape him now if I wanted, but I was glued to his body as if he had me tied to him with ropes.
The woman with the khaki shorts came down the path. I was beginning to think she was following me since she kept showing up wherever I happened to be. The angry look plastered on her face told me that I did not want to run into her.
“I swear I saw them come this way,” she muttered under her breath as she passed in front of our tree. I held my breath, afraid that she might hear it and find us. She continued on down the path, her mumbling growing quieter with every step.
We waited for a long time, silently pressed against one another until he was sure we were safe. Thoughts ran through my mind. Why was he hiding? Who was that woman? And of course, my mind went to the darkest places it could while we waited. Maybe he's a wanted criminal and she's a bounty hunter. It's his wife. It's his boss. He owes her money. She was his last girlfriend and she followed him here and she'll kill me out of jealousy. Each thought was more absurd than the last, but in the quiet of my mind, my imagination ran wild.
The sun began to touch the horizon, deepening the shadows of the branches. Noah stepped onto the path, motioning me to stay put while he checked it out. He took a few steps and then smiled and waved me back to the path.
“I think she's gone. The path loops around past the house, but she shouldn't have a reason to turn around.” He reached out his hand for me.
“Who was she?” I didn't immediately take his hand. “Why were you hiding from her?”
Noah ran his outstretched hand through his dark hair, the muscles in his arm stretching the fabric of his shirt. “Danica Lewis. She's a reporter.”
“A reporter?” That possibility had not been one of the billions running through my mind as we hid behind the tree.
“Yeah.” He sighed and took a step toward me, his eyes honest as he spoke. “My company just went through a big lawsuit. We won, but we weren't popular because of it. She wants an interview. I think she believes that a scathing interview with the 'Devil of Real Estate' will jump-start her career. I told her no. I have no idea how she followed me here.”
“They call you 'The Devil of Real Estate?’”