by Gia Stone
Brooke was different. In a lot of ways. But he still doubted how she got from working with the douchebag to the point of being a kick-ass manager in his resort. Did it matter about her past? Would she care about his? Would their future hold more than scorching hot sex all over his condo? He still wanted to show her the back nine on his own golf course at the resort. He wanted to show her so many things and places. Brooke had a strong grip on his heart, but after the way her eyes showed such shock and disappointment in the kitchen, he was worried about where their relationship stood. She had been so quick to run off before, and he wasn’t going to let her go.
Alec caught the gaze of the chief of Pyrotechnic. He nodded. It was time.
“Brooke, are you all right?” Alec kissed her hand. His insides burned. He was furious with Marshall, but even more furious with himself. If he hadn’t waited to try and plan this moment, Brooke would already have known and wouldn’t have been a surprise to her. He could only imagine what was going on in her mind. She didn’t seem like the kind of woman who would take a secret or aversion to the truth well.
Brooke stared at the dark night sky. Everything had been going so well. She had finally found a career where she was in charge and she loved running the café and planning this amazing event. Her relationship with Alec was soaring to new heights physically and emotionally, and now it was gone. She knew it was over. She should have trusted her intuition. Alec was too good to be true. And apparently he thought so, too. He thought he was too good for her. Why else wouldn’t he have shared that he was the owner of this resort? Why didn’t he tell her? Did he honestly think she was a gold digger like Marshall had stated? Her chest tightened and she swallowed back a bit of nausea in her throat.
“I’m fine.” Brooke would be stoic until the end of the party, and then she was going to have to figure out what to say to Alec. Obviously, he didn’t tell her he owned the property because he didn’t trust her. All the times and moments shared, and he didn’t feel strong enough about her to mention he owned this resort. Even making up a story about some other owner. Seriously, what did he take her for? What was she to him? Did he really value her work at the resort or any of the time they spent together after the resort? Dammit, she was getting what she deserved since she really didn’t know him well enough before she jumped in head first. Yet, another classic Brooke moment of not thinking beyond the moment. She had thought she was over jumping in head first…and yet here she was again on the verge of a complete soul-shattering heartbreak.
Brooke blinked several times, trying to clear the growing amount of liquid forming in her eyes. There was no need to shed a tear. She would get through this. Brooke rubbed her lips together. She wobbled for a second in her heels. Heels he had bought for her. Her hand ran along the fabric of her dress, the dress he bought. She reached for the necklace, a tiny star hanging from a thin chain. It took every inch of self-control not to rip it from her neck and stuff it in his pocket and march off of Alec’s property. Stripping herself of his gifts with each step.
The popping and whizzing sounds crackled across the sky, and it lit up like a magical wonderland production. Red ruby slippers, bright stars in whites and shades of crimson sparkled over and over again. It was a luminous sight. Alec reached for Brooke. His lips brushed against her neck. “Don’t be mad at me.”
Chills spread across her ear onto her neck, over her back, and tingled down to her toes. She wasn’t mad. Brooke was hurt, embarrassed, and ashamed. But was it really all about Alec or was someone else to blame for the cause of the tears rolling down her cheeks? Did he really think she was a prostitute or gold digger? Did he even need her help or was it all just a sham? Was he playing some sort of sick role-play with her like Marshall had said? Nausea tugged at her insides. Everything between them had felt so real…so right. Brooke couldn’t imagine Alec being fake…yet here she stood with the owner of the resort and everyone around her knew this. Except, Brooke, betrayal shot through her heart like a lightning rod of deception.
Erma touched her arm. “It’s just beautiful, isn’t it?”
Brooke nodded. She was at a loss for words. The display was amazing. The fireworks couldn’t have been planned better with each pop, each crackle that illuminated the sky. Things were coming to light for Brooke as well. What had been was not real, it was a false light. Alec had brightened up her life, but it was artificial. She bit the inside of her cheek and swiped the tears from her face.
Alec nuzzled his face into Brooke’s hair. Every inch of her wanted to turn and let her lips meet his. But she couldn’t. She wouldn’t. He didn’t want to tell her he owned this resort and she couldn’t be with him again. Her heart burned.
The final firework sparkled across the sky, a golf club striking down against a ball followed by explosive lines. Lines that trickled down, falling over the ocean until the sky was empty of the expensive show. All that was left was a fragile twinkling of stars.
“Felicitaciones, Alec!” Erma and Martin grabbed onto Alec’s shoulders.
“Gracias,” Alec said and shook hands with Martin.
Erma kissed each side of Alec’s face. She leaned in to kiss Brooke’s face and whispered in her ear. “Dolce, listen to me, whatever it is, you can fix. Alec is a keeper.” She kissed her other cheek.
“Martin, let’s go make our own fireworks.” Erma grabbed on to her husband’s arm.
“Alec, what did you put in my wife’s drink? And by that I mean, make sure to give me the recipe.” Martin laughed as he led Erma toward the stairs.
The rest of the crowd had already dwindled down to a few couples who most likely enjoyed one too many drinks from the open bar and were slow dancing under the stars unaware of their surroundings. Alec had planned for this and hired a fleet of cabs to deliver any overindulgers home safe and sound. His eyes scanned the patio until they met Mario’s, and he nodded. Mario would then enlist the rest of the staff to gather up the stragglers, the late-night dancers, and anybody who had never made it out of the bathroom to the exit.
Brooke hadn’t planned on returning after tonight, but she wanted to make sure that she had completed her actual job for the evening and perform the inventory and see if they had any reservations for the next day. She grabbed her clipboard from the kitchen counter and scanned the rows of champagne under the list she had created to ensure they had a great checks and balances system. She trusted Alec’s staff, but in any business you couldn’t assume that no one would take home a bottle or two of their own. After she had counted each case, she signed off on the count and went to her office to see if the staff had made any reservations at the café.
Brooke closed the reservation book and took in the last memories of her office. What a fucked-up situation. This had been the best career move she had ever had and now it was the worst one. She had enough saved up to get her a plane ticket back to Texas. She could probably stay with one of her old roommates for a night or two until she found another job. A job. Not a career. Nothing like what she had here. Her head fell into her hands. Tears gushed from her eyes like a dam that had been overfilled. Not properly designed, it was too late. She couldn’t stop the buckets falling from her lashes. She reached down into the bottom drawer and grabbed her purse.
* * * *
Alec rushed through the kitchen. It was empty with no sight of Brooke. Would she have left? She hadn’t spoken a word to him since they had exited the kitchen. Shit. If that douchebag Marshall hadn’t said anything, he would have been able to tell Brooke on his terms. Alec slammed his fist down on the kitchen island. He turned on his heel and stormed toward Brooke’s office. She might not have left. Would she just give up on them that easily? Did she not feel the same way as he did? He had to catch her before she was gone for good.
Alec stood in the doorway taking in the saddest sight he had ever seen. A gorgeous woman sobbing tears of…pain? Had he caused her this pain? He brought up a fist to his mouth and bit on his knuckle.
“Brooke, we need to talk.”
&nbs
p; Brooke jumped and peered up from her desk at Alec. She swiped away the tears from underneath her eyes. It took a massive amount of restraint not to whisk her into his arms. But they needed to resolve this issue first. He couldn’t go forward until he knew she was alright and understood why he hadn’t been completely honest with her. Everything had seemed so great between the two of them. He hadn’t experienced the type of closeness that he felt with Brooke ever and now she was a bucket of tears. His chest tightened. He would fix this.
Brooke took in a deep breath and stood. “It’s okay. Um…it looks like your next reservation isn’t until tomorrow at 7:00 and Dalia can handle it.” She offered the reservation book to Alec.
He stepped to the side of the desk and reached for the notebook and latched on to her hand. “Brooke, we need to talk.”
Brooke eyed the floor. “No, it’s fine. I’ve got to go.” She tried to pull her hand back. Alec’s grip tightened.
“Brooke, where would you go?” Alec didn’t want to use his physical strength to hold her. He wouldn’t, but he had to make her stay long enough to hear him out. He couldn’t let her walk away, not like this. They needed to talk first. She needed to hear what he had to say, what he was going to say.
Brooke tossed her hair over her shoulders. “Oh, I’m sure I can find another rich guy to hook up with.” She yanked her hand back.
“Brooke, don’t do this.” Alec stepped in front of her.
“Do what? Find my next guy?” Brooke rolled her eyes and sidestepped around him.
“Brooke, I know you aren’t like that. Come on, let’s talk about this like adults. We owe it to ourselves. Didn’t you feel like we had something special?” Alec grabbed her waist and let his lips graze her shoulders. “Give me a chance to explain.” He kissed her shoulder. “Please.”
Brooke’s shivered. She blinked her eyes several times. Tears continued to fall. Alec wrapped her in his arms. He couldn’t stand seeing her so upset. Was it really because he didn’t tell her he owned the resort? She nuzzled into his chest.
Alec held back a smile. She was going to give him a chance. This was all he needed. He could show her how much she meant to him. Were her tears more than feeling betrayed by his omission? Was she worried about not being with him? He needed to know if her feelings were as strong as his. Did she love him? Did he love her? Was this it for him? Alec pulled Brooke in closer and cupped her face in his hands. His gaze bore into hers. “I’m sorry.” His lips met hers, and he kissed her deeper, longer, sweeter, than he had ever kissed anyone, even Brooke. He lifted her up onto her desk.
Brooke pulled back. “Alec, wait… I know we have the physical part down, but do we have something more than that? I need to know…I have to know what your true feelings are. I need to know who you are.” She pushed her dress down.
Alec laughed. “You know who I am, and now you just know what I own. How do you feel?” He tugged on a gold tendril.
“I don’t know, Alec. Prior to tonight, I would have said we had a real relationship. But now…” She rubbed her lips. “I don’t know.” Brooke wiped underneath her eyes. “Alec, if you didn’t think you could trust me enough to tell me you owned this place…and is Marcos even a real person?” She squinted her eyes.
Alec cast his eyes to the sides and then directly on Brooke. “Marcos is me, it’s my middle name.”
Brooke rolled her eyes. “Why?”
“I’m sorry. Listen, I haven’t exactly made wise choices in the relationship world, and I didn’t know if I could trust myself. I’m head over heels in lo–love. Brooke, I love you. That’s not a feeling I toss around lightly.” Alec grabbed her hands and brought them to his lips. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. The more time went by the harder it got, until I came up with a plan.” Alec dropped her hands and ran his fingers through his hair.
“A plan? What do you mean?” Brooke shook her head.
“Prior to that douchebag…” Alec popped his knuckles and cocked his head to the right and took a step back. “I had planned to tell you tonight as the fireworks were going off. I—”
“Really?” Brooke rushed toward Alec.
He swiped his arm around her back and pulled her in close. Her scent swam around him. She had the best fragrance. It made every inch of him want to lift her onto the desk and enjoy all of her. “Really. Brooke, I love you. Please stay with me.” His lips brushed across hers.
“Stay with you. Is this about the reservation tomorrow?” Brooke licked the top of her lip with her tongue.
Alec pinched her side. “Yes, I don’t think I can handle a 7:00 p.m. reservation, I’d like to see you in the new wait staff uniform I ordered.”
“What?” Brooke jerked her head back.
“I’m teasing… Brooke, tell me you’ll stay. Not just for the 7:00 p.m. tomorrow. I want more than that. I want to know that you aren’t going to rush out of my café, shop, or bedroom. Promise me.” Alec kissed her fingertips.
“I want more than that, too…but my visa is going to expire.”
Alec wrapped his hands around the back of Brooke’s neck and kissed the sides of her neck. “I can fix that.”
Chapter Twelve
“Are you sure no one is going to be golfing today?” Brooke stepped out onto the green. The crunch of spikey turf sounded with each step.
Alec selected the seven iron from the purple bag he had bought her. Alec had “Brooke” embroidered over the base of it. Every time she studied it, the pink thread, she was happy. Never did she imagine that her life would be turning out so well. After three years of loneliness she had found her match and they were inseparable. Each morning they went to work together and Alec had given up his no friskiness at work policy and they had christened almost every single room. She was thrilled to be with Alec and to be golfing alone together at his golf resort. It was the ultimate climax of their relationship to finally play on this course. So much had happened since the first time they stepped on a course. A little alarm of doubt raised up inside her. Brooke was worried it might all go away. There was her visa expiring situation, but Alec had said he could fix it. Brooke believed he could, but what if he didn’t? She swallowed.
Alec stroked the club and handed it to her. “Never seemed to bother you before.”
Brooke laughed. Her thighs twitched at the thought of the previous time they were together on the golf course together. She hadn’t given it a second thought to play with Alec on the open course, but that was different. She didn’t know anyone at the resort other than Marshall, and she knew he was in a meeting. Now, she was on Alec’s golf course. On the resort where she worked, this was much different. She would be horrified if any of the other staff, male or female, saw them in a sexual escapade.
She stepped in closer to Alec and passed his offer of the seven iron and reached for something thicker. Harder. Underneath Alec’s khaki shorts was a large bulge. She grabbed it and rubbed it with enough pressure to ignite a swelling response from underneath the fabric of Alec’s shorts.
Alec grinned. He must not have thought she would make any advances on him here. Brooke knew Alec would have secured the area. She couldn’t imagine Alec ever wanting anyone to see them in the thralls of passionate lovemaking, especially not any of the staff.
Brooke let go of the fabric of Alec’s pants. She marched onto the green. She peeked over her shoulder and spread her legs. “Are you going to check my stance?”
Alec wiped his face. He strutted across the perfectly manicured turf. His body rested against the back of Brooke’s, and he gripped his hand over fingers. Alec leaned his mouth next to her ear. “Loosen up.”
Brooke released her grip on the club. Her hands were damp. She flexed her fingers.
“That’s right, flex a bit… It’s good to stretch before a big…hit.” Alec let go of Brooke’s hands and swatted her behind. “Show me what you’ve got.” He stepped to the side out of her swing line.
Zaps triggered all over her body, her shoulders, her neck, her legs, her specia
l spots. Her breasts were alerting anyone within fifty yards of her attraction level. Somebody send her a life jacket. She wasn’t going to make these last nine holes if Alec got that near her again. She stepped to the side with each foot and then swung back while keeping her eyes focused on the ball. Thwack. Her ball went soaring into the cloudless sky and then plummeted onto the fairway.
A golf clap distracted Brooke from her prideful moment. She turned to take in Alec with a smirk on his face and a miniscule golf clap coming from his hands. Brooke bit the inside of her cheek.
“Your turn,” Brooke let fall from her mouth as she brushed past him. She slammed her club back in her bag and leaned against the golf cart. Despite her annoyance with Alec making fun of her, he did have an amazing stance. Why had he never been in the pros? Thwack. Alec’s golf ball soared higher in the sky than Brooke’s, and it wasn’t even clear as to where it landed.
“Let’s go find our balls.” Alec laughed as he hopped into the driver’s seat. She was sure his ball had made it to the green.
Brooke climbed into her side of the cart and smoothed down her golf skirt. It was a purple mini-golf skirt, with panties included. Alec gave it to her, along with the bag, and a white golf polo. She had snipped the bottoms from the skirt, not simply because they were uncomfortable, but she intended on playing more than golf with Alec and those bloomers were much too constricting for anything fun to happen.
