Touch Him (ManTrap Book 3)

by Olivia Jaymes

  Not wanting to spread any germs to the other guests, the ceremony would take place on the balcony of the suite at sundown. A minister - wearing a mask over his mouth and nose - had been found and was now standing in front of the four of us.

  It was time.

  "Dearly beloved," he intoned from behind the thin material. "We are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony."

  Dan beamed, Lisa's eyes shone with happiness, and I could feel a lump beginning to form in my throat. I couldn't remember a moment in my life where I was as happy as these two were today. And I'd had a fantastic life so far.

  Emmy's eyes were shiny with tears as well and I watched as she blinked several times to keep from crying. The practical and efficient planner was far more romantic and sentimental than she admitted to. It only made her more attractive.

  She did look absolutely gorgeous, wearing a silky dress that showed off her shoulders. It was a tangerine shade that on anyone else would have looked ridiculous but on her looked exotic and sexy with her golden skin.

  "Do you, Daniel, take this woman Lisa to be your wedded wife?"

  "I do."

  There was no hesitation in Dan's voice. Only emotion and sureness that had me blinking back my own tears.

  "And do you, Lisa, take this man Daniel to be your wedding husband?"

  "I do."

  I could only dream about having a woman look at me the way Lisa was looking at Dan. Emmy sniffled a bit and it wasn't because she was getting sick. She was overcome with the emotion as well.

  She had a soft heart. It was tugging at mine.

  I needed to get to know this woman much better. Would she let me?

  Chapter 7

  Emmy

  Dan had put Lisa to bed after a short champagne toast where she'd only taken the tiniest sip. I'd thanked the minister and walked him out to the hallway where he'd declined to shake my hand. I didn't take it personally. I was awash in cooties, as was Owen and Dan. If we all didn't end up ill it would be a miracle, although Owen had sworn up and down he never got sick. Dan had backed him in saying his best man had a hearty immune system.

  I'd put the specter of impending flu in the back of my mind since I'd found out Lisa and the other wedding guests were sick. Working with people as much as I did, there was always the possibility of getting some nasty crud and ending up in bed drinking tea and watching Netflix for a couple of days. I was of the opinion that I'd been exposed to more germs than the average person and was still standing to tell about it. I'd be fine. I might get sick, I might not, but either way I'd survive in the end.

  The ceremony had been beautiful and touching, so loving between Dan and Lisa. They really, honestly loved one another and it had been lovely to witness their vows. I'd been to hundreds of weddings but this one got to me, squeezing at my heart. I'd cried. That wasn't something I did often.

  Now that the wedding was over, there were only a few things I need to do tonight. I'd already informed the resort manager that the wedding was cancelled along with the rehearsal dinner and the reception. With guest after guest falling ill, Dan and Lisa had made the difficult decision to cancel all of the events. The healthy guests could enjoy the resort amenities and relax or catch a plane and fly back home. I'd overheard Dan and Owen discussing having a big party in a month or two in our hometown when everyone had recovered.

  I needed to make a call to the airlines for myself, but first there was something I needed to do...

  Owen had been speaking with Dan before exiting the room to take a phone call. He would be coming back soon so my brief window to apologize was going to quickly close. I needed to get it done.

  I slipped out of the sliding glass door to the balcony and stood in the shadows for a moment. Owen was putting his phone back in his pocket, so his call was done. I couldn't put this off any longer.

  I stepped out of the shadows and into his path. "Owen, may I have a moment?"

  Geez, I sounded uptight. It's just that apologies aren't something I'm all that great at. It always felt liked I'd failed at the situation and I hate failing more than anything in the world.

  "Of course, you can. Is everything okay with Lisa?"

  "She's fine. Well, as fine as she can be considering the circumstances. She's in bed and drinking some hot tea." I took a deep breath cleansing breath. I might not like apologizing but he deserved it. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry about yesterday. I got snarky about your profession and I apologize."

  Hopefully he'd accept it.

  For a moment he simply looked at me and I was afraid he was going to tell me to pound sand, but then he smiled. A real one. "It's okay, Emmy. I get where you're coming from and it doesn't bother me. Much. I'm sorry too, by the way."

  He laughed and I tried to laugh with him but I still didn't feel good about the situation. He didn't have anything to be sorry about. He hadn't questioned my career choices.

  "I really am sorry. My friend pointed out to me that I really don't have an understanding of your work so I should keep my mouth firmly shut, which I plan to do. In fact, I'm going to make that my motto from now on. If I don't know a subject, I need to shut the hell up."

  "You're entitled to your opinion, Emmy." He stepped forward, towering over me even in my high heels. He smelled good - again - and my head spun for a second before the earth righted itself. "I think Dan and Lisa would like to be alone. Why don't you let me buy you dinner and maybe I can explain my work a little more? Then you can tell me about yours, of course. It would be only fair."

  Dinner? With Owen.

  I was tempted. Oh, so tempted. Technically, he wasn't part of the wedding party anymore as the wedding had been cancelled. I'd officially been discharged from work with effusive thanks from the happy couple.

  But frankly, I didn't want to start something I couldn't finish. With any luck I'd be home in twelve to eighteen hours.

  "I'd like to but I really need to get my return ticket sorted out. I'm hoping to catch a flight out tomorrow."

  His smile dimmed slightly. "I didn't realize you were leaving. I'm going to stay the weekend as I'd originally planned."

  "I have quite a bit of work waiting for me," I said in way of an explanation. "I hope you don't get sick, too."

  Chuckling, he shrugged carelessly. "Seriously, I never get sick. I'll be fine."

  There was a moment of silence when neither one of us seemed like we knew what to say.

  "I guess I'll go call the airline," I finally said. "Maybe I'll see you in the morning before I leave."

  "That would be nice." He walked with me to the door of the suite. "And thank you for the apology. It wasn't necessary but it was sweet."

  I couldn't remember the last time anyone had called me sweet. It was kind of nice, but then Owen seemed like a nice man.

  The timing sucked. Perhaps if I'd been staying the whole weekend, it might be different. But I wasn't staying, and it wasn't different. The universe was telling me that Dr. Owen Campbell wasn't the man for me. Time to move on.

  Emmy

  "What do you mean there aren't any flights out until Monday morning?"

  For the second time, the nice woman on the other end of the line explained to me that since the island was exclusive and booked for only a few private events this weekend, there would be no service outbound until Monday. Unless it was an emergency of some sort.

  "What would constitute an emergency?"

  Apparently, she wasn't asked that question often because she hesitated for a moment before answering.

  "A heart attack, for example. An injury that the local doctor couldn't take care of."

  So, my needing to get home to do a bunch of work didn't qualify.

  "You could possibly charter a plane if it's very important," the woman suggested. "I can give you a phone number to call."

  Chartering a jet sounded expensive. I wasn't a member of the one percent that frequented resorts like this for fun. I was a hardworking woman who didn't want to blow my retirem
ent account on one flight.

  "That's okay. It's probably out of my price range. Thank you for your help."

  I hung up and then immediately dialed my friend Shelby to complain about how unfair the world was to me. She answered on the second ring and listened patiently while I told her my tale of woe.

  "I'm confused as to how this is a problem," she said when I was done. "Your room is paid for. Your flight is paid for. Girl, it's time for a vacation. Party down or whatever it is they say. Have some fun. Drink an umbrella drink and get a tan. You're acting like this is a tragedy when this is the greatest thing that's happened to you in a long while."

  "I have so much work–"

  "That will be there when you get home," Shelby replied before I could finish. "You weren't planning on doing that work until Tuesday and you were fine with it. Besides, your assistants can handle things when you're away, right?"

  I'd just hired my third assistant and they were all amazing. I'd lucked out. They were awesome and then some.

  "They're great," I agreed. "But there are some things I need to do myself."

  "And you can," Shelby agreed cheerfully. "On Tuesday when you get back to the office. In the meantime, have fun. Speaking of fun, did you apologize to Dr. Campbell?"

  "I did and he accepted it gracefully." I paused, not sure I should even open this can of worms. "I don't think he was upset with me. He asked me to have dinner with him tonight."

  "What did you say?" Shelby demanded. "Did you say yes?"

  "I said no because I needed to make arrangements to go home."

  "Then call him and tell him you're not leaving. Put me on hold."

  "I am not going to call him and tell him that I've changed my mind. He could have one of the cocktail waitresses as a date by now."

  Although he hadn't really seemed like the horn dog type.

  "I still think you should call him."

  "So noted."

  "If you aren't going to have dinner with him then you have lots of free time this weekend to read my book."

  Laughing at my friend's persistence, I could only agree. "I should have tons of time. I have it with me so I'll get back to it tonight. I'll probably just order up some room service for dinner."

  "You should go dancing. Have some fun. When was the last time you had some wild fun?"

  I knew exactly when.

  "Ashlyn's birthday party. We all took turns puking the next morning."

  "It was all Ashlyn's fault," Shelby replied. "She was the first to throw up. I wouldn't have puked but she started in and I couldn't control it after that."

  My story was pretty much the same.

  "It was everyone's fault because we know better than to mix grape and grain."

  "Go out and have too much rum tonight. Meet a mysterious man and have wild sex on the beach."

  Sometimes Shelby baffled me.

  "In no way, shape, or form can I see that happening. Have I ever given you any indication in the least that I longed to do that?"

  "No, but you should. You are far too buttoned up most of the time. Let your hair down. Have some fun. What happens on the island, stays on the island."

  "People say that but it's never true. And I am not too buttoned up. I can cut loose with the best of them."

  "You can but you don't very often. Now you have the chance. Go for it. You know you want to."

  Did I want to? In a way I did. Because I had to be in control and in charge all the time cutting loose wasn't an activity that I engaged in often. Yes, I had had a few too many drinks at Ashlyn's party but we hadn't done anything crazy like go out to a pasture and tip cows or anything.

  "I'll think about it, Shel. Now tell me how your day is going."

  Let's face it. I just wasn't the spontaneous, go for it type. I'd spend the evening reading and watching television.

  Just like every other night.

  Chapter 8

  Owen

  I'd thought about having dinner in my room but I was too restless to stare at the four walls and docilely eat my meal. I didn't have an issue eating dinner alone in the restaurant, which was good since Emmy had turned me down when I'd asked her to join me. Her excuse hadn't been the greatest but I hadn't pressed her on the invitation.

  Honestly, she'd looked exhausted, dark circles beginning to show under her eyes. All the work of putting together the last-minute wedding ceremony had fallen to her and if she was tired, she had a damn good reason to be. She might also not want to spend any more time with a wedding party that was clearly cursed with the plague. Or something close to it. I assumed she was going to order room service and get some well-deserved rest before her flight tomorrow.

  Because she was leaving. A fact that didn't make me all that happy but I was determined to give her a call when I returned home. Emmy Grant was far too fascinating to ignore. I wanted to get to know her and find out if she was as amazing as she appeared to be.

  So I was surprised to see her exiting the kitchen of the casual restaurant at the back of the resort. I was standing at the entrance waiting to be seated and she was going to have to walk right by me.

  "Emmy, I didn't expect to see you here."

  Since you turned me down for dinner. My ego was a little bruised.

  "I was checking with the chef about the cancelled meals and the wedding cake. He's going to try and save it for a few days in case Lisa and Dan feel better and might want some of it. I hated to see it go to waste after all the time they spent picking it out."

  "Lemon curd."

  Her brows pinched together in confusion.

  "Pardon?"

  "Lemon curd," I repeated with a grin. "Lisa went on and on about how she'd chosen lemon curd as one of the fillings along with a peppermint white chocolate, and dark chocolate ganache."

  "Goodness, you have an excellent memory."

  "What can I say? I was really looking forward to that cake. I have a sweet tooth."

  Biting her lip, Emmy leaned forward so only I could hear what she was about to say. I caught a whiff of her perfume - mixture of vanilla and coconut. Maybe some musk, too. Let's face it, I didn't know shit about women's fragrances. I only knew if I liked them.

  I loved this one.

  "Then I can admit to you that I was looking forward to it, too," Emmy sighed. "Especially the dark chocolate ganache."

  What the hell. The worst thing she could do is call the cops and accuse me of stalking.

  "I'm told they have good desserts here. I don't suppose I can convince you to take pity and join me for dinner? I promise if you say no, I won't make a pest of myself and keep asking."

  Indecision flickered over her features, her top teeth sinking even deeper into her full lower lip. I was sure she was going to turn me down. Again.

  "Thank you. I'd love to join you for dinner."

  I didn't expect that. But I wasn't going to question my good luck too much. Just enjoy it.

  The hovering hostess quickly seated us in a quiet corner that overlooked the pool and garden area, placing a menu in front of each of us.

  "Did you get your plane reservation made?"

  "That's a good question." Emmy sighed and placed her menu on the table. "I tried but it turns out the one little airline that services this island isn't planning any flights out until Monday morning. So...I guess you could say that I'm on vacation starting now."

  Emmy wasn't leaving. She was staying. Cue the happy music and fireworks. This just might be my lucky day. The universe was on my side.

  "You don't sound as happy about that as one might expect you to."

  She wrinkled her nose and checked out the menu again. "It's just that I had a ton of work back at home. But my friends are urging me to take the opportunity to relax and have fun. Shelby told me to drink too much rum tonight and do something...wild."

  I could help her with that.

  "Too much rum and wildness? That sounds pretty exciting. Are you going to do it?"

  Please say yes, please say yes.

  Emm
y just laughed. "I might drink some rum but do something wild? It's not really in my nature. I'm a cautious person."

  Damn.

  I signaled the waitress. "Let me help you get started by ordering us two rum drinks. Then you can tell me about your friend Shelby. She sounds like quite the character."

  "She is. She's a psychologist as well and she knows you. Dr. Shelby Kelly?"

  His face lit up with delight. "That Shelby? She's fantastic. I haven't seen her in months. How is she doing?"

  Finally. We had a subject we could talk about. Things were looking up.

  Emmy

  "I'm an only child," Owen said over our delicious entrees when I'd asked about his family. I'd ordered the rosemary chicken and he was digging into a filet - medium rare. "I always wanted brothers and sisters but it wasn't to be. I never even had a pet. But I did have an entire bathroom to myself. I guess that's one good thing."

  "You don't know what it's like for three teenage girls to try and do their hair and makeup all at the same time. It's a recipe for disaster. There wasn't anything else good about being an only child? You didn't have to share anything. That must have been nice."

  He seemed to ponder my question longer than usual. "It was, although I would have gladly shared my room or my toys. I was lonely growing up. Let's just say that I talked to my stuffed animals way more than I probably should have."

  That was so incredibly sad.

  Taking a sip of my wine, I wasn't sure what to say. Was I bringing up bad memories? Did I need to change the subject?

  "I'm sorry. That must have been terrible."

  "I wouldn't say it was terrible but my upbringing was far different than most people."

  "How so?" The question jumped out of my mouth before I could stop it. "I'm sorry. That was nosy. Please ignore me."

  He shook his head. "I wouldn't have brought it up if I wasn't okay talking about it. I had a weird childhood, but it shaped me into who I am so I can't regret it. In telling the story I would have to start with my parents. They should never have had a child. In fact, I'm firmly convinced that I was an unplanned mistake, although to their credit they never said that to me. They simply weren't the type who had strong maternal or paternal feelings. They didn't know or want to know how to parent."