“Oh wait ’til you see. Nikki has done an amazing job redecorating the place. Not to mention she’s been a godsend for Momma Mahina. You know she will never admit that she’s getting on in years and can’t do the things she used to do.”
Hylan felt as if he’d finally put the pieces to this strange puzzle together. Mahina hired an assistant that had apparently become the talk of the quarter. “So Nikki works with Mahina?”
“And thank the good Lord. After Hurricane Richard blew through here nine months ago, Momma Mahina needed all the help she could get.”
Hylan nodded, remembering hearing about the storm. His assistant had kept him abreast of all the repairs with his insurance company, his accountant, and his property manager, Mahina. With his company growing and the demands on his time, Hylan had put his complete trust in Mahina’s abilities and it sounded as if it had paid off. “Well, I’ll make sure that I thank Nikki personally for helping hold down the fort.”
“I bet you will.” Rafiq winked and then reached over and turned up the radio. The unmistakable voice of Saint Lucia native Taj Weekes boomed loudly from the speakers. Hylan and Rafiq bobbed their heads in time to the melodic bass. The music was the perfect backdrop to the lush, verdant scenery of wild orchids, giant ferns and Caribbean flamingos. And Soufrière was different from the other Saint Lucia quarters because it had the world’s only drive-in volcanic crater. Hylan always made a point of visiting it whenever he was on the island and could already feel himself getting excited at the prospect of seeing the sulfur springs again.
As the music of Weekes faded out, Rafiq turned the radio back down and grinned at Hylan. “So are you staying long or are you just swooping in to take our lovely Nikki away from us?”
“I’m just in for two weeks.” Hylan struggled to keep his grin from turning cocky. Rafiq seemed extremely confident in Hylan’s game when it came to women. But if this Nikki chick was even half the dime-piece Rafiq thought she was, then Hylan would be down for whatever. Vacations were always best when they were spent with the opposite sex. “But I can be persuaded to stay longer.”
Rafiq’s cocky grin matched Hylan’s as he made a sharp left on a rustic coastal road that ascended to Dawson’s private estate. Once they cleared the overgrown foliage, the two-story white, palatial villa stretched up toward a darkening blue sky.
“Looks like we’re in for a rough one,” Hylan observed.
“What are you going to do? It’s that time of year.” Rafiq said as he slammed on the brakes.
Hylan’s hands shifted from the door to the dashboard, which he was certain he was just seconds from sailing through. Before he could curse the driver out, Rafiq had jumped from behind the wheel and started unloading the bags.
“Welcome home,” Rafiq declared and then marched up toward the front door.
Hylan stumbled out of the vehicle on shaky legs and grabbed the two remaining bags. The moment he crossed the threshold however, he pulled up short and wondered if Rafiq had taken him to the right house. “What the…”
“Looks good, doesn’t it?” Rafiq said, bobbing his head and smiling as if he expected Hylan to turn cartwheels or something.
He almost did. Not that he didn’t like his house before with its pristine, airy, white décor that, quite frankly, most villas—whether they were homes or resorts—showcased. His spacious vacation villa now looked both modern and urbane, intimate, masculine, quiet and sophisticated—especially with its coffee-colored walls.
“This looks like it cost me a fortune,” he said. His gaze danced across the room with its new furniture and an array of eclectic artworks.
Rafiq shrugged. “I don’t know about such things. You’d have to ask the missus about that.”
Hylan bobbed his head, but then when Rafiq’s words registered, he frowned and turned his head toward him. “Ask who?”
“All I’m saying is that a man’s house is his castle, no?”
Hylan started to answer when this angelic voice floated down from the second level. “Rafiq, is that you?”
Hylan didn’t think it was possible but the man’s smile stretched even wider as he brushed a hand over his bushy, uneven ’fro. “Yes, ma’am.”
The woman laughed and it sounded like sweet music to Hylan’s ears.
“I thought so. I’d recognize that engine anywhere. When are you going to get a tune-up?”
Obviously embarrassed, Rafiq’s broad smile dimmed as he kicked the tiled floor in the foyer. “Soon. I’ll get it to the shop later this week. Promise.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Can you go help Momma Mahina out in the guesthouse? We’re storm-proofing all the windows.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Rafiq started bowing even though the woman had yet to grace him with her presence. “By the way Nikki, I, um, brought you home a gift.” He poked another sharp elbow into Hylan’s ribs.
Hylan flinched, but not before debating whether to send a quick jab upside Rafiq’s head. He spared him this time, but if the man elbowed him again, all bets were off.
“No more gifts, Rafiq,” the woman said, her voice becoming clearer as she approached the top of the stairs. “I told you that I’m a happily married woman.” She stepped into view and froze.
Hylan’s eyes widened with a sudden jolt of recognition—like any man could ever forget those stacked curves or even that face. “You.” In the next second, he felt as if he was spiraling out of control in some mad man’s vertigo. He dropped the bags that were in his hands and at the last second managed a little more strength in his knees. Was he dreaming or was he seeing that New York actress’s twin? They say everyone has one.
After a few more seconds, Hylan felt as if he was getting his bearings back—at least that’s what he took his growing hard-on to mean.
“Ah, Nikki, I knew you’d like this gift,” Rafiq boasted, slamming his large, bony hand against the center of Hylan’s back.
Nikki? This was the infamous woman Rafiq bragged about? Hylan dropped his gaze so that he could take in the pleasure of its slow climb back up her body. This certainly had the makings of becoming a memorable vacation.
Rafiq’s laughter bubbled between the silent couple. “Looks like I was wrong. Nikki didn’t know you were coming. You old dog.” He delivered another whack against Hylan’s back, before he then leaned over and whispered, “About that gift thing, that’s just a little inside joke between us two. I would never hit on your wife.”
Rafiq’s declaration may as well have been a sucker punch. “My wife!”
Chapter 5
Oh shit.
That was the only thing that kept looping around inside Nikki’s head. No, she didn’t personally know the man standing at the bottom of the stairs. But she knew from the fair amount of pictures she’d seen in the house and from his many legions of cousins on the island that he was in fact the man she had been masquerading as being married to for the past year and a half. With nosy Rafiq looking on, she knew that she had to do something—preferably before her husband exposed her for the fraud that she was.
“Honey, you’re home.” She forced a smile across her face and then willed her legs to run down the stairs. “Why didn’t you call and tell me that you were coming?” As she hit the bottom stair, she opened her arms and then launched herself toward the complete stranger.
Inwardly, Nikki tried to prepare herself for the man to ward off her exuberant greeting, but instead he allowed her to wrap her arms around him and plant her lips against his. She meant for it to be just a small peck, but the minute their mouths connected, something unexpected charged through her—something nice, warm and downright magical.
The moan wasn’t part of the impromptu performance, but Hylan’s response was to fold his arms around her slim waist and pick her up a full four inches off the ground. It was either the sudden airlift or his incredible mouth that had her head reeling—she couldn’t decide which.
Damn. He can kiss.
Another pair of feet shuffled toward the foyer a second before Momma Mahin
a’s unmistakable husky voice boomed, “Nikki, chile. The windows out at the guesthouse have all been taken care of and…Oh, my Lord! Is that who I think it is?”
Hylan’s and Nikki’s lips broke apart. Their eyes locked and reflected the same level of shock. Clearly whatever she was feeling, he felt it, too.
“It is!” Momma Mahina clapped her hands together and let out a loud shriek and she raced over to Hylan, her large bottom swaying back and forth until she reached her longtime employer and enveloped both him and his wife in her arms. “I can’t believe it. You’re finally home.”
It’s been a year and a half and Nikki still hadn’t grown used to Momma Mahina’s hugs. The sweet woman could choke a boa constrictor to death before she realized that she needed to let go.
“You want to ease up on that death grip, Mahina?” Hylan croaked.
Momma Mahina’s arms sprang open and Nikki quickly sucked in a few gulps of air despite her aching rib cage.
However, Mahina’s excitement quickly changed and she delivered a quick slap to Hylan’s arm. “How dare you stay away for so long!” She smacked him again and then jerked Nikki out of his arms to pull her against her heavy bosom. “I can’t believe that you’ve been so heartless as to leave this poor chile here all alone. If I was her I would have left you a long time ago!”
Hylan’s brows jumped up as he lazily folded his arms in front of his chest. “Is that right?”
Nikki shut her eyes as if that would somehow make her invisible.
“You have a good woman here,” Mahina said. “Don’t forget that I knew your mother and I know for a fact that she would not have been pleased about the way you’ve been treating her.” She waved her finger at Hylan as if she’d just caught him stealing. “I know that you think that becoming some big shot businessman is important, but let me tell you that all the money in the world is never gonna bring you even half the happiness that a good woman can.”
Somebody shoot me now, Nikki prayed.
After a long silence, Hylan said, “You’re right.”
Nikki peeled one eye open. Did I just hear what I think I heard?
Hylan’s dark gaze shifted from Momma Mahina to Nikki. “I’ve been a fool for staying away for so long. One thing I plan on doing is make up for this long absence to…my wife.” His lips twitched. “That’s if she’ll let me.”
He’s not going to expose me. Nikki’s knees threatened to give way in relief.
Momma Mahina’s baritone laugh rumbled through her chest and shook her entire body. “See. Now that’s the sweet boy I remember.” She released Nikki to move in closer and gather Hylan’s cheeks in her fingers, and then gave them a good, hard pinch. “I’m glad to hear that you’ve finally come back to your senses. I swear that if I ever hear of you mistreating this good girl, I won’t hesitate to turn you over my knee.”
Hylan laughed and tried to pull away from her grip before her fingerprints were permanently indented on his face.
“Don’t laugh,” Rafiq said. “She’s dead serious.”
“Better listen to the boy,” Momma Mahina said, releasing his face. “I turned his grown butt over my lap just last week for breaking my great nana’s china. Didn’t I, Rafiq?”
“The woman’s hand must have weighed about fifty pounds,” Rafiq deadpanned.
“In that case, I’ll considered myself warned.” Hylan reached out and pulled Nikki back to his side.
Why am I melting in his arms?
What she needed to do was think of exactly how she was going to explain to a stranger just why it was she’d been masquerading as his wife. Unfortunately, it seemed her creative mind had hit another writer’s block because she was coming up with zilch.
“In that case,” Momma Mahina said, walking past them to grab her jacket, “I’ll leave you two to your happy reunion. Who knows, maybe we’ll have an addition to the family nine months from now, eh?” She slapped him on the arm and Rafiq followed with another sharp elbow.
What the hell? Am I in the middle of a WWE match and don’t know it? He glanced over at his wife and concluded that at this point anything was possible.
When it was clear that the two were getting ready to leave, Nikki suddenly bolted out of Hylan’s arms. “Wait!”
Momma Mahina jumped at the sudden shout. “What? What is it, chile?”
“You can’t leave,” Nikki said.
“Why not?”
Nikki bumped her lips together but no words came.
“Yes, sweetheart. Why can’t they leave?” Hylan asked, rubbing his arm.
Nikki didn’t know the man and couldn’t discern whether he was irritated or amused. Lord knows she was hoping it was the latter. The last thing she wanted to do tonight was go to jail. Realizing that everyone was waiting for her to say something, she forced words to spill out of her mouth and just prayed that it would make sense.
“Storm. Coming. We…um, should probably just all hunker down here…together…all of us.”
One side of Hylan’s lips twitched again.
Momma Mahina clucked her tongue and rolled her eyes. “See what I mean?” she asked Hylan. “Such a sweet chile. Always worried about others.” She returned her attention to Nikki, this time grabbing her cheeks and giving them a healthy pinch. “Rafiq and I will be fine. We’ve survived many a storm. Besides, I have to make sure Lathan’s dinner is on the table by six. He gets very grouchy when it’s late—storm or no storm.”
“Then I should come help you,” Nikki insisted.
Momma Mahina and Rafiq frowned.
“What the heck is wrong with you, chile?” the older woman said, jabbing her fists against the curve of her waist. “You got your own man here that needs tending to.” Her gaze darted between Hylan and Nikki with sudden suspicion.
Nikki teetered between panic and downright hysteria. Once again, Hylan surprised her by coming to her aide and wrapping his strong arms around her waist. “I couldn’t agree with you more, Mahina. My wife and I have a lot of catching up to do.” He glanced at Nikki. “Isn’t that right, sweetie?” He leaned down and peppered her long neck with small kisses.
Nikki quivered and swallowed a soft moan.
Mahina’s and Rafiq’s faces exploded with smiles.
“Yes. You stay here and take care of your man.” She reached out and patted Nikki directly on her flat belly. “Nothing like a new baby in the spring.”
Nikki’s mouth fell open.
Hylan reached over and gently pushed her chin up to close it. “We’ll see you all later.”
“Yes. I’ll make sure to call before coming over,” she joked, winking.
Before Nikki could think of any way to stop them, Mahina and Rafiq slipped out of the door. Hylan stood at the threshold for a few more seconds, waving them off.
Nikki eased from his side and started to tiptoe toward the staircase. That is until she heard the distinctive click of the door behind her. “Going somewhere, honey?” Hylan asked.
Wincing, Nikki slowly made a one-hundred-eighty degree turn and hit Hylan with a please don’t hurt me expression.
He crossed his arms and continued to look both amused and annoyed. “Forgive me, sweetheart, but, um…I don’t exactly remember our wedding…or proposing. Hell, for that matter, even being properly introduced.”
“Oh!” Nikki adjusted her 5'9" frame and thrust a hand out to him. “Nicole Dawson.”
Hylan’s brows jumped.
“Uh.” Her hand fell down as she shook her head. “I meant, um, Nicole Jamison.”
A hard vein popped up along Hylan’s jawline while his mahogany eyes transformed into polished onyx.
No doubt about it. He’s mad.
“I’m sure you’re probably wondering why people seemed to think that we’re married,” she started, taking a tentative step backward.
Hylan stepped forward. “No. Actually, I think I have that part figured out.”
“You do?” she asked, surprised.
“Yeah. You lied to them.”
She tried to laugh but they both knew that there wasn’t a damn thing funny about this situation. “Yes. I guess that may be one reason why they—” She bumped into the staircase railing and emitted a startled gasp.
“You seem a little jumpy,” Hylan observed, still moving forward.
“No. No. I, um—” Nikki scrambled around the railing and then proceeded to back her way up the stairs. “I’m just a little nervous here.”
“I don’t blame you,” Hylan said, sounding almost sympathetic to her plight.
“Y-you don’t?”
“No.” He followed her up the staircase. “I’ve never been arrested before.”
“Arrested?”
“Well, don’t quote me on this, but masquerading as my wife has a strong whiff of criminality about it. Let’s see, you’ve been living in my house for what?”
“Um, about eighteen months.”
Incredulous, Hylan blinked at her. “You’ve been telling people that we’ve been married for a year and half?”
Nikki tried to work the quick calculations in her head, but it was hard to concentrate with Hylan glaring at her. “Something close to that.”
“And they believed you?”
“Well, you are a busy man and I sort of really wanted to get away from our jet-setting lifestyle to write a new play. Of course you didn’t want me to come here all by myself, but I persuaded you that this was something that I really wanted to do. You know to stop and really just concentrate on the play that’s going to launch me onto Broadway.”
Hylan froze at the center of the staircase and just stared her.
Nikki continued. “But then I got here and I was hit with a major case of writer’s block. Which was true, you know,” she added for good measure. “Of course, you call every evening, wondering when I’m coming back stateside. This past winter, you even threatened to divorce me. But after I nearly had an emotional breakdown, you relented and said that I could take all the time I wanted to complete my play.” Then she perked up. “Which is almost done, by the way.”
Silence.
Nikki crouched back as she struggled to read him again.
Body Heat Page 4
