An Innocent In Paradise

by Kate Carlisle

  Logan chuckled. “Anyone who can cause you to flip out this much? I’m on their side.”

  Aidan’s eyes narrowed in thought and he began to pace again. “What if she couldn’t really tell us apart, but she’s been watching us? You know, like maybe she stalked you this morning. You keep your window wide-open half the time. Maybe she saw you in the business suit and knew as soon as I showed up in khakis that I wasn’t you.”

  “You know what? You’re losing it.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” Aidan sighed. “But what can I say? It was weird.”

  Logan laughed again. “You’re an idiot.”

  “No, you’re an idiot,” Aidan said. “Because you really like her.”

  “I do like the way she took you down a notch.”

  “Yeah. I guess it was probably funny from a strictly objective point of view.” Aidan stopped in midpace and turned. “But what are we going to do about her?”

  “We aren’t going to do anything about her.”

  “I’m only thinking of you, bro,” Aidan said. “She could still be a stalker.”

  “The fact that Grace was too perceptive to fall for the Switch doesn’t make her a stalker.” Logan laughed at that ludicrous thought. “Just let it go, man.”

  “Okay.” Aidan slumped down into the visitor’s chair. “But I never thought I’d see the day when the Switch would fail me.”

  “It’s a sad day, all right.” Logan shook his head, pulled a file out of the credenza and spread it open on his desk. “We need to get this meeting started. I’ll buzz Ellie to let her know we’re ready to go.”

  “You promise there are no snakes?”

  “Cross my heart.” Logan grabbed her hand as the path widened and they were able to walk hand in hand. “We don’t have poisonous snakes on Alleria. Yes, we have little green-and-brown snakes that eat bugs and stuff, but that’s it. We have a very nonconfrontational ecosystem here on the island.”

  Grace’s eyes widened and she laughed. “Really? Nonconfrontational ecosystem? That’s so impressive.”

  “I sound like a science geek, don’t I?”

  “Yes.” Grace sniffled. “I’m so proud.”

  They both laughed as Logan grabbed her and swung her into his arms. “Come on.”

  Clouds flitted across the blue sky as they followed the narrowing path that switched back and forth around the hills through the forested area. They found the hot springs twenty minutes later, after cutting their way through the thick fronds and giant leaves of the banana trees that grew close to the source of the thermal heat.

  They stopped at the edge of a small pool that had been carved over the centuries into the base of the rock-covered hill. Hot bubbles rose to the surface from the thermal pockets while cool water cascaded down over smooth boulders and splashed into the clear water.

  Thick vegetation grew in abundance under the canopy of the rain forest, assuring them of utter privacy.

  “It’s like our own private paradise,” she said, and gazed at him. “Can we go in?”

  “Absolutely.” Logan stripped off his T-shirt, then pointed up at the waterfall. “Just so you know, the water coming from the hill is much cooler than the springs itself, so don’t be shocked to find pockets of cold mixed in with the hot once you step in.”

  “So the cold spots aren’t from the alligators swishing their tails underwater?”

  He bit back a grin. “No alligators.”

  “I’m trusting you,” she said, shaking her finger at him. “I have a deep-seated fear of alligators.”

  “You and me both, sweetheart.” Logan stepped to the edge of the pool. “And I swear the only predatory beasts are the small lizards who only want to sun themselves down in the flatlands.”

  “Okay. Is the water shallow?” she asked.

  “No, it’s more like five or six feet deep.”

  She slipped out of her hiking shorts, then adjusted the strap of her bathing suit where it wrapped around her neck.

  Logan, being a mere human, slid his gaze down to her breasts, where the strap adjustment caused them both to lift in a sensual movement that was surely meant to search and destroy every last one of his brain cells.

  When her nipples suddenly perked up at his scrutiny, he grinned. Always nice to know the attraction wasn’t one-sided.

  With little blood left to nourish his brain, Logan was helpless to prevent his gaze from traveling farther down her well-shaped torso, taking in her nicely toned stomach, perfectly rounded hips and long, lovely legs.

  When he finally realized that she was watching him as he took his little side trip, Logan forced himself to make eye contact once again.

  Sure enough, Grace glared back at him with eyes narrowed and hands pressed to her hips in a mock display of insulted dignity.

  “Hey, I’m just a guy,” Logan said, laughing. “An uncouth clod of a guy, for sure, but still a guy.”

  “Have you seen enough?” she demanded to know.

  “Not nearly.”

  Grace smiled. “Maybe you’ll get a chance to see more if you behave.”

  “Not a chance you’ll get me to behave out here.”

  “Well, then.” Grace whipped around toward the water. “Last one in the pool is a dirty rotten protozoan.”

  She jumped into the pool and Logan followed her, creating a riot of waves and splashes as they surfaced. They grabbed blindly for each other and once he had her in his arms, Logan kissed her slowly, deeply, wrapping his tongue around hers as all his pent-up fervor began to unfurl.

  In unspoken synchronicity, they began to peel off what little clothing they wore. Logan flung his trunks and her bikini onto the nearest rock, then, despite an aching yearning to be inside her, he turned all of his attention to first satisfying her completely. He was determined to move unhurriedly, though she was so damn tempting with her lovely breasts cresting on the surface of the water.

  With both hands on her face, he kissed her again. When she swept her tongue along his lower lip in a move that was both innocent and seductive, his mind emptied of all thought but pleasure, pure and unadulterated.

  He took his time with her, working his hands along the sides of her breasts, teasing her nipples to fullness, then moving down her firm stomach to the apex of her thighs where he stroked her soft folds until he heard her blissful sigh. The sweet sound brought his erection instantly to attention and he groaned with desire for her. She reached down and stroked his rigid length until he had to pull away or fall apart in her hands.

  Gripping her behind, he squeezed and kneaded lightly as he moved his mouth to cover hers, kissing her long and hard as he continued to touch her all over.

  “I need you, Logan,” she murmured, and stretched her arms around his neck. “Please.”

  “I just have to do this first,” he whispered, cupping her breasts in his hands, then bending to taste first one, then the other, taking his time to enjoy her soft fullness. “Now wrap your legs around me, sweetheart.”

  She did as he asked, her breasts pressing against his chest, driving him to madness as he eased her down onto him, then held his breath when she drew him in to the hilt.

  Her eyes fluttered closed as passion overcame them both. Logan began to move inside her, thrusting faster and harder, plunging deeper, then deeper still. She cried out her pleasure as she moved with him. Her heated need threatened to drive him to completion too quickly, so he willed himself to go slowly, carefully, dragging each second out as he stroked her innermost core.

  But need consumed him once more and pure instinct took over. His movements grew faster, deeper, more frantic as his body pulsated within hers. She screamed his name and moments later, he groaned in response as a wild rapture overtook him and he plunged with her over the edge.

  Spent and sated, they lay sprawled on one of the smooth boulders that lined the edge of the pool.

  “You’re right-this is paradise,” Logan said, touching her cheek with his fingers. Then he rolled up onto his elbow and leaned over to kiss he
r.

  She stared at his long, powerful body lying next to her, aching to touch him again. She just wasn’t sure she had the strength to move a muscle.

  They dozed for a few minutes, then slid into the water again. She swam toward the waterfall, needing the coolness to quench the heat she felt inside her body and out.

  He came and stood behind her and let the water cool them both. He smoothed her hair back with his hands. Then she turned and he pulled her into his arms, holding her against his chest, his solid strength a counterpoint to her soft roundness. She ran her hands along his shoulders and down his back, marveling at the silky smoothness of his skin against the solid firmness of his muscles.

  Paradise. Against all odds, she’d found it. And her heart stuttered, knowing it was only a matter of time before she would have to leave it forever.

  Two days later, the twins’ father, Tom, arrived with Sally Duke and the three Duke brothers and their wives.

  The limousine picked all eight of them up at the airport and delivered them back to the hotel in time to get checked in, then meet Logan and Aidan in the cocktail lounge for drinks before dinner.

  As they toasted the cousins’ arrival with various cocktails and fruit drinks, Logan spied Grace working at the bar.

  She should be sitting here with me and my family, he thought. The realization caused him to jolt. Had he really been thinking that? No. He brushed the thought away. Grace wasn’t a part of his family. She just worked here. Yes, they were sleeping together. And, yes, he liked her. But, damn, he needed to get real.

  Not that it mattered, but Aidan would never let him live it down if he ever found out what Logan had been thinking.

  “You must get the cream of the crop in terms of workers,” Adam said, glancing around the well-appointed, wide-open room.

  “I was just thinking the same thing,” his wife, Trish, said. “Your employees are all such beautiful people, and so accommodating.”

  Brandon’s wife Kelly smiled. “And who wouldn’t want to work in a tropical paradise?”

  “It really is a spectacular location,” Sally said, pointing toward the wide wall of windows. “I love this view.”

  Julia, Cameron’s wife, glanced around, then directed a playful scowl at Logan. “So is everyone on your staff required to be gorgeous?”

  Everyone at the table laughed, and Logan said, “I’ve never considered that a job requirement. But I will point out that serving cocktails and food requires the servers to be on their feet for hours while lifting heavy trays the entire time.”

  “You’ve got to have great upper-body strength for that job,” Brandon said.

  “Which means they’re all in excellent shape to boot,” Kelly said, and laughed despite her look of dismay.

  “Besides being so pretty,” Sally added.

  Logan glanced at Aidan, then gazed around the room and realized it was true. They had a darn good-looking group of people working here. Why hadn’t they ever discussed that fact? Maybe they could feature it in one of their online newsletters.

  Aidan bit back a grin. “Contrary to every human resources dictate ever written, we have a very strict Pretty People policy here at the Alleria Resort.”

  “Yeah, right,” Logan said, rolling his eyes. “He’s kidding. Our Senior Vice President and most of our managers would have our heads if that were true.”

  “Well, the hotel is beautiful,” Sally said, sipping her piña colada. “And everyone has been more than helpful.”

  “I’m glad,” Logan said.

  “I can’t wait to swim in that clear turquoise water,” Julia said dreamily.

  “I’m starting with a massage first thing tomorrow,” Sally said, then sighed. “All my beautiful grandbabies are taking a toll on my muscles.”

  “Oh, I’ll join you,” Kelly said, rubbing her neck. “I’m pretty sure my shoulder was yanked out of its socket when I lifted Robbie yesterday.”

  “I know what you mean, sweetie.” Sally cast a wary glance at Brandon. “I’m afraid that little guy is going to grow up to be a linebacker.”

  Brandon grinned. “That’s my boy.”

  “I was hoping to get a golf game in first thing,” Tom said as he grabbed a chip full of guacamole.

  “I’ll be glad to join you,” Adam said.

  “Me, too,” Brandon chimed in. “And Kelly’s no slacker on the golf course, either.”

  “Massage first,” Kelly said. “But I’d love to play golf the next day.”

  “I’ll go swimming with you, baby,” Cameron said, wrapping his arm around Julia’s shoulder. With a smile, she closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest.

  Logan felt a tug of envy at his cousins’ good luck at finding three such beautiful, accomplished women to marry. He knew they each had one or two really cute kids, too. So they’d clearly never had a qualm about trusting a woman enough to marry and settle down with her. Of course, they’d grown up with Sally, who was a fantastic mom and must’ve provided them with a happy home despite her husband’s untimely death. The Duke brothers had never known a mother’s betrayal or experienced the treachery of a manipulative, lying woman.

  Lucky dogs.

  Logan wiped away the sweat from his eyes as he ran to the end of the peninsula and rounded the slow curve of white-blond sand. He headed back toward the hotel, his heart pounding in rhythm with his feet. He observed a few others out this morning, running or walking to the beat of the music blasting into their heads through tiny earbuds.

  He tried to concentrate exclusively on his breathing, but the thought of Grace’s lush, naked body still warming his bed caused his body to tighten. It had seemed like a good idea to force himself to get up and go running this morning, but now he couldn’t quite figure out why.

  Pacing himself, he marked time and distance as he passed the familiar landmarks of life here on Alleria. The paddle tennis courts where he and his brother took turns beating each other. The grassy pavilion where concerts were held during the high season. The tiny marina where the hotel kept a fleet of sleek catamarans for guests to rent and where the brothers docked their sailboat.

  Thinking of the sailboat reminded him of Grace and their recent picnic. And her lush, naked body.

  “Damn,” he muttered, and tried to focus on the sound of his shoes pounding against the damp, hard-packed sand. The bay water smelled briny this morning and he wondered if the local fishermen might be reeling in more bluefish in the near future.

  The colors of the sunrise were muted pink and coral and so rich it almost hurt to gaze at the swirling hues. He would never admit to a single soul that it was those colors and the island scents that brought him out here at this absurdly early hour of the morning. Exercise was simply an excuse.

  “Hey, cousin,” a voice called out.

  Logan turned and saw Brandon Duke running toward him and slowed his pace. “Morning, Brandon. You’re up early.”

  “Couldn’t sleep,” Brandon said, then shook his head. “Don’t laugh, but I miss my kid.”

  “I’m not laughing. That’s nice to hear.”

  Brandon turned and headed back to the hotel with Logan. “Kelly tells me I’m crazy and that it’s good to get away for a few days. But she misses him, too. I caught her staring at all of his pictures on her phone.”

  “How old is he now?”

  “Just seven months,” Brandon said. “Doesn’t seem right to just leave him with the nanny, does it? But here we are.”

  “You got pictures?”

  “Aw, jeez, don’t ask. I’ve got a phone loaded with his photos, too. And I’m willing to bore-I mean, share them with anyone foolish enough to ask.”

  Logan laughed. “You’re a good dad.”

  “Yeah,” Brandon said, shaking his head in wonder. “Who would’ve thought.”

  “Well, you had a great mom growing up to show you how it’s done.”

  “Not exactly,” Brandon said, grimacing.

  “What do you mean?” Logan asked.

  “We
all came from different screwed-up families and landed in the foster system around the same time,” he explained. “Sally adopted the three of us when we were all about eight years old.”

  Logan stared at him. “I didn’t know that.”

  “Yeah. Before that fateful day, I’d spent eight years living with a crack addict mother and a subhuman piece of crap I hesitate to call a father. He beat the hell out of us from the first moment I could remember. After a few hundred brutal beatings, dear old mom hit the road, leaving me alone with the monster. Luckily, a good neighbor turned him in to child services and I ended up in foster care. But I never forgot the lessons his fists taught me. Adam and Cameron had similar experiences. We’re all damn lucky Sally found us.”

  Logan stopped walking. Troubled, he glanced around the shore, gazed at the hotel in the distance, then looked back at his cousin. “I…I don’t know what to say. Last night I was thinking you and your brothers were the luckiest guys on earth for getting to grow up with a mom like Sally. I was feeling sorry for myself, comparing my life to yours. I figured you guys didn’t have a care in the world. Guess I didn’t know what I was thinking.”

  “That’s okay,” Brandon said. “Sally really did change everything for us. And I am the luckiest guy on earth. But it took a few drop kicks from Sally to get me to realize that.”

  “Yeah? What happened?”

  “I was ready to walk away from Kelly.”

  Logan frowned. “But you two seem perfect for each other.”

  Brandon grinned as they began to walk again. “Don’t get me wrong. I was crazy in love with her and she loved me, too, in spite of the fact that I was a complete knuckle-head for thinking I wasn’t good enough for her. My thing always was, I didn’t want to get close to anyone in case I came up short, you know? Sally’s the one who finally smacked some sense into me.”

  Logan shook his head, pulled a hand towel from his back pocket and wiped more sweat away. “So let me get this straight. You weren’t going to marry Kelly because you figured your parents had screwed you up so much that you could never be a decent husband and father?”