by Amelia Judd
Sage bit the inside of her lip and shifted her weight from one flip-flopped foot to the other. “How did you manage that?”
“I called in a favor.”
“Are your parents going to be okay moving?”
Pax blew out a breath, leaned forward to rest his forearms against the bar, and began drumming the fingers of his right hand on the dark wood surface. “Mom will like being closer to the beach. And Dad will like being farther from me. It’s a win-win,” he muttered.
Sage sighed, set her coffee down, and gently laid both of her hands over his. “Pax…” She paused, waiting until his fingers stilled beneath hers. “He loves you. But he doesn’t understand the choices you’ve made. Now’s the perfect chance to make him understand. The fact that he’s even here means he’s willing to try.”
“Uh-huh,” he replied, one eyebrow raised.
“That’s the spirit,” she said, ignoring the skepticism radiating from every cell of his body.
He shrugged. “It’s not like things can get much worse.”
“Oh jeez, don’t say that. You’re going to jinx it. Things can always get—”
“Hello, Sage.”
Sage gasped, yanked her hands back, and spun around at the sound of the familiar voice behind her.
“Will?” she stammered.
She’d tried to warn Pax. Things could always get worse.
Chapter 12
“What are you doing here?” Sage took a deep breath to control the squeak in her voice and tried again. “I mean, I didn’t realize you were coming.” She moved toward her boss—or was it boyfriend?—and away from Pax, turning on her highest watt smile.
“After I read your analysis, I wanted to see this place for myself.” Will scanned the room, his gaze stopping on Pax. “So quaint.”
The men stared at each other in silence before Pax extended his right hand. “Good to see you again, Will.”
Will scanned the room as he slowly reached his hand out to shake Pax’s. “I have to admit, I was surprised by Sage’s glowing report. I never thought she’d enjoy a resort specializing in adventure.”
“This place offers its guests a lot more than adventure,” Sage said. “Once you spend a couple of days here, I’m sure you’ll appreciate the natural beauty and tranquil atmosphere La Vida exudes.”
As if on cue, ear-splitting shrieks, howls, and grunts filled the air around them. The sounds hit roughly the same decibel level as a heavy metal concert. Sage saw, and very much heard, two ticked-off monkeys in a heated shouting match in the trees surrounding the pool deck.
“What is all that ruckus?” Will took a step back and scanned the trees with a horrified look on his face.
“Don’t worry, folks,” Brick yelled over the noise as he stepped onto the pool deck. “That’s probably two boy monkeys fighting over who gets the gal monkey. But I do reckon it’s best we all step back before they start flinging poop.”
“Does this sort of thing happen often?” Will retreated further into the hacienda as the other guests scrambled for cover around them.
“It’s never happened before,” Pax said with a pained expression. “This week is full of surprises,” he added under his breath.
“You’re in luck, Will,” Sage said, plastering on a smile and yelling over the howling monkeys. “There are hardly any vacancies here, but a villa just became available.” She turned her gaze to Pax. “Rather than moving the other guests into the open villa, I suggest Will stay there instead. Being on property is the only way for him to truly experience all of La Vida.”
Pax drew in a long, slow breath as if bracing himself for the inevitable. Then he nodded his consent.
“Excellent.” Will placed his hand on the small of her back and leaned close to be heard. “Why don’t you show me around the resort? Let’s start in the opposite direction of those wild animals.”
Fighting the urge to step away, Sage watched Pax’s gaze drop to Will’s hand at her waist and then return to her eyes. Jeez. If Pax ground his jaw any harder, his teeth might turn to dust.
“Pax should show you around. He knows the resort better than anyone,” she suggested.
“Nonsense. I’m sure he has guests to attend to, and to be honest, I also traveled here so we could spend some time together outside of the office. Costa Rica sounded so romantic.” He frowned. “It goes without saying that I didn’t know flying fecal matter would be an issue.”
“There’s nothing to worry about.” Sage gestured toward the trees. “See, the monkeys have quieted down already. I’m sure no one is going to get hit by poop today.”
Pax cocked an eyebrow.
“Not literally, at least,” she muttered under her breath.
She gulped, and her gaze darted between the two men. Daggers shot from Pax’s eyes as his hands clenched and unclenched at his side. Will fidgeted with his watch, looking out of place and uneasy.
Things could get really ugly, really fast if she didn’t navigate the next few days carefully. So much for choosing the banking industry as a secure foundation for building a stable future. At this rate, her life would have been more stable, and less nerve-racking, if she’d pursued a career as a circus tightrope walker.
•••
As Will left with Sage, Pax gritted his teeth and swallowed down the urge to yank the guy off of her. She didn’t need a knight in shining armor. She’d always been strong, capable, and completely upfront about the fact that she would never walk away from a stable future to be with him.
It didn’t matter how much he enjoyed spending time with her. And it absolutely didn’t matter how much he wanted her to stay.
“How long have you been in love with her?” Kat asked. She stood a few feet away, head tipped to the side, a knowing expression on her face.
“What the hell are you talking about? Did your surfboard hit you on the head?” He strode out of the main room and headed for his office.
Of course, his sister followed him there.
“I’m talking about Sage.” Kat closed the door. “I can’t believe I never realized it before. You’re gaga over her.”
“I am not gaga over her.”
She grinned. “If you could have seen what was written all over your face a minute ago, you wouldn’t have the balls to deny it.”
“I’m not talking about this with you.” Pax paced in front of his desk and dragged a hand through his hair.
“You need to talk to someone about it. Might as well be me.”
“No way. Time for you to—” Pax stopped mid-sentence.
His father’s laughter drifted through the closed door. Until that moment, he hadn’t realized how long it had been since he’d heard his old man laugh.
Curious to see what he sounded so happy about, Pax stepped into the main room in time to see Richard clamp his hand onto Will’s shoulder as the two men vigorously shook hands.
Terrific. His dad was looking at Will like he was the educated, polished, professional son he’d always wanted. Not only did it burn that his father preferred Will to him, it pissed him off that his old man couldn’t see Claire was a better fit for Bennett Industries than Pax would ever be.
His oldest sister was a hard worker, smart as hell, and capable of accomplishing anything she set her mind to. Claire had even told him the last time they spoke on the phone that she actually enjoyed working with their dad and didn’t mind being stuck in an office all day. Pax couldn’t think of a worse frigging way to spend a day, let alone a lifetime.
“Buck up. Dad only likes him because he kisses his ass,” Kat whispered, digging her fingers into his arm and pulling him toward the group.
While a few guests had returned to the tables inside the hacienda and on the patio surrounding the pool, the main commotion came from the center of the open-aired room where his mom, dad, and Will were enthusiastically greeting each other.
Positioned a few feet from the group, Sage toyed with her silver necklace. Her eyes darted nervously between Pax, his father, and
Will.
“Pax, why didn’t you tell me this son of a bitch was going to be here?” His dad’s voice boomed as he slapped Will on the shoulder.
Pax smiled in a half-assed attempt to mimic Richard’s joking demeanor. “Because I didn’t know the son of a bitch was going to be here.”
Sage sucked in air and Kat squeezed his arm in warning.
“I invited him to zip-line with us today,” his old man added, oblivious to the tension. “I tried to get Sage to join us too, but she keeps telling me no. Maybe you can get a yes out of her.”
Pax raised an eyebrow and turned to Sage in silent inquiry.
“Nope.” She shook her head vehemently back and forth. “I’ve got work to do in the kitchen. I’m close to winning Susanna over. I can’t desert her now to go swinging through the trees.”
“You can bake when we get back,” Kat said. “Please, come with us.”
“Yes, dear, we’d all like you to join us,” Pax’s mom added with a smile.
“Sage isn’t the type to enjoy zip-lining.” Will sidled up to Sage and wrapped an arm around her waist. “I’ll stay with her.”
“Thank you for the offer, Will, but I’ll be fine here alone.”
“I insist,” Will said.
A knot tightened in Pax’s chest. He should be fighting to get his loan approved, but instead he had to hang out with his stress-inducing family while the woman he couldn’t get out of his mind spent a romantic day with another guy at his freaking resort.
•••
Less than two hours later, Sage’s stomach dropped to her expensive, new hiking boots as she peeked over the edge of a frighteningly deep canyon. What the heck had she been thinking? Right now, she could be safely back at the hacienda baking decadent sweets. But no, Pax had looked so darn disappointed when she’d turned down his offer, she’d changed her stupid mind about going zip-lining. Now, standing on the rim of a four-hundred-foot drop and rigged up in an intimidating number of safety straps and a battered red helmet, rational thought returned with a vengeance.
“Regretting your decision to join us?” Pax asked, stepping next to her.
“Immensely.”
“You’re going to love it.”
She shot him a look of incredulous disbelief. “Have you met me?” she asked, her voice rising in panic. “And why is my helmet all beat up? What the heck happened to the last person who wore it? Seriously? Did they run into a tree?”
He grinned down at her. “There are double cables and double pulleys. It’s completely safe. The course starts at the top of the canyon and then travels back and forth across it until we reach the bottom. There are a dozen runs in all. The longest is over a third of a mile long.”
“What if I hate the first one so much, I don’t want to do the rest of them?”
“If that happens, you can ride tandem with me for the rest of the day.”
Sage sucked in a breath. “That might be awkward with your parents here,” she said, looking to see if the others were watching their conversation.
Thankfully, Kat and Pax’s parents stood next to Brick, their attention completely focused on the older guide. Making large swooping motions with his hands, Brick looked to be in the middle of another one of his animated stories.
“Not as awkward as it would be with your boyfriend here,” Pax added dryly.
She turned her attention to Will, who was standing a few feet from Richard. Staring at her with a sour expression on his face, he looked weighed down with all the gear wrapped around his thin frame. And he looked ticked.
Sage smiled weakly at him and turned back to Pax. “He’s not my boyfriend,” she hissed.
“Does he know that?”
“Of course. We’ve only been out a few times.”
“Uh-huh.”
Sage cocked her head. “Do you think I’m lying?”
“No.” His expression hardened. “I think he takes a few dates more seriously than you do.”
She glanced at Will. His jaw was clenched, his features were tense, and he looked even more ticked now than he had a minute ago. Worry churned her belly. Will was a decent guy, and she didn’t want to hurt him. If she lived through zip-lining, she’d have to find a way to let him down easy. Being around Pax again had finally made her realize she needed to be with a man who reached all the way to her heart.
“Brick’s about to give directions.” Pax’s voice broke into her thoughts. “I’m sure you’ll want to hear this.”
“Absolutely.” Sage hurried to join the others before she could miss any important piece of safety information.
“Hiya, folks.” Brick smiled widely at the group. “Before we get started, there’s just one rule I want you to remember. Always keep your gloved hand behind you and wrapped around the cable. Squeeze the cable with that hand to stop.”
Eyes wide, Sage raised her hand.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What if we let go of the cable by mistake?”
“You’ll start spinning faster than a tornado in a trailer park.”
Holy buckets. That sounded bad. Sage raised her hand again.
“Yes, little lady.”
“What should we do if we accidentally let go?”
He shook his head. “Just don’t let go.”
Eyebrows to her hairline, she shot her hand up again.
“You’ll be fine,” Pax murmured in her ear as he gently lowered her arm. “You’ll see a lot of monkeys, parrots, and a beautiful river once we reach the bottom of the canyon. You’re going to love it.”
“So you keep telling me,” she grumbled, trying to ignore his touch and the warm tickle of his breath along her temple.
She felt him smile next to her and her body perked up in interest. Maybe she should reconsider riding tandem with him? Being strapped tightly to Pax might actually make the whole experience enjoyable. Jeez, she had to get control of the weird combination of fear, adrenaline, and arousal coursing through her before she made a fool of herself.
Petrified, Sage watched first Brick and then Logan hook onto the line and soar through the air to the second platform. Pax hooked Kat up next. Her best friend happily jumped off the edge as if gliding four hundred feet over a canyon was no big deal. Ann screamed in joy on her turn, and Richard and Will shouted in excitement during their respective flights. Soon, only Sage and Pax remained on the platform.
“Ready?” he asked her.
She shook her head.
“Do you want to ride with me?”
She blew out a sigh. “Yes. For all the wrong reasons.”
He grinned.
“Any chance I can talk you out of this?”
His grin turned wicked. “I’m sure you could persuade me.”
“Really?” she asked hopefully.
“Honey, you could get me to do about anything. But if you walk away now, you’ll always regret it. Don’t let fear control you.” He held out his hand to her. “I know you, Sage. And I promise you, you’re going to love it.”
“Fine.” She rolled her eyes and put her hand in his. “But if I fall to my death, I’m going to curse your name the entire way down.”
“Fair enough.” Pax tugged her gently to his side and began fastening her to the line. He tested the buckles and reminded her where to hold on. Then he moved behind her and wrapped his hands around her hips. “I’m going to help you push off.”
“What? Why?”
“You’re pretty light so there’s a chance you could stop before you get to the end if you don’t have enough momentum.”
“You’re just now telling me this!” Her mouth went dry, and her pulse pounded in her throat.
“Relax. If it happens, spin around and use your hands to pull yourself along the line until you get to the end. Easy. Safe travels,” he said as he pushed her off the edge.
Before she could put coherent words together, Sage was zipping over the jungle canopy at a blinding speed. Resisting the urge to close her eyes and scream, she craned her head in every dir
ection, taking in the blue sky above her and the winding river way, way, way below her. Unbelievably, rather than scared, she felt... amazing.
For once in her life, she felt brave and adventurous and exciting. As the lush, green forest on the far side of the canyon grew closer, she didn’t want the ride to end. Pax had been right. She loved zip-lining!
Sage slowed to a stop a few feet from where the line ended on the far side of the canyon. She smiled widely as Brick unfastened her from the line and secured her to the platform. “That was awesome!”
“Glad you liked it ’cause we’ve got eleven more to go.”
Suddenly, eleven didn’t seem like nearly enough. Sage wanted to spend the entire day flying through the trees. No one, except Pax, would ever believe that she—safe, responsible, boring Sage—had turned into an adrenaline junkie!
Chapter 13
After her exhilarating morning, Sage spent a peaceful afternoon in La Vida’s kitchen. By early evening, she was pulling her first batch of chocolate croissants from the oven. She held the baking sheet close to her nose, closed her eyes, and inhaled the warm, buttery scent of heaven on earth. If her golden morsels of perfection tasted even a fraction as good as they smelled, Pax would love them.
When she looked through the front window and spotted him talking to a groundskeeper, Sage dropped a couple of croissants into a pastry bag and hurried out the side exit.
“Pax…” She paused until he looked her way, a tired smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. “Do you have time for a walk?” She held up the bag of pastries for him to see. “I brought goodies.”
“Bribery?”
“Yep.”
“Unneeded.” He took her hand. “Come on, there’s a private path down to a stretch of beach the guests don’t know about.” He directed her to a narrow dirt trail leading into the trees along the kitchen side of the hacienda. “We won’t be able to stay long. I’ve got to meet your boss to go over some financial reports before dinner.”
She squeezed his hand in support, appreciating the calluses that roughened his palm. Pax gave everything he had—physically, mentally, emotionally—to make La Vida a success.
