Caribbean Casanova: Under the Caribbean Sun, Book 2

by Jenna Bayley-Burke

  He gave a sad laugh. “It was better until she got petty about the models. She wouldn’t believe that he wouldn’t do anything to throw off the photo shoot.”

  “He’s been beyond helpful. I can’t reckon the man I spent the week with and the guy the rest of the island sees are the same person.”

  “Everyone on the island loves Harm. He’s like a genie in a lamp. Whenever he learns someone needs something, he finds a way to get it to them.”

  She arched a brow. “You don’t have to sugar coat. I know about the Caribbean Casanova nickname and how he had a trio of models so jealous they ruined an entire day of shooting for the lingerie catalog.”

  He actually laughed. “I’ll tell you what I told Sass. I don’t know what Janny’s agenda was in badmouthing us to her. We barely even know her. I don’t know why either of you would buy into idle gossip.”

  “Because we have a business to protect.”

  “And was Harm anything like Janny said? Am I? I’m sure she’ll give you plenty of excuses, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

  “I’m not looking for excuses. There isn’t even a choice to make. I’m not derailing three years of work for three days of…friendship.”

  Joe squinted at the waning light and shrugged his bare shoulders. Odd how seeing Harm without a shirt sent her pulse racing and though Joe was equally as stunning, he did nothing for her.

  “Any advice on how to get off this island with the least amount of fireworks? I don’t want to set those two off again.”

  “My advice? Trust what you feel.”

  She felt sick. Curl-up-in bed-with-the-TV-remote-and-tissues sick. A-weekend-in-pajamas-eating-nothing-but-tubs-of-ice-cream sick. The only cure was getting off this island and back to a place where she had control over her fate.

  “Joe, will you take me to St. Maarten? I want to get the first flight out.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  After hours of searching for Holly on the beaches, in restaurants, clubs, even a few hotels, Harm had given in to reality and returned home. No one was there, just him and the dark. The kids he’d asked to model had given up the ghost, his brother and the brat had run off, and apparently so had Holly. Nothing of her remained in the guest room downstairs except for the scent of honeysuckle.

  He’d considered sleeping in her bed but deemed that too pathetic. He might be hurting, but he wouldn’t degrade himself for a woman too weak to stand up to her friend. Holly should have told Sassy to go to hell.

  Instead she’d given in, as if her time with him had been just to distract him from the models at the shoot. A cold shudder wracked his body. Had he been played? She ought to give up fashion and go into acting, because he’d never seen this one coming.

  The familiar scent of honeysuckle rose towards him again as he shuffled to his bedroom. Of course, he’d had her on every available surface there the night before. He paused at the darkened door and thought about the empty beds down the hall. He’d set up bedrooms for his entire family, though they were barely used. He should leave the rumpled sheets and tossed pillows for his housekeeper.

  No, this was his room, and he’d be damned before he was run out of it by a memory. Besides, his glass doors were open. The last time he hadn’t closed them for the night he’d been woken by a pair of Brown Boobies, and not the fun kind. The sharp-beaked birds had been grunting and doing who knows what on his bedroom floor.

  The memory of having to evict the unwanted guests lightened his ire as he crossed the room and closed the doors to the balcony. Holly’s scent swirled around him and he opened the doors again. Maybe by morning the room would air out and her perfume would be as gone as she was.

  He turned back to the crumpled mess they’d left the bed in and his chest tightened, squeezing and constricting until he had to press a hand against the ache. He’d been dropped like rubbish before, but he’d seen that coming.

  This? Hurt.

  He choked down the pain and shucked off his shorts. Tomorrow he’d find Holly. He had to know if she’d played him, or simply found him not worth it. He didn’t know which option he’d prefer.

  He tugged back the mound of linens and froze, his entire body tensing at the sight. Holly wore nothing but her honeyed skin, curled up on his bed. She rubbed her face with one hand and tugged the sheet from his hand to cover her body.

  “Did I fall asleep?” She sat up, tucking the sheet over her lush breasts.

  His lip quirked, with her sitting and him standing, every part of him grew aware of the positioning. His mind swirled as she pushed her hair off her face and looked up at him as if his cock weren’t rising to the occasion. He’d never realized the low-frame bed held such possibilities.

  “I thought if I was naked, you’d be too distracted to yell.” The please-don’t-be-mad grin tugged at his heart.

  “Seems to be working.” He tucked a few wayward strands of her dark hair behind her ear. “I’ve been looking for you for hours.”

  “I never left. I went up to the roof to think.” She held his gaze, her eyes dark in the dim light.

  “So you came to my bed to apologize, naked.”

  She lowered her brows and shook her head. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I refuse to be a pawn in your battle with my best friend. If you don’t care enough about Joe and me to stop the fighting, the least you can do is leave me out if it, and never do it in front of me again.”

  He opened his mouth to argue, but then realized Sassy could be easily ignored. He could tune her out like the other bleating goats on the island. Besides, that’s not what bothered him about Holly’s disappearance. “You left me. You walked away without a word.”

  She glanced down, her dark lashes fanning over her cheeks. “I planned on leaving.”

  His heart seized in his chest, knowing her presence was still tenuous, fleeting. “And yet you’re in my bed, naked.”

  She reached out and wrapped her hand around his bare thigh. “We’re good in bed.”

  He didn’t fight the grin. “We’re exceptional in bed, but if that’s all we were, you’d already be screaming my name.”

  “I’m so scared, Harm. And I don’t do scared.” Her breath caught on her words, like she fought back tears. “I always make the smart choice, even when it’s risky. But we’re not smart.”

  “Sweetheart, we’re fucking brilliant.” He tilted her chin up to look at him, her big brown eyes brimming with tears. “We’ll figure this out.”

  “But you’ve never done this before. I’m fracturing my life on something that could bore you next week.”

  “Not a chance.” He knew she didn’t believe him, and she wouldn’t. Not tonight. Not next week. Probably not even next year. “Magic-pussy phenomenon, remember?”

  Her cheeks lifted in a grin and she slapped his thigh, making his cock jump. “Don’t make a joke. I’m being serious here.”

  “I thought you liked jokes when things got too heavy. I can’t make you believe me. It’s like driving on blind curves, having to trust the road doesn’t end around the bend.”

  “That’s not reassuring.”

  “Perhaps I should stick to making jokes and not analogies.”

  “I came here to ask you to come to New York with me, so we can figure out how we are together away from you battling my best friend and business partner.” She reached for him again, putting her hand on his hip this time, tracing the cut of muscle from his abs to his cock.

  “No.” He grit his teeth, mesmerized by the movements of her hand.

  “No?” She wrapped her slim fingers around the base of his cock and squeezed.

  “Yes to anything your hands want. No to running away. This is our home.”

  “It’s your home. I have a loft in New York.” She skimmed her fingers up his shaft, working the pads of her fingers over his foreskin to the fat heat of his cock.

  “You’ve moved to Anguilla. Tax purposes or not, you bought a condo. Stay. Preferably in my bed.”

  “Since I can’t seem to get
mine out of customs, I’ll take you up on that while I’m here. But I will go back eventually.”

  “And you want me to come?”

  “Not now.” She squeezed his cock and his abs tensed, his torso curling at the pressure. “With me.”

  “You’re a minx.”

  She leaned closer, her breath teasing the head of his erection. “You want to come with me, don’t you?”

  “Always.”

  Epilogue

  “I need a zip and a clasp and then I’m off to get Saskia wedding ready.” Holly pulled her hair over her shoulder, presenting her back to Harm. She looked down, hoping to hide the grin.

  He moved behind her, placing a large hand on the curve of her hip as he tugged at the zipper. He stilled about an inch up, then slid both hands inside her dress and around her waist.

  “Sweetheart, what have you done?” He kissed the nape of her neck and sparks of sensation floated down throughout her body. He slid one hand over her bare hip, the other up her body to cup her breast. “What is this?”

  “A petal so I don’t nip out when you give me the let’s-go-home-now look.” She brought her head up to rest it against his.

  “No underwear to a wedding? I love this side of you.” He splayed his large hand over her belly.

  “You love every side of me that ends up naked. It’s the magic-pussy phenomenon.”

  His laugh rolled through her. She glanced at the clock on the bedside table and sighed. Before she got in last night they hadn’t been together in a week. He’d been out with his brothers and she’d fallen asleep before he returned. As much as she enjoyed waking to his warm body wrapped around hers, she needed more.

  These last months with him had turned her into a raving sensualist and she needed a fix. But she wanted more than a quickie. Letting Harm know she wasn’t wearing anything beneath her dress would have him armed and dangerous by the time they made it home tonight.

  “When do you have to be up at Dutch’s place?”

  “Five minutes ago. I think I’m defaulting to island time.” She shimmied her hips and his erection pressed into her backside. “I just wanted to make sure neither of us volunteers to close down the reception.”

  The soft cotton of his long-sleeve tee slid against her skin as he brought both hands up to her breasts and squeezed. Watching him fondle her beneath the pale-blue crocheted dress bordered on the obscene. “Are you wearing a condom?”

  She shook her head, trying to hold on to her plan when what she really wanted to do was rip off his shirt, knock him back on the bed and ride him until they were both screaming. But that was not on the agenda, not with his brother down the hall and his father downstairs.

  “Did you have your period last week?”

  That question worked better than a cold shower. “No. Zipper.”

  “Did you take a test?” He moved his hands to her back, locking her into the dress with exacting precision.

  “Harm, we talked about this. I do not have regular cycles, especially when I am running a business and coordinating a wedding. Not to mention our trip to Alaska next month. It’s stress.”

  “The condom broke.” He wrapped his hands around her middle and tucked his chin onto her shoulder, the stubble scratching her skin.

  “Your condom. Which was the one and only time you were in charge of birth control.” She tried to shrug him off, but he held her firm. “You need to shave.”

  “I will. After you take a test.”

  “Not today. Today is all about Saskia and Joe and wedding details. I’ll deal with it when I’m back in New York next week.”

  “Deal with it?” He straightened, his dark eyes narrowed and accusatory.

  “Don’t worry, I’ve got this. Don’t give it another thought.” She held up the silver chain. “Did you see the Dutch tile she gave us as bridesmaid gifts? A sailboat, very clever.” She spread the chain around her neck, but instead of fastening it for her, Harm walked away. Fat lot of help he was anyway.

  She did the clasp herself then turned to watch him pull open the drawer of his armoire. He snagged a small black box and a paper bag, then marched toward her like a soldier on a mission.

  “Take the test or wear the ring.” He thrust both parcels at her.

  “What the hell? I have a bride to go get ready, so I’m not up for whatever guessing game this is supposed to be.”

  “Pregnancy test or your wedding rings. You decide.”

  She rocked back on her heels and nearly toppled over. The man was a human sneaker wave.

  He shook the bag and she blinked, her stomach sinking.

  “You bought a pregnancy test? The entire island is going to be watching me for a baby bump for the next year. And what do you mean wedding rings?”

  “I bought the test in New York, the morning after the condom broke. And my father brought the rings with him.”

  “I’m sorry, is this some kind of ultimatum proposal? Because, no, you can’t do that to me. No.”

  “What do you mean, no?” His face blanched to a shade of pale she would have thought impossible with all his time under the Caribbean sun.

  “You are not going to cheat me out of a proposal with a temper tantrum.” Though they’d talked about marriage, and that neither of them had any burning desire to rush into parenthood, it still sent a thrill of sensation to know he planned on them marrying. She wanted to high-five her teenage self for finding a man who loved family and books and laughing as much as she did. “And you are going to be traditional and ask my father first. He deserves that. I’m the first of the girls to take this step and it’s what he earned by raising a good daughter.” She beamed up at him, but it had no effect.

  He still didn’t smile. “Then take the test.”

  “You’re being ridiculous, and I have a wedding to manage.” She tried to turn away but he grabbed her arm.

  “Holly, please.”

  His plea shot through her heart like an arrow. “Harm, sweetheart, we can do this tomorrow. Right now I’m feeling like if I pee on that stick I’ll have to wait for it to develop and console you when it’s negative. Which is kind of scaring me because we decided babies weren’t on the agenda this decade.”

  “That was before the condom broke and our child went from a hypothetical to a reality.”

  She snagged the bag because she wasn’t getting anywhere with him. “You have too much testosterone for your own good.” She took the test and washed her shaking hands. She’d kept pushing the situation farther back in her mind for the last few weeks, not wanting it to change anything. They were enjoying getting to know one another, finding a rhythm between Anguilla and New York, planning meet-the-parents vacations not a lifetime.

  She marched out of the bathroom and shoved the stick at Harm as unceremoniously as he’d tried to give her an engagement ring. Her phone sang from downstairs and her stomach clenched, knowing Sass needed her for all the last-minute bridal details.

  “I’ve got to go.”

  A wide grin split Harm’s face and his brown eyes sparkled. That wasn’t relief or disappointment. No, it was joy. Pure, unadulterated joy.

  “You’re kidding.” She grabbed his wrist and pulled the stick up to her face. No denying the plus sign in the little window. Her heart took off at a full run, sprinting in panic as her stomach flipped and her eyes welled up.

  She made it to the bed before collapsing. This was not her life. She was not the kind of woman who got knocked up by her boyfriend. She lay on the unmade bed, taking slow breaths. Emotions swirled like a tempest and she didn’t know which ones belonged to her and which to the panic.

  Harm joined her and stroked her hair. “Sweetheart, this is an amazing blessing. You’ll see.”

  She pressed a hand to her roiling tummy. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

  “Morning sickness? Have you had it before?”

  “Babe, my whole world just upended. I’m allowed to freak out a little. I’ve felt great the last month. I thought it was changing my diet. I�
�ve even lost a few pounds. For fuck sake, I’m an unwed mother. I can’t believe this.”

  “We’ll be married before the baby is born.”

  “And everyone will think that’s why.” She looked up at him, searching for reassurance. “Is that why you have wedding rings? Because the condom broke?”

  He shook his head and pressed a fleeting kiss to her lips. “Because I don’t like calling you my girlfriend. It feels adolescent and temporary.”

  “You don’t think that has something to do with your younger brother getting married?”

  “No, this is about you and me. Isn’t it?”

  She sat and hugged him, squeezing for all she was worth. “I’m scared. I didn’t want it to be like this. I wanted to get married because we wanted to, not because we had to. I wanted to have a baby when the time was right, not when the condom broke.”

  “I’m glad it did.” He held her tight, soothing her with his hands up and down her back.

  “You’re just happy neither of us have to bother with condoms.” She relaxed feeling that though it wasn’t ideal, it would be all right.

  “Hadn’t even thought of that perk.”

  “I’m not having a dozen kids like my folks, so we will have to use them again.” She pulled back and smiled up at him, at her happy ever after. “I don’t want to be a round bride with everyone whispering through my wedding.”

  “I’m ready whenever you are.” He reached down and tugged at the hem of his white tee, pulling it over his head in one smooth motion. “I had a big proposal planned.”

  He held out his right hand and she took it in hers. He turned his arm to show the sensitive skin from elbow to wrist and she gasped. His handwriting had been inked onto his flesh, words forever imprinted onto his skin.

  Holly,

  I promise to be your friend, to laugh at your nervous jokes, to indulge in your curious adventures and to read the scary books first to make sure you will like them.

  I promise to both listen and hear, love and cherish, offer and accept.

  I promise to keep ice cream in the freezer, champagne in the fridge, your ring on my finger and your love in my heart.