by M. S. Parker
Liam glanced at me. That faint smile came and went, and he shook his head. “It’s no concern.”
He’d had two days off earlier in the week. I guess Steadman Security liked to change things up. I’d been worried I might be stuck with one of his counterparts from the security firm, but Liam was apparently assigned to take care of me during the weekend.
After being informed of my plans to travel to see my grandmother, he’d contacted the firm.
Shortly after, I was told he’d accompany me. I couldn’t even say I minded.
Liam’s quiet presence was one I’d gotten used to, and it was almost disconcerting to bump into one of the others who handled the job when he was off. He was still almost stand-offish, but part of me wondered if that wasn’t some sort of shyness. Not that he acted shy or anything, but he definitely held himself apart in a way that, frankly, was starting to fascinate me.
If I was honest with myself, I’d admit that I’d been trying to charm him.
He seemed immune.
That definitely fascinated me. I wasn’t used to anybody being immune to me when I set my mind to it.
It was that determination to crack his façade that drove me to say, “Do you know what Pleasure Island is?”
He glanced at me, a brow going up. “Wasn’t that someplace mentioned in that old cartoon, Pinocchio?”
His dryly delivered comment tugged a laugh from me. “I think there was a Pleasure Island mentioned in it, yes. But I’m talking about our destination. That’s where we’re going…Pleasure Island.”
“Okay.”
Unable to keep my mischievous side from showing, I winked at him and asked, “Want to know why it’s called that?”
That infamous reserve of his popped up, and he went back to staring out the window, looking down at the water beneath us. “Unless it’s relevant to my job, I don’t need to know, do I?”
“How do you know if it’s relevant without knowing?” I asked innocently.
His gaze slid back my way. “I think you just want to tell me. Why don’t you get it over with?”
“You’re on to me, Liam,” I said, pointing at him and shaking my head in mock dismay. “But…fine. Really, there’s two parts to Pleasure Island. There’s the island itself, which is now called Pleasure Island.” I leaned in a little, lowering my voice. “Then there’s the resort – also called Pleasure Island. It’s an adults-only resort.”
He blinked.
“You know…clothing optional, swingers welcome…that sort of thing.”
“Okay.” He went back to staring out the window.
That was the only reaction I’d get out of him?
Huffing a little, I settled back in my seat.
I’d get through to him. Sooner or later. I was dead set on it.
Liam was almost impossible to ruffle.
I’d decided he probably was a little shy and breaking through that reserve of his was like trying to crack a wall of ice with a butter knife. All in all, a pretty hard task.
We stood by the outdoor pool, one of several. This one was completely clothing optional, and most of the guests enjoying said pool were naked. Pleasure Island wasn’t a nudist resort. It was designed for more…hedonistic pleasures. While some people never really warmed up to it, there were plenty who came in more than ready to enjoy everything the resort – and like-minded guests – could offer.
With everything from parties for the bi-curious and those who wanted to try out the swinging lifestyle, to nude yoga on the beach, Pleasure Island lived up to its name.
Liam stood at my side as I talked about the classes on various kinks, to nude yoga workshops. Other than batting an eyelash, he could have been a statue.
“Think there’s anything you’d like to…indulge in while you’re here?” I asked teasingly.
He slanted a look at me and gave a negative shake of his head. “I’m here to work, not play.”
“And what if you were here to play?”
“I tend to prefer a different sort of playground, I guess.” He hitched up a shoulder, and for a split second, I thought I saw something under that calm mask of his.
He was driving me crazy.
But I wasn’t done.
Offering my hand, I said, “Come on. We’re supposed to join my grandmother for dinner in a little bit. We still have more of the island to see before we get ready.”
He didn’t take my hand. I hadn’t thought he would, but he fell into step next to me.
We took the long way to our room, and I paused at one of the grottoes used for various classes. Right now, nude yoga was going on, and while a few people looked distinctively uncomfortable, most of the participants looked to be enjoying themselves.
Nobody was going out of their way to ogle fellow yoga aficionados, something that I was pleased to see. There was plenty of time for flirting, and more, but the classes weren’t one of them.
Millie hadn’t been sure how the classes would go over when I’d talked her into trying them a couple of years ago, but it looked like they were a popular addition to the resort’s amenities.
Liam’s gaze still seemed impenetrable, but I did notice him cock his head to the side in that way he had. I couldn’t tell if he was intrigued or just curious. “Surely you’re entitled to a workout while you’re here. Want to give yoga a chance?”
He blinked, shaking his head before looking at me. “If I tried any of that, I’d be stuck in that position.”
I laughed and hooked my arm through his. “You’d be surprised at how flexible you could turn out to be, Liam.” I squeezed his arm with mine, absently noting the firm muscle there.
I bet underneath those suits of his, he was impressive.
He was actually impressive in the suits, but I was getting more and more curious about just what lay under them.
It took me a moment to notice that something about him had changed. He’d gone tense the second I touched him. Slowly, I lifted my eyes to his and found him staring at me.
I’d love to say I saw heat in that gaze, but as always, I couldn’t read much of anything in the pale green.
But his jaw had gone tight.
Letting a smile curl my lips, I nodded to the class once more. “Sure you don’t want to join in? I’ll go with you.”
“No, thanks.” He disengaged our arms, and I watched as he made a pretense of checking the time.
If I hadn’t been watching him so closely, I wouldn’t have seen it – two faint flags of color appeared on his cheeks, there for just a few seconds before fading away.
Well. Maybe he wasn’t as immune to me as I thought.
Dinner was a decadent ordeal. Millie had arranged for us to eat on the beach, a secluded area where none of the guests could wander. It wouldn’t be hard for her to arrange such privacy. She owned the whole island now, not just the resort.
With the sunset painting the sky a thousand different shades of yellow, gold, and orange, Liam and I walked over to the cute little covered area that Millie had her people arrange.
Although she’d greeted us when we arrived, she came out of her seat, hands outstretched and smiling as if she hadn’t seen me in weeks. I took her hands and squeezed them affectionately. “Grandma.”
She pulled me into a Chanel No. 5 hug. “Did you enjoy your walk around the resort?”
“I always do.” Pulling back, I grinned at her. “It looks like the yoga classes are still popular.”
She wagged a finger at me. “Don’t you start on that again. Heavens, yes, they are popular.” She heaved out a sigh and shook her head. “I’ll never question your ideas again, child.”
I winked. “That’ll be the day.”
She caught my hand in hers and shook her head. “No. I have complete faith in you, Mila,” she told me.
The intent way she watched had me narrowing my eyes at her. “What are you up to, Grandma?”
She gave me an innocent look that made me narrow my eyes even more. “Absolutely nothing…for now.” Before I could p
ress her further, she turned her charming smile on Liam.
I took my seat as she laid a hand on his shoulder, smiling at him as though they’d been lifelong friends. “And what do you think of my island, young man?”
I waited, expecting one of his non-answers.
But to my surprise, a real smile tugged at his lips. “It’s a beautiful location. Not exactly my speed.”
“Pleasure Island isn’t for everybody,” she said, patting his arm before offering hers. Without pause, Liam took her arm and escorted her back to her seat, all of ten feet away. “Tell me, Liam, did Mila try to talk you into doing naked yoga yet?”
Again, he surprised me. He laughed, the sound a little self-conscious, before offering his answer. “Again, something that’s not entirely my speed.”
“It’s not mine either. If I’m going to be naked and sweating, it’s not while an instructor is calling out Downward Dog,” Millie said, winking at me. “But it was Mila’s idea, and many of the guests seem to enjoy it.”
“A lot of people find naked yoga can be very freeing,” I said loftily, mentioning one of the selling points I’d used when convincing Millie to give it a try. “Not to mention, it’s a great work out and excellent for relieving stress.”
“I can think of something else that would do all of those things,” Millie said, a glint in her eye.
I could see a faint flush rise to Liam’s cheeks as he came around the table. I might have teased him about it…if Millie hadn’t been around. “My grandmother enjoys shocking people,” I told him.
He glanced at me, his mask once more in place.
Curious if he’d give in to me this time, I offered my arm. “We should sit. Millie put a lot of work into this meal.”
Solicitously, he accepted my arm and led me to the chair across from Millie’s.
He took the one that faced up toward the path, but still gave him a fair view of the beach – and anybody who might approach.
“You can take the evening off,” I chided. “I’m perfectly safe here.”
“My security is top-notch,” Millie added. Then she fixed her bright green eyes on me and said, “Now…without trying to worm out of it this time, tell me why you’re traveling with a bodyguard.”
Millie had been excited when I told her I was bringing company, and the only way to keep her in line had been to tell her the truth – Liam was there for security.
I made a face at her and reached for the glass of water.
There was a bottle of wine open and breathing, but before I could make the decision to have some, a uniformed waiter appeared at my side. He pulled the bottle from the bucket and went through the display of presenting it to everybody. Liam just stared at it, and I wondered what he thought of all of this.
Would he tell me if I asked him?
I bit back a soft laugh.
He barely spoke five words to me that he didn’t have to say out of courtesy. Him chatting with me about my grandmother’s beautiful little oceanside dinner? I didn’t see it happening.
He declined the wine, which wasn’t a surprise.
But Millie did as well, and I took my glass with a lavish sigh. “I guess that just means more for me,” I said, lifting my glass to Liam, then my grandmother.
“I might have a drink later on,” Millie said, smiling at me as she took a sip of water. “But you enjoy, darling.”
Enjoy, darling…
Famous last words, I thought with a snicker as Liam walked along with me toward the bungalow where we were staying. We. It almost made it sound like we were here together.
Another thing to snicker about.
I realized I was probably just the slightest bit over the tipsy line and deliberately quelled my giggles.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Liam doing the security guard head swivel, checking out our surroundings. He didn’t even glance at me.
I’d never had any guy seem so completely unaware of me.
A question hovered on my lips, but before I could untangle my tongue to ask, I stumbled over the pathway.
Liam steadied me, coming to a halt as he looked down at my face. The pathway was lit by sconces at regular intervals, but the lighting was warm and low, not really enough to make out anything as I peered up at him. “You’re always so quiet.”
As usual, silence was his response. He let me go but kept a hand on the small of my back as we started along the path.
I didn’t want to let the subject go. “Do you know how quiet you are, Liam?”
“I talk when there’s something to say,” he responded evenly.
I rolled my eyes and tipped my head back to look up at the moonlit sky. “What’s the fun in that? I mean, do you only talk when you have something to say?”
“There doesn’t seem to be much reason to talk at any other time.”
I thought there might have been a smile in his voice, but when I craned my head to look over at him, his face was blank.
“We’re here,” he said, coming to a halt in front of our bungalow. He went to swipe the keycard, but before he could, I stopped him, stepping between him and the door.
I placed my hands on his chest.
I was dimly aware that the alcohol was making me a little less inhibited, but I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t admit that I’d be curious about him…this. Under my hands, his chest was a hard, firm wall, and I thought about sliding my hands down, then dipping underneath the crisp white polo shirt he wore.
Tilting my head back, I stared up at him.
He was watching me, eyes opaque in the dim light.
“I’m curious about something, Liam,” I said, keeping my voice low.
He closed his hands around my wrists, tugging them down.
I pouted for a second, but then satisfied myself by leaning up against him. The world didn’t seem quite so spinny that way, something I approved of.
“You know what I’m curious about?” I asked when he stayed quiet.
“From what I can tell, you’re curious about almost everything, Mila. We should get you inside,” he said, easing away.
I followed him, loathe to lose the warm, solid heat of him. “I don’t want to go inside yet. You know what I want?”
His lashes drifted down low over his pale eyes, then he met mine again, shaking his head. “I have no idea what you want.”
“I want you to kiss me.” Twisting my wrists, I broke free of his light grip and once more placed my hands on his chest. “Will you do that, Liam? Will you kiss me?”
His face went rigid, a muscle bunching in his cheek.
I thought…got you.
But all he did was tug my hands away once more. “You’re drunk, Mila. You should go into the bungalow and lay down.”
I had an immediate desire to snap back that I wasn’t that drunk, except he wasn’t entirely wrong. My head was spinning, and my limbs felt loose and easy.
I’d just made a move on my bodyguard, and he’d rebuffed it.
He’d also managed to ease up until I stood squarely on my own two feet, and he’d put a good eighteen inches of distance between us.
Sniffing, I crossed my arms over my chest and watched as he unlocked the bungalow. He gave me a hard look and pointed at the square of pavement under my feet. “You stay here while I check and make sure everything is secure.”
I huffed out a breath. “It’s my grandmother’s island! Nobody is going to try to hurt me here!”
But he ignored me, ducking inside and doing a quick walk through the bungalow. I heard him coming back, and I started inside.
We crashed into each other, his hands going to my arms to steady me. “I told you to stay,” he said, sounding just the slightest bit exasperated with me.
“I heard you coming back and knew everything was fine,” I responded.
He was standing close again.
Setting my gaze to his lips, I said, “You sure you wouldn’t want to kiss me, Liam?”
He let go of me as though scalded and immediately backed
up a few feet. “You need to lay down,” he said again.
I sighed and walked past him, pausing inside the bungalow only long enough to kick my shoes off before heading on into the lushly appointed master suite.
“Fine,” I said over my shoulder. “Be that way.”
But my heart was racing a little.
I’d noticed something this time.
His gaze, for the briefest moment, had rested on my lips.
I fell asleep with a smug smile on my face.
Thirteen
Liam
She was driving me crazy.
It had started almost from the first, but the past few days – hell, the past few hours, it was like she’d ramped up her game or something.
She was in her room, sleeping. I could hear the soft, steady sounds of her breathing and was tempted to get up, go stand in the door and watch her as she slept. But that was a little too stalkerish, even despite the fact that I was developing an obsession with her.
Are you sure you wouldn’t want to kiss me, Liam?
Her sassy question, most likely inspired by a little too much wine, was still echoing in my head.
Did I want to kiss her?
Hell, yes.
I wanted to grab her and pull her up against me, cover that smart-ass mouth with mine and see what she tasted like.
Maybe if I didn’t know how things would end, I might have given into the idea too. But the last – and only – time I’d been with a woman, well, it had sucked. I shoved the memories and the frustration aside, as I set about making up the couch, so I could sleep.
Mila’s grandmother Millie had offered me a bungalow of my own, and if I wouldn’t have felt like I was slacking on the job, I would have taken her up on it just to get some much-needed distance in between me and the woman who was starting to haunt my every waking thought.
Kiss me, Liam…
The echo of her words danced through my mind once more, and I swore under my breath, straightening up and shoving the heels of my hands against my eyes.
I’d been tempted.
So, so tempted.
