Hotter Than The Caribbean (Building Love Book 2)

by Stacy Hoff

  A wave of heat curled up inside her. His grip didn’t hurt. He held her hand firm, in a way that felt fiercely possessive. It was all she could do to not take the lead and sprint toward his house, no matter how far away it was.

  Moments later, they were outside. Luis waved across the street to someone slouching in the driver’s seat of a parked limo. The man snapped to attention. The long, elegant car immediately swung around and pulled up. The chauffeur was the same man who had picked her up from the airport. He got out of the car to open their doors.

  Mel started to ask him his name. Before she could, the car door slammed shut. A moment later, the driver was once again isolated behind the dark glass partition. When the driver pulled the car out onto the street, she tried a second time to ask him his name.

  “He can’t hear us, you know,” Luis said with amusement, gesturing toward the separation screen.

  “You’re right. I forgot to hit the intercom button. I made the same mistake earlier. What is his name? It’s embarrassing not to know if he’s going to drive me around.”

  “Pedro. Now can we talk about something besides my driver?” He took her hand in his and slowly kissed the back of her fingers. “Unless you are more interested in Pedro than me?”

  “Maybe I am. I admit my relationship with Pedro is intimate. For example, I can call him by his first name.”

  Luis’s eyes lit up in response. Did verbal sparring turn him on? Because it was definitely having that effect on her.

  “Don’t toy with me,” he warned, his voice dark and thick. “Pedro’s employment depends on it.”

  “Toy with you, Mr. Serrano? Never.”

  “If it’s a more intimate relationship you want . . .” His voice trailed off as he resumed kissing the back of her hand. His warm, intoxicating mouth heading toward her wrist.

  If he keeps this up I’ll be in his arms—and on his lap—before we even get to his place. He is so handsome. His eyes crinkle adorably when he smiles. And he’s funny. Much warmer and nicer than I first thought. “Where do you live?” she asked.

  “Not too far from here. There’s still plenty of time to enjoy a quick drink. Did you want to try coconut flavored rum?”

  “Anything,” she blurted.

  Luis reached for the limo’s bar. He poured the rum and handed her a squat glass gilded in gold leaf.

  When the alcohol reached her lips, an imaginary angel landed on her shoulder and spoke to her. “It’s not too late to back out, Mellie. You should keep this relationship strictly business.”

  Mel’s inner-self narrowed her eyes at the infuriating apparition. “Shut up.”

  Disappointed, the angel flew off. A tiny, pitchforked phantom took its place on her shoulder. It shot her a devilish grin and winked before disappearing with a poof.

  “Thank you for the drink, Luis. I can call you Luis now, right?” The laughter in her voice was impossible to keep out.

  “At this point, you could call me a curse word. I wouldn’t care.” His laughter echoed hers. Then his voice smoldered. “Anything involving your mouth would be a turn on.”

  The hammering in her chest was getting louder. “Even glassware? Because back in the restaurant you wanted me to drink from your cup.” The tip of her tongue deliberately traced the outline of the glass’s rim.

  The little angel flew back. “Now you’ve gone and done it.” The seraph crossed its arms against its chest and pouted before it flew off her shoulder. “Better be careful when playing with fire,” it warned before disappearing.

  Luis’s gaze locked with hers for a long moment. Then he reached for her glass and indulged in a slow, sexy sip where her tongue had been.

  She watched him swallow. The golden skin on his Adam’s apple bobbed. She needed that drink back because her mouth was now bone-dry.

  Wordlessly he handed the glass back to her. Without losing eye contact, she drank. “It’s good,” she murmured.

  The tiny devil re-appeared on her empty shoulder. Its pitchfork blazed brightly after digging into her skin. “What are you waiting for?” it demanded, while tapping its foot impatiently.

  “Okay, okay, stop prodding me, you little demon! Here goes nothing.” She took off her eyeglasses and licked her lips slowly and suggestively. “It tastes sweet and warm when you swallow.”

  As soon as she did this, his eyes went wide.

  Guess it worked.

  Grinning, the devil nodded in agreement and left them alone to their privacy.

  Luis placed her glass back on the bar. Leaning over, he whispered in her ear. “Dios mío, I want to kiss you.” His breath felt hot against her skin.

  She gulped hard. “I want you to kiss me. Yes. Sí.” She tugged at his lapel like an impatient puppy. Heart pounding, she leaned forward to kiss him, practically throwing herself on his lap.

  Despite their lip lock, he managed to laugh. The soft sound reverberated against her skin, making her tingle. “No need to translate. My English is solid. I went to grad school in Boston.”

  At least that’s what she thought he said. It was hard to hear correctly when her mind was fogging up. A bolt of heat shot through her when he pressed his lips against hers. His kiss was a combination of softness and hard demand. Wanting to take control of the kiss, she traced his mouth lightly with her tongue using the lightest touch. Gently she sucked in his lower lip until she heard him groan. It was all the encouragement she needed. Her hands wrapped around his neck.

  His suit jacket was still on, with his shirt and plum-colored silk tie intact. These garments would have to go. Now.

  His hand rose to caress her neck as they kissed. His fingers traced their way down to her collar bone, then along her shoulder, across her upper arm and, finally against her breast. Smooth, gentle strokes soon turned into a firm grasp. The weight of her breast in his hand felt sinfully heavy. Her lace bra, along with the rest of her garments, nothing more than an annoying barrier between them.

  He leaned forward, pressing his lips harder against hers. An index finger skirted over a hardening nipple. The effect of his touch was immediate. Her heartbeat and breathing sped up. She needed him. Badly. “How do you say hurry up in Spanish?” she asked breathily.

  She felt his mouth vibrate against her neck as he chuckled. “Nice to know you’re as keyed up as I am.”

  “Yes. Don’t laugh at my desperation.”

  “Well, stop making me laugh. It isn’t going to make this go any faster. Besides, I’m aiming for real slow anyway. Now shush so I can continue what I was doing.”

  Mel groaned and shifted closer against him, ready to rip his jacket off. “Contrary to what you may have heard, patience is not a virtue. Not mine, anyway.”

  “I don’t think you need to worry. You have a lot of other virtues. You’re beautiful. Smart. Funny. And you have a naughty streak I’m really enjoying.”

  “Well then, get to it.”

  “Far be it from me to argue with a determined woman…”

  She twisted toward his neck to bestow another tantalizing kiss. Then she nipped the skin with her teeth. A red mark blossomed a second later. Thankfully it was under the collar line. How awkward would it be to see his hickey when they worked together tomorrow?

  Another stroke of his finger against her nipple made her worry drift away. His eyes crinkled in amusement before she closed hers to enjoy a sea of bliss.

  Her cell phone vibrated through her purse with enough force to feel it through the black leather bag. He had obviously felt it, too, since he immediately released her. He raised a single eyebrow, as if to say, “Are you going to answer that?” Despite fiercely shaking her head no, the phone blurted out “We Are Family.”

  “Crap,” she cursed. “It can ring all it wants. I’m not going to answer it.”

  “Good idea.” He tugged o
ff his jacket while the song played. “Interesting choice,” he remarked drolly. “Did you buy the extended mix?”

  “No. Given who is calling me though, the ringtone is appropriate.” She helped tug off his jacket. “Can we ignore it and get back to what we were doing?”

  “Absolutely. I love the seventies, but this isn’t appropriate make-out music.” He laughed.

  “You like the seventies? How wonderful. I do, too. What other groups are you into? The BeeGees? KC and the Sunshine Band?” Her cell phone finally quieted. Thank God.

  “Yeah. All the big groups of the era. I have diverse taste when it comes to music. I love everything from soul, to disco, to rock.”

  “I agree. Glad to be with a man who has a deep appreciation for the arts.” About to reach for him again, her cell phone once again blared “We Are Family.”

  “I think you’d better get that. Someone in your family obviously needs to talk to you. I’ll take a wild guess and say it’s Denny. Unless you have other siblings?”

  Mel shook her head and let out a strangled groan. “Denny can wait.” But even as she said that she grabbed her phone. The call ended before she could answer. Immediately thereafter, a text flashed across her screen. ‘Mel, how’s it going over there? Dad got some pretty bad news about the next project we had lined up. The client cancelled. Dad wanted me to tell you that if we’re going to make payroll this month, the Condado Beach Resort project is even more important than before.’

  “Oh, that’s just great,” Mel muttered. Denny is always the proverbial bucket of cold water.

  “What’s wrong?” Luis asked.

  Before Mel could answer, their conversation was interrupted when his phone let out a ping. With a Spanish curse that sounded heartfelt, Luis reached into his discarded suit jacket and grabbed his phone. Mel watched his eyes dart quickly over the screen and then narrow with annoyance, until they reflected outright anger.

  “Is everything all right?” she asked, her voice wavering. She sensed the answer was a foregone conclusion. The pit in her stomach was back. How awkward and embarrassing is this going to be?

  “I am sorry,” Luis said stiffly. “An important business issue has come up. Perhaps this isn’t the best night for either of us to take the evening off. Unfortunately, I have a call I must take in a few minutes. In private.”

  Mel didn’t know whether to be relieved or pissed. She nodded curtly while she watched Luis press the intercom and tell Pedro to circle back, returning her to her room at the hotel.

  Chapter 9

  As soon as he dropped Mel back at the resort, Luis raked his hand roughly through his hair. “Mierda,” he cursed through his teeth. Of all the crappy timing, now his half-brother needed to talk to him? It was almost as if his father’s family had a knack for when, and how, to screw up his life.

  The discomfort caused by Mel’s departure permeated. Hanging in the air like a foul stench. When he had told her they should call the night off, the color had drained from her face leaving her pale, shaken, and obviously pissed off.

  Worse than a loss of her rosy complexion, conversation had vanished, too. Mel had stepped out of the limo with barely a word. A quick nod from her was all he had gotten before she grabbed the car door’s handle and scrambled out. She hadn’t even waited for Pedro to come around and open her door. After she exited the limo, she muttered, “Bye.” Her eyes stared straight ahead as she walked toward the hotel. If he was hoping for a backward glance he was out of luck.

  He was the one who had called the evening off, only to find their separation sad and disturbing. There was a sense of loss he felt profoundly and yet couldn’t quite name. A strange reaction to someone he just met.

  Could things heat back up? Doubtful. Her ‘leave me alone’ body language had been clear. Like he told Mel at dinner, it was best to keep optimism in check. People were unpredictable at best and disappointing at worst. Handling business matters would always be preferable to handling personal matters.

  Maybe Mel’s leaving was good. The woman’s beauty, along with her beguiling ways, had already distracted him from business. He had barely lasted five minutes at dinner keeping the conversation focused on design work. Imagine if they had spent the night. His mind would be completely blown.

  It suddenly dawned on him that he hadn’t had the chance to ask Mel any of the business questions he had planned to ask. Important questions. Such as, “What is your firm’s vision for the lobby design?” “What is your background?” “Your level of experience?” And more importantly, “Your level of dedication?” No, he hadn’t asked any of those questions. He had taken one look at her beautiful face, and mesmerizing figure—shown to its best in the dress she wore—and all thoughts of business flew right out of his head.

  Unfortunately, her mind was every bit as attractive as her body. She was quick-witted and funny. Exactly the type of woman who was impossible to ignore. Worse, they had a lot in common. They both shared a troubled past with their families. They were both uncomfortable talking about personal matters. Reluctant to trust people. Completely guarded. Despite this, however, Mel had been willing to try. Did that mean she had liked him more than superficially?

  Luis shook those thoughts off. If he didn’t retain a sharp focus on this project his chance to beat Raul would be gone, along with the opportunity to heal the fracture with his father. Luis had bigger problems than whether Mel cared about him. Or, at least, had cared about him. Before he’d done everything short of throwing her out of the car.

  He picked up the phone to call Raul. His finger hovered for a moment. Dios mío. The plot line for House of Cards isn’t this complicated. “What do you want, Raul?” he barked the moment his brother answered.

  “Good evening, Luis. What a lousy greeting. Is that any way to speak hermano a hermano?”

  “When the brothers in question are you and me, yes. I have tried for many years to be your hermano. Without success. I’m sure today isn’t going to be my lucky day.”

  “Maybe it is. Perhaps now is the time for us to be brothers.”

  Luis felt his pulse rate speed up, his temples pinch, and his throat tighten. “Really?” he asked in a voice an octave too high.

  “Of course. In fact, that’s why I’m calling. I wanted to let you know that the guestroom design work is going well, as planned. It will be completed even sooner than expected. It will be perfect. You know what that means, don’t you?”

  Luis felt his chest deflate. The air popped out of him like a busted balloon. “No. Tell me, Raul.”

  “You don’t sound happy. You should, because I’m trying to help you. Since I will be the one to win Papá’s approval, you will no longer need to drain your time and effort away from your own company. Isn’t that great?”

  Luis did his best to keep a lid on his bubbling temper. Up until this point he had wanted to go back to his own business. Leave all this drama, pressure, and excess work behind. Now that Raul was trying to force him to do just that, that prospect was no longer appealing. Instead of being tempted, Luis was feeling temperamental.

  “Luis, tell Papá I should be the one to take over his business. If you do, there will finally be peace between us, mi hermano.”

  “If that is the only way you will call us brothers, Raul, there will never be peace between us.” Luis hit the ‘end’ button hard enough to almost break the phone. He ignored the knots in his stomach. He wished he could also ignore the fact he still wanted to have a good relationship with him. It was a shame the pipedream could not happen. I can construct buildings, but I can’t build bridges.

  Luis now knew he would see his father’s project to conclusion. He preferred having Raul’s affection but he would demand Raul’s respect, succeeding in ways Raul would not. After all, Luis had worked his way up the corporate ladder. All the way from construction manager, to CEO of his own resort b
uilding company. He could easily pull off the completion of lobby interior design work. Hiring competent people ensured a positive outcome.

  When his mind drifted toward Mel, Luis flinched. For some reason he couldn’t articulate, the thought that Mel was disappointed in him was almost as palpable as his disappointment with his family. Relationships suck.

  ~ ~ ~

  Mel tossed and turned in her hotel room bed, angry from having been dumped. Worse, the dumping had come from someone she needed to work with. Worse still, that someone was the client. Normally, things couldn’t possibly tank this fast. Or sink this far. Yet somehow she had managed.

  Luis had swept her away. When he put his warm hands against her body and kissed her, her only thought was to be with him. Everything else had been blocked out. Especially common sense.

  I can’t believe the situation I’m in. As if I didn’t have enough problems already. She yanked off the lightweight bedcovers with a force strong enough to toss an anvil with ease. Stomping into the luxurious bathroom, she turned the polished-nickel Dornbracht faucet and splashed cold water on her face. The cool water soothed her, but not enough. Her temper still burned. She dried off with an Egyptian cotton washcloth. Finally refreshed, she drifted asleep.

  Her dreamless night ended when the alarm clock beeped at 6:30 AM. It was her first full day on the job. Regardless of whether she was ready she tugged the king-size pillow over her ears to drown out the persistent sound. Instead of silence, the cacophony grew. Her cell phone blurted its most frequently played song. Mel missed the call and groaned.

  She read the text message her sister sent moments later. ‘Hi, Mellie. What’s up? How’s everything going?’

  ‘Great,’ Mel typed back, lying. ‘Gotta go. Lots of work to do,’ she added truthfully. Because the quicker she could start the day, the faster the day would be over.