Page 32 of Just My Luck

“So there’s only one possibility left and it must be correct, even though it seems almost inconceivable.”

He waited, his heart pounding against his ribs. He realized that he wanted her to know who he really was and what he was doing here. If she did, he wouldn’t have to lie to her anymore. He wouldn’t have to put walls between them.

But if she knew he was Lincoln Kerr, billionaire former CEO of Kerr Enterprises, that would change everything. They’d never again be just Zara and Jim, two ordinary people who happened to work at the same resort. The power dynamic would change from more or less equal to…impossible. Lincoln Kerr, billionaire, would never cross paths with Zara, concierge, surfer, guardian, free spirit, driver of Kumquat, light-hearted lover of life, haunter of his fantasies.

Without giving himself even a split second to think about it, he closed the short distance between them and caught her against him. A breath of surprise parted her lips, and she tilted her head up to meet his eyes, to see what he was up to. What she saw made her eyes widen, but she didn’t pull back as his mouth descended toward her.

The moment his lips touched hers, a thrill of enchantment washed through him, from head to toe, as if someone had waved a wand and transformed him into something else. Literal magic in action. Light sparkled behind his eyes. Fire came next, lust burning through him, hardening his cock. She tasted like the ocean, like sunshine, like freedom and joy. He lowered his hands to her ass, those sweet curves that he’d been obsessing over. What he wouldn’t give to strip her clothes off right now, right here, with the rain drumming on the metal roof so loudly he could barely hear her moan of desire against his mouth.

Never had he felt anything like this. Not with his first wife, or his second, or the first girl he’d kissed, or his current business acquaintance with benefits.

This kiss was in a category all its own.

His head was still spinning when Zara pulled away and gasped out her last theory. He blinked at her in confusion as she repeated her words, not sure he’d heard her correctly. “What?”

“Don’t lie to me. Not after that kiss. You’re an extraterrestrial, aren’t you?”

15

Zara loved nothing more than a good laugh…unless it was a good wave or a fantastic night in bed. But even she had never laughed quite the way Jim was laughing right now. He doubled over, holding his stomach, quaking and weeping actual tears.

The worst part was, this time she couldn’t join in. She was too shaken up by that surprise kiss. Maybe it shouldn’t have shocked her so much. There had been something simmering between her and Jim all along. But he was always so reserved and serious that she hadn’t expected him to act on it.

He didn’t look either reserved or serious right now. She watched him laugh so hard he had to sit down on her couch. His clothes looked different, she realized, having previously been so preoccupied with the Mercedes threat that she hadn’t paid any attention. Instead of his usual tan work clothes, he wore a pair of pleated trousers made from an expensive olive fabric. His shirt—black, with a crisp white tee underneath, looked equally luxe. He cleaned up well, disturbingly so.

His laughter finally subsided and he looked up at her, wiping his eyes. “Thank you for that. I’m sorry to break it to you that I’m not from another planet. At least, not literally.”

What the hell did that mean? “Okay. I’m very glad to hear that I didn’t just kiss an alien. Although if I did…”

He cocked an eyebrow at her.

“Then aliens are good kissers,” she finished lightheartedly. “No regrets.”

“That’s good to hear. Because if I get my way, we’ll be doing that again.” Something in the way he said that told her he was very used to getting his way.

“We’ll see,” she said noncommittally. While the kiss had been spectacular, she didn’t intend to repeat it until she knew Jim’s whole story. If that was even his name. “So do you know that couple in the Mercedes? Who are they and what are they after? She kept mentioning her brother.”

He sobered and stood up, brushing off his pants. He’d probably gotten some sand in them. No matter how many times she lectured Mia about showering off thoroughly after a surf session, it was impossible to keep all the sand out of their house.

“What did they look like?” he asked, his tone deadly serious.

“You know that movie Toy Story?”

“No.”

“Are you sure you aren’t an alien?” Exasperated, she flung up her hands. “Did you grow up in a cult or something?”

His lips twitched, but he didn’t give into the smile that threatened. “What about Toy Story?”

“There’s a character who’s an astronaut, Buzz Lightyear, but like, a toy astronaut. Ridiculously broad shoulders and dark hair with a cowlick. This man looked like that.”

“And the woman?”

“Blond, high-maintenance. Maybe mid-forties, but she’d probably slap me if I said so. She said some very insulting things to me that made no sense. She called me a gold-digger. I’d like to know how working at the Royal Leilani makes me a gold-digger. She really didn’t appreciate my lecture on feminism.”

His lips twitched again. They were very well-formed, she noticed, with a firmness and determination to them that she found very sexy, especially now that he’d tidied up his facial hair. His short beard set off the shape of his mouth quite beautifully. He must have cleaned up in order to find a new job.

“I wish I’d been there to hear that. For a few reasons.”