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I don’t think I’ve ever been so blunt with a man before and the nerves swimming in my stomach say it all. This man is who I want, but I’ve no idea if he wants more with me.
And how could I know. Maybe he wasn’t interested in me. Maybe it was simply because I’d come here and been so brazen. Maybe, in his mind, I’m an unexpected plaything that will keep him occupied over the summer while he’s on Santorini. I chew on the doubts but they don’t feel right...maybe I’m reading this correctly and he wants more.
He crowds me and, cupping my face in his large hands, answers my unasked question, “I want you Brooke. I don’t know where this is leading, but I’m not just looking for one night.”
His words fill my heart with joy and I can’t fight down the hope spreading through me. I hope that when I tell him tonight about my sister, he’ll accept what I’m telling him. I need him to accept that she only gave me the shove I needed to act. I needed him to know that everything else was done for me...not the dare. Because I have a feeling that Michael McKenzie is already in my young heart.
34
Michael
Sketching my vision of the exclusive resort, I grimace at the lines on the page. This is a huge undertaking for McKenzie Holdings and I need to be focused on it. But today, it can’t hold my concentration after the night and morning I’ve just spent with Brooke. She could create complications because she isn’t the daughter Mitchell wants me with. She’s certainly the daughter who has my attention. Three times now, I’ve been lost in my imagination about her, and three times, I’ve drawn something in the wrong position. So, hours later, I’m slightly behind on what I’d planned to get done today. With the excitement of seeing Brooke this evening, I can’t muster enough annoyance at myself.
The view I have from my desk is something I don’t think I’d ever get enough of. The ocean is so blue it looks endless with the cloudless sky above it. The cliffs to the right are treacherous, but a sight to be seen. The ocean waves crash onto the beach just off in the distance making the sudden yearning to have Brooke with me while we thrash about in the cool water.
“Someone is distracted,” Carrie drawls, snagging my attention as she walks into the room.
My jaw tightens in annoyance at her interruption. “I’ve asked you not to come waltzing in here while I’m working.”
She rolls her eyes. “I didn’t see any work being done, more like wool gathering.”
Sighing heavily, I ask, “What do you want Carrie?”
“I want to know what my sister has that I don’t. She certainly doesn’t have the body I do.”
Stunned at her question, I lean back and that’s when I realize she really is jealous of my attraction for her sister. I frown. “Your sister is a beautiful woman with curves that make a man’s mouth water. Mine hasn’t stopped.”
“My sister,” her face tightens, “has no idea what to do with a man like you.” Her face creases in an ugly scowl.
Standing, I face the mean woman. “After spending the night with her, I’d say that she knows what she’s doing.” I don’t stop there because I’m angry that this woman would put down her own sister. “Why do you think I’m so distracted today, huh? I can’t get her out of my head.”
My eyes widen in surprise when Carrie laughs.
“What would you say if I told you she was only with you as a dare?” she throws the words at me.
“I’d tell you to stop with the lies and to get out of my office,” I reply. I grind my teeth and fight the anger I’m feeling...Carrie has been a thorn in my side for months, well before I even arrived on the island and actually met her...but I can honestly say that I’ve never been this angry with her before.
She sniggers. “You can say I’m lying, but the truth is, it was a dare. I,” she emphasizes the word, “dared her. She wouldn’t have come to you on her own. You’re not that interesting enough, but once I dared, she accepted it.” Her smile is nothing but evil. “Cat got your tongue?”
No way was Brooke dared to be with me…was she?
“I can see the wheels turning in that simple little brain of yours, so why don’t you ask her.” She turns to walk away. “I think you have a misconception about my sister. She is expected to marry Sinclair.”
Five minutes later and I’m still standing where I was when she left wondering if there is any truth to Carrie’s words. The woman has a vindictive streak, which I’ve seen since I’ve been here, but would she direct it toward her sister, I just wasn’t sure.
The initial encounter in the shower had shocked and surprised me, but I didn’t stop to think of why she was there. Now though, I can’t help wondering what had driven her to my villa. Was she a virgin, or was it something she’d said as part of the game?
You promised to love her in the morning if she was still in your bed…she was still there…
She was still there, and just as eager. I didn’t detect any hesitation and she really did seem happy.
Groaning, I run my hands through my hair and decide that the only way I’ll get the truth is by asking her.
No way did she come to me on a dare. No way in hell could she do that. Not my Brooke.
Dropping into the chair, I gaze off into the distance, the work on my desk forgotten as I let the doubt take over. After one night, do I really know Brooke well enough to be sure of anything?
Sighing, I focus my attention to the drawing board in front of me, and the design that is now starting to take shape. My personal life, which I didn’t have much of yesterday, sure has gotten complicated. My sister, Sirena, would cry from laughter if she were here now, so I guess I should be thankful that she arrives tomorrow with her husband, Garrett, and their son, Elias.
