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Santiago shook his head, but she saw the glimmer of amusement in his eyes. “I’ll get you back for this, just you wait.”
Heat flared to life in her belly as she heard the unspoken promise in his voice. “Is that right?”
“Oh, yes,” he said, his voice warm and low. “I have all kinds of ideas.”
“Is that right?” She leaned against his side as they walked, needing to touch him. “What’d you have in mind?”
“It would take too long to explain.” Santiago dropped his head, his breath warm across her ear. “I’ll just have to show you.”
Goose bumps broke out along her arms and legs, and Ainsley shivered in anticipation. Santiago must have felt the movement, because he chuckled with satisfaction.
“You tease,” she said.
He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in closer. “It’s only a tease if I don’t follow through. But I have every intention of keeping my word.”
A growing sense of arousal sent tingles through her breasts and core. She knew from experience, both historical and recent, that Santiago was an inventive lover. She hadn’t expected their reunion would last longer than one night, but she wasn’t opposed to the idea, either. It sounded like Santiago felt the same way.
“Morning, folks.”
The new voice broke into their private moment, and the pair of them drew up short. Ainsley turned to find Brody Woods standing on the porch of their cabin, eyeing them speculatively.
“Brody, what a surprise.” Santiago dropped his arm from her shoulders and stepped forward to shake the man’s hand. “What brings you to our cabin this morning?”
“I wanted to check out the damage from the broken window and make sure the temporary repair was taking care of things for you,” he said. “I would have come out sooner, but we’ve been so busy I haven’t had a chance.”
“I understand,” Santiago said smoothly. “As you can see, the plywood is keeping out the raccoons.”
Brody laughed, though it sounded a little forced. “Good, good. Seems the window people won’t be able to come out and replace it until Monday, which means you folks are going to have to deal with this eyesore for the rest of the retreat.”
“That’s okay,” Ainsley said. “We can live with it for the next forty-eight hours.”
Brody looked her up and down, his eyes lingering a little too long on her bare legs. “That’s good,” he said, sounding somewhat absent. “I was sorry to hear about the accident. Bet it was scary for you.”
“It was unexpected,” Santiago said, stepping to the side as if to partially block her from Brody’s view. “But your employee was most helpful with the cleanup.”
Brody shook his head slightly, as though to clear his mind. “Glad to hear it,” he said. “I’ll leave you two now. Got to get back to the big house. We’ve got a special speaker today at lunch, and Alva needs my help to make sure everything’s ready.”
“Oh?” Ainsley said. “What’s the topic?”
“Being Your Best You,” Brody said.
A chill shot down Ainsley’s spine at his reply. “That sounds interesting,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound as wooden as she suddenly felt.
Brody nodded. “It is. Micheline is a fantastic speaker. You guys are going to love her.”
“Can’t wait,” Santiago said.
Brody stepped off the porch and walked past them. Santiago offered Ainsley his hand and led her up the steps. “Breathe,” he instructed quietly.
She waited until he’d shut the door behind them. “I knew it!” she exclaimed, spinning around to face him. “I told you they’re connected.”
“Probably,” Santiago agreed. “But we have a more immediate problem—does Micheline know who you are?”
“You mean, will she recognize me if she sees me?” Ainsley asked. Santiago nodded.
“I’m not sure,” Ainsley said. “I’ve seen her a few times around town, but we’ve never been officially introduced. Still, she probably knows I’m Ace’s sister, and she definitely knows some of my other family members.”
Santiago’s expression was serious. “What do you want to do?”
