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“We batten down the hatches, send everyone home, and pray a lot,” she joked. “Plus, we have really expensive insurance,” she added, causing him to smile.
“Right.” He nodded. Just then their food arrived, and their conversation turned to the food, the resort, and Josie’s arrival in the morning.
She threw in a few more questions during the meal about his childhood and his likes and dislikes, most of which aligned with her own. They both liked spicy foods, with Thai being their favorite.
Just as they were finishing dinner, a large group from the wedding party that had arrived earlier that morning flooded the area.
“Shall we head out for a walk?” he suggested over the loud guests.
“Sure.” She motioned to their waiter to put the meal on her tab and headed out to the sand.
“Now you’ve done it,” he said when they hit the edge of the water.
“What?”
“News of you buying my dinner is going to spread like wildfire among the staff.” He motioned behind them.
“I buy lots of employee meals,” she said with a shrug.
“But I bet you don’t usually follow it up with a romantic stroll on the beach after dark.” He stopped suddenly and cocked his head at her. “Do you?”
She laughed. “No. Romantic?” She tilted her head and glanced around at the crowded beach. She supposed it was. To her, it was just home. But she guessed anyone else looking at the pair of them walking and standing close might consider it something more. “I don’t care what the staff think. So many have come and gone over the years. Most of them will only be here for a few months,” she said, trying to sound casual.
“Like Shannon?” he asked. “She seemed pretty upset this morning.”
“Good. Maybe she learned something. You can’t leave your post to hook up.”
“Yeah, if she would have just waited ten minutes…” He shook his head slightly. “It’s not against some sort of unwritten rule, is it? Employees dating one another or hooking up?”
She glanced up at him. “Nope, just when they leave their station.”
“Good,” he said as he took another step closer. His hands move to her waist. “I’ve been thinking about that kiss.”
“Oh?” She couldn’t have said anything more to him since her throat had closed up in anticipation. “You haven’t won the kiss yet,” she teased.
“You’re right.” He moved even closer. “You’ll just have to put it on my credit.” He closed the distance and laid his mouth over hers.
Her fingers spread on his chest. The thin cotton material separating them didn’t hide the heat radiating from his skin. She could even feel his heartbeat against her fingertips. His mouth moved over hers slowly and when she tasted him on her lips, she let out a low moan.
“What would it be like, if there weren’t complications, for us to be together?” he said with a sigh as he rested his forehead against hers.
“It’s not against some sort of rule for you, is it?” she asked, feeling her desire spike. She knew what she wanted, and, in her mind, there wasn’t anything in the way. After all, she had convinced herself that she could run the resort and still enjoy herself.
“No, but…” He leaned back and ran his eyes over her. “No,” he said after a moment. Then he took her hand and started walking again.
“Where are we going?” she asked as they crossed the sand.
“My place.”
She smiled as they hit the pathway that led to the private bungalows. Normally, they were rented out to honeymooners or big spenders, but she knew that he was set up in one of them and realized it was probably for privacy so that he could do his job. His real job.
She’d been in each of the two dozen bungalows plenty of times. She used to spend her summer helping the maids or delivering food with the servers. Her father had wanted her to know every aspect of the resort and therefore made her work each trade. She’d spent a summer in the kitchen, one in the laundry rooms, and so forth.
It had filled the time she hadn’t been studying and had kept her from being bored out of her mind. One would think that you would never get bored living in paradise, but Jade had.
The moment Wyatt shut the door behind her, she stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around him. This time, she made the first move and laid her lips over his.
She’d been building to this. Had wanted him from the moment she’d seen him. That spark in his eyes when he looked at her had caused her insides to melt and burn at the same time.
