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Cringing, Darby pressed the phone closer to her ear, then realized it was stupid to worry about the people around her on the beach overhearing that she was doing the naked mambo on vacation. Smarter would be to wonder what she was doing making such a huge confession by phone with her secretary. She was so not the touchy-feely sharesy type.
But she couldn’t seem to stop herself.
“He’s not a stranger.”
“You met the guy last night,” Grace argued.
“Have you ever met someone and felt an instant connection. Not some soul-mate romantic drivel connection,” Darby quipped before Grace could finish the aww sound she’d started. “Just a connection. Like, you understood them. Even without all those random details, you feel as if you know them well enough to relax and be yourself.”
Leaning back in the lounge chair, Darby slurped up a deep sip of her smoothie to the sound of silence.
“Go ahead,” she finally said, figuring Grace would grind the enamel off her teeth trying to bite back her opinion. “Say it.”
“First, I want to know that you’re really Darby Raye and that you’re not responding under duress. So answer these questions three. First, what color is your desk chair? Second, what was the last thing we ate together? And third, who irritates you the most in the office?”
This time it was Darby who went aww, although she kept the comment in her mind. There was something seriously sweet about having someone care enough to ask silly questions that most stalkers wouldn’t have a clue the answers to, just to be sure that Darby wasn’t being forced into multiple beachside vacation orgasms against her will. Especially since Darby knew that if she answered any one of them with anything but Grace’s expected response, the other woman would be on the phone to the authorities, pulling every legal string and connection she could to ensure Darby’s safety.
It was the first time that Darby could remember anyone caring that much about her, and it was kind of touching.
“My desk chair is aubergine, and don’t try to say that it’s purple because we both know I won that argument when I showed you the receipt. The last meal we had together was some weird tofu stir-fry thing you insisted I try, but you know perfectly well I threw my portion in the trash as soon as you left the room.” Darby waited for Grace’s relieved laughter to fade before answering the last part. “And third, I’d say that giggly brunette with the huge teeth in research irritates me the most, but I think this is a trick question.”
“Since you nailed the first two, I’ll give you a pass on the trick question,” Grace replied. “Just tell me you’re being careful.”
“Are you asking if I’m having safe sex?”
“Darby!” Grace’s gasp was half giggles.
“C’mon, remember to whom you’re talking,” Darby reminded her with a laugh. “You said it yourself. I’m made of mistrust. Added to that, I’m trained to read people. To understand body language, and to take care of myself. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Nothing? You don’t know his last name. You don’t know where he works or what he does for a living. You don’t even know if he lives in the United States. None of that merits a little worry?”
Darby grimaced. She was already regretting mentioning Dominic in any way, let alone confessing her trip into sexual nirvana. Since she hadn’t kept her mouth shut, she shifted to damage control.
“I know his first name. The owner of the resort, an upstanding citizen who, according to the framed photos in the lobby, is on a first-name basis with numerous elected officials, as well as three Navy Admirals, is his uncle. I know that whatever he does for a living involves using his body—and given the quality of said body, he’s damn good at what he does.”
She waited while Grace made a low humming noise, then asked, “So when you get back, are you going to fill me in on the details of what he does with that body?”
“Isn’t that a little tacky?” Darby said as she leaned her head back on the thick lounge cushion and tried to keep from laughing. “I’ll plead the Fifth on that.”
“Appropriate.”
This time Darby didn’t try to hide her laugh. But she did try to reassure her friend.
“Grace, I’m good at taking care of myself. I promise, I’m not in danger.”
“Okay, but please check in every once in a while, just so I don’t worry.”
Darby wanted to roll her eyes. She was a grown woman. She couldn’t remember a single time any of her family had asked her to check in, let alone shown any worry for her. She wanted to tell Grace to quit being such a worrywart and chill out.
“I promise,” she said instead. Then, because feeling all gooey inside made her uncomfortable, she changed the subject. “So how’s everything in the office? Any exciting new cases?”
“Um, yeah. About that. I don’t want to put a pall on your wild vacation fling or anything, but you should probably know that a certain ex has been in and out of the offices more than once this week.”
Darby’s smile fell away as she pictured Paul Thomas. She didn’t shift from her lounging position, but her body tensed all the same. She tried to ignore the guilt trickling down the back of her throat.
“Did you tell him I was away?” Darby resisted the urge to look over her shoulder. She wouldn’t put it past Paul to follow her on vacation.
“Please,” Grace sniffed. “You know perfectly well that I wouldn’t tell him anything. But I never got a chance to show off my discretion because he never actually stopped by your office. Word is he did stop by Carson’s office, though.”
Why was Paul chatting up the Deputy Director of the US Attorney’s office?
Her unseeing gaze locked on the waves, Darby’s mind raced. He was up to something. But what? He couldn’t get her fired for dumping him, and besides, that wasn’t his style. She could easily imagine him romancing another woman in the office to make her jealous. But she couldn’t see him risking his own reputation by involving her boss in some scheme to get her attention.
She adjusted her sunglasses and blew out a long breath.
Odds were, he was simply playing it up to get her to call. He was playing her. It was totally his style.
She squirmed a little in her chair, shifting her weight from the right to the left and back again. Curiosity was so damn hard to ignore.
“Is he actually spending time with Carson? It could be completely legit. Maybe he’s there to talk about a case for the Judge Advocate General’s office.”
Her fingers tapping a rhythm on her bare knee, Darby considered that possibility. She wouldn’t put it past Paul to make it look as if he had some big case to try to get her attention. She wouldn’t put anything past him, actually. The man had followed her across the country, for God’s sake.
On the other hand, working with the JAG office would not only be the perfect feather in her cap, but it was also quite likely the type of case that would snag her that spot in the National Security Division.
She wanted that spot. But how tangled were the strings going to be if she paired up with Paul to get it?
“I’ve only caught a couple of his visits, and they were short. Like, ten-minutes-or-less short. But I heard he’s been in other times.” Before worry could dig its teeth too deep in Darby’s gut, Grace continued, “I’m going to lunch with Carson’s secretary tomorrow, though. She won’t gossip, but Susan likes me. I’ll find out as much as I can.”
And that, Darby realized, was just one more reason why Grace was the perfect secretary. The woman had her back whether she was in the office or not.
“You’ll keep me in the loop?”
“Guaranteed. Oops, there’s the other line. Gotta go.” With that, and a quick goodbye, Grace hung up.
And Darby was left trying to shake off the feeling that she needed to get her ass back to San Diego. But she was under orders to take her vacation time. Going back—going into the office—would ruin the whole facade that she cared about work-life balance, and likely jeopardize her shot at a promotion. She was better off toeing the line, sticking with the vacation plan and letting Grace do her stealthy thing.
She knew that was smart thinking. She knew it was the right choice. But she still wondered how much was justification. Because an equal truth was that she was having a great time enjoying this little fantasy she and Dominic had going.
For the first time in as far back as she could remember, she’d found something more intriguing, more inspiring, more demanding than her career.
Call it passion.
Call it lust.
Call it fascination.
Hell, call it work-life balance.
Darby pressed a hand against her belly to try to quiet the dancing butterflies.
Whatever she called it, she knew it wasn’t for her career that she was staying in Hawaii for the rest of the week.
No.
It was for Dominic, pure and simple.
CHAPTER FIVE (#ufc3e9651-3795-5276-9e20-1e4fb91cb28a)
EVEN AS SHE tried to tell herself her fascination with Dominic was purely physical, a million questions ran through her mind about him.
She knew he was single, but did that mean he never did relationships? Or that he simply hadn’t found the right woman yet?
She knew he was dedicated to his career, that he loved his family and that he threw himself wholeheartedly into everything he did. But what drove him? Was he simply an all-out kind of guy? Or, like her, was there someone in his past who’d inspired his drive?
So many questions ran through her mind, questions she knew she couldn’t ask. At least, she couldn’t ask Dominic.
Her attention sharpening in the warm sun, Darby straightened in her chair just a little.
And there he was. The perfect man to satisfy her curiosity.
Darby watched Dominic’s uncle cross the sand looking every inch the wealthy, respectable hotelier, despite the fact that there were eye-searing pink flowers dancing over his short-sleeved turquoise shirt. Paired with slacks so white they reflected light, Darby was glad she was wearing her sunglasses.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Raye. I hope you’re enjoying your stay.”
At Michael Keola’s friendly greeting, Darby lifted one hand to shade her eyes and, even as she returned his smile, did a quick scan of the ocean to make sure Dominic was still surfing.
It wasn’t as if her last name was a state secret, but she was having fun playing this fantasy game to the hilt. Maybe not quite as much fun as it had been playing the ice-cube game in bed last night, but still fun.
“Hello, Mr. Keola,” she returned, gesturing to the empty seat next to her. “Please, join me.”
“Call me Michael and I’d be delighted to.” He sat like a king on his throne, his avuncular gaze surveying the beach, where it wrapped like a frilly skirt around the haven that was his resort. “Today is a good day to relax, yes?”
“I can’t imagine a more beautiful place to relax,” she agreed. “Everyone seems to be enjoying it, too. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many happy people as I do here.”
“As it should be.” His nod held a hint of the same arrogant power she’d seen so often in his nephew. “And speaking of, can I offer you anything? Another drink? Would you like to reserve a rooftop table for dinner? Or perhaps a seat at tonight’s luau?”
Darby was momentarily tempted by the idea of traditional island entertainment. But a luau meant people, and right now she had a feeling she’d rather keep her evening private. Except for Dominic, of course.
“I’m fine, thank you, Michael.” She bit her lip to keep the words from jumping out, but couldn’t hold them all back. “It must be nice having your nephew here to visit.”
“Family is a pleasure, yes?” His dark eyes danced beneath the wide brim of his white hat. “Especially when one’s family is small, the time together is all the more welcome.”
Uh-huh. Sure it was.
Thankfully, he continued before the cynicism made the trip from her head to her lips.
“I have only one sister, and she only one son. Sadly, we’ve both lost our life mates. So we value each other’s children all the more.”
“I’m so sorry,” Darby said, briefly laying her hand over the back of his in sympathy. “I know how difficult it is to lose a loved one.”
“A heart that’s known love is never empty.” He gave her hand a pat in return, then shrugged fatalistically. “My time with my wife was short but we lived a wonderful lifetime in the dozen years we had together. And I see her always in our son, Luc. He travels from time to time to share his music, but he always come back. He and his band play here and draw a great crowd. Perhaps you noticed?”
A light wind danced over them, a gentle contrast to the warming sun dancing over Darby, and lifted the edges of the sarong she wore over her swimsuit.
“The band we heard last night?” She blinked in surprise, absently tucking the filmy fabric back under her thigh. “They were fabulous. It’s not too many bands that can cover everything from Clapton to Guns n’ Roses to Alison Krauss. I was impressed.”
Especially since the band had provided a great soundtrack for her first night of vacation fantasy.
“Luc, he has talent. Like his cousin, he’s found his path in life.” Michael’s eyes scanned the water, his face creasing into a smile when he pinpointed his nephew. “Ahh, the surf is good today, yes? Look at Dominic. He takes to the water like a seal.”
A seal? Not a fish? Raising her brows at the interesting twist on an old saying, Darby glanced out at the water in question. Shades of sapphire melted into turquoise and were tipped with white—it was unquestionably gorgeous.
“There is a dive scheduled tomorrow. You could go out, try your hand. Dominic is quite good, he’d be an excellent guide to teach you.”
“No, thanks.” Darby didn’t dive. No way, no how. Flashes of the nightmares that’d haunted her for years danced into her head to do a quick boogie before she shoved them right back out again. Looking at the water might give her a nice feeling of inspired peace—much as looking at a work of art would—but the idea of being in it any deeper than her toes? That sent a nasty shiver right down her spine.
“You don’t dive? Instead, you are lounging and relaxing.” He nodded his thanks to one of the white-shirted waiters as the man set two drinks on the small table, each garnished with a pineapple spear. Not one for alcohol in the afternoon, even on vacation, Darby ignored hers. As soon as Michael had taken a long sip through his straw, he gave her an assessing look. Not the pervy older-man kind, but more a sizing up.
“You seem athletic. Fit, yes?”
“Not fit enough for diving,” she said, heading off that idea.
“No, no diving. You don’t want to spend time with certification to dive when you could be relaxing instead. Hiking, though. You could hike, yes? If nothing else, you should visit the Hanalei Valley Lookout. The view? Exquisite.” Just as Darby’s shoulders started to relax, he waved his hand toward the half-dozen bodies riding the waves. “Or perhaps surfing? Surfing is an adventure. One every person should experience and you do look like an adventurous soul.”
“Not that adventurous,” she said, putting on her best lying-in-court face. The one that convinced judges and juries that she spoke the absolute truth. “You had it right with relaxation. That’s my entire focus this vacation. To lie on the beach and soak up sunshine.”
Then, because she didn’t want to hurt his feelings and it actually had sounded good, she added, “But I do want to visit the Lookout. And the waterfalls.”
“Excellent. I’ll arrange a car for later today.” Before she could protest, he got to his feet. “And soon, you try parasailing. It can be your adventure.”
Parasailing?
Like, on a surfboard with a sail on the ocean?
Even as Darby gave Michael a noncommittal smile, she thought, no. No, no, a million times no. Dominic might have seduced her into any number of wild sexual delights, but there was no way in hell he’d convince her to straddle a stick of wood attached to a flap of fabric and ride the waves like some kind of water-skimming daredevil.
“Perhaps you’ll try tandem parasailing. Dominic is skilled, he can teach you,” Michael said, giving her one last smile before moving off to greet another guest.
Dominic certainly was skilled. Lips pursed, her gaze shifted to the ocean again.
Tandem?
Hmm...
* * *
IT TURNED OUT that Darby loved parasailing.
