Private Pleasures (23 page)
Wendy felt like pinching herself, unable to believe there wasn't even the barest hint of resentment in his voice.
"I'm moving back here," he said simply.
"You quit?"
He quirked a dark, thick eyebrow at her. "I imagine I'd earn infinite blowjobs if I told you I quit my job, risked everything, and came out here to throw myself at your feet and beg for whatever scraps of your affection you were willing to give me."
Wendy's own eyebrow quirked, and she couldn't stifle a grin. "But you can't?"
"Afraid not. The board fired me before I could quit."
"No way! Why?"
His shoulders rolled in a shrug that was way too nonchalant for an executive of Drew's caliber who had just been ousted. "Company was a mess and they didn't like my ideas of how to fix it, so they showed me the door."
"You seem rather happy about that."
"How could I not be when it made me realize that my true calling in life isn't to be the turnaround guy for failing software startups, but something else entirely."
"Oh yeah? What's that?"
"I was wondering if one of the partners at Chapman Cooper was in the market for a full time houseboy."
She was smiling so hard her cheeks started to hurt. "Really, I don't know if Cooper swings that way, but I can see if he's in the market."
"Smartass," he said and tossed a chopstick at her. "Fine, the
newest
partner."
She had no illusions that the corporate recruiters wouldn’t be on him like white on rice, and he'd be back to work in no time.
But looking at the intensity behind his teasing grin, she knew in her heart that he wouldn't go very far.
"Houseboy, huh?"
"My condo's already in escrow. I thought maybe you'd let me work for room and board."
"I suppose I can find a position for you," she teased.
He leveled her with a look that threatened to burn the robe she was wearing right off her body. "I'm betting you can find a lot of positions for me." Seconds later, the cartons of Chinese food scattered to the floor as she eagerly demonstrated her favorite.
Jami Alden lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her socially well adjusted alpha male husband, two sons, and a German Shepherd who patiently listens to dialogue and helps her work out plot points. Find out more about Jami and her books:
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Keep reading for an excerpt of PRIVATE PARADISE
Fans of Bella Andre, Shannon McKenna, Victoria Dahl, and Maya Banks will enjoy this steamy story of a second chance at love.
After years of catering to the whims of the rich and famous at one of the Caribbean's most luxurious resorts, there isn't much that can rattle Carla DeLuca.
Until Sam O’Connell shows up.
Tall, dark, and sexy, Holley Cay's new security chief is no stranger. He's the irresistible bad boy who seduced her over a long, hot summer only to leave her heartbroken, humiliated, and determined to never again fall for a player like him. But though her heart still stings with the memory of his rejection, her body can't forget the all-consuming pleasure of his touch.
Sam never forgave himself for his too cruel rejection of Carla over a decade before. Young, reckless, and convinced it was only a matter of time Carla regretted hooking up with a trouble maker like him, Sam pushed Carla away before she could realize her mistake. But when Sam lands a job working for Carla in paradise, he seizes the chance to finally make things right.
When a hurricane strands them alone on the island, Carla is unable to resist the passion simmering between them. She doesn't fool herself that what they have will last past the storm. But little does she know, Sam will do whatever it takes to make her his – forever this time.
This could not be happening.
That was all Carla DeLuca could think as she stared, dumbstruck, at the man in front of her. The Caribbean breeze ruffled night dark hair that was much shorter than she remembered. His lean features had become bolder, more chiseled, and his broad-shouldered lanky form had filled out substantially. Despite the differences, she had known his face the instant she'd laid eyes on him. Even after over a decade, there was no mistaking those blue eyes, startling
against his jet black lashes and brows.
Eyes that crinkled at the corners as he offered a friendly, if guarded smile, and didn't do a damn thing to help her unglue her tongue from the roof of her mouth.
“
Isn't it amazing?” Her cousin Chris's laughing voice broke through her daze, and she focused on his smiling face as he clapped the other man on the shoulder. “Who would have ever thought we'd hire Sam O'Connell as head of security?”
“
Amazing,” Carla murmured. Mentally steeling herself, she forced herself to meet Sam's eyes. The effect of those laser blue eyes meeting hers was only slightly less jolting than it had been two minutes ago, when she'd arrived on the terrace of Holley Cay's dining room to see what Chris's big surprise was.
After a two month search for someone to head up security at Holley Cay, the exclusive Caribbean resort Chris had started nearly a decade ago which Carla now managed, Chris had found the perfect candidate.
Sam O'Connell.
A man who Carla could happily go to her grave never laying eyes on again.
“
Sam,” Carla repeated. “You hired Sam to head up our security,” she said, as though she expected Chris to change his answer, like it was all some horrible joke.
But Chris had no clue what had gone on between Sam and Carla during that hot Las Vegas summer, and if he did, he'd never be so cruel as to pull something like this.
“
It's great to see you again, Carla,” Sam said. His expression gave nothing away, but his voice, still raspy and even deeper than it had been at twenty-one, had the same maddening impact as it always did, curling around her like a warm blanket and sending a little flutter of need to her core. “You look even better than the last time I saw you.”
Not much of a stretch, considering the last time he saw her she was a sobbing mess, practically bent double in pain from the blow he'd just delivered to her heart.
Still, as she felt his admiring gaze roam over her, she was glad she'd had her monthly Brazilian Blowout just yesterday so her psychotically curly hair hung down her back in silky waves and that her short, silky dress showed off arms and legs that were slim and toned from hours on the running trail and thousands of reps in the gym.
That's right. Take a long look at what you gave up, everything you've been missing,
she thought.
Then it hit her again, how easily he'd been able to walk away. He hadn't missed a goddamn thing. The memory of his smirk and the cruel glint in his blue eyes was enough to get her hormones in check and straighten her spine.
She was no longer an eighteen-year-old girl caught under the spell of a seductive bad boy. She was almost thirty years old, in charge of a multi-million dollar operation. And, if Sam and Chris had their way, Sam's boss.
Right. Maybe when hell froze over.
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