Sunset Rivalry: The Caliendo Resort (By The Lake: The Caliendo Resort Book 2) (10 page)

Yee-haw.

ANYA AWOKE TO the low hum of Quinn’s heartbeat against her cheek. His bare chest sent a warm glow tingling through her body, sizzling the areas where her arm lay across his torso and her stomach pressed against his side.

She would have darted right out of his arms if his embrace hadn’t felt so good...and if she didn’t feel so safe. For the remainder of the night she’d laid in this position, stretched out on the plush carpet, naked, with his arms wrapped tightly around her and their legs entangled. Only his shirt covered their middle, but she didn’t notice the coolness in the room or the hard floor. Quite the opposite. She felt like she was exactly where she should be, until she began to stir from the haze of the ambience.

What had she done?             

Nothing she hadn’t done before. Except she had.

Anya tried to disregard the gloom of her reality, spoiling the tranquility of this moment. Yes, she’d given herself to Quinn. Only this time she was fully aware that there was no possibility of a future with him. That wasn’t even the worst part. When she told him to just feel, to just touch...she’d gone and ignored her own advice. Every time his fingers grazed her skin, every place his lips settled, every thrust and moan and longing for more was followed by his echoing voice in her head, “It’s not only sex.”

She was in trouble.

Savoring in the security of his arms all night, Anya had ignored the hope that when morning came she would discover they could work it out, that Quinn
wanted
to work it out. That notion was silly, juvenile, naive...
wasn’t it?

Quinn liked her. She hadn’t known how deeply until he stared down at her last night, his eyes more readable then she’d ever seen. Yes, he’d wanted her body and her touch, but the look in his striking eyes told her that he wanted so much more. She’d disregarded the glimpses of his affection because it was complicated between them. Complicated beyond repair...
wasn’t it?

Now Anya didn’t want to move. Ever. If she moved it would be over and they would fall into the rolls of mistrusting enemies competing for access to the files.

So she lay silently in Quinn’s arms, closing her eyes and pretending for just this morning that they were back in her suite, lying together under the silk sheets. When he awaked he would start with a sexy,
good morning,
kissing the side of her head with the promise of a future together. But it was all a dream.

When he spoke first, she sighed inwardly, knowing reality was about to storm through their quiet time together. 

“They left an hour ago.” No good morning. No kiss. No future.

That didn’t stop Quinn’s quiet whisper from cascading waves of passion through her body. That was until his actual words registered. 

An hour ago?
There it was.
Reality.
They were naked in an office that she was confident at least one of her family members knew about. Any one of the Caliendos could walk in at any moment and find them not only together naked, but hidden in the hidden office. Everything was complicated.
 

Sit up Anya and get your clothes.

Instead, she took her time tilting her head to look at him, not sure what she would find.

He sent her a sleepy grin and her insides melted. 

“What time is it?”  

He shrugged. “My phone is in my jeans.” His eyes left her, but only momentarily. “And they’re
way
across the room.”

Oh how adorably cute this man could be.
Why was he being so darn adorably cute?

Her fingers wanted to run through his dishevelled hair and had nothing to do with straightening it. She was ready to climb back on top of him and go for round two.

“We should go,” she said instead.

“I know.” He sounded as disappointed as she felt.

Neither of them moved.

Anya found herself searching his eyes for answers to questions she wasn’t even sure she knew yet. Maybe reassurance that this wasn’t only sex and was really a promise of more to come. But when she found him doing the same, but offering an apology, she realized they were in a sinking ship. The file was his priority. It didn’t make a difference if he liked her, because he wasn’t making any room in his life for her. She was only fooling herself.

Anya sat up. Taking his shirt with her across the darkened room, she found her clothes before tossing his shirt back at him. 

She couldn’t look in his direction until she was dressed, even if they were cloaked in darkness. She wanted the security of her clothes to keep her from reaching for him...and then what? Asking him to stay? Begging him to stay?

No, she wasn’t that weak. Even after feeling a piece of herself die each lonesome day that passed and now being home, being with him, placed those puzzle pieces back together. But she wouldn’t beg him for anything. She didn’t
need
him, she
wanted
him. And her father had taught her that you didn’t always get what you wanted. Learning more about his life, she realized Robert didn’t always follow that lesson. When he didn’t get what he wanted, he simply took it. Anya would never go to such lengths.

The sound of Quinn pulling up his pants and she knew this had to be the last time. She couldn’t handle the conflicting looks he sent her, not when she’d never gotten over him. Not when his words and eyes stroked her heart but he could offer no more. It burned too much.  

Anya dived straight into business, because wasn’t that why they were here? Business. The files. Then they would part forever. Quinn with the file he’d used her to try and get and her with file that would set Rebecca free.

“I will check my mom’s suite first and then Uncle Carl’s. If I don’t find anything, then I will consider other siblings−”

“Alone?”

Anya switched on the lamp with full intentions of making sure everything was in order. Filing cabinets closed, desk neat and tidy and no extra clothes lying around. But the accusing tone in his question made her turn to look at him instead.

“You don’t trust me.” It wasn’t a question and when the words came out of her mouth it dripped with the same allegation as his.

“...Yes, I do.” The slight pause before he answered didn’t convince her.

Anya felt the anger pulse through her body. Her body stiffened and she narrowed her eyes on him. He was a controlling jerk who didn’t have the decency to even fake trusting her after he’d touched her more intimately than ever before.

She replied with sarcasm. “How about I put your number on speed dial and you can lurk in the bushes until I get back to you?” She raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips at him.

He crossed his arms across his wide chest. “How about I stay in your suite and we do it together? Like we planned.” Quinn was serious.

Was he crazy?

They were two wires in a ticking time bomb unable to avoid contact and they would surely explode together.

Sleeping together was a mistake. They’d both known it last night, both knew it now and they couldn’t play a repeat. Staying together in her suite would only cause additional problems.

Besides, Anya didn’t want him staying in her suite for who knew how long? A day? Two days? A week? This was a big resort and Anya had to play her moves right. She wasn’t about to start breaking into her family’s suites and offices without a plan.

Not to mention his presence confused the solid thoughts in her head and she would forget that he didn’t even trust her. He liked her, he craved her, but he was ready for her to stab him in the back...like he’d done to her.

She was putting her foot down. Enough was enough.

“No. This...” She waved her hand in the space between them. “...is not happening again.”

He straightened, defense in his stance. “I didn’t say it was. You made it clear last night it was nothing more than sex.”

Her?

“Don’t make this like it’s my fault we are where we are today. If you had been upfront two years ago about how you really felt about me then we wouldn’t be here. And you wouldn’t have wasted almost an entire year pretending to like me.”

Anger flared a scarlet trail up his throat and to his face. “It’s not as black and white as your life is Princess.”

Princess? Princess!

He continued. “You blindly live this luxurious life off the earnings of a deceitful man.”

He took a step toward her, but she didn’t back away from the fear that this move would have conveyed to others. One thing was certain, she
wasn’t
afraid of Quinn Barker. He could get as darn angry as he pleased, but she knew he would never hurt her.

“You judge me regarding my employment with your father for nothing more than money. Haven’t you ever considered the money you so lavishly spend came from the deeds that you continually throw in my face? Aren’t you just as guilty of hurting those people when you purchase your designer clothes and sail away on your yacht?”

Anya felt her anger multiply. He didn’t know a damn thing about her. “We don’t have a yacht!”

“Not because you can’t afford one!”

Anya’s feet remained firmly planted on the ground. She didn’t even jump when he full-out yelled at her, but her heart sank and tears stung her eyes. She blinked them away and watched regret fill his.

Sadness and regret. Truth or lies. Love or lust.
None of it mattered between them.

Anya snapped the light off and ignored his whisper of her name. She stalked past him and pulled the door open without caution, not caring if someone was on the other side.

She stepped into the light wishing it was the brightness that hurt her eyes and not the creeping of another round of tears.

After all this time, the truth about how Quinn viewed her was crystal clear. Anya was the spoiled daughter of a manipulative man and a great bang, but nothing more.

“You can find your way out,” she snarled and left the office.

Swiping her key at the foyer door, she walked into the pool room.

Quinn followed barking accusations at her...so much for his flash of regret.

“Was this your plan all along? Knowing there were no files in the file room. Throw me off the trail? And then go in without me?” 

Anya groaned and turned suddenly.

Quinn was right at her heels and she bounced off him. He grabbed her arm to steady her.

“Yes. I wanted to screw you like you keep screwing me,” she yelled at him.

“You conquered that.” His grip on her arm was hard but not painful.

A disgusted laugh escaped her. “I learned from the best.”

“Here’s one pointer you need. Don’t bring your feelings to the table. You want to screw, then you screw. You don’t look up after promising nothing and asking for everything.”

Her eyes widened in horror.

What about him? He couldn’t keep his mouth shut long enough to just make love last night either, offering the ammo that made her presume maybe there could be more between them.

Anya jammed her pointer finger in his chest and said, “You want a plan? I will give you a plan. Go find another quick bang to get you access to
my
resort.”

Quinn caught her wrist and yanked her closer, causing her to stumble and crash against his thick body...his hot hard, sexy body.

He steadied her effortlessly, staring down at her with a grin like he was enjoying himself. But when he spoke it wasn’t humorous.

“If I wanted someone else, I would have taken someone else.” He held both her arms now, pulling her body against his.

She didn’t have to yell. “You know what? Find the damn file yourself. I’m finished playing this warped game of buddy-tag with you. You,
Quinn Barker
, are nothing more than a pawn in my father’s games and he used you until the very end. Go sit on that without your precious file.”

She tugged her arms but he didn’t let go.

“Barker, I swear.”

“
Uh-huh
.”

Was he mocking her?

Anya turned and pulled, but Quinn was too strong and with the move of his arms she twirled in his direction and he embraced her with a kiss.

A kiss? A kiss!

This man was up and down like a broken elevator and Anya had no control over the buttons.

Worse than that, her need to control the buttons vanished as soon as his hot lips covered her mouth and dragged her into the wonderful world of Quinn. A candy land world that was only fun and games until reality seeped back in.

She was tired of both his fun and his games. 

Anya pulled away furious. Was he on some mood enhancement drugs, because his emotions were all over the damn place.

It was never only sex. I don’t trust you. I can’t kiss you enough. Rich little spoiled princess.

Anya didn’t have a chance to say anything.

Quinn’s arm wrapped around her shoulders, turning her and pulling her firmly against his side as Eliza’s voice drowned Anya’s.