FIVE

April held her breath as Jack lowered his head, her eyes slowly closing. A second later she opened them again. “Jack?”

He studied her in silence for another second, then said, “Not here.” He gently lifted her arms from his neck, but captured one of her hands as he turned to leave their shaded hideaway. He guided her onto the path, then loosened his grip but didn’t drop her hand completely. “Meet me at my bungalow in about ten minutes, okay?”

April knew she looked as confused as she felt. “What? Why?” Her brows furrowed in the beginnings of anger. “I thought the game playing was over. If this is your idea of a jo—”

Jack gently squeezed her hand, then dropped it. “What this is, is my idea of protecting your reputation as boss of this joint.”

“You didn’t seem too concerned about that when you dragged me across the lawn,” she shot back, partly angry, but mostly frustrated. She didn’t have to admit that the frustration was mostly sexual in nature; she could hardly deny it. “I’m not just boss here, I own ‘this joint,’ as you so quaintly refer to it. And if I want to be seen holding hands or doing anything else with a guest then it’s nobody’s business but my own.”

Jack looked surprised, then a wide smile split his tanned features. “So, you make a habit of this, then?” He ducked her halfhearted punch, but caught her fist, his big hand completely encompassing hers. He didn’t pull her closer, but the intimacy reflected in his eyes effectively erased the distance. “I still want you to give me a few minutes’ head start.”

“If you’re worried about your housekeeping, I’ve seen it, remember?” she said dryly.

Jack actually groaned, and groaned again when she arched that brow at him. “I’m trying to be a gentleman here, but you’re making it hard.” He gave a short laugh at his unintentional double entendre and turned her hand so he could lace his fingers with hers. “Which is precisely why I want a few minutes alone.”

“Why now? A second ago I could have sworn—”

His voice quieted to a whisper. “Do you have any idea what I wanted to do to you under that tree? What I would have done if I’d started kissing you?”

April felt a surge of heat and something like pride course through her. She’d put that look of wanting, of desire, on his face. It shocked her. It also thrilled her. “Probably the exact same thing I was hoping you’d do.”

Jack swore and dropped her hand like he’d been burned. “Fifteen minutes, April.” His voice was strained. “I swear, lunch was my original intention, my only intention. But if I see you any earlier, we go straight to dessert. Understand?”

Empowered by his reaction to her, April merely smiled. Forcing back the grin that teased the corners of her mouth, she nodded, then watched him retreat down the path, his long-legged, smooth stride covering the ground quickly.

April turned around and faced the lodge, blotting the image of those intense green eyes from her mind, trying to focus on what had really just happened. She should probably be embarrassed by her behavior, she belatedly realized. But she wasn’t. Being aggressive was nothing new to her—building this resort had made that trait a necessity. But then this wasn’t business, she argued with herself. This was personal.

And in that respect, she had to admit her reaction was way out of the ordinary. In fact, she’d never done anything like it before. After her pride had been destroyed during the harassment trial, April had shied away from all relationships. Gradually she’d learned to trust again, but by then building the resort had taken over her life. Her immediate reaction to Jack had taken some getting used to.

The grin she’d been suppressing slowly spread across her face. Jack Tango liked being in control. She perfectly understood that need. She hadn’t had much chance to put it into practice relationship-wise, but she’d vowed the day she decided to come forward with her charges against Markham that any relationship she did have would be equal risk and aboveboard—with no chance of one person holding the upper hand. It was the only way to remain safe.

Safe. That word didn’t seem to fit Jack. Always cool, sexy, and so damned sure of his charm. But unless she was completely off the mark, her little speech just now had actually made Jack Tango nervous.

The very idea made her skin tingle.

Jack punched his key card into the lock slot on the bungalow door. Once inside he went directly to the kitchen. He methodically began sorting through the contents of the basket he’d packed earlier, forcing himself to concentrate on making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. It was no use. He slammed the wicker lid down and paced around the room. After several paths to the window and back he collapsed onto the small couch.

No matter how he tried, he couldn’t reconcile the troubled, skittish woman he’d comforted in his arms on this very couch two days ago with the sexy, confident lady who’d looked into his eyes not five minutes ago and basically stated she wanted him as badly as he wanted her.

He was having a hard enough time figuring out what to do with all these new protective feelings she inspired in him. He’d known from the moment he’d decided to pursue her she’d need the kid-glove treatment. Something was eating at her, and he knew he’d better damn sure take it slow if he wanted to keep her from shutting him out. So what in the Sam Hill was she doing telling him it was okay to all but make love to her under a tree in broad daylight for chrissakes?

Jack groaned and let his head drop back on the edge of the couch. “Women.” Minutes later he opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. “Franklin, you owe me for this one.”

“What does Franklin have to do with this?”

Jack snapped his head up. April was standing in the doorway. “How did you get in here? Never mind, stupid question,” he added, seeing the master card in her hand. It bothered him that he’d somehow lost the upper hand.

“Have a seat.” She lifted her brow just slightly at his curt command, but she moved to sit down, choosing a seat across from him. Very telling. He smiled. Apparently her assertiveness had faded somewhat, along with the arousal. Good.

“Who is Franklin?”

“A friend. Colleague, actually.” Jack’s response was automatic. He was busy watching the light play across her hair, deciding which filter would be most flattering. Nah, she didn’t need any help, she’d photograph beautifully under even the harshest light.

“I remember you blaming him earlier, when I first met you. For being here, I mean. Does it have something to do with your job?”

Jack dragged his attention back to the conversation. He propped his feet up on the coffee table, telling himself he was glad she was providing them both with a reprieve. The new position didn’t ease his discomfort, but maybe he could at least hide his condition from her view.

Reprieve or not, her deep, steady voice made it difficult to forget there was a big queen-size bed in the next room. “My job?” he answered, hoping he remembered the question. “Well, sort of. I guess you could say I tend to be a bit aggressive about my work. Somehow I let Franklin manage to convince me that taking a few weeks off would not bring the world to a grinding halt.”

“So, is it Franklin’s choice of Mexico? Or Paradise Cove? Or do you just miss working and want to get back?”

Jack stopped restlessly tapping his feet together and looked directly at her. Judging from her earnest expression, she wasn’t just making idle chitchat, she really seemed to want to know. “It’s partly being stuck so far away from anything without there being a real purpose for it,” he said quietly. “It’s partly the feeling that I should be working on another assignment.”

“So you don’t miss it as much as you thought you would?”

Jack stilled completely, his gaze pinned on hers. Her ability to cut to the core of things still startled him. She heard things he hadn’t been aware of saying. Until she’d asked, even he hadn’t acknowledged that a large part of the unsettling disquiet plaguing him since he’d arrived here was due to exactly that possibility.

He ignored for now the myriad of questions her comment provoked him to consider. Instead he finished answering her earlier question. “But the main reason I was swearing at Franklin when you walked in was because if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have met you.”

April’s eyes widened and she stiffened in the chair. “I wasn’t aware I’d made such a nuisance out of myself.”

Jack leaned forward, swung his feet to the floor, and stood, his motions controlled and fluid. He stepped around the low table separating them. April immediately got up and moved several feet away. Jack halted, his light eyes glittering as they narrowed. “I’d think by now you’d know I’m not going to do anything that isn’t a mutual decision.”

The hurt he’d felt at her retreat lessened considerably when she squared her shoulders and held her ground as he moved to stand in front of her. It took guts, he knew, to try to stare down a man a good foot taller than herself. “I’ve been very careful to go slowly with you.” He felt his lips twitch at the disbelief that crossed her face. “I haven’t done anything without your consent, have I?”

“If you’re not counting the pictures you took of me at the reception, no.”

“The pictures aren’t the issue here.” He stepped closer and felt his body warm as he confirmed that the look in her eyes was one of irritation, not fear. He’d never been more turned on, or more confused, in his whole life. “I want to get to know you. Spend time with you. After what happened under that tree you can hardly deny it’s only one-sided.”

“I wanted you to kiss me back, if that’s what you mean. But I don’t like being made to feel guilty that you’re attracted to me. I didn’t like being attracted to you either; it’s confusing and I wasn’t planning on it. But, at least once I admitted it to myself, I was honest with you about it. I don’t know if anything will ever happen between us, but I won’t sneak around to find out.”

She was so damn direct it unnerved him. Jack felt as if he were teetering on the edge of a giant, gaping crevasse, tiptoeing along the rim. One wrong move and he’d be swept away forever. “I wasn’t trying to hide anything by bringing you here. I was under the misguided impression you would prefer to continue what we started out there in private. And for the record, you can’t plan everything in life.”

He placed his hands on her hips; the gentle thrust of her hipbones pressing against his big hands made him aware of just how much bigger he was than her. She didn’t try to move or shift away and he gave in to the need to feel her against him. He pulled her closer and slowly shifted her back and forth, his arousal unmistakable against her flat belly.

“You want honesty? This is what you do to me every time you look at me, talk to me. Even when you’re mad at me. I don’t like feeling this way either, April. I don’t like not being in control. But I’m not hiding from it, either.”

April reached up to grip Jack’s shoulders for support, barely drawing enough breath to fill her lungs. His body was hot and hard against hers and she had a sudden desperate need for him to lift her up so that his erection would be pressed against the ache between her legs instead of being wasted against her stomach. “Jack?” Her voice was a low rasp.

“What, mi tesoro?”

My treasure. The endearment was at once rough with need and tender with concern.

“I do want you.” She gasped as he groaned and gripped her hips tighter, pressing himself more deeply against her. “But, I think …” She looked down at their bodies. How wonderful it felt to finally be this close to him. “I may hate myself for this.”

Jack shifted his arm behind her back so he could tilt her chin with his finger until she looked him in the eyes. “No regrets, April. But stop me now if you don’t intend to finish this.”

“I want to eat lunch first.”

“What?” His tone was the epitome of disbelief. “Now you’re hungry? For food?”

“No, not in the least.”

“You’re not the only one confused here, lady.”

She reached up a trembling finger, pressing it against his lips. “I meant it, what I said earlier. I just need to go a bit slower. Does it have to be all or nothing?”

Jack blew out a deep breath, struggling with his need for her, to be on top of her, inside of her. He let his finger trail along the side of her jaw. “It shouldn’t be, no. I’ve known you less than a week and yet it’s taking every bit of my willpower not to tug you down on this tile floor, lift that skirt to your hips, and do everything I can think of to make you beg me to be deep inside of you.”

He watched her pupils expand as he spoke until the brown was almost swallowed by her black irises. He was fascinated by the convulsing of the muscles in her slender throat as she tried to come to terms with her body’s response to his words. His gaze dropped lower and he had to forcibly restrain himself from lowering his lips to the tightened nipples straining against her thin blouse.

“Pretty amazing, isn’t it?” His voice was deep and dark.

“You have no idea,” she finally choked out. With that cryptic statement, April eased out of his arms and walked to the kitchen.

Jack let her go, very unwillingly, but knowing she’d been right to put a halt on things. She wasn’t the only one who felt out of her depth. He cleared his throat and followed her into the tiny kitchen, leaning against the bar. “If you still want to, I sorta thought we could eat on the beach. I figured you’d know all the secluded spots.” She darted a quick look at him and he added, “And the crowded ones.”

“I think we’d better stick to the public beach.”

Jack relaxed as she smiled, her tone dry, her voice even. He grinned, allowing himself to switch back to the comfortable charm he used to keep people at a distance, and winked. “Just remember, I still haven’t had my turn at kissing yet. Are you sure you want to risk it?”

He was close enough now to see the quick flare of desire darken her brown eyes before she looked away, and he cursed himself for teasing her. He also made a mental note to start wearing baggier shorts around her. “Don’t answer that.” He grabbed the basket. “I’ll haul the food, you tote the blanket. Deal?”

“Deal.” She scooped up the woven cotton blanket and he stepped aside to let her pass. She headed out the door and down the path without looking back.

April glanced briefly at her watch, then turned her attention back to the action on the beach. She couldn’t believe she’d been playing hooky for two hours. Thoughts of what she should be doing skittered away as she watched Jack’s bare chest expand and the muscles of his arm bunch as he soared into the air and slammed the volleyball down over the net. The referee called a foul and April leapt to her feet, yelling and pumping her fist with the rest of the sizeable crowd.

It wasn’t until she heard herself threatening to fire the ref unless he reversed the call that she realized what she was doing. She cast a quick glance around, but no one was paying any attention to her. All eyes were riveted on the match, as they had been for most of the last hour.

With a sheepish smile, she plopped back down on the blanket and fiddled with the last piece of mango. After a quiet lunch of tuna salad, fresh fruit, and light, impersonal talk, Jack had offered a walk on the beach. April had declined. Not because she didn’t want to go; she wanted to go very badly. But she’d started to wonder if maybe jack had been right about keeping their combustive reaction to each other behind closed doors. He’d been a total gentleman during lunch, yet her pulse hadn’t slowed down one bit.

She was still intent on keeping everything open and aboveboard, but since she wasn’t sure she could hold his hand for a quiet walk without tugging him into the first empty cabana she saw to finish that kiss, she’d declined. He’d smiled and taken it gracefully. She hadn’t been sure how she felt about that, but since the volleyball game had started right after, she hadn’t had much time to dwell on it. She’d pooped out after the first match, but Jack had continued playing.

She watched his team score on another of his spectacular spikes, then turned to gather up the picnic supplies. As much as she’d appreciated the opportunity to ogle Jack’s hard-muscled physique to her heart’s content for the last hour, she had to get back to work.

She didn’t want to disrupt the game, but she didn’t want to just leave either. She stood and brushed the sand from the white shorts she’d changed into after leaving the bungalow, then felt a warm hand grip her elbow. She tensed as she looked up, but relaxed as she gazed into the now-familiar translucent green eyes.

“Playtime’s over, huh?” His voice was a bit gravelly from exertion, and it had no small effect on her system.

“For me, yes.” She smiled, squinting into the sun. “You go ahead and finish the game, though.”

Jack’s eyes widened in surprise. His large frame blocked out the game, but not the other players’ voices as they called him to come back. He glanced back at them, then at her. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“You are on vacation. I can find my way to my office. Go, have fan.” She didn’t add that she thought he could use a bit of mindless fun in his life. But the look in his eyes told her she didn’t have to.

“You’re sure?”

“Consider it a direct order from the CEO.”

A grin split his tanned face and he closed the space between them, shielding her completely from view. “I love it when you order me around. I will see you later.”

“I’ll probably be working late tonight.” At the frown that creased his brow she added, “Even Señor Jack can’t solve all of the Cove’s problems in a day or two. Speaking of which, you should relax and enjoy what the Cove has to offer.”

“I thought I was.” April moved back slightly, but Jack reached out to hold her arm in a gentle grip. His voice was low and carried only as far as her ears. He didn’t hide his frustration. “I didn’t mean that like it sounded. If I truly thought you were just one of the Cove’s perks, I sure as hell would have worked off the sexual energy we built up in a much more enjoyable way than playing volleyball in ninety-plus heat.”

April’s eyes widened, causing Jack to smile again.

“You mean that’s why you …?”

“Yeah. For a whole hour. And if you keep looking at me like that, I’m gonna have to do laps next.” The shouts for Jack to return grew louder, but he kept his gaze on her. “You’ll be in your office later?”

“Yes, except for a few minutes before the nightly show. I usually greet the guests just before showtime and make several announcements about upcoming events.”

“Did you mean what you said earlier?”

April looked confused, then wary. “Probably. Which thing?”

“About not sneaking around.”

“I’m here on the beach with you, aren’t I?”

Jack’s grin broadened to a bright white smile. “Yeah, I guess you are. Then you won’t mind if I do this.”

Before she could answer, he pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. His kiss was hard, hot, and over entirely too soon.

“It was my turn, right?” he whispered in her ear.

April nodded mutely, but the whistles of a few of the guests brought her back to the present. A volleyball landed in a spray of sand at his feet and he stepped away. He toed the ball up into his hands and looked back at her.

She could have sworn that for a split second he’d been searching her face for signs he’d acted out of line. He hadn’t been. After all, she’d given him the green light earlier, under the tree. She smiled back at him and his cocky grin instantly surfaced.

He backed his way toward the net, his eyes flashing, a teasing smile on his face, popping the ball onto his biceps like a beach bum trying to impress his girl.

She couldn’t resist. She flashed him a big smile and said in a clear voice, “See you later, Moondoggie.” She had the satisfaction, as she climbed up the stairs leading from the beach to the grounds, of hearing the other men razz Jack.

She grinned all the way to her office, amazed that she’d spent the afternoon behaving like a college kid on spring break, at her own resort no less! Her smile faltered as images of the far more mature activity she could have spent the steamy afternoon indulging in floated through her mind.

April entered her office and sat down behind her desk. The large room was a dozen degrees cooler than the beach, yet she felt hotter, uncomfortable.

Forcing the tantalizing images from her mind, she swiveled her chair and looked out the large window to the beach below. She didn’t bother to kid herself that she wasn’t hoping for a glimpse of him. She could see the volleyball game from here, but not enough to tell which one was Jack. She had no doubt she’d see him again tonight. The thought sent a thrill of anticipation through her.

Jack may have seemed more relaxed on the beach, but she knew it would take more than a volleyball game to truly unwind the tension and weariness that lay beneath the surface of his charming smile. It went far deeper than corporate burnout. Getting involved with Jack would not be light and easy. But nothing in her life, good or bad, had ever been either of those things. All that remained to be seen was which category having a relationship with him would fall in to.

Jack crossed the moonlit lawn, enjoying the cooler midnight air. The grass was cool and wet between his toes and the evening wind whipped the dampness from his freshly showered hair. As he neared the entrance to the main building, he shifted the cooler in his hand and glanced down at the baggy chinos and print shirt he wore as he slipped on the beach thongs he’s bought earlier at the Cove’s gift shop.

He had a sudden wild urge to go back to the bungalow and put on something less … rumpled. A wry smile crossed his face. Since when had he cared how he dressed? Besides, April had already seen him wearing less.

His thoughts drifted to how she’d stared at him the day he’d caught her looking through the reception pictures. He’d only been wearing a bath towel, but at the time had been grateful for the coverage, considering his immediate response to her.

Now he paused and looked up at the windows at the top of the half dozen of so floors. Yellow light blinked between the slats of the blinds of a large corner office that wrapped around the back of the building. He headed into the lobby.

He immediately spotted the concierge. Surprised that he was still on duty, Jack nodded to the dark-skinned man, then abruptly headed over to him. “Buenas noches, Dominguez,” he said in greeting.

“Hola, Señor Jack. What can I do for you?” He nodded to the small cooler Jack held in one hand.

Jack looked down as if wondering what had caught Dom’s attention. “Oh,” he answered, then glanced back up, “nothing right now. But I’m expecting some mail in the next few days. I’d really appreciate it if you could get it to me as soon as it comes in.”

“Sí, sí. No problem.” He grinned at Jack and nodded, flashing one gold-capped tooth.

Jack nodded back, then paused a moment, suddenly realizing that he felt uncomfortable about going to the lobby elevator. His destination would be all too clear to Dom and anyone else who cared to watch the illuminating numbers above the lobby doors as he rode to the top floor.

It was ridiculous. He’d never felt the need, or even had an urge, to protect the reputation of the women he’d dated. They’d all been sophisticated and intelligent enough to be responsible for their decisions. Which made the urge to protect April all the more confusing. Jack smiled briefly at Dom and moved a few steps away in the general direction of the elevator.

More than any of the other women he’d dated, April, with her achievements, certainly knew her own mind. He paced over to the gleaming brass doors, his finger hovering over the arrow button. So why, he silently asked himself, especially in light of the statements she’d made to him that very afternoon, were his instincts still screaming at him to go slow, to protect, to take special care?

Because, his mind responded, beneath that competent, efficient CEO face she presented to the world, a fragile layer existed, one he suspected she’d rarely allowed anyone to see. But he had seen it, had held her while she came to grips with whatever had caused it.

Jack shook off the questions shooting through his mind. Chances were good that he’d get his answers in the information he’d requested. Until then, there was no point dwelling on the reasons, when his time could be much better spent getting to know everything about April on a firsthand basis.

Resisting the urge to glance back to see if Dom was watching, Jack punched the “up” arrow. It would be foolish to even try to conceal his destination. Hotels were the same all over the world. The up-to-the-second information available through their grapevines had saved his butt more than a few times. By now the kiss on the beach was certainly old news.

The doors slid silently open and he stepped inside and turned around. Not a soul was paying the least bit of attention to him. Jack smiled as the doors slid shut. April’s staff was well trained—efficient and, more important, discreet.

Once on the top floor, Jack headed toward the office that he’d noticed from down on the lawn. Cracking open the door, he stepped into an outer office. Glad that April didn’t have employees with her workaholic tendencies, he slipped past the unoccupied secretary’s desk and quietly leaned over to peek into the partly open door leading to her office.

He’d expected to see her at her desk, her dark head bent over a pile of paperwork. What he saw instead took his breath away and rooted him to the spot.

She stood with her back to him, gazing out the huge picture window behind her desk. Her silk caramel-colored dress was backless. He let his gaze drift down the delicate ridge of her spine exposed by the loose halter style, then rest for a moment on the narrow gold belt circling her waist. The slight flare of her hips could barely be seen above the low back of her chair. His pulse pounded when she shifted her weight slightly and a sigh whispered through her lips.

His hand went immediately to his chest, groping for the nonexistent camera. His need to capture the essence of this moment forever on film hit him so hard he had to clench his fingers in a fist to keep from pounding them on the door frame in frustration.

So he did the next best thing and allowed the impact of her to flow over and through him. He responded fully to the moment, to her, wanting to enjoy the rush while it lasted. He had an insane desire to trace his tongue along the length of her too-rigid spine, then slip his hands in the sides of her loose top. His skin tightened as he flexed his muscles against the response his body had to thoughts of how her small breasts would feel in his large hands, what they would look like, taste like.

He must have made a sound, because she whirled around, one small hand clutching the very spot he’d been imagining his hand touching.

“Jack! You scared me to death.”

She’d been a million miles away, but the startled look on her face made it clear her thoughts hadn’t been of him. Jack yanked his eyes from the silky fabric clutched in her hands and the way it pulled the fabric tight over her obviously braless breasts. It took a moment longer to regain his voice. “Sorry.” The word was barely more than a rasp.

April fell silent, simply staring at him. He did the same. She lowered her hand as his gaze traveled over her.

He wished the front of her dress plunged deeply like the back. The gathered silk that fastened tight at her neck kept him from discovering if her pulse was pounding as rapidly as his. Nonetheless, he found it next to impossible to pull his gaze away from that slender neck and focus on her eyes.

Surprise had been replaced by an open look of desire that rocked him to his knees. To look at her now—chin firm, those almond-shaped eyes meeting his gaze head-on—he couldn’t believe he had spent one second worrying about protecting her. Hers was the face of a woman who knew exactly what she wanted.

In a reflex gesture he lifted the cooler in his hand. “Hungry?”

She didn’t even glance at the cooler. “Famished.”

Jack stepped into the office and closed the door.