Rob smiled at the old man’s wily ways. He was like a dog with a bone when he wanted to know what Rob was up to. However, being a diligent employee and steadfast gentleman, he refused to ask bluntly who the hell the woman was in his room and what he doing with her.
Usually, Rob took great pleasure in leaving Pierre dangling, but tonight he didn’t have the energy. “I promised to take her to Lover’s Lane. Did you know she’d never seen the ocean before today?”
“Really?”
“She’s a special education teacher from Virginia.” Rob wasn’t sure why he was sharing anything at all about Meg. He could tell Pierre to mind his own business and the man would take no offense.
“An admirable profession.”
“She still doesn’t know who I am.”
“I see.”
“At the time, it seemed like a harmless enough lie, but now—”
“I see.” Although Pierre repeated the words softly, Rob knew his friend did understand.
“The first night we met, we talked. It was nice, normal, friendly. When I realized she didn’t know who I was, I found myself leery to give up the—”
“Nice, normal, friendly part. You know, Rob,” Pierre’s voice was gentle. “No good comes from a lie.”
“You think I’m a fool.”
“Not at all. However, given that you seem to be quite taken with this special education teacher, perhaps it would behoove you to tell her your true identity now.”
“I think it may already be a little too late.”
“Why?” Pierre asked.
“Because I think she’s fallen in love with me and I know I’ve fallen in love with her.”
Seven
The next day dawned bright and beautiful and Meg was in awe of the sight of the sun rising over the ocean. She’d seen the ocean all weekend, but the dark clouds and misting rain had obscured her view of the truly breathtaking scene. Today, the bright blue sky seemed dull in contrast to the crystal clear azure water. Excited beyond words, she ran back to the bed and jumped on top of her new lover.
“Hey.” Rob protested grumpily when she pulled the covers off his naked body. Drooling at the sight, Meg tried to still her heated thoughts by picking up her pillow and pummeling Rob awake.
“The sun is out. No more rain. Let’s go swim in the ocean.”
Joining in her obvious delight, he grabbed his own pillow, holding it in front of him like a shield.
“The ocean is overrated. Let’s stay in bed.” With that, he pulled her beneath him, straddling her thighs with his own.
“Rob,” she whined as he lowered his lips to hers. He kissed her until she forgot about the ocean and the sunshine. Hell, she was struggling to recall her own name.
“Now that’s a much better way to wake up.”
“With all our practice, I bet we’d be shoo-ins at the kissing contest.” She struggled to gather her wits about her. His kiss should be registered as a lethal weapon.
“Mmm,” he murmured, “but only a few minutes with your lips and I’m powerless to stop myself from stripping all your clothes off. How do you feel about public nudity?”
“I suppose we’ll have to limit our kisses to private places.”
“That’s my girl,” he answered. “Just so you know, I’m incredibly jealous. I want to keep your scrumptious curves all to myself.”
“Scrumptious, huh?” she asked with a laugh. “Are you sure you aren’t a bit farsighted, Mr. Mason?”
She watched a strange look cross his face before he shuttered the emotion away.
He surprised her by pulling away and rising from the bed. “I believe I promised my girl a swim in the ocean. Why don’t you put on your swimsuit and we’ll head out?”
She swallowed back a curse. “My swimsuit is in my luggage, which I don’t have. Damn it!”
“Actually, your luggage arrived very early this morning. It’s in your bedroom.”
She squealed with delight, dashing across the living room to her room. “I won’t be a minute.”
Rob smiled at her enthusiasm, pleased by how quickly Meg could get ready for her day. Used to women who took hours to shower, dress, primp, and do God only knew what else, he found Meg’s ability to prepare herself in fifteen minutes amazing.
Pulling on his swim trunks and T-shirt, he reviewed his plan for the day. He’d arranged to have his yacht docked nearby, where he and Meg would have a romantic breakfast. Then he would take her on a cruise around the island, stopping for a swim in the ocean, maybe even some waterskiing, and hopefully, sometime during the day, he would manage to confess the truth about his identity. He was being a coward, but by confining her on a boat, she wouldn’t be able to escape. Not one of his more brilliant plans, but for now, it was all he had. Time was running out.
Giggling, Meg nearly tripped getting off the elevator. Rob wrapped a steadying arm around her waist.