Chapter 2

The breeze coming off the water tonight is a little warmer than last night, making the need for my shawl unnecessary. After a few days of nothing but lying in the sun down at the beach, I have to say this is a great way to end my time here. Tomorrow, I'll leave to return to the city and work where I'm sure things are piling up as I speak, but for tonight, all I want to do is relax.

My sister Ever, who's also my partner at our public relations firm, hasn't called in the past two hours, which means she's either dead or every one of our clients has suddenly remembered to behave like mature adults. God, I should call to make sure she's okay because I know for damn sure our clients aren't suddenly acting like upstanding citizens. That singer we took on last month who has done nothing but parade around on social media in various degrees of nudity in the desperate hope that someone will compliment her certainly hasn't turned over a new leaf and decided to stay dressed for an entire day.

I stop my mind from racing with thoughts about how we'll have to sit down with her and her people yet again when I get back to explain for the third time in less than a month that we can't rehabilitate her public persona if she doesn't stop this ridiculous nonsense of pathetically pandering for attention. That will have to happen, but I don't have to let her sad behavior ruin my vacation.

"Let it go, Salem," I whisper quietly as I close my eyes and enjoy the sound of the ocean nearby and the soft music playing somewhere in the restaurant.

"Let what go?" a voice asks, and my eyes fly open. In front of me is a man smiling like I'm some kind of treat and he's been starving for days.

"Do you always listen to private conversations?" I ask, annoyed even as I can't deny he's stunning with short dark hair and brown eyes the color of melted chocolate.

I try not to notice how good he looks in that black dress shirt that hugs his body like it was made especially for him. It probably was. He looks like he's got money.

Wealthy I don't mind. Stunning and rude? Not my favorite combination when it comes to men.

He looks around and then smiles again when he returns his focus to me. "There's no one here you're talking to, so it's not technically a conversation, although I do have to admit talking to myself is sometimes the best conversation I can have."

Stunning, rude, and egotistical. This guy is not doing well.

"Then let me rephrase. Do you always intrude on strangers having dinner? And yes, before you say I'm not eating, this is still dinner, even though I've finished my meal," I snap, staring directly into his eyes that remind me of that Belgian dark chocolate Ever gets shipped to her each Christmas.

He doesn't immediately answer, which makes me think I've successfully chased him away. He simply needs to let my attitude filter through his brain before his feet understand it's time to leave.

I've met men like him before. Give them a little challenge and they hurry away as fast as they can. They want sex. They don't want anything like a brain or opinions in the woman they're interested in fucking.

Then he surprises me by pulling out the chair in front of him and sitting down. Now he's really intruding on my dinner.

"Excuse me, but I didn't invite you to join me," I say, barely able to get the words out because I'm so shocked he's being so forward.

"You would have soon enough, so I figured I'd take the bull by the horns and sit down. You looked like you were waiting for someone, but since you finished eating already, either he stood you up or you were waiting for me. I'll choose the second option since no man in his right mind would stand you up. Hell, no man in his wrong mind would either."

Every word he says flabbergasts me more, but I hide how upset he's making me because I know that will only encourage him to believe I want to continue this conversation. He thinks he's charming and sexy.

He's not.

He also thinks he's got enough money and is good looking enough to impress me.

Again, no.

I stand up and toss my white napkin on the plate in front of me. "This may work with some women. It doesn't with me. Good night."

The last I see of the gorgeous man with no manners and a huge ego are those dark brown eyes staring at me with shock filling them. I bet he hasn't had a woman rebuff him in ages.

Or ever.

Well, I'm glad I could give him a little taste of reality on this beautiful spring night here. Maybe in the future he'll think about how it's rude to approach women the way he did.

I smile at the bartender as I weave through a crowd of people waiting for their drinks and make my way toward my room. I bet Mr. Big Ego and No Manners is staying in one of the villas. Of course, he is. A regular room at a resort right on the water wouldn't be enough for the likes of him. He probably has his own personal butler too.

What an ass.

Finally alone as I walk along the sidewalk framed in beautiful plants with pink and purple flowers, I take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. I don't dare tell Ever what just happened with that guy. She'll launch into her usual lecture about how I'm going to be single forever because I never let my guard down and won't let anyone get close to me. I'll have to listen to her list every single woman in her thirties she knows and how they're unhappy and wish they could get men to hit on them like that guy did. By the time she's finished, I'll be the bad guy because I didn't invite him back to my room and ride him like a cowgirl on a wild stallion.

This from the sister who doesn't even like her fiancé. Not that I blame her. Micah is a complete tool. Why she stays with him is beyond me. Ever could do better. She's beautiful, smart, successful, and in our world, those traits are golden. Her fiancé is cheap and greedy, the only worse combination than the guy I just told off possesses.

"You know, it's rude to just leave like that."

I spin around, stunned to see him following me. This guy doesn't know how to take a hint. I guess I'll have to be clearer about how presumptuous he's being.

"You can't think this is the way to hit on a woman, can you? I'm guessing by the looks of you that you've had women like you before. Didn't they require anything other than this routine?"

He simply smiles and takes a step toward me before stopping. "Yes, women have liked me just as men I'm sure like you, although you do work very hard to keep a guy away. I'm taking it as playing hard to get. A little old fashioned, but I think it suits you since you have that whole nineteen-forties sharp-tongued thing going. I don't think you really want to be alone, so why not join me for a drink? I can promise you'll have a good time."

As much as I want to tell him off, I can't deny there's something about this man that makes me want to know more about him. Most men would have run away with their tails between their legs after all the harsh words I've said. That he hasn't tells me he's not as weak as most men I meet are, and I like that.

Then again, he has an ego the size of Mount Rushmore, which I don't like at all.

"What makes you think I'm looking for a good time?" I ask as I study his face with its chiseled cheekbones and jaw and those stunning eyes.

"Why wouldn't you be? You're at a beautiful resort in the islands. You're clearly single, so why not enjoy yourself?" he asks with far too much confidence in the idea that I'm available and may want to spend any time with him.

I step toward him so there's barely a foot separating us and smile. "What makes you think I'm single?"

That gets me an even bigger grin. "You're obviously single, no doubt because you constantly meet jackasses and tools. You're practically screaming that you'd give a guy a chance if he wasn't a clown. Well, I'm not any of those things. I'm not interested in holding you down or making you feel bad because you make more money than I do since you couldn't possibly. I just want to have a few drinks, get to know each other, and then enjoy a night of the best sex either one of us has ever dreamed of. Sound good to you?"

He says all of that so casually that it almost sounds like an offer I couldn't possibly turn down. Part of me wants to do just as he said and enjoy a night with him. Why not? I'm in the islands, as he correctly pointed out, and nobody knows me here. What harm could there be in having a good time?

"I'll agree to the drink and getting to know one another, but we'll see about the night of incredible sex after I decide if you're even capable of that kind of thing. I have one stipulation, though."

"Stipulation?" he says as the smile begins to fade from his face. "You sound like my brother, but since you're gorgeous, I'll keep an open mind. What is this stipulation you're putting on our time together?"

"No names. You don't know mine, and I don't know yours. We just get to know one another, maybe have some laughs over drinks, and if things happen to work out, we have a night of great sex. But no names and nothing personal."

I've never said anything like that before in my life. I've never even thought of anything like that with a man before, but something about this particular man tells me I need to keep things impersonal. However, something else about him makes me want to find out if he's as good in bed as he is at proclaiming he is.

His smile returns, lighting up his face and those dark brown eyes I think I could stare into forever. "No names works for me. Just fun and the best time of our lives."

I nod and give him a smile even as my doubts that this man could give me the best night of sex of my life begin to grow. I've met far too many men in my life who were absolutely, positively sure they were going to rock my world.

They didn't. All they did was disappoint me. I didn't become guarded for no reason.