Chapter 6

I know I was the one who suggested we lie to one another and not give our real names, but all that's gone on between us this morning makes me wish I at least knew what to call him. I was so wrong about what I thought last night when he walked up to the table. What seemed rude then now appears charming when I think about it.

He sits down across from me at the kitchen table and looks at the breakfast the resort has laid out for us. It's practically a buffet there's so much to choose from. Sausage and bacon with pancakes, crepes, and French toast, along with orange juice and what I think might be mimosas. It all barely fits on the table there's so much.

"Gee, dear, I hope you're hungry," I say with a laugh.

Handing me a plate, he adds, "You know, I appreciate the service, but I'm not sure my whole family including four brothers could eat this."

Before I can mention again we aren't supposed to be giving one another any personal information, he corrects himself. "Three brothers."

I watch as sadness fills his expression for only a moment, and then he says with a chuckle, "I forgot we're supposed to be lying. Correction. Twelve brothers."

Since he claimed to be an only child last night, I simply nod and smile at his attempt to keep up the lie. His face when he said three brothers tells me that was the truth. What happened to the fourth makes me curious, but that isn't what our time together here is about.

"Well, maybe if they were all here, we could hope to finish all this food. I guess we should dig in. That French toast looks delicious."

Leaning over the table, he stabs his fork into the stack of golden pancakes and lifts them onto his plate. "Great! You handle that, and I'll take care of the pancakes. You can have the crepes too since they aren't really my thing."

I use my fork to take two pieces of French toast and then look for the syrup. I see him grab it from his side of the table, but he hands it to me instead of taking some for himself.

"Thank you, but you don't have to do that."

He shakes his head. "No, you first. What kind of host would I be if I used up all the syrup?" he asks with a laugh.

I pour a little over my breakfast and hand the tiny white pitcher back to him. "I hadn't thought of you as my host, but this is your villa, so…"

"Exactly," he says before pouring the rest of the syrup over his pancakes. Looking over at me, a sheepish expression comes over him. "I hope you weren't looking to use more because I completely forgot my manners and bogarted the rest of the syrup."

"It's fine. I don't need my French toast swimming in syrup. Can you hand me the carafe of what I'm hoping is mimosas?" I ask, truly hoping I won't get a mouthful of some kind of mango juice instead.

Happily, I smell the champagne as I take the glass pitcher from him, and a few moments later, the sweet and bubbly taste of mimosa hits my tastebuds. "Mmmm, I love these on a Sunday at brunch."

"It's only Saturday," he says before stabbing his fork into his pancakes to grab a mouthful.

"They taste as good on a Saturday at breakfast as they do at Sunday brunch. Want me to pour you a glass?" I ask when I see he has nothing to drink.

He waves off my suggestion, though. "No, thanks. I'm more of an orange juice man. Nothing fancy for me first thing in the morning. Most of the time, I barely grab a coffee before I'm out the door."

His mention of coffee makes me look around for any, but I don't see a carafe of that anywhere. "Strange that they didn't bring coffee, isn't it?"

Glancing first at the table and then into the kitchen, he looks back at me and nods. "Yeah, that is weird. Not that I need any. I only use it to wake up for work. Since I'm on vacation, I don't need to really be alert."

I don't say anything as I eat the rest of my breakfast, but he seems pretty damn alert to me. Our sex in the outdoor shower certainly attests to that. Then again, I'm sure he's different back in the real world. I know I am.

By the time we finish, I couldn't fit another bite in if I wanted to. Sitting back in my chair, I realize I have to leave in a few hours.

"I better get to my room. I'm leaving today, and I have to pack."

He doesn't respond to that for a few seconds, but then he says, "Don't. Stay a few more days. I don't leave until Monday. We can go snorkeling. I haven't done it in a long time, but maybe it's like riding a bike."

"My room is only mine for a few more hours."

"Then you can stay here."

His offer to let me stay with him surprises me. For two people intent on lying to one another because our time together is just about sex, it seems like a very romantic gesture to ask me to stay.

"I'm supposed to get back for work," I say half-heartedly, already thinking I don't want to leave yet.

"Forget work!" he says with a laugh, waving his hand like he's creating magic. "Work is nothing. It's always there, so don't worry. It will be waiting for you when you get back."

"You do make a convincing argument, and I would like to go snorkeling."

"Then it's settled. Go get your stuff from your room, and while you're gone, I'll make reservations for snorkeling. I'll also tell the concierge that we need dinner reservations at that restaurant you were at last night. They were making something with pineapple that smelled fantastic, so I need to try that before I go back."

I stand to leave, secretly thrilled to spend more time here and with him. I make sure not to let on how excited I am, though. I don't want to look too eager. Nobody likes that.

"Okay. I'll be back in a little while."

As I walk toward the door to leave, he comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. Setting his chin on my shoulder, he says, "I'm glad you decided to stay. It's going to be fun."

I turn my head, and he kisses me sweetly on the lips. "Hurry back, okay?"

"Okay."

My heart's racing as I hurry toward my room to get my things. This gorgeous man with the body of a Greek god who's made me come so many times I've stopped counting wants to spend the next two days with me. He's right. Work will be there when I return. If anything comes up, Ever can handle it.

And if she gives me a hard time, I'll remind her about that two-week span of time she didn't do a stitch of work because she claimed she needed some mental health time to herself. That's what this is for me.

Mental health days.

As for last night, I'm calling that a fantasy come true. I won't mention that to her, though.

She answers on the first ring, and before she can say a word, I inform her I'm not coming home today like I planned. "Salem, what do you mean you're staying a little longer?" Ever asks in the sharp tone she uses when she's irritated with someone.

I don't usually get that treatment, though. As my sister, she generally goes easier on me.

"Just handle anything that comes up with my clients, okay? I'll be back on Monday. It's no big deal."

My sister huffs her frustration into the phone. "Fine, but there's something big going on that I'm going to need you back no later than Monday."

Why does she have to rain on my parade?

"What? What could be happening that I'm so necessary?" I ask as I begin pacing across my hotel room.

I've felt so relaxed for the past twelve hours, and in just a few minutes, she's gotten me as tense as I was when I left the city. I sincerely doubt anything is happening. She just wants to kill my joy because she wishes she was here enjoying herself and not back in Manhattan wondering when spring will finally arrive.

"I hear there's a big mess going on with some billionaire, and if what the rumor mill is saying is true, he's going to need our specific kind of expertise. You're the one who will handle it if we're the firm they come to, so you have to be back on Monday."

A spoiled billionaire who can't stop misbehaving can wait. I've got a dream man who rocks my world in bed and out, and I'm going to enjoy him for the next two days.

"Fine. I'll be back by Monday afternoon. For the record, though, this better not be the same as that asshole who hired us to clean up his reputation last summer. Working with him made me want to bathe in Clorox every time we had a meeting."

That makes my sister laugh. "He was sort of disgusting, wasn't he? Not to worry this time. I don't think you'll be grossed out with this job."

I stop pacing next to the bed and rearrange my clothes in my suitcase to make room for all my toiletries from the bathroom. "I'll see you on Monday, Ever."

As I go to end the call, she says, "I expect to hear all the details about what kept you on that island an extra two days. It's the least you can do after leaving me here to deal with your clients."

I laugh and tell her goodbye. I'll be gone a total of five whole days. Why does she act like I've taken a month off and left her with a mess on her hands?

No matter. I don't want to think about that now. I've got my mystery man waiting for me, so I need to finish packing, call down to the front desk, and change my flight. Then my time is my own for the next two days.

And I plan to enjoy every delicious second of it.