A Miracle in Hawaii

By Fiona Miers

Blurb:

Samara Jenkins is on a mission, a baby mission. She has taken a year off to get healthy and start IVF before severe endometriosis takes its toll on her fertility. But when her parents need her savings, and the opportunity arises, Samara agrees to take a design job for the King hotel in Hawaii. Her challenge is to get the old girl back on her feet in two weeks, then it’s back to her baby goal.

Julian King was looking the wrong way when his head manager and friend defrauded their company and caused the financial collapse of one of their hotels. Wracked with guilt and anger, he flies to Hawaii to put the hotel back on its feet, only to find that his mother has hired a perky little designer to help him.

Samara and Julian are like fire and ice, and yet they slide together into a hot, working holiday fling. But when Julian declares he doesn’t want anything long term, Samara leaves Hawaii, and takes something of Julian’s with her.

Dedication:

To Sarah, my beautiful woman.

Thanks for the inspiration for this heroine.

Your journey has been awesome to watch.

Contents Page:

Chapter 1. page 4

Chapter 2. page 22

Chapter 3. page 34

Chapter 4. page 51

Chapter 5. page 66

Chapter 6. page 81

Chapter 7. page 92

Chapter 8. page 115

Chapter One

The hot Hawaiian breeze ruffled Samara Jenkin’s hair, providing a small amount of relief from the sticky humidity at her neck. She waved her hands ineffectually over her face, trying to cool her heated cheeks.

Against all the promises she’d made to herself about taking this year off work, she’d accepted this job and was now paying for it.

“Argh. Just think of the money.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot on the sidewalk as she waited for some assistance. The hotel’s owners wanted an honest appraisal of the state of their business and a strategy to improve sales.

She already had a list as long as her arm. Where was the concierge? Where was the bell boy? Where the hell was any staff member at this supposedly five-star resort?

Ridiculous! No wonder they called me.

She exhaled sharply, blowing the hair out of her eyes as she looked up at the thirty-story building. Aesthetically, it could use some work. Peeling paint littered the side of every surface, cracked windows made her grimace with the safety hazard they caused, and the eaves needed some attention, but the old girl displayed great architecture and presence. So much potential.

Obviously, she was going to wait all day in the sun unless she did something herself to change it, which disappointed her. The owner knew she planned to be here today. She arrived on time. There was no excuse for her not to be greeted at least by someone.

She took a measured breath, trying to push down the rising tide of frustration. When her parents called to say they were at risk of losing their house between health issues and pending foreclosure, she’d been happy to help. But that meant the money she’d saved for this year was half gone, and this one job would refill her coffers.

So, be grateful to this client, not pissy.

Her foot tapped harder and faster against the concrete, increasing the tempo as each notch of her temper stoked higher. Her pointed, strappy shoes made a slapping noise that started to irritate even her. Sweat trickled down between her shoulder blades and she shivered against the disgusting feeling.

“Yuck. Enough.”

She threw up her hands and grabbed her luggage. Her eyes narrowed on the entrance and she stalked toward the double glass doors at a determined pace. She skidded to a halt a mere inch from breaking her nose, her ankle twisting as she threw on the anchors too late. Pain seared around her foot as the cold glass kissed the very tip of her nose and she glared through the door, waiting for it to respond.

Nothing.

She stepped backward and forward again, looking up at the sensor above the door and waited.

They didn’t open.

You’re kidding me? Should I wave my hands in the air like a crazy person now?

She peered through the glass and saw a young man in uniform hurrying toward her. He appeared to press a button beside the door and whoosh, the doors opened and cool air brushed past her heated face, bringing with it a huge sigh of relief from her body.

“I am so sorry, ma’am. Can I help you with your bags?”

The youth, who had pimply skin and bright, happy eyes, did not deserve the extended list of complaints bubbling up on her tongue.

She took a deep breath and focused on what he could do for her. “Yes, you can. Please take my suit cases and I’d like to check in.”

The bell boy, or maitre’d—she wasn’t quite sure which role he filled since he appeared to be the only person working at the hotel—took her suitcases off her hands with a grabbing, fast motion. He then turned on his black shoes that squeaked as he walked, and dragged her matching bags half off their wheels as he hurried back to the main reception. She cringed as she watched them teeter and bang against the marble floor.

She looked away, anger rising inside her gut to see her luggage get abused like that. But the last thing she wanted to do was start grumbling at the only staff member she’d met. Instead, she glanced around the huge room.

Her shoulders dropped and her hands unclenched as she marveled at the room in which she stood. So grand, with a beautiful mystique that only period hotels and houses possessed. This hotel reminded her of an old lady—she had great bones, but they were tired. She would fix that.

“Please come over.”

Samara tried not to notice that he’d dropped her custom, monogrammed luggage near the elevator, and then had rushed over to the desk where a computer stood waiting.

“Your name, ma'am?”

She bit her lip for a moment. Seriously? You’ve actually got other people booked to check in today? She couldn’t say the thought aloud, so instead dragged her manners out of the over-cooked soup they were swimming in. “Samara Jenkins.”

He tapped away on the computer until he finally held out a plastic card to her with the hotels brown emblem on it.

“Room 2002, ma’am. Level twenty, room two. One of our best suites. May I accompany you up?”

She waved her hands at him. If he left the foyer, who was going to let any other possible customers into the hotel? That broken glass door certainly wasn’t going to just start working on its own. “No thanks, but can you bring up the larger suitcase in an hour or so?”

The stink of crowded planes and cars, and hours of waiting in the heat and humidity had all left a stain that needed to be washed away. Preferably somewhere quiet, where she could be alone and think for a minute.

Samara picked up her smaller suitcase, which contained a change of clothes and toiletries. A shower was definitely first priority on her list. With a determined clench of her jaw, she turned around and strode over to the lift, releasing a sigh when the doors dinged and opened. She wasn’t walking up twenty flights of stairs.

She’d go home and damn the massive commission before that ever happened.

You need it, don’t kid yourself.

A frown pulled down her lips. She’d had enough money for her plans, until her parents called with their life altering news. But not even a week after she’d handed over half her saving to her parents had fate delivered a favor in the form of a phone call from the matriarch of this hotel empire. Samara had been offered this job and it would replace all the money she’d lost with only a few weeks of work. As long as she delivered the results they wanted.

She could have tried to accomplish everything she wanted to do this year without the money, but their offer was far too good to turn down.

Stepping inside the elevator, she pressed the tip of her forefinger to the dusty button for the twentieth floor, gripping the rail. The moving box’s cables screeched and moaned as it hauled her up the shaft. This elevator didn’t look like it had been updated since the inception of the hotel. If the cables failed, or the electricity went out, she’d be stuck in the elevator without water for hours. Not a pleasant prospect in this heat. She grabbed for her bag to check if she had anything with her to survive such an event. The elevator ground to a clunking halt.

A squeak popped out of her throat, grabbing for the gold railing as the doors dinged open.

Oh, thank goodness for that. Something else to put on the list. Can’t have the guests fearing for their lives every time they go back to their rooms.

Large blue eyes, set in a very handsome face, stared at her from the center of the hallway. “Miss Jenkins, I presume?” His cool, familiar New York tones straightened her spine.

“Hold the door for me would you, please?” She looked away from his intense gaze, arousal curling in her belly like an old, absent friend. She locked her hand into the handle on her small suit case and took a shallow breath as he stepped close and did as she’d asked. Twisting his huge body to the side, he placed his arm out to stop the elevator door from closing on her.

His eyes followed her with an intensity that had her belly tightening and blood rushing through her nether regions. His face was cut like the smoothest stone, his strong and angular cheek bones reminding her of old roman warriors she’d once seen paintings of. Real men. Men that forced their enemies to their knees, and often, all the women around them too.

Her breath locked in her throat as she moved past him, the presence of his huge body in the door making heat warm her cheeks that had nothing to do with the summer air. She wasn’t short by anyone’s standard, but at five foot seven she was at least six inches shorter than he was. She felt like a dwarf facing a giant. Who was this? He knew her name, but how? It couldn’t be the owner who had hired her, although he had the air of someone with money. A lot of money.

“Excuse me.”

She stepped onto the landing and moved toward the door that had 2002 on the panel, trying very hard not to turn around and stare at the man behind her. Every cell in her body grew far too aware of him. The hairs stood up on her neck.

Professional, stay professional. Why did he have to be so gorgeous?

The man behind her had to be a manager of some sort. He was the only one she’d met so far who knew who she was, and he obviously had anticipated her arrival and had been waiting for her.

She placed her small suitcase and handbag against her room door, her skin tingling with the awareness of being watched. Then, when she was sure she had schooled her features into something resembling calm, she turned around, her heart leaping at the sight of the man behind her. He was so gorgeous. Tall, broad and with full lips that would curve beautifully when he eventually smiled. Her skin tingled from just looking at him.

She focused for a moment and dismissed the idea he was a manager. His suit was worth more than her wardrobe put together. And if that wasn’t enough, the man in front of her had an arrogance in his posture that she’d come to see only from people born into wealth.

“Yes, I’m Samara Jenkins, and you are?” She squared her shoulder and stood facing the large man on the landing. His eyes were a startling blue, like a bright summer sky. With his dark-brown hair and fair skin, the combination was rare and beautiful. The saliva gathered in her mouth, making her swallow awkwardly.

“Julian King. My mother was the one that hired you.”

Her eyes slid down his body, the breadth of his shoulders as impressive as any footballer’s. His black suit appeared tailor made, beautiful in design, and comprised of strong lines that made him look like a panther about to pounce. She shivered at the thought.

“I’m sorry I didn’t greet you downstairs, but I wanted you to experience the hotel as it currently is.”

That explained a lot, although a touch of forewarning may not have gone astray. “We have a lot to discuss. I have a list a mile long already of things that need to be altered and implemented, and I haven’t even stepped inside my room yet.”

He chuckled, a soft earthy sound that surprised her. “I assure you that I have everything under control. You are here as an advisor, nothing more.”

Ice slid on to her shoulders and she straightened her spine. That wasn’t what she’d been told, but she’d gotten around difficult men before. Minding their fragile egos while doing her job was a specialty of hers. “I didn’t realize that was what I had agreed to, Mr. King.”

His lips tilted up into a soft smile as though he agreed with her. “I was told you were the best, although I didn’t expect you to be quite so young.”

There was a tone of admiration and reluctant respect in his voice that pleased her. It tickled right along her spine. She’d heard that a lot over the past ten years, and she always enjoyed her clients surprise when she exceeded their expectations. She was good at her job, and her age had nothing to do with it. The original trouble she’d had starting her business only meant she’d increased her commission to prove she was worth it.

“I didn't expect you at all, Mr. King.” When she’d pictured who she was going to meet on arriving, she’d envisioned either the elderly woman who’d hired her over the phone, or perhaps the manager.

He inclined his head with a more natural smile flirting on his lips. “Touché. Let’s meet downstairs in fifteen minutes.”

Samara checked her watch. It may be dinner time here but in New York it was going on 2 am. No wonder her eyes were tired and her neck ached. She’d barely slept on the plane.

“Make it an hour, if possible. Where shall I meet you?”

His flaring nostrils was the only give away that she had displeased him, but she stood her ground, calmly waiting for his response while fanning her face with her hand. It was way too hot in this hotel for comfort.

“The hotel’s restaurant for dinner. It’s on the ground floor.”

Perfect place to start.

She could definitely eat something, although she didn’t have much of an appetite after traveling all day. She nodded at him to agree, although her head swam from fatigue and something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

“See you in one hour, Miss Jenkins.”

He turned and strode toward the lift. Samara couldn’t stop her eyes from dropping down to drift over his body as he moved away. Her hungry gaze devoured his angles as he put both hands in his pants pockets, pulling the jacket up and stretching it tight across his rounded butt.

She bit her lip as she looked her fill, desire fluttering low in her belly. He had the perfect arse, long legs, a tapered waist and huge, broad shoulders. The combination was heady indeed. He was definitely one of the most imposing men she’d ever seen in real life.

A tailored suit made most men look good, but this one actually seemed to hamper his beauty. She could sense the power leashed beneath that black cloth, and she could only imagine how amazing he’d look without the modern armor.

The old elevator dinged and groaned as it opened and Samara sighed as she pushed her way into her room, letting perhaps the most breath-taking man she’d ever seen slip from her mind. His hotel rooms needed to be at the forefront of her racing brain and that was how it would stay.

Unlike everything else she’d seen so far in the hotel, the card the clerk had given her was at least new. She had to concentrate with the man behind her causing an unusual breathlessness in her chest, but she managed to slide the plastic into the lock shaft.

She waited. She glanced up at the door. Nothing. Her eyes flicked up to the number on the door. Yes, it was the right room. So she jiggled it until the red light eventually turned green.

How can they charge people three hundred dollars a night if the keys don’t even work?

She pushed open the door with one hand and dragged her suitcase in with the other.

The bell boy had been right. Her suite was massive and would have been very grand once upon a time, but the room hadn’t been aired out in weeks. A musky, damp smell curled up her nostrils that would put off anyone who liked clean air.

Gross.

She placed her small luggage by the wardrobe and raced over to the window, pushing open the sliding glass and allowing some of the humid, but fresh air into the room. Inhaling a few good lungful’s, she grabbed the courage to turn back around and inspect the rest of the room.

The king-sized bed was in the right place. Small, cheap looking nightstands framed the bed, disappointing her. The bed covers didn’t suit the color of the walls, but overall, it wasn’t too bad decor. For a three-star hotel.

She snorted and marched over to the bathroom. This would be the test. Pulling open the door, she gagged for breath as the stale smell of urine, bleach, and hot, pungent air took flight inside her throat.

“Holy mother of....” She rushed back to the window, opening every glass pane that would open. She took several slow breaths, her mind whirling with the work before her. Grass roots job this was. Cleaning staff, decoration, the whole lot, and then she’d see if the gorgeous Mr. King had what it took to get his hotel back up to the standard that it deserved.

****

She was so much more beautiful than he’d expected. It was true, those that had raved of her characteristics often threw words around like gorgeous, stunning and lovely into their appraisals, but he’d taken it with the mountain of salt he’d thought it deserved.

He’d been wrong. And he wasn’t often wrong.

Surprising, for sure, that the woman his parents had lumbered him with for a fortnight, was so lovely to look at. He didn’t want help, hadn’t asked for it, nor did he think he needed it. He took full responsibility for the state the hotel presented currently. He’d hired an executive manager two years ago to oversee the hotels every day running, and he’d been very, very wrong in his estimation of Kostas Dean. A villain, pure and simple.

When Julian’s marriage ended and he’d needed time away from business, Kostas stepped up. But instead of looking after his company the way Julian expected, Kostas had siphoned money, hidden the complaints, and threatened senior management with job loss if they dared step out of line.

They were in a lot of trouble by the time Julian came back to his senses and picked up his role again.

Kostas was missing, with several million dollars of their money.

But he’d be found. Eventually.

Julian glanced down at his watch just as the second hand ticked toward the number twelve. An hour had passed since he’d seen Miss Samara Jenkins. The door to the restaurant opened and then clicked shut again. A smile tugged at Julian’s lips. On time to the second.

She walked toward him, her thin, plain blue cotton dress clinging to her lush curves. Where was the battle armor that he’d come to expect with business women? She wore natural makeup that accentuated her pretty face, and her entire ensemble had a relaxed holiday feel about it that he hadn’t expected. She wore flat shoes, her hair down, and no jewelry.

Samara Jenkins had a body that would look spectacular naked, and stretched across his bed. Long hair that would cover her full breasts like a silky curtain, and lips that would be perfect to kiss. He raised his eyes from the full curve of her mouth to make eye-contact and her fresh face hit him right in the gut.

They’d lied about her being beautiful.

Breath taking seemed far more apt.

Samara pulled out the chair and took the seat opposite him. “This hotel is in dire straits. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so bad before.”

The smile that had been playing at his lips as he’d imagined her naked converted into a tight frown. He cleared his throat and shifted in his chair, unable to simply just take her criticism. He opened his mouth to defend his hotel, then snapped it shut again.

She has a point.

Three months more of the current climate and he’d have to shut the hotel down to sit here and rot. He would never allow that to happen on his watch, and although he didn’t require her help, she was here. He would be stupid indeed not to take advantage of it. “What do you suggest, Miss Jenkins?”

She grinned at him with sunny warmth and picked up the menu. “That's the spirit. I like it. Can we order first?” She glanced down into her menu. Her mouth tweaked up at the corners as she read, her happy face at odds with the churning in Julian's guts. What was wrong with him?

Samara lifted her head and swiveled like a bird, eyes alert and neck straight. “Where are the staff? This is the hotel’s five-star restaurant, is it not?”

That twist in his belly rolled some more as his cheeks flared with heat. Each sentence she uttered reminded him of how badly he’d failed in his job of maintaining his family’s holdings. How much work this hotel actually needed to get it back to the standard it had once boasted. She was the salt in a very large wound, and to make matters worse, his own mother had been the one throwing the salt.

He lifted his hand and indicated to the man lolling around in the corner of the room. The youth sashayed over, his hips taking on a music of their own.

“Yeah?” the waiter asked him.

A little giggle burst from Samara's mouth. “Ooh, we are in some serious trouble.”

“I'll have the steak,” Julian ground out, glaring at the youth until he looked at the carpet. Samara’s relaxed attitude grated on his nerves. This was serious. They were losing tens of thousands by the day and she was giggling her way through dinner. Why the hell had his mother hired this woman?

Because she’s the best, they all said it. Just wait! You can’t afford for any of this to go wrong.

“And you, ma'am?” the waiter asked, inclining his head towards Samara.

Finally, some manners.

“I'll have the garlic shrimps for entree, the fillet steak for main and the chocolate soufflé for dessert.”

The waiter’s eyes bulged a little at her order but he pulled out his pen and pad from his pocket and wrote it all down, Julian hoped, correctly.

Samara’s keen eyes watched the waiter as he walked away and then gave Julian a pointed stare as though trying to communicate without words just how bad the service was. Anger rolled in his belly like a storm cloud, his hands fisting on the white table cloth as he maintained eye contact with her green gaze. He’d thought he’d be prepared for how badly the hotel would fare under the stare of a professional, but he had been grossly mistaken.

Pride warred with stubborn arrogance. Maybe, just maybe, he could use her to help. He was surprised by her order, but didn’t say anything. Either she was hungry after her journey, or she was testing out the skills of his cook. He was impressed either way. Bird-like salads were no way to eat, for anyone.

Her lips twisted up into a grimace. “No drinks order and he didn’t ask how I wanted my steak cooked… Interesting.”

Julian nodded once in acceptance of her complaint. Too true.

When the incompetent waiter finally left, Julian grabbed for his water, gulping down some of the cold liquid as his aching throat cried out for it. When he placed it down, some of his thirst quenched, Samara's cool green eyes continued to stare at him.

“Start from the beginning, Mr. King, and tell me how this happened.”

Julian took a moment, and a long breath, to consider how much he should tell her. He didn’t want her help. But she was here and he would consider what she had to say. His mother was paying her to consult for them, and before all of this, that would have been enough.

However, she didn’t need to know everything. “All right, Miss Jenkins. As my mother would have told you over the phone, my family owns a chain of hotels all over the world. Over the past year, their management had become increasingly questionable.” And his parents would never forgive him for screwing his way through Europe instead of being at home, running the company, while his legacy fell apart. The worst part was, that he’d bribed most of the executive managers to hide what he was doing. His treachery had reached far and wide. “All the other hotels had good enough staff to survive the storm and since we found who’d been syphoning money, the bleeding has stopped. We are re-building. New managers have been hired and the other hotels are thriving. This one however, is not. Despite us hiring the best local manager we could find. That is why I am here….” He chewed on the inside of his cheek. “And the reason I believe my mother hired you. She was told that you have an exceptional brain for analyzing what any business needs, if you indeed have it.”

She didn’t respond to his back handed compliment except to bite on her lip in the most adorable way that made him want to lean in and take over with his own mouth.

“Is there any particular reason why the management of your hotel became questionable?”

He clenched his teeth together and inhaled through his nose. It hurt, like picking at a sore to be admitting this to her, but he was an adult, and responsible for his own actions. “I wasn’t paying attention as I should have been. Personal reasons.”

She gave him a soft smile that did nothing to maintain the ice around his heart.

“I won’t ask you what sort of personal reasons, Mr. King, it is none of my business, but I am going to assume such problems are behind you?”

Bloody hell, yes.

He nodded once and she continued. “From what I’ve seen, we’ll need months to get this hotel back to a standard that can be classed as five star, but I don't have that much time.”

“Yes, your personal reasons.”

“Just so.” She inclined her head again, a mutual respect for their private lives firmly in place. His mother had made it clear that she was only available for two weeks. It had been one of the only reasons he had allowed his parent going over his head and hiring a consultant to help him. He wouldn’t have to deal with her interference for very long.

Just think of her as an over qualified assistant, and fix up this mess, Julian. The last words his mother had said to him, over a week ago.

“However, I will give you these two weeks, Mr. King, and I promise to work my absolute hardest to put into place everything you will need. Once I am done, do you have strategies in place to get people back to the hotel?”

He nodded firmly, reluctantly impressed with her. She was right, two weeks was not long enough to get everything done that needed to be done, but if he decided that she’d be of use to him, he would change her mind. She’d stay. He’d make sure of it.

However, she’d made a valid point. Many people had been driven away by the declining standards of the hotel, and it was his main job to do everything in his power to get people back onto the grounds. But that meant he needed someone else manning the changes to the actual hotel.

Damn. Mom might actually be right about this one.

“Yes, Ms. Jenkins. I have a marketing expert on standby and several conferences already booked for next month. The one advantage we have is that we are one of the few hotels on the island with large facilities and the rooms to house several hundred people.”

“Fantastic.”

Her shrimp arrived and they looked and smelled great. His stomach grumbled in preparation for his own meal.

“Presentation is respectable, but I would expect less shrimp on the plate, and more color in an entree.” She took a forkful of rice and ate a single shrimp. Just one? “They are cooked… all right, although I believe you will need to hire a head chef to take over from the current one.”

“You can tell that already?”

She blinked once, her eyes wide as they stared at him. “Of course. I spent several years training with five star restaurants and all of their staff. Chefs in particular. This is not up to the standard in taste, texture, or design. If you want people to pay twenty odd dollars for an entree, you better make sure it’s up to par.”

She had his curiosity well and sincerely hooked. “Why a head chef specifically?”

“Because it’s obvious that you have a cook posing as the head chef in your kitchen that is probably trying their best, but they don’t have the training, nor the skills. A proper head chef will organize the staff, train them, and add the correct flair to each dish. You won’t need much more staff in the kitchen I don’t believe, although of course I will assess that when I go in.”

She called the waiter over. “Thank you. May I have the main meal now please?”

Julian sat in awe watching her, the cool confidence, the girl next door beauty. Her brain appeared to work faster than anyone he’d ever met, and her earthiness was as refreshing as her simple clothes. “What else do you suggest?”

She sat up straighter, a grin stretching across her pink glossed lips. “Firstly, we need to get in a decorator. Tomorrow preferably. The rooms aren’t terrible, but they all need better linens, painting, and a very thorough cleaning at the very least.”

He kept his tone calm and raised one eyebrow. Did she want him to pick the hotel up and move it closer to the beach too? “That's all?”

She laughed. “You joke, but the list I have is huge. I need to interview every staff member and probably double the cleaning crew. This whole hotel needs maintenance. We need to hire a concierge and a proper manager. I assume there is one at the moment, although I have yet to meet them, but if they are in the same boat as the rest of the staff, then they need some serious re-training too.”

He cleared his throat. “I found the executive manager siphoning money from the hotel like many of the others. I fired him a few weeks ago. The local manager is not up to speed, you are quite right about that, so I will be hiring a new one.”

Their main meals arrived and Samara did a similar analysis, sampling everything on her plate, making similar comments, and then asking for the meal to be taken away.

Julian ate his steak while she talked about the amenities, the website, everything. He rarely felt out of depth with a person, in fact, from all his years in private school, college, university and then the corporate world, he'd never had an experience like this one. A literal whirl wind of information, design and strategy. If she was half as efficient and effective as she seemed to be, he’d have his family’s hotel back on track in no time.

When dessert arrived, she sighed dramatically. “Now this is what I'm talking about.”

“Why? Because it has cream and a mint leaf?”

The meal appeared dressed better than all the other meals, but he was by no means a food critic.

“That is an answer that is hard to explain to anyone who doesn’t love chocolate as much as I do.”

She took a bite and moaned, her eyes sliding closed in bliss. That primitive sound shot straight to his groin, hot blood throbbing along his cock as he imagined Samara beneath him making those same sounds. He bit back his own groan and looked away, unable to hide the effect she was having on him.

He needed a woman, and fast. It had been too long for him, obviously. Embarrassment bloomed into anger in his gut. Time to cut this meeting short and go back to his own room for a long, hot shower.

“I want a report on my desk by tomorrow morning. Good night Miss Jenkins.” He stood up and Samara gaped up at him. A twang of guilt hit him in the chest, but he pushed it away just as fast.

“Did I say something wrong?”

He tugged at his cufflinks and straightened his jacket, a cool breeze filling his throat and not allowing any warmth into his tone. “No, of course not. But there’s lots to do and not much time to do it in.”

She put her spoon down, her eyes showing confusion in their green depths. “All right. I’ll put everything down for you.”

His shoulders tightened with unease as he fought the need to apologize, sit down, and drown in her eyes once again. But that’s not what he was here to do.

“Sleep well, Ms. Jenkins.”

“Good night, Mr. King.”

Chapter Two

According to Julian’s mother, Samara only gave them two weeks. A ridiculous time line, but she had been uncompromising. A trait, he himself admired. However, the clock was ticking and the stress was mounting to get the hotel back on its feet.

His office door opened and shut. Samara’s soft foot falls sounded in the small room.

“Your report?” he asked her as he continued to stare at the computer screen. He’d slept terribly and currently it felt like tiny elves had taken their picks to his eye balls.

Visions of Samara’s abundant curves tortured him all night, and as he lifted his head to face her, the flesh and blood version of his dreams assailed him. She wore a knee length cotton skirt that swished around her shapely calves and a white top that exposed the creamy slopes of her full breasts, haunting him once again.

Didn’t the woman own a poncho she could throw on?

“Here it is.” She slid the papers along the desk toward him.

There was more than he’d expected considering he’d only given her a night and she would be jetlagged. Graphs, estimates, color schemes, details upon details.

“Thank you. You can go now.”

“Go, where?”

“Anywhere you like. I need a minute to go over your suggestions.”

He picked up the report, focusing on the words as he waited for her and her floral perfume cloud to leave. He reached the end of the third page and she was still casting a shadow over him. “Did you need something else, Ms. Jenkins?”

She didn’t respond and he sighed, reluctantly glancing up at her again. She had her arms crossed over her chest which caused her small cleavage to deepen above her white top.

Arousal flourished in his belly, hot and sharp.

He pushed himself back in his chair and suppressed the deep groan that rose in his throat. Her appeal was so different to anything else he’d experienced before. She wore no push up bras or designer dresses. Comfortable and casual, the opposite of sexy. Yet, the image of pulling her across the desk and undressing her with his teeth danced across his mind.

“Your family hired me to do what I can to fix the hotel. Why am I being pushed out of the loop? Can I start training staff, hiring professional decorators, and generally kicking ass?”

He admired her spunk, but after everything he’d been through with his manager recently, he needed to get one thing clear first. There was a hierarchy in every business and he sat at the top of this pyramid, paying her salary. His parents had handed over the reins to the company two years ago, and although they’d lost faith in his ability to run things, he wouldn’t have any of his contractors feeling the same way.

“Number one, I look forward to seeing you get started, however, I need to have a look at your proposals first. And number two. I didn’t hire you, my parents did, without my permission.”

Her eyebrows rose comically high on her pretty face. “Your permission? Aren’t they the parents and you the child? Why would they need your say so to make decisions about their hotel?”

With deliberate slowness he stood, leaning on the desk with both palms flat to the mahogany. His heart pumped louder in his ears, his arms trembling where he pressed them hard into the wood. He clung to his control because he knew Samara had no idea of the turmoil he was in. How his pride had been pricked when his mother hired Samara to help him, rather than allowing him to prove his worth on his own. But that didn’t mean she could question him in such a way.

“I am the sole director of my family’s hotels, my parents mere stock holders. You appear to be a appropriate choice for consultant, however I’ll be calling the shots”

“That seems like a waste of my talents and considering the deadlines we’re under, a huge waste of time.”

Although he agreed with her in principal, he wasn’t being hurried into any decisions by her. “Pardon me?”

“If I have to go through you every time I need to make a decision, we will never get this hotel back to the state it deserves.”

“You will defer to me in all decisions. You have no power here, Samara.”

“Then what do you suggest, Julian?”

His fingers curled into tight fists on the desk, blood pounding through his veins. He liked the way his name sounded on her lips. “Give me an hour to look over what you’ve put together, and then we’ll meet and I’ll tell you what is to be done. My parents are paying you a very large fee to be here and assist me, and I suggest you remember that.”

He didn’t like the fact that she was here, but overnight he’d decided that he would use her as he did all contractors, all employees. To assist him to do his job. She was here to help, and he’d make sure she earned every penny. In the end, though, he’d reap the rewards.

She nodded and left.

The triumph he expected to feel was missing as she took what warmth there was in the room with her. He sat back down in his large, leather director’s chair and poured over the graphs and information she’d put together. By the end of his reading he was more than impressed with the plan.

However, he was the one his parents had solely blamed for the collapse of their string of hotels, it was on his shoulders to fix everything that was done. In her report, Samara had concentrated far too much on the appearance of the hotel and he was going to cut that back. Focus on the service. That’s why people came to expensive hotels in the first place.

A knock sounded on the door and she stepped into his office, clipboard and pen in hand. “Are you ready for our meeting?”

Very ready. Although I’d prefer if you wore a kaftan. “Yes. Sit.”

She strode in and sat in the chair opposite him, her knees together, her spine ram rod straight and her pen poised.

“A lot of your recommendations have merit.” He put the papers out on the desk, gratified by his red penned circles and many crossings out. “I want you to focus on re-training the staff, hiring more people, including three new assistant managers, and putting lots of check lists in place. When you leave in thirteen days, the staff need to have a detailed systems and operational manual.”

She looked down at the mess he’d made of her carefully laid out notes with a furrowed brow. “You want to ignore all the decorative changes I suggested?” Her tone was strained, and confused.

“Not all of them, but we need to focus on the running of the hotel before worrying about aesthetics.”

She bit her lip and shuffled in her chair, the debate going on in her head obvious by the flickering in her eyes and her lips going up and down. “I disagree.”

“Tell me why.”

She tapped the pen against the clipboard, reminding him of a school teacher he’d once had at boarding school. She’d been young and beautiful too. The object of his fantasies for many years.

“I’m sorry, but you’re wrong, Julian. I can understand if you want to pull back on the number of rooms to re-decorate, perhaps focusing on a dozen suites to start with would be better, but ignoring the room updates completely is like…eating organic fruit and vegetables while dressing like a homeless person. No one’s going to see the good that’s beneath.”

He struggled not to smile at her analogy. Her spark was back and he was relieved to see it. He liked a healthy debate every day of the week over blind submission. “We have a deadline of two weeks. I don’t think what you have planned is possible in such a short space of time.”

She slid to the edge of her chair. “I do. It wouldn’t take much to get a local stylist in, or hire some girls to run and buy everything I need. The rooms need a lift, paint, new sheets and some choice décor pieces. Nothing flash. It can be done cheaply and quickly.”

The light in her eyes was back and she was grabbing the clip board like she would squeeze the life out of it. He liked her drive and excitement, and he was starting to see what could be possible if they both worked theirs hearts out over the next two weeks.

“You seem very confident, Samara.”

“I am. I’ve built a business on my ability to multi task and see the big picture. I appreciate the time line that I have imposed, but I think we can accomplish it all in the time. Prettying up the hotel is the easy part, hiring and firing staff is always the hardest.”

“But you’re up for the job?”

“Absolutely.”

He regarded her as covertly as possible. She had guts, that was for sure. He was the one who had to fix this, but all directors needed an assistant and that was how he needed to see her. She wouldn’t thrive well under a tight leash. So he’d give her some rope. Hopefully she wouldn’t hang herself with it. “All right. I will give you a budget and a company credit card. Any large purchases or decisions you make must go through me, but for minor things, you may do as you feel is right. My parents have assured me you will help clean up this mess and I am very interested in seeing you try.”

She gave him a huge grin that hit him right in the chest, a long dead place where some happiness used to flutter. He stood up to stretch it out. He’d obviously overworked at the gym.

He pulled out his business card. “Here’s my personal cell number. I already have yours in my phone. I’ll be interviewing several contractors today to do some repair work to the hotel, and the local employment agency are sending over applicants for the chef, assistant manager, and bar staff positions. Can you handle the cleaners and younger clerical staff?”

He cocked an eyebrow at her and her mouth grew thin as she drew her clipboard to her chest. “Of course I can. I’ll get on the redecorating. Once the cleaners have thoroughly aired out the hotel, it’s time to give it a proper face lift.”

He didn’t want her enthusiasm to brighten him up. His long-standing depression was a comfort to cling to. But it was hard to completely extinguish the flames that licked at his heart. Samara had an aura, an energy to her, that he hadn’t experienced before. Not in all his years at school, business, or travel.

However, this hotel was still in deep trouble and they had to sink millions of dollars into it before it was anywhere near presentable again. The thought pulled him back down to where he should be.

“Better get to work then.”

He nodded in dismissal and she grabbed for his business card. “Thanks for this. It’ll make things much easier when I need you. See you later, Julian.”

He could have sworn there was a smirk on her lips as she twirled around and waltzed out the door. As soon as she was gone, he let the smile that had been cowering in a corner of his mind spread across his face. This woman was exactly what he needed. For his hotel and his bed.

She was bright and sparkly, full of energy, and intelligence too. After the work was done, he’d pull her into his bed and use that enthusiasm for something a bit more fun. Then he’d send her home and return to his parents with the hotel back on its feet. He’d show them that he’d been the right choice to run the company. He may have let his personal relationships dampen his focus once, but he wouldn’t let it happen again.

****

Julian stepped into the humid Hawaiian sun and headed for the back of the hotel where he’d been told Samara would be. He shook his head and let out a long sigh as he stepped up to the huge, industrial sized garbage area.

Where else would he expect to find his ludicrously expensive consultant, than up to her elbows in musty mattress’s, gag-able pillows, and soiled linen?

The cloud of stench wafted toward him even stronger than the heat that beat down on his head. He stood a few feet away from the staff and the bags of hotel accommodation they were entrenched in. Why wasn’t she inside organizing people?

“You haven’t answered your phone,” he yelled into the mattress pile.

Samara’s head popped up from behind a pile of stained pillows, her sun streaked hair plastered to her red, sweaty face. “Oh, sorry. I probably have it on silent.” She stood up properly and stretched her back, the sun accentuating the healthy glow of her skin. “We’ve cleaned out all twelve of the suites that are being renovated though.”

She gave him that characteristically happy smile that reminded him of the girls he knew when he’d been at university. Full of fun, before life grew too serious. It was un-nerving how she’d maintained that look despite her older years. What was she, twenty-nine, thirty?

He regarded the dozens of mattresses piled up near the industrial sized bins. “I can see that. But I needed you.”

“You needed me? Oh, I’m sorry. What for?”

“Staff have arrived to be interviewed and I’m busy with the contractors.” He probably could have handled the interviews, but after choosing a true vulture as his own replacement in his business two years ago, he found his confidence severely lacking.

“Oh great.” She turned to the three women and two men outside in the heat with her. “Keep bagging up the sheets and pillows. Someone from a local charity should be here within the hour to collect everything. Then go straight back to the suites and start vacuuming the floors. Again.”

They murmured their agreement, their breathing laboring from the hard work they were quite obviously not used to doing. “Thanks guys!” She gave them one of her sunny smiles and walked over to him, having changed from her casual skirt and tank into an outfit designed for cleaning.

Samara wiped her hands on her old T-shirt and sweat pants that had holes in them. If his mother could only see her expensive expert now.

“I’m ready, and cannot wait to get more cleaners assigned. Those rooms are absolutely filthy.” She swiped a strand of hair back from her face with her dirty hand and wiped a black mark into her forehead, running into her hairline.

“You’ve got a smudge on your face.”

“Oh, thanks. I can imagine I do.” She lifted her other hand and started wiping at her skin, making an even worse mess of herself.

“Here.” He pulled his white handkerchief out of his pocket and lifted one hand to tilt her face up. She stilled when he touched her chin, but didn’t move as he wiped at the mark near her hair line. She was hot beneath his finger-tips. Up close her skin seemed even more flawless than he’d first thought.

Awareness fluttered in his skin, tingling up his arms and curling inside his chest. Her breathing rate had increased and she wasn’t moving. Only the up and down fall of her plump breasts made him think that she was as affected by his presence as he was to hers.

Once he’d finished cleaning her beautiful face, he let their eyes meet. The heat flared. She could sense him too.

“Th…anks.”

This time, her smile was tiny, but the look in her eyes was what he wanted to see. That awareness of him as a man.

“Ok.” She blew out a breath, and took a step back from him. “Let’s go.”

She took another quick step away from him and he didn’t move.

“You’re going to speak to them like that?” he asked her.

She was dressed worse than a local cleaner, and she smelled a bit like one too. A strange combination of eucalyptus and antiseptic. It tickled his throat, and yet she still reminded him of an Amazon woman, about to take on the whole rainforest all by herself. Strong and confident.

“Of course. What do you think they’ll look like every day they work here?” She tilted her head and indicated they should go inside.

He followed behind, letting his eyes enjoy the pert bum and shake of her hips as she sashayed inside his hotel.

The air conditioning, which had blessedly been turned up since Samara complained to the bell boy last night, hit him in the face and he inhaled sharply. Samara didn’t miss a beat, bee lining for the front entrance where twenty people milled around, waiting for her. She clapped her hands and stood at the base of the long spiral stair case. Obviously, she intended to walk them through the floors she wanted cleaned.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this will be a group interview today. I’m going to show you the rooms we will be cleaning, renovating, and then maintaining their new standard in the years to come. I will also have five places for clerks and bell boys, so if anyone wants to apply for those positions, please hang around afterwards to speak to me about what that will entail. This hotel is about to undergo a massive face lift and you will be very proud to work here. So please, follow me and I’ll show you the first suite.”

She took off up the stairs and the group jumped to follow. Julian stood in the foyer and watched her go, marveling at the fact that despite the holey pants and ragged shirt, Samara had the power of presence to pull them all into the tour and interview. Not one person lagged behind. He turned away, hating the fact that his mother had been right. They had a long way to go, but if she continued at this pace for the whole two weeks, they’d have the hotel ready sooner than planned.

****

Samara fell face first onto her king-sized bed, the weight of a dozen bedframes piled on her spine. Right between her shoulder blades, prickling and cramping the muscles with painful spasms.

If she’d been smart, she would have waited a few days for extra help, but no, she’d wanted to prove to Julian that she could do everything she’d proposed in her time frame. Another, not so bright idea of hers. Two weeks only, to get this whole job done. She’d definitely let her ego talk her into that one.

She moaned into the mattress. A hot shower was needed before she went to sleep, but now that she had stopped—finally—she didn’t want to move.

Get up, or you won’t be able to do anything tomorrow.

Grunting and groaning, she managed to push both hands into the mattress and get herself vertical. Her back screamed and her feet pulsed, but she staggered to the shower, undressed, and stepped beneath the hot water.

“Ahhhh…” Heated pressure beat down onto her head and back, washing away the stink of the day. She liked to work hard, but she’d rarely needed to do so much physical lifting. Pride had pushed her to prove herself capable on every level, and she was paying for it now. And they were only two days in.

Hubris. Mum and dad always said it would be my downfall.

She took her own soap from her bag and washed away the black smudges from her skin. The decades old furniture that she’d carried and moved today had definitely left their mark.

I really need to source new shampoos and conditioners from the locals too. Something tasteful, but sweet smelling.

A shudder coursed down her spine as she scrubbed beneath her fingernails. Everything was so dirty. How could someone let this beautiful hotel fall to such a low standard?

Originally, she’d been quite disappointed that Julian decided to only update twelve of the suites. That was short lived. Thank goodness he hadn’t agreed with her plan. She’d wanted to update all ninety-six of the rooms which would have taken all of her time and the staff training wouldn’t have been done. Pride again.

She shivered dramatically this time. That would have required a power that she just didn’t possess. Not in the two weeks she had, anyway. The older woman that she’d hired, Marie, was a great cleaner, with a clear and logical mind. Before she left, Samara would train Marie up to be a head cleaner, or house keeper of sorts. The other rooms all needed to be cleaned as well, and someone had to do it after she left.

A wave of sadness washed over her as the thought hit her for the first time. She wouldn’t be here to see the job completed, which was most unusual for her. When she’d given Mrs. King her time line she’d only thought about her own life, her business needing a guiding hand, and her baby plans. She hadn’t thought about the fact that she wouldn’t see the hotel become the phoenix it had the potential to be. This old lady would rise from the ashes, more beautiful than before.

She’d definitely tell Marie tomorrow to take two of the younger cleaners and start on the rest of the rooms. If nothing else, they needed to be aired, dusted, cleaned, and changed for new linens. If all went well, this hotel would soon be crawling with people again.

A sense of calm filled her as her path and plan lay before her like a set of intricately drawn architectural designs. She needed to stay focused on what she could do, not what she couldn’t. And there was so much she could achieve still.

She’d handed over the reins of her business to her two assistants a month ago, readying herself for her year ahead. A year in which she was giving herself the best opportunity to fall in love with the man of her dreams. And no matter what happened, she was going to have her baby.

One goal was optional, the other, a lifelong dream that was going to be realized with the help of her obstetrician and modern medicine.

She turned off the shower, dried her tired body, and readied for bed. There were two messages from Julian on her phone. Both of them mentioned a meeting at 7 am for breakfast.

Lucky I’m a morning person.

She set her alarm for sunrise and climbed into her clean bed. Her room still smelled of eucalyptus to disguise the scent of hospital grade cleaning liquid, but the sheets were brand new and the room had been dusted and vacuumed to within an inch of its life.

Thanks to her team of hard working cleaners, her room was unrecognizable to what it had been yesterday.

Her eyes drifted shut as she curled up on her side in bed.

Julian… Damn. That man is stunning.

Her eyes popped open again as heat tendrils wiggled through her body.

Go to sleep. You neeeed to sleep!

She forced her eyes shut once again and her mind brightened with images of blue eyes and smoldering hot looks. Yesterday she’d been sure he was a classic rich guy who’d walk all over her to get what he needed. No heart. No soul. But she hadn’t cared. She was willing to work hard to get her commission and his regard of her didn’t mean anything.

Sure, he was super gorgeous and made her want to lie on the floor and beg him to take her, but she could work past that. Was sure she could.

But then today, he’d touched her. It had been hotter than she’d anticipated. No employer-regard in his gaze, no big brother aura when he took out his white handkerchief and cleaned her face.

She must have looked an utter mess, but for that moment when he’d stepped close enough to kiss her, the busy world faded away. Her belly had tightened and pulsed with an almost painful arousal.

She buried her head further into her pillow and tried to clear her mind. Sleeping with the boss was definitely not her style, especially when she was cleansing her body for the most important life step she’d ever made.

Enough. Go to sleep.

With clear visions of her beautiful baby inside her mind, she drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Three

Julian tapped his pen against his desk, his eyes scanning the calendar of events for the hotel over the next few months.

Two more conferences booked and we’ll be back on our feet within the quarter.

“Julian, the painters are here. Do you have time to do a tour of the grounds and look at the other facilities while the painters work? I’ve got a spare minute or five.”

Samara’s bright voice presented a welcome interruption to his already long day. He dragged his gaze up from his computer screen and blinked his tired eyes. “Yes. Let’s go.” He could use some fresh air, and after a frosty phone call from his father, a dose of Samara’s particular rays of sunshine might be beneficial.

Why his dad chose to stick the boot in every chance he got, only God knew. Julian had been through the very worst year of his life, and yet he received nothing but disdain from both of his parents. It made him wonder sometimes why he tried so hard to please them.

Pushing himself to his feet, he followed Samara’s gorgeous bum out the sliding doors that led into the garden. His groin tightened just watching her sashay through his hotel. The allure she possessed confused him, yet excited him to his very core. She was so different to anyone he’d ever met.

The Hawaiian heat hit him like an oven door being opened up in his face.

Woah.

Samara fanned her cheeks with her dainty hands. “Wow… I’m still not quite used to that heat.”

He didn’t want to appear weak, but nodded in agreement as he took a careful breath of low oxygen air. He travelled a lot, but the humidity here was stifling, and so thick you could practically eat it. “Any areas you specifically want to look at?”

“The pool. The bar area there is a key feature at drawing people to the hotel, so, if you’re going to spend any money on the outside areas, that would be best, and…replacing the front door sensors of course.”

He chuckled, then smothered it. He’d almost broken his nose trying to walk through that door. “Yes, agreed.”

They walked toward the pebbled path, her hand brushing his as they moved together.

“Oh, sorry.” She jumped away and he grinned, his own hand tingling from the contact. His brain flashed up images of her naked beneath him in bed. Her mouth open in a gasp as he tantalized that perfect skin of hers.

They wove through the palm trees together, the fresh air lifting his spirits despite the heat, as he gave his back a break from the office chair.

Samara turned toward him with a professional smile in place on her lush lips. “I’ve got three gardeners coming tomorrow to work on the foliage. Trim the trees, get rid of the weeds. Just basic maintenance, no new planting.” She looked up at him through her thick dark eye-lashes.

This time he let the happy chuckle rumble from his throat. It was such a good feeling to be this calm. His shoulders were relaxed, his mind clear. Six months of bedding anyone he could find as he travelled throughout Greece, Italy, and Spain, hadn’t made him feel this free. He hadn’t known at the time that his family’s empire was on its knees. No one had, until it was almost too late.

“Good idea. And put them on a weekly maintenance schedule too, once the pruning has been done.”

She’d been trying to save money, which he appreciated. She was obviously good at her job, but he may have been too harsh in that regard. It had been an initial test that she had passed with flying colors. But now that he knew that she wouldn’t bankrupt his family in the days she was here, he’d give her more leeway.

There was also no point putting in all this effort if it was going to fall apart the moment she left.

Samara gave him a big smile and a quick salute. “Will do, boss.”

He liked the playful tone in her voice. As long as she toed the line and he was able to maintain face with his parents, he’d enjoy watching her have fun while she did her job. It was great to see. Someone who loved their work as much as he did.

They’d reached the tired old outside pool and he stopped to survey the damage. The water was at least clear, but the surrounds needed a lot of maintenance. A twist in his gut made him swallow hard. Another reminder of how bad things had become when he’d looked the wrong way. He still couldn’t believe it happened. That the one person he’d trusted to oversee his business had snaked into their accounts, diverted funds, and left the hotels high and dry for almost a year.

One of the few guests that were booked into the hotel caught his eye and he grimaced as his chest squeezed tight and hot anger poured through him like lava down the local volcanoes. The last thing he wanted to see was some loved up, deluded couple on their honeymoon.

He remembered it too well. His own quick marriage. His hot, sexy honeymoon, that had come to an end too quickly. The happiness he’d felt then now sat in his memory like a lump of coal at Christmas time. She’d turned on him so fast when she realized she wouldn’t get what she wanted. Her plan had always been to get pregnant, take half his money, then walk away.

He shuddered at the memory of her parting words to him. Putting up with you isn’t worth it unless I get a hotel at the end. Their subsequent divorce was swift and relatively pain free for him. But the scars still ran too deep to deal with a disgusting public display of affection.

****

There was a young couple ahead of them and Samara stopped to rest under the shade of a palm tree, watching them as they canoodled by the pool. Warmth filtered through her heart, making a happy sigh escape her lips. That would be her soon, hopefully. And even if it wasn’t in her immediate future, she’d soon have her own baby to love and adore. Happiness came in all forms.

Her boss turned to snap at her, as he often did. “Let’s move on.”

She suppressed the need to roll her eyes at his tone. She had to assume his bark was worse than his bite, because despite his earlier threats, he’d been quite easy to work with so far.

She lifted one eyebrow at Julian in question. His cheeks were flushed pink due to the heat. Why the man still wore his business suits on days like today, she had no idea. Didn’t he own a pair of shorts and a tank? Visions of his tight ass and broad shoulders made heat swim through her belly and she was suddenly thankful for his suits. She’d maintained a professional distance so far, but she suffered a weakness for bulging biceps that may just get in the way if she got to see him up close and personal.

“Move on? Why? Aren’t we going to talk about the pool’s maintenance? What’s wrong?”

He lifted his chin high in the air. “We’ll come back later. It’s occupied.”

He turned and she watched his shoulders stiffen, his mouth tugging down on one side.

Hmm…there’s a story there.

“Because of the couple? Don’t worry about them. The pool and bar area are a great asset and should be optimized.” And it was. A huge, opulent open space that was perfect for couples.

He began walking once again and she glanced back at the couple. They wouldn’t disturb them, surely. When she twisted back to Julian, he was half way around the pool already.

Shit.

Samara took off, her leg muscles stretching tight as she sprinted after him. She didn’t catch up to him until he stopped at the pool bar, staring up at the roof.

“The tiles need replacing.”

She laughed, sweeping a hand out in a broad gesture. “Everything needs replacing. The pool needs to be drained and re-tiled, the sun lounges need to be replaced, the concrete needs painting. The bar needs to be knocked down and completely re-built.”

He turned and glared at her, his nostrils flaring and his jaw tight.

She frowned. “What’s your problem? I’m just telling you the truth.”

He took a long, obviously measured breath. “Tell me what you’re going to do about it then.”

Her first response was to snark back at him, but she focused on the question instead. This was what they were paying her to do. Julian may think he knew the answer to everything and he could do this all on his own, but she knew he was better off with her help. Though, by the look on his face, this wasn’t the time to tell him that.

“We need this space to be where all the loved up couples and honeymooners will come to enjoy the sun and spend lots of money on alcohol.” He grunted and she rolled her eyes. “You have a problem with loved up couples on holidays? Because you know they are your main market.”

“Of course I know they are. That’s not the point.”

“Did those words taste terrible, Julian? Because you look like you need a mouth freshener after that.”

He waited a moment and continued to glare, those bright blue eyes throwing shards of ice at her. Something about those honeymooners had obviously hit a nerve on him.

She had to change the subject because she was getting nowhere. “When do the contractors start work on the outside of the hotel?”

“I have people coming tomorrow.”

“That’s great.”

He nodded his head, pivoted on his heel and strode away.

Far out. What was that?

Part of her, the nosey part that saw him like a brilliant puzzle waiting to be solved, was desperate to find out what was going on inside his head. The other half, the rational part that knew she was a contractor and he was her client, therefore off limits, said it was none of her business.

She heard him barking orders inside at the staff and flinched. That, unfortunately she couldn’t ignore. She’d spent every minute of her waking day on hiring and training the new staff. The last thing she needed was him pulling unstable threads that would cause the whole thing to unravel. Which meant she was going into his office once again to bait the bear.

Taking a deep breath of hot Hawaiian humidity, she strode back into the air-conditioned hotel. She lifted her hand to wipe her damp forehead. Lucky she wasn’t paying for the water bill here, she was up to three showers a day at the moment.

The new concierge, Trey, stood by the front desk, his jaw tight and his eyes down.

“Trey. You’re doing a wonderful job. I’m going to have a meeting with Mr. King so if any of the staff need me, I’ll be in his office.”

Trey nodded and lifted his head, his mouth relaxing with her praise. “Yes, Miss Jenkins. The painters said they’d be finished by three. Do you need anything else done today?”

“The restaurant staff have to move all the furniture out to make way for the cleaning and painting in there. If you’re not busy, you could help them later.”

Trey nodded once, the determined look on his face making her smile. He was perfect for the job. He had lots of experience in the industry, he was polite, hard-working, and team focused.

She swiveled on the newly polished marble floor and headed for Julian’s office, knocking once before sweeping inside again. “Can we make a few notes about the pool area and then I’ll get out of your hair, and onto the hotel’s external grounds upgrade.”

He grunted at her and shuffled papers around his busy desk. “Do whatever you want, Samara.”

If she’d been a cartoon character, her jaw would have dropped to the floor and he tongue would have rolled out three feet. “Why thank you. I wasn’t sure if you would trust me like that.”

Steely blue flashed as his eyes met hers. Liquid heat poured through her veins. God, he was breath taking when he was mad. Why did she want to walk around his desk and wrap her arms around his neck and kiss all of his troubles away?

“Samara, you’re great at your job, hard-working, personable, and can command a room while wearing cleaning rags. You’re welcome to do whatever you want to the gardens and the outdoor areas. I’ll keep focusing on getting people back into the hotel.”

She clapped her hands. Brilliant. “Great. I’ll get back to it. The new linens are arriving soon and I need to check them all…”

Her foot swiveled towards the door as her brain ran through the huge check list she had in her head. But something stayed her feet, stopped her from moving toward the outside world where a hundred jobs lay waiting for her. She twisted back so she could see him better. Julian now sat in front of his computer, jaw set and tight as he tapped away.

“What happened just then? Why did you respond so badly to that young couple by the pool?”

A muscle clenched and throbbed in his jaw. “That’s teetering into personal, Samara, and we said we wouldn’t do that.”

“As long as it doesn’t stop you from doing your job properly.”

“It won’t.”

She waited. She wanted to know. Had he loved a woman once? Had she broken his heart? It was hard to imagine a man as strong, arrogant, and gorgeous as Julian King had ever been hurt.

He didn’t speak and she finally took a deep breath, letting out a long sigh as she envisioned her future. She believed in the power of positive thinking and the laws of attraction. She’d built her life and business on it. On the wall of her bedroom she had her personal vision board. In her two bedroom, east end apartment that she’d paid for with profits from the company she’d built from nothing. Her focus had shifted and she was now calling on the Universe for her ideal man, her optimal health, and of course, a healthy baby.

She let her heart have its way when she spoke, irrespective of what would follow. “I wish I was in love like that couple were. I think it’s a beautiful thing.”

The disgusted noise that came from Julian surprised her, and he threw her one line she’d never forget. “Love’s a fantasy. Never wish for that.”

****

Julian wore his swimming trunks and a tank down to the pool level. It was time to work out some of the tension from another restless night, and the gym was first on his list. A swim after to cool down.

As he stepped out into the foyer he glanced around the room, expecting to see Samara buzzing around. When he didn’t see her he moved over to the front desk.

“Do you know where Miss Jenkins is?” he asked one of the new clerks with pimples on his chin and a modern hair cut that hung to his shoulders. The boy looked far too young to be working at the hotel, but Samara assured him that the kid was a genius at computers. Not only was he updating the software, he was redesigning the website too.

“Yes, sir, she’s in the gym.”

Perfect.

He nodded and walked toward the gym and internal pool—another area that needed addressing. He opened the door and froze with his hand still plastered to the glass. The room was unrecognizable from when he’d used it only yesterday.

The mirrored walls shone brightly, not a smudge in sight on their huge reflective surfaces. He’d barely been able to see himself in them yesterday. The weights were stacked, the equipment cleverly arranged for ease of use. It looked twice as big, and far more impressive.

Another job well done.

He twisted around and couldn’t see her anywhere in the gym. “Samara?”

“I’m in the pool.”

Images of white bikinis and her gorgeous round bum flashed through his mind and he shook his head, dispelling the pictures. It had been a month since his last woman which was obviously far too long. His need for Samara was growing with each day he worked alongside her.

He cleared his throat and moved into the heated pool area. It was like stepping into a warm, dark cave. The lights were dim, the walls a natural dark stone. He searched around the room and finally found her, standing on the first step in the pool, her hourglass figure clad in a simple black one piece that did nothing to hide the incredible curves she possessed.

His mouth ran dry and his blood pulsed south as his desire grew with each passing second. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d had such an immediate, intense attraction to a woman.

For the past year, he’d gone through women like an alcoholic goes through wine. He hadn’t been too picky, as long as they offered the affection and moment’s pleasure he’d needed since his wife’s betrayal and abandonment.

Samara was something different completely. His hands ached to hold the curves of her body, his lips parted in anticipation of finally tasting her mouth. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t had her yet? He called out to her, “What are you doing in here?”

She stepped out of the pool and wrapped the hotel’s white towel around her hips. When she walked over to him, her full breasts bounced softly with each step she took.

“I’m trying out the facilities. It’s important to see the hotel from a guest’s perspective, so I re-arranged the gym to make it easier to use, had the staff clean it from top to bottom, and I’m now assessing the pool. The water temperatures a bit hot from what I can tell, but I haven’t been in yet. The lighting could be better, but they’re easy fixes.” She cocked her head to the side and twirled her ponytail with her fingers. “What’s happening with you?”

His tank clung to the sweat on his chest and his heart began to pound a heavier rhythm in his chest. “I’m taking a break and thought a swim might be good. Mind if I join you in the assessment?”

He reached over his head and grabbed the white tank, pulling it off quickly. Samara’s eyes dropped to his chest, her mouth open. Julian puffed out his chest and threw his towel onto a nearby bench as he shuffled out of his trainers.

“Ah… I suppose not.”

“Great. I have a few questions about the painting too.”

“Ah…” Samara stammered, her eyes dropping down his body, and then away, her discomfort obvious in the glow of her cheeks. He knew she was as attracted to him as he was to her. All the awareness and signs so far indicated it, but she hadn’t made a move, and he wanted to know why.

He’d accepted her help and guidance in the rebuilding of his hotel and now that he knew they had to spend what was left of the two weeks together, why not make it more of a pleasurable working environment?

“Let’s go.” He reached out for her hand, enjoying the heat and sensations moving up his arm in reaction to her touch. The darkness of the room worked perfectly. Hot and intimate.

Samara was the perfect size for him, he realized as she moved close. She came up to his chin and he would be able to tuck her into his lap and keep her beneath him all night.

A growl rumbled from his throat at the thought and she pulled away, stepping down into the water again with hasty movements. “You ok?”

He nodded as most of her body disappeared beneath the water. He surveyed the pool, which looked like it had been rendered with sand. He gestured to the water as he took one step into the pool, which had five descending steps at the shallow end. Bath temperature heat swirled around his calves.

“What’s with the sand? And you’re right. It is too hot.” Something he would have surely missed if he hadn’t taken her advice and used the hotel as any normal guest would.

He continued to wade in, Samara’s eyes on him as they surfed through the water to the deep end, the steam from the water rising around them. Cloaking them, embracing them.

“This is an unusual place to hold a meeting.” Samara’s voice trembled a little as they continued to move in the hot water. Their bodies reminded him of two magnets of opposing forces. Untouching and yet, mirroring each other’s movements.

Samara bit her lip and her eyes skittered away. She was nervous and he liked that. He wanted her to be so aware of what was between them that she wanted to run. She’d conducted herself far too professionally so far, he needed her to act on the connection between them.

“It is. Give me an update on your side of things.”

He swam closer, waving his arms under the water and sending ripples her way. She shivered, despite the heat, and he crept closer, wanting those legs wrapped around him.

“Ah… I’m quite happy with the progress so far. I hired eleven new cleaners, full time. They’ve stripped and cleaned all the suites we’re renovating now and I’ve put them to work on the rest of the hotel. Even if we aren’t re-vamping everything, they all need thorough cleaning. Those bathrooms are disgusting.”

“Well done.” She’d followed his instructions and stayed within the guidelines of what they’d discussed.

“I’ve also hired five new bell boys, restaurant staff and a proper concierge. They need some more training, but I’ll make sure that’s all done before I leave. The welcome to this hotel when I arrived was well below par and I feel that with that small improvement, it will make a massive difference.”

She was swimming away from him now, backward, her voice getting stronger as she focused on her work.

“Have you organized an employee manual for them?”

She swallowed as she moved further away, her back finally hitting the edge of the pool and her eyes going wide. “Ah… No, I’ve done some basic training with them, but I will be doing an official launch of the new employee work book next week.”

Good. He hated those sorts of things. “Great.”

“The rooms have been freshly painted, as has the restaurant…and ah…”

He moved closer until they were inches apart and stared into her eyes, placing both hands either side of her shoulders, the sandy concrete beneath his palms.

“Julian…um, what are you doing?” Her voice trembled as she spoke and her pupils were so dilated he could barely see the green colored iris.

“I’m testing out a theory I have.” He moved the lower part of his body closer, pressing his pelvis against her belly while still maintaining some distance.

Samara licked her lips, her pink tongue darting out as her hands floated up to press against his chest. “What theory, Julian?”

Whether this was lunacy or not, he didn’t know. And in this moment, he didn’t care. As a contractor, Samara was free to fraternize with whomever she chose, as was he.

“Whether you want me as much as I want you.”

His heart was pounding in his chest like a drum. Her closeness affected him like an aphrodisiac, all by itself. He needed to know if she tasted as sweet as she looked. If her spirit in the bedroom matched the spirit she had for her work.

When the hands she had against his chest didn’t move to push him away, instead, they tightened in his chest hair, curling and holding tight, he lowered his mouth, pausing as their lips were a hair apart. Her breath blew hot and fast against his mouth.

“That’s a very interesting theory.”

Her eyes opened even wider and she lifted her chin, pressing her lips against his and uttering the softest of moans. As though, she too, had been waiting for this moment.

He groaned and grabbed her lush arse with his hands, the same curvy bottom he’d been fantasizing over for days. He lifted her in the warm water, her legs drifting up in the weight less pool and wrapping around his waist.

Samara’s arms went around his neck as she opened her mouth to him. He speared her lips apart with his tongue, a shudder passing through his body as her taste spread through his senses. Honey and sex. Perfect.

Her gasp sounded as he pushed back against her and she threw back her head. The long expanse on her neck was as tempting as anything he’d ever seen. He pressed his lips to her, tasting the sweetness of her skin and feeling the erratic bounce of her pulse against his lips.

“Julian…” Her moan was so sensual his whole body vibrated. So hot, so beautiful.

Her whole body moved against him and as he slid his fingers between them, his heart pounded harder. He pushed aside her bathing suit and found her swollen clit nestled in the hidden folds between her legs.

She groaned and dug her nails into his shoulders, pressing against him as though she were starving for his touch. How long had it been for her?

Too long, obviously.

He found her lips again, kissing her deeply as he slid his long middle finger into her core. Her body slick and warm, gripping him like a greedy mouth.

“Ah… Julian.” Samara panted against his mouth, her hips thrusting against his hand.

His cock throbbed inside his shorts, his belly tight and his breath coming in pants as sweat beaded his forehead. He wanted to be inside her now. He withdrew his fingers and lifted her with one hand as he pushed down his shorts with the other. His length bounced up against her open thighs and she lifted herself to gaze into his eyes. Her look pleading, desperate.

This wasn’t how he’d wanted it to happen. He’d planned hours of foreplay, chocolate mousse, and music loud enough to mask her orgasms.

“Please hurry.” Samara’s voice broke through the feelings of inadequacy and guilt.

“You want this?” he asked, grabbing a hold of her tiny waist and pulling down on his body until the head of his shaft pressed against her soft, hot entrance.

She bit her lip again and he waited, his balls pulsing with need.

“I want you to say it.”

He wasn’t budging until she begged for it. He needed them both to know later that this was totally consensual.

“Yes. Please.”

He groaned and took her lips in a deep kiss, pulling her down, hard. An explosion of sensation ricocheted through his gut, rippling out into the very far reaches of his soul.

She felt like home.

He shook his head and tried to throw away such a ridiculous notion, instead focusing on the physical sensations wrapping around him.

Samara was a writhing mass of femininity, need, and desire. Every noise she made sounded like bliss to his ears and echoed in the room around them. She bit into his shoulder, her hands holding him as tight as possible as she gasped and moaned in his ear.

He gripped her hips, wishing she was totally naked and swearing to himself that he’d take his time next time. He thrust against her, and used his hands to push her up and then pulled her down to impale her again. Then again and again until her channel squeezed him as tightly as a glove and he could barely hold on to his own control.

The heat built in his body, tingles of his impending orgasms rippling along his spine.

“Julian! I’m…going to…” Samara’s body gripped him as her spine arched and he cried out as she called on his orgasm. It ripped through his core with an intensity that made lights explode inside his head.

Samara screamed as he poured himself into her pulsating body.

Too late, he realized his mistake and pulled out, holding tight to him the woman who’d blown apart his brain and body.

Samara clung to him like she’d never let him go, her lips finding his in a kiss so sweet it made parts of his heart he’d believed dead, ache with wanting.

He righted their swimming suits and carried her in his arms to the edge of the pool. The world shifting on its axis like it never had before.

Chapter Four

Her belly was still convulsing with unending orgasmic shudders. When she’d first come, it had been mind-blowingly intense. And then Julian had come inside her and her body shattered into singing raptures. Her first simultaneous orgasm, and it had been utterly incredible. The tingles still vibrating along every nerve fiber in her body.

“That was just incredible.”

Julian nodded at her and deposited her onto the concrete steps. He stepped back and a cold wave washed over her. “Is there something wrong?”

He frowned, the lines between his eyes becoming marked. “I didn’t use any protection.”

She shrugged the worry away. “I’ve been on the pill since I was sixteen. I have severe endometriosis and it’s the only thing that keeps the pain manageable.”

His shoulders seemed to drop about a foot. “Oh, good. But either way, we should be more careful next time.”

“Next time?” Her heart lifted, as did his lips.

“I don’t see why we can’t enjoy the time we have together. Working during the day, and…”

“Working out our stress through the night?”

He grinned now, the expression taking years off his somber face. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

She wrapped her arms around her body, chilled despite the heat of the water. “I think I need to get out and get dry.” A warm bed and a nap was actually what she wanted. That orgasm had totally wiped her energy.

“Let’s get out then.”

He led her from the water, directing her towards the showers she’d been in when he’d arrived.

He turned the hot water on, then pulled her under the spray with him. The touch of his skin on hers was heaven, and she shivered.

“You’re cold. Stay here while I get dry.”

He stripped off his underwear quickly and grabbed a nearby towel. Samara gaped at his naked body. He wasn’t just muscled and well proportioned. His arse was so rounded and strong it could have been carved out of marble.

Her eyes strayed to his privates, a blush flooding her face as she realized that part of him had just been deep inside of her. Once a strong pillar to penetrate her, it now lay relaxed and harmless.

Julian was soon dressed again in his suit pants and shirt. A civilized outfit for a not so civilized man.

Wow. What incredible passion they’d shared. She’d never experienced anything like it. Even with men she’d dated for years and shared intimacy with over and over again, had never reached the level of connection she’d felt with Julian. And it had only been their first time. She couldn’t imagine how she’d feel in another week or two.

“Here you go.” Julian brought over a fluffy, dry towel for her and she struggled to pull herself back into work mode.

“I don’t want to go back to work now. You’ve made me all blissy and sleepy.” She smiled up at him as she dried her body and pulled her dress back on over her swim suit. She’d have to go get changed.

Julian glanced at his watch. “Well, it is five o’clock. You could probably fit in a sleep before dinner with me at seven.”

She’d worked her butt off all day, and if the night held what she thought it would, she needed a rest. “Don’t go giving me an easy go now, Julian.” She wobbled sideways, giggling at her own silliness.

He gripped her elbow and helped her move toward the door. “Honestly Samara, you’ve worked like a Trojan since you got here. Have a break, and if it makes you feel any better, dinner can be a work meeting and you can redecorate the restaurant while we’re there if you like.”

She stared up into his blue eyes, the strange vulnerability she saw there making her heart skip a beat. She opened her mouth to ask him if he was ok, then shut it again. If he was feeling half the euphoria she was, he could be as odd as he liked.

“All right. I’ll go have a quick rest and get changed for dinner. Meet you back in the restaurant at seven, okay?”

He nodded and stepped away from her as they moved back into the foyer. Her legs wobbled as she walked away from him. She reached out, blindly pressing the elevator button and humming to herself.

She’d never been stupid enough to do this before. Sleep with her boss, a colleague, no-one close to her professional life. She’d worked alone for so long, and had been so strict with who she’d dated. Never before had she stepped over such a big line.

The elevator dinged open and she noted with relief that the carriage arrived with no grinding or squeaking. The mechanic they’d brought out yesterday did a great job servicing the old girl.

Her wobbly legs managed to get her onto the elevator and she twisted around, clinging to the gold hand rail for help. Her eyes clashed with sky blue moments before the doors dinged shut.

A smile sung in her heart. A giggle of laughter caught in her throat. She should feel guilty, stupid, something. But there was nothing she could conjure up that would compete with the feelings of satisfaction humming through her veins.

She was a contractor. He was on the board of directors who had hired her to complete a job. Their relationship wouldn’t affect how hard she worked. Quite the opposite. Julian was right. There was absolutely no reason they couldn’t enjoy each other for the time they had together.

***

Two hours later she was rushing to get dressed after over sleeping. She had passed out the moment her head hit her pillow, and she’d barely surface to the alarm she’d luckily remembered to put on.

She brushed out her mane of thick hair and tied it up in a quick bun. Lateness was a pet hate of hers. Some perfume and moisturizer barely managed to dry before she threw on the only semi-formal dress she’d brought with her. A red, clingy, knee length outfit that dipped low in the front to reveal her abundant cleavage.

Perfect for the start to, hopefully, a great night.

Five minutes later she was walking back into the same restaurant that sat empty only days before. Tonight there were five new staff members, and a maitre’d to take her to her table.

She gave Fabrizio a huge smile as she drew closer. He was one of several staff members she’d hired and trained in the past few days.

“Good evening, Miss Jenkins. This way.” He lifted his chin in a posh way that made her laugh and showed her to a table at the back of the restaurant where Julian sat with a glass of red wine, waiting for her.

Fabrizio pulled out her chair for her and she sat. “Well done, Fabrizio.”

He bowed for her. “Can I get you a drink, madam?”

“Water please.”

He walked away and she turned to her date. “I’m so sorry I’m late. I overslept.”

“Great orgasms will do that to you.”

“Shhh!” She looked around to make sure no one had heard him while flames licked at her neck and face. “Does that mean that yours wasn’t any good? Because you don’t look like you’ve had a nap.”

When he didn’t answer straight away, her belly dropped. Was that the problem? The sex that had been so amazing for her, had not been so for him.

He leaned in closer, placing his glass down onto the table. “If I’d lay down after that, I would have slept for a week. I didn’t trust myself.”

Relief flowed over her like a cooling rain. “Oh, good.” She picked up the menus and gave them a good look over. “What do you think of the new design? They’re only mock ups. I wanted your opinion before I went and launched an updated look. But the old one needed a desperate upgrade.” She’d had a local designer put together a new logo for the restaurant and menus. “The new head chef is starting tonight and I’ve asked him to make us all the specials if that’s all right?”

She looked up at him, but his eyes were far from interested in what she said. They were downright lust full.

“It looks great.”

She wanted to stamp her foot, but instead playfully glared at him. “You didn’t even look at it.”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “Au contrare. I’ve been here for over half an hour, meeting the chef who is by far the most enthusiastic person I have met since arriving here, and studying your new menus. I like the logo, although a slightly less confusing font might be better.”

“I agree.”

She grinned and swallowed the hysterical noise rising up from her throat. He liked what she’d done!

Stop over reacting. Since when is a client’s approval so important to you?

“I like the way the tables have been positioned too. Less cluttered.”

She glanced around at the new table cloths, cleaned walls, and freshly steam cleaned carpets. “Yes, it’s all come together beautifully. But I did have a great building to work with.”

Their entrées had arrived….

“I’ve given the chef some leeway and have asked him to prepare some meals that he thinks will work. I’ll give him three days and then I’ll readjust everything to suit.”

“Sounds like a good idea. Give him a little rope and hope he doesn’t hang himself.”

She knew that old saying from her father and it was a strange comfort hearing it so far away from home. A smile spread across her face as the warmth around her heart turned her into a puddle.

“Is that what you did with me, Julian? Because I must admit you’ve been a lot easier to work with than I first thought.”

He took a drink of his red wine and picked up his fork. “I wasn’t impressed that my parents hired you without consulting me, but you’ve been a real asset to the company and it was stupid of me to let my pride get in the way of getting my hotel back on its feet.”

Her hand trembled as she reached for her water. Wow. She’d never expected him to be so honest about his own misgivings. “I don’t know what to say.”

He chuckled, a real laugh that made a grin stretch across her own lips. His face truly transformed when he was happy, and it made her want to please him all the more. Which was silly, and strange for her. Those butterflies that made her feel like a teenager on her first date.

“Well, that’s a first for you. I don’t know who you hired but this is delicious.”

Samara picked up her own fork and sampled the prawn risotto. The perfect balance of cream, salt, and parmesan spread across her tongue. The texture, also divine. “Hmmm… I agree. I poached him from a restaurant on the other side of the island. One of the cleaners had said that the chef wanted work closer to home, so I made a few phone calls, and we have a head chef worthy of the title.”

They finished their entrees and the mains were served. Another beautiful combination of flavors and textures.

“Well, I can’t find fault with his skill or his choice of meals yet.”

Julian was eating his steak so fast he looked like he barely had time to breathe. But after a final forkful of greens and scalloped potatoes, he moaned and dropped his knife and fork.

“I think I worked up a bit of an appetite today.”

Despite her best efforts to put some mental distance between them, his words made her whole body squirm in her chair. Their afternoon had her achy, hungry for more of the passion she’d found in Julian’s arms.

“You must have.”

The plates were taken away and Samara poured some more water for her suddenly dry mouth.

“I have a proposition for you,” Julian said, his words laced with a honeyed tone that made her belly twist and tighten. She pressed her thighs together and crossed her legs to dull the ache that throbbed at her center.

She took another sip of her water, savoring the anticipation building in her body. “It sounds like it’s going to be an improper proposition.”

He chuckled again, but this time his eyes grew darker. “It may be. We have nine days left until you fly back to New York. I propose that during the days we work alongside each other just as we have been, and at night we dine together and go to bed, enjoying each other however we see fit.”

Their desserts arrived and Samara picked up her fork, slicing a thick forkful of baked cheesecake, and scooping it through the blue berry sauce at the side. “A work holiday fling, so to speak?” Her traitorous body jumped at the idea but her chest tightened. Flings were not her style, and Julian was far too exceptional a man for her fragile heart to get close to.

“Yes. Precisely. I don’t do long term relationships, Samara. I should warn you now.”

She swallowed hard and tried not to show how his words chilled her. When had she ever entered a relationship with the end firmly in sight?

Never.

“Tell me why…and don’t cite our original agreement not to get personal. I think the pool today crossed us over into the forbidden zone.”

Julian leaned back in his chair and picked up the shortbread on his plate, biting into the crumbly cookie and chewing slowly.

Samara took another taste of her cheesecake, the smooth subtlety of the lemon zest utter perfection. This chef was worth every cent they would be paying him.

“Okay, I’ll answer a few of your questions, if you answer mine.”

“That’s a fair deal.” And not one she would have expected from him.

Julian looked toward where the staff were talking, shining glasses and silver cutlery. Just as they should be. When he glanced back, the teasing in his gaze was gone, replaced by a bleakness that rippled out on to his handsome face.

“I don’t enter into long term relationships anymore, because I have just survived a short marriage and divorce.”

Her breath exhaled in a painful gush. That was not what she’d been expecting. A player that didn’t want to be tied down? Sure. But not someone who’d loved and lost. Her eyes shifted as though seeing him differently. “Oh, that must have been painful.”

He nodded tightly, once. “The whole bloody thing was painful. My wife…”—he practically spat the word out—“played the dutiful role right up until the day we said I do, then she turned into an absolute hell cat. I couldn’t wait to get out of there.”

Every fiber in Samara’s body wanted to tell him that not all women were like that, that those few bitches were the extreme minority. She couldn’t deny that they did exist; she’d worked for several. But she kept her mouth shut. There was only one way to prove to a man who’d been bitten that not all women were the same, and that was lots of time and love. Two things she didn’t have to give him.

“Okay, thanks for being honest. Now you ask your question, Julian.”

His face calmed. “Tell me why you only allowed my company to hire you for a fortnight. We would have paid for you to stay for three months. More.”

She shrugged. “The answer is simple really. I’d planned to have this whole year off and had saved the money to do so. But my parents rang up a few weeks ago to say the bank was foreclosing on their house and they needed money. I gave them what they needed, but it left me short for my goals for this year. So, I’m here, filling up the bank balance again.”

He blinked. “I’m sorry to hear that, but it doesn’t answer the real question. Why only two weeks? If you need money, why not work more? Stay longer.”

She shook her head hard. She hadn’t worked herself to death for the past decade to worry about money now. “I have money. I own my two-bedroom apartment and still have my business. I just didn’t want to struggle if things didn’t go to plan, and your mother’s phone call felt like the hand of fate handing me a boon. But when it comes down to it, I need to take this year off for my health.”

He swallowed strangely, a downward edge pulling at his lips. “Are you unwell?”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing serious. Look, I don’t want to give you too many details, but I’ve worked hard for a long time. I’ve sacrificed family time, friendships, and my health to a certain degree to get ahead. But my priorities have shifted and my endometriosis has given me a time line I’m finally listening to.”

“You’re still being very vague.”

She huffed out a laugh, her vision board swimming into view in her mind. Time to be completely honest, and although she knew that he was about to freak out and possibly run away, she owed him the truth. He’d given it to her.

“Julian, do you really want to know about my plans for babies, marriage, and my very unhealthy uterus?”

He shuddered, literally shuddered, like a leaf in a strong breeze. She laughed at him.

Curiosity killed the cat.

“See. Told you.”

His spine had straightened until he was sitting up like a soldier. “You’re right. I don’t want to know.”

She licked the metal prongs of the dessert fork. “Good. So, let’s just enjoy the next nine days and then we can go our own separate ways.”

And before she’d consciously made up her mind she was hearing herself agree to his proposal. She may not be the type to sleep around, but if this was the last chance she had to feel a man’s arms around her before she began the long and painful process of IVF, then she would enjoy it.

“Sounds good to me.” He grinned at her and her belly flipped, tugging at her in that special way.

They finished their three-course meal and stood up. “I think that chef is hired for good now, don’t you?”

Julian nodded, “Yes. Definitely. You did well there. Shall we…” He tilted his head and she assumed he meant to go back to their room. She’d love to, of course, but a bit of waiting never hurt anyone.

“Yes. But can we go for a little walk first? I am so full from dinner.”

She watched him carefully and if he was disappointed by her request, he didn’t reveal it.

“Of course, that’s a great idea. Around the pool again? Or…”

She had a better idea. “I’d love to walk over to the beach. I haven’t set a toe on Waikiki since I arrived.”

He smiled, one of his genuine, relaxed smiles, and they headed into the quiet foyer and through the glass doors that now opened on approach.

She giggled a little as they walked out into the humid night air and he asked, “What’s funny?”

She waved her hand at the entrance. “Oh, those doors. I’m always so pleased by small improvements that make a massive difference to a business’ appeal.”

He chuckled. “Yes. That was a good thing to fix.”

“It was my very first phone call. How are the numbers for the hotel going?”

“We’re still very much in the red, but we didn’t expect a turnaround from the first day. Three months is the goal. But let’s not talk about work. Tell me about your fantasies.”

A surprised laugh filled up her belly as she ran across the road, finally landing with her sandaled feet on the cool sand of Waikiki beach.

“Now this is a fantasy.” She tugged at the buckles and shuffled out of her shoes, before picking both of them up. She held them by the back straps and let the small grains of sand nestle between her feet. It was dark, so all she could see was what the street lights illuminated, and the moon light that sparkled off the water. “Standing on a beach in Hawaii. I’ve wanted to come here for so long.”

She began to walk, loving the sound of the waves, the quiet around her. She put her arms out wide and spun in a circle, her dress twirling around her legs. “Isn’t this magnificent?”

He chuckled softly, the sound rolling around her. She was getting used to that laugh.

“Are you laughing at me, Mr. King?”

She turned to look at him and began walking backwards, her eyes now adjusted to the dark so she could see the unusual play of emotions on his face.

What was he thinking?

****

Julian stuffed his hands into his pockets and began walking along the firm sand, his Italian leather shoes sinking with each step he took.

“I am. But it’s a good thing.”

She twirled again like a five-year-old with a new party dress, a sight he would never have assumed he would find attractive on a woman. But Samara was utterly enchanting.

“How is it a good thing?”

How much should he tell her? They were beginning an affair of sorts, so some nice words were appropriate, but this woman was an Alice. There was a large rabbit hole in front of him and the last thing he wanted to do was go tumbling down it.

“It’s good because I’ve never met a woman like you. You’re fun.”

She laughed again, the sound so clean and smooth it sent a shiver down his spine. There was no pretense or artifice to her, and he wasn’t used to it. In his world, he was always looking behind people’s words, investigating their intent, and second guessing how they were trying to manipulate him.

With Samara, he didn’t need to do that. She was different, and it was as obvious as the moon in the sky. And all of a sudden, he was intrigued.

“Tell me why you’re so different, Samara. Where did you grow up? What were your parents like?” He was a big believer in making your own destiny, but science was proving just how important genetics were in making you who you were.

“I’m not that different. I suppose I’m a little happier, or more positive than most the people I know, but that’s just me. And my mum. She’s a beautiful person.”

“But not very thrifty with money it seems?”

He regretted his words the moment he saw her face drop. “Well, they are actually. My dad got sick a while ago and they had to re-mortgage their house to pay for it and I think they fell behind on payments with him not working. They live on a big block with lots of development potential and I think someone saw the chance to grab their house. I don’t blame my parents.”

He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

What did he know about a single home and needing to re-mortgage to pay for medical bills? It was so far away from how he’d been brought up.

“So you grew up….” He didn’t want to say poor, but what other word was there?

“I grew up very happy and had everything I needed,” she finished for him, dancing a little in the sand.

He frowned as he watched her delight. Was it possible that this was all an act? He doubted it.

“Come on, Julian. Take your shoes off. And your jacket too. You look ridiculous.”

“Why? You wanna go skinny dipping?”

That would be the only reason that he’d be stripping off his suit.

She giggled in the night air. “Nope…but you’ve got a point. Home time?”

She bounced back to him, dropping her shoes and grabbing both of his hands in hers. A hand squeezed his heart from the inside, taking his breath with it. Samara stared up at him with the trust of a child and he was undone.

He pulled her closer and his lips touched hers, breathing in her scent, her warmth, her smell. “Let’s go back to the hotel.”

She nodded and bent down to pick up her shoes, taking his hand once again so that they could walk back together. It was a foreign feeling, the casual squeeze of her hand in his. They weren’t on display, no one could see them. She wasn’t like his ex-wife. Samara wasn’t holding his hand to mark him as her property, nor playing a role. She wanted to hold his hand, and considering what they were about to share, it all made sense.

He pulled away as they stepped back onto the pavement, his hotel a huge presence across the road. “Shall we?”

She nodded and together they ventured inside, walking up the stairs to her room on the second floor.

His heart pounded as they entered her room, an anomaly in these situations. She undressed for him slowly, her eyes shining with happiness as she stripped to her lacy knickers, her tight, full breasts already erect and begging for his touch.

Julian stripped to nothing, his cock eager and lengthening by the moment.

He took her hand and lay her down, licking every inch of smooth, hot skin and exploring her body. She gasped and moaned, arching her back and reaching for him as she climbed up the rungs to orgasm.

When he stood up to get himself ready, she slid to the edge of the bed and took him into her mouth. Pleasure crashed into him as he allowed himself a moment of pure indulgence, enjoying the way her hair cascaded over his hands and her soft mouth sucked him with perfect tightness.

When he finally lay her down to take her, she didn’t allow him an inch of space.

She clung to his back, kissed his lips, and pressed into him so hard when she came he was scared she’d squeeze the very soul out of him.

When they were done, he wanted to stay with her. A horrible, uncomfortable feeling that had been absent for so long. He managed to extricate himself once she’d fallen asleep and when he stepped into the hallway outside her room, he could finally breathe.

It was too soon for him, but he knew that if he was in a position to love someone again, then Samara, despite how different she was, would be the perfect candidate.

It was a sad thought as he lay in bed. Right person. Wrong timing.

His dreams tortured him all through the night.

Chapter Five

“No, it’s your turn to answer one!” Samara pushed Julian’s naked chest back hard until she could jump on top of him, clinging to the sheets to cover herself while his hot, naked flesh pressed into the spot between her thighs.

“Fine. Ask away.”

They’d continued their one question a night game after that first dinner, and she was beginning to crave that special time with him. Those few short hours she got to see Julian unguarded, smiling. They weren’t enough.

“Tell me what you’re most afraid of in the world.”

Blue eyes grew stormy for a moment, before clearing like a summer’s day. “Snakes. I can’t stand them.”

“Oh, you’re cheating again!” She reached under his arms and tickled the flesh over his ribs.

He flipped them both over and she landed flat on her back, her hands pinned above her head.

He smirked down at her helpless form and she glared back. He was too strong for her, and even though she hated it because it made her feel weak, she loved home dominant he was. She pouted up at him. “That is not fair. I answered you honestly.”

It was a battle, every night. To glimpse a true part of him, a rawness that she desperately wanted to see. He’d fought her those first few nights and she hadn’t minded too much, but they were getting to their last days together and she’d grown more desperate to know him.

“I’m not afraid of much, Samara. Death, maybe. My parents growing old and sick. Maybe.”

He shrugged a little and she relaxed the fight in her arms, so he rolled onto his side behind her, pulling her body in to his until his heart beat against her back.

Her eyes closed all by themselves. Like curtain call at the end of an amazing play.

“I can agree with you there. I’m really close to my parents. I couldn’t imagine not having them.”

The silence stretched and she let her body relax against his, willing him to stay a little longer. Why he had to go back to his own room each night she’d never know.

Work he said. Yeah right. More like a deliberate wall he kept up between them.

“I better get going. You’re tired.”

She groaned and twisted in his arms, pressing him down so that she could curl up on him, her head on his chest. “Why do you always leave? We’ve only got two more nights together and then it’s all over.”

A lump lodged itself in her throat and she swallowed hard against the hot ache in her chest. They worked their arses off each and every day, and they celebrated their successes together each night. They were a great team. She hadn’t wanted to care about the man in her bed, but she did. A lot. She couldn’t stand the idea of not seeing him again.

“Good night, beautiful.” He kissed the top of her head and maneuvered out from underneath her arms.

Samara pulled up the coverlet and arranged her pillows for sleep. How did he made love to her with such passion and skill, and then leave her straight after? Her body was still buzzing from the orgasm he’d bestowed on her.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” She patted the bed next to her. “I’ll make room, I promise. I’m not too much of a bed hog.” She was lying there. Her girlfriends that she’d shared beds with over time, after big nights out, or conferences, had always complained that she was like an octopus.

“No. I can’t.”

“But why, Julian?”

He groaned as he pulled on his shirt, his jacket, his pants. It was such a shame to watch his incredibly strong and beautiful body be covered up like that.

“Because, Samara…”

She held her breath. Was he going to answer her? “Because?”

He sighed and shook his head.

Damn it. “Come on! Please. Just be honest with me. This one time.”

He spun back around and she knew she had him. His eyes had darkened.

“Because there is an intimacy to sleeping together that I don’t want. We’re already too close, and with you leaving…it just doesn’t make sense.”

“I’m too close?” Huh?

“Yes.” He nodded his head once, dropped down onto the bed for one more kiss, then waved himself out the door.

She was too close, what did that mean? Why was she so bad at understanding men?

Did he like her too much?

Was she already too close because she was so clingy, too affectionate? What?

She lay back in her snuggly pillows and felt the burn of tears in her eyes.

No! Don’t you dare!

She could not afford to feel too much for this man. He’d made it clear at the beginning of this relationship that he wanted nothing more than a fling, and she’d agreed to that, so she couldn’t complain now.

She blew out a long breath and visualized her dream board. This year was for her and her baby.

Despite how lovely Julian could be, how smart and funny and certainly sexy as hell, he was not relationship material. His ex-wife had obviously done a good job of damaging his heart, and that was one thing she wanted from him.

She didn’t need his money, his status, or even his good looks, although that helped. If she was to invest in the long term with him, she wanted his heart, and unfortunately, that wasn’t on offer.

***

Two days later, they were having dinner when Julian hit her with one out of left field.

“I’d love to see you again when we’re both back in New York.”

Samara choked on the water she was drinking, then placed the glass quickly down, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin.

“Um, okay. That’s a little unexpected.” Especially since he’d cancelled on her last night, both dinner and their nightly love making session. She’d assumed they were done early, so this was certainly news to her.

A tugging worry wove around her chest and she fought the need to ask him a thousand questions all at once. Didn’t he understand that their lives would never work once they were back in the big apple?

When she didn’t respond, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Julian’s furrowed brow and worried words surprised her. Did he read her so well already?

“Nothing.”

“No, seriously, tell me, Samara. I’ve seen that look far too many times this week. I know you’re not thinking pleasant thoughts.”

She glanced away, a smile tugging at her mouth. So, he did know her a little bit better than she’d realized. “I’m just wondering how life will be when we get back. This has been such an incredible week out of time, but…”

“But what?”

She took a shallow breath and bit her lip. How to tell him that she didn’t have time this year for what he wanted? Also, should she admit the fear she could feel peeking out from her heart that she would never survive longer with him? She was already besotted, how would she continue to fight her feelings for him if they kept seeing each other?

His eye brows narrowed and his blue eyes hardened like flint. “Am I to assume from your body language that our liaison is done?”

There was a hardness in his voice that she hadn’t heard before, and didn’t understand. “Hey, what are you getting upset for?”

He sat up like a tin soldier. “I am not upset.”

Bull shit.

He’d outright told her that nothing else was on offer and she’d hardened herself to that reality. Changing her plans on a promise of another sex-only affair would be devastating to everything she needed in life.

“You are upset. I thought we’d agreed that this was a holiday, work, fling thing?”

She let the question hang in the air between them and he took his time responding.

****

Julian forced a smile to his lips and then took a long swallow of his red wine. He’d been thinking about this and he had an answer for her.

“It’s up to you really, Samara. We can leave it as a holiday fling. Or…we can continue to see each other when we get back to New York. We don’t live far from one another and we get along well.” That was an understatement of course, he’d never met a woman whose company he enjoyed so much, but he was keeping that to himself.

She drew a deep breath, looking away for a moment and unease shifted in his chest. Had he read her enthusiasm over the past few weeks incorrectly? He’d thought she would jump at the chance to spend more time with him. Enjoy his lifestyle. His money. Even just the sex, that was good enough to sacrifice time for.

Her eyes shifted back, a pinch between her eyebrows raising red flags for him.

“What sort of relationship would you want back in New York, Julian?”

This was the slippery slope question. Women slid these in to the conversations too often and he had to be careful here.

“Same as we had here. Dinners, sex, conversations. I find that I enjoy spending time with you, sharing ideas.” He swallowed, amazed at the strength of emotion tightening his chest. “I don’t enjoy peoples’ company often and I’m going to miss these easy exchanges once I’m home again.”

All of that was true and he was surprised how easily it spilled from his lips. He didn’t like to give women he dated a tool to use against him, but as Samara was so different, he was willing to afford her more compliments. An insight into how he felt about her.

She relaxed in her chair, her shoulders dropping down and a beautiful smile lighting up her face. “Thank you for saying that. I find you easy to talk to also and I’m going to miss you once I leave.”

And yet she was saying no. It was obvious. What had he missed?

“Does that mean you want to leave this in Hawaii?”

His gut burned with a heavy disappointment. In himself mostly. He wasn’t generally wrong about women.

“No, I’d love to keep seeing you when we get back, but…” She bit her lip and his mind whirled with possibilities. A boyfriend, a husband, kids? What was stopping her? And why hadn’t he researched her more thoroughly before taking this step? Foolish mistake. A first.

“I have to tell you something, and I’m not sure our stars are going to line up on this one.”

“Tell me.” He ignored the line about the stars or whatever she believed. Fate was not real. He, and only he controlled his life.

“I want to get married and have a baby this year.”

What? Where had that come from?

“Pardon me?”

His hands landed palm down on the table, the force causing the knife and fork to clatter against the plate. She’d said something about marriage and babies in that first conversation they’d had, but he’d been too petrified by the topic to quiz her any further.

And he hadn’t thought it applied to him, but now, obviously it did!

Had this been her plan all along? To seduce him into marriage? Not a chance! He was never getting married again. Never!

She rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t freak out on me, I’m just being honest.”

His heart raced in his chest. Not a good sign.

He nodded at her to continue. He didn’t’ trust himself to speak as expletives whirled around his head.

She sighed. “I should start from the start.”

He nodded again and forced the words out. “Probably best.”

Had he been fooled by a woman, again? Impossible. Damn it! Hadn’t he learnt his lesson from Marguerite?

Samara took a deep breath and began intertwining her fingers like she did sometimes when she was thinking, or nervous. “I set myself several goals when I was twenty-one, all revolving around money, business, property, etc. And thanks to a lot of hard work and some help from lady luck, I’ve achieved them all. But on a personal level, I’m way behind where I wanted to be. I have endometriosis, quite badly actually. It’s a condition that makes conceiving quite difficult and my specialist told me years ago not to wait until after I was thirty to have a baby, or it may not happen. And at my last appointment he told me that a hysterectomy is on the cards if I don’t act fast.”

His hands stopped their aching as he released the pressure on his shoulders and arms. His heart calmed down and he took a breath.

“And you’re thirty now?”

He understood goals and time constraints, his whole life had been about them. He was grateful that a biological clock was one thing he would never have.

“I turn thirty this year, that’s why I initially refused this job. I’m in the process of taking a major step back from my business. I’m not taking on any new jobs and I’m training people to replace me so I can take the year off. I start IVF as soon as I get back.”

He stilled, amazed at the narrow view she had of the world and her life in the future. She wanted to be pregnant that soon? He’d dodged a bullet then. IVF. He’d heard it was an incredibly expensive, stressful, and damaging process.

Just thinking about the artificial hormones she’d be pumping into her body made him cringe, let alone the natural pregnancy related ones.

“IVF? With who?”

“A donor, unless I meet someone very soon who wants the same things I do.”

As if any guy would be able to get up to speed that fast. She had no hope of achieving that goal. “And if you meet someone but he doesn’t want kids?”

She shrugged, a soft smile tugging at her full lips. “I believe very much in the Universe sending you what you need.”

Well that certainly isn’t me.

He cleared his throat, waiting for the cloud of disbelief to un-fog his brain so he could speak. This woman, who’s dreams were literally his worst nightmare, sat before him. He should run, screaming from the building.

However, the fact that he may never see her again was tugging at his heart with un-natural pain. “Well, at least you’ve been honest, I’ll give you that.”

She laughed, but it sounded hollow. “Look, I appreciate the fact that you aren’t on the same page as me, so let’s just enjoy the last night we have together and then say our good byes tomorrow. It has been an amazing journey, and I thank you for that, Julian, very much.”

Love poured out through her eyes and he looked away, tightness squeezing his chest again. He didn’t want to focus on any of the feelings Samara invoked in him. There was only one thing left to do and she was right. Enjoy their last night together. He had so many things left he wanted to do to her.

He turned his gaze back on her and injected the lust that was now trickling through his veins, into his tone.

“Now that, my beautiful, sounds like a plan.”

****

Samara let Julian lead her upstairs, her throat aching from unshed tears. She’d been completely honest with him and he had acted how she’d most feared he would. With utter fear and certain rejection.

But she was doing the right thing by stopping their relationship tonight. It was the best thing, for both of them. Julian would never handle her IVF journey and she couldn’t continue to have sex with him and keep her heart in one piece. Tonight would be pushing her resistance as it was.

She squeezed his hand. “Can we go to your room? I haven’t seen it yet.”

He hesitated, then smiled, pulling her toward the old, grand elevator that she’d become very attached to. She’d miss this hotel so much once she was gone. She’d grown attached to everything, and everyone. Her pride at seeing the transformations that took place every day filled her to the brim.

“Sure. Why not?” He pushed a penthouse button, swiped a card she hadn’t seen before, and they glided up the old shaft.

“I was scared to death the first time I rode this elevator,” Samara confided.

He smiled. “But you got that fixed up pretty fast, didn’t you?”

She nodded. “Safety first.”

That statement quietened them both down.

They had been safe. Very safe. They’d gone through a box of condoms this week. Except for that first time in the pool of course.

The elevator ground to a halt and the doors dinged open, straight into the apartment.

Very impressive. Who did this renovation?

It was huge. Large modern kitchen, a living space that was bigger than her entire apartment at home, and she assumed it had several bedrooms.

“Wow. This is incredible. Why didn’t we spend more time in this room?” She walked over to the large windows that gave her a bird’s eye view of the city. “Waikiki is very pretty, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It is,” he answered, ignoring her question about why they didn’t spend more time in his room. He walked up behind her and slid his arms around her waist in a comforting gesture she would miss. “What shall we do tonight? Make love in the spa, perhaps?”

“Oh, a spa!” She twisted around and noticed a strange disappointment on his face. What was that? Perhaps he’d brought other women here and they’d responded to all the wealth in a similar way. “Actually…we’ve already done the water thing. Do you have anything you’d like to do?”

He smiled this time, the light reaching his eyes for once. “Yes, I do.” He picked her up and carried her over to the kitchen, where he set her down on the marble bench top. She tried not to squeal as the cold bench top bit into her thighs and instead focused on him. Julian ran his hands up the outside of her thighs, her insides clenching with need. Finally, he tugged at her panties. Obviously, they were going to make love right here. “Lie back.”

Throwing caution, and insecurities to the wind, Samara lay back on the cool marble and let Julian pull her panties down. Nervous bubbles wiggled in her belly, but she did as he asked. Her knickers disappeared down her legs and Julian knelt on the floor, his hands opening her thighs. She lifted her knees, placing her feet on his shoulders as he began to kiss up the inside of her thighs with his soft, beautiful mouth.

She covered her face with her hands, a strange embarrassment sweeping over her as tingles of pleasure curled in her belly. They were beneath bright lights, in his kitchen, and he was about to lick her…

“Oh... wow…” She moaned as his tongue pulsed over her swollen clit, the sensations coursing down the backs of her legs.

He continued to pleasure her as she thrashed on the table. His tongue swiped over her flesh, suckling her clit before delving down deeper down into her body.

“Julian...please... I…”

He stood up and looked down on her, wiping his glistening chin with his hand. “What is it?”

“I want you.”

Satisfaction showed in his gaze as he grinned, lifted his hand, and slid his fingers into place. Opening her, filling her up, and causing a new pleasure to pulse through her belly. He moved his fingers in and out, in the perfect rhythm that made her eye lids begin to drop and her legs to tighten.

He withdrew his hand from her aching cleft and began to unbutton his pants.

She pulled herself up to sitting and attacked his buttons herself, opening his shirt so that she was free to touch him properly. Her hands ran over his hot skin, and pushed his shirt down his arms.

Julian opened his pants and stroked his cock with his wettened hands, then slipped protection on. She would have much preferred there to be no barrier between them, but he’d argued this point already with her.

She held tight to his shoulders and stared into his eyes as he stepped closer.

Julian said, “I want to remember this.”

She nodded and breathed out slowly, opening her legs to accommodate him now that he was fully naked.

He set his thick, arrow-shaped cock head to her swollen lips and slid in slowly.

She bit her lip as hot tears gathered in her eyes. She concentrated on her breathing, his blue gaze connecting with hers as he dove into her body, bringing them together for the very last time. That thought caused more tears as hot, tight pleasure squeezed her belly, and she closed her eyes, dropping her head as the feelings over whelmed her.

His hand shot up and lifted her chin. “No hiding. I want to see you.”

He pulled back and she cried out, shifting forwards to receive him again.

He slammed back in and she screamed, digging her nails into his shoulders.

He moved back again and the emptiness inside her became too much to bear.

He thrust back towards her and she stared straight into Julian’s eyes, his mouth open and his breathing rate increasing as he began to move harder and faster.

They were now both part of the ancient dance, a race to the end.

They moved as one, each receiving and taking as the storm began to lift them up and throw them around.

“Julian. I…”

A hot, huge wave crashed into her and she cried out, squeezing him tightly as pleasure slammed through her. Julian kept moving, prolonging her orgasm until he was grunting, panting, fighting his own release.

She shifted her pelvis forward again, taking him deeper, and then she heard it. That hitch in his breath, that groan. He threw back his head as he thrust, balls deep into her body and let go of that beautiful control he had.

He shuddered in her arms and she kissed the line of his strong throat; then his cheek when he finally dropped down close enough.

The heat settled over them like a cloud and she didn’t want to break the spell. But when he finally did, she let go of any hurt feelings. This was one last night to remember.

“To bed?” he asked as he pulled away.

She nodded as he cleaned himself up, grabbed his bedraggled clothes, and led her into the huge main bedroom.

They made love again and when the sun rose she was still in his arms.

They didn’t have breakfast together, nor really said goodbye.

“I better go, Julian. I’ve got a lot of things to check off before my flight tonight.”

“Of course. Thank you for all your great work over the past two weeks. You really have got this hotel back on the road to recovery.”

Straightening her collar, she ran her fingers quickly through her hair. She’d have to stop off at her room to shower and change, then she’d attend to the staff.

Turning to him, she pasted on her sunniest smile. She’d done a great job, even if she did say so herself, and had a better time than she’d ever imagined.

“It has been an honor, Julian. This job has been an incredible experience. The new managers are all very qualified for their positions, my handbooks are all being printed and should be here this weekend, and I’m only a skype call away if you need anything else.” Something she’d made sure everyone in the hotel knew. Just because she’d be home doing her health retreat thing, didn’t mean she couldn’t fit in a call or two.

“I know. And I have your email. I wish you luck with your future plans, Samara.”

She smiled at him, her heart squeezing tight. “You too, Julian. It really has been an honor to work with you.”

He smiled at her, then headed off into the shower, shutting the door behind him.

Samara managed to get through the day very well. Surprisingly well.

She tied up all her loose ends, managed to speak to the staff, and even have a beautiful, albeit fast dinner, as she was running out the door.

Leaving the hotel was so far away from her first experience when she’d arrived two weeks ago, she could barely believe it. This time, the maitre’d called her a taxi, the doors whooshed open on their own, and there was a tour bus arriving on the doorstep to check in.

She left Hawaii with a smile on her face and knowledge that she’d done a great job.

However, the ache left in her chest as she watched Waikiki disappear beneath a cover of cloud as her plane took off, told her that Julian would not be as easy to forget as she’d originally hoped.

Chapter Six.

“The baby looks perfect. Measuring a little big for twenty weeks, but that’s still within normal limits. You are one very lucky woman, Samara.”

Samara couldn’t tear her eyes away from the ultra sound screen where her baby moved vigorously around, almost as though it were trying to run away from the probe pressed into her belly.

“I am. So, lucky.”

Her obstetrician took the metal paddle away and the screen froze on the last image of her little one.

It was four months since she’d left Hawaii, and three months since she’d realized she was pregnant. The most incredible and terrifying moment of her life so far. The fear had been immediate, followed swiftly by disbelief and then a warmth of love that she’d never expected.

Against all odds, she’d conceived the baby her specialists had sworn was almost impossible, in a body she’d been told may not be able to carry a child at all.

She’d held her breath until that first ultrasound at twelve weeks, when despite the fear gnawing at her insides, she’d hoped and prayed for a good outcome.

The Universe had delivered for her. Her life was now even better than she’d ever imagined. Seeing the baby’s little heart racing away on that first screening caused tears. They hadn’t stopped since. Tears of joy, tears of relief, tears of hormones that she couldn’t quite control.

Thank goodness the nausea had finally stopped. She’d lost ten pounds in the first trimester. She hadn’t been able to keep anything down.

“All done here. You can get dressed and I’ll see you at your next appointment.”

Her obstetrician handed her a print out of her baby’s profile and she gripped it tight. Her parents would love having this picture. She’d have to scan it and email them when she arrived home. “Thanks, Alex.”

He left her alone and she got to her feet, checking her phone and seeing another missed call from Julian. Her stomach tightened with unease.

What did he want now? That was the third time he’d called in three days.

She’d managed to avoid seeing him since Hawaii. There had been a few phone calls, emails to staff, and even a few video conference calls with decorators for the hotel. Despite her original reservations on working through this year, she enjoyed it. She’d been happy to help him follow up with the work she’d started, and had billed the King hotel empire for her time.

They’d paid for all her nursery furniture and stroller already, just in the overtime she’d done since leaving.

Everything was going so well in her life, she found herself holding her breath some days, waiting for something bad to happen.

Her business was ticking along, her two protégés were doing very well in her absence. She was seeing a chiropractor, a naturopath, and doing pregnancy yoga regularly. Her parents were happy and debt free, and she had a healthy baby growing inside her. Everything was perfect.

Her phone tinkled and she glanced down to see Julian’s ID once again. She groaned and switched it off, throwing it into her handbag. She paid the doctors bill with a swipe of her credit card and made her way out of the clinic.

Julian couldn’t find out about her pregnancy. He’d made it very clear that this was never on the cards for him. And yet, no matter how often she told herself that she was doing the right thing, the guilt she felt every day at keeping it from him ate at her heart.

She wanted to tell him, so much. But she was terrified to. Would he be angry with her? More than likely. Would he demand DNA tests? She shuddered at the thought. Would he never want to see her again, or worse, would he demand his parental rights?

No. She wouldn’t lose her baby. It was not an option.

She walked the few blocks home, stopping for a soy latte—her one for the week. She’d cut back on most unhealthy foods, but she just couldn’t give up her little bit of chocolate and caffeine.

Her reflection beamed back at her as she passed by the many sky rise buildings. She wore a coat today to stave off the fall chill, but her figure-hugging navy dress beneath showed her basketball bump nicely.

She smoothed her hand along her baby and kept walking, a list of emails that she needed to send off running through her head. As she approached her building her eye caught a flash of something silver as an expensive foreign car pulled up at the curb.

Rummaging through her large Hermes bag for her keys, she turned away toward her building. It was such a luxury to have a car in New York. The street was littered with yellow cabs and not much else.

“Samara.”

She froze, her fingers still clinging to the keys in her hand. She knew that deep, cool voice too well. Panic ensued with her heart stumbling to the starting blocks, and then racing off. Ants crawled all over her skin with feverish pace. Her belly!

She wrapped her coat around herself and tied the belt as tight as she could. When she turned around she’d managed to plaster a smile onto her face, but her knees were trembling where she stood.

Julian King. The man of her dreams. Literally. His blue eyes, hot words, and incredible love making skills still haunted her nightly hours.

He stepped in front of her, his eyes wide, his hands out stretched.

“You are one hard woman to find.”

Hardly. I didn’t even think of moving apartments.

She laughed and leaned forward as he drew her close. His lips touched hers with a soft kiss that lingered, a shiver caressing her spine as her eyes dropped to half-mast.

Don’t let him know!

She pulled back and held her bag in front of her belly, trying not to look as obvious and awkward as she felt.

“Not really. I’ve answered all your emails and most of your calls. But I’ve been busy too and the hotel seemed to be ticking along just fine. Anyway, Julian, how are you? Long time, no see.”

She was forcing it, and when his mouth dropped into a displeased frown, she knew she was blowing it. Big time.

“What’s wrong, Samara? Have I interrupted something? Are you meeting your boyfriend, or someone?” He looked behind him as though expecting a man to materialize.

She laughed, forcing out the sound. “Of course not. I was just sorting out lists in my head. A bit distracted today. How are you? How’s the hotel going? Trey has sent me photos and I’ve seen lots of good reviews on trip advisor.”

It had made her proud to see so many people flocking back to the hotel she’d helped re-build.

“And you’ve got your money, of course.” His tone was flat and it made her gut twist. Yes, she’d received the bonus she’d been promised if the hotel performed as they’d wanted within the first quarter. Mrs. King had been very impressed with the changes.

“Yes, I did. Thank you.”

Julian glanced up at her building. “Can I come up?”

He took her elbow and turned her. Her feet moving despite her brain telling her to stop.

“Ah, no. It’s not a good time.”

Julian stopped, his hand falling away from her elbow. “You have met someone.”

“No, no. It’s nothing like that. I just want to keep things as they were left. Clean cut.”

“Well, I don’t. Let’s go. I hate talking on the street where everyone can see us.”

He kept walking and somehow she followed along with his plan, opening the front door to her apartment building and got into the lift before she could think of a better way of putting him off.

He pushed the button for her floor and she rolled her eyes. He knew where she lived. She wouldn’t have been able to avoid him even if she’d convinced him to go away today, it was pretty obvious he would have come back and knocked on her door.

Damn. I should have said I had a new boyfriend. He would have left then.

When the elevator opened, she walked out into the hall and fumbled with her keys.

“Julian. What do you want? I really do have lots to do today.”

“I have another proposal for you. A better one. So if you don’t mind, I’d like a coffee and to sit down with you and talk about it.”

His tone brooked no argument and her brain went to mush. She twisted and held the key out, managing to get it into the hole and turning the knob to let her back into the apartment.

She held her breath as she did a quick scan of the furniture. No. Nothing baby orientated that she could see. It was all tucked away in the nursery.

“Coffee you said?”

She walked over to the kitchen and turned on her coffee machine. She hadn’t used it in months. The aromatic smell that had once made her practically moan with delight now made her belly churn.

One of the many things she’d gone off during her pregnancy.

“Cappuccino?”

She put the pod into the machine and heated up the milk, her heart fluttering away like a caged bird. How was she going to get him out of here?

She made his drink and turned around, pushing it across her crowded bench top. Her back was sweating and she was dying to take her coat off but the last thing she wanted to do was expose her pregnancy.

“What can I do for you, Julian?”

His eyes brows did that odd dance when he was surprised by her and wasn’t sure what he should say. “I wanted to see you, what’s wrong with that? You’ve been avoiding my calls and I wanted to check on you, make sure everything was okay.”

She gestured to herself in general. “Well, as you can see, I’m fine. Travelling along my journey.”

The corner of his mouth kicked up in a cute smile she remembered so well and her tummy fluttered at the sight. “You’re such a hippy.”

She shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah, well. I’m me. And you know that.”

“I do. And that’s why I’m here…. You look different.”

You have no idea.

“Well, I feel different. I’m finally looking after myself as I should. So please, I have a shower calling to me and a conference call later on. Our business is done, Julian.”

He was still staring at her, his eyes surveying her body, skimming over her breasts and lower.

She looked down and realized crossing her arms beneath her breasts had caused her coat to tug against her belly, exposing her curve.

Oh, no….

****

Was that the reason she was still in her jacket? Her cheeks flushed pink with the warmth of the room. She was hiding her belly from him. But why?

Julian swallowed the acid in his throat, his eyes lingering around the soft swell of her lower abdomen. Her jacket gaped open, revealing…

“You’re pregnant.”

The words came out like gun shot in the room.

His hands began to shake as he picked up his coffee cup and took a sip, ice running through his veins, vanishing all remnants of heat. Had she gotten herself knocked up after she returned to New York? With IVF as she had planned? Or was it his?

“Whose baby is it, Samara?”

His brain calculated the dates, four months, one week since she’d returned to New York.

He had no idea how pregnant she looked, but he was going to find out the truth, so help him!

“Ah, um...”

Why was she stammering? The question wasn’t that difficult and definitely indicated a hole in her usual immediate honesty.

“Julian, this is my baby, there is no father.”

Anger boiled in his gut like a turbulent sea. He pressed both palms into the cold marble of the bench top, glaring hard at the woman he thought he could trust, who wouldn’t lie to him about something so important.

“It's mine. Isn't it?”

She didn't move, but every instinct in his primitive hunter sensed the fear, knew the truth.

No! He spun away from her, his hands clenching into fists. “For fuck’s sake, Samara! How the hell did this happen?”

She was a liar! A god damn liar. Like every other woman he’d ever met. He’d thought she was different. How could he have been so wrong about a person?

Once again. Classic fool.

“Calm down, Julian. I told you. This baby is my choice. There is no father, no obligation. You need not do anything.”

Need not do anything? The words reverberated around his head like the echoes in a cave.

A coldness washed over him, straightening his spine to an iron rod. Had she just admitted that the baby she carried was his? What happened to the IVF she’d wanted to begin? Not to mention her supposed infertility. He’d actually felt sorry for her about that. For months after they’d split.

“How on Earth did this even happen, Samara? You said you were on the pill. That you were beginning IVF soon because getting pregnant naturally wasn’t possible for you. What other lies have you told me?”

She blinked a few times before flicking her hair over her shoulders and placing both hands on her hips. The move made her coat spread wide and his gaze dropped to her swollen little belly.

“I’ve been on the pill for ten years for my endo. I went off it a couple of weeks before I met you, on doctor’s orders, so I could start the IVF process. And I was told I might never conceive naturally.”

So, when he didn’t pull out in time in the pool and she told him she was on the pill…

“So you out right lied.”

He turned away. Every woman he’d ever met had deceived him, but this was the worst ever.

Holy mother in heaven.

A baby.

She touched his shoulder and he flinched, but he couldn’t stop himself from turning around and looking at her flushed face.

“I didn’t mean to mislead you that time in the pool. I was all blissful and post orgasm when you asked and I just answered without thinking.”

He glared down at her, his jaw aching from the tight clench he had on his teeth. “That’s your excuse? The orgasm made you do it? Why would you even keep it when you found out?’

When her eyes widened in horror he looked away, unable to watch her outrage spread across her beautiful, traitorous face. He knew why she’d kept the baby when she found out she was pregnant without an expensive IVF process. This baby had been her yearly goal, her plan, and he’d fallen for it, hook line and sinker.

She finally removed her jacket, revealing her gorgeous body and the protruding belly that his genetics had contributed to. She stared at him as she stroked her stomach with both hands, her fingers running up and down in a rhythmic, loving pattern. “Because I believe in the Universe and the laws of attraction, Julian. I wanted a baby this year and was willing to go through IVF alone to achieve it. This was meant to happen. I just know it. This is the baby I’m meant to have.”

The heavy, angry pain that ripped through his gut rippled up and out, filling his arms with a tension that mimicked the need to fight against the stress attacking him.

“You’re meant to have? Didn’t you even consider whether I should be asked how I feel? How selfish could you be, Samara?”

She dropped her arms and turned her hands up. “I’m telling you now when I could have lied to you. Told you it was a donor sperm baby. You made it very clear that night we had dinner that you had no interest in marriage, a family, or even a proper relationship. Why would I burden you with this information when it’s the furthest thing from your life plan?”

What a ridiculous reason to with-hold life altering information.

“So now it’s my fault? You stole my sperm, gave me no choice in this, and now you’re having my baby without my permission.”

Anger flickered across her face, her lush mouth twisting up and her eyebrows drawing together. “I did not steal your sperm. If I remember correctly, you gave it to me without a second thought.”

Heat washed up his neck, a spreading sense of shame finding its target near his gut. He’d cum inside her without a thought for the consequences, something that had never happened before. Not even with his ex-wife.

“But if I’d known you weren’t protected we could have sought out the morning-after pill. You’ve taken away any chance I had in making this decision with you!”

Her hands went to her small belly, cradling it protectively as she slowly took a few steps back toward the door. “I need you to leave, Julian. Just pretend this conversation never happened.”

She held open the door to her apartment and he stared at her.

“Are you serious?”

She nodded once. “Absolutely. I didn’t want you to feel trapped or hurt, or anything. We had a good time in Hawaii, but we’re home now and you can go back to your own life.”

As if he could, or would do that.

But she obviously didn’t know him well enough to know that. He marched straight out into the corridor, his back ram rod straight, his nails digging into his palms and rolling waves of nausea.

A baby. His baby.

Not his baby. Hers.

Chapter Seven

Oh shit, oh damn, oh crap, oh... no!

In her hand, Samara held several white pieces of paper. All of which was going to cause a disaster in her life.

Julian wanted a DNA test. He wanted his parental rights, and worst of all, he wanted her to marry him!

Marry him? What sort of man put a proposal in a lawyer’s letter, coupled with a very insulting DNA test suggestion? If he didn’t think the baby was his, why was he bothering to even offer her marriage?

“Oh, you bloody… bastard!”

Hot, angry tears blurred her vision as she paced her newly carpeted lounge room. He couldn’t do this, surely he couldn’t? A short phone call to her lawyer later and she realized he could. Ask for his parental rights, absolutely. Make her marry him? No.

Samara lay on her bed and cried and cried, gut wrenching, painful sobs. The baby she’d longed for, wished for, and prayed for would soon be taken from her.

No.

She fell asleep somewhere through the night, only to be woken by a door bell, well after sunrise.

Blinking her eyes awake, her clock read 9:10 am. Who on Earth would be banging on her door this early? She pulled herself out of bed, nausea swimming in her gut and rising in her throat. She grabbed for the crackers on her bed side table, chomping on one of them as she slowly climbed to her feet.

She tried to swallow but her mouth was too dry. Yuck.

The banging continued and she called out. “I’m coming!” After what felt like forever, she finally made it to the front door.

Samara squinted through the key lock to see the devil himself standing on her stoop, red horns and a swishy tail present. Pressing her lips into a thin line, she grabbed for the door. She unlocked it with banging precision and pulled it open to glare at him before she’d even thought about the intelligence of that decision. “What the hell are you doing here?”

He had the grace to look bashful, his eyes averting to the ground. “Can I come in?”

She bit her tongue, the litany of curses she wanted to hurl at him ready to jump at a moment’s notice. But there was a bashfulness to his submissive stance that made her hold her tongue, and instead, she just stepped back and waved him in.

Only then did she notice the bouquet in his hand.

“These are for you.”

Again, her first reaction was one of violence, but she’d never been one to take her anger out on poor defenseless flowers. She snatched them from his hand and marched over to her kitchen bench. “Thanks. Shut the door behind you.”

The crystal vase her mother had bought her as a house warming present sat on the top shelf and was the perfect size for her flowers, of course. She pulled it down, filled it with water, and began arranging them.

They weren’t just red and white roses, there was a combination of greenery, tulips and even orchids. As she stared into center of the vase, water twisting around the stems reminding her of how swamped she felt herself, she asked her tormentor, “What do you want, Julian?”

He pulled out a bar stool and sat down at her kitchen bench. “I want us to talk.”

Her head snapped up and she narrowed her eyes at him. “Talk? Don’t you think your lawyer’s letter said enough?”

He shook his head and held up his hands. “No it didn’t, and I apologize for that. I think I acted too rashly.”

Her temper exploded like Mt. Vesuvius. “You think? You think! I am pregnant, by the good graces of whatever deity deemed it possible, but this is still a very high risk pregnancy. I do not need this stress or this shit, Julian! I spend every day meditating, going to yoga, and eating the most organic food I can find to keep my baby alive, and you decide to threaten me with a lawyer! What are you trying to do? Make me miscarry?”

She was screaming by now as her true fears poured out. She’d put everything on hold for this baby’s health, and its own father had put its life in jeopardy. The stress from yesterday would surely leave its mark.

He stared at her, his eyes wide and his lips thin. “Are you all right?”

“Of course I’m not all right! And you can forget about me marrying you. You can wait until the baby’s born and then do your DNA test. Don’t you be thinking you’ll be putting a needle anywhere near my baby! The risk of miscarriage with an amniocentesis is 0.5%! You can go jam it up your arse.”

Breathing was becoming a problem. She panted, taking long, quick breaths. How could he do this to her?

Julian pushed himself to his feet. “I didn’t mean to distress you so much. I wasn’t thinking properly. I’m sorry.”

“You should be!”

She moved around the kitchen bench, and staggered to the couch, falling into the soft cushions and grabbing a pillow to cuddle for comfort. She gulped at the lump in her throat. “And I can’t believe you honestly even want a DNA test! As if this baby could be anyone else’s!”

That had really pissed her off! She hadn’t slept with anyone in months before she’d met Julian, longer if she was truthful. Accusing her of being a slut was hitting way below the belt.

Julian sat down in the couch opposite her, his mouth tight. “That wasn’t my idea.”

“Good, because you’re not getting the results for another twenty weeks.”

She held tight to her pillow and turned her face away, staring out the window where there was a clear, cloudless fall sky. Bloody stupid weather. Where was a hurricane when you needed one? Maybe it could blow Julian right over a rainbow.

“I believe you, Samara.”

She snapped her head back around. “And do you still believe that I did this on purpose?”

He didn’t blink, but there was a hardness in his gaze that answered it for him.

Of course you do.

She fell back against the pillows and let her hands fall down to the side. How was she ever going to make him understand? She would never have deliberately done this to him. Never.

****

Julian regarded Samara as covertly as possible. Her keen eyes were too perceptive for him. He wouldn’t be able to hide anything from her, so no point lying to her. Yes, his suspicions were still there that she had tried to get pregnant on purpose. But there was one thing that was bugging him. She hadn’t told him. Had no plans to do so from her reactions so far.

So, what had he been? A means to an end? A cheap sperm donor for her baby? Because, despite his lawyer’s obvious fears, she wasn’t after his money. He’d had her investigated yesterday while he stewed in his juices, and although she was nowhere near the league of his parents or himself, she was very comfortable financially. She would provide a nice life for her child, but there was no way he was going to let her do it on her own.

“It’s not that I believe you did this on purpose. I know the sex in the pool was more my idea than yours.” His mouth twisted as the piece of logic popped into his head. She hadn’t hunted him down, tied him up, and stolen his sperm. She’d engaged in very passionate, hot sex, and he’d been the one with no control.

The pill lie still bugged him though.

“But you lying about the pill afterwards…”

Her groan was immediate as she pulled herself back up to glare at him. “I don’t know how to make this any clearer. I was on the pill for over ten years. Non-stop. I couldn’t go off it because of the bleeding and the pain. I went to my gynecologist in February and told him this year was the year I was going to try to get pregnant. I had an operation to cut out all the endo in my belly and then he said I had to go off the pill if I had any chance of getting my ovary’s working again. I had plans to wait a few months, get my body super healthy, and then start IVF. I never thought I would be able to conceive naturally. Since I turned eighteen I’d been told it would be practically impossible for me to ever have a baby.”

She was panting now, her chest heaving with her impassioned story telling.

He nodded and let her words sink in. It would be easy enough to check with her doctor the facts she spouted. He’d once been a man who could tell if someone was lying with a look, but since his massive failure with his ex-wife, and ex manager, he didn’t trust his own instincts.

Because they were telling him that she was being honest.

“All right. I will believe you.” He didn’t have his fingers literally crossed, but mentally he had both hands making the motion. “But we still have the issue of the pregnancy. I want to be able to see the child every day. Living together and marriage is the best solution.”

Originally, he had balked at the idea, massively. But then it had been pointed out to him what would happen if they didn’t marry. Samara was a young, beautiful woman. She would date, perhaps not right away, but eventually she would meet someone. Fall in love and get married. And his child would call that man daddy. He couldn’t have that.

He didn’t want that. Because although he’d never wanted children, now that there was one, he found he had very specific feelings on the topic.

Marriage gave him more than full rights to his child, it gave him her. They’d been good together in Hawaii, why wouldn’t they be able to come to an agreement that would suit them both?

“You are out of your mind if you think that I would ever marry you, Julian.”

Her hand went to her belly, cradling and stroking in a protective, frantic sort of motion.

He tried not to focus too much on the bulge of his child, but it distracted him no end. His parents had always demanded he continue the line, the name. But he’d refused up until this point.

He didn’t want to screw up his kid as his parents had practically tried to do with him. Boarding schools, nannies, no affection or love. What sort of father would he be after the example he’d been set?

But that had all been before Samara’s body made his baby. Everything was different now. He would be different.

His mother would be thrilled once she found out.

“Samara. Think of all the advantages marriage to me entails. Unlimited money to expand your business, take on more people, not to mention what it would mean for our child. The best schools, the best of everything.”

She pouted a little, her gaze not meeting his. “It’s my child.”

He clenched his jaw tight. In the eyes of the law, she was dead wrong, but he had to be gentle. Obviously, his lawyers letter had sent her into an absolute melt down which could not have been good for the baby. “Samara, please don’t push me. I am the father. Fifty percent of that baby’s parents.”

He left the rest unspoken, but even that seemed to agitate her as she stood up and moved to the kitchen.

“Do you want a drink or something?”

“Water would be great. Thank you.”

Perhaps they needed a better compromise, or more time. They had twenty weeks after all. He was sure he could convince her by then.

Samara served him up a big glass of water and he swallowed it down, his throat unusually parched. He’d headed over here feeling determined, but it was only now that he was realizing that this was probably the most important conversation of his life.

“Look, Samara. We can do this, I’m sure. I want this to work and I’m sure we can hash out a solution that works for both of us. After all, we worked really well in Hawaii together.”

That drew a tiny smile from her and his heart fluttered in a strange way. He’d forgotten how much her happiness affected him.

“I suppose so.”

Her shoulders were slumped and he tried not to be affected by her defeated posture. The main reason he’d hunted her down after so long was because he wanted her in his life. She was normally such a unique person. So vivacious and lively, happy. This sadness didn’t suit her at all.

“All right…” He thought fast, what were his options? “Well…. I will look into buying an apartment closer to here, maybe even in the same building. That would give us more time together.”

She raised her head, her clear eyes watching him. “Sorry. Do you mean you want to spend time with me, now? Or us, when the baby’s born?”

“Probably better to start looking now. The market around here is tightly held.”

She had bought in a nice area, and he admired her for that.

“Yes. There’s great schools too.”

She reached over to her bag and began riffling through it. His stomach dropped with worry. Was she going to throw his lawyer’s letter literally in his face?

That had been a dumb idea. He’d realized it pretty much as soon as the letter was sent. Aggression and lawyer letters were not the way to deal with a situation like this.

“Here’s some of the pictures the doctor took on Tuesday.”

She passed him two small black and white photos and for a moment he didn’t know what he was looking at. Just blotches of white and out of focus shapes.

“There’s the head, and nose…” Samara explained, running her fingernail over the picture.

The photo transformed and suddenly, Julian could see a baby.

“Oh my God.” He couldn’t believe it. There was a whole person in the photo and he hadn’t even seen it.

“The doctor asked me if I wanted to know the sex, but I didn’t. I like the surprise.”

He just nodded, not caring about that. Up until two days ago he wasn’t having a child at all, so its sex wasn’t important to him.

She pressed on. “Do you care what it is?”

“Uh…no. Not at all.” He tore his eyes away from the picture and slowly placed it down on the table.

A baby. He really was going to have a baby. His throat tightened and his chest began to squeeze tight, the air in the room thinning out so he couldn’t breathe.

“Um, I think I need to go. But, can we organize a lunch, or dinner… Some time when we can talk.”

So many things to sort out. He needed to change. Everything. His life did not suit a child.

“I have a hospital appointment next week if you want to come?” she asked, her voice a little anxious.

Why not? In for a penny, in for a pound. It would probably help him understand how this had all happened in the first place. “Yes. I would love that. Email me all the details, yeah?”

He was not coping suddenly and he needed to get away. Guilt or pure panic, he wasn’t sure which, but they were chasing him and he couldn’t get away fast enough. He turned toward the door, when he saw the flowers and he realized why he’d come here in the first place.

A calm washed over him. He would change. He was sure he could.

He swiveled back around and injected as much sincerity into his tone as possible. “Please ignore everything in that lawyer’s letter. We can work things out ourselves, and we have time. There’s no rush.”

She nodded, her eyes a little shiny. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

He nodded once more and left, his thoughts and feelings whirling around in a big mess that was quite cathartic. He had to let go of his pre-conceived ideas and get on board with this new plan.

For the first time since he’d found out about the baby he was beginning to think that things might actually be okay. She was a sensible woman, and he’d forgotten that in the stress and hassle of the past few days.

Perhaps his luck with women, and people, had finally changed.

****

He was late. She’d told him not to be late.

“Samara Jenkins?”

Her name was called by the nurse and with anger gripping her stomach, she pushed herself to her feet from the hospital waiting room. The doors of the lift opened with a melodic ding and Julian rushed out.

“I’m sorry I’m late.”

He looked properly contrite and she was surprised about how quickly her anger dissipated and happiness filled her. She was actually very relieved to see him and that surprised her.

She’d spent the week trying to come to terms with the fact that she would now be sharing her precious miracle with another person, and although it initially stung, she was warming to the idea that her child would have both a mother and a father who loved them.

“It’s okay.”

He smiled at her and they both walked over to where the nurse was directing them into one of the suites. They sat on the leather chairs and her obstetrician walked in.

“How are you today, Samara?”

“Good, Alex.” She indicated to the powerful man in a suit next to her. “This is Julian King. The father.”

She gave her obstetrician credit, he didn’t blink an eye, simply turned to Julian and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Doctor Alex Lilliac. You must be excited about your little miracle here.”

Julian’s smile was forced. “I was surprised, to be honest. Samara told me that she believed she couldn’t conceive naturally.”

She resisted the need to roll her eyes. Let him ask his questions and check if she was being completely honest. She’d never lied to him, not on purpose anyway.

Alex sat down and stared straight at Julian. “By all accounts, she shouldn’t be able to. I’d estimated at least three rounds of IVF, and then perhaps a surrogate if she couldn’t carry to term. Samara is amazingly healthy and so is the baby, considering the limitations of her body.”

Julian nodded and swallowed. If he had any more questions, he kept them to himself.

“Would you like to take a quick look at your child?”

Julian nodded and Samara stood up and lay down on the doctor’s table.

Alex grabbed his small ultrasound machine, applied the clear lubricant to the head, and ran it over the swell of her belly with gentle proficiency.

The baby’s image popped onto the screen and her heart thumped in happy bliss.

“There you go, Samara. Beautiful, clear image. Nice strong heart beat.”

Julian was hovering around, and his eyes were transfixed on the screen. “Is everything okay?” he asked, his voice a little strained.

“Yes. So far, so good,” Dr. Alex said, his fingers tapping on the buttons as he measured the length of the baby’s spine.

“But there could be problems?” Julian asked, twisting around and looking at the doctor with concern written into the mini wrinkles on his forehead.

“Yes, there can always be problems, and with Samara’s past surgeries and history, there are risks. But we monitor her every week and we’re hoping for a good outcome.”

“Yes. I can’t wait,” she agreed, focusing on the beautiful natural birth she wanted in her mind. Visualization was key and the doctor had said that he would support her in her attempt.

Dr. Alex checked her blood pressure, weighed her, asked a few more questions, then they were out the door.

Samara tugged her scarf tighter around her neck. Winter was on its way.

“Thanks for coming, Julian.” She turned to see that strange look on his face again. She laughed, enjoying the glazed expression that clearly indicated that he was speechless.

He shook himself. “Ah… I. Would you join me for dinner?”

Hmmm… Where would this go if she agreed to dinner? No where she wanted at the moment.

“I’m not sure, Julian. If we are going to co-parent, that is one thing, but if you are trying to make a relationship between us work, I’m not sure that’s ever going to happen.”

His jaw tightened visibly and she knew that she had her answer. He wanted a proper relationship, or at least an attempt at one, and she wasn’t sure they’d ever get past the scars that had already been sliced and badly healed.

“Julian, I’m not sure you will ever trust me how I need to be trusted, and I don’t think I’ll ever quite believe you’re here for any other reason than an unwanted baby. It’s a mess.”

He shook his head, reaching out for her hands, and she let him take them. “What do I need to do to convince you to at least give us a chance?”

She glanced to the side. What would it take for her to trust him again? She had no idea. “There’s lots of things and yet nothing specific. I don’t know what to say. I don’t even know how we’re going to work out custody arrangements.”

“Stop talking like that. I don’t want to discuss custody. Forget about the baby, if you can, for one minute. I came back for you, Samara. I waited and waited, hoping you’d call, come visit, anything. Finally, I couldn’t stand it any longer, and I found you. Don’t you understand? I want you!” His eyes were so sincere and his words were every bit as beautiful as she’d imagined in her most secret of fantasies. But how to believe him?

“Julian, I don’t want you to be so closed up and secretive all the time. If there’s even a chance that we could make this work, I need you to open up. Let me know you, how you feel about everything. It’s the only way I’ll allow a relationship to develop.”

He leant forward slowly and pressed his lips to her forehead, sending ripples of soft pleasure out through her body. When he leaned back, his eyes were shadowed but unguarded.

“I’m the man I am, and I know I can be hard to understand. So, I’ll try to give you what you want. I will. That’s all I can promise.”

She sighed and pulled away a little. That was something she supposed.

He lifted a hand and stroked it down her face. “Are you sure there isn’t a short cut to this, Samara? We got along so well in Hawaii.”

Trust the international businessman to want to close the deal early.

“I don’t know, Julian.” She let her gaze meet his again. “Let’s just give it some time… I suppose.”

That’s what they needed… And lots of luck, love, and laughter.

He smiled, not moving to get closer, though a small part of her wished he would. No one had kissed her since their last night together in Hawaii, and her body missed him, craved his touch.

“We have lots of that.”

****

Julian bought an apartment in Samara’s building a month later and moved in straight away. Leaving his multi-million-dollar apartment in central Manhattan was easier than he’d thought. Cathartic even, to get away from a living space that held nothing but bad memories for him.

He invited Samara to help him decorate the new apartment. The poor thing had been neglected for far too long from people who’d last renovated in the 80’s. He didn’t care how she changed things or what she did. He wouldn’t be living there long. He was on a mission. A life mission. He was building a family, and he didn’t care where he had to live, or what he had to do, to convince Samara that they would be perfect for each other’s futures.

He went along with all of her plans for a second home for their baby, a second nursery, a second bed for him. He had no intentions of living in his apartment building long term. He would buy her a big house opposite central park, or out of town. He didn’t care. As long as that vivacious, fun, sexy woman he knew in Hawaii came back into his life.

Because he missed her, the Samara who had so enchanted him for the two short weeks he’d enjoyed her presence. And he only realized it as she began to re-emerge. When she began to smile, and flirt, and arrange their lives with her concise brain, he fell more in like and lust with her.

He couldn’t admit to himself that it could be more than that, just yet.

Despite Samara’s reticence, he would never give up on them being together and as the days ticked over and they spent more time together, he knew he was doing the right thing. Pursuing the right woman.

“Would you come and meet my parents on the weekend?” he asked her over breakfast one Sunday morning. One of their many rituals.

He was still giving her lots of space to do everything she needed to do, and with his work commitments, he was still flying all over the world. But if he was in New York, he saw her every day. For a meal, a meeting, a chat. He found any excuse to see her, watch his child grow.

They hadn’t even kissed since Hawaii, yet the attraction between them grew by the day. Every smile, every flirt of her eyes sent a shiver of desire through him.

“Ah… I suppose I can. Why? Do they want a run down on the Waikiki project?”

He laughed. Hardly. “Ah, no. My parents want to meet the woman who’s having my baby.”

Samara, who was drinking fresh orange juice, choked and spluttered, orange specks of fruit splattering over the shiny bench top.

Yeah, I felt the same way initially. “What’s wrong?”

Samara picked up a white napkin and wiped at her mouth before cleaning up the juice that surrounded her plate. “I… uh, I hadn’t really thought about your family and how they’d react at the news. What did they say?”

His mother had been interesting indeed. “Well, to start with she was shocked. I have always declared that I would not have children.”

Samara’s eyebrows shot up and her head shook as she took the croissant from the plate in front of her, tearing at the end. “You didn’t tell me you never wanted children.”

He shrugged, belatedly realizing that he may have chosen the wrong thing to tell her out of that conversation with his mother, but he pushed on nonetheless. “Well, to be honest, I think I told them that just to annoy them, on one level. They were so adamant that I produce an heir for them, I just…”

She smiled at him, her eyes lighting up with mischief. “Didn’t want to give them the satisfaction huh?”

“No.”

“Well, what else did they say?” she asked, her posture relaxed now as she ate more of her breakfast.

“They were very happy, actually. Especially when I told them it was you. My mother holds you in high regard. She loves women who are ambitious, and hard working. As I said, they want to meet you.”

“How do they feel about the fact that we aren’t, you know…a couple?”

He grinned and didn’t answer, taking a bite of his own croissant, the melted cheese and ham making his mouth water and a moan escape.

“Julian! Come on! I’m not going if you’re not honest with me.”

He chuckled and prepared to spill his guts, a new and quite strange part of their relationship. “No secrets” was their main rule and so far, they seemed to be doing well with it.

“Honestly? My mother told me to marry you immediately. I told her I’d asked when I first found out and you’d turned me down, and rightly so.”

This caused Samara to sit back and smile at him. “Really?”

“Yes, really. I told her that it was the right thing to do, considering we didn’t know each other very well, but that I was still hoping to convince you to take me on.”

She giggled at that, her cheeks flushing with a beautiful happiness he hadn’t seen in a long time. “Take you on. Please!”

She rubbed her big belly in that gorgeous way she had and lust kicked inside him with a sudden-ness he wasn’t expecting. “Ah… Samara, can I feel it?”

“Oh. Sure.” She swiveled around off her chair and walked around the table to him.

He twisted on his stool and opened his legs, grabbing her and bringing her in.

She came into his arms and the cloud of her subtle lilac perfume teased his nose. He ran his hands up her side and cradled the swollen flesh that held his growing child.

The babe kicked out against his hands, the shifting of the flesh beneath his palms a minor miracle. “I wish I could sleep next to you and feel him through the night.”

“Him, huh?” she asked, her hands stretching up and running her fingers through Julian’s hair.

His breath caught in an odd way and his heart began to pound. God he’d missed her touch. He moved his hands around behind her waist and tugged her tighter.

She stared down at him, and although she didn’t move closer, she didn’t move away. He needed to kiss her, his heart screamed at him to do so. He cupped her jaw in his palm and pulled her closer, the soft skin of her face calling to him to caress and enjoy her.

Her lips touched his with the softness of butter and he groaned as flames licked at his soul. He needed to touch her, if only like this.

He licked at her lips and she opened up for him, a moan rolling through her throat as he delved deeper. Tasting her sweetness.

She pulled back, her breathing rapid. “I’m not ready for this.”

He knew she wasn’t, but he needed more. “I need you, Samara. I know you aren’t ready for sex. But I need to feel you against me. Feel close to you. Would you lie with me? Let me hold you?”

“With clothes on?”

He’d prefer not. “Underwear? I need to feel your skin. Please?”

He hated the tone of begging he could hear in his own words, but as Samara’s face transformed, he no longer regretted the words.

“I’d love that.”

She took his hand and pulled him to her bedroom, the duvet still rumpled from her sleep. “I just got out of here,” she joked while she unwrapped her top and awkwardly undressed.

Julian tugged at his own clothes, shedding everything except his cotton boxers, which were already tenting. He gestured down to his errant body part. “I have no control over him, so I apologize in advance. It’s been a long time for him.”

Samara was covering her belly as though she was self-conscious. “How long’s too long?” She gulped suddenly then shook her head. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. I probably don’t want to know.”

He laughed loudly at that one and pulled back the covers, lying down amongst the sweet smell of her skin. “By too long, I mean, since Hawaii.”

It was by far the longest he’d ever gone in his adult life, but something hadn’t been right. He’d dated a few women, tried to convince himself he could go back to his old life, but he hadn’t made it past a single dinner.

She continued to stand and stare so he threw back the covers. “Come on. I need to hold you.” She stood in her tiny pink lacy knickers and a bra that barely contained her swollen breasts. His cock jerked in his shorts just looking at her.

A brilliant smile lit up her face as she sat on the bed, swiveled around, lay down, and shuffled back until she had her gorgeous round arse pressed against his aching cock.

He settled his arm around her belly and kissed the back of her neck. She smelled like flowery soap and home. He closed his eyes and sighed as she nestled into his body.

She pulled his arms tighter around her and placed his hand on her belly, his child shifting and kicking out at him. “He’s so active today.”

She nodded and wiggled her bum into his groin.

Julian’s cock responded with its own wiggle and he groaned. “Hey. You need to stop that. You know how much I desire you.”

“Do you?” she asked, her voice catching in a way that told him how vulnerable she was feeling being with him like this. “I mean…even with this huge belly?”

He could tell her in words how much she meant to him, how beautiful her belly was, but actions spoke much louder. “Samara, seriously? Can’t you feel me?”

He ground his pelvis against her, sliding his rigid staff up and down the crease between her buttocks, the tension against his flesh causing a moan to pass through his lips.

She gasped and pressed back against him and her initial complaints that she wasn’t ready for more, floated right out the window.

Inside his head, Julian was losing the battle. The fight to maintain the distance he’d agreed to. “Samara. If you don’t want me to make love to you, I’m afraid you’re going to have to get up, or kick me out of bed, because I’m about to seduce you.”

He ran the tip of his tongue around her ear for emphasis.

She grabbed his hand that lay on her belly and his chest squeezed tight. Was she really going to kick him out of bed?

Instead, she wriggled even closer, turning around slowly so that she was soon staring up at him, her bright green eyes open and vulnerable. “I want you too. So much, I can’t even explain.”

He dove down on her lips, a groan rolling through him as her unique taste blew apart his senses. “Fuck, I’ve missed you...” he said against her skin.

Her lips parted and he took advantage, letting his tongue dive between her open mouth. Their tongues danced and played and she rolled closer. Julian reached behind her and flicked open her bra with a quick twist of his wrist. He pulled at the lacy confection and pushed it aside, greedily fondling the abundant flesh that had become available to him.

He broke their kiss and pulled away, staring down at the beautiful woman in his arms. Her face flushed with passion, her skin as soft as the skin of a peach.

“God, you’re so beautiful.”

“Even with…” She trailed off as she ran a hand over the changes in her body.

“More so. Our baby makes you even more beautiful to me.”

Her eyes glistened. “I’ve never heard you say that before.”

“I know, and I’m sorry I was so against this at the start. I was wrong. You, and this baby, are the best things in my life. I wouldn’t change anything, except I wish I’d known earlier, and I could have shared more of this with you.”

Her gaze dropped away and fear rippled through him. Had he said the wrong thing?

“I’m sorry. I was trying to be honest, if that wasn’t right…”

She shook her head and her hand cupped his jaw as she met his gaze once more. “No, it’s me that is sorry. I should never have kept my pregnancy a secret from you. That was wrong.”

Her lip quivered and he wished all the words away, but he knew it was probably the time that it all came out, finally. “What is done, is done. I don’t care about any of that anymore. I just want us to move forward, as a family. I’m so excited for that, Samara.”

As he said the words that he’d been afraid to say to anyone, even the shrink his mother had forced him to go see, he knew they were true. Samara represented a new chapter, hell, a new book for his life. He’d start everything anew. And he’d do it better.

“Make love to me, Julian. Please.”

The words were his undoing, and he pressed his lips to hers once again. This time they met with tenderness, and understanding, and Julian’s once broken heart sung with joy. This woman was worth loving, worth taking the risk on.

A part of him screamed with the fear of it. He could be wrong. Again.

Samara’s hands clung to his arms and her sweet moan made all thoughts fly from his head.

He broke their kiss and moved down her body. Kissing the rapid pulse at the base of her throat, the line of her sternum between her breasts. Then he lay back and admired her larger breasts, the darkened nipples.

“I can’t wait to see our child suckling from here.” He plumped both breasts with his hands and moved his lips to one taut nipple.

Samara gasped and grabbed the back of his head, holding him tight to her.

He took his time, enjoying the taste of her soft skin in his mouth, the warmth and pleasure radiating off the woman in his arms. He pushed her onto her back, to kiss the darkened line down her belly, loving the idea that his child rippled beneath his lips.

“Turn over for me.”

She stared down at him as he grabbed a hold of her panties and dragged them down her long legs. She was thicker everywhere and he loved how healthy and strong she looked. Perfect for carrying his son. Or daughter.

He stood up, and pushed his own boxers down his hips, his cock bouncing eagerly out in front of him. She slowly began to roll, then get onto all fours.

Staring down her back, he admired the line of her spine, the roundness of her arse. “Damn, you’re sexy from this angle.”

He put his hands on her inner thighs and tapped until she opened wider. He knelt on the floor and used his hands to open her up, until the glistening cleft of her waiting body came into view. “I can’t wait to taste you.”

She gasped and pressed back as he extended his tongue and ran it along the line of wetness.

A moan erupted from Samara’s throat and he responded by moving lower, flicking her clit with his tongue and using his lips to stimulate her. Her moans became a constant, muffled sound as he teased her, kissed her and finally thrust his tongue deep inside of her.

“Ah… oh, God! Julian!”

Julian put his hand on his cock, the tip wet with precum and his balls aching for relief. He stroked himself a few times, the tingles of orgasm already teasing him. Impatience gripped him. He didn’t want to wait a moment longer. Pushing himself to his feet, he grabbed her hips with his hands, pulling her back so that the tip of his cock nudged her swollen folds.

His chest ached with the strength it took to take this slowly. He needed her to know how he felt, but he also desired her so damn much.

“I adore you, Samara, you know that?”

She reached one of her hands back, and linked their fingers at her hip, her breaths coming in pants as her skin glowed with heat. He thrust slowly forward, forcing himself to remember how long it had been for her. For both of them.

Slow down.

Samara’s tight body gripped him like nothing he’d ever felt. He slid home and a tremor of bliss ricocheted all over his body.

Yes. He was home.

He began to move, his body driving him towards the completion it had been starved of for so long. Samara moaned and gasped, squeezing him tight, and he knew she was as tightly wound as he was.

He thrust harder, and faster, tendrils of heat curling inside his belly as his impending orgasm began to tighten his balls.

“Ah... I… Oh, Julian!” Samara began to convulse, her pussy squeezing him tight then rippling around him.

He let go of all control, grabbing her hips hard. He sunk his cock her harder and faster until his orgasm ricocheted through him. White light exploded inside his head and he cried out as his seed pulsed from his cock.

Samara screamed out as she began to come again.

He held on tight as she milked him over and over, her cries pure rapture in his ears.

When Samara finally stopped shuddering and slumped into the bed, he withdrew, and fell forward, landing next to her and pulling her over into his body.

“Wow.” She panted, her eyes closed, her face flushed and glowing.

He kissed the back of her neck and let all the feelings she’d invoked in him rush through him. This was right. She was right. Everything in his world now, was right.

“Thank you.”

He closed his eyes and let the drug like effects of their lovemaking overwhelm his brain and he drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face.

Chapter Eight

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Samara bounced on her feet in an awkward, heavy dance as they stood outside his parent’s home in New York.

They had a brown stone, three story house that they barely visited, but with their grand-child’s impending arrival, they were currently residing in the same state as he was for once.

The door opened and Charles smiled at him. “Master Julian. So, pleased to see you, sir.”

Julian smiled at the man who his parents dragged all over the world to wait on them, and who never complained. “Hey, Charles. This is Samara. Samara, my parents most trusted man, Charles Werthing.”

They stepped into the house with Samara and Charles exchanging pleasantries.

He took Samara’s coat and she shook off the snow that had fallen on them in the short walk from the car to the house. “Goodness it’s cold.”

“This way.” He took Samara’s hand and led her into his parent’s main living room where they sat in front of the fire. The opulence of the room made him inwardly laugh. Compared to his half-renovated apartment, and Samara’s gorgeous little home, this mansion was outdated and stodgy.

“Julian.” His father greeted him with a nod and extended his hand.

“Father.” He shook his dad’s hand, feeling Samara’s keen eyes watching him. His heart stumbled a little and yet he was determined to be open with her. About what sort of family she was entering, and to give her some background on why he was who he was.

His mother finally stood up from her comfortable chair and approached them, her too tiny body making her look like one of those bobble-headed dolls.

You can never be too rich, or too thin… Yeah right.

“Julian, I’m glad you’ve finally brought Samara to meet us.” Her displeasure couldn’t be hidden in her tone, nor her words, and Samara the people pleaser jumped to fill the sudden void in the conversation.

“It’s lovely to be here, Mrs. King.”

“Well, let’s sit down.”

He took her hand again and pulled her on to the couch with him, his parents sitting in their usual chairs. There was more silence and Julian struggled to find a topic that wouldn’t set off one of his parents.

Samara shifted forward on her chair. “How is the Hawaii Hotel faring? Have either of you visited it since the summer?”

His parent’s faces scowled in unison.

“No, the humidity in Hawaii is terrible. We never visit that hotel,” his mother said.

His father’s gaze flicked to Julian. “That hotel was Julian’s responsibility.”

The weight of the words hung heavy in the room and Julian struggled to bite back the anger. He’d worked very hard over the past six months to right all the wrongs. Set the hotels, and their company, back on its feet.

And he’d heard from a private investigator that they’d found the embezzling, arse hole of a manager and were working on getting him deported. That would be a great day indeed.

“Yes, it was my responsibility and still is. The hotel is doing very well now.”

“Yes, thanks to Samara’s help. I was right to hire her,” his mother said to him as she lifted her nose several inches in the air.

“You were, Mother. She was a great help.” He stared back at her, strange ripples of bad feelings pulling at his nerves.

He’d become very good at schooling his features so that he didn’t give his parent’s the satisfaction of knowing he’d been hurt by their callous words. He’d tried so hard to win back their trust, if he’d ever had it in the first place. Perhaps their respect would never be possible.

Samara’s hand slid onto his knee and warmth infiltrated the coldness spreading through him like a cancer, the sunlight pushing back the darkness threatening to over whelm him.

“Well, I for one am extremely grateful for the fact that you called me, Mrs. King. I would never have met this wonderful son of yours, and I wouldn’t have this incredible baby growing inside of me.”

The happiness and dancing cadence of her voice made all three of them turn to look at her. Julian stared in wonder, the love that he’d sensed growing inside of him blossoming into a full bloom. She was incredible.

“When are you due, Samara?” His mother asked.

“The fifth of September, but I’ve been told any time after next week, really.”

Samara rubbed her belly and sat smiling at his parents, who struggled to look at her and make polite conversation.

Would they bring up a lack of marriage, or would his parents be able to restrain themselves?

“Our son tells us that you have no interest in marriage,” his father said, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Right on cue.

“Father!” Julian growled in warning, but Samara squeezed his thigh.

“It’s alright. To answer your question, no I’m not interested in marriage, at the moment. I think I would look ridiculous in a wedding dress.”

She grinned and Julian’s heart tugged hard in his chest.

“Does that mean that marriage is not out of the question? Because for our part, I would like to see our son settled with a wife and child as soon as possible.”

Samara grinned at his parents, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “But he was married, and that ended horribly. Why would you want to do that to him again?”

His mother scoffed with disfavor. “That was not a woman you marry. How he ever thought she was respectable, I will never know. You on the other hand are as different from her as summer is from winter.”

Julian stared at his mother, a lump forming in his throat. “Why didn’t you say anything back then?”

His mother sighed. “Because… How will I put this? She had you by the balls, and wasn’t letting go. I knew that the harder I pushed her away, the tighter you’d cling to her. So, I sat back and hoped she’d show her true colors before she got herself pregnant, and she did.”

There was a satisfied smirk to his mother’s lips that he’d rarely seen and he found himself smiling.

“Well, thank you for the insight, Mother. I believe I’ve chosen correctly this time.”

Samara scoffed beside him. “Chose me, huh? I think the Universe had everything to do with this, not you and your, ‘I am the master of my own destiny’, attitude.”

He turned on the couch and stared at her. “Samara, you know I don’t believe in that stuff.”

She twisted to look at him also, her fingers intertwining with his and gripping hard, the connection between them flowing like electricity. “Really? Well, what do you call it when I’d sworn off work for the year, but got pulled into your mother’s offer because of my parent’s debts? I got pregnant in a situation which should have been practically impossible.” She stared at him and he remembered the hasty pull out in a pool. Yes, definitely low odds, even taking out the fact that she was practically infertile. “Then we have a love affair, break it off, then you hunt me down, which I bet you’ve never done in your life. Gone after a woman who rejected you.”

He heard his parent’s strange gasps, but he kept focusing on the woman in front of him.

“You…may have a point there.”

“I do. So, don’t sit there and believe this isn’t meant to be. It is.” She nodded once at him, her face strangely serious, then turned back to his parents.

The rest of the visit passed quickly and Julian couldn’t stop thinking about everything she’d said. Did Samara really believe they were meant to be?

They finished their drinks with his parents, rugged up against the New York winter, and ran back to his waiting town car.

“Seriously. I can’t wait to get home.” Samara shivered against him and slid into his side, pressing as close as she could. “Your parents are so cold! Worse than this snow practically.”

He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed. “I told you they weren’t exactly your type of people.”

“Now I know why you don’t have a good relationship with them. They’d be impossible to keep happy.”

“They are.”

He held her tight and finally pulled away, his brain whirling around in a massive tornado of words as it struggled to comprehend everything she’d said. “Hey, Samara, did you mean what you said in there?”

She turned to look at him. “I usually mean what I say, but I was being a bit forceful at times, because of how odd your parents were being. Which bit do you mean?”

The words tangled on his tongue and he struggled to get them out. She waited and he was grateful for that. “The bit about us being meant for each other.”

She glanced down and away, toying with her coat with her slender fingers. “Well…sort of. Why?”

He reached over and cupped her jaw, drawing her face back to look at him. “Why? Because I want to marry you. If you love me, and I love you, why shouldn’t we share everything that is possible for us to share?”

Her beautiful blue eyes went wide as she stared at him. She wasn’t saying anything and his belly sunk with the realization that she may not have meant that much.

“What’s wrong, Samara?”

“Did you just say that you love me?”

If he’d been a cartoon, someone may as well have come along and banged him on the head with a frying pan. Had he said that? Why, yes he had. “Yes.”

He waited, unsure on where this would go or how she felt about him. On uncertain ground for one of the first times in his life, he waited, as the driver took them through the crowded streets of Manhattan.

Tears leaked from Samara’s eyes and she grabbed for a tissue, wiping them away. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” She sobbed, her face going as red as her coat.

He grabbed her hands and stared into her eyes. He’d never proposed with anything other than the baby on his mind. Perhaps it was time to tell her that things had change, he’d changed. And there was no going back.

“Samara Jenkins. You are the most courageous, fun, crazy, beautiful woman I have ever met. I am so proud to have you by my side, the mother of my child.” He paused to run a hand over his growing babe. “Please, not because you’re having my baby, but because I love you. Marry me.”

More tears streaked down her face as her lips turned up into a brilliant smile.

“Yes. Of course yes. I love you too!” She launched herself at him in true Samara style and kissed him, her lips tasting of salty tears.

He licked them all away and said a silent prayer to the Universe that Samara so believed in. When he could breathe he pressed the button to communicate with his driver.

“To Tiffany’s, Drake. We have a ring to buy.”

Samara snuggled into. “You don’t have to do that. I have everything I could ever want, right here.”

She put one hand to her bump and the other to his cheek, and he grinned. And because she didn’t care, he knew, it was even more important to spoil her.

“I know that. But you deserve the best of everything. Starting with the most beautiful engagement ring we can find.”

“And ending with?” she teased, pulling him down on top of her.

“As many babies as you want.”

The tears welled up and she blinked, making them flow down the side of her face.

He knew her now.

“I love you, Samara. And I’m going to spend the rest of my life making you happy.

Epilogue.

18 months later.

Samara caressed the small swell of her new baby beneath the satin of her fitted, white wedding dress. When she’d planned her ceremony and picked out her slim line gown, she hadn’t thought she’d be pregnant for the second time.

“Are you ready, my girl?” her father asked, stepping up next to her and holding out his arm. His face beamed with pride and her heart swelled with the knowledge that her beloved parents adored Julian.

“Yes. Most definitely.”

She took her father’s arm in the lobby of the hotel she’d help rise from the ashes.

The marble floor shone and there was a general happy buzz all around her from the many staff and all the people currently visiting the old dame of a hotel.

Her father marched forward and they began to walk outside, the automatic doors opening smoothly making her smile. Such a small thing, but it really did make such a difference.

The bright sunshine shone on their faces, the once dreaded humidity wrapping around her and making her grin. They walked across the main road and as she approached the large group of people gathered for them, she slipped out of her shoes as she stepped onto the sand, her wedding party set up before her.

A hundred people stood on the golden dune, staring at her and as she looked back, her heart began to gallop in her chest. She’d waited for this moment for so long, and it was finally here.

Separating the wedding guests was a long red carpet, leading up to the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with.

“Last time to turn back, my girl,” her dad whispered at her as she took a deep breath, her heart continuing to flip flop in her chest.

She whispered back at him, “Hurry up, Dad, or he might change his mind!”

Her dad chuckled in good humor, because they both knew that wasn’t happening any time soon, and together they began the slow walk down the aisle.

Soft music played as her bare feet touched the carpet and she stared at the place her husband should be. He stepped out of the crowd and suddenly, there he was. Julian. Holding their son in his arms, their proud little ring bearer.

Julian had been a better partner and father than she’d ever imagined. He had turned around everything in their lives. And now, after waiting longer than they’d both wanted to, they would be husband and wife.

Her dad stopped, lifted up her veil, his eyes suspiciously shiny as he kissed her cheek and handed her over to Julian.

She turned to look at the man in the expensive suit. A man who’d taken her breath away the moment she saw him, and hadn’t stopped doing so ever since.

“You look so beautiful,” he said, smiling at her in that way where she could see the love that shone from his eyes. Yet there was a kink to his mouth that made her think that he was imagining taking this dress off her later.

They turned toward the ocean, the celebrant standing beneath a canopy.

“Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today…”

The celebrant’s word faded into the back ground as Thomas, her son, walked around to her side, clinging to her left hand as Julian held on to her right. Her family.

She had everything she’d ever wanted and it had all begun here. Her miracle in Hawaii.

THE END.

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