Hurricane Kisses Page 5

  “You must be Olivia Statler,” the woman greeted me, extending her hand. I shook it, surprised to find it strong and calloused.

  “Yes, and you must be Isabel Black,” I replied. I had heard that the wife of the hotel magnate, Noah Black, still worked daily with sharks. Her strong grip and suntanned skin pretty much confirmed that. I was slightly surprised. I figured that anyone who married into billions would relax into a life of leisure, but from what I had heard, she had actually increased the extent of her research.

  “Izzy, please. Isabel is only for when I'm in trouble.” She grinned as she released my hand and went to shake Maddy's next. “You must be Madison, and that makes you...Tyler.”

  Izzy extended her hand to shake Tyler's. He hesitated for only a second before enthusiastically shaking her hand. “I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance,” he said formally.

  “Likewise,” Izzy told him. He grinned up at her, forgetting to let go of her hand and still shaking it. Izzy looked over at Maddy and giggled. She didn't pull her hand away, though.

  “It looks like I might have some competition,” the tall man said, coming up behind Izzy. Tyler suddenly realized what he was doing and turned a deep shade of crimson before finally letting go of Izzy's hand.

  “This is my husband, Noah,” Izzy introduced. Noah shook everyone's hands, including Tyler's. Tyler did not hold onto his.

  “It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I do a lot of business with several of your resorts,” I told him.

  “And I appreciate that,” Noah said. He wrapped his arm around Izzy's shoulders and smiled warmly. He had the most amazing blue eyes, but they only sparkled when he looked at Izzy. Love seemed to float around the two of them like a happy cloud. “We're so glad you all could make it. The resort is officially opening in time for the Christmas season, but we were hoping to generate some positive buzz beforehand. What do you think so far?”

  “It's amazing,” Tyler blurted out, his ears reddening when everyone turned to look at him.

  “Anything in particular that's awesome?” Noah asked. “You are among one of our key demographics, after all. I'd love to know what you think.”

  Tyler swallowed hard but stood up taller. I knew he was a shy kid, so talking to strangers wasn't easy for him. He was doing great. “The food. Plus the game room is sweet.”

  Noah grinned. “You like the pinball machine?”

  “The comic book one? It's the coolest one I've ever seen,” he answered honestly. He was still blushing, but he sounded a little more sure of himself.

  “Excellent!” Noah made a fist-pumping motion that made Izzy roll her eyes. “I picked it out specifically for that room. Someone wanted to go with an island-themed one. See? I was right.”

  Izzy rolled her eyes again but smiled at Tyler. “Now he's never going to let me live that one down.” Noah laughed and kissed her cheek, making her smile.

  I felt the breeze of the door opening behind me and turned to see Logan and his bodyguard walk in. The bodyguard melted into the shadows as Logan joined our small circle. I tried not to shy away when he decided to stand next to me, but it was hard to be so close to him.

  “I see you've met our local hero,” Logan said, gesturing to Tyler. I didn't know it was possible, but Tyler's blush blushed. If he turned any redder, he wouldn't have any blood left in his body.

  “Hero?” Izzy asked, frowning slightly and looking quickly between Logan and Tyler.

  Logan nodded. “Tyler saved Olivia from drowning in the ocean earlier this afternoon.”

  “Oh my gosh,” Izzy exclaimed, her hand going to her mouth and wide eyes going to mine. “Are you okay?”

  “I have a slight concussion, but the doctor says I'll be fine,” I told her. “Tyler did a good job.”

  “You must be very brave, Tyler.” Izzy put her hand on Tyler's shoulder and he stood a little taller. “What happened?”

  Tyler's blush must have gone all the way down to his toes. He looked up at Logan, a little lost as to what he was supposed to say. I knew he didn't feel like he was the hero. “Um, well...”

  “Olivia and Tyler were jet-skiing over by the reef,” Logan explained, his voice low and dramatic. Tyler gave him a grateful nod as he continued their story. “Tyler was in the water and Olivia was coming to get him when she hit a wave and was thrown from her jet-ski. She was knocked unconscious and was drowning. Tyler not only swam to her rescue, but kept her above the water. He kept calm the whole time.”

  “You helped a lot too, Mr. Hayes,” Tyler said quietly.

  Logan shrugged, deflecting any of the credit. “I just happened to be nearby. I didn't do anything special. You were the one who really saved her.”

  Tyler peeked around shyly at the group of adults, waiting to see their reactions.

  “That is amazing!” Izzy exclaimed. The other adults murmured in agreement and Tyler beamed. Every adult was beholding at him with awe and he knew it. His chest puffed out a little bit, and he stood up a little straighter as his confidence soared.

  Bless Logan for giving him this moment. I had been sure that once we were in a public setting he would take all the credit for my rescue, but instead he had given it all to Tyler. I could barely believe it; the man did have a shred of decency in him, but this was the most generous thing he could have done for Tyler. Seeing the confidence in Tyler's face, I could almost imagine that Logan wasn't evil.

  “I think this calls for a toast,” Noah said, motioning to the bartender in the corner. The bartender quickly hurried over carrying a tray with six champagne flutes. He handed a specific one to Tyler.

  “This one is sparkling cider,” the bartender explained to Maddy as she reached out to take it before Tyler could.

  “Could I get a cider, too? I'm not supposed to have anything alcoholic today,” I asked the bartender with a blush. He nodded, and once his tray had only the one champagne glass, hurried back to the bar to return with one filled with cider.

  “To Tyler, the hero of the island,” Logan announced once I had my glass.

  “To Tyler,” everyone echoed, raising their glasses. Tyler's grin threatened to split his face in half. This certainly was a vacation that he was never going to forget.

  As we sipped our champagne, a man in a white uniform and chef hat stepped into the center of the room. “Dinner is served,” he announced.

  Two tables rolled in behind him and were added to the buffet table in the middle. From where I was standing, I could see roast beef, lobster, crab legs, and more. There was enough food to feed an army.

  “Will you sit next to me?” Izzy asked Tyler as we headed toward the food. He looked to his mother's smile and then nodded enthusiastically. He was crushing hard on her.

  “That is a lot of food,” I commented to Noah as we joined the other guests lining up for the food. We were the last two in line. There were only maybe fifteen people, but there was enough food for double, if not triple, that many guests on the table.

  “We were expecting more people to be here, but the threat of a hurricane scared several groups away,” he explained, picking up a plate.

  “Hurricane? Last I heard it was just a tropical storm, and much farther North,” I said with a frown. Technically, it was still hurricane season in the Caribbean, but the odds of a hurricane actually happening were incredibly low. It was the reason we had been willing to risk the trip.

  “It was upgraded to a tropical storm this evening, but the word ‘hurricane’ was said somewhere, and now it's all people are talking about.” Noah shook his head as he piled crab legs onto his plate. “Don't worry, though. The island is safe. A hurricane hasn't hit these shores in over twenty years, and even then the damage was minimal.”

  “That's good to know.” I piled mashed potatoes onto my plate. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I saw the food.

  “But just in case you were wondering, the hotel is still hurricane-ready,” Noah informed me. “Each building is secure and there are a series of tunnels that connect the
two main buildings and several other areas of the resort. If a hurricane ever did hit the island, the resort is very safe and very ready. And all ecologically friendly, of course.”

  I paused from putting a lobster claw on my plate and looked at him. “If I didn't know better, I might think you were trying to sell me something, Noah.”

  He laughed and handed me a napkin from the end of the table. “It's hard to turn off the sales pitch sometimes. I'm very proud of this resort.”

  “As you should be. It's beautiful, and the fact that it's all green-certified is amazing,” I told him as we headed to a round table. Izzy, Tyler, Maddy, and Logan were already sitting, all of them digging into their food with a passion. Noah took the seat on the other side of Izzy, leaving me to sit next to Logan. I wished there was just one more seat at the table so I didn't have to be so close.

  “Will you and Izzy be staying here this week as well?” I asked Noah once we had slowed down on shoving the delicious food into our faces enough to talk. If they continued to feed us this well, I was going to go home ten pounds heavier. Even with that image in my head, I was tempted to go back for more. It was just that good. Logan stood and went back to the buffet table. Apparently he didn't care about the weight either.

  “No,” Noah said, shaking his head sadly. “Our jet is actually being prepped now. We have to be in New York by tomorrow morning.”

  “That's too bad. It look's like Tyler's really enjoying Izzy.” I nodded my head across the table where it appeared the two of them were having an animated discussion about something. I thought I heard the word “shark,” but I wasn't sure. Whatever it was, Tyler looked like he was having the time of his life. Noah smiled at the two of them, his eyes soft. Izzy looked up and caught his gaze, her eyes twinkling at him before returning to her conversation.

  An old-fashioned phone ring came from inside Noah's suit jacket. He pulled it out and frowned at the screen. “I'm terribly sorry, I need to take this. Excuse me.”

  He stood and put the phone to his ear as he stepped toward the rear of the building. I sat quietly watching Tyler and Izzy interact until Logan returned. He had the lobster claw I was thinking of getting. I decided that I didn't actually need it and instead stood up to get a drink from the bar. I was sure the bartender could make me a virgin-something.

  “How's your head?” he asked, cracking open the shell. I winced at the sound, especially combined with the mention of my head.

  “It doesn't hurt anymore, but I'm definitely tired. Exhausted, really. I'm going to go get a drink.” I hoped he'd take the hint that I wasn't up for conversation.

  “I'll come with you,” he said, pushing away his plate and standing. I turned and hurried to the bar. I wished he would just leave me alone. I heard him follow behind me, and it took all my strength not to sigh.

  “Virgin strawberry daiquiri, please,” I requested once I reached the ornate wooden counter. The bartender quickly started mixing ingredients.

  “One for me too, if you don't mind,” Logan chimed in. The bartender nodded and added more juice to his blender.

  “You know there's no alcohol in this, right?” I asked, crossing my arms against the countertop.

  “I happen to be a fan of virgin strawberry daiquiris.” He leaned back against the bar, looking completely at ease. His jacket hung open, and I could see the definition of his muscles under his thin white dress shirt. Damn him for looking good without even trying. It messed with my head that he could look like an angel but be such a devil.

  He continued to talk. “I always thought it was a cruel joke that after all the excitement of a concussion that you aren't allowed to nap.” The bartender handed us our drinks and he took a big sip before continuing. I really wished that the daiquiri had alcohol. It would make this situation so much more bearable.

  “Is that so?” I glanced around the room to see if I could escape, but Noah was still on the phone, Tyler and Izzy were deep in conversation, and Maddy was busy talking with one of the other guests. No easy outs.

  “With all the adrenaline and movement that comes with an accident, it's only natural to want to sleep after,” he continued. “If it was your ankle instead of your head, no one would think twice about letting you pass out and recover. But, since it's the head, no nap. So, not only are you exhausted and injured, you have people poking you and telling you not to sleep.”

  “You sound like you've had this happen to you once or twice,” I replied before realizing I was engaging him in conversation. Now I had to talk to him.

  “I used to play football. Even played in college. Plus, having an older brother kind of predisposes kids to injuries,” he said with a laugh.

  Football certainly explained his broad-shouldered physique. He was easy to imagine out on a field in pads and a jersey, and I found my body responding favorably to the image. I really wished he wasn't such a jerk, because there were things I would enjoy doing to that body.

  “What position did you play?” I asked, taking another sip of my drink and trying not to think of what he looked like without his shirt on.

  “Usually wide receiver, though sometimes I'd play tight end.” He smiled his movie star smile at me and I couldn't look away. I wished I didn't find him so damn attractive. I hated him and what he did to me, but one flash of that mega-watt grin and my knees went to putty. It wasn't fair. My body and my mind definitely had very different opinions of the man.

  “Were you any good?”

  “Not really,” he said, shaking his head. “I tell people I played in college, but it was mostly on the bench. I have a feeling dad helped get me on the team. I loved the game, but I don't have much natural talent for it.”

  “Logan Hayes admitting that he's not good at something?” I turned and exaggerated looking out the nearest window. “I don't see any pigs with wings out there...”

  “It's dark out, and they tend to fly higher up in the atmosphere,” he replied. “Don't tell anyone, though. Could ruin my football reputation.”

  I laughed, and was surprised to find it was genuine. I could barely believe I was enjoying his company, and not just because of his looks. He was being wonderful and sweet—not only me, but Tyler. I took a sip of my drink and wondered if I hit my head harder than I thought. I had sworn I would stay away from him.

  “What about you? Anything you aren't good at?” Logan asked. His brown eyes focused on me, absorbing my every detail as if it were terribly important, and it made my heart speed up. I hadn't had a man look at me like that in a very long time...since the last time he had looked at me like that, in fact.

  “Jet-skiing,” I answered with a straight face. His laugh filled the room and I grinned. “Actually, I want to thank you again. You were great with Tyler.”

  “He's a good kid. He actually reminds me a lot of myself when I was his age.” His eyes went distant as he remembered his own gawky years. I tried to think of him as a scared, skinny boy and couldn't reconcile the image. He oozed too much charm and self-assurance for me to see him as anything but the man before me.

  “I really do appreciate it. You didn't have to stay with him while I was with the doctor, but I'm really grateful that you did,” I said. I hoped he knew how sincere I was. Despite my dislike for him and his business tactics, he had done the right thing that afternoon. “Thank you for all your help today.”

  “It was no trouble. I wasn't going to just abandon the kid.” He took a sip of his drink and shrugged like heroics were an everyday occurrence for him. “I'm just glad you're okay.”

  A genuine smile etched its way onto my face. Maybe I had misjudged him. Maybe he had changed from the sneaky conman who had almost ruined my business and broken my heart. I wasn't quite ready to trust him completely. But today he had not only saved my life, but also made someone who I cared about very happy. I glanced over at Tyler. Izzy was busy telling two men from another travel agency of Tyler's heroics. Tyler was smiling and basking in the attention. I hadn't seen that side of him since before the move. That a
lone was worth giving Logan another chance.

  “Thank you.” I smiled and really meant it.

  “And besides, if I had let you drown, I wouldn't be able to have your company become part of Travel, Inc.,” Logan added. “Maybe you can give us a ‘saved your life’ discount.”

  I felt the smile slide off my face just as quickly as it had found its way there. It was all just a business maneuver. He hadn't changed. He was just leading me on. Again. The charming man was just an act. He was only interested in acquiring my business. I should have known better than to let my guard down, even for an instant.

  “If you think that today is going to have any bearing on our business negotiations, you are sorely mistaken, Mr. Hayes” I said coldly. I couldn't believe his nerve. “It will be a cold day in hell before I sell my company to you. You had your chance two years ago and you blew it.”

  “Olivia, I didn't mean-”

  “Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to do,” I said, cutting him off. I set my drink down with a loud thunk. All the warm, fuzzy feelings I had toward him were gone. He was willing to use the fact that he rescued me as a business tactic. He was willing to use Tyler as a business tactic. That was not acceptable to me.

  I stalked over to the table where Tyler and Izzy were chatting. Maddy had joined them as well, and I flung myself into the chair next to her. From the corner of my eye, I could see Logan sag against the bar, frustration painted on his face. He knew he had just screwed himself, and that gave me a little bubble of smug pride. I knew the real Logan Hayes.

  “What did the eel look like?” Izzy asked Tyler. They were apparently discussing the marine life he had seen earlier that afternoon and were oblivious to everything else in the room.

  “It had black and white spots,” Tyler answered, his face furrowed in concentration. “Little ones.”

  “That was a Spotted Moray Eel, then,” Izzy told him. “What else did you see?”

  Tyler thought for a moment as Noah came up behind Izzy. He put his hands on her shoulders, and she turned to look up at him. Her face was full of trust and pure happiness at his touch. It was hard not to be a little envious of how much their love shone through in just a simple touch. They were lucky.