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  The car stopped in front of a whitewashed stucco building, and a bellhop immediately opened the passenger door and helped her out of the vehicle. “Welcome to Sea Breeze Resorts.”

  “Thank you.” Courtney smiled, accepting his hand. She was impressed at the prompt service. Even more so when a man whom she assumed was the hotel manager, dressed in a formal suit, greeted her by name as she walked in the lobby.

  “Welcome, Ms. Adams, to Sea Breeze Resorts. My name is Miguel,” the older, distinguished gentleman said. “It’s a pleasure to have a celebrity of your caliber staying at the resort.”

  He led her to the check-in desk that was situated in the open-air lobby, where a wood-paneled walkway surrounded two small pools of water lilies and sea turtles. The hotel manager took care of checking her in himself.

  “Celebrity? I wouldn’t say that.” From the lobby, she could see the property’s spectacular ocean view and elegant accommodations. The focal point was the seventeenth-

  century hand-carved wooden archway that encased the entrance and the Dominican art sculptures that adorned the windows.

  “But you and your family are featured in this month’s Essence magazine, are you not?”

  Courtney nodded. “Yes, we are.” She’d forgotten that Ethan had arranged for the Adams and Graham family to be spotlighted in the magazine.

  “Then, you’re a celebrity,” the hotel manager said. “My name is Miguel and I will be happy to assist you during your stay at Sea Breeze Resorts. We’ve arranged an excellent suite for you with a majestic view of the ocean from your terrace. You’ll love it.”

  “Thank you so much,” Courtney replied. Typically, she was in more cosmopolitan places like New York and Paris. She rarely got to go someplace warm, let alone frolic on the beach. And she intended to do a lot of frolicking on her stay. She’d promised Kayla she would get the wanderlust out of her system, and she intended to do just that.

  With all the wedding planning for Gabby, who was inept at fashion, Courtney had been on a self-imposed male hiatus. It was time she had a little fun.

  “Allow me to show you to your room and once you’ve had time to freshen up, I can give you a tour of our fabulous resort.”

  “That sounds great.”

  An hour later Courtney had showered in her oceanfront suite. She was duly impressed with the seven-thousand-

  acre resort and could see why Shane and Gabby had recommended it for the shoot and her stay; it was nothing short of phenomenal. The resort was upscale and infused with modern sophistication and Asian twists in its furnishings and architecture. It was as if the owners had thought of every possible amenity from the infinity-edge pool, the fitness center, the tennis courts to the spa. The manager had indicated there was horseback riding, Jet-Skiing and windsurfing too. It was going to be a great trip, complete with a photo shoot and commercial for Bliss’s new campaign.

  Thanks to Miguel, she was sat at the chef’s table with several other high-profile guests and enjoyed a delicious four-course meal later that evening. Although dinner was incredible, it was three hours long and Courtney was eager to depart and get some rest after flying; tomorrow she would explore the island.

  * * *

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Courtney said, pulling her rental car over along the side of the highway. Despite Miguel’s insistence that she take a hired car, Courtney had decided to tour the island herself without a guide. She hated to be tethered down to a set itinerary, and she’d had a good time driving around the island all day. But this was not on the menu.

  Courtney jumped out of the Dodge Charger in her shorts and tank top and stared down at the rear driver’s-side tire. She had a flat. She’d never had a flat in her entire life, and she certainly didn’t know how to change one. She glanced around the dirt road but didn’t see a car in sight. She’d passed a gas station a couple of miles back, but that was quite a hike. Courtney glanced down at her Manolo Blahnik shoes. They were not made for walking, especially not in ninety-five-degree weather.

  It was already sweltering hot outside. The sun was high overhead and Courtney could feel the first beads of sweat beginning to form on her brow. She hated to sweat unless she was playing a sport or being active in her favorite spot: the bedroom. She leaned inside the window she’d rolled down earlier and grabbed the bottled water she’d been smart enough to bring, then took a generous swig.

  An hour later, the afternoon sun was baking her delicate café-au-lait skin, so Courtney pulled out the car manual and reviewed how to change a tire. It might as well have been written in Portuguese. She only spoke fluent French and a little Spanish, so she couldn’t make heads or tails of it. She would have to fly solo. Courtney opened the trunk and took out the donut from the floor. She found some device called a lug wrench and what she could only assume was a jack to lift the car.

  She was bending down to take the lug nuts off the hubcap when she heard the roar of an engine coming down the highway. She had a savior, thank God!

  * * *

  Jasper sighed wearily as he drove back to the resort in his pickup. He’d had a long first day. After completing the usual employment paperwork, he’d met up with the superintendent of the construction company to walk the site. He had put on his hard hat and steel-toe boots and followed him outside. The superintendent had introduced him to his laborers as well as several key subcontractors, such as the electrician, plumber and finisher and painter. Jasper shook hands with each of them. He intended to talk to them extensively, on the sly of course, to see if he could figure out exactly what was going on at his hotel.

  The day had been long. Jasper had forgotten what backbreaking work it was to be in construction. He was ready for a nice hot shower and to change into his linen trousers and Tommy Bahama polo shirt. That is, until he saw a statuesque beauty bending down on the side of the road, wearing skimpy shorts and a formfitting tank top.

  As he stopped his truck on the opposite side of the road, he got a nice view of her well-shaped behind. He was admiring the view when the beauty gazed up at him. With her hand shielding her face from the sun, she yelled, “If you’re done staring at my butt, would you care to lend me a hand?”

  Jasper smiled broadly as he jumped out of the vehicle. A woman with attitude! He liked her already. “My, my,” he said as he crossed the road, “someone is sure testy.”

  “You would be too if you’d been standing out in this blistering heat for an hour. I have delicate skin.”

  “I bet.” Jasper chuckled. He was unprepared for the sight that greeted him once he got up close and personal. The woman was tall in what had to be four-inch heels, but that wasn’t all. She wasn’t just beautiful, she was breathtaking. She had creamy latte-colored skin that complemented her sleek, sophisticated bob with honey-blond highlights. And, well, her green eyes were nothing short of arresting! They stopped him dead in his tracks.

  Courtney sighed wearily. She was used to men’s reactions toward her looks, but there was something about this one that was a little bit different from the other men she’d encountered. There was something strong about him and his dark chocolate skin that appealed to her on a physical level. She guessed he must be six foot two, maybe three, and despite his less-than-desirable attire of ripped jeans and a T-shirt, he smelled all man.

  “Well, are you going to help me or not?” she asked. “Or do you always stare at ladies dumbfounded? I doubt that gets you very far.” The second the words were out of her mouth, Courtney realized she sounded a bit harsh.

  “Listen, lady.” Jasper quickly snapped out of his daze at her tone. “It’s you who needs my help, not the other way around.” He glanced down at her attempt at changing a flat tire.

  Courtney stood up straight. She’d never had someone give it back to her like that, and she had to begrudgingly admire it even if she didn’t like it. “You’re right, so if you would please be so kind
as to help me out of a pinch, I would appreciate it.”

  “That’s better!” Jasper walked around the entire length of her rental car and then stated, “Can’t do it.”

  “Well, why the hell not! It’s just a flat tire,” she responded gruffly.

  Jasper laughed at her indignation, which only infuriated Courtney further. She stomped toward him, giving him a great view of her pert bosom in the formfitting tank top. “Because, my dear, you have two flat tires.” He inclined his head in the direction of the passenger’s-side rear tire.

  “How can that be?” Courtney shook her head. “Who gets two flat tires?”

  “Apparently you do?” He grinned broadly. “You must have rolled over some nails.”

  “For Christ’s sake!” She should have listened to the hotel manager instead of going off on her own. Now look where she was, stuck on a dirt road with a construction worker. “Well, if it’s money you’re after to help me, I’m sure I can accommodate you.”

  Jasper’s eyes narrowed at her condescending tone. This high-class diva was probably used to getting what she wanted with a bat of her eyelashes. She probably thought he was some poor schmuck off the street whom she could speak to any kind of way. She was wrong. “I don’t have to do a damn thing. And if I were you, I wouldn’t be throwing around the fact that you have money in these parts. It might attract the wrong sort, if you get my drift.” And with that comment, he started walking back toward his truck.

  Courtney stormed after him as best she could in four-inch heels on a rocky dirt road. “Wait, just a minute. Where do you think you’re going?”

  Jasper turned around and Courtney caught a flash of anger in his eyes, but just as quickly it was gone. “I’m leaving. Or do you need me to get an interpreter for you?”

  “Oh!” Courtney was flabbergasted. “You’re just going to leave me here?”

  Jasper opened his truck door and hopped in the driver seat. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do. Perhaps you should be more kind to Good Samaritans.” He turned on the engine. It sputtered to life and seconds later, he shifted into gear, leaving her staring at his bumper. It was what she deserved considering the way she’d spoken to him. She had acted like a princess and as if she were entitled to a ride. He owed her nothing.

  So why did he feel terrible? From his rearview mirror, he could see her standing in the middle of the road. She looked shell-shocked that he had left her stranded on the road in a bad area of town where beautiful, rich women like her disappeared in a nanosecond.

  Seconds later, Jasper was reversing his truck to scoop her up. His mother had raised a gentleman, so he couldn’t very well leave her alone. When he reached her, her arms were folded across her chest and he could see she was pouting. He swung open the passenger door. “Get in!”

  Courtney paused, debating whether she should get in the vehicle. It was dirty and looked as though he hauled debris of some sort in it. Not to mention the fact that he could be some crazy ax murderer. How would she know? She probably wouldn’t realize it until he’d taken her to some abandoned house in the woods never to be heard from again.

  “I’m not going to ask you a second time, princess,” Jasper warned.

  Courtney didn’t have a whole lot of options. If she stayed there, she could be stuck until nightfall and what would become of her? Throwing caution to the wind, she jumped inside the truck. Something in her gut told her she could trust him. Plus, she didn’t want to be left on the dirt road to fend for herself. She would just have the hotel manager send someone for the car.

  “I am not a princess,” Courtney said, looking over to hazard a glance at the stranger.

  “You sure act like one,” Jasper replied, shifting into gear and pulling back onto the highway.

  “Wow, you sure know how to talk to a lady.”

  “Is that what I’m doing? I thought I was giving you a ride back to your resort. Because trust me, if I was trying to talk to you, you would know it.”

  Courtney turned around and stared at the stranger. She was surprised, but yet oddly turned on by his confidence. He didn’t seem to have the same social graces that some of her boy toys did, but perhaps that was why she tired of them so easily. “You sure are cocky.”

  “I’ve been told that before.”

  “But you don’t care?”

  Jasper shrugged, which Courtney took to mean he couldn’t care less what others thought about him. She wished she could do the same. She always had to be conscious of how she was viewed by the public. It was up to her to sell the Adams Cosmetics brand, so her every movement was calculated. She supposed it was why when she was eighteen, she had done something completely reckless.

  She’d gotten married to Chaise Anderson, whom she’d known only a few weeks. She’d met Chaise, the son of a wealthy Atlanta businessman, at a local party. He was good-looking, charming and sexy. The attraction between them had been instant. So when Chaise suggested they run away to Vegas to get married, Courtney had been on board. She’d been dying to get out of her parents’ grip, and marriage had seemed like the next best thing. The marriage hadn’t lasted longer than a few days because, as soon as her father, Byron, had found out, he’d flown to Vegas. She’d gotten quite the tongue-lashing about the image she was portraying and he’d insisted she have the marriage annulled. Courtney had never seen her father so furious and she had quickly agreed. But truth be told, she’d liked being free and reckless, if only for a little bit.

  The remainder of the drive continued in silence with the exception of Courtney asking the stranger to roll up the window and turn on the air-conditioning. That’s when he’d promptly informed her there was no a/c and they hadn’t spoken a word since. Clearly, her handsome stranger was a man of few words.

  He also looked like the type who knew how to handle a woman in the bedroom. Where had that thought come from? She didn’t mind a bad boy every now and then, but they were usually the clean-cut type, trust-fund babies who liked to have fun. But this guy, he was different from the men she usually encountered. There was something a little dangerous about him and it was kind of a rush. Courtney shook her head, trying to shake the thought out of her head, but she was having a hard time focusing. They were in such close quarters she could smell his woodsy earth scent, and it was making her horny.

  She was happy when the resort finally came into view and the truck made an unceremonious stop in front of the entrance. She turned to the stranger at her side and said, “Thanks for the ride.” She reached inside her purse for her wallet, but the stranger placed his large dark hand over hers. Courtney felt a tingle shoot straight from her hand to her core.

  “Think I told you about offering folks money,” he said. “Didn’t I?”

  Courtney lowered her eyes and blushed. “You did. So perhaps I can buy you a drink as a thank-you?” She looked up at him and a smile spread across her lips.

  When Jasper’s dark eyes stared into her green ones, Courtney swallowed hard. Her throat felt parched and she licked her lips. The stranger’s eyes followed her movement, and that made her nervous. Why was he so silent? Speak, for goodness’ sake!

  * * *

  Jasper thought about the princess’s offer. Despite her efforts to appear aloof, he could see she was attracted to him. Her body language was giving it away, and he noticed her breasts in the tank top perk up at his long gaze. And then wetting those full, sumptuous peach-stained lips told him everything he needed to know. Normally, he would accept and take what she was offering, but he had a feeling the princess was used to getting what she wanted, so he would decline right now. And then have fun making her work for it.

  “I have a couple of errands to run,” Jasper replied. “But maybe later?”

  She frowned. “Fine.” She threw her purse over her shoulder, opened the truck door and climbed out. “Thanks again for the ride,” she said over her shoulder w
ithout hazarding another glance at him.

  “’Bye, princess.” Jasper waved.

  She stomped inside the resort and didn’t see the hotel manager come out to greet Jasper.

  “Would you like me to put the truck away for you, sir?” Miguel asked Jasper when he came around to the driver’s side.

  “That’s not necessary. I’m heading to my villa.” Jasper watched as Courtney’s rear disappeared from his view. His villa was located on the outskirts of the Sea Breeze Resorts property. It was close enough for him to check on the resort, but far enough away for him to have his privacy.

  “She’s breathtaking, isn’t she?”

  “So you noticed, Miguel? I thought you didn’t look at patrons.”

  “I usually don’t, sir, but she’s hard not to notice, yes?”

  Jasper leaned out over the window and patted the man’s back. “I agree, wholeheartedly. So, what do you know about the lady? Who is she?”

  “If you come into my office, sir,” Miguel said, “I can fill you in on the details.”

  Chapter 2

  Courtney couldn’t believe the man had turned her down. She’d hoped for a quick drink, or maybe even a long roll in the hay with her construction worker. He looked as though he had lots of stamina. Unfortunately, she was left to comb the resort for some fun on her own.

  After a long, hot shower and a massage and facial at the resort spa, Courtney was ready for the evening. After a spritz of Bliss over her body, she slid on a long maxi dress in a bold Copacabana print and some ornament-encrusted thong sandals and headed to the bar.

  As she entered, Courtney noticed that every male eye in the room turned to her. She wasn’t unaware that the halter maxi dress plunged at the neckline to show off her pert breasts or that the dress plunged to her waist to show her bare back.