It had been a long time since he’d slept with a woman. Sex had become something perfunctory for him, an itch he and his partner needed to scratch and then move on with life. He didn’t want that with her. He wanted to indulge with her.
He wanted to study her. To read her like a book, savoring every line, closing the book only to open it again because he’d probably missed some subtext. He was fairly sure it would take a long time to become an expert on Tessa Santiago.
“Kyle was being lazy. He should have checked out every single person who works here or we might come into contact with,” Tessa complained.
“He’s not lazy. He’s going through some stuff right now. He’s still adjusting to being out of the military, and I think something bad happened to him. He has some terrible dreams he won’t talk about.” David felt the need to defend his brother. “And he came on the job very late. He was basically doing a favor for me. I told him everyone on the island was okay, and he believed me.”
She seemed tense. He’d noticed all the way through dinner her smile hadn’t once reached her eyes, and she seemed to be watching every move the staff made. “It’s not a favor. It’s a job, and he should have taken it more seriously. I spent the afternoon and early evening getting a lay of the land. I spent some time in the kitchens while they were making me some tea. They’re surprised that you brought a woman with you instead of your brother, but I heard Mateo say that would make it easier. I have to wonder what he meant by that. I only caught the end of the conversation.”
There was a simple explanation. “Kyle would have required another room. I think they’re happy they didn’t have to clean another one every day. This way they’re responsible for three rooms instead of four. And if they knew anything about my brother they would be happy because he’s pretty much a slob.”
She frowned his way. “David, this isn’t something to joke about.”
“What has you worried?” He didn’t get it. He’d had a nice day. The staff seemed competent if not entirely friendly. The food had been tasty, and the conversation at dinner had been entertaining.
She seemed to think about what to say next. He rather thought she was trying to decide how to deal with him. “I don’t like how they look at you.”
He hadn’t been expecting that. Tessa seemed like such a logical woman. “How do they look at me?”
“Like they know something you don’t,” Tessa replied.
“What would they know that I don’t?”
“I get the feeling Eddie wants to use you for something,” she admitted. “How many of those puzzles did he give you?”
Eddie had given him two notebooks filled with Montez’s notes on codes and puzzles. Eddie’s father had deeply enjoyed games. He’d been known to throw elaborate treasure hunts during his parties that could go on for days. “They want me to take a crack at finding Montez’s treasure, the one he hid somewhere on the island.”
She pointed his way as though he’d made her argument. “The one that’s rumored to be worth millions of dollars.”
She was forgetting that looking for the treasure was already on their agenda. “I was planning on taking a crack at it. It’s why we’ve got the camping gear. They don’t have to use me for it.”
“And if you find it?” she asked.
“I would give it to Eddie. It was his father’s.”
She stared at him as though trying to figure out if he was being honest. “Millions, David. The person who finds it is supposed to keep it. That’s the whole point of the challenge.”
The actual treasure was the least interesting part to him. “I don’t need the money. The reward for me is the history I’ll find. I’ll honor Montez by returning the treasure to his family.”
She sighed and strode across the living area. “I don’t get you, Hawthorne.”
Ah, they were back to Hawthorne. She was trying to put distance between them, and he didn’t want that. He caught her arm, gently stopping her. “I think you do. I think that’s what bothers you. Tell me if you’ve changed your mind.”
Her eyes were wide as she looked up at him. “I should. This situation is more complex than you’re making it.”
“And it won’t get less complex if we sleep together.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” she said softly.
She obviously hadn’t thought this problem through the way he had. All through dinner he’d thought about how to argue his position. “I’m not. If you choose not to play with me tonight, I’ll still have feelings for you in the morning, and we’ll still be right where we are now. We’ve got a couple of days and then you’re determined to never see me again.”
“I’m not that dramatic.”
“Then you’ll date me when we get back?”
She shook her head. “I won’t avoid you, but I still think a relationship is a bad idea.”
“Then nothing changes by playing with me tonight,” he said, his voice going low. “You’re not going to protect me less because we slept together. You’re still going to give the job everything you have. You’re not going to let yourself catch feelings for me. So you’re safe to indulge. Tell me you don’t want to indulge, Tessa.”
Her chin tilted up, and there was a light of challenge in her eyes. “I’ll feel safer if you promise to keep your eyes open around here.”
“Are we negotiating?” He should have known she would try to get something out of it. Of course the fact that the thing she was trying to get was him to be more serious about his own safety was a mark of what kind of a woman she was. Smart. Capable. Protective. A little sneaky.
Her hands went to her hips, and he could see her steel herself. “Yes. I think we are. You’re right. Spending a restless night isn’t going to fix things. And having sex isn’t going to change things.”
He hoped she was wrong about that, but he was going in with his eyes open. “I promise I will be more careful. I’m not going to give you hell about protecting me.”
“There’s a reason Big Tag almost never puts a female bodyguard in charge of a male client.”
He could imagine. “Because some of us are assholes who think we can do any job better than a woman. I’m not that man, Tessa. You’re the expert here. If you think it’s too dangerous, then we go, and I won’t fight you on it.”
“Seriously? If I told you my gut thinks something’s wrong here, you would pack up and go with me?”
The whole idea of leaving gave him a headache because he might never get this chance again, but there was one correct answer here. “I trust you. You say the word and we leave.”
“You are too good to be true.”
He thought that was part of the problem. She didn’t want to trust this thing between them because it felt too good and therefore had to be false. He needed to show her how wrong she was. “Then I will inevitably disappoint you, but it won’t be by questioning your authority when it comes to our safety. So let’s play. I trust you to keep us safe. Trust me to bring you pleasure.”
A soft sigh came from her mouth, those full lips of hers parting slightly. “I worry I’ll think more about you than I will the job if I sleep with you.”