The most recent story shed read about the Sutherland twins centered on them joining forces with their cousins, the Duke brothers, who owned a number of luxurious resorts on the West Coast.
Grace had seen photographs of the Sutherland men online, but those pictures were all action shots of the brothers surfing or sailing. None of them had shown how good-looking they were up close, nor had the photos given her even one, tiny warning of the disconcerting amount of physical power and dynamism the man striding next to her would exude in person.
Halfway down the hall, her new boss stopped at a set of double doors and flicked a plastic card through a security slide. He ushered her through the door and into a large, beautifully furnished hotel suite. An attractive sofa and several overstuffed chairs in muted shades of chocolate-brown and rich taupe were clustered at one end of the large room. The other half of the room contained a set of large, elegant office furniture along with all the usual equipment necessary to run a twenty-first-century office.
This is where you work? She turned around slowly to take it all in. Plantation shutters were opened to reveal an entire wall of sliding glass doors that led to a wide private terrace and showed off the spectacular view beyond of palm trees, sunshine, pristine white sand and clear, turquoise water.
It was one of the most beautiful sights Grace had ever seen and she stopped to admire it for several long seconds.
Nice view, isnt it? Mr. Sutherland said.
Its stunning, she said, and turned to look at him. Youre so lucky.
Yeah, its good to be king, he said, and flashed her a confident grin that made her knees go weak. She rubbed her stomach and wondered if maybe she shouldve had more to eat for breakfast than just granola and mango juice, because her knees had never gone weak before in her entire life.
But looking at him again, she realized she would just have to learn to live with rubbery knees. He was tall and imperious, she thought, with dark blue eyes that glimmered with cynicism. She hoped there was some glint of empathy underneath that cynicism.
He picked up the phone and when someone answered, he said, Reschedule the conference call for four oclock. Then he hung up and stared at Grace. She knew she was in trouble but it didnt stop her from enjoying the sight of those riveting blue eyes that seemed to see right through her. His jaw was firm and strong and he had a small cleft in his square chin. His nose was just slightly crooked, which gave him a raffish charm she found nonsensically alluring.
Sit, he said brusquely, indicating one of the plush chairs that faced the massive mahogany desk. She sat quickly, then noticed that hed chosen to remain standing. The better to intimidate her, of course.
But that was fine. If these were to be her last few minutes on the Caribbean island, she would be perfectly happy to spend them staring at Mr. Sutherland. The man was stunningly handsome and muscular-not that shed seen any of his actual muscles in person. Sadly, his impeccably tailored black suit covered his rugged frame completely. But Grace knew the man was built because of the way hed so casually taken that heavy drink tray from her hands and lifted it up onto his shoulder so effortlessly.
Granted, before this trip to Alleria she hadnt gotten out of her laboratory much, but shed never seen anything quite like him. His arms and shoulder muscles had to be in remarkable condition. She itched to squeeze them.
And that was an absolutely ridiculous thought, she scolded herself.
Im going to go out on a limb here, he said, interrupting her pleasant daydream, and bet that youve never worked as a cocktail waitress before. Am I right?
She took a deep breath or two as she considered lying to him, then changed her mind. Shed never been very good at prevarication. Still, it wouldnt do to tell him everything. But then she argued with herself, Oh, why not? Finally she said, Yes, youre right, but-
Thats all I wanted to know, he said pleasantly. Youre fired.
No! she cried, gripping the arms of her chair. You cant fire me. Not yet.
Not yet? he repeated. Why not? Because you havent had a chance to break my entire supply of glassware?
Her shoulders sagged. No, of course not. ButI cant go home.
His eyes focused in on her. Whats your name?
Its Grace. Grace Farrell.
Her shoulders sagged. No, of course not. ButI cant go home.
His eyes focused in on her. Whats your name?
Its Grace. Grace Farrell.
Wait a minute. He cocked his head as though he hadnt heard her correctly. Your name is Grace?
She nodded gravely. Thats right.
Youre kidding. He chuckled, then leaned his hip against his desk and began to laugh, a deep rich sound that caused tingles to stir in her stomach.
What the heck was so funny about her name?
Oh, she said, finally getting the joke. The very lame joke, she might add. Yes, well, I suppose I wasnt very graceful out there.
You think? He snorted.
She blinked and sat up straighter in her chair. You dont have to be rude.
Sweetheart, youre the one who lied on your job application.
I didnt- How did you know I lied? She groaned inwardly. She couldnt even lie about lying. That was just sad.
Easy. He folded his arms across his impressive chest in a move Grace knew was meant to daunt her. And it was working, sort of. She was more than a bit overwhelmed by him, if her inability to breathe was any indication.
I dont hire inexperienced waitresses, he continued. Since we did hire you, your application mustve stated that you knew what you were doing. And you obviously dont, which means you lied. And since you no longer work for me, I can be as rude as I want.
I hope youll reconsider, she said, sniffing with annoyance at the logic of his argument. I had a very good reason for lying-er, fudging the truth.
Fudging? He leaned one hip against the edge of his desk. I cant wait to hear this.
She frowned at him. Are you willing to listen to reason?
Im a reasonable man, he said, waving his hand at her as if granting her permission to speak. Just make it fast. I was on my way to making a very important phone call when I was interrupted by your little scene out there.
Oh, Im really sorry about that.
Yeah, me, too. So?
Right. Well, its simple, really. She took a quick moment to wish she was dressed in something more professional than a bikini top that revealed most of her breasts and a thin wisp of cloth that was knotted well below her belly button. But since she couldnt exactly run back to her room and change clothes, she took another deep breath and blurted, You have spores.
He stared at her for a length of time, then shook his head. No, I dont. I bathe daily.
She blinked, gasped, then laughed. Oh, no, not you personally. Your island. There are rare spores growing here on Alleria that will save lives someday. Im a research scientist and Ive come here to collect and study them.
He continued to stare her down as he seemed to consider the situation. She thought she saw something akin to a hint of reasoning in his eyes. But then he checked his watch and said, Okay, nice try. Ill expect you off the island within the hour.
What? No! She jumped up from her chair. Mr. Sutherland, you dont understand. I refuse to leave this island. I need to stay here and work.
He shook his head. Im afraid youre the one who doesnt understand, Ms. Farrell.
Youre wrong. I do understand, she insisted, shaking her finger at him. I know I lied and maybe you think you have every right to fire me, but I am not leaving this island until I get what I came for.
Logan couldnt help but admire the fire of righteous vehemence in Grace Farrells eyes. It seemed to light up her entire body and made him wonder if she would show that same level of passion in bed. When he thrust himself into her, would she scream with pleasure?
His eyes narrowed at the mental picture and he shook himself back to reality. What the hell was he doing, thinking of her in terms of a sex partner? Shed lied on her résumé, broken his glassware and wasted his time. She had no business staying on his island a minute longer than necessary.
But the vivid sexual image took a few knots of wind out of his sails and he took a moment to reconsider the idea of throwing her off the island. Yes, she was a liar, but she was a gorgeous one. Why not enjoy a few rounds of mutually enjoyable sex before tossing her off the island?
Hell, that idea was growing more appealing by the minute. Maybe hed been working too hard lately, because he realized he wasnt quite as ready to get rid of her as he was a few minutes ago. Didnt mean he trusted the woman for a second, but frankly, he hadnt been this amused or intrigued-or aroused-in months. That was worth a few minutes of his time. It wouldnt hurt to let her talk.
So tell me about these spores youre so anxious to find, he said, as he sat and made himself comfortable on the overstuffed couch. Might as well enjoy the show for as long as it lasted, he thought.
She was pacing now and pounding her fist into her palm, clearly committed to her cause. Allerian spores flawlessly mimic human reproductive genes and are essential to my continued experimentation in gene replication. Ive been working on this project every day for almost ten years and have been using the same batch of spores for the past two years. Its imperative that I acquire a fresh consignment in order to obtain new funding and continue my studies.
Gene replication?
She stopped midpace. You know what that is?
Well, sure. He frowned. Generally. Yeah.
Oh, thats good. Thats wonderful! She clasped her hands together and pressed them to her breastbone. Then you understand how important my work is and how vital it is that I find new spores. My dissertation detailing their meiotic patterns and the ability to exploit the resulting haploid cells has already gained international interest. Im positive that further study will ultimately lead to unlocking the secrets to curing some of the worst diseases known to modern man.
Oh, yeah? Hed lost her at meiotic patterns but wasnt about to mention it.