Chapter 13
LUCAS
Lucas clicked on the article heading, which read, “Omegron CEO Embezzlement Cover-Up?” Then, with a sigh, he turned off his phone and set it face down on the armrest. Keeping up with the news wasn’t helping.
In fact, Lucas was almost certain that reading these articles was making things worse.
Maybe his staff had been right when they’d told him to keep his head down for a few weeks and not read the news.
At least no reporters had found him yet.
Lucas heard a faint sound coming from outside and twisted in the loveseat.
When they’d gotten back from lunch, Kendra had taken her camera and gone onto the balcony.
Now, she was resting the camera on the railing, bent forward, her auburn hair falling around her shoulders, framing her face.
He couldn’t see her expression, but he could imagine the look of concentration she was probably wearing.
Kendra had proven to be very distracting.
He’d barely thought about Omegron at all during the spa morning, or during lunch, when they’d continued their joking and teasing.
Despite not knowing many of her stories or much of her history, Lucas felt like he knew her now.
At least a little. He knew that she fiddled with her hands or a small object when she was nervous and that she blushed deeply when she was embarrassed.
He knew that her laugh was joyful and infectious.
He knew the look she got in her eye when she was about to do something mischievous, like splash him.
He knew that she liked photography and that she enjoyed being in the water, at least when it was planned, but that she’d never been surfing.
He hadn’t meant to get to know her, but he had.
And as much as a part of Lucas wanted to pull away while he still could, another part wanted to lean in.
Being here at Sol Y Estrellas felt like being in a parallel universe, far from who he usually was.
Kendra made him feel different, too. With her, he felt like he could be a different kind of person, a fun-loving, teasing guy who liked to relax in the water and share dessert.
The problem, though, was that Lucas wasn’t that guy. Not really. Back in LA, he was a focused CEO who cared about his company more than anything — or anyone — else. Still, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to be a different guy, just for a little while.
“Wow, you’re not on your phone.”
Kendra’s words startled him out of his reverie, and he looked up at her. She’d come inside, the camera on a strap around her neck, her eyes shining.
“How did the photography session go?”
“It was great.” She leaned forward, holding out the camera on the strap, and showed him a few pictures she’d taken on the camera’s small screen.
The photos were gorgeous. They showed the ocean and the resort below, the same things he’d been looking at the whole time, but, somehow, they seemed expansive and thoughtful when captured through her lens.
A few photos focused on small details, like the furl of a palm leaf on the tree in front of their balcony, or the sun catching on a cloud above the ocean.
“These are amazing.”
“Thanks!” She grinned at him. “Want to come for a walk?”
Lucas hesitated. He did, but the pull of his phone and the news it held was still too strong. “Not this time.”
“Suit yourself.” Humming under her breath, Kendra left the hotel room, closing the door behind her. Lucas reached for his phone again. He knew he should ignore the news, but he checked it anyway. The lure of the phone always pulled him in, even when he tried to ignore it. Just like Kendra did.
He read the article about the CEO embezzlement cover-up and a few more. He barely realized that any time had passed until the door opened again and Kendra came in.
“Hey.” He looked up, catching her eye.
“Okay, put your phone away.” She crossed the room in a few quick strides and knelt on the loveseat beside him. Her knee brushed his leg, and her smiling face was close enough to kiss.
“Your wish is my command,” Lucas joked, setting the phone down on the armrest. “What’s up?”
“I got you something.” Her green eyes were sparkling. “Since we don’t have wedding rings, I thought we could use these.”
“All right…” Lucas grinned. She reached into her pocket and withdrew two woven gift-shop bracelets threaded with small white shells. One was made of green thread, and the other of pink.
“What do you think?” She held them up, grinning mischievously.
“They are gorgeous,” Lucas said. “You must have spent a fortune.”
“Absolutely! These are priceless heirlooms meant to be passed through the generations. Do you want green or pink?”
“You know, I think I’m going to go for the green.” Lucas chuckled as he held out his arm. “Put it on.”
She looped the bracelet around his wrist, knotting the ends together, and nodded. Her fingers brushed against his wrist as she did so, and he couldn’t ignore the warmth he felt from the places she touched.
“That looks wonderful. Will you put mine on?” She held out her arm, and Lucas took the pink bracelet from her and looped it around her wrist. It was hard to work with the small ties — his fingers weren’t as nimble as hers — but he managed to fasten the knot.
As he did so, his fingertips brushed against the sensitive skin at the base of her wrist, and he felt more than saw her shiver.
His heart skipped a beat, and he looked up, his eyes meeting hers.
She was so close. Her pink lips were slightly parted, and he could see a smattering of freckles across her cheeks.
“You have freckles,” he said quietly, his voice coming out deeper than he’d expected.
“Oh, yes.” Kendra put a hand to her cheek as though hoping to cover them. A blush began to spread beneath her fingers.
“Don’t do that.” He took her wrist and pulled her hand gently away from her face. “They suit you.”
“Thanks.” She smiled, then looked down, the moment of connection severed as she turned away and he let go of her hand. “Anyway, do you like the bracelets?”
“I love them. They’re hands-down the best gift I’ve ever gotten.” He winked.
“I thought so.” She held out the hand with the bracelet, and Lucas held out his own beside it. The small white shells clacked together, and they laughed.
“The bracelets are better than wedding rings, I think,” Lucas said.
“Oh, definitely.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “Come on, we still have a little while before dinner. Let’s go for a walk.”
Lucas glanced at his phone, and her gaze followed the movement.
“Nope.” She shook her head. “You’ve been on your phone all afternoon. Whatever it is can’t be that important.”
“I guess you’re right.” He got up and held out an arm. “Shall we go, milady?”
“Milady?” Kendra laughed that sweet laugh of hers as she took his arm.
“You like fairy tales, and that’s what they say in fairy tales.”
“Well, all right, then, milord.” She bobbed a curtsey. “Although I really don’t like fairy tales that much.”
“Sure, sure. What’s your favorite one?”
“Hmm. I’ve always been a fan of ‘Beauty and the Beast.’” They started toward the door and exited their room into the hallway.
“Brothers Grimm or Disney?”
“Oh, you do know something about fairy tales.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “Well, to be honest, I like the Disney versions. I like that they’re so magical and have happy endings. The Grimms’ stories tend to be too violent for me.”
“I always liked Brothers Grimm fairy tales,” Lucas said, escorting her down the stairs.
“My mom has a book of them, and she’d read the stories to me at bedtime when I was very young.
” His parents lived in Missouri still, and he only saw them once or twice a year, but he still treasured those memories.
“Really? Did you have a favorite?”
“I liked that in ‘Cinderella,’ the stepsisters finally got what was coming to them.” At that, he thought of Jim Adams, his CFO, his former friend, and the man who might have ruined Omegron.
While he didn’t want Jim to cut off his toes or have his eyes pecked out like what had happened to the stepsisters, he did hope that Jim faced justice.
“Your favorite part is the vengeance.” Kendra’s eyebrows rose. “I see we like different parts of the fairy tales.”
Lucas laughed. “At least we have something in common, in that we’ve both read some fairy tales.”
“And we like Mexican Coke. So, we’re basically two peas in a pod.” Kendra winked, which made Lucas smile.
They strolled through the resort grounds, passing dozens of other couples eating ice cream, dipping their feet in the pool, or watching the sunset.
They passed the spa building where they’d had their massages, a few restaurants they hadn’t visited yet, the miniature-golf course, and a beach volleyball court before circling back through the pool area.
“What do you think they’re up to?” Lucas asked, nodding to an older white-haired couple who were playing chess with a magnetic board balanced between their lounge chairs.
“You don’t know them?” Kendra raised her eyebrows in shock. “That’s Doris White and her husband, Alexander White. They’re a famous husband-wife chess duo. They even won the international chess pentathlon in Rome last year.”
Lucas glanced at the couple, surprised, then looked back at Kendra. Her green eyes were glinting mischievously again, and he laughed.
“You almost got me there.”
“You don’t believe me?” She pressed her free hand to her chest in mock horror. “How rude.”
“I think the ‘chess pentathlon’ gave you away. There’s no such thing as a chess pentathlon.”
“There is so,” Kendra replied. “It has five events: regular chess, life-sized chess, running, sharpshooting, and horseback riding.”
“So, you expect me to believe that this sweet, elderly couple not only play chess but also run, sharpshoot, and ride horseback?”
“Shh.” Kendra lifted her finger to her lips, looking around. “Don’t speak so loudly. Mr. White has such good aim that he could probably throw a pebble right into your ear from there if they overheard us talking about them. And Mrs. White could definitely beat us in a footrace, before you ask.”
Lucas chuckled. “Okay, two can play this game.” He scanned the crowd, his eyes landing on a young couple on the far side of the pool area. “Do you see Princess Elizabeth and Prince Benjamin over there?” he asked.
“No.” Kendra shook her head. “I only see Eloise and Claude Bennoit, notable French poets and co-founders of the Flaky Croissant Society.”
“Hey.” Lucas nudged her with his shoulder. “I was going to make up a story.”
“Clearly — whereas I’m telling the truth.” She winked again.
“You have an excellent imagination.”
“No. I just have a great memory for names and faces.” She tapped the side of her head with one finger. “That’s how I know celebrities like the Whites and the Bennoits.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t recognize me, then.” Lucas paused, and she turned to face him.
“Oh.” She nodded sagely. “You’re the archduke of Devonshire. You’re right. I should have recognized you.”
It would have been the perfect time to explain who he actually was, but Lucas simply nodded. “Exactly.” Part of him wanted to be honest with her, but a stronger part held back. They still didn’t know each other that well, and there was no reason to ruin the fun they were sharing with the truth.
As they joked around about other couples, Lucas realized that he wasn’t even tempted to go back to the room to check his phone.
Kendra was able to distract him from the biggest, most stressful thing in his life — his work — by joking around and being her usual magnetic self.
Despite himself, Lucas was starting to feel something for this funny, creative, romantic woman.
If they’d been in LA, he would have pulled away and buried himself in work until any unexpected feelings passed.
But they weren’t in LA. They were in a resort in Cabo, and Lucas couldn’t, for the life of him, pull away from her.
Nor did he want to. So, why not enjoy this time?
He could allow himself to feel, for a little while, like Kendra really was special to him.