“Well, there you go.”
“There I go what?” Kyra tossed out a handful of sand in frustration.
“Into his arms. Maybe some people could have a fling without feeling any deep-down, loin-quivering attraction, but not you. This Mary person is good.”
“Merrilee,” Kyra corrected absently.
“Whatever. My point is this is perfect. You’re completely attracted to the guy, and yet you have to walk away at the end. These Fantasies, Inc. folks didn’tthrow your money down the tubes. Maybe I’ll come there one of these days.”
“But the walking away part? I told you. He makes me feel all—”
“It doesn’t matter,” Mona said. “Because you don’t know who he is. Repeat after me—a-non-y-mous. You can walk away from this guy ’cause there is no guy at the other end. No one you know, anyway. Didn’t you say you’re not even sure Michael’s his real name?”
“Well, yeah.” Danielle had told her the staff was clueless, and there was no registered guest named Michael. Even if it was a total lie, it didn’t help Kyra. “I don’t know…”
“Knock it off. I know you better than that. You want this guy. And you knew damn well I’d tell you to go for it.”
She closed her eyes, blocking out the truth. “I feel guilty wanting it.”
“Come on. I mean, I believe that you feel guilty, but that’s just silly. You paid a ton of money for this vacation, and you deserve to get every penny’s worth. Besides, you’re the most responsible person I know. You’ve kept your family together, along with the business. You’re going to agree to marry Harold—”
“Which you don’t approve of.”
“No, I don’t. But it is the Kyra-esque thing to do. I’ve given up trying to talk you out of it. But in the meantime, have a little fun. That’s what you paid for, right?”
“I suppose.”
“And like I’ve been saying all along—anonymous sex with the perfect man?That, my dear, is one hell of a fantasy.”
* * *
TONY LAYon the bed, an ice pack tucked under his lower back as he stared at the ceiling and tried to decide what to do. He wanted to go to her, but feared that she’d turn away from him again.
Of course, turning away from Michael wasn’t the same as turning away from Tony. She wouldn’t be walking away from a useless and broken man, just a man she didn’t know. He’d be disappointed, true, but he wouldn’t be crushed.
Go for it.
A little voice kept repeating the phrase. Take a risk. Take a chance. He knew she was attracted to him, just as he was to her. And he had less than a week left on this island. When in his life would such an opportunity ever arise again? When would he ever have another chance with a woman who made his blood burn—and who wanted him as badly as he wanted her?
A sharp knock at the door distracted him, and for half a second he entertained the fantasy that Kyra was outside waiting on the front porch, ready to throw herself into his arms.
He rolled his eyes at his own foolishness. In less than twenty-four hours, he’d become completely infatuated with the woman. It was absurd. Even if they did start something, in the end, he’d only get hurt. They’d partways at the end of their week, never to see each other again. Or, worse, she’d discover his secret and simply walk away, the disgust on her face only mildly camouflaged.
Again, the knock. Louder this time.
With a groan, he sat up, one hand automatically reaching behind him to soothe the sore muscles. “Come in.”
The door pushed open, and Stuart stepped in. Relief and disappointment swept through Tony.
“Hey, guy,” Stuart said. “I’m going around telling all the guests that it looks like we’ve got another storm coming through tonight.”
“Right. I know. Sounds like it’s going to spoil the beach party.” For the past several days, Tony had noticed the flyers for the Beach Blanket Bingo Party on the west beach. Tony hadn’t intended to go, but Michael had. If not to the actual party, at least to hang around the periphery and make sure nothing untoward happened to anyone.
Stuart shrugged. “The ETA’s not until two in the morning. Merrilee called from the mainland and said that so long as we had enough Jeeps and drivers to get the guests back to their cabanas if it blew in early, we could go ahead with it.” His eyes darted around the cabana. “Are you gonna make it?”
“Not sure. Maybe.” He thought of Kyra, wondering if she’d be there.
“You should come.”
