Page 3 of Honor ’N’ Duty

“That I’ve never done,” she said wistfully. “Mostly, that’s a tourist thing. Maybe, someday.”

“You should also go jet skiing at Isla Verde. Great way to see the coast.” Kade still remembered that trip. Josh had joined him but never left the hotel, preferring to lounge by the pool rather than experiencing all the beauty, history, and adventure Puerto Rico had to offer. “But I’m guessing that’s a tourist thing, too?”

“It is.” She smiled. “There’s so much more to the island than people know. Tourists only skim the surface and see what’s in the travel brochures. To experience the true heartbeat of Puerto Rico you have to stray from the beaten path.”

There was no missing the sadness brimming in her lovely eyes. “Sounds like you miss it.”

“I do. Especially the food.” She chuckled. “Puerto Ricans are as passionate about their food as the French.”

“I didn’t know that,” he admitted. “Have you ever eaten at Casita Moreno? Their stuffed mofongo is awesome.” The last time he’d gone there, he’d eaten two servings.

“I actually have eaten there.” She nodded, almost reluctantly. “It’s good, but the best mofongo I ever had was at a little hole-in-the-wall place down a side street you’ve probably never even heard of. You’d have to be a local to know it was even there. When I was little, we went there on my birthday for tres leches cake. It was my favorite.”

He loved tres leches. “If you could celebrate your birthday anywhere in the world, where would you spend it?”

“Hawaii. I’ve never been there. What about you?”

“I think I’d like to go back to Puerto Rico again and see your version of the island, not the tourist version.”

She blushed, and her eyes darted away, but not before he caught the little smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Here he was stuck in an elevator with a woman he’d known for less than ten minutes and he was already—

He glanced at his watch and holy shit. Forty minutes had passed.

The smooth skin on her forehead creased. “What is it?”

“Nothing.” Nothing bad, anyway. Being stuck in this elevator with her for another forty minutes would be the best thing that had happened to him in a long time. But the frown on her face deepened. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “I’m just late for a meeting. Really late.”

“Do you want to call someone?” He dug into his pocket for his phone. “You can use my phone.”

When he held out his cell, she reached for it but stopped. Rather than take the phone, she stared at him intently. When she smiled, his heart began slamming against his ribs. When they escaped from this elevator, there was no way he was saying goodbye. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her to be his personal tour guide on a lengthy trip to Puerto Rico, which was ridiculous, considering they’d known each other less than an hour.

“Laia,” he said, soaking up whatever this amazing connection bouncing between them was, “would you like to have dinner with me tonight?” The answer had to be yes. Judging by the electricity zapping between them, he sensed it would be. He held his breath, hoping she couldn’t hear that muscle in his chest bouncing around like a beach ball.

Slowly, her smile faded, and her expression turned…sad. There was no other word for it. “Kade, I—”

The elevator jerked, then started to rise.

He grabbed the folder, handing it to Laia as he helped her to stand. The sorrow in her eyes had deepened, and she wouldn’t even look at him.

“Laia?” He touched his fingers to her cheek. “What’s wrong?”

Before she could answer, the elevator stopped, and the doors opened. Josh and a small crowd had gathered, including two elevator repairmen.

Kade dropped his hand, surprised to find a flare of annoyance in Josh’s eyes. Okay, so he was late for their lunch, but it wasn’t like his brother to get so bent out of shape over something so small.

“What the hell are you doing?” Josh asked him, then reached for Laia, tugging her into the hallway, then running his hands up and down her arms. “Are you all right? I was notified the elevator was stuck, but I had no idea you were in there.”

“I’m fine,” Laia said, trying to slip past Josh, but he didn’t let her. Instead, he tucked her to his side, placing his hand protectively at her waist.

Josh refocused on Kade, his eyes still flashing with annoyance, the source of which Kade didn’t understand. Then he saw it, something else he’d long ago learned to decipher when his brother had managed to one-up him. Satisfaction.

His brother smirked. “Kade. This is my fiancé, Laia.”

“What?” Kade remained in the elevator, looking from Josh to Laia, whose expression was anything but happy.

“Come to my office, bro.” Josh’s smirk deepened, then he leaned down to kiss Laia’s cheek, never taking his eyes off Kade. “This was what I wanted to tell you. We got engaged last night.”