LITMIR.BIZ

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she waited to register, Caitlyn accepted a crystal flute of champagne from a passing waiter and felt the last of her doubts slip away on a contented sigh. There would be time enough to worry about leaving Lyon Shipping. More than time enough to worry about finding a new job.

      For right now, she was going to surrender to the lush, indulgent vibe pulsing through this place.

      Two days later, though, Caitlyn was already getting a little antsy. She was doing her best to combat the feeling. Stretched out on a red-and-white-flowered chaise, with a tall tropical drink at her side, she set her paperback down on her stomach and looked out at the water.

      Miles and miles of clear, beautiful ocean stretched out in front of her and eased into shore, lapping up across powdery white sand. A cool breeze took the edge off the heat and the simple beauty of the place should have been enough to make her relax. Instead, her rotten brain kept turning back to Jefferson. The look on his face when she’d quit. The fact that now that she didn’t work for him anymore, she’d probably never see him again.

      But that was as it should be, right? There was nothing between them but a job she didn’t have anymore. So it was better that he was out of her life.

      If that were true, though, why wasn’t she happier?

      “I’m worried,” she said into her cell phone, picking up her drink for a sip of strawberry-flavored alcohol.

      “About what?” Janine demanded. “You’re at the most talked-about resort on the planet. You’re being waited on hand and foot. You’re footloose and fancy-free. You’re young and single and there must be at least a dozen men in arm’s reach of you.”

      “True,” Caitlyn admitted, letting her gaze slide across the sand and the golden-tanned bodies either laying in the sun or playing volleyball.

      “So what could you possibly be worried about?”

      “Jefferson,” she admitted on a disgusted groan. She couldn’t help it. She’d left him in the lurch, and that just didn’t feel right. She’d walked out of his office and his life without any more than a moment’s thought. Of course she shouldn’t have quit without even giving him proper notice. For heaven’s sake, she had more pride in her work than that. “I just walked out, Janine. Left him high and dry with nobody to run things.”

      “Just what he deserved,” her friend said, then added to someone else, “Don’t put baby’s breath in with hydrangeas. For God’s sake, were you born in a barn?”

      Caitlyn smiled. The high-priced florist shop where Janine was the head designer was always busy, and Janine was always on top of everything.

      “Honestly, Cait,” she said on a sigh, “Lyon Shipping isn’t your problem anymore. You’ve got to learn to let go a little. How are you supposed to have a vacation if your brain’s still back here in Long Beach?”

      “You’re right, I know you’re right,” she said, taking another sip of her drink and letting the icy concoction chill the quick flash of heat she felt just at the thought of Jefferson Lyon. “But, Janine—”

      “No buts,” she interrupted. “Michael, if you break another vase, I swear, I’m going to—” The sound of breaking glass came through the phone loud and clear. “Just kill me now,” Janine muttered.

      Caitlyn laughed.

      A minute later, though, Janine said, “Cait, get out there and meet people. Men people. Get drunk. Get laid. Get Jefferson Lyon out of your system.”

      A volleyball landed right next to her, spraying her with sand before bouncing to hit her stomach. “Hey!”

      “What is it?” Janine asked.

      “Attacked by a volleyball,” Caitlyn muttered as the ball’s owner jogged up to her, a big grin on his amazingly gorgeous face.

      “Sorry about that,” the guy said. “I’m Chad. Can I buy you a drink to apologize?”

      “Oh, you don’t have to—”

      “Don’t you dare turn him down,” Janine ordered from a couple thousand miles away. “This is why you’re there, girlfriend. To relax. To live a little.”

      “Umm …” Caitlyn said, listening to Janine and watching the gorgeous beach guy.

      “Is he cute?”

      “Uh-huh.” Like-a-movie-star cute.

      “Are you okay?” he asked.

      “Yeah,” she said. “Fine.”

      “Caitlyn Amanda Monroe,” Janine threatened, “don’t be an idiot. This is why you’re there. Remember?”

      She remembered. She was supposed to be relaxing. Meeting new people. Men people. And there was no time like the present to get started, she supposed.

      Nodding to herself, she smiled, swallowed her nervousness and said, “Hi, Chad. I’m Caitlyn. And I’d love a drink.”

      Five

      Caitlyn had about a half hour to shower and dress before meeting Chad for drinks in the main bar. She hurried down the long, tiled hallway to her own door, digging in her pocket for the key card as she ran. She shouldn’t have agreed to meet the guy for a drink. And if Janine hadn’t been on the phone with her at the time, she wouldn’t have.

      She just wasn’t feeling very sociable at the moment. Not that she wasn’t interested in meeting new people—men people—it was just that she was too busy thinking about Jefferson to appreciate someone else. Even someone as gorgeous as Chad.

      “Which is just sick and twisted and wrong,” she muttered, dropping her tote bag on the end of the bed. “Why you should be thinking about your former boss at all is a mystery. He’s gone. Out of your life. Kaput. Adios, amigo. Sayonara. Ciao. Arrivederci.”

      “That’s two in Italian.”

      “Yikes!” Caitlyn clutched at her throat, spun around on her heel, lost her balance and tumbled back across the bed. Eyes wide, heart racing, she stared at Jefferson as he walked casually out of her bathroom. A thick fog of misting steam rolled out the open door behind him, surrounding him in a haze that made him look almost otherworldly. Of course, the towel hooked around the waist of his naked body wasn’t helping the situation any.

      His hair was wet and drops of water were still rolling across his tanned, much-more-muscled-than-she’d-dreamed chest. And his piercing blue eyes were locked on hers. His full, delicious-looking mouth quirked in a half smile as she pushed herself up to a sitting position.

      “Surprise.”

      “Surprise? What do you mean, surprise? What are you doing here?” She held up a hand as her heartbeat slowed from frantic down to way too fast. “Scratch that. Never mind what you’re doing here. What are you doing here? In my room here, I mean. How did you get in? Why would you—How could you—” She broke off, gulped some air and then settled for glaring at him.

      Jefferson shrugged, and Caitlyn couldn’t help but watch the play of muscles that shifted with that minor action. But she steadfastly kept her gaze above that towel. Oh, boy, she could be in some serious trouble here. No, she wasn’t in love with her boss, but she was clearly quite deeply in lust with him.

      And seeing him in that towel and a few drops of water was enough to make any woman start drooling.

      “I came to bring you back home,” he said. “Back to Long Beach. Back to the company.”

      Of course that’s why he was here. God, she was such an idiot. Taking a shower in her room only meant that he had needed a shower and helped himself. It didn’t mean that he was here for her. Naturally, the only thing on Jefferson’s mind was the usual. Himself.

      “I quit, remember?”

      He laughed, and the sound echoed

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