Billionaire's Island Bride (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) (2 page)

“What makes you
think-”

Dare held up his
hand, effectively silencing the balding man.  “I don’t think.  I know.  I heard
them giggling back there long before she attacked.  I knew they were up to
something.  I just didn’t expect a near drowning.”

“I think you have
it wrong, senor.”

All three men
turned back to the counter to a smiling bartender.  He was busy wiping glasses
but it was obvious he'd been listening and had formed his own opinion, one he
was more than willing to share.

“How’s that,
Danny?”  Dare had to hear this one. 

“Been observing
those girls for the last couple of days and that tiny one who jumped you is as
harmless as a kitten.”

Dare stared at
Danny’s wide smile, incredulous.  “That kitten almost drowned me.”

“Nah, she just
tripped.  I think she was trying to flirt with you.”

“And is that any better,
trying to come on to me?  I’m sick of being stalked.”

“Aw, senor, I
should have your problem.”

All the men at the
bar laughed at Danny’s comment and he laughed too, but he was not done.

“It’s those other
girls you should worry about.  For the last two days they’ve been in the pool
daring one another to do all kinds of crazy things.”  He slid a fresh martini
in front of Dare.  “Today is the first time I saw the little one get involved. 
I guess they must have goaded her into it.”

Dare was silent
for a moment, thinking.  He delayed his response by sipping at the drink. 
Somehow he was not convinced by Danny’s defense.  But still, he was intrigued. 

He could still
feel the petite girl’s luscious breasts pressed into his chest even though he’d
held her for less than two seconds.  She was appealing, no doubt about that,
and there was something about her that made him want to see her again.  But
he’d better let go of that feeling, and fast.  He wouldn’t fall for that trick
– again.

“Danny boy, you
have a lot to learn.”  He laughed good-naturedly at the bartender. 
“Gold-diggers come in all shapes and sizes.”

“Dare, I am shocked. 
This is not like you,” Ed said, imitating the voice of an elderly schoolmarm.

Dare couldn’t help
laughing out loud.  But then he got serious.  “I have lots of reasons to be
like this and it comes from not so pleasant experiences.”  One in particular,
but he wasn’t going to go into that with them.

“Let’s forget
about them and get back to a more interesting topic.  Like basketball.”

The men got back
to their previous conversation and in no time were engrossed in Roger’s account
of the most exciting basketball final of all time – the Chicago Bulls against
Utah Jazz in 1998 when Michael Jordon scored the winning basket in the last
minute of the game, locking Utah out and winning 87-86.  He’d been there and
never tired of recounting his experience.

Dare joined in the
conversation at all the appropriate moments but his mind was far away, wondering
if he would see that pixie again.  After the way his body had reacted to her it
would be best if he never did.

CHAPTER TWO

“I can’t believe
you did it.”  Robyn’s voice was tinged with disbelief.        

Erin bit her lip,
wanting to shout that it was a stupid thing to do.  Instead she shook her head
and walked over to the villa’s wide bay window that faced the white sandy beach
and the brilliant blue sea.  The island was beautiful, a paradise on earth, but
here she was in the middle of all this beauty and all she was feeling was
miserable.

She’d almost
drowned a man and had embarrassed herself in the process all in the name of
fitting in.  Somehow it didn’t seem like it had been worth it.  And what a man
she'd picked.  He was obviously not like the fun-loving guys who had fallen
prey to her friends’ pranks.  This one obviously did not appreciate being
jumped.  She should have known that from his posture.  He was no college kid,
that was for sure.  More like some big shot businessman.  A really hot
businessman.

Her mind rushed
back to the feel of his muscled torso pressed against her breasts and her
breath quickened.  Even now, just at the memory of it, a delicious shiver
coursed through her body.

But the man was a
jerk for dunking her like that.  Attraction or no attraction, he was the kind
of man to stay far away from.  She just prayed that for the rest of her week on
the island she would not run into him again.

“Come on, Erin. 
Get out of that funk.  Let’s take a dip in the ocean.”  Maria took her by the
shoulders and began steering her toward the French doors.  “The day is young. 
We’re bound to find some hunks lounging on the beach.”

That did it for Erin. 
She’d had enough of hunks for one day.  “You guys go on ahead.  I’ll just catch
up on some reading.”

“On spring
break?”  Tisha huffed in disgust.  “You never know when to quit, do you?”

Erin smiled
ruefully, not wanting to dampen their high spirit.  “Yeah, that’s me.  Got to
get my daily fix or I’ll have withdrawal symptoms.  You guys go on and have
fun.  I’ll see you later.”  And before they could object she turned and headed
for her bedroom, closing the door firmly behind her.

That evening Erin
woke to the sounds of the girls returning from what must have been an
exhilarating day at the beach.  They were even louder than usual, giggling and
screaming as they burst into the villa.  Could she survive another three days
of this?  She wished Robyn’s parents hadn't bought the airline ticket for her. 
She would have gladly remained behind at the college, locked away in the
library, absorbed in a stack of books.

She sighed in
relief when they didn’t bother to knock on her door but instead showered and
dressed to go down to the garden for the buffet style dinner that was usually
served there.  She wasn’t hungry and worse, she didn’t want to take the chance
of running into that man again.

Erin was deep into
the history of medieval European art when the girls returned.

“Give it a break, Erin.” 
Robyn walked over to the sofa and grabbed the tome out of her hands.  “You do
know how to kill a party.  Why do you have to study all the time?”

“I’m not
studying.  For me that’s fun reading.”  Erin forced a smile, not wanting to
dampen their mood.  “So how was dinner?”

“Good food, like
always.”  Tisha kicked off her sandals and walked over to turn on the TV.  Then
she flopped down onto the couch across from Erin.  “I ate so much fried fish
and tacos I feel like I’m going to pop.”

“I’ve got the
perfect way to work off all this food.”  Robyn’s eyes sparkled.

Erin’s heart sank. 
What weird scheme was she cooking up now?

“There’s a new DJ
coming to the resort nightclub.  He’s from Japan and word is he’s really good. 
Keeps the dance floor hopping, is what I hear.”

“Does he play
salsa?”  Maria swayed her hips to imaginary music.

“He can play
anything.  All you have to do is request it.”

“So what time do
we hit the dance floor?”  Tisha looked more than interested.  She was always
one for a good dance party.  She could dance all night and not break a sweat.

“What time can you
be ready, Erin?”  Robyn gave her a pointed look.

“Me?  I didn’t say
I was going.”

“You’ve been
hiding out in your room all afternoon and you’ve been studying on spring break,
only heaven knows why.  I’m not leaving you in here to take the color of the
walls.”

“It’s okay, I’m
fine…”

“No, it’s not
fine.  My dad didn’t fly you down here so you can be a drag and spoil all the
fun.  We’re all supposed to be having fun together.”

Erin’s smile froze
and she stared back at Robyn’s determined face.  She hadn’t just thrown that in
her face, had she?  But one look at the girl’s unapologetic glare said that she
had, and she was not taking it back.

So that was it. 
Because Robyn’s father had paid for her trip to Santa Marta Erin was beholden
to her and was supposed to follow her every command.  She was here to make sure
Robyn had fun. 

Obviously that was
what the redhead thought or else she would not be staring back at her so smugly
after making a comment like that.

Okay, now she knew
where she stood and she could not wait for the week to pass.  In the meanwhile
she would play along with Robyn’s game, humor her if that was what she wanted,
then when they got back to Vancouver she would go back to her life on the
college campus, far away from Robyn and her demands.

By the time they
were ready to leave at about nine o’clock that night Erin felt a little better. 
She might as well try to have some fun.  After all, she might never have the
opportunity to have an island vacation again.  She’d spent a lot of time trying
to look good.  Her normally curly hair had been brushed straight and swept up
in a chignon high on top of her head.  The new look made her feel
sophisticated, confident.  She’d picked a black dress with a flared skirt that
fell just above the knees and she was wearing her favorite high heeled sandals,
the one with the rhinestones on the straps. She might not be the best dressed
in the group but she could stand beside any of them.

As they walked
along the cobbled pathway leading from their villa to the main building of the
tropical resort Erin breathed in deeply, savoring the fruity smell of the
flowers that lined the path.  It was a balmy, tropical night.  The gentle
breeze from the ocean wafted over her skin and the sound of the rolling waves
was soothing in her ears.  Despite the problems, she'd been enjoying her stay
on the island and didn’t want to think about leaving all this to go back to
cold Vancouver just yet.

They knew they
were close to the nightclub when they heard the horns, trumpets and steel pans
of the island music.

“Hey, I don’t know
how to dance to that kind of music,” Tisha said with a pout.

Maria laughed. 
“You?  You can dance to anything, girl.  I’ve seen you on the dance floor.”

Tisha looked
pleased and started to sway her hips to the liquid sounds, her gold dress
floating around her athletic legs.

“That’s not how
you do it,” Robyn chimed in, obviously determined to turn the spotlight back on
herself.  “When you do these island dances you have to be real sexy and twist
your hips like this.”

She started to
gyrate in tight circles and soon had her friends dissolving into helpless
laughter.  Dancing was definitely not one of Robyn’s talents.

By the time they
entered the nightclub Erin’s mood was much lighter, even carefree.  The
enthusiasm of the girls was rubbing off on her and she was ready to dance.

At first they all
four danced as a group, forming a tight little circle in the crowd of people. 
When the DJ switched from merengue to the steady rhythms of reggae they kept on
dancing, bobbing to the sounds of Bob Marley’s “We Jammin’”.

Tisha really
showed her moves when the DJ began to play dancehall music.  The deep, gravelly
sound of Sean Paul’s lyrics filled the room and she began a slow, sexy movement
of the hips that had Erin staring in fascination.

The people dancing
closest to their group were watching Tisha too and soon they were cheering her
on, clapping to the tune of the music while she danced.  When the song ended
they all clapped and she curtsied cutely in appreciation. 

Erin was not
surprised when a handsome, honey-colored man approached her friend and asked
her for a dance.  Tisha gave him a brilliant smile, obviously flattered by his
attention, and sauntered off to the other end of the dance floor.

Maria, who loved
attention, began a sexy Latin dance, no matter that the music had no Latin
flavor at all.  She was not used to Tisha usurping her position as the most
visible and most attractive member of the group.  She wanted to win her
position back.

As she danced, her
body-hugging red dress glittered under the strobe lights, emphasizing her
voluptuous hips and ample curves.  Her long hair swayed, tickling her bottom
like a scarf of jet black silk. 

Maria now began to
get the attention she craved, with the crowd giving her the cheers and claps
they’d just showered on Tisha.  This only spurred her on to more risque moves
and Erin stared in surprise as the Latin beauty suddenly dipped to the floor
and came back up, sliding her body up the length of a thin, brown-haired man
who’d been watching her in fascination.  She began dancing close to the man, rubbing
against him, teasing him then pulling back only to press into him again.

He was obviously
loving it.  He slid a tentative arm around her and then as she pressed into him
he became bolder, matching her dips and sways with jerky movements of his own.

Soon the crowd
closed around the dancing couple.  And then there were two.  Erin rocked to the
beat of the music and smiled over at Robyn, wondering how soon it would be
before she found a partner and disappeared, too.