Reckless (Fractured Farrells: A Damaged Billionaire Series Book 2) (8 page)

Apparently she didn’t want to cause a scene because she refrained from yelling at him until she was in the back of the car. “You can’t just take me to your resort against my will!” After she yelled the words, she realized the driver could hear everything they were saying.

Ignoring her for the moment, Robert told the man to take them back to the resort before he turned back to Malia. “It kind of looks like I can.”

“I could call the police,” she threatened.

The corner of his mouth lifted. “The amount of taxes I pay here could fund the entire Honolulu police force for years. I doubt they’d be any help. In fact, I bet if I offered any of them a free, indefinite stay at a world-class resort, they’d jump at the chance. You’re not going to get much sympathy from any of the boys in blue.”

Malia fell into the back of the seat, inching as far away from him as possible. “You’re messed up in the head.”

Maybe he was, but his messed-up head was going to get her somewhere safe and secluded for the rest of the day. “Why don’t we go over what you need right now? I can have one of the staff get you the necessities. Maybe a few extra clothes, phone charger. We have toothpaste and toothbrush at the hotel.” He took out his phone to take notes. “What else do you think you’ll need?”

She looked skeptical. “You’re going to send one of your errand boys on a shopping trip for me? Good grief, I assure you I’m not good enough in bed to warrant this.”

“Malia, I’m not doing this so you’ll sleep with me.”

“Don’t lie to me. I know exactly what your intentions are.”

“My intentions are to fuck you hard and frequently. But I’m helping you because your home and all your belongings were just destroyed and I want to help. Does that clear things up?”

Malia’s mouth hung open in shock and she wordlessly nodded as she inched farther into her seat, slouching down before she turned to look out the window.

Robert wanted to say something comforting or calming, but couldn’t. What the hell did he know about comfort? Walter had never been one for fatherly affection, and as long as his mother got her monthly alimony checks, she never had much use for the son who reminded her of her failed marriage. But he was smart enough to know that Malia needed someone right now. She hadn’t mentioned any friends she wanted to stay with or call.

Strange. He knew she knew people. From the way Moe had talked about her, she’d been a presence on the island for years, and she worked enough jobs. Maybe he wasn’t the only one she was so determined to keep out.

That was probably why he was so drawn to her. The one person just as fucked up as he was.

The driver dropped them off at the busy main entrance to the resort. Robert led her straight to the elevator and hit the button for the top floor.

“Did you already tell them to set up a room for me?”

“I’m putting you in the presidential suite for the rest of the week.”

She raised a skeptical brow. “Fancy. So who’s the president I’m kicking out?”

“Me,” he said simply.

“I thought you said—”

“Don’t worry. I’ll move out as soon as they can get a room ready for me.”
Specifically, the room next door.
“But at least now you have somewhere to relax.”

The elevator doors opened and he led Malia to his hotel room. Not exactly the way he’d imagined leading her to his room when he’d been thinking about her in the shower last night, but it was a win in a roundabout way.

He inserted his room key and the lock slid free, allowing him to hold the door for Malia. She walked in slowly; her eyes bounced over every little detail of the room. He was always meticulously neat when staying at his properties. The employees tended to gossip about his habits, so nothing he left out could be considered safe. He liked to leave the room whenever he went out as though he had never been there.

“This is”—Malia looked around the corner to see the large king bed, sitting area, conference table, and oversized balcony that overlooked the beach—“too much.” She turned to face Robert. “I really don’t need all this. Even a normal room here is probably more than I could ever afford and the idea of taking something for nothing just makes me feel wrong.”

“I told you, I want to do this for you.”

“It’s not even the fact that it’s you giving it to me. I’ve never been handed anything and I’m not comfortable getting help from anyone.”

“What if you give me something in return?”

She set her hands on her hips. “I’ve told you before. I’m not sleeping with you.”

Robert smiled. It was somewhat comforting to know her mind was always in the gutter when it came to him. “That’s not what I meant. I’ve been thinking about what we talked about when you took me out on the tour. I think a really well-publicized fundraiser could be the key to some of my reputation issues.”

“If you can get enough press to attend, I’m sure it could be great for you.”

“Well, one of the best ways to get rich people to come to an event is to have it at an amazing location, and the best way to plan a party is to have someone who knows the location well. So you could be something like my Oahu liaison.”

“That sounds like a bullshit title.”

“It is, but I will need help if I’m going to do this.”

She bit her lip as she glanced around the room. “I still don’t buy it. You have weddings and conferences here all the time. What good would I be?”

“Well, when Farrell Enterprises throws an event, it’s not like anyone else’s party. There will be amazing packages for everyone involved. We can have tour options for every guest to choose from. Maybe they’re included in the ticket price. Maybe they can purchase the tours separately, maybe with a markup of a thousand dollars that would go to the charity?”

Malia’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, did you say a thousand dollars?”

“I don’t think we could go higher for the extras. It would probably be five grand a head to get into the main reception. Maybe the island escape week could be an all-inclusive package for twenty. That’s where you come in. Assist my staff with the details, the nitty-gritty, the connections. Make the whole week so unforgettable that people will finally stop talking about how the devil is getting my room in hell ready.”

“I’m the last person who should be working on rehabbing your name.”

“You hate me more than anyone. Who better to help my image problem than you?”

She let out a little laugh. “I don’t hate you.”

That was news to him. “I knew the presidential suite could win over even the coldest hearts.” She looked as if she was about to snap out a retort, but he continued, “Make sure you spend some time on the balcony. It’s my favorite part of the room.” He led her to the sliding doors, where there were two plush chairs and a small table. The balcony itself stretched the entire length of the room, giving plenty of space to sunbathe when the sun was at the right angle or whatever else it was that people did on balconies. He usually used the space to work and catch up on emails, but he assumed most people didn’t come to his resort for work.

Malia took a deep breath of the warm, salty air. “It is beautiful here.”

The mid-afternoon beachgoers were in full force, and from their view, they could see hundreds of people on the sand and in the clear blue waters of the beach. On land, the sprawling, packed city of Honolulu was laid out before them. “Wait until you see it at night.”

Malia smiled and looked over her shoulder at him, but her face immediately fell. “Oh no!”

He stepped back, trying to figure out what she’d seen to upset her. “Is something wrong?”

“Your suit!” She pressed a hand to his chest, right over his heart. “I got paint on you.”

He glanced down at the barely visible red smudge. Now that he was paying attention, her clothes were spattered with splotches of red here and there. “You were painting?”

“A side job from this morning. Come here.” She took his hand and he followed her into his bathroom. He had no idea what she was planning, but when she started to take off his suit jacket, he didn’t stop to ask questions.

Once she had the jacket off, she froze. “Damn it,” she muttered, and handed the jacket back to him. “Hold this for one second.”

As soon as he held the fabric, she pulled off her oversized denim shirt, dropping it on the floor next to the sink. “Okay, hand me the jacket.”

“As much as I’m loving this situation, is there a reason we’re stripping?”

She smirked at him as she turned on the sink to run cold water. “I’m trying to get this off your jacket and I didn’t want to get even more paint from my shirt on the jacket while I’m cleaning.”

“Should we make sure I don’t have paint on my pants?” he cracked.

“You’re SOL on the pants. I might not even be able to help with this. But it’s worth a try.” She ran the spot under the water, letting the stain get soaked for a few seconds before she turned off the water, set the jacket on the black marble counter and grabbed a clean washcloth from the towel rack. “And now that I think about it, I hope water doesn’t ruin this. What are the washing requirements for this?”

“Dry-clean only. Does that mean it can’t get wet?”

Malia’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know. I’ve never owned anything dry-clean only before.”

“Well, I guess we’ll learn together.”

Malia shook her head as she dabbed at the jacket. “I can’t believe I might’ve ruined this. It probably cost thousands and thousands of dollars.”

“I have lots more where that came from.”

“But it was expensive, right?”

Well, there was no use even denying that.
“If you ruining my jacket directly led to you taking your top off in front of me, that sounds like a win.”

“God, you’re a hornball.” She dabbed at the jacket one more time before she stepped back. “Well, that’s all I can do here. I’m really sorry, Robert.”

“It’s fine. I’ll send it down with the dry cleaning department and they’ll have it good as new. Promise.”

She stepped back and frowned. “Wait. Did you just say there’s dry cleaning here?”

“Well...yeah. But you didn’t give me a chance to say that before you...” He motioned to the tight tank top she wore. “And once that was there, thinking straight suddenly became more difficult.”

“You’re a dog.” Even as she said the words, there was a hint of laughter at the situation in her eyes. They really had made progress.

“No use denying that. Now come here.” Leaving his jacket on the counter, he took her hand and led her back into the room. He felt her tense as they reached the bed, but he just tightened his grip as he pulled her to a stop. “Sit down.”

She narrowed her eyes even as she did what he asked. Once she was down, he crossed to the curtains and pulled them shut. The bright Hawaii sun still creeped in through the cracks in the curtain, but the room was dark enough. Once it was shut, he picked up his laptop and charging cord.

“I’m going to catch up on a few things, but I want you to spend the next few hours relaxing. I’ll have someone grab some clothes for you and we’ll regroup later tonight.”

Malia nodded and ran her hands over the soft white comforter.

Robert’s cock hardened at the sight, and he wished like hell that he wasn’t leaving. “I’ll be back later,” he promised. And then they would have a serious talk about the sleeping arrangements.

He started to leave, but Malia stood.

He turned to face her. “I’m not playing around. You need to rest and—”

Malia twisted her fingers in his shirt and pulled him down for a kiss. Any noble intentions flew out the window and off the balcony as he crushed her body against his. He ran his hands along her back and toned ass as he let her lead the kiss. She took out her frustrations of the day as she nibbled on his bottom lip and raked her nails along his back.

“Fuck,” he muttered. Her animalistic side was sexier than he could’ve imagined. Somehow in his fantasies, she’d been timid and shy, but this reality was so much better.

He knelt and, tightening his grip on her ass, he lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. The second he pressed into the juncture between her thighs, he almost thought he was going to explode. Luckily it was only a three-foot walk to the bed until he had her underneath him.

He immediately turned his attention to her neck, taking his time as he tried to figure out what spots drove her crazy. A soft nibble where neck met shoulder, a quick nibble at the collarbone and she was squirming in his arms.

He moved lower, pulling at the low-cut tank and bra until her breasts spilled free. He took a moment to appreciate the sight. Her breasts were firm and tight and absolutely perfect. They were the same tan color as her legs and face, letting him know that was her natural color. The very thought made him want to get the rest of her clothes off.

But first things first. He cupped one full breast in his hand while he bent his head to the other one, teasing and taunting the nipple between his lips and mouth.

Malia made these small, soft moans as she ran her hands over his shoulders and neck, urging him on.

His free hand reached up; his fingers intertwined with hers as he held her to the bed, and he kissed back up her neck until he reached her mouth again. One of her legs hooked around his thigh as she rubbed herself against him. Between her bare breasts against his chest and the sexy as hell moans, it was all he could do to not rip off the rest of their clothes.

But if she was taking a chance on him, he was damn well going to make this good for her.

As he moved back down her body, the shrill ring of the hotel phone cut through the sounds of their breaths and they each froze in place, the haze of tension broken in one abrupt second.

The phone rang again. Then again. “Umm...it’s probably for you,” said Malia from under him.

He looked down at her. Her chest rose and fell with her breasts and the slightest pink blush crept behind her tan skin. “If it’s important, they can leave a message.”

Malia hesitantly met his eyes. “I don’t want to be the reason you miss anything.”

She’d changed her mind. Mother—
Robert leaned back and snatched the phone off the receiver. “What?” he snapped. It was Lindsey, one of his employees in finance. Apparently there was some emergency that came up and his attention was needed immediately.