Take It Down
Fulfill all your cravings at our intimate adults-only resort on a secluded Caribbean island. It’s lush, decadent and filled with treasures from around the world...some of which may be stolen.
Artist Elle Monroe is looking for a painting that was taken from her, and she’ll do anything to get it back. Little does she know how good “anything” will feel.... Or that she might end up on her back finding out.
Security head CIA Zane Edwards knows she’s up to no good. But as he keeps her under surveillance, he learns there’s something more to Elle than her criminal tendencies. Something that makes his blood burn, and her eyes dance.
Something that they can’t fight for long.
And there’s only one way to satisfy this craving....
“I told you I’d be watching.”
His voice sounded gravelly, filled with craving as he stared at her from the shore.
“Are you stupid or just suicidal?” he asked.
“Neither.” She shot him a taunting grin.
“You have to be one or the other to walk into the jungle alone.”
“You managed to find me, Officer Edwards.”
“Special agent.”
Her smile grew.
He waded into the water and grasped her ankle. She thrashed and rolled.
“Let me go!”
“Not a chance.”
With his free hand he reached down to grab her arm. Instead, he got a palmful of silk-covered breast.
She stilled. Her face was blank, but her eyes burned as she watched him. They’d both been fighting this for days.
His lips pulled down into a frown. “We probably shouldn’t be doing this.”
“Shut up and kiss me,” she whispered.
Dear Reader,
I have to admit that the ideas for my Island Nights trilogy didn’t exactly come in order. In fact, Elle in Take It Down appeared to me first and inspired the entire series.
Sometimes characters just take over, and that was the case with my little firecracker. Elle is daring and impulsive, and I had so much fun finding her an equally strong hero in Zane—a man who could not only go toe-to-toe with her, but also balance out that impetuous nature.
Elle first appeared in my head breaking in to hotel rooms, although she was quick to point out that she didn’t actually take anything. That brought up so many questions. What was she looking for? Why hotel rooms? And who would be the worst possible man for her to fall for in the middle of all this? The rest of the story just sort of snowballed from there.
I had so much fun writing Elle and Zane’s story. They struck sparks off each other from the first moment and it was a joy to put them into precarious situations that fought against their idea of what they should/could want.
I hope you enjoy Take It Down as much as I do! I’d love to hear what you think. You can contact me at [email protected] or visit me at www.KiraSinclair.com.
Best wishes,
Kira Sinclair
Kira Sinclair
Take it Down
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
When not working as an office manager for a project management firm or juggling plot lines, Kira spends her time on a small farm in north Alabama with her wonderful husband, two amazing daughters and a menagerie of animals. It’s amazing to see how this self-proclaimed city girl has (or has not, depending on who you ask) adapted to country life. Kira enjoys hearing from her readers at her website, www.kirasinclair.com. Or stop by writingplayground.blogspot.com and join in the fight to stop the acquisition of an alpaca.
Books by Kira Sinclair
HARLEQUIN BLAZE
415—WHISPERS IN THE DARK
469—AFTERBURN
588—CAUGHT OFF GUARD
605—WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
667—BRING IT ON
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I’d like to dedicate this book to three strong, savvy and supportive women—Vicki Lewis Thompson, Rhonda Nelson and Andrea Laurence.
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Contents
Prologue
“WHY THE HELL ARE THESE people in my bedroom?”
Zane Edwards leaned back into a dark corner—the only spot in the place that wasn’t buzzing with activity—and prepared for an excellent show. Between the photographer shouting instructions, his assistants moving furniture, light stands and anything else that got in their way, and Marcy constantly flipping through a clipboard of papers she hugged to her chest like a lifeline, the normally large space suddenly felt pretty small.
And Simon Reeves, his boss and longtime friend, was about to make it smaller.
Even from his melt-into-the-background location, Zane could see Marcy, the resort’s manager, grind her teeth. Her skin paled before flushing an angry pink. Oh, goody, the fireworks were about to start. Up until now, his day had been pretty damn boring.
Marcy had asked him to shadow the production team there to take marketing and publicity photographs. Not exciting, although not much about his job as head of security for Escape, an adults-only Caribbean resort on Île du Coeur—an island just off the coast of St. Lucia—was.
He knew how important this shoot was to Marcy, though, so he’d do his part. She needed these photographs for a magazine ad campaign, and the deadline was fast approaching. They’d intended to feature a couple, but the pair they’d had an agreement with backed out at the last minute—after the photographs had already been taken.
The couple, Colt and Lena, had paid for the photographs and compensated the resort for the cost of production, so Escape wasn’t out any money. But they’d definitely lost time. Marcy’d had to regroup and brainstorm an entirely new concept, since she didn’t have time to hire more talent.
Apparently, Simon had forgotten he’d given Marcy permission to shoot in his private space. Not unusual when the man had his nose buried in that computer—which was always.
With a cutting tone of voice that reminded Zane of his high school calculus teacher, Marcy said, “This marketing campaign is going to bring us the kind of exposure that draws guests, Simon.”
“We don’t need more guests,” was Simon’s rather predictable response. It was entirely possible that Zane was the only person on the island who understood why the man had no desire to fill the resort to the rafters.
Fewer guests meant fewer disruptions, giving Simon the space and time he needed to write. Simon had his reasons for keeping his career as an author a secret—even from Marcy. Betrayal by someone you trusted could make you rather…reluctant to let people in. And Simon had definitely been betrayed. Courtney, his ex-girlfriend, had really done a number on him, stealing his work and passing it off as her own.
The only reason Zane knew the truth was because he and Simon had been friends since their fraternity days. They might have gone their separate ways after college, but they’d always had each other’s backs. When Zane’s life had imploded, Simon had been the first to offer him somewhere to stay, and when Zane had refused the handout, Simon had given him a job. Hence his position at Simon’s resort.
Not everyone knew Simon had bought Île du Coeur not as a business investment but as a secluded place to come and lick his wounds. Apparently, the island was good for that. Marcy didn’t know the truth, so she didn’t understand. All she saw was a man who’d bought a resort and then didn’t give a damn about actually making it run. Which was actually far from the truth. Zane knew Simon needed the place to support itself. The man had some money, but the upkeep for Escape was unbelievable and he needed to cover operating expenses.
“We have empty rooms, Simon. We need more guests. Especially during the off season.”
Simon leaned languidly against the door frame, completely uncaring that every person in the room had stopped moving to turn and stare. “I like the off season just fine. I enjoy the peace and quiet.”
Zane figured he had exactly thirty seconds to step in or Marcy was going to lose it. Her blue eyes flashed a warning that Zane knew Simon would ignore. A smile played at the corners of Simon’s lips, almost as if he were looking forward to the fallout of whatever was going to come next.
And if there hadn’t been an audience, Zane might have slipped quietly out of the room and let it happen. The two of them had been striking enough sparks off each other lately to light the bonfire they held on the beach. But they weren’t alone, so…
On silent feet, Zane moved between Marcy’s glaring gaze and Simon’s impish grin and said quietly, “Not the time or place, guys,” tipping his head to the spectators.
Simon looked over Marcy’s shoulder at the people staring, and his lips tightened into a straight line. Oh, that was worse. Marcy pissed he could handle. Simon angry was unusual and therefore infinitely more volatile. Even though Zane was an ex-CIA agent trained in fifty ways to kill with household objects, he tried to avoid Simon when the man’s temper flared.