The Garrisons: Cassie, Adam & Brooke: Stranded with the Tempting Stranger

“And I apologize,” he said quietly, accepting what she felt was her need to take him to task. “I was out for a walk and couldn’t help but notice the game you were playing.”

“You could have said something to let me know you were there,” she said directly, eyeing him.

“And you’re right, but again, I got so caught up in watching you that I didn’t want to interrupt, at least not for a while. If I upset you, I’m sorry.”

Cassie realized she really shouldn’t make such a big deal out of it. After all it wasn’t just her section of private beach, but belonged to anyone who was staying at Diamond Keys, and evidently he was. “Since there hasn’t been any harm done,” she said in a muffled voice, “I will accept your apology.”

He smiled. “Thank you. And I hope you will let me make it up to you.”

“And how do you pose to do that?”

“By asking you to be my guest at dinner tonight,” he said lightly, watching the look of surprise skim her features at his request.

She shook her head. “That’s not necessary.”

“I think it is. I offended you and want to make it up to you.”

“You didn’t offend me. You just caught me off guard.”

“Still, I’d like to make it up to you.”

Cassie bent her head, trying to hide the smile that suddenly touched her lips. If nothing else, he was persistent. Shouldn’t she be as persistent, as well, in turning down his offer?

She lifted her head and met his gaze and for a period of time she was rendered speechless. He had moved into into her line of vision and she thought he was so incredibly handsome, she could actually feel a rush of blood flow through her veins. She doubted that very few women turned down anything coming from him.

“Maybe we should introduce ourselves,” he said, taking a step forward and smiling. He extended his hand out to her. “I’m Brandon Jarrett.”

“And I’m Cassie Sinclair-Garrison.”

It took everything Brandon had to keep the shock that rocked his body from showing in his face. This was Cassie Garrison? The woman who was causing Garrison, Inc., all kinds of trouble? The woman who had been giving Parker heartburn for the past four months? The woman who was a sibling to the Miami Garrisons whether she wanted to acknowledge them or not? The woman who was the main reason he was here on the island?

“Hello, Cassie Sinclair-Garrison,” he said, forcing the words out of his mouth and hesitantly releasing her hand. It had felt good in his, as if it had actually belonged there. He had looked forward to meeting Cassie, but without this element of surprise. He didn’t like surprises and this one was a biggie.

“Hello, Brandon Jarrett,” she said, smiling. “I hope you’re enjoying your stay here.”

“I am. Are you?” he asked, not wanting to give anything away that he recognized her name or knew who she was, although she carried the same last name as the hotel.

“Yes, I’m enjoying myself.”

No doubt at my expense, he thought, when he saw she had no intention of mentioning that she was the hotel’s owner. “I think you might enjoy it even more if you have dinner with me.”

A feeling of uneasiness crept over Cassie. The moment her fingers had slid into the warmth of his when they had shaken hands, she had felt a surge of sensations that settled in the middle of stomach. This guy was smooth and the problem was that she wasn’t used to smooth guys. She dated, but not frequently, and definitely not someone like Brandon Jarrett. It was quite obvious he knew how to work it and it was also quite obvious that he thought he had a chance of working her. That realization didn’t repulse her like it should have. Instead it had her curious. He wouldn’t be the first man who’d tried hitting on her, but he was the first who had remotely triggered her interest in over a year or so.

“We’re back to that, are we?” she asked, chuckling, feeling a little more relaxed than she had earlier.

“Yes, I’m afraid we’re back to that, and I hope you don’t disappoint me. We can dine here at the hotel or go someplace else that’s close by. It will be your choice.”

She knew if would be crazy to suggest to a perfect stranger to take her someplace other than here, but the last thing she wanted was to become the topic of conversation of her employees. Some of them hadn’t yet gotten over the shock that John Garrison was her biological father and that he had left the hotel to her. Making a decision she hoped that she didn’t later regret she said, “I prefer going someplace else that’s close by.”

She could tell her response pleased him. “Is there any place you want to recommend or do you prefer leaving the choice to me?” he asked.

Again putting more trust in him than she really should, she said, “I’ll leave things to you.”

“All right. Do you want us to meet in the lobby in about an hour?”

She knew that wouldn’t work. “No, we can meet back here, at least over there on that terrace near the flower garden.”

“Okay.”

If he found her request strange he didn’t let on. “Then I’ll see you back here in an hour, Cassie Sinclair-Garrison,” he said, smiling again.

Her heart missed a beat with his smile and, holding his gaze a bit longer than she should have, she said goodbye and then turned and quickly began walking back across the sand to her suite.

As Brandon headed back toward his room, he felt more than the October breeze off the ocean. A rush of adrenaline was pumping fast and furious through his veins. What were the chances of the one woman he had been attracted to since his breakup with Jamie Frigate a year ago to be the woman he had purposely come here to get to know?

Jamie.

Even now he had to steel himself against the rising anger he always felt when he thought about his fiancée’s betrayal. How any woman could have been so shallow and full of herself he would never know. But more than that, she had been greedy as hell. She hadn’t been satisfied with just having the things he could give her. While engaged to him she’d had an affair with a California businessman. He had found out about her duplicity when he had returned to Miami unexpectedly from a work-related trip to find her in bed with the man.

He entered his suite, not wanting to think about Jamie any longer, and instead his thoughts shifted back to Cassie. Any information he shared about himself to her would basically be false. But under the circumstances, that couldn’t be helped. Tonight things had fallen into place too nicely for him and for some reason he was bothered by it. The woman he had seen playing a game of hopscotch had had an innocent air about her, definitely not what he had expected. And he had detected some sort of vulnerability, as well.

And he couldn’t dismiss just how incredibly beautiful she was. With her striking good looks he would think she would have a date every night of the week. So the question that was presently popping in his mind was why didn’t she?

In just the brief time he had spent with Cassie he had a feeling she was extremely bright. Maybe it had been the way she had studied him before making the decision to join him for dinner tonight that had given him that perspective.

A chuckle welled up inside of Brandon. He would find out just how bright she was at dinner when he really got into the game of wining and dining her. Whatever it took, he needed her to feel comfortable enough with him to share things about herself; things that could possibly damage her reputation if they became public knowledge.

He was suddenly unnerved by what he had to do and if he dwelled on it too long he would probably find the entire thing disgusting. But he could not let personal feelings or emotions intervene. He had a job to do and he intended to do it well.

Cassie glanced at herself in the mirror once more. She had taken another shower and changed outfits. This one was a dress her mother had bought her earlier in the year that she had never worn until tonight.

It was a slinky thin-strapped mini-dress, fuchsia in color, and what made it elegant was the silver-clasp tie neck. She nervously smoothed the dress down her body, wondering if perhaps in trying to make a good impression she was making some sort of a statement, as well.

She ran her fingers though the long, dark brown curls on her head, fluffing them around her face. A face she thought had a remarkable resemblance to both of her parents, but mainly her father. She had her mother’s eyes but her father’s mouth, nose and cheekbones. And then there was that cleft in her chin that definitely came from him.

Her skin coloring was a mixture of the both of them, but her smile was that of John Garrison. She chewed her bottom lip nervously, thinking her smile was something she hadn’t shown much of lately. But tonight she had smiled more than once already, although she had lowered her head so Brandon wouldn’t see it the first time she’d done so.

She inhaled deeply, thinking for the umpteenth time that Brandon Jarrett was so drop-dead gorgeous it was a shame. No man should be walking around looking like he did and with a well-toned muscled body in whatever clothes he wore, made him downright lethal. He had to be the most beautiful man she’d ever met. On the beach he had been wearing a pair of jeans and a white shirt. And like her, he had removed his shoes. The outfit would have been casual on any other man but not on him.

Evidently he was single. At least he hadn’t had a ring on his finger, but that meant nothing since her father had rarely worn his wedding ring, either. She wondered if Brandon had someone special living in the States. A businessman traveling alone often forgot certain details like that. As owner of the hotel she was observant and perceptive and knew such affairs were going on under her roof, but as long as they were of mutual consent it was no business of hers.

Cassie reached for the matching shawl to her dress and placed it around her shoulders. The air tonight was rather breezy. Forecasters had reported a tropical storm was stirring up in the Atlantic. Hopefully, it wouldn’t become a hurricane, and if it did she hoped that it would not set its course toward the islands.

She glanced at her watch. It was time to meet the very handsome Brandon Jarrett.

Brandon stood near the flower garden, his body shadowed by numerous plants and an abundance of palm trees. He watched Cassie as she left her suite and strolled along the private brick walkway. Like earlier, she hadn’t detected his presence and this gave him a chance to study her once again.

The dress she was wearing seemed to have been designed just for her body and was definitely working for her, and for him as well. Just watching her made his pulse rate increase. The lantern lights reflecting off the building highlighted her features. Her hair flowed around her shoulders, tossing around her face with every step she took.