Touch of Paradise

Aaron folded his arms. “What happened?”

Brandon hung his head and spoke to the floor. “Trident is missing.”

Chapter 2 (#ulink_5d713563-2dd7-5ac6-b4a5-10b1caead029)

As a child, Rebecca Cromwell feared the monster under the bed. At twenty-nine, she finally saw it. It was the last straw. Her nerves were already frayed due to three days where everything had gone wrong. Since landing on St. James, she’d faced one mishap after another and feared that the latest incident would severely hamper the success of her upcoming fashion show.

She’d hoped for some time to decompress, since over the past three days she’d hardly slept or eaten. After scrambling to find replacements for the three models she’d lost, she’d decided to take a long, hot shower and enjoy one of the luxurious amenities in her spacious suite. It was one of thirty private villas that lined the secluded cove where Red Beacon Villa Resorts was located. She could see the sun’s rays dancing along the crystal clear waters from one of her many palatial windows.

Humming to herself, she’d left her bathroom and crossed the cool bare marble floors, and she’d planned on a quick nap when she saw a green head with dark eyes peek out from the shadowy depths under her bed. She screamed and jumped on the mattress. That’s when she thought that being on top of the monster was worse than seeing the monster, so she jumped off the bed and up on a chair.

“Rebecca!” Her assistant, Kelli Davis, pounded on her front door. “Are you okay?”

“It’s open.”

Kelli rushed into the room with her hair uncombed, half-dressed, her shirt still hanging off her shoulder and jeans unzipped. She stared up at her. “What’s wrong?”

Rebecca pointed with a shaky finger. “There’s something under my bed.”

Kelli grinned. “Giant dust bunnies?”

“No, something big and green. Don’t look!” she said when Kelli bent down to look under the bed.

“Then how am I supposed to see what it is?”

“I already told you what it is.”

Kelli ignored her and lifted the sheet, then screamed, stumbling back. “Oh, my God, you’re right. It’s huge. We have to kill it.” She madly looked around for something to grab, just in case the thing came out from under the bed and tried to attack her, but couldn’t find anything.

“I’m not going to kill it.”

“Then what are you going to do?” Kelli finished zipping up her pants and adjusted her top.

“Get someone to get rid of it.” Rebecca jumped down from the chair and ran out the front door, and smack into a wall. Or what she’d at first thought was a wall before something grabbed her and kept her from falling backward. She gingerly touched her face, her nose still stinging from the impact, then glanced up and nearly screamed again.

It was him. Mr. Beautiful. Mr. Wonderful. The man who’d once been the object of her dreams. Her hero—Aaron Wethers. The man who’d broken her heart ten years ago.

Just like everything else in his life, time seemed to have given him an advantage, broadening his shoulders, refining his impressive physique. The wind and the sun seemed to have ripened the beauty of his brown skin, making his handsome features almost majestic. And her traitorous heart responded to his compelling, golden-brown gaze.

She knew she’d see him again, but she hadn’t planned on a moment like this. She had planned on returning to St. James as a success, so that he could see how much she’d changed. She’d planned to be cool and suave, and hoped to seduce him by showing off her gorgeous figure, casting a glance in his direction then ignoring him. But now her show was in trouble and she’d crashed into him after racing out of her villa with no makeup on, her hair in total disarray and wearing just her bathrobe.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Goodness, even his voice was better than she remembered. Deep and intoxicating as rum punch, his island lilt made her want to step closer and listen more. “I’m fine,” Rebecca said in a voice that was too high. She gathered her robe close around her and tightened the sash, wishing she’d at least put on her bra and panties, but she hadn’t, and at that moment she felt vulnerable and bare. “Perfectly fine,” she said with a wave of her hand. She tried to brush her hair into place, but it wouldn’t cooperate.

“Fine?” Kelli squealed behind her. “There’s a giant—”

“It’s nothing,” Rebecca said with a light laugh, seeing that all the commotion was attracting an audience. It was then that she saw a miniature version of Aaron looking anxious beside him. The little boy looked up at Aaron, then her, then his gaze dropped to the ground. Rebecca immediately guessed the situation. Her monster was likely his pet. And it had escaped. Rebecca knew how they responded could really hurt Aaron’s image if other guests knew what she and Kelli had found.

Rebecca bent down to the little boy’s level and said in a low voice, “You look worried, but you don’t have to be. It’s okay.”

He lifted his gaze to hers, his big brown eyes hopeful. “You found Trident?”

“I think so,” Rebecca whispered, aware that people were watching them closely. “But you’ll have to check.”

Aaron shook his head. “I’m really so—”

Rebecca straightened and screamed again, this time like a woman arriving at an airport and seeing a long-lost friend. “It’s so good to see you again,” she said, hugging the little boy, even though he looked at her, startled. “You’ve grown so tall!” She turned to Aaron and screamed like a fashionista seeing an outfit she adored, then hugged him, too. “It’s been ages, darling. Kiss, kiss.” She kissed his cheeks, then waved them inside. “Come in, come in.” She glanced at an older couple who watched them with a frown. She winked at them, then turned. Once they were all inside, she closed the door and pointed to the bed. “Trident is under there.”

The little boy looked up at her, curious. “Why did you scream and hug us like that?”

“Because I didn’t want people asking questions.”

He giggled. “You acted really silly. Like one of Aunt Candace’s friends.”

Aaron nudged him. “You shouldn’t be laughing. What should you be saying?”

“Oh, yes. I’m sorry, miss.”

Rebecca nodded. “You’re forgiven.”

“Now go get Trident,” Aaron said.

The little boy rushed forward and lifted the sheets. “Trident, you’re in big trouble.”

“I’m very sorry about this,” Aaron said.

“What is it?” Rebecca asked, once the boy had coaxed the creature from under the bed.

“A giant iguana. He must have snuck in when they were cleaning your villa. The maids keep the door open to air the room,” Aaron said with a note of apology.

“I understand how he got in, but how are you going to get him out of here without anyone noticing? I assume you don’t want anyone to know that Trident escaped.”

Aaron ran a tired hand down his face, then looked around as if considering his options. “You’re right.” He looked at the little boy. “Didn’t I tell you to keep an eye on him?”

“I’m really sorry, Dad.”

Even though she’d guessed that the little boy was his, hearing him call Aaron Dad validated her assumption. Strangely, fatherhood looked good on him. Rebecca mentally shook her head. She didn’t care. She’d come to St. James to show him what a success she had become and what he’d lost. She would remain calm, collected and distant. “I have an idea, but you have to wait. First, I have to change.” Rebecca excused herself, grabbed some clothes from her closet, then disappeared into the bathroom.

“Get a hold of yourself,” Rebecca mumbled to herself as she quickly changed. “It doesn’t matter that he’s still gorgeous or that he has a cute little boy. He doesn’t even remember you. The jerk.” She stared at her reflection. “You are going to help him this one time, and then you’re going to ignore him. You didn’t come here to fall for him all over again. Your career and this fashion show are all that matter.” She pointed at her image. “Are we clear?” She quickly massaged ointment in her hair and put on some lip gloss, then left the bathroom, ready to deal with the issue at hand.

She told Aaron her idea. At first he was skeptical, but then he agreed. He called the maid service and requested they bring a large laundry trolley to the villa. When it arrived, Aaron set Trident inside, then Rebecca and the maid covered the iguana with several sheets and towels. “Now nobody will ever know I had a surprise visitor,” Rebecca said, pleased.

Aaron looked at the maid. “You know what to do. Make it quick. He can’t be under there too long.”

She nodded. “Yes, sir.”

The little boy took Rebecca’s hand. “Come on.”