Risky (Torn Between Two Lovers #2)(52)

Shielding her eyes, she peered up at a man standing under her grass umbrella. Her mouth immediately went dry.

The man smiling down at her had tanned skin, natural, if she had her guess. Raven hair was swept back from a face that would make Antonio Banderas weep from shame, and his teeth were a slash of white in his angular face. He was tall and wearing Speedo swim trunks that barely covered the essentials and left not one thing to the imagination.

More than being gorgeous, he was imposing. Even mostly naked, he had a commanding presence that suggested his question was a mere formality. He’d asked to sit next to her, but he clearly expected her assent. The old Anna would’ve bristled and snarled a rejection, but she’d come here to relax, after all. Who said she couldn’t do that while talking with a sexy man?

And he was the most stunning man she’d ever met—except for Gray. Quickly, she pushed that name aside.

“Who’s asking?” she said, keeping her tone playful. Light.

His smile deepened, revealing grooves bracketing his mouth that she suddenly wanted to trace with her tongue. “I’m Joaquin,” he said. “And you?”

“I’m Anna.” She studied him, cocking her head.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s just …” She shrugged. “I thought I’d heard that name before recently. It’s kind of unusual. So, what brings a man like you over here to talk to me?”

“I’ll confess: I’ve been watching you since I arrived yesterday.” He took a seat without waiting for confirmation that he was welcome.

She arched a brow. “Oh? Stalking much?”

He shook his head ruefully. “No. It’s just that you have the saddest eyes I’ve seen in quite a while. I’d like to know if there’s anything I can do to change that.”

At first she thought he was kidding, or just hitting on her. But in the depths of his riveting black eyes, she read understanding. Sincerity.

“You seem like you really mean that.”

“I do,” he said quietly. Turning, he waved a hand at a bulky man she hadn’t noticed standing just behind them. “Get me and Anna something from the bar. Something fruity with rum for her, Jack and Coke for me.”

“Yes, sir.”

She snorted a laugh, eyeing him. “Really? You have a lackey to play fetch for you?”

“He’s my bodyguard. He does what I pay him to do.” Said as though it was quite normal to relax on the beach with a bodyguard.

In spite of herself, she was intrigued. “Do you always take charge? What if I wanted something else to drink?”

“Do you?”

“Well, no. It was a rhetorical question.”

His lips quirked. “There you go. So tell me, Anna … can I help put a happy smile back on your beautiful face?”

She studied the gorgeous man beside her and thought, What could it hurt? Live a little, Anna. That was her new mantra, the one that had been drilled into her head.

“I think perhaps I’ll let you try.”

His smile heated her inside, chasing away the chill. Their drinks arrived, and Joaquin handed her the fruity concoction. Then he raised his own plastic cup in a toast.

“That’s a start, Anna. A very good start.”

“So, let’s drink to fun in the sun,” she said.

“And to new beginnings.”

They talked at length, getting to know each other, and she enjoyed his company very much. And yet … His outward demeanor was light, but there was an underlying seriousness that made her shiver inwardly. As though he didn’t speak just to fill an empty space or adhere to the dictates of polite conversation. She had the strangest feeling Joaquin never spoke without weighing his words carefully and making the most of their meanings.

But that was simply an impression.

“What do you do for a living, Joaquin?” She glanced over her shoulder at the huge, ever-present bodyguard, who gave her a toothy grin she wasn’t sure whether to interpret as friendly or threatening.

“I own several businesses,” he replied, recapturing her attention.


She studied him curiously. “Wild guess here, but I’m thinking not your run-of-the-mill varieties, like car dealerships or furniture stores.”

“You’re right. Nothing so mundane as that.”

“Of course not.” She squinted at him. “You going to tell me what they are, or do I have to spend the afternoon trying to hit the right ones?”

“I’ll tell you everything you want to know, on one condition: Have dinner with me.”

“You’ve got this disturbing way of making a request seem like an order.”

Not the least bit daunted by the slight annoyance in her tone, he stretched like a lazy cat and regarded her with glittering dark eyes. “Occupational hazard. Should I come by your room and pick you up at seven?”

“Why me?” she wondered aloud. “You could have dinner with any woman here.”

“But I don’t want to spend time with any of them. None of them are you.”

What harm could come to me in a crowded resort? she thought. But she retained a certain caution. “Thank you for the invitation. I’ll meet you in the main restaurant, though.”

“Fair enough. I look forward to tonight.” He pushed to his feet.