Bachelor Undone

His half smile told her he knew she was checking him out and evidently found it amusing, considering their history. Anyone who’d ever hung around them knew they had one. He rubbed her the wrong way, and it seemed she always managed to rub him the wrong way as well.

He continued to smile, and she tried to ignore the fact that doing so made the angular plane of his face more pronounced, made dimples slash deep in his cheeks. This was the first time she ever noticed them. But then this was the first time he’d smiled at her.

But she quickly reminded herself he wasn’t smiling at her now. He was smirking at having caught her sizing him up. Good grief! With his arrogance, he’d probably assumed she was interested in him sexually—not on her life and not even if he was the last man on this earth.

But then she couldn’t help noticing that he was checking her out as well. His gaze was scanning up and down her body, and in response she could feel the nipples of her breasts press hard against the material of her sundress. She broke eye contact to reach for another strawberry. She needed it.

“All the others are for sale, Miss,” the woman told her gently.

Darcy couldn’t help but chuckle at the woman’s game and conceded it had worked. The woman had offered her two free strawberries to taste, knowing she would like them enough to buy the rest. And she was right.

“All right then, I want the entire basket. They are delicious.”

The woman’s face beamed. “Thank you. Would you like to try any other fruit?”

Darcy figured she might as well—anything to get her mind off the man across the street. Ellie liked York and couldn’t figure out why her best friend and one of her husband’s godbrothers could not get along. She had constantly told Ellie not to lose any sleep over it. Life wasn’t intended for every single person to live together in harmony.

She glanced back at York and saw he was still staring over at her. Data rushed through her brain as to how much she knew about him. He was thirty-four, had gotten a criminology degree from a university in Florida and had been a cop with the NYPD for a few years before going into business for himself as a security expert. Both of his parents were living, and he had a younger sister and brother.

She also knew that he and his six godbrothers had formed the Bachelors in Demand club, with each one vowing to remain single. Now it was down to only four since two had married. Uriel Lassiter had married Ellie and Xavier Kane had married a woman by the name of Farrah earlier in the year.

“Here are your purchases,” the woman said, handing her a huge brown paper bag containing the strawberries, mangoes and guineps. Darcy figured her next destination would be the hotel. Seeing York had practically ruined her day. She needed to revamp and get prepared for her night on the beach.

“Here, let me help you with that.”

Darcy turned her head at the deep, husky male voice who’d spoken close to her ear at the same time her bag was smoothly taken from her hand. She frowned when she glanced up at a face that was too handsome for his own good. “York, what are you doing here in Jamaica?” She all but snapped the question out at him.

He smiled, and she had to force her gaze from the curve of his mouth when he said, “Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing. Are you sure New York can handle things without you?”

“It will be a struggle, but they’ll manage,” she responded smartly. They both lived in New York but made it a point not to have their paths cross, which had always been fine with her—definitely preferable. “What about with you? Is the security of the city being tested with you gone?”

“Not at all,” he said smoothly. “And you never answered my question as to what you’re doing here in Jamaica.”

She glared up at him. “Not that it’s any of your business but I’m here vacationing for three weeks. I’ve earned the time off and intend to enjoy myself. And why are you here?”

“Vacationing as well. Funny we picked the same place to unwind and seek out relaxation.”

Darcy didn’t see anything amusing about it. Being on the same island with him was definitely not how she wanted things to be. It was bad enough that they lived in the same city. “Well, enjoy your vacation, and I can carry my own bag, thank you.” She tried tugging her bag from his grip and he held tight.

“Excuse me, but will you let go of my bag?”

Instead of doing so, he asked, “Where are you on your way to?”

She let out a deep, frustrated sigh. “My hotel.”

“Which one?”

“The Ritz-Carlton,” she said, without thinking.

His smile widened. “Now isn’t that a coincidence? So am I.”

He had to be joking, she thought. There was no way he could be staying at her hotel. As if he’d read her thoughts, he chuckled and said, “I guess this isn’t your lucky day, huh?”

She snatched her bag from him. “You’re right, it’s not.”

She turned and thanked the woman for her purchase and moved to walk away. Why wasn’t she surprised when York fell in step beside her? She stopped and turned to him. “And just where do you think you’re going?”

“Back to the hotel. Since we’re headed the same way, I figure we might as well keep each other company.”

“Has it ever occurred to you that I might not want your company?”

His answer was simple. “No, that thought has never occurred to me.”

“Like the time you rushed over to my place thinking I was a helpless female in distress?”

He laughed. “Hey, that was Ellie’s idea, not mine.”

He was right. It had been Ellie’s idea. She and Ellie had been talking on the phone late one night when Darcy had heard a noise downstairs. She put Ellie on hold to investigate, not knowing Ellie had panicked and called York, who lived less than a mile away. Ellie had asked him to go to Darcy’s house to make sure everything was okay.

It turned out there had been a burglar. Some guy had broken into her house, and she had caught him rummaging through her kitchen drawers. By the time York had gotten there, the guy had discovered just how well she could defend herself when she’d demonstrated the karate skills she’d acquired growing up and taking classes with her brothers.

York, who had arrived before the police, had gotten extremely angry with her, saying she had no business taking on the likes of a burglar. Of course, she had disagreed with him.

“Okay, your showing up at my place might have been El’s idea, but you had no right to scold me in front of those police officers.”

“You took your life in your hands when you should have called the police,” he said, and she could tell from the tone of his voice her actions that night last year was still a sore spot with him.

“Had I waited for the police, the man would have gotten away just to break into someone else’s home. I had no intentions of letting him do that.”

York frowned. “Does it matter that you could have gotten killed?” Anger laced his every word.

“Could have but I didn’t. I had sized up the situation and knew it was one I could handle. Not every woman needs a man for protection, York.”

“And evidently you’re one of those kinds.”

She wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but hell yes, she was one of those kinds. She didn’t need a man around to protect her. Her first husband had learned that the hard way when he began showing abusive tendencies. “I guess I am,” she finally said, smiling as if she was proud of that fact.

She began walking again, convinced he would decide he wouldn’t want her company after all. He proved her wrong when he picked up his pace and began walking beside her again. She decided to ignore him. The good thing was that the hotel was less than a block away.

York walked beside Darcy and tried not to keep glancing over at her. She looked cute in her wide-brimmed straw hat and sundress. He had noticed her checking him out, and when she’d removed her sunglasses and he’d seen it was Darcy, he hadn’t known whether to be amused or annoyed. She certainly hadn’t known who he was at first, just like he hadn’t recognized her.

But once she had known it was him, he could immediately see her guard go up. She had intended to put distance between them. At any other time he would let her but not this time. He wasn’t sure why, but all he knew was that was how it would be.

“Would the lady like to look at my bracelets?” a peddler asked.

She stopped and so did York. He observed her when she conversed with the man who had several bangle bracelets for her to see.

York continued to watch as the man ardently pitched his goods and was impressed with the way Darcy handled the anxious merchant by not giving in to his outrageous prices. He inwardly chuckled, thinking she definitely had no intentions of paying an exorbitant amount.

She seemed pretty sharp for a twenty-eight-year-old, and he figured she rarely missed anything. It would be hard, if not next to impossible, for a man to run a game on her.

He could vividly recall the first time he’d seen her rushing into the church for Uriel’s wedding rehearsal. She’d been late since her plane had had mechanical problems.

Like all the other men, he had simply stared at her—the woman with all that dark brown hair flowing around her shoulders, hazel eyes, striking cocoa colored features and a body to die for. The last thing he’d expected when he’d tried coming on to her later was to be told she wasn’t interested. He would admit it had been a blow to his ego. That incident had been almost two years ago, and if the way she’d been sizing him up moments ago was anything to go by, it seemed she was pretty interested now.

He knew he should let go and move on, but so far he hadn’t been able to do that. And whenever he saw her they had a tendency to get on each other’s last nerves. If the truth be told, he had a mind to pay her back for rebuffing his advances that day. He could seduce her, make love to her and then walk away and not look back. Yes, that would serve her right.

“Well, that’s that,” she said, reclaiming his attention. He saw the way her lips quirked in amusement as well as the gleam of triumph shining in her eyes. He gathered she’d made a purchase she was pleased with.

They continued walking again, side by side, and he wondered how long she would continue to ignore him. He decided to stir conversation and asked, “When was the last time you talked to Ellie?” He eased the bag containing her fruit from her hand once again.

Darcy glanced over at York and decided that she would allow him to carry that bag since he seemed hell-bent on doing so anyway. She would keep the bag with the four bracelets she’d purchased from the peddler at a good price. “We’re best friends, so I talk to El practically every day,” she said. “But she hasn’t called since I arrived here. She’s going to be busy this week.”

“Doing what?”

She wondered if he thought everything was his business. “She’s hosting several holiday parties.”

“Oh.”

“It is the holiday season, you know,” she reminded him.

“Yes, I know.”

She didn’t say anything and for a moment regretted bringing up any mention of the holidays. She’d heard from El that a woman York had been dating and had begun caring deeply about, and who’d been a fellow officer when he’d been a cop with the NYPD, had gotten gunned down on Christmas Day while investigating a robbery. That had been over six years ago. After that, he’d sworn never to get seriously involved with a woman again, especially one in a dangerous profession. She knew all about the Bachelors in Demand club, one he formed along with his bachelor godbrothers who were all intent on staying single men forever. She had met all six of the godbrothers and got along with each of them … except for York.

“So how are your parents?” she asked, deciding to change the subject. She had first met the Ellises at Ellie and Uriel’s wedding and had run into them again when another one of Uriel and York’s godbrothers, Xavier Kane, had gotten married earlier in the year.

“They’re doing fine. I visited with them a couple of months ago.” He glanced back over at her. “So what do you plan on doing later?”

She glanced up at him from under the wide-brimmed hat. “I’m resting up for the big beach party the hotel is hosting tonight. I hear it’s a real classy black-tie affair. You are going, aren’t you?”

“Hadn’t planned on it.”

“Oh, well.” She should have felt relieved that he wouldn’t be there, but for some reason she felt a pang of disappointment in her chest. Why was that?

“Behave yourself tonight, Darcy.”

She lifted a brow. If he was being cute, she wasn’t appreciating it. “Let me assure you, Mr. Ellis, that you don’t need to tell me how to behave. And just for the record, I don’t plan on taking your advice. The reason I’m here is to have a good time, and a good time is what I will have—even if it means misbehaving.”

He stopped walking and stared at her, and she could see anger lurking in the dark depths of his eyes. She knew it was probably bothering him that she was standing there, facing him and looking nonplussed. Her two brothers were dominating males, so York’s personality type was not foreign to her. But that didn’t mean she had to tolerate it or him.

She glanced around. They were now standing in the plush lobby of the hotel. “I guess this is where we need to part ways, and hopefully we won’t run into each other again anytime soon. You didn’t say how long you intend to visit here.”

He smiled at her. “No, I didn’t say.”

And when she saw that he had no intention of doing so either, she released a sigh, took her bag from him and said, “Goodbye, York.” She then turned and headed for the bank of elevators.

Darcy drew in a deep breath with every step she took, tempted to glance over her shoulder. But she had a feeling he was still standing there, staring at her, and she didn’t want to give him the impression that she’d given him another thought … although she was doing so.

A few moments later, she stepped on the elevator and turned. She’d been right. He was still standing there. And while others joined her on the elevator their gazes held. At that moment, she felt a pang of regret that the two of them had never gotten along. Too bad. She was too set in her ways to make any changes now. Besides, she didn’t want to make any changes. For some reason, she much preferred that she and York keep their distance. The man was temptation personified. She could deal with temptation but not when it included an extreme amount of arrogance.

The elevator doors swooshed shut, breaking their eye connection. She released a deep breath, only realizing at that moment she’d been holding it. He was staying in another section of the hotel. It was a humongous place, but their paths might cross again and she would be ready and prepared. She had no intentions of letting York Ellis catch her off guard again.

Chapter 2

Damn, the woman was too beautiful for her own good, York thought, watching the elevator door close behind Darcy Owens. Beautiful with a smart mouth, a delectable looking mouth. More than once he’d been tempted to kiss it shut and to demonstrate just what he could do when his tongue connected with hers.

But then he had to remember that Darcy was too brash and outspoken to suit him. He didn’t want a “yes” woman by any means, but he didn’t want a woman who would dissect his every word looking for some hidden meaning. For some reason, she couldn’t take things at face value when it came to him, and he couldn’t understand why.

If he had the time, he would put it at the top of his list to seduce the smart-mouthed Darcy Owens just for the hell of it. If she wanted to misbehave, he could certainly show her what misbehaving was all about. But he had to remember she was the best friend of his godbrother’s wife, and Ellie probably wouldn’t take too kindly if he seduced her best friend just for the hell of paying her back.

He was about to head over to his side of the hotel when his cell phone rang. He pulled it off his belt and saw it was Wesley Carr, one of the retired police officers that he used as part of his investigative team. It had been his father’s idea.

Jerome Ellis had retired a few years ago as a circuit judge. He was a firm believer that retired police officers could better serve as more than just bailiffs at the courthouses. Most had sharp minds and loved the challenge of working on a case. York had taken his father’s advice and hired three such men at his firm and never regretted doing so.

“Yes, Wesley, what you got for me?” York asked.

“First of all, are you taking those vitamin supplements I told you about?” Wesley asked.

York shook his head. One of the pitfalls of hiring the men was that they liked to run his life by making sure he got the proper rest, ate healthy and didn’t overdo it when it came to women. They claimed all three things would eventually take a toll on a man.

“Yes, I’m taking them, so what do you have?”

“I think Damien Felder might be your man,” Wesley said with certainty.

“Why?”

“He has a ton of gambling debts.”

York rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “He’s a gambler?”

“Of the worse kind. Although he’s tried covering his tracks, I was able to trace his ties to the Medina family.”

“Damn.” The Medina family had their hands into anything illegal they could touch. York hadn’t gotten wind of them involved in movie piracy before now, though. Mainly it’d been drugs, prostitution and the transportation of illegal immigrants.

And Roswell Medina’s name had been linked to the homicide investigation involving Rhona, the only woman York had ever considered marrying. Like him she had been a police officer and had gotten struck down by a bullet when she had investigated a robbery. The authorities believed the rash of burglaries in Harlem had been organized by Medina but could never prove it.

“I can see them getting interested, if they had the right person on the inside to help them. It’s evidently a profitable business,” York added.

“Apparently.”

He inhaled a deep sigh. He knew Damien Felder would be the one to watch for a while. “I want all the information you can get me on Felder’s association with any of the Medinas.” He would just love to nail any member of that crime family for something, even if it was for jaywalking.

As he headed back toward his side of the hotel he thought about Darcy and doubted the two of them would be running into each other again any time soon.

Hell, he hoped not.

A twenty-piece orchestra on the beach.

The hotel had thought of everything, Darcy concluded as she stepped outside. Everyone had been told that tonight’s affair was all glitz and glamour, and everyone had dressed to the nines. Men were in tuxes and women were in beautiful gowns. She had decided to wear the short white lace dress and silver sandals she had purchased a few months ago when she had joined Ellie on a shopping spree when she’d visited her best friend in Charlotte.

With a glass of champagne in her hand, Darcy made her way down the white stone steps with towering balustrades on both sides. She could see the beach and see how the water was shimmering beneath the glow of the moon. To her right, tables of food had been set up, and shrimp, lobsters and oysters were being steamed on an open fire.

For those not wanting to get sand in their shoes, a huge wooden deck had been placed on the ground, and several light fixtures provided just the right amount of light to the affair.

She was about to grab another flute of champagne from a passing waiter when she happened to glance across the way and saw a man looking at her. He looked American and she placed his age in his late thirties. And she had to give it to him—he looked like a million bucks in his black tux.

But compared to York there was something lacking. He was handsome, although he wasn’t of the jaw-dropping kind like York Ellis. And she would have to be the first to concede that even with all the stranger’s handsomeness, she couldn’t even conjure up what hero he could represent from those tons of romance novels she had read. She’d had no such problem with York.

She bit down on her lip wondering why she’d just made the comparison. Why had York even crossed her mind? The stranger smiled over at her, and she smiled back before another partier walked up to him and claimed his attention. At least it hadn’t been a woman. As she sipped her champagne, she saw him glance over her way, as if assuring himself she was still there—still unattached, possibly still interested.

Deciding not to appear too interested, she began mingling, enjoying the sights and sounds. Moments later, she was leaning against a balustrade watching a group of the island dancers perform. Their movements were so romantic and breathtaking beneath the stars.

“I can tell you are enjoying yourself,” a deep, husky male voice said.

The first thought that flashed through her mind was that it wasn’t as deep as York’s, and it wasn’t making her skin feel like it was being caressed. Pushing that observation to the back of her mind, she looked up at the stranger she’d seen earlier and asked, “And just how can you tell?”

“You have that look. And whatever the cause of it, do you mind sharing it because I’m simply bored.”

She fought from shaking her head. She had heard that pickup line so many other times, surely the man could have thought of something else. But she could go along with it for now. “Then I guess I need to make sure you enjoy yourself as much as I do.”

He smiled, flashing her perfect white teeth. “I would definitely appreciate it.” He then held his hand out to her. “I’m Damien Felder, by the way.”

She returned his smile. “And I’m Darcy Owens.”

“Please to meet you, Darcy. And is that a Midwestern accent I hear?”

“Yes, it is,” she replied. “And yours is part southern and part western.”

Instead of saying whether her assumption was correct, he took a step closer to her. “Are you staying at this hotel?”

She didn’t have to wonder why he was asking. The man was a fast mover, and she had no problem with that if her vibes had been in sync with his. They weren’t for some reason. “Yes, I’m at this hotel. What about you?”

“No, my hotel is a few miles from here. I was invited tonight by a friend. But an emergency came up, and he had to leave the island. He encouraged me to come anyway. He thought I would enjoy myself. I hadn’t been until I saw you.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. And why would a beautiful woman travel to this island alone?”

She took a sip of her champagne and smiled as she looked up at him. “What makes you think I’m alone?”

A gleam appeared in the depths of his brown eyes. “Because no man with a lick of sense would let you out of his sight for long.”

Darcy smiled. The man was full of compliments, although she’d heard most of them before. “I needed a little vacation.” And before he could ask her anything else, she decided to ask him a question. “So what brings you to the island?”

“I’m associated with a movie that will be filmed on the island starting tomorrow.”

She lifted a brow. “A movie?”

He chuckled. “Yes, one from Spirit Head Productions.”

She nodded. She had heard of them. In fact, their main headquarters were in New York. “Let me guess,” she said smiling. “You’re the leading man.”

From his expression, she could tell he enjoyed getting compliments as much as he enjoyed giving them. “No, I hold an administrative position. I’m a line producer.”

“Sounds exciting.”

He met her gaze. “It is. How would you like me to give you a tour of the set tomorrow?”

She thought his offer was certainly generous, and she could tell from the way he was looking at her he thought so too and expected her to jump at it. So she did, all but clapping her hands in fake excitement. “Oh, that would be wonderful. I’d love to.”

“Well then, it’s settled. Now how about if I come up to your room tonight so I’ll know where to come get you tomorrow.”