Bachelor Undone

Автор

Brenda Jackson

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17,3K

Глав

Автор

Brenda Jackson

Прочтений

17,3K

Глав

Harlequin

Chapter 1

Darcy stood on the balcony and glanced out at the beach. It was hard to believe this was her third day in Jamaica and she was just getting out of her hotel room today for the first time. She, who rarely got sick, had gotten a stomach virus her first day and had stayed in her hotel room in bed. What a bummer of a way to start off her vacation.

The good thing was that today she was feeling like her old self again, and she intended to spend as much time outside as she possibly could. She had lost two valuable days, but from here on out it was full steam ahead.

When she had checked in, the hotel clerk had given her a list of the hotel’s activities for the week, and tonight they would be hosting a classy beach party. Her health had improved just in time. A party was the last thing she wanted to miss.

She turned away from the window and crossed the room to glance at herself in the full-length mirror. She had purchased the wide-brimmed straw hat from a gift shop at the airport, and the sundress she was wearing had caught her eye the moment she’d seen it at Macy’s over the summer. At the time, a trip to Jamaica had been just a fancy, and in a way, it was hard to believe she was actually here.

Instead of donning a bikini and lying on the beach today, she thought she would take a tour of the island and get some sightseeing in. She had purchased a new digital camera and intended to put it to good use. And she definitely intended to do some shopping. When she had visited Jamaica a few years ago—a college graduation present from her parents—she had purchased several pieces of jewelry that had been handcrafted by an island woman. Darcy intended to see if the small shop near the pier was still there. There were several more pieces she would love to add to her collection.

She glanced around the room. Since she would be here for three weeks she’d decided to get one of the residential suites, and she loved it. It was huge and spacious, and although it was costing her a pretty penny, it was worth it. Besides, she deserved it.

The furniture in the sitting area was elegant and the decor colors of cream, yellow, mint green and plum perfectly reflected an island theme. Floor-to-ceiling windows lined one wall and provided a balcony view of the water.

French doors led from the sitting room directly into the bedroom, which had its own balcony. There was nothing like waking up to the beauty of the Caribbean Sea. But it was the bathroom that she’d found simply breathtaking. It had a dressing room area and a closet large enough to camp out in if the need arose. Then there was the humongous Jacuzzi tub that could hold several couples if you were inclined to get that kinky…which she wasn’t. She wasn’t into sharing of any kind when it came to relationships.

Grabbing her purse off the table, she headed for the door. It was a beautiful day, and she planned to spend as much of it as she could outside. Then she would return and take a shower and a nap before getting ready for the party tonight.

York walked along the pier. It hadn’t taken any time to get his game plan in place and head toward the island. Jamaica was beautiful, but unlike all the other times he came to the island, he was here for business.

Regardless of what Malcolm thought, every member of the cast and crew was a suspect. His team had divided the list, and every single person was being checked out. He was hoping it wouldn’t take long to expose the culprit since he planned to spend the holidays back in the States. His parents had moved to Seattle a few years ago and luckily didn’t expect everyone to show up on their doorsteps for the holidays. In fact, as long as he could remember, once he and his siblings began having lives of their own, his parents would spend the holidays in Toronto, visiting friends they had there. Usually York would spend a quiet Christmas at home, and those times he wanted company, he had five sets of godparents he could visit.

Most people knew the story as to how six guys who’d met and become best friends while attending Morehouse had on graduation day made a pact to stay in touch by becoming godfathers to each of their children and that the firstborn sons’ names would carry the letters of the alphabet from U to Z. And that was how Uriel Lassiter, Virgil Bougard, Winston Coltrane, Xavier Kane, York Ellis and Zion Blackstone had come into existence. He was close to his godparents and godbrothers and couldn’t imagine them not being a part of his life.

He checked his watch. A couple of his men had checked in already with their reports, and it was obvious Malcolm didn’t know some of his people as well as he thought he did. However, there was nothing to indicate any of them could be suspected of anything other than engaging in a number of illicit affairs.

York glanced around and saw he was the object of several women’s attention. He didn’t mind, and if he’d had the time, he would even indulge their fantasies. He was well aware that a number of women came to the island alone to get their groove on. They were man-hunters who were only looking for a good time.

He kept walking. He was on assignment, and there wasn’t a woman he’d met yet who could make him take his mind off work.

Darcy squinted against the brightness of the sun while moving from shop to shop in Montego Bay. Reggae music seemed to be playing just about everywhere. Pausing, she pulled out her sunglasses to shield her eyes from the sun. It was hard to believe how bright it shone here when, according to weather reports, it was still snowing in New York.

She stopped at a fruit stand, admiring the basket of strawberries, all plump and ripe, when something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.

A man.

And boy, what a man he was. She could only see his profile, but even from almost fifteen feet away she could tell he was a fine specimen of the opposite sex. He was in a squatting position, going through a rack of T-shirts that some peddler was trying to sell him.

Darcy tilted the sunglasses a little off her eyes to get a better view, deciding she didn’t want to miss anything—especially the way the denim of his jeans managed to stretch tight across his thighs. And the way his shoulders filled the shirt he was wearing.

He stood up a little and his tush—OMG, it was definitely the kind a woman would drool over. She bet they were perfect masculine cheeks, firm and fine.

Her mind began working, and she immediately began seeing him as a hero from one of the romance novels she read. But which one? she asked herself, thumping her finger against her chin.

She immediately thought of Jansen Trumble, the bad boy from the spicy novel Mine Until Morning. That had been one hot book, and even after reading it at least four or five times, she would give just about anything to have a rumble with Trumble. She settled her sunglasses back on her eyes thinking if she couldn’t have the fictional Trumble then a look-alike would have to suffice.

“Miss, would you like to try some of my strawberries? I just rinsed this batch off. I bet you’d like them.”

Her attention was pulled momentarily away from the gorgeous hunk when an island woman offered her a tray of fresh strawberries, sill wet from a recent rinsing. “Thanks, I’d love to try one.”

She popped a strawberry in her mouth, immediately enjoying the taste when the sweet flavor burst on her tongue. It was wet, juicy and so delicious. That made her glance back over at the man. Now he was standing to his full height as he continued to consider the T-shirts. He was tall, and she could see just how well built he was.

She tilted her head, thinking there was something about him that was oddly familiar, although she had yet to see his features. Like her, he was wearing sunglasses. His were aviators. And even from a distance she could tell he was an American. He had chocolate colored skin, and his dark hair was cut close to his head.

“Delicious, miss?”

She glanced back at the woman and smiled, remembering they were talking about the strawberries and not the man. “Yes, definitely delicious.”

“Would you like another?”

Darcy chuckled. She hadn’t intended on being greedy but since the woman asked… “Yes, I’d love another.”

She put another strawberry into her mouth, and when she glanced back over at the man, she saw he was staring over at her. Facing him, she immediately recognized him and almost choked on the strawberry in her mouth.

York Ellis!

Even wearing sunglasses she would know him anywhere. The shape of his mouth and his chiseled jaw would give him away each time. What the heck was he doing here?

She felt irritation invade her entire body. Staring into his handsome face did nothing to calm her rising anger. Her best friend was married to one of his godbrothers, so they were usually invited to the same family functions.

She and York always managed to rub each other the wrong way whenever they would run into each other. Things had been that way between them since the time they’d met at Ellie and Uriel’s wedding two years ago. During that time, her ex-husband Harold had tried threatening her to take him back. York had tried coming on to her at the reception. She had been in a bad mood at the time and had rebuffed his advances. Evidently he hadn’t taken rejection well.

He removed his sunglasses and stood staring across the way at her, evidently as surprised to see her as she was to see him. She felt her body get hot under his intense stare but forced her emotions to stay in check. She certainly couldn’t be that hard up for a man that she would be attracted to him.

And this wasn’t just any man. It was York Ellis. He was arrogant. Cocky. Too damn sure of himself at times to suit her. So why was she having such a hard time dragging her gaze from him? Why instead was she allowing her eyes to roam all over him, taking in how well he fit his jeans, his shirt? And then, there was his looks…

So, okay he had a nice looking mouth, one that was shaped just for kissing and those other scandalous things mouths could do. And his eyes were dark, so compelling and so magnetic. And at the moment, those dark eyes were intent on staring her down.

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.