“Nope, just wanted to be able to imagine you in this tree.”
“Fine. Now get me down.”
“Not done yet,” he countered and laid his hands on her knees. She stilled and took a breath. He wondered if she was feeling the heat sliding back and forth between their bodies. Then he looked into her eyes and realized that yes, she felt it too.
Seconds ticked past while they stared at each other. She was nervous. He sensed that much. Good, he told himself. Nerves meant she wasn’t as sure of herself as she pretended.
“Have you seen enough?” she asked.
“Not nearly,” he told her, meaning it.
“Sean…”
“Do I make you nervous, Melinda?”
She took a breath. “Of course not.”
“Liar.” He said it with a smile, but he saw that single word hit her.
“Help me down, please.”
Sunlight dappled through the branches. The thick green leaves surrounded her, dancing in the wind, and she looked like a damn nymph up there.
He set his hands at her waist and lifted her off the tree, setting her on her feet. But he didn’t let her go. He indulged himself in the feel of her. In the heat flashing in her gaze. In the soft sigh of her breath.
She looked…smaller, somehow. More vulnerable. And he really didn’t need to start thinking of her like that. It wasn’t his job to protect her, was it? Because he couldn’t seduce her and look out for her at the same time.
And he’d really rather seduce her.
He supposed that made him a supreme jerk, but Sean was willing to live with that. As long as it got him what he wanted—Melinda in his bed.
Several days later, Melinda watched Sean with Tomin and his sons and it was a revelation.
Sean King was one of the wealthiest men in the world. His family was famous and counted royalty among their friends. Yet, he stood here in boots, jeans and a T-shirt, talking to regular working guys as if he were one of them. She saw the easiness in his manner, the genuine smile, and she knew this wasn’t an act. This was who he was.
She tried to picture Steven standing around laughing with Tomin and couldn’t quite manage it. Steven had always been more interested in the finer things than in simple pleasures. He had always talked about when they got married and had her trust fund, how they would leave this island and travel where they could meet the “right” people. She hadn’t liked the sound of it at the time any more than she did now. Tesoro was home. Would always be home. But Steven hadn’t been happy here. Funny that she hadn’t actually realized that before.
She frowned slightly at the disloyal thoughts. Steven had been the love of her life. She had been devastated when he died. She still missed him. It didn’t matter that they hadn’t agreed on everything.
“We can get started leveling the field,” Sean said, his voice capturing her attention, “then by next week, we can map out the foundations.”
Sunlight was bright, and the trade winds were blowing hard today. Sean’s thick black hair was tousled, and Melinda was forced to curl her fingers into her palms to avoid the temptation of reaching up to smooth it back. Shaking her head again she gave herself a good talking-to. Reminding herself that she would never betray Steven’s memory. That she wasn’t interested in another man.
Her body wasn’t listening.
“Sounds good.” Tomin nodded as his practiced gaze swept the area. “I can bring in extra crews from one of the outer islands if we’ll need them.”
“We will,” Sean promised. “This is going to be a huge job and when we’re finished here, we’ll be moving on to the ridge to build the house my cousin is designing.”
“Good news for all of us, then,” Tomin said with an eager grin. “What about the trees?” he asked. “You want us to take them all out when we’re doing the level work?”
A whisper of regret slid through Melinda at the thought. Of course, she knew that they would have to tear down the old banyans to build the hotel but she hated thinking about it. They were so old. So…breathtaking. They were as much a part of the island as anything else and the thought of losing trees that were more than a century old broke her heart.
Of course, she thought, Steven would have chuckled at that. He’d always teased her, telling her she cared too much about things that didn’t matter. She chewed at her bottom lip as she admitted silently she had always hated that.
“I don’t think so.”
She blinked in surprise at Sean’s statement. He looked right at her as he added, “We’ll build around the trees. Seems a shame to cut them down, doesn’t it?”
“It does,” Tomin agreed, not even realizing that Sean’s focus was on Melinda. “But it’s going to cost you, redoing some of the plans to accommodate the trees.”
Sean shrugged. “Sometimes it’s worth going an extra mile or two.”
Melinda flushed and wondered if he was talking about the banyan trees? Or her? He’d been nothing but attentive for the last several days. She’d taken him around the island, introducing him to the residents. He’d charmed Kathy and her kids and when they had left her best friend’s house, Kathy had given Melinda a smiling thumbs-up behind Sean’s back. Everyone on Tesoro liked him. He played chess with her grandfather every afternoon and had the hotel staff eating out of his hand.
But with Melinda he was even more charming. He seemed to be touching her all the time. Taking her hand, draping an arm around her shoulders, brushing her hair back from her face. And every little touch was like a burning match thrown on to an unstable stack of kindling.
And now this.
He would save the banyan trees. Because of her. Looking into his eyes, she knew he was remembering being with her, lifting her onto the branch of the tree. That one, tension-filled moment in the sun-spattered shade. And something inside her turned over.
Honestly, she didn’t know what to make of Sean King—which worried her a little. In the beginning, this had been all business. Now, she wasn’t so sure. Now, she felt as though she really had married a stranger. None of the research she’d done on Sean had prepared her for his thoughtfulness. Generosity. Kindness.
Her gaze locked with his, and he gave her that half smile she was becoming way too fond of. Something sizzled in the air between them and Melinda knew she was on a slippery slope.
An instant later, their connection was broken as he turned back to Tomin and said, “So let’s talk equipment. How are we stocked for big machinery on the island? My brothers will be getting a cargo ship out this time tomorrow. If we need specific things, I can arrange it.”