Rub It In (17 page)
17
S
IMON
’
S
HANDS
SPREAD
WIDE
over her face, blocking her eyes. Marcy could hear the sound of the waves as they washed against the sand. A soft breeze carried music and laughter.
She’d been back on the island for less than a week and already it was hard to remember the months she’d been gone. They seemed more like a cold dream than reality.
Mr. Bledsoe hadn’t exactly been thrilled when she’d told him she was leaving. But she’d stayed on for a month—a lonely month, considering Simon had returned to Escape—to assist in the transition.
A few things had changed in the four months she’d been gone. For one, someone else now occupied her old office. At first she’d been surprised to learn that Simon didn’t intend to let the new manager go. Although, considering she’d told him she couldn’t work for him, she shouldn’t have been. It was just difficult to stand by while someone else did her job. Or what used to be her job.
But once again, he’d asked if she trusted him. He’d told her a few things were taking longer than he’d anticipated and that she’d just have to wait a couple more days to find out his solution to the entire problem.
Apparently she was going to find out now. Although what it had to do with walking her outside blindfolded, Marcy didn’t know.
“If this is just an excuse to get your hands on me, you realize it isn’t necessary,” Marcy said.
She thought she heard a sound, almost like smothered laughter.
“Trust me, I have every intention of touching you plenty later,” he whispered into her ear. His breath tickled, sending a shiver of anticipation racing down her spine.
The new manager had also taken over her bungalow, but Marcy hadn’t minded moving into Simon’s apartments. After being separated from him for so long, she really hadn’t wanted to be anywhere but in his bed anyway.
And they’d definitely made up for lost time. In fact, she’d barely had a chance to be bored or worried in the past week. He’d kept her too occupied—either aroused or exhausted.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked, trying to concentrate on something other than the desire lashing through her. She had to admit, with his hands over her face, the scent of him was filling her lungs and making concentration extremely difficult.
“Almost there. Just a few more steps.”
Small sounds began to filter into her brain. The soft shuffle of shoes against concrete. The low hum of whispered voices. Someone saying rather loudly, “Shhhh.”
Before she could ask Simon again what was going on, he dropped his hands from her face to settle softly on her shoulders. Most of the staff stood in front of her, crowded around the garden Simon had built beside the main hotel building to hide the scars from the fire.
He’d done a great job, and she wished she could have seen him in action. From what she’d heard, he’d planted some of the bushes and flowers with his own hands. Now, that she would have paid money to see—Simon with his arms elbow-deep in dirt.
Looking at him now, with his ruffled golden hair, a bright blue Hawaiian shirt that matched his eyes and a deep tan across his skin, he didn’t look like the kind of guy who believed in manual labor.
But then, it had taken her more than two years to figure out that the image he showed the world was not a true reflection of the man beneath the surface.
“What is going on?” She turned to look at Simon, her eyes widening. “Who’s running the resort?”
“Don’t worry. Enough of the staff stayed at their posts. The guests won’t even notice the difference.”
Marcy hummed deep in her throat, but it was no longer her job to direct the staff. A sharp pain lanced through her chest, but she ignored it. She’d told Simon she trusted him, and she did.
“Okay, anyone want to tell me what’s going on?”
“I thought the staff should meet the new owner of Escape.”
Marcy just shook her head. “Simon, don’t you think you should have done this a long time ago?”
“I did. I wasn’t talking about me.”
She was confused. Seriously. “What
are
you talking about?”
Xavier handed Simon a sheaf of papers bound in a blue cover. She’d seen enough legal documents to realize they were important, whatever they were. Reaching down, Simon pulled up her hand and set the papers against her palm.
“These documents detail the transfer of ownership for the resort, from me to you.”
Marcy blinked at him, certain she’d heard him wrong.
“Excuse me?”
“You own Escape.”
Her fingers curled around the pages in her hand. In the back of her mind she heard the rustling sound as the top few crumpled, but somewhere between her brain and hand the signal to relax got lost.
“No.” She shook her head. “This is too much.”
She tried to grab Simon’s hand so that she could shove the papers back at him. Panic and disbelief mixed heavily inside her chest. What had he done?
Simon clasped his hands behind his back. That didn’t stop her. She smacked the bundle against his chest, her fingers splayed wide, and held them there.
“It isn’t too much, Marcy. This place belongs to you. You care about it. And you’re good at running it, unlike me.”
“You handled it all just fine while I was gone.”
“Maybe,” he conceded, but that was as far as he was going.
“But…but…” she sputtered. “What happens if we break up? If you get pissed at me or I get pissed at you or the entire thing falls apart?”
He smiled at her, that charming, mischievous, wicked smile that had always driven her crazy. And it still did, but it also made her heart flutter inside her chest.
“First, I fully expect that both of us will get angry at some point. We’ll yell. Disagree. And then we’ll make up. That doesn’t mean either of us is going anywhere. Second, I have no intention of ever letting you off this island again.”
“Simon,” she said in a warning tone.
“I kidnapped you once, do you think I won’t do it again?”
His arms came out from behind his back, but instead of taking the papers, he wrapped them around her and pulled her tight against him. Uncaring that the legal documents governing his entire resort were now crushed between their bodies and getting more destroyed by the second.
He wrapped his hands around the nape of her neck, angling her head so that he could stare down into her face. Gone was the playful glint that always seemed to lurk in the back of his tempting blue eyes. In its place, she saw sincerity, love and an intensity that had her bones melting.
“Everything I have is yours, Marcy, because none of it is worth a damn without you. I know this is important to you. You gave up your dream to come back to Escape with me. And I want to show you how much that sacrifice means to me.”
Guilt suffused her. “Actually, leaving New York wasn’t hard at all.” She pressed her forehead to his, bringing them closer together. “I forgot how cold it is there.”
The staff laughed and Simon’s lips quirked into a smile.
“But mostly, you weren’t there. My dream doesn’t matter to me anymore if you’re not there to share it with.”
“So now we’re both happy,” Simon said. “Besides, this way I don’t have to deal with the headaches anymore. The resort is yours.” He raised his head from hers and turned to look at the people beaming back at them. “You hear that? Problems go to Marcy. I don’t want to hear about anything. Not even the thread counts on the sheets.”
Marcy smacked at him. “Now I understand. This was all an elaborate scheme to get out of working. I should have known.”
This time his little-boy smile couldn’t hide the hint of guilt that lurked in his eyes. “Hey, think of it as effective management. I know my own shortcomings and I’d be an idiot not to take advantage of your skills. You’re so damn good at running this place.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere,” she said, her heart swelling inside her chest.
Before she knew what was going on, Simon was slipping out of her arms. At first she thought something was wrong, since he was heading for the ground. But the startled expression on her face didn’t last long when she realized he hadn’t fallen over, just dropped onto one knee.
“Oh, my god,” she breathed out. “What are you doing?” That seemed to be her favorite phrase today.
“I’d think that was obvious,” Simon said, mock frowning up at her from his position at her feet. She tried to pull him up off the ground, but he wouldn’t budge.
“Marcy, I told the entire world that I loved you in the most public way I could think of because I want everyone to know how I feel about you.”
A hard lump formed in Marcy’s throat and her eyes glazed over with tears.
Who would have thought almost two and a half years ago when she’d walked onto this island that she’d end up here with Simon Reeves kneeling in the dirt, about to propose to her? Definitely not her. She’d come here looking for an escape. An opportunity to prove her worth—to herself and the world.
And instead she’d found all of that and more. A man she loved who loved her in return. The kind of person she could see spending the rest of her life with, having children, growing old.
Maybe there was more to that little legend about the island than any of them had ever realized. She’d certainly found her heart’s desire and it was nothing like what she’d expected.
“But I wanted to share this moment with the people who’ve come to mean something to us both,” Simon continued. “Some people think of this place as paradise. Some might see it as isolated. But I just see it as home and I want you to stay here with me forever. To build a life together.”
“Yes,” she whispered, the tears she was desperately trying not to shed choking off the word. “Yes,” she said again, stronger and more sure.
A happy whoop from the crowd accompanied her answer.
Simon picked her up and spun her around, bringing their mouths together. The familiar heat spilled into her body, the buzz of it delicious and comforting.
They were definitely going to have some fun adventures together. With Simon, there was no telling what was coming around the corner.
A breathless laugh burst from her body. She was dizzy with happiness. Finally Simon put her down, the world still spinning gently around her.
She gazed unsteadily at the people gathered around them. Friends…no, family.
Marcy wanted every single person who visited Île du Coeur to find the same happiness she had found.
Colt and Lena, Zane and Elle, she and Simon… Marcy really hoped they were part of a long line of couples who would find love here. Which gave her an idea… .
“Simon, I’m going to hire a wedding planner.”
“Fine.” He shrugged. “I would have expected you to be too ana—” Marcy’s glare had Simon choking back his words. “Um…organized…to want to let that go.”
“Not for us. For the resort.”
Simon’s eyes went wide with fear before he apparently remembered that whatever she was planning, it was no longer his worry. “Whatever makes you happy.”
March had visions of sunset ceremonies on the beach and grand parties in the ballroom. It would be perfect.
Reaching up on tiptoe, she wrapped her arms around Simon and pulled his mouth down to hers, whispering against his warm lips, “
You
make me happy.”
Simon swept her up into his arms again and carried her away, completely uncaring that he was leaving behind the crowd of people who’d come to congratulate them. She’d apologize later. His mouth nuzzled at her neck. Much later. The corner of his lips curled in a smile full of devilment and charm and his eyes flashed with heat as he mock growled, “Happy’s good. But naked’s so much better.”
* * * * *
ISBN: 9781459225855
Copyright © 2012 by Kira Bazzel
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