Page 73

“That’s right. She and her husband take care of the place when I’m not here. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement – the island is watched over, and they get a nice place to live.” He opened the bag and brought out two long subs. He gave them each one, then pulled out half a dozen platters containing various salads, fresh fruits and cookies. He handed her a hardy paper plate, utensils and a bottled water.
Cheyenne wet her lips. “Looks great.”
“It should taste good, too. My housekeeper doubles as a chef, and she gets fresh food from the mainland once a week.”
She bit into the sandwich and sighed at the flavorful delight. The sub was overstuffed with fresh vegetables, cheeses and a variety of sauces, artfully arranged for a colorful display. “This is delicious.” She patted her face with a napkin. “It’s like she just picked the vegetables.”
“She probably did. There’s a vegetable garden on the other side of the house.” He took a bite of his own sub. “We share the produce with the mainland when we’re not here.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes, finishing both sandwiches. Afterwards they dined on pasta and potato salads and sweet lemon cookies. Cheyenne was more than full when she placed down her napkin. “Once again, my compliments to the chef. Please thank your housekeeper for me.” Mischief sparked. “Although if you want a little spice next time, I know just the one–”
“Not in a million years.”
She laughed. For a moment, they sat in comfortable silence, overlooking the crystal cool waters of the brook. Despite the welcome shade of the tree canopy, the day had grown warm, and the water was pure and inviting. “Do you swim here?”
“Every chance I get.” He gestured toward the bank. “Interested in a little dip?”
“I wish I could, but I didn’t bring a bathing suit.”
“That’s okay.” His grin turned wolfish “Actually, that’s great. I’ve already seen your secrets, multiple times if you recall. Shall I prove it? There’s the cutest little beauty mark on your inner thigh, on the very upper part. If you’d like, I can show you…”
He leaned in, and she gave a hard shove. He didn’t knowallher secrets. “Even if you’ve seen everything, we shouldn’t do it again, as you so wisely decreed yesterday.”
His smile was all wicked as he moved back. “Afraid you’ll give in to temptation if we swim naked?”
Precisely.Absolutely. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.“Definitely not.”
“Too bad.” He nodded at the sparkling waters. “There’s nothing like a cool swim on a warm afternoon. Want to play a game instead?”
Relief, disappointment and no small amount of surprise narrowed her eyes. He’d given in far easier than expected. “A game sounds fun.”
He removed a deck of cards from the basket. “Poker?”
“Sure.”
Although her mind stayed on swimming… well really on Julian swimming… well really on Julian swimming naked, the card game proved enjoyable. They played a dozen rounds, each winning about half. They talked, laughed and joked, alternating dealer duties. After he’d lost a particular close hand, Julian shuffled the deck in his hands. “Too bad you didn’t have anything riding on that last round. Want to add something to make it interesting?”
She chuckled and shook her head. “My paycheck is missing most of your zeros. I like to hold on to what I got.”
“How about we wager something else?”
“Like what?” She waved at the lush, natural surroundings. “Coconuts?”
“Actually, I was thinking of something more clothing-like.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Nope.”
“You really expect me to play strip poker with you?”
“It would solve the bathing suit problem.” He winked. “We could go for that dip you’ve been craving.”
“Yeah, but there’s still the ‘we’ll be naked’ problem.”
His expression showed he didn’t think it was a problem. “What if I make the stakes worth your while?”
She bit back the no, proceeded cautiously, “What sort of stakes? Your reward is pretty obvious.”