Page 9

PRESENT DAY

F our years!

It had been four long, but mostly rewarding years, during which Dani had worked hard to put the disappointments of the past behind her.

To erase the time she’d wasted not only working for her uncle, but the months where she’d betrayed her own convictions regarding men and relationships and stupidly believed Zack Kincaid was her soulmate.

While it was true she’d wasted far more of her life believing hard work and excellence would mean Zio Lorenzo would promote her in what she already knew to be a chauvinistic, male dominated business, the effort she’d put in at least meant she excelled in her job.

And there were others far less prejudiced who were happy to make the most of her drive and talent.

She now earned four times more than she had working for her uncle.

Not that she needed the money, but the accomplishment?

The appreciation? Well, that was a different thing.

By comparison, the twelve short months she’d spent falling deeper under the spell of Zack Kincaid had been far harder to get over.

Like time was somehow stretched into infinity, the pain of the implosion an endless loop that chased itself around and around without ever losing momentum.

It wasn’t just because he’d betrayed everything she believed in by cheapening their connection since he had a wife; it was because she’d betrayed her own ideals by allowing him close enough to hurt her.

Like her childhood hadn’t taught her anything.

The pain may have dulled over the years, but it never left. Instead, it had turned into a blunted ache that had become her new ’normal’.

Or at least it had been until now.

Dani rued the day she’d asked Zack’s advice about Luca’s ambitious plans for his private kink-friendly island paradise in the Caribbean.

Or that she’d given him Luca’s contact details.

Because even after the acrimonious way she’d walked away from him, Zack had gone on to become an investor in the island himself - one of the biggest, at that - so whether she liked it or not, Dani was forced to send him regular updates and answer whatever queries he posed.

It made it impossible for her to ever get him fully out of her head.

Until now, he’d been a silent partner, never visiting the island after the inaugural weekend. But for some reason that had changed, and here he was. Not just on the island, but right here in her damn office where she couldn’t avoid him.

Dani took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves.

She couldn't let him see how much his presence affected her.

"So, Zack," she said, aiming for a casual tone, "Luca says you're here to overhaul our mainframe, although I’m not sure why that calls for a venture capitalist, rather than our usual IT guy, Kris Warwick. He’s always been thorough. "

Okay, so a smidge of irritation might have crept into her voice. Maybe more than a smidge.

Zack’s liquid blue eyes met hers, that familiar intensity, even behind the lenses of his glasses, making her breath catch.

He nodded. “That's right. And yes, Warwick is very capable, but he doesn’t have access to the technology I do, and since this stuff’s not even on the open market, it’s not something I can hand over.

However, I’m sure you’ll agree, given the nature of this resort, our special members require the utmost peace of mind when it comes to their privacy. "

Dani bristled. Was there a hint of censure in his voice?

Figlio di puttana! She ran this island. Of course she knew how important it was for their kink patrons to be completely assured of the dependability of their systems!

Did he think she couldn’t do her job? Was he simply a younger version of her uncle?

Someone who believed women should remain pregnant and barefoot?

Dani took a deep breath; she needed to cool her jets.

It was true that after the way her family had treated her, she was a little sensitive when it came to that particular subject, and had a tendency to react badly when she came up against it, even if the whole thing was perceived and existed only in her own mind.

But that didn’t change the fact Zack was a freaking billionaire investor, not a computer expert. How the hell did he manage to turn that around on her?

Dani felt like one of those cartoon characters where steam came out of their ears when they were mad… And this conversation was pointless.

Pulling herself together, determined not to let Zack know just how much his presence unnerved her, she waved vaguely at the computer system.

“Well, don't let me keep you from your work," she responded, her tone positively arctic.

"I'm sure you have a lot to do. It must be a novelty for you to get your hands dirty.”

Porca miseria! Not quite as insouciant as she’d like. How did he always bring out the worst in her?

She sucked in a slow, deep breath to center herself, and made to leave, but Zack didn't move. Instead, he leaned against her desk, arms folded across his chest as he blocked her way. "Actually, I was hoping we could catch up. It's been a while, Dani."

She felt a flash of anger reignite at his presumption. Okay, so it already wasn’t that far under the surface, but she was trying! Why was the universe against her all of a sudden? “I’m not sure that's a good idea. We didn't exactly part on the best terms, if you recall."

"I remember," he said softly. "But maybe it's time we cleared the air. We're going to be seeing a lot of each other while I'm here."

Panic skittered up Dani’s spine. Was it too late to book a holiday?

She pushed the thought aside. She’d never been a quitter. She’d never avoided confrontation. Hell, she was where she was today precisely because of those two character traits. No way Zack fucking Kincaid was chasing her out of the place which had become her home.

Instead, she straightened her spine and looked straight into those damnably beautiful eyes… before moving her gaze to hit a spot slightly over his shoulder. So, she wasn’t a total badass. Sue her.

“There’s nothing to say, Zack. You turned me into your mistress. You cheated on your wife. I walked away because I wasn’t prepared to be that person, and any respect I had for you fled at the same time.”

“And what if I told you the situation is nothing like you believe it to be? That it’s not neatly black and white. You never did allow me to explain.”

Dani's heart raced at the thought. Was there even the smallest chance he could say something that would change anything?

No. Absolutely not. Dani refused to let him drag her back into the past. She'd spent too long rebuilding herself, her life, her career. Her beliefs! She wouldn't let him destroy it all again with pretty words and false promises.

Steeling herself against the part of her that wanted to concede, she pushed away from the desk. "It doesn't matter now, Zack. What's done is done. We both need to focus on the present - on our jobs here at the resort.”

She gestured around her office, desperate to change the subject. "Speaking of which, I have a lot of work to do. When can I expect the system to be back online?"

Zack's eyes narrowed slightly, clearly frustrated by her deflection. But after a moment, he seemed to accept it, his shoulders dropping as he finally moved out of her way, suddenly all business. "I should have everything up and running in a few days. I'll need access to the server room and your office computer to complete the installation. Then it’s just a question of finalizing the data transfers. That could take a while. Luca says you have a back-up system you can use in the interim. We’ll keep that completely separate until the new system is up and running. But once we know everything is working properly on the mainframe, I’ll move on to that. "

Dani nodded, annoyed with herself for the sudden loss she felt at his change in demeanor. This was what she’d wanted. Wasn’t it? "Fine. I'll make sure you have the necessary clearances.”

“Natalie…” She called in her assistant from the outer office. “Can you show Mr. Kincaid to the server room, please?”

“Of course,” Natalie responded with a bright smile, her interest in Zack clear as she looked him up and down before leading him away.

One of the downsides of living in such a confined environment; everyone knew your business. And Natalie was her friend - as good as family, since Luca was the father of Natalie’s half-brother - and in a moment of frustration Dani had admitted her previous relationship with Zack to her friend group.

Collapsing back into her office chair, Dani slumped in defeat. How was it Zack still had this effect on her? She’d thought circumstance had cured her of that particular infatuation.

It had been years. Longer than the time they’d spent together. Surely, she should be over him by now. Never mind that he wasn’t the man she’d thought him to be.

She was the one who’d walked away. And hindsight had shown her how Zack had always deliberately held her at arm’s length. She just hadn’t wanted to see it at the time.

But somehow, there was still some dratted kernel of conjecture that had her wondering if there was really anything he could say to make things right. Jeez! What was wrong with her?

Sex, she decided. That’s all it was. She hadn’t trusted any man since coming to Elysium, burying herself in her work, instead.

Her neglected libido simply recognized the source that had once given her unimaginable pleasure.

There was nothing more to it than a primal, animalistic response. One that could be controlled.