Page 15 of Hidden Resolution

Mason flared his eyes. “Oh, crap.”

“Don’t youdaretell me you dropped it,” she growled. “I swear to God?—”

He produced the tiny scrap of material with a flourish and a laugh.

“You are such an assh?—”

Before the end of the sentence was out of her mouth, he kissed her again, eliciting her moan.

“Asshole,” he finished the insult with a grin. “Yeah, I know. I saw a kayak kiosk down the beach. Want to go?”

5

The day was vacation perfection. A hot guy, a toe-curling orgasm, and adventure-filled jaunts. When Mason dropped Shonda back at her suite, she couldn’t envision a better time with anyone, past or future.

Bobbing on the high seas in their two-person kayak, he’d turned up the charm, and she’d been powerless to resist.

Not that she’d been the only captivated one.

With a flash of a wicked grin, the teasing sparkle in his eye, and the occasional glimpse of a dimple, people bent over backwards to please him. Men wanted to be him, and women wanted to be taken by him. The guy was a walking fantasy, and no one stood a chance.

Especially not Shonda.

“I’m going to grab a quick shower, and then we can head out for dinner,” he said.

“Or we can shower together and order in.” She was bold to suggest it, and when Mason gave her a knowing smirk, she was glad she did.

They leaped toward each other with intent. Shirts, shorts, and shoes flew in every direction. Mouths melded and tonguestangled. Exactly how they ended up under the hot spray was beyond her ability to recall.

An hour later, they surfaced, weak-kneed but highly satisfied.

“I’ll order us something,” she offered, reaching for her phone. “Pizza sound good? A friend told me about a local place. He claimed it’s the best on the island.”

“He?” Mason’s inquiry possessed more than idle curiosity. If she didn’t know any better, Shonda would believe he was jealous. Yet, he’d already set the rules of their island fling, and she assumed she was wrong.

“A guy I work with,” she clarified as she scrolled through her phone.

“Shonda, how many people knew you were coming here, to this resort?” His voice was measured and caught her attention.

“Why?”

“I’m still bothered by the break-in,” he admitted.

His stance was deceptively relaxed, but his eyes were alert as he watched her. Throughout the day, he’d poked at the seams of her story, as if testing for a tear, and she didn’t appreciate it. Did he suspect her of lying? At times, she believed he did, and it was off-putting.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe four, including my boss.”

“Do you think any of them would have a reason to harm you?”

“No,” she stated emphatically.

He lifted a brow, encouraging further speculation. And after giving it due consideration, she wasn’t so certain.

“Yeah, okay. Possibly,” she said with a shrug.

“Care to explain?”

Revealing the details was embarrassing. She wasn’t the only one who’d taken a romantic dip in the work pool, but confessing to her stupidity wasn’t so comfortable.