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Wait. Who hated Christmas? It was full of heartwarming, sentimental moments. Twinkle lights. Snowflakes. Presents. Shopping. Definitely lots of shopping. And the most delicious food.

  Whatever. His reasons for not enjoying the holiday were his problem. They were certainly none of her business. But that wasn’t enough to suppress her curiosity.

  “Why don’t you like Christmas?” she blurted out.

  He stopped. His shoulders straightened. When he turned, his forehead was creased with lines and his brows were drawn together. “Does everyone have to enjoy the holidays?”

  She shrugged. “I suppose not. But I’m sure they all have a reason. I was just curious about yours.”

  “And if I don’t want to share?”

  “It’s your right. I just thought after we talked on the plane that we were at the stage where we shared things with each other.”

  “You mean you equate our talk of books to digging into my life and finding out how my mind ticks? No.” He shook his head. “My personal life is off limits.” His tone lacked its earlier warmness. In fact, it was distinctly cold and rumbled with agitation. “You might research prospective business associates, but I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t put my life under your microscope.”

  What is he afraid I’ll find?

  She gave herself a mental shake. He was right. She was treading on a subject that was none of her business. His dislike of Christmas had nothing to do with her presence on—what was the name of this island? She scanned her mind, but she didn’t recall him ever mentioning it.

  “What did you say the name of this island is?”

  “I didn’t.”

  Surely this wasn’t another one of those subjects that was off limits. Even she couldn’t be that unlucky.

  As though reading her mind, he said, “It’s called Lockwood Isle.”

  Not exactly original, but fitting. “Your own island nation.”

  He shrugged. “Something like that. It’s a place to get away from everything.”

  Her phone buzzed with a new email. “Not exactly everything. I see there’s internet access.”

  “As much as I’d like to totally escape, I do have an international company to run. I can’t cut myself off completely.”

  Holly was relieved to know that she could keep in contact with her mother. Even though she’d made financial arrangements with her aunt for her mother to make her very first visit to Florida, she still wanted to talk with her daily. Holly needed the reassurance that there weren’t any setbacks with her health.

  Her gaze strayed back to her host. She might not have to worry too much about her mother right now, but she did have to worry about Finn. That kiss on the plane, it couldn’t happen again. He wasn’t looking for anything serious and neither was she. Her focus had to be on getting his recommendation for the new job.

  Finn stopped walking. “Here we are.”

  She glanced up at the white house with aqua shutters. The home was raised up on what looked like stilts. Each post was thick like an enormous tree trunk. It certainly looked sturdy enough.

  Still staring at the impressive structure, she asked, “Why is the house on pylons? Are there a lot of storms?”

  “No. But some of them bring in a high storm surge. I like to be prepared.”

  She had a feeling it wasn’t just storms he liked to be prepared for. He struck her as the type of man who carefully plotted out not only his business but also his whole life, avoiding as many storms as possible.

  * * *

  “Will this do?”

  Later that afternoon Finn glanced up from his desk in his study to find Holly standing there in a white sundress, holding a file folder. The bodice hugged her generous curves and tied around her neck, leaving just enough of her cleavage to tempt and tease. He swallowed hard. He should tell her to change clothes because there was no way he could conduct business with her looking so desirable.

  Instead, he said, “Thank you.” He accepted the file. “By the way, don’t forget to pack lots of sunscreen.”

  “Pack? I never unpacked.” Her eyes filled with confusion. “We’re leaving?”

  “Yes. Tomorrow morning we’re setting sail on my yacht.”

  “Yacht?”

  “Did I forget to mention it?” When she nodded, he added, “We’ll be cruising around the islands for a couple of days until my business is concluded.”

  “Sounds great.” Her voice lacked conviction.

  “Have you been sailing before?”

  She hesitated. “No.”

  Why exactly had he brought her along on this trip? Oh, yes, because her credentials were excellent. But that was when she was in a skyscraper in New York City. She didn’t seem to fare so well outside her element. But it was too late to change course now. He just had to hope for the best—definitely not his idea of a good strategy, but the only one he had at this particular moment.

  “Don’t worry.” He hoped to ease the worry lines now marring her face. “The yacht is spacious. You’ll have your own stateroom.” He took a moment to clarify the importance of the meeting. “I have worked for a number of months to bring these very influential men together. Discretion is of the utmost importance.”

  She nodded. “I understand. I’ve worked in your legal department for the past five years. Everything that passed over my desk was confidential. You can count on me.”

  He knew that. It was one of the reasons he’d agreed to this arrangement. Now, if he could just keep his mind from straying back to her luscious lips. His gaze zeroed in on them. They were painted up in a deep wine color. It was different from her usual earthy tones. But it was a good look on her.

  He forced his mind back to business. “Did you reply to all of the outstanding emails?”

  “I just finished them. The personal ones I’ve forwarded to your account as directed. I thought you might have some last-minute items you need completed before the meeting.”

  She was good. Really good. Normally that would be awesome, but when he was trying to keep her busy to avoid temptation, he wished she wasn’t quite so competent.

  “Have you returned all of the phone calls?”

  She nodded. “I even called my mother.”

  “Your mother?”

  “I just wanted to let her know that we arrived safely. She’s actually off on her own holiday.”

  Was Holly attempting to make small talk? Boy, was he out of practice. He wasn’t even sure how to respond. “That’s good.” He was better off sticking to business. “It sounds like you have everything under control. You can take the rest of the day off. We’ll head out this evening as soon as all of our guests have arrived. Why don’t you take a book and relax by the pool until then.”

  “I didn’t bring a book. I didn’t see a need since I planned to be working.”

  “But not from the time you woke up until you went to bed.”

  “You mean like you’re doing?”

  He glanced down at the papers littering his desk. “Guilty as charged. But you don’t want to end up like me. You’re young and have so much to look forward to.”

  “You make it sound like you’re old and your life is almost over.”

  “My life is Lockwood International. It’s the reason I get out of bed in the morning.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry? Sorry for what?”

  “That you think that’s all you have to live for.”

  “It’s the way it has to be.”

  The pity reflected in her eyes had him recoiling. He didn’t deserve pity or sympathy. She had no idea about his life—none whatsoever. Not even the press knew the entire truth.

  Living and breathing everything about Lockwood International was his punishment. He’d lived while the rest of his family had perished. It was what his aun
t had told him quite frequently when he rebelled about doing his schoolwork or having to stay in boarding schools. She told him he had no room to complain. He had lived while the others had died a painful death, and then she’d glare at him like it was all his fault. And for the most part, she was right.

  Holly moved to the window. “Have you looked around this place? It’s amazing. When’s the last time you enjoyed it?”

  “I don’t have time for fun.”

  “Everyone needs to loosen up now and then. You don’t want your guests showing up and finding that scowl on your face, do you?”

  What scowl? He resisted the urge to run his hands over his face.

  “I don’t scowl.” Her eyes widened at the grouchy tone of his voice. What was it about this woman that got under his skin? “I just need to stay on track and focus.”

  “Then I won’t distract you any longer.” She turned to the door.

  She’d only tried to get him to relax, and yet he’d made her feel awkward. “Holly, wait.” When she hesitated, he added, “I’ve been working so hard to pretend nothing happened between us that I’ve made matters worse. That was never my intention.”

  She turned. “Is it that hard to forget?”

  “You know it is.” His mind spiraled back to the kiss they’d shared on the plane. “But we can’t go back there. It was a mistake the first time. And now that the fate of this project rests on how well you and I work together, we can’t get distracted.”

  “I understand. I’ll let you get back to work.”

  After Holly was gone, his concentration was severely lacking. He kept going over their conversation. Was his mood really that transparent? Usually business provided him solace from all that he’d done wrong in life and all that his life was lacking, but he couldn’t find that escape anymore. He wondered if he’d done things differently, how his life would have turned out.

  His chair scraped over the floor as he got to his feet. There was no point in staring blindly at the monitor. He wasn’t going to get any more work done—at least not now. Maybe Holly was right. He should take a break. A run along the beach would be nice.

  After changing his clothes, Finn stepped onto the patio. The splash of water drew his attention. He came to a complete halt as he watched Holly swim the length of the pool. He’d had no idea that she had taken him up on his suggestion that she go for a swim. He quietly watched, impressed with the ease of her strokes as she crossed the pool.

  If he was smart, he’d head back inside before she noticed him. But his feet wouldn’t cooperate. Sometimes being smart was overrated.

  When she reached the edge of the pool, she stopped and straightened. That was when he noticed her barely there turquoise bikini. The breath caught in his throat.

  “Oh, hi.” Droplets of water shimmered on her body as she smiled up at him. “Did you change your mind about unwinding?”

  He struggled to keep his gaze on her face instead of admiring the way her swimsuit accented her curves. He made a point now of meeting her gaze. “I was going to take a run on the beach.”

  “In this heat?” When he shrugged, she added, “You’d be better off waiting until later when it cools down.”

  She was right, but he couldn’t bring himself to admit it. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Why don’t you come swimming instead? The water is perfect.”

  He moved to the edge of the pool and crouched down. He dipped his hand in the water. She was right. The water was not too cold and not too warm. “I don’t want to bother you.”

  “You won’t be. The pool is plenty big for the both of us.”

  He had his doubts about the pool being big enough for him to keep his hands to himself. And with Holly in that swimsuit, he’d be so tempted to forget that they’d come to the island to work.

  Finn raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know. I really should be working.”

  “Your problem is that you think about work too much.”

  And then without warning, she swiped her arm along the top of the water, sending a small wave in his direction. By the time he figured out what she was up to, he was doused in water.

  “Hey!” He stood upright and swiped the water from his face. “What was that all about?”

  Her eyes twinkled with mischievousness. “Now you don’t have an excuse not to join me.”

  Why was he letting his worries get the best of him and missing out on this rare opportunity to have some fun? After all, it was just a swim.

  “Okay. You win.” He stripped off his T-shirt and tossed it on one of the lounge chairs.

  He dove into the pool, enjoying the feel of the cool water against his heated body. He swam the length of the pool before returning to Holly. She was still smiling as she floated in the water.

  “Not too bad for an old man—”

  “Old man. I’ll show you who’s old. Let’s race.”

  She eyed him up but didn’t say a word.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked. “Afraid of the challenge.”

  “No. I’m just wondering if an old man like you can keep up with me.”

  “Seriously? You have to race me now.”

  She flashed him a teasing grin. “First one back gets their wish.”

  Without waiting for him, she took off. He smiled and shook his head. And then he set off in her wake. His muscles knew the motions by heart. He’d swam this pool countless times over the years, but this time was different. This time he wasn’t alone.

  He pushed himself harder. He reached the end of the pool and turned. He wanted to win. Not because he wanted to be the best. And not because he couldn’t be a good loser. No. He wanted to win because the winner could name their wish.

  And his wish—

  His hand struck the end of the pool. His head bobbed above the water. A second later Holly joined him.

  “About time you got here,” he teased.

  She sent him a cheesy grin before sending another splash of water in his direction. He backed away, avoiding most of the spray.

  Holly was about to swim away when he said, “Not so fast. I won.”

  “And?”

  “And I get my wish.” He moved closer to her.

  She didn’t back away. It was as though she knew what he wanted. Was he that obvious?

  Her voice grew softer. “And what did you have in mind?”

  His gaze dipped to her lips. It seemed like forever since he last felt her kiss. There was something about her that got into his veins and made him crave her with every fiber of his being.

  His gaze rose and met hers. His heart hammered against his ribs. Was she as turned on as he was? There was only one way to find out.

  He reached out to her. Her skin was covered with goose bumps. He knew how to warm her up. His fingers slid over her narrow waist.

  He’d never wanted anyone as much as Holly. And she was the last person he should desire. She was a serious kind of girl—the kind who didn’t get around.

  She was the type of woman you married.

  The thought struck him like a lightning rod. As though she’d also had a moment of clarity, they both pulled back. Talk about an awkward moment.

  “I...ah, should get back to work.” Holly headed for the pool steps.

  It was best that he didn’t follow her, not right now. “I’ll be in shortly. I think I’ll swim a few more laps.”

  Finn groaned before setting off beneath the cool water, hoping to work Holly out of his system. He was beginning to wonder if that was even possible. He kicked harder and faster.

  The one thing he knew was that he wasn’t falling for Holly. No way. He didn’t have room in his life for that major complication.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  ONE POUNDING HEART pressed to the other. Heated gazes l
ocked. Lips a breath apart.

  Holly gave herself a mental jerk. Not even a night’s sleep had lessened the intensity of that moment in the pool with Finn. Oh, how she’d wanted to feel his touch again.

  But then she’d spotted the passion in his eyes. One kiss wouldn’t have been enough—for either of them. The acknowledgment of just how deep this attraction ran had startled her. She’d pulled back at the same time as Finn.

  Now aboard Finn’s luxury yacht, the Rose Marie, Holly took a seat off to the side of the room as the meeting commenced. With a handful of notable and influential businessmen in attendance, she couldn’t let herself dwell on the almost-kiss. As each man took a seat at the long teakwood table, she quietly observed. Her job was to step in only when needed. Other than that, she was to remain virtually invisible on the sidelines.

  So this is the hush-hush, wink-wink meeting.

  A small smile pulled at Holly’s lips as she glanced around the room. Finn sat at the head of the table in a white polo shirt and khaki shorts. A very different appearance from what she was accustomed to seeing on those rare times when she caught a glimpse of him at the office.

  On either side of the table sat four men. Mr. Wallace, Mr. Santos, Mr. McMurray and Mr. Caruso. All influential men in their own rights—from toys to office supplies, electronics and snack foods. No wonder there were bodyguards littering the upper deck.

  “Welcome.” Finn began the meeting. “I’ve invited you all here in hopes that we will be able to rescue Project Santa.”

  He’d given her the information about this holiday project just before the meeting. He made it perfectly clear that it was not to be leaked to anyone for any reason. What took place on this boat was to remain top secret for now.

  Talk about surprised.

  Holly stared at Finn as though seeing him for the first time. He was a man known for his shrewd business dealings, not his philanthropy. And here she thought this meeting was about conquering the world—about a major corporate takeover. She couldn’t have been more wrong.

  Finn and his cohorts were planning a way to bring Christmas to many underprivileged children. If it worked, it would be the beginning of an ongoing project aimed at putting food and educational materials in the hands of children.