The Hotel Magnate's Demand

Her eyes shot up to his. The same pretty brown eyes he remembered from all those years ago, but now a little more lined around the edges. From laughing. Or perhaps from crying. Probably both. If her life had been anything like his it would have been filled with both over the last eight years.

There were no tears in her eyes now, but there was something else. A fierce, angry determination he’d never seen before.

‘It doesn’t matter, Luke, that was a long time ago.’

She turned away, but he wasn’t letting her go. She didn’t fool him. There was no way she didn’t still think about what had happened. He did. A lot.

During the last year in particular he had thought about it constantly. Since Koko. Since he had almost been the father of a daughter himself. He’d thought about all the things that could go wrong. All the trouble a girl could get into. He’d braced himself. He’d been as prepared as he could. He’d actually been looking forward to it after the initial shock had worn off.

‘Amy.’ He took the drinks from her hands and placed them on the table before moving a little closer to her. ‘I’m sorry.’ He held her eyes. ‘I meant you’re still an impossible flirt.’

‘Is that what you think of me?’ Her eyes hardened. ‘I’m just a silly flirt who deserves everything she gets?’

She hissed the words and as he held her arm he could feel her shake just a little. Clearly it wasn’t okay. Clearly she still thought about what had happened all those years ago. And clearly he’d put his foot in it big-time.

Her eyes darted from one of his to the other. Challenging. Hard. No fear, just distrust. That made his gut clamp hard. He didn’t want her to feel that way about him. For some reason that was important. He didn’t want her to feel she couldn’t rely on him.

‘No, Amy. That’s not what I think. I like how you flirt with everyone you meet. You’re friendly and sweet…if a little naïve. But I like that about you. I always did.’

He didn’t move his hand from her arm or his eyes from hers. He couldn’t let her go. Not until she realised that he had her. He wasn’t going to hurt her. Something inside him burned to let her know that.

‘I was just teasing you.’

She stayed silent but didn’t move. The noise of the bar whooped around them but right then Luke couldn’t concentrate on anything but her and his need to make her understand what he meant.

‘What happened to your freckles, Lollipop?’

Her brow furrowed and her eyes lost that angry gaze. ‘What?’

‘Your freckles…across your nose.’ He softly grazed the top of her nose with the tip of his finger. ‘They’ve disappeared.’

A smile involuntarily moved his mouth. That summer they’d spent most of their time in the sun. Amy had worked on Reception but she had often gone out ‘delivering a message’ or ‘taking a parcel’. He’d known what she was up to. She’d skipped out as much as possible to enjoy the sun and find his sister to get into mischief.

As the resort manager he should have hauled her into his office, gave her a warning—told her off, at least. But Amy had had a way about her. Cute, cheeky, sweet with just a whiff of sexy. He’d never been able to do anything more than give her slap on the wrist. And she known it. And she’d taken advantage of it. Batting her eyelashes and flashing her magnetic smile whenever she wanted something.

His eyes moved from her nose to her eyes. They weren’t batting their lashes at him now. They were still. And hot. He saw something. Something that hadn’t been there eight years ago. A sudden curious hunger that he knew he was transmitting right back to her.

No, no, no. This wasn’t right. He stepped back a little, letting go of her arm. He couldn’t feel that. Not with Amy. Not with little, scrawny, troublemaking Amy. His sister’s best friend. His little sister’s best friend.

But she wasn’t that little any more. She didn’t seem young at all. She looked…His eyes landed on her lips. Full and soft, they were covered in hot pink lipstick. She looked…delicious. His tongue darted out to wet his own bottom lip. Everything in his body stirred. She was right—she was no lollipop any more. The pretty little nymph had blossomed into a gorgeous woman, and she was looking at him now as if she was thinking exactly what he was. Sin.

‘There are a lot of things about me that have changed, Luke.’ Her voice had changed. It was deeper, with a hint of husk. ‘And one of them is that now I know when to flirt harmlessly…’ She moved closer, her breasts brushing his arm. He looked down and watched them—tanned and bouncing slightly as she moved. ‘And when to flirt with intent.’

‘And what are you doing right now?’

‘Oh, I think you know exactly what I’m doing.’

His eyes moved up quickly and checked hers. ‘Well, I hope you know what you’re doing. You don’t want to find yourself in more trouble than you can handle.’

She moved even closer and the stirring in his body started to roar. Quietly, slowly, but persistently. This wasn’t little lollipop Amy any more. This was a woman well aware of her power.

‘You think I can’t handle you, Luke?’

Luke’s mouth dried up. The idea of her handling him was doing violent things to his body. Things were springing to life. He had to calm this down.

‘I think you might have enough to handle with all the booze being passed around this table.’ He nodded towards the table full of glasses. Some shots of tequila had arrived and were being scattered amongst the others.

She looked away quickly, then back at him. Hard. Hot. He held steady.

‘Not scared, are you, Luke?’

‘Scared? Of what?’

She smiled. A magnetic bright white that glowed in the dark bar. She shrugged a little. ‘You tell me.’

Luke’s heart beat steady but hard. She’d pegged him. He was scared. Scared that he actually wanted to take little lollipop Amy home, get her naked and kiss her entire body. And that he’d enjoy it. And he’d want to do it again and again.

But he wasn’t going to do that. Not with her. She was too close. She wasn’t someone he wanted to hurt. And hurt her he would, if he let himself go there.

‘The only thing I’m scared of is that this lot are going to get kicked out if they get any drunker.’

He looked behind him at the group of old friends. Laughing so hard they were falling off their stools. Passing shots of tequila around, talking louder. and getting more animated with every drink. Fun. That was what they were. Fun, easy and carefree. And Luke wanted a little bit of that. He’d just gone through the toughest year of his life and he was back here in Sydney for this. Fun. Not Amy. Not relationships. Tequila. Laughs. Old friends.

He swiped two shots off the table and handed one to Amy.

‘We may as well join them, Lollipop.’ He swept the liquid into his mouth and enjoyed the burn as it travelled down his throat. Get drunk. That was what he was going to do tonight. Then he’d be able to forget and relax and maybe live a little.

What he wasn’t going to do was his little sister’s best friend. He planned on staying right away from that little wasps’ nest, because he sure wasn’t ready to get stung again.

CHAPTER THREE

THE HOT TEQUILA warmed Amy’s already hot blood. She watched Luke as he necked another shot. What the hell was she doing? Flirting was something she did. With everyone she met. She’d always done it. She’d realised from a young age that she often got what she wanted with a little bit of sugar rather than salt.

From a young age she’d also realised that her flirting could sometimes land her in trouble, so she’d taken great care to tone it down in the past eight years. She only flirted outrageously with people she knew well—like Dave the barman, who happened to be one of her little brother’s mates. But she shouldn’t have flirted so outrageously with Luke. Could she make it any more obvious how she felt about him?

Amy sidled in next to Willa on the red velvet banquette. More partygoers had arrived and the room was filling with hot bodies. Inside her chest the usual thrill of excitement thumped. But tonight there was something else in there. Caution. An unmissable beat.

Calm the hell down. But it was hard to tell her heart to do that with Luke sitting right opposite her, with his big hard body and his come-to-bed eyes that had just locked with hers so hard she’d thought she’d never prise them loose.

‘What the hell happened? That was a pretty heated conversation.’

Amy glanced at Luke as Willa spoke. A couple of vodka sodas and her friend’s whispering hiss echoed like a train in the desert.

‘Shh.’ Amy moved a little closer so she could hiss herself into Willa’s ear. ‘Your brother hasn’t changed at all. He still thinks you and I are two little girls who can’t take care of ourselves.’

‘What did he say?’

He’d said she was still making men do stupid things. As soon as he’d said it she been able to tell he regretted it. She knew he hadn’t meant it as it had come out. She couldn’t remember how many times he’d told her over and over that night that it wasn’t her fault. That just because she’d been friendly it hadn’t given that loser the right to expect anything from her or to do…what he did.

Amy pushed down the swooping, then glanced at Luke. His eyes met hers and her stomach settled. He hadn’t meant that. He’d rushed straight over to her to tell her he hadn’t meant that. But what if he was right? Maybe she was flirting a little too fiercely. Amy hitched at her shirt. Maybe she was exposing too much skin.

No. No! Stop! she scolded herself. What had happened hadn’t been her fault. The way she dressed and the way she spoke to people had nothing to do with what had happened. It had been his fault. This shouldn’t ever have been her problem, her hang-up.

Amy shook herself physically. When she’d come home from Weeping Reef her mother and father and even her little brother had wrapped her up in their little cocoon of a family and helped her recover. That was when she’d met Laurie. Sweet, nice Laurie. Who’d loved her. Who’d made her feel whole again.

She’d hadn’t thought about what had happened in years. It had only been in the last six months, since her old friends from Weeping Reef had come back into her life and their stories had been rehashed, that she’d thought about it again. But she was strong. She was tough. She wasn’t going to let the memories of one bad night make her into a victim.

‘Ames? Was he awful?’

‘No, not at all.’ Amy shook her head and turned back to her friend. ‘Sometimes I’m just too sensitive. And besides, I think I’m still in a little bit of shock that he’s even here. You should have warned me!’

‘I’m sorry about that, Ames. It happened so suddenly. And anyway, there’s no need to be embarrassed. You had a crush on him years ago. He probably doesn’t even remember anything about it…or…anything else. And he wouldn’t even care. You know Luke—keep the peace, stay cool, never let anyone know what you think.’

‘Yeah…’

That had been Luke eight years ago. She’d fallen over herself back then to get him to notice her. That night with that horrible guest had been all about trying to make Luke jealous. She’d been trying for months to get him to notice her but he hadn’t. All Luke had wanted to do was work and haul her into his office to tell her off every time she bent a staple.

The old Luke would never have apologised. The old Luke would have said nothing. He’d have let her walk away. She knew his theory—not my monkeys, not my circus.

But tonight he hadn’t let her walk away. He was different. He looked different. Older. Harder. Stronger. Sexier. Amy bit her bottom lip as she sneaked another glance at him. That same strong jaw—only now wider. That same thick dark hair—shorter, but still with a hint of wave. His skin wasn’t as tanned, and he’d put on weight, but she could tell that underneath that suit he was all muscle.

He had taken off his jacket now and was laughing at something Brodie said as he rolled up his sleeves. His large forearms strained against the fabric and heat settled in Amy’s core. Her skin tingled. Even after eight years she still found him attractive. She still wanted him more than any other man she’d ever wanted. Even Laurie.

A flush of heat passed across Amy’s forehead and am ache rushed to the back of her neck. She’d never forgotten Laurie’s tears at the airport when she’d left Melbourne. But she’d had to go. She hadn’t been in love with him any more. She’d known she was breaking his heart by leaving, but she hadn’t been able to keep on lying and saying everything was fine. She hadn’t wanted to be with him any more. She’d been healed. She’d needed to move on.

But now, as she looked at Luke, she wondered if she really had.

The night wore on, as many of their nights together did. Full of laughter and stories that started with, ‘Do you remember that one time…?’

Normally Amy would be at the centre. Her stories the loudest and most animated, with just a hint of exaggeration to make everyone laugh. But tonight Luke’s presence made her retreat a little. She worried about what he thought. She couldn’t help it. Even after all this time and eight birthdays she still wanted him to like her.

‘So what else have you been up to, Amy? Besides work? Cause that’s all you seem to do, according to these guys.’

Luke was looking much more relaxed after an hour of so of drinking and swapping insults with Scott and Brodie. He’d edged closer to her, so now his knee was just inches from hers.

Amy was feeling the effects of the tequila and the vodka. She’d relaxed and was enjoying taking a back seat for once. Instead of being the one who was always up and down getting drinks, or moving between conversations, she was sitting back and enjoying watching her friends have fun.

‘Having fun. Keeping this lot entertained. You know what it’s like—there’s always a party to go to or someone wanting a piece of you.’

Amy smiled. She loved her life. She loved being busy, and having a big circle of friends was important to her. At first coming to Sydney had been hard. She’d been used to being part of a big group of family and friends in Melbourne and she’d found herself all alone. That was until she’d moved in with Jess and started to go out—and then, when she’d run into Willa by chance one night in a restaurant restroom, her social life had become manic.

Catching up with the guys from Weeping Reef was almost a full-time job—they’d all aged, and their relationships had definitely changed, but one thing hadn’t. This group loved to party.

‘I know what that’s like. It isn’t easy, being pulled in a dozen different directions. Do you miss home? How are your parents? And your brother—Antony? Does he still have all his animals?’

Amy’s brow furrowed and she leaned back a little. ‘You remember my brother?’

Luke had never met Antony. She hadn’t remembered ever telling Luke about him, and even if she had it was impressive that he could remember after all that time.

‘Sure. You told me about his obsession with saving animals. I remember you saying that every time he came home from school he had another injured animal in his backpack.’

Amy laughed. That was her little brother. When they were young their family home had always housed at least a dozen animals Antony had rescued and nursed back to health.

‘He’s a vet now—which was no surprise to anyone. At least that means the animals stay at the clinic and don’t come home. Although I was talking to Mum the other night and she said Antony had lobbed up with a wallaby for her to feed while he went away for the weekend.’

Luke smiled and his eyes crinkled. Amy watched it. She watched the way his mouth broke out into that smile.

‘So you still talk to your parents a lot?’

‘Not as much as I’d like.’ Amy stared into her half-full drink. ‘I miss them. They’re crazy and loud, and Mum is always trying to force me to try some new recipe that contains the latest “superfood”, or get me to drink things like chlorophyll and whatever else she’s read on the internet. But they’re…you know…home.’

‘Home.’

Amy met Luke’s eyes and they were locked on her. She’d felt him watching her for most of the night. As if he wanted to keep her in his sights. He was probably afraid she was going to do something stupid again, as she’d had a habit of doing when she was eighteen.

‘Where’s home for you these days, Luke? Willa tells me you’re some millionaire, swanning around on yachts with a different gorgeous woman on your arm every night. A hotel magnate, or something.’

Luke let out a whisper of a laugh. ‘Willa makes it sound much more fun than it is. Home for me is wherever work is. It’s been Singapore for the last two years. I started a new development there and I’ve been trying to get it off the ground. The Singaporean government are usually easy to deal with when it comes to western investment, but for some reason they dragged their tails with this one…’ Luke smiled and looked away. ‘But you don’t want hear about that.’

He straightened his spine and rested his hand on his knee. Amy watched as his fingers spread. Long, thick fingers. The alcohol was clearly taking hold, because all she wanted to do was reach out and lace her fingers through his. Feel the warmth of his skin.

Really bad idea, Amy scolded herself. Not Luke.

Amy had met a few hot men in Sydney to relieve the pressure, but she’d found it difficult to meet someone she was interested in dating. She’d found it difficult ever since Laurie, really. The men she met seemed interested in her looks and where she lived, but she hadn’t actually met anyone interested in her.

‘Sure I do. My new account is with a hotel chain, so I’d love to hear about your work, actually. I have absolutely no idea about the industry, so I’ll be hanging off your every word hoping you let some juicy PR secret out.’

Truth was, she liked to listen to him talk. He was one of those rare men who actually had something to say.

‘Feel free to drop in to my office here in Sydney any time and talk to my PR. Tonight I don’t want to talk shop, though. I just want to get drunk and relax.’

The booze had relaxed him, but for the first time Amy noticed the dark circles under his eyes. He ran a hand absently thought his hair. He looked tired and worn. Something he’d never looked eight years ago. Weeping Reef had been his first proper management job and back then he’d taken it very seriously. You didn’t step out of line when Luke was in charge or you were out.

‘Hard day at the office, dear?’ Amy teased, and Luke glanced her way with a smile.

‘Hard few years, more like it.’

‘So does that mean your home is here now…for a while?’

Amy didn’t want to sound anxious, but she was. Although she knew she could never be with Luke the way she wanted, the idea of him being close was strangely comforting.

‘For a while.’

He smiled directly at her. That killer smile he’d used on the island when things had been going well.

‘Good.’

‘Why’s that good?’ His green eyes darkened.

Amy couldn’t help it. She shifted forward till their knees touched. She just wanted him to know. She wasn’t sure if it was the tequila or loneliness or nostalgia, but she wanted Luke to know that she was glad he was staying and that her foolish girlish heart still found him hotter than a car bonnet on a summer’s day.

‘It’s good because it might be nice having you around. I’ve kind of missed having you tell me what to do, and criticising my work, and the way you used to say, “Not again, Lollipop.”’

He laughed out loud when she lowered her voice to mimic the way he spoke.

‘I did used to say that a lot, didn’t I?’

‘At least once a day. You were a horrible boss.’

‘I was a very tolerant boss, if I remember, and you were a terrible receptionist.’

‘I was the resort’s greatest asset.’

‘You certainly knew how to keep the guests entertained.’

Amy stilled.

‘Don’t go getting all offended again, Lolli. You know I didn’t mean it like that. What I meant was that our rebooking rate was one hundred per cent because of you and the way you kept in touch with every guest—emailing them about special deals and sending them postcards saying we all missed them on the island. Those ideas were marketing genius. If you’d put that much effort into filing your paperwork maybe you wouldn’t have had to spend so much time in my office.’

Amy laughed. ‘Maybe I stuffed up the filing because I wanted to spend more time in your office.’

She winked and Luke’s brow furrowed.

‘What…?’

‘You know…’

‘Know what?’

‘About my mad crush on you.’

‘Yeah, right. I think you may have had a mad crush on just about everyone back then.’

‘Maybe. But you were my maddest. And don’t say you didn’t know. I practically threw myself at you. How about the way I used to wear my shirts unbuttoned almost to my belly button?’

‘Yeah, you did. I was forever telling you to dress yourself properly.’

‘And all those after-hours bar dances. They never happened when you weren’t there.’

‘Sure they did.’

‘No. They didn’t. I could tell you about a hundred times when I embarrassed myself, trying to get you to notice me—but you never did, did you?’

‘Sure I did. I noticed. I noticed an extremely pretty girl who had a lot of growing up to do.’

‘Well, I’m all grown-up now.’

‘Yes, you are.’

They sat like that for minutes—too many minutes.

Then Chantal and Brodie called from the other end of the table. They were leaving. Amy pulled her eyes from Luke’s and checked her phone. Midnight. She had to go into work tomorrow—she really should think about going home too. But something about Luke made her want to stay. She wanted to be close to him, to be near him. He made her feel…something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Something comfortable and warm and exciting all at the same time.

‘We’re moving on, Ames—you coming?’

Willa stood to leave. She and Rob and the others would probably end up at Milly’s—the nightclub around the corner where they often partied until daylight.

‘Not tonight, Wills. I have to get up and work tomorrow. I think I might have to call it a night.’

‘What?’ Jess was very drunk. Her hair had come loose and she’d spent the last ten minutes hugging everyone in the bar goodbye. ‘No! Come on, McCarthy—we’re going out!’

‘No—no, I’m not.’

Those words were hard to say, and they tasted strange coming out of her mouth. But she had to say them. Despite wanting to kick the party on with Jess, and despite the irresistible pull towards Luke. She was a grown-up now. Her bosses really were expecting her to nail this account, and she really couldn’t let them down. She had to leave.

‘You can’t go home alone, Ames…’

‘I’m a big girl, Willa.’

‘I know, but you really shouldn’t travel by yourself.’

Amy rolled her eyes. She’d managed to get herself around Sydney every day and night for the last nine months, but Willa still worried about her. It was sweet, but unnecessary.

‘She won’t be travelling by herself. I’ll take her home.’

Amy’s head whipped round at the sound of Luke’s deep voice.

‘No, Luke. You don’t have to do that…’

‘Yes. I do. If you think I’m letting you find your own way home at midnight in the city then you’re drunker than I thought.’

Amy wasn’t drunk at all. Not by her usual standards, anyway. She was sober enough to realise that having Luke take her home was safer than going alone. But she was also sober enough to realise that she was drunk enough to maybe throw herself at him, given half the chance. And she didn’t want to do that.

And then he stood and rose up before her like a Viking, all tall and strong and broad…