Flight attendants shouldn’t be so willing to keep bringing the passengers drinks.

Me in particularly.

By the time we were halfway through the flight, I felt the effects burning through my veins.

With each sip of the fruity concoction they kept bringing me, I realized what a bitch I’d been to Owen. He didn’t deserve the way I dismissed him. He didn’t deserve me at all.

He deserved better.

Someone who could give him all of herself.

Not someone who was already married to the love of her life.

Her job.

I loved what I did.

The traveling never burnt me out. If anything, I was addicted to the new places they sent me to. Who wouldn’t want to get paid to visit exotic places and get the lay of the land so that the company she worked for could decide if it was worth setting up one of their luxury hotels in that location? And if they didn’t, I made sure that anyone and everyone who read my blog would want to go there regardless. That’s what Hidden Paradise specialized in. Setting up travel arrangements as well as creating the best experience for their guests who wanted to go to the places of their dreams. They were the definition of dream vacations. They made everyone’s dreams a reality. Especially mine.

I couldn’t give it up. Not now. Possibly not ever.

But did I want to give up Owen? Did I even love him?

Ugh.

Thinking about this put a damper on the buzz I was enjoying so I decided, yet again, to put him on the back burner and, at least, attempt to enjoy the vacation.

At least with alcohol running through my veins, I could loosen up enough to try.

After five drinks, I switched to water. I needed to be able to make it to my hotel room and with another hour and a half to go on the flight, I could only hope that I’d sober up enough to do just that.

After we landed, I collected my bags and found the gate to where I would take another short flight from Tahiti into Bora Bora. I should’ve paid better attention. This wasn’t like me.

Damn you Owen for distracting me.

Apparently, after that short flight, the only way to get to where I was staying was to take a boat. Lord help me. I would never make it to my destination this disoriented.

Too little too late for that.

There was no going back now.

Time to get it together, Lily.

Twenty minutes later, I boarded the small plane to head to beautiful Bora Bora.

The flight over I looked out of the window and took in the beautiful mountains below and the crystal blue waters.

This was the definition of paradise.

I tried to ease my mind, with no avail.

Nothing would do that knowing I had to get on a boat.

They weren’t my thing.

Flying I could do.

Boats—not so much.

I always turned a little green.

Guess I should’ve told Trevor not to send me to a damn island if that was the case.

Suck it up, buttercup, I scolded myself as I got off the plane.

You can do this, Lily. It’s just a boat.

I collected my bags and headed to the port to see which boat I would have to take to the hotel listed on my paperwork.

Le Meridian.

Sounded fancy enough.

“Welcome to Bora Bora. Where are you headed today, beautiful?” a nice-looking gentleman asked.

I told him my destination, and he let out a whistle.

“Fancy place. Traveling alone?” he asked as he helped load my bags onto the boat.

“I’m meeting friends there,” I said, reminding myself of my number one rule to never admit that I traveled alone.

“Lucky you.”

I didn’t even take the time to look this place up on the Internet.

I took a seat on the boat and took deep breaths. Once the boat was loaded with other passengers it roared to life. I felt my stomach lurch, but I kept reminding myself to breathe. Hopefully, this boat ride didn’t take too long.

When the driver stopped a short while later I realized my mistake.

I should’ve done a search.

My breath caught in my throat.

The hotel wasn’t a hotel.

It was a damn resort.

The resort of all resorts.

Overwater bungalows spanned out for what seemed like forever. This couldn’t be right. Why would Trevor spend this amount of money to send me on a silly vacation? He’d be hearing from me as soon as I found out where I was staying.

I stepped off the boat, and my stomach instantly felt better. Sealegs weren’t for me. Nothing sea related was for me.

The beach I could do. That was land. Rocking in the ocean—not so much.

I checked in easily enough, and the attendant called someone over to help me with my bags and told me she hoped I enjoyed my stay. I didn’t know about that. Nothing about this trip made any sense to me.

We walked down the dock to the end of one of the sections, and the attendant stopped as he used the keycard to enter the bungalow. The door slid open, and my breath caught in my throat. The floor was see-through. Lord help me. I didn’t know how I’d get any sleep this whole week knowing fish were below me.

I tipped the man, which he thought was odd, and I tossed my carry-on bag onto the bed.

I searched in the front pocket of the bag and found my phone.

Trevor needed to hear a piece of my mind.

As soon as possible.

The phone rang forever before his voice sounded through the speakers. Only it was his voicemail. That bastard sent me to voicemail.

“You’ve reached Trevor. You know what to do.”

I thought calling his personal line would be better. Apparently not.

“Oh, I know what I’m going to do. I’m going to hurt you when I get back. What the hell, Trevor? This resort is for honeymooners and romance. Neither of which I have now. Oh, and there are fish swimming underneath me at this moment. I hope you’re happy,” I said as I hung up the phone. I shouldn’t have talked to him that way, but what the hell. I had alcohol in my veins, and I was flustered from the boat ride. It wasn’t like he’d fire me while I was on a vacation he paid for and forced me to partake in.

I needed more alcohol and stat.

Plus, I needed to learn the lay of the land. What there was to do around here.

I thought I’d be on the beach. Not right on the damn ocean. Literally.

I pulled out a cute pink flowered sundress that reminded me of the beautiful gardens back home in Los Angeles. Paired with my wedges, that matched perfectly, and a silver pair of hoops, I was somewhat presentable. I fluffed out my hair to give it some body then put on some vanilla perfume and grabbed my clutch. After putting the company card, that I was told to use, and my identification inside my clutch, I left the bungalow. Surely, there was a bar somewhere near here.

I listened for music and followed the distant sound.

My feet clanked on the boards below as I continued to walk in search of the bar. I should’ve just looked it up on my phone, but after a few moments and even more wrong turns, I found the hotel bar.

I walked through the door and looked down in my clutch for my driver’s license when I was stopped by something hard. I felt myself falling backward, but someone’s arm wrapped around my waist to prevent the horrible disaster.

I couldn’t look up.

My cheeks turned pink from embarrassment, and I didn’t want to see the person I almost mauled due to my carelessness.

“That’s one way to get someone’s attention,” the deep voice spoke.

That accent.

Holy shit.

I trembled in his arms and hoped like hell he didn’t feel it.

What the hell?

I took a deep breath, but still refused to open my eyes and meet the man who still held me in his arms.

“You’ll have to look at me one day, beautiful.”

Not exactly.

I could turn around and walk away before I opened my eyes. Only I knew that would end in yet another disaster.

Could this day get any worse?

With that thought, I groaned.

“It’s not that bad, I promise. Just open those beautiful eyes and look up,” he coaxed.

Slowly, I peeked up at him and wished I would have just kept my eyes shut.

The Adonis staring down at me made me quiver even more. His voice wasn’t the half of it. His hair was jet black, and his skin the color of honey. His black eyes were intense, and I felt almost naked as he stared down at me. Those eyes meant trouble. They were soul takers. I could tell. With just one look from him, I was ready to hand mine over and never give it back.

“There they are. Even more beautiful than I could’ve imagined,” he whispered, and I felt weak. The more he spoke the more my body reacted. Damn trader. No one, and I mean, no one had ever gotten to me with just the sound of their voice.

“Thank you,” I said as I tried to pull out of his hold. He made sure I was steady on my feet before he unwrapped his arm from around me.

The crisp white button-down with the sleeves rolled up shined bright against his skin. He had on khaki pants and a pair of flipflops, I noticed as I checked him out.

“Like what you see?”

“Do you always just ask what’s on your mind?” I asked, embarrassed that I got caught checking him out.

“Usually. That’s the only way to get answers to the questions that I seek,” he said with a panty-dropping grin that showed off his perfectly white teeth. Were there any flaws on this man?

“Touché. I’m sorry for running into you. I’ll let you get back to your evening,” I said, needing to get away from this man. My body reacting to him this way wasn’t a good sign. I didn’t come here for this.

“Not before I get your name. I’m Thorn,” he said as he held out his hand.

I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped my mouth.

“What?” he asked as he cocked his head with a questioning look on his face.

“Thorn. That’s a peculiar name. It just made me think about the saying ‘you’re a thorn in my side’ and I can relate at this very moment,” I replied.

He mumbled something I couldn’t hear and looked away for a moment before returning his gaze to me.

“I’ve heard that a time or two. Actually, that’s just my nickname.”

“That’s some nickname.”

“Aren’t you going to tell me your name?”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

“You’re spunky. I like. I like that a lot. Let me buy you a drink,” he insisted as he turned us toward the bar without waiting for my response.

The heat from his hand felt like it burned against the thin material of my dress. Jesus, I needed to get a grip. And I damn sure didn’t need to bring Jesus into this situation. Even though I was going to need him if I stayed near this man. That was for sure.

He spoke French fluently to the bartender, and I couldn’t make out much of what he said. Spanish I knew. But French—not so much.

He turned back to me as he slid out the barstool and offered me a seat. He sat on the stool beside me and turned toward me, picking up my hand within his. I didn’t know how I felt about the sudden affection from this stranger. My brain screamed caution while my body said to throw it to the wind and go for whatever the night brought.

He brought my hand up to his lips and gently caressed the skin of my knuckles. Goose bumps appeared down my arms and legs, and I couldn’t hide the shiver that swept through my body at the heat of his soft lips meeting my delicate flesh.

Pulling my hand away, I looked up at him and smiled. I had to get a hold of myself before I let this man get to me even more than he already had. He had game, I could admit that, but I didn’t know if I could take what he was clearly offering without losing a piece of myself in return.

“What brings you to Bora Bora?”

“A forced vacation,” I said with slight annoyance in my voice.

“Someone had to force you to come to this beautiful island. Damn, that’s a shame,” he said.

“Under normal circumstances, no. But I have too much work to do to take this impromptu vacation my boss forced me to take,” I admitted, wondering why I was telling a stranger the insanity known as my current situation.

“Ah, so you’re one of those types.”

I was about to ask him a question in response when the bartender came back with our drinks. Mine was a blue fruity concoction, I assumed based on the umbrella coming out of the top, and he had what appeared to be bourbon on the rocks in his glass.

“To fun in the sun,” he said as he brought his glass to meet mine.

“And what type would that be?” I asked after taking a sip of the delicious drink in my hand. I could taste the rum but couldn’t tell what other flavors assaulted my senses.

“All work and no play,” he replied as he moved the drink around in his glass before bringing it to his lips. I watched the liquid enter his mouth and his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed the amber liquid. His tongue moved across his full lips as he got the remnants of the alcohol off.

Damn, Lily. Get a fucking grip.

He chuckled as he sat the glass down, and I knew I’d been caught, yet again, checking him out. I needed to find a way to hide that better. And fast. Before he realized just how much he affected me and used it to his advantage.

I neither admitted nor denied his claim. No matter which answer I gave, he knew the truth. Somehow, he could sense the truth. And I loved and hated that he could.

Picking up my drink, I downed the rest of its contents and waved the bartender over to order another. The more alcohol the better in my opinion. I’d need it to gain the courage to stay in the company of the exotic stranger sitting next to me.

More questions passed with me only giving him vague answers about my line of work and life back home. I wasn’t ready to reveal any personal information. I’d likely never see him again after tonight since I didn’t plan on leaving that damn bungalow until it was time for me to go home unless it was for food. Leaving meant running into sexy strangers, and my body couldn’t handle another repeat of the man sitting next to me.

The contents of the second drink went straight to my head, and I felt dizzy the instant I went to stand to excuse myself to the restroom.

“Looks like you love falling all over me tonight,” he joked as he caught me from falling yet again.

“Seems that way,” I replied as I tried to gain my bearings.

“Want to get out of here?” he asked.

I didn’t know how to answer.

Did I want to leave with him?

Should I leave with him was the better question?

To hell with it.

This time I listened to my body and not my brain.

With liquid courage, I nodded and let him lead me out of the bar.

Once we got to the entrance, he turned and faced me.

“With one condition,” he urged, heat filling his eyes as he glared down at me.

I looked up at him the best I could without the alcohol running to my head and waited for him to tell me what the condition was.

“Your name, beautiful,” he whispered as he dropped my hand and brought his up to frame my face.

I swallowed hard at the intensity of his gaze.

One look and I was done.

Another word and I was finished.

I was putty in his hands as I leaned into him.

“Lily,” I forced out of my mouth without my gaze leaving his.

“More beautiful than any flower I’ve ever seen,” he whispered as his lips caressed my forehead. I closed my eyes and held back the whimper that wanted to escape.

I didn’t know what he was doing to me, but I couldn’t wait to find out.

Turning back toward the exit, he grabbed my hand again and headed in the direction of the unknown.

This was the craziest thing I’d ever done in my life, and no matter how hard my brain tried to intervene I didn’t let it. I let the sexy man in front of me lead me off into the unknown. Consequences be damned.