Wearing nothing but a pair of boxer briefs, Spencer stood at the railing of his private balcony, coffee in hand. He stared unseeingly out at the expanse of sand and sea, his mind on the exquisite creature who had slipped away in the wee hours of the morning.

The sex had been amazing. The woman was fearless in bed. Good sex wasn’t anything new—he made sure any woman he was with walked away happy—but Vexy, Vexy had taken things to an entirely new, mind-blowing level. Things had been so good, in fact, that he had done the unthinkable.

He had fallen asleep in her arms.

Spencer never did that. Sleeping with someone had never actually involved sleeping with someone. That kind of vulnerability implied a connection beyond the physical. Yet, he hadn’t given it a second thought until he had felt her quietly extracting herself in the pre-dawn hours.

At first, he thought she was getting up to attend to personal needs. Then he had heard the whispered rustles of clothing, the soft snick of the locks, and the door as it closed. That was when he had realized she left.

He hadn’t gone after her. He had remained in bed, surrounded by tangled sheets that smelled of great sex and her. Getting back to sleep proved impossible, his mind consumed with questions he couldn’t answer. Questions that even now, hours later, he had no answers to.

Why had she slipped away? He knew she had to be just as exhausted as he was. Had she not felt the same level of comfort in his arms as he had felt in hers?

That thought was disconcerting. He had done his share of slipping away, so he understood it. What was the point of sticking around after you had both gotten what you wanted?

More, a little voice in his head whispered. The point of sticking around is to get more.

She had enjoyed herself. He knew she had. And Lord knew he had enjoyed himself immensely. They had been at it for hours, fucking like bunnies on crack. In the massage room, against the wall, in the shower, on the counter, and finally, in the bed, where they had explored every inch of each other’s bodies with hands and lips and tongues ...

Maybe it had been too much for her. Too intense. Maybe she just needed a bit of rest and time to process things.

Process things? He laughed out loud at the thought. There was nothing to process. She was a great fuck, nothing more, nothing less. In another couple days, he would be flying back to Pine Ridge, and she would be just a pleasant memory, never to be seen again. They didn’t even know each other’s names, for Christ’s sake.

Glad he had worked that out, he went back into his room and ordered room service. He then ate, showered, shaved, and called in to his administrative assistant to take care of some pressing business. He immersed himself in his morning routine and tried to put her out of his mind.

It didn’t work.

By early afternoon, he was on the prowl again, feeling slightly irritated with himself. He wanted her back in his bed, as much to slake the ache that had returned with a vengeance as to work her out of his system. He didn’t need the distraction, not with his father and the stockholders on his ass.

She wasn’t on the beach, nor at the pool, the restaurant, or the spa. She was probably resting and recovering in her room, he thought smugly.

Images of slipping into her room, finding her splayed naked in exhausted slumber heated his blood all over again. How fun would it be to climb into bed with her, then rouse her into wakefulness with his head between her legs? They could pick up right where they had left off.

First, he had to find out which room she was in.

Reluctantly, he sought out Dominic. Spencer had been adroitly avoiding the man.

He found his general manager hovering around the main reception desk.

“Dominic.”

The man stood up straight, looking relieved to see him. “Ah, there you are, Mr. Dumas, sir. I was looking for you.”

Spencer didn’t ask why Dominic had been looking for him. At that moment, he didn’t care.

“The woman I asked you about the other evening. What room is she in?”

Dominic’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he wasted no time in bringing up the digital registry. He tapped his tablet a few times, then looked back at Spencer. “She checked out this morning, sir.”

“She’s gone?” Spencer kept his face neutral, but he couldn’t completely hide the sharp edge to his voice.

“Uh, yes, sir.” Dominic looked back down at the tablet. “The limousine took her to the dock around seven a.m.”

Spencer turned away without another word and stalked toward the elevators.

She left! Without a word! Now what the hell was he supposed to do with the rest of his day?

“Mr. Dumas!” Dominic called after him, the sound of his soft Italian leather shoes crossing the marble flooring in a hurry. “I wanted to tell you that—”

Spencer didn’t hear the rest of what the man had to say as the elevator doors slid closed behind him.

He gripped the brass railing, the same railing Vexy had held while he took her from behind. Had that only been two nights ago?

He was angry. Angry that she had snuck away. Angry that she had ruined his plans for the rest of the day. Angry that she had been the one to walk away when that was usually his privilege.

As he thought that, a corner of his mouth quirked. They were even more alike than he had thought.

Well played, Vexy, well played.

By the time he exited on the twenty-seventh floor, most of his anger had drained away. The anticipation that had been riding him hard had faded, too, and the tiredness he should have been feeling all morning finally settled in.

Spencer readjusted his afternoon agenda. He would grab a restorative nap, then spend the rest of the evening exploring the resort and seeing what other unexpected surprises Sate had in store for him. Yet, as he held his hand to the scan pad, his heart wasn’t in it.

Stepping into his room, he frowned at the designer bag sitting just inside the door. Then his heart leaped. Had Vexy changed her mind? Had she decided to extend her stay?

Those hopeful thoughts were laid to rest almost immediately.

“Well, hello there, lover.” Wearing nothing but diamonds, Chelsea Chamberlain grinned from her reclined position on the sofa. “Surprised?”