brought her up short. And what a sight.
He was standing in the middle of the bedroom, clad only in a pair of faded denims that hugged his lean hips and encased his long, long legs. The entire
expanse of bronzed torso was bare, and Cathy found herself mesmerized by the broad, mahogany shoulders, and the triangle of golden curls that started at
his chest and then trailed down in a line beneath the belt of his jeans. Abruptly Cathy jerked her eyes upward, to meet those warm hazel ones that had
haunted her dreams. And the moment she had dreaded was upon her in full force. She could feel her face turn red with embarrassment.
“Hi, there,” he greeted her composedly. “I wondered where you were. Meg and Charles went off into town—something to keep her mind
off her stomach, she said. I was just coming to find you.”
“Uh—er—” Completely tongue-tied, Cathy continued to stare miserably as Sin pulled a polo shirt over his head, emerging with his
brown curls tousled.
“Have you been enjoying yourself?” he inquired solicitously, sitting down on a bed, her bed, and putting on a battered white sneaker.
“You look a bit sunburned. How is the water?”
“It’s not sunburn, it’s embarrassment,” she said frankly. “And the water’s beautiful. Look, we can’t share this
hotel room.”
He said nothing, merely raising an eyebrow, as she stumbled onward. “It’s not my fault, really,” she stammered. “Somehow the hotel
got the reservations mixed up, and they put us in together. And they insist that there’s not another room here, or on the whole island, for that
matter.”
“That wouldn’t surprise me,” he said calmly. “Even though it’s not quite peak season, St. Alphonse is very popular.”
“But you have to believe me, I didn’t plan this. I don’t like it any better than you do, and I know it’s bound to put a cramp in
your style, but there’s nothing we can do about it. Meg offered to share her room with me while you and Charles—”
“Out of the question,” Sin interrupted, a trace of a smile on his lips. “I’ve had to put up with Charles’s snoring for the
past eight days. I more than deserve a break. That is, presuming you don’t snore?”
“Of course I don’t!” she said, affronted. “But I can’t ask you to share this room with me. It wouldn’t be fair to you.
I’ll take a plane home as soon as I can make arrangements.”
“You’ll do no such thing.” He was off the bed in one fluid leap and standing in front of her, towering over her, that lean, panther look
about him once more. She could feel the body heat emanating from him. “I know it’s not your fault that the hotel got our reservations mixed up,
and that’s no reason to cancel your plans. Meg still needs you; you must know that after spending the last few days with her, Charles is devoted, but
men leave something to be desired in a delicate situation like this.”
“I don’t know why you keep assuming I’d know any more about this than a man would,” Cathy broke in irritably. “After all,
I’ve never been pregnant.”
“I hadn’t thought you had,” he said mildly. “Maybe I’m romantic enough to think the mystical bond between all women comes
through at a time like this. Meg needs you as much as ever, and I think you need this vacation. Despite this latest tantrum, you look a lot more relaxed
than you did in Washington. Listen, we’re both adults, and this room is gigantic, with two nice, large beds. I don’t see why we can’t
manage to share this room very comfortably.”
“But what if — if you meet someone ?” she stammered, flushing beneath his ironic gaze. “And you wanted to take her to your room?
Wouldn’t that present somewhat of a problem?”
“I didn’t come down here to ‘meet someone,’“ he mocked her delicate phrasing. “One-night stands have never been my
thing. And if I happen to get carried away by my passions I could always go to her hotel
He was standing in the middle of the bedroom, clad only in a pair of faded denims that hugged his lean hips and encased his long, long legs. The entire
expanse of bronzed torso was bare, and Cathy found herself mesmerized by the broad, mahogany shoulders, and the triangle of golden curls that started at
his chest and then trailed down in a line beneath the belt of his jeans. Abruptly Cathy jerked her eyes upward, to meet those warm hazel ones that had
haunted her dreams. And the moment she had dreaded was upon her in full force. She could feel her face turn red with embarrassment.
“Hi, there,” he greeted her composedly. “I wondered where you were. Meg and Charles went off into town—something to keep her mind
off her stomach, she said. I was just coming to find you.”
“Uh—er—” Completely tongue-tied, Cathy continued to stare miserably as Sin pulled a polo shirt over his head, emerging with his
brown curls tousled.
“Have you been enjoying yourself?” he inquired solicitously, sitting down on a bed, her bed, and putting on a battered white sneaker.
“You look a bit sunburned. How is the water?”
“It’s not sunburn, it’s embarrassment,” she said frankly. “And the water’s beautiful. Look, we can’t share this
hotel room.”
He said nothing, merely raising an eyebrow, as she stumbled onward. “It’s not my fault, really,” she stammered. “Somehow the hotel
got the reservations mixed up, and they put us in together. And they insist that there’s not another room here, or on the whole island, for that
matter.”
“That wouldn’t surprise me,” he said calmly. “Even though it’s not quite peak season, St. Alphonse is very popular.”
“But you have to believe me, I didn’t plan this. I don’t like it any better than you do, and I know it’s bound to put a cramp in
your style, but there’s nothing we can do about it. Meg offered to share her room with me while you and Charles—”
“Out of the question,” Sin interrupted, a trace of a smile on his lips. “I’ve had to put up with Charles’s snoring for the
past eight days. I more than deserve a break. That is, presuming you don’t snore?”
“Of course I don’t!” she said, affronted. “But I can’t ask you to share this room with me. It wouldn’t be fair to you.
I’ll take a plane home as soon as I can make arrangements.”
“You’ll do no such thing.” He was off the bed in one fluid leap and standing in front of her, towering over her, that lean, panther look
about him once more. She could feel the body heat emanating from him. “I know it’s not your fault that the hotel got our reservations mixed up,
and that’s no reason to cancel your plans. Meg still needs you; you must know that after spending the last few days with her, Charles is devoted, but
men leave something to be desired in a delicate situation like this.”
“I don’t know why you keep assuming I’d know any more about this than a man would,” Cathy broke in irritably. “After all,
I’ve never been pregnant.”
“I hadn’t thought you had,” he said mildly. “Maybe I’m romantic enough to think the mystical bond between all women comes
through at a time like this. Meg needs you as much as ever, and I think you need this vacation. Despite this latest tantrum, you look a lot more relaxed
than you did in Washington. Listen, we’re both adults, and this room is gigantic, with two nice, large beds. I don’t see why we can’t
manage to share this room very comfortably.”
“But what if — if you meet someone ?” she stammered, flushing beneath his ironic gaze. “And you wanted to take her to your room?
Wouldn’t that present somewhat of a problem?”
“I didn’t come down here to ‘meet someone,’“ he mocked her delicate phrasing. “One-night stands have never been my
thing. And if I happen to get carried away by my passions I could always go to her hotel
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