fired off two shots, picking up at least one bug in the room. "Why don ' t I take a picture of Jason on the rocking horse? " he asked Dana, conscious that Vanessa had moved closer to him and hoping to distract her if she noticed the winking red light.
" Yippe-e-e! " Jason launched himself onto the colorfully painted rocking horse and started bouncing on it, kicking the wooden beast for all he was worth.
"Jason, hold still, " Dana said as Rob centered him in the viewfinder.
Rob didn't like the wall-mounted television that would ruin the picture. He reminded himself that he was merely looking for another bug on this side of the room, not an artistic shot. The second his finger pressed on the button, the red light blinked. He quickly depressed the button to fire the flash.
"Is something wrong with your camera?" Vanessa's voice was low. She was right at his elbow. If he moved, he ' d bump into her.
" Just a low flash battery."
Jason hopped off the horse and sprinted from the room, his gun trained on imaginary bandits. Rob chuckled, reminded of his son at that same age. The age of innocence, he thought. How quickly it ended.
He turned and collided with Vanessa. "Sorry."
She didn ' t back away. Instead, she peered at him intently, her blue eyes as soft as a caress. " You ' re good with children. "
Where the hell did she get that idea? He was—or more accurately he had been when Zach had lived with him. But Vanessa couldn ' t know anything about his parenting skills. She was just trying to be nice, he realized. He orchestrated a smile and reached for Dana.
" S o what do you think? " Dana asked Rob.
" Big Daddy ' s a control freak … and maybe worse. I won ' t know until I get a long look at the command center, which is probably in his suite. " They ' d left Jason and Vanessa and were walking past the pool toward Makai House. Twilight came earlier in the hilly up-country than it did miles away at the beach. Mauve shadows deepened into purple, and the breeze, always cooler here than on the coast, was moist against Dana ' s face, bringing with it the fragrant scent of plumeria.
" Big Daddy can ' t listen to everyone at once. He must have a sophisticated tape system that he can play back later. " Rob stopped at the turnout for the spa that was separated from the pool by a few feet.
"You ' re right. He ' s out riding with the paniolos most days. At night he holds a cocktail hour from six until dinner is served at eight. " Even now she could hear the sounds of guests gathering on the terrace, appreciating the spectacular sunset. " He must listen later. "
" He probably tunes in for the bedtime follies. " There was no mistaking the sensual light in Rob ' s eyes. " We won ' t want to disappoint him. "
Dana drew in her breath and crossed her arms as if to protect herself. "I think we should get a few things straight. "
" Really? " All innocence. "Like what? "
" Like this is a serious situation. I ' ve hired you and I can fire you. "
"I love it when you talk dirty, " he said with a pronounced Texas drawl. " You aren ' t going to fire me. You ' re up to your eyeballs in alligators and you know it. What ' s really bothering you? "
She gazed out across the swimming pool designed to look like a mountain lake. The rumors she ' d heard about him echoed in her mind like distant thunder. He ' d never actually been charged with rape, but when he'd brought it up that night at Coconut Willie ' s, he hadn ' t denied it. Why not?
" I guess what ' s bothering me is the size of the cottage, " she fibbed. "I ' m not used to living in close quarters with a man. I think we should establish some guidelines. "
He chuckled, an undeniably masculine laugh. "Like who gets the bathroom first? You can have it, sweetcakes, as long as you don't stay in there all day. "
" I don ' t take long, " she informed him, her annoyance showing in her tone. She swallowed twice. " I was wondering what you planned to wear to bed. "
His smirk made her
" Yippe-e-e! " Jason launched himself onto the colorfully painted rocking horse and started bouncing on it, kicking the wooden beast for all he was worth.
"Jason, hold still, " Dana said as Rob centered him in the viewfinder.
Rob didn't like the wall-mounted television that would ruin the picture. He reminded himself that he was merely looking for another bug on this side of the room, not an artistic shot. The second his finger pressed on the button, the red light blinked. He quickly depressed the button to fire the flash.
"Is something wrong with your camera?" Vanessa's voice was low. She was right at his elbow. If he moved, he ' d bump into her.
" Just a low flash battery."
Jason hopped off the horse and sprinted from the room, his gun trained on imaginary bandits. Rob chuckled, reminded of his son at that same age. The age of innocence, he thought. How quickly it ended.
He turned and collided with Vanessa. "Sorry."
She didn ' t back away. Instead, she peered at him intently, her blue eyes as soft as a caress. " You ' re good with children. "
Where the hell did she get that idea? He was—or more accurately he had been when Zach had lived with him. But Vanessa couldn ' t know anything about his parenting skills. She was just trying to be nice, he realized. He orchestrated a smile and reached for Dana.
" S o what do you think? " Dana asked Rob.
" Big Daddy ' s a control freak … and maybe worse. I won ' t know until I get a long look at the command center, which is probably in his suite. " They ' d left Jason and Vanessa and were walking past the pool toward Makai House. Twilight came earlier in the hilly up-country than it did miles away at the beach. Mauve shadows deepened into purple, and the breeze, always cooler here than on the coast, was moist against Dana ' s face, bringing with it the fragrant scent of plumeria.
" Big Daddy can ' t listen to everyone at once. He must have a sophisticated tape system that he can play back later. " Rob stopped at the turnout for the spa that was separated from the pool by a few feet.
"You ' re right. He ' s out riding with the paniolos most days. At night he holds a cocktail hour from six until dinner is served at eight. " Even now she could hear the sounds of guests gathering on the terrace, appreciating the spectacular sunset. " He must listen later. "
" He probably tunes in for the bedtime follies. " There was no mistaking the sensual light in Rob ' s eyes. " We won ' t want to disappoint him. "
Dana drew in her breath and crossed her arms as if to protect herself. "I think we should get a few things straight. "
" Really? " All innocence. "Like what? "
" Like this is a serious situation. I ' ve hired you and I can fire you. "
"I love it when you talk dirty, " he said with a pronounced Texas drawl. " You aren ' t going to fire me. You ' re up to your eyeballs in alligators and you know it. What ' s really bothering you? "
She gazed out across the swimming pool designed to look like a mountain lake. The rumors she ' d heard about him echoed in her mind like distant thunder. He ' d never actually been charged with rape, but when he'd brought it up that night at Coconut Willie ' s, he hadn ' t denied it. Why not?
" I guess what ' s bothering me is the size of the cottage, " she fibbed. "I ' m not used to living in close quarters with a man. I think we should establish some guidelines. "
He chuckled, an undeniably masculine laugh. "Like who gets the bathroom first? You can have it, sweetcakes, as long as you don't stay in there all day. "
" I don ' t take long, " she informed him, her annoyance showing in her tone. She swallowed twice. " I was wondering what you planned to wear to bed. "
His smirk made her
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