Page 49 of Caught Up In You (Indigo Royal Resort)
“A rec league? That’s it?”
“He was a scholarship kid at the clinic. He’s one of us, Gracin,” Cullen said, knowing that the Croatian would know exactly what he meant by that.
“What can I do to help?”
The weekend had been a whirlwind for Leona. A large family reunion was checking in, with guests arriving both Saturday and Sunday, taking over the majority of a floor in Barracuda Tower and all but one suite in the Purple Rain. Making sure that each room was cleaned in time to accommodate some of their early arrivals, plus ensuring that the gift bags the organizer of the reunion sent ahead of time were in each room should have been easy enough tasks. But with being behind on her paperwork, not to mention simply being off her routine from the random days off and having to pick up Josef from camp, she was exhausted. She also owed Vaughn two weeks’ worth of random room check reports.
Despite the insanity that the weekend had been, Leona had managed to get every last bit of work complete. She had been so tired Saturday night that she slept on the couch in her office, leaving her extra sore when she woke up on Sunday. Looking at her phone as she rolled off the couch, she saw a text from Cullen.
Cullen: Missed having you in my arms last night ;)
She smiled to herself for a moment before tapping out a reply.
Leona: Missed being in your arms last night. They are a lot more comfortable than the office couch
Cullen: They are ready and waiting for your arrival tonight
Leona: Counting down the hours :)
She felt a pang in her chest reading his response, wishing for a moment she hadn’t opted to just stay in her office. But she knew it would be worth it when she climbed into bed tonight with Cullen, armed with the knowledge that she wouldn’t have to wake up early to sneak out, leaving her with her first full night’s sleep since he arrived. That was, if he didn’t wake her up with his fingers and tongue the way he had the other night.
The sunlight felt warm on her face as she rolled over in the king bed on Monday morning. With her eyes still closed, she reached out, searching for Cullen’s warmth. When all she was met with was the coolness of the sheets, she slowly opened her eyes, taking in the bright sunlight streaming in from the open window. The calmness was something she remembered from when she and Drea had stayed here as teens, but something about it now was even more relaxing than it had been then. It occurred to her that she could stay in this bed all day and be perfectly content. Except…there was one seriously sexy footballer somewhere in this bungalow that she wanted to see.
She found him out on the back patio, in nothing but a pair of swim trunks, pacing back and forth while chatting on the phone. A plate of magic muffins sat on the little table she had placed the pizza boxes on the other night, and she grabbed one without hesitating, slipping onto the chaise lounge next to the table. Snacking away at the muffin, which was amazingly still a little warm, she focused in on his body as he paced.
“As long as it doesn’t conflict schedule wise, I think that should be fine,” he said into his phone. He continued to pace back and forth as he listened to whomever was on the other end of the call. “Sure, I’ll sign whatever is needed for an auction. That’s easy enough.”
Leona had long thought that Cullen Cruz looked as if he was carved out of clay. His muscles were so well defined that it almost seemed inhuman for a person to be that lean, and yet somehow, here he was. Those muscles seemed to glide under the taut skin that was stretched across them as he moved. His calves were solid masses that led up to some of the most well-defined thighs Leona had ever seen. She was unaware that thighs could ever be a turn-on, but somehow, when Cullen walked around with his shorts hiked, she couldn’t help but lose her mind.
His back flexed as he turned around, now facing her, showing off those clearly chiseled abs and pecs. He winked at her when he saw her, and she winked back, still taking him all in. He stopped pacing for a moment, planting
his feet and rocking his hips side to side, making the deep V at his hips flex in a way that made her mouth water. It really wasn’t fair that there was so much sexiness in one body. She wasn’t sure what she had done to deserve the chance to be around that body, but damn, was she thankful.
She heard him tell whoever was on the other end he had to go, rushing them off the phone. “Morning, beautiful,” Cullen said, hitting the end call button on his phone.
“Hi. You didn’t have to end your call for me.”
“Of course I did. You are much more interesting than Oliver,” he said with another wink.
“Oliver?”
“My agent. Sleep well?”
She nodded, her mouth full of muffin. He leaned down, kissing her lightly on the lips. As she pulled away, he straddled the chaise and sat facing her.
“Glad to hear it.”
“Is there a plan for the day? Or are we winging it?”
“My plan is to spend as much time with you, in as few articles of clothing, as possible.” He winked.
“Really now,” she said, half mocking, half seductive. “And what makes you think I’m going to be willing to spend the day naked with you?”
“Because I know that beneath the put together, professional hard-ass you let the world see, is a wild child who is just aching to let loose.”
His words caught her off guard. Did he really see that? She hadn’t been ready for that. She had not been ready for him to understand her on such a level. It was one thing for Drea to know it. For Dalton and Kyle and the uncles to know who she was underneath it all. But for Cullen to see it, that was different. Maybe she was more transparent than she thought.
Shoving the last bit of the muffin in her mouth, she popped up from the lounger. She pulled her sleep shirt off as she did so, revealing her naked breasts and lace thong. The shirt fell to the ground as Cullen simply stared at her breasts, looking almost like he was hungry. Taking advantage of his stare, she slowly inched her thong down her legs, making sure to wiggle her hips as she did. A growl escaped his lips as she teased him, making her smile even bigger. When the small scrap of fabric hit the boards of the deck, she stepped out of them, turning slowly, looking over her shoulder to make sure his gaze followed to her ass. Then, without warning, she took off running for the water.
