Page 28 of Caught Up In You (Indigo Royal Resort)
Anna was silent for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "Well then. That may change some things."
“Please let me have another week working with Josef. I can’t make any promises, but I really believe that there is potential there and I would like to explore it.” He felt like he was pleading, but he could see by the look in her eye that he was starting to get somewhere.
“So, what do we have to do, just show up Monday morning?”
“Yes, Mrs. Filipe. Same exact thing as this week,” he answered as Josef ran up to them.
"Go put your gear in the car, Josef,” she said, returning to her stern self. Her son did as she said, bounding toward the sedan.
“One last question. Have you spoken to Leona about this yet? Does she know?”
“I have not had a chance to speak to her today,” he answered, unsure what she was getting at.
“Make sure you tell her…all of it,” she commented. Turning to go, she paused and looked back at him. “And Mr. Cruz, I see how you look at my daughter. If you hurt her, please remember I do work for the local authorities.” She winked and turned to go.
Cullen let out a long sigh of relief. One hard-ass Filipe woman down, one more to go. However, it was the one who remained who rattled him the most.
Leona sat at her desk, once again not doing the paperwork she should be. There were almost two weeks’ worth of random room checks to write up, yet she had absolutely zero motivation to do it. This was so unlike her it wasn’t funny. She had always been so prompt about her reports. Her organizational skills were another thing she prided herself on, but right about now, taking a look around her office, no one would be able to tell.
She told herself that it wasn’t because she was hung up on what happened last night on the way home. No, she was much more preoccupied with the condition of her car. Pulling up her messages on her phone, she reread the text her father had sent her that morning.
Papa: Most definitely the alternator. Called Ricky to see if he can get a refurbished one. Will let you know.
Even if her father’s old buddy could find a refurbished alternator, it would still be a couple hundred dollars. But it was better than paying for a brand-new one, and certainly better than no car at all. It just was not a check she was looking forward to writing.
If she were being honest, maybe she was also a little preoccupied by the fact that she was unsure she’d ever experienced anything as intense as she had last night. No doubt, she had enjoyed her fair share of good sex. Carlos took great pride in making sure that she was satisfied on all levels during their rendezvous. Carlos. Poor guy. She adored him as a friend and, not for the first time, part of her wished that she felt more for him than she did. He was a great physical outlet. He just didn’t set her on fire.
But what had taken place in that back seat had. And it was more than just some seriously mind-blowing orgasms. It was…soul reaching somehow. Maybe because Cullen insisted on giving her a ride when she was halfway stranded, or that he had just been in her family’s home and interacting with her brother. Maybe it was even that he simply survived her mother’s inquisition and still managed to be polite. That was not an easy feat. But whatever it was, she couldn’t shake the feeling of being truly seen by Cullen Cruz and it was unsettling.
A light knock on her office door moved it even more ajar as Dalton stepped inside, showing off his megawatt smile. The kid really was insanely pretty. He looked so much like Scott Eastwood that one could easily mistake them for twins, if it weren’t for the fact that Dalton’s six-foot-four frame was a full five inches taller than the actor. They had hooked up once when he first arrived on the island a little over three years ago, but only the one time. At one point she had wondered if it could have been more, whether an actual relationship or even just more like what she and Carlos had, but for whatever reason he hadn’t seemed interested in a repeat performance and she had fallen into a rhythm with Carlos. It wasn’t something she’d ever say out loud, but deep down she knew that Dalton wasn’t really the playboy he portrayed himself as and that he also had more than his fair share of secrets.
“Earth to Lee,” he said, waving at her.
She jolted, coming back to real life. Had he been standing there trying to get her attention?
“Hi, what’s up?”
“Just stopping by to get your opinion on going out after dinner,” he replied.
“Dinner is good,” she said, still distracted by her thoughts.
“Right, well, Drea wanted to know if you wanted to stay here or if we were going someplace. Are you okay?”
“Um, whatever works.”
He just stood there looking at her for a moment, like he was trying to see inside her brain. It was making her a little nervous and she furrowed her brow. Closing the door behind him, he stepped inside and parked himself on the couch that was opposite her desk.
“Okay, out with it. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” she said dismissively.
“You just said ‘whatever works’ for a Friday night out. You always have an opinion. I have never ever heard you say ‘whatever works.’ So, spill.”
“I just have a lot on my mind,” she admitted. At least that part’s not a lie…
“He’s getting to you, huh? You h
ook up again?”
