Free Rivals in Paradise by Gwyneth Bolton

exactly as Chase had planned. He had offered to show Cicely around his small island in hopes that spending time with her would either get him to come to his senses and not want to pursue her or get her to see that the man she needed to be having an affair with was him. His mind fluctuated between the two, and he was determinedto find some type of closure or solace in one or the other.
    Her dress, however, wasn’t helping him keep a clear head.
    He never would have thought that something so long and flowing could look so damn sexy. But it was kind of low-cut. And it did show her beautiful, long, elegant arms. And her hands…her hands with that neat and proper French manicure that gave no hint at all that when your eyes traveled to her pretty little feet you’d find blazing red nails on the toes sticking out of those sexy sandals.
    Man, he had it bad.
    He just hoped it didn’t come back to bite him in the behind. And now he was inviting her into his sanctuary, a place sacred to him even though he barely ever came here, a place where the only other women who had ever set foot in had been relatives. He had a feeling the place would never be the same again once Cicely stepped inside. But damned if he could stop his hand from reaching out for hers and leading her inside.
    He let her walk slightly ahead of him and watched the gentle sway of her hips as she made her way through the entryway. He shook his head and again wondered if he was doing the right thing. Maybe he should just call things off and let her fend for herself this week. No need to tempt fate and giveCicely Stevens the chance to get the better of him yet again.
    He cleared his throat. “I don’t get to spend a lot of time here at all. In fact, it’s been several months since my last trip home, for my grandmother’s funeral. The job kept me really busy. But I always knew I had this place to come to whenever I needed a break.”
    â€œI’m sorry to hear about the loss of your grandmother, Chase.” Cicely reached out and stroked his arm.
    She smiled at him as she looked around his home. “This place is absolutely amazing. How do you manage to stay away? If I had a place like this overlooking that beautiful beach, I’d be here every single day.” Cicely walked around, taking in the sparsely decorated room.
    He’d gone for a minimalist design because the real beauty came from outside of the home. There were several open, airy areas and lots of windows. The furniture was all white with bold splashes of earth tones—from clay to deep mahogany—acting as accents. A white sectional sofa flanked the living room, and the walls were all off-white with a few select Caribbean-inspired paintings gracing them.
    They walked through his home in silence. She marveled at various points along the way. Her eyes were appreciative, and her smile seemed to make the already bright and airy home even brighter. As hesurveyed his home through her eyes, he couldn’t help pondering her earlier question and wondering why he didn’t make a point of coming home more often.
    When they reached his bedroom she touched the king-size mahogany four-poster bed and grinned.
    â€œOkay, that has to be the most comfortable-looking bed I’ve ever seen. How do you manage to keep all this white clean? You must be some kind of neat freak or something.”
    He grinned back at her feeling more at ease than he should have. It was on the tip of his tongue to invite her to try out the bed and see how comfortable it really was. He imagined her spread out on the plush white comforter. He knew if he actually saw her in his bed, they wouldn’t make it to his mother’s rum shack. So he tried his best to get the image out of his head.
    â€œActually, I’m not really that neat. I’m hardly here, and when I am here, the white furnishings make me extra careful.”
    She giggled. “That bed is so plush it makes you want to just