Free Stranded in Paradise (The Blake Boys Book 13) by Rhonda Laurel

for her as she soon as she stepped outside, and she was on her way. She reached into her bag and put on her sunglasses and tied her hair with a fuchsia wrap. She relaxed. There was no way she’d be running into a certain hunky architect today. For someone who didn’t want to be around her, he popped up everywhere.
     
    * * *
     
     
    Jared looked at his cell phone, tempted to turn it off. He’d made the mistake of turning it on to check messages for work and had another one from Taylor. He knew she was a woman of focus, that’s what made her an excellent surgeon. But today he was going to enjoy himself and that didn’t include talking to her. He ate an early breakfast and dashed out of the hotel to resist the urge to spy on Autumn. He thought about her constantly since they’d parted ways after the tour. He should have been kicking himself, running away from a beautiful woman. But it wasn’t like she was lonely for company. There was no shortage of suitors flocking to her, and that Graham guy was showering her with attention. So why did this upset him so? Because she had an infectious smile and eyes that sparkled like precious gems. She had a way about her that made him fantasize about kissing her senseless and endless days in bed. She was the kind of woman who could make a man forget about his priorities. Staying away from her was for the best. Too bad he wasn’t taking his own advice.
    The sun felt good beaming down on his skin. The staff was prepping for the speedboat tour that was supposed to leave at ten. He was habitually early, but he seemed to be the only person lining up for the excursion, and the boat would fit twenty-five people easily. He boarded and took a seat. The boat was rocking gently with the waves and it felt so soothing he closed his eyes. It was a truly peaceful moment until he heard a commotion coming from the back of the boat. Maybe more guests were arriving. He turned around to see Autumn boarding the boat, and of course there were two men breaking their necks to help her. The second she stepped on the boat, Gustavo, the captain, complimented Autumn on the sundress she wore, and she responded in kind with a bright smile and the whimsical giggle he’d become familiar with over the last few days. But that smile faded when she laid eyes on him.
    “Hello, Autumn. This is quite a surprise,” Jared said as he approached.
    “You.” She squinted at him. “Like the tour bus surprise? I smell a rat.”
    “Good to see you too.”
    “I think you’re stalking me.”
    He smirked. “I could say the same about you.”
    “I selected this trip myself an hour ago. So before you start yammering about someone scheming to spend time with you, get a grip.”
    “Well, I booked this trip last night before I turned in for the evening. Maybe in between the dancing and drinking with Graham, you saw me talking to the concierge and asked about my plans.” He folded his arms over his chest.
    “Do I look like I need to follow a man around?”
    “Yet, we keep running into each other.”
    The captain announced they should take a seat.
    “I thought we agreed that I was an unwanted distraction to you,” she huffed.
    “Perhaps. But both of us showing up here on our own accord shows we think alike, just a bit.”
    She raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? What am I thinking about now?”
    “I’m a gentleman. I wouldn’t use such language in front of a beautiful lady.” He grinned.
     
    * * *
     
     
    They zipped around the island in the speedboat. There was no bad view of the place. But Jared was more interested in Autumn looking absolutely ravishing in her sundress than in taking photos. Gustavo made a turn and drove away from the shore, toward a tiny island in the distance. It was so small it looked like a reasonably large wave would swallow it up. As they neared it, it became clear it was bigger than he thought and had more topographical features. It had a few more hills, and he could see a cabin sitting atop