her head against him for a moment, guessing that he wanted them to look like a couple as they got away. He smelled good and clean, and for a second she wanted to rest there. To let her heart stop pounding like crazy.
Give her a lying politician or an apologetic Hollywood superstar who’d been busted for using cocaine and she was okay. But running and hiding from el policía who hated americanos made her feel vulnerable. Something she’d vowed a long time ago to never be.
As soon as they were out of sight of the guards, she forced herself to shift away from Bennington. Hell, he was Alex’s useless brother. What the was going on here?
She stopped and turned to stare up at him. “What are you doing on Puerto Isla?”
“What do you think I’m doing here?”
“It’s a little too dangerous for you to come down here to chase after your love bunnies, so I’m not sure.”
He gave her a half smile that took her breath away. “Nice opinion you have of me.”
“I didn’t know you cared.”
“I don’t.”
A patrol of two guards rounded the corner. Ben tensed and swore.
He backed her against the wall. His mouth moved over hers with none of the skill and finesse she’d have expected of him. Instead she was overwhelmed with raw passion and a primal feeling that welled up deep in her soul.
His free hand cupped her butt and pulled her fully into the cradle of his thighs. One of his legs slipped between hers. He had her completely protected with his body, and though the threat was imminent she still responded to the passion in him.
It had been a long time since a man had kissed her like Bennington was doing right now.
“Helada. ¿Qué usted está haciendo?” one of the guards called out.
Ben lifted his head, rubbed his lips over hers one time and then glanced over at the guard who’d asked them what they were doing.
“El intentar conseguir una cierta acción,” Ben said with a grin. Then lowered his head to hers again.
The guard laughed and walked away, wishing Ben luck. Ben continued to hold her until the men disappeared, and she did her best to ignore the racing through her bloodstream.
She was here on the job, dammit. And nothing—certainly not Bennington Forsythe—was going to mess with that.
The afternoon air was thick with the smell of hibiscus, something that always reminded Tory of her mother’s house and the bushes that grew under her childhood bedroom window. She pulled back from Ben. He kept her loosely tucked to his side.
He put on a pair of sunglasses, shielding his eyes from her. She wasn’t sure she could trust him. He hadn’t said he was in the military, and the Ben she knew could very easily be down here on a lark. Working—or rather playing—at some dangerous game that involved little or no ethics.
“I can see why you have a reputation as a ladies’ man,” she said lightly. She edged farther away from him. But his hand on her waist stopped her.
“There’s a lot more smoke to my reputation than substance.” She pushed his hand off. He put it back, more firmly. He scanned the area searching for something. Backup? More attackers? She didn’t know.
“Actually, Forsythe, I’m beginning to think there’s more substance than you’d like the world to see.” That wasn’t very subtle, but she was on an adrenaline jag from her near escape with armed police.
“There isn’t, Patton.” His voice was devoid of its earlier commanding tone. This was the Ben she’d run into a few times in Manhattan. Society’s golden boy, who flitted from woman to woman and party to party with little care.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked. His hand still gripped her waist. She’d always been a little intrigued by Alex’s brother.
“You heard what I told the guards,” he said.
“Trying to get a little action? Ben, you’re hopeless.” She tilted her head back and tried to read his eyes, but it was impossible with those dark shades and his guarded expression.
“Nah, baby. I’m just an all-American male.” He ran one finger down the side of her face. She knew he was playing her. Using the spark of attraction that had developed between them to distract her from the questions she was dying to ask.
“I won’t stop asking until you tell me what you’re doing here.”
Ben stepped away from her. He took her hand, leading her away from the hospital.
“You’re not still on about that, are you?” he asked. He pushed his hands through his thick hair and pivoted away from her.
“I never really left it,” she said softly.
“Well, forget it, Tory, and forget me. Get yourself off this island as quick as you can. This isn’t the place for you. Who let you come down here?”
He didn’t sound like Society Sam now. He was pure pissed-off male and Tory bit the inside of her mouth to keep from smiling. She wondered if he’d ever be able to fool her with his charming rogue’s smile again.
“Ben, it’s the twenty-first century. No one let me come. My station sent me. I was promised an exclusive.”
He nodded. “Go back to Miami. I’ll make sure you talk to King there.”
“How can you ensure that? Are you still with the military?”
“Never mind me. Just get back to your hotel, pack your stuff and get your sweet ass off this island.”
“My sweet ass?” Tory wanted to smile at him but wasn’t going to. Her mind was swirling with questions and half-formed answers. She needed to write this encounter down on paper. She thought better with a pen in her hand.
“It’s a phrase.”
“One most guys are smart enough to keep to themselves.”
“I haven’t heard any complaints.”
She narrowed her eyes and stepped away from his touch. “I’m not leaving the island. This interview is my chance to reach the next level in my career. And it’s not like I don’t have the training to handle this type of situation.”
“God save me from Athena women. Seriously, Tory, forget you saw me here.”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to do that,” she said. There was something different about Ben in her mind now, and she knew she’d never forget his rock-hard body or his skill and knowledge in getting them away from the hospital.
“Try real hard. You’re a smart lady—you should be able to figure out something.”
“That’s right, Bennington, I am a smart lady and I’ve finally realized that something about you doesn’t add up.”
“Let me know when you figure out
