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The red bikini never failed to arouse him...and the damn thing was just hanging there on the heated towel bar in his en suite.
When Harper Williams donned that collection of triangles and strings, he always enjoyed peeling the flimsy material from her curvy body. As much as he always wanted to tear it off, he enjoyed this sexy suit way too much to destroy it.
Ethan Michaels slid on a gray T-shirt and stepped back into the bedroom of his penthouse at Mirage. The adults-only resort was beyond luxurious and grand. In addition to all the amenities that made this five-star resort so sought out, the breathtaking property sat in the middle of Sunset Cove, a private island off the southern coast of California, making this resort a most magnificent destination.
While waiting out his time until he orchestrated an epic surprise reunion with his bastard of a stepfather, Ethan had started a fling with the owner of that tempting red bikini. He’d always been a sucker for red...and the lush body beneath didn’t hurt, either.
The one-night stand had turned into nearly a month of passion and R-rated sleepovers. Even with the time that had passed, he and Harper had kept things casual, simple—just the way he preferred his temporary arrangements, and she seemed more than okay with how their fling was going.
Ethan had no clue what brought Harper as a single guest to Mirage—and he had no intention of asking. She’d been alone like him, and they’d just gravitated toward each other, as most people who came to the adults-only resort were couples.
He and Harper had fallen into a perfect routine of meeting in his room for dinner in the evening. He’d always make sure the chef prepared something special just for them and the waitstaff always accommodated every need—Ethan would remember each loyal employee when he took the resort back into his name.
There was never a set time for Harper showing up in the evening, but Ethan always made sure something was ready for her. During the day, though, they did their own thing and went their own ways. Occasionally he’d see her on the beach and take her a drink, but they never so much as touched outside his penthouse.
Watching her parade around on the beach seemed to be the ultimate foreplay.
But he couldn’t get too distracted—he still had a job to do, a vendetta to secure. His time here wasn’t all about play. Harper was just an enjoyable by-product. He didn’t care one bit that she seemed to be using him to pass her time, as well. He did wonder what she was biding her time for, but again, he didn’t want to pry, because anything personal was out of the question.
All it would take would be one quick message to his assistant to have any answer he wanted about Harper, but that would imply that he wanted to know her beyond the bedroom. Some may call him cold, and they might be right, but Ethan had his reasons for the distance, and they were nobody else’s concern.
Besides, he never started a fling if the woman wasn’t on board for something casual and fun or if he thought for a second she was husband shopping. He’d never lead a woman on or pretend he could offer anything more than his body and a small portion of his time.
So, while some may think he was a coldhearted bastard, the only person who was hurt at the end of the day was himself. It was that pain that kept him focused on why he sought revenge, why vindication was so important. Using women was never his plan, but using his own body was.
Ethan grabbed his cell from the nightstand and checked his emails as he stepped onto the balcony. That fresh salt water and the ocean breeze never got old. He was meant for the beach, while his twin brother, Dane, was meant for the mountains. They were so alike, yet so different.
Nothing too pressing on the email front, so Ethan sent a text to his investigator to make sure the timeline for Robert Anderson’s arrival was still correct. His dear ol’ stepfather had been due at Mirage three weeks ago, but for some reason or another—likely illegal—the man was running very late. People like Robert flittered around from one spot to the next without a real plan or too much of a schedule.
But Ethan was patient. He’d waited nearly twenty years to get retribution...a few more days wouldn’t matter.
He pocketed his phone and glanced down to the beach. White canopies draped over the two-person cabanas. Staff roamed around with trays of drinks. The calming water rolled up against the shoreline, only to roll back out again. Yeah, he could easily stay right here and wait
