Page 17 of All Night with the Cowboy
“Yeah, I’m great,” she said, and he could see the light in her eyes, the almost childlike excitement as she kept glancing out the window. “It’s been a long time since I had a vacation, so this truly does look like paradise to me.”
He had to agree. “Me too. Sometimes we spend so long working and trying to prove ourselves that we forget to just enjoy life.”
“Easy to do when you can afford to stay somewhere like this.” Lauren sighed. “And I don’t believe for a second that you haven’t been enjoying life.” He watched as she stared out at the big white letters on the grass spelling outVOMOand the tropical trees dotted all around. She’d originally booked somewhere nice but within her budget, but this place looked incredible.
Tanner shrugged as the door beside him opened. “What can I say? The ladies like their bull riders.”
***
Lauren was in shock. This place… it was jaw dropping. She’d stayed in plenty of beautiful hotels and always been given a nice room, but this was somethingelse. This was the kind of luxury she looked at online and drooled over—how on earth could this be her home for the next three weeks?
“So what do you think? Is it up to scratch?”
“Put it this way: I don’t think I’ll ever want to go back to my place after vacationing here.” She tried not to laugh at the sight of him. He was every inch the cowboy—still in his boots, jeans, and plaid shirt. The only thing missing was the hat. And maybe the horse. Compared to the friendly locals in their leather sandals and breathable cotton tops and skirts, he stuck out like a sore thumb.
Their bags were brought in, and she watched as Tanner turned and passed the concierge a few bills. “Sorry, they’re American, I need to get some local currency.”
The concierge’s smile turned from big to bigger. “Vinaka, sir.Vinaka.”
Lauren walked away from Tanner to explore the place some more. They were staying in the Beach House, which was away from the other villas and faced out to the bluest stretch of ocean Lauren had ever seen. She opened the big sliding door and stepped out onto the timber deck, flanked with six outdoor loungers facing their own private pool. She slipped off her flip-flops and dipped a toe in—it felt heavenly—and when she studied the pool, she realized it was actually the perfect size for Tanner to train in. She would definitely get him swimming laps to help strengthen his body and ease him back into cardio again.
A gentle breeze brushed against her skin as she moved to the edge of the deck, looking down at the beach and admiring the white sand and the way the oceanlapped rhythmically so close to where she was standing, the waves so gentle. It was paradise here, no doubt about it. When Mia had promised her a luxury working vacation, she hadn’t been kidding—it was possibly the most beautiful, tranquil place she’d ever been to, and they hadn’t even explored the island yet.
“What do you think?” Tanner asked.
Lauren turned, looking Tanner up and down and trying not to laugh. Why was the man still dressed like he was about to attend a rodeo? She would have changed the minute she’d arrived if she was dressed like him. “I think it’s time you got your pants off, put that shirt away for good, and changed into something more appropriate.”
Tanner raised one brow, looking mightily unimpressed. “You don’t think I’m dressed appropriately?”
She put her hands on her hips and studied him. He sure was doing a good poker face. “Please tell me you didn’t pack that bag of yours with more plaid shirts and jeans? You do realize we’re on an island, not a ranch, right? Or were you not kidding about getting the how-to-dress memo.”
The slow smile that spread across his lips was sinfully seductive. She was pleased she wasn’t standing any closer to him, because the way he was looking at her—like she was a mouse caught under his paw—was sending shivers through her that even the Fiji sun couldn’t halt.
“I got the memo, darlin’. I’m still capable of wearing summer clothes.”
She didn’t recall seeing him in anything other than jeans and a shirt or T-shirt, other than when he’d been naked. Lauren frantically pushed the thoughts away, notwanting to remember being between the sheets with him, or out in a field, under a tree…stop!
She stood still, watching Tanner as he gave her one last look then limped away.Limped, she reminded herself. There was a reason she was here, and it was to stop him from moving like that. From now on, there was to be no more imagining her patient naked or thinking about how incredible his body had felt against hers. She was here to do a job and that was all.
Once Tanner had disappeared back into the house, she went in and collected her bag. It had been left in the main living space, and as much as she wanted to flop down on the big sofa and sleep off her jet lag, she didn’t. Instead she went to explore the bedrooms, peering into the first one and deciding to claim it. The big king-sized bed was made up with white linen strewn with tropical petals, and the windows faced out to the beach—the perfect place for her to hide away from Tanner. She set her case down, opened up the sliding door that led out to the deck, and then took a look in the en suite bathroom tucked away behind the bed. She returned to the bed, quickly stripped off her clothes, and pulled out a pretty summer dress. They’d arrived just in time for dinner and she wasn’t about to miss whatever gourmet feast was on offer at a resort she’d never, ever have the kind of funds to visit again.
Chapter 6
TANNER grunted as he sat down on the bed. Damn, he hurt. Every part of him was sore, achy, or thumping with a deep pain. It had been only seven weeks since the accident, but he was struggling to remember what it was like to be pain free. The doctors had given him a huge supply of pain medication, but other than when he was struggling to get comfortable enough to get to sleep at night, he wasn’t taking them. The last thing he wanted was to be popping pills—he wanted to make his body strong again, not mask the pain and pretend like he was okay when he wasn’t.
“You coming for dinner?”
Lauren’s voice was muffled as she called out from the other side of his door. He was sitting in his boxers, on the perfectly made white bed, with barely enough energy or strength to change into a fresh set of clothes.
“Just give me a minute,” he called back, pushing his palms down into the bed and rising. His wrist screamed out at him to stop, but it was better than putting all his weight onto his bad leg.
He unzipped his bag, grabbed a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, and leaned against the wall to get the shorts on. Thank god he didn’t need to wear shoes—his boots had just about killed him. Instead he slowly bent to collect a pair of flip-flops he hoped weren’t going to be too hard to wear, deciding to walk barefoot and put them on just before they arrived at the restaurant.
Tanner found Lauren sitting outside on one of the loungers, legs stretched out in front of her as she stared out at the water. The sun was slowly disappearing and he wondered how early it got dark in Fiji. He’d never been before, usually vacationing closer to home whenever he got away.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked.
“It certainly is. I feel like I’ve spent my entire working career rushing, and I can’t remember the last time I even sat on a beach.”
