ELEMENTAL LOVE: A Second Chance Single Dad Romance Read online

  “The one that involves balls.”

  I raised an eyebrow and smiled, loving to see the way her mind scampered to find the next part of the sentence as she realized that her last remark could go either way.

  “Well, I’ve been known to land my fair share of drives in the fairway, and my long iron shot usually hits the sweet spot. On the other hand, if you’re referring to golf, then yes, I can hold my own.”

  Now I smiled openly, and she caught on, laughing aloud.

  “Ah, smooth. Ever the witty one, aren’t we?”

  I laughed now, too.

  It was a nice change of pace, seeing her so relaxed, looking at me with a little less fire in her eyes. I truly liked the woman I saw, standing in front of me now, laughing as if she didn’t have a care in the world. I could get used to this.

  I left her to settle in and arranged to meet her for dinner in an hour. “Again, we’re not dealing with Michelin-star quality food,” I apologized. “But the windward side of the island has some of the wildest waters, so the seafood is excellent.”

  “Sounds good. See you later, then,” Rachel said, as she closed the door, and I walked away to my own rooms, at the other end of the floor.

  In the shower, I felt a sudden relief, as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I couldn’t quite explain it, but somehow, knowing that she was there, just a couple of rooms away from me instead of five thousand miles away, just felt so right to me.

  At dinner, Rachel and I were taken to a private room. It had been arranged in advance after I asked Carly to ensure we wouldn’t be disturbed. She had been recruited as my assistant when I arrived on the island, and she was already doing an excellent job.

  For starters, I had the scallops, and Rachel chose seared lobster with asparagus foam. She moved her fork slowly around her plate, and I asked her what was wrong. She looked up and smiled. “Nothing,” she said. “I’m a little tired, to be honest. Considering we’re still in the USA, I feel like I’ve flown all the way back to Spain.”

  “I’m sorry for bringing you all this way,” I said. “But the place does look stunning first thing in the morning. The sunrise over the mountains is exquisite.”

  “What made you choose Hawaii?” she asked. “It’s so far away from New York.”

  “In this game, you go where the land is,” I said. “Whether that’s a snow station on the Arctic tundra or a camel-racing track in the Sahara.”

  “Please don’t ask for my help with either of those projects,” she begged, and her face was so serious that I burst out laughing.

  “Don’t worry. I don’t have any plans for either of those just yet. I asked you out here so you could get a feel for the place and maybe suggest a few ideas, although I know you’ve taken on a lot with Skyline.”

  She shrugged, popping a piece of lobster in her mouth. She chewed, swallowed, and took a sip of wine. “Damn, that’s good,” she said, looking at the glass, and took another sip. “The thing is, I go where the work is. If you want a designer, then you hire someone to will go wherever you send them. Kate’s not about to complain about the long hours when you’re paying the sort of fees she’s commanding.”

  With that, she leaned forward, conspiratorially. “You know, you’re paying her far too much,” she said, in a low voice, as though we were surrounded by people, although the room was empty. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but you could have hired a designer just as good as I am, for a lot less money.”

  “I can’t believe you’re selling yourself so short,” I said. “I’m surprised you’ve said that. I would have thought you were the best in the business. I want the best. I always have. And I know that when you want the best, sometimes you have to dig deep and pay handsomely for it.”

  “I’m flattered you think so,” Rachel replied. “And like you said, it doesn’t hurt to have a pretty face around the place either, now does it?”

  I winced. “Ouch. Did I say that?”

  “Yes, you did.”

  The silence between us was heavy, the unspoken memories of the two of us and our time together, in both of our minds, I was sure. I leaned forward and touched her hand. “I want you to know I think you’re much more than a pretty face,” I said.

  She blushed. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “You’ve got a hell of an ass on you, too.” She gasped and threw her napkin at me.

  “Oh, you’re just full of jokes today, aren’t you?”

  And, once again, we laughed.

  For our main course, we ate the largest shrimp I’d ever seen, glazed with a spicy mango jam and served with fresh pasta. As we ate, Rachel and I talked about her father. “Why did he never remarry after your mother died?” I asked. “He’s a handsome guy, and the hardest worker I’ve ever known. Sometimes I wonder how we’d cope without him.”

  “It’s nice of you to say that. I agree, of course, on both points.” Her face was sad, a little wistful. “I guess he wanted to make sure I was happy and had the best life. I don’t know whether I’d have wanted him to meet someone else. That’s selfish, isn’t it? Maybe I’m the one who stopped him from moving on.”

  “I don’t think so. If he wanted to meet someone else, he could have. Maybe after your mom, there was nobody else for him.”

  I ran my finger along the white tablecloth; my thoughts making my eyes drift away from Rachel’s face, so they stared at nothing in particular. “Not everyone can move on after a death. It’s difficult. It feels like a betrayal to the person who died.”

  “I understand,” Rachel said, in a small voice.

  “But no matter how much a person thinks they’ll never recover,” I continued, “sometimes life has a way of surprising us, don’t you think?”

  And her eyes lit up, her lips curling into the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen. My heart, a part of me I’d been convinced was shut off for so long, now emitted the faintest glow. I wonder, I thought. What if…

  Then Rachel clamped her hand over her mouth and yawned. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I could stay here all night and keep drinking this amazing wine, and enjoying your company, but I’m exhausted.”

  “Of course,” I said. “I’ve kept you for too long.”

  “No, really, you haven’t,” she protested. “I’m happy to be here.”

  We left the table and took the elevator upstairs. I walked her to her room, and she put her key in the lock. “I’d ask you in for a nightcap, but I don’t think I could stay awake long enough to actually drink it.”

  “Another time, then,” I said.

  “Yes. Another time. Goodnight, Alex.”

  I lowered my head, placed my lips softly on hers, gently kissing her.

  “Goodnight, Rachel.”

  Chapter 27

  ________

  RACHEL

  Hawaii was a dream, the stuff of fantasies. Aside from the fact that I was on a beautiful island for three days, I felt I had Alex all to myself.

  There’s a lot to be said for knowing that we couldn’t be ‘caught in the act’ at any moment, either by Noah, or my dad, or even Alastair, who was a nice guy, and a great butler, but who had a habit of choosing strange times to polish the silver, Alex told me.

  I did a little work on his ideas for the hotel and spa, but during my time there, he was more interested in doing other things. I asked him to look over a few sketches I’d done, and he proceeded to glance at them for a second, toss them to one side, and then spent a good hour looking over my whole body instead. I had no complaints.

  Over the next few weeks, though, I saw less of him than I would have liked. Skyline was nearly complete, thanks to some super-efficient construction. In the blink of an eye, the structural work was complete, and then it was my turn to shift my side of the job up a gear and chase all the suppliers to ensure they made good on their end of the bargain. There were a few teething problems. There always are, on a project of this magnitude, and they took up all my time.

  I hardly went to my office at Element
al, but because Alex was my first client since getting the job, it’s not like I had any other customers who were demanding my attention. I would be forever grateful to Alex for giving me the opportunity; to be able to showcase Skyline as my first project since arriving back in the USA, was a huge feather in my cap.

  Being so busy meant that my moments with Alex were restricted to the odd smile when we were in the office, or a phone call here and there to discuss something that needed fixing. Now that the project was nearly complete, Alex had new things to worry about: he ramped up promotion and marketing, and where he could have delegated at least half the work, he insisted on doing a lot of the hiring of the staff himself. I was learning that in Alex’s world, everything had to be perfect.

  By the time September came, the days were flying by. I stopped going home every single weekend because I’d begun to see Skyline as my own personal project, and even though my work was pretty much done, I too wanted to be close to the action, to make sure that everything was coming together as planned. I wanted it to be as much of a success as Alex’s other projects. Perhaps even more so, because it had brought us together.

  Together. Were we?

  The question still hung in the air, neither of us having the time to pull it down and properly dissect it. The stress of Skyline and Halii-Kai kept Alex a little too far away from me in order for me to pin him down. I needed to talk to him. Preferably when he was relaxed and enjoying himself.

  The Fall Bash. It was a always good time. And it came around quickly, too, the end-of-September festival that never failed to be an amazing event. It was to begin on the final Saturday of the month, so I finished work early on the Friday and drove back to the estate.

  That evening, Dad and I ate dinner together, catching up on the latest news. I got the impression that he knew there was something I wasn’t telling him, but he didn’t press me on it, thankfully.

  Early on Saturday morning, when I woke up, I felt light and happy. It wasn’t just because it was the day of the biggest event on the Maitland calendar, but because I was going to be spending the whole weekend home, near Alex, and neither one of us was going to be distracted by work.

  I dressed in riding gear, as Dad had asked me to assist, and I’d been more than happy to agree, especially when given the task to help oversee the early morning arrival of the horses from the other estates.

  With my riding boots in hand, I left the house and sat down on the stairs. Dad had always been strict about never walking into the house in dirty boots. Even stepping inside wearing shoes, felt off, somehow. I pulled on the boots and began the long walk over to the top field.

  It was still early, but already the place was bustling. Five huge tents were spread out over the left side of the area, and next to them was the parking lot. Some cars had already arrived; they were large and opulent, millions of dollars in vehicles alone, occupying the spaces on the newly laid concrete.

  Several horses were being led out of their horse-trailers by their trainers and stable hands, getting them settled before the much-anticipated polo match. They tossed their heads and trotted around, their braided tails folded and bound with colorful ribbons.

  Sitting on one of the ponies I saw a familiar figure, a sight that would have had my heart racing, my forehead breaking out in a sweat, a couple months or so earlier. Now, the sight of Thomas Maitland did nothing for me. Next to his brother, he didn’t seem that attractive any longer. How things had changed.

  I kept an eye out for Alex, but I couldn’t see him. There was no sign of Noah, either, although I didn’t expect to see either of them just yet as it was still very early.

  Martin was at the polo pitch already, carefully inspecting the ponies that had been brought across from the stables. Unless they were one hundred percent fit, he wouldn’t allow a horse to compete. Alex was competitive in business and always wanted to win. Martin, too, was just the same when it came to his ponies. Whether he was racing horses or training for polo matches, only the best would do. If the Maitlands didn’t come home with the trophy, he blamed himself.

  “How’s everything looking?” I asked as I sidled up to him.

  “Good,” he said. “We’re on course to win.”

  The tournament was scheduled to start later that afternoon, it being the highlight of the Bash. All the large country houses in Long Island came up to compete, and the Maitlands usually won. I learned from Dad, though, that the Grantham estate had taken the trophy the previous year, which had devastated Martin. I was glad that I’d been in Spain at that time, as I could only imagine how miserable everyone would have been afterward, their pride shattered.

  Suddenly, I heard a familiar little voice call my name, and I smiled as I saw Noah waving from on top of Bonnie. She was so placid, with the beautiful, calm temperament of a horse twice her age. And, leading her, looking as gorgeous as ever, was Alex. He smiled at me and I smiled back at him.

  I felt so drawn to him and needed to stop myself from running over and throwing myself into his arms. Am I in love with this beautiful, strong man? I was suddenly very aware of the fact that my heart was quickly becoming at risk of being terribly broken, once again. I wanted to talk to him about what was going on between us. I needed to know what he was feeling.

  “Good morning,” he said, as he walked up to me, holding onto Bonnie’s reigns. I stepped forward and rubbed her long, velvety nose.

  “Morning,” I said in reply, smiling at him before looking up at Noah. “You look great up there. I can see that you’ve really been listening to what I’ve taught you, Noah.” He beamed as he proudly nodded his head in agreement.

  Turning my attention back to Alex, I smiled. “Can we talk later?” I asked, my heart still thumping loudly.

  He nodded, his gaze never leaving my face. “I’d like that,” he said slowly.

  During the polo tournament, the Maitland team coasted through the first three games. It was Thomas who scored the winning goal in the semi-finals, taking his team through to the finals to battle it out against the Grantham team.

  I stood next to Alex, both of us screaming loudly, cheering on the Maitland team as they took to the field. He yelled loudly, urging on his little brother, and even though we really weren’t supposed to make so much noise, we didn’t care. The excitement was just too much for us both.

  In the final chukka, the teams were neck and neck, until Thomas, undoubtedly the hero of the hour, smashed the ball and it whooshed through, into the Grantham goal. The game was over, and the Maitlands could, once again, wrap their hands around the trophy.

  As Thomas leaped off his horse to receive the cup, a stunning young woman in a floral printed dress ran over to him. He swept her up and kissed her. At one time, seeing that would have caused me to feel sick. Now, though, I simply watched them both with a smile on my face. They were well suited.

  “She’s a nice girl.” Alex’s lips were close to my ear, making me shiver, and I smiled at him.

  “Yes, she certainly seems to be.”

  “I’m pretty sure that the last time you looked at my brother while he was with another women, I had to kiss your lying little ass.”

  I groaned with embarrassment. “I remember,” I murmured and laughed shyly. “Only now, I’m not looking at him the way I was back then.”

  A grin reached from ear to ear. “Oh? And why’s that?”

  “Because I’m too busy looking at the man in front of me,” I said, and I knew that he was about to kiss me. I could see it in his eyes. He lowered his head and he didn’t seem to care one bit that there were people around. My lips parted in anticipation as his mouth moved closer.

  Then, suddenly, tearing me from the sensuous moment, an unwelcome voice shouted my name. “Rachel!”

  My eyes flew open and I whirled around in shock. There, in a white suit, his dark tan looking out of place among everyone else, and with a backpack swung over his shoulder, was a man whose face I immediately recognized. His eyes had dark circles beneath them, as though he hadn�
��t slept in days and his hair was unwashed, matted against his head. If I hadn’t been so shocked, I may even have felt sorry for him. But as it was, I couldn’t believe that he was actually standing there, in front of me now.

  “Mathias?” I cried. “What are you doing here?”

  Chapter 28

  ________

  ALEX

  I knew who he was. Rachel had told me about him. About how she’d fallen for his wild Spanish looks, but that she hadn’t bargained for his wild Spanish ways. He was a liar. A man of little integrity. But, even so, the man who’d broken her heart.

  And yet, now, she didn’t seem to be talking to him as though he was any of those things. I watched as she actually went up to him and gave him a hug. “What are you doing here?” she repeated.

  “I came to see you, of course,” said the puppy-eyed Lothario. “I missed you.”

  Rachel stepped away from him and shook her head, putting a hand to her mouth. “I don’t know what to say. It’s so strange to see you here. In Long Island.”

  “Well, here I am. Can we talk, Rachel?” The way he pronounced her name, made my toes curl, it sounding more like Ray-shell.

  “Did you get on a plane and come over just to see me?”

  “Yes. Lois helped me realize how stupid I’d been, Ray-shell. I would really like to talk to you, alone. Please.”

  It took everything in me not to step forward and tell this prick to get lost, that he’d wasted his time and money coming here and to get the hell off my land and away from Rachel. He was damn presumptuous thinking he could just show up here and she’d be running back to him.

  And, to my utter amazement, that is exactly what she did, taking him by the arm and walking away from me, not even bothering to look back.

  I watched her leave, and although I wanted nothing more than to run after her, I was damn sure I was not going to embarrass myself in that way. I was furious, and I knew that if I’d gone after them, I’d just do something that I might regret later. How could I have been so wrong, thinking that she was developing the same feelings for me that I had for her?