Quick & Reckless, page 18
Shouldn’t be too hard.
He always finished the job. Always came through. Always found a way. He’d meet every person on the entire island if he had to. And if he turned up empty-handed, he’d move on to the next island.
He would find her. That was a promise.
But first, he had to find a place to crash for the night. Soggy, squelching boots and all, he made his way up the beach to a well-worn path wide enough for one vehicle. He needed to get the fuck out of these boots. Sure, he’d been in the trenches and worn filthy, wet, blood-covered clothes for days when he’d been a SEAL, but now he was a respectable PI, and this wet foot shit didn’t fly. He began making the circle around the island, hoping his instincts would kick in and draw him to his target.
Guest houses and hotels, bungalows and cottages lined the road on the left side, while the beach followed him on the right, calling him out for a swim.
Later. First, he had a job to do.
A dive shop on the left drew his attention. It had a large fake manta ray with a wide grin hanging up above the front door and a dozen or more scuba tanks standing sentry in front of the big picture window that said “Smiling Manta Dive” in stark white window paint.
“We’ve got a diving level for everyone,” came a friendly, melodic voice from inside. “Beginner, advanced, masters. You want to get your teaching certification? We offer that too.” There were a few chuckles from other people before the woman continued, “Or, if you’d prefer to simply float on the surface with a mask and snorkel, we rent those as well. Whatever your comfort level, we have it.”
Rob wandered inside, having to duck under the big manta ray to avoid hitting his head.
“Hi. Welcome to Smiling Manta Dive.” The voice belonged to a striking blonde behind the counter.
Rob blinked a few times, his eyes adjusting to the dimmer lighting, only to cause him to walk straight into a cardboard cutout of a scuba diver.
Abandoning her patrons, the woman raced out from behind the counter. “Whoa, you okay?” She grabbed him by the elbow to keep him from falling over. His backpack was throwing his balance all out of whack.
She snatched up the cutout and propped it back up.
By this time, Rob’s eyes had adjusted to the light inside, and he nearly swallowed his tongue. He’d never met anyone like her. And probably never would again.
She had a ring in her left nostril, grass-green eyes, rosy cheeks, freckles, dimples and the best smile Rob had ever seen.
She was staring at him curiously. “You okay?”
“Maybe he doesn’t speak English,” the female patron suggested. “Dude, do you speak English?”
For fuck’s sake.
Get ahold of yourself, man. You’re a thirty-seven-year-old Navy SEAL. Pull it together.
Gathering his wits, Rob tossed on his infamous panty-soaking smile. “I do. I also speak Spanish, some Italian, and my Arabic has been known to get me from point A to point B.”
The blonde’s face split into another incredible smile. “Well then, welcome to the Smiling Manta. Are you looking to dive?”
It was her.
He didn’t know how he knew, because she didn’t look at all like the blurry pictures he’d been going by, but it was her. He just knew it. She hardly had an accent, though, only the faintest intonation when she pronounced her th. To the untrained ear, it probably wouldn’t even be detectable. But Rob was not untrained. He was trained in everything.
This was Skyler McAllister.
He nodded. “Yeah, I’m here for a bit. Looking for a place to stay, too.”
He had to play it cool. She was obviously running from someone, so one false move and he’d either blow her cover and put her in danger, or cause her to panic and she’d flee. He needed to gain her trust first before he told her who he was.
Her emerald eyes twinkled. “I might be able to help you with that too. Just let me finish up with these folks, and then I can help you.” She made her way back around the counter and brought out matching diving masks, turning her attention to the couple once again.
While he waited, he brought up images of her brothers. He was ninety-nine percent sure this was Skyler, but he wanted to make sure. She was closest in age to Warren. They were less than a year apart. But she looked the most like Tate. Same eyes, same confident, almost cocky smile. And given the dark eyebrows and dark hair of her brothers, he’d guess she wasn’t a natural blonde. But she pulled the honey color off well. It certainly wasn’t a cheap off-the-shelf box job.
Had she changed her hair color every time she relocated? She’d changed her name a few times. The Instagram post she’d been mentioned in, even as a background dweller, had said her name was “Scarlett.”
She didn’t suit a Scarlett.
She suited Skyler.
Skye.
Forever changing.
“Hi. Sorry to make you wait,” she said, coming back out from behind the counter. The dive couple were making their way out of the shop, leaving just the two of them. “Is this your first time to the Gilis?”
He didn’t expect to find the long-lost McAllister sister so attractive. She was throwing him off his game. He needed to get a grip. He had a job to do.
“Hmm?” she probed. “You okay?”
Shit. He’d been too busy staring at those adorable freckles on her cheeks and nose. That nose ring was damn sexy too.
Get. Ahold. Of. Yourself.
“Sorry, yeah. First time to the Gilis. They’re beautiful.”
That smile. Fuck. It was going to be the end of him for sure. And her cute button nose wrinkled just a touch when she grinned.
“How long are you here for?”
He lifted one shoulder. “As long as I need to be.”
“That’s the spirit.” She beamed. “So you said you’re looking for a place to stay as well?”
He nodded. “Yeah, you know anywhere?”
“Yep. Smiling Manta has bungalows for rent just down the path. You get a discount if you book a dive package.”
“Cool. Well, then it looks like I’m booking a dive package.”
She wandered back to the desk and pulled out the same schedule book as before. “Sounds good. How much diving have you done?”
Well, he was on the SEAL Team Six dive team for five years, so a fair bit. But he couldn’t tell her that. No, the fact that he’d dived to depths that made most people claustrophobic, and in the dead of night detonated bombs underwater, blowing up drug cartel boats, was not something she needed to know … yet.
“Maybe twenty or thirty. It’s been a while though. Probably need a dive master to go with me.”
Her eyes alighted. “You’re looking at one.” Her bright white top teeth snagged her bottom lip as she provocatively ran her slender finger down the schedule book. “We’ve got a dive scheduled for tomorrow morning, and there’s still room on the boat. You interested?”
Boy, was he interested.
“Sure.”
Play it cool, man.
“And bungalow nine is available.”
“Sounds perfect.”
She grabbed a key off a series of hooks behind her and slid it across the glass-top counter, her eyes fixing on his. “Well, welcome to the Smiling Manta and Gili Air. I hope you enjoy your stay. Let me know if you need anything.”
He picked up the key. “I will.”
They stood there, eyes locked. A look of unease slowly slid across her face.
A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth.
“Is there something else I can help you with?” Her chipper tone from a moment ago faltered.
Rob’s mouth split into a big grin. “Don’t you need my name and credit card information?”
Her ample chest rose and fell on an exhale of relief. “Oui!” A very forced chuckle made that ample chest bob. “Ah, Right. Sorry. I do.”
Reaching into the back pocket of his shorts, he pulled out his wallet, then handed her his credit card.
“Nice to meet you”—she squinted at his name— “Roberto Cahill.”
Oh fuck. The way she rolled the r in his name made his balls tighten up in his board shorts. This woman was dead sexy without even having to try.
“Rob. Just call me Rob.”
That infectious, carefree smile was back. “Nice to meet you, Rob.”
Was she flirting?
Damn, this mission was going sideways, and fast.
“Nice to meet you too … ” He lifted one eyebrow.
“Sky—” She paused, shook her head and blinked a few times, “Sorry, Scarlett.”
Rob pursed his lips together for a moment. “Nice to meet you, Scarlett.”
Grab the next book Quick & Dangerous here —> https://www.books2read.com/QDangerous-QBS
Acknowledgments
There are so many people to thank who have helped me on this daunting journey to becoming a published writer. First and foremost, my friend and editor Chris Kridler, you lady are a blessing, a gem and an all around amazing human being. Thank you for your honesty and hard work.
Jeanne St. James for doing the first beta-read for me, your notes, incite and ideas were so helpful. Thank you.
To Kylee Waite, my Australian expert who helped me with slang, lingo and making sure I kept Warren as authentic as possible. Thank you!!!
Megan at EmCat Designs, your covers are fantastic, and you are a peach. Keep ‘em coming, lady!
The Naughty Room Readers authors, I love being part of such a tremendous set of inspiring, talented and supportive women. Thank you for letting me learn, lean on and join the team.
My street team, Whitley Cox’s Fabulously Filthy Readers, you are all awesome and I feel so blessed to have found such wonderful fans.
The ladies in Vancouver Island Romance Authors, your support and insight have been incredibly helpful, and I’m so honored to be apart of a group of such talented writers.
And lastly, of course, the husband. My rock, my travel companion, my partner in crime, my everything. I love you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A Canadian West Coast baby born and raised, Whitley is married to her high school sweetheart, and together they have two beautiful daughters and a fluffy dog. She spends her days making food that gets thrown on the floor, vacuuming Cheerios out from under the couch and making sure that the dog food doesn’t end up in the air conditioner. But when the kids are in school, and it’s not quite wine o’clock, Whitley sits down, avoids the pile of laundry on the couch, and writes.
A lover of all things decadent; wine, cheese, chocolate and spicy erotic romance, Whitley brings the humorous side of sex, the ridiculous side of relationships and the suspense of everyday life into her stories. With single dads, firefighters, Navy SEALs, mommy wars, body issues, threesomes, bondage and role-playing, Whitley’s books have all the funny and fabulously filthy words you could hope for.
MORE BOOKS BY WHITLEY COX
THE DARK AND DAMAGED HEARTS SERIES
Love, Passion and Power: Part 1
The Dark and Damaged Hearts Series: Book 1
https://books2read.com/LPP1-DDH
Kendra and Justin
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Love, Passion and Power: Part 2
The Dark and Damaged Hearts: Book 2
https://books2read.com/LPP2-DDH
Kendra and Justin
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Sex, Heat and Hunger: Part 1
The Dark and Damaged Hearts Book 3
https://books2read.com/SHH1-DDH
Emma and James
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Sex, Heat and Hunger: Part 2
The Dark and Damaged Hearts Book 4
https://books2read.com/SHH1-DDH
Emma and James
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Hot & Filthy: The Honeymoon
The Dark and Damaged Hearts Book 4.5
https://books2read.com/HF-DDH
Emma and James
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True, Deep and Forever: Part 1
The Dark and Damaged Hearts Book 5
https://books2read.com/TDF1-DDH
Amy and Garrett
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True, Deep and Forever: Part 2
The Dark and Damaged Hearts Book 6
https://books2read.com/TDF2-DDH
Amy and Garrett
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Hard, Fast and Madly: Part 1
The Dark and Damaged Hearts Series Book 7
https://books2read.com/HFM1-DDH
Freya and Jacob
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Hard, Fast and Madly: Part 2
The Dark and Damaged Hearts Series Book 8
https://books2read.com/HFM1-DDH
Freya and Jacob
*
THE QUICK BILLIONAIRES SERIES
Quick & Dirty
Book 1, A Quick Billionaires Novel
https://books2read.com/QDirty-QBS
Parker and Tate
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Quick & Easy
Book 2, A Quick Billionaires Novella
https://books2read.com/QEasy-QBS
Heather and Gavin
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Quick & Reckless
Book 3, A Quick Billionaires Novel
https://books2read.com/QReckless-QBS
Silver and Warren
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Quick & Dangerous
Book 4, A Quick Billionaires Novel
https://books2read.com/QDangerous-QBS
Skyler and Roberto
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Quick & Snowy
The Quick Billionaires, Book 5
https://books2read.com/QSnowy-QBS
Brier and Barnes
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THE SINGLE DADS OF SEATTLE SERIES
Hired by the Single Dad
https://books2read.com/HBTSD-SDS
The Single Dads of Seattle, Book 1
Tori and Mark
*
Dancing with the Single Dad
https://books2read.com/DWTSD-SDS
The Single Dads of Seattle, Book 2
Violet and Adam
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Saved by the Single Dad
https://books2read.com/SBTSD-SDS
The Single Dads of Seattle, Book 3
Paige and Mitch
*
Living with the Single Dad
https://books2read.com/LWTSD-SDS
The Single Dads of Seattle, Book 4
Isobel and Aaron
*
Christmas with the Single Dad
https://books2read.com/CWTSD-SDS
The Single Dads of Seattle, Book 5
Aurora and Zak
*
New Year's with the Single Dad
https://books2read.com/NYWTSD-SDS
The Single Dads of Seattle, Book 6
Zara and Emmett
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Valentine’s with the Single Dad
https://books2read.com/VWTSD-SDS
The Single Dads of Seattle, Book 7
Lowenna and Mason
*
Neighbors with the Single Dad
https://books2read.com/NWTSD-SDS
The Single Dads of Seattle, Book 8
Eva and Scott
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Flirting with the Single Dad
https://books2read.com/FWTSD-SD
The Single Dads of Seattle, Book 9
Tessa and Atlas
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Falling for the Single Dad
https://books2read.com/FFTSD-SDS
The Single Dads of Seattle, Book 10
Liam and Richelle
*
THE SINGLE MOMS OF SEATTLE
Hot for Teacher
https://books2read.com/HFT-SMS
The Single Moms of Seattle, Book1
Celeste and Max
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Hot for a Cop
https://books2read.com/HFAC-SMS
The Single Moms of Seattle, Book 2
Lauren and Isaac
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Hot for the Handyman
https://books2read.com/HTHM-SMS
The Single Moms of Seattle, Book 3
Bianca and Jack
*
Mr. Gray Sweatpants
A Single Moms of Seattle spin-off book
