Val didn’t give Hunter time to answer. “Not really, Margaret. There’s plenty of oil here, just a lack of infrastructure to deliver it to refinery plants.”
“Do you invest?” Hunter asked.
Val shrugged, but Meg noticed her husband’s thoughtful gaze.
“We’re eating, Valentino. Business can wait.” Simona turned her direction toward Hunter. “Tell me about your mother.”
Hunter swallowed half his glass of wine in one gulp. “I’d rather talk about oil.”
For the first time since Hunter’s arrival, Val chuckled.
Simona offered a disapproving scowl but didn’t pull Hunter back into a discussion about his family after Gabi quickly changed the subject.
Later, once Hunter and Gabi both pleaded exhaustion after traveling and a busy week, Meg sat on the balcony veranda of their private home on the island.
Meg stretched out on a double lounge, arms above her head, when Val emerged from inside.
The sea lapped up on the shore, and the temperature, even in mid-November, was mild enough to lounge outside without more than a nightgown and a bathrobe.
Meg patted the space beside her, inviting her husband.
He’d shrugged out of his jacket and tie. Still the starched shirt was there, but opened enough to display the sexy edge of a chiseled chest.
With a heavy sigh, he tucked her into the safety of his arms. She didn’t wait long to say what they were both thinking.
“You’re starting to like him.”
He grunted . . . just like his mom, and Meg had to stop from laughing out loud.
“He didn’t want to speak of his family.”
Meg shrugged. “Have you met mine? Not exactly mention-worthy.”
Val kissed the top of her head. “I don’t want to like him, bella.”
“He’s attentive to Gabi. The second she started to yawn, he made excuses.”
“To get her alone.”
Meg shook her head and watched the slow speed of the moon dance over the cloudless sky. “If he wanted her alone, he wouldn’t have brought her here. Besides, there’s nothing going on between them.” Not yet anyway.
“How can you tell?”
“Your sister is much more transparent than you give her credit for. And Hunter was way too tense for a man who’s getting lucky.”
Val groaned again.
This time Meg did giggle.
“Why must you make me think of my sister and sex?”
“She’s a grown woman, Val. Chances are, the last experience she had was with that asshole, Alonzo. Pity that!”
Meg noticed Val’s eyes squeezed tight.
She placed a hand on his chest and kneaded the muscles under her fingertips.
“I don’t want to like the man. He’s bullied my sister into marriage. I know it.”
Yeah, Meg thought the same thing. “Still, he’s clueless.”
“He’s a billionaire on his own accord. No family money to speak of.”
“Still clueless. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have brought her here. She’s safe here, even if she doesn’t feel it yet. If Hunter Blackwell truly meant to harm your sister, this is the last place he would have taken her for a fake honeymoon.”
“Unless she left him no choice.”
Meg lifted her knee over Val’s stretched-out leg and inched it north. “If that’s the case, then you need to give your sister credit. Blackwell is out of his league here.” Meg inched her fingers under Val’s shirt and rubbed the skin she found. “Enough about your sister and her husband.”
Meg caught Val’s grunt with her lips and made him forget about everything but the two of them.
Remington stood in the center of Miami International, plane ticket in his hand. The phone rang and rang . . . finally, he heard Blackwell’s voice.
A recording.
Fuck.
He waited for the beep. “Columbia sucks this time of year. I expect severance pay for this shit. Checking out account number one. Will hit account number two soon.”
He hesitated, then smiled. “Italy sounds good. Better call me soon if you don’t want me there. It’s your dime.”
Remington hung up, smiled.
He loved his job.
Chapter Fourteen
The calm waters held no break to speak of, so Gabi swam a good half a mile from shore before turning on to her back to float.
The water was nourishment for her skin. The tang of salt water in her eyes, on her tongue was the taste of home.
She missed it.
Her family’s interference and constant questioning the night before had kept a smile on her face all evening and even into her dreams.
The sun was still low on the horizon when she’d left the villa after the first decent night’s sleep since she’d agreed to marry. Her husband was still sound asleep in his room.
She let the quiet waters lull her as she floated. The pull of the sea inched her closer to shore.
Water filled her ears, masking the sound around her.
The sound of a gasp and several strong strokes against the water splashed, bringing her relaxed position in the water to high alert.
She heard her name.
Hunter swam her way, his arms and chest bare. Only when he was on her did his stunned expression alarm her.
“What happened?”
His hand gripped her arm, tight. “Are you? Damn . . . you were still. I called your name.”
Gabi kicked her feet, keeping herself afloat. “You thought . . . ?”
His grip tightened. “You didn’t respond.”
She moved her free hand to the one holding her. “I enjoy a morning swim.” She looked around them. “Besides, the sharks aren’t on this side of the island,” she teased.