Bachelor Undone

“Miss, would you like to try some of my strawberries? I just rinsed this batch off. I bet you’d like them.”

Her attention was pulled momentarily away from the gorgeous hunk when an island woman offered her a tray of fresh strawberries, sill wet from a recent rinsing. “Thanks, I’d love to try one.”

She popped a strawberry in her mouth, immediately enjoying the taste when the sweet flavor burst on her tongue. It was wet, juicy and so delicious. That made her glance back over at the man. Now he was standing to his full height as he continued to consider the T-shirts. He was tall, and she could see just how well built he was.

She tilted her head, thinking there was something about him that was oddly familiar, although she had yet to see his features. Like her, he was wearing sunglasses. His were aviators. And even from a distance she could tell he was an American. He had chocolate colored skin, and his dark hair was cut close to his head.

“Delicious, miss?”

She glanced back at the woman and smiled, remembering they were talking about the strawberries and not the man. “Yes, definitely delicious.”

“Would you like another?”

Darcy chuckled. She hadn’t intended on being greedy but since the woman asked … “Yes, I’d love another.”

She put another strawberry into her mouth, and when she glanced back over at the man, she saw he was staring over at her. Facing him, she immediately recognized him and almost choked on the strawberry in her mouth.

York Ellis!

Even wearing sunglasses she would know him anywhere. The shape of his mouth and his chiseled jaw would give him away each time. What the heck was he doing here?

She felt irritation invade her entire body. Staring into his handsome face did nothing to calm her rising anger. Her best friend was married to one of his godbrothers, so they were usually invited to the same family functions.

She and York always managed to rub each other the wrong way whenever they would run into each other. Things had been that way between them since the time they’d met at Ellie and Uriel’s wedding two years ago. During that time, her ex-husband Harold had tried threatening her to take him back. York had tried coming on to her at the reception. She had been in a bad mood at the time and had rebuffed his advances. Evidently he hadn’t taken rejection well.

He removed his sunglasses and stood staring across the way at her, evidently as surprised to see her as she was to see him. She felt her body get hot under his intense stare but forced her emotions to stay in check. She certainly couldn’t be that hard up for a man that she would be attracted to him.

And this wasn’t just any man. It was York Ellis. He was arrogant. Cocky. Too damn sure of himself at times to suit her. So why was she having such a hard time dragging her gaze from him? Why instead was she allowing her eyes to roam all over him, taking in how well he fit his jeans, his shirt? And then, there was his looks …

So, okay he had a nice looking mouth, one that was shaped just for kissing and those other scandalous things mouths could do. And his eyes were dark, so compelling and so magnetic. And at the moment, those dark eyes were intent on staring her down.

His half smile told her he knew she was checking him out and evidently found it amusing, considering their history. Anyone who’d ever hung around them knew they had one. He rubbed her the wrong way, and it seemed she always managed to rub him the wrong way as well.

He continued to smile, and she tried to ignore the fact that doing so made the angular plane of his face more pronounced, made dimples slash deep in his cheeks. This was the first time she ever noticed them. But then this was the first time he’d smiled at her.

But she quickly reminded herself he wasn’t smiling at her now. He was smirking at having caught her sizing him up. Good grief! With his arrogance, he’d probably assumed she was interested in him sexually—not on her life and not even if he was the last man on this earth.

But then she couldn’t help noticing that he was checking her out as well. His gaze was scanning up and down her body, and in response she could feel the nipples of her breasts press hard against the material of her sundress. She broke eye contact to reach for another strawberry. She needed it.

“All the others are for sale, Miss,” the woman told her gently.

Darcy couldn’t help but chuckle at the woman’s game and conceded it had worked. The woman had offered her two free strawberries to taste, knowing she would like them enough to buy the rest. And she was right.

“All right then, I want the entire basket. They are delicious.”

The woman’s face beamed. “Thank you. Would you like to try any other fruit?”

Darcy figured she might as well—anything to get her mind off the man across the street. Ellie liked York and couldn’t figure out why her best friend and one of her husband’s godbrothers could not get along. She had constantly told Ellie not to lose any sleep over it. Life wasn’t intended for every single person to live together in harmony.

She glanced back at York and saw he was still staring over at her. Data rushed through her brain as to how much she knew about him. He was thirty-four, had gotten a criminology degree from a university in Florida and had been a cop with the NYPD for a few years before going into business for himself as a security expert. Both of his parents were living, and he had a younger sister and brother.

She also knew that he and his six godbrothers had formed the Bachelors in Demand club, with each one vowing to remain single. Now it was down to only four since two had married. Uriel Lassiter had married Ellie and Xavier Kane had married a woman by the name of Farrah earlier in the year.

“Here are your purchases,” the woman said, handing her a huge brown paper bag containing the strawberries, mangoes and guineps. Darcy figured her next destination would be the hotel. Seeing York had practically ruined her day. She needed to revamp and get prepared for her night on the beach.

“Here, let me help you with that.”

Darcy turned her head at the deep, husky male voice who’d spoken close to her ear at the same time her bag was smoothly taken from her hand. She frowned when she glanced up at a face that was too handsome for his own good. “York, what are you doing here in Jamaica?” She all but snapped the question out at him.

He smiled, and she had to force her gaze from the curve of his mouth when he said, “Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing. Are you sure New York can handle things without you?”

“It will be a struggle, but they’ll manage,” she responded smartly. They both lived in New York but made it a point not to have their paths cross, which had always been fine with her—definitely preferable. “What about with you? Is the security of the city being tested with you gone?”

“Not at all,” he said smoothly. “And you never answered my question as to what you’re doing here in Jamaica.”

She glared up at him. “Not that it’s any of your business but I’m here vacationing for three weeks. I’ve earned the time off and intend to enjoy myself. And why are you here?”

“Vacationing as well. Funny we picked the same place to unwind and seek out relaxation.”

Darcy didn’t see anything amusing about it. Being on the same island with him was definitely not how she wanted things to be. It was bad enough that they lived in the same city. “Well, enjoy your vacation, and I can carry my own bag, thank you.” She tried tugging her bag from his grip and he held tight.

“Excuse me, but will you let go of my bag?”

Instead of doing so, he asked, “Where are you on your way to?”

She let out a deep, frustrated sigh. “My hotel.”

“Which one?”

“The Ritz-Carlton,” she said, without thinking.

His smile widened. “Now isn’t that a coincidence? So am I.”

He had to be joking, she thought. There was no way he could be staying at her hotel. As if he’d read her thoughts, he chuckled and said, “I guess this isn’t your lucky day, huh?”

She snatched her bag from him. “You’re right, it’s not.”

She turned and thanked the woman for her purchase and moved to walk away. Why wasn’t she surprised when York fell in step beside her? She stopped and turned to him. “And just where do you think you’re going?”

“Back to the hotel. Since we’re headed the same way, I figure we might as well keep each other company.”

“Has it ever occurred to you that I might not want your company?”

His answer was simple. “No, that thought has never occurred to me.”

“Like the time you rushed over to my place thinking I was a helpless female in distress?”

He laughed. “Hey, that was Ellie’s idea, not mine.”