Chapter 6

The sun had set, and low light from tiki torches gave a soft romantic glow around the island. It was a literal romantic paradise. As Ava made her way around the beautiful resort's stunning displays of luxury, she worked to take night images for her boss. Down a stretch of island forest along the sandy path, she came to an opening that lead down to the beach where a little hut was tucked away as if it was placed there by God himself. The area was lovely, almost like a dream.

There, just above the beach where it met the forest edge, she found Hunter stepping out of a secluded bungalow wearing little to nothing. She hated to admit it, but him telling her where he was staying was just an invitation for her curiosity to run wild, and she had practically bee-lined her way to him when the sun went down, even though she tried to convince herself it was just work-related.

“Figures, Richey Rich thinks he has to have the best spot on the island, away from the crowds, so he can seduce some poor unsuspecting girl to suck out her blood and send her dead body adrift in the ocean. No one would hear her cries on this side of the island,” she mumbled to herself. “Let’s see what you’re up to, night stalker.”

Using the island forest as cover, she went closer to get a better view. Hunter was nearly nude except for a towel that dangled dangerously low on his hips. The glow of the moonlight gave just enough illumination for her to take in his perfectly sculpted form. Every inch of pure lean muscle glistened under the night sky. It was like she was looking at a Spartan warrior in all its glorious beauty.

No... That wasn’t quite right. He was the devil incarnate, taking the form of the perfect man. She was sure this was a tropical version of hell, and she signed her name on the dotted line with the devil himself. This island was starting to lose its luster, in the dark of night, with a woman whose imagination often got the best of her.

“I’m losing my damn mind. He’s just a man. Get it together, Ava,” she whispered to herself, shaking her head from the thoughts.

Hearing a rustle in the underbrush, Hunter smiled to himself. How he knew it was the little vixen he had been teasing all day, he didn’t know. Yet he planned to give her a show if it was truly Ava sneaking around his bungalow. He had already noticed a camera flash earlier down the beach, so he was right to assume it was her.

Mr. Halifax had given him all the details about Ava when he brought word of the woman being thankful for him saving her. Maybe she was planning to thank him herself. Or maybe snap off more rude comments after the earlier dinner conversation. Either way, he was going to have a little fun with her.

Dropping his towel, Hunter stretched his limbs slowly, exaggerating every movement to give her a nice display of all his muscled glory, and his virtual strip tease worked. He heard a gasp from the shadows and smiled to himself, saying with a whisper, “Oh, my little pet. You’re going to be fun to play with. Come to Daddy, naughty girl.”

Stepping out onto the sand, Ava watched his taught round bottom flex as he made his way to the water. Wading waist-deep, he let his head fall back, allowing the cool waves to crash over him. Staying just deep enough to let his ass still be on display, he wanted to make sure she got an eye full of every inch of him.

Closing his eyes, he called to her. “You can come out now, red. I know you’re there. Come get in the water with me. It feels amazing.”

Ava’s body trembled as she headed back toward the resort, trying to leave undetected. Tiptoeing backward, she hoped he would think it was just a small animal, as a twig snapped under her foot.

“Shit,” she mumbled to herself quietly.

“Are you coming in or not? Don’t run away from me, little pet. You’ll never get away fast enough. I can track you down before you even get ten feet from where you stand. I thrive in the darkness.”

Ava froze in pure fear, not knowing if what he threatened was true or not. If he were a vampire, he could surely outrun her. She’d be dead before she could blink an eye.

“Don’t test me, Ava. Come down to the water.”

There were bigger fears than vampires she was worried about, and one of those was the water. She wasn’t about to step one foot into that ocean. The thought of being devoured by Hunter or a nearby shark wasn’t her idea of fun. Or worse; drowning. It had almost happened before, and she wasn’t going to risk it.

When he looked back at her, she could see the flicker of light within his steely eyes. Nothing more than the reflection from the moon shining off the water seemed to her as a sign the vampire was about to be let loose. It looked as if they were glowing under the moonlight as her heart started to pound beneath her ribcage.

“Fine, have it your way. I suggest you try to run now...”