Private 02 - Private Paradise

her want to pull him into her arms and chase them away. She felt the same undeniable tug now, the urge to chase away his demons with the sheer power of her love.
    Oh, gag me.
    She shook her head, snapped herself out of it. God, what was wrong with her? Five minutes in his presence and she was already spinning fantasies like the dopey eighteen-year-old she'd once been.
    “ Chris,” she said, turning her attention to her cousin, “I know Sam is one of your oldest friends, but this position requires a significant level of responsibility. No offense Sam, but from what I remember about you, I can't imagine you're even remotely qualified.”
    Sam's smile tightened around the edges. “Based on what you remember about me, I'm sure you can't. But if you'll look at my resume, I can assure you I'm more than qualified to manage security for Holley Cay.”
    He slid a piece of paper across the table. Carla flipped it over and saw that it was a resume. She scanned down, trying to keep the surprise from her face as she registered the details. Six years in the US Army. That was no surprise. She'd known he was headed off to basic the night he left.
    At the time, after she'd seen his true colors, she'd expected he would either go AWOL or get kicked out in no time. She'd never expected him to last six years, five of them in Special Forces, followed by an honorable discharge four years ago.
    While in the Army he'd completed a bachelor's degree in business and economics, and in the four years since his discharge, he'd been working for an international security firm that worked protecting US interests in such lovely places as Iraq, Somalia, and Afghanistan.
    “ You know I'd never hire anyone who wasn't qualified just because he's my friend,” Chris said, sounding insulted. “You're my cousin, and I would have never let you take over as general manager here if I didn't know you could to the job as well as I did, and I'll fire your ass in a heartbeat if you're not cutting it.”
    His words, and the sharp look that accompanied them made Carla's stomach clench. She thought she'd made up for what had happened last year, but apparently not. “If anything Sam is overqualified,” Chris added.
    “ You obviously have a great deal of experience,” she conceded. “But you understand it's hard for me to consider hiring someone who nearly went to juvie for boosting cars to run our security department.”
    “ That was a long time ago,” Sam said, his blue gaze unwavering. “I think you'll find a lot about me that's changed since then.” She knew he wasn't talking about his resume.
    What if he's changed? What if he's not the bad boy player he once was? A reformed bad boy is every girl's dream... Where the hell had that stupid, naïve, romantic idealist come from? Carla wondered as she gave herself a mental shake.
    She thought she'd killed that part of herself a long time ago. No, scratch that, Sam had killed it. Stabbed it in the heart and laughed while he'd done it.
    “ I appreciate you coming all the way down here to interview,” she said, “but we're still reviewing several candidates for the position.”
    Sam and Chris exchanged a look. Chris' dark brows pulled into a frown as he looked back at her. “This isn't the interview. I've already offered Sam the position.”
    “ And I've accepted,” Sam said.
    There as a roaring sound in her ears and a tightness in her stomach.
    She stood abruptly and said, “Will you excuse us for a minute?” Turning to her cousin, “Chris? A word please.”
    She spun on her heel, her sandals tapping against the stone of the patio as she strode quickly into the restaurant's lounge area. At this time of the morning the crowd was thin, most of the resort's guests still sleeping off last night's revelry or basking at the pool or at their own private beaches. Still, Carla pitched her voice low in case anyone cared to eavesdrop.
    “ What the hell Chris?” she said. “How could you hire him without even discussing it with me?”
    Chris held up his hands as though to ward her off. “It all came together really quickly. Last week when I was in Vegas visiting Mom I ran into Sam at the gym. We got to talking and it turned out he's been looking to make a switch, but he was about to accept an offer from a company in the UK so I had to act fast.”
    “ You should have consulted me,” Carla snapped. “When I took over as GM―”
    “ Interim GM.”
    Carla's teeth clenched at the reminder her position was