Heating Up Hawaii by Carmen Falcone Read Free Book Online Page B

cancer, she’d also started to make monthly donations to cancer research institutes, though she doubted her contributions made a huge difference. Still, that monthly check gave her heart a bit of relief when she thought of Nana.
    “And?” He rubbed his eyes with his hand, and she noticed the dark circles under them. Why was he going to Paris? Business, or pleasure? The question burned on the tip of her tongue, but she simply ignored it.
    She grabbed a notepad and a pen from the low glass table. “Well, that’s a great way to boost your image, especially if you’re trying to reestablish trust after the safety issue. Do you plan on making a donation to any organization or group while in Hawaii?”
    Silence descended upon them. She started to scribble some notes, and raised her eyes to Luc’s. Beyond the cool objectivity, a flicker of an emotion he chose not to share sparked for a moment in his eyes. It was warm. And then it was ruthless.
    “My donations have nothing to do with this resort,” he said in a calm, yet assertive voice.
    She dropped the notepad and pen to the side and sighed. “Not directly, but they help to boost your image.”
    “I don’t want any of this mentioned. I make individual donations, not from the chain.”
    “Well, don’t you see that this can help both you and the cause? If only—”
    He narrowed his eyes. “I won’t make a circus out of this.”
    She placed her hands on her waist, her fingers biting into the fabric of her skirt. “It doesn’t have to be a circus. I could just write a couple of press releases and maybe have it mentioned briefly during your interview.” Why did he have to be so stubborn?
    “No,” he said simply. The fact that he gave her no explanation, no excuses, nothing else, made her stomach clench.
    “You are being unreasonable,” she insisted, although the message from his eyes for her to drop the subject had been final. “It’s great you are making these donations, but don’t you want to bring awareness by sharing what you are doing? I read on one website you even paid visits to some patients. Making you look good is just an added bonus, Luc.”
    “The person who convinced me to take the pictures with sick children for this so-called awareness told me the same thing. They set up this ridiculous photo shoot, made it awkward for the entire hospital and the children…” His eyes wandered past her. “My answer is still no.”
    “Do you really think I’d make a circus out of this? You’ve lost your mind.” Penny gasped. “I respect sick people. Don’t you remember my grandmother died from cancer?” she asked, but before he could answer, she waved her hand in the air. “Never mind. Of course you don’t.”
    His lips twitched into a sour smile. “I thought you were the one who didn’t want to discuss the past.”
    “I don’t.” She crossed her arms. “I just wanted you to know that I’m not some kind of blood-sucking professional.”
    He nodded, and stepped toward the door. Then he turned his head, and his gaze captured hers. “I do remember what you told me about your grandmother, for what it is worth.”
    “I wish I remembered anything you told me. But for that, you’d have to have told me something. Anything,” she said, unable to keep the bitter resentment out of her voice.
    It was true, wasn’t it? During the two months they were together, she had shared so much with him, especially because her grandmother had died only six months before they’d met.
    Back then she’d thought of him as a great listener, supportive and kind. Now she knew that it had been a great barrier he had built so that their relationship would never go past the surface.
    Even now that she worked for him and wanted this damn resort to succeed, he still couldn’t tell her why he protected his donations to those organizations. And it bothered the hell out of her.
    She chewed on her lower lip.
    “Based on what you did the last time I told you something, I think