Tempted By Her Island Millionaire. Nina Singh

and coffee waiting on the tour bus. The van with all the bikes is up here now. We’ll be heading out shortly to ride.” He tugged on his fiancée’s hand. Lizzie finally moved and they both walked away.

      Though Lizzie shot one more questioning look at him as they left.

      “I’d almost forgotten,” Rita said, not meeting his gaze. “About the biking.”

      Part of this excursion was to be a group bike ride back down the mountain. Apparently, it was the thing to do when you came up here.

      “All part of the adventure.”

      Rita bit down on her lip and glanced up at the road ahead. “I might have to skip that part of the experience.”

      That took him aback. “Whatever for? Can you ride?”

      She nodded. “Yes, of course. But I’ve never actually ridden down a high, rugged mountain before.”

      He shrugged. “I’m guessing very few of us have.”

      She didn’t respond.

      “What will you do instead?” he asked her, suddenly beyond disappointed that she wouldn’t be participating.

      “I’ll just ride down with the driver in the van.”

      He gave her a shrug. “I’m going to skip riding too then. I’ll just drive down in the van with you.”

      “What? No. Why would you do that?”

      “Well, I’m certainly not going to let you sit by yourself in the back of a van following the rest of us down as we ride. It’s just not in my nature.”

      Her eyes clouded with concern. “I don’t want to be the reason you miss out on this, Clint.”

      “Then reconsider. Come on, it will be fun.”

      Rita glanced at the road once more, apprehension clear in her expression.

      “We’ll go nice and slow.”

      She let out a deep sigh and rubbed her forehead. “All right. If you insist.”

      Clint couldn’t help his smile of relief. He really hadn’t been looking forward to the idea of being stuck in a van as everybody else got to enjoy the outdoor weather and mountainside sights. Not to mention, he figured he could use the physical exertion right about now.

      * * *

      Clint seemed to be exerting himself far more than the rest of them. Rita glanced behind her to check him once again. He was barely keeping up with the group. She was glad he’d talked her into going. She wasn’t even sure why she had hesitated back there. Bike riding wasn’t a new experience for her. And she’d always been pretty adventurous. Though something had changed within her since the divorce, something that made her second-guess her decisions as well as her abilities. She’d have to work on that.

      Now there was no denying that the fresh air and the physical activity were serving to clear her head and invigorate her spirit.

      But Clint seemed to be struggling behind her. Despite pedaling furiously and clearly straining, he seemed to consistently lag behind them all.

      That made no sense whatsoever; the man was clearly fit. He appeared that way. Though, she’d have to admit, she’d seen more than her fair share of large muscular dogs like pit bulls and Dobermans who lacked stamina and energy.

      Great. Now she was comparing the man to various breeds of canine.

      Still, it was quite surprising. Especially considering they were going downhill and all. He didn’t strike her as the type to fall behind when it came to anything. Let alone a physical activity. But hey, looks are deceiving. She knew that firsthand.

      He’d certainly felt lean and muscular earlier this morning. Her mind darted back to the feeling of being held in his arms, snuggled against his chest. Stop it.