Sebastian grinned over his shoulder as he slowly pulled his shorts up again.
"Are we done with this little game?" Alex prodded. His obvious jealousy and irritation was setting Melanie on fire in every place that counted. She sat down on the sand and leaned her arms back behind her.
"We're done." She said. "Why don't you guys sit down. You might be more comfortable that way, and then tell me what this is all about."
The brawny men obeyed, the muscles on their muscles flexing everywhere, even with such a simple action as coming to the ground.
"Okay Melanie, I'll start." Alex said angrily.
If I don't get you this time Mr. Angry Pants, I'll eat my Drummond Airlines flight crew hat. She thought. Sebastian just shrugged. He exuded the relaxation and confidence of the cat that had already got the cream. Whatever remained, he was willing share.
"Just in case it isn't perfectly crystal clear, I'm Alex. Okay? The older brother. I'm the one you bumped into on the way to the Drummond Airlines Executive Lounge."
The memory was still vivid to Melanie. She had confused him for Sebastian and she hadn't been very nice to him. Despite that, she had felt a difference and he had charmed the pants off her, notwithstanding the bad first impression his brother had made.
"From the moment I met you... " He looked down at the sand, suddenly shy and sincere. Melanie's heart began to melt as she watched this huge man bare his heart and soul, not only to her, but also in front of his twin brother.
"From the moment I met you, I knew you were the one." He looked up at her with frightened eyes. Melanie looked back at him from the depths of longing that had filled her since her first disappointment in love in high school. She didn't breathe a word.
"Being fabulously wealthy has its advantages, but helping you find love isn't one of them. I've been searching my whole life for someone like you and when I finally find her, it turns out I can't touch her…I can't touch you because--"
"Because I work for Drummond Airlines? Is that it? If that's the only problem I can just quit, right here and now."
"It's more than that, Melanie. It's our father, Alex Senior. It doesn't matter if you quit or not. You were once an employee so he will be against it and then we would both be excluded from the Drummond Corporation, the family, and of course, any inheritance. Neither of us would ever work in the airline industry again or in any area where my father has power -- and he is a very powerful man. I couldn't condemn you to that. God knows I wanted to be with you from the start, but then the last few weeks on this island have been driving me insane. Seeing you every day, growing more beautiful every hour, learning more about you, hearing every tone and nuance of your voice, coming close to you and drawing in your breath like my own... it's just unbearable and I don't know what to do anymore."