Wicked Sexy

by Anne Marsh

  Daeg hesitated. “Be there in two,” he called.

  Tag flashed Daeg a thumbs-up and disappeared into the shop. Dani caught the crackle of a radio and a roomful of whiteboards, posters with pins and enough computer hardware for a small country. She could practically smell the urgency.

  Daeg didn’t run, however. Instead, to her surprise, he looked at her. “I’ll take you to the storm shelter first.”

  Apparently, her first refusal didn’t count, that or being a gentleman trumped everything else.

  That was nice, but she understood priorities. And his offer still sounded lukewarm. She ignored the stab of disappointment. Mr. Ramsey was waiting for his pills and, from the sounds of things, Daeg had a date with Tag’s chopper.

  Because she was still feeling wicked from last night, she reached up and cupped the back of his neck. He stilled. Yes, she had her hands on him in public where everyone on the island could see. Probably, they should have discussed ground rules for the morning after, but they hadn’t. So she did what she wanted to and slid her hand up over that strong, corded neck and buried her fingers in the soft, short hair. She also stepped in until her body brushed his.

  He held his ground and she took that as permission. Last night he’d been hers. Today part of her wanted everyone to know that. Even if it might be simpler to let it go quietly and unheralded. She didn’t know what he wanted right now, and that was a problem.

  “Thanks,” she said again, reaching up to brush her lips over his.

  * * *

  DANI’S LIPS TOUCHED his—once, twice—and Daeg had no idea what it meant. Or why he was even thinking about what a kiss might mean when he could be enjoying it. Really enjoying it. And in front of half the town.

  Almost chaste at first, she threaded her fingers through his hair—he loved that—and deepened the kiss. He groaned. She sighed. Or maybe they both did. He couldn’t tell, didn’t care, in fact. No, he just stood there and kissed her and kissed her, their tongues exploring, until he finally had to come up for air.

  “No worries. I can walk,” she said coolly, as if their last passionate embrace hadn’t happened at all, although her face was rosy red and he knew for certain she desired this as much as he did. After all, he knew her tells now. That little pulse thudding at the base of her throat? That was 100 percent arousal right there. “You’re needed here. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of your job.”

  Logically, he knew she’d cover the blocks to the storm shelter just fine. There was nothing happening on that stretch of sidewalk other than a few monster-size puddles, and she was already toeing off her flip-flops.

  She’d be fine.

  Really.

  And yet she was walking away from him and there was nothing fine about it.

  13

  Five days later

  SITTING IN SWEET Moon’s front office, Dani didn’t need to look at her calendar to know exactly how many days it had been since the storm. She’d never planned on happily ever after, but part of her had been hoping for more than one night. That part of her kept checking email and voice mail—now that service had been restored to the island—and had her rushing to the window every time gravel crunched on the drive. The part that thought seeing Daeg Ross again was a very good idea, or certain parts of him, at least.

  She didn’t want forever, but she definitely wanted the rest of the summer.

  Unfortunately, Daeg had pulled a disappearing act. Of course, she should give him credit for the role he was taking in the island’s cleanup. He and Deep Dive were in high demand. When she’d walked away from him the morning after the storm, he’d had his game face on—the quintessential military man on a mission, directing ops. The man who kept them all safe. He was everywhere—but back in her arms. So was she just a one-night rescue? Another day on the job for him?

  As far as she could tell, he hadn’t been back to Sweet Moon.

  Which was probably her answer right there.

  Nevertheless, her libido was apparently more optimistic than the rest of her because when car wheels sounded on the driveway, she had to check. Just in case. When she squinted out the window into the bright sunlight, however, there was no Daeg in sight, only an expensive rental car. Most of the tourists went for the simpler, cheaper rentals, but the local agency kept a few of the larger, tougher, more expensive SUVs on hand.

  Whoever the driver was, his credit was good.

  She checked the reservation book. She didn’t have any notes for today, so this was probably a walk-in. She got ready to smile and act welcoming. Two minutes later, the door tinkled its corny music as the new arrival stepped in, and it was immediately clear why he hadn’t called ahead for a reservation.

  She would have refused.

  Her ex-fiancé had broad shoulders that stretched the cotton of his ironed polo shirt. His khaki walking shorts and hiking boots were ideal island wear. As always, Rick Lane looked immaculate and every inch the successful insurance executive.

  “Hey,” he said, giving a lopsided grin as if they’d parted company months earlier with a promise to meet up. As if she hadn’t caught him in bed with another woman and thrown his ring at his head. She eyed his forehead, but she must not have tossed the diamond hard enough because the skin there was smooth, unmarked and scar-free. No, regrettably, he looked every bit the successful business professional that he was. He certainly didn’t look as if he’d been pining for her.

  She narrowed her eyes.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Can I come in?” He paused in the doorway, not thrown by her less-than-warm greeting.

  “No.” She didn’t feel like being nice, and she definitely didn’t want him inside the cabin.

  “No?” His smile widened. “That’s not terribly polite of you.”

  “Ask me if I care.” She stepped around the counter and gestured out onto the porch, because Rick wouldn’t go until he’d gotten whatever he’d come for. He was the master of charming persistence.

  “Hey.” He spread his hands wide as he followed her. “I care, baby.”

  She almost managed not to snort.

  His hand snagged hers as she passed and he tugged. “Sit down with me. Please?”

  “Five minutes.”

  “Ten,” he countered, grinning. “I know you. You’ll time me, and I need a full ten.”

  She dropped down into an Adirondack chair, pulling her knees up to her chest as Rick’s eyes wandered over her. She could almost see him trying to reconcile her no-nonsense office attire with the gauzy beach dress she’d picked that morning. She didn’t have to dress for success at Sweet Moon and she liked the whimsical ruffles around her neck. The fabric was so sheer that she knew he could see the outline of her bikini beneath the dress and no doubt, a hint of pale skin. And yet she was still all covered up.

  “You look good. Relaxed.” Apparently, she’d passed his visual inspection.

  She wasn’t responding to that. She couldn’t and keep her distance. Instead, she pulled her phone out of her bag and dropped it on the table between them where the clock was clearly visible. “Ten minutes, remember?”

  “Okay.” He leaned forward, arms on his knees. “I’ll lay it out.”

  “That would be good,” she agreed. The sooner he said his piece and left, the better.

  “I screwed up,” he said.

  No disagreement from her there. In her world, when you asked someone to marry you, you were offering that person a promise that included fidelity and trust. And love. Love would have been nice. Heck, she hadn’t even got the fidelity and trust part.

  “You think?” she asked with a hint of sarcasm. “I was under the impression we were engaged. Evidently, you weren’t.”

  “Shari was a mistake. She was there and willing and—” He paused, which was wise, because she was going to
have to kill him. Clearly, throwing his ring back at him hadn’t been enough. “And our sex life wasn’t particularly exciting, okay?”

  No. It wasn’t okay.

  “You came all this way to tell me our sex life stank? I was there, too, remember?”

  He blinked. Yeah. Maybe Rick hadn’t considered that angle.

  “It takes two,” she continued, pointing at him. “My mistake, I misunderstood which two you wanted.”

  “Shari isn’t in my life anymore,” he interrupted. “I want you to know that.”

  At least he hadn’t given the other woman the ring they’d picked out together. She’d wondered about that.

  “I don’t care.” And that was true, she realized with some surprise. She’d waited weeks for Rick to understand he’d made a mistake, for him to come back to her. Yet here he was, and she just wanted him off her porch.

  “You don’t want to know why that matters?” he pressed and she gave him a tight smile.

  “I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”

  “I want us to get back together.” He reached for her hand. The sensation was pleasant. Familiar.

  That wasn’t good enough anymore, however.

  “That ship has sailed.”

  “I don’t think so. I think you’re mad and you’re right.” His watchful gaze annoyed her. “Whatever was or wasn’t going right for us in the bedroom, my seeing Shari on the side wasn’t the answer.”

  “You could say that.”

  “I am.” He squeezed her hand. “I want us to start over. I want a second chance. And—” he paused, fishing in his pocket “—I want you to wear this again. For us.”

  He held out the ring. There was no denying that it was beautiful, an heirloom piece with two centuries of love stories. She’d been thrilled with it and had had to have it when they’d found it at an estate sale.

  Two months ago she wouldn’t have hesitated. Rick was a known quantity, or so she’d thought. He was easy to predict and she always knew exactly what to expect from him. She didn’t think that had changed. Besides, making this thing work with Daeg Ross was impossible. What she had with him was just sex. He’d re-up as soon as his leg healed and he’d be shipping out. Somehow, though, Rick’s ring wasn’t as appealing as it had been.

  Rick waggled the diamond at her. “Put it on?”

  She was still staring at the ring when Daeg pulled into the driveway.

  Hello, surprise visitor. He was wearing worn canvas shorts and an equally battered T-shirt, but there was nothing casual about his expression. He looked fierce. And more than a little upset.

  She was immensely happy to see him, though, and that was a problem.

  “Who’s this?” His cold gaze shot straight to Rick, before dropping to the ring. No hello or “hi, how are you,” either. “Jewelry salesman?”

  Rick stood up, the move putting him nose to nose with Daeg. “Rick Lane.”

  He extended his hand, but Daeg ignored it.

  “I’m Dani’s fiancé.”

  “Not anymore,” she interjected, because making that clear was now particularly important. Daeg looked tired, so he’d probably been going from dawn to dusk.

  “Nice.” Daeg snagged the ring, turning it in the light. Whatever he was thinking, he kept those thoughts to himself.

  “Two and a half carats, emerald cut. It’s a good investment piece.” Rick smiled at her, his gaze meeting hers in a silent reminder. He’d joked when he gave her the ring that they could fund their retirement with it. Somehow, though, she couldn’t imagine herself waking up next to Rick in fifty years. Or even tomorrow. That was Daeg’s fault, she thought, glaring at the man in question.

  He didn’t notice her stare. He merely turned her ring over in his fingers before popping the glittering band back into the velvet. “Because an engagement ring should be a financial asset. You putting this on?”

  He held out the box to her with a small smile.

  “That’s my job, buddy,” Rick said smoothly, lifting the box from Daeg’s hand. He turned back to Dani, shutting Daeg out. Dani recognized the move, a slick gesture she’d seen him perform a thousand times before. Daeg’s amused smile said he didn’t care. He didn’t say anything, though; he just stood there on her porch like he watched another man propose to his lover all the time.

  She inhaled sharply, strangely hurt. Daeg looked familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. The white edge of a bandage on his thigh peeked out from beneath the edge of his shorts, but he moved easily, and the only visible damage she could spot was the long scar from his previous injury. Still, she wanted to hold him, ask him if the past five days had been hard on him and if there was anything she could do, but he probably wouldn’t want that.

  “No,” she said. “It’s no one’s job.”

  She glanced at Daeg, and that could have been anger or sadness making her stomach lurch. He hadn’t made her any promises and she hadn’t asked for any. As for Rick, he was too late.

  She wanted to be wanted.

  She wanted Daeg to open his arms and then she wanted to run into them.

  And how messed up was that?

  The tension between the two men was apparent, like two junkyard dogs coming face-to-face. She didn’t need this. Not now.

  “I’ve got a lot of work to do. You gentlemen can continue this conversation by yourselves.”

  Turning, she headed back into the office. That she shut the door carefully rather than slamming it went into the victory column in her book.

  * * *

  MEETING DEEP DIVE’S obligations had kept him running flat-out. He’d swung by today to grab some clean clothes, uncertain how to face Dani or his own feelings. He’d planned on avoiding her until he had a plan.

  Yeah. He was a real hero.

  Because what did he say to the woman who’d shaken his world? He didn’t know how to have a long-term relationship. He didn’t know where to start, although talking was probably a requirement. Maybe she didn’t want to start anything with him? That was a distinct possibility, but as long as he avoided her, he could keep on wishing and dreaming she’d still want to have something to do with him. And that their one night hadn’t been their only night. He’d ask her, but only once he found the right moment. The moment when it looked like she might say his name when he asked what she wanted.

  Meeting the ex-fiancé wasn’t helping his calm any. This was the man Dani had deemed Mr. All Right. Clearly, the loser toting the ring box had ruined that relationship beyond redemption—or so Daeg sincerely hoped—but there’d been a reason why Dani had been attracted to him in the first place.

  Daeg had never sized another guy up before this, but there was a first for everything. He eyeballed his competition and had to admit that Dani had taste. Good-looking, tall, broad shouldered. Yeah, the man wasn’t a slouch in the looks department, and he seemed as if he might have put some thought into his clothes, or, at the very least, employed an iron.

  Rick also came bearing gifts, and the ring in the box hadn’t come cheap.

  Daeg wanted to hit something—someone—and then he wanted to carry Dani back to bed. For at least a week. He rubbed a hand over his face. Doing something that dumb wouldn’t help his cause any, and there was still enough to clean up for a small army. It meant his courtship of Dani had to wait.

  “You come all the way out here to give her that?” He nodded at the ring box. When he’d pulled into the driveway, he hadn’t anticipated this scenario.

  “I did.” Rick’s level gaze met his. He scooped the ring box up, tucking it into an expensive leather messenger bag.

  Daeg had known Dani had recent history. He just hadn’t expected that history to be standing on Sweet Moon’s front porch bearing jewelry. Or that Rick Lane would look like the complete package.

  “You really think she’
s happy here?” Rick matched Daeg step for step, clearly unwilling to lose his last connection to Dani. Or maybe he was just lonely, bored or wanting to chat.

  Because until Daeg spoke to her, how would he know anything about how Dani felt? He knew he wasn’t sticking around the cabins much longer, though, so he started back to his own. Unfortunately, ol’ Rick tagged along.

  “Dani seems fine,” he answered cautiously.

  Rick laughed. “I mean, look at this place. You think a woman with her skills would be happy working the check-in desk at a two-star motel?”

  Daeg picked up the pace, but Rick didn’t get the hint.

  Or wouldn’t take it.

  He eyed the other man. “She’s helping out her grandparents. Dani’s got a strong sense of family.”

  “She’ll take me back,” Rick announced when they reached his SUV, which was conveniently parked in front of Daeg’s cabin. His battered vehicle seemed muddier and more dented than ever in comparison to Rick’s sleek number.

  “You really sure about that?” Daeg asked.

  “Pretty sure.” Rick didn’t look worried, just pulled out a key fob and flicked the lock button. Who locked up a car on Discovery Island? “You making a move on her?”

  Wow. Daeg hadn’t seen that one coming.

  “Because she won’t choose you over me,” Rick continued as if they were discussing menu choices at the local diner. “Dani likes a sure thing. Steady. Predictable. And between you and me? You don’t look like you’re any of those things.”

  “People change,” he said, although he had to agree with Rick’s assessment. Dani was a by-the-numbers girl. Problem was, Daeg wasn’t. At all. He liked risk—and she liked certainty. Finding a compromise there was going to be hard. And when had he developed an interest in compromising with Dani? “And it’s none of your business what my interest in Dani is.”