Teagan...yesss!
Harper came hard. So hard that her toes curled into tight buds as her muscles clenched so violently that she might never wear heels again.
But it was worth it.
Dropping the showerhead from nerveless fingers, she sank to the floor, breathing hard.
The spray swung wildly and smacked her in the face, sending a wash of water straight up her nose as she struggled to get it under control.
Coughing, she rose on unsteady feet and replaced the showerhead in its cradle.
She’d made herself stupid with that orgasm.
Just thinking about Teagan had made her come.
So what would happen if she actually found herself skin to skin with the gorgeous man?
She might just spontaneously combust.
Harper chuckled weakly at her own joke and exhaled a long breath.
Well, at least she was relaxed now.
She eyed the showerhead as if it were a conspirator and said, “This is between me and you. No one else needs to know. Got it?”
Of course, the showerhead said nothing.
But somehow Harper felt better just saying the words out loud if only to pound the sentiment home to her stubborn subconscious.
She didn’t want Teagan.
She wanted...what was his name? Oh, that’s right, Teagan...no!
Stuart.
Stuart Money Bucks.
Think of those lovely millions and all the lovely ways you are going to spend it, she reminded herself, lathering up the body wash. So what if Stuart was old enough to be her grandfather and Teagan looked like sex on a stick. Money was the great equalizer.
That’s all she needed to remember.
* * *
THE ITINERARY FOR today was relaxed. A full day at sea as the Nautica sliced through the waters toward Mexico. There were a number of activities on the schedule if you were so inclined but mostly it was about relaxation and fun.
There were casinos and restaurants, spas, shopping and more food.
So much food! If Teagan came back with love handles, despite punishing himself at the gym, J.T. would never let him live it down.
His cell rang and he saw—speak of the devil—J.T. was calling.
“Hey,” Teagan answered. “You know this is going to cost me an arm and a leg.”
“I told you to get the international plan but you didn’t want to spring for the temporary cost. That’s on you.”
“I didn’t think I was going to get a check-up call from my little brother,” he returned drily. “What’s up?”
“Just wondering how the trip is going. You know, seeing if my money was well spent.”
“Next time you want to blow money, just give me the cash.”
“That good, huh?”
“It’s not bad, just not really my scene.”
“Teagan, you’ve been out of the scene so long I doubt you’d remember what your scene looks like,” J.T. joked. Teagan had to admit his little brother was right, but he wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of admitting it out loud. “Look, you’re being a good sport about it, so have some fun. Be a tourist. Buy funny hats and drink too many margaritas. Make some memories you can regret later. Every old man needs some questionable life choices to reminisce about in the old folks home, so get to it.”
“I can always borrow a few of yours,” Teagan reminded his brother. “I think you made enough bad choices to last us both a lifetime.”
“Hey, not all bad choices turn out to be bad in the end. We’re getting a new plane and revitalizing our business from my last bad decision and I happen to sleep next to the most beautiful woman in the world because of it. So, in the end, my choice wasn’t bad at all.”
“You’re burning dollars with your philosophical bullshit,” Teagan said, rolling his eyes. “Was there anything else you needed to tell me? Any news on the plane delivery?”
“Yeah, been pushed back a few weeks. So really there’s nothing stopping you from letting your hair down and going crazy. I got things here.”
Teagan grunted an answer and said his goodbye. Then he turned his phone off. He didn’t want any more calls from his little brother.
Knowing J.T., the little shit was probably purposefully calling him just to jack up the phone bill. Brothers were funny that way.
Teagan knew he could trust J.T. to hold down the fort, but it wasn’t exactly in his nature to hand over the keys to the castle while he rode off into the sunset for a while.
That’d always been J.T.’s MO.
But maybe J.T. had a small point.
Hell, the money was spent already.
Maybe he ought to go buck wild and just whoop it up.
Maybe he ought to make it his mission to catch the lovely Harper Riley.
An instant smile threatened even as he thought of her.
Yeah, that could make the trip bearable.
Teagan spent his adult life making sure that J.T. stayed out of trouble. Maybe it was his turn to do something reckless.
Harper was playing it cool.
Guess it was time to turn up the heat.
Oh, Harper, you’re about to experience a little Carmichael charm.
He gave the mirror a cheesy grin and wagged his eyebrows.
Okay, so he was a little rusty.
Let’s start with the basics.
Teagan wrapped the towel around his midsection and flexed, popping out the muscles in his abs and pecs.
Respectable, he noted with pride.
Damn respectable.
He flexed a little more, some poses nonchalant, others obvious.
Then, because all men were essentially kids at heart, he whipped off his towel and swiveled his hips so that his cock started to sway.
Ding dong, baby.
He did that a few times until it started to become painful.
Okay, that’s enough, his inner adult chastised and he returned the towel to his hips.
He knew Harper was attracted to him physically, but she resisted him anyway. So it had to be a mental game.
He had to interest Harper on a different level if he wanted her guard to come down.
So it was time to figure out just what made Harper tick.
Time for a little recon.
7
HARPER SMOOTHED HER hair and pulled it off to the side so the dark curls draped over her shoulder, then placed her wide-brimmed hat on her head. A final look in the mirror confirmed she looked casually well put together, yet refined at the same time. Stuart wasn’t going to be wowed by a woman who seemed classless. If Harper wanted a ring on her finger, she had to play things right.
Exiting her room, she accidentally bit her tongue as Teagan’s door opened and there he was in all his muscled, hot-bodied glory.
Of all the terrible timing.
And wearing a shirt that molded to his biceps as if it was painted on. Like anyone needed to see that!
Well, she didn’t.
She had no interest whatsoever in running her tongue down that ridged stomach to find what lay at the end of his happy trail.
Nope. Not at all.
Sure you don’t.
So she certainly didn’t want a quick reminder of how Teagan had unwittingly helped her to “relax” in the shower.
Her cheeks flared with heat but she managed a brief smile, betraying nothing.
“Did you enjoy yourself last night?” she asked as they began to walk to the elevator. “Close any deals?”
Teagan laughed and shook his head as if he wasn’t one to share secrets and said, “How about you? Did you sleep alone?”
“A lady never shares such tawdry details,” she returned with a coy look. Let him think that she’d
been doing anything aside from sitting in her pajamas, doing what was the equivalent of homework. “Well, at any rate, I doubt you’ll be lonely this trip. You have that look some women find appealing.”
“Some?”
“Well, you can’t be everyone’s cup of tea. It doesn’t work that way,” she said, laughing at the sudden arch of his brow. “My, someone’s ego is quite healthy, isn’t it?”
“Haven’t had many complaints,” he said, pushing the elevator button. “So what’s on your agenda today? Shopping?”
“I might check out some of the shops. I do love boutiques.” Total lie. She hated shopping. It also felt like homework. To be honest, she was much more comfortable with her hair in a bun, watching a movie in her yoga pants than being all dressed up. “And you? What’s on your plan?”
“I think I might check out the giant slide.”
Harper laughed as if that were an absurd idea but secretly she wished she could do the same. She’d seen the slide and been instantly wowed by how fun it must be to zip down that slippery thing. But it wasn’t as if she was about to do it. “Well, have fun,” she said, stepping into the elevator.
“I will,” he said, following.
The awkward ensuing silence did nothing to quell the jittery flutter in her stomach. Why were elevators so small? She could barely breathe.
And whatever cologne he was wearing...it was...heavenly.
But she wasn’t about to say that. Harper rubbed her nose with a delicate sniff. “My goodness, whatever you’re wearing is activating my sinuses.”
“Hmm...nothing but my skin, darlin’.”
He smelled like that naturally?
Good Lord.
The doors opened and they both exited, going in separate directions.
The fact that Teagan so easily left her in the dust gave her pause. Had she misread the signals? She thought for sure he was into her. Not that it mattered. But maybe her ego was a little bruised because he’d so easily brushed her off.
Did she want him to chase her just so she could turn him down?
Maybe a little.
Deliberately shoving any thought of Teagan far from her mind, Harper prepared to put Phase One into effect. Stuart was supposed to be on the upper deck, enjoying breakfast—his usual poached eggs and dry toast—and so that’s where she was heading, too.
She’d paid handsomely to be seated with Stuart, which, with enough careful flirting, should open the door to more private time together.
Ah! Right as rain. The man was nothing if not habitual. Stuart, his bald head covered with a jaunty hat—that was oddly endearing on him, but on anyone else would’ve looked like a flat pancake perched on his dome—was enjoying his eggs, chatting with the others at his table.
Harper made a point of pretending to look for her table and then approached the open seat with a small smile. “I believe I’m seated with you,” she said, and Stuart immediately rose to pull out her chair like a gentleman. Murmuring a “Thank you,” she slid into the seat and nodded a hello to the others, as well. She made a show of noticing Stuart’s eggs and asked, “How are the eggs? Done properly? I do so enjoy a perfectly poached egg.”
“Very good,” Stuart answered with a gleam in his eye as if he appreciated someone who also enjoyed his particular tastes. As expected, Stuart introduced himself. “Stuart Buck, pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He gestured around the table. “This is Marv, Genevieve, Stella and Patrick.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” Harper said, allowing Stuart to press a gallant kiss to the back of her hand. “Harper Riley.”
“Harper, may I order you a plate?” he asked solicitously, and Harper nodded with a smile.
“That would be lovely,” she said, playing the part of the demure lady for his benefit. Stuart was old-fashioned to his core. It was sweet in a way, but she needed to stop looking at him as a “sweet” man and start seeing him as a potential lover.
Ugh. Why is this so hard?
The waiter appeared and Stuart placed her order. He returned to Harper, interest in his eyes. “You are a lovely young lady,” he remarked and the rest of the table concurred. They were all middle-aged or older. In comparison, she looked like she could be their granddaughter, or daughter at the very least. “And you are not attached?”
“I could say the same for you,” she teased, turning the tables. “How is it that a handsome, stylish devil such as yourself is not already taken?”
Stuart chuckled and said, “Well, my beloved wife is recently deceased and I’m still acclimating to the single life, but to be honest, it’s not really my style. I don’t think I was cut out for the bachelor life.”
Marv agreed with a hearty laugh. “I hear ya, Stewie. I’m happiest with a nice, soft woman cuddled up beside me. It’s just not the same without a female around the house to make it a home.”
Harper wanted to be offended for Stuart for that atrocious familiarity but he took it in stride. He seemed to really enjoy hanging out with the eclectic group. Maybe it was true that Stuart did seek out the company of those in the trenches rather than those in his own tax bracket.
If so, that was a point in Stuart’s favor. One of the most exhausting aspects of her “job” was putting on a front for all those stuffy rich bastards she had to circulate around to find her next meal ticket.
“So what do you do for a living?” she asked, trying to strike up a harmless conversation. “Let me guess...retired and living the single life in Boca Raton.”
“Not retired, but I don’t punch a clock, either,” Stuart answered, being a bit vague. She didn’t blame him. If she were a gazillionaire, she wouldn’t advertise, either.
“Sounds like a good setup.” She turned to one of the women. “How about you, Stella?”
“Retired teacher,” Stella answered with a good-natured grin on her round face. She had apple cheeks that reminded Harper of a grandmother in a fairy tale. “I taught primary grades for thirty years. Best time of my life, but I’m ready to travel and do things for me for a change.”
“How sweet,” Harper murmured. “Good teachers are so hard to come by these days.” She looked around the table. “Any children?”
Stella and Patrick shook their head no, but Stuart and Genevieve both answered in the affirmative.
Marv piped in saying, “Not yet but I’m always willing to try! I figure I still have time, right?” He poked Patrick in the side and guffawed. Marv was like a used car salesman who laughed at his own jokes. He was goofy and loud but the table seemed to tolerate him well enough. “I’m still spry enough to get the job done, I can assure you that!”
The table chuckled and Harper paused as the waiter returned with her food, placing the plate before her. “Smells wonderful,” she said for Stuart’s benefit. Harper wasn’t actually a huge fan of eggs, but she made a show of digging in. The first bite, she nodded with fake pleasure, confirming his assessment of the eggs. “Yes, very good.”
Small talk followed as they enjoyed breakfast but Harper was only half-invested. Somehow, her gaze found Teagan as he sat at his table next to a voluptuous blonde who immediately attached herself to his side.
What happened to going on the big slide? Obviously, he’d changed his mind.
She tried not to care what Teagan was doing or with whom, but even as Harper repeatedly refocused, smiling and flirting on autopilot, she was preoccupied with what Teagan was doing with the blonde.
Somehow, Teagan and Harper locked gazes from across the room and Harper’s breath actually hitched in her chest. It was like staring into the sun.
He did something to her insides that she couldn’t quite quell.
Turning to Stuart, she blinded him with her best smile. “I was thinking of walking off some of this breakfast. Would you mind keeping me company?”
“I’d be delighted,
” he said, rising and pulling her chair out for her. He winked at the table in good humor. “Only a fool would decline an offer from such a lovely young lady.”
“Stewie, you lucky dog,” Marv called out with another loud chuckle. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Harper was happy to leave the table—and Teagan—behind.
Phase One was going as planned.
* * *
WATCHING HARPER IN action was like watching a fox outmaneuver the mouse.
The old guy being the mouse.
Damn, he swore privately, disappointed. Harper had her eye on the older man. As in, a much older man.
Was she into old guys? Or was there something else?
Only one way to find out.
Teagan returned his attention to the cute blonde, Erin, sitting next to him, doing her best to snag his interest by leaning in to give him a nice view of her cleavage. He smiled and said, “You seem the kind of person who knows what’s happening.” Appealing to her ego. When she responded with a giggly grin, he knew he had her. “What can you tell me about that older gentleman leaving with the brunette.”
Teagan gestured discreetly and Erin followed his lead. She returned to him, her eyes bright with the thrill of sharing gossip. “I don’t know the brunette, but the old guy is known as The Toilet King.”
“Toilet King?” he repeated. “Because...?”
“Not because he’s weird in the sack or anything, you naughty thing,” she tittered, playfully slapping him on the arm and lingering a little longer than necessary on his bicep. “He made his money off some toilet gadget. So that’s why he’s called The Toilet King.”
“Married and looking for a mistress, or single and looking for a wife?”
Erin shrugged. “I don’t know about that. All I know is that he’s a real gentleman. Always pushing in a lady’s chair and being very...what’s the word...”
“Chivalrous,” he supplied helpfully.
Erin snapped her fingers and bobbed her head. “Yep. That’s it. He’s real old-school. It’s kinda sweet, actually. But I don’t know why he came onto this boat when he could have a yacht all to himself. If I had the money, I wouldn’t step foot on something so basic as a cruise ship.”
Tempted Page 5
