by Jamie DeBree
Table of Contents
Cover
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
About the Author
Also By the Author
Copyright
Chapter 1
"Wine me, dine me, shag me...then leave. That's the deal."
Katherine knew she should smile or maybe flip her hair and bat her eyes, but the man she’d approached at the bar looked experienced enough to know what she was asking for. Voices murmured around them as she waited for the answer.
“Shag you?” he repeated, the corners of his lips curving up. “Does anyone actually say that anymore?”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s better than the alternative. Are you in or not? Because I have a prescription to fill and I need to find a guy to fill it by tomorrow.”
The man chuckled. “You have a prescription for sex? And any guy will do? Then why me?”
“Well...I find you physically attractive,” Katherine said with a shrug. “And you also look like the kind of guy who doesn’t mind a one-night stand, which is basically what we’re discussing. I don’t want an attachment, I don’t need to find true love, and I don’t need a guy who wants my number. I just want drinks, dinner and sex. Then we go our separate ways. But apparently I misjudged you, so I apologize for interrupting your evening.”
She turned away, scanning the room for any other potentially suitable candidates. Who would have thought this assignment would be so difficult? Candace was so going to pay when she got home. Take a vacation, she’d said. Get laid. Nothing like a good orgasm to take care of that whole not-sleeping issue.
Right. Katherine wondered when her friend-slash-therapist had tried to get laid last. After being mistaken for a call girl twice and now turned down for...well, she wasn’t exactly sure why she’d been rejected this last time...she was about ready to go back to her little bungalow on the beach and stay there for the rest of the week.
A jolt of awareness shot up her arm as warm fingers closed around her left wrist. Instinctively she pulled away, but her captor wouldn’t let go. She looked down into her most recent target’s amused emerald eyes.
“Hang on a sec,” he said, finally releasing her wrist. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it, I just wanted to know why me. When were you thinking this little date would occur? And why drinking and dinner first, if all you want is sex?”
Katherine was all too aware that it had gotten quiet in the bar. Apparently their little conversation was garnering a lot of attention - something she really didn’t want.
“You know what?” She moved a step back from the bar, keeping her wrists out of reach. “Forget it. It was a stupid idea. I’ll...um...see you around. Or not. A girl can hope.” She walked as quickly as she could while maintaining a cool facade to the front door and pushed out into the humid island evening. Slipping her shoes off, she hooked the straps with a finger and set off towards the beach.
She’d barely begun to feel the sand between her toes when her mystery man ran up beside her.
“Giving up so easily?” he asked, keeping pace as she kept walking. “Or just looking for a new pool to choose from?”
She rolled her eyes, doing her best to ignore the distinctly male scent that was far too enticing. “Why do you care? You made it pretty clear you were more amused than interested, so just forget I said anything. I withdraw the proposal. Leave me alone.”
He chuckled, the warm sound sending an unwelcome tingle up her spine. “But then I wouldn’t get to see the guy who finally agrees to...ah...fill your prescription. Who’s your doctor, anyways? I think I could use a prescription like that.”
Katherine stopped, letting out a long sigh as she watched the huge sun slip far too quickly below the horizon. She turned to the man beside her and frowned.
“What is your name?” she asked, irritated that she didn’t already know.
He grinned, holding out his hand. “David Patton. And you are?”
“Katherine Gibson. Nice to meet you,” she said automatically, reaching out to grasp his palm. She barely suppressing a gasp of awareness when her skin contacted his, and yanked her hand back before she could stop herself. The lights from the waterfront bars cast a dark orange glow over everything, but she could still see his amusement in the dim light.
“Listen David. You’ve had your fun, I’ve embarrassed myself and I don’t know about you, but I’m tired. So I’m going back to my hut now. Alone. You have a good evening.”
She brushed by him and continued on her way, hoping her burning cheeks had been mostly shadowed. Half-expecting him to show up at her side again, she was inexplicably annoyed when he didn’t.
“Hey Kat!”
She cringed at the nickname she’d hated since grade school and kept walking.
"Meet me here tomorrow night at six,” David called out. It was a statement, not a question, but that didn’t surprise her from a guy like that. She considered it for a second before she yelled over her shoulder to him.
“Sorry, I’m busy. Thanks anyways though.” With a small, hopefully dismissive wave she continued on down the beach to the hut she’d rented.
Once inside, she flopped down on the bed and wished she hadn’t paid up front. The whole vacation had been Candace’s idea, and her friend had pushed for the non-refundable advance payment option. Probably because she knew Katherine would be ready to leave after the first night.
Rolling over, she picked up the phone and dialed room service, ordering dinner for delivery. Maybe tomorrow she could find a tour to take or something interesting.
Something that didn’t involve men.
***
David watched the lanky brunette as she walked away, her curvy hips swaying as she pushed across the soft sand. If it was a baby she was after, she’d probably get it eventually with a body like that, though she didn’t really strike him as the desperate-to-be-a-single-mom type. Maybe it was all part of the bigger plan for her. His monthly wage garnishment was proof that some women would do just about anything to have a baby - and she’d actually expected him to play daddy afterward too. No way was he falling for that shit again.
Still, there was something about Kat that intrigued him. Not enough to sleep with her, no matter how attractive she was in a bikini, but enough that he’d been willing to offer drinks. Maybe even dinner.
As she faded into the darkness he turned and went back to the bar. Thanks to Ms. Prescription-for-Sex, he was feeling a bit peckish himself. Luckily there were plenty of island girls who would be happy for his company with no desire for offspring. Or not his, at least.
The next morning, David wished he’d said no to that last shot of Jack. His head throbbed in time with the alarm clock, set only because he’d foolishly said yes when the resort asked him to lead the early snorkeling tour today. With the bright sunshine pouring into his eyes like battery acid, the extra money suddenly didn’t seem worth the effort.
Dragging himself out of bed and into a pair of tight running shorts and a wet suit, he popped a few painkillers and grabbed his gear. Luckily it was a quick jaunt to the beach from his room behind the surf shop and he was only five minutes late to the boat. His partner, Amy Thomas looked pointedly at the big diving watch on her wrist.
Damn morning people.
“Nice of you to join us,” she said with a faux cheer he was pretty sure she’d patented. “We’re just waiting for one late sign-up. Otherwise I’d have left your ass behind.”
He grinned. “You wouldn’t leave me and we both know it. But I’ll express my appreciation to the latecomer all the same. Ho
pe she’s cute.”
Amy sneered. “I hope he’s five-hundred pounds and hairy.” Her gaze drifted over his shoulder, her brow furrowing. “Dammit. You really are the luckiest man alive, I swear. When you’re done drooling, cut us loose so we can get going, okay?”
She walked away, leaving David to turn back toward the dock. His lips curved up in a welcoming smile as those long, slender legs from last night came into view.
“Well hello there, Kat. Didn’t expect to be seeing you again so soon.” He reached out to help her board, but she hung back, the expression on her face telling him the feeling was mutual.
She sighed, glancing back at the beach as if she’d like to run away. “What are you doing here? You really don’t seem like a guy who likes mornings.” She peered closer, lifting her dark glasses up to examine his eyes with a frown. “Your eyes don’t either. Do they let you dive when you’ve been drinking? Because that doesn’t really seem safe. Not that I care about your safety, or anything.”
David recoiled, feigning surprise with a dramatic hand to his chest. “Oh come on - just because I won’t sleep with you is no reason to be all insulting. Isn’t it a bit too early for the claws, Kitty Kat?”
“Don’t call me that!” she said, obviously fighting to keep from yelling. “My name is Katherine. Not Kat, not Kitty, not anything else. Just Katherine. Got it?” She put her hands on her hips, those gorgeous hazel eyes flashing.
He considered it for a second, and then shook his head as he stepped onto the dock and began untying the aft tether from the mooring.
“Sorry, I don’t think I can remember that. Katherine is just too uptight. And while you may act that way, you definitely...” he slid his shades to the end of his nose and pointedly looked her up and down, “do not look like a woman who has reason to be uptight.” Pushing his sunglasses back up, he finished untying the rope and tossed it onto the deck of the boat. Then he went back to the open gate in the railing and held out his hand to her.
“You’d better climb aboard if you’re joining us. We’re already late, Kitty Kat. Unless you’d let a little thing like contempt for yours truly stop you from experiencing some of the most beautiful sight-seeing the ocean has to offer...”
Katherine wanted to leave. She wanted it so badly it took all of her strength to ignore the hand her nemesis extended, grasp the boat railing and carefully step over the small space between the dock and the deck, sealing her fate for the next several hours.
“You don’t happen to know where I can find the person in charge, do you?” she finally called out as he untied another rope and tossed it onto the boat. There were a lot of empty seats in the sunken area to her left, although several bags were lying randomly on the decking. Maybe she’d found the wrong boat by accident. There were probably other snorkeling trips going out at the same time. The thought brightened her mood, however slightly.
David laughed. “Why? Gonna try to have me left behind?”
Katherine sighed. “I actually hadn’t thought of that, though it’s not a bad idea. But I should check in and make sure I’m in the right place. I signed up late - I never do that but I couldn’t sleep anymore and the water looked nice and my...uh, Candace said I should--” she clamped her mouth shut, frowning. Why on earth was she telling him all this?
Stupid. He was making her stupid. She should just go, and schedule a trip for another day. Ahead. Like sane people did.
“Never mind.” She moved to step back over to the dock, but he was blocking her path. “I’m just going to go. I’ll take another tour later. I need to just...go.” Her heart race sped up slightly as he braced an arm on either side of the metal railing and she was effectively trapped. This wasn’t right. She should be able to check in. Where was the instructor? Where were the other tourists? What if David was actually a...no, that was stupid. She just needed to go back to the hotel and relax. Attractive, handsome men always messed with her head. And her body.
Damn, he smelled good. Why did he have to smell good?
He shook his head, and then took off his shades again, looking a little too closely at her face for comfort. His expression grew serious, and his concern was almost palpable.
“Hey - are you afraid of boats? Or water? The instructor for this trip is me, and if you’ve got a phobia I need to know now.”
Katherine closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly. Which didn’t really help since his scent was inescapable at this proximity.
A light touch on her arm shocked her out of her trance. She pulled away, lost her balance and two seconds later she found herself flat on the deck as David ran to kneel at her side.
“Are you okay? I didn’t mean to scare you, I just thought you might pass out or something. Did you hit your head?”
She took stock silently for a moment before sitting up, heat rising in her face. “I’m fine,” she said, feeling a deep rumble vibrate into a low growl beneath her. “What is that noise?”
“The engine.” David helped her to her feet, looking slightly wounded as she pulled her hand away as quickly as possible. Didn’t he know how electric his skin was?
“I’m afraid you’re stuck with me now, but if you’re afraid of water or anything like that, tell me now and you can just stay on the boat. This isn’t the place or time to be working through your fears. You need a shrink for that.”
Katherine gave him a small sarcastic laugh. “I’m not afraid, okay? I just really need to be organized, is all. I go a little nuts when things don’t go as planned.”
Or when a super-hot jerk is within fifty yards.
“Ah,” he said, as if she’d just revealed the key to unlock all the secrets of the universe. “That explains...a lot. Well,” he turned toward the cabin, pointing at a figure inside.“That’s Amy - she’s our captain for this trip, and will stay with the boat at all times. The other tourists are up front - people normally start up there so they can watch for wildlife and just see where we’re going. It will be half an hour or so until we get to the reef. I’ll go over instructions back here in fifteen minutes. The dive schedule is on the cabin wall to your left. And even if I wanted to, I can’t predict what will happen once we’re in the water, but most people seem to have more fun when they relax and go with the flow.”
With that, he walked off toward the front of the boat.
She watched him go, the murmur of voices finally penetrating her consciousness as her panic slowly subsided. Taking advantage of the quiet, she took a seat in the lower area and took a water bottle out of her bag, taking a long sip before replacing it.
Watching the waves go by, she reflected on the discussion that had started this whole mess. Candace, her best friend from college had just opened up her own psychology practice. Plagued by insomnia for the past two months, Katherine had jokingly asked for a prescription, and Candace had very seriously recommended a vacation that completely deviated from her normal routines, and sex. She even backed it up with some psychological study that was dulled further by the bottle of wine they were sharing. Katherine had laughed off the idea at first, but as her insomnia got worse and fatigue started affecting both her work and home life, desperation sent her to Candace’s travel agent.
She’d literally begged for a trip to somewhere with sandy beaches and hot, easy men. It wasn’t a moment she was proud of.
She took another sip of water and shook her head in frustration. The irony was, it wasn’t even working. She’d been on the tiny island she couldn’t even remember the name of for two nights and two and a half days. So far, it seemed as though the men were either indifferent or jerks, and even serenaded by the sea and island breezes at night, she still couldn’t sleep more than a couple hours at a time.
As if on cue, she yawned, quickly covering her mouth with one hand as the other people in the group began shuffling back to join her in the seating area. David was at the back of the group, and didn’t even seem to notice her as he took his place in front of them near the cabin.
She o
nly half-listened to his instructions, her mind soothed by the low timbre of his voice mixed with the rumble of the motor. Maybe if she hired him to just drive her around on the ocean all night, she could get some decent rest...
Chapter 2
David finished his standard scuba diving lecture and glanced over at Kat as the rest of the group began to get ready. She appeared to be sleeping, her eyes closed and her face more peaceful than he’d seen it yet. He vaguely remembered her saying something about not sleeping well the night before. Maybe if he let her sleep, she’d be in a better mood when they got back to the dock.
Then Amy cut the engine and Kat’s eyes popped open, blinking and confused until one of the teens who was disregarding David’s instructions and slapping around the deck in his flippers slapped a fin across both of Kat’s feet.
David cringed, watching as her eyes widened in shock before she pulled her feet up on the seat and wrapped a hand around each one, squeezing hard. He expected a string of expletives or worse, but she simply lowered her forehead to her knees.
“Sorry!” the teen yelled before turning and laughing with his friends as if nothing happened. David glanced over at the parent, who merely shrugged.
Some days, the job sucked.
“Hey,” David said, pitching his voice loud enough to be heard over the laughter. He walked over to the teens, standing in front of the one who’d hurt Kat. “What did I say about fins on before we dive?”
The kid shrugged, but his smile faded.
“Take them off now, or you stay on the boat. Your choice.”
The rest of the group quieted down as the dad spoke up.
“Come on, man - they were just having fun. And he apologized. Cut ‘em a break?”
David shook his head and walked over to where Kat was still curled in a ball.
“Do you know how much damage you can do to someone with those on land?” He reached down and gently pried her fingers off of one foot, revealing the angry purple welt rising over the top of it. “Not only does this hurt - a lot - but Kat’s going to have a hard time wearing her own fins now to dive. All because you were ‘just having fun’.” He reluctantly let go of Kat’s foot.
