Scent of a Woman

by Joanne Rock

  His reaction was swift and fierce as heat flared deep inside him.

  “Anyone ever tell you that you have a very sensuous nature?” He shook his head. “Does that sound like the world’s worst pick-up line?”

  Her fingers trailed down to the water again and back up his arm, technically cooling his skin but somehow making his blood simmer at the same time. He wanted to sink down into the bottom of the boat with her and never come up.

  “It is no pick-up line when it is true. We are only half living if we do not use all our senses to appreciate life.”

  Their boat might have been floating straight into a rock wall and Adam would never have known it. He seemed to be drowning in a blue sea of longing.

  He gripped her hand at the top of his shoulder and held her fast, twining their fingers as he folded her palm into his own.

  “I’m feeling very appreciative right now.” He breathed in the scent of her mingled with damp rock and salt water. “If you let me taste you, I’ll show you how much.”

  Her eyes lingered on his mouth before she licked her lips. That was all the answer he needed.

  He tipped her head back, angling her beneath him before he lowered his mouth to hers. A soft sigh escaped her, tempting him to pull her to the floor of the boat again where they might be hidden from view.

  Just for a moment.

  They sank together, as if drawn by her will as much as his, their boat floating listlessly around the cavern. Untwining their hands, he skimmed her jacket off her shoulders as he eased her down onto the worn wool throw that had been given to them with the boat for the afternoon. The scent of her skin incited a hot, possessive reaction, and Adam knew that even if he never recognized the low notes or the high notes in the fragrance, he would be turned on by it for the rest of his life.

  The blue light made her pale skin almost transparent and she glowed beneath his touch as he ran one fingertip along the strap of her silk tank top. It drooped off her shoulder, and her back arched.

  The sounds of their breathing filled his ears, the splashing boats and soft murmurs of tourists fading away as he bent his head to sample the delicate column of her throat.

  Danielle might have been able to resist his touch, but Adam’s lips silenced any thought she might have had to keep their relationship more private. This man’s lips could persuade her to do anything, and she seriously feared she would start peeling off her clothes with no more encouragement than the swirl of his tongue in the hollow at the base of her throat.

  She lay there mesmerized by the blue of the grotto and the heat of Adam’s passion, powerless to do anything but follow the wanton urging of her long-denied body.

  His mouth descended lower and she thought she would expire with want. She trembled in dark anticipation of his mouth on her breast, even knowing they needed to put an end to their sweet explorations for propriety’s sake.

  But no one could see them, a little voice inside her argued, her shoulders shrugging in the hope she might wriggle more of herself out of the silk tank top she wore. Liquid heat pooled in her belly.

  “I want to be alone with you.” Adam’s quiet words drummed into her brain along with distant hints of returning reason. “I owe you so much better than this.”

  They stared at one another, hearts racing as if they’d run a marathon, and she marveled that she could have as strong an effect on him as he had on her.

  “I don’t want to rush and yet I can’t help rushing.” Danielle hadn’t acknowledged that before, but she had to admit that perhaps she’d been partly to blame for allowing her sensual nature to dictate decisions in the past. “Perhaps that is the downside to being impetuous.”

  “There is no downside.” He lifted himself to peer over the edge of the boat before he straightened her drooping tank top and drew her upright to sit beside him again. “I wish I could be more like you.”

  His words found root in her heart, even if she knew he couldn’t possibly mean them.

  “That is the kisses talking,” she chided him, drawing her linen jacket around her shoulders in a weak effort to stamp out the memory of Adam’s lips on her skin.

  “No.” He moved the oars from their locked position and dipped them down into the blue water. “That is the experience of a cynic who spends months on end buried in business deals and acting as negotiator for a bunch of overeducated know-it-alls who never learned how to play well with others. Half the people I work with don’t know there’s more to life than making the almighty dollar. And to tell you the truth, I don’t think I realized it myself until three days ago.”

  The smooth efficiency with which he rowed them through the water made her think maybe he wasn’t exaggerating. Did Adam normally live and breathe business? He could certainly adopt a facade of detached competency when he wished, like now with the boat. Or when he assured her he didn’t mind the competition for the Dubai retail account. Had he seemed so confident because of a driven nature that didn’t allow him to fail?

  “Get down,” he ordered, lining up the boat with the entrance of the grotto so they could leave the cave.

  She hunkered down again, but the warmth of all they’d shared was tinged with her fear that once again she’d allowed herself to get close to a man she didn’t understand.

  Because as much as she was attracted to Adam, she couldn’t afford to let those emotions derail her from the bargain they’d made. They could pursue a relationship on board Alexandra’s Dream, but once they returned home, she’d have to put him in her past.

  She was already beginning to think she’d set herself up for an impossible task.

  ALONE TIME was in short supply on a Mediterranean cruise ship, Adam admitted to himself the next day as he dressed for a luncheon sponsored by the perfume association as one of the conference events.

  The stolen moments in the bottom of a row boat with Danielle were as close as he’d come to being alone with her. The way he wanted.

  But that would change today. The ship docked in Civitavecchia this morning and would spend a full day into late evening there so that passengers could have more time to make the trek inland to Rome. Adam had reserved a car near the pier in case he could talk Danielle into spending some time on shore with him after the luncheon. Alone.

  The phone rang on his way out the door as he juggled a fresh gardenia in one hand, the receiver in the other.

  “Hello?”

  “It’s Joe. Got any news for me?” His brother’s voice came over the line loud and strong, even with music blaring in the background. Joe had missed the hard rock era while it was happening, but he took great pleasure in dredging it up with vintage vinyl on a record player he kept in his office.

  “Yeah I got news. AC-DC is playing too damn loud.” He held the phone away from his ear until the decibel level sank.

  “Sorry. But what’s going on with the Dubai retailer? I’ve been staring at my fax machine waiting for you to send some contracts.” Joe still drummed the beat on his desk with a pencil. Adam didn’t need a visual. Joe had been turning everyday household items into drumsticks from the time he was two.

  “No deal yet, but I’m only just warming up and finding my way around the perfume world. I figured it didn’t make much sense to make my pitch before I picked up the lingo.” His words made him remember Danielle’s loser boyfriend who’d stolen her perfume recipe, and he vowed not to ask her any more about fragrance-making. He’d be damned if he would give her any reason to compare him to relationships she’d had in the past. If he needed to know anything else about perfumes, he’d ask someone from another company.

  “Really?” Joe’s drumming stopped. “That sounds downright prudent of you, bro. I’m feeling guilty now that I took a bet against you in the office pool.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Adam knew the support staff at Burns Inc. were as addicted to interoffice betting as his brother and father, but he refused to think Joe would throw his money away by betting against Adam. “Why would you think I’d mess this u
p when it’s the one and only goal you set for me the entire cruise? I’ve researched the hell out of this Dubai rep. I know what he’ll want to see from us. I shot pool with him last night just to shoot the breeze and get inside the guy’s head. Shit, Joe, I probably close five business deals a month.”

  Joe’s short bark of laughter pissed him off.

  “But you play to your strengths at home by managing business within your frame of reference. Besides, the way you bitched and moaned about taking this cruise and spending the week with a bunch of fragrance nuts, I just figured—”

  “You figured wrong.” Adam’s grip tightened on the gardenia and he wanted the hell out of this conversation. “What am I, the weak link in the company and I never knew it?”

  “Hell, no. What’s the matter with you? We were just amused at the idea of Joe Jock courting the European jet-setters and were having a good time spinning scenarios for how that might be working out.”

  Adam stared out his balcony doors at the port city of Civitavecchia on the far side of the pier and tried to relax, knowing he was probably uptight at the possibility he really couldn’t relate to these people. To Danielle.

  And yeah, for this week at least, he wanted to be a part of her world.

  “It’s working out fine. I’m just here wondering why I didn’t take a vacation sooner.”

  “What kind of sacrilege are they teaching you over there?” Joe’s drumming picked up again, slower now. “That’s the most anti-Burns statement I’ve ever heard you make.”

  “How long are we supposed to live for work?” He didn’t have time to get into all the revelations that had bombarded him this week, but he couldn’t help toss out that one key question. “You know, we’ve been to Rome multiple times on business with Dad and I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of it outside hotel conference centers and the occasional workout room.”

  There was something seriously screwed up about that.

  “And now you’ve got a hankering to see the Eternal City?”

  “More like a rebel need to have a life.” Was that so freaking surprising? “I’m gonna be late for a meeting, Joe, but I’ll give you a call when I clinch the deal.”

  “Okay, but—”

  “And don’t ever bet against your blood, man. Big mistake.” He hung up the phone and left his suite, more than ready to see Danielle and forget about business breathing down his neck.

  It was the only time Adam could ever remember wanting to walk away from a competition. He wouldn’t, of course. But damn it, this was one game he wasn’t looking forward to winning.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “DO YOU WANT to know what the French papers have to say about you, Adam?” Danielle spun beneath his arm as they danced across the wooden floor of the Polaris Lounge during the perfumers’ luncheon reception. Dancing might be unusual for a traditional lunch gathering, but part of the entertainment for the event was dance lessons from six of the ship’s dancers, and Danielle had to admit it was fun to have an excuse to be in Adam’s arms.

  The furniture had been moved to the side of the room for the afternoon’s event, the walls draped with silver silk, the same shade as a new perfume bottle its manufacturer was spending big bucks to promote. Danielle admired the spread even as she wondered how she’d ever compete when it came time to bring her new Arabian Nights line to market.

  Sure she had ideas. But financing them…that was always the tough part. With any luck, the Dubai retailer would be so enthused about the new products that they’d put some money behind the effort to promote them.

  Adam’s timing was impeccable, his feet easily picking up the rhythm of their dance—a basso dance. Could she help it if her brain chose that moment to recall the age-old adage about men who were good at dancing? Of course, it stood to reason that men who would take the time to learn physical moves that pleased a woman would also…

  Her cheeks flushed at the sudden vivid image that rose to her mind, her body keenly aware of his body as his hand rested on her strapless purple sheath dress. She’d removed the matching shrug that went with the dress when it came time to dance.

  “Uh, oh. What exactly did the papers say? It can’t be so bad it makes you blush.” Adam released her hand to tip her chin up and study her face.

  “No,” she denied quickly, forcing her thoughts back to her latest conversation with Marcel, in which he’d reiterated his plea to sell off the business while warning her away from Adam at the same time. “It isn’t all that bad, considering your position with your company. You’ve probably heard most of the rumors already anyhow.”

  She took his hand in hers again, resuming their dance posture where the boundaries between them were fixed, even if they were…tantalizing.

  “But they bother you?” He twirled her past an older couple who ran a small fragrance company outside Paris. Danielle remembered her mother once told her the pair could be seen all around the city every spring, holding hands and walking the streets like new lovers.

  Danielle had never forgotten that story, her own wistful heart longing to find that kind of happiness.

  “They don’t bother me.” She shrugged as she kept step with him, not sure how to explain her relationship with her stern brother. “But they bother Marcel, and that will cause me a bit of grief this week until I can return home with my heart unscathed and my perfume recipes still a secret. I guess I have not learned how to shut him out of my private life when our business worlds are so intertwined.”

  The band finished the tune, and Adam and Danielle clapped their appreciation. Her hip remained warm from his touch even though he had released her. As the band started a lively salsa, Adam gestured toward the exit and she nodded, ready for a little air after the dancing and the time spent making small talk with business associates. Dancing with Adam had been her only chance to let her guard down since she’d arrived. She signaled him to wait as she retrieved her shrug and handbag.

  “Earlier today I would have told you my brother and I have a great working relationship,” Adam said as they headed out to the deck. The scents of the afternoon air rode the breeze and lifted Danielle’s hair from her warm neck, refreshing her skin and her spirits.

  “But not now?” she asked, curious about Adam’s family.

  “I never thought the day would come when I would say my brother was more driven than me, but after talking to him on the phone I realized he is. I might be quicker to make work a competition, but even though Joe is quieter about his commitment to the business, he has a fierce streak in him that demands the company succeed.”

  “Does that bother you?” She wasn’t sure what to make of his subdued tone. “I know it can be difficult for a family to be in business together.”

  A bar was set up on the outdoor deck and a smattering of people were taking in the fresh air. Paper lanterns had been strung overhead, creating a party atmosphere, even though they hadn’t been lit yet. From this distance, the sound of music from the Civitavecchia port drifted on the air, the water amplifying the sounds between the ship and the shore.

  “It doesn’t bother me. But it makes me realize he’s going to have plans for the company after our father retires, even if he’s been downplaying his interest in the top spot.” He nodded to one of the officers strolling through the party before he turned to look out over the water.

  Danielle admired how quickly he’d made friends on board, a testament to his warm nature and interest in others. She liked that about Adam.

  “Did you hope to take charge once your father leaves?” She knew that kind of promotion would mean she’d never see him again even professionally. The CEO of Burns Inc. wouldn’t spend his time wooing accounts for one of his companies, even if Prestige Scents continued to be one of the biggest assets in the family empire.

  “No.” Adam’s answer was quick. Resolute. “I’ve had all I can handle the last few years. I’d like to work less as I get older. Not more.”

  His hand trailed down her shoulder, his finger dipping lightly into
the curve of her elbow.

  “So your brother’s quiet ambition should come as good news.” She failed to understand Adam’s brooding mood.

  “It should,” he agreed, skimming her tender flesh in a lazy circle. “I just don’t know what to make of surprises sometimes, and this…hell, this caught me by surprise.”

  She couldn’t hold back a shiver at the exquisite feel of his touch.

  A new song began in the Polaris Lounge, drowning out the sounds from the Civitavecchia port. The lively music lifted her spirits, reminding her she had a rare and magical window of time with Adam before she had to relinquish her sexy American to whatever his future might hold.

  “Maybe we should not think about any of this today.” Seized with the mischievous mood that occasionally got her into trouble, she tried to remember the last time she’d gotten to walk around the streets of Italy. “Maybe I should forget that I have been cast under a romantic spell by a powerful American businessman the tabloids call New York’s most eligible player.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Hey, wait a minute.”

  She pressed her finger to his lips, enjoying the feel of him.

  “Perhaps you should forget that your brother is about to climb over your strong shoulders to seize your father’s company. And neither of us should think about all we have riding on the Dubai retailer. Maybe we ought to just forget all of it and go take Civitavecchia—or even Rome—by storm.”

  “A couple of cruise ship pirates?” His blue gaze went from her to the shoreline and back again.

  “We’ll drink in the taverns and…” She hesitated but still couldn’t stop herself from saying what else she wanted. “And we’ll let our passions run wild after the great restraint we’ve shown at sea.”

  Adam grinned but his eyes took on a heated light that shot a thrill clear to her toes.

  “You mean, I’m finally going to see the bold and brazen side of Danielle Chevalier that I’ve heard so much about?”