by Tawny Weber
As if her musings had conjured him, the sexy surf god of her dreams sauntered up the tile steps and greeted both guests and hotel staff.
Dru’s breath tripped, her pulse racing. He was even better in sunlight. She’d spent half the night telling herself it was the romance of the surf and moonlight that had made him look like a Greek god. That, and the mostly naked expanse of delicious male flesh she’d been mesmerized by.
But no, even with that gorgeous chest covered by a pristine white T-shirt, he was still the tastiest-looking thing she’d seen all morning. She took a sip of her water, needing to wet her lips and afraid to add any more caffeine to her already racing heart rate.
He seemed familiar with everyone. Obviously he’d been telling the truth when he’d said he worked for the hotel. She shifted in her chair, trying to ease the building pressure between her suddenly damp thighs.
As if she were sitting at the table, Nikki’s voice chimed in Drucilla’s head: Go for it. He’s hot, he’s sexy. He’s perfect vacation-fling material.
Just like the night before, she didn’t know if she should listen to the voice—and her body’s urgings—or run like hell.
Then his eyes met hers. He murmured something to the people circling him. Then, a wide, wicked grin on his face, he crossed the patio. A tilt of his chin toward the waiter had him a cup of coffee before he reached her table.
“May I join you?” he asked,
Nerves, from both sexual awareness and her ever-present shyness, flooded her system. Despite the little voice urging her to run, she waved her hand toward the empty seat across from her in invitation.
“I didn’t introduce myself last night. I’m Alex,” he said, sliding into the chair and helping himself to one of the blueberry muffins in the basket on her table.
“Drucilla,” she said, automatically offering her hand to shake.
Mistake, she realized as he took her fingers in his. Warmth, with its hypnotically sexy pull, poured from his palm into hers. Her body tried to melt, right there into his hand. A puddle of lust over the breakfast table.
No, not going there, she scolded herself as she tugged her hand away. Needing to cool off at the thought, she reached for her ice water.
“Did you sleep well, Drucilla?”
Had he peeked into her mind to know she’d tossed and turned in sweaty homage to the dream orgasm he’d given her? She almost choked on her water. Calling herself silly, Dru brushed the thought aside and gave him a little shrug and a smile.
“I rarely sleep easily my first night after traveling,” she excused.
“You should have let me help,” he told her, popping the second half of the muffin into his mouth.
“Somehow I think your help would have done more to keep me up than make me sleep,” she said with a nervous laugh. He was actually flirting with her. Excitement spun through her system, its rapid trajectory hindered by the terror flying along with it.
“Oh, no, intense physical exertion is excellent for bringing on deep sleep. Didn’t you know that?”
His grin was a dare. She knew it. Even though she didn’t have a chance in hell of handling the dare, she still couldn’t resist.
“I’d heard the rumor. But from what I understand,” she said, leaning forward, both hands clenched—in both nerves and excitement—in her lap, “the exertion has to actually be good. Mediocre is just a lesson in frustration, isn’t it?”
“Mediocre isn’t even worth doing,” he agreed. His eyes had dropped, just for a second, to her breasts. Hotter than the overhead sun, they warmed her. Filled her with sexual power like she’d never experienced. It felt…incredible.
“My point exactly,” she said.
“Well, there you go,” he returned with a wicked grin. “You should have let me help.”
“And how do I know you’re good?” she challenged, unsure where the nerve to flirt was coming from. But since she seemed to be doing it right, she wasn’t about to question the gift.
“References, of course.”
Dru couldn’t help it, she burst out laughing. She knew he wanted her to think he was talking about sex. And she figured on one level, they were. What would he do if she called his bluff? Not sure she was ready to find out, she played it safe instead.
“Of course,” she said as if his response was perfectly reasonable.
“You can always take me up on it tonight,” he offered. The look on his face was pure sexual challenge. Dru knew damn well he could rise to the challenge, too. In every sense. This was a guy who didn’t need the likes of Albert Einstein to get his groove on.
“I’m not sure yet that I’m interested in learning to surf,” she told him, ending the double-entendre exchange with an apologetic little shrug.
His quick frown said he hadn’t been ready for it to end, though.
“Is this a game?” he asked, his expression pleasant. But she still heard the hint of irritation in his tone.
“I don’t play games.”
Alex laughed, his amusement lightly tinged with disbelief.
She leaned back in her chair, resting one elbow on the arm, and arched an inquiring brow. The look she gave him demanded an explanation.
After all, he was the one who’d plopped himself down at her table and helped himself to her muffin.
His laughter trailed off. He gave her a long stare, his dark eyes narrowed in contemplation. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m a little confused. I’m not used to such unclear signals from a woman. I’m obviously interested in you. I’d like to spend some time together, get to know you better. Much, much better.”
Dru’s heart pounded, a tingling kind of fear moving through her body. So much for beating around the bush. Alex was the most direct, in-her-face man she’d ever met.
It only made him sexier.
“I thought that’s what we were doing.” Although clearly not as much as he, or she, for that matter, would like.
“You know what I mean,” he said, brushing aside her socially correct reply.
Dru bit her lip. Wasn’t this proof perfect that she shouldn’t try to socialize outside her milieu? Give her a brainiac, a science buff, even an amateur astronomer, she’d be fine. But a hunky guy with eyes like melted chocolate and a body worthy of a god? Throw in enough sexual tension to send a nun running for a cold shower, a misguided attempt at flirtation and what did you get? Her, feeling like a turned-on, embarrassed idiot with her pretty, floral wedge sandal stuck right there in her big mouth.
Not sure what to do about the irritation suddenly overshadowing the desire he’d sparked in her body, Drucilla tapped her fingers on the table.
“So, what?” she finally asked, figuring she’d blown it anyway so she might as well just be herself. “If a woman doesn’t drop at your feet the instant she meets you, she’s playing a game?”
An appreciative look flashed in his dark eyes, but he kept his face straight.
“Maybe not at my feet,” he teased. “But usually there’s a definite decision about whether she wants to pursue the possibility of getting better acquainted. As a rule, people know instantly if they’re interested or not. Whether they’ll choose to act on that interest is another thing, of course. And that’s where the game usually comes in.”
Dru frowned. Not over his reference to his easy conquests. That was no surprise. But at his words. They were pretty deep for a surf instructor. Then she mentally smacked herself for making such a snobbish judgment call.
“I assure you, my taking my time to decide on what I want isn’t a game,” she said, guilt over her thoughts making her tone more apologetic than she’d intended.
His grin, fast and sexy, told her he was more than willing to take advantage of that opening.
“What can I do to help you make up your mind?” he offered, leaning forward and putting his hand over hers as it rested on the glass table. Sparks flared. Hot, intense and almost overpowering. Energy, purely sexual, raced through her system. Her nipples beaded in instant response. If he could turn
her on this easily, with just a look and a touch, what could he do to her body if she let him? And what the hell was she waiting for to find out?
Dru tried to regulate her breathing. She could tell he knew damned well the effect he had on her. The question was, what effect did she have on him? And how could she make sure it was an even exchange? Although she sucked at flirting, she wasn’t totally insecure. But neither was she stupid. Alex was a gorgeous, charismatic man, he could have any woman he wanted. Since they had nothing in common, why was he hitting on her so hard?
And could she handle it if she gave in to her body’s demands? If her flirtation skills were dismal, her sexual skills were even worse. The chances of humiliation were high. Was it worth it? She looked at Alex again and sighed. Oh, yeah. She was pretty sure it was.
Pretty sure. But not positive. Needing time to think it through, she took her napkin from her lap and set it on the table.
“You’re leaving?” The disappointment in his words was echoed in his expression. His eyes clearly said she’d let him down. Whether it was because he’d miss her or because she wasn’t playing those games he’d referred to, she wasn’t sure.
“I have some things I need to take care of,” she said honestly—she considered thinking this through to be a very necessary something to take care of. “Since we’ve run into each other twice already in the eighteen hours I’ve been here, I’m sure I’ll see you again.”
When she did, she planned on having all her thinking finished. One way or another, she promised herself as she murmured her goodbye and swung her tote bag over her shoulder, she’d be ready for action.
ALEX WATCHED Drucilla walk away, her tidy plait of silvery hair swishing between her bare shoulder blades. Her refusal to play confused him. He’d learned his lesson young and well. Everyone, men and women, played. Hers must be a new game. One he hadn’t been dealt yet. He’d figure out the rules fast enough, he was sure. “Wipeout?”
Alex quit his contemplation of Drucilla’s hips as she turned the corner back to her bungalow to glance at his friend. Juan was dressed in waiter’s whites, obviously filling in to help out his parents, who owned the hotel.
“I’m still paddling,” Alex quipped with a shrug. He pushed away from the table and helped Juan gather the plates and debris. “You up for hitting some waves this afternoon?”
Juan smirked at the change of subject, but he knew Alex well enough to know his friend didn’t brag about women. Not while pursuing them, not while doing them, not after kissing them goodbye when it was over. Alex’s momma had a saying—wherever he put his privates was meant to stay private.
And Alex always listened to his momma.
“We’re short staffed,” Juan said with a morose sigh as he glanced at the surfers already riding the waves.
Alex made a sympathetic sound. There was a perfect example of why he played his life so carefully. Nothing shackled a guy faster than commitments. Not that Alex blew off his responsibilities or shirked favors. He’d been raised knowing his obligations. Three generations of excellence preceded him, and he knew better than to disappoint his family.
Which was fine. He loved what he did. That was why his career was the only thing he allowed himself to commit to. And he’d arranged his life so that commitment still let him live exactly the way he wanted.
“You up for teaching some surfer wannabes this afternoon?” Juan asked as he wiped the table clean, then moved his tray to the next one. “You’re covering for Manuel, right?”
“From siesta to eight,” Alex confirmed. Juan’s cousin Manuel ran the Surf Shack and had gone to Cozumel for the week to celebrate his abuela’s hundredth birthday. He had a couple kids to take care of the shack, but nobody to give lessons while he was away. Since teaching was right up Alex’s alley, he’d offered to help out. On a limited basis.
“And will you be offering private lessons to the pretty blonde?” Juan teased, as always trying to break through Alex’s typical reticence when it came to women.
“Maybe,” Alex murmured. He caught a glimpse of electric blue and saw Drucilla making her way down the beach. A large beach bag partially concealed her vivid dress, and a huge, floppy hat covered her glorious hair.
“I chatted with her when I was taking her order,” Juan continued, not noticing Alex’s attention shift. “She’s a smart lady. You’ll be able to talk to her about anything. Unlike that surf Betty you were with last time you were here. I think her IQ was smaller than her bra size.”
Juan had a bias. He called any woman who competed with him on the waves a surf Betty. Alex frowned, trying to remember his last visit, eight months ago. Then it hit him. Pretty brunette, good surfer, total beach bunny.
He grimaced. Yeah, she hadn’t been the brightest. But she’d been amazing on a surfboard. On and off the waves, he remembered with an amused smile. But still, a guy liked to be able to actually converse with the woman he was with once in a while.
Few people on Los Cabos knew what Alex did in the ten months out of the year that he wasn’t here surfing. Not that he was ashamed of his career. He was a damn good scientist. He’d excelled early and often, graduating college at the age most people started. A prodigy, he’d learned young to set a goal, work his ass off and make every move count. Hell, he’d earned every accolade right on down the list, all the way to his Wolf Award. As had been expected.
But that was work. And this wasn’t.
“I’m on vacation,” Alex excused. Besides, he never talked about his other life when he was here. He came to Los Cabos to rejuvenate. To maintain balance and stay connected to what mattered.
“She asked about you. Wanted to know what you did around here,” Juan said slyly.
Alex’s gaze flew to his friend’s face. He took in the grin, white against dark skin, and the humor dancing in Juan’s brown eyes.
“What’d you tell her?”
“That she should talk to you personally.”
Alex grinned.
“She said she’d rather not.”
His smile fell away. Then he snickered at his own ego. Hey, a woman like Dru, one who took a little extra effort to catch, was always worth the time and energy.
“Do me a favor,” he said. “If she asks again, continue keeping it on the down low.”
“So you’re gonna lie to her?”
Truly shocked at the suggestion, Alex glared at his friend. “Of course not. I’m simply doing what I always do. Living in the moment. And in this moment, I’m teaching surfing and she’s on vacation.”
Juan smirked as he lifted his tray to his shoulder. Then he nodded toward the path Dru had taken. “You always say you’re living in the moment, amigo. Someday you’re going to meet a woman who makes you dream of tomorrow.”
Alex just chuckled and slapped Juan on the shoulder as he passed by. No point in disillusioning the guy, after all. For all Alex’s Zen approach to life, he was a realist. While he loved the concept of romance as much as the next guy and adored women in all their glory, he knew better than to think that forever and commitment were part of his vocabulary.
But a few days, the surf and the sunset?
He watched Drucilla spread her towel on the oversize beach chair cushion, then straighten. Her back was to him, but he could tell she’d crossed her arms over her belly. With a quick tug she pulled the electric-blue dress off, shaking her head to free her hair again. He watched the silvery-blond braid slide along her back and imagined his fingers combing through that silken length. His mouth pressing warm, soft kisses to those toned shoulders.
His gaze traced her back, bare now except for the strap of her purple bikini. Mouth dry, he took in the slender curve of her waist, the gentle swell of her hips. And those legs. His heart raced as if he was cresting a wave. What would those legs feel like wrapped around his hips? Those long legs anchoring him tightly as he drove into the wonder of her body?
Alex’s breath whooshed out in a jagged sigh.
Yeah. A few days, the surf and the sunset. He
’d be sharing all of them with Drucilla and loving every second of it. Better yet, he’d make damn sure she loved it, too.
3
SIX HOURS LATER, Dru bit her lip, a giddy sort of terror fluttering down her back like a teasing breeze. She was crazy to be doing this. A million rational arguments competed for center stage in her mind, all telling her that she should turn heel in the sand and head right back up the dune to her bungalow.
The practical scientist in her gave a patient sigh. It wasn’t as if this was going to be dangerous. It was a controlled environment with a set time limit. She was entering into the experiment with a solid, well-thought-out hypothesis.
The horny woman in her gave a disdainful eye roll. Enough with the bullshit excuses already. She was solidly in lust with Alex, and he was exactly what Nikki had suggested. A fling. The answer to all her sexual frustrations. The kind of guy who could go all night, making her gasp and writhe and scream.
She really, really wanted to gasp and writhe and scream.
After all, this was vacation. Wild sexual romps were practically required, right? It didn’t matter that she didn’t know much about him. Or that they wouldn’t have anything to talk about. Nerdy her and a hunky surfer? No common ground at all. She was pretty sure she had other uses for his mouth, though. And she’d be back at work, with plenty of people to talk to soon enough.
She should just go for it, she thought as her stomach tumbled over itself and nerves made her light-headed.
“C’mon, you know you want to do it,” Alex teased, the grin curving his gorgeous sun-kissed face telling her he knew she was arguing with herself over the surfing lesson. A lesson she’d been second-guessing for the last hour, ever since she’d met him at the Surf Shack to get started.
Hopefully he didn’t know the details of her internal argument, though. Or that she’d be taking him up on a lot more than just the white-and-blue-striped board he was offering. Although, from his wicked grin, he very well might know exactly what she’d been thinking.
