by Alice Ward
Oh, yeah. She was saying what I wanted to hear.
Pushing my hand under her shirt, I ran it over her bare back. “I knew you’d be as soft as you looked, glowing under the full moon’s light like a silver angel.”
She flattened her palms as she moved her hands down my back. Her eyes were dark with desire. “Can I tell you something else without you running for the hills?”
Fuck.
Could she?
After taking a deep breath, I was ready to hear what she had to say. “You can.”
She leaned in very close, her lips almost touching mine. I felt the heat of her words. “Your kiss made fireworks go off inside my head.”
“Did it now?” I barely touched her lips with mine. “And the one in the café? What did it do to you?”
“The same damn thing.” She brushed her lips against mine, nipping at my lower one before pulling it into her mouth.
“I’m not running, and I saw shooting stars. You think that’ll happen again?”
“Kiss me and let’s find out.”
Oh, yeah.
Pulling her close enough that her breasts pressed against my chest, I took her lips, intent on searing our souls together. Yeah, there were shooting stars again, but I didn’t let them scare me. I wanted to see them, and I wanted to know what else this woman could make me see.
Zaps of electricity moved through me, resulting in a boner that grew at the speed of light. I moved with her until her back was on the sofa and I was pressing her down, grinding our sexes together through our clothes.
We were both gasping for breath when my mouth left hers to kiss her jaw, her ear, her neck. “Zane, Zane…” I nibbled her neck then gave it a good bite. She groaned, then pushed against my shoulders. “Zane, we’ve got to stop.”
I exhaled a long breath. “You’re killing me.”
She groaned again, in frustration this time. “Me too, but we can’t do this now.”
“Please.” I jutted my bottom lip out, and she laughed before taking it between her teeth.
She let me go. “Our twenty minutes are almost up.”
Well… fuck.
I sank down on her, forcing her to take most of my weight. “Damn. Forgot about them.”
Her lips brushed the place just behind my ear then she gently bit my earlobe. “Later?”
Feeling like I weighed a thousand pounds, I pushed myself up onto my hands then to my feet. Her eyes widened and I followed to where she was looking. “See what you do to me?”
She placed her hand over me, squeezed, and I closed my eyes. “Damn, Zane, you have a monster there.”
“Set it free, baby. It’s hungry for you.”
She laughed, which made me laugh, then I abruptly stopped when she began to stroke me again. The fantasy of last night was nothing compared to being with the real woman. The shooting stars had turned into a volcano that was erupting, spreading heat in its path, filling me with more than I knew was possible.
She sighed and dropped her hand. “We need to change.”
I stepped back, knowing she was right. “Need help?”
Very slowly, she rose from the sofa, a big grin on her face. “Later?”
My cock groaned. I swear it did. “Damn it.” I took her by the chin. “Promise me we’ll come right back here and continue what we started.”
Her grin was sultry, sexy, and somehow it was also cute as shit. “That is an easy promise to keep. If you still like me after you’ve witnessed me in snorkeling gear, it’s a date.”
Her ponytail was crooked, her lips swollen from my kisses, and she looked even prettier than she did before. I couldn’t wait to see her after she was freshly fucked.
“I’m going to fuck you so long and so hard.”
Those eyes gleamed. “Is that a promise?”
I smacked her rounded ass. “Absolutely. Now go before I can’t resist any longer.”
She crossed her arms over my chest. “This is my bungalow.”
I’m a dork.
“Well, I’ll go change. I expect to see you in something skimpy when I get back.”
She stuck out a pinky. I grinned and wrapped mine around hers. “Hurry.”
Without another word, I was out the door and pulling on board shorts so fast I nearly ripped off my dick. I was going to make sure she got what she needed with the cheating bastard, and we could put her little job behind us so we could get on to more important things.
Like us.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Sloane
Looking in the mirror, I smiled at my reflection. My little emotional meltdown worked like a charm, and it was a little embarrassing to be such a good liar. It was kind of hard to make myself appear that weak and pathetic, but one must do what one must do when on a mission. Even if it was acting like a little girl who’d lost her puppy.
One thing for certain was that I hadn’t faked the way he made me feel with that kiss. He had me tearing myself apart. The sexual side of me thought I should just blow off the snorkeling trip. The agent part of me was thinking I had a job to do and blowing off any outing with the couple could terminate a social connection.
If we got in good with the couple, they might invite us to all sorts of things, and then I’d be a lot more likely to find out where this money was stashed.
Then it would be over.
Which meant Zane and I would be over.
I wasn’t quite ready for that.
Pulling a sundress on over my bikini, I was ready to go just as I saw Zane pass by my window. “Ready?”
I twirled, the skirt of my sundress flying out a bit. “Is this okay?”
I hadn’t brought many clothes that would make me stand out. The bikini was plain black, no frills, but the sundress was pale yellow and see-through. Nothing nearly as sexy as most of the females around the island wore, but Zane looked at me like I was the sexiest woman he’d ever seen.
His eyes seemed to darken as he came up to me, sliding his arms around my waist. “So okay that I might not be able to keep my hands off you.”
“Who says you have to?” I ran one finger over his broad shoulder.
I wanted him to show me affection — for business reasons, of course. It would make us seem more real to Charles and Grace. Things were falling into place quite well for me.
Running my hand down his arm to link my fingers with his, I pulled him with me so we could get to the dock before the snorkeling expedition took off. The heat between us was off the charts. I thought it had been up there yesterday, now it was ten times hotter.
Charles and Grace were sitting on one of the four benches, Grace’s head resting on the older man’s shoulder. They waved at us as we came up and Grace grinned. “I was beginning to wonder if you guys had changed your mind about coming with us.”
“No.” Zane wrapped his arms around me from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder. It sent chills through me as he pressed his body against my back.
“I had a hard time letting her get dressed, that’s all.” He kissed my cheek.
I blushed and looked down as heat filled me right along with embarrassment. Grace laughed. “You two are adorable. How long have you been together?”
I was quick to take on that question, so Zane didn’t mess it up by telling some outlandish lie. That was one thing I knew for sure, people who didn’t lie for a living didn’t know how to do it properly. “He and I met a while back in Pennsylvania. We kept in touch, and he told me he was taking a vacation out here. I thought it’d be fun to come out and surprise him, interrupting his chasing of the other female inhabitants of this island.”
Zane kissed my cheek again. “I was glad she came to surprise me. The truth is, I’ve been crazy about her for years, but she plays a real tough game of hard to get. I’m not about to let her get away from me again. I’m taking this time to make her see that she’s as crazy for me as I am for her.”
He was pretty good at lying after all. I didn’t know if I should be impressed or afraid.
> “Don’t let her get away, Zane.” Charles pulled his shades down to look at me. “She has stars in her eyes for you, my new friend.”
Did I?
Damn.
I guessed it was evident that the gorgeous man affected me. Not that it would matter after this week. Or would it?
A fleeting thought went through my head. Maybe I could ask Agent Matthews to do a background check on Zane. If it came back clear, I could come clean with him after this mission was over. I’d see where that would leave us.
But I wasn’t making any call like that just yet. Although our chemistry was off the charts, I didn’t know the man. He seemed harmless but I’d feel on more steady ground after a background check was run.
The captain and his young girlfriend finally showed up, and we were able to get the trip underway. Climbing to the front of the boat, Zane pulled me down until I was sitting between his legs.
Charles did the same with Grace, so I thought it wasn’t going too far. I wasn’t used to so much public display of affection, but I loved it. I loved the way he held onto me. The way his hands moved lightly over my shoulders, neck, arms. The tops of my thighs. It wasn’t just sexy but felt sweet too.
Looking over the side, I watched as the crystal-clear water changed to a deeper blue, then the captain slowed the boat to a stop and shut the engine off. The water lapped at the sides of the boat as his girlfriend lowered a ladder and offered the snorkeling gear. I put on my rig and flippers while Zane snapped a flotation device around my waist.
“Still think I’m sexy, baby?”
He waggled his eyebrows. “Even that gear can’t take all that hotness away.”
I laughed, but when he put all his rig on, I thought he was still sexy too. He tried to kiss me again, but our masks kept getting in our way, making us laugh. So many emotions. As unfamiliar as all this sexual tension was, the pure joy of being with him felt unfamiliar too. When my cheeks hurt, I realized it had been a long time since I smiled so much.
The water was deliciously warm and clear, and Zane and I waited for Grace and Charles to join us before setting off.
Grace swam over to me immediately and gushed, “Isn’t this sublime?”
Her enthusiasm was contagious and I used her relaxed mood to carefully dig for more information. “Incredible. Don’t see many things like this back in Pennsylvania. Where are you from?”
“Manhattan. So’s Charles.” She pointed at some fish that were swimming below us. “Look, they’re already coming in to see us. Aren’t they pretty?”
We both stuck our faces in the water to check out the brilliantly colored fish, then I felt arms around my waist. It was Zane, and it seemed he’d be holding me throughout our little fish watching expedition.
The water was nice, the fish were pretty, but none of that compared to how it felt to be with Zane. Holding hands, we swam around with our faces in the clear water, pointing out things to the other. It was more than fun, it was special too.
I could just see us in the future, talking about the fish we saw when we were in Maldives. A sharp pain stabbed my heart as I thought that might not happen at all. But I quickly put that out of my mind and went on, enjoying the day with him.
Hours later, it was time to go, and I climbed back onto the boat exhausted but happy. I was glad to have Zane to lie back on as I rested all the way back to the dock. The breeze and rocking of the boat made me sleepy, my eyelids refusing to stay up.
“Wake up, sleepyhead. We’re back.”
I grinned and stretched, rubbing my eyes. “I can’t believe I fell asleep.”
Charles and Grace looked wide awake, both smiling as Charles asked, “You guys want to do lunch?”
Before I could accept the invitation, Zane pulled me into his arms. “Nah, me and the little lady are going to take lunch in my bungalow and chill for the rest of the afternoon. Maybe we’ll catch you guys for dinner and dancing this evening?”
“Sounds good.”
Once the couple was out of sight, I whirled on Zane. “Why did you do that? You know that I need to be around them as much as possible.”
He shrugged. “You’re tired.”
“Tired?” I looked at him incredulously. “I’m always tired, but that’s no excuse for not doing my job.” I stomped off after the couple but was hauled back against a hard chest. “Let me go. I need to join them.”
“No.”
That pissed me off. Did he think he could shut me down with one simple word?
I dipped and whirled out of his restraining arm before poking him in the chest with my finger. “No? Are you serious?”
He smiled, a warning gesture painted on his face. “You’re gaining people’s attention.”
I didn’t even look around me. I knew he was right. With a deep inhalation, I forced myself to relax. “You’re right. Let’s just—”
Before I could finish, his lips were on mine and I was being arched backward like a bow. I struggled for a second, opening my mouth to tell him off. It was a mistake… of the best kind.
His tongue stroked mine as he deepened the kiss, his fingers digging into my skin. Then my fingers were digging into him. I was a maniac, hungry for more, my moans begging him to take me.
There was clapping, and the kiss softened, then stopped.
Zane lifted his head, a little smile playing on his lips. “Our first fight,” he told the voyeurs, who hooted and clapped some more. He looked down at me. “Maybe we should take this inside.”
I nodded, my cells still sizzling from the heat of his kiss. I felt dizzy, like I used to feeling when I rode one of those twirling, whirling amusement park rides.
I grinned at the winks from the women in the group. Laughed when Zane gave some random dude a high five. Then we were in his bungalow.
“Zane—”
His mouth was on mine again, and my back was pressed against the wood of the door. I both loved the kiss and hated how it could stop me on a dime. When he released my lips, I opened my eyes to find him smiling. “Your job is over, baby. I got everything you’ll ever need on the man.”
“Huh?” My head was still spinning with the after-effects of that kiss.
Damn, the Zane had me right where he wanted me. It was infuriating. Only I didn’t have the power to feel mad because my body was pulsing with desire.
He pulled his cell out of the pocket of his swimming trunks. “While you were sleeping, those two made out like crazy. I got ten pictures of them in various states of making out. I’ll send these pictures to you then you can send them to your old friend, and your job is over. And we can get working on us. Me and you.”
He pulled the sundress over my head, leaving me in the bikini. “Zane—”
“Now it’s time to go back to what we were doing before. You do recall your promise to continue what we started, right?”
“But—”
He kissed me again, taking my mind off what I was going to say.
The truth was, I had no idea what to say. Maybe letting him fuck my brains out would loosen things up in my head enough that I could think once the coital bliss was over. At the same time, I knew I should do something to let him know it wasn’t okay to make decisions about a job that was mine to do.
He eased the kiss and took my hand. “I have condoms in the bedroom. That’s why I brought you to my place.”
“But—” That’s all I got out before he pressed his finger to my lips.
“But nothing, Sloane. I want you. You want me. No more waiting. No more talking. After we make love, you can talk all you want. Right now, I want you in my bed, naked. I want to kiss every last inch of you, then I want to make you scream my name.”
My brain said to tell him off, but my vagina had a differing opinion.
Brain vs Vagina.
As Zane’s lips found mine again, I knew it wasn’t even a contest.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Zane
The sounds of seagulls echoed outside as Sloane’s lips softened against mine. T
his was it. I was only moments away from having this glorious woman in my bed.
My cock was throbbing in anticipation. My heart was pounding with desire. My… oomph… lungs were straining to breathe from where Sloane had punched me in the gut.
I held my stomach, trying to draw in air as I watched her turn on her heel and head for the door.
“Wait!” I yelled.
Well, it was almost a yell. If my throat hadn’t been gulping for air, it would have been a loud one. The girl packed a damn good punch.
I’d locked the door, and it was my only saving grace as she fiddled with it to yank open the door. I grabbed her arm. “Where are you going?”
Her glare was like mental darts striking me in the forehead. “Home. I’m not some bimbo that you can boss around. And I don’t appreciate you thinking you can take over my job.”
What? She had to be kidding.
Apparently not. She got the door opened and was sashaying her bikini-clad ass out of it while I pieced together the chain of events.
All the air went out of me as I watched her walk away. I felt deflated, angry, frustrated. “So, lunch or what?” I called out lamely.
She looked over her shoulder at me. “Are you serious? Haven’t you messed up quite enough?”
Then she went into her bungalow, and I was left standing there like a jerk.
I took a deep cleansing breath. It was time for a little self-reflection. Had I taken her job over? Had I overstepped my bounds? Or had I actually helped her out the way I thought I had?
And what about our attraction?
And why did I fucking care so fucking much?
I slammed my door, then kicked it, immediately feeling like a child. Stalking to the little kitchen, I pulled a beer from the fridge and downed it in two long swallows.
Grabbing another, I plopped down on the couch. Sloane Anderson was a puzzle. A beautiful, complicated puzzle. I just needed to figure her out.
Or maybe I just needed to stick with the airheads. Sweet mouths. Sweet pussies. Empty minds. That strategy had worked just fine the past couple decades.
But, dammit… that wasn’t what I wanted. As frustrating as she was, I wanted Sloane. Not just her body, but her mind. The intelligence behind her eyes. And if it took a few sucker punches for me to stop acting like a dick, that was okay too.
