Читать книгу Letting Go! - Mara Fox, Mara Fox - Страница 10

THAT EVENING Emma could hardly believe she was actually in a bar on the little island of Grand Bahama, lost in the beauty of the local scenery while the sun dipped behind the ocean in a gorgeous sunset that made her glad to be alive.

She felt tingly-nervous. She’d left Tina holed up in a restaurant a few doors down with a handsome man. Tina had been far too preoccupied to be interested in the sunset, or anything else. Emma had felt uncomfortable with the two of them literally falling all over each other.

But wasn’t that what she’d come for? To do more than enjoy the sunset? To share it with someone? To find romantic attraction—that spur-of-the-moment, knock-you-off-your-feet sensation?

Fingering the unfamiliar length of her hair, she wondered where to start.

She considered some of Tina’s not-so-subtle techniques. If Emma could emulate instead of hesitate then maybe she’d get past all the things that inhibited her.

She’d just pick out a good-looking man and talk to him. But not in the way she’d initiated conversations before. This time she wanted to pique the guy’s interest, the kind of interest that would lead to a night of romantic intimacy.

Only one problem. She tapped her finger against her chin. This meeting couldn’t actually lead to an interlude because the passengers were supposed to be back for the captain’s cocktail hour at eleven o’clock. The ship sailed again at midnight.

Hmm, a problem, or a practice run?

If she could impress someone here on the island then maybe she could seduce the hell out of a handsome passenger on the ship.

She squared her shoulders. Even Tina would be impressed.

Except she wanted an exotic drink in her hand to set the mood, and to keep the staff off her back while she concentrated on other things. Yes. Some tropical concoction and she’d be ready for anything!

Scanning the bar Emma noted a broad-shouldered, nicely tanned man sitting at a table on the sand. Once she’d worked on that drink, a Latin lover would definitely be the perfect chaser. The man’s fit body and wide shoulders were almost too big for the small wicker chair. Dark curling hair waved back in a shaggy, casual style, brushing the collar of the loose, white shirt he wore, and for a minute she fantasized that he looked like a modern-day pirate.

Emma aimed at the empty table well beyond his. Maybe she could just watch him from afar. Consider it the first step.

The second step would be him looking her way, she thought as she headed to the table. She almost stumbled when he did.

And then…

Amazingly, the pirate actually rose to his feet as she approached, grinning in such a friendly fashion it was as if he knew her, and somehow it gave her the courage she needed to pause in front of him.

His gaze was as warm as if he’d physically reached out to her. His smile was incredibly bright on his gorgeous, tanned face. “I saw you enjoying the sunset and I hoped you’d come in closer.”

She practically pried her hands from behind her back to offer one to him. “Hi, I’m Emma. You must be from around here. I’m a passenger on a cruise ship, just here for the evening. It’s so nice to meet a local. That is, if you are a local—”

She might have babbled on or run away, but he grabbed and squeezed her hand. The tingle she felt stopped her in mid-speech. Is this how initiating a seduction felt? This wonderful, scary feeling, like a roller coaster as you hovered on the arc of the first drop?

“Emma, you spoke so quickly I’m afraid I didn’t catch it all.”

“Oh, do I have an accent? You don’t. It’s amazing. I just said that I’m on a cruise and I’m a little…” She started to say nervous but changed her mind. That wasn’t the way to pick up a man. This was the perfect opportunity to pretend she was sophisticated, like Tina.

“…thirsty. I’m so thirsty,” she said in a rush. “Can you tell me what I should order? I usually order…um…orgasms. You know, the drinks…” Emma almost pinched herself. Had she really been that bold?

FOR TONY, holding Emma’s hand was an incredible rush. But hadn’t he intended to get Emma out of his system?

“Well,” Emma prompted. “What do you locals drink?”

It was the second time she’d suggested he was a local.

Mentally he grinned. A player or a local, either definition would do.

And while he had no idea what language they spoke on the island, he was pretty sure Emma didn’t know either. So he’d lean on his Spanish and roll his Rs, to keep her interested. “I’m…Andres and I know exactly what we should order.” He was pleased when his words came out smooth and just slightly accented.

In a throaty purr Emma replied, “Okay, but if you’ve got a better suggestion then I’d love to, uh, entertain it.”

Emma hadn’t seemed quite so flirtatious when they’d spoken on the phone. More pragmatic and perhaps a little whimsical. But then she put a hand on his shoulder and distracted him with a single look. No one had prepared him for the kick of those sea-blue eyes.

“I think we can find something appropriately stimulating for a beautiful…mainlander.”

“Thank you.”

That smile hit him in an interesting place. And when she tried to sit in the minuscule skirt he could have sworn her legs were a million miles long.

The cane material of the chair seemed to grab onto the skirt fabric and he couldn’t help but wonder what she wore under the tiny skirt as she fought for balance.

He lifted his hand, wondering how to help, then grabbed on to the back of the chair to keep it from falling over. Emma finally struggled into place, and he settled back, congratulating himself for resisting any peeking while she’d been fixing her skirt.

“What have you been drinking?” Tony asked solicitously. (He had to think of himself as Andres, his middle name, the name his grandmother called him.)

“Nothing, not since lunch.”

He was skeptical, but obviously she wasn’t driving, so he signaled the waiter and asked for two house specials. The waiter grinned and then went towards the back. The bar was open to the beach, and the salt air, flickering candles and cane furniture gave it an exotic appeal. Andres could feel himself sliding headfirst into the island atmosphere.

“Thank you for ordering the drinks. I’m so excited to be here.” Emma grinned at him. “It’s like a different world.”

He couldn’t help himself; he reached out to stroke her hand. The engaging lady from the phone conversations was mesmerizing in person. “It’s beautiful.”

She blushed. “I do see myself in a whole new light.”

“Where’s home?”

“Florida.”

“And what occupation has you feeling like you needed to visit a new world? Or is it more personal?”

“I’m an administrative assistant for a lawyer, a glorified secretary,” she said almost defensively. “But it’s not the work or anything else really.” She fluttered her hands. “It’s my own angst.”

He was impressed. “No excuses? No attempt to blame your boss, co-workers, parents, boyfriend or perhaps…husband?”

She touched her ring finger. “No husband, no boyfriend and no one to blame but myself. I just needed a boost.”

It had to be that idiot from the office who made her want to get away from it all. “And you’ve already met one new person,” he said with a smile.

“And a very interesting one at that.” She licked those incredible lips.

The server slipped the drinks onto the table with an appreciative look toward Emma that she didn’t seem to notice.

Andres wondered why she didn’t see. Most women collected those kinds of looks like prizes and would have at least preened a bit. But Emma just sat there with those wide eyes focused on him. He wanted to groan when she gave him a provocative smile and recrossed her legs. One prettily manicured hand slipped casually over to touch his.

Andres took a gulp of the creamy drink to cool off.

He would be privileged to be the only one she had eyes for.

Emma took a long sip from her glass.

Andres avidly watched her mouth. Those full sensuous lips looked so luscious. Then he dropped his gaze to her cocktail wondering if he should tell her there were several shots of hard liquor in that drink, disguised by chocolate and cream. But he only told her what he was thinking, “And you have definitely caught my interest.”

She shrugged. “My friend Tina always manages to make life interesting no matter what. And I plan to emulate her.”

She swung her foot, gently—nervously?—yet her smile told him that she noticed how his gaze clung to those endless legs. Apparently, she was enjoying his attention.

In person, Emma was intoxicating, like the drink, so sweet you didn’t notice it sneaking up and seducing you.

“This will be my voyage of discovery,” she said.

Fortunately, another round of drinks arrived to cool him off and he took a large swallow. “What are you hoping to discover?” he asked flippantly, expecting a flirtatious answer.

But she looked pensive for a moment, chewed on her lower lip and then answered very sincerely. “How to be myself and a little more. I just want to crank up the volume. Do you ever feel as if there’s something missing from your life and that you might find that something if you were just willing to seize an opportunity?”

Hell yes. Sometimes, at the end of a ten- or twelve-hour session in front of a screen, where he’d only interacted with other human beings via e-mail, he would sit and wonder whether this was the kind of solitary life he wanted. “Yeah, I do.”

She sighed. “I’m not sure what I’m missing. But whatever it is, being here with you makes me feel good.”

He watched as Emma pulled the large frosty glass toward her and took a healthy swig of the concoction. She took out the umbrella and sucked on the pineapple slice. He ignored his drink, looking at her so intently he wondered if she could feel him wanting to explore her lips first with his avid gaze and then his mouth.

He knew he should be honest and tell her that he wasn’t a local.

Would it kill the romantic mood? Or would it be better to play along and see what she had in mind?

She looked up, heat in her gaze.

He definitely wanted to let this ride.

Emma felt as if this handsome local was gazing into her very soul. It was as if they’d already been intimate and he hadn’t even touched her or kissed her. And it didn’t make any sense. She tried to talk, stumbled, but finally managed, “Um, does this have cocoa in it? I have to admit I’m addicted to chocolate.”

“Yes, it’s a sort of an island milkshake,” he told her.

“It’s good. Delectable in fact.”

He stroked her hand, his touch gentle yet his skin a little rough, and his warmth sent a shiver through her.

“So how are you going to start this project? Pumping up the volume?” His voice curled around her, seeming to pull her in closer.

She took another deep drink and leaned towards him, then sighed. It felt good to be this close to an incredible guy who obviously found her intriguing.

“You do have a plan,” he prompted.

She sat up. She’d been leaning so far over she was practically on top of the table. “Of course I have a plan.” A long sip of the milkshake soothed the niggle of embarrassment. He even understands about the plan. A girl’s got to have a plan if she’s going to get anywhere.

“What’s the first thing on your list?” It seemed as though he was teasing her now.

“I’m going to explore some aspects of myself that have been…inhibited.” She told herself that she was only drunk on his attention.

He looked so intense. Those dark eyes were especially intriguing because a golden band circled his pupils like a little halo of light in the dark.

“That sounds incredibly intriguing.”

She reached out to stroke his bare fingers. “I’m not feeling inhibited right now,” she told him truthfully.

He reached up to rub a piece of her hair between his fingers, brushing her sensitive ear as he did so.

Her heart paused mid-beat, and she couldn’t seem to breathe. Why couldn’t he have been a passenger on the cruise?

“What were we talking about?” she muttered.

This pickup thing had been so natural, but what did she do now? She wanted so badly for him to kiss her. How did she signal him? And where would he touch her?

And then what?

This stuff was harder than a job interview, even if what she wanted to do had nothing to do with talking.

“We were discussing how a person shouldn’t become complacent, that they should, well, rock their world.”

“That’s a nice thing to say but I’m not very good at that.” Emma’s brows furrowed as she concentrated. “Just ask my friend Tina. I’m too low-key for that.”

“You seem like a woman capable of doing anything she wants, Emma.”

To hide the way her lips trembled at his compliment she took another sip of the milkshake. The rum slid down so easily, warming her from the inside, while his words warmed her from the outside. She was getting so hot. Had she ever wanted a man to touch her this badly? Her nipples were so sensitized that she could feel every brush of the material of her blouse.

“I wish you were on the cruise, too…I mean it’s going to be great.” She desperately needed him to kiss her. Surely she’d come to her senses once he kissed her.

“I’ve never wanted anything so much.” He stroked her hand and smiled. A smile she just wanted to dive into. What if I love it when he touches me? What if I don’t want him to stop?

“Are you okay?” he asked solicitously.

Sometimes he sounded so American. Were those alarm bells going off in the distance? “Where are you from?”

“I didn’t tell you where I was from, querida.”

Now that sounded exotic. Did she honestly care where he was from?

She sighed. Touched his hand.

He smiled at her as if she were dear to him, as if she could confide in him. “Why the sigh, querida?”

“Lost opportunities.” She tilted her head. “Did you ever want to be someone else?” The question hung between them. More honesty. If she didn’t quit the sappy stuff, he’d probably walk away. She bit her lower lip nervously.

His gaze clung. “Tonight I want most of all to be able to tell you that I’m a passenger on the cruise.”

“Wouldn’t that be nice.” She sighed again. “Don’t even tease me about that.”

He looked thoughtful for a moment and then he grinned. “I know, I’ll be a pirate, kidnap you and sail away. I’d tie you up in silken bonds and make you very, very happy.”

Now that was an image. She leaned towards him again. He did resemble a pirate; she’d thought so from the beginning. “Role-playing never occurred to me.” Except in my fantasies. “Do you do much role-playing?”

“All the time. I find it enjoyable to add an element of fantasy to life and…love.”

Was he blushing? It was hard to tell in the flickering light. She eyed him over her glass. “I’d really like you to kidnap me but I’ve got to get back to the ship.”

“Ah, the cruise ship, an excellent place to find adventure.”

“It’s the captain’s cocktail party tonight,” she said, then added before she could take it back, “but I’ll be thinking about you.”

His eyes gleamed and he put her at ease by saying, “I hope so, because I won’t be able to stop thinking about you.”

“It’s very flattering of you to say so.”

“I’m not flattering you. I find you fascinating. You have a cool blond beauty, but I see flickers of fire in those mysterious eyes. I find the contradiction exciting.”

Her eyes were mysterious? Probably because they were crossing from too much alcohol. How many shots were in these drinks anyway? Obviously enough to liberate the licentious lady inside. Or was it the way Andres looked at her?

He picked up her hand and held it.

Her stomach flip-flopped and then an ache settled a little lower than her stomach. She rubbed her legs together. She wanted him fiercely.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

But he knew. His look was equally ravenous.

Emma leaned in. It didn’t matter that they were in public. She just wanted a taste—

“Hey, Em?”

Tina approached the table with her long-legged stride and her beautiful confident smile, and Emma’s heart sank.