Hot Item (Hot Zone 3)

His newfound cousin walked off with Sophie, chatting as she led them inside. The two women had developed an easy rapport, which was surprising to Riley since he’d thought Sophie would break in two, she’d been so stiff when Amy had pulled her into a tight hug.

From the day he’d met Sophie, Riley had realized her uptight persona was every bit as much a part of her as his carefree one was to him. Over his years as Yank’s client, Riley had learned a good amount about each of his agent’s nieces. Sophie was the one who’d dealt with the loss of her parents by erecting a self-protective shield that she wore like armor and that few people could pierce.

He’d seen firsthand what happened to her when someone disrupted that sense of well-being she clung to for security. This trip to Florida was an attempt to set her world right once more. How ironic that it seemed destined to turn his upside down.

As they stepped inside, Amy dove right into the grand tour. The one-story house had an easy flow and, from the front door, he could see straight out to the backyard and small pool. She walked them around, from the kitchen with a breakfast nook for two, to the small den with a big-screen television, to the large master bedroom which had screen doors leading directly to the pool and hot tub beyond.

Riley could definitely spend some time here getting to know Sophie while waiting for his father to surface, he decided, unable to suppress the thought that had been the only thing keeping him sane. Being alone with Sophie gave him a sense of belonging he lacked down here among his very distant relatives. Not to mention the fact that sex with a willing Sophie, a Sophie who let down her guard, held tremendous appeal. After all, they were both consenting adults and understood the concept of no promises made, none to keep.

Sophie paused in the living room and turned to Amy. “Between your job and this party tonight you’ve got your hands full here. You don’t need to worry about entertaining guests. Riley and I can easily stay in a hotel.”

Riley wondered if her objection had anything to do with the master bedroom and king-size bed. Personally, the idea of staying here had begun to grow on him.

“Don’t be silly.” Amy waved away her objection. “What good would an empty unit do? Of course you’ll stay here.”

“Why isn’t this place rented?” Riley asked.

“A married couple lived here until last month. They decided to move north to Jupiter where things are less crowded than in Fort Lauderdale.”

“Why haven’t you rerented it?” Riley asked. The home had been kept up, the furnishings clean and modern. He was sure it would garner a profit.

“We will. But for now, it’s yours. So enjoy.”

“As long as you’re sure.”

Amy nodded. “I am.”

“Then we’re happy to take you up on your offer,” Sophie said.

As she turned to Riley, her eyes darkened with the smoldering heat he’d seen in the airplane earlier.

“I’m certain we’ll enjoy it.” Sophie’s words were for Amy, but Riley understood the underlying meaning was meant for him alone and the temperature in the small house suddenly soared, sweat rising beneath his shirt.

Amy smiled in approval, then let herself out, leaving them alone. Before either of them could address anything personal, Riley wanted the necessities out of the way.

“Guess we need to go shopping for luau attire?” Riley asked.

“It’s not like I brought a bathing suit. Did you?”

He shook his head, then thought of Sophie in a string bikini. She’d be one hot item and when the night was over, there’d be no keeping his hands off her. From the dreamy look in her eyes, she was thinking the exact same thing.

SOPHIE HAD HIT the mall like a professional shopper. First she’d dispatched Riley to the men’s department in Bloomingdale’s so she didn’t have the pressure of his intense stare following her everywhere she went. She’d been too much aware of him already. Then she’d chosen swimwear based on the styles and brands she knew would fit. Unfortunately, that had left her with one-piece suits, which worked fine in New York but around Riley seemed bland. At the last second, she’d pulled a daring, skimpy bikini off the rack before paying for her purchases.

Now, she laid her choices on the bed, her heart pounding hard inside her chest. Which one to wear? she wondered, wishing she had her sisters around to call for advice.

“You’re on your own, Sophie girl,” she muttered aloud. How ironic that she could deal with organizing an event for hundreds more easily than she could handle this.

Drawing a deep breath, she glanced at the array of bathing suits laid out before her. “Eenie meeney miney mo,” she said, and reached for the one her gut told her would appeal most to Riley.

RILEY SAT in the pink-and-white living room waiting for Sophie to finish getting ready. He

’d given her the master bedroom so she could dress in private and he’d taken one of the other rooms, consoling himself with the idea that, come tonight, no way would he be going to one of those smaller rooms.

Unfortunately, he might be all swagger and no substance. Sophie hadn’t given him a glimmer of hope to count on, he realized, thinking back to earlier in the day. Riley normally hated shopping with women. He disliked waiting for them to sort through racks of clothing and then try on more things than anyone could possibly buy or wear in this lifetime. He loathed sitting on a couch outside a dressing room while the same woman paraded herself in front of him in an obvious attempt to entice him with her body and coax him out of his cash. Yet after Amy had left, he’d actually looked forward to taking Sophie to the mall.

When she’d insisted he go shopping for himself and meet up with her later, he’d been disappointed. And when he’d returned to find she’d already chosen a few items and paid for them without modeling them for him first, he’d felt absurdly cheated.

Of course, he preferred to stew about missing out on seeing Sophie in various bathing suits than to deal with the things Amy had said.