Hot Item (Hot Zone 3)

Spencer was proud of him? What gave the man the right to be proud of anything having to do with Riley Nash? He ground his teeth.

“I’m ready,” Sophie announced, her voice a welcome break from his thoughts.

He turned around and his breath caught in his chest. If pushed, he’d have guessed she would pick a one-piece bathing suit that left everything to his overactive imagination.

He’d have been dead wrong.

“You look amazing,” he said, once he’d caught his breath.

“Thank you.” She stepped forward on endlessly long legs no longer covered by classy-looking skirts or slacks.

He suddenly envisioned her locking those limbs around his back, pulling him deeper and deeper inside her. The skimpy bikini bottoms and small top were nothing more than a joke meant to test a man’s restraint.

And he was definitely being tested. He broke into a sweat and the fun come-on lines that normally spilled out so easily failed him now. He was afraid to dig too deeply into why she had such an intense effect on him, afraid he might find he was starting to care too much. He didn’t want to put himself in a position of being rejected.

He’d promised himself he’d never give another person that kind of power over him again—the kind his biological father had. Sophie tugged at his heart-strings—a definite reason to limit his dealings with her to a short-term affair, before their different personalities drove her away.

“Are you ready?” she asked, wrapping a skirt around her waist.

He gestured to his Polo swim trunks and T-shirt. “This is as good as it gets.”

Sophie looked him over and had to admit he looked darned good to her. “I think you can hold your own with the older set.” She hoped her jokes covered her nervousness and insecurity, because the suit and sarong covered very little.

He strode up beside her, his body heat overpowering, his scent arousing. “The question is, can I hold my own with you?” he asked, his breath warm and minty against her cheek.

Sophie drew on every last bit of courage she possessed. “I’d like to see you try.”

His eyes darkened as he took in the challenge she’d tossed his way. “Baby, I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

She swallowed hard, but looked up with steely resolve. “I do.” Because once Sophie made up her mind about something—or someone—she stuck with her decisions and she never looked back.

For years she’d been drawn to a man she thought was a flirt and a playboy, a jock and a rebel. In the past couple of hours, she’d learned that he’d been ignored by his biological father and survived the pain. That he had a daughter and a heart.

She’d already been so far gone by the time she’d walked off the plane, that at this point, she knew more than enough about him to allow herself to indulge in an affair. She knew more than enough to know she was in big, big trouble. But despite her normal caution, she was past caring.

She held on to that thought and to Riley’s big, warm hand as they walked toward the pool area. She was well aware of what would happen when they returned to the house later, but for now they shared more than just mutual desire.

They shared the need to find his father.

AS SOPHIE AND RILEY passed through the gate leading to the pool, torches lit their way and music floated through the balmy air. Limbo music. The sound brought Sophie back to her youth and the birthday parties Uncle Yank and Lola had thrown for her as a child.

“I’m not surprised Darla and company have planned some games,” Sophie said, laughing.

“You’re enjoying this.”

“You sound surprised.” She turned his way.

He cocked an eyebrow. “I shouldn’t be? I’d have bet you’d be—”

“Too uptight to let loose and have fun?” she asked, knowing exactly what he thought of her. She had to admit she hadn’t given him much reason to think otherwise.

“Your free spirit is something I definitely want to see firsthand.” He winked and kept walking.

A free spirit, she was not. She glanced down at her string bikini and acknowledged that tonight she was not the same woman from their flight down. She couldn’t afford to be if she wanted this time with Riley. But the fact that Riley made her want to shed some of her inhibitions was yet another reason to fear whatever was happening between them.

She glanced over the crowded pool, admiring the way the older crowd was enjoying life. “Let’s just say that when I’m eligible for a senior-citizen discount, I hope that I’m as happy with life as Darla seems to be,” she said as she rushed to keep pace with Riley.

“Fair enough,” he said.