Emma tried to push those thoughts from her head. It didn’t matter if Damien thought she wasn’t thin enough. In fact, it was all the better. With the cool water fluttering over her ankles, she stepped deeper into the ocean. The water splashed against her calves.
“Okay?” he asked, and she abruptly noticed that she was clasping his hand with a death grip.
“Oh,” she said and tried to loosen her grip, but a wave took her by surprise. She gave a little jump.
He gave a low chuckle.
“Don’t laugh at me,” she scolded him and bit her lip as she forced herself to move forward. Another wave broke, licking at her thighs. She clasped his hand. “Are there jellyfish?”
“Probably not in May,” he said.
“Probably,” she echoed.
“I’ll pick you up and carry you back if you see one,” he offered.
Emma didn’t know which prospect was worse—a jellyfish or being in Damien’s arms. “Thanks,” she muttered and inched forward. “Why do the waves seem to be getting bigger so quickly?”
“High tide,” he said. “Do you want to go back?”
“Not yet,” she said, refusing to give in to her fear. The last time she’d visited the ocean there’d been a strong undercurrent and she’d inhaled saltwater while she tried to determine which way was up. It wasn’t a pleasant memory and she wanted to replace it with a better one. She walked further and the bottom seemed to fall out. Slipping into water up to her chin, she automatically clutched at Damien, wrapping her arms and legs around him. “What—” she gasped “—happened?”
“You’re okay,” he said, closing his strong arms around her. “We were on a sandbar and the bottom suddenly dipped. I’ve got you.”
Surprisingly, the water was calmer. “Where did the waves go?” she asked.
“We’re past them now,” he said. “This is where it gets nice and calm. Do you like it?”
Taking in all the lovely sensations, she felt buoyant, yet protected. Her body had grown accustomed to the cooler temperature and she felt warm and safe against Damien’s strong chest. Her legs dangled in the water while he made sure their heads stayed above the ocean.
She took a deep breath and something inside her eased. His skin was smooth beneath her fingers wrapped around the back of his neck. His chest glistened from the reflection of the sun.
“We should probably go back towards shore,” she said, deferring to her logical, rational side.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “Is that what you want?”
He felt deliciously strong and the sensation of the water washing over them was sensual in a way she’d never experienced. “Not really,” she said, meeting his dark gaze. “It’s nice.”
“Yes, it is,” he said, sliding his hands over her back. “Were you scared?”
“Nervous. It’s been awhile and the last time I took a good dunking.” She glanced out at the blue water, the sun making it sparkle like diamonds. “It’s so beautiful.”
“Have you ever been on a yacht?”
She shook her head. “No. Why?”
“My brother lives down here. He owns a yacht business.”
She smiled. “Rough life.”
He laughed. “That’s what I say. Would you like to go for a ride?”
Intimately aware of the fact that he stood between her thighs, her br**sts just below his chin, she already felt as if she were on a ride, a very dangerous one. “It’s not part of our evaluation of the resort, is it?” she asked, but the idea of spending some time out on the water nearly made her drool.
“No, but we don’t have to spend every minute evaluating the actual resort…”
“I’d love to,” she said impulsively and hoped she wouldn’t regret it later.
Nine
After a delicious dinner in the hotel’s gourmet restaurant, Damien took Emma for a stroll down Lincoln Road to enjoy the night air and the outdoor mall. Emma had been a charming dinner companion, tasting and rating every dish. When she’d closed her eyes and licked her lips after sampling the chocolate cake, it had been all he could do not to carry her up to his room. “I’ve called my brother and he’s taking us out on one of his yachts tomorrow. But you can go shopping the day after tomorrow while I’m catching up on some of my work. Use my card.”
“Oh, I keep forgetting about your card,” she said and abruptly stopped, her brown knee-length skirt swishing around her curvy legs. Her silk top emphasized her delicate shoulders and draped over her br**sts. Damien was enjoying Emma’s South Beach dress far more than her conservative office attire. She pulled out his credit card and held it toward him. “I don’t need this anymore. Actually, I never did. I was able to find a few things on sale, so…”
“You didn’t use my card?” he asked in disbelief.
She gave an uncomfortable shrug. “No. It just didn’t seem—” She seemed to read his expression of disapproval. “I found bargains, so it wasn’t necessary.”
“I told you to use my card,” he said, torn between dismay and anger. He’d never had a problem getting a woman to use his credit card for shopping before. “I knew you would need different clothing for this trip and it was appropriate for me to provide for that.”
“I’ll wear it again,” she said.
“When?” he asked.
“Maybe on a date,” she said, lifting her shoulders and smiling. “Mallory’s determined to match me up with her friends.”
Her reply irritated him. “So you’ll wear that black bikini on a blind date?”
Her mouth opened and she paused before she closed it and bit her lip. “Well, maybe not, but I needed a new swimsuit anyway. Why is this such a problem? I was trying not to take inappropriate advantage.”
Yet, she wouldn’t bat an eye before betraying him to her former bosses. “It’s insulting.”
Her eyes widened. “I certainly didn’t mean it that way.” Her brow furrowed. “How could it be insulting?”
“I offered to provide clothing for a mandatory business trip and you rejected it.”
“I apologize. I didn’t look at it that way.” She took a quick breath. “This trip has been wonderful so far. I just appreciate being able to be in this amazing place with—” She broke off suddenly as if she didn’t want to finish the sentence. She didn’t want to be happy being withhim.
Another step closer, he realized with a sliver of satisfaction. He was making progress. Soon enough she would give him everything he wanted—her passion, and the information he needed to get De Luca. “Keep the card,” he said. “Maybe you’ll find something when you get a chance to go shopping. A souvenir.”
After their walk, they returned to the hotel’s nightclub, which featured subdued lighting, white sheetlike drapes that extended from the high ceilings to the floor, couches and free-flowing martinis. A band played Cuban music, luring listeners onto the dance floor.
“I know Vegas has some hot nightspots, but like most natives I don’t get out to them,” Emma said as she sipped her martini. She glanced around. “There’s something sybaritic about this place. How is your mojito?”
“A little sweet. I prefer my drinks dry. How is your martini?”
“Delicious and generous,” she said. “After my full day, I’m almost afraid to drink it.”
“It would be a shame to waste it,” he said, looking at her mouth, wanting to taste it. The restless, irritable feeling inside him grew, but he tamped it down. “We should dance,” he said.
“We should?” she echoed after taking another sip from her martini.
“We have to make our charade believable,” he said and extended his hand. She followed him onto the dance floor and allowed him to pull her against his body.
The music shifted to a rhythm-and-blues tune and Damien decided, for once, to enjoy the moment. For just this song, he would steep himself in the scent and sensation of her and seduce her just a little further. Damien knew that anticipation was half the game.
He dipped his lips to her shoulder and glided them over her bare skin. She gave a delicate shiver, but didn’t pull away. In fact, she lifted her arms and looped them around the back of his neck. Gratifying, he thought.
He slid his hand down to the small of her back and drew her intimately against him. Her breath caught, but still she didn’t move away.
Every time she submitted to his physical approach, she bumped up his arousal another notch. He was already hard and allowed her to feel it.
He wanted nothing more than to take her mouth with his, but he waited. It killed him, but he waited, instead caressing her smooth neck. She felt pliant and willing in his arms. He decided to go a little further and slid his thigh between hers.
She gave a little whisper of a groan that intensified his arousal another degree. “Do you want me to kiss you?” he whispered against her ear.
She sighed, arching against him as if she wanted to be closer.
“If you want me to kiss you, lift your mouth,” he told her, his voice sounding gritty with desire to his own ears. He waited and the seconds beat inside his head like a low-pitched bell that vibrated through his body. One, two, three…
She finally lifted her head, her eyes dark with need. “Kiss me,” she whispered, and he lowered his head.
Her mouth felt like silk and satin and every sexy, soft thing he’d ever tasted. He lingered on her lips, savoring the sensation of her pliant mouth beneath his. Soon enough, though, it wasn’t enough and he slid his tongue between the seam of her lips to taste her.
She gave a sexy little sigh, and allowed his entrance. She tasted sweet and forbidden. Her tongue wrapped around his, drawing him deeper. She may as well have been stroking him intimately for the effect she had on him. He couldn’t remember a woman making him this hot. He wanted to touch all of her at once. Sliding his hand up her rib cage, just brushing the side of her breast, he continued to take her mouth.