by Olivia Dade
The rumble of his laugh vibrated through both their bodies, and to her dismay, her nipples responded.
“I’m not familiar with every American law, but I don’t think that third one exists. If it does, though, consider me a conscientious objector.” He gave her shin, currently resting somewhere along his flat belly, a pat. “And don’t worry. You’re not the first woman I’ve infuriated, and I’m certain you won’t be the last.”
She couldn’t resist. “I’m certain of that as well.”
He laughed again, and she found her lips twitching too.
“So what brings you to the island?” To her relief, he didn’t wiggle or take advantage of his position in any way. Instead, he seemed to be keeping close watch on the kids only a few feet away. “Are you celebrating something, or just taking a topless vacation?”
Nipping at his neck in retaliation for his smartass remark was not a good idea, she reminded herself. “I’m here with a friend to celebrate my birthday. I turn forty tomorrow.”
The number didn’t bother her, because it didn’t alter one iota of her demanding but comfortable life. It only marked the passage of time—time better spent achieving her professional goals than bemoaning the inevitable creep of age.
Besides, she liked those sparse threads of silver that had begun to appear in her hair. She was choosing to consider them free highlights.
“Happy early birthday, Ms. …” Pausing so she could fill in the rest, he turned his head until she could see his profile. His smile.
“Dunn. But under the circumstances, I think you can call me Tess.” She lowered her right hand to grab one of his and gave it an awkward shake. “Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Lucas Karlsson.” He let go of her hand and hesitated. “But maybe you already knew that?”
Cocky son of a gun. “Sadly, word of your good looks and charm hasn’t spread throughout the entire resort yet. Give it a few more days.”
“Fair enough.”
He didn’t sound offended. If anything, his shoulders seemed to drop a fraction.
“So why are you here, Lucas? And where are you visiting from?”
Good. She was getting this conversation back on impersonal footing, despite the way his satiny back caressed her breasts and how easily her legs cradled his narrow hips.
“I’m originally from Sweden, although I’ve lived in the U.S. for a few years. Miami, most recently. I became a permanent resident last year.” His hand swirled beneath the surface of a gentle wave. “I’m here for this beautiful water, I suppose. Sun. Sand. Relaxation.”
That explained the vaguely-British-but-not accent, although she wouldn’t have guessed Sweden. Then again, she probably shouldn’t take her linguistic cues from a Muppet spouting gibberish and hitting pretend meatballs with a tennis racket.
“Are you celebrating something?” she asked.
Jeez, she hadn’t even considered whether he might be here with someone else. The fact that he’d eagerly volunteered to hold her naked breasts didn’t preclude a significant other, and she didn’t want that someone to catch her plastered to Lucas’s back.
This little farce was enough drama for the entire vacation. She didn’t need more.
“Nope.” His voice sounded tight, for some reason. “Not a thing.”
That tanned, strong hand in the water…it was scarred. A neat T marked the wrist. And if she squinted, she could see something on the opposite wrist too. Another mark of…something. Surgery?
Not her business. “Well, I hope the rest of your trip goes well.”
“I don’t think my time here will get much better than this, to be honest.” She could hear the grin in his voice. “Consider yourself a highlight of my sojourn on the island.”
“How long are you staying?”
Would she see him around the resort again? Did she want to?
She shouldn’t. Scratch that, she didn’t. He was a cocky twenty-something bro from Sweden, and she was a comfortably settled American thirty-nine-year-old contemplating the purchase of reading glasses. They had nothing in common, not in temperament or life experiences.
He shrugged, his skin sliding under her hands. “For another while yet. I’m not sure how long.”
Another sign of the vast gulf between them. If he was staying indefinitely at the resort, he clearly didn’t have a full-time job, and he clearly had plenty of money.
Neither of those things detracted from the kindness he’d shown her, however. “Good for you. I have to get back to school in two weeks. Students and teachers may get the summers off, but we don’t.”
When he turned his head again, she caught a glimpse of his stubbled cheek. Seen up close, it was craggier than she’d expected, and he had slight bags under his eyes.
Maybe she’d been wrong. Maybe he was older than she’d—
He interrupted her thoughts. “Do you enjoy your work?”
“I do, actually. Quite a bit. I love the staff and the kids at my school. I want to become the principal soon, if I can.” How to explain her feelings to someone like him? “How old are you?”
“Twenty-six.”
Ah. Just as she’d initially thought. Although his features seemed a little more worn than she’d have expected for such a young man. For a moment, she’d wondered whether—
Well, it didn’t matter.
“Establishing myself in a profession I love has been a joy and a privilege, Lucas. The greatest of my life. Once you’ve worked for a few years—” She paused and rephrased, uncomfortable with the implication he hadn’t been working. Maybe he was one of those young tech entrepreneurs and could simply afford an extended vacation. He didn’t really seem like the type, but what did she know? “Or for a few more years, I hope you have that experience too.”
He didn’t respond, and the silence grew uncomfortable.
Dammit. Of course he didn’t want to talk about the satisfaction and meaning she found in her career. He’d asked a polite question, and she should have simply given him a polite, surface-only answer, not a too-personal motivational speech.
Time to lighten the mood. “I’ll bet I sounded like your mom just now.”
There. She’d given him the perfect opening to tease her about her advanced age.
His back lifted and lowered beneath her as he took a deep breath. Then he gave her foot a little squeeze, and she squeaked.
“Believe me, you don’t remind me of my mom.” His voice was warm, and she let it surround and comfort her like her favorite quilted blanket. “For one thing, you’re—”
For a single foolish instant, she was sure he was going to say something like hot. Or stacked. Or sexy. No offense to his mom, who was probably all of those things too, at least in the eyes of people who weren’t her offspring.
“—ticklish,” he finished.
Then he was flicking his fingers over the soles of her feet as she laughed helplessly. And even when he stopped after a moment, his own laughter shaking his shoulders, his right hand continued to cup her foot. He held it in a light but secure clasp against his belly.
She smacked him on the arm. “Shame on you, abusing your elders like that.”
“My apologies, Assistant Principal Dunn. I couldn’t resist such cute toes.”
Her brows drew together. “They aren’t cute.”
She peered at them. They were short and stubby and didn’t even have polish on them. Not horrific by any means, but cute? Nah.
“I beg to differ.” After one last squeeze, he let her foot go. “I think the kids are gone.”
Startled, she peered over his shoulder. When had the gaggle of children left the area? And why hadn’t she noticed their departure?
“Do you still want a towel?”
“Uh…” She looked down at herself and laughed. “That would be a yes.”
He turned his head enough to meet her eyes. “Because if so, I’d better grab it now. I need to get going soon.”
Why? Wasn’t he on an open-ended vacation?
Maybe
he had a date. Or maybe he was just looking for an excuse to end this encounter. God knew, he’d already spent an inordinate amount of time helping a cranky middle-aged stranger who couldn’t keep track of her bikini top.
“Okay.” She gave a halfhearted nod. “Thanks.”
Oddly deflated, she unwound her legs from his waist as he returned his gaze politely to the front. And then she was standing on her own two feet, arms wrapped around herself once more.
“Do you want me to get your towel, or will any towel do?” Although he swiveled to face her again, he kept his eyes on her face. “Since we don’t know when a new batch of kids will decide to drift in your direction, I suggest the latter.”
“You can grab one of the resort towels. They’re plenty big enough to cover all the important bits.”
His lips curved. “Barely. And before you wonder, that’s a compliment.”
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “Just bring me a towel, Don Juan. Or whatever his Swedish equivalent would be.”
He nodded solemnly. “Ah, the story of Lars Larsson and his many lovers, all named Pippi. It’s a sweeping tale of seduction. Also, interestingly, rotten herring.”
“That’s total bullshit,” she told him.
The dimples reappeared. “But how will you ever know for sure?”
To the right of his tall frame, she caught some sort of movement under one of the beach’s many palm trees. When she squinted, she could make out a curvaceous woman in a sparkly pink swimsuit with pale skin, a curtain of blond hair, and a waving hand, alongside some guy in gray swim trunks with his arm around her waist.
Whatever. Forget the guy. The woman in the swimsuit was Belle. Her friend was trying to get her attention.
Now that she thought about it, Belle and Lucas would probably get along well. Belle had her own brand of swagger, one that would prove more than a match for him. She had plenty of free time right now, since teachers in her Boston-area school system didn’t have to report back for several weeks. And she was only thirty-four, closer to Lucas’s age than Tess.
“Do you see the pretty blonde in the pink suit?” She pointed toward shore. “That’s my friend, Belle. Why don’t you go over there and tell her I need a towel, so you can get where you’re going more quickly?”
He glanced in Belle’s direction and nodded. “I’ll do that.” But he didn’t move. “What are you doing the rest of the day?”
Mostly brainstorming and list-making as she figured out her principalship-claiming strategy. But she and Belle had also reserved spots on a guided nature walk around the island that afternoon and planned to visit the resort’s seafood restaurant for dinner. He could join them. Easily.
She almost told him so.
Despite herself, she found him charming and affable, if a bit too…
Well, she supposed the best word was unformed. He didn’t appear to have found a purpose in life yet, which wasn’t a surprise given his age. He had years ahead to gain nuance and stories and depth and ambitions.
Those years had come and gone for her already. And she did have professional ambitions, ones which required time and concentration and thought.
So that was her answer. She wouldn’t seek out his company, no matter how sexy she found him. She wouldn’t encourage him to seek hers out either.
“Nothing in particular. Hanging out with Belle, just the two of us, like we’d planned.” She smiled at him, and it wasn’t an effort. He seemed like a goodhearted young man, even if he was a bit too flirtatious and handsome for his own good. “Thank you again for all your help.”
That cocky smile gleamed through his scruff.
“Decided to play it cool and mysterious?” Yup, he was definitely winking at her. She could tell for sure this time. “That’s fine, Tess. I have a feeling you’ll manage to find me anyway. Even if it takes another…accident.”
Oh, Lord. They were back to this again?
“It was an acci—” she started to tell him.
But he’d already begun to swim, his long arms slicing through the water in a slow rhythm that nevertheless brought him to shore with surprising speed. Underneath the palm, the guy in the gray swim trunks had disappeared, and Belle was standing by herself.
Lucas got to his feet in the shallow surf and strode to her side with that smile still fixed firmly on his smug, attractive face. The two of them talked for a minute before he flashed her one last grin, loped to a nearby chair, grabbed a towel, and jogged off between two of the nearby buildings. To do what, God only knew.
Right now, wondering about his rush didn’t occupy the forefront of Tess’s thoughts. No, she couldn’t shake the image of him standing next to Belle. As Tess had speculated earlier, the two of them looked good together. Like they fit. Belle was a few years older than him, but not nearly as many as Tess.
They were both young. Both charismatic. Both at ease in their strong, capable bodies.
They belonged together in a way Lucas and Tess never could.
By the time Tess returned her attention to the water, Belle was already close, one of the resort’s signature canary-yellow towels clutched in her right hand as she splashed through the warm waves.
“Hey, babe. Here you go.” She handed over the towel, and Tess wrapped it around her torso with as much speed as humanly possible. “I have no clue how you managed to lose your top, but good thing you had Mr. Tall, Tanned, and Swedish nearby to help with your, uh”—she made air quotes—“wardrobe malfunction. If that’s what it was.”
Oh, Jesus. Not another one. “It was an accident, Belle. Lucas was helping me deal with the aftermath of my accident. And now you are too, so thank you.”
“You’re welcome. So…” One of Belle’s sleek brows quirked. “You and your rescuer are on a first-name basis?”
Tess snorted. “I had my naked boobs plastered to his equally naked back. I could hardly insist that he refer to me as Assistant Principal Dunn, even though he’s almost young enough to be one of my students.” After securing the towel in a knot above her breasts, she began to make her way to shore. “I need a shower, woman. Let’s get going.”
Belle kept pace, but she wasn’t ready to drop the subject. “From what I could see, he seemed interested.”
“He was.” Although who knew how sincere his overtures had been? “I guess.”
“Are you interested back?”
Tess shook her head. “He’s only twenty-six, Belle.”
Her friend’s strides didn’t falter. “So? That’s comfortably within the bounds of adulthood.”
“You know most women mature faster than men. Mid-twenties or not, he’s still a kid.”
Belle didn’t argue that point. “So his age is the main thing holding you back from a little vacation fling? He wasn’t obnoxious or boring or unacceptable in some other way?”
“He’s a flirt. A brazen, cocky, way-too-young-for-me flirt. And the last thing I need in my life is a player, even if he’s honest about it.” All true. Still, Tess couldn’t suppress a small smile. For God’s sake, he’d called her toes cute. The man clearly had no shame. “I mean, yes, he was helpful when I needed him. But he’s a bit too aimless for my tastes. I don’t think he even has a real job.”
Belle made a noncommittal hum. “No real job, huh?”
“Nope. And even if he weren’t too young, too flirty, and too immature, I don’t need distractions right now. I know you keep telling me vacation time is sacred, but I have planning to do.”
With a resigned sigh, Belle parroted what Tess had told her dozens of times. “So you can use this school year to prove you should get your principal’s job when she retires in June. Especially since Superintendent Jones’s latest pet is throwing his pompous hat in the ring.”
“I wish Cressida had let us know she was leaving before last week.” Tess hadn’t intended to use this trip to strategize, especially given its price tag. She didn’t have much of a choice, though, given the timing, and she could only hope the sacrifice would pay off next June. “
But she didn’t, so I need to decide now how I’m going to make my case for her job. Because once the school year starts, there’s no time to think about much of anything, which you know as well as I do. And there’s no way I can let Gary Goddamn Enders get the job. That man cares about kissing ass and saving money, not kids.”
Belle didn’t seem any more impressed by the argument than she had the last few times she’d heard it. “You’re telling me one or two late-night booty calls would completely derail your planning? Really?”
Somehow, Tess didn’t think Lucas was the type of man a woman easily dismissed from her thoughts, whether or not he was physically near. For example, why was she still thinking and talking about him now?
Gah. The man was a menace clad in way-too-flattering board shorts.
“Yup. So wipe him from your fevered imagination.” Somehow, one of the gentle waves unbalanced her, and she stopped for a moment. “Unless, uh, you’re interested for yourself.”
Another vague hum from Belle.
Tess should want her friend to find a hot hookup on vacation. She did want that. Just…maybe not with Lucas. Really, when she considered the matter, he was too young for both of them. Belle deserved someone more mature, even for a fling.
Yes. That was why the thought of Belle and Lucas together made her cringe. Definitely.
Time to change the subject. “Who was the guy in the gray swim trunks? You two seemed friendly.”
Belle’s teasing smile widened. “Brian is friendly. Very much so.”
“Brian?” Tess took a sidelong glance at her friend, her own brows raised. “I see you’ve also found a first-name friend.”
“Yup.” Belle picked her way through the shallow water, avoiding the sharp shells scattered underfoot. “He was here for some weekend corporate retreat and decided to stay a few extra days by himself. I plan to make sure he doesn’t regret that decision.”