by Nicola Marsh
‘Not fair. You’ve got longer legs.’
‘Nothing wrong with your legs, from what I can see.’
Rolling her eyes, she waded into the cerulean lagoon, sighing at the blissful feel of the water.
‘Now, if you hold off on the flirting for just a few minutes, I might actually enjoy this swim.’
He pushed her head under water in response.
She spluttered and spat salt water as she surfaced, clawing at him, trying to return the favour, only to have him slip out of her grip.
‘You’re in trouble, sailor boy.’
They tumbled in the water for the next few minutes, arms and legs flailing wildly, laughing so hard she got a cramp.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had this much fun. Her long work hours weren’t conducive to play, and when she went to the beach at the weekend it was to swim for exercise rather than leisure.
When they finally emerged, she clutched her side. ‘You’ve given me a stitch.’
‘Good. I’ve never seen you laugh like that.’
He touched her cheek, a brief, fleeting glance that had her fingers digging painfully into her side to stop herself reaching up and touching the skin he just had.
‘That’s because you’re not that funny.’
‘Ouch.’
He laid both hands over his heart and she chuckled. ‘The day I wound that enormous ego of yours is the day I’ll go skinny-dipping in the Pacific Ocean.’
‘I’m wounded! I’m wounded!’
He fell to the sand in a pathetic heap, writhing as if he’d just been stung by a lethal jellyfish, and she laughed.
‘I’m going to dry off. When you’ve finished with the theatrics, I’ll see you up there.’
She pointed to the palm trees and headed off, ignoring his call of, ‘You’re no fun.’
She knew he’d meant it as a joke, a fly-away comment, but the words echoed as she towelled off.
She wasn’t fun—didn’t know how to have fun. Not when she’d spent her whole life trying to do the right thing.
Beth had once called her a nerd, and she’d shrugged, pushed her tortoiseshell glasses up her nose and scuffed her sensible shoes, agreeing with the assessment but hurt all the same.
Everyone saw her the same way: no fun. People at work, her cousin, even Zac—and while his opinion shouldn’t matter, considering she wouldn’t see him after the end of next week, it did. As he joined her, and she watched water droplets run in rivulets down his muscular torso as he bent to pick up his towel, she really, really wished her newfound confidence extended to having a little fun.
‘I’m just going to dry off in the sun for a while,’ she said. And blink away the sudden sting of tears for feeling inadequate and inexperienced and inept.
‘Don’t be too long. These UVs can seriously burn.’
She grabbed her towel and laid it on the sand a few feet away—an ill-chosen spot, considering she had a clear view of him stretched flat on his back—his long, lean body, his abdominals composed of ridges of hard muscle…
She squeezed her eyes shut to blot out the tempting image, and must have dozed, for it seemed like an eternity later when his voice roused her.
‘Excuse me, sun goddess, you should come into the shade now.’
Her eyes fluttered open and she stretched, feeling rested and composed and completely tear-free.
‘Nice of you to be so concerned.’
She picked up her towel and flung it next to his, putting enough space between them to ensure no accidental contact.
‘I’ll admit my concern is altruistic. I don’t want to rub lotion on you again.’
‘Why’s that?’
‘I enjoyed it way too much.’
His gaze trailed over her body, lingering on every area he’d rubbed earlier and everywhere in between, and darn it if that prickly itch didn’t start up again.
She quirked an eyebrow. ‘If you enjoyed something as mundane as rubbing suntan lotion on my back, you must get out even less than I do.’
He leaned forward, too close, too masculine—too everything. ‘Go on—admit it.’
She bit her lip, inched back. ‘Admit what?’
‘You enjoyed it too.’
His grin was pure temptation, and she waved her hand in front of her face as if swatting away a particularly bothersome fly.
‘The only thing I’ll admit is finding your incessant flirting extremely tiresome.’
His smile faded at the same moment the sun ducked behind a cloud. Both left her slightly chilled.
‘Do you really feel that way?’ he asked.
Her heart stuttered as she searched for a suitable answer. What could she say? That she didn’t believe his compliments? That her self-confidence was so shot by a guy who’d used slick words before that she couldn’t trust easily? That she wished she could believe one tenth of his attention was real and not just his natural instinct to charm? That she hid behind sharp retorts, using them as a barrier against her insecurities?
She settled for semi-truth, feeling a tad guilty her barb had tarnished what had been an enjoyable day.
‘Honestly? I’m not used to the attention.’
He couldn’t have looked more surprised if she’d stripped off in front of him.
‘You said things ended with your ex three years ago, but you date, right?’
Heck, look what she’d got herself into now. She could lie, but she’d always been lousy at it. Beth said her mouth had pursed into a strange prune shape the few times she’d tried it, and she already had him staring at her as if she was nuts.
‘My last date was with George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon.’
He smiled. ‘Ocean’s Eleven fan, huh?’
‘Oh, yeah.’
He reached out, touched her hand. She flinched, silently cursing her reaction.
‘Hell, Lana, I’m not some kind of monster. I like you. I want to get to know you better.’
She shook her head, using her hair as a shield to hide her face. ‘What’s the point? I’m off the ship next week, so why get to know each other?’
‘Because it could be fun.’
Her gaze snapped to his. She was surprised by the serious glint in those deep blue eyes. She’d seen him cheeky, teasing, even wicked, but it was the first time she’d seen this solemn expression fixing her with concern.
‘Fun? The only fun a guy like you would be interested in over the next week is a fling. And I’m not that kind of girl.’
His eyes darkened to midnight, disappointment flickering in their depths. ‘You don’t have a very high opinion of me, do you?’
She shrugged, hating that they were having this conversation, hating that she’d put a dampener on what had been a lovely day.
‘You’re a guy. You’re a sailor. You meet women all the time. You’re a master at flirting. The only reason you’re paying me any attention is because of that stupid challenge I threw down the first night on the spur of the moment, because I couldn’t think of anything else quick enough to get rid of you.’ She took a deep breath, a steadying breath, clenching her hands to stop them from shaking. ‘It’s nothing personal. I understand that. You see me as some sort of challenge because I’m not falling at your feet like the rest of the female population probably does. You—’
‘You’re wrong. Dead wrong.’
He leaped from his towel and started pacing the sand with long, angry strides that showed he was wrestling with something. The truth, perhaps?
‘Am I?’
Her almost-whisper stopped him dead and he swivelled to face her, dropping down on his knees in front of her.
‘Damn straight. Want to know why you’re here with me today, on my one day off a week?’
She waved her hand. ‘Go ahead. I’m sure you’ll tell me anyway.’
His hands shot out, cradling her face in their warm, firm grip before she could blink.
‘Because I like you. You. Not your clothes, or your willingness to help me out, or
because I want you to sleep with me. You. You’re funny and smart and you make me laugh.’
‘So now I’m a clown—’
‘Shut up.’
He kissed her—a soft, tender kiss that reached down to her soul, shattering her defences along the way, scaring her beyond belief.
‘Now, it’s time to head back. And I don’t want to hear another word.’ She opened her mouth and he pressed his finger to it. ‘Not one word. Not another character assassination. Not another assumption. Not one word unless you agree to play nice. Got it?’
Her lips twitched, and his answering smile made her heart sing.
He wasn’t asking for anything, didn’t expect her to sleep with him, and hadn’t belittled her when he’d heard the sorry truth about her inexperience with men.
So what should she do? Spend some more time with him? Get to know him better? With the aim to do what?
He had his life on the sea. She had a great apartment in Sydney, a few colleagues she could call friends at a pinch, and a good job at the museum. They didn’t have a future, no matter how well they got to know each other.
‘Come on. Stop thinking so much.’
He held out his hand, and for the second time in as many hours she silenced her voice of reason and took hold of it.
‘How about we go with the flow, see what happens over the next week? How much trouble can we get into in seven days?’
She raised an eyebrow, and he grinned as a scary thought flitted through her mind.
Plenty.
CHAPTER NINE
THOUGH she would have preferred silence, they made desultory small talk on the drive back to the ship, as a multitude of thoughts swirled through her mind—most of them focussed on the man sitting next to her.
She’d never met anyone like him.
Confident and charming, yet astute enough to look beyond the surface and home in on exactly what she wanted: a guy to recognise she had a brain, a sense of humour, and a yearning not to be taken for granted.
She couldn’t believe he’d said all that stuff, had seriously cracked the protective shield around her heart with his sincerity.
So what now? She wouldn’t have the guts for a fling, no matter how far her confidence soared. She couldn’t do something like that unless she was emotionally involved. And while Zac said he liked her, like didn’t equate to what she craved: a lifelong love from an incredible man who’d put her first.
Completely moronic, completely delusional, completely crazy, but she’d been dreaming of her own happily-ever-after for so long she’d somehow taken his genuine niceness and tangled him up in her fantasy.
She cast a sideways glance at his profile and sighed, her heart hoping for a minor miracle while her head shouted, Wake up and smell the sea air.
‘What are you thinking?’
‘Not much.’ He really, really didn’t want to know.
‘I can hear your mind ticking from here.’
‘If you’re that perceptive, you tell me.’
‘I think you’re mulling over what I said back at the cove. Close?’
There he went again, being way too perceptive.
‘Don’t give up your day job. You’d make a lousy mind-reader.’
‘So?’
‘So you told me not to say anything unless it was nice, and I’m having a hard time coming up with anything.’
His chuckles warmed her better than the sun’s rays. ‘See—that’s why I like you. Every prickly, cynical, blunt inch of you.’
‘Yeah, well, I can’t help it if you’ve been spending too long in this tropical heat.’
He slowed the Jeep and turned onto the dock. ‘You know, you can hide behind that smart mouth of yours all you like, but I’m going to get to know you better whether you like it or not.’
‘Yeah?’
He stopped the engine and turned to her, his slow, sexy smile sending a shiver through her. ‘Yeah. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.’
Charming sailor boy she could handle. Single-minded sailor boy with a determined glint in his too-blue eyes had her plans to hold him off sinking faster than the Titanic.
Hoping her voice didn’t quiver, she aimed for flippant. ‘I stand duly warned. Thanks for the tour.’
‘My pleasure. Hope it lived up to your expectations.’
If she’d had any he’d blown them clean out of the water with his shrewd observations back at the cove. She didn’t want to get involved with a guy like him. But what if it was too late?
‘Uh-huh.’
‘Great. I better get this Jeep back to Raj. See you at dinner?’
She nodded, the thought of spending more time with him after the day they’d just had sending a tiny helix of joy interwoven with doubt spiralling through her.
He winked, sent her a jaunty half-salute, and drove away, leaving her mind spinning and her tummy tossing with nerves at the many possible ways he could ‘get to know her’ over the next few days.
Zac pulled up at the front of Raj’s and switched off the engine, wishing he could switch off his thoughts as easily
Things were out of control. Or, more to the point, things with Lana were out of control.
After lunch and his chat with Sujit he’d been all gung-ho, determined to explore the possibility of a relationship with her. Then they’d talked at the cove and things had rushed downhill from there.
He’d known she was inexperienced—but not even dating? Hell, did that mean she was a virgin too? No way. She’d had that moronic ex—not that that meant much—and there was the way she’d responded to his kisses, the way she had that funny gleam in her eyes at times. But what did that mean? That she had a bit of sass lurking beneath her prudish front?
He didn’t dally with virgins. In fact he didn’t dally with women, period, considering it took all his concentration these days to perpetrate his plan.
But he wasn’t fooling around with Lana. Had known that the instant she’d made her true opinion of him clear.
He’d kissed her to shut her up, to demonstrate what she really meant to him—a gentle, soft kiss, when he’d been hankering to devour her all day.
He wasn’t toying with her. He wasn’t just after a fling. So what could he do to prove it to her?
He got out of the car and headed for the house. Considering Raj’s happy marriage and five kids, maybe he could give him a pointer or two.
As he reached the veranda of the whitewashed bungalow, Raj stepped out. ‘Hello, my friend. Had a good day?’
‘Yeah. Thanks for the Jeep. I had a great time down at the cove.’
‘I’m sure you did. Sujit phoned me and said you had a beautiful lady companion with you today.’
He groaned. ‘I can’t believe you two old gossips.’
Raj’s grin broadened. ‘He also said you were so ga-ga over this woman you could hardly finish your dahl. Must be serious. Care to tell me more?’
‘Maybe. Though I’d kill for a cold beer first.’
Raj clapped both hands to his head. ‘Where are my manners? Come in.’
As Zac sank into a comfortable cane chair with a beer in his hand, Raj raised an eyebrow.
‘So my friend. Time to tell all.’
He had two choices: stay silent and listen to the hum of the ceiling fan, or get an objective perspective on a situation that was complicated at best.
‘Lana’s different from anyone I’ve ever met. I want to get to know her better, but I only have a week before I head to Europe. Not enough time to really get involved.’
Especially when the likelihood of her retreating back into her shell was high. He’d seen her growing confidence—the perfume, staying on after the kiss last night, the hot new bikini today—but small changes didn’t mean she wouldn’t retreat at the first sign of an over-eager sailor laying a possible future relationship on her after knowing her for a week.
He took a long slug of beer, savouring the icy brew sliding down his throat. ‘That’s the short version.’
‘Do you ha
ve to return to Europe?’
He nodded. He’d let his uncle down once before. Not this time. He’d make sure of it.
‘Jimmy’s sick again. The cancer’s back and it’s spread.’
Raj’s bleak expression mirrored his. ‘I’m sorry. Is it—?’
‘Terminal? Yeah.’ He downed most of his beer in one gulp, hating the injustice of this disease that had no cure and robbed a man of his health, his dignity, his life.
‘How much time?’
He shrugged. ‘He’s seen all the best docs in London and had varying opinions. Some say six months; some say a year, max.’
Raj shook his head and clicked his tongue. ‘Very sad.’
‘He says he wants to be left alone, but I know the stubborn old coot better than I know myself. That’s why I’m moving head office to London for the next year. So I can visit him whether he damn well likes it or not.’
‘Ah…’ Raj nodded like a wise old guru. ‘So this is the problem with your woman. She lives in Australia and you’ll be based in London for at least the next twelve months?’
Zac leaned forward, rested his head in his hands. ‘It’s more complex than that.’
‘Matters of the heart often are.’
He leaped out of his chair and started pacing, wishing he hadn’t mentioned Lana to his friend. ‘Why are we even having this conversation?’
‘Because you have fallen, and fallen hard.’
He pulled up short. ‘You know the biggest problem? I’ve lied to her, and she’s a straightforward, no-nonsense person. She’s been lied to before and it cut her up badly. How the hell am I going to tell her the truth now, when she barely trusts me as it is?’
Raj’s eyebrows shot heavenward. ‘She doesn’t know your true profession?’
‘No. You know secrecy’s been paramount, to give me a chance to catch our saboteur. And I only met her a week ago.’
‘For a woman you only met a week ago, you’re sure doing a lot of soul-searching.’
Zac picked up his beer and slugged the rest, desperate to ease the dryness in his throat. ‘Crazy, isn’t it? Happily single for years, then I take one look at this quirky, captivating woman and can’t get her out of my mind.’