by Carolyn Zane
Tightening her sundress across her near nudity, she leaned over to Tyler. “That’s not true!” She giggled nervously.
“It’s not? Then you won’t mind if I open my eyes,” he whispered, sliding his hand down her bare back.
Gasping, she slithered out of his grasp. “You better not!” Her giddy laughter was louder than she’d intended.
“What’s going on in there?” Roxanne demanded.
Her mouth twisting in annoyance, Emily tugged on Tyler’s shirt. “Tell her it’s none of her damn business,” she huffed. “No.” She wiggled between Tyler and the door. “I’ll tell her!”
Clamping a large hand over her mouth, Ty whispered, “Easy, tiger,” and opened his eyes. Unable to control himself, his glance shot down to check the state of her undress.
Catching him in the act, she tried to protest, her muffled screeching traveling no farther than his palm.
“Quiet.” He chuckled. “She’ll think you’re trying to give me another black eye, and try to come to my rescue.”
“Mmm-mmm-hmm!”
As she swirled her tongue around the inside of his palm, he began to laugh. “Would you quit it?” he demanded as the tickling sensations she lavished wetly across his palm and between his fingers drove him slowly out of his mind. “I mean it, Em!” he growled, hauling her up against his body and pulling the delicate shell of her ear into his mouth. “You’d better quit while you’re ahead.”
“Tyler?” Roxanne called impatiently.
“Yeah?” he answered in a strangled voice.
Tapping an irritated nail on the door, she barked, “The Connstarr management team, which includes you, by the way, and accounts for over half the passengers on this tub, will be meeting topside in about two minutes to throw confetti and drink champagne and have fun! I will expect you and your wife there, immediately!” Her voice rose shrilly, revealing her annoyance at being kept out of his cabin.
“Yes, ma’am,” Ty drawled. “We’re nearly finished in here.”
“Good,” she snapped after a moment’s pause, and then, not wanting to miss the fun, the echo of Roxanne’s indignant heels faded away as she marched down the hallway.
“Think she’s mad?” Emily giggled as Tyler pulled his hand away from her mouth.
Shrugging, Tyler kissed the minx he still held in his arms on the side of the head. “Who cares?” he asked, shocked to find that for the first time since he’d arrived on the West Coast, he could relax.
* * *
“I suppose it would be useless to ask if she has to wear that,” Ty grumbled resignedly as they wove their way through the Connstarr throng toward the three remaining empty lounge chairs by the pool.
Emily glanced over her shoulder at Helga and grinned. The lopsided straw hat piled high with plastic fruit had caught the older woman’s fancy in the gift shop window. Unable to resist the longing in her eyes, Emily had talked Ty into buying it.
“Are you kidding?” she asked under her breath as Ty nodded and waved at the different Connstarr bigwigs they passed. “Just be thankful it’s this and not the plastic shower cap she was planning on wearing in the pool.”
“I guess,” he muttered as he called a cheery hello to a department head from the Detroit branch. Draping a casual arm around Emily’s waist, he wore the look of a proud and protective husband, propelling his beautiful wife toward her seat. “After we settle in here for a few minutes, I’d like to introduce you to a few people. Feel up to that?”
“Amazingly enough, I feel great. Those patches must be working. So I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be...” Mingling was something she was pretty good at. Not one to be intimidated by a strange social crowd, she could usually plunge in and make pointless small talk with the best of them. But this was going to be much trickier than her usual collegiate gathering. Now she was a middle-class student posing as a homeless waif, who was acting as a socialite. How would she ever keep the three faces of Em straight? Her expression clouded with uneasiness.
Patting her waist affectionately, Ty dropped a newlywed kiss lightly on her lips. “Don’t worry,” he whispered, giving her a conspiratorial wink. “I’m here for you, pumpkin.”
And she knew deep down in her heart that it was true. As long as she needed him, he would be there for her. Pausing at her lounge chair, Emily was surprised to discover that she completely trusted him, without reserve. In the past week an invisible bond had begun to form between her and Ty, binding them together and taking root in her heart. She would never forget Tyler Newroth’s kindness, and hoped that years after they’d gone their separate ways, they would still keep in touch.
“Sure,” she said, looking up at her handsome new husband with her best newlywed expression of adoration. “I’d love to meet some of your co-workers.”
He answered her adoring gaze with a look so piercing it stole her breath away. Though it was impossible to tell what he was thinking in that brief moment, Emily had the disquieting feeling that he was not as at ease with this act as he appeared to be.
Coloring, she averted her eyes and tossed her beach towel down on the lounge chair. “I, uh, think I’ll go for a quick dip,” she announced, and stepped out of her shorts and top, revealing the black suit she’d saved for the cruise.
“Good idea,” Ty agreed, running a hand over the tense muscles of his jaw. “A nice cold swim is just what I need.”
As Ty pulled his T-shirt off over his head, Emily could feel the sea of female eyes that surrounded the pool—disguised by dozens of pairs of expensive sunglasses—zero in on her husband’s powerful build. This past week of swimming lessons had turned his smooth skin a beautiful shade of bronze. His well-muscled body moved with easy grace to the deep end, and these admiring women exchanged hungry glances.
Plunging neatly into the smooth surface of the water, he swam several laps, while Emily slipped into the shallow end and watched his fan club begin to salivate. Fighting irrational feelings of jealousy, she willed herself to remember that he was not her man...and never would be.
Swimming easily to the metal stairs at the deep end, he shook the water from his face and pulled himself, with one fluid movement, out of the pool. His stance, hands planted firmly on narrow hips, broad shoulders square in silhouette, spoke of a man who had made it—in his mind and in the world. With a commanding air of self-confidence, he stood there, breathtakingly handsome, and lifted his upper lip in a lazy smile at his wife.
Sure that she would melt from the sheer heat of his look, Emily dived under the water’s surface and stayed there until she couldn’t hold her breath another second. Rising to the top, she scanned the deck for him, only to discover that he had gone to join Helga on the chairs. Valiantly, she tried to ignore the stab of disappointment she felt when he didn’t spend some time playing with her in the pool, and focused instead on Roxanne, who, ever on the prowl, was making a beeline to where he sat.
Paddling slowly over to the edge of the pool, Emily watched in disgusted fascination as Roxanne boldly pushed Emily’s beach towel off the chair next to Ty’s and replaced it with her own. With much flamboyant preening, she finally settled down and, digging through her large beach satchel, came up with a bottle of baby oil.
“Ty, honey, I was just wondering if you’d mind putting some of this on me?” she asked breezily, thrusting the bottle of oil into his hand. “I can’t always reach some of the more...delicate areas all by myself.”
“I’m not surprised,” Helga piped up, leaning across her son and gaping at Roxanne. “You’ve got a lot of southern exposure on the back forty there.” Pushing her fruit-filled straw hat back from her eyes, she peered at the indignant woman’s minuscule suit. “You call that a bathing suit?” Clucking her tongue, she rolled her eyes at Tyler and announced, “Looks like a piece of dental floss, the way it rides up her...”
“Mom!” Ty choked and coughed politely, attempting to stem the laughter that welled in his throat. “You haven’t tested out the pool yet. Why don’t you go join Em?�
�� He pointed to Emily, who he’d noticed had had to duck under the water to stop from laughing.
“Okay.” She waved an impatient hand at Tyler and offered the thoroughly insulted Roxanne another piece of her mind. “I wouldn’t run around in that suit too much now, dearie. Why, that little string you’re wearing could saw you right in two.”
“Mom!” Ty was unsuccessful in his attempt to look sternly at Helga.
Roxanne’s smile could not hide the venom behind her eyes as she gathered up her beach towel and satchel and nodded curtly at Helga. “Mrs. Newroth, enjoy your swim.” Turning to Ty, she smiled provocatively. “I just remembered some unfinished business back in my cabin... I’ll catch up with you later, when we can discuss our business in private.” Setting her ample derriere in motion, she disappeared into the crowd.
Helga nudged Ty and nodded at the bottle of Roxanne’s baby oil he still held in his hand. “As long as you’re passing out massages, do me, sonny,” she ordered, and flopped over onto her stomach.
Shrugging, Tyler grinned over at Emily, who—legs still dangling in the water—had propped herself on her elbows at the side of the pool. Their gazes locked for a super-charged moment, until Ty, winking lazily, turned his attention to his “mother.”
Emily watched with smiling eyes as he good-naturedly oiled the nutty Helga, and suddenly realized, right then and there, that she was falling madly in love with her husband.
* * *
“Could I have this dance?” Ty whispered to Emily as the Enchanted Cruise Tones swung into a mellow ditty, just perfect for slow dancing.
Forgetting that she was merely putting on a show for the party at their dinner table, Emily nodded. She looked up into Ty’s dark, heart-stoppingly sexy eyes, and felt her body elevate, of its own accord, up out of her chair and into his arms.
“Yes. I’d love that,” she murmured. Slipping her arm around his waist, she followed him out to the dance floor.
His spicy aftershave filled her senses as she laid her head against the crisp, clean lines of his dinner jacket and began to sway with him to the music. No doubt about it, she mused, glancing around at the other diners in the Falling Star Dining Room reserved for Connstarr employees alone, he was definitely the best-looking man in the room. Probably even the entire boat, she gloated, and snuggled closer into her husband’s embrace.
Who was she kidding? Eyes closed, she lay against Ty and had to remind herself yet again that he was not hers. A powerful man like Tyler Newroth could never be interested in a woman like her. Not seriously, anyway. She had the feeling that when Ty fell in love, it wouldn’t be with a grungy woman he’d picked up at the side of the road. And if he were ever to discover that she was only posing as a homeless woman, how would he react to being lied to? Especially considering how generous and giving he’d been with her.
The thought of his displeasure at discovering the truth made her shudder involuntarily as they danced.
“Cold?” His warm breath tickled her ear.
“No,” she whispered, not bothering to explain. What was there to tell? He would probably jump ship and swim back to L.A. if he even suspected that she was beginning to fall for him. She would just have to take each moment as it came with him, collecting memories of their brief but glorious time together to sustain her in her old age. After all, she still had a whole week to bask in her role as Mrs. Tyler Newroth. Why not enjoy it?
Today had certainly been wonderful. Helga had collected Carmen from the Kiddie Korner and taken her to their cabin for a nap, leaving Ty and Emily free to swim and get to know the Connstarr crowd. After mingling with and being introduced to more of the immense management team than she would ever be able to remember, they had joined some of Ty’s friends from the Boston division in the lounge for happy-hour drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Unable to remember when she’d laughed so hard, Emily could see why he missed the crew on the East Coast.
Roxanne’s arrival had broken up the little party and, making their excuses, the Newroths had retreated to their room to dress for dinner. Ty had been a doll and changed in the bathroom, allowing Emily the space she needed to comfortably slip into her strapless black dinner dress. Once she’d put the finishing touches on her hair and makeup, she hurried down the hallway to the room she shared with Helga and Carmen to check on them.
Connstarr had supplied a bevy of baby-sitters and a host of interesting things for the children of its staff to amuse themselves with. Carmen was more than content to spend the evening with her new little friends, watching movies and drawing pictures.
Helga, looking matronly in her formal attire, eagerly joined Emily and Tyler as they headed toward the dining room, hoping to catch a glimpse of Denny. As luck would have it, he had been seated at their dinner table with Roxanne when they’d arrived.
As crabby as Roxanne had been over Tyler’s attentive behavior toward his bride during dinner, she had managed to behave herself, if only to please her uncle Denny. Not that Uncle Denny would have noticed one way or another. Much to the disgust of his niece and the amusement of Ty and Emily, he and Helga cavorted and carried on over their meal like a couple of giddy kids.
“How much do you think Roxanne had to pay the maître d’ to get a seat at our table?” Ty asked, weaving Emily across the dance floor and slowly over to the door that led to the deck.
Emily giggled, loving the rumble of his deep voice as it resonated in his chest. “Whatever it takes. She certainly had no problem kicking the family across the hall from us out of their cabin and moving in.”
“Now she can spy on us to her heart’s content,” Ty muttered.
“You know, in a way I kind of feel sorry for Roxanne.” Emily sighed as Ty stopped dancing and looked down at her, a slow smile softening his features.
“You’re too nice for your own good.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” she mused, following Ty over to the railing where they could look out at the golden pink glow of the setting sun. The light, salty spray misted the air as the tropical breezes flirted with the sea. Emily lifted her face to the iridescent light and tried to capture forever the feelings of magic and wonder she felt at this moment. It was easy to feel compassionate when she felt so perfectly blissful herself. “Usually, when people act the way she does, there’s a reason,” she explained, turning her face up to Ty.
Pulling a stray tendril of hair away from her eyes, his mouth curved slowly in a tender smile. The look on his face was unbearably sweet, and Emily knew she would never forget the enchantment of this moment.
She came alive in his arms, this feeling of trancelike happiness carrying her to another place and time. A place where she could believe that she and Ty belonged together. A time where the passion-filled look he was bestowing on her was meant only for her and not for the benefit of an unwanted admirer.
Wrapping herself in the magic, she allowed herself to believe that he truly cared, and that the arms that tightened convulsively around her slender waist were her permanent refuge from the harsh realities of the world.
“You’re so sweet,” he murmured, tilting her chin up so that he could search for the key to her soul through her eyes. “I’ve never met anyone quite like you. It’s amazing, really, that you’ve managed to remain so loving and understanding, in spite of everything.” A smile of admiration tipped the corners of his mouth.
Emotions raged within her as she tried to mask a disquieting flash of guilt. If she could tell him the truth, she would, she assured herself, ignoring the warning voice in her head. The voice that cautioned her against giving herself to the moment. To Ty.
“No,” she whispered, her eyes flashing, searching his for understanding. “I’m nothing special. Really.” He had to know, if only on a subconscious level, that she was not some wonder woman from the streets, overcoming incredible odds to survive, but merely a grad student researching a project.
He angled her mouth up to his and, shaking his head, smiled. “To me, you are very special.”
His kiss was
electric, causing her stomach to jump wildly as he pushed her lips apart with his own. His insistent mouth demanded a response, and she found herself standing on tiptoe, straining to lose herself in his slow, mind-drugging kisses. Never before had she felt the dizzying sensations of desire coil so rapidly throughout her body.
Her pulse pounded at the base of her throat, under the gentle stroke of his thumb. Ever so slowly, he backed her up against the deck rail, pressing his thighs solidly into her hips. She settled back, reveling in the feel of his hands as they glided over her with almost unbearable tenderness.
Moaning softly into his mouth, she curled into the curve of his firm body, eliciting an immediate response from him.
His voice was unsteady as he spoke raggedly against her mouth. “If I’d had any idea that being married was anything like this...” He sighed, nibbling at her lower lip. “I’d have gotten married years ago.”
“Me, too,” she breathed lightly from between her parted lips.
“You are incredible.” His gaze swept over her like the warm ocean breezes that softly riffled their hair. Nuzzling her neck, he pulled her away from the rail and into his arms. “Where did you come from?” he demanded, raining a trail of kisses down to the hollow of her throat. “What deep, dark secrets are you hiding from me?”
Letting her head fall back against the strength of his forearm, she shivered lightly and shrugged. These were questions she must not answer, she told herself, struggling to remember why she had made this rule in the first place. Who was she? Why was she there? These were good questions that even she didn’t know the answers to anymore.
Tyler sighed and cradled her face in his hands, a look of quiet desperation in his eyes. “Just promise me you won’t disappear at midnight.”
Smiling, Emily opened her mouth to promise, but was cut short by Roxanne’s sharp cry.
“There you are!” she shouted gaily, sashaying down the deck toward them. Tapping Emily on the shoulder, she purred prettily, “May I cut in?”