by Lori Foster
She arched her eyebrows daintily. “Must be nice to have people clamoring to please you,” she murmured. “Why are you here?”
“Dad asked me to fill in for him.”
Sofia’s gaze leisurely slid over the length of his body until it reached his boat shoes. “I hope you like to dance, because after this I might want to take in a country line-dancing class.”
He looked as if he was amused by the thought of her line-dancing. “Oh? You’re that much of a country-western enthusiast? I would have thought you’d be more into salsa.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Salsa isn’t native to Colombians. It has gained in popularity there recently, but I still prefer to dance cumbia and merengue.”
He smiled. “I stand corrected. Anyway, I’m willing to dance anything you want.”
“Really?” Her tone held a hint of incredulity. “I’m having a hard time believing that the new you is authentic,” she remarked.
“And what is the new me?”
She shrugged. “Pleasant, agreeable …”
Nonplussed by her sarcastic tone, he said, “Don’t worry, honey. I wasn’t forced to be here. I came of my own accord.”
Was she supposed to stand there and pretend that he hadn’t called his father’s supposed fiancee honey? After pausing a moment, she decided to let it go. No use in making a big deal out of what was probably a slip of the tongue for a man who was capable of calling all women “honey.”
“You’ll find that I’m a fast learner,” he said.
“I’ll bet you are. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if you stomped all over my toes on purpose.”
He glanced at her bare toes peeking out of the sandals’ open straps. “Cute toes. I’d never hurt them.”
Did she detect a teasing twinkle in his eyes?
“I’m here to form a truce with you, so I can get to know you better.” He paused, his eyes searching her face for a reaction. “I’m willing to put the hostility aside and give you a chance, even though I still think it’s odd that someone as young as you would be devoted to a man old enough to be your grandfather.”
“How nice of you to point that out,” she said, stiffening beside him. Maybe she’d be the one to stomp on his toes.
“Don’t take it the wrong way. For some reason, it’s important to Dad that we get along. I’m willing to make the effort, if you are.” His blue eyes exuded such forthright openness that she had to look away. Boy, he was a smooth one!
“OK, then.” She held out her arms in a flippant manner. “Shall we dance?”
“By all means,” James replied, only to be intercepted by a chubby young woman heading toward him with a purposeful gleam in her round green eyes.
When she reached James and Sofia, the young woman reached out and clasped James’s hand. “Hi, I’m Betina. You’re just the partner I was looking for,” she said, linking her arm through James’s unsuspecting one. “I need someone big enough to twirl me around. And I think I just found him. Just look at those strong arms!” she cried gleefully.
James took a step backward. “I’d be happy to oblige any other time,” he said diplomatically. “But …” He indicated Sofia. “This young lady is already my dancing partner.”
Betina glared at Sofia with menace. “No way. I’ve been waiting here longer than you have. We’re supposed to share partners in this class. That’s what the teacher just said.” Betina softened her attitude long enough to ask Sofia, “You don’t really mind, do you, ma’am?”
Sofia stifled the wild urge to giggle at the sudden turn of events. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught James frantically signaling her to say that she did indeed mind. “Oh, I don’t mind at all. Be my guest,” she said with wicked enjoyment.
Broad shoulders stiffly bent in surrender, James followed his rotund partner, but not before wagging a finger at Sofia that seemed to say, “You’ll pay for this.”
Sofia watched James maneuver Betina on the dance floor while he conversed with her. She was amazed at his good-natured mood and impressed that he’d been willing to dance with the pushy girl. She almost wished that she could believe this civilized side of his personality was genuine. If it wasn’t an act, then Daniel had raised his son well. Perhaps beneath the tough, arrogant lawyer exterior beat the heart of a gentleman.
She still felt thrown for a loop when it came to James. She could handle his open antagonism; in fact, she relished dishing it right back to him and putting him in his place. But now that he was being pleasant, she didn’t feel on such equal ground. And when she thought about last night, she had to admit that even though his style had been high-handed, he’d been decent enough to care for her and allow her to rest in his bed until she felt better.
Be that as it may, she couldn’t afford to let her guard down and be pleasant back. She feared that if she did, she’d like this side of him and find it hard to continue living the lie long enough for her aunt and Daniel to get married without James’s intervention. Her recent betrayal by Manny had made her vow that she’d take her sweet time before blindly trusting in any man’s good character.
Lost in her musings, Sofia wasn’t able to enjoy the delightful swing music as she danced with her assigned partner. He was a short middle-aged man who danced well but was too intent on chatting. Nodding politely to his comments, she was acutely aware that James hadn’t let her out of his sight the whole time he was dancing with Betina.
An hour later, Sofia watched Betina kiss James on the cheek and leave the salon. He practically limped over to Sofia’s side. The other dancers had already cleared out and the music had ended.
She clapped softly. “Bravo, nice job.”
“My feet certainly paid for it,” he mumbled, wincing as he looked down at them.
Sofia suppressed a smile. “I thought you did admirably well, considering that Betina was on a mission to keep you as her partner.”
“True,” he agreed ruefully.
“I’m surprised you gave in so easily. When you picked her up, I thought you were going to topple over,” she remarked with an unrepentant grin. She shrugged. “I didn’t fare any better. My dancing partner was what we Latins refer to as un inspector de ombligo.”
Dark brows drew together to form a straight line over quizzical eyes. “What is un inspector de ombligo?”
Sofia couldn’t help giggling at James’s pronounced gringo accent. “It means belly-button inspector. My partner was so much shorter than me that his eyes were practically resting on my navel,” she quipped.
James threw his handsome head back and laughed. It was a robust, very masculine sound that filled the room with mirth—and grabbed Sofia in the pit of her stomach.
“You have a nice laugh. Too bad you don’t do it more often,” she blurted out before she could stop herself.
“That was pretty damn funny about the belly-button inspector. It’s a good thing his eyes were resting on your navel and not anywhere higher.” James’s heat-charged gaze descended to her breasts, then back to fuse with her eyes.
Despite an inner voice urging her not to let him bait her, Sofia’s nipples tightened in response. James’s eyes turned a deep indigo, inexorably luring her into their sensual depths. She forced her gaze away from his, lowering it briefly to the floor. She hadn’t meant to sound like she was flirting, but the air had suddenly grown heavy and she could hear her pulse racing at his proximity. Sofia stood before him, transfixed by the intense sexual heat emanating from his powerful body, bemused by a sudden craving to feel his strong arms pull her in for a passionate kiss.
She didn’t have long to wait for her wish to come true. James tilted her chin up and lowered his head to kiss her upturned mouth. His lips felt warm and soft and firm against hers. Trying to negate the hot coil of desire curling inside her womb, Sofia opened her mouth to protest. But James took the opportunity to slide his tongue inside. Sighing against the delicious invasion, Sofia allowed him to draw her tremulous body closer to his. Weak with desire, she inhaled deeply of hi
s delectable, manly scent, nearly swooning from the sheer pleasure of being held in his solid embrace.
One large hand rested firmly on her waist and the other wound in her hair as he deepened the kiss, compressing her breasts against the muscled planes of his hard chest. His thick erection nudged her soft pelvis, yanking Sofia back to reality. With a jerk of her head, she pulled back and stared at him, woefully unprepared for the steam heat of desire in his eyes.
Without a backward glance, she fled the room, deaf to his calls.
The following afternoon, James headed toward the line-dancing class in hopes of finding Sofia. If it hadn’t been that Daniel had mentioned at lunchtime that she would be there for the five P.M. class, James would have had to search the huge ship for her again.
When Sofia hadn’t joined them at dinner the previous evening, Lucita and Daniel had seemed as surprised as James was. Daniel had questioned James’s behavior toward Sofia, wondering aloud if the reason she wasn’t there was because he’d been rude to her. After explaining that they’d had a pleasant time at the swing lesson, James was finally able to allay his dad’s fears. But try as he might, he hadn’t been able to find her all evening.
James’s frustration mushroomed when he futilely searched the deck in hopes of finding Sofia jogging the next morning. There was no question that she was avoiding him after the hot kiss they’d shared the day before. More than likely she was probably trying to get out of signing the prenuptial, too.
Arriving at the lounge at ten minutes past five o‘clock, James stood at the back of the room and searched for Sofia among the dancers. It wasn’t until he located her that he realized just how anxious he had been to see her. He remained there, hoping he wouldn’t be noticed while his gaze was inexorably drawn to the way she shook her hips to the “Boot Scootin’ Boogie.” She put extra oomph into every movement, smiling and chatting with other passengers while giving the dance a Latin twist that might have been cute on anyone else. But with Sofia it was damn provocative, given the way the snug jeans cupped her curvy tush.
He spent the next half hour watching her succulent body move with such abandon that a fan club formed around her comprised mostly of fawning males. She looked too sexy for her own good! James couldn’t take his eyes off her as he noticed everything about how she tossed her dark, lustrous hair over her shoulder and inclined her head to one side, peeking through long dark lashes as she chatted with several men. Her almond-shaped eyes sparkled with fun and a touch of mischief.
A few seconds later, one of the men, a good deal older than she, was leading her in a Texas two-step, his weathered hand firmly clasping her slender waist. With a lively smile, she interacted with the man until the dance was over. When the next song began, the same man returned to her side, seeking her attention.
James felt his blood pressure rise dangerously as his jaw clamped down. Why did she have to come on to older men like that? She was behaving shamelessly, flirting and giggling while she attempted to master line-dancing techniques with a seductive wiggle of her shapely little ass. Was she looking to add to her collection of sugar daddies? James wondered in growing disgust. Poor Dad.
For a brief moment, Sofia looked straight at James and smiled in recognition. He stared at her warm, inviting smile but didn’t return it. Instead, he left the room before he gave into the temptation to haul the brazen hussy aside for an explanation. Shaking his head to clear it of the wrath she’d provoked with her saucy flirting, he reminded himself to get a grip. He needed to remain on friendly territory with Sofia if he was going to accomplish what he’d set out to do—thoroughly seduce her, then confront his father with the sorry outcome.
CHAPTER 5
Shortly after midnight, Sofia waded through the crowd of people dressed in tunics for Toga Night. Earlier that afternoon, white sheets had been delivered to each cabin to encourage the guests to design their own togas for the party on the top deck. After the line-dancing lessons that afternoon, she and Daniel and Lucita had ordered dinner from room service to catch up on the events of the day. Later, while Daniel napped, Lucita helped Sofia create a toga out of the white sheet. She wrapped it around Sofia’s body in a strapless fashion, leaving her tanned shoulders bare. Using a wreath of ivy she’d brought from Miami, her aunt had adorned Sofia’s loose hair for the party.
Amid a lot of conspiratorial giggling, they had sent a message to James via the headwaiter for him to join Sofia at the toga party at midnight. Happily freed for the evening, Lucita and Daniel had accepted an invitation from Daniel’s childhood friend Capt. Sven Landergaard to join him in his quarters for champagne and caviar.
Shifting her thoughts to the present, Sofia surveyed the multitude of people, hoping to find James and put an end to the awkwardness she’d begun by avoiding him. Truth was, after that knee-buckling kiss yesterday she had been reluctant to see him again. She couldn’t stop thinking about the way her body had betrayed her in helpless surrender to his touch.
Earlier, when James had found her at the country line-dancing class, she had initially panicked. He had stubbornly remained at the back of the lounge instead of joining her, trying to remain inconspicuous as he spied on her through hooded eyes. That’s when she had decided to deliberately annoy him. But the plan backfired when he made eye contact with her briefly, his expression dangerous as he stalked out of the room before she could speak to him.
In hindsight, she regretted that her overt friendliness with the men had only succeeded in validating the unfavorable background report James had received on her. She tried not to let it bother her too much, but deep inside she was distressed that she had only intensified his negative image of her.
“Sofia,” a deep male voice intoned behind her.
Sofia whirled around and was robbed of speech when she caught sight of James dressed as a Roman. Darkly handsome, the arrogant man had fashioned a one-shouldered toga from the sheet that left his broad shoulders and muscular arms exposed.
“Caligula, if I’m not mistaken,” she said, pleased that she’d remembered the name of the despicable Roman emperor.
James’s sensual mouth tightened imperceptibly, the only indication that he’d understood the slur. “You have an odd sense of humor, honey.” To her surprise, his gaze leisurely traveled the length of her body until his darkened blue eyes captured hers with a look of pure male prowess. “You’re looking beautiful tonight.”
Caught off-guard by his uncharacteristic compliment, Sofia felt her whole being flush, transfixed by his potent aura. Her body shivered deliciously in a deeply feminine way, responding to the appreciative gleam in his hot gaze.
As she stared at him, her resistance grew weak and she found herself floating in heady sensations. She mentally shook herself to dispel the trance. She couldn’t give in; it wasn’t right. They were treading dangerous waters. Even though she wasn’t really Daniel’s intended, James thought she was. She couldn’t let things get out of hand, no matter how much she was dying for him to kiss her again.
His lips lifted into a slow, sexy grin. “I’m glad you set up this clandestine meeting. I’ve missed you.”
Narrowing her eyes, she leveled a firm look at him. “It is not clandestine. Daniel knows all about it. It was his idea. He’s been very distressed that you’ve made it a point to complain about my absence at mealtimes.”
“You have been a little inconsiderate,” he chided mildly. “Aren’t you supposed to be keeping Dad company?”
“I’ve given him a lot of quality time.”
He shook his head. “You sound as if he’s some sort of responsibility, not the man you love.”
“That’s not how I meant it. Daniel has encouraged me to participate in as many activities as I want, even if he isn’t up to joining me. It pleases him to see me happy.”
James’s jaw tightened. “I would have thought that you’d be more worried about Dad’s health than having a good time.”
Insufferable man. “You’re the one who upsets his health by standing in the w
ay of his happiness,” she countered.
Just when she thought James was going to turn into an aggressive prosecutor volleying pointed questions, he chuckled. It was a dry sound, devoid of mirth, but a chuckle nonetheless, masking the strong accusation of his words. “I’ll bet he has spent more time with your Aunt Lucita than with you!”
“Not true,” she refuted immediately, lest he catch on to the real nature of their relationship. “I’ve spent plenty of time with Daniel. I only agreed to set up this meeting tonight because it’s important to your dad that we get along. Contrary to what you choose to believe, his peace of mind and happiness are very important to me.” She accompanied her sincere words with a warm smile to show that she meant it. “I guess I have to work a little harder at making you happy.”
“Goood,” he drawled. “I’m looking forward to making you happy, too. Let’s dance.”
That was a switch. Before she could decline, James placed his big hands on her hips. With palms resting on her hipbones and fingers curved toward the small of her back, he drew her toward him, his strong body coming into contact with hers just as the music slowed to a sensual bossa nova. Sofia closed her eyes and let the exotic melody infuse her whole being. The heat of James’s hands branded her skin beneath the tunic’s thin fabric. His clean, masculine scent lured her to move in closer. Their bodies undulated to the slow beat, her soft breasts pressed against the rigid, muscled planes of his broad chest.
When the music ended, James stepped back from her and gazed at her with an unfathomable gleam in his eyes. “Shall we get a bite to eat?” he asked, his smile warm and inviting.
Before Sofia could collect herself and come down to earth, he strolled toward long tables showcasing a lavish spread of seafood amid dolphin and kingfish ice sculptures. Even though she had no appetite for food, she followed him and served herself a small plate.
“Let’s sit over there, away from the loud music,” he said, motioning toward a darkened corner of the deck.