She wasn’t able to argue his simple yet impressive logic.
Simple yet impressive. Just like him.
Hands full, he nodded. “Climb in.”
She did, kicking off her shoes and propping her legs on what was basically an outdoor bed. White privacy panels were draped on all four sides but tied back to give them a view of the ocean and the mountains beyond.
“It’s incredible here.” She pulled in her first deep breath of warm air and accepted her cocktail: pink with a chunk of pineapple, a cherry, and a slice of mango floating in it. “This is pretty.”
“If I said ‘so are you,’ would you think it was a line?” Tag’s drink was a mojito, mint leaves and lime floating on the surface. He sat next to her, propping himself on the wide pillows arranged at the head of the cabana.
“Probably.”
“Well, far be it from me not to live up to your expectations.” His eyes dashed to her lips before he took a gulp of his drink. She watched as his bottom lip swiped a few droplets from his upper lip. He had the best mouth she’d ever felt.
“Wait. What’d that mean?” She frowned.
“You think this is my game?” He gestured with the cup. “Get you here, get you out of your clothes.”
She let out a slightly uncomfortable laugh, then challenged him with “What if that’s my game? Come here and get you out of your clothes?”
“Is it?” He smiled full-on, white teeth and arched eyebrows, the whole huge, hunky package glistening in the tropical sunshine.
She muttered a noncommittal “I’m not answering that” and they enjoyed their drinks in silence. Comfortable, companionable silence, the likes she’d never experienced with a guy she was dating. If what they were doing could be called dating.
“These drinks are huge,” she said, shifting the subject to the other reason she was here. She fully intended on working, not only flirting with Crane Makai’s head honcho.
“Cranes don’t skimp.” He bottomed out his drink, having no problem finishing it in record time.
“Maybe you should consider sizing them down. It would help for repeat business, and in this heat, keep everyone with a cold beverage.” Her iced drink had already warmed in her palm.
He canted his head to take her in. “You don’t waste any time.”
“This is why I’m here.” She turned to look at the ocean before she accidentally added that she was also here for him.
“What else did you notice?” He rested a cool hand on her knee. When she looked at his palm, he slipped it higher up her thigh, stopping short of inappropriate-in-public.
“Um.” Words. She spoke English. Where were her words? “The layout of the bar isn’t conducive to this many guests. Even with the swim-up bar open, patrons will probably choose not to drink or they’ll sneak in their own liquor rather than wait in the line.” She told him her earlier observations, building on them as she described the way the crowd was hot and sweaty and smashed together. How there was no room to maneuver and no way any of the bartenders were making good tips since they would be blamed for the delays. “Clearly, you don’t have a staff problem. They’re efficient, friendly.”
“They are. Karina’s been here from the start. Hired her myself.” He smirked, proud.
“She watches you.” Rachel sneaked a peek over her shoulder and spotted the back of Karina’s sleek hair. “Did you two…? Never mind.”
When she looked back at Tag, he was wearing an absolutely unreadable expression. A mix of confusion and bemusement, his eyes slitted and mouth pursed like he was thinking of what to say. In the end he said nothing, which was an answer in itself.
“I’m going to work a few shifts,” she said after a minute of silence.
“I beg your pardon?” he asked flatly, the same eyebrow raised in protest.
“Oh, I won’t take tips.”
“Rachel…”
“Absolutely not. You’re letting me stay in your room. I didn’t pay for this drink. The least you can let me do is what I promised to do, which is help you improve the bar.”
“I didn’t bring you here to put you behind the bar, Dimples. I want you to advise, not work your ass off.” Tenderly, he stroked his hand back down her leg to her knee. “I want you with me.”
Nothing made thinking more difficult than when he touched her. Unless it was the bald admission that he wanted her with him. Sweet, and damn hard to resist. But she genuinely wanted to help, and there was simply no way for her to get a feel of the bar without working it personally.
“I appreciate that,” she said, finally finding the words. “But to know how things work from the other side, I literally need to be on the other side.”
“Fine. I’ll pair you with Karina for training. She’s the best, and you’re a fast learner.” He held up a finger. “One night.”
“Two,” she insisted. Though she wasn’t excited about the prospect of working with Karina, it’d take more than one night to figure out the best approach to the redesign. Rachel couldn’t be sure what kind of sordid past Tag had with the other woman. She hoped she didn’t have to find out. Compartmentalization was the only way to be with him. “One night and one day. It’d help to see how things go during a weekend afternoon.”
He sighed, resigned. “Fair enough.”
She turned her head to take him in. He fit here on Oahu better than he fit in Chicago. With the heat and his tan and the way his blue eyes sparkled like the surface of the ocean. He turned to face her, admiration awash on his expression.
“But not tonight,” he said, proving himself less amicable to her bargain after all. His next words made her shiver. “Tonight you’re mine.”
Chapter 14
Rachel, flower tucked into her blond waves, walked beside Tag through the resort. Her legs shot out of a pair of short white shorts, a frothy top covering a white tank. Gorgeous. Every inch of her.
They’d come from a beachside restaurant, one with the best pulled pork he’d ever tasted.
“Dinner with a luau included,” she said with a sweet smile. “That’s a first.”
“I like when you have firsts with me.” He liked treating her. She didn’t get enough special treatment; he could tell. Especially when she’d argued about helping pay for dinner. Absolutely not.
“Now what do we do?” Dimples dented her cheeks when she flashed him another quick smile. Still cautious. He liked that about her. Liked being the guy who pushed her boundaries and watched her boldly step over them. Mile High Club indeed.
She surprised him at every turn, and he’d ended up surprising himself. He’d never been one for baby-stepping through dates. She was refreshingly different and made him want to discover more and more about her.
“I arranged surfing lessons for tomorrow before your evening shift.” He intended to have a few more firsts with her while they were here.
“Is that what you were doing while I was dressing for dinner?” She made a face like she’d tasted something bad.
“What’s wrong?” He steered them toward the beach. The sun had set, the moon reflecting white on black water. “Too much of a city girl for surfing?”
“I’m from a farm, thank you very much. I mean, sort of. We didn’t have cows or anything.” She pulled a few strands of hair away from her mouth and studied the dark ocean waves. “I’m not sure if working after a surfing lesson is smart. I’ll probably need a massage after I bust my ass.”
“That can be arranged.” He leaned close when he said it.
Her laughter filled his chest in a not uncomfortable way. Come to think of it, he was having a few firsts himself. She squeezed his hand and tugged him closer to the water, and he followed without hesitation. He opted not to read into that.
“Tag Crane, you brought me here to do a job, not play. Don’t you want me to do it?”
At the edge of the surf, he told her the truth. “Not really.”
Her forehead crinkled like she didn’t know whether to embrace the idea that he may have brought her
here mostly to spend time with him. It didn’t sit all that well with him, either, but dammit, it was the truth.
“Now that I have you here, I don’t want to let you out of my sight.” He pulled her closer, pressing her soft curves against his body. Her eyes closed and her chin tipped in unspoken permission, so he gave them what they both wanted and met her lips with his. She tasted spicy from the barbeque and sweet from the piña colada. The scent of coconut suntan lotion scrambled his brain.
The only sounds around them were the distant drumbeat of a band camped by the glow of a beach fire, the warm lapping of the water at their feet, and the gentle suction of Rachel’s soft kisses.
“You have to let me work while I’m here, Tag,” she said when she pulled away. She put her hands in his hair and tingles shot down his arms. He loved the feel of her fingers in his hair. “I already feel guilty that you won’t let me pay for anything.”
“Shit, Rachel.” He huffed.
“What?” she argued, her tone suggesting she was ready for a fight.
“Hasn’t a guy ever treated you well? Bought you things just because he wanted to?” When the questions were out of his mouth, he stopped, sort of stunned he’d asked. Money had always been available to him, had always come easily. Not many people argued when he paid. Then the person he wanted to treat most comes along and she fought him every step of the way.
“I have my own money,” she said instead of answering him, crossing her arms over her breasts. A breeze caught her hair and lifted the white ruffles on her top.
He gripped her upper arms. “Stop being so stubborn.”
“I’m not being stubborn!”
So fucking cute.
“She says, stubbornly.” He let his smile break free.
Rachel shook out of his grip and turned, walking along the shoreline away from him, butt wiggling in those damn shorts. He followed. That was becoming a habit.
“You’d give me your ideas for free, wouldn’t you?” he called after her.
She stopped and turned to face him, arms still crossed. “I’d tell you what I thought without compensation, yes.”
“Your opinions have worth. You have worth.”
She frowned but said nothing, like she was having trouble accepting that. His heart lurched. Had someone convinced her she wasn’t worthy?
“You don’t have to earn the right to be here.” Tag watched her carefully. She straightened the bright pink flower behind her ear and bit her lip in thought.
Voice small, she said, “I’m still going to work behind the bar.”
“Figures.” He snagged her hand and unfolded her arms, then tucked her against him again, his palm going to her jaw. “I’ve been waiting to take you back to bed all day.” His voice was a low rumble, his cock stirring at the mere suggestion. She made him crazy in the best way, and remembering the ecstasy on her face paired with her high-pitched cries of pleasure made him impatient for more. “How much longer are you going to make me wait?”
“You promised me a beachside stroll.” She smiled wickedly, enjoying her power. He enjoyed her taking it.
“A little longer, then,” he said.
“You’re the one who wants to know me.”
“I do. You actually going to tell me about yourself?” Or dodge some more?
She held up her hands. “I’ll talk. I’ll talk.”
Seriously. Cute.
“Fine. But after this ‘stroll’ of ours, it’s straight to heaven via my mattress.”
Her mouth dropped open, eyes widening. “I accept.”
“Let’s get to know each other, Rachel Foster.” He offered a hand and she interlaced her fingers with his. He set the pace for their walk, careful to not out-stride her since her gait was much shorter than his. Brought him to a shuffle, but he could live with that.
“Parents?” he asked. Warm breeze covered them, the smell of salt mingling with sweet plumeria.
“Two.” He didn’t have to look at her to hear the smile in her voice. “Still married. Still in love. They live in a small town in Ohio outside of Columbus. They consider Chicago the big time.”
“Why did you come to Chicago?”
“I wanted to escape Derby, Ohio.” Her voice flattened.
“Derby.”
“Derby. I came here with a marketing degree. I worked with my now ex-boyfriend.”
“Ah, finally pried that nugget out of you.” But he didn’t get more because it was her turn to pepper him.
“What about your parents?”
“Dad retired last year, when my oldest brother Reese took over as CEO. Mom died in a car wreck when I was eleven.”
Her steps faltered. “Tag, I’m so sorry.”
“Me too. She was the best.” He was being sincere. His mother, Luna, had been loving and open, honest and strong. Most of his memories from his childhood were of the laughter and love surrounding him and his brothers.
A memory crawled out of the back of his mind. One he hadn’t thought of in years. His mother, the kitchen, a PB&J sandwich. Tag had mentioned a girl on the bus he wanted to be his girlfriend.
“You know, someday, Tag, you’ll meet the girl you want to marry.” Her blue eyes sparkled when she shared this horrible news.
He took a bite of his sandwich and gave a heartfelt “Yuck.”
“Just remember, the girl for you will challenge everything you think you know about yourself. That’s how you know she’s a keeper.”
The fringes of the memory faded and he blinked at the moon, feeling unhinged. Where had that memory come from?
“I can’t imagine how hard losing her must have been for you and your brothers.” Rachel’s voice sliced into his consciousness, and he realized they’d walked a few more yards while he’d spaced out.
“Yeah. Reese dealt with losing her by achieving. Eli brooded.”
“And you?”
He looked down at her and raised his arms in “ta-da” fashion, one hand still linked with hers. “Entertainment.”
“I bet.”
A few more moments of silence passed and Rachel stopped walking altogether.
“Tell me why you asked me here, really,” she said. “Do you actually need my help? Or do you only want to sleep with me?”
“I’m assuming you want the truth.”
“It’s not like you to mince words.”
It wasn’t. So he didn’t.
“I want you here because I value your opinion and trust your instincts. And because I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since the second you opened Oliver’s door wearing polar bear pajamas.”
Surprise colored her features. “How do you know they weren’t penguins?”
“Polar bears. Wearing little red scarves.”
She beamed and pride coated him.
“Truth is, Dimples, I want both. I want your advice. I also want you naked and on top of me. I want to watch your eyes go dark and hear the way you say my name in a breathy, heated voice while you’re coming.”
“Tag…”
“Just like that.” He dropped her hand, opting to put her to the test as well. “Now tell me why you’re here.” Had she come for the free vacay, or did she come to be with him? His heart pounded as he pressed his lips together and waited for her answer.
“Helping with the bar design will look good on a resume…”
He swallowed, his throat dry and his mind racing. If her resume was the only reason she was here, he wasn’t sure he would take that news well. But a few seconds later, she put him out of his misery.
“Truth?”
“Preferably,” he croaked.
“I came here to be with you.”
* * *
Unwrapping Tag Crane was like opening a present.
Being with him unleashed her confidence, and after the evening they’d had, she couldn’t resist him another second. He’d told her she was worthy. He’d made her feel desired. The player, as it turned out, wasn’t playing her.
This wasn’t Tag on his A gam
e. This was Tag, the layers peeled back. His subtle charm feathering into the very real truth he shared about his childhood. It was him telling her exactly what he wanted, and what he wanted was to treat her well.
Rachel was on board with that. She deserved to treat herself.
She didn’t falter when she tugged his shirt up to reveal his bare, flat belly. She didn’t hesitate when she unbuttoned his shorts or when she wedged her thumbs beneath the band of his boxer briefs to explore his hot, golden skin.
He captured her face in his hands and kissed her while she touched him, his low male groans reverberating in her belly and bringing her desire to a peak. Everything about him made her want to lick him from head to toe. Which gave her an idea…
Did she dare?
His hands vanished under her tank top, her ruffled shirt already on the floor at her feet. He walked her backward until her back was pressed against the wall outside his bedroom door. Her chin tilted up, she took in the man surrounding her, hair, massive arms, and bare chest.
Hell yeah, she dared.
“Tag.” She tilted her head to one side, giving him room to explore her neck with rasping kisses.
“Yeah, Dimples?” he murmured against her skin as both thumbs brushed over her nipples through her bra. Her back arched, her tight breaths making her next words a high squeak.
“I want to…” She gasped when he did it again. “Do something.”
He stopped kissing her.
“What something?” he growled, muscles taut and eyes unerringly locked on hers.
Licking her lips, she reached for his manhood and cupped him. “Something…I’m not confident I do well.”
His eyes turned into twin erupting volcanoes. His hands tightened around her waist as he hovered over her. “If you’re offering what I think you are…”
“Going down on you?” She was barely able to push the words out of her constricting throat.
His nostrils flared and he froze in place.
“I’m offering.”
“I’ve got a fantasy involving you and just that, Dimples.”
She couldn’t help it, she grinned. Never in her life had she been this brazen, but hearing this incredible man had a fantasy about her made her want to hear every last dirty word of it.
The Billionaire Next Door Page 15