Sinfully Summer: HarperImpulse Contemporary Romance

by Aimee Duffy

  She sucked in a breath and held it. Ric cursed silently and took hold of her hand. Urging her away from the rail, he pulled her towards the staircase which Justin had said led to the galley. Surely there would be a bathroom close.

  Her hand was cold in his and he hoped she could hold on until they found somewhere. Once down the stairs, he passed the galley and tried random doors along the corridor. One was slightly ajar and led to a double bedroom, but it was the en suite inside that caught his eye. He pointed and she hurried in, slamming the bathroom door behind her.

  He hovered at the doorway, not wanting to interrupt the private space or hear Alexa, but the boat rocked again and the door to the room creaked as it swayed. He pushed it shut to avoid the irritating grate of rust.

  He heard the taps run, but as she cleaned up his gaze drifted to the double bed covered in black silk sheets. Before he could stop it, an image filled his mind of Alexa in her underwear, spread over the mattress with the same desire he’d seen darkening her eyes to a stormy grey when she was beneath him on his desk.

  Closing his eyes, he cursed himself. She was sick, and he had just mentally undressed her.

  Working with Alexa was risky enough, taking her to bed would be a minefield. He had to keep her off his mind. She was there to help with the party, nothing else.

  The bathroom door opened. ‘I feel better now.’

  His irritation at his wayward thoughts sharpened his tone. ‘If you hadn’t gone out last night, you’d be fine today.’

  He didn’t believe for a second Alexa would choose a boat as the venue if she suffered from motion sickness.

  She glowered at him and stomped toward the door. ‘I haven’t eaten anything today, that’s all. I’m fine after that glass of water.’

  She turned the handle and pulled, but nothing happened. Ric grabbed the knob and twisted, but there was no purchase, like the knob wasn’t connected to the other side. He cursed.

  ‘Why did you shut the door?’ She folded her arms across her chest.

  A jolt of irritation burned through him at her accusing tone. ‘Because it creaked and I didn’t know how long you’d be.’

  He tried pressing the knob in tighter but it was useless.

  ‘This is the worst holiday ever.’

  ‘Perhaps if you’d foregone the partying, we wouldn’t be stuck in this predicament,’ Ric snapped, returning her glare with one of his own.

  ‘Don’t put this on me. The door was obviously left open for a reason. You’re the one who closed it.’ She stepped closer, her eyes burning. Arousal flashed alongside his irritation, angering him more. ‘And as you saw last night, I wasn’t drunk even though I’m on holiday and had every bloody right to be. If it wasn’t for you blackmailing me I’d be lying on the beach right now working on my tan.’

  Alexa’s arms had switched position to her hips in her onslaught, tightening the fabric across the contours of her breasts. Her nipples stood to attention behind the material and all Ric could focus on was the sound of her harsh breathing, the remembered image of all that silky skin beneath and he was a heartbeat away from losing control.

  ‘I didn’t blackmail you,’ he insisted. ‘If you hadn’t behaved the way you did, I would never have had to give you the ultimatum.’

  She stepped closer, anger pounding off her petite frame in waves. He had a vision of her on the bed beneath him, her wild hair spread around her face using both their anger to push each other to unknown pleasure.

  ‘You arrogant—’

  Ric grabbed Alexa around the waist and lifted her up so they were eye to eye. Backing her into the wall, he fought every urge he had to close the gap between their faces and kiss her. She gasped, her eyes wide with surprise as her hands circled his arms for support. But then something shifted in her expression, her eyes darkened and her gaze dropped to his lips.

  Ric forced himself to remember why giving in to this attraction was a bad idea. He lowered her to the floor. ‘Enough. We need to figure out a way out of here.’

  Alexa’s gaze dropped from his face, her hands clenched into fists and he regretted the outburst. After all, he had been the one to lose control. Again. Not her. He pulled his wallet from his trousers and slid out a credit card.

  ‘What are you doing?’ she asked.

  Something he thought he’d never do again, but he had no idea when Justin and Mark would be back. ‘Let me try something.’

  He slid the card in the gap between the door and frame, just above the handle. After tilting the far side down, he held on with both hands and prayed a platinum Visa card was strong enough to shift the metal release.

  ‘Hold onto the handle and pull when I tell you.’

  Alexa obeyed, her eyes wide as she looked up at him. Again she was too close, he caught the scent of flowers, felt her chest heave against him with every breath. He forced himself to focus on the task at hand. Sliding the card down, he hooked it on the curve of the catch and pushed at an angle. The mechanism moved. ‘Pull.’

  Alexa hauled the door open. He dodged out of the way but heard a crack a second before she cupped her forehead.

  ‘Ow!’

  ‘Alexa, let me see.’

  She backed away from him, her hand still plastered to her forehead. Her eyes watered, but she didn’t make a sound. The swell of guilt he felt pushed him forward until he pulled her wrist away. An angry red, vertical line travelled the expanse of the skin.

  ‘Come on, there should be ice in the galley.’

  He stalked toward the kitchen knowing she’d follow. The sound of feet padding on the wooden floor stopped before they reached the end of the hall. He turned to see her pull her phone out of one of the pockets on the dress.

  ‘My head’s fine. I’m going to take some photos and get back to the hotel. I have work of my own to catch up on.’

  He followed her up the stairs, cursing himself all the way. There was no reason to snap at Alexa. It wasn’t her fault he couldn’t keep the burning desire he felt for her at bay. He had to find a way to control himself. He had to help with the clean-up at the site over the weekend, and wouldn’t see her until next week. That should be plenty of time to put things into perspective.

  After the crazy Friday, Alexa was determined to have as much fun as possible. The weekend passed in a blur of giggles, shopping and quality time on the beach. She hadn’t seen or heard from Ric on Monday, and managed to plan out a draft guest list and a floor plan for the boat. On Tuesday she needed to prepare the designs for the invitations to get them out in plenty of time, but she wanted to spend the day with her friends. It was the last day of their official holiday and Sarah still had her dare to do.

  Alexa rushed through the sketch and then emailed it to a design company, asking to be sent a few samples. Sarah had kept quiet about her dare, probably because she dreaded it. Alexa chuckled. Jenna had done hers. She’d chatted up five men, got their phone numbers and a kiss from each. And Alexa ran around the hotel in her undies.

  She checked her emails at noon before she left. There was one from Ric and she wondered if not reading it would mean he couldn’t spoil tonight for her. She was going to make sure they all enjoyed their last night if it killed her. Even if her chest felt tight at the thought of losing her only single girlfriends.

  She opened the email and groaned. He had another boring function for them to attend that night. Typing up a quick no-way-in-hell email, she hit send. Ric wasn’t in control of her and after Friday she had no reason to go out of her way to help the arrogant git.

  By three o’clock, she was perched on a stool at a beach bar. The scorching summer sun shone down from a cloudless sky. Alexa thought it was a vast improvement on the crappy British summers. She picked up the Sex on the Beach cocktail and took a sip.

  ‘Asking for these cocktails is embarrassing,’ Jenna grumbled.

  Alexa laughed. They’d agreed for the last day, they’d all order cocktails from the raunchier menu.

  ‘I think the names are cute,’ Sarah sa
id.

  Both Alexa and Jenna eyed her like she was mental. ‘You think Bend Over Shirley is cute?’ Jenna asked, dead pan serious.

  Sarah giggled. ‘Yup.’

  ‘I think Bend Over Shirley’s going to her head,’ Alexa said to Jenna, who nodded her agreement.

  ‘Should make the dare easier,’ Jenna said with a wink at Sarah.

  Sarah’s expression sobered. ‘Think I’ll try a few more before we get started.’ She glanced around the half-empty bar. ‘There aren’t many here to choose from.’

  Alexa followed her gaze around the tables scattered on the sand. She’d heard that this was the number one gay bar in Marbella, which was exactly what they needed for Sarah’s dare, but the only men who looked gay were the bar staff. She hoped it would pick up later.

  Her phone vibrated on the table. It had taken grovelling to get it back from Jenna, but since Ric insisted on calling the hotel room ungodly early, her friend had caved. Alexa glanced at the screen and promptly hit ‘reject’.

  ‘Who was that?’ Jenna asked.

  ‘The git,’ she informed her friends. She didn’t feel like being admonished for not going to the function with him. She’d rather wait until tomorrow.

  Sarah grinned at her. ‘You do know, hate is the first sign of love.’

  Alexa’s stomach rolled. ‘I don’t hate him, I just don’t like him.’

  This discussion was getting old. Jenna had dropped it knowing Alexa would never change her mind about someone. Ric was hot, she couldn’t deny that. What woman wouldn’t notice? With a chest like his, Alexa was sure all he’d have to do was crook his finger and women would jump straight into his bed, waiting for further instructions.

  Not her. Alexa could see past the sexy exterior into the boring, arrogant, control-freak at the centre. Ric liked to be in charge, he expected to be obeyed and both were traits of her father. She shuddered, despite the warm sun shining from above. Getting involved with him wasn’t something she was willing to do. She’d even managed to forget her curiosity about the speedboat racing and the way he broke them out of the room.

  ‘Come on,’ Jenna said. ‘Let’s forget about the sexy hotel owner. There’s another sexy guy scoping Alexa out.’

  In a gay bar? Alexa turned to see the English rock star’s publicist, Daniel something, sitting a few feet away. He winked one sparkling blue eye and grinned, obviously remembering the brief glimpse he’d had of her running down the hall. Alexa fought the urge to groan. He walked over, his golden hair shining in the sun. Sarah nudged her elbow and mouthed hot. Alexa agreed, though he didn’t have the same appeal as Ric. But maybe a little flirting would take her mind, and hormones, off the infuriating Enrique Castillo.

  Shouldering his way through the tightly knit dancers in Beaches, Ric decided he hated the bar. Two hands had already squeezed his backside and he was sure the owners weren’t female. He searched the crowd, but couldn’t spot the messy brown bob anywhere. Giving up for the moment, he headed towards the bar in the centre, cursing when he felt more sand had found its way into his shoes. Whoever had the bright idea to put a business in the middle of a beach was an imbecile.

  As he neared, he caught sight of Alexa. Her back was turned to him, but he knew after Thursday night he’d be able to pick that curved bottom out of a line up. Today, it was barely covered in a hot-pink mini-dress. He picked up pace, but as he neared a man put his hand on that bottom and she turned to laugh at something he’d said.

  Ric recognised him immediately. A snake who took innocent woman to his bed then ran so fast he left a trail of dust in his wake.

  The prickly feeling began in his scalp and spread down over his body, resting uncomfortably in his gut. It wasn’t anger, not yet. When he got closer and saw Daniel Jenkins charm smiles from Alexa, his heart raced.

  ‘Having fun?’ he asked dryly.

  Alexa spun around on the stool to face him, and wobbled. Daniel wrapped a hand around her waist to support her. The prickly feeling in his stomach heated and spread through his veins. He glared at Daniel, but the other man didn’t flinch or release her.

  The last time Ric had seen him, he’d just checked out of his suite with the rock star, leaving two broken hearted girls in their room for Ric’s staff to deal with. And now he was with Alexa. Ric gritted his teeth.

  ‘Yes, actually.’ Alexa grinned at him and held out her cocktail. ‘Fancy a drink, Ric? This is a Long, Comfortable Screw.’ Her voice was almost a purr.

  The fire shot right down to his groin. Ric took the glass from her. ‘I think you’ve had enough.’

  Daniel straightened, but he wasn’t as tall as Ric. ‘Alexa’s fine here with me. I’ll make sure she gets back to the hotel safely,’ the snake smirked.

  Ric turned to glare at the man who still hadn’t released Alexa. His temper flared, but he tried to compress it. ‘Leave us a moment.’

  Daniel only tightened his grip on Alexa. She sighed theatrically. ‘It’s okay,’ she told her escort.

  Daniel released her and left. Ric waited until he was out of earshot. ‘You were supposed to join me tonight, but I can’t take you anywhere in this state.’

  Alexa opened her mouth in protest, but he pinched her lips together with his thumb and forefinger. ‘A ‘get stuffed’ email isn’t a mature way to tell me you won’t be attending this evening. I thought we were going to try and get along.’

  This close, he could feel the heat pounding out of her body. Smell the spicy, yet floral scent that had driven him mad when they’d first met, again in his office, and Friday on the boat. Feel the damn attraction throbbing in his groin. He released her lips.

  ‘Oops.’ She giggled, not looking sorry at all. Ric wondered how many of the cocktails she’d had.

  ‘Alexa—’

  ‘She’s doing it.’ Alexa’s mouth popped open as she looked passed him into the crowd.

  He turned, frustration welling up inside him and caught sight of her blonde friend. The woman had her lips attached to a man dressed impeccably in a tight t-shirt and well-fitted jeans. The man was so clearly gay with his purple and blonde hair, but that hadn’t stopped the woman. If she was anything like Alexa, the guy never stood a chance.

  When he turned back to her, she was grinning at him. ‘Never underestimate the power of a sexy woman.’ She winked.

  Ric remembered the blonde wore a diamond engagement ring. ‘Her dare?’ he guessed.

  Alexa nodded and he shook his head.

  ‘Stop being a stick-in-the-mud.’

  ‘I am not—’

  She leaned closer to him and almost toppled off her chair. He grabbed her shoulders just in time.

  ‘Prove it.’ Her head tilted back to look at him, challenge and a mischievous spark shone from eyes that had turned onyx.

  ‘I’m not making a fool of myself doing an infantile dare.’

  Alexa pouted. The shiny rose coloured gloss made him wonder if her lips would be sticky, or if they’d feel smooth and damp against his.

  ‘How about a bet?’

  ‘What?’ Ric dragged his attention back to her eyes. The dark swirls didn’t help his focus at all.

  ‘I bet you can’t be nice to me for the rest of the week.’ A grin tilted the corner of her mouth. ‘No calling me childish, no blackmailing me into doing things I don’t want to and no more grumpy Castillo.’

  Ric didn’t think it would be difficult. For the next week he had to work between the development and the hotel. He wouldn’t see her much, so she wouldn’t be able to irritate him. Plus, if he won, he’d have a few terms of his own.

  ‘What if I lose?’ He didn’t think it was likely.

  ‘Then this weekend we do something fun and childish.’ He frowned down at her and she giggled. ‘Relax, I won’t make you run the length of the beach naked. I was thinking more along the lines of Water World.’

  ‘You want me to go with you to a water park?’

  ‘If I win, yes.’

  Knowing she never stood a chance, he agreed. ‘Deal.
If I win, you have to act reasonable and mature, come to every function with me and spend all your free time helping make the ball the best it can be.’

  Without hesitating, Alexa stuck her hand out to shake on it; a smug smile curved her luscious lips. Ric almost felt sorry for her. ‘The bet starts tomorrow.’

  She nodded, the grin not leaving her face.

  ‘Justin would like to meet with us for lunch early afternoon to sign a disclaimer for the party. I need you to be ready for midday.’

  Alexa frowned. ‘You’ve lost already, Ric.’

  He grinned and her eyes widened. ‘I’ve told you to do it tonight, so it doesn’t count.’

  Alexa folded her arms and pouted. He wondered briefly if kissing her would make her more compliant, but shook off the thought. So much for his attraction for her disappearing. He tried glaring at her for a moment.

  ‘Fine.’

  Ric turned to leave, then spun back to face her. ‘Maybe switch to water for a while?’ He didn’t like the idea of leaving her here, half-drunk, with the snake, but she was with her friends. Surely they wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

  Alexa nodded, her face serious.

  He turned his head and saw Daniel glaring at him from the other side of the bar. Ric stepped closer to Alexa, an uneasy feeling vibrating in his stomach. ‘He’s bad news, Alexa. He sleeps with women and dumps them just as fast, be careful.’

  A stormy fire burned in her eyes. ‘If you want me to stay out of your business, stay out of mine.’

  His jaw clenched. Why did he even give a damn? If she wanted to sleep with the snake, he should let her. The uneasy feeling spread up to his chest but his anger overpowered it.

  ‘Do what you like but don’t say I didn’t warn you.’

  He turned and then strode out of the bar. Alexa wasn’t his responsibility and he didn’t want her to be. As he slipped into his car his unease at leaving her didn’t disappear. Ric pulled out onto the road and headed to the function, cursing himself all the way.

  Chapter Six

  ‘Come on, Alexa. Just one drink.’

  Daniel snared her hand and led her out of the bar.