The One Who Got Away

by Jo Leigh

  His tongue explored her, plunged into her, dueled with hers. His teeth nipped sharply, and then she sucked deeply, getting him right where she wanted him. The devil pulled back, panting. “Wait,” he said.

  “Why?”

  He smiled. “Get into your bikini. I’ll be back in two minutes.”

  Before she could get the first word of her protest out, he was gone, and she was left breathless by the door, her purse somewhere on the floor, her body shaking with a desire only he could inspire.

  Swimming? Now? She wished he would have stopped and told her what he had in mind. She didn’t need to get wet. She already was.

  But because she was the horniest woman in Nevada, she went to her bedroom and changed in record time. The bikini was the new one she’d bought shopping with Lisa—black and tiny, although it wasn’t a thong. She wouldn’t wear one of those in public, not for anything. Although when she looked in the mirror, she wasn’t going to win any modesty awards. Her boobs looked much bigger than they actually were, her hips seemed curvier and even after the divine meal, her tummy didn’t look half-bad. It was the tan, of course. She’d snuck some time in the booth back home before coming out here, just to lay a base. Yeah, she knew it was bad for her, but oh, man, it made everything look so much better.

  Which wasn’t the issue at the moment. She grabbed her cover-up and slipped on her flip-flops, and she was ready to go. Except for her purse. But she didn’t really need one, if Ben would carry her key.

  She found the little dinner bag and took out what she needed, then stood by the door. Not for long. He rapped twice and she let him in.

  He wore black and dark green trunks, a funky Hawaiian shirt, and dark sandals. He’d pushed his hair back with his fingers, and he looked so good she could eat him with a spoon.

  “Come on,” he said, holding out his hand.

  “Why are we doing this?”

  “Because I need to expend a little energy.”

  “I have a really good way for you to do that,” she said. “Right here.”

  “And I will, I promise. But later. This first.”

  She took his hand and let him lead her down the hall. “Hold this for me?”

  He took her key and put it in his shirt pocket. Then he kissed the back of her hand.

  “Are you sure?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. I want to take things down a notch before we start up again. And, I want to play with you in the pool.”

  “Marco Polo?”

  “Find the salami.”

  She laughed out loud just as the elevator door opened. They got in, and they were alone. Ben maneuvered her back against the wall, and he pushed up flat against her. “You look hot in that.”

  “It’s just a cover-up.”

  “You look hot in everything.”

  “Ha. You should see me in my old chenille bathrobe at home. I look like someone’s grandma.”

  “Kiss me, Granny,” he said, but he didn’t give her much of a vote. His lips came down on hers and once again, she lit up like a lightbulb.

  Her hands moved down the smooth material of his shirt. He toyed with the hem of her wrap, and then she felt his fingers at the waistband of her bikini.

  “What are you doing?” she whispered.

  “Exploring.” His fingers moved underneath the material until she felt him in her curls.

  “Stop. They have cameras in here. I saw it on TV.”

  “They can’t see anything,” he said. “I’m blocking you.”

  “But they’ll know.”

  “Then they’ll be jealous,” he said. “Let ’em. You’re mine tonight. All mine.”

  Her head went back with a mixture of a giggle and a gasp as his finger slipped inside her.

  “What’s this?” he asked. “We’re not even at the pool, and you’re all wet?”

  She pushed against his groin. “And what’s this swelling? Allergic to something, are we?”

  “I do believe the opposite is true. I thrive inside you, Taylor. I come alive.”

  “Oh, my,” she said, just before they hit the casino level.

  He pulled away in the nick of time, but she knew she was blushing like a fool. His cheeks were pretty damn pink, too. He grabbed her and led her to the nearest pool exit.

  Once they were outside, they laughed again, and Ben loved the sound of it. She was like a kid. In fact, like the kid he remembered her to be. She’d been such a little pest back then, but he’d gotten a real kick out of her stubbornness.

  Oh, who was he kidding. She’d worshipped him since the time they’d met, and that hero worship had turned into a major crush, and that hadn’t all gone in one direction. Taylor had been an important part of his growing up years. Easy to talk to, when she hadn’t been bratty, and interesting in her own right. He remembered seeing her in a dumb school play. It hadn’t been a big part, but she’d knocked the hell out of it, and gotten the biggest ovation of the night. She’d glowed. Loved the attention.

  And then there was the night she’d asked him to teach her to slow dance. She was going to the junior prom, and she didn’t know how to do the slow kind. Her dad wasn’t around, and Steve was pretty much a goofus, so he’d stepped up to bat. Not that he was any Fred Astaire, but it had been nice. Sweet. That night he’d realized she had a crush on him. He’d been flattered. And when, two years later, she’d invited herself into his bed, there was no chance in hell he’d say no.

  Which didn’t mean he wasn’t still confused as hell. That kiss this morning, her odd half explanation, his reaction. Way more than he wanted to think about, especially tonight. Tonight, they were going back a step. To what they did extraordinarily well together.

  But first, he wanted to feel that body rub up against him in the pool. He wanted to see her shimmer under the water. He wanted to strip her naked and make love to her, but he figured he could contain himself until they went back up to the room. Then they’d have the pleasure of a hot shower, drying each other off. Then howling at the moon as they turned each other inside out.

  Chris Isaac was singing about a bad bad thing, making Ben like the hotel more and more. The fact that the pool wasn’t all that crowded helped, too. Just a couple of late swimmers, the usual crowd around the swim-up bar, and the cabanas. That’s where he led Taylor.

  The first three were full, but the fourth had a lone guy, looking a little long in the tooth. “You here by yourself?” Ben asked.

  “Evidently.”

  “Bummer.”

  The guy sighed. Ben recognized the sound of a man who’d been stood up.

  “There’s a whole gaggle of gorgeous babes by the bar.”

  “Yeah, but not the one I wanted.”

  Ben placed Taylor just outside the cabana wall. “Hold on.” Then he went in and sat next to Mr. Lonely. “Listen, I’m sorry your thing didn’t work out. And it’s rotten of me to even ask, but I’d surely love to bring my lady back up here after a swim.” He reached into his pocket, behind the two room keys, where he’d stashed a couple of hundred dollars. He took one bill out and slid it across the table. “Why don’t you get a drink, and when we get back, you could go in and try your luck again.”

  The guy stared at the bill for a long time, then raised his gaze to Ben’s. “Yeah, sure. Why the hell not?” He took the money in his fist. “Maybe I’ll win something huge and she’d find me a little more interesting.”

  “You never know, brother. You never know.”

  “You want me to order something for the two of you?”

  Ben grinned. “You’re all right. Sure. A piña colada for her, a scotch on the rocks for me.”

  The stranger gave him a lopsided grin. “Go on. Get out of here before I change my mind.”

  Ben stood, clapped the guy on the shoulder. “Excellent karma points, my friend.” Then he took Taylor’s towel from her hand, waited until she’d given him her cover-up, gulped as he got a load of her in her black bikini, and stripped down to his own trunks. He left their stuff on an empty chair, gave
a thumbs-up to his new best friend and followed Taylor to the edge of the pool.

  She dove in first, and he followed a few seconds later. He found her leg, her calf to be precise, and hung on until they both came up, sputtering. She dipped her head back, letting her hair smooth from her face, and he did the same. They were at the deep end, so they had to tread water to keep their heads up. He got close enough to touch her everywhere he could.

  “It’s so beautiful here at night,” she said, her gaze moving from the lighted palm trees to the colored lights placed directly in the water. “Like paradise.”

  “Have you ever been to Hawaii?”

  She nodded. “I love it there.”

  “Me, too. I know a little private beach. We could make love in the sand.”

  “Ouch.”

  “True. But there are ways.”

  “I’ll bet,” she said, and then she kissed him. Her lips were moist and cool, but inside was the same wet heat he’d already memorized. He loved the feel of her smooth teeth, the way she tasted. He could dine on her forever.

  The kiss deepened and then they were both coughing. Making out while treading water wasn’t cutting it, so they swam far enough for their feet to touch. Another couple, not too far away, had the same idea, and they were at it hot and heavy. Ben couldn’t have cared less. All he could see was Taylor, and the way she glistened in the moonlight.

  She ran her hands over his chest until she found his nipple. He jerked when she squeezed him there, but came back for more. His hands were on her back, moving slowly down the length of her. When he hit her bikini bottom, he kept on going until he held the firm globes of her buttocks in each hand.

  “Didn’t you used to hate swimming?” she asked him.

  “Me?”

  “Yeah. Steve told me something about that a long time ago. That you could have been a really hot jock on the swim team, but you said you didn’t like the water.”

  “I don’t know how hot a jock I could have been, but it’s not the water I dislike. It’s the whole team thing.”

  “Then what the heck are we doing here, when we could be in private?”

  “I said I don’t like team sports. There’s no one here but you and me, as far as I’m concerned, and honey, you in the water isn’t something I was willing to miss.”

  She swung around, turning them both as she wrapped her legs around his waist. “What are you talking about?”

  “I got this image in my head. This morning, to tell you the truth. And I couldn’t shake it. So I took you down here.”

  Her whole body kind of deflated.

  “Hey, don’t go there. I told you. I don’t care what happened.”

  “But I do.”

  “Why?”

  She had her arms around his neck, and he balanced her easily in his hands. She fit like she was made for him. Her head went back for a minute and he simply stared at her neck. So beautiful. He wanted to spend a week licking and nibbling that long column.

  Her head came down and she looked him in the eyes. “I’m going to tell you something, and you have to shut up and listen.”

  “Okay.”

  “I had an entire plan worked out for this week,” she said. “Aside from the wedding.”

  He grinned. “I figured it out.”

  “No, you didn’t. I mean, you figured out what I was after, but not why.”

  He wasn’t real sure he wanted to hear this.

  “You do remember our weekend together?”

  He laughed out loud. “You could say that, yes.”

  “Well, I do, too. I remember it too well. And it’s kind of…screwed me up.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She put her legs down, unwound her arms. He didn’t want to let her go, but he did anyway. She didn’t get far. “That was the most amazing weekend I’ve ever had,” she said, her voice much lower, and younger, somehow. As if she’d gone back to that time ten years before. “You were my first, and frankly, my best.”

  The bang of her words hit him right in the ego and he felt his chest rise with peacock pride. That lasted all of about five seconds. “And that’s a problem?”

  “Yes, that’s a problem. Come on, Ben. It’s been ten years. And what we did that weekend has totally blown everything since off the map. How fair is that?”

  She sounded affronted. Indignant. He couldn’t help his burst of laughter. She responded by hitting him in the arm.

  “Hey,” he said, rubbing the pain. “That hurt.”

  “Well, don’t laugh at me.”

  “I’m not laughing. I’m bewildered. Confused. Not laughing.”

  “What’s so hard to understand? You spoiled it for me, Ben Bowman. Every guy I met after you failed the Ben Test. I mean it, there just wasn’t…”

  “Wasn’t?”

  “I don’t know. The magic. Whatever.”

  “Whatever,” he repeated. “And your plan was?”

  She sighed, as if he was particularly slow. “To have a repeat performance, so that I could get rid of all the crazy ideas I had about you. About us. So that I could bring you down to size. Get a real life.”

  “Oh.”

  “What are you all disappointed about?”

  “I’m supposed to be happy that I’m not your number one stud muffin?”

  “What are you talking about? What do you think the whole problem is? Are you dense?”

  He held back a grin. Damn, but she was beautiful when she was completely irrational. “Evidently.”

  She slugged him again, this time on the chest. And this time, her hand stayed right there, her fingers warm against his cool skin. “Damn it, Ben, it failed. The whole plan. Utterly. That’s why I kissed Cade.”

  “Want to run that by me again?”

  “I was confused, because of our night. Because it was even better than I remembered. Because, oh God, now I’m really in trouble, and how in hell am I supposed to get on with my life when I know that when I’m with you, it’s like…”

  “Magic,” he whispered.

  She nodded, looking like her heart had been broken into tiny pieces. “I kissed him because I should have liked it. He’s like this great-looking guy. And nice. Totally buff.”

  “But?”

  “It was nothing. Worse than nothing. A joke.”

  “Am I supposed to be sorry?”

  “I don’t know.” She walked a few slow steps away. “I don’t know much of anything, except I’m completely bewildered by the whole thing. You were supposed to be just a guy. A regular guy.”

  “And I’m not?”

  She turned around. “Not to me.”

  15

  BEN WENT UNDER WATER, and stayed there for a while. The lack of oxygen was an excellent distraction from the thoughts bombarding his brain. She was upset that he was good in bed? That she’d never had anyone better than him? Maybe he hadn’t understood properly. Women had always confused him, and this was just another example of how they were from a different planet. Right?

  A hand grabbed his hair and pulled him straight up. Right back into Taylor’s face.

  “Drowning isn’t going to get you out of this, mister.”

  “I don’t know. It seemed like a pretty good option.”

  “Ben, cut it out.”

  He folded Taylor into his arms. “I’m sorry, hon. I don’t mean to be treating this…thing…lightly. I’m just—”

  “Confused. Welcome to my world.”

  They stood for a while, moving gently back and forth in the warm water. He closed his eyes, letting himself enjoy the feeling of her body against his, so much of her naked. Smooth. Slick.

  “I shouldn’t have said anything,” she whispered.

  “Yeah, you should have.”

  “But now both of us don’t know what to do.”

  He pulled back far enough to look at her. “You’re wrong. I know just what to do.” He kissed her, gently at first. After her lips parted, he entered her, moving slowly and precisely, in no rush at all.

&
nbsp; Her body relaxed into his embrace as she shared the kiss. Music, something by Vanessa Williams, wafted through the palm trees and the water, and somewhere out there he heard laughter. But he didn’t want to be out there. Not even an inch away from this warm woman, this incredible woman. He had to wonder, albeit briefly, if his overwhelming reaction to her touch had anything to do with what she’d just told him.

  Probably not. He’d reacted this way ever since that weekend, long ago. Since she’d first showed up on his parents’ doorstep. When he’d made love to her then, it had been the most shattering thing he’d ever experienced. Until this week.

  Damn. No wonder he was having so much trouble with all this. He hadn’t put it together, that’s all. Being with Taylor was completely different from being with anyone else in his life. Everything was completely different, and if his life depended on saying how, he’d be a goner. It just was.

  But it was also just sex. Great sex. Incredible sex. Nothing more. So why sweat it? He had her, here, in his arms. They had a cabana. They had a room. It would be moronic not to do what they both wanted.

  He pulled back from her lips and moved slowly down to the side of her neck. She moaned, and he figured they better get out soon, because he didn’t want to have any spontaneous emissions here in the very public waters of the Hard Rock pool.

  “Come on,” he said, turning so his arm was around her shoulder and he was leading her to the steps. “There’s a drink waiting for you topside.”

  “Oh, good,” she said. “Get me drunk so I don’t have to think anymore, okay?”

  He laughed. “It’s not the end of the world, Taylor.”

  “Not yours.”

  “Not yours, either. We’ll figure it out.”

  She didn’t say more as they climbed the steps and headed for the cabana. The guy was still there, but the moment he saw them, he picked up his drink, sitting next to theirs, nodded a sad goodbye and went on his way.

  Once they were alone, Ben handed Taylor her towel as he dried himself off. It was far more interesting to watch her than to pay attention to damp spots.