“Okay, so talk.”
“This is a job, and that’s all. Don’t get any romantic ideas just because we’re posing as a couple. I’m not interested in anything but getting the job done.” Emma froze in his arms, and he wished he could see her expression. Instead, she stared directly ahead at the dormant volcanic island of Rangitoto.
“Of course, I understand.” Her voice emerged clear but stiff.
“Good.” Jack should’ve experienced relief, but instead he felt as if he’d kicked a puppy. However, he’d achieved his goal. She wouldn’t harbor a single romantic illusion about them becoming a real couple.
***
An hour later, the hostess led them from the resort reception area. She pushed the door open and stood back to let them enter their accommodation.
“There’s only one bed,” Emma blurted.
The hostess gaped at her in bemusement, making Emma realize her error. Of course, they’d be expected to share a bed. This was a week for couples and sex. After all, her mind dwelt on sex.
“He snores dreadfully,” she told the hostess, taking petty revenge for the hurt he’d inflicted on her earlier. Just a job. No romantic ideas, she mocked silently as she detoured around the bags the porter deposited in the middle of the floor. No romantic ideas for her. All she wanted was sex—the hot and sweaty kind. “I suppose I can always pull out the earplugs as a last resort.”
“I do not—”
Emma stepped closer to Jack and gave in to the temptation to run her fingers through his hair. The dark locks slithered against her skin—soft and silky and smelling of the sea. Wow, even better than her imagination. “Of course you do, but that’s part of your charm. Too many good points and I’d get bored. I mean you’re excellent at sex. Superior. Great stamina. What more could I ask of a lover?”
Jack made a choking sound deep in his throat as she trailed a hand across his broad chest. Her fingers tingled while her pulse leapt at her daring.
“Can I help with anything else?” the hostess asked, amusement coloring her voice. “Remember, the welcome party starts promptly at midday. It’s just a short meeting so we can outline the activities for the week. After that, you’re free for the rest of the day to partake in all the facilities we have at the resort. We want you to be rested for our gala dinner tonight.”
“Thanks.” Emma continued with her exploration while she had Jack captive and within touching distance. “We have everything we need.”
The door swung shut with a soft click.
“That’s enough,” Jack growled. “She’s gone now.”
Emma drew a sharp breath, gathering her courage. “You need to kiss me.”
“What?”
Was that panic in his dark eyes? “We’re meant to be a couple,” she explained, starting to enjoy herself. “We’ll have to kiss at some stage to make sure we look the part. I think we should practice. We don’t want to give ourselves away.” Her heart thundered and blood heated every inch of skin. She was hyperaware of his strength and masculinity.
Jack glanced at her and immediately her lips tingled. His chest rose as he sucked in an audible breath. Yep, she’d definitely put the fear of God into him. His mouth worked, but no words emerged, then he grabbed her. Their lips smashed together and parted just as quickly. Jack jerked away, and they stared at each other, both breathing hard.
“That was not a kiss.” Emma broke the pregnant silence. Frustration washed through her, leaving her feeling cheated. Her mission was turning out trickier than she’d envisaged.
Jack scowled. She presumed he meant to frighten her in the same way he scared everyone else he encountered. It wouldn’t work. She was on to him. “Come here. I want to show you how we should kiss in public.”
When he remained motionless, she closed the distance between them. She placed her hands on his shoulders. The muscles and tendons were tense and chilly apart from his dragon tattoo. For some reason the black ink design radiated heat. “You’re very cold.”
“Get it over with.” Jack’s hard smile held enough temper to warn her not to push him any longer.
She stood on tiptoe and gingerly claimed a kiss. He didn’t budge but didn’t cooperate either. Time to move this experiment along. Emma opened her mouth and made contact with her tongue. A groan rumbled deep in his chest. Oh, yeah! Score one for the home team. Working on pure instinct, she moved her lips persuasively against his. She nibbled, then soothed the tiny nips with a sensual lick.
Jack’s arms circled her without warning, and he tugged her off-balance until his muscular chest flattened her breasts. He tipped her head back and moved his mouth over hers with a toe-curling expertise. She gasped, taking in his masculine flavor, a hint of mint and the tang of the sea. He tasted good, so good. Then his tongue slipped inside to twine with hers, and she became officially addicted. Her breasts peaked against her bra as their mouths slid together in a sensuous dance.
Jack pressed closer and to her delight, she discovered he was interested. A hard-on. With a subtle twitch of her hips, she shifted against his sizeable erection. Her eyes fluttered shut to savor both the sensation and her triumph. Emma Montrose had turned on big, bad Jack Sullivan.
Jack pulled away as abruptly as he’d grabbed her. They stared at each other for a long drawn-out moment. She moistened her lips and his dark gaze followed the movement. Game, set and match, bad boy.
“Right.” He straightened and took a giant step away from her. “We’ve established we can manage a kiss without looking as if we’ve never done it before.” He glared at her, obviously in an attempt to regain control. She wasn’t about to relinquish her advantage, no matter how much he glowered.
His body was interested in sex.
Sex with her.
All she needed to do was push harder until he crumpled.
Without warning, doubt flitted through her mind, sinking tendrils deep. Could she act with sexual aggression? She quashed the negative thought. Nah, men were easy. And damn if she would turn twenty-six without knowing sexual pleasure with Jack.
Jack glanced at the diver’s watch on his wrist. “We’d better go to this blasted meeting. While we’re there, I want you to take note of the faces. If there’s anyone you think is familiar or is mentioned in the file, take note and tell me later.”
Emma nodded. “I’ll just change before we go. I thought I’d check out the pool after the meeting.”
Jack watched the sway of her hips as she walked over to her bag and rummaged through the contents. She fished out something small enough to hide in her fisted hand, then sashayed into the en suite and closed the door. His dragon released a low growl of need.
“Fuck.” He rubbed the heels of his hands over his eyes and dragged in a huge breath. He was in trouble and was man—taniwha—enough to admit it. What the hell had happened to the brown sparrow from the office?
The creak of the door jerked him upright. He turned and experienced an instant roar of approval from the taniwha. This was no brown sparrow standing proudly in front of him. Emma Montrose was one curvy, confident, sexy woman and she scared the crap out of him. Her breasts were poured into an itty-bitty red top that barely contained them. Then there were acres of smooth, pale skin before his gaze hit the brief bikini panties shielding her femininity. With her Marilyn Monroe figure, she reminded him of the curvy film stars of the fifties. Add in a little more height and you got Emma Montrose—a luscious armful of femininity.
“Is that all you’re wearing?”
“I have a sarong.” She grabbed a square of red-and-white patterned material from her bag, wrapped it around her hips and tied it with a knot. “I think I’ll buy another from the gift store to take home as a souvenir.”
“What about a thing for the top? A towel?” He gestured at her breasts in their itty-bitty top. Anything to screen her lush curves from his sight.
Emma tossed her head. “I’ll get a towel at the pool.”
“Won’t you get cold?”
This time, Emma shrug
ged and her breasts jiggled enough to distract him. “The sun has come out and it looks as though the wind has died. Besides, the brochure says there’s nude bathing—”
Jack ripped his gaze from her cleavage to stare at her in shock. “Over my dead body.”
Emma planned to be difficult. The defiant tilt of her chin confirmed her obstinate gene. How had he missed her stubbornness? She’d always scuttled out of his way, giving a creditable impression of a frightened bird.
This Emma was no sparrow.
Jack jerked open the door and stood back. “Let’s go.”
She exited with a sashay, the pert wiggle of her hips drawing his eye. Sweat coated his skin while his cock jumped to high alert. Jack debated his reaction. Curse a blue streak or laugh hysterically? One thing was for sure. They couldn’t share a room without the simmering attraction between them boiling over. Oh, yeah. No wonder George had belly laughed. His boss had probably noticed Emma’s crush. The joke was well and truly on him.
Jack followed her along the brightly lit corridor and outside.
The sea, pungent and briny, called its siren song, trying to entice him to shift and slip into the cool waters. He forced himself to concentrate. Instead of facing temptation tonight, he’d wait for Emma to fall asleep, then leave to do some investigating. With luck, he’d be able to check out Mahoney’s office and find something to further their investigation. Or blow the whole case wide open and save his taniwha butt in order for him to hightail it home to safety and his scruffy tomcat.
Emma paused by a garden full of colorful blooms. She trailed a hand over the lavender border. “Do you prefer to swim in a pool or the sea?”
“The sea.”
“You live by the sea, don’t you?”
“Yeah.”
She made a small huffing sound. “Do you live by yourself?”
“Yeah.”
“No pets?”
“I have a cat. What’s with the questions?”
“I’m your significant other. I should know these things. I live by myself but have loads of friends. I hate swimming in the sea—long story, but I almost drowned. I’ll tell you one day. I’m twenty-five years old and my favorite food is hokey pokey ice cream. Oh, and chocolate. I love chocolate.”
“This is where the meeting’s taking place.” Jack opened the door and ushered her inside, relieved to end the questions. There was one thing worth knowing about a woman and that was how easy she was to bed. As a taniwha, he needed that type of information. He did not need to know her personal likes and dislikes.
The large meeting space was packed to capacity and most of the women were dressed in similar outfits to Emma’s. In fact, Jack felt distinctly overdressed in his shirt and shorts.
Jack directed her toward two empty chairs and settled at Emma’s side. He scanned the men and women sitting either side. Damn, crowds made him antsy. They were so bloody happy. Shit, make that horny. He could hear their rapid heartbeats and their naughty whispering. The majority of them looked as if they needed a bedroom.
He glanced at Emma, and saw the sexy flush on her cheeks, the kiss-swollen lips. Fuck, he didn’t need this distraction. Jack forced his mind back to the job. Given the opportunity tonight, he’d scour the island, check out the private marina and wharf.
A young woman walked up to a microphone followed by several others. All of them, except one—an older man—were dressed in a uniform of black shorts and blue T-shirts.
“Good afternoon!” the man shouted.
Well, damn. Jack sat up straighter on recognizing him once he turned in their direction. Rueben J. Mahoney himself. Interesting. The owner wasn’t always at the resort. His presence made the back of Jack’s neck prickle in the way it did when an investigation was advancing.
“Welcome to Mahoney Resort. We have a great week planned with lots of naughty fun especially for couples!” A roar of approval greeted Mahoney’s words. “I know you’re anxious to begin your holiday, so I’ll hand you over to Lissa.”
“Welcome! Sounds as if you’re ready to party.” With a laugh, Lissa—a bubbly redhead—held up her right hand in a bid for silence. “To start the fun, I want you to look under your chairs. Two lucky people should find a red heart sticker.”
A buzz of chatter rippled free as everyone stood to peer under their chairs.
“I’ve got one!” Emma shrieked.
Jack winced. “That figures.”
“Could the two lucky winners come up here to collect their prizes? We have a bag full of sex toys and games for you to spice up your week.”
Emma bounded up to the stage with the red sticker clutched in her hand. A man in his fifties followed hot on her heels.
Jack swallowed a groan when one of hostesses on the stage presented Emma with her prize. Reuben J. Mahoney kissed her on the cheek and tossed her a joking remark. Jack gritted his teeth as he heard the drawl of the man’s voice but not the actual words.
The desire to curse and shock the hell out of the little old lady and her bright-eyed husband sitting next to them rode Jack like a demon jockey with spurs. Contrarily, the dragon roared with excitement and anticipation. Bit by bit, his strength and determination to stay the heck out of Emma’s panties was being eroded. Jack sighed and finally accepted the truth.
He was a dead man, but at least he was gonna die happy.
Chapter Three
Emma blinked at him in an innocent manner. “It wasn’t my fault I won the spot prize.”
Jack suspected she wasn’t the slightest bit sorry. The twinkle in her blue eyes spoke of mischievous pleasure, and her attitude rubbed against his horny taniwha.
“What are we going to do now?”
“I am going to do a reconnaissance of the resort. I thought you were going to the pool.”
Her bright smile dimmed before bursting into life again. The sight flipped his stomach with foreboding. What the hell was she up to now?
“I think I’ll go to the beach instead of the pool.” She lifted the large package and waved it in front of him. “Not to swim. I can sunbathe and check out my loot.”
Jack froze and slowly nodded. She couldn’t come to much harm on the beach.
One hour later, Jack finished his quick whistle-stop tour of the resort. He checked out the gym, the swimming pool with the spa pools and sauna facilities. There was a health spa he’d poked his head inside, then promptly retreated but not fast enough. As an excuse he’d ended up making an appointment for Emma for a massage and something to do with seaweed before he could escape.
He’d checked out the golf course, the archery area and the petanque pit, where guests played the French version of outdoor bowls. Then, he’d hit one of the walking tracks that skirted the property and led to Stoney Batter—the World War II gun placements and connecting tunnels—if a guest was willing to trek for two hours. He discovered several other paths of various lengths, which led to points of interest, along with tennis courts and numerous water sports available to entertain the guests.
The private beach stretched the length of the resort golf course. At the end of the beach, a river mouth emptied into the sea, the sand changing to thick river mud. Hundreds of mangrove trees grew in the oozing sludge. They were full of bird life but not very hospitable for humans.
The resort covered a lot of ground—a fact that made Jack’s life difficult, because it would be easy for a drug ring to operate without detection. He made a mental note to check for day guests.
Jack turned toward the beach to search for Emma. The sand crunched under his sandals once he stepped off the footpath. The surge and retreat of the waves lulled him as he scanned the vicinity. Halfway along the beach, four males crowded around a beach towel. He caught a low drone as one of them spoke and the answering feminine laugh.
Emma.
Jealousy struck hard and without warning. His steps lengthened, and his taniwha growled in displeasure, ready to kick butt.
“Emma, there you are.” He kept his voice low and even—or tried t
o. His dragon let loose with a roar that squeezed past his control before he could blink.
The four men visibly backed away from Emma.
She sent him a chiding look and pursed her rosebud pink lips. “Darling, this is Carlos, Daniel, Justin and Doug. They wanted to know what I’d won in my prize.”
Jack made a concerted effort to contain his displeasure, but unsuccessfully since the four men retreated farther from their previous huddle around Emma.
“We’d better get back to the bar. The girls should have finished in the spa by now,” one of them said after they’d exchanged wary glances.
“Nice to meet you.” Emma beamed. “And thanks for the hints. I’m sure they’ll come in handy.”
“See you ’round,” another of the men said.
Jack managed a brief nod of acknowledgment and waited in broody silence until they left. He yanked his shirt over his head and dropped onto the sand beside her. All it took was one look and he almost drooled. She smelled of coconut lotion and her skin gleamed, drawing his gaze to the red top and her plump breasts.
“You could have been a bit more polite.”
“Why? What hints?” If she wanted sex tips, she should ask him.
“About the best way to use some of the toys I won. Do you have some input for me?”
Jack went from pissed to boiling hot in seconds flat. The woman had a smart mouth and he was just the man to cure her of the malady. He sprang, pushing her down until she lay full length on her towel. A small oomph escaped her as he covered her, squashing her breasts against his bare chest. He thrust his thigh between her legs to hold her in place, ignoring the squeak of surprise.
She opened her mouth, probably to complain, but he halted any protests by plundering her lips, sliding his tongue into the moist cavern beyond, just as his taniwha demanded.
She froze, then softened beneath him, her hands gripping his shoulders to hold him closer. Her fingers slid across his back then lower to cup his arse.
Flight of Dragons Page 81